Better Search for help topics and forum topics
I just switched to Musescore from Sibelius. I try to use these support pages but the search engine is TERRIBLE. The same top answers appear for every search ("Braille...") and it's essentially unusable. I just logged into these forums for the first time and there is no search function for them at all! How do I know if I am creating a dubplicate thread? No way to know!
I switched mainly because I had so many problems with core functionality of Sibelius- having to manually switch audio engines whenever I plugged in my headphones, etc- that I got too annoyed to continue. But man, Musescore didn't make the switch easy. It would be really helpful to tag a set of help topics spectifically for users coming from Sibelius/ Finale, etc.
Comments
Across the top of the forum pages, you'll see a blue bar with "Search for sheet music". DON'T use that one!!! Instead, immediately below it, you'll see black titles: "Download", "Support", "Contribute", "Activity", and a magnifying glass. The magnifying glass searches the forums. ... Admittedly, very poorly *shrug*
You can use google to search ONLY the musescore.org pages, but I don't know how to do that. I'll have to let someone else explain.
To search only the Handbook, you can download a single-page copy of the table of contents that can be searched as text, then you can use that to locate where the item you're interested in falls in the Handbook. Again, I don't know where to find that single-page ToC.
One thing I recommend to all new users of MuseScore. Just read the entire Handbook (https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4). Not to learn it but a quick skim to get an idea of what it contains. So that you'll be able to say, "Hey, wasn't that in the Handbook?" and you'll have an idea of where to find it.
Luckily, there is good news. The Handbook is being re-designed at this time and moved from being hosted directly here on musescore.org to bithub, where it will be able to be versioned, updated, and (most importantly) searched with much greater facility than in the past. The Handbook is currently locked for update in order to perform this move and we're all hoping for good things when it is unlocked after the move is complete.
I agree that search is abysmal. But we inch ahead. *shrug*
In reply to Across the top of the forum… by TheHutch
The single page version of the entire handbook is here - you can use your browser to search for keywords: https://musescore.org/en/print/book/export/html/329209?toc=1
I would suggest downloading the manual and use Acrobat's search function. better than Google, I think.
And MuseScore doesn't like to change audio engines, also. You do have to make sure your default engine is selected. And just like Sibelius, it is best to turn off exclusive mode.
Somtimes it's better to use Google or any other browser to search the handbook. Use the following
site:musescore.org tempo markings
where "tempo markings" is what you are searching for.
In reply to Somtimes it's better to use… by TomStrand
I often start with this page and use Find in page in my browser.
https://musescore.org/en/handbook/4/full-table-contents
In reply to I often start with this page… by SteveBlower
That is a very useful page - I’d say essential for beginners. So why is it hidden in the Appendix? The MS3 Handbook intro is so much laid out so much better IMO