strongbox, a World of Warcraft addon manager

strongbox is an open source, advertisement free and privacy respecting addon manager for World of Warcraft.

It runs on Linux and macOS.

It supports addons hosted by Curseforge, wowinterface.com, Tukui, Github and Gitlab.

Notice: tukui.org no longer hosts addons except elvui and tukui as of 2023-06-01.

Unfortunately the location of these two addons has changed as well as details around their access.

I've dropped support for tukui.org in 7.0.0 and instead mirror tukui and elvui releases on Github. This automatically includes them in the Github catalogue.

Notice: Curseforge addons no longer receive updates as of version 5.0.0, released Feb 1st, 2022.

Use the "Source" and "Find similar" actions from the addon context menu (added 4.9.0) to help migrate addons away from Curseforge.

I also maintain a list of other addon managers.

Installation

Arch Linux users can install strongbox from the AUR (mirror).

For other Linux users:

1. download: ./releases/strongbox
2. make executable: chmod +x strongbox
3. run: ./strongbox

If you're on macOS or having a problem with the binary or just prefer Java .jar files (requires Java 11+):

1. download: ./releases/strongbox-7.0.0-standalone.jar
2. run: java -jar strongbox-7.0.0-standalone.jar

Usage

strongbox works by matching your installed addons to a list of addons available online.

Some addons match directly to those online but others require you to manually search and re-install them before that match can be made.

Some addons bundle other addons that do not appear in the online list. You will need to re-install the 'parent' addon that bundled those addons.

First time usage:

1. Select File -> New addon directory and select your "Addons" directory (/path/to/WoW/_retail_/Interface/Addons)
2. Select Addons -> Re-install all to re-install all matching addons
   • warning! this may downgrade the version from what is installed to what is available. If unsure, re-install addons individually using the context menu.

Afterwards, use the Update all button to update all addons with new versions available.

Features

• classic and retail addon support
• install addons from URL
• catalogue search
• bulk update
• install addons from multiple sources:
  • Curseforge
  • wowinterface.com
  • Tukui
  • Github (using releases)
  • Gitlab (using releases)
• import and export lists of addons
• safeguards against bad addons
• warnings when addons install other bundled addons
• ignore addons to prevent accidental changes
• mutual dependency tracking
• installing a previous release of an addon
• pinning an addon to a specific release
• multi-toc support
• release.json support
• source swapping

Recognition

Under no circumstances whatsoever does this software:

• deal with advertising or advertisers
• collect, monitor or report upon your usage of strongbox or your data
• solicit, beg or manipulate for donations
• attempt to monitise you, the user, in any way

This software also tries very hard to not cause a bother - for you or the addon host.

I benefit so much from the hard work of those who write free and open source software, including addon developers, that it's my privilege to offer this small piece back.

Special thanks to:

• bug reporters, complimenters and those with constructive feedback
  • if you guys hadn't reported it, I wouldn't have known to fix it.
• layday of instawow
• vlaaad of cljfx and his patience

Privacy

This software interacts with the following remote hosts:

• wowinterface.com
• api.github.com
  • to download repository and release data for addons hosted on Github
  • to download the latest strongbox release information
• gitlab.com
• github.com/ogri-la/strongbox-catalogue, to download addon catalogues

These hosts may redirect requests to other hosts.

These interactions use a HTTP user agent header unique to strongbox so that it may be identified easily:

"strongbox/6.x (https://github.com/ogri-la/strongbox)"

Running strongbox with --debug will generate a file called debug.log that I may ask you to upload if you report a bug. Some of the details it contains are:

• addons detected in the currently selected addon directory
• paths to strongbox configuration and data:
  • /home/torkus/.local/share/strongbox
  • /home/torkus/.config/strongbox
• details about your OS and the version of Java in use:
  • strongbox.version=4.0.0
  • os.name=Linux
  • os.version=5.10.11-arch1-1
  • os.arch=amd64
  • java.runtime.name=OpenJDK Runtime Environment
  • java.vm.name=OpenJDK 64-Bit Server VM
  • java.version=11.0.10
  • java.runtime.version=11.0.10+9
  • java.vendor.url=https://openjdk.java.net/
  • java.version.date=2021-01-19
  • java.awt.graphicsenv=sun.awt.X11GraphicsEnvironment
  • javafx.version=14
  • javafx.runtime.version=14+9

Features in detail

classic and retail addon support

"Classic", "Classic (The Burning Crusade)", "Classic (Wrath of the Lich King)" and "Retail" versions of WoW are all distinct addon systems.

