ahh, the action bar. It amazes me how many different ways I've seen action bars setup. Some people install an addOn just to replicate the default bars. Some people separate EVERY SINGLE BUTTON and put it in it's own spot.
Depending on how crazy you want to get there's a few ways you can go.
Depending on how crazy you want to get there's a few ways you can go.
Bongos is an easy starting point. The menu is very simple, but still offers a lot of control. Right-click self-cast is my favorite feature. If you just want to get close to the default setup you'll be ready to go in about 2 minutes. Copy paste feature lets you use the same layout for any character on your account or create unique layouts for everyone.
If you need all out button mayhem try Trinity Bars. It has all the popular button masks (hex, gloss, square, etc.) and is not too hard to get the hang of. As with Bongos it handles the cast bar with a module that can be removed, but it also includes the target cast bar as well. Trinity also separates the XP and rep bars so you can show/hide as you like. With a simple and advanced edit mode most users will be able to get it going fairly easy, and with the new clone feature that will be implemented soon, you won't have to hand craft multiple bars with the same layout.
Bartender3 and FlexBar2 are both good addOns as well, with Bartender3 falling between Bongos and Trinity, and FlexBar2 being the most... flexible. FlexBar2 basically asks you to create each button and do whatever you like with it. You can create action bars with state recognition (shadow form, defensive stance, etc.) but it doesn't follow the blizzard paging, so it can be a LOT of crafting. If you need really complex layouts though this is for you.
If you're just looking for some unique action bar "upgrades" there's some good choices. Action Pad seems to be something a lot of people look for. It simply recreates action bar 1 in to the shape of the left side of your keyboard, allowing you to easily keybind spells/macros to action bar 1 and see it visually. It hides the menu and bags also. It does hide the Pet frame as well, so if you need it just get the Action Pet Bar also.CogsBar takes that up a notch letting you add custom layout buttons to your default action bars. Want a 4x3 box? done. 6x2? done. 'nuf said. It doesn't however hide anything from the default setup.
XBar works a bit more like a pop-out menu for buttons. Most people will find these useful for things like buffs, potions, warlock curses, hunter traps, hunter tracking, but there's really a lot you can do with this if you get creative.
Last but not least, is IPoPBar. I really like this for a lightweight way to add a few extra bars with absolutely no setup. IPop doesn't remove/change the default action bars, it simply adds, in the location of the menu/bags, a new action bar. You can easily toggle between the action bar and menu/bags with 1 click. If you want to adjust it you can either have just the 1 bar or up to 3 (the 2nd and 3rd are pop-up therefore hidden unless you hover over the first). I really liked having the hidden pop-ups for things like tradeskill, buff food, trophy pets, and other items you don't need visible during combat.
Any way you cut it, there's no reason to not have everything you need at your fingertips. If you've exhausted your default bars give one of these great and easy upgrades a try!
XBar works a bit more like a pop-out menu for buttons. Most people will find these useful for things like buffs, potions, warlock curses, hunter traps, hunter tracking, but there's really a lot you can do with this if you get creative.
Last but not least, is IPoPBar. I really like this for a lightweight way to add a few extra bars with absolutely no setup. IPop doesn't remove/change the default action bars, it simply adds, in the location of the menu/bags, a new action bar. You can easily toggle between the action bar and menu/bags with 1 click. If you want to adjust it you can either have just the 1 bar or up to 3 (the 2nd and 3rd are pop-up therefore hidden unless you hover over the first). I really liked having the hidden pop-ups for things like tradeskill, buff food, trophy pets, and other items you don't need visible during combat.
Any way you cut it, there's no reason to not have everything you need at your fingertips. If you've exhausted your default bars give one of these great and easy upgrades a try!
AddOns tested:
Bartender3 (1.47m)
Bongos (486k)
Cogs Bar (37k)
FlexBar2 (768k)
Integrated PopBar (50k)
I will have to experiment a little ... =) Thanks for the review !
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