fix: accept * N anywhere in the track header, not only the first slot

conformance/002-track-header.deck

@@ -7,4 +7,8 @@ track Pad id c4 gen fm * inf
   mix gain 0.5
 track Lead id c5 gen mymacro cutoff 1200 wave saw
   mix gain 0.7
+track Layered id c6 gen fm layer 0 * 16
+  mix gain 0.6
+track Mixed id c7 gen fm layer 2 * 4 cutoff 900
+  mix gain 0.6
 remove_track obsolete

conformance/002-track-header.expected.json

@@ -85,6 +85,51 @@
           }
         ],
         "genBlocks": []
+      },
+      {
+        "name": "Layered",
+        "id": "c6",
+        "generatorId": "fm",
+        "rawGenId": "fm",
+        "genParams": {
+          "layer": 0
+        },
+        "loopBars": 16,
+        "body": [
+          {
+            "lineNo": 11,
+            "tokens": [
+              "mix",
+              "gain",
+              "0.6"
+            ],
+            "raw": "mix gain 0.6"
+          }
+        ],
+        "genBlocks": []
+      },
+      {
+        "name": "Mixed",
+        "id": "c7",
+        "generatorId": "fm",
+        "rawGenId": "fm",
+        "genParams": {
+          "layer": 2,
+          "cutoff": 900
+        },
+        "loopBars": 4,
+        "body": [
+          {
+            "lineNo": 13,
+            "tokens": [
+              "mix",
+              "gain",
+              "0.6"
+            ],
+            "raw": "mix gain 0.6"
+          }
+        ],
+        "genBlocks": []
       }
     ],
     "removeTrackIds": [
@@ -179,6 +224,40 @@
         }
       ],
       "errors": []
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "c6",
+      "rows": [
+        {
+          "kind": "mix",
+          "gain": 0.6,
+          "pan": null,
+          "mute": null,
+          "solo": null,
+          "eqLo": null,
+          "eqMid": null,
+          "eqHi": null,
+          "lineNo": 11
+        }
+      ],
+      "errors": []
+    },
+    {
+      "id": "c7",
+      "rows": [
+        {
+          "kind": "mix",
+          "gain": 0.6,
+          "pan": null,
+          "mute": null,
+          "solo": null,
+          "eqLo": null,
+          "eqMid": null,
+          "eqHi": null,
+          "lineNo": 13
+        }
+      ],
+      "errors": []
     }
   ],
   "clipBodies": []

docs/DECK_GRAMMAR.md

@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@ track <displayName> id <channelId> gen <generatorId|macro> [ * <N|inf> ] [ <para
 
 - `* N` — **pattern length** in bars (default 1). Channel spans `N × 16` steps and repeats. `* inf` / `* infinite` clears an explicit finite length.
 - Trailing `key value` pairs — **macro parameter overrides** when `gen` is a macro name.
+- `* N` and the `key value` pairs may appear in **any order** after `gen <id>`. Emit writes `* N` first; a `*` that names no valid length is an error, never a silently dropped token.
 - `generatorId` spellings are host-registered (`registerGeneratorIdAliases`). Undeclared ids pass through as-is.
 
 ---

rust/conformance.rs

@@ -110,10 +110,20 @@ fn pinned_divergences() {
 
     let p = deckfile::parse(&read("002-track-header", "deck"));
     let names: Vec<&str> = p.tracks.iter().map(|t| t.name.as_str()).collect();
-    assert_eq!(names, ["MOS 6581", "Bass", "Pad", "Lead"], "multi-word names");
+    assert_eq!(
+        names,
+        ["MOS 6581", "Bass", "Pad", "Lead", "Layered", "Mixed"],
+        "multi-word names"
+    );
     assert_eq!(p.tracks[1].loop_bars, Some(2), "`* 2`");
     assert_eq!(p.tracks[2].loop_bars, None, "`* inf` clears the length, it is not an error");
     assert_eq!(p.tracks[3].gen_params.num("cutoff"), Some(1200.0), "macro param override");
+    // `* N` after other params. This is the case that silently played at 1 bar instead of 16 and
+    // made two of tish-gba's songs bake differently.
+    assert_eq!(p.tracks[4].loop_bars, Some(16), "`* N` after a key/value pair");
+    assert_eq!(p.tracks[4].gen_params.num("layer"), Some(0.0), "params survive alongside a late `* N`");
+    assert_eq!(p.tracks[5].loop_bars, Some(4), "`* N` between key/value pairs");
+    assert_eq!(p.tracks[5].gen_params.num("cutoff"), Some(900.0), "params on both sides of `* N`");
 
     let p = deckfile::parse(&read("003-steps-and-locks", "deck"));
     let steps = p.tracks[0]

