I’ve imported a lead sheet from XML and ended up with some rather odd spacing. Look at the second system:
I removed the lyrics but it didn’t help. Clearly the second system is far too loose. I tried sending up a couple more bars to that system, but I’d rather not do this manually - I want to figure out why Dorico is spacing it this way. In fact there are a bunch of spots in this import that are this way… sometimes one 6/8 bar per system.
No hidden signposts. Any thoughts?
Update: When I copy and paste everything to a new flow, I get all sorts of random system breaks in the middle of bars. 
I’m tempted to just start from scratch, but it’s quite a bit of work, and I’d like to fix the imported file if possible. Thanks!
Does it help to select everything, then Reset Appearance and Reset Position?
The stem directions look weird when there are two voices. I wonder if the XML was being too prescriptive about the formatting and not leaving Dorico enough options to work with.
This is very weird - I’d quite like to see the xml and the Dorico file, if only to satisfy my curiosity
The only thing that occurs to me is that in the first version Dorico seems to be trying hard to put four bars on each system, except in the first two systems, and that in the second version it’s trying hard to put five bars onto each system.
Take a look at the settings at Layout Options > Staves and Systems > Casting Off. I have a hunch that perhaps you’ve saved something as default there that’s thus applying automatically to new musicxml imports.
I feel reasonably sure that I could explain this pretty easily if I see the project itself, but I can’t diagnose it from a picture, unfortunately.
Thanks Daniel and Leo. Zipped project attached.
Edit: I had given up and re-entered it from scratch, but it’s happening to other XML imports as well - enough so that I need to chase it down. Thanks!
Another edit: Rob, thanks for the suggestion, but neither of those “Reset” options helped.
XML import spacing.zip (341 KB)
Well… this could have something to do with it.
I displayed the system track, and… it’s one gigantic bar. What is this devilry??
Ok, I figured it out this latest one. I deleted the first time signature and re-entered “3/4,1.” It fixed everything. Jazz hands.
Tried the same tactic with the first file in the thread, but it didn’t help.
Praise My Soul the King of Heaven.zip (455 KB)
Finale can have strange ideas about time signatures, and it doesn’t necessarily check the bars in the score are the correct length.
Seeing the MusicXML file might explain it.
Deleting and re-entering the time signature fixed the last file I mentioned above. Didn’t fix the first one. The XML for that first one is attached.
Sorry for the long-winded thread. I’ve become quite dependent on XML of late.
XML import.zip (9.99 KB)
For some reason, Dorico seems to be lumping all the music after each time signature change into a single bar.
For your second import there was only one time signature change in the whole score, so regenerating that fixed the problem. For the first import, there are lots of changes, so you would need to re-enter each one that is more than a single bar long.
I deleted the complete chord track and rhythm track from the musicXML file, and the lead part and lyrics then import OK, so the problem must be something to do with the other tracks, but they don’t look “obviously wrong” - they seem to have the same bar structure as the lead track, for example.
If you need to do the same thing for more files, the deleted sections are between the and tags in the “header” section at the top of the file, and then between the and tags.
Edited musicXML file attached, if it’s any use.
DK1.zip (7.21 KB)
Thanks Rob, really appreciate the help. It probably was something about the way I set up the rhythm tracks in Finale.
It would (obviously) be worth trying an export without the rhythm track.
The chord symbols are on their own track in the musicXML file for some reason - I don’t think musicXML enforces that. If you can persuade Finale to put them on the same track as the lead part, that might work better.
