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.
65 Before undertaking any large documentation work, contributors are
66 encouraged to contact the @ref{Meisters, Documentation Meister}.
69 @node Documentation suggestions
70 @section Documentation suggestions
72 @subheading Small additions
74 For additions to the documentation,
79 Tell us where the addition should be placed. Please include both
80 the section number and title (i.e. "LM 2.13 Printing lyrics").
83 Please write exact changes to the text.
86 A formal patch to the source code is @emph{not} required; we can
87 take care of the technical details.
90 Send the suggestions to the @code{bug-lilypond} mailing list as
91 discussed in @rweb{Contact}.
94 Here is an example of a perfect documentation report:
97 To: bug-lilypond@gnu.org
98 From: helpful-user@example.net
101 In LM 2.13 (printing lyrics), above the last line ("More options,
102 like..."), please add:
105 To add lyrics to a divided part, use blah blah blah. For example,
108 \notes {blah <<blah>> }
109 \lyrics {blah <<blah>> }
114 In addition, the second sentence of the first paragraph is
115 confusing. Please delete that sentence (it begins "Users
116 often...") and replace it with this:
118 To align lyrics with something, do this thing.
128 @subheading Larger contributions
130 To replace large sections of the documentation, the guidelines are
131 stricter. We cannot remove parts of the current documentation
132 unless we are certain that the new version is an improvement.
137 Ask on the lilypond-devel mailing list if such a rewrite is necessary;
138 somebody else might already be working on this issue!
141 Split your work into small sections; this makes it much easier to
142 compare the new and old documentation.
145 Please prepare a formal git patch.
149 Once you have followed these guidelines, please send a message to
150 lilypond-devel with your documentation submissions. Unfortunately
151 there is a strict “no top-posting” check on the mailing list; to avoid
154 > I'm not top posting.
156 (you must include the > ) to the top of your documentation
159 We may edit your suggestion for spelling, grammar, or style, and
160 we may not place the material exactly where you suggested, but if
161 you give us some material to work with, we can improve the manual
162 much faster. Thanks for your interest!
165 @node Texinfo introduction and usage policy
166 @section Texinfo introduction and usage policy
169 * Texinfo introduction::
170 * Documentation files::
171 * Sectioning commands::
172 * LilyPond formatting::
175 * Other text concerns::
179 @node Texinfo introduction
180 @subsection Texinfo introduction
182 The language is called Texinfo; you can see its manual here:
184 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/}
186 However, you don't need to read those docs. The most important
187 thing to notice is that text is text. If you see a mistake in the
188 text, you can fix it. If you want to change the order of
189 something, you can cut-and-paste that stuff into a new location.
191 @warning{Rule of thumb: follow the examples in the existing docs.
192 You can learn most of what you need to know from this; if you want
193 to do anything fancy, discuss it on @code{lilypond-devel} first.}
196 @node Documentation files
197 @subsection Documentation files
199 All manuals live in @file{Documentation/}.
201 In particular, there are four user manuals, their respective master
202 source files are @file{learning.tely} (LM, Learning Manual),
203 @file{notation.tely} (NR, Notation Reference),
204 @file{music-glossary.tely} (MG, Music Glossary), and
205 @file{lilypond-program} (AU). Each chapter is written in a separate
206 file, ending in @file{.itely} for files containing lilypond code, and
207 @file{.itexi} for files without lilypond code, located in a subdirectory
208 associated to the manual (@file{learning/} for @file{learning.tely}, and
209 so on); list the subdirectory of each manual to determine the filename
210 of the specific chapter you wish to modify.
212 Developer manuals live in @file{Documentation/} too. Currently there is
213 only one: the Contributor's Guide @file{contrib-guide.texi} you are
216 Snippet files are part of documentation, and the Snippet List (SL) lives
217 in @file{Documentation/} just like the manuals. For information about
218 how to modify the snippet files and SL, see @ref{LSR work}.
221 @node Sectioning commands
222 @subsection Sectioning commands
224 The Notation Reference uses section headings at four, occasionally
229 @item Level 1: @@chapter
230 @item Level 2: @@section
231 @item Level 3: @@subsection
232 @item Level 4: @@unnumberedsubsubsec
233 @item Level 5: @@subsubsubheading
236 The first three levels are numbered in html, the last two are not.
237 Numbered sections correspond to a single html page in the split html
240 The first four levels always have accompanying nodes so they can be
241 referenced and are also included in the ToC in html.
243 Most of the manual is written at level 4 under headings created with
247 @@unnumberedsubsubsec Foo
250 Level 3 subsections are created with
259 Please leave two blank lines above a @code{@@node}; this makes it
260 easier to find sections in texinfo.
263 Do not use any @code{@@} commands for a @code{@@node}. They may be
264 used for any @code{@@sub...} sections or headings however.
268 @@node @@code@{Foo@} Bar
269 @@subsection @@code@{Foo@} Bar
273 @@subsection @@code@{Foo@} Bar
277 With the exception of @code{@@} commands, the section name must
278 match the node name exactly.
281 No commas may be used in the node names.
284 If a heading is desired without creating a @code{@@node}, please use:
287 @@subsubsubheading Foo
291 Sectioning commands (@code{@@node} and @code{@@section}) must not appear
292 inside an @code{@@ignore}. Separate those commands with a space, ie
293 @code{@@n}@tie{}@code{ode}.
297 Nodes must be included inside a
307 construct. These are easily constructed with automatic tools; see
308 @ref{Scripts to ease doc work}.
311 @node LilyPond formatting
312 @subsection LilyPond formatting
317 Most LilyPond examples throughout the documentation can be produced
321 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
327 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=2]
330 If using any combination of @code{\header@{@}}, @code{\score@{@}} or
331 @code{\layout@{@}} in your example, then you must omit the
332 @code{relative} variable and either use absolute entry mode or an
333 explicit @code{\relative@{@}} construction.
335 If using @code{\book@{@}} in your example then you must also omit the
336 @code{relative} variable and either use absolute entry mode or an
337 explicit @code{\relative@{@}} construction. However, you must also
338 include the @code{papersize=X} variable, where @code{X} is a defined
339 paper size from within @file{scm/paper.scm}. This is to avoid the
340 default @code{a4} paper size being used and leaving too much unnecessary
341 whitespace and potentially awkward page breaks in the PDFs.
343 The preferred @code{papersize}s are @code{a5}, @code{a6} or
346 @code{a8landscape} works best for a single measure with a single title
347 and/or single @code{tagline}:
350 @@lilypond[papersize=a8landscape,verbatim]
353 title = "A scale in LilyPond"
362 and can also be used to easily show features that require page breaks
363 (i.e. page numbers) without taking large amounts of space within the
364 documentation. Do not use the @code{quote} option with this paper size.
366 @code{a5} or @code{a6} paper sizes are best used for examples that have
367 more than two measures of music or require multiple staves (i.e. to
368 illustrate cross-staff features, RH and LH parts etc.) and where
369 @code{\book@{@}} constructions are required or where @code{a8landscape}
370 produces an example that is too cramped. Depending on the example the
371 @code{quote} option may need to be omitted.
373 In rare cases, other options may be used (or omitted), but ask first.
376 Please avoid using extra spacing either after or within the
377 @code{@@lilypond} parameters.
380 not: @@lilypond [verbatim, quote, relative=1]
381 but instead: @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
385 Inspirational headwords are produced with:
388 @@lilypondfile[quote,ragged-right,line-width=16\cm,staffsize=16]
389 @{pitches-headword.ly@}
393 LSR snippets are linked with:
396 @@lilypondfile[verbatim,quote,ragged-right,texidoc,doctitle]
401 Use two spaces for indentation in lilypond examples (no tabs).
404 All engravers should have double-quotes around them:
407 \consists "Spans_arpeggio_engraver"
410 LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is a useful
411 convention to follow.
