1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
2 @node Documentation work
3 @chapter Documentation work
5 There are currently 11 manuals for LilyPond, not including the
6 translations. Each book is available in HTML, PDF, and info. The
7 documentation is written in a language called @code{texinfo} --
8 this allows us to generate different output formats from a single
11 To organize multiple authors working on the documentation, we use a
12 Version Control System (VCS) called git, previously discussed in
13 @ref{Starting with git}.
16 * Introduction to documentation work::
17 * Documentation suggestions::
18 * Texinfo introduction and usage policy::
19 * Documentation policy::
20 * Tips for writing docs::
21 * Scripts to ease doc work::
22 * Docstrings in scheme::
23 * Translating the documentation::
27 @node Introduction to documentation work
28 @section Introduction to documentation work
30 Our documentation tries to adhere to our @ref{Documentation
31 policy}. This policy contains a few items which may seem odd.
32 One policy in particular is often questioned by potential
33 contributors: we do not repeat material in the Notation Reference,
34 and instead provide links to the @qq{definitive} presentation of
35 that information. Some people point out, with good reason, that
36 this makes the documentation harder to read. If we repeated
37 certain information in relevant places, readers would be less
38 likely to miss that information.
40 That reasoning is sound, but we have two counter-arguments.
41 First, the Notation Reference -- one of @emph{five} manuals for
42 users to read -- is already over 500 pages long. If we repeated
43 material, we could easily exceed 1000 pages! Second, and much
44 more importantly, LilyPond is an evolving project. New features
45 are added, bugs are fixed, and bugs are discovered and documented.
46 If features are discussed in multiple places, the documentation
47 team must find every instance. Since the manual is so large, it
48 is impossible for one person to have the location of every piece
49 of information memorized, so any attempt to update the
50 documentation will invariably omit a few places. This second
51 concern is not at all theoretical; the documentation used to be
52 plagued with inconsistent information.
54 If the documentation were targeted for a specific version -- say,
55 LilyPond 2.10.5 -- and we had unlimited resources to spend on
56 documentation, then we could avoid this second problem. But since
57 LilyPond evolves (and that is a very good thing!), and since we
58 have quite limited resources, this policy remains in place.
60 A few other policies (such as not permitting the use of tweaks in
61 the main portion of NR 1+2) may also seem counter-intuitive, but
62 they also stem from attempting to find the most effective use of
63 limited documentation help.
66 @node Documentation suggestions
67 @section Documentation suggestions
69 @subheading Small additions
71 For additions to the documentation,
76 Tell us where the addition should be placed. Please include both
77 the section number and title (i.e. "LM 2.13 Printing lyrics").
80 Please write exact changes to the text.
83 A formal patch to the source code is @emph{not} required; we can
84 take care of the technical details. Here is an example of a
85 perfect documentation report:
88 To: lilypond-devel@gnu.org
89 From: helpful-user@example.net
92 In LM 2.13 (printing lyrics), above the last line ("More options,
93 like..."), please add:
96 To add lyrics to a divided part, use blah blah blah. For example,
99 \notes {blah <<blah>> }
100 \lyrics {blah <<blah>> }
105 In addition, the second sentence of the first paragraph is
106 confusing. Please delete that sentence (it begins "Users
107 often...") and replace it with this:
109 To align lyrics with something, do this thing.
119 @subheading Larger contributions
121 To replace large sections of the documentation, the guidelines are
122 stricter. We cannot remove parts of the current documentation
123 unless we are certain that the new version is an improvement.
128 Ask on the lilypond-devel maillist if such a rewrite is necessary;
129 somebody else might already be working on this issue!
132 Split your work into small sections; this makes it much easier to
133 compare the new and old documentation.
136 Please prepare a formal git patch.
140 Once you have followed these guidelines, please send a message to
141 lilypond-devel with your documentation submissions. Unfortunately
142 there is a strict “no top-posting” check on the mailist; to avoid
145 > I'm not top posting.
147 (you must include the > ) to the top of your documentation
150 We may edit your suggestion for spelling, grammar, or style, and
151 we may not place the material exactly where you suggested, but if
152 you give us some material to work with, we can improve the manual
153 much faster. Thanks for your interest!
156 @node Texinfo introduction and usage policy
157 @section Texinfo introduction and usage policy
160 * Texinfo introduction::
161 * Documentation files::
162 * Sectioning commands::
163 * LilyPond formatting::
166 * Other text concerns::
170 @node Texinfo introduction
171 @subsection Texinfo introduction
173 The language is called Texinfo; you can see its manual here:
175 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/}
177 However, you don't need to read those docs. The most important
178 thing to notice is that text is text. If you see a mistake in the
179 text, you can fix it. If you want to change the order of
180 something, you can cut-and-paste that stuff into a new location.
182 @warning{Rule of thumb: follow the examples in the existing docs.
183 You can learn most of what you need to know from this; if you want
184 to do anything fancy, discuss it on @code{lilypond-devel} first.}
187 @node Documentation files
188 @subsection Documentation files
190 All manuals live in @file{Documentation/}.
192 In particular, there are four user manuals, their respective master
193 source files are @file{learning.tely} (LM, Learning Manual),
194 @file{notation.tely} (NR, Notation Reference),
195 @file{music-glossary.tely} (MG, Music Glossary), and
196 @file{lilypond-program} (AU). Each chapter is written in a separate
197 file, ending in @file{.itely} for files containing lilypond code, and
198 @file{.itexi} for files without lilypond code, located in a subdirectory
199 associated to the manual (@file{learning/} for @file{learning.tely}, and
200 so on); list the subdirectory of each manual to determine the filename
201 of the specific chapter you wish to modify.
203 Developer manuals live in @file{Documentation/} too. Currently there is
204 only one: the Contributor's Guide @file{contrib-guide.texi} you are
207 Snippet files are part of documentation, and the Snippet List (SL) lives
208 in @file{Documentation/} just like the manuals. For information about
209 how to modify the snippet files and SL, see @ref{LSR work}.
