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 If a heading is desired without creating a node, please use
244 Sectioning commands (@@node and @@section) must not appear
245 inside an @@ignore. Separate those commands with a space, ie
250 Nodes must be included inside a
260 construct. These are easily constructed with automatic tools; see
261 @ref{Scripts to ease doc work}.
264 @node LilyPond formatting
265 @subsection LilyPond formatting
270 Use two spaces for indentation in lilypond examples. (no
274 All text strings should be prefaced with #. LilyPond does
275 not strictly require this, but it is helpful to get users
276 accustomed to this scheme construct. ie @code{\set
277 Staff.instrumentName = #"cello"}
280 All engravers should have double-quotes around them:
283 \consists "Spans_arpeggio_engraver"
286 Again, LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is a useful
290 If possible, only write one bar per line.
293 If you only have one bar per line, omit bar checks. If you
294 must put more than one bar per line (not recommended), then include bar
298 Tweaks should, if possible, also occur on their own line.
302 \override textscript #'padding = #3 c1^"hi"
308 \override textscript #'padding = #3
313 Most LilyPond input should be produced with:
316 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=2]
323 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
326 If you want to use \layout@{@} or define variables, use
329 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote]
332 In rare cases, other options may be used (or omitted), but ask first.
335 Inspirational headwords are produced with
338 @@lilypondfile[quote,ragged-right,line-width=16\cm,staffsize=16]
339 @{pitches-headword.ly@}
343 LSR snippets are linked with
346 @@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,ragged-right,texidoc,doctitle]
351 excepted in Templates, where `doctitle' may be omitted.
354 Avoid long stretches of input code. Nobody is going to read
355 them in print. Create small examples. However, this does not mean
359 Specify durations for at least the first note of every bar.
362 If possible, end with a complete bar.
365 Comments should go on their own line, and be placed before
366 the line(s) to which they refer.
369 Add extra spaces around @{ @} marks; ie
372 not: \chordmode @{c e g@}
373 but instead: \chordmode @{ c e g @}
377 If you want to work on an example outside of the manual (for
378 easier/faster processing), use this header:
383 line-width = 160\mm - 2.0 * 0.4\in
385 force-assignment = #""
386 line-width = #(- line-width (* mm 3.000000))
393 You may not change any of these values. If you are making an
394 example demonstrating special \paper@{@} values, contact the
395 Documentation Editor.
400 @node Text formatting
401 @subsection Text formatting
405 Lines should be less than 72 characters long. (We personally
406 recommend writing with 66-char lines, but do not bother modifying
407 existing material). Also see the recommendations for fixed-width
408 fonts in the @ref{Syntax survey}.
414 Do not use spaces at the beginning of a line (except in
415 @code{@@example} or @code{@@verbatim} environments), and do not
416 use more than a single space between words. @q{makeinfo} copies
417 the input lines verbatim without removing those spaces.
420 Use two spaces after a period.
423 In examples of syntax, use @code{@@var@{@var{musicexpr}@}} for a
427 Don't use @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in the main text. If you're
428 tempted to do so, you're probably getting too close to @qq{talking
429 through the code}. If you really want to refer to a context, use
430 @code{@@code@{@}} in the main text and @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in
431 the @code{@@seealso}.
436 @subsection Syntax survey
446 * Special characters::
452 @unnumberedsubsubsec Comments
456 @code{@@c @dots{}} --- single line comment. @samp{@@c NOTE:} is a
457 comment which should remain in the final version. (gp only
461 @code{@@ignore} --- multi-line comment:
471 @node Cross references
472 @unnumberedsubsubsec Cross references
474 Enter the exact @code{@@node} name of the target reference between
475 the brackets (eg.@tie{}@w{@samp{@@ref@{Syntax survey@}}}).
479 @code{@@ref@{@dots{}@}} --- link within current manual.
482 @code{@@rchanges@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Changes.
485 @code{@@rcontrib@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Contributor's Guide.
488 @code{@@ressay@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Engraving Essay.
491 @code{@@rextend@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Extending LilyPond.
494 @code{@@rglos@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Music Glossary.
497 @code{@@rinternals@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Internals Reference.
500 @code{@@rlearning@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Learning Manual.
503 @code{@@rlsr@{@dots{}@}} --- link to a Snippet section.
506 @code{@@rprogram@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Application Usage.
509 @code{@@ruser@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Notation Reference.
512 @code{@@rweb@{@dots{}@}} --- link to General Informaion.
517 @unnumberedsubsubsec External links
521 @code{@@email@{@dots{}@}} --- create a @code{mailto:} E-mail link.
524 @code{@@uref@{@var{URL}[, @var{link text}]@}} --- link to an
529 @node Fixed-width font
530 @unnumberedsubsubsec Fixed-width font
534 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} ---
536 Use the @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} command for individual
537 language-specific tokens (keywords, commands, engravers, scheme
538 symbols, etc.). Ideally, a single @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} block
539 should fit within one line in the PDF output. Use the
540 @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} command when you have a short example of
541 user input, unless it constitutes an entire @code{@@item} by
542 itself, in which case @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} is preferable.
543 Otherwise, both should only be used when part of a larger sentence
544 within a paragraph or @code{@@item}. Never use a
545 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} block as a
546 free-standing paragraph; use @code{@@example} instead.
548 A single unindented line in the PDF has space for about 79
549 fixed-width characters (76 if indented). Within an @code{@@item}
550 there is space for about 75 fixed-width characters. Each
551 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
552 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
554 However, even short blocks of @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} and
555 @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} can run into the margin if the Texinfo
556 line-breaking algorithm gets confused. Additionally, blocks that
557 are longer than this may in fact print nicely; it all depends
558 where the line breaks end up. If you compile the docs yourself,
559 check the PDF output to make sure the line breaks are
562 The Texinfo setting @code{@@allowcodebreaks} is set to
563 @code{false} in the manuals, so lines within
564 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} blocks will
565 only break at spaces, not at hyphens or underscores. If the block
566 contains spaces, use @code{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}} or
567 @code{@@w@{@@samp@{@dots{}@}@}} to prevent unexpected line breaks.
