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GameTooltip (inherits from Frame) formats a tooltip. There is one named _G["GameTooltip"], but others are created with CreateFrame("GameTooltip") or <GameTooltip>.

Custom tooltips made in Lua must inherit a virtual XML template:

Alternatively, see <GameTooltip> for minimum requirements in XML.

Defined methods[]

GameTooltip:AddAtlas(atlas [, minx, maxx, miny, maxy] or [, textureInfoTable])
GameTooltip:AddDoubleLine(textL, textR, rL, gL, bL, rR, gR, bR)
GameTooltip:AddFontStrings(leftstring, rightstring) - Dynamically expands the size of a tooltip - New in 1.11.
GameTooltip:AddLine(tooltipText [, r, g, b [, wrapText]]) - Appends the new line to the tooltip.
GameTooltip:AddSpellByID(spellID)
GameTooltip:AddTexture(texture) - Add a texture to the last line added.
GameTooltip:AdvanceSecondaryCompareItem()
GameTooltip:AppendText(text) - Append text to the end of the first line of the tooltip.
GameTooltip:ClearLines() - Clear all lines of tooltip (both left and right ones)
GameTooltip:CopyTooltip()
GameTooltip:FadeOut()
GameTooltip:GetAnchorType() - Returns the current anchoring type.
GameTooltip:GetAzeritePowerID()
GameTooltip:GetCustomLineSpacing()
GameTooltip:GetItem() - Returns name, link.
GameTooltip:GetMinimumWidth()
GameTooltip:GetOwner() - Returns owner frame, anchor.
GameTooltip:GetPadding()
GameTooltip:GetSpell() - Returns name, rank, id.
GameTooltip:GetUnit() - Returns unit name, unit id.
GameTooltip:IsEquippedItem()
GameTooltip:IsOwned(frame)
GameTooltip:IsUnit(unit) - Returns bool.
GameTooltip:NumLines() - Get the number of lines in the tooltip.
GameTooltip:ResetSecondaryCompareItem()
GameTooltip:SetAchievementByID(id)
GameTooltip:SetAction(slot) - Shows the tooltip for the specified action button.
GameTooltip:SetAllowShowWithNoLines(bool)
GameTooltip:SetAnchorType(anchorType [,Xoffset] [,Yoffset])
GameTooltip:SetArtifactItem()
GameTooltip:SetArtifactPowerByID()
GameTooltip:SetAzeriteEssence(essenceID)
GameTooltip:SetAzeriteEssenceSlot(slot)
GameTooltip:SetAzeritePower(itemID, itemLevel, powerID[, owningItemLink])
GameTooltip:SetBackpackToken(id)
GameTooltip:SetBagItem(bag, slot)
GameTooltip:SetBagItemChild()
GameTooltip:SetBuybackItem(slot)
GameTooltip:SetCompanionPet()
GameTooltip:SetCompareAzeritePower(itemID, itemLevel, powerID[, owningItemLink])
GameTooltip:SetCompareItem(shoppingTooltipTwo, primaryMouseover)
GameTooltip:SetConduit(id, rank)
GameTooltip:SetCurrencyByID(id)
GameTooltip:SetCurrencyToken(tokenId) - Shows the tooltip for the specified token
GameTooltip:SetCurrencyTokenByID(currencyID)
GameTooltip:SetEquipmentSet(name) - Shows details for the equipment manager set identified by "name".
GameTooltip:SetCustomLineSpacing(spacing)
GameTooltip:SetEnhancedConduit(conduitID, conduitRank)
GameTooltip:SetExistingSocketGem(index, [toDestroy])
GameTooltip:SetFrameStack(showhidden) - Shows the mouseover frame stack, used for debugging.
GameTooltip:SetGuildBankItem(tab, id) - Shows the tooltip for the specified guild bank item
GameTooltip:SetHeirloomByItemID(itemID)
GameTooltip:SetHyperlink(itemString or itemLink) - Changes the item which is displayed in the tooltip according to the passed argument.
GameTooltip:SetInboxItem(index) - Shows the tooltip for the specified mail inbox item.
GameTooltip:SetInstanceLockEncountersComplete(index)
GameTooltip:SetInventoryItem(unit, slot[, nameOnly, hideUselessStats])
GameTooltip:SetInventoryItemByID(itemID)
GameTooltip:SetItemByID(itemID) - Shows the tooltip for a specified Item ID. (added in 4.2.0.14002 along with the Encounter Journal)