212 @node Sectioning commands
213 @subsection Sectioning commands
215 Most of the manual operates at the
223 level. Sections are created with
232 Please leave two blank lines above a @@node; this makes it
233 easier to find sections in texinfo.
236 Sectioning commands (@@node and @@section) must not appear
237 inside an @@ignore. Separate those commands with a space, ie @@n
242 Nodes must be included inside a
252 construct. These are easily constructed with automatic tools; see
253 @ref{Scripts to ease doc work}.
256 @node LilyPond formatting
257 @subsection LilyPond formatting
262 Use two spaces for indentation in lilypond examples. (no
266 All text strings should be prefaced with #. LilyPond does
267 not strictly require this, but it is helpful to get users
268 accustomed to this scheme construct. ie @code{\set
269 Staff.instrumentName = #"cello"}
272 All engravers should have double-quotes around them:
275 \consists "Spans_arpeggio_engraver"
278 Again, LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is a useful
282 Examples should end with a complete bar if possible.
285 If possible, only write one bar per line. The notes on each
286 line should be an independent line -- tweaks should occur on their
287 own line if possible. Bad:
290 \override textscript #'padding = #3 c1^"hi"
296 \override textscript #'padding = #3
301 Most LilyPond input should be produced with:
304 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=2]
311 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
314 If you want to use \layout@{@} or define variables, use
317 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote]
320 In rare cases, other options may be used (or omitted), but ask first.
323 Inspirational headwords are produced with
326 @@lilypondfile[quote,ragged-right,line-width=16\cm,staffsize=16]
327 @{pitches-headword.ly@}
331 LSR snippets are linked with
334 @@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,ragged-right,texidoc,doctitle]
339 excepted in Templates, where `doctitle' may be omitted.
342 Avoid long stretches of input code. Noone is going to read
343 them in print. Please create a smaller example. (the smaller
344 example does not need to be minimal, however)
347 Specify durations for at least the first note of every bar.
350 If possible, end with a complete bar.
353 Comments should go on their own line, and be placed before
354 the line(s) to which they refer.
357 Add extra spaces around @{ @} marks; ie
360 not: \chordmode @{c e g@}
361 but instead: \chordmode @{ c e g @}
365 If you only have one bar per line, omit bar checks. If you
366 put more than one bar per line (not recommended), then include bar
370 If you want to work on an example outside of the manual (for
371 easier/faster processing), use this header:
376 line-width = 160\mm - 2.0 * 0.4\in
378 force-assignment = #""
379 line-width = #(- line-width (* mm 3.000000))
386 You may not change any of these values. If you are making an
387 example demonstrating special \paper@{@} values, contact the
388 Documentation Editor.
393 @node Text formatting
394 @subsection Text formatting
399 Lines should be less than 72 characters long. (I personally
400 recommend writing with 66-char lines, but don't bother modifying
407 Do not use spaces at the beginning of a line (except in
408 @@example or @@verbatim environments), and do not use more than a
409 single space between words. `makeinfo' copies the input lines
410 verbatim without removing those spaces.
413 Use two spaces after a period.
416 In examples of syntax, use @@var@{musicexpr@} for a music
420 Don't use @@rinternals@{@} in the main text. If you're
421 tempted to do so, you're probably getting too close to "talking
422 through the code". If you really want to refer to a context, use
423 @@code@{@} in the main text and @@rinternals@{@} in the @@seealso.
426 Variables or numbers which consist of a single character
427 (probably followed by a punctuation mark) should be tied properly,
428 either to the previous or the next word. Example:
431 The variable@@tie@{@}@@var@{a@} ...
435 To get consistent indentation in the DVI output it is better
436 to avoid the @@verbatim environment. Use the @@example
437 environment instead if possible, but without extraneous
438 indentation. For example, this
449 should be replaced with
460 where `@@example' starts the line (without leading spaces).
463 Do not compress the input vertically; this is, do not use
466 Beginning of logical unit
470 continuation of logical unit
477 Beginning of logical unit
484 continuation of logical unit
487 This makes it easier to avoid forgetting the `@@noindent'. Only
488 use @@noindent if the material is discussing the same material;
489 new material should simply begin without anything special on the
493 in @@itemize use @@item
494 on a separate line like this:
505 Do not use @@itemize @@bullet.
508 To get LilyPond version, use @@version@{@} (this does not work
509 inside LilyPond snippets). If you write "@@version@{@}" (enclosed
510 with quotes), or generally if @@version@{@} is not followed by a
511 space, there will be an ugly line break in PDF output unless you
519 @@w@{"@@version@{@}"@}
526 @subsection Syntax survey
530 @@bs - Generates a backslash inside @@warning.
531 Any `\' used inside @@warning (and @@q or @@qq) must be written as `@@bs@{@}'
532 (texinfo would also allow \\, but this breaks with PDF output).
535 @@c - single line comments
536 "@@c NOTE:" is a comment which should remain in the final
537 version. (gp only command ;)
540 @@cindex - General index. Please add as many as you can. Don't
541 capitalize the first word.
544 @@code@{@} - typeset in a tt-font. Use for actual lilypond code or
545 property/context names. If the name contains a space, wrap
546 the entire thing inside @@w@{@@code@{ @}@}.
549 @@example ... @@end example - example text that should be set as a
550 blockquote. Any @{@} must be escaped with @@@{ @}@@
553 @@funindex - is for a \lilycommand.
556 @@ignore ... @@end ignore - multi-line comment
561 B ... @@end itemize - for bulleted lists.
562 Do not compress vertically like this.
565 @@notation@{@} - refers to pieces of notation, e.g.
