Editing dynamic text - odd behaviour

Indeed I do get that. Thanks for reminding me about the text bar. My first thought is always to reach for the inspector to change how something looks.

But it does not explain the odd behaviour I described where it seems possible to apply "double italics" and to have the same appearance with and without the italics button pressed. After a bit of experimenting with the text bar I find that this also shows similar odd behaviour. Double click on a dynamic and highlight the text. The italic button on the text bar shows as pressed. Click on the italic button so that its state changes to "up" and you will see nothing changes in the score. Click again on the italic button so that its state is "down" and the dynamic changes to "double italic". Click again so the button is "up" and the dynamic reverts to its original appearance. As with the inspector, you can get "double italics" and also have the same appearance with the button showing "up"or "down", which is confusing.

The difference between "Edit" mode and "Text edit" mode is not very clear (at least not to me). The handbook says:

"Edit mode allows you to perform a wide range of editing operations on individual score elements, such as:

• Adjust the length and shape of slurs, lines, barlines etc.
• Add, delete and format text in text objects.
• Adjust the position of most score elements (but not text)."

And

"Text edit mode allows you to add or delete text, and apply formatting (e.g. bold, italic, underline etc.) to individual characters."

Both entries say the mode allows formatting text in text objects with the only seeming difference being that text edit mode allows formatting to be applied to individual characters. Neither of the entries mentions the inspector in the context of formatting text.

The instructions on how to enter Edit mode and Text edit mode seem to overlap.

"Enter edit mode
MuseScore versions 3.4 and above
For lines, hairpins, slurs, note-stems, note-beams, and barlines, use one of the following methods:

• Click on an element.

• Right-click on an element and, from the menu, select Edit Element.
  For other elements, use one of the following methods:

• Double-click an element.

• Click on an object already selected (text-based objects only).
• Right-click on an element and, from the menu, select Edit Element. "

Or

"Enter/exit text edit mode
To enter Text edit mode use one of the following methods:

• Double click on an existing text element.
• Right-click on a text element and select Edit element.
• Click on a text element and press Ctrl+E (Mac: Cmd+E)."

So that seems to me to say that double clicking or right clicking and selecting Edit Element gets you into Edit mode and also gets you into Text edit mode, but those two modes are distinct and have subtly different behaviours.

But returning to the main issue, it seems the changes to the complete text settings in the inspector are functional while in text edit mode but in a strange way. I am currently experimenting to understand the effects of different combinations and orders of setting and unsetting italicisation in the inspector and the text bar, but I have not yet got to the bottom of it. It seems that the inspector and text bar can show different states at the same time and some combinations/orders of clicks result in a dynamic that is identified as italic or not italic, but with no difference in appearance, or a dynamic that is "double" italicised, and all of those states are preserved on saving and reloading. I will report back when I understand the oddness of the behaviour a bit better.