How do I edit a .esm file in the creation kit?

[Yuni]

I'm starting to get more fluent with Skyrim's creation kit, and I want to make a simple change to Devious Devices Integration's master file. The .esm file.

 

Every time up to this point that I have tried to make changes to an item it has been a .esp file. I hit the 'set as active file' button, becomes active file, boom, no problems.

 

However when trying to edit a .esm file, it adamantly refuses to set it as active, or let me save my changes. This is very problematic when editing Integration, because in Integration you have many files with many scripts interacting, and if I save a new .esp file, it saves new copies of ONLY those files which I directly edited, not the ones they depend on to function. I also have to make sure I get no warnings when loading up the file when making a new esp, otherwise the Devious Devices will have none of their scripts attached.

 

Does anyone know how to actually EDIT a .esm file? I don't even know how to MAKE one, much less save changes to it.

[LuffMeister]

Oh it's quite easy.

 

Only difference between esm and esp is the header. Just convert in wrye bash.

 

Open bash, right click on esm, click on "copy to esp":

 

 

 

 

This will create esp of the same name, which you can load in CK and edit.

 

 

Load in CK, edit, save, then open bash and right click on esp, and click "copy to esm".

 

 

This will convert the esp back to esm, overwriting the original esm (backup if needed).