Frequently Asked Questions
» Installation and Usage.» General Information.
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General Minion Usage
(Note: Please be sure to make a backup of your AddOn and WTF folders before running Minion.)Click here to go back to the download page for the installer, to run it.
Click thumbnail images to see full sized images.
(Linux users: If you are having a problem running the installer, type: javaws)
When you run it, the first thing you will see is a security warning, asking if you are sure you want to run the application.
After you accept the security warning, it will bring up the installer screen. Minion should automatically detect your Operating System, Architecture and what version of Java you have on your system. It will then choose the appropriate Core build of Minion to install for you and tell you what version number it is. You can choose to install a different build if you want. Below that are 3 check boxes: Pre-Install WoWInterface Module (so Minion can use the WoWI site to download and install AddOns), Pre-Install ZIP Extraction Module (to allow Minion to unzip the AddOns to put into the AddOns folder), and Download Module Development Kit (for if you want to write Modules for Minion). The first two check boxes are automatically checked, but you can uncheck them if you wish. The third isn't checked, as the majority of users most likely will not be interested in writing Modules for Minion, but we do give you the option of getting it at the same time, if you wish. Underneath that is the Install Location box. It will give you a suggested installation location, but you can choose to install it somewhere else on your system if you wish. You can either type in the new location in the box or you can use the Browse button to find a different location on your system.
Next you will see a license agreement.
After you agree to the license, the installer may pop up a "create directory?" box for you, if you don't have a folder already in place. This is another opportunity for you to make sure it is being installed in the location you want.
As soon as you accept that, the installer will finish setting Minion up on your computer for you. When it is finished, the installer will automatically close. You should then see a Minion Icon on your desktop, to launch Minion.
You are now ready to run Minion for the first time!
(Please note: If another program is associated with the JAR extension, Minion may not run. The solution is to re-install Java.)
(Linux users: If you are having a problem running Minion, type: java -jar minion.jar)
The first thing Minion will do is ask you where your WoW folder is.
Then Minion will launch the Security Manager to ask you for permission to do the things the module wants to do. It will tell you what folders and files it needs to access, and what website(s) it will be going to. Every time you install a new module the Security Manager will ask for permissions for that module.
After you have approved the module, Minion will check your AddOn folder and see which AddOns you have installed that are available at WoWInterface.
The obvious next step is telling it to update your addons.
Once it’s all done updating your addons, close it and log into the game.
That’s the basic installation and usage of Minion. Now for the extra stuff.
If you want to search for a new addon, you can do so right from Minion. After you have put in your search term, it will pop up a window with a list of addons matching your term. You can then look at the names and descriptions of the addons, as well as check the change logs for them.
There is a right click menu that provides some options for individual addons. You can choose to ignore an AddOn always (ie you normally get it from another site and you don’t want it to download from our site ever), or ignore it just once (ie normally you update it from our site, but you don’t want to this one time, for whatever reason). As well, there is an option to get more info. Clicking the “more info” option takes you to the addon’s download page on the site. Finally, there is an option to remove an AddOn from your system right from Minion.
The Module Center (under Tools) is where you go to update the core application, update modules, add new modules or remove ones you no longer want.
And finally there are the various configuration Options (also under Tools) for Minion.
The first are the Global Configuration options. Under the Global Configurations you can tell Minion whether you want it to Auto-Update [all your addons] Without Confirmation, whether you would like it to Display Totals (the total number of addons that need to be updated) in the top right corner of the program, where you go to manage any addons that you put on permanent ignore, set the Error Log level (for purposes of the beta test, please set it to debug) and the number of update threads running at any one time (how many different downloads you are getting from the site at a time).
The other configuration menu is module specific. For the module for WoWI there are two different options. The first is to change where your WoW installation is. The second is whether you want to use the module Anonymously or if you want it to recognize your account on WoWInterface (for example, if you have a Premium Membership, logging in for Minion will make it so the advertisement block doesn’t show when you are on our module tab).
Now, why are you still reading this? Tell your Minion to get your addons updated so you can go play!
General Information
- Why is it called Minion?
Because, like a good Minion, it does what you tell it to do and takes care of all the work for you. - What Operating Systems will it work on?
It will work on Windows, Mac and Linux - Will it auto update on me?
There is an option for you to have it auto-update your AddOns for you, but this option is off by default. - Is there a “Premium” version?
Sort of. There is one version of Minion for everyone. The only difference that users will see right now is that if you are a Premium Member on our sites, then whenever you are on one of our modules (more about those down further) you won’t see ads on the updater. If you aren’t a Premium Member on our sites, there will be one 300x250 ad block in the lower right corner that you will see. - This means it isn’t “limited” in any way?
That is correct. There is an “Update all” button that will work for everyone, whether you are a Premium Member on our sites or not. There isn’t be any throttling of download speed if you aren't a Premium Member. The only difference right now will be whether or not there are ads showing when on our tabs.- Please note: this only applies to MMOUI/Zam site modules. If other sites write modules for it, they may choose to disable Update All buttons or throttle download speed or such, at their own discretion.
