XML Opens as New Instance
With MuseScore 3, an XML music file opened as another tab, which made it very user friendly when importing a piece of music into a working document. But now with MuseScore 4, for some reason if I go to File>Open and open an XML, MuseScore feels the need to open an entirely separate instance of MuseScore. Is there a setting that needs to be changed, or is workflow another relic of the 90s...?
Comments
Consider that Sibelius, Word, Audacity and many other programs do this also.
In reply to Consider that Sibelius, Word… by bobjp
And? So? Thus? Therefore? Musescore didn't USED TO do this. Seriously, why does MuseScore 4 seem to go backwards in development? Why get rid of the option to open multiple documents in separate tabs?
It's not just XML files - all files opened are in their own SDI frame.
Document editors with complex stateful floating toolsets started moving away from the 90s Multiple Document Interface (MDI) to SDI model about 10 years ago. The increasing availability of multi-monitor setups and virtual desktops makes SDI instances even more attractive.
In reply to It's not just XML files -… by memeweaver
This is profoundly stupid.
In reply to This is profoundly stupid. by stargazer1682
You are not going to convince anyone without a reasoned argument.
In reply to You are not going to… by memeweaver
I already did. It's a matter of work flow. If you're inclined to open multiple projects, chances are you are going back and forth between them. It's not a difficult concept, especially since MuseScore USED TO F-ING DO IT.
Plenty of programs still do; Photoshop and Premiere, for starters. Final Draft Pro.
Until this discussion I forgot Word used to, a fact I'm kind of annoyed to remember, because I regularly wish the task bar didn't have to be so cluttered when I have multiple Word documents open. It's my least favorite thing about using Mixcraft Pro, especially since in that case it doesn't let you copy and paste between instances, which is really infuriating. At least MuseScore hasn't gone that far - yet
At the very least give users the option. That's probably the most frustrating part about MuseScore 4, is that a small group of people, or possibly just person with some of these issues made a very unilateral decision that because THEY don't use it this way, no should be allowed to continue to. It's not like we're talking about features the program never had, we're talking functionality it did have that's been removed to somehow make it better. How is better to make a program less useful for it's users??? That's not an upgrade, that's a downgrade.
If you don't use the save button or the the tabs, or inexplicably somehow don't need to input rests, don't use those features. By why remove them when you know full F-ing well that others do? If you really truly don't like the look of them, if the sight of something <30 years old makes you uncomfortable or want to cry, just don't have it set as a default; require us throwbacks from the simpler times to have to proactively enable them. You can even have those features also enable a little clock on the screen that flashes 12:00 that we don't know how to reset, if you really want to mock our decrepitude.
In reply to I already did. It's a matter… by stargazer1682
I'm putting my two cents in on this discussion.
I also deplore this situation and I am not the only one but while browsing the forums, I read somewhere that this feature was not abandoned for the sake of it, but that it is a technical problem related to the playback of 'Muse Sound' (which has many other problems).
I didn't find everything, but here are two links that could give a start to the explanation:
https://musescore.org/en/node/334701#Split_display
https://github.com/musescore/MuseScore/issues/12248
In reply to I already did. It's a matter… by stargazer1682
Yup. MuseScore used to do certain things. And it still does. Just not this version, yet. If ever. We can guess all day long about why this or that was changed/removed. The supposition that something was removed because a developer didn't use it much is a bit weak. It's just possible that what has been stated about the playback engine not being able to support multiple tabs is true. Sure, now it takes way longer to switch to a different score. MS3: Mouse over the desired tab and select it. MS4: Mouse over the MS4 icon in the taskbar and and select the desired score. Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of things I don't like about any version of MuseScore. I doubt any of them will change, though.
In reply to Yup. MuseScore used to do… by bobjp
Some of them are conjecture; like the Save button - the response I got was that it was vetoed for being too "90s". A comment similarly made in this thread for the workflow tabs.
I can appreciate if something has to be taken out for technical conflict, even if in this case that seems a little dubious. But seriously, why would anyone take out the rest input shortcut?? It's still a tool! You just can't toggle between it on the keyboard anymore, which makes no sense to remove.
If I can figure out the technical problem I was having with MuseScore 3 that prompted the upgrade, I'm 100% going back to a program that was actually useful.
In reply to Some of them are conjecture;… by stargazer1682
Oh that's right. You have a problem with the V key. Very strange. As you know, uninstall doesn't get rid of everything. Folders with various settings remain. You would need to go through folders like "Programs", "Program Data" and anything MS3 related in AppData/roaming. The other day, my MS3 wouldn't open any more. I downloaded the installer. When I ran it I was asked if I wanted to do a repair. It worked. Maybe you could try that instead of uninstall/reinstall.
In reply to It's not just XML files -… by memeweaver
Some current programs have the option to choose between MDI and SDI. Example: PDF reader Foxit.
I also prefer MDI. In MS 3.6.2, for example, you can scroll between scores with the mouse wheel while pointing to the tabs.