570 @code{@@command@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for command-line commands (eg.
571 @samp{@@command@{lilypond-book@}}).
574 @code{@@example} --- Use for examples of program code. Do not add
575 extraneous indentation (ie. don't start every line with
576 whitespace). Use the following layout (notice the use of blank
577 lines). Omit the @code{@@noindent} if the text following the
578 example starts a new paragraph:
581 @var{@dots{}text leading into the example@dots{}}
588 @var{continuation of the text@dots{}}
591 Individual lines within an @code{@@example} block should not
592 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
593 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@example} block
594 is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
595 @code{@@example} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
596 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
597 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
599 For long command line examples, if possible, use a trailing
600 backslash to break up a single line, indenting the next line with
601 2 spaces. If this isn't feasible, use @samp{@@smallexample
602 @dots{} @@end@tie{}smallexample} instead, which uses a smaller
603 fontsize. Use @code{@@example} whenever possible, but if needed,
604 @code{@@smallexample} can fit up to 90 characters per line before
605 running into the PDF margin. Each additional level of
606 @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate} shortens a
607 @code{@@smallexample} line by about 5 columns.
610 @code{@@file@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for filenames and directories.
613 @code{@@option@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for options to command-line
614 commands (eg. @samp{@@option@{--format@}}).
617 @code{@@verbatim} --- Prints the block exactly as it appears in
618 the source file (including whitespace, etc.). For program code
619 examples, use @code{@@example} instead. @code{@@verbatim} uses
620 the same format as @code{@@example}.
622 Individual lines within an @code{@@verbatim} block should not
623 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
624 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@verbatim}
625 block is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
626 @code{@@verbatim} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
627 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
628 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
633 @unnumberedsubsubsec Indexing
637 @code{@@cindex @dots{}} --- General index. Please add as many as you can.
638 Don't capitalize the first word.
641 @code{@@funindex @dots{}} --- is for a \lilycommand.
646 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lists
650 @code{@@enumerate} --- Create an ordered list (with numbers).
651 Always put @samp{@@item} on its own line, and separate consecutive
652 items with a blank line:
665 @code{@@itemize} --- Create an unordered list (with bullets). Use
666 the same format as @code{@@enumerate}. Do not use
667 @samp{@@itemize@tie{}@@bullet}.
671 @node Special characters
672 @unnumberedsubsubsec Special characters
676 @code{--}, @code{---} --- Create an en dash (--) or an em dash
677 (---) in the text. To print two or three literal hyphens in a
678 row, wrap one of them in a @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} (eg.
682 @code{@@@@}, @code{@@@{}, @code{@@@}} --- Create an at-sign (@@),
683 a left curly bracket (@{), or a right curly bracket (@}).
686 @code{@@bs@{@}} --- Create a backslash within a
687 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}}, or
688 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} block. This is a custom LilyPond
689 macro, not a builtin @@-command in Texinfo. Texinfo would also
690 allow @samp{\\}, but this breaks the PDF output.
693 @code{@@tie@{@}} --- Create a @emph{variable-width} non-breaking
694 space in the text (use @w{@samp{@@w@{ @}}} for a single
695 @emph{fixed-width} non-breaking space). Variables or numbers
696 which consist of a single character (probably followed by a
697 punctuation mark) should be tied properly, either to the previous
698 or the next word. Example: @samp{The letter@@tie@{@}@@q@{I@} is
704 @unnumberedsubsubsec Miscellany
708 @code{@@notation@{@dots{}@}} --- refers to pieces of notation, e.g.
709 @samp{@@notation@{clef@}}. Also use for specific lyrics
710 (@samp{the @@notation@{A@tie{}-@tie{}men@} is centered}).
711 Only use once per subsection per term.
714 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}} --- Single quotes. Used for
715 @quoteleft{}vague@quoteright{} terms. To get a backslash
716 (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
719 @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}} --- Double quotes. Used for actual quotes
720 (@qq{he said}) or for introducing special input modes. To get a
721 backslash (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
724 @code{@@var@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for variables.
727 @code{@@version@{@}} --- Return the current LilyPond version
728 string. Use @samp{@@w@{@@version@{@}@}} if it's at the end of a
729 line (to prevent an ugly line break in PDF); use
730 @samp{@@w@{"@@version@{@}"@}} if you need it in quotes.
733 @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} --- Do not allow any line breaks.
736 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} --- produces a @qq{Note:@tie{}} box.
737 Use for important messages. To get a backslash (\), you must use
742 @node Other text concerns
743 @subsection Other text concerns
747 References must occur at the end of a sentence, for more
749 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/,texinfo
750 manual}. Ideally this should also be the final sentence of a
751 paragraph, but this is not required. Any link in a doc section
752 must be duplicated in the @code{@@seealso} section at the bottom.
755 Introducing examples must be done with
758 . (ie finish the previous sentence/paragaph)
759 : (ie `in this example:')
760 , (ie `may add foo with the blah construct,')
763 The old @qq{sentence runs directly into the example} method is not
767 Abbrevs in caps, e.g., HTML, DVI, MIDI, etc.
777 When beginning a quote: @qq{So, he said,...}.
779 This usage is rarer. Americans often just use a comma.
782 When adding a defining example at the end of a sentence.
786 Non-ASCII characters which are in utf-8 should be directly used;
787 this is, don't say @samp{Ba@@ss@{@}tuba} but @samp{Baßtuba}. This
788 ensures that all such characters appear in all output formats.
792 @node Documentation policy
793 @section Documentation policy
797 * Section organization::
798 * Checking cross-references::
800 * Technical writing style::
806 There are four parts to the documentation: the Learning Manual,
807 the Notation Reference, the Program Reference, and the Music
815 The LM is written in a tutorial style which introduces the most
816 important concepts, structure and syntax of the elements of a
817 LilyPond score in a carefully graded sequence of steps.
818 Explanations of all musical concepts used in the Manual can be
819 found in the Music Glossary, and readers are assumed to have no
820 prior knowledge of LilyPond. The objective is to take readers to
821 a level where the Notation Reference can be understood and
822 employed to both adapt the templates in the Appendix to their
823 needs and to begin to construct their own scores. Commonly used
824 tweaks are introduced and explained. Examples are provided
825 throughout which, while being focussed on the topic being
826 introduced, are long enough to seem real in order to retain the
827 readers' interest. Each example builds on the previous material,
828 and comments are used liberally. Every new aspect is thoroughly
829 explained before it is used.
