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using symbols from other fonts

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 1:49 pm
by lynndavidnewton
Using Finale 25.(latest) on Mac High Sierra.

Likely a beginner's question here, but I just don't know and haven't found a straightforward answer in the manuals (yet).

Sometimes I need a symbol and someone responds, "Oh here, maybe you could use X in the Engraver's font" and the suggestion is just what I need.

The problem is I have not yet figured out how to find a list of symbols in that or any other font and plop it into my score.

I can follow a step-by-step if there is are manual instructions. Can someone point me to that. Or else give me a push in the right direction? Once I learn to do this for one symbol I can do it for the whole library of symbols for all fonts ... I presume.

Thanks. (Embarrassed to ask.)

Re: using symbols from other fonts

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 2:01 pm
by michelp
In an expression, a text block, in lyrics, you can easily change a font, and it can even be different for each character. Just select it and go to the text menu to select a font.
I would recommend PopChar (not free, but very useful) to locate the characters in any font and find their keyboard equivalents.

Re: using symbols from other fonts

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 3:17 pm
by zuill
The Finale documentation lists the various fonts packaged with Finale. That is one place to see what characters are available. When creating an expression or an articulation, for example, there is a place in each menu where you can choose the font desired. Once chosen, then there is an option to insert or choose a character. The list of all the available characters in the selected font pops up. Then you can choose the needed character.

Zuill

Re: using symbols from other fonts

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 5:14 pm
by Peter Thomsen
lynndavidnewton wrote:… Sometimes I need a symbol and someone responds, "Oh here, maybe you could use X in the Engraver's font" and the suggestion is just what I need.

The problem is I have not yet figured out how to find a list of symbols in that or any other font and plop it into my score …
In the Mac version of Finale you can use the dialog box Symbol Selection.
You can get to the Symbol Selection where the Text menu is present (in the Text Tool, in the Expression Tool, &c.):
Text menu > Inserts > Symbol…

In the Symbol Selection you can see the selected character’s slot number, and you can see the keystroke (usually the Unicode keystroke) needed to type the character.

Re: using symbols from other fonts

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 9:46 pm
by lynndavidnewton
Various people and the online manual have said that in an expression, a text block, and in lyrics I can change fonts.

I finally found out how to do this selecting the Text Tool, and maybe that's all I'll ever need.

However, I cannot find a path to do this in the expression tool.

I made a little example of Twinkle, Twinkle. Over the 4/4 I want to put an expression. Doesn't matter what. I just want to see that the ability to change font to get some symbol is there and that I can do it. I'll figure out why I might want this later.

So I select the Expression tool and double click somewhere above the 4/4.

In the menu bar before I double click there is a menu labeled Expression. Nothing relevant shows. (Stuff about adjusting the baseline.) When I double click, I get the Expression Selection dialogue. None of the tabs of the left are relevant. They just group expression marks by category. And none of the buttons below are relative, which all have to do with manipulating the currently selected mark. ... Except there is the Edit button, but I don't want to mess with anything already created ...

However ... there is the useful Create button (which I'm used to using). But even there I don't see a way to get to the Symbol Selection popup.

I would expect there would be a path to this from the Articulation Tool, but evidently not? I can't imagine why there isn't.

So any of these blobs I want to drop into my score I guess I have to basically do as text objects, right?

As a lifetime musician (mostly as a composer), and a software guy since the mid-eighties, I'm feeling like a complete moron right now.

Thanks to those who have attempted to help me for your patience.

Re: using symbols from other fonts

Posted: Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:44 pm
by miker
Let's assume, for the moment, that you want to create a miscellaneous expression.

Click on the Miscellaneous in the Expression Selection window.
Click on the button that says Create Miscellaneous Expression.
If the symbol you want is in another font, select the font.
Go to the Text Menu in the menu bar, and select Inserts>Symbol...
In the Symbol window, scroll down until you see the symbol you want, and double click to select it.
Click OK, and Assign.

Re: using symbols from other fonts

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 12:21 am
by MikeHalloran
Various people and the online manual have said that in an expression, a text block, and in lyrics I can change fonts.
Yes but you have to do it the way that Finale lets you. Many things that are simple in word processing programs won't work in Finale.

The Help files could be better at explaining this than they are. Still, you should get familiar with them.

Re: using symbols from other fonts

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 4:23 pm
by lynndavidnewton
miker wrote:Let's assume, for the moment, that you want to create a miscellaneous expression.

Click on the Miscellaneous in the Expression Selection window.
Click on the button that says Create Miscellaneous Expression.
If the symbol you want is in another font, select the font.
Go to the Text Menu in the menu bar, and select Inserts>Symbol...
In the Symbol window, scroll down until you see the symbol you want, and double click to select it.
Click OK, and Assign.
miker, this example is exactly the push I needed.
Perfectly clear and I can now do that.
You've gotten me over a major stumbling hump.
And I assume this covers the brief offline discussion we had,
so no phone call necessary, but thanks very much for the offer.

Re: using symbols from other fonts

Posted: Thu Dec 07, 2017 4:28 pm
by lynndavidnewton
MikeHalloran wrote:
Various people and the online manual have said that in an expression, a text block, and in lyrics I can change fonts.
Yes but you have to do it the way that Finale lets you. Many things that are simple in word processing programs won't work in Finale.

The Help files could be better at explaining this than they are. Still, you should get familiar with them.
Tactful advice noted, Mike Halloran. I'm in the position of living in isolation from the music community and
having been away from both composing and Finale and engraving (I used to do it professionally using
music typewriters) for a long time, trying to plow through a pile of legacy music while relearning
Finale at the same time. It's like learning to swim again in the middle of the ocean. Especially given that
I'm dealing with some of my old music, which has some quite difficult requirements to it. I put my
pursuit of this on the shelf for about 12 years because of that.

I wish I had a class I could take to cover everything I need to know to be productive in an orderly way
while still being able to grind out scores.

Thanks as always to everyone for their patience.

And FWIW, I recently realized that the Help facility in Finale is actually quite useful.

Re: using symbols from other fonts

Posted: Fri Dec 08, 2017 1:39 am
by MikeHalloran
And FWIW, I recently realized that the Help facility in Finale is actually quite useful.
No argument there. I do wish it was a searchable PDF file so that you could type in some key words and rapidly scroll through the pages (and pages and pages...) that don't apply to the situation at hand.