Revision date / time

• Jun 4, 2021 - 20:19

On page 218 of the English Handbook v3.5 PDF we see the following (and it appears as a tooltip in Format>Styles>Header,Footer when hovering any Header or Footer field:

      Header-Footer tooltip.png

So I've used the $M and $m macros for revision date and revision time stamps.

I expected that $M (Modification date) and $m (modification time) would update if the score was changed and if the score was saved. But after an initial mod triggers it active $m updates every minute ..., even when no further modification has occurred! To be clear, on opening the score the Modification Time remains fixed until the first modification, but then it updates every minute.

So, in my understanding of the term, it does not provide a true modification or revision stamp.

I discovered this after I began sharing some of my scores with students. Since we Musescorists can't "lock" scores to prevent accidental modification, I've asked the students to report the Modification info when it appears that they've inadvertently made a change. That's when I realized that, on any opened and modified score the Modification Time always displays "now," plus or minus one minute.

If $M and $m are working according to design, and always showing the current time:

a) I'd suggest giving them a better name
b) I'd like to request true Revision Date and Revision Time macros that update on modification and Save.

Of course, I can always explicitly at a modification date and time in literal footer text, but I'd rather rely on something automatic.


Comments

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

Jojo wrote >> Every 2 minutes actually, the auto save time...

Yikes, with respect to the default preference for Auto Save I was off by 200%.

Jojo wrote >> And only in the version open in the Editor.

I just noticed the following ... and wonder if this is what you mean:

After attaching the file in the original post, I left that file open all day. It showed the current 6:14 PM time when I closed it. Then I immediately reopened the score and it showed the 11:36 AM—the time I had last saved it. With respect to the last explicate (as opposed to Auto Save) modification date that makes reasonable sense.

So:

• after an explicit Save the score's $m time updates every two minutes throughout the session.
• but when closed and reopened the $m time reverts to the "last saved" time.
• then it stays set at the "last saved" time until the user invokes an explicit Save.
• And after a Save in the current session the two minute updates begin occurring. Strikes me as odd because then the $m Modification date doesn't show the modification date of the the score itself, but rather the modification date of the auto backup—which is discarded if the file is closed after more then two minutes without saving.

And this means there's no indication in the score of the Last Saved time ... except initially.

This all according to design?

scorster

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

Observed on MuseScore 3.6.2/Windows 7

The algorithm for the date shown on the score from a $m token seems to be:

a. When a score is opened, a $m token will display the O/S Last Modified time (Windows).

b. After that, if the score stays not-dirty, things that force screen redraw do not update this displayed time.

c. If we make any change in the score (add a note, bump a note), the displayed time updates.

d. The score now being dirty, anything that forces a screen redraw (even shifting the score with the magic hand, or switching away from and then back to MuseScore) updates the displayed time for the $m to the current system time.

e. If we save the score, of course the O/S Last Modified time updates, and the time displayed on the score for $m updates to match. Things then proceed from step (b) above onward.

I'm not sure how this is the "Last modification time", unless shifting the score with the magic hand or sneaking a quick peek at my email counts as "modification".

Note that all the above assumes that AutoSave is (a) turned OFF or (b) (as on my installation) doesn't work.

Doug

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