831 Users are encouraged to read the complete Learning Manual from
836 Notation Reference: a (hopefully complete) description of LilyPond
837 input notation. Some material from here may be duplicated in the
838 Learning Manual (for teaching), but consider the NR to be the
839 "definitive" description of each notation element, with the LM
840 being an "extra". The goal is _not_ to provide a step-by-step
841 learning environment -- do not avoid using notation that has not
842 be introduced previously in the NR (for example, use \break if
843 appropriate). This section is written in formal technical writing
846 Avoid duplication. Although users are not expected to read this
847 manual from start to finish, they should be familiar with the
848 material in the Learning Manual (particularly ``Fundamental
849 Concepts''), so do not repeat that material in each section of
850 this book. Also watch out for common constructs, like ^ - _ for
851 directions -- those are explained in NR 3. In NR 1, you can
852 write: DYNAMICS may be manually placed above or below the staff,
853 see @@ref@{Controlling direction and placement@}.
855 Most tweaks should be added to LSR and not placed directly in the
856 .itely file. In some cases, tweaks may be placed in the main
857 text, but ask about this first.
859 Finally, you should assume that users know what the notation
860 means; explaining musical concepts happens in the Music Glossary.
864 Application Usage: information about using the program lilypond
865 with other programs (lilypond-book, operating systems, GUIs,
866 convert-ly, etc). This section is written in formal technical
869 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
873 Music Glossary: information about the music notation itself.
874 Explanations and translations about notation terms go here.
876 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
879 Internals Reference: not really a documentation book, since it is
880 automagically generated from the source, but this is its name.
885 @node Section organization
886 @subsection Section organization
891 The order of headings inside documentation sections should
904 You @emph{must} include a @@seealso.
908 The order of items inside the @@seealso section is
917 @@rlearning@{foozle@}.
930 @@file@{path/to/dir/blahz@}.
932 Snippets: @@rlsr@{section@}.
935 @@rinternals@{fazzle@},
936 @@rinternals@{booar@}.
940 If there are multiple entries, separate them by commas but do not
944 Always end with a period.
947 Place each link on a new line as above; this makes it much easier
948 to add or remove links. In the output, they appear on a single
951 ("Snippets" is REQUIRED; the others are optional)
954 Any new concepts or links which require an explanation should go
955 as a full sentence(s) in the main text.
958 Don't insert an empty line between @@seealso and the first entry!
959 Otherwise there is excessive vertical space in the PDF output.
964 To create links, use @@ref@{@} if the link is within the same
968 @@predefined ... @@endpredefined is for commands in
972 Do not include any real info in second-level sections (ie 1.1
973 Pitches). A first-level section may have introductory material,
974 but other than that all material goes into third-level sections
975 (ie 1.1.1 Writing Pitches).
980 @node Checking cross-references
981 @subsection Checking cross-references
983 Cross-references between different manuals are heavily used in the
984 documentation, but they are not checked during compilation.
985 However, if you compile the documentation, a script called
986 check_texi_refs can help you with checking and fixing these
987 cross-references; for information on usage, cd into a source tree
988 where documentation has been built, cd into Documentation and run:
995 Note that you have to find yourself the source files to fix
996 cross-references in the generated documentation such as the
997 Internals Reference; e.g. you can grep scm/ and lily/.
999 @c temporary? how long will kainhofer be used? -gp
1000 Also of interest may be the linkdoc checks on kainhofer.com. Be
1001 warned that these docs are not completely rebuilt every day, so it
1002 might not accurately reflect the current state of the docs.
1005 @uref{http://kainhofer.com/~lilypond/linkdoc/}
1009 @node General writing
1010 @subsection General writing
1015 Do not forget to create @@cindex entries for new sections of text.
1016 Enter commands with @@funindex, i.e.
1019 @@cindex pitches, writing in different octaves
1020 @@funindex \relative
1024 do not bother with the @@code@{@} (they are added automatically).
1025 These items are added to both the command index and the unified
1028 Both index commands should go in front of the actual material.
1030 @@cindex entries should not be capitalized, ie
1033 @@cindex time signature
1037 is preferred instead of @qq{Time signature}, Only use capital
1038 letters for musical terms which demand them, like D.S. al Fine.
1040 For scheme functions, only include the final part, i.e.,
1043 @@funindex modern-voice-cautionary
1045 @@funindex #(set-accidental-style modern-voice-cautionary)
1054 In general, use the American spellings. The internal lilypond
1055 property names use this spelling.
1058 List of specific terms:
1062 simultaneous NOT concurrent
1063 measure: the unit of music
1064 bar line: the symbol delimiting a measure NOT barline
1065 note head NOT notehead
1066 chord construct NOT chord (when referring to <>)
1074 @node Technical writing style
1075 @subsection Technical writing style
1077 These refer to the NR. The LM uses a more gentle, colloquial
1083 Do not refer to LilyPond in the text. The reader knows what the
1084 manual is about. If you do, capitalization is LilyPond.
1087 If you explicitly refer to @q{lilypond} the program (or any other
1088 command to be executed), write @code{@@command@{lilypond@}}.
1091 Do not explicitly refer to the reader/user. There is no one else
1092 besides the reader and the writer.
1095 Avoid contractions (don't, won't, etc.). Spell the words out completely.
1098 Avoid abbreviations, except for commonly used abbreviations of foreign
1099 language terms such as etc. and i.e.