414 All context or layout object strings should be prefaced with @code{#}.
415 Again, LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is helpful
416 to get users accustomed to this scheme construct, i.e. @code{\set
417 Staff.instrumentName = #"cello"}
420 Try to avoid using @code{#'} or @code{#`} within when describing
421 context or layout properties outside of an @code{@@example} or @code{@@lilypond}, unless
422 the description explicitly requires it.
424 i.e. @qq{...setting the @code{transparent} property leaves the object where it
425 is, but makes it invisible.}
428 If possible, only write one bar per line.
431 If you only have one bar per line, omit bar checks. If you
432 must put more than one bar per line (not recommended), then include bar
436 Tweaks should, if possible, also occur on their own line.
438 not: \override TextScript #'padding = #3 c1^"hi"
439 but instead: \override TextScript #'padding = #3
444 excepted in Templates, where `doctitle' may be omitted.
447 Avoid long stretches of input code. Nobody is going to read
448 them in print. Create small examples. However, this does not mean
452 Specify durations for at least the first note of every bar.
455 If possible, end with a complete bar.
458 Comments should go on their own line, and be placed before
459 the line(s) to which they refer.
462 For clarity, always use @{ @} marks even if they are not technically
468 \context Voice \repeat unfold 2 \relative c' @{
484 Add a space around @{ @} marks; i.e.
487 not: \chordmode@{c e g@}
488 but instead: \chordmode @{ c e g @}
492 Use @{ @} marks for additional @code{\markup} format commands; i.e.
495 not: c^\markup \tiny\sharp
496 but instead: c^\markup @{ \tiny \sharp @}
500 Remove any space around @code{<} @code{>} marks; i.e.
504 but instead: <c e g>4
508 Beam, slur and tie marks should begin immediately after the first
509 note with beam and phrase marks ending immediately after the last.
512 a8\( ais16[ b cis( d] b) cis4~ b' cis,\)
516 If you want to work on an example outside of the manual (for
517 easier/faster processing), use this header:
522 line-width = 160\mm - 2.0 * 0.4\in
523 line-width = #(- line-width (* mm 3.000000))
530 You may not change any of these values. If you are making an
531 example demonstrating special @code{\paper@{@}} values, contact the
532 Documentation Editor.
537 @node Text formatting
538 @subsection Text formatting
542 Lines should be less than 72 characters long. (We personally
543 recommend writing with 66-char lines, but do not bother modifying
544 existing material). Also see the recommendations for fixed-width
545 fonts in the @ref{Syntax survey}.
551 Do not use spaces at the beginning of a line (except in
552 @code{@@example} or @code{@@verbatim} environments), and do not
553 use more than a single space between words. @q{makeinfo} copies
554 the input lines verbatim without removing those spaces.
557 Use two spaces after a period.
560 In examples of syntax, use @code{@@var@{@var{musicexpr}@}} for a
564 Don't use @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in the main text. If you're
565 tempted to do so, you're probably getting too close to @qq{talking
566 through the code}. If you really want to refer to a context, use
567 @code{@@code@{@}} in the main text and @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in
568 the @code{@@seealso}.
573 @subsection Syntax survey
583 * Special characters::
589 @unnumberedsubsubsec Comments
593 @code{@@c @dots{}} --- single line comment. @samp{@@c NOTE:} is a
594 comment which should remain in the final version. (gp only
598 @code{@@ignore} --- multi-line comment:
608 @node Cross references
609 @unnumberedsubsubsec Cross references
611 Enter the exact @code{@@node} name of the target reference between
612 the brackets (eg.@tie{}@w{@samp{@@ref@{Syntax survey@}}}). Do not
613 split a cross-reference across two lines -- this causes the
614 cross-reference to be rendered incorrectly in html documents.
618 @code{@@ref@{@dots{}@}} --- link within current manual.
621 @code{@@rchanges@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Changes.
624 @code{@@rcontrib@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Contributor's Guide.
627 @code{@@ressay@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Engraving Essay.
630 @code{@@rextend@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Extending LilyPond.
633 @code{@@rglos@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Music Glossary.
636 @code{@@rinternals@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Internals Reference.
639 @code{@@rlearning@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Learning Manual.
642 @code{@@rlsr@{@dots{}@}} --- link to a Snippet section.
645 @code{@@rprogram@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Application Usage.
648 @code{@@ruser@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Notation Reference.
651 @code{@@rweb@{@dots{}@}} --- link to General Information.
656 @unnumberedsubsubsec External links
660 @code{@@email@{@dots{}@}} --- create a @code{mailto:} E-mail link.
663 @code{@@uref@{@var{URL}[, @var{link text}]@}} --- link to an
664 external url. Use within an @code{@@example ... @@end example}.
668 @@uref@{URL [, link text ]@}
674 @node Fixed-width font
675 @unnumberedsubsubsec Fixed-width font
679 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} ---
681 Use the @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} command when referring to
682 individual language-specific tokens (keywords, commands,
683 engravers, scheme symbols, etc.) in the text. Ideally, a single
684 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} block should fit within one line in the
687 Use the @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} command when you have a short
688 example of user input, unless it constitutes an entire
689 @code{@@item} by itself, in which case @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} is
690 preferable. Otherwise, both should only be used when part of a
691 larger sentence within a paragraph or @code{@@item}. Do not use
692 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} inside an
693 @code{@@example} block, and do not use either as a free-standing
694 paragraph; use @code{@@example} instead.
696 A single unindented line in the PDF has space for about 79
697 fixed-width characters (76 if indented). Within an @code{@@item}
698 there is space for about 75 fixed-width characters. Each
699 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
700 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
702 However, even short blocks of @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} and
703 @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} can run into the margin if the Texinfo
704 line-breaking algorithm gets confused. Additionally, blocks that
705 are longer than this may in fact print nicely; it all depends
706 where the line breaks end up. If you compile the docs yourself,
707 check the PDF output to make sure the line breaks are
710 The Texinfo setting @code{@@allowcodebreaks} is set to
711 @code{false} in the manuals, so lines within
712 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} blocks will
713 only break at spaces, not at hyphens or underscores. If the block
714 contains spaces, use @code{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}} or
715 @code{@@w@{@@samp@{@dots{}@}@}} to prevent unexpected line breaks.
717 The Texinfo settings @code{txicodequoteundirected} and
718 @code{txicodequotebacktick} are both set in the manuals, so
719 backticks (@code{`}) and apostrophes (@code{'}) placed within
720 blocks of @code{@@code}, @code{@@example}, or @code{@@verbatim}
721 are not converted to left- and right-angled quotes
722 (@code{@quoteleft{} @quoteright{}}) as they normally are within
723 the text, so the apostrophes in
724 @q{@w{@code{@@w@{@@code@{@bs{}relative c''@}@}}}} will display
725 correctly. However, these settings do not affect the PDF output
726 for anything within a @code{@@samp} block (even if it includes a
727 nested @code{@@code} block), so entering
728 @q{@code{@@w@{@@samp@{@bs{}relative c''@}@}}} wrongly produces
729 @q{@w{@code{@bs{}relative c@quoteright{}@quoteright{}}}} in PDF.
