(feature request) ability to add FX to patterns from context menu

[Nine-H]

I find it kind of annoying to look up FX parameters while working. In practice it means I don't really use them.

The tooltips in 1.06 are a really good start, however they only show what effect codes do when they're highlighted in the pattern. A user would have to manually type each of the effect codes to read every tooltip. I think it would be helpful to add them to the context menu so there's also a top down view of all commands.

Selecting an effect should add the effect to the cell on which the context menu was opened, defaulting as close as possible to disabled. This would allow users to see FX in the pattern, and then tweak the parameters. If there is a group selection the effect should be added to all cells in the group selection. I'm not sure what should happen in the edge case where half an FX column is in the group selection. I'm not sure how it would interact with the cursor, which doesn't currently move when the context menu is opened. Maybe the cursor should jump to the first editable param of the first added FX command so users can immediately begin editing parameters.

Here's a rough structure of what I think the FX context menu entries should be:

• FX1
  • xx Set note volume
  • +x Volume slide up
  • -x Volume slide down
  • Dx Fine volume slide down
  • Lx Panning slide left
  • Mx Portamento to note
  • Px Set note panning position
  • Rx Panning slide right
  • Sx Set vibrato speed
  • Ux Fine volume slide up
  • Vx Vibrato
• FX2
  • 0xy Arpeggio
  • 1xx Portamento up
  • 2xx Portamento down
  • 3xx Portamento to note
  • 4xy Vibrato
  • 5xy Portamento to note with volume slide
  • 6xy Vibrato with volume slide
  • 7xy Tremolo
  • 8xx Set note panning position
  • 9xx Sample offset
  • Axy Volume slide
  • Bxx Jump to order
  • Cxx Set note volume
  • Dxx Pattern break
  • E0x Amiga LED Filter toggle (not supported)
  • E1x Fine portamento up
  • E2x Fine portamento down
  • E3x Glissando control (not implemented)
  • E4x Vibrato control (not implemented)
  • E5x Set note fine-tune
  • E6x Pattern loop
  • E7x Tremolo control (not implemented)
  • E8x Set note panning position (incompatible)
  • E9x Re-trigger note
  • EAx Fine volume slide up
  • EBx Fine volume slide down
  • ECx Note cut
  • EDx Note delay
  • EEx Pattern delay
  • EFx Funk it! (not supported)
  • Fxx Set song speed/BPM
  • Gxx Set global volume
  • Hxy Global volume slide
  • Kxx Key-off
  • Lxx Set envelope position
  • Pxy Panning slide
  • Rxy Re-trigger note with volume slide
  • Txy Tremor
  • X1x Extra fine portamento up
  • X2x Extra fine portamento down

I also want to say it's really cool that milkytracker is getting more development. Love this software.

[coderofsalvation]

This is a good point.
The FX are an important part of the software, so having it appear at various places would be helpful.
Thanks for your rough structure, I think we need to split it up into more categories (as the contextmenu does not support scrolling).
So perhaps:

Effect > category1  > (effects)
             category2  > (effects)

The question is: should we categorize by FX-code or by feature (vibrato e.g.).
I'm gravitating to by-feature, because if you'd remember the FX-code you would not need the contextmenu anyways (the tooltips will suffice in that case).
So perhaps:

Effect > Volume   > volume/slides etc
             Panning  >  pan/slides etc
             Note       > note delay, note cut
             Portamento > ...and so on

WDYT?

ps. glad you're liking milkytracker, you're not the only one still sticking with it in 2026 ❤

[Nine-H]

categorization actually makes a lot of sense.

the reason why I suggested by FX column is the slightly unintuitive way the two FX columns can take different parameters. because FX1 has fewer commands maybe making FX1 its own category would reduce confusion for users that may interpret the two FX columns and categories to mean they can apply two FX2 effects on one column, which I understand is not possible due to format limitations.