Songs library

Quick start

1. Open Songs from the sidebar (/songs).
2. Optionally filter Language (All languages / English / Spanish) and Search by title or songwriter.
3. Or open Songwriters / Categories and pick a name to filter the All Songs list (?writer= / ?tag=).
4. Open a song (View or the title) to see metadata, lyrics, and an optional Chords tab.
5. Click Compose (list icon or detail panel) → /songs/{id}/compose.

You should see a read-only catalog (no Add / Edit / Delete). Church-owned songs live under My songs.

Deep dive

Page header and tabs

The catalog shows Songs as the page title. Use the contextual ? next to the title for a short summary and link to this article.

Tabs appear under the title (hidden on compose routes such as /songs/{id}/compose):

Tab	Route	Purpose
All Songs	/songs	Search and browse the full catalog
Songwriters	/songs/writers	Alphabetical index of writers
Categories	/songs/tags	Browse by category tag

Language and keyword search

On All Songs:

Control	Behavior
Language	All languages, English, or Spanish (?language=)
Search	Placeholder Search by title or songwriter; press Enter or click Search (?keywords=)
Clear	Removes keywords and returns to the default list

Keyword search vs writer/category filters

These modes do not combine in the API request:

• When keywords are set, the list request sends keywords and does not send writer or tag.
• Writer and category chips use ?writer= / ?tag= and are sent only when keywords are empty.

Active facet filters appear as chips (Songwriter: {name} / Category: {name}) with a clear control. Names are humanized from the slug.

Song list rows

Each row shows:

• Title — opens the detail panel
• Songwriters — each name links to All Songs with ?writer=
• Tags — each tag links to All Songs with ?tag=
• Key: {key} when available
• Chords badge when hasChords is true (ChordPro chord markers / stored chord lyrics)
• Compose — opens /songs/{id}/compose
• View — opens the same detail panel as the title

The Chords badge means the song has chords (hasChords). In compose, that enables the optional confidence-monitor chords toggle — see Compose a worship presentation.

Pagination and empty state

• Page size is 50 songs.
• When there is more than one page, a summary shows {start}–{end} of {total} songs with Previous / Next.
• Empty list: No songs found — try a different search or browse by songwriter or category.

Song detail panel

View (or the title) opens a side panel with:

• Songwriters, key, authors, copyrights, and tags when available
• Compose — same catalog compose entry as the list row
• Lyrics / Chords tabs when chord content exists (otherwise lyrics only)
• Section labels with lyrics, or song-level text when present

Read-only catalog

The Songs catalog is read-only. There is no Add, Edit, or Delete here.

• Church-owned create / edit / delete → My songs
• Compose wizard steps, outputs, and screen layout → Compose a worship presentation (this article only covers the Compose entry point)
• After compose, worship deck editing → Worship songs

Songwriters and categories indexes

Songwriters (/songs/writers) and Categories (/songs/tags) list names with song counts. Filter the index locally, then click a name to open All Songs with ?writer= or ?tag= (language preserved when set).

Tips

• Use Songwriters or Categories when you know the writer or theme; use keyword search when you only remember part of the title.
• Songs with the Chords badge can offer confidence-monitor chord output in compose — see Compose a worship presentation.
• After compose, refine lyrics and arrangements in the worship song editor.

Troubleshooting

No songs found

• Clear keyword search and filter chips, then try a broader term.
• Switch Language to All languages.
• Browse Songwriters or Categories if keyword search is too narrow.

No Compose in the catalog

• Open a song row or detail panel — there is no bulk compose. Use the Compose icon on the row or the Compose button in the detail panel.

I need to edit the song text

• Catalog songs cannot be edited in place. Add or edit church-owned copies under My songs, or edit lyrics for one presentation only in compose Step 3 (see Compose a worship presentation).

Missing Chords badge

• The song has no chord markers (hasChords is false). The confidence-with-chords option will not appear in compose for that song.