566 "@@notation@{cres.@}". Also use to specific lyrics ("the
567 @@notation@{A - men@} is centered"). Only use once per subsection
571 @@q@{@} - Single quotes. Used for `vague' terms.
574 @@qq@{@} - Double quotes. Used for actual quotes ("he said") or for
575 introducing special input modes.
578 @@rchanges@{@} - link to Changes.
581 @@rcontrib@{@} - link to Contributor's Guide.
584 @@ref@{@} - link within current manual (type the exact node name inside the
588 @@ressay@{@} - link to Engraving Essay.
591 @@rextend@{@} - link to Extending LilyPond.
594 @@rglos@{@} - link to the Music Glossary.
597 @@rinternals@{@} - link to the Internals Reference.
600 @@rlearning@{@} - link to Learning Manual.
603 @@rlsr@{@} - link to a Snippet section.
606 @@rprogram@{@} - link to Application Usage.
609 @@ruser@{@} - link to Notation Reference.
612 @@rweb@{@} - link to General Informaion.
615 @@tie@{@} - Variables or numbers which consist of a single character
616 (probably followed by a punctuation mark) should be tied
617 properly, either to the previous or the next word. Example:
618 "The letter@@tie@{@}@@q@{I@} is skipped"
621 @@uref@{@} - link to an external url.
624 @@var - Use for variables.
627 @@version@{@} - Return the current LilyPond version string
630 @@warning@{@} - produces a "Note: " box. Use for important messages.
636 @node Other text concerns
637 @subsection Other text concerns
642 References must occur at the end of a sentence, for more
643 information see @@ref@{the texinfo manual@}. Ideally this should
644 also be the final sentence of a paragraph, but this is not
645 required. Any link in a doc section must be duplicated in the
646 @@seealso section at the bottom.
649 Introducing examples must be done with
652 . (ie finish the previous sentence/paragaph)
653 : (ie `in this example:')
654 , (ie `may add foo with the blah construct,')
657 The old @qq{sentence runs directly into the example} method is not
661 Abbrevs in caps, e.g., HTML, DVI, MIDI, etc.
672 When beginning a quote: "So, he said,...".
674 This usage is rarer. Americans often just use a comma.
677 When adding a defining example at the end of a sentence.
682 Non-ASCII characters which are in utf-8 should be directly used;
683 this is, don't say `Ba@@ss@{@}tuba' but `Baßtuba'. This ensures
684 that all such characters appear in all output formats.
691 @node Documentation policy
692 @section Documentation policy
696 * Section organization::
697 * Checking cross-references::
699 * Technical writing style::
705 There are four parts to the documentation: the Learning Manual,
706 the Notation Reference, the Program Reference, and the Music
714 The LM is written in a tutorial style which introduces the most
715 important concepts, structure and syntax of the elements of a
716 LilyPond score in a carefully graded sequence of steps.
717 Explanations of all musical concepts used in the Manual can be
718 found in the Music Glossary, and readers are assumed to have no
719 prior knowledge of LilyPond. The objective is to take readers to
720 a level where the Notation Reference can be understood and
721 employed to both adapt the templates in the Appendix to their
722 needs and to begin to construct their own scores. Commonly used
723 tweaks are introduced and explained. Examples are provided
724 throughout which, while being focussed on the topic being
725 introduced, are long enough to seem real in order to retain the
726 readers' interest. Each example builds on the previous material,
727 and comments are used liberally. Every new aspect is thoroughly
728 explained before it is used.
730 Users are encouraged to read the complete Learning Manual from
735 Notation Reference: a (hopefully complete) description of LilyPond
736 input notation. Some material from here may be duplicated in the
737 Learning Manual (for teaching), but consider the NR to be the
738 "definitive" description of each notation element, with the LM
739 being an "extra". The goal is _not_ to provide a step-by-step
740 learning environment -- do not avoid using notation that has not
741 be introduced previously in the NR (for example, use \break if
742 appropriate). This section is written in formal technical writing
745 Avoid duplication. Although users are not expected to read this
746 manual from start to finish, they should be familiar with the
747 material in the Learning Manual (particularly ``Fundamental
748 Concepts''), so do not repeat that material in each section of
749 this book. Also watch out for common constructs, like ^ - _ for
750 directions -- those are explained in NR 3. In NR 1, you can
751 write: DYNAMICS may be manually placed above or below the staff,
752 see @@ref@{Controlling direction and placement@}.
754 Most tweaks should be added to LSR and not placed directly in the
755 .itely file. In some cases, tweaks may be placed in the main
756 text, but ask about this first.
758 Finally, you should assume that users know what the notation
759 means; explaining musical concepts happens in the Music Glossary.
763 Application Usage: information about using the program lilypond
764 with other programs (lilypond-book, operating systems, GUIs,
765 convert-ly, etc). This section is written in formal technical
768 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
772 Music Glossary: information about the music notation itself.
773 Explanations and translations about notation terms go here.
775 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
778 Internals Reference: not really a documentation book, since it is
779 automagically generated from the source, but this is its name.
784 @node Section organization
785 @subsection Section organization
790 The order of headings inside documentation sections should
803 You @emph{must} include a @@seealso.
807 The order of items inside the @@seealso section is
816 @@rlearning@{foozle@}.
829 @@file@{path/to/dir/blahz@}.
831 Snippets: @@rlsr@{section@}.
834 @@rinternals@{fazzle@},
835 @@rinternals@{booar@}.
839 If there are multiple entries, separate them by commas but do not
843 Always end with a period.
846 Place each link on a new line as above; this makes it much easier
847 to add or remove links. In the output, they appear on a single
850 ("Snippets" is REQUIRED; the others are optional)
853 Any new concepts or links which require an explanation should go
854 as a full sentence(s) in the main text.
