5.4.8 Changes to CVars While In-Combat

Greetings,

We’re making a change to a number of CVars in the upcoming Patch 5.4.8 (release date: 05-20-2014). UI Add-Ons will be unable to update the following CVars while the player is in combat. Add-On authors, please feel free to use the 5.4.8 PTR testing environment to see if an UI Add-On is compatible with the upcoming patch before it goes live.

alwaysShowActionBars
bloatnameplates
bloatTest
bloatthreat
consolidateBuffs
fullSizeFocusFrame
maxAlgoplates
nameplateMotion
nameplateOverlapH
nameplateOverlapV
nameplateShowEnemies
nameplateShowEnemyGuardians
nameplateShowEnemyPets
nameplateShowEnemyTotems
nameplateShowFriendlyGuardians
nameplateShowFriendlyPets
nameplateShowFriendlyTotems
nameplateShowFriends
repositionfrequency
SetUIVisibility - You can still SetUIVisibility(true) while in combat, but you can no longer toggle it.
showArenaEnemyFrames
showArenaEnemyPets
showPartyPets
showTargetOfTarget
targetOfTargetMode
uiScale
useCompactPartyFrames
useUiScale

Edit: Added info for 'SetUIVisibility'.
Edit2: Added release date info for 5.4.8.

05/13/2014 04:17 PMPosted by Bor

I don't like having nameplates shown out-of-combat, because they add a hell of a lot of clutter -- yet they're invaluably useful in-combat (to the point of practically being mandatory in some encounters). If the dev team is dead-set on this change, can we at least have a built-in toggle for showing in-combat, hiding out-of-combat?

This change only prevents Add-Ons from automatically toggling nameplates on or off during combat. Players will continue to be able to toggle nameplates regardless of combat state (bound to the "v" key by default).

05/16/2014 04:49 AMPosted by Ro

but will this change have a significant impact on Tidyplates Threatplates?

No. Even downloaded it and tested it on the PTR to confirm.

Specifically the functions that change a mob's nameplate color based on threat, that overlay a custom design to distinguish your current target, that allow for custom nameplate styles to specifically named mobs, or that change a player's nameplate color based on class?

None of that is being affected. Even the ability to scale individual nameplates based on threat is not being affected.

Things that are still fine after 5.4.8:
- adding stuff to nameplates (HHtD, PlateBuffs)
- changing the look of nameplates (Tidyplates, Aloft)
- turning nameplates on at the start of combat and off at the end (with proper events)

Things that are not working after 5.4.8:
- addons changing the listed default settings during combat, like which nameplate sets are shown
- addons using this loophole to choose what to cast and when

Thank you for sharing your findings with us Ro.

The UI team informed me that they also protected “SetUIVisibility(false)” while in combat. Add-Ons can still use "SetUIVisibility(true)" while in combat, but you cannot toggle it.