Papyrus Compiler Errors

Format of a Compiler Error

A Papyrus compiler error is structured as follows:

<file>(<line>:<column>): <error>

Every error line starts with a full path to the file being examined. This is followed by the line and column where the error was detected. Note that this is not necessarily the exact line and character where the mistake is, but it is in the point at which the compiler detected the error. The actual error may be a few characters or even a line or two away.

Note that the compiler tries to recover from each error as it goes by faking a repair (usually by inserting what it expects, or ignoring some piece) and continuing on. This may lead to more errors. If you're having trouble figuring out what is causing an error that is in the middle of a list of errors, it may simply be a result of the compiler's attempted fix of an error it has previously reported. Try fixing the other errors in the file and compiling again.

Confusing Error Messages

Most error messages should be relatively self-explanatory, but some may confuse people. Potentially confusing errors are explained below:

"Unable to find flags file: TESV_Papyrus_Flags.flg"

The source files and that flag file are distributed in the Skyrim\Data\Scripts.rar archive. You must extract that file and the .psc files into the Skyrim\Data\Scripts\Source folder.

"The extends script does not exist, please pick one that does"

The script type your script is trying to extend does not exist. It could be because you have not extracted all of the source scripts from the Skyrim\Data\Scripts.rar archive.

"Missing X at 'Y'"

The compiler expected X, but found Y instead. This can usually be the result of a misspelled keyword, or malformed line.

"Mismatched (input/character) 'X' expecting Y"

The compiler expected Y, but found X instead. This is usually the the result of a malformed line or misspelled keyword.

"No viable alternative at input 'X'"

The compiler didn't expect X, and so cannot compile the element. Usually the result of a malformed line or missing parts.

"Required (...)+ loop did not match anything at input 'X'"

The compiler expected a list of things, but got confused when it encountered X. You may be missing a comma somewhere, misspelled something, or have excess text at the end of a line.

"Error while attempting to read script X: <message>"

This is an internal compiler error that is usually the result of a failed error recovery mechanism. Try fixing any errors reported before this one.