- Is there a way to ignore a mod?
Yes. There is a right-click menu on the updater that allows you to ignore a mod always (ie you normally get it from another site and you don’t want it to download from our site), or ignore it just once (ie normally you update it from our site, but you don’t want to this one time, for whatever reason) - What about getting more info on a mod, like the change log or description?
This is another option on the right-click menu. - And author donation requests?
Any author who has donation requests enabled on the site will also have those donation requests showing on the updater. - Will I be able to search your site and install addons directly from the program?
Yes you can. You can see in the screenshots that there is a search box. You will be able to put terms in there and another box will pop up with suggested addons based on the terms you used and will show you the authors' descriptions of them. (You can see it in the screenshots). - Will it datamine the way some other clients do?
No, it will not datamine on its own. Please note, however, that other sites (like Wowhead, Zam, wowdb, etc.) may choose to write modules for it that you will have the option of installing so you can upload your data to them using the same program. - Modules? What do you mean, modules?
The way it has been written, anyone who wants to write a module for it to allow it to add functionality for their site is able to do so. This means that there could be a module for it to work for Curse. Or one for wowui.incgamers. Or Wowhead, or …. - Does this mean it'll work with other sites 'out of the box'?
No, in order for Minion to work with another site, that site will have to supply a module for it. We already know of at least a few other sites that are planning on writing modules for it, though. - Don't I have to worry about modules being keyloggers?
While you should always be cautious about your security, Minion provides something known as a "Security Manager" which oversees the operation of all modules. Modules cannot do many high-security things, and must declare to the user two things:- The files and folders which the module will try to access, and
- The sites to which the module will try to connect
- Where can I get it?
You can go here to get your very own Minion.
To discuss Minion, please go to this forum.
If you are interesting in writing modules for Minion, please see this forum for the API and general dev discussion.
MMOUI Parts
- Interface Column: UI name and Author name(s);
- Status Column: Whether there is an update available, if it's downloading the update, up-to-date or not available on the site;
- Donation Column: An icon of cash in an envelope, showing whether the author accepts donations;
- Progress Column: no bar if no update available, (single) update button if there is an update available, progress bar of installing the update and checkmark and text saying when the update is finished;
- Right Click Menu: per AddOn - Ignore Once, Ignore Permanently, More Info;
- Search Window: Enter your search term here, check the popup window for the addon you are looking for;
- Update Single AddOn Button: To just install specific AddOns;
- Update All Button: To update all AddOns;
- News Pane: News posts by the site whose module you are on;
- Full Width News Pane: if advertisement block isn't showing;
- ToolBar: Tools -> Module Center, manage the core application and modules installed;
- ToolBar: Tools -> Options;
- a. Global Configuration Options;
- Module Specific Configuration Options;
- Module Tabs: Showing whose module you are working with;
- Module News Tabs: Showing whose module's news you are viewing; and
- Advertisement Block: Ads supplied by the site whose module you are using.
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Report a bug
Since this is a Beta release, we fully expect that there will be some bugs and you should too. This is not a finished product. Please be prepared to deal with the possibility of problems or wait until we release the finished version.If you are still reading, it means you are okay with the fact that it is Beta and that there will be bugs. It means that you are willing to help test it and report back any problems you are experiencing. This FAQ gives you the information on how to report those bugs to us.
The first thing you will need to do is to go sign up on our bug tracker. Make sure you use a valid email address as the system will send out a confirmation email that you will need before you can post on the site.
Click thumbnail images to see full sized images.
Now go check your email for the confirmation email. It will come from < noreply@mmoui.com >
Click on the link in the email. That will take you back to the site, confirm your account, and finalize your registration. Now you can log in. (You can have it remember your login so that you don't have login every time you go to the site, if you wish .)
Your screen will look like this:
In the left column, you'll see any unassigned reports and below that you see the resolved reports. In the right column, the top block is any that you have reported and below that are the recently modified reports. The main sections of the screen that you need to pay attention to is the Report Issue option along the top bar and the block on the right, of issues that you have reported (in case we come back asking you for any more information, etc.)
Okay, so, you've found a bug. Time to report it. Click on the Report Issue link. Chose which part of the project is causing your issue. You can pick the parts via either of the two dropdowns.
Fill out the necessary information and hit submit at the bottom when you are finished. Your issue will now show up in that top right block when you go back to the normal view of the tracker.
You can then come back to the site to keep an eye on your report, see if there has been any follow up to it, any more information we request of you, etc.
Thank you very much for your help in testing Minion!
For the more technically minded of our users, there's more you can do, watch, etc. These are not required steps to use our bug tracker, just additional information.
Under My Account, you can set up your Preferences, for usage of the bug tracker, and your Profile, which is your system specifications.
There is additional information you can add when reporting an issue, ie your system specifications, steps to reproduce the bug, etc.
You can also look at how things are progressing in various different ways.
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