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Messages - Mike Shawaluk

251
General Discussion / Re: Uninstall nwc 1
I doubt you would need to go back to it, if version 2,75 is working well for you. But I also doubt that you will gain much space by uninstalling it. What you need to be trimming are all those cat videos.
252
User Tools / Re: AddRestMeasures
Maybe just a single question whether to include hidden staves. Is there a way for a user tool to have a parameter passed in on the command line, so that the tool won't prompt for it when it is run? That would allow people to customize it so it doesn't ask questions that they will always answer the same.
253
General Discussion / Re: Auto-Fill Empty Measures?
If you know how many measures you need, you can insert a single Multimeasure Rest (MMR) and indicate how many measures you want it to span. If you don't get the number exactly right, you can edit the properties to increase or decrease the number of measures.
255
General Discussion / Re: 10000
Quote from: Rick G. –
The old NoteWorthy installation CD's have archives of the old forums.
Thanks! I didn't realize this (or if I did know it once, I had forgotten).  I dug out my NWC 1.75b CD, and sure enough, in folder \PROGRAMS\NWCFORUM are the files NWCForum.cnt and NWCForum.hlp.  So I copied the files to my hard drive and double-clicked the 8.3MB .hlp file... which redirected me to a Microsoft web page to tell me that Windows 10 no longer supports .hlp files, and if I have Windows 8.1 or older, I could install WINHLP32.exe.

But I don't give up so easy. I eventually found a version of WINHLP32 that will install on Windows 10, although it has that quaint Windows 95 look and feel. It seems odd to browse forums as though they are a help file, but I applaud NWC for actually trying to preserve this information.

I subsequently read that Microsoft had removed support for .hlp files because of security concerns, so I don't know if I will keep using this program. I did discover that it's possible to convert a .hlp file to a .chm file (aka HTMLHelp), which is apparently more secure, and more importantly, still supported in Windows 10.  However, the process looks a bit complicated, and I'm not planning to do it.
256
General Discussion / Re: 10000
Given how dramatically things have changed in the last 50 years, I can't imagine what they'd be like in another 200. We'll all have wireless transceivers installed in our skulls at birth (with an optional MIDI equivalent add-in when we are old enough to appreciate music). We won't need to use quaint keyboards to exchange messages with each other.
257
Object Plugins / Re: NonFlowBar.hmm (0.1)
When I reviewed the code before, I noticed that you were using a fixed width for the object.  It's possible to use the "width" hook to return the actual width, since nwcdraw.barSegment() returns the width of the bars drawn.

Edit: although that might be a bit tricky, now that I have experimented a bit.  During the "width" hook, you can't perform the nwcdraw.barSegment function, so there doesn't seem to be a way to return the width of the selected bar-line, outside of pre-calculating the widths and storing them in a static table.
258
General Discussion / Re: grace note slurring problem
I think the problem he's having is that the slur won't end on the 2nd grace note, because of the way slurs behave in NWC. That is, a slur which starts on a regular note must end on a regular note; a slur that starts on a grace note must end on a grace note.

The solution is to use the Slur.ms object:

Code: (nwc) [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.751,Single)
|User|Slur.ms|Pos:-6|Span:3
|Note|Dur:4th|Pos:-5
|Note|Dur:16th,Grace|Pos:-4|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:16th,Grace|Pos:-5|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
|Note|Dur:16th,Slur|Pos:-6|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=First
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:-7|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:16th,Slur|Pos:-8|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam
|Note|Dur:16th|Pos:-7|Opts:Stem=Up,Beam=End
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End
259
General Discussion / Re: Help! I am an illiterate in GuitarChords.ms!
I did send a private reply to @Raffaele, at the same time that he posted his public message.  They were along the lines of your instructions, except that I didn't include instructions on installing the GuitarChord.ms object, since it is bundled as part of the NWC installation process, so it would only be missing if he were to intentionally remove it. But thanks for the additional notes; I can never tell when I am assuming too much prior knowledge.
260
General Discussion / Re: Repeat all
Quote from: hmmueller –
For the time being, we could provide a decorative bar object - see my start to write such a thingy in the attachment. Together with Rick's "behind the scenes control flow", this could be helpful in some cases ...

