> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://ccxl-tattoo-toolkit.gitbook.io/main/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://ccxl-tattoo-toolkit.gitbook.io/main/tutorial/building-the-switcher.md). # Building the switcher Let me start by saying that it's *extremely important* that you follow these directions *carefully* and *correctly*. Failure to do so can (and likely will) result in various issues, from *switchers not showing up at all* to *incompatibility with other CCXL Tattoo Toolkit mods.* *...so let's get to it!* ## The .inkcharcustomization file First, decide whether you want to start with Male V or Female V. It is easier to get things working with one of them first, then copy everything over to the other once every thing is working. I will start with Female V, and continue with the chest tattoo template. Open the corresponding *.inkcharcustomization* file in the project explorer:

These are the contents of your_tattoo_pwa.inkcharcustomization included in the **CCXL Tattoo Toolkit - Chest Tattoo** template

Personally, there are too many things happening on my screen, so let's close a few tools we don't need for now. You can close the import/export tools for the time being, and we also won't be using the asset browser in this tutorial:

Close unnecessary tools to give yourself more room for switcher editing

That's better. Now, go ahead and expand bodyCustomizationOptions to reveal its options:

Here we have a *switcher,* and two *appearances*. Lets expand our gameuiSwitcherInfo:

None of these highlighted values need to be changed, and actually shouldn't be changed in order to retain the conventional nature of this project.

If you look at the switcher parameters, you can see that I've highlighted a few key areas that are crucial to making this switcher function properly. Editing any of these parameters will result in a switcher that either doesn't function as intended, or worse, doesn't function *at all;* however, it helps to understand what each parameter does. ## What do these do? * **editTags** determines where your switcher will be available to use, and should have the following values * NewGame * Ripperdoc * **index** is responsible for the order in which switchers are displayed in the character creator * "3305" places this switcher well out of the way of other vanilla switchers; right\_shoulder\_tattoo has an index of 3304 and stomach\_tattoo has an index of 3306, so chest\_tattoo falls between the two in the character creator * **localizedName** carries a *string* value that will be the name of the switcher as displayed in the character creator – these often reference *localization* files for different language options, but CCXL Tattoo Toolkit currently just uses plain English text *strings* * **name** is the name of the switcher used by the game as a reference point, and is how multiple additions can be combined into a single switcher > **IMPORTANT:** Do not edit name unless you are trying to create your own separate switcher (do this at your own risk!) The name provided in the template should be left as-is! * **options** are the actual options that your switcher...*switches;* these are calls to our gameuiAppearanceInfo by *name* (more on this later) * **randomizeCategory** pertains to the randomizer in the character creator; this should be self explanatory—these are tattoo additions, so set it to "Tattoos" * **uiSlot** is the slot your switcher occupies, and should be unique to the switcher * **uiSlots** are the slots that your switcher controls—the slots your gameuiAppearanceInfo will occupy *** Now that we know a little more about how a switcher works, we can see why it's important to leave these parameters alone; all mods created with CCXL Tattoo Toolkit should be able to share the same switcher, but that will only work if each mod uses the same switcher parameters. ## Options Expand your switcher options:

Now, expand the gameuiSwitcherOption 's

Two options are carried within this switcher: a default **off** and our **custom tattoo**

## Switcher option #0 A switcher must have at least two options in order to work. A switcher with less than two options will look like this in-game:

For this reason, you must always include the default *"off"* option within your custom tattoo switcher. That being said, it's already been included for you in the template, so just leave it alone and move on to the second switcher option. ## Switcher option #1 This will be the gameuiSwitcherOption for our custom tattoo addition. The setup is very simple:

Just like our switcher, **index** controls the order that the options are shown. *Off* has been given an index of *0*, so we'll give our custom option an index of *1*. **localizedName** will be the name of the option that is shown in the character creator. Call it whatever you'd like, but remember—it's gotta fit the physical boundary of the switcher, and you don't want it to overlap with the switcher name, so try to keep it simple:

**name****s** correspond to the name of the gameuiAppearanceInfo we want to call for this option, and this is what we'll cover next. Now that we've built our switcher, go ahead and collapse it so we can move on (and don't forget to save your edits with Ctrl + S).