730 Consequently, if you want to use a @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} block
731 which contains backticks or apostrophes, you should instead use
732 @q{@code{@@q@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}}} (or
733 @q{@code{@@q@{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}@}}} if the block also
734 contains spaces). Note that backslashes within
735 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}} blocks must be entered as @samp{@@bs@{@}},
736 so the example above would be coded as
737 @q{@code{@@q@{@@w@{@@code@{@@bs@{@}relative c''@}@}@}}}.
740 @code{@@command@{@dots{}@}} --- Use when referring to command-line
741 commands within the text (eg. @samp{@@command@{convert-ly@}}). Do
742 not use inside an @code{@@example} block.
745 @code{@@example} --- Use for examples of program code. Do not add
746 extraneous indentation (i.e. don't start every line with
747 whitespace). Use the following layout (notice the use of blank
748 lines). Omit the @code{@@noindent} if the text following the
749 example starts a new paragraph:
752 @var{@dots{}text leading into the example@dots{}}
759 @var{continuation of the text@dots{}}
762 Individual lines within an @code{@@example} block should not
763 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
764 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@example} block
765 is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
766 @code{@@example} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
767 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
768 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
770 For long command line examples, if possible, use a trailing
771 backslash to break up a single line, indenting the next line with
772 2 spaces. If this isn't feasible, use @samp{@@smallexample
773 @dots{} @@end@tie{}smallexample} instead, which uses a smaller
774 fontsize. Use @code{@@example} whenever possible, but if needed,
775 @code{@@smallexample} can fit up to 90 characters per line before
776 running into the PDF margin. Each additional level of
777 @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate} shortens a
778 @code{@@smallexample} line by about 5 columns.
781 @code{@@file@{@dots{}@}} --- Use when referring to filenames and
782 directories in the text. Do not use inside an @code{@@example}
786 @code{@@option@{@dots{}@}} --- Use when referring to command-line
787 options in the text (eg. @samp{@@option@{--format@}}). Do not use
788 inside an @code{@@example} block.
791 @code{@@verbatim} --- Prints the block exactly as it appears in
792 the source file (including whitespace, etc.). For program code
793 examples, use @code{@@example} instead. @code{@@verbatim} uses
794 the same format as @code{@@example}.
796 Individual lines within an @code{@@verbatim} block should not
797 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
798 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@verbatim}
799 block is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
800 @code{@@verbatim} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
801 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
802 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
807 @unnumberedsubsubsec Indexing
811 @code{@@cindex @dots{}} --- General index. Please add as many as you can.
812 Don't capitalize the first word.
815 @code{@@funindex @dots{}} --- is for a \lilycommand.
820 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lists
824 @code{@@enumerate} --- Create an ordered list (with numbers).
825 Always put @samp{@@item} on its own line. As an exception, if all
826 the items in the list are short enough to fit on single lines, placing
827 them on the @samp{@@item} lines is also permissible. @samp{@@item}
828 and @samp{@@end@tie{}enumerate} should always be preceded by a blank
835 A long multi-line item like this one must begin
836 on a line of its own and all the other items in
837 the list must do so too.
856 @code{@@itemize} --- Create an unordered list (with bullets). Use
857 the same format as @code{@@enumerate}. Do not use
858 @samp{@@itemize@tie{}@@bullet}.
862 @node Special characters
863 @unnumberedsubsubsec Special characters
867 @code{--}, @code{---} --- Create an en dash (--) or an em dash
868 (---) in the text. To print two or three literal hyphens in a
869 row, wrap one of them in a @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} (eg.
873 @code{@@@@}, @code{@@@{}, @code{@@@}} --- Create an at-sign (@@),
874 a left curly bracket (@{), or a right curly bracket (@}).
877 @code{@@bs@{@}} --- Create a backslash within a
878 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}}, or
879 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} block. This is a custom LilyPond
880 macro, not a builtin @@-command in Texinfo. Texinfo would also
881 allow @samp{\\}, but this breaks the PDF output.
884 @code{@@tie@{@}} --- Create a @emph{variable-width} non-breaking
885 space in the text (use @w{@samp{@@w@{ @}}} for a single
886 @emph{fixed-width} non-breaking space). Variables or numbers
887 which consist of a single character (probably followed by a
888 punctuation mark) should be tied properly, either to the previous
889 or the next word. Example: @samp{The letter@@tie@{@}@@q@{I@} is
895 @unnumberedsubsubsec Miscellany
899 @code{@@notation@{@dots{}@}} --- refers to pieces of notation, e.g.
900 @samp{@@notation@{clef@}}. Also use for specific lyrics
901 (@samp{the @@notation@{A@tie{}-@tie{}men@} is centered}).
902 Only use once per subsection per term.
905 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}} --- Single quotes. Used for
906 @quoteleft{}vague@quoteright{} terms. To get a backslash
907 (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
910 @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}} --- Double quotes. Used for actual quotes
911 (@qq{he said}) or for introducing special input modes. To get a
912 backslash (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
915 @code{@@var@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for metasyntactic variables (such
916 as @code{@var{foo}}, @code{@var{bar}}, @code{@var{arg1}}, etc.).
917 In most cases, when the @code{@@var@{@dots{}@}} command appears in
918 the text (and not in an @code{@@example} block) it should be
919 wrapped with an appropriate texinfo code-highlighting command
920 (such as @code{@@code}, @code{@@samp}, @code{@@file},
921 @code{@@command}, etc.). For example:
922 @samp{@@code@{@@var@{foo@}@}},
923 @samp{@@file@{@@var@{myfile.ly@}@}},
924 @w{@samp{@@samp@{git checkout @@var@{branch@}@}}}, etc. This
925 improves readability in the PDF and HTML output.
928 @code{@@version@{@}} --- Return the current LilyPond version
929 string. Use @samp{@@w@{@@version@{@}@}} if it's at the end of a
930 line (to prevent an ugly line break in PDF); use
931 @samp{@@w@{"@@version@{@}"@}} if you need it in quotes.
934 @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} --- Do not allow any line breaks.
937 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} --- produces a @qq{Note:@tie{}} box.
938 Use for important messages. To get a backslash (\), you must use
943 @node Other text concerns
944 @subsection Other text concerns
948 References must occur at the end of a sentence, for more
950 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/,texinfo
951 manual}. Ideally this should also be the final sentence of a
952 paragraph, but this is not required. Any link in a doc section
953 must be duplicated in the @code{@@seealso} section at the bottom.
956 Introducing examples must be done with
959 . (i.e. finish the previous sentence/paragraph)
960 : (i.e. `in this example:')
961 , (i.e. `may add foo with the blah construct,')
964 The old @qq{sentence runs directly into the example} method is not
968 Abbrevs in caps, e.g., HTML, DVI, MIDI, etc.
978 When beginning a quote: @qq{So, he said,...}.
980 This usage is rarer. Americans often just use a comma.
983 When adding a defining example at the end of a sentence.
987 Non-ASCII characters which are in utf-8 should be directly used;
988 this is, don't say @samp{Ba@@ss@{@}tuba} but @samp{Baßtuba}. This
989 ensures that all such characters appear in all output formats.
993 @node Documentation policy
994 @section Documentation policy
998 * Section organization::
999 * Checking cross-references::
1001 * Technical writing style::
1007 There are four parts to the documentation: the Learning Manual,
1008 the Notation Reference, the Program Reference, and the Music
1016 The LM is written in a tutorial style which introduces the most
1017 important concepts, structure and syntax of the elements of a
1018 LilyPond score in a carefully graded sequence of steps.
1019 Explanations of all musical concepts used in the Manual can be
1020 found in the Music Glossary, and readers are assumed to have no
1021 prior knowledge of LilyPond. The objective is to take readers to
1022 a level where the Notation Reference can be understood and
1023 employed to both adapt the templates in the Appendix to their
1024 needs and to begin to construct their own scores. Commonly used
1025 tweaks are introduced and explained. Examples are provided
1026 throughout which, while being focussed on the topic being
1027 introduced, are long enough to seem real in order to retain the
1028 readers' interest. Each example builds on the previous material,
1029 and comments are used liberally. Every new aspect is thoroughly
1030 explained before it is used.
