Skip to main content ↑ ↓
Topic: odd behavior of a forced system break (Read 2840 times) previous topic - next topic

odd behavior of a forced system break

For Eric, and everybody:

I've been wrestling with a blatant problem in a printout that was caused by an obscure problem in a different location in the score. Thought I should pass it on in case others run into a similar situation, and also because I think it's amenable to a sofware fix that might be a good idea to implement in future versions of NWC.

The printout problem was extremely odd behavior of a forced system break; placing a break in one location created a second, phantom break a measure earlier, making the measure directly before the break I had created appear on an orphan system all by itself. The cause was an extra barline that had crept into one of the lower staves of the score. Forced system breaks are apparently determined by bar count, rather than beat count, from the beginning of the system; the same bar count was at two different places in the system, so NWC obediently broke it in both places. Removing the extra barline solved the problem.

Natural system breaks aren't affected by extra barlines, leading me to believe that they are determined by beat count rather than bar count. Whether or not that's accurate, my suggestion to Eric - FWIW - would be to change the forced breaks so they are determined the same way the natural breaks are. In the meantime, I'll be watching the bar count across each system with a lot more care than I did before.

Cheers to all,

Bill
 

Re: odd behavior of a forced system break

Reply #1 –
There is generally a reason why things work the way they do in this area. An actual example is generally a prerequisite to further discussion.

Update: By the way,  lower staff alignment/truncation is all done the same way, whether via forced breaks or natural breaks.

Re: odd behavior of a forced system break

Reply #2 –
Quote from: NoteWorthy Online –
An actual example is generally a prerequisite to further discussion.
Agree. IMO, this could be handled better:
Code: (nwc) [Select · Download]
!NoteWorthyComposer(2.75)
|AddStaff|Name:"Staff"
|StaffProperties|EndingBar:Open (hidden)|WithNextStaff:ConnectBars
|RestMultiBar|NumBars:8|PrintOnce:N|WhenHidden:ShowBars,ShowRests|Visibility:Always
|Bar
|Rest|Dur:Half
|Bar|SysBreak:Y
|Rest|Dur:Half
|Bar
|RestMultiBar|NumBars:8|PrintOnce:N|WhenHidden:ShowBars,ShowRests|Visibility:Always
|Bar
|AddStaff|Name:"Staff-2"
|StaffProperties|EndingBar:Open (hidden)
|RestMultiBar|NumBars:8|PrintOnce:N|WhenHidden:ShowBars,ShowRests
|Bar
|Rest|Dur:Half
|Rest|Dur:Half
|Bar
|RestMultiBar|NumBars:8|PrintOnce:N|WhenHidden:ShowBars,ShowRests
|Bar
!NoteWorthyComposer-End
Registered user since 1996

Re: odd behavior of a forced system break

Reply #3 –
I'll send you the file via pm, Eric. The problem comes almost 300 measures into a piece I'm trying to prepare for performance, and I don't want to either interrupt that preparation to try to make a shorter example OR to post the whole thing in the forum.

EDIT: No, I guess I won't. I don't see a way to attach a file to a message, and pasting it in as nwctxt exceeds the allowed message size. Gotta get back to pulling parts for the trio I'm working with - will try to get something to you later.

Re: odd behavior of a forced system break

Reply #4 –
Bill, just send an e-mail...

Rick's example is an opportunity to explain what happens when bar line structure does not align.

When the top staff initiates a system break at an isolated bar line (which has no matching bar in a lower staff), the break cannot be satisfied in the lower staff. This causes the first system break to move backwards to the nearest earlier bar that can be satisfied in the lower staff. Once the second system starts, the lower staff can no longer satisfy the requested bar line structure, so it literally drops out of the printing process.