User Guide / File Formats

File Formats

TMJ, TMX, PNG export, and the .tfp project format.

Opening Files

Use Ctrl+O or File > Open to load a map file. TileForge supports opening TMJ (Tiled Map JSON) files.

On browsers that support the File System Access API (Chrome, Edge), TileForge opens a native file picker and can save back to the same file. On other browsers, it falls back to a file input and downloads.

Saving Files

Press Ctrl+S to save, or Ctrl+Shift+S for Save As. Files are saved in TMJ format (Tiled Map JSON v1.10).

The title bar shows an asterisk (*) when there are unsaved changes. Closing the browser tab with unsaved changes triggers a confirmation prompt.

TMJ Format (Tiled Map JSON)

TMJ is TileForge's primary file format. It is fully compatible with Tiled and supported by most game engines.

What is preserved on round-trip:

Tile layers with full tile data (including GID flip flags for rotation/mirroring)
Object groups with rectangle, point, and polygon objects
Custom properties on maps, layers, and objects (bool, int, float, string, color)
Tileset references, firstGid, tile dimensions, spacing, margin
Per-tile animation frames (tiles[].animation)
Per-tile collision shapes (tiles[].objectgroup.objects)
Layer visibility, opacity, and order

Import notes:

Group layers (nested layer folders) are flattened to top-level layers on import.
Tileset images are loaded from their original path; if missing, you are prompted to locate them.

TMX Export (Tiled XML)

Export your map as TMX via File > Export as TMX. TMX is the XML version of the Tiled format.

The TMX export includes:

CSV-encoded tile layers
Object groups with all object types
Tileset references and tile data
Custom properties
Tile animations and collision shapes

Note TMX import is not yet supported. Use TMJ for round-trip editing. TMX export is provided for tools and engines that prefer XML.

Export as PNG

Use File > Export as PNG to render the map as an image. The export dialog lets you choose which layers to include and the output resolution.

Project Files (.tfp)

The .tfp format is TileForge's project file. It is a JSON file that bundles references to:

Maps (TMJ file references)
Tilesets (image references)
Generator presets
Custom palettes

Project files make it easy to manage multi-map projects without losing track of assets.

File System Access API

TileForge uses the modern File System Access API when available (Chrome 86+, Edge 86+). This provides:

Native file open/save dialogs
Ability to save back to the original file (no re-download each time)
Recent file tracking

On browsers without this API (Firefox, Safari), TileForge falls back to standard file input for opening and download links for saving.