Has Anyone Read "WoW Programming"?

[Tunga]

I'm looking for a decent intermediate level book for addon programming. I code for a living so programming concepts are fine and I've made some basic stuff but the lack of good reference material is an issue. I'm happy to pay for a book if it's going to provide what I need.

Has anyone read/browsed this:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/World-of-Warcraft-Programming/James-Whitehead/e/9780470229811
If so, what did you think?

[teacake]

::feels a coma coming on::

No really, go for it LOL.

[Tunga]

I get spare time at work when we're not very busy, I can't sit there playing WoW so this is the next best thing.

[WatcherZero]

The writer of Atlas wrote this last year: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470110023?ie=UTF8&tag=atlas0d-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0470110023

May be a bit out of date now however since blizz keeps changing the mod language commands

[tralkar]

why read it when it will change next patch...Blizzard don't know how to leave something be.

[Vandir]

I actually read Hacking World of Warcraft, so now I know some good XML/LUA coding. Is Blizz really gonna change the language in WotLK? If they do, I think I'm going to hurt someone.

[mmorpg man]

why would blizzard change the programming lang on a wimp? is there a reason behind it?

[Tunga]

why read it when it will change next patch...Blizzard don't know how to leave something be.Thanks for your clueless input. I'm intelligent enough to deal with a few API changes, which I'm prepared to bet you know nothing about but decided to comment on anyway.

The writer of Atlas wrote this last year: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047...SIN=0470110023

May be a bit out of date now however since blizz keeps changing the mod language commandsYeah, this is why I'm more inclined towards the newer one. Also the other book seems to be aimed at a lower level, it covers macros and using mods a lot more than this one does from what I can tell. It's only £15 for the one I'm looking at so I might just take a chance on it, it looks good.

[Aerath]

So... if we have a brilliant idea for an addon we can go poke you ? =)

What are you planning to write anyway ?

[Tunga]

Short term, nothing specific. What has provoked me recently has been the lack of a working Assessment but i'm a long way from anything that complex. Still, a basic damage meter would be a nice start - and I realise the recent combat log changes won't be in the book but it's not an issue really, the problem for me is the nuances of Lua over other languages (I'm fluent with VB/C#/Java/PHP so I'm sure I can pick it up, I just need a good source to learn from).

[Xlorep DarkHelm]

I'm looking for a decent intermediate level book for addon programming. I code for a living so programming concepts are fine and I've made some basic stuff but the lack of good reference material is an issue. I'm happy to pay for a book if it's going to provide what I need.

Has anyone read/browsed this:
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/World-of-Warcraft-Programming/James-Whitehead/e/9780470229811
If so, what did you think?

I've not read it, but it looks like an interesting read at least. And, if it has a rough outline to work with with regards to the WoW LUA API, that's great as well. My only concern would be that these kinds of books only have enough real, usable information to fit in about 3 - 4 pages, the good ones get up to about 10 pages of real useful information, and everything else is filler, and better covered in a solid LUA language book (for language-specific semantics), or your typical programming schoolbook (for basic through advanced programming concepts, algorithms and general ideas). That said, I'd probably buy the book myself.

And for those who think such things are just boring, dull, etc... programming to me, is like a paintbrush, easel, and other tools used for painting to a painter. Personally, I've loved programming since I wrote my first pac-man clone when I was 8. I'll agree that there are some very... dry programming books out there, and I often just skip to the programming code examples, and dug through/fiddle with those to teach myself rather than actually read the (often poorly-written) book. But as someone whose programming book library is only rivaled by his fantasy/science fiction library in size and depth, I do enjoy getting programming books... and often pick them up purely because the subject matter intrigued me a little.

That said, shouldn't this be in the UI Customization forum, rather than General?

[Tunga]

Did this really need moving? Nobody reads this forum for a discussion (I should know) :( .

[Tunga]

Other mini-project I have planned is the rebuff buttons from XRS, I need a standaone version of that.

[Aerath]

Well, I can think of a few things possibly I could bug you about :wink:

[Tunga]

You'll have to wait a couple of months minimum :grin: .

[HonorGoG]

Tunga, go ahead and get World of Warcraft Programming. It has the complete API index in the back which, amazingly enough, appears to be more accurate than the current WoWWiki API pages. The authors also realize that things change frequently so they have a website dedicated to updating specific areas of the text. They also go into great detail about how Lua and XML works within WoW.

Also, I would highly recommend getting Programming In Lua (Second Edition) (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Programming-in-Lua-Second-Edition/Roberto-Ierusalimschy/e/9788590379829/?itm=1) by Roberto Ierusalimschy. It's dry but intended for people familiar with programming so I find it useful.

[Tunga]

That's useful info, thanks. I'm away this weekend but going to order it next week, looking forward to it :) .

When I started my job (December, graduated last July) my boss offered to buy me "any books you need for programming or whatever". Do you think this counts :grin: ?