H.M.
I've experimented with the preliminary object a bit, and I have a couple observations:
  • The object doesn't seem to render the broken (dashed) bar lines. This does not appear to be the fault of the object's code, but rather the plugin API function that is used for drawing bar lines.
  • I notice that there is logic for extending the bar lines when a staff has "connect bar lines" specified. However, the current logic is incorrect; the staff setting controls whether bar lines should be connected to the following staff, and the current code connects both upward and downward. In order to know whether a bar line should be extended upward, you would need to examine the "connect bar lines" setting for the prior staff. I'm not sure how to do this, except perhaps to employ a global variable (which sounds a bit dodgy to me). Alternately, a "connect to previous" property could be added
Aside from these issues, this looks like a promising approach.
261
General Discussion / Re: Repeat all
Quote from: Lawrie Pardy –
I recall someone (I think RickG) also asking that double barlines NOT terminate n-time bars.  I think this would be more useful if it could be done with a flag of some kind, say as a barline property, that optionally prevented this behaviour.

There was this post I made a few years back, that suggested adding a new property for bars to disable their flow behavior. This would also allow a "decorative" repeat bar line. It seems to me that a new property that allowed any bar line type to behave like a single bar line would not be too difficult to implement.
262
General Discussion / Re: Repeat all
This is my general opinion about NWC's method of controlling flow. In short, except for simple and straight-forward cases, I've never been able to get the hang of flow control. Rick and others have demonstrated that you can achieve almost any conceivable flow (and even some inconceivable ones) by just using special endings and repeats.  One would think that using actual "DC al Fine" or similar directives would be part of these solutions, but for some reason, they have other behaviors or side effects, so it's easier to just use special endings for everything.  But that doesn't give easily readable music, as Flurmy points out.

I've been told that a way to visualize things is to think of the special endings as "if/then/else" and repeats as loops or "goto" statements. In other words, think of them a programming statements. It's funny to me that I have been able to create user tools and plugins, but that NWC's flow control directives still baffle me.
263
General Discussion / Re: Best wishes to all here
Quote from: Flurmy –
I hear all the other countries, even the overoptimistics like Trump was, speak of months.
The Italian government talks of a couple of weeks... each time.
Our archdiocese (southeastern Wisconsin) did things in stages.  On March 12, they gave dispensation for attending mass through March 29. Then on March 18, they cancelled all masses through April 3. Then, on March 24, they announced that the cancellation would include all masses through Easter, and there was no longer an end date, it was "until further notice."  But recently I heard some positive news, that they are preparing to open the churches again by May 3. I guess we will have to wait and see if that actually happens.
264
General Discussion / Re: Best wishes to all here
There was a joke email going around, that showed a picture taken in a grocery store of a refrigerated bunker that was stripped completely empty, except for one small section that was almost fully stocked. That section contained vegan/vegetarian items.  (The store was supposed to be somewhere in Texas).  It turns out that the image was actually from a different disaster, hurricane season last year.  And someone was recycling the joke.

(For me this would actually be a nice find, since I happen to be vegetarian...)
265
General Discussion / Best wishes to all here
It has only been mentioned briefly in one thread that I have seen, but I wanted to offer my thoughts and prayers for all of the forum members, especially those in areas especially hard-hit by COVID-19. So far, I've experienced a number of inconveniences (closed businesses, cancelled church services, and a few minor shortages such as toilet paper).  But I need to remind myself that I am still healthy, and things are much worse elsewhere. At this point there isn't much to do but hunker down and weather the coming storm.

I hope everyone who is reading this is doing well. If you are able, please share a few words with the rest of us so we will know how you are doing.

