Param Editor · Row Names
Understanding Row Names in DSMapStudio
Understanding Row Names in DSMapStudio
Open regulation.bin raw and every param row is just a number — row 1000000, row 1010000, thousands of them, no hint of what each is. The Param Editor is usable at all because it overlays a human-readable name on each row: "Dagger," "Lordsworn's Greatsword," a specific enemy or shop entry. Those names aren't in the game files — they come from Paramdex, a community-maintained database bundled with the tool. So when names vanish or a row shows as a bare ID, it's a Paramdex issue, not a corrupted file.
Where names come from
A param row has two identities: its ID (a number stored in the game file) and its name (a label not stored in the file). The game only cares about the ID. The name exists for humans, and DSMapStudio supplies it by matching each row's ID against a list of known names for that game and param — that list is Paramdex. Search EquipParamWeapon for "Dagger" and jump to it, and you're using a Paramdex name; the underlying file still just has the ID. That's why the same row is named in DSMapStudio and nameless in a raw hex view — the name is an overlay the tool adds.
What Paramdex is
Paramdex is a separate, soulsmods-maintained repository of param resources covering 13 FromSoftware games. DSMapStudio bundles it, and it carries three kinds of data:
| Paramdex part | What it provides | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Defs | Field (column) layouts and names per param | Readable columns like attackBasePhysical instead of raw offsets |
| Names | Row names mapped to row IDs | "Dagger" instead of 1000000 |
| Tdfs | Enumerations and type data for fields | Meaningful options for fields with a fixed value set |
Together they turn an opaque binary into a navigable spreadsheet: Defs make columns readable, Names make rows readable, Tdfs make certain field values readable. Because it's community-maintained, Paramdex is also what gets updated when a new game patch adds params — keeping it current is how DSMapStudio keeps up with new content.
Why names matter
Names aren't cosmetic — they're how you work. Searching for a weapon by name, reading the Modified filter to see what changed, picking the right ItemLotParam row, targeting rows in a mass edit — all of it depends on knowing which row is which. Without names you'd cross-reference raw IDs against external lists for every edit. A working Paramdex is a quiet prerequisite for the whole Param Editor.
When names don't show
Bare IDs, or search-by-name finds nothing? Work through these — every one is Paramdex or Game Type, never a broken regulation.bin:
- Wrong Game Type. Names are per-game; a mismatched Game Type applies the wrong (or no) name set. Recreate the project with the correct type (first project setup).
- Outdated Paramdex / newer patch. A patch's new rows have no names until Paramdex covers them — they show as IDs while everything else is named. Update to a current DSMapStudio build (which ships current Paramdex).
- Damaged/missing Paramdex. If no rows are named anywhere, the bundled Paramdex data may be missing from your folder — re-extract a clean
DSMapStudio.zipfrom the download page. - Genuinely unnamed rows. Some niche params or brand-new content simply have no community names yet. Not a bug — the row works, it's just unlabeled.
If the file itself won't load with "Unknown DCX format," that's a different problem — Unknown DCX format.
Your own new rows start unnamed
Add a row yourself — duplicating a weapon to a new ID — and it starts unnamed, because Paramdex has no entry for an ID that didn't exist before. DSMapStudio lets you rename rows, so label your new content as you make it: a row called "Custom Greatsword" is far easier to manage than a block of unnamed IDs, especially when you later filter, mass edit, or export to CSV.
Updating Paramdex for a patch
Since Paramdex carries the names and field definitions, it's what needs to be current when FromSoftware patches a game — and a new DSMapStudio build ships an updated Paramdex, so the simplest fix for "new rows have no names" is the latest release. This ties into keeping a mod working across patches: re-basing your edits onto a new version needs an up-to-date Paramdex so the new rows and fields are named and defined correctly. The re-base workflow is in updating params after a patch.
With names in hand the rest opens up: navigate and edit in the Param Editor hub, change many rows with mass edit, or move data with CSV export/import. Names still missing after checking Game Type and build? The troubleshooting hub covers the wider set.