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wtf is macrotip?

kdar/macrotip — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2015-12-21

LuaAudience · generalComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · easy

TL;DR

A World of Warcraft addon that fixes broken icons on multi-spell macros by letting you tell it which spell the macro should display.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((repo))
    What it does
      Fixes macro icons
      Tracks correct cooldown
      Leaves macro untouched
    Tech stack
      Lua
    Use cases
      Show icon for talent macro
      Display cooldown correctly
      Optimize combat rotation
    Audience
      WoW players
      Macro creators

Code map

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Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Add a comment line to a situational macro so it always shows the right spell icon and cooldown.

REASON 2

Fix a macro that shows a broken red question mark icon because WoW can't tell which spell it will cast.

REASON 3

List several possible spells in a macro comment and let MacroTip pick the first one you can actually cast.

REASON 4

Keep a macro's actual behavior untouched while only updating its cosmetic icon and cooldown display.

What's in the stack?

Lua

How it stacks up

kdar/macrotipalerque/silex.sileallquixotic/esoguildactivityaddon
LanguageLuaLuaLua
Last pushed2015-12-212025-04-172019-05-28
MaintenanceDormantStaleDormant
Setup difficultyeasymoderatemoderate
Complexity2/53/52/5
Audiencegeneraldevelopergeneral

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Requires World of Warcraft with addon support enabled.

No license information was mentioned in the explanation.

Wtf does this do

MacroTip solves a frustrating problem for World of Warcraft players who use macros to cast multiple spells. Normally, when you create a macro that can cast different spells depending on the situation, WoW doesn't know which spell's icon or cooldown to display. You'd have to actually cast the spell first to see if it's ready, and the macro would often show a broken red question mark icon. This addon fixes that by letting you tell it which spell the macro should "look like" on your action bar. The way it works is simple: you add a special comment line to your macro that tells MacroTip which spell to display. For example, if you have a macro that casts one of three talent abilities depending on your situation, you just write a comment at the top saying which talent tier those spells come from (like "tier 6" for level 90 talents). Alternatively, you can list the exact spell names separated by commas, and MacroTip will pick the first one you can actually cast and use that for the icon and cooldown display. The addon then watches your macros and automatically updates them with the correct spell information. Players who create custom macros would use this, especially those who like to optimize their rotation or create situational abilities. For instance, a warrior might have a macro that casts Avatar, Bloodbath, or Bladestorm depending on what's available, but they want the macro to always show the right cooldown on their action bar. Instead of dealing with broken icons or having to hard-code spell choices into their macro file, they just add one comment line and MacroTip handles the rest automatically. The addon differs from similar tools by not rewriting your macro itself. Other addons replace your entire macro with predefined spells if you want to change it, but this one leaves your macro untouched and just updates the cosmetic display layer, the icon and cooldown tracking. This means you keep full control over what your macro actually does while getting the visual feedback you need.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to write a MacroTip comment line for a macro that casts one of three level-90 talent spells depending on the situation.
Prompt 2
Using MacroTip, help me fix a macro that shows a broken question mark icon because it casts different spells conditionally.
Prompt 3
Explain how MacroTip decides which spell's cooldown to display when I list multiple spell names in the comment.
Prompt 4
Write a MacroTip-compatible macro for a warrior that casts Avatar, Bloodbath, or Bladestorm depending on availability.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is macrotip?

A World of Warcraft addon that fixes broken icons on multi-spell macros by letting you tell it which spell the macro should display.

What language is macrotip written in?

Mainly Lua. The stack also includes Lua.

Is macrotip actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2015-12-21).

What license does macrotip use?

No license information was mentioned in the explanation.

How hard is macrotip to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is macrotip for?

Mainly general.

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