Best,

Mike
267
General Discussion / Re: Possible bug with Wing Dings font?
I wanted to add a general note here, that recent full installers for NWC (version 2.75a.2 at least) have the latest versions of Lawrie's fonts built-in.  I'm not certain whether the upgrade installers for NWC will also upgrade these fonts, but if you ran the full installer, you shouldn't need to use the tools that Lawrie is referring to.
268
General Discussion / Re: Possible bug with Wing Dings font?
Quote from: melismata –
But I AM using the "built in" marcato, Mike!  But with the Dings font as the default font, the in built marcato font shows this anomaly.  Essentially, why should something work differently when used on adjacent notes with the stems in opposite direction?  (BTW I am running that latest version of NWC 2.75a.2 but not the more recent beta version)
I told you it was a stupid question :)

And I see from @hmmueller's reply that the marcato should work with either stem direction. So I'm not sure what is causing the boxes around your notes. Can you post a score that is doing this?
269
General Discussion / Re: Possible bug with Wing Dings font?
So, if I might ask a (potentially) stupid question: why are you using the Dings font for drawing a marcato symbol? (As opposed to just using the built-in marcato.)  Are you running an older version of NWC that doesn't have marcato?
270
General Discussion / Re: How can I notate a gliss for a harp?
Quote from: RebeccaETripp –
Also, is there a way to connect notes in a staff?  For instance, the right and left hand each have notes that are part of one chord?  Thanks in advance!  :D
I forgot to address your second question.  If you have chords for the right and left hand that you want to show as a single cross staff chord, the easiest way to do this would be to lengthen the stems of the appropriate chord in the upper or lower staff (which one you lengthen depends on the stem directions).  If the note durations are half or quarter, you only need to extend the stems until they reach the closest notehead. If the notes are shorter duration, then you will want to extend them until the flags are aligned with the ones on the other staff.  Effective with version 2.75 of NWC, you can easily adjust the stem length by highlighting a note/chord and pressing Alt+up arrow or down arrow.
271
General Discussion / Re: NWC on Facebook
It's nice to see that contrary to replacing the forums with Facebook, that this post is actually driving traffic from FB to this forum, by posting the link to the ukulele plugin forum post.
272
General Discussion / Re: How can I notate a gliss for a harp?
This can be done using the Glissando.ms object. Although NWC doesn't have support for cross-staff notes, you can apply an offset to the right end point so that it will "connect" to a note on another staff. See the attached example score.

The first measure is a visual-only version, which uses regular notes on each staff.  The second measure will actually play, because there is a hidden note in the lower staff that has the same chromatic position as the note in the upper staff.  I used "black keys" playback, but it doesn't sound quite right because of the starting/ending notes. 

Let me know if you have any questions about the Glissando.ms object.
274
Object Plugins / Re: Tempo.ms (version 2.0)
The forum stats tell me that the new version has been downloaded 11 times, so some people will have seen it by now. But I haven't seen any comments about it, which I suppose fits the saying "no news is good news".  I am mainly interested to know if my modifications were as backward compatible as intended (i.e. that previous scores with Tempo.ms still look correct). But it would also be nice to hear if I got the new features right.

Thanks,
Mike
275
Object Plugins / Re: Tempo.ms (version 2.0)
The Tempo.ms object has been significantly updated, and now includes a number of new parameters to implement swing tempo equation display.  The new parameters were added with backward compatibility in mind, so that scores which used the old Tempo.ms object should work the same as before.  The following changes of behavior have been made for the new version:
  • The "spin" keys (+/-) now control the scale factor, and the numeric keypad keys can be used to toggle the other parameter values. Refer to the context sensitive help for more information.
  • The logic which controls the presence of ( ) now works with both the standard tempo as well as the swing tempo equation. Refer to the context sensitive help for more information.
  • If the tempo value is set to a blank string, the standard tempo will be suppressed. This makes the most sense if the user wishes to only display a swing tempo equation.
  • The position of the augmentation dot on standard tempos has been tweaked slightly for better appearance.
  • When a new Tempo.ms is inserted in the score, it will inherit the parameter settings of the preceding object in the score, if one is present.
Please let me know if you encounter any issues with the new object version.
276
General Discussion / Re: reinstalling NWC
If you still have your authenticity ID from your original purchase, you can purchase an upgrade to 2.75 by going to this page. The cost is USD15.00, and you would get an electronic version that will install version 2.75 directly.  For an extra 10.00 you can have a backup CD shipped to you, although I don't know if there is an extra charge to ship overseas. However, I think CDs are going the way of the dinosaur these days, and I would just keep a backup copy of the original installer handy.