1032 Users are encouraged to read the complete Learning Manual from
1037 Notation Reference: a (hopefully complete) description of LilyPond
1038 input notation. Some material from here may be duplicated in the
1039 Learning Manual (for teaching), but consider the NR to be the
1040 "definitive" description of each notation element, with the LM
1041 being an "extra". The goal is _not_ to provide a step-by-step
1042 learning environment -- do not avoid using notation that has not
1043 be introduced previously in the NR (for example, use \break if
1044 appropriate). This section is written in formal technical writing
1047 Avoid duplication. Although users are not expected to read this
1048 manual from start to finish, they should be familiar with the
1049 material in the Learning Manual (particularly ``Fundamental
1050 Concepts''), so do not repeat that material in each section of
1051 this book. Also watch out for common constructs, like ^ - _ for
1052 directions -- those are explained in NR 3. In NR 1, you can
1053 write: DYNAMICS may be manually placed above or below the staff,
1054 see @@ref@{Controlling direction and placement@}.
1056 Most tweaks should be added to LSR and not placed directly in the
1057 @file{.itely} file. In some cases, tweaks may be placed in the main
1058 text, but ask about this first.
1060 Finally, you should assume that users know what the notation
1061 means; explaining musical concepts happens in the Music Glossary.
1065 Application Usage: information about using the program lilypond
1066 with other programs (lilypond-book, operating systems, GUIs,
1067 convert-ly, etc). This section is written in formal technical
1070 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
1074 Music Glossary: information about the music notation itself.
1075 Explanations and translations about notation terms go here.
1077 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
1080 Internals Reference: not really a documentation book, since it is
1081 automagically generated from the source, but this is its name.
1086 @node Section organization
1087 @subsection Section organization
1092 The order of headings inside documentation sections should
1105 You @emph{must} include a @@seealso.
1109 The order of items inside the @@seealso section is
1118 @@rlearning@{foozle@}.
1127 Essay on automated music engraving:
1134 @@file@{path/to/dir/blahz@}.
1136 Snippets: @@rlsr@{section@}.
1138 Internals Reference:
1139 @@rinternals@{fazzle@},
1140 @@rinternals@{booar@}.
1144 If there are multiple entries, separate them by commas but do not
1148 Always end with a period.
1151 Place each link on a new line as above; this makes it much easier
1152 to add or remove links. In the output, they appear on a single
1155 ("Snippets" is REQUIRED; the others are optional)
1158 Any new concepts or links which require an explanation should go
1159 as a full sentence(s) in the main text.
1162 Don't insert an empty line between @@seealso and the first entry!
1163 Otherwise there is excessive vertical space in the PDF output.
1168 To create links, use @@ref@{@} if the link is within the same
1172 @@predefined ... @@endpredefined is for commands in
1176 Do not include any real info in second-level sections (i.e. 1.1
1177 Pitches). A first-level section may have introductory material,
1178 but other than that all material goes into third-level sections
1179 (i.e. 1.1.1 Writing Pitches).
1182 The @@knownissues should not discuss any issues that are in the
1183 tracker, unless the issue is Priority-Postponed. The goal is to
1184 discuss any overall architecture or syntax decisions which may be
1185 interpreted as bugs. Normal bugs should not be discussed here,
1186 because we have so many bugs that it would be a huge task to keep
1187 the @@knownissues current and accurate all the time.
1192 @node Checking cross-references
1193 @subsection Checking cross-references
1195 Cross-references between different manuals are heavily used in the
1196 documentation, but they are not checked during compilation.
1197 However, if you compile the documentation, a script called
1198 check_texi_refs can help you with checking and fixing these
1199 cross-references; for information on usage, cd into a source tree
1200 where documentation has been built, cd into Documentation and run:
1207 Note that you have to find yourself the source files to fix
1208 cross-references in the generated documentation such as the
1209 Internals Reference; e.g. you can grep scm/ and lily/.
1211 @c temporary? how long will kainhofer be used? -gp
1212 Also of interest may be the linkdoc checks on kainhofer.com. Be
1213 warned that these docs are not completely rebuilt every day, so it
1214 might not accurately reflect the current state of the docs.
1217 @uref{http://kainhofer.com/~lilypond/linkdoc/}
1221 @node General writing
1222 @subsection General writing
1227 Do not forget to create @@cindex entries for new sections of text.
1228 Enter commands with @@funindex, i.e.
1231 @@cindex pitches, writing in different octaves
1232 @@funindex \relative
1236 Do not bother with the @@code@{@} (they are added automatically).
1237 These items are added to both the command index and the unified
1238 index. Both index commands should go in front of the actual material.
1241 @@cindex entries should not be capitalized, i.e.
1244 @@cindex time signature
1248 is preferred instead of @qq{Time signature}. Only use capital
1249 letters for musical terms which demand them, e.g.
1253 For scheme function index entries, only include the final part, i.e.
1256 @@funindex modern-voice-cautionary
1258 @@funindex #(set-accidental-style modern-voice-cautionary)
1262 Use American spelling. LilyPond's internal property
1263 names use this convention.
1266 Here is a list of preferred terms to be used:
1270 @emph{Simultaneous} NOT concurrent.
1273 @emph{Measure}: the unit of music.
1276 @emph{Bar line}: the symbol delimiting a measure NOT barline.
1279 @emph{Note head} NOT notehead.
1282 @emph{Chord construct} NOT just chord (when referring to < ... >)
1285 @emph{Staff} NOT stave.
1288 @emph{Staves} NOT Staffs:
1290 @q{multiple @@internalsref@{Staff@}s}
1291 should be rephrased to
1292 @q{multiple @@internalsref@{Staff@} contexts}.
1300 @node Technical writing style
1301 @subsection Technical writing style
1303 These refer to the NR. The LM uses a more gentle, colloquial
1309 Do not refer to LilyPond in the text. The reader knows what the
1310 manual is about. If you do, capitalization is LilyPond.
1313 If you explicitly refer to @q{lilypond} the program (or any other
1314 command to be executed), write @code{@@command@{lilypond@}}.
1317 Do not explicitly refer to the reader/user. There is no one else
1318 besides the reader and the writer.
1321 Avoid contractions (don't, won't, etc.). Spell the words out completely.
1324 Avoid abbreviations, except for commonly used abbreviations of foreign
1325 language terms such as etc. and i.e.
1328 Avoid fluff (@qq{Notice that,} @qq{as you can see,}
1332 The use of the word @q{illegal} is inappropriate in most cases.
1333 Say @q{invalid} instead.
1338 @node Tips for writing docs
1339 @section Tips for writing docs
1341 In the NR, I highly recommend focusing on one subsection at a
1342 time. For each subsection,
1347 check the mundane formatting. Are the headings (@@predefined,
1348 @@seealso, etc.) in the right order?
1351 add any appropriate index entries.
1354 check the links in the @@seealso section -- links to music
1355 glossary, internal references, and other NR sections are the main
1356 concern. Check for potential additions.
1359 move LSR-worthy material into LSR. Add the snippet, delete the
1360 material from the @file{.itely} file, and add a @@lilypondfile command.