857 Don't insert an empty line between @@seealso and the first entry!
858 Otherwise there is excessive vertical space in the PDF output.
863 To create links, use @@ref@{@} if the link is within the same
867 @@predefined ... @@endpredefined is for commands in ly/*-init.ly
871 Do not include any real info in second-level sections (ie 1.1
872 Pitches). A first-level section may have introductory material,
873 but other than that all material goes into third-level sections
874 (ie 1.1.1 Writing Pitches).
879 @node Checking cross-references
880 @subsection Checking cross-references
882 Cross-references between different manuals are heavily used in the
883 documentation, but they are not checked during compilation.
884 However, if you compile the documentation, a script called
885 check_texi_refs can help you with checking and fixing these
886 cross-references; for information on usage, cd into a source tree
887 where documentation has been built, cd into Documentation and run:
894 Note that you have to find yourself the source files to fix
895 cross-references in the generated documentation such as the
896 Internals Reference; e.g. you can grep scm/ and lily/.
898 @c temporary? how long will kainhofer be used? -gp
899 Also of interest may be the linkdoc checks on kainhofer.com. Be
900 warned that these docs are not completely rebuilt every day, so it
901 might not accurately reflect the current state of the docs.
904 @uref{http://kainhofer.com/~lilypond/linkdoc/}
908 @node General writing
909 @subsection General writing
914 Do not forget to create @@cindex entries for new sections of text.
915 Enter commands with @@funindex, i.e.
918 @@cindex pitches, writing in different octaves
923 do not bother with the @@code@{@} (they are added automatically).
924 These items are added to both the command index and the unified
927 Both index commands should go in front of the actual material.
929 @@cindex entries should not be capitalized, ie
932 @@cindex time signature
936 is preferred instead of @qq{Time signature}, Only use capital
937 letters for musical terms which demand them, like D.S. al Fine.
939 For scheme functions, only include the final part, i.e.,
942 @@funindex modern-voice-cautionary
944 @@funindex #(set-accidental-style modern-voice-cautionary)
953 In general, use the American spellings. The internal lilypond
954 property names use this spelling.
957 List of specific terms:
961 simultaneous NOT concurrent
962 measure: the unit of music
963 bar line: the symbol delimiting a measure NOT barline
964 note head NOT notehead
965 chord construct NOT chord (when referring to <>)
973 @node Technical writing style
974 @subsection Technical writing style
976 These refer to the NR. The LM uses a more gentle, colloquial
982 Do not refer to LilyPond in the text. The reader knows what the
983 manual is about. If you do, capitalization is LilyPond.
986 If you explicitly refer to @q{lilypond} the program (or any other
987 command to be executed), write @code{@@command@{lilypond@}}.
990 Do not explicitly refer to the reader/user. There is no one else
991 besides the reader and the writer.
994 Avoid contractions (don't, won't, etc.). Spell the words out completely.
997 Avoid abbreviations, except for commonly used abbreviations of foreign
998 language terms such as etc. and i.e.
1001 Avoid fluff (@qq{Notice that,} @qq{as you can see,}
1005 The use of the word @q{illegal} is inappropriate in most cases.
1006 Say @q{invalid} instead.
1011 @node Tips for writing docs
1012 @section Tips for writing docs
1014 In the NR, I highly recommend focusing on one subsection at a
1015 time. For each subsection,
1020 check the mundane formatting. Are the headings (@@predefined,
1021 @@seealso, etc.) in the right order?
1024 add any appropriate index entries.
1027 check the links in the @@seealso section -- links to music
1028 glossary, internal references, and other NR sections are the main
1029 concern. Check for potential additions.
1032 move LSR-worthy material into LSR. Add the snippet, delete the
1033 material from the .itely file, and add a @@lilypondfile command.
1036 check the examples and descriptions. Do they still work?
1037 @strong{Do not} assume that the existing text is
1038 accurate/complete; some of the manual is highly out of date.
1041 is the material in the @@knownissues still accurate?
1044 can the examples be improved (made more explanatory), or is there
1045 any missing info? (feel free to ask specific questions on -user;
1046 a couple of people claimed to be interesting in being
1047 @qq{consultants} who would help with such questions)
1051 In general, I favor short text explanations with good examples --
1052 @qq{an example is worth a thousand words}. When I worked on the
1053 docs, I spent about half my time just working on those tiny
1054 lilypond examples. Making easily-understandable examples is much
1055 harder than it looks.
1058 @subsubheading Tweaks
1060 In general, any \set or \override commands should go in the
1061 @qq{select snippets} section, which means that they should go in
1062 LSR and not the .itely file. For some cases, the command
1063 obviously belongs in the @qq{main text} (i.e. not inside
1064 @@predefined or @@seealso or whatever) -- instrument names are a
1065 good example of this.
1068 \set Staff.instrumentName = #"foo"
1071 On the other side of this,
1074 \override Score.Hairpin #'after-line-breaking = ##t
1077 clearly belongs in LSR.
1079 I'm quite willing to discuss specific cases if you think that a
1080 tweaks needs to be in the main text. But items that can go into
1081 LSR are easier to maintain, so I'd like to move as much as
1082 possible into there.
1085 It would be @qq{nice} if you spent a lot of time crafting nice
1086 tweaks for users@dots{} but my recommendation is @strong{not} to do
1087 this. There's a lot of doc work to do without adding examples of
1088 tweaks. Tweak examples can easily be added by normal users by adding
1091 One place where a documentation writer can profitably spend time writing
1092 or upgrading tweaks is creating tweaks to deal with known issues. It
1093 would be ideal if every significant known issue had a workaround to avoid
1097 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1100 @node Scripts to ease doc work
1101 @section Scripts to ease doc work
1103 @subheading Stripping whitespace
1105 @c TODO: should this be documented elsewhere? It's useful for
1106 @c more than just docs.
