Trigger based spells? Using channel? Spell types?

Typically for trigger based spells, I use an ability and change the values to nothing.

I see channel is the spell to base trigger abilities from.

But there are a LOT of fields in Channel that I am unfamiliar with. Is there a guide or help someone could point me to?

How do I make an ability that requires a unit target?
How do I make an ability that doesn't require any targets?

When you use wind walk, and your moving, wind walk does NOT stop the unit to cast. The unit remains moving.

Can I make a channel ability that DOES NOT stop the unit to cast, like wind walk?

Why doesn't wind walk work anymore on ships - the unit can no longer move?

Can I have multiple abilities based of channel for the same unit, unlike standard abilities? (thats what I heard....)

Well, you can base triggered spells on many abilities. Channel is just a lot more handy when it comes to copy-pasting, because, as you correctly thought, it can be put on a hero in multiple instances, because it has a special field in the object editor that allows you to give it a different orderstring (it's the same orderstrings that otherwise make multiple same spells on a single unit malfunction); the spellbook ability also has thiat field.

So, if you have a unit with multiple similar triggered spells, instead of having to modify different skills to suit each one of them, you can just modify the channel and then copy and paste it. Apart from that, any spell can be used for triggered abilities.

There is a special field on channel that allows you to change if it's a unit/point/no-target spell. There is another field where you set a bunch of flags, don't know what all of them do, the important one is the one that makes the spell even visible on the command card, and, if I remeber correctly from some earlier testing, the flags "unique cast" and "universal spell" should also be checked for the spell to work right, like an actuall spell... but as I said, I don't remeber exactly, been a while since I played with channel, so this is just how I set it up in my map after I tested it, but I don't know now if it's really neccesary for it to be done that way, or if it was just the first combination that worked for me...

I don't know if channel can be set to not interrupt current orders. Actually, after re-using it recently in another map, I would like to know how to do that myself.

I want to make a "Dimension Door" spell. For those who aren't familiar with this D&D spell, it creates a small portal, you enter it, then the portal appears somewhere else and u get out of it. So far my only problem is: how can I capture the "point" I am teleporting using channel?

So I'd do this:

* Create a "Shimmering Portal" scalled for 0.5 in the position of triggering unit;
* Make some movement and hide the triggering unit;
* Create another Shimmering Portal on THE PLACE the unit's going;
* Move camera to THE PLACE (don't know how to do it for I never did, but I might figure it out easily - I hope);
* Move unit instantly to THE PLACE, unhide and make it walk a little.

But HOW can I get this variable "THE PLACE"? o_O

I say you should avoid using channel unless you really need it, granted it doesn't even hae the ability to show missile effects.

It is better to base the spell on a spell that would use the same AI in game.

You have to use a spell that targets a point, like shockwave, or maybe blink in this case. Then you use this as the base for your triggered dimension door spell.

Like

Event
Unit starts the effect of an ability
Condition
Ability being cast is Dimension Door(=the dummy Shockwave spell)
Events - pseudocode
Create Portal in front of unit
Issue move order from unit to portal
Hide unit
Destroy first portal
Create 1 portal for currentplayer at target point of ability begint cast (or if you use Jass, use the GetSpellTargetLoc() function)
Move unit in front of new portal
Unhide unit

All I really want is an ability that DOES NOT stop the unit to cast, like wind walk :(

Well, what you COULD do is store the unit's order in a variable, perform the teleportation and such, then use that order on the unit. Maybe. But it might take the order to cast the spell...

I need help with mine, the problem is that it doesn't recude the targets hit points, but it does remove all my heroes mana:

Events:
Unit - A unit Finishes casting an ability

Conditions:
(Ability being cast) Equal to Mana Fissure

Actions:
Set LeechMana = (Mana of (Casting unit))
Unit - Set life of (Target unit of ability being cast) to ((Life of (Target unit of ability being cast)) - LeechMana)
Unit - Set mana of (Casting unit) to 0.00%

This might be a dumb question, but why can't you just use Set life of (Target unit of ability being cast) to ((Life of (Target unit of ability being cast)) - (Mana of (Casting unit))?