Item & Inventory API (Retail — Patch 12.0.0)

Comprehensive reference for all Item, Container, Bank, Loot, Equipment, Merchant, Socket, Upgrade, and related APIs. Covers item information, bag management, banking, looting, equipment, gem sockets, item upgrades, merchant interactions, and world loot objects.

Source: https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/World_of_Warcraft_API Current as of: Patch 12.0.0 (Build 65655) — January 28, 2026 Scope: Retail only. No deprecated or removed functions.

Scope

This skill covers these API systems:

• C_Item — Item information, counts, cooldowns, equipping, type checks, transmog info
• C_Container — Bag slot management, item queries, sorting, searching, using items
• C_Bank — Bank tab management, deposits, withdrawals, account bank
• C_Loot — Loot roll duration, legacy loot mode
• C_ItemSocketInfo — Gem socket management
• C_ItemInteraction — Item conversion/interaction UI
• C_MerchantFrame — Vendor buy/sell/repair
• C_WorldLootObject — World loot object queries
• ItemLocation / ItemMixin — Item location handling patterns
• Global Inventory Functions — PickupInventoryItem, EquipItemByName, UseInventoryItem, etc.
• Looting Functions — LootSlot, GetNumLootItems, RollOnLoot, ConfirmLootRoll, etc.
• Equipment Sets — C_EquipmentSet functions

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Query item info: name, link, icon, quality, type, subtype, level
• Check item counts, cooldowns, or usability
• Equip or use items programmatically
• Manage bag contents: enumerate slots, sort, search, move items
• Interact with the bank: deposit, withdraw, purchase tabs
• Handle loot windows and loot rolls
• Work with gem sockets and item upgrades
• Buy from or sell to merchants
• Check equipment sets
• Handle world loot objects (e.g., loot on the ground)

C_Item — Core Item API

The C_Item namespace provides comprehensive item data access. Items are identified by itemInfo (itemID, itemName, or itemLink) or ItemLocation (bag + slot).

Wiki: https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/World_of_Warcraft_API#Item

Item Information

Item Counts & Cooldowns

Item Type Checks

Item Actions

Item Transmog

C_Container — Bag & Container API

Manages bag slots, item queries, sorting, and item operations within bags.

Wiki: https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/World_of_Warcraft_API#Container

Bag Constants

Container Functions

Container Actions

Sorting & Settings

C_Bank — Bank API

Manages character bank, reagent bank, and account bank (Warband bank) tabs.

Wiki: https://warcraft.wiki.gg/wiki/World_of_Warcraft_API#Bank

Bank Functions

Bank Actions

Loot API

C_Loot

Global Loot Functions

Loot Rolls

C_ItemSocketInfo — Socket API

C_ItemInteraction — Item Interaction UI

C_MerchantFrame — Merchant/Vendor API

C_WorldLootObject — World Loot Objects

ItemLocation & ItemMixin Patterns

ItemLocation

ItemLocation is used to reference items by their container position:

-- Create an ItemLocation for bag 0, slot 1
local itemLoc = ItemLocation:CreateFromBagAndSlot(0, 1)

-- Create for an equipped slot
local itemLoc = ItemLocation:CreateFromEquipmentSlot(INVSLOT_HEAD)

-- Check if it's valid
if itemLoc:IsValid() then
    local name = C_Item.GetItemName(itemLoc)
end

Item Data Loading (ContinuableContainer)

-- Items may not be cached — use the callback pattern
local item = Item:CreateFromItemID(12345)
item:ContinueOnItemLoad(function()
    local name = item:GetItemName()
    local link = item:GetItemLink()
    local icon = item:GetItemIcon()
    print(name, link)
end)

Batch Loading

local container = ContinuableContainer:Create()
for _, itemID in ipairs(itemIDs) do
    local item = Item:CreateFromItemID(itemID)
    container:AddContinuable(item)
end
container:ContinueOnLoad(function()
    -- All items are now cached
end)

Global Inventory Functions

Equipment Sets (C_EquipmentSet)

Cursor Functions (Item-Related)

Common Patterns

Iterate All Bag Items

for bag = 0, 4 do
    for slot = 1, C_Container.GetContainerNumSlots(bag) do
        local info = C_Container.GetContainerItemInfo(bag, slot)
        if info then
            print(info.hyperlink, info.stackCount, info.quality)
        end
    end
end

Count Free Bag Slots

local totalFree = 0
for bag = 0, 4 do
    local free = C_Container.GetContainerNumFreeSlots(bag)
    totalFree = totalFree + free
end
print("Free slots:", totalFree)

Check If Player Has Item

local count = C_Item.GetItemCount(12345, true) -- includeBank
if count > 0 then
    print("You have", count, "of this item")
end

Auto-Sell Junk at Vendor

-- Register for MERCHANT_SHOW event
for bag = 0, 4 do
    for slot = 1, C_Container.GetContainerNumSlots(bag) do
        local info = C_Container.GetContainerItemInfo(bag, slot)
        if info and info.quality == Enum.ItemQuality.Poor then
            C_Container.UseContainerItem(bag, slot)
        end
    end
end

Key Events

Gotchas & Restrictions

1. Async item data — C_Item.GetItemInfo() may return nil for uncached items. Use C_Item.RequestLoadItemDataByID() and listen for GET_ITEM_INFO_RECEIVED, or use the Item:ContinueOnItemLoad() mixin pattern.
2. Bag index 5 — In Retail, bag index 5 is the Reagent Bag slot, not a bank bag.
3. Account Bank — Account bank tabs (Warband bank) use Enum.BagIndex.AccountBankTab1..5 (indices 13–17). Check C_PlayerInfo.IsAccountBankEnabled().
4. GetMerchantItemInfo removed — Use C_MerchantFrame.GetItemInfo(index) in 12.0.0.
5. Protected functions — EquipItemByName, UseContainerItem, and similar functions may be restricted during combat lockdown.
6. Item secrets — In 12.0.0 instances, some item-related data may become secret values. Design UIs to pass values directly to widgets.
7. ContainerInfo structure — C_Container.GetContainerItemInfo() returns a table with fields: iconFileID, stackCount, isLocked, quality, isReadable, hasLoot, hyperlink, isFiltered, hasNoValue, itemID, isBound.