Troubleshooting&HowTo: AddOn install/find, Read & report lua errors, keybind issues

[Baertram]

Where do I need to install/extract the addon zip files to? Or what is the "/live" folder?
The "live" folder is the folder which the game uses on your drive to store the relevant data, like AddOns, SavedVariables, logs, Screenshots. As the name says already this is the folder for the "live" (productive) server.
There also exists a "PTS" folder for the public test server (PTS).
Your addons need to be placed in the folder /live/AddOns (create the folder if it is missing, but please watch the case-sensitive name, with capital A and O!).

The different servers "NA Megaserver" (for North America) and "EU Megserver"(for European server) both use the live/ folder to read/store the AddOns/Logs/ScreenShots/Savedvariables/etc.
That means: Addons need to take care of the server split up in their settings manually, by using the Server name e.g. as a different table in the savedVariables files (read about SavedVariables further fown below).
Only the PTS got it's own folder!


How do I locate the live/AddOns folder?
If you are not able to locate the correct folder where to extract the addons to you will find the information here:
How to install an addon

Important: The live/AddOns folder will be created after your first login to the game, it will be missing if you had not logged in before at least once!
You are able to manually create it, but make sure to respect the upper-case characters: "AddOns"

In addition you can login, take a screenshot via they screenshot keybind and watch the text written at the top right corner of the screen.
The folder shown there should be the one where your subfolder "AddOns" will be located (1 folder above "Screenshots"), e.g.
c:\users\username\documents\elder scrolls online\live\Screenshots -> The addon folder will be c:\users\username\documents\elder scrolls online\live\AddOns

As a base troubleshooting rule: Make sure you logout before you update any addons or dependencies!
Why? Because addons use txt files (same name as the addon's folder) to tell the game what dependencies they need. And if the addon updtes and needs new/updated dependencies (versions) it might fail to recognize that and partailly load, but throw error messages, which you would not get if you had logged out before and updated the addons and dependencies properly. The game read those txt files in total at first client login, and not always "in total" if you just do a character switch or /reloadui ingame).


Why are images/textures the addon provides not shown/shown wrong/invisible ingame?
You were logged out as you updated the addon, right?
Exit the game before you continue! You have read correctly: EXIT, not only logout.

Check the folder where the addons are installed (see above how to find it) and navigate to the parent folder (e.g. "live").
Delete/rename the file "shader_cache.cooked".
Login (your first login after changing this file will take a bit longer as the texture cache will be rebuild) and check if the textures are shown now.
If not: Check if the addon installed extracted all needed .dds files (check the addon's subfolders) and/or reinstall the addon (Logout before!).
And delete the shader_cache.cooked file again then, before logging in.

The shader_cache.cooked file will cache your textures of ingame vanilla game textures as well as addon provided .dds file textures.
New added textures of new addons could fail to load properly or just show transparent as they are missing in that file,
especially if you have not logged out and exit the game BEFORE updating/installing addons!
Also: If you change textures ingame via addons (using the RedirectTexture() function e.g.) it often happens that these textures still show the old texures ingame.
To fix these missing/wrong textures ingame: EXIT the game and delete this cache file.

It will be rebuild automatically the next time you login. So your first next login willtake a bit longer.



What are those "dependencies" or "libraries"?
Libraris are addons which contain re-usable code. These are designed to be re-used in different addons and thus can be added as a dependency
to these addons, in order to make the addon know that this library is needed to be installed.
The library can be installed once into your "live/AddOns" folder (just like normal addons), or it could be included to the addon's folder/subfolders.

So dependencies are just other addons/libraries which must be installed and loaded ingame,
or can be installed and loaded (so called "optional" dependencies),
in order to make the addon load and work as well.



How do I find and install needed dependencies/libraries for the addons I install?
https://www.esoui.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9149



Why can't I see any addons inside the game's AddOn manager?
1. You have moved your documents folder to another drive e.g.
Search for UserSettings.txt or AddOnSettings.txt file on your harddrives/sdds and check which folder it is in (with the most up2date date and time!).
Below this folder, in the subfolder AddOns, your addons need to be located so the game will find them as well.

