Saving time signatures?

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Nick Mazuk
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Post by Nick Mazuk » Mon Mar 30, 2020 8:25 pm

Hi Everyone,

So I'm working on a piece that often switches between 2/2 and 3/2. 3/2 is not a default time signature, but it's easy enough to create.

With that said, I need to keep remaking the 3/2 time signature between every time. Is there a way to save time signatures? If not, then I'll probably go ahead and make a Lua script.

Thanks,

Nick
Nick


Bill Stevens
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Post by Bill Stevens » Mon Mar 30, 2020 8:36 pm

Could you have a blank measure of 3/2 somewhere and just keep pasting it in when needed?

Bill
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Peter Thomsen
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Post by Peter Thomsen » Mon Mar 30, 2020 8:49 pm

Nick Mazuk,

Are you familiar with metatools?

You can program your own metatools, but in the Default File there are some pre-programmed metatools.

Example:
In the Key Signature Tool, select a region, hold down a number key, and double-click the selected. (Major, sharp)
Try the same by holding down a letter key on the row below the number row (= the QWERTY row). (Major, flat)
Try the same by holding down a letter key on the next row (= the ASDF row). (minor, sharp)
Try the same by holding down a letter key on the next row (= the ZXCV row). (minor, flat)
I think that you get the idea.

Similarly, the Time Signature Tool has pre-programmed metatools.
For 3/2, hold down the letter D key.
I am confident that you can find the other time signature metatools by trial-and-error.

NB: You must be in the relevant tool.
To use a time signature metatool, switch to the Time Signature Tool.

However, in the Simple Entry Tool you can use the metatools for clefs, key signatures and time signatures without leaving the Simple Entry Tool.
To do so, hold down Option, and hit
C for entering a Clef
K for entering a Key Signature
T for entering a Time Signature

To program a custom metatool, switch to the relevant tool, hold down Shift, and hit the desired trigger key.


By The Way:
I strongly recommend the tutorial document EntryExercises.musx
Mac OS X 12.6.9 (Monterey), Finale user since 1996

Nick Mazuk
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Post by Nick Mazuk » Mon Mar 30, 2020 8:55 pm

I am familiar with metatools, but I've never seen them used that way. I will definitely play around with that a lot more. After just a minute of going through those, I can see how useful they can be.
Nick

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motet
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Post by motet » Mon Mar 30, 2020 9:13 pm

The manual, in fact, lists the predefined metatools.

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apkyburz
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Post by apkyburz » Sun Apr 05, 2020 8:29 am

Nick, as a more general question, could there be a way to use JWLua to generate multiple clipboards?

Instead of having just the system clipboard, cmd/ctrl c &v?

This could be helpful in your instance, but in countless others.

Best,

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Peter Thomsen
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Post by Peter Thomsen » Sun Apr 05, 2020 9:43 am

apkyburz wrote:
Sun Apr 05, 2020 8:29 am
… Nick, as a more general question, could there be a way to use JWLua to generate multiple clipboards? …
1) With Finale you do already have two clipboards: the “Finale clip board” for music, and the OS “standard clipboard” for text.

2) To swap music, e. g. between two staves you can combine the “music clipboard” with the copy shortcut:
a. Select the music in one staff, and Copy. Now it is in the “music clipboard”.
b. Select the music in the second staff. Hold down Option, and click the first staff. The music in the second staff is copied to the first staff.
c. Paste the music from the “music clipboard” into the second staff.

3) You can copy to Clip Files.
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HaraldS
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Post by HaraldS » Sun Apr 05, 2020 9:52 am

apkyburz wrote:
Sun Apr 05, 2020 8:29 am
Nick, as a more general question, could there be a way to use JWLua to generate multiple clipboards? Instead of having just the system clipboard, cmd/ctrl c &v?
AFAIK there are only two clipboard-related functions in JWLua, both deal with copying text to the system's clipboard. There's no way a JWLua script can access the Finale-related contents of the clipboard, e.g. a stack of measures or a time signature setting for a measure.

Unfortunately, Coda/Makemusic never implemented the OLE technology for Finale (and its successors, COM+DCOM), the technology for exchanging data in between applications with copy-and-paste. This is standard technology since Windows 3.0. With that, a third-party program could save any Finale clipboard contents and retrieve it. (With that, drag-and-drop would be possible, copying and pasting graphics to/from Finale would be possible or using data from spreadsheets or databases...would be a huge step forward).
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Peter Thomsen
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Post by Peter Thomsen » Sun Apr 05, 2020 11:07 am

HaraldS wrote:
Sun Apr 05, 2020 9:52 am
… Unfortunately, Coda/Makemusic never implemented the OLE technology for Finale (and its successors, COM+DCOM), the technology for exchanging data in between applications with copy-and-paste. This is standard technology since Windows 3.0. With that, a third-party program could save any Finale clipboard contents and retrieve it …
Indeed that would be a powerful feature.