There may be other options if you contact support.
277
Object Plugins / Re: TempoEquation.ms 0.2
The object has been modified to render just single-note equations, and to support centering about the =. The parameter values have changed, so please remove and recreate any instances of this object in your scores.
278
Object Plugins / Re: TempoEquation.ms 0.1
Thanks Bill. The new version of the object will support these two alignments, assuming the object is placed immediately before the barline. And since you have checked in, do you have a preference for the left/right arrows? (i.e. should I include an option to display them?)  I assume they would make the most sense for the centered alignment (i.e. current practice).

Also, the object calls them "left" and "right", not "old" and "new", so it should be clear which ones are being chosen, regardless of the vintage of the score.
279
User Tools / Re: Updating User tools
I agree with Lawrie. There are a number of objects that I've created that not all NWC users would want or need. For example, banjo  chords.

On the other hand, my UserPlugins folder has 49 objects in it (most of them functional) and I don't notice any significant delay when I start up NWC. However, if NWC had to "phone home" every time it started, to see if any of those had been updated, that could take a while.  There is also the issue that at least on my system, many of the local objects are not present in the Object Plugin forum; they are experiments of one kind or another that are not ready for prime time (and may never be).
281
Object Plugins / Re: TempoEquation.ms 0.1
To answer a few questions and give a status update, here is what I've decided to do. (Please note that some of these decisions are changes from what I originally planned to do, based on the comments I have gotten.)

  • Contrary to the first version, the TempoEquation.ms object will now only handle the single note equations. There will be two alignment options: Left justify and center on '=', and the alignment will be specified by a parameter.  I am considering an additional option to add the forward/backward arrows, but so far no one has said they really want these.  I am likewise not planning to implement brackets/parens around single note equations, since the examples I have seen with these characters are all of the double-note variety.
  • The double note equations (e.g. "swing" rhythm) are being added to the Tempo.ms object, via new parameters and behaviors that will be backward compatible. This will permit Tempo.ms to display all of the swing rhythm examples that David posted, including brackets. There won't be any centering of equations over the '=', since none of the examples of double note equations that I've seen have done this.

Let me know if this sounds workable. I should have an updated TempoEquation.ms (single notes only) shortly, pending the addition of the forward/backward arrows.
282
Object Plugins / Re: TempoEquation.ms 0.1
Those are actually very helpful. They suggest a further set of changes/enhancements:
  • Add a "text" parameter, which would precede the equation. If that text is non-blank, then put parens around the equation, as is currently done for the Tempo function (and Tempo.ms)
  • Potentially, merge this functionality with the existing Tempo.ms object, but only for the double note (swing) versions. And let TempoEquation.ms just handle the single note equations, including the centering on the barline around the '='.
Do either of the above make sense?
283
Object Plugins / Re: TempoEquation.ms 0.1
Hi Lawrie - thanks for the vote of confidence :)

Regarding the NWC placement options: those are present for native items, like text, dynamics, etc., but unfortunately not for user objects. To implement those alignment options would take quite a bit of extra code.

Actually, while thinking about this, I came up with an idea that I think might work. In the examples I have seen in BB, the single note equations are centered on the '=' over the next bar, while the double note (swing rhythm) equations are rendered inline. Do you think that would make sense? Or, I could add a parameter to specify the alignment for either type. (Although to be honest, the single note equations would be easier to center than the double note ones.)
284
General Discussion / Re: File and Project Organization
There is a sample score named PageTxtMaestro.nwc, which has been a useful example to refer to when I've wanted to use these objects. I assume you are aware that there is help documentation on the Properties screen, specifically for PageTxt.nw. You click the '?' in the title bar, and then click on one of the available fields, and it gives more details on how that field is used. The help info for the "Text" field lists the various special variables, including %Title%, %Author%. etc.
285
Object Plugins / Re: TempoEquation.ms 0.1
Thanks for the kind words, and you're very welcome.

I just looked up tempo equations in Behind Bars, and they don't show brackets (parentheses) around them; they only show the parens for a numeric tempo marker that is not preceded/followed by text (the same as NWC's tempo marker).  Still, it would not be difficult to include an option for this, if there is a need for it.  However, BB also shows optional arrows on either side of the equation, which I could theoretically add. They also suggest centering the "=" on the barline, which I haven't done yet, but should probably do.
286
Object Plugins / TempoEquation.ms 0.2
This is a tempo equation object, as discussed in this thread.  It has been modified to handle just single-note equations. The built-in help describes the various parameters.

