Chart Editor

Complete guide to using the Chart Editor to create and edit song charts in Friday Night Funkin’

The Chart Editor is a comprehensive built-in tool for creating and editing song charts. It features a visual grid-based interface with advanced toolboxes for managing notes, events, metadata, and more.

Opening the Chart Editor

There are several ways to access the Chart Editor:

1. From Main Menu

   Press ~ (tilde) to open the debug menu, then select Chart Editor

2. From Play State

   While playing a song in debug mode, press the CHART hotkey to open the editor with the current song loaded

3. Direct Launch

   Navigate to the Chart Editor option in the debug menu

Interface Overview

The Chart Editor interface consists of several key components:

Main Grid

The central grid displays your chart visually:

• Grid Size: 40 pixels per step (160 pixels per beat)
• Left Side: Opponent/Dad notes (4 lanes)
• Right Side: Player/BF notes (4 lanes)
• Vertical Axis: Time (scrolls vertically)
• Measure Ticks: Visual indicators for beats and measures

Playhead

The red playhead shows your current position in the song:

• Moves during playback
• Can be clicked and dragged for precise positioning
• Position displayed in steps, beats, and milliseconds

Audio Waveforms

Visual representation of the song’s audio:

• Instrumental waveform
• Vocal waveforms (player and opponent)
• Helps align notes with audio peaks

Keyboard Shortcuts

File Operations

Shortcut	Action	Description
Ctrl+N	New Chart	Create a new chart
Ctrl+O	Open Chart	Load an existing chart
Ctrl+S	Save Chart	Save current chart
Ctrl+Shift+S	Save As	Save with a new name
Ctrl+Q	Exit	Return to main menu

Edit Operations

Shortcut	Action	Description
Ctrl+Z	Undo	Undo last action
Ctrl+Y	Redo	Redo last undone action
Ctrl+X	Cut	Cut selected items
Ctrl+C	Copy	Copy selected items
Ctrl+V	Paste	Paste copied items
Delete	Remove	Delete selected items

Selection

Shortcut	Action	Description
Ctrl+A	Select All Notes	Select all notes in chart
Ctrl+Alt+A	Select All Events	Select all events in chart
Ctrl+I	Invert Selection	Invert current selection
Ctrl+D	Deselect All	Clear selection
Shift+Home	Select Before Cursor	Select all items before playhead
Shift+End	Select After Cursor	Select all items after playhead

Note Manipulation

Shortcut	Action	Description
Ctrl+Shift+M	Mirror X	Mirror notes horizontally (swap lanes)
Ctrl+Alt+M	Mirror Y	Mirror notes vertically (flip timing)
Ctrl+Shift+Alt+M	Mirror XY	Mirror both axes

Difficulty & Navigation

Shortcut	Action	Description
Ctrl+←	Previous Difficulty	Switch to easier difficulty
Ctrl+→	Next Difficulty	Switch to harder difficulty
Enter	Playtest Full	Test chart with full UI
Shift+Enter	Playtest Minimal	Test chart with minimal UI

Playback Controls

Shortcut	Action	Description
Space	Play/Pause	Toggle audio playback
←/→	Nudge Playhead	Move playhead by 1 snap unit
↑/↓	Scroll	Scroll grid up/down
Page Up/Down	Jump	Jump by large intervals
Home	Go to Start	Jump to beginning of song
End	Go to End	Jump to end of song

Placing Notes

1. Select Note Type

   Click on a note color in the note palette above the grid (4 colors for each direction)

2. Click to Place

   Click on the grid where you want the note to appear

   • Left 4 columns: Opponent notes
   • Right 4 columns: Player notes
3. Create Hold Notes

   Click and drag downward to create a hold note

   • The length determines how long the player must hold
   • Release to set the hold note length
4. Adjust Snapping

   Use the snap selector to change note precision:

   • 4th notes (quarter notes)
   • 8th notes (eighth notes)
   • 16th notes (sixteenth notes, default)
   • Up to 192nd notes for precision charting

Working with Events

Events trigger special actions during gameplay:

Camera Events

Focus the camera on different characters:

