LE Item Names

[angryglock]

I'm confused about editor IDs. If I make an esp and give a container the ID: myContainer01. Run some scripts on it, place it in game etc. and activate it in my load order and then create another new mod with a container and give it the same exact ID myContainer01 and do stuff with it what effect will that have? Do editor IDs need to be unique across esp files? This seems unlikely to me since other modders clearly would end up using the same editor IDs for stuff.

 

The same question would apply to References. I might give the container instance the reference myContainer01REF in one mod and use the same exact reference on another container in the next.

 

I guess I don't really understand the underlying principles of the game engine when it comes to item ids and references.

[cdcooley]

Editor IDs are used by the CK (the game editor) but not the game itself. So if someone opens your mod and the other mod in the CK at the same time there will be conflicts (that the CK resolves by adding DUPLICATE to the end of the names from the mod loaded second). All real access to the items by the game come through the FormID which will be a unique number that is generated by the CK.

 

If you use good naming conventions (which includes giving all of the items you create a semi-unique prefix) then conflicts are pretty rare.

Since myContainer01 is a pretty bad and not very descriptive name you'll only be in conflict with other people with poor naming habits. :smile:

[angryglock]

Thank you for the explanation. It makes sense to me now.