1107 To remove extra whitespace from the ends of lines, run
1110 scripts/auxiliar/strip-whitespace.py Documentation/FILENAME
1114 @subheading Sectioning commands
1116 @warning{These commands add whitespace.}
1118 The emacs @code{M-x texinfo-all-menus-update} command will
1119 regenerate @@menu blocks. This can also be run with this
1120 command-line script:
1124 emacs $1 -batch -f texinfo-all-menus-update -f save-buffer
1128 (save the above as something like @command{texinfo-menus.sh}, make
1129 it executable, then run @command{texinfo-menus.sh foo.itely})
1132 @subheading Updating doc with @command{convert-ly}
1134 cd into @file{Documentation/} and run
1137 find . -name '*.itely' | xargs convert-ly -e
1141 This also updates translated documentation.
1145 @node Docstrings in scheme
1146 @section Docstrings in scheme
1148 Material in the Internals reference is generated automatically
1149 from our source code. Any doc work on Internals therefore
1150 requires modifying files in @file{scm/*.scm}. Texinfo is allowed
1151 in these docstrings.
1153 Most documentation writers never touch these, though. If you want
1154 to work on them, please ask for help.
1157 @node Translating the documentation
1158 @section Translating the documentation
1160 The mailing list @code{translations@@lilynet.net} is dedicated to
1161 LilyPond web site and documentation translation; on this list, you will
1162 get support from the Translations Meister and experimented translators,
1163 and we regularly discuss translations issues common to all languagues.
1164 All people interested in LilyPond translations are invited to subscribe
1165 to this list regardless of the amount of their contribution, by sending
1166 an email to @code{translations-request@@lilynet.net} with subject
1167 @code{subscribe} and an empty message body.
1170 * Getting started with documentation translation::
1171 * Documentation translation details::
1172 * Documentation translation maintenance::
1173 * Translations management policies::
1174 * Technical background::
1177 @node Getting started with documentation translation
1178 @subsection Getting started with documentation translation
1180 First, get the sources from the Git repository, see @ref{Documentation
1181 translations source code}.
1184 * Translation requirements::
1185 * Which documentation can be translated::
1186 * Starting translation in a new language::
1189 @node Translation requirements
1190 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translation requirements
1192 Working on LilyPond documentation translations requires the following
1193 pieces of software, in order to make use of dedicated helper tools:
1196 @item Python 2.4 or higher,
1202 It is not required to build LilyPond and the documentation to
1203 translate the documentation. However, if you have enough time and
1204 motivation and a suitable system, it can be very useful to build at
1205 least the documentation so that you can check the output yourself and
1206 more quickly; if you are interested, see @ref{Compiling from source}.
1209 @node Which documentation can be translated
1210 @unnumberedsubsubsec Which documentation can be translated
1212 FIXME: take into account the new web site integration in main sources.
1214 The makefiles and scripts infrastructure currently supports translation
1215 of the following documentation:
1218 @item documentation index (HTML);
1219 @item the Learning Manual, the Notation Reference and Application Usage
1220 -- Texinfo source, PDF and HTML output; Info output might be added if
1221 there is enough demand for it;
1222 @item the Changes document.
1225 Support for translating the following pieces of documentation should be
1226 added soon, by decreasing order of priority:
1229 @item automatically generated documentation: markup commands,
1230 predefined music functions;
1231 @item the Snippets List;
1232 @item the Internals Reference.
1236 @node Starting translation in a new language
1237 @unnumberedsubsubsec Starting translation in a new language
1239 At top of the source directory, do
1246 or (if you want to install your self-compiled LilyPond locally)
1249 ./autogen.sh --prefix=$HOME
1253 If you want to compile LilyPond -- which is almost required to build
1254 the documentation, but is not required to do translation only -- fix
1255 all dependencies and rerun @command{./configure} (with the same
1256 options as for @command{autogen.sh}).
1258 Then @command{cd} into @file{Documentation/} and run
1261 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} new-lang
1265 where @var{MY-LANGUAGE} is the ISO 639 language code.
1267 Finally, add a language definition for your language in
1268 @file{python/langdefs.py}.
1270 Before starting the real translation work, it is recommended to commit
1271 changes you made so far to Git, so e.g. you are able to get back to
1272 this state of the sources easily if needed; see @ref{Sharing your
1276 @node Documentation translation details
1277 @subsection Documentation translation details
1279 Please follow all the instructions with care to ensure quality work.
1281 All files should be encoded in UTF-8.
1284 * Files to be translated::
1285 * Translating the Learning Manual and other Texinfo documentation::
1286 * Translating the Notation Reference and Application Usage::
1287 * Translating the Documentation index index.html.in::
1290 @node Files to be translated
1291 @unnumberedsubsubsec Files to be translated
1293 @include contributor/doc-translation-list.itexi
1295 @node Translating the Learning Manual and other Texinfo documentation
1296 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Learning Manual and other Texinfo documentation
1302 @b{Note:} node names and section titles are now translated directly in
1303 Texinfo source files. In case you have files in your working tree that
1304 have not been converted, please pull first, then run
1307 make -C Documentation/po doc
1308 export LYDOC_LOCALEDIR=Documentation/po/out-www
1309 export PYTHONPATH=python:python/auxiliar
1310 scripts/auxiliar/tely-gettext.py @var{manual.tely}
1314 This will also update files included in @file{@var{manual}.tely}, and of
1315 course this script can be used for individual @file{@var{foo}.itely}
1319 Every piece of text should be translated in the source file, except
1320 Texinfo comments, text in @code{@@lilypond} blocks and a few cases
1323 Node names are translated, but the original node name in English should
1324 be kept as the argument of @code{@@translationof} put after the section
1325 title; that is, every piece in the original file like
1329 @@@var{section_command} Bar baz
1333 should be translated as
1336 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1337 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1338 @@translationof Foo bar
1341 The argument of @code{@@rglos} commands and the first argument of
1342 @code{@@rglosnamed} commands must not be translated, as it is the node
1343 name of an entry in Music Glossary.
