Help Index → Working with Node View and Raw JSON → Use case 12
Work one small Bases Raw JSON edit: change only the Name string of one identified base, then compare it before and after synchronization. This is an in-memory example, not proof that JSON syntax establishes game semantics; it is not an inventory-edit recipe.
Before you start
- Close No Man’s Sky, load the intended save and create a verified full backup before editing.
- Before any sync, Pretty Print or structured refresh, copy EACH pending Raw JSON pane’s complete text to a separate external file. Successful tab sync refreshes ALL Raw JSON panes and can erase pending text elsewhere.
- Identify one base by its current Name and GalacticAddress. Record those values and keep its complete pre-edit record for comparison. A parse error can leave the old tree with a green sync light; an empty [] is silently ignored. Neither green nor a completion notice proves the intended value applied. Preserve text, compare the exact value in both panes, then correct/retry or deliberately reload; Pretty Print can overwrite failed text with the old model.
Steps
- If several panes contain wanted pending work, preserve ALL before any refresh. If applying it, reapply and verify one non-inventory tab at a time; never simply sync each changed tab. Keep inventory text externally and reproduce supported changes with structured tools instead.
- Open Bases and identify the intended complete base by Name and GalacticAddress. Use Highlight In Text Box or Search Text to locate that record; do not choose an inventory or ship field. (control reference)
- In that base record only, change its Name string, for example from "Garden" to "Garden North" if that is your identified base’s original name. Keep quotes, string type and every other field/record unchanged; do not paste this example over the array. (control reference)
- Keep an external copy of the edited Bases text. With all other pending panes already preserved, click Sync to Node View once and wait. If an error appears, stop rather than saving or using Pretty Print to repair it. (control reference)
- Find the same base again using its unchanged GalacticAddress. Verify Name equals your chosen new string in both panes. Compare the complete before/after record and other base records; only the chosen Name should differ. Reapply any other preserved non-inventory pane only after this check. (control reference)
Expected result
- For this nonempty Bases array, a successfully applied edit changes the selected base’s Name in the model and refreshed panes; verify the exact value, not just the light.
- A green sync light can still accompany a failed parse and old tree. Syntax success does not establish game-schema or game-acceptance validity.
What changes, and when to save
Text editing and synchronization change editor/model memory only. A separate confirmed File > Save NMS Save File is required to overwrite the loaded live data/metadata pair. A refreshed pane is not proof that pending text survived; compare the intended values with your external copies before authorizing a live write.
Check the result
- Compare the original and new Name, unchanged GalacticAddress and all neighboring fields/records. Confirm any other wanted edits were recovered from external copies and verified before saving.
Important details and recovery
- JSON syntax validity is not game-schema or game-acceptance validation.
- If you want to abandon the edit instead, reload deliberately; do not save first.
- Inventory Raw JSON synchronization is currently defective: it adds index-keyed data inside inventory dictionaries instead of replacing the intended records. Do not sync or Pretty Print inventory text as an editing workflow; keep it externally, use supported structured inventory tools, and inspect actual Name, Slots and unexpected fields before saving.