Some addons support all systems in a single download, some support classic as an alternate build of the same addon, some addons support classic only, some addons have been split up into multiple addons. There is a lot of variation.

Click the drop-down next to your addon directory and select either retail, classic or classic (TBC).

This will restrict the types of addons that can be installed in the current addon directory.

The Strict checkbox allows you to enforce or relax restrictions and mix together addons meant for different systems in the same addon directory. If an addon is available for multiple addon systems it will prefer one over another:

• retail will prefer retail addons, then classic, then classic (TBC) then classic (WotLK)
• classic will prefer classic addons, then classic (TBC) then classic (WotLK) then retail
• classic (TBC) will prefer classic (TBC) addons, then classic (WotLK) then classic then retail
• classic (WotLK) will prefer classic (WotLK) addons, then classic (TBC) then classic then retail

If uncertain which addon system an installed addon supports, look at the WoW column value on the installed tab and compare it to the Version value in the list of WoW public client builds.

install addons from URL

Strongbox supports installing addons using URLs from addon hosts.

Addons installed this way are always available regardless of the catalogue you've selected.

For example, addons imported from Github will be available even if you otherwise use wowinterface.com addons exclusively.

Click File from the top menu and select Import addon and paste the URL of the addon you want to install.

catalogue search

Strongbox supports searching for addons from the following addon hosts:

• wowinterface.com
• Github

Click the search tab and start typing.

When you search for an addon you are searching a list of thousands of addons that live in a file called a catalogue.

Click Catalogue from the top menu and choose your preferred catalogue.

The default catalogue is the 'short' catalogue. It contains all addons from all supported hosts that have been updated since the beginning of the previous expansion. This is currently Battle For Azeroth, released 2018-08-14 and the catalogue has approximately 2.8k addons.

The 'full' catalogue contains all addons from all supported hosts, ever, and is approximately 7.2k addons large. It contains many unmaintained addons.

There are also per-host catalogues, like a 'wowinterface' catalogue, and strongbox supports selecting between all of them.

Catalogues are updated weekly. New addons released during the week will not be present until the next week. Addons can be installed using its URL in these cases.

The 'user' catalogue is a little different. It's initially empty but grows as addons are starred while searching or imported from addon hosts, like Github. These addons also appear in search results. Individual addons from the user catalogue are checked for new releases normally, but the catalogue itself can only be updated manually.

Click Catalogue from the top menu and select Refresh user catalogue.

The user catalogue lives at ~/.config/strongbox/user-catalogue.json.

bulk update

Many addons can be updated in one operation. Addons with updates available are highlighted.

Click the Update all button next to your addon directory.

install addons from multiple sources

Strongbox supports installing addons from the following addon hosts:

• wowinterface.com
• Github
• Gitlab

Click the search tab and begin typing. Select the addon you wish to install and click the install selected button.

Addons hosted on Github and Gitlab must be using releases with custom assets before they can be installed.

Github API authentication

Installing and updating addons from Github uses the Github API.

Anonymous usage of the Github API allows 60 requests/hr before your requests are blocked.

Strongbox can authenticate with the Github API by specifying the GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable using a Personal Access Token.

Environment variables can be set in many different ways:

• from the shell like: $ GITHUB_TOKEN=my-secret-token strongbox
• by modifying ~/.config/plasma-workspace/env for KDE and setting GITHUB_TOKEN=my-secret-token
• by modifying ~/.profile for Gnome and setting GITHUB_TOKEN=my-secret-token
• system-wide (affecting all users) by modifying /etc/environment and setting GITHUB_TOKEN=my-secret-token

import and export lists of addons

Your list of addons can be exported to a simple format that allows them to be imported again later.

Click File and then select Export list of addons.

This allows for simple backups of the current addon directory and the sharing of lists of addons.

Addons installed using File -> Import addon in any addon directory can be exported as a single list.

Click File and then select Export the user-catalogue.

safeguards against bad addons

Addon .zip files that contain top-level files or top-level directories missing a .toc file will not be installed and the downloaded .zip file will be deleted. This is a guard against poorly or maliciously constructed .zip files.

Corrupted zip files that cannot be read or decompressed will be deleted.

warnings when addons install other bundled addons

A warning is issued when an addon is unzipped and contains multiple inconsistently named directories.

