Help Index → Working with inventories → Use case 47
Export one inventory record before changing its contents. This is a focused inventory backup, not a full-save backup and not a command that saves pending changes to the game.
Before you start
- Load and confirm the intended save/context before exporting the structured Node View.
- Decide whether you need one inventory record or a full backup. Use File → Full Live Save Backup for full-save protection.
- Before sync, formatting or structured refresh, copy EACH pending Raw JSON pane to its own external file: one sync can overwrite all others. Reapply non-inventory edits one pane at a time, syncing and comparing exact values before the next. Parse errors can leave an old tree with green status; [] is ignored, and Pretty Print can erase invalid text.
- Do not sync/Pretty Print Inventory Raw JSON: dictionary assignment is defective. Use Organizer for supported moves or Replace Items from Backup for supported replacement.
Steps
- Preserve EACH pending pane externally before refresh: one sync can overwrite the others. Reapply non-inventory edits one pane at a time, syncing and verifying exact values. Stop after parse errors even if green; [] is ignored and Pretty Print may erase invalid text. Use structured tools, never defective Inventory Raw JSON sync/Pretty Print. (control reference)
- Open Inventory Processing → Node View. Find the intended inventory by its displayed label and inspect its Name and Slots before selecting it. (control reference)
- Right-click the inventory record itself, one level beneath the inventory list. Choose Backup this Inventory, not Copy This Node’s Text. (control reference)
- In Save File, choose a distinct backup filename and folder. Use the NMS Inventory Files (*.nms_inventory.json) format and avoid overwriting an earlier recovery copy you still need. (control reference)
- Complete the file dialog and check for File saved successfully! If an error appears, do not treat the backup as created. (control reference)
Expected result
- The selected inventory’s Node View JSON is exported, including its Slots and other inventory fields. The proposed filename comes from Name, or default when unnamed.
- The export does not change inventory contents or the loaded live-save file. It can capture current app-state contents that have not yet been saved to the game.
What changes, and when to save
The backup dialog writes a separate *.nms_inventory.json file only. It does not apply a candidate, alter inventory contents or run File → Save. An export can include unsaved app edits, so label it accordingly; live-save persistence remains a separate File → Save action. Compare every intended edit with its preserved copy before any live write; refreshed panes alone cannot prove preservation.
Check the result
- Confirm the chosen output file exists at the intended path and identify the inventory/context it represents. Preserve it separately from any later replacement or full backup.
Important details and recovery
- Selecting Slots, an individual item or the list root may not expose the inventory-specific command.
- A later Replace Items from Backup uses the exported Slots rather than restoring the entire record.
- A one-inventory export cannot recover other inventories, bases, ships or the complete original save.