Need some help with 'current' actor

[BumpInTheNight]

Sorry if this is a really obvious thing to you guys, I've never scripted/edited with any of the previous games.

 

What I'm looking to do is initiate a bunch of actors with a bunch of different playidle commands simultaneously and hopefully with just a single console command for simplicity. I already understand I'll need to make a batch file to do this and call that, and I know how to do that. What I'm missing though is how can I using text only, assign the 'current actor' variable to each of these NPCs in sequence so I can put a playidle command on them as I go? The NPCs themselves will be a static set that I've previously created so I'll know the list of unique IDs for them, just need to know if its possible to focus the current character variable by text as opposed to clicking on each of them each time and manually assigning those idle scripts.

 

This will make my next video a tonne easier to produce if its possible :)

 

Thanks!

 

ED Oh right, also does anyone know if its possible to call upon a DIAG script through the console as well, as in make any NPC just start spouting off one of the dialog scripts (I found them all in fallout3.esm), complete with hopefully mouth & gestures too?