Variable Widget

The Variable Widget is a floating panel that appears when you select a note or measure. It allows you to view and edit all properties of the selected element.

Overview

The Variable Widget displays:

• Header: Note/Measure ID and type
• Property rows: Each variable with evaluated and raw values
• Action sections: Add notes, evaluate, delete

Opening the Widget

1. Click on any note or measure in the workspace
2. The Variable Widget appears on the right side
3. Click empty workspace to close it

Widget Sections

Header

Shows:

• Element type: Note, Measure, or BaseNote
• ID: The unique identifier of the element

Property Rows

Each property has two values:

Field	Description
Evaluated	The computed result (e.g., "660 Hz", "1.5 seconds")
Raw	The expression that produces the evaluated value

Common Properties

Property	Description
frequency	The pitch of the note (in Hz or as ratio)
startTime	When the note begins playing
duration	How long the note plays
tempo	Beats per minute (inherited from BaseNote)
beatsPerMeasure	Time signature numerator
color	Visual color in the workspace
instrument	Sound used for playback

Editing Properties

Quick Controls

Frequency

• Octave +/-: Click to transpose up/down by octave (×2 or ÷2)

Duration

• Note icons: Click preset durations:
  • Whole note (4 beats)
  • Half note (2 beats)
  • Quarter note (1 beat)
  • Eighth note (1/2 beat)
  • Sixteenth note (1/4 beat)
• Dot modifiers: Add 50% or 75% to duration

Instrument

• Dropdown: Select from available instruments

Raw Expression Editing

1. Click on the Raw field for any property
2. Edit the expression text
3. Click Save to apply changes
4. The Evaluated value updates

Example expressions:

# Frequency: Perfect fifth above BaseNote
base.f * (3/2)

# Start time: After note 5 ends
[5].t + [5].d

# Duration: Quarter note at current tempo
beat(base)

Legacy JavaScript syntax

// Frequency: Perfect fifth above BaseNote
module.baseNote.getVariable('frequency').mul(new Fraction(3, 2))

// Start time: After note 5 ends
module.getNoteById(5).getVariable('startTime')
  .add(module.getNoteById(5).getVariable('duration'))

// Duration: Quarter note at current tempo
new Fraction(60).div(module.findTempo(module.baseNote))

Syntax Matters

Expressions must follow the exact syntax. Missing parentheses or typos will cause errors. Use Ctrl+Z to undo if something goes wrong.

Action Sections

Add Note / Silence

Create new notes or silences relative to the selected one:

Option	Behavior
At End	New note starts when the selected note ends (for sequences)
At Start	New note starts at the same time as the selected note (for chords)

You can choose between creating a Note (with frequency) or a Silence (duration only, no sound).

Add Measure

This section only appears when selecting:

• BaseNote: Shows "Add New Measure Chain" to start a new chain
• Last measure in a chain: Shows "Add Measure" to extend the existing chain

You can only create new measure chains (from BaseNote) or add measures to the end of existing chains.

Evaluate Functions

Function	Description
Evaluate to BaseNote	Rewrites this note's references to use only BaseNote
Evaluate Module	Evaluates all notes in the module to BaseNote references
Liberate Dependencies	Substitutes this note's expressions into dependent notes, bypassing it in the dependency chain

Evaluate to BaseNote

Converts complex dependency chains to direct BaseNote references.

Before:

[3].f * (5/4)
# Where note 3's frequency is: base.f * (3/2)

After:

base.f * (15/8)
# Direct computation: 3/2 × 5/4 = 15/8

Legacy JavaScript syntax

Before:

module.getNoteById(3).getVariable('frequency').mul(new Fraction(5, 4))
// Where note 3's frequency is: baseNote × 3/2

After:

module.baseNote.getVariable('frequency').mul(new Fraction(15, 8))
// Direct computation: 3/2 × 5/4 = 15/8

Liberate Dependencies

Substitutes this note's raw expressions into all notes that depend on it, effectively bypassing this note in the dependency chain.

Example: If Note 2 has [1].t + [1].d and Note 1's expressions are base.t and beat(base):

• After liberating Note 1, Note 2's expression becomes base.t + beat(base)
• Note 2 no longer depends on Note 1

Use this before deleting a note that other notes depend on:

1. Select the note you want to delete
2. Click Liberate Dependencies
3. Dependent notes now reference what this note referenced (bypassing it)
4. Safely delete the original note

Delete Section

Option	Behavior
Delete and Remove Dependencies	Deletes this note AND all notes that depend on it
Delete and Keep Dependencies	Liberates the note first (substitutes its expressions into dependents), then deletes it. Dependent notes remain but now reference what this note referenced.

Delete with Caution

"Delete and Remove Dependencies" can delete many notes at once. Check the dependency lines before deleting (thin lines indicate notes that depend on this one).

Visual Feedback

Dependency Highlighting

When editing an expression:

• Dependent notes highlight in the workspace when you save changes
• Shows which notes are affected by the modification

The ≈ Symbol and Hatching

Properties showing ≈ contain irrational or approximated values (often from TET expressions). Both directly and transitively corrupted values display as ≈ followed by a fractional approximation (e.g., ≈3/2).

Visual indicators on notes:

• Directly corrupted (contains irrational values like TET): Crosshatch pattern (X) on the note rectangle
• Transitively corrupted (depends on a corrupted note): Single diagonal hatch pattern on the note rectangle

The underlying symbolic value is preserved internally.

Widget Positioning

• Default: Bottom-left corner of the workspace
• Draggable: Click and drag the header to reposition
• Anchored: Stays anchored to the bottom of the window

Tips

1. Use direct manipulation first - Dragging and resizing notes in the workspace is faster than editing expressions
2. Watch dependencies - The workspace shows what will be affected by your changes
3. Use Liberate to extract notes - If you want to remove a note from a complex dependency tree while preserving the chain, liberate it first to bypass it in the dependency structure
4. Copy expressions - Select and copy working expressions as templates for new notes