True Regular Measure Width

[Carlspost1]

Hi All,
I have been using the standard method of setting the measure widths to be all the same size. (ie Document Options- Music Spacing) It all seems to work fine except if there is a change of key or time signature. The measure with the new clef or time signature appears to be automatically expanded to accommodate the new clef. Is there a way to make a 'hard fix' of the measure lines so that they are all the same width without exception?
I have only been able to do this by manually decreasing the size of the bars in question. I am hoping there is a much easier way..
Thank you for your help.

[Peter Thomsen]

Welcome to the forum!

It is not clear to me, what problem you are trying to solve ?!?

Your words make me wonder:
“Is there a way to make a 'hard fix' of the measure lines so that they are all the same width without exception?”

1) Do you need all the measure to have the same width?
or
2) Do you need all the barlines to line up?

NB: 1) and 2) are not the same thing!
Even if all the barlines line up, the measures may not all have the same width (but obviously measures vertically below each other have the same width).

It might be easier to understand if you also explain why you need it.
Is it e. g. because you are creating a canon layout?

The better we understand, the better we can help you.

[Carlspost1]

Thanks you so much for your reply Peter!

It gets as little confusing because in my part of the world we only speak in 'bars' and 'bar lines', so I may have used the term 'measure' incorrectly.

What I am trying to do is create a long musical score in 'scroll view' and then set the bar lines at exactly equal distances apart.
The idea being so that I can print the score and make cuts at each bar line so that all the bars will stack like a neat deck of cards.
....Probably the strangest reason you've ever heard- but its for a teaching resource that I am trying to make.

Like I mentioned before the problem is that any any change in clef or time signature results in that bar being automatically expanded to fit the change, so the alignment is lost.

Many thanks again,
Carlspost1

[Peter Thomsen]

… The measure with the new clef or time signature appears to be automatically expanded to accommodate the new clef …

Since you use the words ‘clef’ and ‘time signature’, I conclude that your Finale document is a 1-staff document (with many measures), right?

… The idea being so that I can print the score, and make cuts at each bar line, so that all the bars will stack like a neat deck of cards …

If I understand you correctly, you need the option of (re-)arranging the printed measures in any order, right?



In a case like this I would keep each measure in its own system.

See the attached demo document.

To position multiple systems next to each other, go to the Page Layout menu, and de-select “Allow Margin Collisions”.

[Carlspost1]

Thanks Peter,
Much appreciated.
I have another different question to do with the same project but I will re-post it as a separate issue.
Cheers!