Meanwhile there is a similar Finale feature (but, alas, without drag-and-drop):

File menu > Copy to Clip File… (you must hold down the correct modifier key = the Alt key, I think)

You can name your Clip Files as you like, and you can use them anytime, anywhere.
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apkyburz
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Post by apkyburz » Sun Apr 05, 2020 6:33 pm

Peter Thomsen wrote:
Sun Apr 05, 2020 11:07 am
Indeed that would be a powerful feature.

Meanwhile there is a similar Finale feature (but, alas, without drag-and-drop):

File menu > Copy to Clip File… (you must hold down the correct modifier key = the Alt key, I think)

You can name your Clip Files as you like, and you can use them anytime, anywhere.
Exactly, having a 2nd, or even 3rd clipboard would come in pretty handy.

Hmm. Clip files are a little cumbersome but maybe something could be done with a 3rd party macro-tool

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apkyburz
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Post by apkyburz » Sun Apr 05, 2020 6:34 pm

HaraldS wrote:
Sun Apr 05, 2020 9:52 am
apkyburz wrote:
Sun Apr 05, 2020 8:29 am
Nick, as a more general question, could there be a way to use JWLua to generate multiple clipboards? Instead of having just the system clipboard, cmd/ctrl c &v?
AFAIK there are only two clipboard-related functions in JWLua, both deal with copying text to the system's clipboard. There's no way a JWLua script can access the Finale-related contents of the clipboard, e.g. a stack of measures or a time signature setting for a measure.

Unfortunately, Coda/Makemusic never implemented the OLE technology for Finale (and its successors, COM+DCOM), the technology for exchanging data in between applications with copy-and-paste. This is standard technology since Windows 3.0. With that, a third-party program could save any Finale clipboard contents and retrieve it. (With that, drag-and-drop would be possible, copying and pasting graphics to/from Finale would be possible or using data from spreadsheets or databases...would be a huge step forward).
Ah, sad, thanks for your insight.

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motet
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Post by motet » Sun Apr 05, 2020 7:08 pm

On Windows I have something called ClipMate, which treats the system clipboard like a stack, so it remembers every clip and lets you go back and paste an old one. Copying notes in Finale doesn't go there, though.

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apkyburz
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Post by apkyburz » Sun Apr 05, 2020 7:18 pm

motet wrote:
Sun Apr 05, 2020 7:08 pm
On Windows I have something called ClipMate, which treats the system clipboard like a stack, so it remembers every clip and lets you go back and paste an old one. Copying notes in Finale doesn't go there, though.
Yes, Keyboard Maestro on MacOS has the same function, but with the same result as yours, motet.

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apkyburz
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Post by apkyburz » Sun Apr 05, 2020 7:51 pm

Nick Mazuk wrote:
Mon Mar 30, 2020 8:25 pm

Hi all,

Upon Peter Thomsen input, I went ahead and created a few macros that work as a 'multiple clipboard feature'.

This is for Keyboard Maestro, MacOS. Zip file is attached on the bottom.

One shortcut saves clip-files into the download folder (choose a different folder if you like).
Another shortcut retrieves them and pastes them into the selected area.

Since it's clip-file pasting, the filter function works here.

If it can be made better, let me know, I'd be glad to work on it.

Best,
apkyburz
Last edited by apkyburz on Sun Apr 05, 2020 10:14 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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motet
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Post by motet » Sun Apr 05, 2020 9:45 pm

Good idea!

Nick Mazuk
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Post by Nick Mazuk » Sun Apr 05, 2020 9:55 pm

This thread has been active today!

I haven't tested any of the ideas here, but the KM macro looks intriguing.

I do know with Lua that if you can save the music clipboard, creating a multiple copy/paste solution is not going to be elegant. Since there's no way to internally store data between each time the script is run, you'd have to save the data to an external file. That's possible, but then when do you delete a file? Unless you figure that out, it's going to keep taking up more and more space on your computer.

Clip files may be the best way to copy-paste multiple items in Finale.
Nick

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apkyburz
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Post by apkyburz » Sun Apr 05, 2020 10:06 pm

Hi Forum,

I've noticed a couple mistakes in the macro, I've sorted them out.

Find the zip file attached here.

Nick, I've tried the macro for your issue and I'm getting workable results.

Best,
apkyburz

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