To get started, paste this clip into NWC 2.75a or later, and go to Tools > Manage Objects... to install the plugin:

Code: (nwc) [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposerClip(2.751,Single)
|Clef|Type:Treble
|TimeSig|Signature:4/4
|User|TempoEquation.ms|Pos:9.5|Right:"Eighth Dotted"
|Bar
|Rest|Dur:Whole
|User|TempoEquation.ms|Pos:9.5|Left:"Eighth Dotted"|Center:N
|Bar
|Rest|Dur:Whole
!NoteWorthyComposerClip-End

As discussed in the aforementioned thread, the double-note equations (used for swing rhythms) are now part of the Tempo.ms object, which is described here.

I've included a few editing bells and whistles that I found useful while developing this. Besides the normal "spin" keys of + and - (which increase/decrease the scale factor), you can using the numeric keypad to toggle the various parameters:

1, 7 - toggle through left side values
3, 9 - toggle through right side values
0 - toggle "center on =" option
Z - set all parameters back to their default values (scale = 100%, quarter notes on each side, center on =)

Please let me know how you like this, and if there are any problems or additional features that I may have missed.
287
General Discussion / Re: Text Chords
Use the ChordPlay.nw object. Put the cursor where you want the chord, press J, and choose ChordPlay.nw from the list.

And they will automatically transpose when you use the Transpose Staff tool.
289
Object Plugins / Re: Trill.ms (2.1)
At present, the object will always print the 'tr' symbol, although the wavy line can be suppressed (for one-note trills).  If you do not require playback, you can insert a text object with "~" (wavy) or "-" (jagged) characters, using the StaffSymbols font.
290
General Discussion / Re: Producing a "jazzy" feel
Just so nobody thinks I have lost interest in this project, I've been doing some coding to create the  necessary notes. It is a lot putzier (is that a word?) than I thought it would be... each part of the note (head, stem, flag, dot) has to be "printed" on the staff, with various cursor moves to get them correctly positioned relative to each other. But the good news is that I have all of the single notes figured out, so now I can move on to the double notes, with their beams and triplet brackets.

I should have a "test" object soon that people can look at and suggest various improvements that will cause me to go back to the drawing board and start over (j/k)
291
General Discussion / Re: Producing a "jazzy" feel
A few random thoughts as I begin prototyping this.

As I stated previously, I wanted to use only characters from Staff Symbols font for this object, so the user doesn't have to install extra fonts to get this to work. But it should also work with alternate staff fonts such as NWC2SwingDings.

That said, I did an inventory of the available characters, and I noticed that there are cue-sized half, quarter and eighth notes available, with upward stems. These would be sufficient for creating the two-note "swing" equations (augmented with a few lines and other text for beams and triplet brackets), but they won't be sufficient for the single-note equations, since those would potentially need a whole note. Also, the noteheads on the fully formed cue notes are a little different than the regular noteheads in the fonts that I have checked, specifically the quarter note.  It leads me to the conclusion that if I want the most flexibility, I will probably want to construct each note from the individual components (head, stem, flag or beam). I would need to do this for the augmentation dot and triplet bracket anyway.

At this point, I can see how to display the various note types, but I am trying to come up with a way to encode things so it will be easy to tweak the relative positions of the various notes, lines and text. That is, I don't want to "brute force" the positions. But this is just a programming thing, that shouldn't take too long to figure out. My fellow software developers will know what I mean here.

There is one final thing that I would appreciate your feedback on. I've noticed that when NWC (and other programs) draw a triplet bracket over the stem side of unbeamed eighth notes, the ending bracket is lined up with the stem of the note. I realize that this is per Behind Bars, but it always looks off center to me, because the flag on the final eighth note extends to the right of the bracket.  In searching online, I have seen some scores whose triplet brackets extend a bit to the right when the final note of the triplet has a flag. But I can't find any references that say this is acceptable practice.  Since I will be drawing the brackets manually in my code, I can make this adjustment if I want. Opinions would be appreciated.
292
General Discussion / Re: Producing a "jazzy" feel
Okay, so I did a little research, and made a few discoveries, which I will share here. They can be the beginnings of a "specification" for the new object.

