Manual spacing

[fcopaja]

Hi again, I wonder if one can somehow click and nudge with arrow keys the entry handles for fine positioning. In Mac at least I have to move them with the mouse, being precision very difficult to attain.

Felipe Copaja

[Peter Thomsen]

To position precisely I would use the (very technical) dialog box Edit Frame:

Warning:
First, de-select Automatic Music Spacing. (in the Preferences)
Tip:
Set the Measurements Units to small units, like Points, or EVPUs. (Finale menu > Measurement Units > …)

Speedy Entry Tool.
Click outside the staff, to exit the entry rectangle.
Hold down the Option key (in Windows Finale: the CTRL key), and click in the staff/measure.
The dialog box Edit Frame appears.
For each Entry Slot you can use the field Position to set a horizontal Position.

Warning:
If you later apply Music Spacing, then Finale will set the horizontal Position to zero again, thus destroying your layout work.

[Bill Stevens]

Another option is Special Tools > Note Position Tool. That allows you to select multiple notes and nudge with the arrow key. Not as precise as Peter's solution, but maybe quicker.

::: Bill

[motet]

What's needed in this case is to add room after the first note, moving all subsequent notes to the right and widening the measure at the same time so the last note doesn't run into the barline. But widening the measure pulls notes forward, further complicating things. And in Felipe's case, extra space is needed at 4 different places. I think using Edit Frame would require changing all 16 notes by varying amounts, and would need to be worked out on paper, maybe. This seems like a real mess now matter how you do it.

[motet]

OK, how's this? Here I've created a shape articulation that is an invisible line 1 EVPU long and applied it to each note needing extra space. I've checked "Avoid collision of articulations" in the Music Spacing options. By experimenting with the handle offset for the articulation, I was able to get it to add the right amount of stuff. Once the articulation is defined, it's very easy to add at the required places with a metatool.

This survives music spacing, so you can leave Automatic Music Spacing on. Brilliant, what?

[fcopaja]

This is definitely one of the smartest workarounds I've seen in this forum, remarkable!

Thank you.
Felipe

[motet]

Let us know how it works out.

It occurs to me that this could be used for fake barlines, to add the extra space on either side that would be there for real barlines. I think in that case the invisible line would need to stick out in both directions rather than using the handle offset.

[fcopaja]

Yes! I thought of that for when I need to place bracketed editorial clef changes.

[John Ruggero]

Just in case the following would be helpful: When two notes or more are too close together, such as the situation in the OP, I open the beat chart in the measure tool and drag the appropriate beat square right to widen the gap with the shift key down, which moves all the notes from this beat on to the right. This puts the final notes too close to the right bar line, or even over the right bar line. Then I drag the lowest handle near the right bar line left to incorporate more space between the final note and the right bar line. This evens out the spacing in the entire measure.

Of course, this must be done by eye, because the beats cannot be moved by means of the arrow keys.

[fcopaja]

John! this also is very helpful! Moving the handle of each entry is really bothering...

Felipe

[motet]

So happy to learn the Shift key thing!

[John Ruggero]

This is the best trick I ever learned over at MM Problems and Questions.

[fcopaja]

John, this I didn't quite understand:
"Then I drag the lowest handle near the right bar line left to incorporate more space between the final note and the right bar line. This evens out the spacing in the entire measure."

Lowest handle of the rightmost entry? moving it with or without SHIFT only alters that entry, I don't see how it evens the spacing.

Felipe

[motet]

I think he means the measure spacing handle, not the beat chart.

[John Ruggero]

Sorry fcopaja, I should have used the proper term or supplied a picture. As motet said, this guy:

left measure spacing handle.png (16.58 KiB) Viewed 3127 times

[fcopaja]

Oh my! I didn't have them shown...
Thanks