Executables window
Executables are shortcuts to programs. These executables are kept in a list accessible in the top right corner of Mod Organizer. After selecting an executable, clicking the Run button will start it. The different between starting an executable this way or double-clicking on it in Windows Explorer is that it will be using Mod Organizer's virtual file system.
If a game is started from Windows Explorer, or through a shortcut created by the game's installer, mods installed in Mod Organizer will not be available. Programs have to be started through Mod Organizer by clicking on the Run button to have mods work correctly.
The Executables window can be opened by selecting <Edit...> from the list of executables. The window that opens allow for adding, removing and modifying the executables that are shown in the list.
On the left is the list of existing executables. Clicking an executable will load its information on the right side of the window, where it can be modified.
At the top are several buttons:
- The plus button opens a submenu:
- Add from file... adds a new entry to the list from the selected executable;
- Add empty adds an empty entry to the list;
- Clone selected creates a copy of the executable that's currently selected in the list.
- The minus button removes the currently selected executable from the list. It does not delete the file from the hard drive.
- The up and down arrows move the currently selected executable in the list. The order of the executables is only used when creating a shortcut for executables on the toolbar and in the Run menu.
- The broom button is used to re-add the default executables.
Each game that is supported by Mod Organizer comes as a plugin. It is typically a .dll or .py file in the plugins folder of Mod Organizer. These plugins know about the variety of executables that come with specific games. For example, the Skyrim Special Edition plugin knows about SKSE (skse64_loader.exe), the game executable (SkyrimSE.exe) and the game's launcher (SkyrimSELauncher.exe). All games also provide a shortcut to Explorer++, a program similar to Windows Explorer that can be used to browse the game's Data folder as seen from the game's perspective.
These executables are typically mandatory for running and managing the game correctly. If Mod Organizer sees that they are missing on startup, they will be recreated. Although this might be somewhat annoying, it allows game plugins to add new executables in the future and have them appear in the list automatically. These default executables can always be hidden by enabling the Hide in user interface checkbox.
However, the default executables can be modified freely as long as their name doesn't change. If these executables ever get modified in a way that breaks them, the broom button can be clicked to re-add all the default executables with their default settings. If there are currently executables in the list with the same name, they are renamed to move them out of the way.
On the right is a series of settings for the selected executable.
The display name of the executable, shown in the list as well as on the toolbar and menu. The title setting is also used when running shortcuts created in the start menu or the toolbar. If a shortcut is added and the executable's title later renamed, the shortcut will not be able to start the program.
The path to the executable to run.
The folder set as "current" when running the executable. Also called "working directory".
Options to pass to the program when started. Some programs require arguments to function correctly. For example, DynDOLOD needs -sse to work with Skyrim Special Edition.
Steam games need to know their ID on Steam when they're launched. The game plugin will typically have it set properly (for example, Skyrim Special edition is 489830), but it can be overridden here if there's a problem.
Some executables will save files to the hard drive when they're run. If they were run outside of Mod Organizer (by double-clicking them in Windows Explorer, for example), they would typically save these files in the game's Data folder. When run through Mod Organizer, these files will end up in the overwrite folder, a catch-all folder for all files saved by executables.
If a mod is selected in this list, the files will be saved in its folder instead of the overwrite folder. A typical use of this feature would be for a program like FNIS, which needs to write a bunch of files. After creating an empty mod named something like "FNIS Output", it can be selected in the list. Any time FNIS generates files, they will be put in a folder "FNIS Output" in the mods folder. These pseudo-mods can then be re-ordered normally in the mod list and their content inspected in the mod info window.
This is mostly for OBSE. It's a way to force an executable to load specific .dll files on startup. Once the option is checked, clicking Configure Libraries will open a new window where DLLs can be selected and injected into the given process.
When a shortcut to an executable is created on the desktop or the start menu, it does not point directly to the binary. Instead, the shortcut will start ModOrganizer.exe and give it the name of the executable to run so the virtual file system is active when the program runs.
Because the shortcut points to ModOrganizer.exe instead of the actual program, it will use Mod Organizer's icon. Checking this box will change the shortcut to use the program's icon instead of Mod Organizer's. This is a purely visual change.
This will hide the executable from drop-down list in the main window or the toolbar if it was pinned. It will stay visible in the Executables window. This is mostly useful to hide a default executable from the user interface, since they cannot be deleted permanently.
Both Create Files in Mod instead of Overwrite and Force Load Libraries are profile-specific settings. When changing to a different profile, these settings may need to be changed again.