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How targets are matched

Every entry in a list is a target: a string matched against each ability record in Data:AbilityData.json. There are four forms.

Form	Example	Matches when
Plain name	SilenceDuration, Card Trick	a property with that name exists anywhere in the record and holds a non-zero, non-empty value, or the string appears as a value anywhere in the record. Raw ability names work because the ability's Name is such a value.
Name with a value	Type:spirit	a property with that name exists anywhere in the record and its own value is spirit
Nested path	AbilityDuration.Scale.Type	that exact chain of properties exists and ends in a non-zero, non-empty value
Nested path with a value	Scale.Type:cooldown	that chain exists and ends in cooldown

A few details worth knowing:

• Values are compared case-insensitively. Type:spirit and Type:SPIRIT select the same abilities.
• A property's value is its own value, not anything nested inside it. Damage is stored as { "Value": 90, "Scale": { "Type": "spirit" } }, so Damage:90 matches it but Damage:spirit does not, the spirit sits on a different property. Use Damage.Scale.Type:spirit for that.
• Only the first segment of a path is searched for. It is found at any depth, and the remaining segments are then followed one step at a time. This is what lets a path reach into sub-ability records.
• Paths step through lists. Upgrades.Damage matches if any upgrade has a Damage value; Upgrades.1.Damage checks only the first upgrade.
• A target containing a dot that doesn't resolve to a path falls back to plain matching, so a value that happens to contain a dot still works as a target.

How to add a missing ability to a list

If an ability should appear in a table but doesn't, it means none of its data properties match the list's property keys. The recommended fix is to find a matching property in Data:AbilityData.json and add it to the list. Only use a raw ability name as a fallback if no suitable property exists.

Before editing, read the comment above the list you want to change, it describes what kind of abilities belong there.

Finding the right property: Open Data:AbilityData.json and search for the ability. Look through its properties for one that represents the relevant mechanic, for example, a silence ability might have SilenceDuration. A good property is one shared by many abilities with the same mechanic, not something unique to one ability.

If a property is shared by many abilities but only some of them have the value you care about, use the Key:Value form to narrow it down. Ability scaling is the usual case: nearly every ability has a Scale, so Scale.Type:cooldown is what separates the ones that scale with Ability Cooldown from the rest.

After adding the property or ability name, test the table to make sure no unwanted extra abilities appeared. If they did, the property is too broad, consider using a raw ability name instead, or adding the extras to exclude_abilities.

If your new ability has special column values, you may also want to update Module:AbilityTable/ComplexRenderers. And if it needs a descriptive note, add it in Module:AbilityTable/Notes.

Example: adding a missing ability to the healreduce list

Say Affliction is missing from the heal reduction table. First, check the comment above ["healreduce"] in the module, it says "Abilities that reduce healing on their targets", so Affliction belongs there.

Open Data:AbilityData.json and search for affliction. Looking through its properties, you find "DisableHealing": 1, that looks like exactly what we need.

Check if DisableHealing is already in the ["healreduce"] list. It isn't, so add it:

["healreduce"] = {
    "DisableHealing", "HealAmpReceivePenaltyPercent", "HealAmpRegenPenaltyPercent",
},

Save and test the table with {{AbilityTable|healreduce}}. Affliction now appears, and no unexpected abilities were added, so the property was a good fit.

How to exclude an ability from a list

If an ability appears in a table but shouldn't, first check whether the property causing the match actually belongs in the list. If several unrelated abilities are showing up as false positives, it's likely that a prop was added to the list by mistake, inspect the list carefully and consider removing it. Make sure to test after removing a prop to confirm you didn't accidentally drop any legitimate abilities.

If the false positive is a genuine exception, the prop belongs in the list but this one ability happens to match it incorrectly, then add the ability to exclude_abilities under the relevant list name with a comment explaining why:

["healreduce"] = {
    "My Ability", -- has DisableHealing for some reason but doesn't actually reduce healing
},

How to add a new list

Adding a new list makes a new ability table available via {{AbilityTable|listname}}.

Step 1: Find matching properties in Data:AbilityData.json. Look at several abilities that should appear in the list and identify properties they share. Prefer broad reusable properties over raw ability names.

Step 2: Add a new entry to the lists table with a descriptive comment above it:

-- Brief description of what this list represents
["mylist"] = { "PropertyOne", "PropertyTwo" },

Test the result with {{AbilityTable|mylist}} and adjust until the list looks right, adding missing abilities and excluding false positives as described above.

Step 3 (optional): If the table should have extra columns beyond Notes, register a renderer in Module:AbilityTable and implement it in Module:AbilityTable/ComplexRenderers.

Step 4 (optional): Add human notes for specific abilities in Module:AbilityTable/Notes.