For example, installing RealUI will emit this warning:

RealUI will also install these addons: Kui_Media, Kui_Nameplates, Kui_Nameplates_Core, Kui_Nameplates_Core_Config, RealUI_Bugs, RealUI_Inventory, RealUI_Skins, RealUI_Tooltips, BadBoy, BadBoy_Guilded, BadBoy_CCleaner, Raven, Raven_Options, nibRealUI, nibRealUI_Config, Masque, Clique, Skada, Bartender4

It is up to the user to decide if this is OK or not.

ignore addons to prevent accidental changes

When an addon is ignored strongbox will not attempt to find that addon in the catalogue, look for or download updates or even allow the installation of other addons that may alter the ignored addon or any of its files.

Right-click an addon and select Ignore or Stop ignoring.

Addons under development are automatically ('implicitly') ignored.

mutual dependency tracking

A 'mutual dependency' in strongbox is when 'Addon A' installs an addon called 'Addon Z' and 'Addon B' also installs 'Addon Z'.

Both 'Addon A' and 'Addon B' depend on 'Addon Z' and if 'Addon A' were uninstalled it would (probably) break 'Addon B'.

In this scenario strongbox allows 'Addon B' to overwrite 'Addon Z' but keeps track of the fact that 'Addon A' is also using it. When either 'Addon A' or 'Addon B' are uninstalled, 'Addon Z' is preserved.

The state of 'Addon Z' isn't guaranteed however.

'Addon A' may install a very old 'Addon Z' while 'Addon B' overwrites that with a brand new version. 'Addon A' is now using a different version of 'Addon Z' than it expects. Or vice versa.

It's messy but only one 'Addon Z' can exist at a time.

installing a previous release of an addon

An addon host may make previous releases of an addon available to download.

Right-click an addon and select Release.

Strongbox currently supports installing previous releases for:

• Github
• Gitlab

pinning an addon to a specific release

Once an addon has been installed it can be 'pinned' to that specific release like a tack in a corkboard.

Right-click an addon and select Pin release.

Pinned addons won't be marked as having updates available and other addons won't be able to overwrite the files of a pinned addon.

multi-toc support

Introduced in May 2021, the WoW game client supports searching for multiple .toc files based on a suffix (or lack of one).

For example, SomeAddon-Classic.toc will be preferred in the classic game client over SomeAddon.toc.

Strongbox also searches for and reads the toc data from the most appropriate file.

Multiple toc files also help determine if an update is required or not.

'release.json' support

The release.json file is generated by BigWigsMods/packager and includes extra information about files in a Github/Gitlab 'release'.

No documentation or specification seems to exist for it but there are plenty of examples.

Because another HTTP request is required to download the file it is only consulted for the latest release and only if the supported game tracks for a release (retail, classic, etc) can't be otherwise guessed.

source swapping

An installed addon comes from a specific addon host or source. An addon in it's .toc file may include the details of other sources where it can be found.

For example, WeakAuras can be found on Github and wowinterface.com.

To see addons with other sources, go to View -> Columns and click other sources.

To switch an addon between sources, right-click an addon with other sources and select Source.

Misc

User configuration is stored in ~/.config/strongbox unless run with the envvar $XDG_CONFIG_HOME set.

Temporary data is stored in ~/.local/share/strongbox unless run with the envvar $XDG_DATA_HOME set.

Addon zip files are downloaded to your WoW Addons directory. See Preferences -> Remove addon zip after installation.

A file called .strongbox.json is created within newly installed or re-installed addons. This file maps specific attributes between the addon host (like wowinterface.com) and the addon as well as across addons, as some addons unzip to multiple directories. It's a simple txt file in a structured format called json.

Addon zip files, .strongbox.json files, old .wowman.json files, cached data and WowMatrix.dat files can all be removed from the Cache menu.

Addon .rar and .tar.gz files are not supported. You can find a few of these on wowinterface.com.

Releases, bugs, questions, feedback, contributing

Changes are recorded in the CHANGELOG.md file.

All bugs/questions/requests/feedback should go in Github Issues.

I prefer to not receive code contributions. See CONTRIBUTING for more detail.

Prior to 1.0.0, strongbox was known as wowman. The AUR package for wowman is obsolete.

Other addon managers

Moved here: https://ogri-la.github.io/wow-addon-managers/

Last updated: 2023-08-13

Request a change.

License

Copyright © 2018-2023 Torkus

Distributed under the GNU Affero General Public Licence, version 3 with additional permissions