Icon Display - WeakAuras

Overview

Icon displays are the most common display type, showing spell icons, textures, or custom images with optional cooldown animations, stack counts, and progress information.

Icons support Masque skinning for integration with action bar addons.

Basic Icon Configuration

{
  regionType = "icon",
  width = 64,
  height = 64,
  icon = true,
  iconSource = -1,  -- Automatic from trigger
  desaturate = false,
  zoom = 0,
  color = {1, 1, 1, 1}
}

Icon Source

Automatic
Manual
Custom Function

{
  iconSource = -1  -- Use icon from trigger state
}

Automatically displays the spell/aura icon from trigger data.

{
  iconSource = 0,  -- Manual selection
  displayIcon = "Interface\\\\Icons\\\\Spell_Holy_PowerWordShield"
}

Use a specific texture path.

-- Icon function in custom trigger
function()
  local _, class = UnitClass("player")
  return "Interface\\\\TargetingFrame\\\\UI-Classes-Circles"
end

Dimensions and Position

Size

{
  width = 64,
  height = 64,
  keepAspectRatio = false  -- Allow stretching
}

Square Icons

Set width = height for standard square icons

Custom Ratios

Disable keepAspectRatio for custom dimensions

Positioning

{
  selfPoint = "CENTER",
  anchorPoint = "CENTER",
  anchorFrameType = "SCREEN",
  xOffset = 0,
  yOffset = 0
}

Visual Effects

Desaturation

{
  desaturate = true  -- Grayscale icon
}

Use desaturation with conditions to show cooldown state visually.

Color Tinting

{
  color = {1, 0, 0, 1}  -- Red tint (R, G, B, A)
}

Zoom

{
  zoom = 0.3  -- Zoom in 30% (range 0-1)
}

High zoom values may crop the icon edges.

Alpha/Opacity

{
  alpha = 0.8  -- 80% opacity
}

Cooldown Sweep

The iconic circular cooldown animation:

{
  cooldown = true,         -- Enable cooldown display
  cooldownEdge = false,    -- Smooth edge (vs. sharp)
  inverse = false          -- Sweep direction
}

Cooldown Behavior

Automatic from Trigger

{
  progressSource = {-1, ""}  -- Use trigger progress
}

Cooldown automatically syncs with trigger duration/expirationTime.

Manual Progress

{
  progressSource = {0, "auto", 50, 100}  -- value, total
}

Set custom progress values.

Inverse Direction

{
  inverse = true  -- Sweep opposite direction
}

Masque Integration

Icons work with Masque addon for skinning:

-- Masque is detected automatically
-- Configure through Masque addon interface

Masque must be installed separately. WeakAuras registers icons as “WA_Aura” type.

Inner and Outer Regions

For sub-region anchoring:

-- Anchor to inner area (inside icon border)
{
  anchorPoint = "INNER_CENTER"  
}

-- Anchor to outer area (outside icon)
{
  anchorPoint = "OUTER_TOPRIGHT"
}

Texture Coordinates

For advanced texture manipulation:

-- Get texture coordinates with zoom
local function GetTexCoord(region, texWidth, aspectRatio, xOffset, yOffset)
  -- Returns: ULx, ULy, LLx, LLy, URx, URy, LRx, LRy
end

Sub-Regions

Icons support various sub-regions:

Text Overlays

Display text on the icon (stacks, name, etc.)

Glow Effects

Add glow animations around the icon

Bar Overlays

Overlay progress bars on the icon

Model Overlays

Display 3D models on the icon

Common Patterns

Buff/Debuff Tracker

{
  regionType = "icon",
  width = 48,
  height = 48,
  iconSource = -1,  -- Auto from trigger
  cooldown = true,
  alpha = 1.0,
  
  -- Stack text sub-region
  subRegions = {{
    type = "subtext",
    text_text = "%s",  -- Stack count
    text_fontSize = 16
  }}
}

Cooldown Monitor

{
  regionType = "icon",
  width = 64,
  height = 64,
  iconSource = -1,
  cooldown = true,
  cooldownEdge = false,
  
  -- Desaturate when on cooldown
  conditions = {{
    check = {
      trigger = 1,
      variable = "onCooldown",
      op = "==",
      value = 1
    },
    changes = {{
      property = "desaturate",
      value = true
    }}
  }}
}

Resource Indicator

{
  regionType = "icon",
  width = 48,
  height = 48,
  displayIcon = "Interface\\\\Icons\\\\Spell_Holy_InnerFire",
  cooldown = false,  -- No cooldown sweep
  
