The right way to investigate an addon with errors
The worst way is to randomly disable everything and then not know what resolved it.
The best method is incremental:
- reproduce the error
- reset the minimum environment if necessary
- activate/deactivate in blocks
- reduce until you find the culprit
- Validate the fix
Incremental diagnostic method
Step 1 — Describe the failure
Before mixing:
- what happened?
- when does it happen?
- in combat, login, bag, map, raid?
- Lua error appears or just strange behavior?
Step 2 — Test without addons
If the failure disappears without addons, the problem is almost always with the modified interface or with the set of addons itself.
Step 3 — Reactivate in blocks
Reactivate by groups:
- UI addons
- combat addons
- bags/loot
- WeakAuras
- usefulness
When the error returns, you have already reduced the universe a lot.
Step 4 — Isolate one by one
Within the failed block, turn on one at a time until you reproduce the problem.
Optimal decommissioning and testing order
- More UI invasive addons
- WeakAuras / custom scripts
- combat addons and nameplates
- bags, maps and QoL
- small addons last
This order usually speeds up the process.
How to record and reproduce failure
Make a mini log:
- connected addon
- location
- action that caused the bug
- error message
- print or video if possible
This avoids that feeling of “I think it was that addon”.
Common mistakes in the isolation process
- exchange ten things at the same time
- not writing down what was tested
- reimport old configuration too soon
- trust that “it disappeared and that was it”
- forgetting to test the scenario that actually caused the bug
Addon fix checklist
- Did I reproduce the error?
- Did I test without addons?
- Did I test by blocks?
- Have I isolated a specific addon or configuration?
- Did I validate the correction in the same scenario?
Minimum recommendation
To find out which addon is causing the error:
- test by blocks
- isolate with method
- record the failure
- Validate in real scenario
Addon bug seems chaotic. But it almost always becomes simple when the process is organized.
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