Is there a right-click menu?

[clarke]

Is there right-click in Finale 2011? Mine currently doesn't. 2011b on Win7 64-it.

I can't search on the topic in this forum because it says that "right click" is too common, but adding further adjectives doesn't reveal any thing either. So I've decided I don't care if its a stupid question - I really would like the feature.

Any help would be appreciated.

clarke

[miker]

Yes, there is, for almost every tool. Does right-click work in your other programs?

[clarke]

Yes indeed. Word 2010, IE8, etc.

I was initially surprised when first trying out Finale that right click didn't do anything (except grab all the staves as an outline until I released the right click again).

I was shocked/hopeful reading through some help saying to use right-click menu. Hmm.

[Peter Thomsen]

The right-click menu, a. k. a. the context menu.
It is context specific, i. e. it will be different, depending on in what tool you are, and where you click.

[clarke]

None of the main palette tools have right click context menus for me - all I get is the white gloved hand.
Is this an initial set issue?

I was hoping that from the menubar: Edit, Program Options would have a check box for display context menus, but alas not.

[Peter Thomsen]

The context menu depends on, in what tool you are, and where you click.

Are you context-clicking directly on the Main Tool Palette?
As Far As I know, you can't make any context menus appear on the Main Tool Palette.

Instead, you must click somewhere in your document.

In general:
Whenever there is a handle on an item, try a context-click on that handle.
Some context menus don't need a handle to appear on.

Examples:

1) When you are in the Staff Tool, context-click inside a staff gives a context menu with the staff styles created in the document.

2) When you are in the Clef Tool, context-click on inside a staff on an empty measure gives a context menu with only two menu items:
Help
Select Clef...
(the ellipsis ... indicates that you will get a dialog box, if you choose this menu item)

3) When you are in the Special Tools Tool, in the sub-tool Note Shape Tool, context-click on a notehead handle gives a context menu with four menu items:
Help
Edit...
Clear
Allow Vertical Positioning

[clarke]

Thanks for responding, its appreciated.
Sadly,none the context menus appear from the examples you've suggested. Sometimes I get Win7's blue circle for a fraction of a second, sometimes no effect, sometimes the white glove.

[Peter Thomsen]

There is definitely something wrong in your system.

In order to find the culprit you should probably perform all the usual tests:

1) Create a new document, and see whether you can get context menus in a new document (this test will reveal whether the issue is document specific).

2) Create a new user account, and see whether you can get context menus in a new account (this test will reveal whether the issue is account specific).

3) Delete the Finale Preferences file (this test will reveal whether the culprit is a corrupt Preferences file).
The Win Finale preferences file is called "finale.ini".

[clarke]

Ok,
1.) New document - same trouble
2.) There is only one account on the Win7 machine; it has sysadmin privledges.
3.) No finale.ini file anywhere. Perhaps a clue???

[Peter Thomsen]

...3.) No finale.ini file anywhere. Perhaps a clue???

You can delete your Finale Preferences to reset settings back to what they were when it was originally installed.

1. Go to C:\Program\Finale 2011
2. Look for the "FINMIDI.ini" and "Finale.ini" files
3. Drag them to your desktop
4. Restart Finale and you will be set to go.

Once you see that Finale has been started successfully, you can delete the old INI files you dragged to your desktop.

[clarke]

Well, the good news is that I have now got the context menus showing up.
The bad news is I have yet to move the FINMIDI.ini to the desktop as suggested.
What changed between now and my last session? I don't know, I'm but happy to have the context menus.
I hope that they stick around.

Thank you for all your help and suggestions.
How do I flag this post as resolved?

clarke

[Peter Thomsen]

...How do I flag this post as resolved?...

I don't know of a way to do so.
Perhaps it is a limitation in the forum software?

[miker]

No need to do anything. It will just slide down the list.

[clarke]

I'm back - same problem.

On the main tool palette: the Staff tool is selected. Right-clicking on the small box (what I call a "grip") just left of the Treble clef of an existing work, does nothing - is there no context menu for the staff tool, like new stave, or edit staff attributes?

same goes for the time signature tool on the main palette, right-clicking in the measure does nothing???? It worked on on my last session? Are there defaults for each *.mus that I'm not setting properly?

Starting a new score with the wizard (piano only) same problem. If I right-click in the selected measure (blue hi-lite) I get nothing, if I right-click outside of the hilited area but in the same staff I get the white glove icon

This is just so wierd. Now that I've seen it once on my own system I want to use them - just having trouble making it consistent.

clarke

[Peter Thomsen]

Did you perform the tests I suggested in my previous post?

2) Create a new user account, and see whether you can get context menus in a new account (this test will reveal whether the issue is account specific).

3) Delete the Finale Preferences file (this test will reveal whether the culprit is a corrupt Preferences file).

NB:
These tests are TESTS, not solutions.

If you e. g. find that you get the context menus back in a new user account, then you know that there is something in your "old" user account that prevents the context menus from showing up.

[clarke]

I'm using Finale 2011b with two monitors on Win7 sp1. I guess I should have mentioned that. I was searching around and found another posting in the genral discussion of this forum that pointed me in the right direction.

Originally: My monitor "1" is the left smaller monitor over the piano where the Finale window is displayed, Monitor "2" is the main wider display (as set in the computer settings). Right click is not working and some popup menus are showing on monitor 2 (main-computer display) instead of monitor1 (finale monitor).

The Fix:
Experimenting by setting the monitor over the piano as the main display (in the computer settings) and still using it as the montor where Finale resides, Finale is working normally again, i.e. context menus are showing up on right-click.

I still appreciate your help and timely response Peter and I will try your tests if this issue persists.

clarke