GameTooltip:SetItemKey(itemID, itemLevel, itemSuffix)
GameTooltip:SetLFGDungeonReward(dungeonID, lootIndex)
GameTooltip:SetLFGDungeonShortageReward(dungeonID, shortageSeverity, lootIndex)
GameTooltip:SetLootCurrency(lootSlot)
GameTooltip:SetLootItem(lootSlot)
GameTooltip:SetLootRollItem(id) - Shows the tooltip for the specified loot roll item.
GameTooltip:SetMerchantCostItem(index, item)
GameTooltip:SetMerchantItem(merchantSlot)
GameTooltip:SetMinimumWidth(width) - (Formerly SetMoneyWidth)
GameTooltip:SetMountBySpellID()
GameTooltip:SetOwnedItemByID(ID)
GameTooltip:SetOwner(owner, anchor[, x, y])
GameTooltip:SetPadding(width, height)
GameTooltip:SetPetAction(slot) - Shows the tooltip for the specified pet action.
GameTooltip:SetPossession(slot)
GameTooltip:SetPvpBrawl()
GameTooltip:SetPvpTalent(talentID[, talentIndex])
GameTooltip:SetQuestCurrency(type, index)
GameTooltip:SetQuestItem(type, index)
GameTooltip:SetQuestLogCurrency(type, index)
GameTooltip:SetQuestLogItem(type, index)
GameTooltip:SetQuestLogRewardSpell(rewardSpellIndex[, questID])
GameTooltip:SetQuestLogSpecialItem(index)
GameTooltip:SetQuestPartyProgress(questID, omitTitle, ignoreActivePlayer)
GameTooltip:SetQuestRewardSpell(rewardSpellIndex)
GameTooltip:SetRecipeRankInfo(recipeID, learnedRank)
GameTooltip:SetRecipeReagentItem(recipeID, reagentIndex)
GameTooltip:SetRecipeResultItem(recipeID)
GameTooltip:SetRuneforgeResultItem(itemID, itemLevel [, powerID, modifiers])
GameTooltip:SetSendMailItem()
GameTooltip:SetShapeshift(slot) - Shows the tooltip for the specified shapeshift form.
GameTooltip:SetShrinkToFitWrapped()
GameTooltip:SetSocketedItem()
GameTooltip:SetSocketedRelic(relicSlotIndex)
GameTooltip:SetSocketGem(index)
GameTooltip:SetSpecialPvpBrawl()
GameTooltip:SetSpellBookItem(spellId, bookType) - Shows the tooltip for the specified spell in the spellbook.
GameTooltip:SetSpellByID(spellId) - Shows the tooltip for the specified spell by global spell ID.
GameTooltip:SetTalent(talentIndex [, isInspect, talentGroup, inspectedUnit, classId]) - Shows the tooltip for the specified talent.
GameTooltip:SetText(text, r, g, b[, alphaValue[, textWrap]]) - Set the text of the tooltip.
GameTooltip:SetTotem(slot)
GameTooltip:SetToyByItemID(itemID)
GameTooltip:SetTradePlayerItem(tradeSlot)
GameTooltip:SetTradeTargetItem(tradeSlot)
GameTooltip:SetTrainerService(index)
GameTooltip:SetTransmogrifyItem(slotId) - Shows the tooltip when there is a pending (de)transmogrification
GameTooltip:SetUnit(unit[, hideStatus])
GameTooltip:SetUnitAura(unit, auraIndex [, filter]) - Shows the tooltip for a unit's aura. (Exclusive to 3.x.x / WotLK)
GameTooltip:SetUnitBuff(unit, buffIndex [, raidFilter]) - Shows the tooltip for a unit's buff.
GameTooltip:SetUnitDebuff(unit, buffIndex [, raidFilter]) - Shows the tooltip for a unit's debuff.
GameTooltip:SetUpgradeItem()
GameTooltip:SetVoidDepositItem(slotIndex) - Shows the tooltip for the specified Void Transfer deposit slot (added in 4.3.0)
GameTooltip:SetVoidItem(slotIndex) - Shows the tooltip for the specified Void Storage slot (added in 4.3.0)
GameTooltip:SetVoidWithdrawalItem(slotIndex) - Shows the tooltip for the specified Void Transfer withdrawal slot (added in 4.3.0)
GameTooltip:SetWeeklyReward(itemDBID)
WoW Icon update GameTooltip:SetAuctionItem(type, index) - Shows the tooltip for the specified auction item.
WoW Icon update GameTooltip:SetAuctionSellItem()
WoW Icon update GameTooltip:SetCraftItem(index, reagent)
WoW Icon update GameTooltip:SetCraftSpell(index)
WoW Icon update GameTooltip:SetTrackingSpell()
WoW Icon update GameTooltip:SetTradeSkillItem(index [, reagent])

