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 @subheading Contributions that contain examples using overrides
151 Examples that use overrides, tweaks, customer Scheme functions etc. are
152 (with very few exceptions) not included in the main text of the manuals;
153 as there would be far too many, equally useful, candidates.
155 The correct way is to submit your example, with appropriate explanatory
156 text and tags, to the LilyPond Snippet Repository (LSR). Snippets that
157 have the @qq{docs} tag can then be easily added as a
158 @emph{selected snippet} in the documentation. It will also appear
159 automatically in the Snippets lists. See @ref{Introduction to LSR}.
161 Snippets that @emph{don't} have the @qq{docs} tage will still be
162 searchable and viewable within the LSR, but will be not be included in
163 the Snippets list or be able to be included as part of the main
166 Generally, any new snippets that have the @qq{docs} tag are more
167 carefully checked for syntax and formatting.
169 @subheading Announcing your snippet
171 Once you have followed these guidelines, please send a message to
172 lilypond-devel with your documentation submissions. Unfortunately
173 there is a strict @q{no top-posting} check on the mailing list; to avoid
176 @code{> I'm not top posting}
178 (you must include the > ) to the top of your documentation addition.
180 We may edit your suggestion for spelling, grammar, or style, and we may
181 not place the material exactly where you suggested, but if you give us
182 some material to work with, we can improve the manual much faster.
184 Thanks for your interest!
187 @node Texinfo introduction and usage policy
188 @section Texinfo introduction and usage policy
191 * Texinfo introduction::
192 * Documentation files::
193 * Sectioning commands::
194 * LilyPond formatting::
197 * Other text concerns::
201 @node Texinfo introduction
202 @subsection Texinfo introduction
204 The language is called Texinfo; you can see its manual here:
206 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/}
208 However, you don't need to read those docs. The most important
209 thing to notice is that text is text. If you see a mistake in the
210 text, you can fix it. If you want to change the order of
211 something, you can cut-and-paste that stuff into a new location.
213 @warning{Rule of thumb: follow the examples in the existing docs.
214 You can learn most of what you need to know from this; if you want
215 to do anything fancy, discuss it on @code{lilypond-devel} first.}
218 @node Documentation files
219 @subsection Documentation files
221 All manuals live in @file{Documentation/}.
223 In particular, there are four user manuals, their respective master
224 source files are @file{learning.tely} (LM, Learning Manual),
225 @file{notation.tely} (NR, Notation Reference),
226 @file{music-glossary.tely} (MG, Music Glossary), and
227 @file{lilypond-program} (AU). Each chapter is written in a separate
228 file, ending in @file{.itely} for files containing lilypond code, and
229 @file{.itexi} for files without lilypond code, located in a subdirectory
230 associated to the manual (@file{learning/} for @file{learning.tely}, and
231 so on); list the subdirectory of each manual to determine the filename
232 of the specific chapter you wish to modify.
234 Developer manuals live in @file{Documentation/} too. Currently there is
235 only one: the Contributor's Guide @file{contrib-guide.texi} you are
238 Snippet files are part of documentation, and the Snippet List (SL) lives
239 in @file{Documentation/} just like the manuals. For information about
240 how to modify the snippet files and SL, see @ref{LSR work}.
243 @node Sectioning commands
244 @subsection Sectioning commands
246 The Notation Reference uses section headings at four, occasionally
251 @item Level 1: @@chapter
252 @item Level 2: @@section
253 @item Level 3: @@subsection
254 @item Level 4: @@unnumberedsubsubsec
255 @item Level 5: @@subsubsubheading
258 The first three levels are numbered in html, the last two are not.
259 Numbered sections correspond to a single html page in the split html
262 The first four levels always have accompanying nodes so they can be
263 referenced and are also included in the ToC in html.
265 Most of the manual is written at level 4 under headings created with
269 @@unnumberedsubsubsec Foo
272 Level 3 subsections are created with
279 Level 4 headings and menus must be preceded by level 3 headings and
280 menus, and so on for level 3 and level 2. If this is not what is
284 @@subsubsubheading Foo
287 Please leave two blank lines above a @code{@@node}; this makes it
288 easier to find sections in texinfo.
290 Do not use any @code{@@} commands for a @code{@@node}. They may be
291 used for any @code{@@sub...} sections or headings however.