1102 Avoid fluff (@qq{Notice that,} @qq{as you can see,}
1106 The use of the word @q{illegal} is inappropriate in most cases.
1107 Say @q{invalid} instead.
1112 @node Tips for writing docs
1113 @section Tips for writing docs
1115 In the NR, I highly recommend focusing on one subsection at a
1116 time. For each subsection,
1121 check the mundane formatting. Are the headings (@@predefined,
1122 @@seealso, etc.) in the right order?
1125 add any appropriate index entries.
1128 check the links in the @@seealso section -- links to music
1129 glossary, internal references, and other NR sections are the main
1130 concern. Check for potential additions.
1133 move LSR-worthy material into LSR. Add the snippet, delete the
1134 material from the .itely file, and add a @@lilypondfile command.
1137 check the examples and descriptions. Do they still work?
1138 @strong{Do not} assume that the existing text is
1139 accurate/complete; some of the manual is highly out of date.
1142 is the material in the @@knownissues still accurate?
1145 can the examples be improved (made more explanatory), or is there
1146 any missing info? (feel free to ask specific questions on -user;
1147 a couple of people claimed to be interesting in being
1148 @qq{consultants} who would help with such questions)
1152 In general, I favor short text explanations with good examples --
1153 @qq{an example is worth a thousand words}. When I worked on the
1154 docs, I spent about half my time just working on those tiny
1155 lilypond examples. Making easily-understandable examples is much
1156 harder than it looks.
1159 @subsubheading Tweaks
1161 In general, any \set or \override commands should go in the
1162 @qq{select snippets} section, which means that they should go in
1163 LSR and not the .itely file. For some cases, the command
1164 obviously belongs in the @qq{main text} (i.e. not inside
1165 @@predefined or @@seealso or whatever) -- instrument names are a
1166 good example of this.
1169 \set Staff.instrumentName = #"foo"
1172 On the other side of this,
1175 \override Score.Hairpin #'after-line-breaking = ##t
1178 clearly belongs in LSR.
1180 I'm quite willing to discuss specific cases if you think that a
1181 tweaks needs to be in the main text. But items that can go into
1182 LSR are easier to maintain, so I'd like to move as much as
1183 possible into there.
1186 It would be @qq{nice} if you spent a lot of time crafting nice
1187 tweaks for users@dots{} but my recommendation is @strong{not} to do
1188 this. There's a lot of doc work to do without adding examples of
1189 tweaks. Tweak examples can easily be added by normal users by adding
1192 One place where a documentation writer can profitably spend time writing
1193 or upgrading tweaks is creating tweaks to deal with known issues. It
1194 would be ideal if every significant known issue had a workaround to avoid
1198 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1201 @node Scripts to ease doc work
1202 @section Scripts to ease doc work
1204 @subheading Stripping whitespace
1206 @c TODO: should this be documented elsewhere? It's useful for
1207 @c more than just docs.
1208 To remove extra whitespace from the ends of lines, run
1211 scripts/auxiliar/strip-whitespace.py Documentation/FILENAME
1215 @subheading Sectioning commands
1217 @warning{These commands add whitespace.}
1219 The emacs @code{M-x texinfo-all-menus-update} command will
1220 regenerate @@menu blocks. This can also be run with this
1221 command-line script:
1225 emacs $1 -batch -f texinfo-all-menus-update -f save-buffer
1229 (save the above as something like @command{texinfo-menus.sh}, make
1230 it executable, then run @command{texinfo-menus.sh foo.itely})
1233 @subheading Updating doc with @command{convert-ly}
1235 cd into @file{Documentation/} and run
1238 find . -name '*.itely' | xargs convert-ly -e
1242 This also updates translated documentation.
1246 @node Docstrings in scheme
1247 @section Docstrings in scheme
1249 Material in the Internals reference is generated automatically
1250 from our source code. Any doc work on Internals therefore
1251 requires modifying files in @file{scm/*.scm}. Texinfo is allowed
1252 in these docstrings.
1254 Most documentation writers never touch these, though. If you want
1255 to work on them, please ask for help.
1258 @node Translating the documentation
1259 @section Translating the documentation
1261 The mailing list @code{translations@@lilynet.net} is dedicated to
1262 LilyPond web site and documentation translation; on this list, you will
1263 get support from the Translations Meister and experimented translators,
1264 and we regularly discuss translations issues common to all languagues.
1265 All people interested in LilyPond translations are invited to subscribe
1266 to this list regardless of the amount of their contribution, by sending
1267 an email to @code{translations-request@@lilynet.net} with subject
1268 @code{subscribe} and an empty message body. Unless mentioned explicitly
1269 or except if a translations coordinator contacts you privately, you
1270 should send questions, remarks, patches to this list
1271 @code{translations@@lilynet.net}; especially note that the traffic is so
1272 high on English-speaking list @code{lilypond-user@@gnu.org} that it may
1273 take months before your request or contribution is handled if you send a
1274 email to these lists.
1277 * Getting started with documentation translation::
1278 * Documentation translation details::
1279 * Documentation translation maintenance::
1280 * Translations management policies::
1281 * Technical background::
1284 @node Getting started with documentation translation
1285 @subsection Getting started with documentation translation
1287 First, get the sources of branch @code{lilypond/translation} from the
1288 Git repository, see @ref{Starting with Git}.
1291 * Translation requirements::
1292 * Which documentation can be translated::
1293 * Starting translation in a new language::
1296 @node Translation requirements
1297 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translation requirements
1299 Working on LilyPond documentation translations requires the following
1300 pieces of software, in order to make use of dedicated helper tools:
1303 @item Python 2.4 or higher,
1309 It is not required to build LilyPond and the documentation to
1310 translate the documentation. However, if you have enough time and
1311 motivation and a suitable system, it can be very useful to build at
1312 least the documentation so that you can check the output yourself and
1313 more quickly; if you are interested, see @ref{Compiling}.
1316 @node Which documentation can be translated
1317 @unnumberedsubsubsec Which documentation can be translated
1319 The makefiles and scripts infrastructure currently supports translation
1320 of the following documentation:
1323 @item the web site, the Learning Manual, the Notation Reference and
1324 Application Usage -- Texinfo source, PDF and HTML output; Info output
1325 might be added if there is enough demand for it;
1326 @item the Changes document.
