ABC import stopped working

• Jun 8, 2022 - 11:10

The plug in that imports ABC files has stopped working. I get the bellow error message and a blank page if I try to import. Here is my program version:

OS: Windows 10 (10.0), Arch.: x86_64, MuseScore version (64-bit): 3.6.2.548021803,
revision: 3224f34

plugin abc_import

This happens whether I try to open an abc file or copy and paste into the box and is happening across two machines I have musescore on

Attachment Size
Musescore 1.png 118.22 KB

Comments

I was previously using abc2xml.appspot.com website to convert to xml. This has stopped working also (Server Error).
I'd like to install the plugin to my MuseScore v3.6.2 so I can benefit when this is solved. Where do I get the plugin and instructions on how to install?
Colin

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

Never been interested into that yet, so I don't know the state of the "market".
Quickly googling ABC musxml converter gives several results from musxml to ABC but at first sight not the other way around.
Could it be possible that a common simple solution doesn't exist ?
If so I might be interested to write something...
But would certainly not try that if several packages doing it already exist.

In reply to by frfancha

@frfancha >> "Could it be possible that a common simple solution doesn't exist ?
If so I might be interested to write something ..."

I miss the abc importer.
abc is a substantially adequate interchange language.
If we don't find a solution it would be wonderful if you wrote something:

    • abc-to-MuseScore
    • museScore-to-abc

    • abc-to-MusicXML
    • MusicXML-to-abc

That said, does anybody know why the server (that the plug-in referenced) is down? Seems like a non-server solution would be ideal, particularly if it's not a musescore server.

Scorster

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

If there's a solution for the Mac—short of installing Python and running the app from the Unix command line—I'd like to know about that. I think the Python workaround is rather steep for the average user so it would be great to see something simpler down the road. Hopefully in v4.

The plug-in (when it was able to access the app spot server) was elegant. And from the users' perspective everything happened within MuseScore.

Scorster

In reply to by scorster

As far as I can tell, the ABC Import/Export plugin does require you to install Python, but not to run anything from the command line - its purpose seems to handle that detail for you. So, it's a few minutes extra work to setup, yes, but after that should be as painless as the builtin ABC import plugin. But I haven't tested this to be sure, and I don't have a Mac to test on anyhow.

As I mentioned elsewhere, the real solution here is for someone to take the steps needed to restore the online converter. That would be useful to MuseScore users who wish to import ABC, yes, but also though the even larger group of ABC users in general.

In reply to by frfancha

The online converter on appspot that the built-in plugin relies on uses Willem Vree's very excellent abc2xml converter. He was an equally excellent xml2abc converter. The ABC Import/Export plugin mentioned previously uses these exact same tools (abc2xml and xml2abc); it just requires you to install them locally instead of accessing them via AppSpot. Which is a relatively minor inconvenience on Windows since Willem provides EXE files. It's a rather larger inconvenience on Linux, and a larger one still on macOS, since it requires you to have Python installed and to run from the command line.

So, if someone is interested in improving the situation, I think the best course of action is to create a new online server for abc2xml to replace the one that is no longer working. As far as I know, setting up something like that is pretty simple if you're comfortable with PHP or similar technologies. Or it could be worth contacting Willem to see if it's something he would be interested in or knows more about - he already has an online host for one of his other tools. Or reach out to lasconic to see if he is interested in getting the old appspot server back up and running - could well be something really trivial that is getting in the way.

I should mention also, I'm really unclear on exactly what appspot is. I gather it relates to Google App Engine somehow, but it's kind of mysterious to me.

In reply to by jeetee

abc-export is a nice addition. And good timing ... for the first time ever I've wanted to export a MuseScore file to abc.

Thanks for working on this!! But I have some comments.

On running the plug-in on MacOS I saw two buttons:

      abc export(jt) run interface.png

• Clicking the Export button changed the button's name to "Exporting ..." and a moment laster the plugin closed. I wasn't given an opportunity to enter a file name or set the file destination. So I searched my directory for the newest .abc file never found an exported abc file with today's date.

