SE. New work disappears when I save.

[Rattmaster32]

Hi! I'm new to this so I haven't understood some basic things. The problem is when I save and load in Skyrim Special Edition Creation Kit.
I made the beginning of a dungeon which worked fine. I tried entering it in the game with console commands which also worked fine.
Then I continued to expand the dungeon in Creation Kit and saved under a new name just in case.
But when I opened the new file, only the most recent work was included. The rest that I did at the beginning was missing. Luckily, the first saved file works.
How do you safely save your work in Creation Kit without losing anything.
I haven't found anything about this in the tutorials I've seen.
Thank you for your help.

[NexBeth]

You have to use the original name.  Just click save in the Creation Kit.  Creating a mod is not like saving a game save.  Good idea to occasional save your .esp in a separate "modding" folder, so that you can revert back if you want to.

[Rattmaster32]

Saving with the old name does not work. The following error message appears.

 

File "green_temple_4.esp" is a master file or is in use. Please select another file to save to.

[PeterMartyr]

Make the File

7 hours ago, Rattmaster32 said:

"green_temple_4.esp"

Active, either with

1. Selecting with left click then clicking "Set as Active File"
2. or double right clicking "green_temple_4.esp" to set as active file

Before clicking OK and loading, then just SAVE!

If you want a back up system for the esp? Use this, make sure file extension are visible then do this
 

green_temple_4.esp.bak0001
green_temple_4.esp.bak0002
green_temple_4.esp.bak0003

OR

green_temple_4.esp.bak_2025_02_05
green_temple_4.esp.bak_2025_02_06
green_temple_4.esp.bak_2025_02_07

increment the number or use the date, the newest backup will be on the bottom both ways,  if that an issue?,  sort with descending, if you want it on the top. 

if want more than daily with the date, add a 24 hour time to it

Example

green_temple_4.esp.bak_2025_02_09-16_36

green_temple_4.esp.bak_yyyy_mm_dd-HH_mm

Or make your system ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

BTW

• hh is a 12 hour with am and pm 
• HH is a 24 hour one

Use the 24 format it works better OK?

[NexBeth]

What is the name of your original file and the name of the new file?  What you've done is create a MASTER file now, either the original or the 2nd file.  Master means that one file is dependent upon another.  

[scorrp10]

Not what it looks like:

1. Started work on a mod.    I suppose with just Skyrim.esm selected as master.
2. Saved it as 'green_temple_4.esp', exited CK.
3. Enabled green_temple_4.esp plugin, chcked that in-game it has the new area.
4. Now the next step is quite critical - What is being done when opening the file in CK for further work.   Because something does not seem right.

I mean, if second time around, green_temple_4 is selected in the plugin list, but not made active, and any new work is saved under another name, it will be a new plugin, containing ONLY the recently added stuff.   HOWEVER!  it would have the prior plugin as a master, and both plugins would need to be loaded for the latter one to work.    And one should still see all the work done, even if it is now split between two plugins.

Anyway, general workflow:
Starting a new plugin:   After launching CK,  You go FILE - Data, and from the list of plugins, select which master(s) you want  loaded.   Most typically, it is Update.esm(which will include Skyrim.esm), but if you, for example, plan making something on Solstheim, you definitely pick Dragonborn.esm.    You do not set an active file.   You make your additions/changes, then you go FILE - Save.   It asks you to provide a name for your new plugin.    Lets say I save it as 'MyNewPlugin.esp'.   Now, if using a mod manager, you generally want to avoid  other options in File menu, such as 'Save and push plugin to PC'.    I use Vortex, so after saving a new plugin, I go to the Plugins tab, and my new plugin is there but disabled.   I enable it in order for it to take effect in game.

Continuing work on an existing plugin:  After launching CK, go FILE - Data.  In the list of plugins, locate your new one (MyNewPlugin.esp), check the box next to it - which should automatically populate the list of masters it depends upon.  But then, in order to be actually editing your plugin further, you need to click 'Set as Active File'.   Otherwise, CK will just think you are making yet another new plugin, with your prior one used as a master.     Make your changes and 'Save'.   Yes, it is a good idea to back up your plugin regularly.    

A thing to be aware of:  SSEEdit is often used to make some changes to things that are 'hidden' in CK.    SSEEdit puts a 'write lock' on all plugins that it loads.    If you try to save a plugin in CK while SSEEdit is running, CK will not save your plugin.   And you will not get a warning about it unless you are paying attention to CK log window.    Exit SSEEdit before saving a plugin in CK.    Also about SSEEdit - if you make a change to a plugin, and then do 'Save', that save is only "queued", not written.   It means if you run the game, or load plugin in CK, it will not reflect changes made in SSEEdit.     You actually have to EXIT SSEEdit in order for any made changes to be written to the affected plugins.

[NexBeth]

Bottom line is you need to save your work to the SAME esp.  If you save with another name, you create another esp.  The goal now is to undo this mess and save what you created in the 2nd esp to the original file and get rid of the reference to the additional file as the MASTER.

Open both files in the CK.  Make one of them ACTIVE (presumably you want to work from the original so make it ACTIVE).  Every kit piece you added into the 2nd saved file, now needs a new unique name that is different from the one used in the 2nd saved file.  To make it easy, just add an X as the first letter to each of those objects and save them. You will be asked if you want to create a new object or change the same object.  You want to create a new one.  Since your original esp file is now ACTIVE, those items will be saved under the original esp and all the newly names objects will have an X (easily identifiable).  Make sure that your named new objects are in place at the locations where the duplicates were at.

Once done, save and close the CK.  Reopen the CK with only your original esp active.  If you look to right column PARENT MASTERS in the DATA window, you will see your 2nd esp there still listed as a MASTER.  Now click on it and with it highlighted, hit CTRL-DEL.  It should be removed from list.  Now load your original esp and everything should be there.  You can now go back and rename all of the renamed objects with X by just deleting the X in the name.  This time, you are just changing the name, not creating new objects.

Alternatively, you can just redo your work using the file that has the largest amt of work as your ONE AND ONLY FILE.  Any MASTERS can be deleted as described above.

When done, be sure to delete the esp file you don't want from the DATA folder in the game directory.

Check out using the CK tutorials below to get started learning how to use the CK.  Darkfox has a section on CK tutorials.  

Darkfox127 - YouTube

Additionally, the links below go to old tutorials which is what I used day 1 when I began to learn to mod.  The tutorials apply to original Skyrim, but they are basically the same for SE.  This link will guide you through the whole CK lessons which mostly instruct how to build.

CK Basics: Lesson #1 - Creation Kit Basics - TES Alliance

When it comes to the CK, don't make guesses about how things are done.  If you want to experiment because you are unsure how to proceed, you make a COPY of your file, then experiment.  This way you can revert back to your original file.  In any case, you should be regularly making backup copies for your work.  This is done by closing the CK and going to your game's DATA directory and copying you esp to a mod folder you have set aside.  

[PeterMartyr]

Let me add this then, it what I used back in the day, it is a playlist of 11 videos by Bethesda Developers that actually made the game, on how to use the creation kit.. it kind a like a prerequisite compulsory viewing, before using the KIT, made by Bethesda Game Studio

 

[NexBeth]

I didn't use Bethesda Tuts myself because they weren't that good for someone who was trying to learn coming from knowing nothing whatsoever.  Darkfox goes step by step in detail and explanation along the way.

 

[Rattmaster32]

I started from scratch according to the Dark fox video.
Now it has worked in three steps with load and save.
I don't understand why. But it seems to work.
Thank you all for your help.