1329 Support for translating the following pieces of documentation should be
1330 added soon, by decreasing order of priority:
1333 @item automatically generated documentation: markup commands,
1334 predefined music functions;
1335 @item the Snippets List;
1336 @item the Internals Reference.
1340 @node Starting translation in a new language
1341 @unnumberedsubsubsec Starting translation in a new language
1343 At top of the source directory, do
1350 or (if you want to install your self-compiled LilyPond locally)
1353 ./autogen.sh --prefix=$HOME
1357 If you want to compile LilyPond -- which is almost required to build
1358 the documentation, but is not required to do translation only -- fix
1359 all dependencies and rerun @command{./configure} (with the same
1360 options as for @command{autogen.sh}).
1362 Then @command{cd} into @file{Documentation/} and run
1365 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} new-lang
1369 where @var{MY-LANGUAGE} is the ISO 639 language code.
1371 Finally, add a language definition for your language in
1372 @file{python/langdefs.py}.
1375 @node Documentation translation details
1376 @subsection Documentation translation details
1378 Please follow all the instructions with care to ensure quality work.
1380 All files should be encoded in UTF-8.
1383 * Files to be translated::
1384 * Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation::
1385 * Adding a Texinfo manual::
1388 @node Files to be translated
1389 @unnumberedsubsubsec Files to be translated
1391 @include contributor/doc-translation-list.itexi
1393 In addition, not listed above, Snippets' titles and descriptions
1394 should be translated; they are a part of the Notation Reference and
1395 therefore their priority is 5.
1397 @node Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1398 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1400 Every piece of text should be translated in the source file, except
1401 Texinfo comments, text in @code{@@lilypond} blocks and a few cases
1404 Node names are translated, but the original node name in English should
1405 be kept as the argument of @code{@@translationof} put after the section
1406 title; that is, every piece in the original file like
1410 @@@var{section_command} Bar baz
1414 should be translated as
1417 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1418 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1419 @@translationof Foo bar
1422 The argument of @code{@@rglos} commands and the first argument of
1423 @code{@@rglosnamed} commands must not be translated, as it is the node
1424 name of an entry in Music Glossary.
1426 Every time you translate a node name in a cross-reference, i.e. the
1427 argument of commands @code{@@ref, @@rprogram, @@rlearning, @@rlsr,
1428 @@ruser} or the first argument of their @code{@var{*}named} variants,
1429 you should make sure the target node is defined in the correct source
1430 file; if you do not intend to translate the target node right now, you
1431 should at least write the node definition (that is, the @code{@@node
1432 @@@var{section_commmand} @@translationof} trio mentioned above) in the
1433 expected source file and define all its parent nodes; for each node you
1434 have defined this way but have not translated, insert a line that
1435 contains @code{@@untranslated}. That is, you should end up
1436 for each untranslated node with something like
1439 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1440 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1441 @@translationof Foo bar
1446 @warning{you do not have to translate the node name of a cross-reference
1447 to a node that you do not have translated. If you do, you must define
1448 an @qq{empty} node like explained just above; this will produce a
1449 cross-reference with the translated node name in output, although the
1450 target node will still be in English. On the opposite, if all
1451 cross-references that refer to an untranslated node use the node name in
1452 English, then you do not have to define such an @qq{empty} node, and the
1453 cross-reference text will appear in English in the output. The choice
1454 between these two strategies implies its particular maintenance
1455 requirements and is left to the translators, although the opinion of the
1456 Translation meister leans towards not translating these
1459 Please think of the fact that it may not make sense translating
1460 everything in some Texinfo files, and you may take distance from the
1461 original text; for instance, in the translation of the web site section
1462 Community, you may take this into account depending on what you know the
1463 community in your language is willing to support, which is possible only
1464 if you personnally assume this support, or there exists a public forum
1465 or mailing list listed in Community for LilyPond in your language:
1468 @item @rweb{Bug reports}: this page should be translated only if you
1469 know that every bug report sent on your language's mailing list or forum
1470 will be handled by someone who will translate it to English and send it
1471 on bug-lilypond or add an issue in the tracker, then translate back the
1472 reply from developers.
1474 @item @rweb{Help us}: this page should be translated very freely,
1475 and possibly not at all: ask help for contributing to LilyPond for tasks
1476 that LilyPond community in your language is able and going to handle.
1480 In any case, please mark in your work the sections which do not result
1481 from the direct translation of a piece of English translation, using
1482 comments i.e. lines starting with @q{@code{@@c}}.
1484 Finally, press in Emacs @key{C-c C-u C-a} to update or generate
1485 menus. This process should be made easier in the future, when the helper
1486 script @command{texi-langutils.py} and the makefile target are updated.
1488 Some pieces of text manipulated by build scripts that appear in the
1489 output are translated in a @file{.po} file -- just like LilyPond output
1490 messages -- in @file{Documentation/po}. The Gettext domain is named
1491 @code{lilypond-doc}, and unlike @code{lilypond} domain it is not managed
1492 through the Free Translation Project.
1495 Take care of using typographic rules for your language, especially in
1496 @file{macros.itexi}.
1498 If you wonder whether a word, phrase or larger piece of text should be
1499 translated, whether it is an argument of a Texinfo command or a small
1500 piece sandwiched between two Texinfo commands, try to track whether and
1501 where it appears in PDF and/or HTML output as visible text. This piece
1502 of advice is especially useful for translating @file{macros.itexi}.
1504 Please keep verbatim copies of music snippets (in @code{@@lilypond}
1505 blocs). However, some music snippets containing text that shows in
1506 the rendered music, and sometimes translating this text really helps
1507 the user to understand the documentation; in this case, and only in
1508 this case, you may as an exception translate text in the music
1509 snippet, and then you must add a line immediately before the
1510 @code{@@lilypond} block, starting with
1517 Otherwise the music snippet would be reset to the same content as the
1518 English version at next @command{make snippet-update} run -- see
1519 @ref{Updating documentation translation}.