1345 Every time you translate a node name in a cross-reference, i.e. the
1346 argument of commands @code{@@ref, @@rprogram, @@rlearning, @@rlsr,
1347 @@ruser} or the first argument of their @code{@var{*}named} variants,
1348 you should make sure the target node is defined in the correct source
1349 file; if you do not intend to translate the target node right now, you
1350 should at least write the node definition (that is, the @code{@@node
1351 @@@var{section_commmand} @@translationof} trio mentioned above) in the
1352 expected source file and define all its parent nodes; for each node you
1353 have defined this way but have not translated, insert a line that
1354 contains @code{@@untranslated} and append @code{ @@c external} to the
1355 line that contains @code{@@translationof}. That is, you should end up
1356 for each untranslated node with something like
1359 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1360 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1361 @@translationof Foo bar @@c external
1367 Finally, press in Emacs @key{C-c C-u C-a} to update or generate
1368 menus. This process should be made easier in the future, when the helper
1369 script @command{texi-langutils.py} and the makefile target are updated.
1371 Some pieces of text manipulated by build scripts that appear in the
1372 output are translated in a @file{.po} file -- just like LilyPond output
1373 messages -- in @file{Documentation/po}. The Gettext domain is named
1374 @code{lilypond-doc}, and unlike @code{lilypond} domain it is not managed
1375 through the Free Translation Project.
1378 Take care of using typographic rules for your language, especially in
1379 @file{macros.itexi}.
1382 Please keep verbatim copies of music snippets (in @code{@@lilypond}
1383 blocs). However, some music snippets containing text that shows in
1384 the rendered music, and sometimes translating this text really helps
1385 the user to understand the documentation; in this case, and only in
1386 this case, you may as an exception translate text in the music
1387 snippet, and then you must add a line immediately before the
1388 @code{@@lilypond} block, starting with
1395 Otherwise the music snippet would be reset to the same content as the
1396 English version at next @command{make snippet-update} run -- see
1397 @ref{Updating documentation translation}.
1402 @@lilypondfile[<number of fragment options>,texidoc]@{@var{filename.ly}@}
1406 in the source, open @file{Documentation/snippets/@var{filename}.ly},
1407 translate the @code{texidoc} header field it contains, enclose it with
1408 @code{texidoc@var{MY-LANGUAGE} = "} and @code{"}, and write it into
1409 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@var{filename}.texidoc}.
1410 Additionnally, you may translate the snippet's title in @code{doctitle}
1411 header field, in case @code{doctitle} is a fragment option used in
1412 @code{@@lilypondfile}; you can do this exactly the same way as
1413 @code{texidoc}. For instance,
1414 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@var{filename}.texidoc}
1418 doctitlees = "Spanish title baz"
1420 Spanish translation blah
1425 Then, you should get these translated strings into compiled snippets in
1426 @file{Documentation/snippets}, see @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding
1427 and editing snippets}.
1429 @code{@@example} blocs need not be verbatim copies, e.g. variable
1430 names, file names and comments should be translated.
1432 Finally, please carefully apply every rule exposed in @ref{Texinfo
1433 introduction and usage policy}, and @ref{Documentation policy}. If one
1434 of these rules conflicts with a rule specific to your language, please
1435 ask the Translation meister on @email{translations@@lilynet.net} list
1436 and/or the Documentation Editors on @email{lilypond-devel@@gnu.org}
1440 @node Translating the Notation Reference and Application Usage
1441 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Notation Reference and Application Usage
1443 Copy @file{notation.tely} (or @file{application.tely},
1444 respectively) into @file{@var{MY-LANGUAGE}}, then translate this
1445 file and run @code{skeleton-update} -- see @ref{Updating documentation
1446 translation}. Your are now ready to translate the Notation Reference
1447 (Application Usage, respectively) exactly like the Learning Manual.
1450 @node Translating the Documentation index index.html.in
1451 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Documentation index @file{index.html.in}
1453 Unlike almost all HTML pages in this documentation, links in this page
1454 are not tweaked by @file{postprocess_html.py}, so links should be
1455 manually edited to link to existing translations.
1458 @node Documentation translation maintenance
1459 @subsection Documentation translation maintenance
1461 Several tools have been developed to make translations maintenance
1462 easier. These helper scripts make use of the power of Git, the
1463 version control system used for LilyPond development.
1466 * Check state of translation::
1467 * Updating documentation translation::
1470 @node Check state of translation
1471 @unnumberedsubsubsec Check state of translation
1473 First pull from Git, then cd into @file{Documentation/} (or at top of
1474 the source tree, replace @command{make} with @command{make -C
1475 Documentation}) and run
1478 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation
1482 This presents a diff of the original files since the most recent
1483 revision of the translation. To check a single file, cd into
1484 @file{Documentation/} and run
1487 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@var{manual}/@var{foo}.itely check-translation
1491 In case this file has been renamed since you last updated the
1492 translation, you should specify both old and new file names,
1493 e.g. @code{CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@{@var{manual},user@}/@var{foo}.itely}.
1495 To see only which files need to be updated, do
1498 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation | grep 'diff --git'
1501 To avoid printing terminal colors control characters, which is often
1502 desirable when you redirect output to a file, run
1505 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} NO_COLOR=1 check-translation
1508 Global state of the translation is recorded in
1509 @file{Documentation/translations.html.in}, which is used to generate
1510 Translations status page. To update that page, do from
1511 @file{Documentation/}
1514 make translation-status
1517 This will also leave @file{out/translations-status.txt}, which contains
1518 up-to-dateness percentages for each translated file, and update word
1519 counts of documentation files in this Guide.