Details[]

  • GameTooltip:SetOwner() clears and hides the tooltip, then sets a temporary "owner" independent of the frame's "parent".
    • The second argument anchors the tooltip rather than Region:SetPoint().
    • Use ANCHOR_NONE for scanning tooltips (more details below).
  • Region:Show() resizes the tooltip and reapplies any anchor defined with SetOwner().
    • Showing a tooltip without content causes it to hide and clear its owner.
    • AppendText() and most Set methods (SetUnit, SetItemByID, etc.) trigger Show(); however, AddLine() and AddDoubleLine() do not.
  • Region:Hide() clears the tooltip's owner.
  • GameTooltip:AddLine() and similar methods add new lines as required, called _G["$parentTextLeft"..i] and _G["$parentTextRight"..i].
    • Each new FontString copies the same Font object as the previous line.
    • However, the tooltip malfunctions without the first line present before loading (i.e. defined in XML).

Scanning tooltips[]

AddOns commonly create a hidden tooltip with ANCHOR_NONE to query Set___() methods invisibly to the player. Scanning tooltips can impact performance, so it is best to cache results and consider other API whenever feasible.

<GameTooltip name="MyScanningTooltip" inherits="SharedTooltipTemplate">
	<Scripts>
		<OnLoad inherit="prepend">
			self:SetOwner(WorldFrame, "ANCHOR_NONE")
		</OnLoad>
	</Scripts>
</GameTooltip>

Each time scanning is desired, call ClearLines(), populate the tooltip, and then read the contents of the text fields.

MyScanningTooltip:ClearLines()
MyScanningTooltip:SetUnit("player")
print(MyScanningTooltipTextLeft2:GetText())

Examples[]

Function to return a table containing all the lines in the tooltip

local function GetTooltipLines(tooltip)
  local textLines = {}
  local regions = {tooltip:GetRegions()}
  for _, r in ipairs(regions) do
    if r:IsObjectType("FontString") then
      table.insert(textLines, r:GetText())
    end
  end
  return textLines
end

Iterator for looping through all tooltip lines

local function EnumerateTooltipLines_helper(...)
    for i = 1, select("#", ...) do
        local region = select(i, ...)
        if region and region:GetObjectType() == "FontString" then
            local text = region:GetText() -- string or nil
        end
    end
end

function EnumerateTooltipLines(tooltip) -- good for script handlers that pass the tooltip as the first argument.
    EnumerateTooltipLines_helper(tooltip:GetRegions())
end

Macro to print each line:

/run for i=1,GameTooltip:NumLines()do print(_G["GameTooltipTextLeft"..i]:GetText())end

Macro to print left and right lines:

/run for i=1,select("#",GameTooltip:GetRegions())do local region=select(i,GameTooltip:GetRegions())if region and region:GetObjectType()=="FontString" and region:GetText()then print(region:GetText()) end end

Creating a scanning tooltip in Lua that has all features (status bar, textures, etc.):

CreateFrame("GameTooltip", "MyScanningTooltip", nil, "GameTooltipTemplate")
MyScanningTooltip:SetOwner( WorldFrame, "ANCHOR_NONE" )

local function scanUnit(unit)
    MyScanningTooltip:ClearLines()
    MyScanningTooltip:SetUnit(unit)
    
    local i=1
    while _G["MyScanningTooltipTextLeft" .. i] do
        local text = _G["MyScanningTooltipTextLeft" .. i]:GetText()
        if text and text ~= "" then print(text) end
        i = i + 1
    end
end

scanUnit(player)
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