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WoW 12.1.0 PTR — API Changes (vs 12.0.7)

A human-readable reference of the Lua API surface changes between build 12.0.7.68256 and the 12.1.0.68209 PTR build, compiled from Blizzard's own API documentation files (Blizzard_APIDocumentationGenerated) plus a comparison of the shipped Blizzard addon source between the two builds.

Each entry says what an API does if it's new, or what's different if it changed. Descriptions are grounded in the real function signatures and Blizzard Documentation fields, not guessed.

Notation: Func(arg: Type, optional: Type?) → ret: Type — a trailing ? marks a nilable (optional) argument or return. A function with no → returns nothing. Types are Blizzard's own (cstring, luaIndex, WOWGUID, bool, fileID, struct/enum names, etc.). Events list their Payload:; structs list their Fields:; enums list their Values:.

Breaking & notable changes (for addon authors)

Renamed struct field — silent breakage risk.

AddPrivateAuraAnchorArgs (passed to C_UnitAuras.AddPrivateAuraAnchor) renamed showCountdownFrame → showCooldownFrame, and added showCooldownEdge and showDispelIcon. Addons still passing showCountdownFrame will see the cooldown swipe silently stop appearing on private auras. The engine ignores unrecognised keys, so to support both 12.0.7 and 12.1 from a single build, set both keys. Worth a PTR check to confirm whether the old key is still accepted as an alias. Note that a plain surface diff will not flag this — it tracks added/removed structs and functions, not renamed fields inside a struct.

Removed / renamed functions & events. Code referencing these by their old name will break:

  • C_UnitAuras.TriggerPrivateAuraShowDispelType — removed.
  • C_PingSecure.SendPing / GetTargetWorldPing / GetTargetWorldPingAndSend — removed; replaced by the type-specific send functions (SendUnitPing, SendPlayerSpellPing, etc.).
  • C_Ping.GetContextualPingTypeForUnit — removed.
  • C_DyeColor.GetDyeColorForItem / GetDyeColorForItemLocation — replaced by plural, list-returning versions.
  • C_RecruitAFriend.IsEnabled — replaced by IsSystemEnabled / IsSystemSupported.
  • C_HousingUI.IsInsideOwnHouse — renamed to IsInsideOwnedHouse.
  • BATTLETAG_INVITE_SHOW (event) — replaced by CONFIRM_BATTLE_NET_FRIEND_INVITE_SHOW.
  • Global UIParent_ManageFramePositions — removed; Blizzard_UIParent was split into new managed-frame / UI-mode addons. Use ManageFramePositions.

Major new systems.

  • Group Buffs — hide specific group/raid buffs and configure per-buff visual alerts (C_UnitAuras.GetHiddenGroupBuffs / GetGroupBuffVisualAlerts + setters and change events, with Cooldown Viewer integration). Frame/aura addons may want to honour the player's hidden-buff list.
  • Discord integration — guild chat can bridge to a linked Discord channel; new C_Discord namespace, Battle.net "title friends", and per-friend interest tags.
  • Radial status bars / textures — status bars and textures can render as radial progress (SetRenderMode(Enum.StatusBarRenderMode.Radial) + radial-progress texture APIs). No Blizzard Lua uses it yet.
  • Roleset / UI-mode visibility — frames carry "roleset" tags (SetRolesets, C_Roleset.ApplyRolesetFilters) that gate visibility through the new UI-mode system.

Edit Mode unit-frame icon size split. Enum.EditModeUnitFrameSetting.IconSize was removed and split into separate BuffIconSize and DebuffIconSize. Code reading that enum value must update.

Sections

Caveats / what this does NOT cover

Coverage now spans the full addon-facing surface: the documented API (functions, events, structs, enums), field-level changes inside existing structs/enums, the UI building blocks (templates, mixins, widget types, addons), and globals & constants defined in Blizzard's addons. Out of scope:

  • Blizzard's internal implementation changes (function-body rewrites that don't change a public signature, template, or global) are intentionally excluded — they can't affect addons. Use the raw source diff for those.
  • Engine/runtime behaviour — taint rules, secret-value handling, error → nil, re-opened/restricted APIs — isn't visible to a source diff. Cross-check the official PTR patch notes and the WoW Dev Discord #api-changes channel.
  • Reflects PTR build 12.1.0.68209; subject to change before 12.1 goes live.