1524 @@lilypondfile[<number of fragment options>,texidoc]@{@var{filename.ly}@}
1528 in the source, open @file{Documentation/snippets/@var{filename}.ly},
1529 translate the @code{texidoc} header field it contains, enclose it with
1530 @code{texidoc@var{MY-LANGUAGE} = "} and @code{"}, and write it into
1531 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@var{filename}.texidoc}.
1532 Additionnally, you may translate the snippet's title in @code{doctitle}
1533 header field, in case @code{doctitle} is a fragment option used in
1534 @code{@@lilypondfile}; you can do this exactly the same way as
1535 @code{texidoc}. For instance,
1536 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@var{filename}.texidoc}
1540 doctitlees = "Spanish title baz"
1542 Spanish translation blah
1547 Then, you should get these translated strings into compiled snippets in
1548 @file{Documentation/snippets}, see @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding
1549 and editing snippets}.
1551 @code{@@example} blocks need not be verbatim copies, e.g. variable
1552 names, file names and comments should be translated.
1554 Finally, please carefully apply every rule exposed in @ref{Texinfo
1555 introduction and usage policy}, and @ref{Documentation policy}. If one
1556 of these rules conflicts with a rule specific to your language, please
1557 ask the Translation meister on @email{translations@@lilynet.net} list
1558 and/or the Documentation Editors on @email{lilypond-devel@@gnu.org}
1562 @node Adding a Texinfo manual
1563 @unnumberedsubsubsec Adding a Texinfo manual
1565 In order to start translating a new manual whose basename is @var{FOO},
1569 cd Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}
1570 cp ../@var{FOO}.tely .
1572 cp web/GNUmakefile @var{FOO}
1576 then append @var{FOO} to variable @code{SUBDIRS} in
1577 Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/GNUmakefile, then translate file
1578 @var{MY-LANGUAGE}/@var{FOO}.tely and run @code{skeleton-update}:
1582 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} TEXI_LANGUTIL_FLAGS=--head-only skeleton-update
1586 Your are now ready to translate the new manual exactly like the web site
1587 or the Learning Manual.
1590 @node Documentation translation maintenance
1591 @subsection Documentation translation maintenance
1593 Several tools have been developed to make translations maintenance
1594 easier. These helper scripts make use of the power of Git, the
1595 version control system used for LilyPond development.
1597 You should use them whenever you would like to update the translation in
1598 your language, which you may do at the frequency that fits your and your
1599 cotranslators' respective available times. In the case your translation
1600 is up-do-date (which you can discover in the first subsection below), it
1601 is enough to check its state every one or two weeks. If you feel
1602 overwhelmed by the quantity of documentation to be updated, see
1603 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1606 * Check state of translation::
1607 * Updating documentation translation::
1608 * Updating translation committishes::
1611 @macro seeCommittishesUpdate{}
1612 @warning{do not forget to update the committish in each file you have
1613 completely updated, see @ref{Updating translation committishes}.}
1616 @node Check state of translation
1617 @unnumberedsubsubsec Check state of translation
1619 First pull from Git -- see @ref{Pulling and rebasing}, but DO NOT rebase
1620 unless you are sure to master the translation state checking and
1621 updating system -- then cd into @file{Documentation/} (or at top of the
1622 source tree, replace @command{make} with @command{make -C
1623 Documentation}) and run
1626 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation
1630 This presents a diff of the original files since the most recent
1631 revision of the translation. To check a single file, cd into
1632 @file{Documentation/} and run
1635 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@var{manual}/@var{foo}.itely check-translation
1639 In case this file has been renamed since you last updated the
1640 translation, you should specify both old and new file names, e.g.
1641 @code{CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@{@var{manual},user@}/@var{foo}.itely}.
1643 To see only which files need to be updated, do
1646 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation | grep 'diff --git'
1649 To avoid printing terminal colors control characters, which is often
1650 desirable when you redirect output to a file, run
1653 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} NO_COLOR=1 check-translation
1656 You can see the diffs generated by the commands above as changes that
1657 you should make in your language to the existing translation, in order
1658 to make your translation up to date.
1660 @seeCommittishesUpdate
1662 @warning{translation status generation is currently broken, so
1663 translation status pages have been removed; it will be regenerated again
1664 as soon as possible, in Texinfo format.}
1666 Global state of the translation is recorded in
1667 @file{Documentation/translations.html.in}, which is used to generate
1668 Translations status page. To update that page, do from
1669 @file{Documentation/}
1672 make translation-status
1675 This will also leave @file{out/translations-status.txt}, which contains
1676 up-to-dateness percentages for each translated file, and update word
1677 counts of documentation files in this Guide.
1680 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1683 @node Updating documentation translation
1684 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating documentation translation
1686 Instead of running @code{check-translation}, you may want to run
1687 @code{update-translation}, which will run your favorite text editor to
1688 update files. First, make sure environment variable @code{EDITOR} is
1689 set to a text editor command, then run from @file{Documentation/}
1692 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} update-translation
1696 or to update a single file
1699 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE/@var{manual}/foo.itely} update-translation
1702 For each file to be udpated, @code{update-translation} will open your
1703 text editor with this file and a diff of the file in English; if the
1704 diff cannot be generated or is bigger than the file in English itself,
1705 the full file in English will be opened instead.
