Basic Knowledge - Item tagging and Item Sorter mods
The basics: Four main parts
The whole item sorting requires four parts, which combine each other to a working item sorting. These parts are:
- User interface
- Item Sorter Mod - ESP
- Item Sorter Mod - Tag configuration
- Icon Library Mod
See the corresponding section later in this article for details on each part.
Term "Item Sorter Mod"
The naming is not always clearly. But in most cases, an "Item Sorter Mod" means the parts 2 (esp) and 3 (tag configuration).
Common mod examples
- def_ui: The famous def_ui covers the part 1 (interface) and part 4 (icon library).
- FallUI - Inventory: The main part of this mod is part 1 (interface). (It also includes optional item sorter parts - see next point)
- FallUI - Item Sorter Mod: This covers the part 2 (esp) and part 3 (tag configuration)
- FallUI - Icon Library: This mod covers the part 4 (icon library)
- FIS - The NEW FallUI Item Sorter: This covers the part 2 (esp) and part 3 (tag configuration)
- Complex Sorter: This program produces part 2 (esp)
- DEF_UI Iconlibs Rescaled and Fixed: This mod covers the part 4 (icon library)
- Simple Sorter: This program produces part 2 (esp)
- Simplified Sorting: This mod covers all parts (1, 2, 3 and 4)
- VIS (Valdacil's Item Sorting): This mod covers part 2 (esp) and part 3 (tag configuration)
- VIS-G: This mod covers part 2 (esp), part 3 (tag configuration) and part 4 (icon library)
As you can see, most mods are a colorful mixture of the main four parts.
To get the item sorting working, you have to combine the mods in such a way, so that all four parts are playing niceley together.
See section "Compatibility of parts" for more info.
Common mod setup examples
This are the most common setups for the Item Sorters:
Spoiler:
Installation for "FallUI"
Old installation for "FallUI" (with Old FallUI Item Sorting)
Installation for "VIS"
Installation for "VIS-G"
Installation for "Simplified Sorting":
Show
Installation for "FallUI"
- FallUI - HUD
- FallUI - Inventory
- FIS - The NEW FallUI Item Sorter
- FallUI - Icon Library
Old installation for "FallUI" (with Old FallUI Item Sorting)
- FallUI - HUD
- FallUI - Inventory
- Old FallUI - Item Sorter (FIS1)
- DEF_UI Iconlibs Rescaled and Fixed
Installation for "VIS"
- def_ui OR FallUI - Inventory (without FallUI - Item Sorter Mod)
- VIS (Valdacil's Item Sorting)
Installation for "VIS-G"
- def_ui OR FallUI - Inventory (without FallUI - Item Sorter Mod)
- VIS-G
Installation for "Simplified Sorting":
- Simplified Sorting
Detailed description of parts
Part 1: User Interface Mod
This is what you see in-game and the main part of FallUI.
Description
The game interface is built with flash SWF files. This files render nearly everything you see as an interface in the game, like the container interface, the sleep menu or the Pipboy screen. The flash files will be "played" once the game need the interface, like when you open a container or use a bed.
You need special tools to edit or change these files.
Files
Multiple SWF files, like: BarterMenu.swf, ContainerMenu.swf, PipboyMenu.swf, PipboyMenu_InvPage.swf, ExamineConfirmMenu.swf, ExamineMenu.swf, HUDMenu.swf, Workshop.swf, ....
Examples
ContainerMenu.swf build the interface you see when you open a storage container.
PipboyMenu_InvPage.swf is the inventory part you see when you open your Pipboy.
Part 2: Item Sorter Mod - ESP
Adds tags to the item names.
Description
The items for Fallout 4 are stored as "records" in (binary) esp files. This records contain all base item data like name, weight, effects etc.. The Item Sorter Mod esp file contains the records for all items with a tag. An Item Sorter modifies the name field to contain a tag for the item (e.g. rename "Stimpack" to "[Stimpack] Stimpack"). Usually only the name field is modified (but some Item Sorters contain the option to modify the weight as well).
