Currently we can specify whether Staff Labels will appear in the first flow or in all flows (Layout Options).
In a vocal work for soli, choir, and orchestra, in the vocal score layout, it makes sense to have Staff Labels shown in flows where multiple players are involved. Flows where a soloist is the only active player in the layout would be better served—for my needs, at least—to have the first system show a full name and subsequent system show none.
Currently, this appears to be possible only by selecting the system breaks one by one and changing the property for each one of them. While this is already tedious enough, there is a preceding problem: casting off a flow with staff labels shown is unnecessarily complex because labels will change the width of the music portion.
Is there any way around this?
If not, can this be improved?
Thanks.
I’m not sure if this is much better than what you’re already doing, but once you’ve created one System Break without the staff labels, you can copy it in Write. If you go from start to finish Alt-clicking the break in, then the casting off will adjust accordingly without the added room for the label. Gif below.
Yes, this is nice, but there are very few scenarios where the casting off is as straightforward as in your attractive example!
When lyrics are in the way, then, it becomes a mess. Nothing impossible of course, but … I would love if setting staff labels to “none” (or any other option) would stick to the end of the current flow or until changed again.
Sure, I just meant that at least this way the system casting off will have a chance to update rather than doing all the Breaks then Select All and set the labels to None, which as you pointed out changes the width of the music on that system.
I guess it’s tricky because you need both a Layout-specific option and a Flow-specific option which Dorico doesn’t really have. You could also create a Soloist that has a blank abbreviated name. It’s not quite the same as Dorico still leaves a bit of an indent for it though:
Oh! I had understood only 50% of what you meant and now your solution makes perfect sense. A pity that one has to switch to Write mode to do something that is possible only in Engrave mode in theory.
Sadly, the blank abbreviated name wouldn’t work because that same soloist would be needed alongside other singers in other flows. Sure, I could create a separate duplicate soloist but that is really over complicating things!
Thanks for your support anyway, I really appreciate it!