1363 check the examples and descriptions. Do they still work?
1364 @strong{Do not} assume that the existing text is
1365 accurate/complete; some of the manual is highly out of date.
1368 is the material in the @@knownissues still accurate?
1371 can the examples be improved (made more explanatory), or is there
1372 any missing info? (feel free to ask specific questions on -user;
1373 a couple of people claimed to be interesting in being
1374 @qq{consultants} who would help with such questions)
1378 In general, I favor short text explanations with good examples --
1379 @qq{an example is worth a thousand words}. When I worked on the
1380 docs, I spent about half my time just working on those tiny
1381 lilypond examples. Making easily-understandable examples is much
1382 harder than it looks.
1385 @subsubheading Tweaks
1387 In general, any \set or \override commands should go in the
1388 @qq{select snippets} section, which means that they should go in
1389 LSR and not the @file{.itely} file. For some cases, the command
1390 obviously belongs in the @qq{main text} (i.e. not inside
1391 @@predefined or @@seealso or whatever) -- instrument names are a
1392 good example of this.
1395 \set Staff.instrumentName = #"foo"
1398 On the other side of this,
1401 \override Score.Hairpin #'after-line-breaking = ##t
1404 clearly belongs in LSR.
1406 I'm quite willing to discuss specific cases if you think that a
1407 tweaks needs to be in the main text. But items that can go into
1408 LSR are easier to maintain, so I'd like to move as much as
1409 possible into there.
1412 It would be @qq{nice} if you spent a lot of time crafting nice
1413 tweaks for users@dots{} but my recommendation is @strong{not} to do
1414 this. There's a lot of doc work to do without adding examples of
1415 tweaks. Tweak examples can easily be added by normal users by adding
1418 One place where a documentation writer can profitably spend time writing
1419 or upgrading tweaks is creating tweaks to deal with known issues. It
1420 would be ideal if every significant known issue had a workaround to avoid
1424 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1427 @node Scripts to ease doc work
1428 @section Scripts to ease doc work
1430 @subheading Building only one section of the documentation
1432 In order to save build time, a script is available to build only
1433 one section of the documentation in English with a default html
1436 You can build a section of the documentation with:
1439 scripts/auxiliar/doc-section.sh MANUAL SECTION
1443 where @code{SECTION} is the name of the file containing the section
1444 to be built, and @code{MANUAL} is replaced by the name of the directory
1445 containing the section. So, for example, to build section 1.1 of the
1446 Notation Reference, use the command:
1449 scripts/auxiliar/doc-section.sh notation pitches
1452 You can then see the generated document for the section at
1455 tempdocs/pitches/out/pitches.html
1459 @uref{http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=1236,Lilypond issue 1236},
1460 the location of the lilypond git tree is taken from @code{$LILYPOND_GIT}
1461 if specified, otherwise it is auto-detected.
1463 It is assumed that compilation takes place in the @file{build/}
1464 subdirectory, but this can be overridden by setting the environment
1465 variable @code{LILYPOND_BUILD_DIR}.
1467 Similarly, output defaults to @file{build/tempdocs/} but this can be
1468 overridden by setting the environment variable
1469 @code{LILYPOND_TEMPDOCS}.
1471 This script will not work for building sections of the
1472 Contributors' guide. For building sections of the Contributors'
1476 scripts/auxiliar/cg-section.sh SECTION
1480 where @code{SECTION} is the name of the file containing the sections
1481 to be built. For example, to build section 4 of the Contributors' guide,
1485 scripts/auxiliar/cg-section.sh doc-work
1488 @code{cg-section.sh} uses the same environment variables and
1489 corresponding default values as @code{doc-section.sh}.
1491 @subheading Stripping whitespace and generating menus
1493 @warning{This script assumes that the file conforms to our doc
1494 policy; a few files still need work in this regard.}
1496 To automatically regenerate @code{@@menu} portions and strip
1500 scripts/auxiliar/node-menuify.py @var{FILENAME}
1504 @subheading Stripping whitespace only
1506 @c TODO: should this be documented elsewhere? It's useful for
1507 @c more than just docs.
1508 To remove extra whitespace from the ends of lines, run
1511 scripts/auxiliar/strip-whitespace.py Documentation/FILENAME
1515 @subheading Updating doc with @command{convert-ly}
1517 Don't. This should be done by programmers when they add new
1518 features. If you notice that it hasn't been done, complain to
1519 @code{lilypond-devel}.
1522 @node Docstrings in scheme
1523 @section Docstrings in scheme
1525 Material in the Internals reference is generated automatically
1526 from our source code. Any doc work on Internals therefore
1527 requires modifying files in @file{scm/*.scm}. Texinfo is allowed
1528 in these docstrings.
1530 Most documentation writers never touch these, though. If you want
1531 to work on them, please ask for help.
1534 @node Translating the documentation
1535 @section Translating the documentation
1537 The mailing list @code{translations@@lilynet.net} is dedicated to
1538 LilyPond web site and documentation translation; on this list, you will
1539 get support from the Translations Meister and experienced translators,
1540 and we regularly discuss translation issues common to all languages.
1541 All people interested in LilyPond translations are invited to subscribe
1542 to this list regardless of the amount of their contribution, by sending
1543 an email to @code{translations-request@@lilynet.net} with subject
1544 @code{subscribe} and an empty message body. Unless mentioned explicitly,
1545 or except if a translations coordinator contacts you privately, you
1546 should send questions, remarks and patches to the list
1547 @code{translations@@lilynet.net}. Please note that traffic is high
1548 on the English-speaking list @code{lilypond-user@@gnu.org}, so it may
1549 take some time before your request or contribution is handled.
1552 * Getting started with documentation translation::
1553 * Documentation translation details::
1554 * Documentation translation maintenance::
1555 * Translations management policies::
1556 * Technical background::
1559 @node Getting started with documentation translation
1560 @subsection Getting started with documentation translation
1562 First, get the sources of branch @code{translation} from the
1563 Git repository, see @ref{Starting with Git}.
1566 * Translation requirements::
1567 * Which documentation can be translated::
1568 * Starting translation in a new language::
1571 @node Translation requirements
1572 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translation requirements
1574 Working on LilyPond documentation translations requires the following
1575 pieces of software, in order to make use of dedicated helper tools:
1578 @item Python 2.4 or higher,
1584 It is not required to build LilyPond and the documentation to
1585 translate the documentation. However, if you have enough time and
1586 motivation and a suitable system, it can be very useful to build at
1587 least the documentation so that you can check the output yourself and
1588 more quickly; if you are interested, see @ref{Compiling}.
1590 Before undertaking any large translation work, contributors are
1591 encouraged to contact the @ref{Meisters, Translation Meister}.
1594 @node Which documentation can be translated
1595 @unnumberedsubsubsec Which documentation can be translated
1597 The makefiles and scripts infrastructure currently supports translation
1598 of the following documentation:
1601 @item the web site, the Learning Manual, the Notation Reference and
1602 Application Usage -- Texinfo source, PDF and HTML output; Info output
1603 might be added if there is enough demand for it;
1604 @item the Changes document.
1607 Support for translating the following pieces of documentation should be
1608 added soon, by decreasing order of priority:
1611 @item automatically generated documentation: markup commands,
1612 predefined music functions;
1613 @item the Snippets List;
1614 @item the Internals Reference.