1707 @seeCommittishesUpdate
1709 Texinfo skeleton files, i.e. @file{.itely} files not yet translated,
1710 containing only the first node of the original file in English can be
1711 updated automatically: whenever @command{make check-translation} shows
1712 that such files should be updated, run from @file{Documentation/}
1715 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} skeleton-update
1718 @file{.po} message catalogs in @file{Documentation/po/} may be updated
1719 by issuing from @file{Documentation/} or @file{Documentation/po/}
1725 @warning{if you run po-update and somebody else does the same and
1726 pushes before you push or send a patch to be applied, there will be a
1727 conflict when you pull. Therefore, it is better that only the
1728 Translation meister runs this command.}
1730 Updating music snippets can quickly become cumbersome, as most
1731 snippets should be identical in all languages. Fortunately, there is
1732 a script that can do this odd job for you (run from
1733 @file{Documentation/}):
1736 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} snippet-update
1739 This script overwrites music snippets in
1740 @file{@var{MY_LANGUAGE/foo/every.itely}} with music snippets from
1741 @file{@var{foo/every.itely}}. It ignores skeleton files, and keeps
1742 intact music snippets preceded with a line starting with @code{@@c
1743 KEEP LY}; it reports an error for each @file{.itely} that has not the
1744 same music snippet count in both languages. Always use this script
1745 with a lot of care, i.e. run it on a clean Git working tree, and check
1746 the changes it made with @command{git diff} before committing; if you
1747 don't do so, some @code{@@lilypond} snippets might be broken or make
1748 no sense in their context.
1750 When you have updated texidocs in
1751 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}, you can get these
1752 changes into compiled snippets in @file{Documentation/snippets}, see
1753 @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1755 Finally, a command runs the three update processes above for all
1756 enabled languages (from @file{Documentation/}):
1759 make all-translations-update
1762 Use this command with caution, and keep in mind it will not be really
1763 useful until translations are stabilized after the end of GDP and GOP.
1766 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations},
1767 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1770 @node Updating translation committishes
1771 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating translation committishes
1773 At the beginning of each translated file except PO files, there is a
1774 committish which represents the revision of the sources which you have
1775 used to translate this file from the file in English.
1777 When you have pulled and updated a translation, it is very important to
1778 update this committish in the files you have completely updated (and
1779 only these); to do this, first commit possible changes to any
1780 documentation in English which you are sure to have done in your
1781 translation as well, then replace in the up-to-date translated files the
1782 old committish by the committish of latest commit, which can be obtained
1786 git rev-list HEAD |head -1
1789 A special case is updating Snippet documentation strings in
1790 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}. For these to be
1791 correctly marked as up-to-date, first run @code{makelsr.py} as
1792 explained in @ref{Adding and editing snippets}, and commit the
1793 resulting compiled snippets left in @file{Documentation/snippets/}.
1794 Say the SHA1 ID code of this commit is <C>. Now edit again your
1795 translated files in @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}
1796 adjusting the 40-digit committish that appears in the text to be <C>;
1797 finally, commit these updated files. Not doing so would result in
1798 changes made both to your updates and original snippets to
1799 persistently appear in the check-translation output as if they were
1802 This two-phase mechanism avoids the (practically) unsolvable problem
1803 of guessing what committish will have our update, and pretending to
1804 put this very committish on the files in the same commit.
1806 @c http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-devel/2009-01/msg00245.html
1807 @c contains a helper script which could be used to perform massive
1808 @c committish updates.
1815 @node Translations management policies
1816 @subsection Translations management policies
1818 These policies show the general intent of how the translations should
1819 be managed, they aim at helping translators, developers and
1820 coordinators work efficiently.
1823 * Maintaining without updating translations::
1824 * Managing documentation translation with Git::
1827 @node Maintaining without updating translations
1828 @unnumberedsubsubsec Maintaining without updating translations
1830 Keeping translations up to date under heavy changes in the documentation
1831 in English may be almost impossible, especially as during the former
1832 Grand Documentation Project (GDP) or the Grand Organization Project
1833 (GOP) when a lot of contributors brings changes. In addition,
1834 translators may be --- and that is a very good thing --- involved in
1837 it is possible --- and even recommended --- to perform some maintenance
1838 that keeps translated documentation usable and eases future translation
1839 updating. The rationale below the tasks list motivates this plan.
1841 The following tasks are listed in decreasing priority order.
1844 @item Update macros.itexi.
1845 For each obsolete macro definition, if it is possible to update macro
1846 usage in documentation with an automatic text or regexp substitution,
1847 do it and delete the macro definition from macros.itexi; otherwise,
1848 mark this macro definition as obsolete with a comment, and keep it in
1849 macros.itexi until the documentation translation has been updated and
1850 no longer uses this macro.
1852 @item Update @file{*.tely} files completely with
1853 @command{make check-translation} -- you may want to redirect ouptput
1854 to a file because of overwhelming output, or call check-translation.py
1855 on individual files, see @ref{Check state of translation}.
1857 @item In @file{.itelys}, match sections and .itely file names with those from
1858 English docs, which possibly involves moving nodes contents in block
1859 between files, without updating contents itself. In other words, the
1860 game is catching where has gone each section. In Learning manual, and
1861 in Notation Reference sections which have been revised in GDP, there may
1862 be completely new sections: in this case, copy @code{@@node} and
1863 @code{@@section}-command from English docs, and add the marker for
1864 untranslated status @code{@@untranslated} on a single line. Note that
1865 it is not possible to exactly match subsections or subsubsections of
1866 documentation in English, when contents has been deeply revised; in this
1867 case, keep obsolete (sub)subsections in the translation, marking them
1868 with a line @code{@@c obsolete} just before the node.
1870 Emacs with Texinfo mode makes this step easier:
1873 @item without Emacs AucTeX installed, @key{C-c C-s} shows structure of current
1874 Texinfo file in a new buffer @code{*Occur*}; to show structure of two files
1875 simultaneously, first split Emacs window in 4 tiles (with @key{C-x 1}
1876 and @key{C-x 2}), press @key{C-c C-s} to show structure of one file
1877 (e.g. the translated file), copy @code{*Occur*} contents into
1878 @code{*Scratch*}, then press @key{C-c C-s} for the other file.
1880 If you happen to have installed AucTeX, you can either call the macro
1881 by doing @key{M-x texinfo-show-structure} or create a key binding in your
1882 @file{~/.emacs}, by adding the four following lines:
1885 (add-hook 'Texinfo-mode-hook
1887 (define-key Texinfo-mode-map "\C-cs"
1888 'texinfo-show-structure)))
1892 and then obtain the structure in the @code{*Occur*} buffer with @key{C-c
1895 @item Do not bother updating @code{@@menu}s when all menu entries are in the same
1896 file, just do @key{C-c C-u C-a} (@qq{update all menus}) when you have
1897 updated all the rest of the file.
