README from GitHub, MIT

Polyend Tracker Community Edition - Theme & Font Editor

Welcome to the official web-based visual Theme Editor and Font Editor for the Polyend Tracker Community Edition (CE) firmware.

Design, preview, and export custom .json color themes and convert standard .ttf/.otf fonts into hardware-ready .ptfont packages directly in your browser.

Live Web App: https://polyend.github.io/tracker-theme-editor/
Polyend Tracker CE Firmware Repository: https://github.com/polyend/tracker-ce
Firmware Custom Themes & Fonts Documentation: docs/custom_themes_and_fonts.md

⚠️ Disclaimer: Provided "AS IS" Without Official Support

The Polyend Tracker Community Edition firmware and this companion Theme & Font Editor are provided "AS IS", without warranty of any kind, express or implied.

Polyend has no obligation to provide technical support, maintenance, updates, or bug fixes for this open-source project or custom user-created themes and fonts. Use of custom firmware, themes, and fonts is entirely at your own risk.

Community Discussions & Peer Help: Visit Polyend Backstage or join the unofficial Polyend Tracker Discord The Tracker Overflow to share themes, fonts, and collaborate with other community members and developers.

Out-of-Warranty Hardware Repairs: If you need paid out-of-warranty hardware servicing for your Polyend Tracker, please see How to contact the Polyend Customer Support.

Features

Real-Time 800×480 FT812 LCD Preview: Accurately simulates the Polyend Tracker hardware display in real time as you adjust colors and typography.
Multi-Screen & Overlay Simulation: Switch seamlessly between Pattern, Song, Sample Loader, Sample Editor (Waveform), Notes Grid, and Config screens, plus toggle Record Mode, Instruments Popup, Playback Playhead, and Mini Menu overlays.
Click-to-Inspect Color Picker: Click directly on any UI element on the simulated Tracker screen (notes, instruments, FX columns, playhead, top bar, buttons, waveform, slice markers) to automatically expand and highlight its corresponding color key in the sidebar, or click any key in the sidebar to flash its location on screen.
Built-in Theme Presets: Start from 14 curated presets including Original, Monochrome, Amiga, Terminal Green (CRT Phosphor), Bernstein Amber (Warm CRT), Cyberpunk (Neon), Solarized Dark, Darcula, Monokai, Retro NES, Retro Sega, High Contrast, Synthwave, and Crimson.
1-Click JSON Import, Export & Copy: Import existing .json theme files from your computer, copy the theme JSON to your clipboard, or click Export Theme to download a ready-to-use .json file for your SD card's /Themes/ directory.
Browser-Based Font Editor (.ttf/.otf to .ptfont): Upload any TrueType (.ttf) or OpenType (.otf) font (with optional separate Bold font file) directly in your browser to preview all 5 hardware FT812 font sizes, test live on the simulated Tracker screen, and compile binary .ptfont packages with a single click.

Local Development

If you want to run the Theme & Font Editor locally or contribute improvements:

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+ (Node 20 LTS recommended)
npm 9+

Commands

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/polyend/tracker-theme-editor.git
cd tracker-theme-editor

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start the local development server with hot-reload
npm run dev

# Type-check and build the production bundle into dist/
npm run build

# Preview the production build locally
npm run preview

Installing Custom Themes & Fonts on Hardware

Installing Themes (`/Themes/`)

Export your .json theme file from the Theme Editor (or pick a built-in preset from public/presets/).

Place your .json file in the /Themes/ folder at the root of your Tracker's SD card:

SD Card
└── Themes/
    ├── Amiga.json
    ├── BernsteinAmber.json
    ├── Cyberpunk.json
    ├── SolarizedDark.json
    ├── TerminalGreen.json
    └── MyCustomTheme.json

(If the /Themes/ folder does not exist yet, the Tracker creates it automatically when you open the Config menu).

On your Polyend Tracker, open Config (Shift + Master or via Menu), scroll to Display theme, and turn the jog wheel to select your theme.

Installing Fonts (`/Fonts/`)

Open the Font Editor in the top navigation bar of the web app, load your .ttf or .otf font, and click Convert & Download to generate a .ptfont file.

Place your .ptfont file in the /Fonts/ folder at the root of your Tracker's SD card:

SD Card
└── Fonts/
    ├── Topaz.ptfont
    └── LowGothic.ptfont

In the Config menu, navigate to Display font and turn the jog wheel to cycle through Original, New, and your custom .ptfont packages.