The first thing I discovered is the name for these things, which is "tempo equation". There are a bunch of different forms for them, beyond the "jazzy feel" versions that we are talking about. Basically, the more common forms are the ones with single notes on each side of the equation, versus double notes. The single note versions seem to be used as an alternate way of expressing tempo changes, while the double note versions are for "swing feel", with different options for the right side of the equation, such as triplets and various dotted combinations.

And I will state upfront that I wasn't planning for this to handle the playback part, at least not initially. As @hmmueller said above, that would have to be a user tool, not a user object. I've read some of the other threads which discuss the technique of having a tempo track with rests and multiple tempo changes to create the playback effect (which is a kind of neat idea). But I think that the ornament part is what should be tackled first.

So, a few questions.  Do we want the tool to handle both of the equation types? (Single vs. double notes)  Or maybe have one tool for the single note types, and another for the double note types? Since each type of equation has different options.  One problem that comes to mind is how to represent the settings for the object, since I don't think it will be easy (or possible) to show graphical images in the parameters dialog. So we'll need some sort of nomenclature to describe the various types. I would see a drop down menu containing the various types.

There will be an ability to place the equation vertically on the staff, and I would include a scale factor so that it can be made larger or smaller as needed. I would try to use the Staff Cue Symbols for all notes and rests, so that people using swing fonts will see things the way they like them.

Let me know if I have missed anything important.
293
General Discussion / Re: Producing a "jazzy" feel
Of course, no thread is complete without Mike saying "it can be done with a user object" :) . This approach would have the advantage of not disrupting the surrounding notes, and achieving any spacing desired (presuming the code allows for that).

Since there hasn't been much activity lately on beta versions, I would be willing to create an object for this, if there is interest in that approach.
296
General Discussion / Re: Installing on new computer
I use a free program called Xodo PDF Reader & Annotator on my Surface Pro tablet, which has a stylus. It has very nice annotation features, including automatic recognition of the stylus for marking up PDFs. I use it for choir music (much of which is NWC scores). You can check it out at https://www.xodo.com.
297
Object Plugins / Re: Rehearsal.og
Bart,

You don't want to manually create a user tool entry for Opagust's plugin. Once the plugin is installed, it will automatically add a user tool named "Rehearsal.og: Create a rehearsal score" in the .Plugins group in the User Tools window.  That is the one you want to run.
298
General Discussion / Re: Layering Keyboard Shortcut
Quote from: SEBC –
Yes, I do use the toggle switch and this is a good feature to have but I find I’m using keyboard shortcuts more these days. It’s quicker and more comfortable. I’ve discovered the Alt V A Shortcut and am learning to use it.

What would really be useful is a shortcut for open Book icon where you set up margins and fonts, etc.
If you are willing to use a 2-key shortcut with the Alt key, there's a shortcut for everything. For Page Setup (the book icon) you would type Alt-F, G.  You will notice that opening Page Setup "remembers" whatever tab you were on last, which is probably a feature rather than a bug.

If you would like to have single key shortcuts for these or other functions, it's possible to add them using a program like AutoHotkey. Or, if you have a fancy keyboard that allows custom key macros, you could assign the proper codes to one of your unused keys to make it do what you want. If you are interested in pursuing this option, message me privately and I can walk you through the steps (since the people reading this thread are probably getting bored on this topic).
299
General Discussion / Re: marking an introduction using a song phrase/clip
Maybe he means the two L-shaped marks that you often see over the piano part in certain accompaniments. I see these especially in our church music. They indicate which measures the pianist should play as a lead-in to the song. Perhaps there are Boxmarks characters for this?
300
Object Plugins / Re: CueHeads.ms (1.0)
Regarding different stem lengths on split stem chords, in the past I had considered creating a custom object that would allow different stem lengths on the chord which follows it. To use it, you would set the stem length of your split stem chord to 0, and the object would draw in the two stems, based on parameters. If the object detected CueHeads.ms and encountered a blank space notehead, it could also render the note's stem accordingly, including drawing the correct flags for eighth notes and shorter durations.  This might be useful for situations where there are only a few notes that require differing stem lengths, and the overhead of creating and managing another layer was undesirable.

Let me know if this is something that you think people might find useful.