Skip to main content

BeatBax Editor

The BeatBax Editor is the Monaco-based source editor for .bax songs. It is the same editor in BeatBax Desktop and the web-lite client: syntax highlighting, completions, diagnostics, and folding work in both.

Desktop adds the full IDE layer — CodeLens previews, a glyph margin, beat decorations, and a BeatBax command palette. Web-lite keeps the lighter subset so you can sketch songs in a browser. The CLI has no editor.

Desktop vs web-lite​

FeatureDesktopWeb-lite
Syntax highlighting, completions, foldingYesYes
Diagnostics (Problems panel)YesYes
Theme, word wrap, foldSettings and toolbarToolbar (Alt+Shift+L for theme)
Help panelYes (H / ?; click-to-insert)Yes (H / ?)
Auto-saveSettings → EditorBrowser localStorage
CodeLens previewsYes (Settings → Editor)No
Glyph marginYesNo
Beat decorationsYes (Settings → Editor)No
Command paletteYes (F1 / Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P)No
MIDI step entryYesNo

Using the editor​

Type .bax as you would in any code editor. Completions are context-aware: they offer chip names, instrument properties, pattern and sequence names, modifiers, effects, scale roots and modes, import paths, and similar tokens depending on the line under the cursor.

Folding collapses pat, seq, and other blocks from the gutter or the toolbar fold control. Word wrap keeps long pattern lines visible in a narrow window; turn it off when you want a strict column layout.

Parser errors and warnings appear as editor markers and in the Problems panel. Verify re-runs the parser. After a song is applied, per-channel mute and solo are available from the mixer (Desktop) or the transport area (web-lite).

Theme and wrap​

Desktop: Settings → General for dark / light / system theme, and Settings → Editor for word wrap and font size. Toolbar controls toggle wrap and fold as well.

Web-lite: there is no Settings modal. Use the toolbar for theme (Alt+Shift+L) and word wrap. See the web-lite client.

Help​

H or ? opens the Help panel (syntax reference). On Desktop, many help entries insert a snippet at the cursor when you click them.

CodeLens previews​

CodeLens is Desktop-only. Enable it under Settings → Editor. Clickable actions appear above pat, seq, inst, and effect lines:

  • Preview / Loop / Stop on a pat or seq — play that pattern or sequence in isolation. Loop re-parses on each pass, so edits you make while looping are heard on the next iteration.
  • Note buttons C3–C7 on an inst line — audition the instrument’s timbre without writing a pattern. Clicking the same note again restarts it.
  • Preview on an effect line — play a short ascending phrase with that preset applied (for example vib, arp, or port).

The preview uses the instrument already associated with that pattern or sequence in a channel line; otherwise it uses the first declared instrument. Only one preview plays at a time — starting another stops the current one.

Web-lite has no CodeLens. To audition parts in isolation there, apply the song and use mute/solo, or switch to Desktop.

Glyph margin​

The glyph margin (left gutter) is Desktop-only. It shows:

  • A pulsing playhead on the pat (and enclosing seq) that is currently playing
  • M / S badges on each channel line — click to mute or solo that channel without leaving the editor

Beat decorations​

Beat decorations are Desktop-only (Settings → Editor). After a successful parse, notes and rests in patterns are tinted so downbeats and mid-bar steps stand out. They are a visual grid, not a change to the source.

Command palette​

The command palette is Desktop-only. Open it with F1 or Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P, then type BeatBax:

CommandDescription
Play Selected Sequence / PatternPlay highlighted seq / pat lines (Ctrl+Shift+Space)
Verify / Validate SongRe-run the parser and show the Problems panel (Ctrl+Shift+V)
Export → JSON / MIDI / UGE / WAVExport the current song (see Export Plugins)
Generate Sample InstrumentsInsert a starter inst block for the song’s chip
Generate Sample PatternInsert a placeholder pat with 4/4 notes
Insert Transform…Quick-pick a modifier (oct, rev, slow, fast, arp, …) and insert it at the cursor
Instrument Override…Context-aware override: channel inst, sequence :inst(name), or pattern inst(...)
Format BeatBax DocumentNormalise whitespace and align = in pat / seq blocks
Toggle Mute Channel… / Solo Channel…Quick-pick a channel to mute or solo

These sit around the editor rather than inside it: