It would be really helpful to have a key command for setting the casting off to a particular value.
Using the jump bar, you can get directly to specific pages of Layout Options, such as the Staves and Systems one you want. Is that enough for you, or would you still like to be able to set keyboard shortcuts to open any page in Layout Options? (I assume you are aware of the Cmd+Shift+L shortcut for Layout Options.)
Or would you like to be able to go straight to the section rather just the page?
Edit: Another thing that might be worth pointing out is that you can select multiple layouts at once in the Layout Options dialog, so if you want to change a setting in all parts, you only need to do in once. (You don’t have to open the casting off page more than once per project.)
I did know about the Jump bar option as well as the Layout Options command. Unless I’m mistaken, the mouse is still needed to change the number of bars (short of tabbing through the options)?
I don’t even want to jump to the casting off menu: I want the casting off to be immediately set to the custom value I assign to the key command.
I frequently find myself needing to jump between 4-6 bars of casting off and it would be really helpful to do it in one key command.
That’s assuming you pick the perfect setting for each layout at the outset.
I prefer to not use casting off immediately because many times it is unnecessary.
Good, I think your request is clear now.
Though if you’re frequently switching between 4-6 bars of casting off, maybe cast off isn’t the best way to get the results you want? If I’m assuming your reason for doing it like this rather than the usual adjusting of note spacing, you want to be certain that there are always an even number of bars on each system? (You want four or six, but never five.) I know drummers who want their parts like that.
That does require a lot of manual adjustment (unless I’m missing something). But if that’s what you’re after, I think an additional option on the cast off page to always have an even number of bars (instead of picking a fixed number of bars) could remove the need for these castoff changes?
Might I suggest something like Stream Deck? You can get the mobile app instead of hardware and put it on a tablet or your phone!
— Jim
Can you set that up for this?
It’s basically a macro app. I would expect that it could be done to replace a number of keystrokes. The caveat is that I’m still relatively new to Dorico and haven’t done what @DanielMuzMurray is doing — so unequivocally “maybe!” I have set up a few things and would be happy to create a macro to test it…. I just need the steps involved.
Maybe it would be ideal to have the possibility to add a Casting off change, just as we can add a Note spacing change.
I’ve been asking for this for years too. Something like Finale’s Fit Measures would be really useful:
