New name for "Implode"/"Explode"-tool

• Jul 22, 2016 - 14:54

For my GSoC project I'm improving the Implode and Explode tools. One response to my [blog post](https://musescore.org/en/user/124871/blog/2016/07/10/gsoc-week-7) was that the names for the tools are inappropriate. There have been two suggestions for each:

Implode:
- Gather
- Merge

Explode
- Scatter
- Separate

I think it is important to have fitting titles for the tools, so they it makes MuseScore more intuitiv to use.

If you have any more suggestions or have a favorite expressions, feel free to answer.


Comments

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

It's pretty common to use the term 'explode' to mean a separated view - in engineering. It's a reference to how a thing might look if you paused it in the middle of it blowing up. The phrase is 'exploded view'. It gained popularity in the 1940s.

I don't find it that intuitive for the tool, though, and would prefer split/merge - just add the word 'Parts' to it, it'll be fine.

'Explode' has been used in ACAD since R-14, at least. It's been years since I used the program regularly so I don't remember offhand if there is an 'implode' command as well (if there is, I don't remember ever using it), but when a discrete, composite object such as a rectangle is selected, 'explode' entered to the command line separates the object into its (four) component lines so that they can be individually edited or have their properties modified (layer, colour, whatever...). That is pretty much what MuseScore does when exploding a chord, at least from a user perspective.

If MuseScore had a tool that would merge or split-off voices from/to various staves, I could see a possible case for changing the terminology. But as the current tool applies only to chords, explode and implode are fairly descriptive of what's going on. JMHO. ;o)

I vote keep as well; mainly because they are used in other software notation packages with similar functions.

If we do change them, I'd also consider "Combine" as an alternative to Implode.

Maybe:

Explode -> Spread (voices to staves)
Implode -> Join (staves to voices)

However I can live with explode / implode as well. As long as I know what it does and where to find it I don't have a problem with the existing names.

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