Dorico seems to like tying notes together when writing them. For instance, I have placed a dotted quarter in the middle of a measure, but instead I get a quarter note tied to an eighth note… How can I make it show the dotted quarter note as I intended? And more importantly, how can I make Dorico stop doing that?
I have a variety of issues like this. In one case I have placed a quarter note and Dorico made it two tied eighth notes.
Doug 
This is a very fundamental aspect of how Dorico works, and lots has been written on it.
Firstly, it is commonly expected that the middle of a 4/4 bar is ‘shown’, by tying notes across the 2nd and 3rd beats.
You can set the rules for how Dorico treats various note groupings in Notation Options > Note Groupings.
Once you have those rules set up, that will do all the work for you. If you want to ‘break the rule’ at any point, you can use Force Duration (press O in Note Entry) to insist on your note grouping.
Toggle “Force Duration” on before entering the dotted quarter or quarter. Be aware of the rule that notes should not straddle the middle of the measure in 4/4 time. Dorico is trying to enforce that rule, but you can override if you must.
Also note that Dorico’s Notation Options for Note Grouping and Beam Grouping (amongst others) are context specific: different rules kick in dependent on whether a note is preceded by a note or a rest, or followed by a note or a rest, or detected as syncopation. In the same way that (by default) Dorico reserves the right to respell (repitch) retrospectively as you play in more notes, it will often rhythmically respell preceding notes as you input more.
Thanks all… I will try the O feature. To me, it makes more sense to show the note as intended (and less cluttered). I, however, have not studied at any music school, so I’ll have to do some reading on notation expectations. That way, if I ever get beyond writing music for guitars and drums and get into writing for larger bands and Orchestras, I won’t look so foolish.
Doug
If you find that Dorico enters a quarter note tied to an eighth note, keep entering notes. If the next note is an eighth note, chances are the previous [two] notes will instantly become a dotted quarter note by itself (depending upon the Notation Options | Note Grouping settings). Fill out the measure before you start using Forced Duration – it may end up exactly as you desire by itself.
(It’s a little unnerving at first, and more than a little frustrating… until you understand the concept. If you find that you’re needing to use Forced Duration for many things, there is probably a default setting that will automatically fix that for you. Once you grasp the whole note duration thing, it’s pretty cool. Next time you need a half-note on beat three, tied over the barline to a half-note (4/4 meter), just enter a whole note and see what happens. Then stretch or shorten that note with Shift+Alt+Arrow [Right/Left] – pretty cool!)
I tried the O feature, but it only works when inputting notes, it doesn’t seem to “correct” what is already there. Is there anything else I can try?
Doug
O can be used retrospectively but its purpose is to force whatever’s there to remain intact if the duration is then extended; this gives one tool the flexibility to serve multiple needs (including but not limited to reducing a tie chain to a single notehead). When using it retrospectively, you need to shorten the note to a legal single note value, then change its duration explicitly (using the relevant number or button, rather than with the extend shortcut), e.g. if you have two tied eighths you’d need to type:
O - to force duration
5 - to shorten to an eighth
6 - to make it into a quarter
Pianoleo,
I understand what you’re saying, which is OK for one or two occasions, but I had entered in several measure where I want to change the way the notes are presented, so this would be tedious. For the rest of the song I’m working on I’ll leave the O on and at least make my life a little easier.
Doug
Me neither, and I learned a lot about correct music notation by observing what Dorico does to the music I enter. In most cases, Dorico does the Right Thing™ with its default settings. So I usually let Dorico do its thing until I have entered the notes completely, then take a look at things I don’t like, think about why I don’t like them, and if I determine that I’m right and Dorico is wrong (which is not often the case), then I go looking for notation/engraving options that might apply. That way, those changes will be made automatically in all similar places, and they can be undone easily. Only if I can’t find such an option, I will use the Force Duration method. I’ve been using Dorico since V1.0, and I have had to use Force Duration no more than a dozen of times.