Before posting an addon idea/request in this forum, please review the following list of things which addons cannot do. Use your browser's "find in page" feature to help look for specific things. Posts requesting addons that do anything listed here may be deleted or mercilessly ridiculed.
If you notice something missing from this list, or erroneously included in this list, post a comment on this thread, and I will edit the list. This thread is also posted on the WoWInterface forums, here.
Do not post here about things that violate the WoW EULA and/or TOS.
This is an official fan site, and thus must abide by Blizzard's rules. Posting about things that violate the WoW EULA and/or TOS, or this site's own rules, will get you a warning and a locked thread the first time, and a ban the second time. Such topics include, but are not limited to:
Model/skin changing
Login screen changing
Private servers
Bots, hacks, or other third-party software that interferes with WoW's normal functioning
Gold selling/buying, power leveling, account sharing/selling, etc.
Addons cannot access anything outside of WoW.
You cannot read from or post to Facebook, Twitter, RSS, etc.
You cannot connect to Facebook chat, Skype, etc.
You cannot read from or write to files on the hard disk.
You cannot show what song is currently playing in Winamp.
You cannot show who's talking in Ventrilo.
Addons cannot load arbitrary URLs in the in-game browser.
The in-game browser can only display specific Battle.net account and support pages allowed by Blizzard.
Addons cannot change models, textures, spell animations, enchant glows, or any other graphics.
Anything that is part of the 3D game world is off-limits to addons.
Addons can only know about the threat tables of mobs you or someone in your party/raid are targeting.
You cannot have a multi-target threat meter.
You cannot automatically mark mobs that nobody in your group is targeting.
Addons cannot change or even see minimap tracking dots.
You cannot have an alert when a tracking dot appears.
You cannot change herbs and mines to have different icons from each other.
Addons cannot target mobs by their raid target icon.
You cannot write an addon that lets you "target whatever mob has a skull on it right now".
These actions require a hardware event, such as clicking a button on your mouse or pressing a key on your keyboard, and include:
Casting a spell
Stopping a spell cast
Cancelling a shapeshift type buff
Cancelling a non-shapeshift buff while in combat
Using an item
Targeting or untargeting any unit
Setting, clearing, or changing your focus unit
Running a macro
Stopping a macro
Editing a macro while in combat
Sending a guild invitation
Accepting a Dungeon/Raid/Scenario Finder or Battleground group
Completing a trade
Moving the camera
Moving your character
Requesting a duel
Accepting a duel
Removing someone from your group while in combat
Adding, removing, or changing key bindings while in combat
Changing action bar pages
Reloading the UI
Changing your character's title
Cancelling an automated logout, such as after you've been AFK for 30 minutes, while in an inn or major city (resting)
Addons cannot show, hide, move, or resize secure frames while in combat, except in response to certain limited conditions.
Secure frames are those which can perform one of the actions listed above when clicked on, such as action buttons or unit frames. The allowed conditions are the same as those usable in macros:
Your actionbar page changed
You entered/left combat
A specific unit became hostile/friendly/dead/alive/existent/nonexistent (eg. your target, or your focus)
You equipped a particular item type (eg. a shield, or a two-handed axe)
You entered/left an area where flying mounts are usable
You started/stopped flying
You joined/left a party/raid group
You entered/left an indoor/outdoor area
You pressed/released a modifier key (shift, alt, or ctrl)
You mounted/dismounted
You switched specs
You switched stances/forms
You entered/left stealth
You started/stopped swimming
You or the specified unit entered/left a vehicle
Note that health, mana, buffs, debuffs, and cooldowns cannot be checked in a macro conditional, and cannot be used to show/hide a secure frame.
If you think something should be added to, removed from, or changed in this list, post here. Posts will be removed as their content is merged into the main post.
I don't use Twitter, in-game or otherwise, but I'm pretty sure it's in the same category as opening URLs; it's off-limits to addons. I've gotten a few reports that some types of chat frame modification can taint Twitter functionality, but it hasn't been a priority for me to investigate.
If you notice something missing from this list, or erroneously included in this list, post a comment on this thread, and I will edit the list. This thread is also posted on the WoWInterface forums, here.
Do not post here about things that violate the WoW EULA and/or TOS.
This is an official fan site, and thus must abide by Blizzard's rules. Posting about things that violate the WoW EULA and/or TOS, or this site's own rules, will get you a warning and a locked thread the first time, and a ban the second time. Such topics include, but are not limited to:
Addons cannot get information about auctions when you are not at the auction house.
Addons cannot automatically perform secure/protected actions.
These actions require a hardware event, such as clicking a button on your mouse or pressing a key on your keyboard, and include:
Secure frames are those which can perform one of the actions listed above when clicked on, such as action buttons or unit frames. The allowed conditions are the same as those usable in macros:
Is this "can't do" list getting bigger or smaller over the past years? Thanks