1522 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1525 @node Updating documentation translation
1526 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating documentation translation
1528 Instead of running @code{check-translation}, you may want to run
1529 @code{update-translation}, which will run your favorite text editor to
1530 update files. First, make sure environment variable @code{EDITOR} is
1531 set to a text editor command, then run from @file{Documentation/}
1534 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} update-translation
1538 or to update a single file
1541 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE/@var{manual}/foo.itely} update-translation
1544 For each file to be udpated, @code{update-translation} will open your
1545 text editor with this file and a diff of the file in English; if the
1546 diff cannot be generated or is bigger than the file in English itself,
1547 the full file in English will be opened instead.
1549 Texinfo skeleton files, i.e. @file{.itely} files not yet translated,
1550 containing only the Texinfo structure can be updated automatically:
1551 whenever @command{make check-translation} shows that such files should
1552 be updated, run from @file{Documentation/}
1555 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} skeleton-update
1558 @file{.po} message catalogs in @file{Documentation/po/} may be updated
1559 by issuing from @file{Documentation/} or @file{Documentation/po/}
1565 @warning{if you run po-update and somebody else does the same and
1566 pushes before you push or send a patch to be applied, there will be a
1567 conflict when you pull. Therefore, it is better that only the
1568 Translation meister runs this command.}
1570 Updating music snippets can quickly become cumbersome, as most
1571 snippets should be identical in all languages. Fortunately, there is
1572 a script that can do this odd job for you (run from
1573 @file{Documentation/}):
1576 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} snippet-update
1579 This script overwrites music snippets in
1580 @file{@var{MY_LANGUAGE/foo/every.itely}} with music snippets from
1581 @file{@var{foo/every.itely}}. It ignores skeleton files, and keeps
1582 intact music snippets preceded with a line starting with @code{@@c
1583 KEEP LY}; it reports an error for each @file{.itely} that has not the
1584 same music snippet count in both languages. Always use this script
1585 with a lot of care, i.e. run it on a clean Git working tree, and check
1586 the changes it made with @command{git diff} before committing; if you
1587 don't do so, some @code{@@lilypond} snippets might be broken or make
1588 no sense in their context.
1590 When you have updated texidocs in
1591 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}, you can get these
1592 changes into compiled snippets in @file{Documentation/snippets}, see
1593 @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1595 Finally, a command runs the three update processes above for all
1596 enabled languages (from @file{Documentation/}):
1599 make all-translations-update
1602 Use this command with caution, and keep in mind it will not be really
1603 useful until translations are stabilized after the end of GDP and GOP.
1606 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations},
1607 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1610 @node Translations management policies
1611 @subsection Translations management policies
1613 These policies show the general intent of how the translations should
1614 be managed, they aim at helping translators, developers and
1615 coordinators work efficiently.
1618 * Maintaining without updating translations::
1619 * Managing documentation translation with Git::
1622 @node Maintaining without updating translations
1623 @unnumberedsubsubsec Maintaining without updating translations
1625 Keeping translations up to date under heavy changes in the documentation
1626 in English may be almost impossible, especially as during the former
1627 Grand Documentation Project (GDP) or the Grand Organization Project
1628 (GOP) when a lot of contributors brings changes. In addition,
1629 translators may be --- and that is a very good thing --- involved in
1632 it is possible --- and even recommended --- to perform some maintenance
1633 that keeps translated documentation usable and eases future translation
1634 updating. The rationale below the tasks list motivates this plan.
1636 The following tasks are listed in decreasing priority order.
1639 @item Update macros.itexi.
1640 For each obsolete macro definition, if it is possible to update macro
1641 usage in documentation with an automatic text or regexp substitution,
1642 do it and delete the macro definition from macros.itexi; otherwise,
1643 mark this macro definition as obsolete with a comment, and keep it in
1644 macros.itexi until the documentation translation has been updated and
1645 no longer uses this macro.
1647 @item Update @file{*.tely} files completely with
1648 @command{make check-translation} -- you may want to redirect ouptput
1649 to a file because of overwhelming output, or call check-translation.py
1650 on individual files, see @ref{Check state of translation}.
1652 @item In @file{.itelys}, match sections and .itely file names with those from
1653 English docs, which possibly involves moving nodes contents in block
1654 between files, without updating contents itself. In other words, the
1655 game is catching where has gone each section. In Learning manual, and
1656 in Notation Reference sections which have been revised in GDP, there may
1657 be completely new sections: in this case, copy @code{@@node} and
1658 @code{@@section}-command from English docs, and add the marker for
1659 untranslated status @code{@@untranslated} on a single line. Note that
1660 it is not possible to exactly match subsections or subsubsections of
1661 documentation in English, when contents has been deeply revised; in this
1662 case, keep obsolete (sub)subsections in the translation, marking them
1663 with a line @code{@@c obsolete} just before the node.
1665 Emacs with Texinfo mode makes this step easier:
1668 @item without Emacs AucTeX installed, @key{C-c C-s} shows structure of current
1669 Texinfo file in a new buffer @code{*Occur*}; to show structure of two files
1670 simultaneously, first split Emacs window in 4 tiles (with @key{C-x 1}
1671 and @key{C-x 2}), press @key{C-c C-s} to show structure of one file
1672 (e.g. the translated file), copy @code{*Occur*} contents into
1673 @code{*Scratch*}, then press @key{C-c C-s} for the other file.
1675 If you happen to have installed AucTeX, you can either call the macro
1676 by doing @key{M-x texinfo-show-structure} or create a key binding in your
1677 @file{~/.emacs}, by adding the four following lines:
1680 (add-hook 'Texinfo-mode-hook
1682 (define-key Texinfo-mode-map "\C-cs"
1683 'texinfo-show-structure)))
1687 and then obtain the structure in the @code{*Occur*} buffer with @key{C-c
1690 @item Do not bother updating @code{@@menu}s when all menu entries are in the same
1691 file, just do @key{C-c C-u C-a} (@qq{update all menus}) when you have
1692 updated all the rest of the file.
