This topic appeared many years ago at https://forum.noteworthycomposer.com/?topic=860.msg4101#msg4101. A note there suggests starting a new topic.
Is it possible to add a left bar line when you have only a single staff? The discussion referenced above says that an open staff (no bar line at the left) is standard with single staffs. But, visually, it would look nicer to have a bar line at the left. Is this possible with v. 2.75a?
If not, please consider this post an updated wish-list item. Thank you.
Simply start the staff with a single barline.
In case you have multiple layered staves that make up your single visible staff, you must add a bar at the beginning of each staff, otherwise the distance computation will not place some leading items (clefs etc.) at the same position.
NB: When the staff is broken for printing into multiple systems, a single bar will be present also on all following systems. But this is a special behaviour that works only for a single barline - putting e.g. a double barline as first item on the single staff will not repeat it on following systems.
But what do you do when you want a single barline only on the first system? (I would know no good reason for that, but what do I know ...): You add an invisible grace rest before the single barline. By this, the staff no longer starts with a single barline, and the special behaviour copying the barline to all systems does not fire.
H.M.
Very easy. Thank you.