QuickLook in v27

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gluhring
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2021 2:34 am
Finale Version: 26
Operating System: Mac

Post by gluhring » Wed Jul 07, 2021 3:16 am

I've been hoping, hoping that QuickLook would return in version 27 but I have yet to see any mention of it. Can it be so difficult to generate a 64 bit version for the modern MacOS? QuickLook lives on in all other major Mac applications I use and for the library of Finale arrangements that I've inherited with my father's music publication business, it is not only a convenience, but a necessity.

I wonder if the Finale developers, or many users, have ever taken a moment to experience and immediately embrace the QuickLook "technology"? By highlighting any .mus or .musx file in the finder and tapping the space bar, you are shown an instant preview of its content. Fully formatted.

With the arrow keys on your keyboard you can go from file to file in a directory and view each file in a split second without having to open any of them until the one you are searching for is found.

I have a feeling that once discovered, QuickLook in Finale would end up being one of the most important tools (conveniences) in most Finale composers' toolboxes.

How can we get QuickLook back? Hopefully I've described the experience well enough to pique some interest.
--
Gregg Luhring
PEL Music Publications
pelmusic.com
gregg@pelmucic.com
________


User avatar
motet
Posts: 8230
Joined: Tue Dec 06, 2016 8:33 pm
Finale Version: 2014.5,2011,2005,27
Operating System: Windows

Post by motet » Wed Jul 07, 2021 4:15 am

I wouldn't hold my breath.

BuonTempi
Posts: 1297
Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:59 am
Finale Version: Finale 27
Operating System: Mac

Post by BuonTempi » Wed Jul 07, 2021 2:27 pm

gluhring wrote:
Wed Jul 07, 2021 3:16 am
I wonder if the Finale developers, or many users, have ever taken a moment to experience and immediately embrace the QuickLook "technology"? Can it be so difficult to generate a 64 bit version for the modern MacOS?
Of course the finale devs have experienced it - they created the original 32-bit version! However, it was something of a behemoth: the plug-in has to parse the document, calculate all the spacings and render the page display, complete with all fonts. It was essentially a mini-Finale app.

The problem is that macOS imposes a strict limit on how long a Quick Look generator is allowed to process for; how much memory it can use; and how many files it can have open (don't forget fonts, FANs and other resources). If it exceeds any of these, the process will be killed by the operating system.

Sibelius, too, used to have a QL generator which has been removed, because the operation of rendering a file of music from the document data is just too lengthy and complex for a plug-in (as opposed to an app) to complete in the limits available.

Most other QL generators are text-based, or able to rely on the OS's imaging routines for standard image formats, or just not as complex.

SickBoy
Posts: 10
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2020 4:42 pm
Finale Version: 26.3.1
Operating System: Mac

Post by SickBoy » Thu Jul 08, 2021 2:09 pm

The code to build the old version of Quicklook was essentially a copy of the main program's source, and had to be maintained in parallel. It's a loss to not have it, but hopefully the team can spend some time rearchitecting the plugin to put back into the product in a way that doesn't induce extra maintenance headache.

tl;dr it worked but was badly constructed/structured in the first place and that's why it didn't make the cut for 64-bit modernization.

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