Main Problem here is "Winning last": A mod can't just change a single field of a record. Its all or nothing for one record. So if you have a esp, which give an item the tag and another esp, which give the item no weight, they are in conflict. Either the first or the second esp wins, and you get either the tag or no weight, but not both at the same time.
For those conflicts you have to install an patch or fix it by yourself with FO4Edit.
You can edit these esp files with Bethesdas Creation Kit or FO4Edit.
Tip for item sorting: If you are more experienced, you can create your own ESP with scripts like Simple Sorter or Complex Sorter. With this tools, you won't need any additional item sorter patch files anymore.
Files
Usually only one main ESP file like "M8r_Item_Tags_Vanilla_EN.esp".
For further coverage of added items by mods there are often "patch files", which add tags to the new mod items.
Example
The record "Stimpack" is renamed to "[Stimpack] Stimpack".
The item name "[Hardened] Spike Armor" is renamed to "[Armor] Spike Armor | Hardened". (The renaming include usage of Instance Naming Rules (INNR) )
The [Armor] tag is then used by the user interface mod to show an icon and sort it into a category. FallUI also takes the post part "Hardened" and display it as a item subtitle.
Part 3: Item Sorter Mod - Tag configuration
Contains the tag-to-icon mapping (but no images), the container categories and Pipboy subcategories.
Description
The tag configuration defines how the tags should work and how they are sorted.
The main purpose is to map the tags to an icon image (via DEF_INV_TAGS.xml). Then there are two further files to define the categories the tag is sorted to. That are DEF_INV_TABS.xml for the container/barter categories/tabs and lyrConf.xml for the Pipboy subcategories.
The XML-based configuration files can be edited with a text editor.
Files
interface\DEF_CONF\DEF_INV_TAGS.xml (This file maps the tags to icons)
interface\DEF_CONF\DEF_INV_TABS.xml (This file defines the categories in container and barter interfaces)
interface\lyrConf.xml (This file defines the subcategories in the Pipboy inventory)
Examples
Maps the tag [Stimpack] to the icon image "syringer" showing an injector.
Sort all aid items (like [AID], [Stimpack], [Food],...) to a "AIDS" category in the container interface.
Sort all holotapes to a subcategory "Holotapes" in the Pipboy inventory.
Part 4: Icon Library Mod
This is a collection of named images.
Description
This file contains the icon images used by the interface to show a graphical representation of items.
Inside this file there are multiple sprites linked to keywords (technically this are shapes, sprites and classes). The keywords are used in the DEF_INV_TAGS.xml file to map the tags to a specific sprite (like keyword "syringer" shows an injector).
The icon library file format is flash, so you need special tools to edit them.
Files
iconlibs2.swf
Example
Contains the "chest" icon as image for used by an tag (like [Chest]) or the "injector" image for [Stimpack]
Compatibility of parts
Part 1 (user interface)
This is where FallUI main parts or def_ui will be installed.
It is in most cases fully compatible with any working set of the other three parts.
Part 2 (esp) and part 3 (tag configuration)
This parts are heavily tied together. So you usually can't mix these parts.
Important: Always use part 2 (esp) and 3 (tag configuration) of the same mod! Only mix this, if you know exactly what you are doing!
Part 4 (icon library)
Most Item Sorter mods use the standard Icon Library (coming with def_ui), so you can exchange it with any def_ui-compatible icon library.
Note: Some icon libraries (like "DEF_UI Iconlibs Rescaled and Fixed") have additional icons. So if you miss some icons, you should check if your Item Sorter Mod requires an extended icon library and install the recommended.
VIS-G uses its own icon library, which isn't compatible to def_ui. So if you use VIS-G, you have to use a VIS-G icon library.
4 comments
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1) Add an icon for that tag (See step 3 in Howto: Add Your Own Item Tag With Icon)
2) Assign a TagIdent to that tag in your Complex Sorter file "Rules (User)\tags.ini" (Click "Edit USER's tags" in CS advanced options).
For the HowTo example, lets create the TagIdent "MyNewTagIdent". So your user-tags.ini could look like this:
[FallUI]
3) Use that new TagIdent in your processing rules. For example HowTo this could be a processing rule like:MyNewTagIdent = [MyNewTag]
EDID equals WaterPurified = MyNewTagIdent