To store your song information, a .txt file with a simple syntax is used.
The file needs to be UTF-8 encoded plain text. You can edit the files with every text file editor (e.g. notepad). Let's have a look at an example, and then we go through it step by step:

?{"title" : "Sample Song A", "artist" : "Best Band", "tuning" : "E A D G B E", "capo" : "4", "key" : "C", "stslsongid" : "1234567890"}

;This is a comment.

[Verse]
>C    H  O    R    D      S
This is just some sample Text
>M  O    R   E   C  H      O    R     D      S
To show you how to format your chord sheets correctly

[Chorus]
>C    H O   R   D  S
Here comes the chorus

The first line in the document will be the information line, which stores the information that does not belong to the displayed content.

This line is created and updated automatically by Song Manager.

You can also manually create the line with the following rules:

The line starts with a ?, followed by a JSON-formatted string in { }-brackets containing key-value pairs for

• title: The song title
• artist: The artist or band name
• tuning: Tuning information for string instruments (lowest to highest string)
• capo: Capo position on fret 0-12
• key: The key in which the song is played
• stslsongid: The song ID from the matching song in your StreamerSonglist.com account

If you create this line manually, please take care of using quote marks before and after each key or value and a comma between the pairs.
Also be distinctly aware that every key-value pair has to be set, even it is empty.

You can use the following dummy to copy and paste:

?{"title" : "", "artist" : "", "tuning" : "E A D G B E", "capo" : "", "key" : "", "stslsongid" : ""}

You can mark a line as a comment by starting it with a semicolon.
This line will be displayed smaller and in different color in Song Viewer.

;This is a comment.

Sections are written in [ ]-brackets. They are used to structure your song file for better readability. You don't have to use them, but if you do, make sure, the [-bracket is the first sign in the line.

[Chorus]

Your chord lines start with a greater sign and should not contain anything else than chords or one of the following codes for no chords: [n.c., N.C., n/c, N/C, nc, NC]
Otherwise, this line will not automatically be detected as a chord line in Song Manager.
The text will always be displayed monospaced, so the chords can be positioned over the text, where they are played. If you use the Song Manager to edit your text, all chord lines will be marked with the greater sign automatically in conversion. You don't need to mark them manually. But you can.

>C    D    Cadd9 Dm11/F  Csus2sus4 F#Mb5 

The text lines have no special syntax and can be written as they are.

Please make sure you don't use ; [ > at the beginning of the line, if you want to display it as normal text.

Tabs are used, to show how a section or a song is played on the strings of a string instrument.
They start with the tuning of the string, followed by |-. The pipe symbol | also divides bars and finishes a line. It can also be left out.

In the tabs, the following symbols can be used to show different playing technics:

• x Dead note
• h Hammer-on
• p Pull-off
• / Slide up
• \ Slide down
• ~ Vibrato
• (n) Ghost note
• b Bend
• r Release
• NH Natural harmonic

See the following samples for different instruments.

Guitar:

e|-----------------|-----------------|
B|-----------------|-----------------|
G|-----------------|-----------------|
D|---------5-------|-----------------|
A|-7-----7----7--5-|-3------~2-------|
E|-----------------|-----------------|

4-string bass:

G|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|
D|--0--0--0--0--|--0--0--0--0--|-/2--2--2--2--|--------------|
A|--------------|--------------|--------------|--2--2--0--0--|
E|--------------|--------------|--------------|--------------|

Ukulele:

A|------------|----------|
E|-0--0-------|-~2-------|
C|-------2/4--|-----4-4--|
g|------------|----------|

Only two strings of guitar, tuned 1/2 step down:

Db|---------5---|-7---5--h7--|
Gb|-5--3--7-----|-7----------|

Tab without pipe symbol:

e----------------------------------
B----------------------------------
G----------------------------------
D---------5------------------------
A-7-----7----7--5--3------~2-------
E----------------------------------