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Topic: Added text -- cannot edit or remove (Read 12039 times) previous topic - next topic

Added text -- cannot edit or remove

I inserted some text (Insert>>Text).  Now I can't delete it or edit it.  I try to select it, clicking with painful exactness on the gray diamond to the left of it, but when I hit the DELETE key, nearby notes on the staff vanish but the obstinate text stays untouched.

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #1 –
H Morgan,
ummm, it sounds like you're not quite doing the right thing...  You need to highlight - click and drag across the diamond.

Personally, I don't try to use the mouse for this kind of thing, rather I position the cursor to the right or left of the diamond anchor and then, while holding the <Shift> key down <Arrow> over the anchor point (diamond).

Just a thought, to edit any object on the staff it needs to be highlighted, to delete an object position the cursor to the left and press <Del> or to the right and press <Backspace>.

For this kind of activity you don't need to be horizontally aligned with the object you want to affect, only vertically aligned.  E.G.  If you have an element (can be a note, rest, text _anything_ ) on say, the first space above the staff and your cursor is currently on the first ledger line below the staff it doesn't matter, just move the cursor horizontally to a position that lines up with the anchor and away you go.

All same as using a word processor...

I hope thats clear - seems a bit wordy - let me know if you need clarification.

Lawrie

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #2 –
Look at yesterday's 'Remove tempo marking'. It seems like the same is happening to you. It is time for another Hey Presto!

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #3 –
I did read the 'remove tempo marking' thread before I posted.  Then I spent a quarter hour trying to click the gray diamond, with maybe a 5% success rate.

Later by chance I found I can get up to a 70% success rate by clicking, not ON the gray diamond, but just beyond its right-hand point (between diamond and text).

The problem is compounded by the complete lack of feedback as to whether you've successfully selected the text:  it is always a surprise finding out WHAT will be deleted when you hit DEL.  Compare with Visio(r) where it is blazingly obvious whether you've successfully selected an object or not.

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #4 –
Hi Morgan,
if you are just clicking and not "dragging" across the object then you are not selecting it at all, you are simply positioning the cursor.

When you have successfully selected an object or set of objects on the staff it is "blazingly obvious".  The highlight is actually black and will extend from the top limit to the bottom limit of the staff.  I.E. between the blue lines that surround the active staff.

For single object selections, if the object has "preserve width" active then the highlight will cover the entire horizontal width taken up by the object.  If "preserve width" is not active then just the width of the diamond will be highlighted.

If you are simply positioning the cursor (rather than actually highlighting an object) and then pressing <Del> the the object immediately to the right of the cursors' position will be deleted.

To make things _much_ easier I highly recommend that you "lose" the mouse and use the keyboard.  When notating I use my mouse less than 1% of the time.  I suspect that most other users here would echo that.

When selecting objects the vertical position of the cursor is irrelevant.

A hint: <Ctrl-Left or Right Arrow> will move the cursor an entire bar (measure) at a time.  <Shift-Arrow> will highlight and <Ctrl-Shift-Arrow> will highlight from the current position to the next barline.

Lawrie

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #5 –
Hi again Morgan,
a light has just dawned...

Don't think Visio or Publisher etc.  Rather think notepad.  The objects are like characters on a very wide line, _not_ placeable objects like a bitmap or a jpeg image.

In notepad you don't select a character by clicking on it, you must drag across it.  And just as a double click will highlight (select) an entire word, in NWC a double click will highlight an entire bar.

Clear as mud?

Lawrie

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #6 –
Thanks.  Here is how I would tell a beginner to select a text object.

1. Mousedown OUTSIDE the gray diamond, either immediately to left or immediately to right, and VERY close to it.
2. Drag across the gray diamond but be sure not to go more than about 0.1mm beyond it.
3. Mouseup.  Check to make sure the black "selection zone" does not contain any notes, clefs, bar-lines, etc
4. Now you can delete the text; or, to modify it, rightClick>>Properties.

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #7 –
As you hinted, "lose the mouse" is an excellent plan.  Thanks to following your hints, I figured it out.  Here is how I would tell a beginner:

Left- and- right arrow keys will advance the cursor one object at a time.  Whether the object is a note, bar line, clef, key signature, or the gray "handle" of a text block, it's always one object per keystroke.    Add the shift key (Shift-Arrow) to select as you move.

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #8 –
I found your 'notepad versus visio' analogy highly enlightening.

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #9 –
Sometimes it might help to increase the zoom level on the screen, if you're trying to figure out which anchor/diamond belongs to which one of several close objects.

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #10 –
Also, of course, as was pointed out on the "Remove Tempo Marking" thread, check for layered staves, since the text may be on a staff layered with the one you think you are on.  Press F2 for each staff and uncheck the box "Allow Layering" if it is checked to reveal any layered staves on which your troublesome text may actually reside.

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #11 –
The 'Allow Layering' is an overall setting. The individual staff has a checkbox labeled 'Layer with next staff'.
Well, I'm glad the mud was clear, this time. And I do admit that it is not always easy to hit the target.
Morgan: the main thing is, you're ready for Noteworthy fun. Enjoy.

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #12 –
Hi Morgan,
glad some of the "mud stuck"...

Another thing worthy of mention is that _almost_ everything you can do in NWC is accessable from keyboard hotkeys.

These hotkeys, where appropriate/possible, are the same as normal Windows ones.  E.G. <Alt-Enter> on a selected object will take you to the properties dialogue, <Ctrl-C> will copy the selection to the clipboard and <Ctrl-V> will paste etc.  Actually, now I think about it, highlighting/selecting via <Shift-Arrow> is also a standard Windows hotkey combination.

There is a keyboard reference available under <Alt-H> <K> or | Help | Keyboard Reference | if you must use the mouse.  As per Normal Windows standards, the menu hotkeys are underscored.

If you visit here on the Scripto there is a very good command summary that will help with all things NWC - well almost - happy music making.

Lawrie

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #13 –
Clarification:

If the cursor is placed somewhere in the music, and you use the arrow to move the cursor backwards or forwards, it moves relative to the NOTATION, not to any non-notation (text) that is present.

Likewise, if you place the cursor somewhere, and hit backspace to delete what is before the cursor, it deletes the NOTATION prior to the cursor, not any non-notation (text) that may be present there.

In order to delete TEXT, you must highlight it by sweeping the cursor over its anchor, as explained above. Then, the software knows that you mean to choose the anchored object, and it can be deleted. You can also do this with notation, but you MUST do it this way, if the object is text.

In other words, selection of text and selection of notation are different.

Confirmation from someone else? Could be that I've just gotten into a habit...

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #14 –
Hi Robert A.
sorry to disagree with you but when editing I don't use the mouse at all, I select everything, notation and text alike using the arrow keys.  Deletion with <Backspace> and <Del> included.

There are a few exceptions, like selecting 64th duration which doesn't have a hot key.

I think you may have gotten into a habit...  :)

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #15 –
I used the mouse yesterday for about the third time since late 1999!  I was fixing a bad import, where I needed to add a rest to every staff in the same spot.  <Page Down> was taking me to the end of the bar.

For [abbr=64ths]hemi-demi-semis[/abbr] I just press the "-" key enough times when notes are not highlighted.

Re: Added text -- cannot edit or remove

Reply #16 –
I just press "6-"