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BigChatBox

An easily customizable, and Midnight ready, chat input box with channel display, history, scaling, full appearance control, snippet system, auto-complete and much more.

Description


by Dukul

 


There is now a fallback system for the combat lockout. Whenever you insert a key in Mythic, or are in combat, you get the regular Blizzard input box. It automatically goes back to the BCB input box when out of combat or out of Mythic. Seeing as the API restrictions also hamper the shift-click insert of ex. mounts and achievements you can press ctrl+enter to open the Blizzard input directly. It will again go back to BCB input box after you've sent the message. You can read more about this at the bottom.

This addon makes the chat input box movable and fully customizable with borders, backgrounds and fonts. Can be used with LibSharedMedia and other media found in other addons you've installed to give your even more borders, backgrounds and fonts to change the look and feel of it.

 

Key Features

  • Made with the new addon changes done in Midnight (12.0) in mind
  • Move, scale and resize the input field in either options or with a separate visual anchor box
  • Change the border and background texture
  • Change font style and size
  • Change brightness and transparecy of border and background
  • Easily configurable with preview window
  • Click the channel name above the input field to change where you want to send the message (see known problems below)
  • History of what you've typed scrollable with up/down arrow keys
  • Check the history and remove what you don't want it to remember
  • Remembers the last five people you've whispered
  • !Snippets system, make your own replacement text to easily post in different places
  • Emoticons button for quickly adding ascii emotes
  • Autocomplete /commands, /whisper and !snippets
  • Add more borders, textures and fonts with sharedmedia
  • Also uses borders, textures and fonts from other installed addons like Platynator
  • Translated into nine languages: Deutsch, Français, Español, Português, Italiano, 日本語, 한국어, 简体中文 and 繁體中文

 

Design your chat box!

See the input box as you style it, save your style and share it with friends.

 

You can also change the background and channel in the preview window so you know what it looks like in different conditions

 

There are a bunch of options to let you change it to match your UI! (The border here is from LS: Borders)

 

Snippets

The snippet system lets you create replacement commands with !snippet. You could make one called !guild that will let you type !guild in the chat box hit enter and have it post "Please joine my guild, it's great! Whisper for invite!" to the currently active channel. You can also make it only post to a channel you want, so regardless if you have /s or /p active in the chat box the !guild snippet will always post to /1 

 

 

Autocomplete

If you start with / it will show you a list of commands, continue typing to find your command, use TAB to change between the commands it shows you and hit enter to run the command. Also works with /w so it will show you guild mates, server friends, Battle.net and Real ID friends, and of course it works with !snippets too (this will even show you a preview of what the snippet contains)!

Slash commands

Snippets

Guildies, friends and Real ID friends

 

History

See what you've typed in the input menu, easily open the input box with the text you've already typed. Remove lines individually and change how much it should keep a history of (0 to 1000 lines)

 

Only use what you need

Don't want snippets? Turn it off. You want the autocomplete of commands but not whisper? Change it. Turn off the shitory feature if you want!

 

 

Multiline input box

If you want to send a bunch of lines in one go, use the multiline input box by hitting shift-enter (can be changed). Type your message and send! It will follow the default style, but can follow your style if you want!

Easy access

You can change the channel you want to chat in by left clicking the channel name, or right click for quick options.

Left click menu

Right click menu

 

Anchor editor

Move and scale the input box easily by typing /bcb edit, clicking the button under the Tools tab in options or right clicking the channel name

 

Language support

Supports the following languages:

  • English (Semi complete)
  • Deutsch
  • Français
  • Español
  • Português
  • Italiano
  • 日本語
  • 한국어
  • 简体中文
  • 繁體中文

 

Future features (wishful thinking)

  • Configurable buttons/commands below the input box with key binding support for easy access
  • Separate styles for each channel if you want
  • Sound when typing? (oof, annoying maybe?)
  • Make it compatible with classic, anniversary etc.

 

Why does BigChatBox pause during combat / M+ etc. (Midnight 12.0+)

With the Midnight expansion (12.0), Blizzard introduced major changes to how addons interact with the game during combat. This initiative, called Addon Disarmament, limits what addons can do with combat information.

 

What changed?

Combat-related data is now "secret values". Addons can display this information but cannot read or process it in their code.

Many UI frames are now protected during combat. In instanced content (M+ keystones, arenas, rated battlegrounds) the restrictions are even stricter. Any addon that modifies or hooks into these protected frames risks spreading taint, which can completely break game functionality. Not just the addon, but core game features like targeting, casting spells, and using abilities.

 

How does this affect BigChatBox?

WoW's default chat input (ChatFrame1EditBox) is a protected frame because it processes secure slash commands like /target, /cast, and /focus. BigChatBox hooks into this frame to intercept chat input. During combat and instanced competitive content, these hooks can cause taint that would block your entire chat system.

To protect you, BigChatBox automatically pauses during combat and during M+ keystones, arenas, and rated battlegrounds. Blizzard's default chat input takes over seamlessly. When combat ends or the content finishes, BigChatBox resumes automatically.

 

Why not just fix it?

This is not a bug! This is a fundamental restriction in WoW's security model. Every addon that modifies protected frames during combat faces the same limitation. Blizzard designed these restrictions to prevent addons from automating combat decisions, and the chat editbox falls within that protected scope.

 

The bottom line

BigChatBox pauses during combat and during timed competitive instances (M+, arenas, rated BGs). You can still chat normally during those activities by using Blizzard's built-in chat input instead. BigChatBox resumes automatically when combat ends or the activity completes.

 

 

Inspiration

 

Optional dependencies

Would suggest downloading the following, not needed, but they give extra media to the addon.