When creating multi‑line system text in Dorico, I’d like the height of the associated system text frame—visible or hidden—to be taken into account by the system’s vertical spacing.
At present, I have to reposition the system in Engrave mode, but when the system text’s frame (visible or not) is very tall, this becomes unwieldy. I realise some will say the correct workflow is to add a text frame on a specific page in Engrave mode and put the multi‑line text there; however, when flows are re‑ordered, or when the number of bars increases without changing flows, this quickly leads to chaos and misalignment, as described in this Steinberg forum thread.
Is there a built‑in way to make system height reflect the full height of multi‑line system text, or should this be a feature request so that such text (or its bounding frame) participates in vertical spacing automatically?
I’m not sure I understand – can you be a little more specific? System text and text frames are different things, so I’m not sure which you’re referring to.
When I add system text, Dorico does take it into account for system spacing.
It’s true that Dorico does not take system text into account for spacing on the top system on a page, but that’s true for all objects on the top system (tempos, rehearsal marks, etc.)
For 1a, Dorico does not take objects above the top staff on a page into account for spacing relative to the music frame.
For the others, it may be that your very long text block brings up a circular logic issue which has been discussed before and which can cause Dorico not to space things correctly.
If you need to make space above the top system, make a custom page template for the purpose. Then, if the music changes you can restore the normal template or move the custom template to a new page if needed.
This is the usual workaround I always use. However, when I need to insert new flows or add musical notes in the middle of the project, it becomes chaotic. If I insert additional pages, the page templates on specific pages are shifted and end up colliding, and I cannot align them correctly.
To avoid this chaotic situation, I have therefore moved all text from text frames into system text.
The project contains more than 30 flows across over 120 pages, with four templates used per flow. In total, the score appears to run to more than 300 pages, and the order of flows will often change.
Therefore, the recommended method is inefficient, and I would like to request a change in Dorico’s behaviour.
I would only use the custom page template to create more space above the top system. The text would of course be system text attached to the music as you say.
