Applying Breaks

• Nov 6, 2018 - 16:42

Win 7/10. MS 2.3.

The problem is that breaks can also be applied to text objects (e.g. chord symbols, lyrics, staff text etc.). IMV, this is a bug, and breaks should be confined to musical elements only: i.e. notes, rests, barlines or a measure.

Comments

• Nov 6, 2018 - 16:45

I see it as giving versatility to the user. When you select something and apply a break, it puts the break at the end of the measure it's in.

Reply

• Nov 6, 2018 - 17:17

The feature of being able to add breaks on any selection was made in the response to requests here. I don't see any really obvious reason to limit it and I don't like removing functionality without good reason. But it would certainly be easy enough to do if a compelling case were made for why.

Reply

• Nov 7, 2018 - 11:43

In my view:

  1. There is inconsistency between the target element and break: For example, (i) you select a note and press [return]: this gives you a system break. (ii) You select a barline or measure and press [Return]: this also gives you a system break. In the former case, the target element precedes the system break; but in the latter case the target element and the system break are coincident. IMV, the latter outcome is more to be expected.

  2. There are too many different ways to apply breaks. This makes it more difficult for the user to read, understand, remember and use.

  3. Text elements should not be target elements: The more target elements there are, the greater the possibility that a Break may be applied by mistake. In the case of Lyrics, the commands for applying a System Break and a new Lyrics line are identical! The connection between text elements (such as a chord symbol, Lyric syllable, staff text) and a break seems tenuous: whereas It seems natural and logical to connect a Break with a barline or measure.

Suggestion: Simplify the command structure. Only allow breaks to be applied to (1) one or more barlines or (2) a measure. The advantages are: (1) Easy to remember and use for the ordinary user. (2) Easy and brief to document in the handbook. (3) The target elements and the resulting breaks are always coincident. (4) Less chance of Breaks being accidentally applied.

Reply

• Nov 8, 2018 - 19:35

And such is the problem with artificially limiting what works and what doesn't - even if it were agreed there is value in limiting the feature, we end up forgetting something and excluding an element type that someone has a perfectly valid reason to want to use. Again, there is zero harm in this, and lots of usefuness. If you accidentally add a line break because you accidentally hit Enter on a text element while not in Edit mode, just hit Undo.

Although I will say that text elements are about the only elements for which Enter has another meaning that could lead someone to accidentally hit it. And chord symbols don't (currently) have this. So really it's non-chord-symbol texts that are about the only elements where confusion seems at all likely. So if we were to exclude anything, I could imagine excluding non-chord-symbol text, while keeping literally everything else. Still, it seems quite potentially useful to be able to select a lyric and hit enter to add a line break after it, especially if people have hidden the notes as is not uncommon in chord charts, and the need to undo an occasional accident seems a very small price to pay.

Reply

• Nov 7, 2018 - 14:27

Sorry, I disagree strenuously with almost all of this. Allowing breaks to be added more easily was a major usability improvement. I don't want to see this taken away. Adding breaks with chord symbols select makes perfect sense for lead sheets, particularly making the staff invisible as some like to do. Adding breaks ith notes selected is truly wonderful as it allows you to press Enter to break a line during note input, just like in a word processor. And there is nothing difficult to remember or document about "select something, hit Enter" - what is more difficult to document and remember are lists of exactly which elements this works for and which it doesn't.

See the discussions that led to the development of this improvement if you need further background. This feature was added as a direct result of some very good suggestions and suggestions over how it should work.

Reply

Do you still have an unanswered question? Please log in first to post your question.