Keep settings with the right object

Stable identity follows the object when its UI position changes

The idea in one sentence

A UI position tells you where an object is right now. A stable ID tells you which object it is.

Think of a weapon rack: moving a labeled weapon from the first hook to the second hook does not change which weapon it is. Settings should follow the weapon's label, not remain attached to the hook.

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A concrete weapon example

Suppose an R-301 can appear in either loadout slot:

Moment	Primary slot	Secondary slot	Where the R-301 settings belong
Before swap	R-301, ID 17	Flatline, ID 8	Weapon record 17
After swap	Flatline, ID 8	R-301, ID 17	Still weapon record 17

If you save by primary or secondary, an edit stays attached to that position after the swap and can affect the wrong weapon. If you save by weapon ID, the edit follows the R-301 wherever the UI displays it.

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Resolve the position into an identity

Use the selected UI slot only to discover the stable ID. Then calculate storage from that ID:

selected UI slot → stable weapon ID → BVAR record base → field

save-by-weapon-id.gpc

define SLOT_PRIMARY          = 0;
define SLOT_SECONDARY        = 1;
define WEAPON_R301           = 17;
define WEAPON_FLATLINE       = 8;
define BVAR_WEAPON_BASE      = 100;
define WEAPON_RECORD_STRIDE  = 4;
define FIELD_STRENGTH        = 0;

int primary_weapon = WEAPON_R301;
int secondary_weapon = WEAPON_FLATLINE;
int selected_slot;
int selected_weapon;
int record_index;
int edited_strength = 25;

main {
    selected_weapon = primary_weapon;
    if(selected_slot == SLOT_SECONDARY) {
        selected_weapon = secondary_weapon;
    }

    record_index = BVAR_WEAPON_BASE
                 + (selected_weapon * WEAPON_RECORD_STRIDE)
                 + FIELD_STRENGTH;

    if(event_press(PS5_CROSS)) {
        set_bvar(record_index, edited_strength);
    }
}

After a weapon swap, update primary_weapon and secondary_weapon. Do not move or rewrite the saved weapon records merely because their screen positions changed.

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Use this pattern beyond weapons

The same rule applies whenever something can move:

Moving UI position	Stable identity
Primary, secondary, or sling slot	Weapon ID
Menu row after sorting	Item ID
Player position in a lobby list	Player ID
Preset button	Preset ID

The test is simple: if two objects trade positions, do their saved settings stay with the correct objects? If not, the code is probably using position as identity.