Bar number weirdness

I’d like to report the fact that in the attached score, when I was changing some time signatures and adding/removing time using the Shift-B popover, the bar numbers did not always update correctly and there was a discrepancy between the ‘view’ bar number overlay in Galley View (which was correct) and the ‘engraved’ bar numbers in Page View (which were not), nor was the status bar read-out in Page View and the bar number that was ‘engraved’ at the start of the system the always same (sometimes one was correct and the other incorrect, sometimes both incorrect but not consistent!)

I was coming on here to attach the file and ask for somebody to look at it (assuming some kind of user error, as I’ve forced various bits of divisi and system breaks etc, not to mention the edits I’ve just been making to time signatures and beat lengths) but upon closing and reopening the file the problem was fixed and the bar numbers had all updated correctly.

I still thought this was worth reporting and, just in case it is of any use, I’ve attached the file here - although, as I say, it is now functioning correctly.

Shellard - Jesus Christ the Apple Tree rev 2.dorico (683.9 KB)

Sometimes Dorico needs to close and restart to update the screen view. I’m sure the Development Team are aware of it and just as anxious to solve the problem as the rest of us are; but since the current situation is handled relatively simply (once one is aware of it) they are likely spending most of their time on more pressing things the software cannot yet do.

Nicholas, if you’re able to pin down the specific edit that seems to trigger a discrepancy in the bar numbers, do let us know. I’m not aware of any specific bugs in this area, but I can certainly believe that there are some subtle transitory problems.

Thanks, Daniel. I think I have a reproducible case here.

In the file that I have uploaded here, at bar 15 change the 6/8 time signature to 4/4 using the popover. The first bar of page 4 will update its display to 18, even though it should still be bar 19. I’m finding that Undo/Redo on the time signature change will cause the bar number at the start of page 4 to fluctuate as the time signature changes back and forth.

I hope this makes sense and is useful.

This is expected behaviour. Your ‘new’ 4/4 bar is treated as a pick-up bar, since it has only 3 beats, and pick-up bars are not numbered.
(There are numerous threads on this behaviour)

Try and use a global insert mode on when you create your 4/4 time signature.

Thanks for this. I have read threads about this, but for some reason didn’t equate them to this scenario.

I also don’t think that this is totally correct behaviour and would like to add some additional context here.

What you’ve said (of course) makes sense so far, but I continue as follows:

Having changed 6/8 to 4/4, I then go to add in the additional time to make the 4/4 bar ‘correct’ (by using the Shift-B popover and typing “+2e” where I want the additional time to go within the bar). The bar number doesn’t update correctly, so clearly that bar isn’t being counted as a normal bar yet. But when I close and reopen the document, that bar is counted correctly as a full bar and the bar numbers are all correct again.

In fact, yesterday when this behaviour first crept up on me I was changing 4/4 time signatures to 6/8 and deleting time to ‘line up’ the notes correctly with the bar-lines - I just found today that the same procedure in reverse caused the same effect.

I have to say that I’m not sure this is especially desirable behaviour, as it genuinely confused me for about 20 minutes yesterday, and (whilst I know that I can use global Insert mode to change time signatures and time in the piece), I believed that changing the time signature and then adding (or subtracting) the relevant time using the Shift-B popover was a legitimate way of using the software.

As @MarcLarcher says, use the insert mode when you change the time signature. This should always create complete bars.

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