• Clicking the Browse button displayed a standard Open File dialog, so that confused me. When exporting what would one be browsing for? I'm wondering if that's a quick-n-dirty method for setting the file destination.

Presently I'm a bit confused and excitedly looking forward to exporting to abc format.

Scorster

In reply to by scorster

It was very quickly thrown together during lunch break, which explains the lack of obvious UX..

The browse button should allow you to select the export location (a folder/directory). The plugin is also supposed to remember this folder.

The file is then named according to the scoreName property of it (so derived from the existing file name) and have the .abc extension.

In reply to by jeetee

jeetee wrote>> The Browse button should allow you to select the export location (a folder/directory). The plugin is also supposed to remember this folder.

Ah ...The name "Select export folder" would be more apt.

And it worked. Now that I've designated an export folder the plugin exports perfectly, as best I can tell. A round trip (export/import) produced a nearly identical MuseScore file!

Great work and many thanks!!

Scorster

Hi all, I tried to post this elsewhere, but I am technologically challenged, couldn’t even figure out how to post anything! Anyway, I too have failed at the ABC import plugin recently. Here is what I've done, please help spread the word, or "tell me where to go" (LOL) if this is the wrong place:
From the ABC vs sheet music options (example - as in thesession.org ) I saved the sheet music option as a pdf. Then I downloaded or imported the pdf file into musescore via the "convert your pdf file" link on the musescore site.. Then it opens up in MuseScore. Not perfect, but close enough for government work.... at least it's a start and I can now tweak the tune as I want it to be played.
Wow - I'm a semi-happy camper. Or maybe you've already figured this out?
Sue T

In reply to by Jojo-Schmitz

Another way to convert ABC to MusicXML is to use EasyABC which you can find at https://sourceforge.net/projects/easyabc/

1.3.8.6 is available for windows and 1.3.8 is available for Mac

Windows https://sourceforge.net/projects/easyabc/files/EasyABC/1.3.8.6/
Mac https://sourceforge.net/projects/easyabc/files/EasyABC/1.3.8/

If you know how to compile source code then 1.3.8.6 could be compiled for Mac and Linux as well.

In reply to by SueTendy@hvc.rr.com

HI Sue,

Don't bother with PDF—the conversions are generally problematic

You can download to .abc format, but it's simpler and faster to simply copy/paste into MuseScore's abc plugin.

At theSession.org

     • Locate a piece of interest
     • you'll see ABC / Score tabs above each setting
     • click ABC
     • Copy the text you see, for example:

X: 17
T: The Kesh
R: jig
M: 6/8
L: 1/8
K: Gmaj
D|:"G" G3 GAB|"D" A2A ABd|"C" edd "G" gdd|"C" edB "D" dBA|
"G" G3 GAB|"D" A2A ABd|"C" edd "G" gdB|1 "D" AGF "G" G2D:|2 "D" AGF "G" G2A||
|:"G" B3 dBd|"C" ege "G" dBA|"G" B2B dBG|"D" A2A AGA|
"G" B2B dBd|"C" ege "G" dBd|"C" gfg "D" aga|1 "G" bgf g2A:|2 "G" bgf g2D||

Back in museScore

     • make sure you have the latest version of the abc plugin
     • if installed you'll see it in the Plugins menu, entitled: ABC Import (jt) *
     • select ABC Import (jt) from the plugin menu to open it
     • click in the large text field
     • paste
     • if you copied properly you'll see the abc "code" loaded in the field
     • press Import

If you don't see ABC Import (jt) in the plugin menu

     • Get and install the plugin
     • I've attached the abc_import-jt.qml plugin
     • on MacOS the plugin should reside in Documents>MuseScore>Plugins

scorster

Attachment Size
abc_import-jt.qml 4.56 KB

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