1899 @item Moving to next or previous node using incremental search: press
1900 @key{C-s} and type @code{node} (or @key{C-s @@node} if the text
1901 contains the word @q{node}) then press @key{C-s} to move to next node
1902 or @key{C-r} to move to previous node. Similar operation can be used
1903 to move to the next/previous section. Note that every cursor move
1904 exits incremental search, and hitting @key{C-s} twice starts
1905 incremental search with the text entered in previous incremental
1908 @item Moving a whole node (or even a sequence of nodes): jump to beginning
1909 of the node (quit incremental search by pressing an arrow), press
1910 @key{C-SPACE}, press @key{C-s node} and repeat @key{C-s} until you
1911 have selected enough text, cut it with @key{C-w} or @key{C-x}, jump to
1912 the right place (moving between nodes with the previous hint is often
1913 useful) and paste with @key{C-y} or @key{C-v}.
1916 @item Update sections finished in the English documentation; check
1918 @uref{http://lilypondwiki.tuxfamily.org/index.php?title=Documentation_coordination}.
1920 @item Update documentation PO. It is recommended not to update
1921 strings which come from documentation that is currently deeply revised
1922 in English, to avoid doing the work more than once.
1924 @item Fix broken cross-references by running (from @file{Documentation/})
1927 make ISOLANG=@var{YOUR-LANGUAGE} fix-xrefs
1931 This step requires a sucessful documentation build (with @command{make
1932 doc}). Some cross-references are broken because they point to a node
1933 that exists in the documentation in English, which has not been added
1934 to the translation; in this case, do not fix the cross-reference but
1935 keep it "broken", so that the resulting HTML link will point to an
1936 existing page of documentation in English.
1939 @subsubheading Rationale
1941 You may wonder if it would not be better to leave translations as-is
1942 until you can really start updating translations. There are several
1943 reasons to do these maintenance tasks right now.
1946 @item This will have to be done sooner or later anyway, before updating
1947 translation of documentation contents, and this can already be done
1948 without needing to be redone later, as sections of documentation in
1949 English are mostly revised once. However, note that not all
1950 documentation sectioning has been revised in one go, so all this
1951 maintenance plan has to be repeated whenever a big reorganization is
1954 @item This just makes translated documentation take advantage of the new
1955 organization, which is better than the old one.
1957 @item Moving and renaming sections to match sectioning of documentation in
1958 English simplify future updating work: it allows updating the
1959 translation by side-by-side comparison, without bothering whether
1960 cross-reference names already exist in the translation.
1962 @item Each maintenance task except @q{Updating PO files} can be done by
1963 the same person for all languages, which saves overall time spent by
1964 translators to achieve this task: the node names and section titles
1965 are in English, so you can do. It is important to take advantage of
1966 this now, as it will be more complicated (but still possible) to do
1967 step 3 in all languages when documentation is compiled with
1968 @command{texi2html} and node names are directly translated in source
1973 @node Managing documentation translation with Git
1974 @unnumberedsubsubsec Managing documentation translation with Git
1976 This policy explains how to manage Git branches and commit
1977 translations to Git.
1980 @item Translation changes matching master branch are preferably made on
1981 @code{lilypond/translation} branch; they may be pushed directly to
1982 @code{master} only if they do not break compilation of LilyPond and
1983 its documentation, and in this case they should be pushed to
1984 @code{lilypond/translation} too. Similarly, changes matching
1985 @code{stable/X.Y} are preferably made on
1986 @code{lilypond/X.Ytranslation}.
1988 @item @code{lilypond/translation} Git branch may be merged into
1989 master only if LilyPond (@command{make all}) and documentation
1990 (@command{make doc}) compile succesfully.
1992 @item @code{master} Git branch may be merged into
1993 @code{lilypond/translation} whenever @command{make} and @command{make
1994 doc} are succesful (in order to ease documentation compilation by
1995 translators), or when significant changes had been made in
1996 documentation in English in master branch.
1998 @item General maintenance may be done by anybody who knows what he does
1999 in documentation in all languages, without informing translators
2000 first. General maintenance include simple text substitutions
2001 (e.g. automated by sed), compilation fixes, updating Texinfo or
2002 lilypond-book commands, updating macros, updating ly code, fixing
2003 cross-references, and operations described in @ref{Maintaining
2004 without updating translations}.
2008 @node Technical background
2009 @subsection Technical background
2011 A number of Python scripts handle a part of the documentation
2012 translation process. All scripts used to maintain the translations
2013 are located in @file{scripts/auxiliar/}.
2016 @item @file{check_translation.py} -- show diff to update a translation,
2017 @item @file{texi-langutils.py} -- quickly and dirtily parse Texinfo files to
2018 make message catalogs and Texinfo skeleton files,
2019 @item @file{texi-skeleton-update.py} -- update Texinfo skeleton files,
2020 @item @file{update-snippets.py} -- synchronize ly snippets with those
2022 @item @file{translations-status.py} -- update translations status pages and word
2023 counts in the file you are reading,
2024 @item @file{tely-gettext.py} -- gettext node names, section titles and references
2025 in the sources; WARNING only use this script once for each file, when support for
2026 "makeinfo --html" has been dropped.
2029 Other scripts are used in the build process, in @file{scripts/build/}:
2032 @item @file{mass-link.py} -- link or symlink files between English documentation
2033 and documentation in other languages.
2036 Python modules used by scripts in @file{scripts/auxiliar/} or @file{scripts/build/} (but
2037 not by installed Python scripts) are located in @file{python/auxiliar/}:
2039 @item @file{manuals_definitions.py} -- define manual names and name of
2040 cross-reference Texinfo macros,
2041 @item @file{buildlib.py} -- common functions (read piped output
2042 of a shell command, use Git),
2043 @item @file{postprocess_html.py} (module imported by @file{www_post.py}) -- add footer and
2044 tweak links in HTML pages.
2049 @item @file{python/langdefs.py} -- language definitions module