HoxDevTools

A small set of tools for World of Warcraft addon authors who reload too much.

HoxDevTools is a lightweight development utility addon built to make common UI debugging tasks faster and less annoying. It adds quick keyboard access to Reload UI, Blizzard’s Frame Stack tool, and a custom floating frame inspector for checking UI elements while working on addons.

It started with a simple problem: typing /reload over and over gets old fast.

Then it grew into a tiny toolbox for addon development, UI tinkering, and frame inspection.

What It Does

HoxDevTools gives addon authors fast access to a few common development actions:
Hold ESC to start a Reload UI countdown
Press Shift + ESC to toggle Blizzard’s Frame Stack tooltip
Press Ctrl + Shift + ` to toggle the HoxDevTools Frame Inspector
Use /hoxdt inspect to open the inspector manually
Use /hoxdt inspect <FrameName> to inspect a specific named frame

The addon is intentionally small and focused. It does not try to be a massive debugging suite or replace full development tools. It just removes friction from the tasks addon authors tend to repeat constantly while building, testing, and adjusting UI code.

Features

Reload UI Shortcut

Hold ESC to trigger a reload countdown.

After holding ESC for one second, HoxDevTools shows a visible countdown window. Release ESC to cancel, or keep holding until the confirmation popup appears. Confirm the popup to reload the UI.

This makes Reload UI quick to access while still helping prevent accidental reloads.

Frame Stack Shortcut

Press Shift + ESC to toggle Blizzard’s built-in Frame Stack tooltip.

This is useful when you need to identify frames, inspect UI layering, check frame names, or figure out what your mouse is hovering over while debugging an interface.

Floating Frame Inspector

HoxDevTools includes its own movable, resizable Frame Inspector window.

The inspector watches the frame under your mouse and displays useful information such as:

Frame name
Object type
Parent frame
Parent chain
Size
Position
Shown and visible state
Alpha and effective alpha
Frame strata
Frame level
Mouse and keyboard status
Active scripts
Child frames

The inspector updates as you move your mouse, making it useful for exploring UI layouts and tracking down frame behavior.

Lockable Inspection

The Frame Inspector includes a lock button.

Locking the inspector freezes the current target so you can review frame information without losing it when you move your mouse away.

You can also inspect a named frame directly with:

/hoxdt inspect <FrameName>

This opens the inspector, locks onto the specified frame, and displays its details.

Commands and Shortcuts

Keyboard Shortcuts

Hold ESC
Starts a Reload UI countdown. Release ESC to cancel.

Shift + ESC
Toggles Blizzard’s Frame Stack tooltip.

Ctrl + Shift + Backtick
Toggles the HoxDevTools Frame Inspector.

Slash Commands

/hoxdt - Toggles the Frame Inspector.

/hoxdt inspect - Toggles the Frame Inspector.

/hoxdt inspect <FrameName> - Inspects a specific named frame and locks the inspector onto it.

/hoxdevtools - Alternate command for HoxDevTools.

Why Use It?

Addon development involves a lot of tiny repeated actions.

Reload the UI. Check the frame stack. Hover a frame. Find the parent. Check the strata. Reload again. Notice one thing is wrong. Reload again. Question your life choices. Reload again.

HoxDevTools smooths out that loop by putting the most common development actions closer to your fingertips.

It is especially useful for:

Addon authors
UI tinkerers
Players building custom interfaces
Developers debugging frame layout issues
Anyone who types /reload far too often

The Hox Suite

HoxDevTools is part of the growing Hox addon suite by Hox Utilities.

Each addon works perfectly standalone. HoxCore is not required, but if you use multiple Hox addons, it helps keep them together through a shared minimap launcher.

HoxCore
The minimap launcher for the Hox addon suite. HoxCore creates a single minimap button that opens a drawer of installed Hox addons, helping reduce minimap clutter as the suite grows.

Hox FlightTools
Cockpit-style flight instruments for Skyriding, including airspeed, heading, vertical speed, resource tracking, flight alerts, speed history, and post-flight debrief information.

Burning Rush Tracker
A lightweight Warlock reminder addon that displays a clear on-screen alert while Burning Rush is active.

HoxDevTools
A small addon development utility with quick Reload UI access, Frame Stack toggling, and a floating frame inspector.

Chronicle of Heroes
A warband roster and gear audit tool for tracking gear, enchants, sockets, upgrade tracks, currencies, reputation, and character progression across your account. [UNDER DEVELOPMENT]

Love Lust Leave
A social and relationship-themed mini-game addon. [UNDER DEVELOPMENT]

Compatibility

HoxDevTools is designed to be lightweight and self-contained.

It uses Blizzard UI functionality where appropriate, including Blizzard’s DebugTools for Frame Stack access, and provides its own custom inspector window for additional frame details.

The addon does not require any external libraries.

Notes

HoxDevTools is meant as a practical development helper, not a full replacement for advanced debugging workflows.

It focuses on a few common tasks and tries to make them quick, visible, and easy to reach while actively working on addons.

Built for the Reload Loop

HoxDevTools will not write your addon for you.

But it will help you reload, inspect, adjust, and reload again with slightly less suffering.

Hox DevTools