1694 @item Moving to next or previous node using incremental search: press
1695 @key{C-s} and type @code{node} (or @key{C-s @@node} if the text
1696 contains the word @q{node}) then press @key{C-s} to move to next node
1697 or @key{C-r} to move to previous node. Similar operation can be used
1698 to move to the next/previous section. Note that every cursor move
1699 exits incremental search, and hitting @key{C-s} twice starts
1700 incremental search with the text entered in previous incremental
1703 @item Moving a whole node (or even a sequence of nodes): jump to beginning
1704 of the node (quit incremental search by pressing an arrow), press
1705 @key{C-SPACE}, press @key{C-s node} and repeat @key{C-s} until you
1706 have selected enough text, cut it with @key{C-w} or @key{C-x}, jump to
1707 the right place (moving between nodes with the previous hint is often
1708 useful) and paste with @key{C-y} or @key{C-v}.
1711 @item Update sections finished in the English documentation; check
1713 @uref{http://lilypondwiki.tuxfamily.org/index.php?title=Documentation_coordination}.
1715 @item Update documentation PO. It is recommended not to update
1716 strings which come from documentation that is currently deeply revised
1717 in English, to avoid doing the work more than once.
1719 @item Fix broken cross-references by running (from @file{Documentation/})
1722 make ISOLANG=@var{YOUR-LANGUAGE} fix-xrefs
1726 This step requires a sucessful documentation build (with @command{make
1727 doc}). Some cross-references are broken because they point to a node
1728 that exists in the documentation in English, which has not been added
1729 to the translation; in this case, do not fix the cross-reference but
1730 keep it "broken", so that the resulting HTML link will point to an
1731 existing page of documentation in English.
1734 @subsubheading Rationale
1736 You may wonder if it would not be better to leave translations as-is
1737 until you can really start updating translations. There are several
1738 reasons to do these maintenance tasks right now.
1741 @item This will have to be done sooner or later anyway, before updating
1742 translation of documentation contents, and this can already be done
1743 without needing to be redone later, as sections of documentation in
1744 English are mostly revised once. However, note that not all
1745 documentation sectioning has been revised in one go, so all this
1746 maintenance plan has to be repeated whenever a big reorganization is
1749 @item This just makes translated documentation take advantage of the new
1750 organization, which is better than the old one.
1752 @item Moving and renaming sections to match sectioning of documentation in
1753 English simplify future updating work: it allows updating the
1754 translation by side-by-side comparison, without bothering whether
1755 cross-reference names already exist in the translation.
1757 @item Each maintenance task except @q{Updating PO files} can be done by
1758 the same person for all languages, which saves overall time spent by
1759 translators to achieve this task: the node names and section titles
1760 are in English, so you can do. It is important to take advantage of
1761 this now, as it will be more complicated (but still possible) to do
1762 step 3 in all languages when documentation is compiled with
1763 @command{texi2html} and node names are directly translated in source
1768 @node Managing documentation translation with Git
1769 @unnumberedsubsubsec Managing documentation translation with Git
1771 This policy explains how to manage Git branches and commit
1772 translations to Git.
1775 @item Translation changes matching master branch are preferably made on
1776 @code{lilypond/translation} branch; they may be pushed directly to
1777 @code{master} only if they do not break compilation of LilyPond and
1778 its documentation, and in this case they should be pushed to
1779 @code{lilypond/translation} too. Similarly, changes matching
1780 @code{stable/X.Y} are preferably made on
1781 @code{lilypond/X.Ytranslation}.
1783 @item @code{lilypond/translation} Git branch may be merged into
1784 master only if LilyPond (@command{make all}) and documentation
1785 (@command{make doc}) compile succesfully.
1787 @item @code{master} Git branch may be merged into
1788 @code{lilypond/translation} whenever @command{make} and @command{make
1789 doc} are succesful (in order to ease documentation compilation by
1790 translators), or when significant changes had been made in
1791 documentation in English in master branch.
1793 @item General maintenance may be done by anybody who knows what he does
1794 in documentation in all languages, without informing translators
1795 first. General maintenance include simple text substitutions
1796 (e.g. automated by sed), compilation fixes, updating Texinfo or
1797 lilypond-book commands, updating macros, updating ly code, fixing
1798 cross-references, and operations described in @ref{Maintaining
1799 without updating translations}.
1803 @node Technical background
1804 @subsection Technical background
1806 A number of Python scripts handle a part of the documentation
1807 translation process. All scripts used to maintain the translations
1808 are located in @file{scripts/auxiliar/}.
1811 @item @file{check_translation.py} -- show diff to update a translation,
1812 @item @file{texi-langutils.py} -- quickly and dirtily parse Texinfo files to
1813 make message catalogs and Texinfo skeleton files,
1814 @item @file{texi-skeleton-update.py} -- update Texinfo skeleton files,
1815 @item @file{update-snippets.py} -- synchronize ly snippets with those
1817 @item @file{translations-status.py} -- update translations status pages and word
1818 counts in the file you are reading,
1819 @item @file{tely-gettext.py} -- gettext node names, section titles and references
1820 in the sources; WARNING only use this script once for each file, when support for
1821 "makeinfo --html" has been dropped.
1824 Other scripts are used in the build process, in @file{scripts/build/}:
1827 @item @file{mass-link.py} -- link or symlink files between English documentation
1828 and documentation in other languages.
1831 Python modules used by scripts in @file{scripts/auxiliar/} or @file{scripts/build/} (but
1832 not by installed Python scripts) are located in @file{python/auxiliar/}:
1834 @item @file{manuals_definitions.py} -- define manual names and name of
1835 cross-reference Texinfo macros,
1836 @item @file{buildlib.py} -- common functions (read piped output
1837 of a shell command, use Git),
1838 @item @file{postprocess_html.py} (module imported by @file{www_post.py}) -- add footer and
1839 tweak links in HTML pages.
1844 @item @file{python/langdefs.py} -- language definitions module