  -- Color based on value
  conditions = {{
    check = {
      trigger = 1,
      variable = "value",
      op = "<",
      value = 20
    },
    changes = {{
      property = "color",
      value = {1, 0, 0, 1}  -- Red when low
    }}
  }}
}

Proc Notification

{
  regionType = "icon",
  width = 96,
  height = 96,
  iconSource = -1,
  zoom = 0.1,
  
  -- Animations
  animation = {
    start = {
      type = "preset",
      preset = "grow",
      duration = 0.2
    },
    main = {
      type = "preset",
      preset = "pulse"
    }
  }
}

Properties Reference

Modifiable via Conditions

Property	Type	Description
`desaturate`	boolean	Grayscale effect
`width`	number	Icon width in pixels
`height`	number	Icon height in pixels
`color`	color	RGBA color tint
`inverse`	boolean	Reverse cooldown direction
`zoom`	number	Zoom level (0-1)
`iconSource`	list	Icon source selection
`displayIcon`	icon	Manual icon path
`cooldownEdge`	boolean	Smooth cooldown edge

Advanced Techniques

Custom Icon Function

-- In custom trigger
function icon()
  local health = UnitHealth("player")
  local maxHealth = UnitHealthMax("player")
  local percent = (health / maxHealth) * 100
  
  if percent < 25 then
    return "Interface\\\\Icons\\\\Spell_ChargeNegative"
  elseif percent < 50 then
    return "Interface\\\\Icons\\\\Spell_ChargeNeutral"
  else
    return "Interface\\\\Icons\\\\Spell_ChargePositive"
  end
end

Dynamic Zoom

-- Condition: Zoom based on stacks
{
  check = {
    trigger = 1,
    variable = "stacks",
    op = ">=",
    value = 5
  },
  changes = {{
    property = "zoom",
    value = 0.2  -- Zoom when stacked
  }}
}

Texture Rotation

Icons support rotation via animations:

{
  animation = {
    main = {
      type = "custom",
      use_rotate = true,
      rotate = 360,
      duration_type = "seconds",
      duration = 2
    }
  }
}

Performance Considerations

Icon Updates

Icons only update when state changes. Avoid FRAME_UPDATE triggers unless necessary.

Texture Loading

Custom textures are loaded once and cached. Use consistent paths.

Cooldown Animation

Cooldown sweeps use native WoW cooldown frames for efficiency.

Troubleshooting

Icon Not Showing

Verify iconSource is set correctly
Check texture path is valid
Ensure trigger provides icon data if using auto
Check alpha is not 0

Cooldown Not Working

Enable cooldown = true
Verify progressSource is configured
Check trigger provides duration/expirationTime
Ensure progressType is “timed”

Wrong Aspect Ratio

Adjust width/height to match
Enable keepAspectRatio if desired
Check zoom level

Best Practices

Progress Bar

Alternative display for progress

Text Display

Add text overlays

Animations

Animate icon displays

Architecture

Triggers

Display Types

Customization

​Overview

​Basic Icon Configuration

​Icon Source

​Dimensions and Position

​Size

Square Icons

Custom Ratios

​Positioning

​Visual Effects

​Desaturation

​Color Tinting

​Zoom

​Alpha/Opacity

​Cooldown Sweep

​Cooldown Behavior

​Masque Integration

​Inner and Outer Regions

​Texture Coordinates

​Sub-Regions

Text Overlays

Glow Effects

Bar Overlays

Model Overlays

​Common Patterns

​Buff/Debuff Tracker

​Cooldown Monitor

​Resource Indicator

​Proc Notification

​Properties Reference

​Modifiable via Conditions

​Advanced Techniques

​Custom Icon Function

​Dynamic Zoom

​Texture Rotation

​Performance Considerations

​Troubleshooting

​Best Practices

​Related Topics

Progress Bar

Text Display

Animations

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Basic Icon Configuration

Icon Source

Dimensions and Position

Size

Positioning

Visual Effects

Desaturation

Color Tinting

Zoom

Alpha/Opacity

Cooldown Sweep

Cooldown Behavior

Masque Integration

Inner and Outer Regions

Texture Coordinates

Sub-Regions

Common Patterns

Buff/Debuff Tracker

Cooldown Monitor

Resource Indicator

Proc Notification

Properties Reference

Modifiable via Conditions

Advanced Techniques

Custom Icon Function

Dynamic Zoom

Texture Rotation

Performance Considerations

Troubleshooting

Best Practices

Related Topics