Dorico's Popover Feature

• Sep 9, 2024 - 16:04

I've been learning Dorico so that I can weigh my options. I think Dorico has a truly brilliant feature with "popovers." It'd be great to have a workflow like this within MuseScore Studio.

More specifically, the ability to use Shift + [key] to bring up a prompt that allows easy addition of an element (e.g. Shift + D opens the dynamics popover and you can type in something like p


Comments

I've never used Dorico and it's unlikely I ever will.

That said, from your description, it sounds like you press a key combination to bring up a menu of some sort, Then make a selection from that menu and type something to place a notation element.

How is that easier than clicking a note, then clicking a palette item to place the same notation element? Does not sound like any kind of improvement to me. *shrug*

In reply to by TheHutch

It's faster and easier (to me) because your hands stay at the keyboard and you don't have to hunt and peck with a mouse pointer or use a menu of selections to add the dynamic. For example, you can select a measure or range of measure, and then:

Press Shift+D
Type ppp

In reply to by TheHutch

Well obviously the ability to use keyboard in addition to a mouse only process is an improvement!
(I'm writing in addition to, not instead of, I don't want to remove the ability to do it by mouse).
But yes we don't need that if palettes in MuseScore become 100% keyboard accessible as they always should have been.

In reply to by TheHutch

It has mostly to do with being able to use keyboard alone for more of the process. In Dorico, you can do almost everything without needing to use the mouse, and as a result, input is a lot faster once you are proficient. I think MuseScore could implement this system (or a similar system), and it would be a very welcome addition for those of us who like to avoid using the mouse. Of course, it wouldn't alter anything for folks who prefer the drag and drop approach.

In reply to by tanndehaan

That's certainly the way I work in MS Excel. By analogy to Excel, some key combination to "activate" a palette menu, a key to select the specific palette, then a key to select a tool from the palette. I could go for that.

However, I generally work entirely from the keyboard for a period (entering notes/durations), then entirely with the mouse for a period (entering dynamics and expressions and adjusting properties on the Properties tab). And switching back and forth at fairly wide intervals. Being able to do everything from the keyboard would not speed my input much. (But it would speed it a little, yes.)

In reply to by tanndehaan

Sounds excellent. I am frequently slowed down by having to use the mouse. Excel, in addition to the palette method for shortcuts, also has loads of quick combinations, (like ctrl-shift-down, Alt-F11), which make for an even faster workflow. You can almost go 100% keyboard for efficiency.

Aside tip if you use the 3.x branch since 3.2.3 or so up to "3.7":
You can arrange your palette items and rename things so that all you have to do is
1) Trigger search command
2) Type "ppp" or whatever and press [enter/return]

Unfortunately in Musescore 4.x you can't do that because search doesn't find custom named palette items or honor your custom arrangements, but uses a master palette score and its arrangement, so this advice isn't applicable since 2021 or whenever that was.

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