SimpleBuffs

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Simple Buffs adds readable buff and debuff timer displays to supported unit frames without replacing your existing unit frames. Use it to keep aura timers near Blizzard frames, place duplicate standalone groups anywhere on screen, or show both at the same time.

Each supported unit type has its own settings tab, so you can tune player, target, focus, pet, party, raid, boss, and arena displays separately, with independent Buffs and Debuffs sub-tabs for per-type tuning.

Choose how each display looks: the classic icon grid, or a "Bar Stack" of labeled horizontal bars showing the spell name, a shrinking time-remaining fill, and a countdown, for players who want more than just an icon at a glance. A Simulate toggle shows a handful of sample auras with varied durations, stacks, and icons, so you can preview and fine-tune either style before you ever need the real buff or debuff.

Don't want to see a specific buff or debuff at all? The Manage Auras tab lists every aura ever seen on that unit and lets you hide individual ones by name - the hide applies no matter which display style you use - with a Forget action if you change your mind, and filter/sort controls to make a long list easy to scan.

It is designed for players who want aura timers in practical places without building a full custom UI.

Highlights

• Shows buffs and debuffs for player, target, focus, pet, party, party pets, raid, raid pets, bosses, arena, and arena pets.
• Lets each unit type use Attached, Standalone, or Both display modes where supported.
• Lets attached displays sit Above, Below, Right Hand, or Left Hand of their unit frame.
• Lets each unit's buffs/debuffs render as the classic icon grid, or as a "Bar Stack" of labeled horizontal bars (icon + spell name + shrinking time-remaining fill + countdown), with its own Bar Width slider, a Show Icon toggle, and a Bar Sort dropdown (A-Z, Z-A, Time Left, or Max Duration, each ascending or descending) plus a Bar Anchor dropdown (Top or Bottom) for standalone (movable) displays: Bottom (default) keeps the top fixed and grows downward, Top keeps the bottom fixed and grows upward. Bar order is unaffected either way.
• Provides per-unit controls for buffs, debuffs, icon size, spacing, scale, max aura count, layout, sorting, filtering, countdown text, cooldown swipe, and stack counts, with separate Buffs and Debuffs sub-tabs for per-type tuning.
• Adds a "Manage Auras" tab to every unit tab listing every buff/debuff ever seen on that unit, with a checkbox to hide or show each one (applies to both Icon and Bar Stack styles), a Forget action, a Show filter (Both/Buffs Only/Debuffs Only), and a Sort control (A-Z/Z-A or by when each aura was first or most recently seen).
• Adds a Simulate toggle to each unit's Buffs and Debuffs sub-tabs that shows several sample auras (varied durations, stacks, and icons) so displays can be previewed and tuned without needing real buffs or debuffs active. The sample count cycles up and down over time so you can watch the display grow and shrink, useful for checking a Bar Anchor or Layout choice. It's preview-only and always resets off on reload.
• Adds a "Hide Blizzard Player Buffs" toggle on the Player unit tab that hides Blizzard's own default player buff bar (and weapon enchant buffs) near the minimap, so only Simple Buffs' own display shows.
• Includes clear unit tabs, per-unit reset buttons, and a Reset All Defaults option.
• Lets you copy settings from one unit tab to another with a Copy From dropdown.
• Provides grouped standalone displays that can be moved with Shift-drag when unlocked. Buffs and Debuffs are separate displays per unit group, so they can be positioned independently instead of always moving together.
• Includes a Locked checkbox in options and a right-click minimap toggle for enabling or disabling standalone movement.
• Adds hover help throughout the settings panel, including labels, dropdowns, sliders, and movement controls.
• Opens options quickly from /sbuff or the minimap button.
• Passes mouse clicks through aura icons so attached displays do not block unit frame interaction.
• Updates displays from game events instead of constant polling.
• Includes a packaged addon icon for the addon list and minimap button.

How It Works

Simple Buffs listens for unit aura and unit-presence events, then refreshes only the affected unit or unit group when possible. Unit displays hide automatically when the relevant unit token does not currently exist.

The addon uses Blizzard-provided aura and cooldown APIs for timer display. On clients that expose Midnight's protected aura duration objects, Simple Buffs passes those duration objects directly to Blizzard cooldown widgets instead of reading restricted expiration values.

Slash Commands

• /sbuff: Open the Blizzard Settings panel.
• /sbuff lock: Lock movable standalone displays.
• /sbuff unlock: Unlock Shift-drag for standalone displays.
• /sbuff reset: Reset settings to defaults.

Notes

• The addon uses the saved-variable name SimpleBuffsDB.
• Attached mode uses stable Blizzard frames for player, target, focus, pet, party, party pet, raid, raid pet, boss, arena, and arena pet units when available.
• Right-click the minimap button to lock or unlock standalone display dragging.
• The early public releases are intentionally focused on clear aura timer visibility, broad unit support, and conservative event-driven performance.