Wowpedia:API notation and conventions

Example API listing

 * SetMapZoom(continentIndex[, zoneIndex])  - Sets the current world map to a specific continent and optionally zone.
 * This function takes one or two arguments. The square brackets indicate that the second argument is optional.

Example API with string argument

 * SetChannelOwner("channel", "name")  - Sets the channel owner.
 * The quotes around the arguments in this function means that the parameter is a string. It does not mean that the argument is literally "channel" or "name".

Example API with described data type (string)

 * TargetUnit("unit")  - Selects the specified id as the current target.

Example of an UI Object (widget) method

 * LayoutFrame:SetAllPoints(frame or "frameName")  - Set all anchors to match edges of specified frame
 * This example shows that the SetAllPoints function is called as a method function on a LayoutFrame object. The arguemnt is either a frame, or a frame name (string).

Link Code Examples

 * Pages describing individual API functions are named on the form "API FunctionName" (with no argument information).


 * Pages describing individual widget methods are named on the form "API ObjectType FunctionName" (with no argument information).

Link Prefixes

 * PROTECTED - function exists, but is protected for Blizzard only code.
 * If the page exists, put version when it was protected at the top


 * REMOVED - indicates that the function has been removed from the API.
 * Removed functions should only be listed in Category:World of Warcraft API/Removed Functions
 * If the page exists, put version when it was removed at the top


 * UI - indicates that the function is provided by the FrameXML UI code, rather than the core API.
 * If the page exists, put FrameXML/FileNameWhereFunctionIs.lua at the top

Data and Argument Types
The API uses special values for some function arguments, the commonly used types are:

Category:API types has the full list. (Though if something there is not available here: please list it!)