1618 @node Starting translation in a new language
1619 @unnumberedsubsubsec Starting translation in a new language
1621 At top of the source directory, do
1628 or (if you want to install your self-compiled LilyPond locally)
1631 ./autogen.sh --prefix=$HOME
1635 If you want to compile LilyPond -- which is almost required to build
1636 the documentation, but is not required to do translation only -- fix
1637 all dependencies and rerun @command{./configure} (with the same
1638 options as for @command{autogen.sh}).
1640 Then @command{cd} into @file{Documentation/} and run
1643 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} new-lang
1647 where @var{MY-LANGUAGE} is the ISO 639 language code.
1649 Finally, add a language definition for your language in
1650 @file{python/langdefs.py}.
1653 @node Documentation translation details
1654 @subsection Documentation translation details
1656 Please follow all the instructions with care to ensure quality work.
1658 All files should be encoded in UTF-8.
1661 * Files to be translated::
1662 * Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation::
1663 * Adding a Texinfo manual::
1666 @node Files to be translated
1667 @unnumberedsubsubsec Files to be translated
1669 @include contributor/doc-translation-list.itexi
1671 In addition, not listed above, Snippets' titles and descriptions
1672 should be translated; they are a part of the Notation Reference and
1673 therefore their priority is 5.
1675 @node Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1676 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1678 Every piece of text should be translated in the source file, except
1679 Texinfo comments, text in @code{@@lilypond} blocks and a few cases
1682 Node names are translated, but the original node name in English should
1683 be kept as the argument of @code{@@translationof} put after the section
1684 title; that is, every piece in the original file like
1688 @@@var{section_command} Bar baz
1692 should be translated as
1695 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1696 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1697 @@translationof Foo bar
1700 The argument of @code{@@rglos} commands and the first argument of
1701 @code{@@rglosnamed} commands must not be translated, as it is the node
1702 name of an entry in Music Glossary.
1704 Every time you translate a node name in a cross-reference, i.e. the
1705 argument of commands @code{@@ref, @@rprogram, @@rlearning, @@rlsr,
1706 @@ruser} or the first argument of their @code{@var{*}named} variants,
1707 you should make sure the target node is defined in the correct source
1708 file; if you do not intend to translate the target node right now, you
1709 should at least write the node definition (that is, the @code{@@node
1710 @@@var{section_commmand} @@translationof} trio mentioned above) in the
1711 expected source file and define all its parent nodes; for each node you
1712 have defined this way but have not translated, insert a line that
1713 contains @code{@@untranslated}. That is, you should end up
1714 for each untranslated node with something like
1717 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1718 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1719 @@translationof Foo bar
1724 @warning{you do not have to translate the node name of a cross-reference
1725 to a node that you do not have translated. If you do, you must define
1726 an @qq{empty} node like explained just above; this will produce a
1727 cross-reference with the translated node name in output, although the
1728 target node will still be in English. On the opposite, if all
1729 cross-references that refer to an untranslated node use the node name in
1730 English, then you do not have to define such an @qq{empty} node, and the
1731 cross-reference text will appear in English in the output. The choice
1732 between these two strategies implies its particular maintenance
1733 requirements and is left to the translators, although the opinion of the
1734 Translation meister leans towards not translating these
1737 Please think of the fact that it may not make sense translating
1738 everything in some Texinfo files, and you may take distance from the
1739 original text; for instance, in the translation of the web site section
1740 Community, you may take this into account depending on what you know the
1741 community in your language is willing to support, which is possible only
1742 if you personally assume this support, or there exists a public forum
1743 or mailing list listed in Community for LilyPond in your language:
1746 @item @rweb{Bug reports}: this page should be translated only if you
1747 know that every bug report sent on your language's mailing list or forum
1748 will be handled by someone who will translate it to English and send it
1749 on bug-lilypond or add an issue in the tracker, then translate back the
1750 reply from developers.
1752 @item @rweb{Help us}: this page should be translated very freely,
1753 and possibly not at all: ask help for contributing to LilyPond for tasks
1754 that LilyPond community in your language is able and going to handle.
1758 In any case, please mark in your work the sections which do not result
1759 from the direct translation of a piece of English translation, using
1760 comments i.e. lines starting with @q{@code{@@c}}.
1762 Finally, press in Emacs @key{C-c C-u C-a} to update or generate
1763 menus. This process should be made easier in the future, when the helper
1764 script @command{texi-langutils.py} and the makefile target are updated.
1766 Some pieces of text manipulated by build scripts that appear in the
1767 output are translated in a @file{.po} file -- just like LilyPond output
1768 messages -- in @file{Documentation/po}. The Gettext domain is named
1769 @code{lilypond-doc}, and unlike @code{lilypond} domain it is not managed
1770 through the Free Translation Project.
1773 Take care of using typographic rules for your language, especially in
1774 @file{macros.itexi}.
1776 If you wonder whether a word, phrase or larger piece of text should be
1777 translated, whether it is an argument of a Texinfo command or a small
1778 piece sandwiched between two Texinfo commands, try to track whether and
1779 where it appears in PDF and/or HTML output as visible text. This piece
1780 of advice is especially useful for translating @file{macros.itexi}.
1782 Please keep verbatim copies of music snippets (in @code{@@lilypond}
1783 blocs). However, some music snippets containing text that shows in
1784 the rendered music, and sometimes translating this text really helps
1785 the user to understand the documentation; in this case, and only in
1786 this case, you may as an exception translate text in the music
1787 snippet, and then you must add a line immediately before the
1788 @code{@@lilypond} block, starting with
1795 Otherwise the music snippet would be reset to the same content as the
1796 English version at next @command{make snippet-update} run -- see
1797 @ref{Updating documentation translation}.
1802 @@lilypondfile[<number of fragment options>,texidoc]@{@var{filename.ly}@}
1806 in the source, open @file{Documentation/snippets/@var{filename}.ly},
1807 translate the @code{texidoc} header field it contains, enclose it with
1808 @code{texidoc@var{MY-LANGUAGE} = "} and @code{"}, and write it into
1809 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@/@var{filename}.texidoc}.
1810 Additionally, you may translate the snippet's title in @code{doctitle}
1811 header field, in case @code{doctitle} is a fragment option used in
1812 @code{@@lilypondfile}; you can do this exactly the same way as
1813 @code{texidoc}. For instance,
1814 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@/@var{filename}.texidoc}
1818 doctitlees = "Spanish title baz"
1820 Spanish translation blah
1824 @code{@@example} blocks need not be verbatim copies, e.g. variable
1825 names, file names and comments should be translated.
1827 Finally, please carefully apply every rule exposed in @ref{Texinfo
1828 introduction and usage policy}, and @ref{Documentation policy}. If one
1829 of these rules conflicts with a rule specific to your language, please
1830 ask the Translation meister on @email{translations@@lilynet.net} list
1831 and/or the Documentation Editors on @email{lilypond-devel@@gnu.org}
1835 @node Adding a Texinfo manual
1836 @unnumberedsubsubsec Adding a Texinfo manual
1838 In order to start translating a new manual whose basename is @var{FOO},
1842 cd Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}
1843 cp ../@var{FOO}.tely .
1845 cp web/GNUmakefile @var{FOO}
1849 then append @var{FOO} to variable @code{SUBDIRS} in
1850 Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/GNUmakefile, then translate file
1851 @var{MY-LANGUAGE}/@var{FOO}.tely and run @code{skeleton-update}:
1855 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} TEXI_LANGUTIL_FLAGS=--head-only skeleton-update
1859 Your are now ready to translate the new manual exactly like the web site
1860 or the Learning Manual.
