Novel replacement for the implicit chat-link format templates
vanilla WoW carried in client-side LUA — each link kind (item /
quest / spell / achievement / talent / trade-skill) had a hard-
coded sprintf template baked into ChatFrame_OnHyperlinkClick
with no formal data-driven extension point. Each WLNK entry
binds one hyperlink kind to its sprintf-style chat-link
template (with %%d/%%s placeholders for link parameters),
tooltip-popup template, quality color (RGBA), icon source
rule, and server-lookup requirement flag.
Three presets covering the link-kind spectrum:
--gen-lnk-std 4 standard hyperlink kinds (Item with
classic 4-rune-slot template / Quest
yellow / Spell white / Achievement with 9
placeholders for criteria-progress data)
--gen-lnk-talent 2 less-common kinds (Talent green for
passive enhancements / Trade-skill recipe
orange with server lookup for ingredients)
--gen-lnk-quality 3 Item-kind variants distinguished by
quality color (Common gray 0x9D9D9D / Epic
purple 0xA335EE / Legendary orange
0xFF8000) — chat composer picks variant by
item quality at link time
Validator catches: id+name+linkTemplate required, linkKind
0..5, no duplicate linkIds. CRITICAL: linkTemplate MUST contain
at least one %%d/%%s placeholder — composer would emit a static
string regardless of input (every link rendering identically
regardless of which item/spell/quest was clicked). Walks the
template character-by-character counting valid format
specifiers (%%d, %%s, %%u, %%i, %%x, %%X, with %%%% literal
double-percent excluded). Warns on > 12 placeholders (unusual,
verify intentional), colorRGBA=0 (fully transparent — link text
invisible), and requireServerLookup=true with empty
tooltipTemplate (server data has nowhere to render).
Format count 145 -> 146. CLI flag count 1508 -> 1515.
