Categories / Addons / DefileAlert

DefileAlert

8/27/2026 · Addons · 34

GitHub: suprepupre/DefileAlert

DefileAlert

Instant Defile target detection for The Lich King encounter in Icecrown Citadel.

What It Does

DefileAlert announces who the Lich King is casting Defile on as fast as the WoW client physically allows — same frame as the server packet, ~1.5μs of Lua overhead.

When Defile is detected:

  • Screen flash — full-screen color overlay (separate colors for self/others)
  • Center text — large customizable text alert
  • Sound — selectable alert sound
  • Raid announcement — automatic message to RAID_WARNING/RAID
  • Whisper — warns the targeted player directly

Preview

Demo (click to open video)

DefileAlert Demo

Detection Architecture

Three detection paths, so a Defile is still caught when the first one cannot resolve the target:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PRIMARY: UNIT_SPELLCAST_START                           │
│   Fires directly from packet handler                    │
│   Server provides unitID → ReadTargetName() → instant   │
│   Latency: same frame as server packet (~1.5μs Lua)     │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ BACKUP: COMBAT_LOG_EVENT_UNFILTERED                     │
│   Fires if LK not in boss frames (rare edge case)       │
│   Extracts destName from CLEU or finds LK via scan      │
│   Latency: same frame, +1-2μs for unit lookup           │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ FALLBACK: UNIT_TARGET + 150ms timeout                   │
│   Last resort if both paths fail to resolve target      │
│   Forces FindLKUnit scan after timeout                  │
│   Latency: +150ms worst case                            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

LK unit resolution priority:

  1. Cached unitID — from previous detection (instant)
  2. Boss frames — boss1..boss4 (automatic, no setup needed)
  3. Focus — if you manually focus LK
  4. Target — if you're targeting LK
  5. Raid targets — raid1target..raid40target (full scan)

You do not need to focus or target the Lich King. Boss frames are populated automatically by the server.

Installation

  1. Download or clone this repository
  2. Copy the DefileAlert folder to World of Warcraft/Interface/AddOns/
  3. Restart WoW or /reload

Usage

Slash Commands

Command Action
/da Open configuration panel
/da config Open configuration panel
/da test Test alert (self)
/da testother Test alert (other player)
/da status Show current status
/da help List all commands

Configuration Panel

Type /da to open the GUI. All settings are saved between sessions.

Announcements

  • Toggle raid/RW announcements
  • Channel selection (RAID_WARNING, RAID, SAY, YELL)
  • Auto-downgrade to /raid if not raid assist/leader
  • Toggle whisper to targeted player

Screen Flash

  • Separate toggle for self/others
  • Custom colors with alpha (opacity) via color picker
  • Adjustable flash duration

Center Text

  • Toggle on/off
  • Separate colors for self/others
  • Adjustable text size (20-72)
  • Adjustable display duration

Sound

  • Toggle on/off
  • Four preset sounds (Raid Warning, PVP Flag, Horde Bell, Alliance Bell)
  • Custom sound file path support

Messages

  • Customizable raid announcement text
  • Customizable whisper text
  • %s placeholder for player name in raid message

Spell IDs Tracked

Spell ID Variant
72762 Defile 10N
73708 Defile 25N
73709 Defile 10H
73710 Defile 25H

Performance

  • Zero CPU cost outside ICC — events only registered inside Icecrown Citadel
  • ~1.5μs per detection — all globals cached as locals, spell IDs checked via hash table lookup
  • No polling — pure event-driven architecture
  • 2-second debounce — prevents duplicate announcements
  • Lazy GUI loading — options panel only built on first open

Technical Details

  • Written for WoW 3.3.5a (Interface 30300, build 12340)
  • Pure Lua 5.1 — no external libraries or dependencies
  • Native WoW frames for GUI — no Ace3, no LibStub
  • SavedVariables for persistent settings
  • Blizzard Interface Options integration (ESC → Interface → AddOns → DefileAlert)

File Structure

DefileAlert/
├── DefileAlert.toc            # Addon metadata
├── DefileAlert.lua            # Core detection engine + announce logic
├── DefileAlertOptions.lua     # GUI configuration panel
└── README.md                  # This file

SavedVariables

Settings are stored in DefileAlertDB (WTF folder). Delete this file to reset all settings, or use the "Reset All Defaults" button in the config panel.

Changelog

v1.0 (Release)

  • Triple-path Defile detection (UNIT_SPELLCAST_START → CLEU → UNIT_TARGET)
  • Full GUI configuration panel
  • Custom color picker with alpha support
  • Sound preset selection
  • Inline reset confirmation
  • Blizzard Interface Options integration
  • Time-guarded detected flag (prevents missed announcements)
  • CLEU destructure optimization (eliminates redundant select() calls)
  • CLEU destName extraction (zero-lookup announce when available)

License

MIT

Also for WoW 3.3.5a

Project What it does
wow_optimize Engine-level optimization DLL - allocator, Lua VM, timers, file I/O, frame-time benchmark
LuaBoost Addon-side GC control, loading-screen helpers, shared APIs for addon authors
WA_SafeGuard Backs up WeakAuras so a forced disconnect cannot wipe your auras

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