User Manual
R2 Engine
The core of the OnSong® App has always been its ability to display different types of content, especially text-based chord charts. In OnSong 2024, we've completely rewritten the rendering engine to work across platforms while retaining the same look that you've come to know and love. We call it R2 and it's packed with new features that you've requested:
2-Columns
OnSong can display the your content using two columns. You can simply turn that on in the Style Preferences Menu Document Tab to have OnSong layout your content in a more compact manner.
Inline Formatting
OnSong has allowed you to format lines using line formatting. You can now use a familiar syntax to format words and phrases within each line. We've even added some new formatting options like underline and back slant.
Hyperlinks
The new renderer can recognize URL web addresses and automatically link them. Tapping on a link in the chart will display it within the app. It's its a video, it will begin to play inside of a video player that can be minimized and viewed picture-in-picture along side the OnSong user interface. You can even name the link to make it even cleaner.
Pagination
The new rendering engine draws the chord chart by extending the size of the virtual paper it's drawn on. However, you can also enable pagination to view your chart just like it would look on paper. This also affects how columns are laid out.
Position Chord Diagrams
The new renderer can align chord diagrams to the left or right side of the chart as well as above, below, or within. This makes for an even better way to experience your music or print your charts.
Text Formatting
The new renderer works in conjunction with new, advanced text formatting for applying styles to all songs, or being more specific and stylizing individual sections or components of the song. Want to format Verse 2 differently than Verse 1? We got an easy way to do that!
Platform Agnostic
While not something that seems like a feature, R2 is a single renderer that replaces different versions in OnSong. That lets your charts look the same whether they're viewed in the app, online, in print, or on future versions of the app. It also gives us a solid foundation for building in the future.
Right-To-Left Language Support
For musicians using OnSong in Hebrew or Arabic, the new rendering engine supports right to left output. This is determined based on the language of the imported text file.
R2 is not guaranteed to view or print your content exactly like the original renderer. For this reason, it is not enabled by default but will be used if you explicitly choose to, or if you enable new features that require it.
