Editing Papyrus Introduction (section)

==Setting variables and properties in the script==
The way to set a variable and one of the ways to set a property is to [[Operator_Reference#Assignment_Operators| assign it a value]] in the script itself.

You can declare it one place, and set it some place else:
<syntaxhighlight lang="papyrus">
 ;At the top of the script we declared a variable:
 Int MyStage
 
 ;...
 
 ;Later, inside an event block:
 MyStage = 100
</syntaxhighlight>

Or you can assign it at the time you declare it:

<syntaxhighlight lang="papyrus">
 Int MyStage = 100
</syntaxhighlight>

Note: you can set variables and properties when you declare them ''everywhere in the script'' as long as their type is a "[[Literals_Reference|Literal]]." However variables/properties of all other types (an actor for example) can be set when declared, only if declared inside a function or event.

For example, declaring at top, and setting elsewhere:
<syntaxhighlight lang="papyrus">
 ;Delcared at top
 ObjectReference ThingActivatingMe
 
 ;set inside an event
 Event OnActivate(ObjectReference akActionRef)
    ThingActivatingMe = akActionRef  
 
 EndEvent
</syntaxhighlight>
You might do the above if you wanted to hang onto the thing that activated the object for longer than the one instance of the activation.

Or you could declare it and set at the same time (inside a function or event) like this:
<syntaxhighlight lang="papyrus">
 ;set inside an event
 Event OnActivate(ObjectReference akActionRef)
    ObjectReference ThingActivatingMe = akActionRef  
 
 EndEvent
</syntaxhighlight>

For a more detailed discussion of how to declare and set variables and properties, see: [[Variables and Properties (Papyrus)| Variables and Properties]]