One of my favorite features in all of Dorico is the popover for meters, especially the ability to create pickup/partial bars with a simple text string (“4/4,1”). It occurred to me today, however, that I’d love to be able to use the numeric note values already in place for note entry and tempo marking here too, so that:
4/4,6 = 4/4,1
Or, more usefully:
4/4,4 = 4/4,0.25
Those extra seconds remembering my fractions could be better spent making music! Thanks.
2¢ faithfully deposited,
Tony
What happens, if you want to have 4/4 meter and a semihemidemisemiquaver pickup bar (that’s a 128th Note)?
You would have to type 4/4,1 (which is already used for a crotchet/quarter note pickup bar…)?
Yes, (if it gets changed), because 1 is the shortcut for the 1/128th note. I assume it would be one way (current design) or the other, not a mix of both. I know where Tony is coming from because in all other situations, Dorico uses the 1 through 9 keys to indicate note values except with pick-up notes. I’ve had to “double think” several times in the past to input the pick-up as a decimal part of the beat versus just type a 5 for an eighth note (quaver), etc.
Of course, in the case of multiple notes for the pick-ups, the situation gets to be sort of the reverse situation. (Yin and Yang) 
I love Tony’s idea!
+1
(I miss the thumbs up!)
Well, next time I tackle an alpenhorn concerto, I’ll remember this moment. 
I think the consistency of using 1-9 as note values outweighs the potential problem with dotted/multiple values in a pickup— actually, to remedy that, I’d suggest using “.” in the popover for dotteds, e.g., “4/4,1.”.
Tony, actually it sounds totally convincing.
As much as I love the idea at first sight, there’s one thing we should not forget: Tony’s new system can only create pick-ups of (dotted) note-value length.
A 5/8 pickup to a 4/4 meter would not be possible, I think?
It would need a ‘+’.
4/4, 6+6.
(or 4/4,7.-5) !
(although I like the current system…so maybe a preference?)
It would also have to take account of people changing the shortcuts. The numbers 1-9 might not map onto those note values for everyone.
Yes… I set mine to Finale’s for a while, but changed back, which is causing me more trouble in Finale than in Dorico…