2. Microsoft OneDrive
If you are using Microsoft OneDrive and your "documents" folder was moved to the OneDrive be sure to remove the Elder Scrolls Online folder from it again and put it into the normal documents folder (below windows user folder) again. OneDrive is not supported within ESO!
Additional information can be found in multiple ESOUI and also the official ESO forum threads (e.g. here)

3. (Microsoft, or any other) Antivirus (Windows Defender) is blocking the documents folder against changes
After an update to the Microsoft Windows 10 Antivirus tool Windows Defender the tool is blocking access to the folder users/dcouments somehow. You have no write access (not always at least) and thus the file AddonSettings.txt or the SavedVariables folder in the live folder cannot be updated properly.

Whitelist (allow) the Elder Scrolls Online executables and the "live" folder + subfolders (see here how to find the live folder or search for the files UserSettings.txt or AddonSettings.txt) within Mircosoft Windows Defender in order to allow the update of the files and folders again:
Whitelist ESO within MS Windows Defender



What are "SavedVariables" and how do I find, backup/restore/reset them?
Please read here: SavedVariables



lua error messages ingame - How do I read them?
Sometimes you will see a lua error message ingame, telling you that something does not work, or is nil (not given) etc.
These error messages look like this for example:


If you see such error messages please click on the "Show more" checkbox at the bottom left to see all relevant information about the
error message, including variable names and their contents! This is important information for the addon dev you will post this error to.

If you see such an error message, and you got no idea how to fix it, please read the point
"How to report a lua error message to the developers"
below.

The lines of the error message provide you an information which addon was involved.
Important: It must not be the causing addon but could be just a library which is missing.

As example this line:

user:/AddOns/pChat/pChat.lua:2172: attempt to index a nil value

Starting after user:/AddOns/ you'll find the foldername of an addon involved into the error message. Here: "pChat".
Afer that it tells you the filename "pChat.lua" which is the main addon's file, and the line number in this file "2172".
This information is valuable input for the developers so they can have a look what code is called at this line.

The error messages are piling upon a stack, so the message's bottom text line was the first and every line on top was executed after the line before.
This way you can see where it started (in "vanilla" [the default game's] code or in another addon) and where it was going after that until the error was hit at the top line.

Please ALWAYS enable the "More info" checkbox at the bottom left BEFORE taking sreenshots, or reporting lua erros!
It will show you even more information, like which variable was nil as the error happened, and is mandatory for the devs to have the proper information. Thank you

"stack traceback":
The lines below this line will show you what was called before the error happend in the line at the top, in file pChat&pChat.lua:2172.
So if you read the error message from bottom to top you see where the call started and what other libraries or addons were involved maybe.
The stack is, as the name says, a stack whch needs to be read from top to the bottom to see where the error's cause is coming from.
Means: The most obvious error causing addon will be at the bottom of the list then. And not always it's the last one at the top. This could also error out as another addon
before (down the stack) causes some bad lines e.g.
This also means:
If you blame an addon better show the whole error message to the dev if you are not able to name the causing addon for sure!

Example:
You open any addon's settings menu which uses LibAddonMenu-2.0. As another addon, totally unrelated, uses a very old version of LibAddonMenu-2.0, this addon causes a bug
which will make ALL other addons fail to load their settings panel. The cause and the bad one is the old addon including the old versin of LAM, not the addon wich you have tried to
open the settings panel and the error is shown!



How to report a lua error message/a bug to the developers
As you found out which addon(s) were involved into the lua error message (see above at "lua error messages") or a bug
you should do the following:

1. Copy the error message text
   Important: Click on the checkbox "Show more" at the bottom left of the error message.
   Copy the whole text of the error message from top to bottom to your clipboard (mark it with the mouse and press the keyboard keys CTRL+C).
   Switch to your desktop, open a text file or create a new one via WINDOWS key + r ("run command") -> Enter the text "notepad" -> press RETURN key -> Microsoft Notepad Textedit will be shown -> paste the copied text via keyboard keys CTRL+V or right mouse context menu ->Paste.
   Save the file as new txt file at any place where you easyily find it again, e.g. create a folder "eso errors" in your "Downloads" ordner.
   
   Please do not create screenshots and send the screenshot of the error messages! They will be missing information then.
   
2. Update your addons and dependencies
   Your dependencies / libraries might not be up 2 date. Be sure you have installed all needed dependencies of your addons,
   and if not, install them. If you got them installed they might be older and need an update.
   Find out more here: how to find the versions and update them:
   https://www.esoui.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9149
   
   
3. Report the error message/a bug to the addon developer(s)
   At the section "lua error messages ingame" above you will find the information how to see which addon(s) are involved into the lua error message.
   If there was no error message and you only found a bug you need to follow the same steps please.
   Write down the names of the addon's named in the error message and then search the addon here at www.esoui.com via the addon search,
   top right corner of the website.
   
   Switch to the comments there and write the following information:
   • Date and time as the error message happened (this is important to track the appropriate version and coding + LibDebugLogger checks -> See below)
   • Complete lua error message text which you have copied to notpead/clipboard
   • Steps how to reproduce the error, e.g. Login, open inventory, click on any row -> Error appears
   • Information that you have already updated the addons and dependencies.
     If you do not provide this information the devs wil most likely ask you as next step to do so, so just do it automatically before posting the error messages.
     If in the error message an addon or dependency/library was mentioned: Tell the developer which version of these you are using!
   • Optional: If you took the time to test how to reproduce or fix the error: Provide this additional information about what you found out as well.

"Best practice" to report an addon error

1. If a lua error message pops up ingame enable the checkbox "Show more" at the bottom left at that popup to show ALL content of that message first!
2. Copy the whole text and save it somewhere. Do not make a screenshot, it's hard to read it and it will be missing half of the text then.
3. Read the sticky thread mentioned above how to read the error message so you find out whicha ddon maybe causing the bug.
4. Optional but of big help: Note your currently loaded addons or save them via "Addon Selector" (an addon profile/pack addon) for later reference.
   Disable ALL other addons then ingame except the one that raises the error and test if the same error is reproducable with only the addon enabled. Often other addons interfere and the error only happens if sme other addons are enabled. You can then enable other addons of your saved profile (which were enabled before as the error was shown) and check if the error returns with these addons enabled again (start to enable addons in blocks of 10 e.g. from top to bottom so that you get a brief idea where in the block the causing addon might be! In the error message read if any of the new enabled addons is named too, this is a hint it could be the reason. The error messages pile up on a stack so the error route the source code is run is shown from bottom to top).
5. Search that addon here at esoui via the addon search and read the comments of that addon if other users experienced the same, or report the error there then so the author(s) is/are aware of it and are able to fix it.
6. Post the complete copied error message (surround it via the [ code] [ /code] tags which are given as formatting button above the text field of your message) there and provide info what you have tested already (other addons disabled -> error shows too, or not. If not: Which addons do you need to enable to throw it again?) and how to reproduce the error from login (e.g. login, press I to open inventory,move mouse above row 2, right click, error shows).
7. If the author is not here anymore and the addon is discontinued & outdated: Move on to another addon and disable this addon! Often addon comments or even the description provide info about other similar addons.
8. Search the esoui forums for threads about that addon, maybe others also recently asked/found something that helps.
9. And search online at elder scrolls online official forums -> addons, or reddit, or other ESO addon related websites.
10. Ask your guilds ingame if they know the error and are able to help, or if they know replacement addons if you need one.
11. Only create a new thread in the esoui forums "Addon help" subforum if you have done that before already, or are not able to do/understand this please.

LibDebugLogger and DebugLogViewer
In addition to the standard eso lua error messages many addons already use custom defined debugging messages (whch will not be shown in the normal chat, but in a seperate loggin addon -> DebugLogViewer).
The needed dependency of these addons and DebugLogViewer is the library LibDebugLogger.

The benefit of LibDebugLogger is, that it will log the name and version of all loaded addons of your game session.
This will increase transparency for the developers a lot as they are able to see which versions and which addons were active as error messages happened.
Be sure to go to the settings menu of the addon DebugLogViewer ingame and change the "Stack trace"checkbox to ON so that the error messages will be kept in total with all needed information!