295 @@node @@code@{Foo@} Bar
296 @@subsection @@code@{Foo@} Bar
300 @@subsection @@code@{Foo@} Bar
303 No punctuation may be used in the node names. If the heading text
304 uses punctuation (in particular, colons and commas) simply leave
305 this out of the node name and menu.
313 @@subsection Foo: Bar
316 Backslashes must not be used in node names or section headings.
317 If the heading text should include a backslash simply leave this
318 out of the node name and menu and replace it with @code{@@bs@{@}}
326 @@node The set command
327 @@subsection The @@code@{@@bs@{@}set@} command
330 References to such a node may use the third argument of the
331 @code{@@ref} command to display the texually correct heading.
334 @@ref@{The set command,,The @@code@{@@bs@{@}set command@}
337 With the exception of @code{@@} commands, @code{\} commands and
338 punctuation, the section name should match the node name exactly.
340 Sectioning commands (@code{@@node} and @code{@@section}) must not appear
341 inside an @code{@@ignore}. Separate those commands with a space, ie
342 @code{@@n}@tie{}@code{ode}.
344 Nodes must be included inside a
354 construct. These can be constructed with scripts:
355 see @ref{Stripping whitespace and generating menus}.
358 @node LilyPond formatting
359 @subsection LilyPond formatting
364 Most LilyPond examples throughout the documentation can be produced
368 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
374 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=2]
377 If using any combination of @code{\header@{@}}, @code{\score@{@}} or
378 @code{\layout@{@}} in your example, then you must omit the
379 @code{relative} variable and either use absolute entry mode or an
380 explicit @code{\relative@{@}} construction.
382 If using @code{\book@{@}} in your example then you must also omit the
383 @code{relative} variable and either use absolute entry mode or an
384 explicit @code{\relative@{@}} construction. However, you must also
385 include the @code{papersize=X} variable, where @code{X} is a defined
386 paper size from within @file{scm/paper.scm}. This is to avoid the
387 default @code{a4} paper size being used and leaving too much unnecessary
388 whitespace and potentially awkward page breaks in the PDFs.
390 The preferred @code{papersize}s are @code{a5}, @code{a6} or
393 @code{a8landscape} works best for a single measure with a single title
394 and/or single @code{tagline}:
397 @@lilypond[papersize=a8landscape,verbatim]
400 title = "A scale in LilyPond"
409 and can also be used to easily show features that require page breaks
410 (i.e. page numbers) without taking large amounts of space within the
411 documentation. Do not use the @code{quote} option with this paper size.
413 @code{a5} or @code{a6} paper sizes are best used for examples that have
414 more than two measures of music or require multiple staves (i.e. to
415 illustrate cross-staff features, RH and LH parts etc.) and where
416 @code{\book@{@}} constructions are required or where @code{a8landscape}
417 produces an example that is too cramped. Depending on the example the
418 @code{quote} option may need to be omitted.
420 In rare cases, other options may be used (or omitted), but ask first.
423 Please avoid using extra spacing either after or within the
424 @code{@@lilypond} parameters.
427 not: @@lilypond [verbatim, quote, relative=1]
428 but instead: @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
432 Inspirational headwords are produced with:
435 @@lilypondfile[quote,ragged-right,line-width=16\cm,staffsize=16]
436 @{pitches-headword.ly@}
440 LSR snippets are linked with:
443 @@lilypondfile[verbatim,quote,ragged-right,texidoc,doctitle]
448 Use two spaces for indentation in lilypond examples (no tabs).
451 All engravers should have double-quotes around them:
454 \consists "Spans_arpeggio_engraver"
457 LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is a useful
458 convention to follow.
461 All context or layout object strings should be prefaced with @code{#}.
462 Again, LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is helpful
463 to get users accustomed to this scheme construct, i.e. @code{\set
464 Staff.instrumentName = #"cello"}
467 Try to avoid using @code{#'} or @code{#`} within when describing
468 context or layout properties outside of an @code{@@example} or @code{@@lilypond}, unless
469 the description explicitly requires it.
471 i.e. @qq{...setting the @code{transparent} property leaves the object where it
472 is, but makes it invisible.}
475 If possible, only write one bar per line.
478 If you only have one bar per line, omit bar checks. If you
479 must put more than one bar per line (not recommended), then include bar
483 Tweaks should, if possible, also occur on their own line.
485 not: \override TextScript #'padding = #3 c1^"hi"
486 but instead: \override TextScript #'padding = #3
491 excepted in Templates, where `doctitle' may be omitted.
