Use Case: Add Fingering Text

Updated 1 year ago
This page shows old instructions for MuseScore 1.
For MuseScore 4 users, see Use Case: Add Fingering Text.

Background

I have needed to add fingering text to individual notes. For me this is because when I reformat/resize the staff "Staff Text" doesn't stay associated to, and aligned with, the specific notes I need the text to be next to. But fingering text is specifically associated to individual notes and so, when reformatting a staff, that text does tend to stay in alignment with the notes.

Procedure

Because fingering text elements are child elements of individual notes, adding them is a bit different than adding Staff Text, or other elements that you just add at the current cursor location.

You add fingering as a new element that you add to a specific note object. It is quite simple, as long as you can obtain the desired note object in your code. Below is the procedure:

//Assume user has selected a single note in the score
var oNote = curScore.selection.elements[0];
var finger = newElement(Element.FINGERING);
finger.text = "FG";
finger.color = "#aa0000";
curScore.selection.elements[0].add(finger);
//Here's an odd thing - you have to set the x,y offset 
//properties **after** you have added the fingering object 
//to the note. If you set them prior to adding, like I did
//for the color above, they don't seem to have any effect.
//I personally cannot explain this difference in behavior.
finger.offsetX = 2.00;
finger.offsetY = -0.44;

 

When you run the above code on a score where you have selected a single note you will see the (red) text 'FG' appear next to the note.

Plugin Example

For a complete plugin example, and a test score to use with it, see:

Add fingering text plugin
Score: Test - Add Fingering Text

References

Doxygen Documentation for Note | elements