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Gavin
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:46 pm

Post by Gavin » Sat Apr 18, 2009 2:24 pm

My greatest wish is that 99% of Document Options become Program Options, so that I wouldn't have to reset them every time I start a new document. (If anyone knows a way of altering the default settings I would love to know. You used to be able to edit or create a default document.)

Same applies to libraries: why can't chord symbols be edited and saved within the program, instead of having to save a library and then find and load it again next time? Particularly annoying when you use a new chord suffix and then need it again 6 months later when you have forgotten where you used it before.


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miker
Posts: 5993
Joined: Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:28 pm
Finale Version: Finale 27.4
Operating System: Mac

Post by miker » Sat Apr 18, 2009 2:43 pm

You can still create a default document. Save it as an FTM. If you name it Maestro Font Default, and put it in the component styles folder, it will launch from Default Document. If you use the wizard, you have to alter the docs in the Document Styles folder. Or, give it a name like My Template, and put it in the Templates folder.

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Peter Thomsen
Posts: 6604
Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2003 6:47 pm
Finale Version: Finale v27.4
Operating System: Mac

Post by Peter Thomsen » Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:53 pm

Gavin wrote:My greatest wish is that 99% of Document Options become Program Options, so that I wouldn't have to reset them every time I start a new document...
The reason why the Document Options are document specific, is that you can have different settings in different documents.
I don't think the majority of Finale users would like to loose that functionality, sorry.

But you can get what you want in other ways:

To get specific document settings every time you start a new document, follow miker's advice.
You can create as many templates as you like.

Generally:
Document Options affect the active document.
Program Options affect the Program (= way the Program behaves). Changing the Program Options won't affect any documents.

By The Way:
In the Program Options you can specify that Finale should use a specific Finale document as Default Document.
If you don't specify a Default Document, Finale will use Maestro Font Default as Default Document.


Gavin wrote:...Same applies to libraries: why can't chord symbols be edited and saved within the program, instead of having to save a library and then find and load it again next time? Particularly annoying when you use a new chord suffix and then need it again 6 months later when you have forgotten where you used it before.
Create a library with the chord suffixes and fretboard diagrams you need, and load that library into your template(s) or into your Default Document.
Mac OS X 12.6.9 (Monterey), Finale user since 1996

Gavin
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:46 pm

Post by Gavin » Wed Sep 30, 2009 4:15 pm

Hey guys, thanks for the replies; I really should check back here more often! (Or tick the "Notify me" box) :oops:
Peter Thomsen wrote:The reason why the Document Options are document specific, is that you can have different settings in different documents.
I don't think the majority of Finale users would like to loose that functionality, sorry.
I wouldn't want to lose that functionality either; I would just like to be able to save settings as defaults, without having to edit all of your templates each time you want to change a default value. Documents could still be edited individually as the default values would only apply to new documents.

Most people have their own style and want all their documents to have the same general layout and appearance. I know there is a way of importing a 'house style' into documents, but wouldn't it be so much simpler if they were there from the start?

One problem with templates is that if you run out of measures any new measures are set to default values; staff size changes are not carried on, the page layout changes and even the page size defaults to Letter, a size not readily available in Europe.

You also need a template for every line-up you are going to prepare music for.

The current default document option is very limited as it is only a single template.

It seems a shame not to be able to modify the Setup Wizard as in other ways it is so quick and useful.

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Peter Thomsen
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Finale Version: Finale v27.4
Operating System: Mac

Post by Peter Thomsen » Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:56 am

Gavin wrote:Hey guys, thanks for the replies; I really should check back here more often! (Or tick the "Notify me" box) :oops:
Peter Thomsen wrote:The reason why the Document Options are document specific, is that you can have different settings in different documents.
I don't think the majority of Finale users would like to loose that functionality, sorry.
I wouldn't want to lose that functionality either; I would just like to be able to save settings as defaults, without having to edit all of your templates each time you want to change a default value. Documents could still be edited individually as the default values would only apply to new documents.

Most people have their own style and want all their documents to have the same general layout and appearance. I know there is a way of importing a 'house style' into documents, but wouldn't it be so much simpler if they were there from the start?...
To change default values in all your templates, consider using FinaleScript.


Gavin wrote:...One problem with templates is that if you run out of measures any new measures are set to default values; staff size changes are not carried on, the page layout changes and even the page size defaults to Letter, a size not readily available in Europe...
To make sure that "if you run out of measures any new measures are set to your preferred values", "staff size changes are carried on", "the page layout doesn't change", "the page size stays at A4" &c.,
customize the document's settings in
Document menu > Page Format > Score...
and in
Document menu > Page Format > Parts...
Finale uses the Page Format settings as new measures (and pages) are added to the document.
If you e.g. get a different staff size on the last pages in a document, it might be because that different staff size is selected in Page Format fr Score.


Gavin wrote:...The current default document option is very limited as it is only a single template...
In Finale 2008 and later you have more than one default document.
The default documents are called "Document Styles".
They are available in the Document Setup Wizard.
Mac OS X 12.6.9 (Monterey), Finale user since 1996

Gavin
Posts: 11
Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 1:46 pm

Post by Gavin » Thu Oct 01, 2009 9:26 am

Thanks Peter

Maybe my wishes have been answered then! That sounds exactly what I'm looking for. Might be time for an upgrade! (I'm still on 2007)

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Peter Thomsen
Posts: 6604
Joined: Fri Jul 25, 2003 6:47 pm
Finale Version: Finale v27.4
Operating System: Mac

Post by Peter Thomsen » Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:47 pm

Gavin wrote:...Might be time for an upgrade! (I'm still on 2007)
The settings in
Document menu > Page Format > ...
Are also available in Finale 2007.

However, you don't have Document Styles in 2007.

FinaleScript in 2010 is much more powerful than FinaleScript in 2007.

Also, there are a lot of other goodies that justify an upgrade.
Just to mention a few of them:

A powerful new Selection Tool (!)
Better import/export of MusicXML.
ScoreMerger (!)
New, improved Expression Tool
New improved Chord Tool, with beat-attached chord symbols
Mac OS X 12.6.9 (Monterey), Finale user since 1996

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