How to create macros in World of Warcraft

Today, I'm going to describe the very basic steps to creating and using macros.

This article is for those of you who have never used a WoW macro because you don't know how to set one up. Perhaps you've heard about macros and wanted to try using one, but you're intimidated at the thought of (gasp!) PROGRAMMING !!! Don't worry, I'm going to hold your hand through the entire process.

First, log into the game. That seems pretty simple ;)

Next, it's often helpful to open your spellbook. You can use your spellbook to help fill in exact spell names in macros. You open your spellbook by clicking the little Book icon to the right of your action bar, or by pressing P (assuming you haven't changed the keybinding for it)

Now, type in /macro and hit enter. (You can also access macros from the game menu by hitting escape (or clicking the computer looking icon to the right of your action bar) and then clicking macro... but at this point, I highly recommend that you get used to typing in some slash commands like /macro.)

This brings up the macro window. This window has two sections, top and bottom. On the top, you have 18 button slots for macros, and two tabs across the top that essentially separate your macros into two pages. The "General Macros" tab is a page where any macros you make will be visible to every character on your account, no matter which game realm/server you play on. The "{character name} Specific Macros" tab is another page with another 18 macro slots that is unique to the specific character that you are logged in with. This means you have access to 36 individual macros per character, however 18 of those are shared by all of your characters.

When you create your macros, they will appear as buttons in one of these 18 button slots, and you can drag a copy of the button from there to your action bar exactly the same way you drag spells from your spellbook to your action bar.

The bottom section is the actual macro editor. It has a button to show you what icon goes on your macro, the name of your macro, and the macro commands that make up what your macro is. There is also a button for changing the name or icon of your macro and and indicator to show you how many characters your macro is (it can not be longer than 255 characters).

To create a macro, first choose which tab your macro should be on. If you want this macro to be just for this character, click the character Specific Macros tab. Otherwise, just select the General Macros tab.

Next, on the bottom, click the New button.

This brings up a little side window with a box into which you must type the name for your macro. The name you enter here will show up as a word on your macro button. You must also select an icon for your macro. You can select from a huge number of icons - they have just about every class's spell icons, icons for mounts and buffs, etc. You are even allowed to use an icon for a spell for a class that isn't the same as what you're playing (i.e. if you're playing a druid, you can select the mage's fireball spell icon if you want)

There is one special icon you can use. The first one, the question mark icon is special. When you use the question mark icon, the macro will automatically substitute the question mark for the actual icon of whatever spell your macro contains once you drag it out onto your action bar. The question mark icon can even automatically change itself depending on the conditionals you macro might use. More on that later ;)

Once you have chosen a name and icon for your macro, click the Okay button.

Now you're ready to start typing in the commands for your macro.

If this is your first macro, you should start with something easy. Here's an example:

/cast Fireball

This macro, when activated (by a mage) would cast a fireball spell at your current target (if you have one).

If you had your spellbook open, you can make typing this macro easier by shift-clicking Fireball in your spellbook. Then, edit the macro to remove the part that says (Rank 4).

It doesn't seem like much of an improvement over just using the usual Fireball(Rank 4) icon, but actually this macro will do something useful - it automatically selects the highest rank of fireball spell that you have. So, if you make this macro today and the highest rank of Fireball that you have is Rank 4, then when you train to get Rank 5, the macro would automatically start choosing rank 5 since it's your highest rank.

When you finish your macro, you should drag the icon for it down onto a slot on your action bar. Then it's ready to use.

To use a macro, click it's icon, or press the keyboard/mouse button that goes to that action bar slot. You can change the keyboard button for a slot by editing your keybindings. I'll talk more about that later.

That's it! You've now an expert in creating macros. Using the steps I've outlined, you can create new macros and use them on all your World of Warcraft characters.

Now that you know how to create macros, go check out some of the various macro posting on the wow message boards or other places on the net that feature WoW macros.

Good Luck!