Bulk move of lyric lines

• Apr 27, 2013 - 03:43

I have just started using MS and find it pretty tedious entering lyrics for 4-voice parts on a two-stave (bass/baritone, lead/tenor) chart. I notice that a lyric word turns blue when I click on it, but also you can select successive words by holding Ctrl down and clicking on them. This is analogous to Windows file selection in explorer.

Two things would be really cool however:

- Mass selection of a lyric line by clicking on the first word, then clicking on the last word with Shift held down - this is like explorer also - it selects all files from the first one you clicked on to the last one.
- When you click on a word to drag it all the selected lyrics drag along with it.

It's intuitive, and shouldn't conflict with any existing key bindings.


Comments

I just had to select Hebrew lyrics from within larger set of English lyrics, syllable by syllable, to make them italic. Was a real pain. I would LOVE to be able to select a whole line of lyrics and move it up / down / align it to the far left or far right word, so it could be _even_ again.

I would also like it very much if ... when a lyric syllable is selected, that the right arrow move to the end of the word, and the left arrow moves to the beginning of the word ... right now, the right arrow _moves_ the word right, but the left arrow does not move it back!!

Kind regards,
Suzanne

In reply to by sumiche

- Left arrow (normally) moves to the previous character
- Right arrow (normally) moves to the next character
- Home arrow moves the cursor to the first character
- End arrow moves the cursor to the last chacter
as it is usually in word processing.

UNLESS the cursor is already at the first (or last) character, in which case Left arrow (or Right arrow) shifts the whole text a bit to the left (or right).

If the item position got too messed up, [Ctrl][R] (R as in Reset) resets several of the item properties (including position) to their defaults.
______________________

To select several items in a single move, use 'lasso': hold the [Shift] key down and drag the cursor (which would then draw a gray rectangle) to include all the items you want to select.

Unfortunately, multiple selects are not cumulative: the second lasso would un-select previously selected items. But this should allow to select at least all the syllables of one system.

M.

In reply to by Miwarre

I will try all this, MiWarre, thank you!
I did find the word-move property rather disconcerting, since no other software I work with does this nudge thing.
I had just figured "it was me" (Vista, home, w/v1.3, possible muddy waters w/other things on this PC).

SM

In reply to by rossmcm

"You should know by now that with computers and software everything that happens that is unexplained, unintuitive, or just plain wrong is always your fault."

Of course! But never forget the influence of moon phases or the colour of the shoes you (and/or those nearby you) are wearing...

M.

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