Setup: Merge Into Custom Score Layout

Dorico
1

I was just viewing Anthony Hughes’ videos on Setup Mode (kudos, AH!) and the session on custom layouts sparked a thought. In Anthony’s example, he created a vocal score within a choral/orchestral work by creating a new custom layout, then selecting all the relevant instruments (SATB/piano reduction) and all flows. This left the five pre-created part scores in the list, which is extraneous and could cause problems later. It also requires duplicating work the user has likely already done, i.e, restating flows for selected instruments.

What if a new item were added to the Action Bar in layouts: “Merge Selected Into Custom Score?” I envision a one-click maneuver which would add the instruments you’ve selected into a new custom score with all relevant flows included. Then, either automatically or with user permission via a prompt, Dorico would delete the now-unnecessary parts. Perhaps the resulting prompt would be the initial means of naming the new score, with a checkbox for the deletions.

Anyway, this would be a nice time-saver in the Setup process. Thoughts?

2

I like it and I hope it will become reality.

3

I’m not sure this is really a “merge” operation, Tony, because that would to me imply that you might want to merge the settings from the layouts as well as making a new layout that contains those players. It might make more sense instead to think of making a selection of players in the Players panel and then creating a custom score layout containing those players instead (though you’d still have to choose which flows to include).

4

I see your point, Daniel, but I’m thinking of this as an early-stage need, long before you’ve made any adjustments to settings in individual parts. At least for me, part layout settings are one of the last things I worry out. At the front end of a project, my proposal would save some time and keep our projects neat and tidy.

5

There is also the issue of creating parts for individual choir sections in the first place, which hasn’t been a thing in quite some time… =) I wish that were an option instead of the default.