Hi,
Is there a way to create “SYSTEM BREAK” in Write mode?
I know in Engrave mode “SYSTEM BREAK” can be inserted by typing Shift-S, but this key sequence doesn’t work in Write mode.
I’m afraid not. The reason for this is a little technical (a system break is technically only created with reference to a specific music frame within a specific chain of music frames, which you can only address in Engrave mode).
I under your reason…
Why I ask… because I’m entering music from printed scores and I format Dorico to display in exactly the same layout (i.e. no. of bars in each staff line) as the printed score so that I can type in easily without missing any notes. This requires me to create SYSTEM BREAK for each line of music, which is why I ask for this feature. Or is there any feature in Write mode that can allow me to do this change in layout without invoking the Engrave mode?
Anyway, the SYSTEM BREAK symbol can be seen in Write mode and it can also be deleted in Write mode (this is a very good feature! Pls keep it.). It just can’t be created in Write mode.
BTW, after typing in music into Dorico for more than 2 weeks, I find that entering music in Dorico is much faster than in Sibelius!
You could set up the score layout of a whole page in engrave mode first and after that start with the music copying in write mode, that is how I do it.
Another issue I found with SYSTEM BREAK is that when I select the whole bar that has the SYSTEM BREAK (i.e. it must be the first bar on the staff line), the SYSTEM BREAK object is always selected along the way. If I paste it elsewhere, the SYSTEM BREAK is also pasted there, this is not desired. Is there a way to just select everything in this first bar without the SYSTEM BREAK object? It is quite natural that when a bar is selected for copying, everything should be copied but the SYSTEM BREAK.
(of course the present behaviour is not a showstopper since I can paste and simply delete the SYSTEM BREAK. I’m just thinking that this part could be improved to make work flow more streamline.)
Signposts are only selected when they are visible. If you exclude System Breaks (and/or Frame Breaks) in View>Signposts, this won’ happen anymore.
Is this still not available?
Given that they list the feature “SYSTEM BREAKS” as available in Elements, it should be available outside of engraving mode?
Welcome to the forum. You’re replying to a very old thread, before Elements even existed.
The current Dorico manual clearly spells out this functionality.
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I’m amazed at how many old threads are being resurrected here, especially recently. Clearly the search functionality is on a whole’nother level, lol. It has tripped me up a few times too.
This is also what makes the classic line, “I searched, but couldn’t find anything” all the funnier on this new platform. (I’m going to call your bluff, lol.)
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I just recorded a 1-step macro (Add System Break) in Engrave Mode, switched to Write Mode, selected a barline, ran the macro, and it works. No mode switching occurs.
I have excitedly tried to speed-read several threads to see whether I am repeating what others have said, and I didn’t find it.
I went to ~/Library/Application Support/Steinberg/Dorico 3.5/Script Plug-ins/ and renamed “usermacro.lua” to “SystemBreak.lua” (while Dorico was running) and, sure enough, the name of my macro in the Script menu updated. This is all very exciting. Now I just have to find out how to give it a keyboard shortcut. (Although, since it’s the only macro I have so far, ⌥⇧⌘R already works.)
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I know this is a very old thread but I found this advice to be helpful. I write a lot of exercises which are from 2-4 bars, and always want a system break between them for various reasons. Switching back and forth into engrave mode is a bit tedious, so I tried your script “hack” and it works. I took it another level and used Keyboard Maestro to trigger ⌥⇧⌘R with the same hotkey as ‘shift+S’, so in other words when I’m in write mode I can use shift+S and it adds a system break immediately without an issue. Fortunately this does not seem to create any issues inside Engrave mode either, as hitting shift+S still creates a system break and nothing funny occurs.
If you’re just casting off, you could create one system break in Engrave Mode and then, in Write Mode, just copy it to all the necessary places, either by selecting the break and using Cmd/Ctrl-C and then Cmd/Ctrl-V, or by Opt./Alt-clicking. There’s no further need to switch between modes.
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As Frame break with Shift-F! Unfortunately in Write mode is “Fingering”! You cannot imagine how many frame break I have added unintentionally! 
I confess: this is one of the strictures between engrave and write mode that I genuinely wish could be eased. In general, I understand the bifurcation of the two modes, and I don’t have any issue with it. But the fact remains that sometimes you just need to shift measures around, even while entering the music in (to help make it more legible, to make it easier to copy a source score, and on and on). I’ve long had a stream deck macro to switch modes, add a system break, and switch back for this very reason. I would be very happy to see a native solution like a jump bar command.
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