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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/ivan-1f/phichain/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Main Window Layout

The Phichain editor uses a flexible dock-based layout powered by egui_dock. You can arrange, resize, and organize panels to fit your workflow.
Editor main interface
The layout is fully customizable. Drag panel tabs to rearrange, resize separators, and save custom layouts for different tasks.

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Core Panels

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Game View

The Game View panel displays the real-time rendering of your chart as it would appear in-game.
  • Shows judgment lines, notes, and animations
  • Updates in real-time during playback
  • Camera zoom controls: Ctrl+Plus / Ctrl+Minus / Ctrl+0
  • Displays hit effects and visual feedback
Location: Typically docked in the center or right side

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Timeline

The Timeline panel is your primary workspace for placing and editing notes and events.
  • Vertical scrolling: Time flows from bottom (past) to top (future)
  • Beat grid: Primary beats shown as solid lines with beat numbers
  • Sub-beat divisions: Configurable density for precise placement
  • Current time indicator: White horizontal line showing playback position
  • Multiple tracks: Up to 5 event lanes (Move, Rotate, Speed, Alpha, Size)
  • Note lanes: Visual columns for note placement
  • BPM markers: Shows tempo changes along the timeline
Zoom: Adjust timeline zoom with mouse wheel or timeline settings
Snap Settings: Configure beat division for note/event snapping
Navigation: Click to seek, or use [ and ] to step through time

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Timeline Settings

Configure timeline behavior and display options:
  • Zoom level: Adjust vertical scale
  • Beat density: Set sub-beat divisions (1/4, 1/8, 1/16, etc.)
  • Lane count: Number of note lanes to display
  • Snap settings: Enable/disable snapping to beat grid

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Line List

Manage all judgment lines in your chart:
  • Create new lines with the ”+” button
  • Select lines to edit (or use Ctrl+1 through Ctrl+9)
  • Rename lines for organization
  • Delete lines (removes all associated notes and events)
  • Reorder lines by dragging
Selected Line: The currently selected line determines where new notes are placed. The selected line is highlighted in the list.

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Inspector

The Inspector panel shows detailed properties of selected elements:
  • Note type (Tap/Drag/Flick/Hold)
  • Beat position
  • X position on line
  • Size multiplier
  • Above/below line flag
  • Hold duration (for hold notes)
Edit values directly in the inspector to make precise adjustments.

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Chart Basic Settings

Configure global chart metadata:
  • Name: Chart display name
  • Charter: Your name or handle
  • Composer: Music artist
  • Illustrator: Background art credit
  • Difficulty: Difficulty rating
  • Level: Numeric level
  • Audio: Select the music file
  • Illustration: Background image

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BPM List

Manage tempo changes throughout the chart:
  • Add BPM points with beat position and tempo value
  • Edit existing BPM changes
  • Remove BPM points
  • Visualize tempo changes on the timeline
Changing BPM points will recalculate all beat-to-time conversions. This may shift events if not done carefully.

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Settings Panel

Access editor-wide configuration:
  • Language preferences
  • Auto-save interval
  • Recent projects list
  • UI theme options
  • Render quality
  • Anti-aliasing
  • VSync options
  • FPS display
  • Playback rate
  • Volume controls
  • Audio offset
  • Hit sound effects
  • Customize all keyboard shortcuts
  • Record new hotkeys
  • Reset to defaults
  • View hotkey conflicts
  • Note speed and scale
  • Hit sound preferences
  • Visual effect toggles
  • Debug options

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Panel Organization

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Docking System

The editor uses egui_dock for flexible panel management:
  • Drag tabs to move panels between dock areas
  • Resize separators by dragging the dividers
  • Create splits by dragging a tab to the edge of another panel
  • Close panels with the X button (reopen from Window menu)

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Layouts

Save and load custom layouts for different workflows:
  • Default Layout: Balanced setup for general charting
  • Timeline Focus: Maximizes timeline space
  • Detail Work: Emphasizes inspector and settings
  • Playback: Large game view for testing
Create custom layouts through the top menu: Layout > Save Current Layout

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Top Menu Bar

Quick access to common operations:
  • File: New, Open, Save, Export, Recent Projects
  • Edit: Undo, Redo, Cut, Copy, Paste, Select All
  • View: Toggle panels, FPS counter, grid settings
  • Layout: Save, load, and manage panel layouts
  • Help: Documentation, About, Check for updates

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Status Bar

The bottom status bar displays:
  • Current time (seconds and beat)
  • Playback state (playing/paused)
  • Selection count
  • FPS and performance metrics
  • Undo/redo stack depth

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Customization

The editor remembers your preferences:
  • Panel sizes and positions
  • Timeline zoom and scroll position
  • Selected line
  • Recent files
  • Window size and state
Configuration is stored in ~/.config/phichain/ on Linux/macOS or %APPDATA%/phichain/ on Windows.

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Next Steps

Basic Charting

Learn how to place notes and create events

Keyboard Shortcuts

Master the hotkeys for efficient editing

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