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title: "IDS Files"
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    <div class="title_main"> IDS Files </div>
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<div class="actionHeader">Introduction</div>
  Identifier files (IDS) are used in the IE mainly as lookup files. Referenced from script and dialog, IDS files allow a symbolic identifier to be used instead of a literal number. This increases readability and eases the process of creating scripts. The references contained in script files (BCS, BS) are removed at compile-time, and replaced with the actual value. The references contained in dialog files are maintained, and are converted at run-time by the engine. This means that the data within IDS files can affect the game, and it is important that the data is consistent. IDS files are generally optional - the a numeric value can be specified directly in script, without having to specify a string to lookup in an IDS file - this especially applies to spell.ids (the engine will convert a numeric entry into the relevant filename automatically).<br />
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Note that some IDS files shipped with the various IE games are incorrect; corrected versions of these files are available in the IESDP, as well as the original files.<br />
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  <div class="actionHeader">IDS Files</div>
    <a href="bg1/index.htm"> BG1 </a><br />
    <a href="bg2/index.htm"> BG2 </a><br />
    <a href="bgee/index.htm"> BG(2)EE </a><br />
    <a href="iwd/index.htm"> IWD1 </a><br />
    <a href="iwd2/index.htm"> IWD2 </a><br />
    <a href="pst/index.htm"> PST </a><br />
    <a href="pstee/index.htm"> PSTEE </a><br />
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