Technical Specifications & Reference

File Naming & Capacity Limits

Extensions: Theme files must end in .json (case-insensitive). Font packages must end in .ptfont.
Display Name: The Tracker strips the file extension when displaying names in Config (Cyberpunk.json appears as Cyberpunk), up to 31 characters.
Capacity: Up to 29 custom themes from /Themes/ (32 total including Original, Monochrome, and Anniversary) and up to 30 custom fonts from /Fonts/ (32 total including Original and New).
Color Format: Standard 6-digit hex strings prefixed with # (#RRGGBB, e.g., "#FFAA25"). Any omitted color key automatically inherits from the "base" theme ("Original", "Monochrome", or "Anniversary").
FT812 Font Sizes: .ptfont packages bundle 4-bit-per-pixel (L4) anti-aliased glyph bitmaps and metric tables across 5 hardware font slots: Size 14 Regular, Size 17 Regular, Size 14 Bold, Size 17 Bold, and Size 12 Regular.

Theme JSON Key Reference

Section	Keys	Description
Root	`name`, `base`, `background`	Theme name, fallback base theme, main screen background color.
`topBar`	`text`, `background`, `frame`, `text2`	Header / title bar colors.
`songTimer`	`text`, `background`, `frame`, `text2`	Song timer widget.
`labels`	`active`, `inactive`, `activeButton`, `inactiveButton`, `highlightedButton`, `redButton`, `performActiveTrack`, `performMutedTrack`, `defaultText`	Screen buttons, text labels, and performance indicators.
`patternTracker`	`trackName`, `background`, `note`, `instrument`, `fx1`, `fx2`, `inactiveNote`, `inactiveInstrument`, `inactiveFx1`, `inactiveFx2`, `selection`, `gridDivider`, `inactiveTrack`, `playhead`, `selectionText`, `verticalDivider`, `stepNumber`, `greenMode`, `activeTrack`, `trackEnd`	Main pattern sequencing grid.
`songPlayer`	`text`, `activeBlock`, `scrollbar`, `background`, `inactiveText`, `editMode`, `scrollbarBackground`, `playhead`, `emptyTrack`, `playheadActive`	Song arranger screen.
`lists`	`active`, `inactive`, `projectActive`, `sampleLoader`, `sampleLoaderInactive`	Scrollable lists (samples, projects, files).
`bars`	`active`, `inactive`, `sampleLoaderNormal`, `sampleLoaderFull`	Progress bars and memory/level meters.
`popups`	`stepTitle`, `stepBackground`, `stepDescription`, `note`, `noteKeyboard`, `dialog`, `progressPopup`, `keyboard`, `miniMenu`	Dialogs, keyboards, and overlays.
`miniMenu`	`text`, `boxBackground`, `selectedBox`, `background`, `frame`, `inactiveDot`, `activeDot`	Tracker Mini hardware Menu button overlay (4×3 modules grid).
`waveform`	`audio`, `background`, `progress`, `sliceMarker`, `activeSlice`, `slicePlayhead`, `granular`, `points`	Sample playback, sample editor, and granular screens.
`accents`	`white`, `red`, `orange`, `yellow`, `green`, `cyan`, `grey`	Primary accent palette colors.

For complete firmware implementation details and memory footprint information, see the Custom Themes & Fonts Guide in the tracker-ce repository.

Polyend Tracker Open-Source Ecosystem

This repository is part of a growing open-source ecosystem around the Polyend Tracker family:

polyend/tracker-ce: Official Polyend Tracker Community Edition firmware, C++20 Open Synth SDK, and .ptfx Sample Editor plugin SDK for Original Tracker, Tracker+, and Tracker Mini.
polyend/tracker-theme-editor (Live Web App): Browser-based visual Theme Editor (/Themes/*.json) and Font Editor (TTF/OTF to /Fonts/*.ptfont) with a real-time 800×480 FT812 hardware screen simulator.
polyend/tracker-lib: Open-source library and tools for reading, writing, and inspecting Polyend Tracker project (.mt), pattern (.mtp), and instrument (.pti) files.
Polyend Backstage Forum: Community forum for sharing custom themes, fonts, .ptfx plugins, synth engines, and discussing workflows.
The Tracker Overflow (Discord): Unofficial Polyend Tracker Discord community where users and developers can connect, share creations, and collaborate.

Contributing & License

Contributions, bug fixes, and new theme presets are welcome! Please read CONTRIBUTING.md before submitting a Pull Request.

tracker-theme-editor