diff --git a/light9/web/edit-choice.coffee b/light9/web/edit-choice.coffee
--- a/light9/web/edit-choice.coffee
+++ b/light9/web/edit-choice.coffee
@@ -48,13 +48,14 @@ coffeeElementSetup(class EditChoice exte
         graph: {type: Object, notify: true},
         uri: {type: String, notify: true},
 
+    _setUri: (u) ->
+      @uri = u
+      @dispatchEvent(new CustomEvent('edited'))
+
     connectedCallback: ->
       super.connectedCallback()
-      @uri = null
-      setupDrop @$.box, @$.box, null, (uri) =>
-        @uri=uri
-        @updateLabel()
+      setupDrop(@$.box, @$.box, null, @_setUri.bind(@))
 
     unlink: ->
-      @uri = null
+      @_setUri(null)
 )
diff --git a/light9/web/timeline/inline-attrs.coffee b/light9/web/timeline/inline-attrs.coffee
--- a/light9/web/timeline/inline-attrs.coffee
+++ b/light9/web/timeline/inline-attrs.coffee
@@ -4,34 +4,34 @@ coffeeElementSetup(class InlineAttrs ext
   @is: "light9-timeline-note-inline-attrs"
   @getter_properties:
     graph: { type: Object, notify: true }
+    project: { type: Object, notify: true }
     song: { type: String, notify: true }
     config: { type: Object } # just for setup
     uri: { type: Object, notify: true }  # the Note
-    effect: { type: Object, notify: true }
     effectStr: { type: String, notify: true }
     colorScale: { type: String, notify: true }
     noteLabel: { type: String, notify: true }
     selection: { type: Object, notify: true }
   @getter_observers: [
+    '_onConfig(config)'
     'addHandler(graph, uri)'
     'onColorScale(graph, uri, colorScale)'
-    '_onConfig(config)'
-    '_effectToStr(effect)'
-    '_effectToUri(effectStr, graph)'
     ]
-  _effectToStr: (effect) ->
-    @effectStr = @effect?.value
-    log('now str is', @effectStr)
-  _effectToUri: (effectStr, graph) ->
-    if @effectStr
-      @effect = @graph.Uri(@effectStr)
-    else
-      @effect = null
+
+  ready: ->
+    super.ready()
+    @$.effect.addEventListener 'edited', =>
+      @graph.patchObject(@uri, @graph.Uri(':effectClass'), @graph.Uri(@effectStr), @graph.Uri(@song))
+      
   _onConfig: ->
     @uri = @config.uri
     for side in ['top', 'left', 'width', 'height']
       @.style[side] = @config[side] + 'px'
     
+  addHandler: ->
+    return unless @uri
+    @graph.runHandler(@update.bind(@), "update inline attrs #{@uri.value}")
+    
   onColorScale: ->
     return
     U = (x) => @graph.Uri(x)
@@ -63,17 +63,11 @@ coffeeElementSetup(class InlineAttrs ext
         ]}
       @graph.applyAndSendPatch(patch)
     
-  addHandler: ->
-    return unless @uri
-    @graph.runHandler(@update.bind(@), "update inline attrs #{@uri.value}")
-    
   update: ->
-    return unless @uri?
     console.time('attrs update')
     U = (x) => @graph.Uri(x)
-    @effect = @graph.uriValue(@uri, U(':effectClass'))
+    @effectStr = @graph.uriValue(@uri, U(':effectClass'))?.value
     @noteLabel = @uri.value.replace(/.*\//, '')
-    return
     existingColorScaleSetting = null
     for setting in @graph.objects(@uri, U(':setting'))
       ea = @graph.uriValue(setting, U(':effectAttr'))
@@ -87,7 +81,6 @@ coffeeElementSetup(class InlineAttrs ext
       @colorScale = '#ffffff'
     console.timeEnd('attrs update')
 
