multiple songs on same page

[karin1876]

I'm creating teaching materials, and I want to put several one-line exercises on each page. I want to set different document options for each exercise, but everything I've tried so far always sets the options for the entire page. The example I'm stuck on right now is that I want the first exercise to have a single staff line and the 2nd one to have 2 staff lines. Is there a way to do this without creating two entirely different documents?

[michelp]

Create the maximum of staves you'll need in all pieces. Then, use optimization to remove empty staves. You'll find it in the staff tool, staff menu. Make sure that the staves you want to hide are really empty.

[karin1876]

It's not staves that I want to hide, but staff lines. Whereas a normal staff is comprised of 5 horizontal lines, I'm creating situations that use only one line, or 2 lines, etc. I can get this to work across an entire document (using Edit Staff Attributes from the Staff menu of the Staff tool), but I can't get it to work differently on various sections of the same page. I wish there was some way tell Finale that my first system is one song with its very own document settings, and the the next system is a totally separate song with totally different document settings.

[Peter Thomsen]

You're almost there.

Instead of using Staff Attributes - "globally" - use Staff Styles - "locally".

The dialog box Staff Styles is similar to the dialog box Staff Attributes.

Peter

[michelp]

I see now. Staff attributes are global and can define a staff to be 5 lines as a default set-up. But you can change these global parameters locally if you apply staff styles. Staff tool, select a region, apply (or define) staff styles.
You can define several staff styles, with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 lines. Then, while in the staff tool, just select the region and apply it.

update : Peter was faster...but we agree.

[karin1876]

Thanks to both of you - That worked perfectly!