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WarriorStartAttack / Architecture

WarriorStartAttack: Architecture

WarriorStartAttack — architecture and API behavior

Event and hook flow

WoW player input
  |-- Action-bar button: UseAction(slot, checkCursor, onSelf)
  |      -> GetActionTexture(slot)
  |-- Spellbook action: CastSpell(spellSlot, bookType)
  |      -> GetSpellTexture(slot, bookType)
  '-- Macro / /cast / API: CastSpellByName(localizedName, onSelf)
         -> strip trailing "(...)" suffix
         -> iterate GetSpellName / GetSpellTexture across spellbook
         -> match icon for same localized spell name
               |
               v
       known stop icon? -> StopAttackIfActive()
       known offensive icon? -> StartAttackIfPossible()
       neither? -> no extra action
               |
               v
       call original WoW action/casting function

These wrappers are assigned globally at file load, so unrelated addons may interact according to load order. The code does not intercept every conceivable ability call: only these three functions and the textures/names they expose.

Offensive gating

StartAttackIfPossible() calls AttackTarget() only if all of these source checks pass:

  1. UnitClass("player") returns class token WARRIOR.
  2. UnitExists("target") is true.
  3. UnitIsDead("target") is false.
  4. UnitCanAttack("player", "target") is true.
  5. IsAutoAttacking() is false.

After calling the toggle, it immediately sets attackActive = true. It does not test range, rage, cast outcome or the presence of an ongoing swing timer. This intentional pre-action timing makes insufficient-rage Heroic Strike a useful example.

Stop behavior

StopAttackIfActive() checks IsAutoAttacking() and calls the same toggle to stop, then sets attackActive = false. The sole stop icon is Interface\\Icons\\Ability_GolemThunderClap, annotated as Intimidating Shout.

Unlike starting, the stop function is not conditional on IsWarrior(). All three globally installed wrappers can therefore activate the stop path if an icon happens to match on another class. This is a source-level risk requiring actual client tests and a creator decision, not a proven in-game bug.

Detecting current attacks

IsAutoAttacking():
  for actionSlot = 1..120:
      if IsAttackAction(actionSlot)
         and IsCurrentAction(actionSlot):
           return true
  return attackActive

The boolean attackActive is updated by the addon when it toggles attacks, as well as through registered PLAYER_ENTER_COMBAT and PLAYER_LEAVE_COMBAT events using Vanilla's global event variable. That event fallback is not the same as a guaranteed server-confirmed melee auto-attack status. Without a visible Attack action and with other external state changes, it may be stale or too broad.

Because AttackTarget() is a toggle, the correctness of starting/stopping depends on correctly detecting the live attack state. The README describes intended behavior; a reliable client test must confirm it.

Icon matching and localization

There are 20 true entries in the offensiveIcons table, each referencing a literal internal texture path. They are used for all spell ranks with that texture. The stop table contains one icon.

CastSpellByName is special: it receives a possibly translated spell name. SpellNameHasIcon removes a parenthesized suffix, walks the spellbook using GetSpellName, selects entries whose name equals the supplied localized name, and only then checks their GetSpellTexture against the icon table. Whitelist membership remains icon-based, though spellbook lookup still depends on same-language name equality.

This reduces translation maintenance but can be fooled by shared/mismatched icons and should be tested with localized clients and rank syntax.

Packaging and persistence

The TOC declares Interface 11200, title Warrior Start Attack, author Babuni.dev, and version 1.0.0, loading one Lua file. There is no SavedVariables directive, addon frame UI, slash command, chat transmission, timer, database or external network interaction. Startup prints one status message in the default chat frame.

The game client is not present in this audit. Source analysis does not establish verified behavior on specific 1.12 custom clients or other client generations.

Document information

Version observed: 1.0.0, interface 11200.
Code source: WarriorStartAttack.lua on 2026-10-26. Static analysis only.

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