• Focus Camera Left: Focus on opponent
• Focus Camera Right: Focus on player
• Focus Camera Center: Focus on center/girlfriend

Zoom Events

Control camera zoom:

• Zoom Camera: Zoom in effect
• Reset Zoom: Return to default zoom

Playback Events

Control song playback:

• Set Instrumental: Switch instrumental track
• Set Vocals: Switch vocal track
• Trigger Script: Call custom chart script functions

Toolboxes

The Chart Editor provides several toolboxes for different functions:

Metadata Toolbox

Configure song information:

• Song ID: Internal identifier
• Song Name: Display name
• Artist: Song artist/composer
• Charter: Who created the chart
• Stage: Which stage to use
• Characters: Player, opponent, girlfriend
• BPM: Starting beats per minute
• Scroll Speed: Chart scroll speed multiplier

Difficulty Toolbox

Manage chart difficulties:

• Create new difficulties
• Switch between difficulties
• Copy charts between difficulties
• Set difficulty names and colors

Note Data Toolbox

Edit individual note properties:

• Note kind (normal, alt animation, mine, etc.)
• Custom parameters
• Hit sound override
• Visual note style

Event Data Toolbox

Configure event properties:

• Event type
• Event parameters
• Event timing
• Preview event effect

Offsets Toolbox

Adjust audio synchronization:

• Instrumental Offset: Offset for the backing track
• Vocal Offset: Offset for character vocals
• Audio Sync Test: Test sync with gameplay

Freeplay Toolbox

Configure freeplay menu settings:

• Album art
• Preview start time
• Preview duration
• Difficulty list order

Workflow Tips

Pro Tip: Use the waveform display to align notes with audio peaks for better chart feel

1. Import Audio

   Load your instrumental and vocal tracks through the Metadata toolbox

2. Set BPM

   Configure the starting BPM and any BPM changes in the song

3. Place Notes

   Chart the notes by listening to the song and clicking on the grid

4. Add Events

   Place camera and effect events at key moments

5. Playtest

   Press Enter to test your chart and make adjustments

6. Polish

   Fine-tune offsets, adjust difficult sections, and test multiple times

7. Save

   Save your chart with Ctrl+S when complete

Context Menu

Right-click on notes, holds, or events to access quick actions:

• Edit properties
• Delete item
• Select similar items
• Flip/mirror
• Extend/shorten holds

Advanced Features

Time Signature Changes

Support for non-4/4 time signatures:

• Add time change markers
• Specify numerator and denominator
• Grid automatically adjusts

BPM Changes

Handle tempo changes mid-song:

• Add BPM markers at any point
• Smooth or instant transitions
• Grid spacing adjusts automatically

Multiple Variations

Create alternate versions of charts:

• Different character combinations
• Remixes and alternate instrumentals
• Practice mode variations

Live Input Preview

Test note patterns while charting:

• Number Keys Mode: 1-8 keys for 8 lanes
• WASD Mode: WASD + Arrow keys
• Hear hitsounds without full playtest

Chart Editor Commands

The editor uses a command pattern for undo/redo support:

• AddNotesCommand: Place new notes
• RemoveNotesCommand: Delete notes
• MoveNotesCommand: Reposition notes
• ExtendNoteLengthCommand: Adjust hold lengths
• FlipNotesCommand: Flip note timing
• MirrorNotesCommand: Mirror note positions
• AddEventsCommand: Place events
• RemoveEventsCommand: Delete events

All commands are fully undoable with Ctrl+Z.

Performance Tips

Large Charts: Charts with 1000+ notes may experience slowdown. Consider optimizing the grid rendering if needed.

• Use the measure tick display for visual rhythm reference
• Hide toolboxes you’re not using to reduce UI clutter
• Test on the target difficulty setting (scroll speed matters)
• Save frequently to avoid losing work

File Formats

The Chart Editor supports:

• FNF Chart Format: Native .json format
• Legacy Format: Import from older FNF versions
• Import: Support for some community formats

Charts are saved in: data/songs/[song-id]/[song-id]-chart.json

Related Tools

• Stage Editor - Design stage layouts
• Animation Editor - Edit character animations
• Debug Hotkeys - All debug shortcuts