Finale Forum

Hi, I'm using Finale 25.4 on Windows 10 and I'm working on some big band arrangements and I'm in the process of editing and printing parts. In the past I extracted parts to separate files, but I'm trying linked parts for the first time. When I go to print parts to PDF, Finale defaults the PDF filename to "filenamex - instrumentname.pdf" I can't find an option anywhere to remove that "x" which isn't part of the original filename. It does this to all of my files consistently. Thanks!

A known issue. I remove them manually, one at a time.

Zuill

I do the same as Zuill. It seems unnecessary of course, and possibly a bug, but if you have a lot of parts to print to pdf, you soon get into the 'rhythm' of removing the xes.

.. or they don't hurt anything if you leave them.

zuill wrote:I remove them manually, one at a time.

Anders Hedelin wrote:I do the same as Zuill. It seems unnecessary of course, and possibly a bug, but if you have a lot of parts to print to pdf, you soon get into the 'rhythm' of removing the xes.

If only you guys had a machine that could perform repetitive tasks for you, based on a simple set of instructions!

Seriously, if I had to make this correction to more than a few files, regularly, I'd script it. Can't it be done in Windows with JavaScript, or DOS, or something?

Thanks for your understanding, BuonTempi. But I really don't mind this bit of manual labour at the end of a lengthy project.
Flutes - done. (un-exed)
Oboes - done (un-exed)...

Then, I'm an absolute ignorant when it comes to scripts. If I tried, unwisely, in fx. an arrangement of a wellknown Handel opera, it would likely go like this - script: 'remove all exes' - result: "eres - Alto Saophone'.

Then you search for "x -" and replace with " -" (case sensitive).

If I showed you a time-saving tip in Finale, you'd use it. At the very least, there are free File Renaming utilities you can download to remove the x. There's absolutely no reason to perform tedious repetitive tasks on a computer, if you can possibly avoid it.

I don't have a Mac, but in UNIX one would do something like
hardly something that most people would have the chops to do. Or does the Mac somehow make this easier?

Thanks for taking this seriously., BuonTempi. I was actually more or less serious myself.
Where, more exactly, could I search?

Thanks motet. I think I will leave this to others to brood over.

Anders Hedelin wrote:Thanks for taking this seriously., BuonTempi. I was actually more or less serious myself.
Where, more exactly, could I search?

As I say, you could start by using an app that does batch renaming, and use the terms I gave.

I just offer the possibility of making it easier for yourself. That's all.

I am grateful that you try to make things easier for me, but sometimes I think programs, plug-ins or assisting apps shouldn't do all the work for you. Here is something that really inspires me in my attempt to be a music engraver, something very not-plug-in:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvyoKdW-Big

As far as printing to pdf, I do the files one at a time, as Finale and Cute pdf don't batch print well. For each part, the print name appears with the x, I remove it, save, then go on to the next part.

the x is a result of bad programming. The programmers made it so the mus is removed. When they changed to musx format, they forgot to change the program to remove the x as well. That's my take on it, anyway. I may be wrong.

Zuill

Hah! You're right!

I made a file called TeSt.musX and the resulting PDF was TeStX - Part 1. Since the X is uppercase in the Finale file name and the PDF file name, I think that proves your theory.

As far as printing to pdf, I do the files one at a time, as Finale and Cute pdf don't batch print well. For each part, the print name appears with the x, I remove it, save, then go on to the next part.

I do exactly the same thing as Zuill does. Not really a big deal, but MM should fix this.

I am on Windows and use a free utility called Rename-It! that works really well.
You just set up a filter to find and replace "x -" with " -".

Just google it and you will find it. I believe I downloaded it from Sourceforge.