Need Help Getting Notepad++ Set Up for Skyrim Scripting

[drewsbrew]

Hello all,

 

I want to learn how to script and recently I was following some video tutorials on YouTube and I ran into an issue before I got very far. I shelved the learning how to script thing for a little while but went back to it and I asked the author of the video for some assistance. I tried to explain the problem I was having and also I offered to make a video showing exactly what the issue was. The author asked that I do so and I decided (since I hadn't gotten far anyway) I'd go through the whole process again... just to be sure I had done everything right. Anyway, the second time around I don't think I even got Notepad++ set up right! I was following the instructions on the creation kit wiki (which a lot of people said they were having a hard time following) and I think I'm one of them.

 

This is the link to my video;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX1L9RYpxGU

 

Basically, long story short, I'm expecting something should happen when I click the 'Run' button at the end of the video. If anyone could tell me what I've done wrong and what to do right I'd be greatly appreciative! Thanks :)

[HeirOfTheSeptims]

Wait, wait... why are you using notepad? Just type your scripts in the supplied box in the CK, or in normal notepad and copy them over if you just want the notepad format.

[drewsbrew]

I was told that Notepad++ is 'helpful' for scripting, and the author of the tutorial series recommended using it. I'm a total n00b so I was just following advice.

[HeirOfTheSeptims]

Don't follow advice then.. now let me give you some advice :P Just use the window provided for you in the CK, if you want to save some scripts outside the CK use notepad. If you want to learn to script don't just follow the tutorials. Pick a mod you want to make, and research for yourself how to put the scripts together. It may go slower at first, but you'll actually learn what you are doing instead of just copying a script from a video. I'm not saying the tutorial videos don't have their uses, but don't just use scripts entirely from them.

[drewsbrew]

Thanks for your help! I guess I'll forget all about Notepad++ then, at least for now anyway. I definitely want to learn what I'm doing as far as scripting goes so I won't just be copying and pasting scripts from tutorials, but since I don't know the first thing about scripting I thought following some tutorials would at least give me a baseline knowledge to get started.

[cdcooley]

In the last update Bethesda packaged all of the source scripts into a Scripts.rar archive file and didn't provide clear instructions about the need to unpack them. Many tutorials and guides haven't been updated to talk about that either.

 

Your problem isn't Notepad++, it's the fact that you haven't unpacked the Scripts.rar archive file. You created the Scripts\Source folder by hand but what you really need to do is unpack all of the game's source scripts from that archive otherwise you can't even edit scripts in the CK. So just open that RAR file with the utility of your choice and get those source scripts over into the Scripts\Source folder you created.

 

After you unpack the source scripts you might find that Notepad++ will work, but frankly if you're starting to learn about scripting you're probably better off just using the CK's own script editor. All too often people doing those "getting started" guides forget just how much you need to learn to "get started" and make the process even harder by showing people advanced features long before they are needed.

[drewsbrew]

Thanks for letting me know about the Scripts.rar file, I unpacked everything so hopefully things will go smoother now... fingers crossed!

[IsharaMeradin]

Just a side note. Using the in-CK editor for script writing is fine for most scripts. However, there is a character limit. Should your script exceed that length it will refuse to let you type in any more characters. You can still load large scripts and compile with the in-CK editor, but you cannot edit them.

 

Sublime Text might be easier to setup than Notepad++. I've had both setup at one point or another. Sublime Text works better with Mod Organizer than Notepad++ especially on 64bit systems, for whatever that is worth...

[sLoPpYdOtBiGhOlE]

Be a new or old hand with scripts, avoid using the CK for compiling script of any form period.

Using CK to compile one script, fine.

But using CK to compile multiple times in the same session results in CK Crashing, regardless of your OS, CK environment, Physical Memory.

 

CK has very bad memory leaks when running papyrus compiler from Papyrus Script Manager in CK.

If you compile scripts from within CK your CK will crash after so many times of compiling .

For me it can be anywhere from 25 ~ 50 times compiling.

You can actually see your systems memory use increment with each compile and that memory is never returned until exiting CK or crashing.

My bet is the Crash would come first :P

[IsharaMeradin]

  On 3/19/2016 at 4:12 AM, sLoPpYdOtBiGhOlE said:

Be a new or old hand with scripts, avoid using the CK for compiling script of any form period.

Using CK to compile one script, fine.

But using CK to compile multiple times in the same session results in CK Crashing, regardless of your OS, CK environment, Physical Memory.

 

CK has very bad memory leaks when running papyrus compiler from Papyrus Script Manager in CK.

If you compile scripts from within CK your CK will crash after so many times of compiling .

For me it can be anywhere from 25 ~ 50 times compiling.

You can actually see your systems memory use increment with each compile and that memory is never returned until exiting CK or crashing.

My bet is the Crash would come first :tongue:

Probably has nothing to do with compiling in the CK but rather the general memory bug where the CK will crash/hang after opening a large number of windows (200 +/-). Considering that each record opens a new window along with the script editor, the properties box, etc... It adds up fast.