(SOLVED) Editing the thickness of a custom defined line **only**

I have defined a line to show where instrument doubling begins and ends (I still need to make the hooks thicker).

I have added these to a test score and have edited them in Engrave mode. In Write-Page mode it looks fine.


But in Write-galley mode the editing does not show.

Is this to be expected, or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks,
David

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This is absolutely normal: galley view does not include graphic edits, nor performs any collision avoidance. It’s really meant to enter notes and manage the different instruments (instrument changes, divisi, etc…)

Vertical lines aren’t really designed to cross instruments, semantically.

But I absolutely need lines like this that can include the whole woodwind, in addition to those that apply to a single instrument. What is the problem with those that I have defined, please?

Also, how do I edit the thickness of the hook to match that of the vertical line?

Many thanks.

David

Just that because Dorico treats them as staff-attached, they’ll appear differently in galley view and won’t appear in the parts of the 2nd staff downwards (they’ll only appear in the top staff’s part, I imagine).

You could also use graphics in graphics frames, but those of course are locked to the page rather than the music.

You can create new and edit existing hooks in the Edit Line Annotations dialog, including changing the hook thickness (top result when searching “hook thickness”).

But otherwse, will they stay where I put them, after editing, when it comes to printing the score? I accept that the parts for the doubling players will have to be massaged separately.

So, of no use for this purpose.

I thought annotations referred to any text along the line (See p.1206, item 3 on the drawing).

Many thanks for your help.

David

Sorry David, page numbers don’t mean an awful lot as they can change very easily when the documentation is being updated regularly. I guess you mean this page? Yes it might be worth linking up that wording (which generally correlates to what the corresponding property is for individual control) to the editors a bit more clearly, I’ll make a note.

In the meantime you can also refer to the page for the Edit Line Annotations dialog that I linked earlier, which states “All types of annotations can be used as caps.”

I think the only problem (at least in terms of my understanding the concept) is that using annotations to mean both text along the line (as in the drawing) and also end caps (which are graphical elements) is not at all clear, or as expected in common use of the term.

David

The definition of annotation given is “Text or music symbol shown in addition to caps.”

Lillie,

One more request for help, please:

When I go to edit the thickness of the lines used by my custom-defined line (which is based on thick), I cannot find the name of my line in the dialogue. Does this mean that all lines that use a thick vertical will be changed by my edit, or can I apply the changes only to my custom-defined line?

Thanks!

David

Which dialog are you looking in?

Library/Lines (which is called at the top Edit Lines). I choose Vertical , and only the pre-defined options are in the list below.

David

When playing around with lines, I always work on copies of the elements (use the +/duplicate buttons at the bottom and give your copy a meaningful name). This applies to lines, line bodies and annotations. Then I know I’m not mucking up any pre-defined line!

I have selected a similar shape line and defined a new instance with its own name. Then when I go back to /Library/Lines I can select my named line.

Then when I go to “Line Body Editor”, the confusion arises because the text in the “Name” box changes from the name of my newly-defined line to Dashed line body (long). I then have to select Solid body line (thin) – which it already was! I change the thickness of the line and ALL the solid vertical lines change thickness, even though I have not clicked default.

The reason for defining this new line is that I want it thicker than the other standard vertical lines (i.e. 1/4 rather than 1/8), which I shall still need to use for other purposes.

Can someone give me the key to changing the thickness of my line without changing all the others, please?

Thanks!

David

You need to create your own line body too (as I said) and use that one as the body of your new line type. Similarly if you want to change the thickness of the hooks, create your own hook and change that one!

(The built-in lines just assemble the built-in elements. Change the built-in elements and the built-in lines - that use those elements - will also change)

Thanks, Janus!

It sounds like I am using the wrong panel to do this. Where do I need to be?

David

  1. Library>Line Bodies… (create a new line body and name it)
  2. Library>Line Annotations… (create a new annotation and name it. You may need 2, one for each end of your line)
  3. Library>Lines (create a new line and name it) - choose your line body and annotation(s) from the pull down lists.
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Janus, (sorry!)

Thanks! Out of interest, how did you discover this?

David

By getting it wrong quite a few times!

So, one might say: trial and error rather than reading the manual! :smiley:
David