[JW Lua] Demos of my JW Lua Projects (Jan Angermüller)

[Paul W. Palm]

Jan Angermüller> I am very happy to hear your comments and/or wishes for more automated tasks in Finale.

I have reviewed the JW Lua: Group Scripts demo on YouTube (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDgy34xeNBY).


I believe that each script can be improved with the following user settings:

dynamics_horizpos.lua = center dynamics [needs ability to select positioning (e.g. left of all noteheads, left of primary notehead, stem, center of primary notehead, center of all noteheads, and right of all noteheads), with a saved default value]

artic_slurs.lua = move outer articulations [needs ability to select both the unit (e.g. EPVUs, inches, cm, points, picas, and spaces) and the gap (e.g. 6, 1.5, etc.), with saved default values]

dynamics_artics.lua = move dynamics that collide with articulations [needs ability to select both the unit and the gap, with saved default values]

dynamics_hairpins.lua = reshape hairpins around dynamics [needs ability to select both the unit and the whitespace gap on both sides (2 values) for each dynamic (e.g. pppp, ppp, pp, p, mp, etc.)*, with saved default values]

barenreiter_hairpinends.lua = end hairpins that lack a dynamic [needs ability to select positioning (e.g. left of all noteheads, left of primary notehead, stem, center of primary notehead, center of all noteheads, and right of all noteheads), with a saved default value]

vcenter_dynamics_hairpins.lua = vertically align hairpins & dynamics [needs ability to select both the unit (e.g. EPVUs, inches, cm, points, picas, and spaces) and the gap (e.g. 6, -1.5, etc.) relative to the lowest dynamic (default would be 0), with saved default values]


Ideally, these scripts would respect the Units setting in each document's Document Options and, therefore, not require the selection of a Units measurement in any of them.


*Note that in the YouTube video demo, hairpins that end at mp, mf, and f dynamics are too close (in my opinion).


I have requested these scripts from Jari multiple times, even offering a commission, and been denied them for questionable reasons.  The layout refinements that these scripts would accomplish represent 95+% of the time I spend in Finale, so having them would increase my productivity by 10-20x.  I am quite good at improving the work of others, but do not have the time to learn JW Lua from scratch in order to author these already existing scripts.  I continue to use Finale 2012, due to familiarity and Finale 2014 not improving any of the issues I combat in F12.

With all of the JW Lua scripts you have written, I imagine you would be readily able to replicate the scripts that Jari authored and demoed in the above mentioned YouTube video, along with the improvements and customizations I have outlined.  I am aware of your "*Perfect Layout*" plug-in, but it is overkill for my purposes.  I have custom dynamics whose placement and spacing match my house style.  My most pressing need is for cresc/decresc (hairpins) to vertically and horizontally (begin & end) match the notes/beats I want them aligned with.  Yes, I am aware of Finale 2014's beat-attached Smart Shapes.  Since that function does not horizontally attach hairpins where I want them to, it is of no value.  Note that Finale could easily resolve the vertical hairpin issue by making them attach to beats just as dynamics do, with definable expression-like positioning.



Below is a digest conversation I have previously had with Jari.


Paul Palm> I'm back from a 3-week trip, ready to resume my Finale work.  I will continue to use Finale 2012 until I finish the edition I'm currently typesetting.  For my next edition, I'm looking forward to cutting my effort by 90+% using Finale 2014's 'Anchored Hairpins and Measure-Attached Smartshapes' and (hopefully) JWLua's 'Group Scripts' for unifying crescendos, decrescendos, and dynamics.


Jari Williamsson> …the primary focus is currently aimed towards script developers and improving the general JW Lua environment.

Paul Palm> I appreciate that, but please understand how important and lacking Finale is in this aspect.  Imagine a score with hundreds of cresc. & decresc., all needing a uniform distance below each staff, all needing uniform beginnings and endings (relative to a prior and/or subsequent dynamic), all unwantedly changing with each layout update.  I am not exaggerating when I say that this consumes ~95% of my time when producing a score.


Jari Williamsson> I will probably put some scripts on the tips site before the repository is in place.

Paul Palm> Has this happened?  Where are they?  The scripts demoed on YouTube are:

dynamics_horizpos.lua
artic_slurs.lua (needs ability to select a gap other than 7 EPVUs, like 4.5 points)
dynamics_artics.lua (needs ability to select a gap other than 7 EPVUs,…)
dynamics_hairpins.lua (needs ability to select a gap other than 10 EPVUs,…)
barenreiter_hairpinends.lua
vcenter_dynamics_hairpins.lua


Paul Palm> Note that in the YouTube 'Group Scripts' demo video, the script makes a decrescendo end too close to its following 'mp' relative to the proximity of the other cresc/decresc and their adjoining dynamics.


Jari Williamsson> The scripts in the demo need some more testing before they can be published to end users.

Paul Palm> How about making them available to someone who can/will test, debug, and improve them?  You want more JW Lua users and script authors, right?  This will make me one.


---

Dr. Paul W. Palm, DMA
Scholarly Brass Editions
Lutz, FL  33549-3560  (USA)
ph#: +1.646.504.2663