494 Avoid long stretches of input code. Nobody is going to read
495 them in print. Create small examples. However, this does not mean
499 Specify durations for at least the first note of every bar.
502 If possible, end with a complete bar.
505 Comments should go on their own line, and be placed before
506 the line(s) to which they refer.
509 For clarity, always use @{ @} marks even if they are not technically
515 \context Voice \repeat unfold 2 \relative c' @{
531 Add a space around @{ @} marks; i.e.
534 not: \chordmode@{c e g@}
535 but instead: \chordmode @{ c e g @}
539 Use @{ @} marks for additional @code{\markup} format commands; i.e.
542 not: c^\markup \tiny\sharp
543 but instead: c^\markup @{ \tiny \sharp @}
547 Remove any space around @code{<} @code{>} marks; i.e.
551 but instead: <c e g>4
555 Beam, slur and tie marks should begin immediately after the first
556 note with beam and phrase marks ending immediately after the last.
559 a8\( ais16[ b cis( d] b) cis4~ b' cis,\)
563 If you want to work on an example outside of the manual (for
564 easier/faster processing), use this header:
569 line-width = 160\mm - 2.0 * 0.4\in
570 line-width = #(- line-width (* mm 3.000000))
577 You may not change any of these values. If you are making an
578 example demonstrating special @code{\paper@{@}} values, contact the
579 Documentation Editor.
584 @node Text formatting
585 @subsection Text formatting
589 Lines should be less than 72 characters long. (We personally
590 recommend writing with 66-char lines, but do not bother modifying
591 existing material). Also see the recommendations for fixed-width
592 fonts in the @ref{Syntax survey}.
598 Do not use spaces at the beginning of a line (except in
599 @code{@@example} or @code{@@verbatim} environments), and do not
600 use more than a single space between words. @q{makeinfo} copies
601 the input lines verbatim without removing those spaces.
604 Use two spaces after a period.
607 In examples of syntax, use @code{@@var@{@var{musicexpr}@}} for a
611 Don't use @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in the main text. If you're
612 tempted to do so, you're probably getting too close to @qq{talking
613 through the code}. If you really want to refer to a context, use
614 @code{@@code@{@}} in the main text and @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in
615 the @code{@@seealso}.
620 @subsection Syntax survey
630 * Special characters::
636 @unnumberedsubsubsec Comments
640 @code{@@c @dots{}} --- single line comment. @samp{@@c NOTE:} is a
641 comment which should remain in the final version. (gp only
645 @code{@@ignore} --- multi-line comment:
655 @node Cross references
656 @unnumberedsubsubsec Cross references
658 Enter the exact @code{@@node} name of the target reference between
659 the brackets (eg.@tie{}@w{@samp{@@ref@{Syntax survey@}}}). Do not
660 split a cross-reference across two lines -- this causes the
661 cross-reference to be rendered incorrectly in html documents.
665 @code{@@ref@{@dots{}@}} --- link within current manual.
668 @code{@@rchanges@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Changes.
671 @code{@@rcontrib@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Contributor's Guide.
674 @code{@@ressay@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Engraving Essay.
677 @code{@@rextend@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Extending LilyPond.
680 @code{@@rglos@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Music Glossary.
683 @code{@@rinternals@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Internals Reference.
686 @code{@@rlearning@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Learning Manual.
689 @code{@@rlsr@{@dots{}@}} --- link to a Snippet section.
692 @code{@@rprogram@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Application Usage.
695 @code{@@ruser@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Notation Reference.
698 @code{@@rweb@{@dots{}@}} --- link to General Information.
703 @unnumberedsubsubsec External links
707 @code{@@email@{@dots{}@}} --- create a @code{mailto:} E-mail link.
710 @code{@@uref@{@var{URL}[, @var{link text}]@}} --- link to an
711 external url. Use within an @code{@@example ... @@end example}.