1863 @node Documentation translation maintenance
1864 @subsection Documentation translation maintenance
1866 Several tools have been developed to make translations maintenance
1867 easier. These helper scripts make use of the power of Git, the
1868 version control system used for LilyPond development.
1870 You should use them whenever you would like to update the translation in
1871 your language, which you may do at the frequency that fits your and your
1872 cotranslators' respective available times. In the case your translation
1873 is up-do-date (which you can discover in the first subsection below), it
1874 is enough to check its state every one or two weeks. If you feel
1875 overwhelmed by the quantity of documentation to be updated, see
1876 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1879 * Check state of translation::
1880 * Updating documentation translation::
1881 * Updating translation committishes::
1884 @macro seeCommittishesUpdate{}
1885 @warning{do not forget to update the committish in each file you have
1886 completely updated, see @ref{Updating translation committishes}.}
1889 @node Check state of translation
1890 @unnumberedsubsubsec Check state of translation
1892 First pull from Git -- see @ref{Pulling and rebasing}, but DO NOT rebase
1893 unless you are sure to master the translation state checking and
1894 updating system -- then cd into @file{Documentation/} (or at top of the
1895 source tree, replace @command{make} with @command{make -C
1896 Documentation}) and run
1899 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation
1903 This presents a diff of the original files since the most recent
1904 revision of the translation. To check a single file, cd into
1905 @file{Documentation/} and run
1908 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@var{manual}/@var{foo}.itely check-translation
1912 In case this file has been renamed since you last updated the
1913 translation, you should specify both old and new file names, e.g.
1914 @code{CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@{@var{manual},user@}/@var{foo}.itely}.
1916 To see only which files need to be updated, do
1919 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation | grep 'diff --git'
1922 To avoid printing terminal colors control characters, which is often
1923 desirable when you redirect output to a file, run
1926 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} NO_COLOR=1 check-translation
1929 You can see the diffs generated by the commands above as changes that
1930 you should make in your language to the existing translation, in order
1931 to make your translation up to date.
1933 @seeCommittishesUpdate
1935 Global state of the translation is recorded in
1936 @file{Documentation/translations.itexi}, which is used to generate
1937 Translations status page. To update that page, do from
1938 @file{Documentation/}
1941 make translation-status
1944 This will also leave @file{out/translations-status.txt}, which contains
1945 up-to-dateness percentages for each translated file, and update word
1946 counts of documentation files in this Guide.
1949 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1951 @node Updating documentation translation
1952 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating documentation translation
1954 Instead of running @code{check-translation}, you may want to run
1955 @code{update-translation}, which will run your favorite text editor to
1956 update files. First, make sure environment variable @code{EDITOR} is
1957 set to a text editor command, then run from @file{Documentation/}
1960 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} update-translation
1964 or to update a single file
1967 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE/@var{manual}/foo.itely} update-translation
1970 For each file to be updated, @code{update-translation} will open your
1971 text editor with this file and a diff of the file in English; if the
1972 diff cannot be generated or is bigger than the file in English itself,
1973 the full file in English will be opened instead.
1975 @seeCommittishesUpdate
1977 Texinfo skeleton files, i.e. @file{.itely} files not yet translated,
1978 containing only the first node of the original file in English can be
1979 updated automatically: whenever @command{make check-translation} shows
1980 that such files should be updated, run from @file{Documentation/}
1983 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} skeleton-update
1986 @file{.po} message catalogs in @file{Documentation/po/} may be updated
1987 by issuing from @file{Documentation/} or @file{Documentation/po/}
1993 @warning{if you run po-update and somebody else does the same and
1994 pushes before you push or send a patch to be applied, there will be a
1995 conflict when you pull. Therefore, it is better that only the
1996 Translation meister runs this command.}
1998 Updating music snippets can quickly become cumbersome, as most
1999 snippets should be identical in all languages. Fortunately, there is
2000 a script that can do this odd job for you (run from
2001 @file{Documentation/}):
2004 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} snippet-update
2007 This script overwrites music snippets in
2008 @file{@var{MY_LANGUAGE/foo/every.itely}} with music snippets from
2009 @file{@var{foo/every.itely}}. It ignores skeleton files, and keeps
2010 intact music snippets preceded with a line starting with @code{@@c
2011 KEEP LY}; it reports an error for each @file{.itely} that has not the
2012 same music snippet count in both languages. Always use this script
2013 with a lot of care, i.e. run it on a clean Git working tree, and check
2014 the changes it made with @command{git diff} before committing; if you
2015 don't do so, some @code{@@lilypond} snippets might be broken or make
2016 no sense in their context.
2018 Finally, a command runs the three update processes above for all
2019 enabled languages (from @file{Documentation/}):
2022 make all-translations-update
2025 Use this command with caution, and keep in mind it will not be really
2026 useful until translations are stabilized after the end of GDP and GOP.
2029 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations},
2030 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
2033 @node Updating translation committishes
2034 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating translation committishes
2036 At the beginning of each translated file except PO files, there is a
2037 committish which represents the revision of the sources which you have
2038 used to translate this file from the file in English.
2040 When you have pulled and updated a translation, it is very important to
2041 update this committish in the files you have completely updated (and
2042 only these); to do this, first commit possible changes to any
2043 documentation in English which you are sure to have done in your
2044 translation as well, then replace in the up-to-date translated files the
2045 old committish by the committish of latest commit, which can be obtained
2049 git rev-list HEAD |head -1
2052 @c http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-devel/2009-01/msg00245.html
2053 @c contains a helper script which could be used to perform massive
2054 @c committish updates.
2060 @node Translations management policies
2061 @subsection Translations management policies
2063 These policies show the general intent of how the translations should
2064 be managed, they aim at helping translators, developers and
2065 coordinators work efficiently.
2068 * Maintaining without updating translations::
2069 * Managing documentation translation with Git::
2072 @node Maintaining without updating translations
2073 @unnumberedsubsubsec Maintaining without updating translations
2075 Keeping translations up to date under heavy changes in the documentation
2076 in English may be almost impossible, especially as during the former
2077 Grand Documentation Project (GDP) or the Grand Organization Project
2078 (GOP) when a lot of contributors brings changes. In addition,
2079 translators may be --- and that is a very good thing --- involved in
2082 it is possible --- and even recommended --- to perform some maintenance
2083 that keeps translated documentation usable and eases future translation
2084 updating. The rationale below the tasks list motivates this plan.
2086 The following tasks are listed in decreasing priority order.
2089 @item Update macros.itexi.
2090 For each obsolete macro definition, if it is possible to update macro
2091 usage in documentation with an automatic text or regexp substitution,
2092 do it and delete the macro definition from @file{macros.itexi}; otherwise,
2093 mark this macro definition as obsolete with a comment, and keep it in
2094 @file{macros.itexi} until the documentation translation has been updated and
2095 no longer uses this macro.
2097 @item Update @file{*.tely} files completely with
2098 @command{make check-translation} -- you may want to redirect output
2099 to a file because of overwhelming output, or call check-translation.py
2100 on individual files, see @ref{Check state of translation}.
2102 @item In @file{.itelys}, match sections and .itely file names with those from
2103 English docs, which possibly involves moving nodes contents in block
2104 between files, without updating contents itself. In other words, the
2105 game is catching where has gone each section. In Learning manual, and
2106 in Notation Reference sections which have been revised in GDP, there may
2107 be completely new sections: in this case, copy @code{@@node} and
2108 @code{@@section}-command from English docs, and add the marker for
2109 untranslated status @code{@@untranslated} on a single line. Note that
2110 it is not possible to exactly match subsections or subsubsections of
2111 documentation in English, when contents has been deeply revised; in this
2112 case, keep obsolete (sub)subsections in the translation, marking them
2113 with a line @code{@@c obsolete} just before the node.