So if you get an lua error message, UI warning ingame it will automatically be tracked inside the LibDebugLogger SavedVariables file, as the library is installed and enabled.
This information will be kept for 1 day only as otherwise the files would get too big and the game would load too long at login.
So make sure, after getting error messages, to reload your UI/logout and backup the SavedVariables file "LibDebugLogger.lua" (see above at "What are SavedVariables" to find the /Elder Scrolls Online/live/SavedVariables folder) at once.


Provide LibDebugLogger SavedVariables file to addon developers:
Here is an example how to do this described by Sirinsidiator

As you have noted the date and time of the error message you are able to share the SavedVariables file of LibDebugLogger with the addon developer(s),
so they are able to see more information about the error. This will help a lot.
Important: Please ALWAYS include the date and time as your test was done, so one can find the relating lines in the log files!
The addon devs could even commnunicate with you to retry to rebuild the error message, but changing the debugging level of LibDebugLogger to collect even more addon related information. But this will be handled diffeerntly on each error message and cannot be described here in detail.

To share the file you need to open your SavedVariables folder (See here how to find your AddOns folder, navigate 1 folder to the top and open the subfolder "SavedVariables").
Once in there copy the file "LibDebugLogger.lua" to another place, e.g. "Downloads/ESO errors".
You got multiple ways to send the data to the developer now.
Please always provide the same information as mentioned above at the section "Report the error message/a bug to the addon developer(s)", even if you just share the LibDebugLogger.lua SavedVariables file!


a) Upload it at sirinsidiator's "Online LibDebugLogger log viewer website: https://sir.insidi.at/or/logviewer/
Drag & drop the LibDebugLogger.lua file to the rectangle showing the text "Drag and drop a LibDebugLogger.lua saved variable file here" or click on the button "Choose it from disk" and then browse to the folder where the LibDebugLogger.lua file was copied to, e.g. "Downloads/ESO errors".
After uploading the file there will be an "Upload" utton at the top right of the website. Click that button and after that click on "Share". A link (URL) will be created. Copy this link to your clipboard by using CTRL+C or mouse right click->Copy, and then send the addon developer the link via private message, or addon comments, or email (if known via the author's addon portal, or via clicking the author's name at ESOUI -> Send email).

You are also able to just see what the file provides online by the help of this viewer yourself. The viewer will show recently opened LibDebugLogger files at the left side as a history.


b) ZIP the LibDebugLogger.lua file to decrease the size, then upload it somewhere else (cloud platform) and share the link with the developer
c) ZIP the LibDebugLogger.lua file to decrease the size, then send it via email to the developer (if he has provided you an email address)
d) Other ways of sharing files, that you prefer

In the end the developer should have the information how to rebuild the bug/error message and see what versions and addons you were using at the date and time the error/bug happened.



Why don't my keybinds (at the controller settings ingame) save properly?
You will notice sometimes, that your keybinds are not saving properly anymore. Allthough the UI shows the keybind you have entered, it may only work until next zone change/reloadui/logout. After that the controls do not show the keybinds you have bind before anymore, and they neither work anymore.
The keybinds are server saved, per character (not account). There is no client saved data or client managable data locally for yourself within e.g. txt or any other files!

This happens due to a max "custom keybind" number:
You only have up to 100 custom keybinds available, including addons AND changes to default keybinds (re-bind of e.g. gamepad/keyboard keys, even if they were bind by default like "Move forward", count as -1 for custom keybinds).
Each change to any exisiting default keybind, or bind of any addon added keybind, will reduce your availale custom keybind by -1.
Adding the new keybind possibilities by addons will not consume a custom keybind, but if you bind a key to it it will reduce the custom keybinds by -1.
You can only gain +1 custom keybind by unbinding changed default, non-default, or addon added keybinds again.
You can reset all keybinds to defaults (keyboard or gamepad) in order to gain +1 custom keybind for each re-bind default keybind which get's reset that way.

https://wiki.esoui.com/Keybindings#Keybind_facts


Thank you for your understanding and support!