# Editing Plugin Metadata

LOOT uses metadata to supply plugins with messages and Bash Tag suggestions, and to help it sort plugins that it can’t otherwise sort correctly. Users can add to their plugins’ metadata through the metadata editor panel, and plugins with user metadata are indicated with a “Has User Metadata” icon.

The editor panel is accessed by clicking the “Edit Metadata” item in a plugin’s menu, or by double-clicking a plugin name in the sidebar. Only one plugin’s metadata can be edited at a time. While the editor panel is open, the plugin sidebar also displays any non-default plugin groups, to aid setting new group memberships. The editor can be resized by grabbing the top of the editor’s header and dragging it up or down.

The editor’s header displays the name of the plugin being edited, “Save Metadata” and “Cancel” buttons, and a row of tabs. The MAIN tab’s page contains the following inputs:

- The “Enable Edits” toggle must be on for LOOT to use any user-added metadata during sorting, otherwise it will be ignored.
- The “Group” dropdown sets the group that the plugin belongs to, which is the “default” group by default. Plugin groups are used to concisely load groups of plugins after others. The dropdown lists all defined groups: to define new groups or edit existing groups, use the Groups Editor.

The other tab pages contain metadata tables, which are detailed below. New rows can be added, and existing user-added rows can be removed, though rows containing metadata from the masterlist cannot. The LOAD AFTER, REQUIREMENTS and INCOMPATIBILITIES tables can have rows added by dragging and dropping plugins from the sidebar into the table area.

LOAD AFTER

  This is a list of plugins which, if present, the current plugin must load after, but which are not required. This metadata can be used for resolving specific compatibility issues. Each entry has three fields:

  - The filename is the path, relative to the game’s Data folder, of the file to be checked for. This field is required. It gives the filenames of installed plugins as autocomplete suggestions.
  - The display name is optional, and if specified will be used instead of the filename in any error messages that are displayed if a problem is encountered relating to the file.
  - The condition is the optional condition string that is used to determine if the file should be checked for. If left blank, the file will always be checked for. Condition strings are a relatively advanced part of LOOT’s functionality, and their syntax is covered in the Metadata Syntax documentation.
REQUIREMENTS

  This is a list of files that are required by the current plugin for it to function correctly. The current plugin will be loaded after any plugins listed. LOOT will also display an error message if any of the listed files are missing. Any file, not just plugins, can be listed here, and each entry has the same three fields as for the load after table.

  Note that listing a plugin’s masters as requirements is unnecessary, as LOOT already checks them.

INCOMPATIBILITIES
  This is a list of files that are incompatible with the plugin. LOOT will display an error message if any of the listed files are found. Any file, not just plugins, can be listed here, and each entry has the same three fields as for the load after table.
MESSAGES

  A list of messages that are to be displayed for the plugin in LOOT’s report. These have no bearing on a plugin’s position in the load order. Each message has four fields:

  - The type is fairly self-explanatory, and is used to provide messages of varying severity with appropriate emphasis in LOOT’s report.
  - The content is the actual message text.
  - The condition is, like for the corresponding file field, used to determine if the message should be displayed. If left blank, the message is displayed.
  - The language is the language LOOT runs in that the message will be displayed for. This field has no effect for user-added messages, as they cannot contain multiple localisations, and LOOT will always display messages that have only one localisation, even if it doesn’t match the current language.

  If a message’s condition determines that it should not be displayed, then it will not be displayed, no matter the language. However, if a message’s condition determines that it should be displayed, but the language is specified and doesn’t match the language LOOT is running in, the message will not be displayed.

BASH TAGS

  A list of Bash Tags. These are used by Wrye Bash when generating a Bashed Patch, and are detailed in Wrye Bash’s readme. LOOT’s metadata includes Bash Tag addition and removal suggestions, and any Bash Tags that came with the plugin are also displayed.

  As LOOT can suggest Bash Tags be added or removed, it is possible for the same Tag to appear twice, being suggested for addition and removal. In such cases, removal overrides addition.

  Each Bash Tag has three fields:

  - The state determines whether the Tag is to be suggested for addition or removal.
  - The name is the actual Bash Tag name. The field gives autocomplete suggestions for Bash Tags supported by the current game.
  - The condition decides if the Tag is to be suggested or not. It functions as for files and messages.

  If a plugin’s masters are missing, an error message will be displayed for it. Filter patches are special mods designed for use with a Bashed Patch that do not require all their masters to be present, and so any plugin with the Filter tag applied and missing masters will not cause any errors to be displayed.

DIRTY PLUGIN INFO

  A list of dirty plugin CRCs and related information. Each row has five fields:

  - The CRC of the dirty plugin.
  - The ITM Count for the dirty plugin.
  - The number of Deleted References that the dirty plugin contains.
  - The number of Deleted Navmeshes that the dirty plugin contains.
  - The name of the Cleaning Utility to use to clean the dirty plugin.

  LOOT uses the information supplied to construct a warning message for the plugin if it matches any of the given CRCs.

CLEAN PLUGIN INFO

  A list of clean plugin CRCs and the utility they were verified clean by. Each row has two fields:

  - The CRC of the clean plugin.
  - The name of the Cleaning Utility to use to verify that the plugin is clean.

  LOOT uses the information supplied to display an icon on the plugin’s card if it matches any of the given CRCs.

LOCATIONS

  A list of URLs that the mod to which the plugin belongs can be found at. This metadata is not currently used by LOOT, but it may be useful to record it. Each location has two fields:

  - The URL at which the plugin’s parent mod can be found.
  - The Name you wish to give the URL.