-
   onDel: ->
-    deleteNote(@graph, @song, @uri, @selection)
+    @project.deleteNote(@graph.Uri(@song), @uri, @selection)
 )
diff --git a/light9/web/timeline/inline-attrs.html b/light9/web/timeline/inline-attrs.html
--- a/light9/web/timeline/inline-attrs.html
+++ b/light9/web/timeline/inline-attrs.html
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 
       <div>note [[noteLabel]] <button on-click="onDel">del</button></div>
       <table>
-        <tr><th>effect:</th><td><edit-choice graph="{{graph}}" uri="{{effectStr}}"></edit-choice></td></tr>
+        <tr><th>effect:</th><td><edit-choice id="effect" graph="{{graph}}" uri="{{effectStr}}"></edit-choice></td></tr>
         <tr><th>colorScale:</th><td>
           <light9-color-picker color="{{colorScale}}"></light9-color-picker>
         </td></tr>
diff --git a/light9/web/timeline/timeline-elements.html b/light9/web/timeline/timeline-elements.html
--- a/light9/web/timeline/timeline-elements.html
+++ b/light9/web/timeline/timeline-elements.html
@@ -121,6 +121,8 @@
     <div id="rows"></div>
     <template is="dom-repeat" items="{{inlineAttrConfigs}}">
       <light9-timeline-note-inline-attrs graph="{{graph}}"
+                                         project="{{project}}"
+                                         selection="{{selection}}"
                                          song="{{song}}"
                                          config="{{item}}">
       </light9-timeline-note-inline-attrs>
diff --git a/light9/web/timeline/timeline.coffee b/light9/web/timeline/timeline.coffee
--- a/light9/web/timeline/timeline.coffee
+++ b/light9/web/timeline/timeline.coffee
@@ -36,16 +36,16 @@ class Project
     @graph.applyAndSendPatch({delQuads: [], addQuads: quads})
     return effect
 
-  makeNewNote: (effect, dropTime, desiredWidthT) ->
+  makeNewNote: (song, effect, dropTime, desiredWidthT) ->
     U = (x) => @graph.Uri(x)
-    quad = (s, p, o) => {subject: s, predicate: p, object: o, graph: @song}
+    quad = (s, p, o) => {subject: s, predicate: p, object: o, graph: song}
       
     newNote = @graph.nextNumberedResource("#{@song.value}/n")
     newCurve = @graph.nextNumberedResource("#{newNote.value}c")
     points = @graph.nextNumberedResources("#{newCurve.value}p", 4)
 
     curveQuads = [
-        quad(@song, U(':note'), newNote)
+        quad(song, U(':note'), newNote)
         quad(newNote, RDF + 'type', U(':Note'))
         quad(newNote, U(':originTime'), @graph.LiteralRoundedFloat(dropTime))
         quad(newNote, U(':effectClass'), effect)
@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ class Project
     tMax - tMin
       
   deleteNote: (song, note, selection) ->
-    patch = {delQuads: [{subject: song, predicate: graph.Uri(':note'), object: note, graph: song}], addQuads: []}
+    patch = {delQuads: [@graph.Quad(song, graph.Uri(':note'), note, song)], addQuads: []}
     @graph.applyAndSendPatch(patch)
     if note in selection.selected()
       selection.selected(_.without(selection.selected(), note))
@@ -385,7 +385,7 @@ coffeeElementSetup(class TimeZoomed exte
     desiredWidthX = @offsetWidth * .3
     desiredWidthT = @viewState.zoomInX.invert(desiredWidthX) - @viewState.zoomInX.invert(0)
     desiredWidthT = Math.min(desiredWidthT, @zoom.duration() - dropTime)
-    @project.makeNewNote(effect, dropTime, desiredWidthT)
+    @project.makeNewNote(U(@song), effect, dropTime, desiredWidthT)
 
   updateInlineAttrs: (note, config) ->
     if not config?
@@ -430,6 +430,7 @@ class Note
     log('destroy', @uri.value)
     @isDetached = true
     @clearAdjusters()
+    @parentElem.updateInlineAttrs(@uri, null)
 
   clearAdjusters: ->
     for i in Object.keys(@adjusterIds)