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Topic: Wishlist requests (Read 2453 times) previous topic - next topic

Wishlist requests

2 wishlist items, please

1) I usually use the "Extend the last system" feature, but while it's often ok, it sometimes ends up looking silly because the last system is so long with others on the line fairly cramped.  Would it be possible to scale the spacing of all the systems in the last line of music to fit the width of the page as an alternative, please?  It would look better on the page at least some of the time.

2) I struggle quite often with getting music onto a set number of pages.  As a pianist (of sorts!), I can't play and turn pages, so I often want to get the music onto two pages but to keep it as large as possible.  I usually end up doing a lot of juggling of margins, the spacing of staves and sometimes the fonts, and I usually succeed.  Sometimes, however, it just doesn't work as I want it to, with one system left onto the next page.  If there any chance of being able to scale all the systems in a piece by a percentage, so that I can achieve what I want?  I suspect in the problem cases that I have, if everything were reduced by just a few percent, it would then fit.  However, having no idea how the layout engine works, I've no idea whether this is possible or not.

Thanks,

Re: Wishlist requests

Reply #1 –
Quote from: TonyQ –
2 wishlist items, please

1) I usually use the "Extend the last system" feature, but while it's often ok, it sometimes ends up looking silly because the last system is so long with others on the line fairly cramped.  Would it be possible to scale the spacing of all the systems in the last line of music to fit the width of the page as an alternative, please?  It would look better on the page at least some of the time.
There is an existing "workaround" for this one, that you may want to try. Add an extra bar at the very end of the top staff of the system, setting its type to the desired Ending Bar appearance for that staff, and check the Force System Break checkbox. Make sure there is nothing after this bar.  Now, when you Print or Print Preview, it will properly justify the measures in the final system.

For correct appearance in the Viewer, you should change the Ending Bar for the top staff to be Open (hidden) when you use this trick.

Mike

Re: Wishlist requests

Reply #2 –
Hi Tony,

I was going to suggest forcing system breaks on the last few systems of the piece, but Mike's solution is far better (and I'm delighted to learn it).

Re fitting everything on two pages, try setting the printer to a larger paper size, but print to pdf rather than paper.  Then, when you go to print the pdf file, your pdf program should allow you to set the paper size to letter (8.5 x 11) or whatever you use (A4?), and should scale the print job to fit that size paper.

Re: Wishlist requests

Reply #3 –
Re your second point, there are a couple of things to try. One is the spacer; you get it by pressing <Insert> on your keyboard. If you place it between two objects (notes, text objects, dynamics, bars, etc., including combinations of different objects), it will supersede the program's automatic spacing in that position. Using just one will normally shrink a space, but you can use as many as you want, so you can also use them to make spaces larger. A few of these, judiciously placed, will often pull that extra measure or two back onto what you want to be the last page. The other is, of course, what Mike and David have both mentioned: the system break. That's obtained in one of two ways: either highlight the bar you want to be the last one in a system, press <alt><enter>, and check the "Force System Break" box; or place the cursor right after that bar, press the right bracket < ] >, and choose the "Force System Break" radio button at the bottom of the dialog box. That allows you to balance system lengths so the last system is full.

A little trick that's good to know in this regard is found in the Print Preview of the last couple of versions of the program. In the upper right corner, you'll find two arrows with a set of three lines between them. Those three lines are a menu button. Click on it and several choices open up, including one that says "Disable Justify" (you can also just press the F11 key; it accomplishes the same end).  This will show you which systems the program's justification loop has stretched the most; those systems will be the easiest to adjust with spacers to bring the first measure from the next system up where you want it.