Category:Papyrus

Welcome to the Creation Kit Papyrus Reference

Papyrus is an entirely new scripting system created specifically for the Creation Kit. Like any scripting environment, Papyrus can be a daunting system, especially for those who are unfamiliar with other scripting or programming languages. This page is intended to serve as your portal to all things Papyrus, and there are several ways to use it, depending on expertise level.

The Complete Beginner

If you've never used a scripting or programming language before, it will take you some time to get up to speed with Papyrus, but don't worry: you've totally got this. If you've never used a Bethesda toolset before, consider some basic tutorials to get your footing with the Creation Kit in general. The Hello, World tutorial will get you started with creating and manipulating your own Papyrus scripts. You may wish to read the Papyrus primer as well, even though some concepts may go over your head for now.

Remember that Papyrus is a fully-fledged scripting language. As such, it's going to take substantial work to become adept with it, but much of what you learn will directly apply to other scripting and programming languages you may wish to learn in the future. Stick with it, and be sure to get help from other modders in online communities such as this wiki and the official Creation Kit forum!

Veteran Bethesda Modders

Prior experience in modding for Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3 or Fallout: New Vegas will give you an advantage with Papyrus, as the basic terminology and usage of many core concepts has been preserved. Papyrus interfaces with the game in an entirely new way, however, and introduces several new concepts. Be sure to read about the differences from previous Bethesda scripting tools, as well as the general Papyrus primer before diving in. The Hello, World tutorial is also a good starting point understanding how a papyrus script is created, compiled, and connected to the game.

Experienced Scripters/Programmers

If you're already comfortable with concepts like "Object-Oriented", "Compiling" and "Threading", you'll want to start by looking over the Papyrus primer. This article provides an overview of the language, how it interacts with the Creation Kit and game, and includes a few practical examples. For a hands-on project, try this tutorial, which adds some scripted gameplay to a boss battle introduced in the level design tutorial series.

Papyrus Expert

Once you're comfortable with Papyrus, this page will become a useful index of the various functions available in the language. Consider bookmarking this page and using your browser "search" function (ctrl+F in most browsers) to quickly search for what you need.

Also consider adding your own best practices and usage examples to existing function pages as you become proficient with the language. These contributions to the modding knowledge base are instrumental to the longevity and vitality of the Creation Kit community - meaning better mods for us all!

Papyrus Index

Papyrus Concepts

• Papyrus Primer
• Differences from Previous Scripting
• Variables & Properties
• Arrays
• States
• Extending Scripts
• Notes on Threading
• Persistence
• Notes on Saves
• Complete Example Scripts

External Text Editors

• Notepad++ Setup
• Sublime Text Setup
• Emacs Setup
• UltraEdit Setup

Reference Pages

• Papyrus Language Reference
• Papyrus Script Objects
• Papyrus Compiler Reference
• Papyrus Compiler Errors
• Papyrus Runtime Errors
• Papyrus-related INI Settings
• Papyrus-related Console Commands
• Common Functions and Events
• Papyrus Troubleshooting FAQ
• Glossary of Terms