Re: [Denemo-devel] Beginner questions (cross-staff, PNG selection export, feathered beams, batch export, Print View behaviour)

[Richard Shann]

On Mon, 2019-08-12 at 14:21 +0200, Lib Lists wrote:
> Hello,
> new Denemo user here, coming back to Lilypond through Denemo after
> many years. It is really a pleasure to do note entry in a visual
> editor, thank you for your efforts in developing Denemo!
> 
> Few questions, using Denemo 2.2.0 on Mac Os 10.13.6.
> 
> 1. Despite my attempts, I cannot find a way to create cross-staff
> beaming in a piano staff. I understand it is possible in Denemo, but
> I cannot find the right command.

Cross staff beaming is created automatically by LilyPond when you cause
a voice to change staff, so the command you want is:

Staffs/Voices->Change Staff

> 
> 2. When I select Export as -> Export selection as PNG, I get a
> message that my file has been created, but I cannot find it in the
> file system.

You have to set your preference for a Image Viewer program to something
you have in your path to view the png with. The message is misleading -
as the help for the command says

Command: Export Selection as PNG
Displays a musical excerpt in your image viewer
Location: Main Menu ▶ File ▶ Export As
Internal Name: PrintExcerptPreview

so you have to have the Image Viewer in Edit->Change Preferences-
>Externals=>Image Viewer
set to some program actually installed on your system.

> 
> 3. Is it possible to create feathered beams as
> in http://lilypond.org/doc/v2.19/Documentation/notation/beams#feather
> ed-beams? Maybe with a custom command?

yes, I just tried it. I put in some 1/16th notes and then chose
Directives->Insert LilyPond
and pasted an example from the section you mentioned

\override Beam.grow-direction = #LEFT
\featherDurations #(ly:make-moment 2/1)

(well, this is LilyPond 2.18 docs actually)
and it feathered the following beam.
You could then take that Denemo Directive and 
1) create a snippet from it, or 
2) create a palette button that inserts it or 
3) create a command that inserts it.

for 1) see View->Snippets
for 2) right click on the directive and choose "Create Button for
Clone"
for 3), well having created a palette button you could right click the
palette button and choose "Get Script into Scheme Window" and then at a
suitable point in the Beams menu right click and choose "Save Script as
New Menu Item" and follow the prompts to create a new command that
inserts that Denemo Directive.

> 
> 4. As I'm writing a manual, where each movement is a separate
> exercise, I'd like at some point to batch export all the movements as
> individual files. Is it possible?

Do you mean separate PDFs?


> 
> 5. Last question (for now!), after inserting some text and pressing
> enter,

inserting it where?

HTH

Richard