715 @@uref@{URL [, link text ]@}
721 @node Fixed-width font
722 @unnumberedsubsubsec Fixed-width font
726 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} ---
728 Use the @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} command when referring to
729 individual language-specific tokens (keywords, commands,
730 engravers, scheme symbols, etc.) in the text. Ideally, a single
731 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} block should fit within one line in the
734 Use the @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} command when you have a short
735 example of user input, unless it constitutes an entire
736 @code{@@item} by itself, in which case @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} is
737 preferable. Otherwise, both should only be used when part of a
738 larger sentence within a paragraph or @code{@@item}. Do not use
739 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} inside an
740 @code{@@example} block, and do not use either as a free-standing
741 paragraph; use @code{@@example} instead.
743 A single unindented line in the PDF has space for about 79
744 fixed-width characters (76 if indented). Within an @code{@@item}
745 there is space for about 75 fixed-width characters. Each
746 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
747 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
749 However, even short blocks of @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} and
750 @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} can run into the margin if the Texinfo
751 line-breaking algorithm gets confused. Additionally, blocks that
752 are longer than this may in fact print nicely; it all depends
753 where the line breaks end up. If you compile the docs yourself,
754 check the PDF output to make sure the line breaks are
757 The Texinfo setting @code{@@allowcodebreaks} is set to
758 @code{false} in the manuals, so lines within
759 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} blocks will
760 only break at spaces, not at hyphens or underscores. If the block
761 contains spaces, use @code{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}} or
762 @code{@@w@{@@samp@{@dots{}@}@}} to prevent unexpected line breaks.
764 The Texinfo settings @code{txicodequoteundirected} and
765 @code{txicodequotebacktick} are both set in the manuals, so
766 backticks (@code{`}) and apostrophes (@code{'}) placed within
767 blocks of @code{@@code}, @code{@@example}, or @code{@@verbatim}
768 are not converted to left- and right-angled quotes
769 (@code{@quoteleft{} @quoteright{}}) as they normally are within
770 the text, so the apostrophes in
771 @q{@w{@code{@@w@{@@code@{@bs{}relative c''@}@}}}} will display
772 correctly. However, these settings do not affect the PDF output
773 for anything within a @code{@@samp} block (even if it includes a
774 nested @code{@@code} block), so entering
775 @q{@code{@@w@{@@samp@{@bs{}relative c''@}@}}} wrongly produces
776 @q{@w{@code{@bs{}relative c@quoteright{}@quoteright{}}}} in PDF.
777 Consequently, if you want to use a @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} block
778 which contains backticks or apostrophes, you should instead use
779 @q{@code{@@q@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}}} (or
780 @q{@code{@@q@{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}@}}} if the block also
781 contains spaces). Note that backslashes within
782 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}} blocks must be entered as @samp{@@bs@{@}},
783 so the example above would be coded as
784 @q{@code{@@q@{@@w@{@@code@{@@bs@{@}relative c''@}@}@}}}.
787 @code{@@command@{@dots{}@}} --- Use when referring to command-line
788 commands within the text (eg. @samp{@@command@{convert-ly@}}). Do
789 not use inside an @code{@@example} block.
792 @code{@@example} --- Use for examples of program code. Do not add
793 extraneous indentation (i.e. don't start every line with
794 whitespace). Use the following layout (notice the use of blank
795 lines). Omit the @code{@@noindent} if the text following the
796 example starts a new paragraph:
799 @var{@dots{}text leading into the example@dots{}}
806 @var{continuation of the text@dots{}}
809 Individual lines within an @code{@@example} block should not
810 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
811 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@example} block
812 is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
813 @code{@@example} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
814 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
815 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
817 For long command line examples, if possible, use a trailing
818 backslash to break up a single line, indenting the next line with
819 2 spaces. If this isn't feasible, use @samp{@@smallexample
820 @dots{} @@end@tie{}smallexample} instead, which uses a smaller
821 fontsize. Use @code{@@example} whenever possible, but if needed,
822 @code{@@smallexample} can fit up to 90 characters per line before
823 running into the PDF margin. Each additional level of
824 @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate} shortens a
825 @code{@@smallexample} line by about 5 columns.
828 @code{@@file@{@dots{}@}} --- Use when referring to filenames and
829 directories in the text. Do not use inside an @code{@@example}
833 @code{@@option@{@dots{}@}} --- Use when referring to command-line
834 options in the text (eg. @samp{@@option@{--format@}}). Do not use
835 inside an @code{@@example} block.
838 @code{@@verbatim} --- Prints the block exactly as it appears in
839 the source file (including whitespace, etc.). For program code
840 examples, use @code{@@example} instead. @code{@@verbatim} uses
841 the same format as @code{@@example}.
