Local Handbook in V2.0
I miss the Local Handbook that was available in 1.3. Are there plans to make one available for 2.0? Admittedly I have internet access most of the time I'm using Musescore and I have downloaded the PDF version but I liked being able to access the handbook from within Musescore without having to be online
I recall seeing some discussion about handbooks at the beta stage but I'm not aware of any final plan
Comments
I'd also like to see the local handbook make a comeback. I found it very useful.
I think the logic is that a) the Handbook as it currently stands could be better, and b) the Handbook keeps getting better. So the version that might be with the MuseScore installer might not be nearly as good as the version from a week later. This way, at least you have the advantage of getting a more recent version of the Handbook if you ultimately do download it. The downside is that this means no "Local Handbook" link in the Help menu.
Of course, depending on your operating system, you can put a link to your manually-downloaded PDF in your Dock, Launcher, or Taskbar, and/or define a keyboard shortcut to open it.
In reply to I think the logic is that a) by Isaac Weiss
That makes sense. But presumably there will come a time when the handbook is pretty stable and could be made available as the local handbook. I like your idea of a shortcut but unless I regularly download the PDF from the website that'll get out of date fairly quickly I guess
In reply to That makes sense. But by fatwarry
The long term solution is to handle the handbook as an online resource which can be downloaded for offline use and is updated regularly. This is no different from the MuseScore language packs for which there is a new infrastructure in place for 2.0 to download language pack updates. To extend this even further, the MuseScore software itself can be handled in the same way: download updates and upgrade the local version.
If you are a developer would like to help out with extending this infrastructure, don't hesitate to reply.
In reply to The long term solution is to by Thomas
So, no Local Handbook then? IE a handbook that can be accessed offline from directly within Musescore
In reply to So, no Local Handbook then? by fatwarry
I interepreted the response as saying this *is* the long-term plan - a handbook that can be downlaoded for offline use *and* an infrastructure to allow it to be updated in much the same way as the translations can be currently. So a very big improvement over 1.3
In reply to So, no Local Handbook then? by fatwarry
@Fatwarry There won't be a local handbook shipped with MuseScore as it was in version 1.3. Instead we want to create a solution which allows you to download the PDF handbook into MuseScore for local use. This solution still has to be created and we are looking for help to make this happen.
In reply to @Fatwarry There won't be a by Thomas
Thomas,
Thanks. It's not a major issue for me but I have become used to being able to access the handbook from within Musescore while offline - EG while using a laptop in my garden - so I'd be pleased if this does come to fruition
In reply to Thomas, Thanks. by fatwarry
In the meantime, if you manually download the PDF you can continue to use it offline, and the fact that it won't update itself isn't any worse off than the old 1.x handbook.
In reply to In the meantime, if you by Isaac Weiss
Yes, I've downloaded it. The minor "issue" I have is that I can't open it from within Musescore. I have to start up Adobe's reader and then open it or locate the file from Explorer and open it from there or set up a shortcut on my desktop or ...........
Not a big deal but not as convenient as 1.3's Local Handbook