src/deckfile/Parser.tish

@@ -456,38 +456,48 @@ export fn parseProgram(source) {
         }
       }
       if (idIdx >= 2 && toks.length >= idIdx + 4) {
+        // Everything after `gen <id>` is `* <N|inf>` (pattern length) plus `key value` pairs (macro
+        // parameter overrides), in ANY order.
+        //
+        // `* N` used to be recognized only in the first slot. Anywhere else it fell through to the
+        // key/value loop and became a param literally named `*` — so `track Pad id pad gen x layer 0
+        // * 16` silently lost its length and played as one bar, with no error. Emit always writes
+        // `* N` first, but hand-written and generated files do not, and a length that quietly
+        // becomes 1 is the worst kind of wrong.
         let after = idIdx + 4
         let loopBars = null
-        if (toks.length >= after + 2 && toks[after] === "*") {
-          let lx = toks[after + 1]
-          if (lx === "inf" || lx === "infinite") {
-            loopBars = null
-          } else {
-            if (isNumberToken(lx)) {
-              let nn = Math.floor(Number(lx))
-              if (nn >= 1) {
-                loopBars = nn
+        let genParams = {}
+        let gp = after
+        while (gp < toks.length) {
+          if (toks[gp] === "*") {
+            if (gp + 1 < toks.length) {
+              let lx = toks[gp + 1]
+              if (lx === "inf" || lx === "infinite") {
+                loopBars = null
+              } else if (isNumberToken(lx)) {
+                let nn = Math.floor(Number(lx))
+                if (nn >= 1) {
+                  loopBars = nn
+                } else {
+                  errors.push({ line: i, msg: "track * N: N must be a positive integer" })
+                }
               } else {
-                errors.push({ line: i, msg: "track * N: N must be a positive integer" })
+                errors.push({ line: i, msg: "track * N: expected number or inf/infinite" })
               }
             } else {
               errors.push({ line: i, msg: "track * N: expected number or inf/infinite" })
             }
+            gp = gp + 2
+          } else if (gp + 1 < toks.length) {
+            let k = toks[gp]
+            let v = toks[gp + 1]
+            let nv = Number(v)
+            genParams[k] = (nv === nv && v.length > 0) ? nv : v
+            gp = gp + 2
+          } else {
+            gp = gp + 1
           }
         }
-        // Trailing `key value` pairs after the gen id (and optional `* N`) are macro parameter overrides.
-        let genParams = {}
-        let gp = after
-        if (toks.length >= after + 2 && toks[after] === "*") {
-          gp = after + 2
-        }
-        while (gp + 1 < toks.length) {
-          let k = toks[gp]
-          let v = toks[gp + 1]
-          let nv = Number(v)
-          genParams[k] = (nv === nv && v.length > 0) ? nv : v
-          gp = gp + 2
-        }
         currentTrack = {
           name: toks.slice(1, idIdx).join(" "),
           id: toks[idIdx + 1],

test/coverage.mjs

@@ -373,6 +373,35 @@ check("directives no errors", dir.errors.length === 0)
 check("directives do not block parse", dir.bpm === 120)
 check("bare @ errors", parseProgram("@\n").errors.some((e) => e.msg.includes("directive verb")))
 
+// ── Track header: `* N` and key/value params in any order ────────────────────
+// `* N` was only recognized in the first slot; anywhere else it became a param literally named `*`,
+// so the pattern length silently became 1.
+const hdr = (s) => parseProgram(s).tracks[0]
+check("star first", hdr("track P id p gen g * 16 layer 0\n").loopBars === 16)
+check("star last", hdr("track P id p gen g layer 0 * 16\n").loopBars === 16)
+check("star middle", hdr("track P id p gen g layer 0 * 4 cutoff 900\n").loopBars === 4)
+check("star last keeps params", hdr("track P id p gen g layer 0 * 16\n").genParams.layer === 0)
+check("star middle keeps params", hdr("track P id p gen g layer 0 * 4 cutoff 900\n").genParams.cutoff === 900)
+check("star is not a param", hdr("track P id p gen g layer 0 * 16\n").genParams["*"] === undefined)
+check("inf last", hdr("track P id p gen g layer 2 * inf\n").loopBars === null)
+check("infinite last", hdr("track P id p gen g layer 2 * infinite\n").loopBars === null)
+check("no star", hdr("track P id p gen g layer 0\n").loopBars === null)
+// A `*` that names no length is an error, not a silently dropped token.
+check(
+  "star zero errors",
+  parseProgram("track P id p gen g layer 0 * 0\n").errors.some((e) => e.msg.includes("positive integer"))
+)
+check(
+  "star non-numeric errors",
+  parseProgram("track P id p gen g layer 0 * zz\n").errors.some((e) => e.msg.includes("inf/infinite"))
+)
+check(
+  "bare trailing star errors",
+  parseProgram("track P id p gen g layer 0 *\n").errors.some((e) => e.msg.includes("inf/infinite"))
+)
+// An odd trailing token (no value) is skipped rather than looping forever.
+check("odd trailing token", hdr("track P id p gen g layer 0 dangling\n").genParams.layer === 0)
+
 // ── Body lines ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 const body = (s) => parseBodyLine(tokenize(s))