2115 Emacs with Texinfo mode makes this step easier:
2118 @item without Emacs AucTeX installed, @key{C-c C-s} shows structure of current
2119 Texinfo file in a new buffer @code{*Occur*}; to show structure of two files
2120 simultaneously, first split Emacs window in 4 tiles (with @key{C-x 1}
2121 and @key{C-x 2}), press @key{C-c C-s} to show structure of one file
2122 (e.g. the translated file), copy @code{*Occur*} contents into
2123 @code{*Scratch*}, then press @key{C-c C-s} for the other file.
2125 If you happen to have installed AucTeX, you can either call the macro
2126 by doing @key{M-x texinfo-show-structure} or create a key binding in your
2127 @file{~/.emacs}, by adding the four following lines:
2130 (add-hook 'Texinfo-mode-hook
2132 (define-key Texinfo-mode-map "\C-cs"
2133 'texinfo-show-structure)))
2137 and then obtain the structure in the @code{*Occur*} buffer with @key{C-c
2140 @item Do not bother updating @code{@@menu}s when all menu entries are in the same
2141 file, just do @key{C-c C-u C-a} (@qq{update all menus}) when you have
2142 updated all the rest of the file.
2144 @item Moving to next or previous node using incremental search: press
2145 @key{C-s} and type @code{node} (or @key{C-s @@node} if the text
2146 contains the word @q{node}) then press @key{C-s} to move to next node
2147 or @key{C-r} to move to previous node. Similar operation can be used
2148 to move to the next/previous section. Note that every cursor move
2149 exits incremental search, and hitting @key{C-s} twice starts
2150 incremental search with the text entered in previous incremental
2153 @item Moving a whole node (or even a sequence of nodes): jump to beginning
2154 of the node (quit incremental search by pressing an arrow), press
2155 @key{C-SPACE}, press @key{C-s node} and repeat @key{C-s} until you
2156 have selected enough text, cut it with @key{C-w} or @key{C-x}, jump to
2157 the right place (moving between nodes with the previous hint is often
2158 useful) and paste with @key{C-y} or @key{C-v}.
2161 @item Update sections finished in the English documentation; check
2164 @uref{http://lilypondwiki.tuxfamily.org/index.php?title=Documentation_coordination}.
2167 @item Update documentation PO. It is recommended not to update
2168 strings which come from documentation that is currently deeply revised
2169 in English, to avoid doing the work more than once.
2171 @item Fix broken cross-references by running (from @file{Documentation/})
2174 make ISOLANG=@var{YOUR-LANGUAGE} fix-xrefs
2178 This step requires a successful documentation build (with @command{make
2179 doc}). Some cross-references are broken because they point to a node
2180 that exists in the documentation in English, which has not been added
2181 to the translation; in this case, do not fix the cross-reference but
2182 keep it "broken", so that the resulting HTML link will point to an
2183 existing page of documentation in English.
2186 @subsubheading Rationale
2188 You may wonder if it would not be better to leave translations as-is
2189 until you can really start updating translations. There are several
2190 reasons to do these maintenance tasks right now.
2193 @item This will have to be done sooner or later anyway, before updating
2194 translation of documentation contents, and this can already be done
2195 without needing to be redone later, as sections of documentation in
2196 English are mostly revised once. However, note that not all
2197 documentation sectioning has been revised in one go, so all this
2198 maintenance plan has to be repeated whenever a big reorganization is
2201 @item This just makes translated documentation take advantage of the new
2202 organization, which is better than the old one.
2204 @item Moving and renaming sections to match sectioning of documentation in
2205 English simplify future updating work: it allows updating the
2206 translation by side-by-side comparison, without bothering whether
2207 cross-reference names already exist in the translation.
2209 @item Each maintenance task except @q{Updating PO files} can be done by
2210 the same person for all languages, which saves overall time spent by
2211 translators to achieve this task: the node names and section titles
2212 are in English, so you can do. It is important to take advantage of
2213 this now, as it will be more complicated (but still possible) to do
2214 step 3 in all languages when documentation is compiled with
2215 @command{texi2html} and node names are directly translated in source
2220 @node Managing documentation translation with Git
2221 @unnumberedsubsubsec Managing documentation translation with Git
2223 This policy explains how to manage Git branches and commit
2224 translations to Git.
2227 @item Translation work is made on
2228 @code{translation} branch. This branch is merged on
2229 @code{staging} once a week, approximately. Then,
2230 @code{master} branch is merged on
2231 @code{translation}, where the check-translation script (see
2232 @ref{Check state of translation}) shows changes in English docs which
2233 should be translated, and the cycle starts again.
2235 @item Translations may be pushed directly to
2236 @code{staging} only if they do not break compilation of LilyPond and
2237 its documentation. Those changes could be pushed to
2238 @code{translation} too, or alternatively translators could wait until
2240 @code{master} the next time it is merged on
2241 @code{translation}. Similarly, changes matching
2242 @code{stable/X.Y} are preferably made on
2243 @code{X.Ytranslation}.
2245 @item @code{translation} Git branch may be merged into
2246 @code{staging} branch only if LilyPond (@command{make all}) and
2247 documentation (@command{make doc}) compile successfully.
2249 @item @command{make} and @command{make doc} are usually successful in
2250 @code{master} Git branch because those tests should have already
2252 @code{staging} branch before merging.
2253 @code{master} branch may be merged into
2254 @code{translation} when significant changes had been made in
2255 documentation in English in
2256 @code{master} branch.
2258 @item General maintenance may be done by anybody who knows what he does
2259 in documentation in all languages, without informing translators
2260 first. General maintenance include simple text substitutions
2261 (e.g. automated by sed), compilation fixes, updating Texinfo or
2262 lilypond-book commands, updating macros, updating ly code, fixing
2263 cross-references, and operations described in
2264 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
2268 @node Technical background
2269 @subsection Technical background
2271 A number of Python scripts handle a part of the documentation
2272 translation process. All scripts used to maintain the translations
2273 are located in @file{scripts/auxiliar/}.
2276 @item @file{check_translation.py} -- show diff to update a translation,
2277 @item @file{texi-langutils.py} -- quickly and dirtily parse Texinfo files to
2278 make message catalogs and Texinfo skeleton files,
2279 @item @file{texi-skeleton-update.py} -- update Texinfo skeleton files,
2280 @item @file{update-snippets.py} -- synchronize ly snippets with those
2282 @item @file{translations-status.py} -- update translations status pages and word
2283 counts in the file you are reading,
2284 @item @file{tely-gettext.py} -- gettext node names, section titles and references
2285 in the sources; WARNING only use this script once for each file, when support for
2286 "makeinfo --html" has been dropped.
2289 Other scripts are used in the build process, in @file{scripts/build/}:
2292 @item @file{mass-link.py} -- link or symlink files between English documentation
2293 and documentation in other languages.
2296 Python modules used by scripts in @file{scripts/auxiliar/} or @file{scripts/build/} (but
2297 not by installed Python scripts) are located in @file{python/auxiliar/}:
2299 @item @file{manuals_definitions.py} -- define manual names and name of
2300 cross-reference Texinfo macros,
2301 @item @file{buildlib.py} -- common functions (read piped output
2302 of a shell command, use Git),
2303 @item @file{postprocess_html.py} (module imported by @file{www_post.py}) -- add footer and
2304 tweak links in HTML pages.
2309 @item @file{python/langdefs.py} -- language definitions module