Change ottava default settings for better readability

• Feb 18, 2012 - 14:58
Type
Functional
Severity
S4 - Minor
Status
closed
Project
MuseScore

I've seen that the octava lines look very different from the ones in printed scores, and changing them individually is tiring. Among other things, the solid lines are confusing, since the pentagram has the same kind of lines.

First, the line shouldn't be solid, but dotted (or dashed).
Second, only some editors write "8va", most of them write only "8".
Third, if there are only numbers the font could be Mscore1 (Feta font), which would look better.

See the examples I've fould from many different editors of the past 150 years:

test

Also see my changes

test

Thank you!

G.

Attachment Size
New octave-J.JPG 22.82 KB
Octaves.JPG 60.46 KB

Comments

• Jul 18, 2012 - 13:55

Well, I don't know how to modify the files in GitHub, nor how patches work, but here are the steps to change that stuff:

1) [Changing the font]
Go to libmscore/style.cpp
In line 353 change the content for:
TR( "Ottava"), "MScore1", 12, false, true, false,

2) [Changing the text from "8va" to simply "8", etc.]
Go to libmscore/ottava.cpp
In lines 62-81 change the content for:
setBeginText("8", ts);
setContinueText("8", ts);
setEndHookHeight(hook);
_pitchShift = 12;
break;
case 1:
setBeginText("15", ts);
setContinueText("15", ts);
setEndHookHeight(hook);
_pitchShift = 24;
break;
case 2:
setBeginText("8", ts);
setContinueText("8", ts);
_pitchShift = -12;
setEndHookHeight(-hook);
break;
case 3:
setBeginText("15", ts);
setContinueText("15", ts);

3) [Changing the line from solid to dotted]

(I still haven't found out this)

Thanks,
G.

Reply

• Jul 18, 2012 - 14:01
Title [trunk] Change ottava default settings for better readability ⇒ Change ottava default settings for better readability
Status (old) active ⇒ patch (code needs review)

:)

Reply

• Jul 21, 2012 - 14:30

The suggested changes will destroy any scores made with MuseScore 1.2 and with non customized ottava. If we want to change default, it would be easier to store the information even if it's non customized and we should have something to read previous versions where the info is missing.

Reply

• Jul 21, 2012 - 17:52

I understand.

I thought the default style values could simply be changed by modifying the style file.

I mean, the ottava styles of 1.2. and 2.0. are already different. And currently, if you open a 1.2. file with customized ottavas, they are displayed with those modifications, but if you create new ones, they have the default 2.0 style (solid line and FreeSerif).

Reply