This seems like it might be a bug.
I started a new project using a solo violin+piano template, and changed the piano to harpsichord.
Then I unticked the violin from the first flow so it was harpsichord only. I duplicated that flow and had another one with harpsichord only
Then I duplicated that flow and wanted to add the violin back in on the third flow, but the player was no longer there. The layout for the violin still existed.
Yes, I know, the poor player probably got bored and snuck off to the pub!
But seriously, I would have expected the player not to disappear in those circumstances, is that a bug or me just doing daft things that you’re not supposed to do?
Dorico only saves players that are either assigned to a flow and/or a layout. If you have a player just sitting there that isn’t assigned to either a flow or a layout, it won’t be saved, so the next time you open the project, it’ll be gone.
It’s always been this way, but when I stop to think about it I’m not sure whether or not it’s really a good thing.
Thanks for explaining.
My use case is to use flows not as movements of a piece, but steps in building a piece, which is something I find I do quite a lot. In this case, first chord structure, then accompaniment pattern, and then start working with the solo instrument. At other times I might be doing sketches for certain sections or instruments before tackling the piece itself. Maybe that’s twisting the original purpose of flows a bit, but it works for me.
For my way of working, I would prefer that Dorico not make that kind of decision, to remove a player that is not yet used, for me, but maybe others find it helpful. Could it be controlled by an option maybe?
Sorry, but no. If I put a player there it’s because I want them later. Can I not decide to delete them myself if they are no longer needed?
Maybe there could be a clean up function to invoke when you want it to take out anything not used. But surely, don’t just take my players that I put there for a reason but have not yet used?
As I say, I’m somewhat on the fence myself about whether this is entirely a good thing. We don’t have any immediate plans to change this, but it’s something we certainly could change in future.