843 Individual lines within an @code{@@verbatim} block should not
844 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
845 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@verbatim}
846 block is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
847 @code{@@verbatim} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
848 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
849 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
854 @unnumberedsubsubsec Indexing
858 @code{@@cindex @dots{}} --- General index. Please add as many as you can.
859 Don't capitalize the first word.
862 @code{@@funindex @dots{}} --- is for a \lilycommand.
867 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lists
871 @code{@@enumerate} --- Create an ordered list (with numbers).
872 Always put @samp{@@item} on its own line. As an exception, if all
873 the items in the list are short enough to fit on single lines, placing
874 them on the @samp{@@item} lines is also permissible. @samp{@@item}
875 and @samp{@@end@tie{}enumerate} should always be preceded by a blank
882 A long multi-line item like this one must begin
883 on a line of its own and all the other items in
884 the list must do so too.
903 @code{@@itemize} --- Create an unordered list (with bullets). Use
904 the same format as @code{@@enumerate}. Do not use
905 @samp{@@itemize@tie{}@@bullet}.
909 @node Special characters
910 @unnumberedsubsubsec Special characters
914 @code{--}, @code{---} --- Create an en dash (--) or an em dash
915 (---) in the text. To print two or three literal hyphens in a
916 row, wrap one of them in a @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} (eg.
920 @code{@@@@}, @code{@@@{}, @code{@@@}} --- Create an at-sign (@@),
921 a left curly bracket (@{), or a right curly bracket (@}).
924 @code{@@bs@{@}} --- Create a backslash within a
925 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}}, or
926 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} block. This is a custom LilyPond
927 macro, not a builtin @@-command in Texinfo. Texinfo would also
928 allow @samp{\\}, but this breaks the PDF output.
931 @code{@@tie@{@}} --- Create a @emph{variable-width} non-breaking
932 space in the text (use @w{@samp{@@w@{ @}}} for a single
933 @emph{fixed-width} non-breaking space). Variables or numbers
934 which consist of a single character (probably followed by a
935 punctuation mark) should be tied properly, either to the previous
936 or the next word. Example: @samp{The letter@@tie@{@}@@q@{I@} is
942 @unnumberedsubsubsec Miscellany
946 @code{@@notation@{@dots{}@}} --- refers to pieces of notation, e.g.
947 @samp{@@notation@{clef@}}. Also use for specific lyrics
948 (@samp{the @@notation@{A@tie{}-@tie{}men@} is centered}).
949 Only use once per subsection per term.
952 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}} --- Single quotes. Used for
953 @quoteleft{}vague@quoteright{} terms. To get a backslash
954 (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
957 @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}} --- Double quotes. Used for actual quotes
958 (@qq{he said}) or for introducing special input modes. To get a
959 backslash (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
962 @code{@@var@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for metasyntactic variables (such
963 as @code{@var{foo}}, @code{@var{bar}}, @code{@var{arg1}}, etc.).
964 In most cases, when the @code{@@var@{@dots{}@}} command appears in
965 the text (and not in an @code{@@example} block) it should be
966 wrapped with an appropriate texinfo code-highlighting command
967 (such as @code{@@code}, @code{@@samp}, @code{@@file},
968 @code{@@command}, etc.). For example:
969 @samp{@@code@{@@var@{foo@}@}},
970 @samp{@@file@{@@var@{myfile.ly@}@}},
971 @w{@samp{@@samp@{git checkout @@var@{branch@}@}}}, etc. This
972 improves readability in the PDF and HTML output.
975 @code{@@version@{@}} --- Return the current LilyPond version
976 string. Use @samp{@@w@{@@version@{@}@}} if it's at the end of a
977 line (to prevent an ugly line break in PDF); use
978 @samp{@@w@{"@@version@{@}"@}} if you need it in quotes.
981 @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} --- Do not allow any line breaks.
984 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} --- produces a @qq{Note:@tie{}} box.
985 Use for important messages. To get a backslash (\), you must use
990 @node Other text concerns
991 @subsection Other text concerns
995 References must occur at the end of a sentence, for more
997 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/,texinfo
998 manual}. Ideally this should also be the final sentence of a
999 paragraph, but this is not required. Any link in a doc section
1000 must be duplicated in the @code{@@seealso} section at the bottom.
1003 Introducing examples must be done with
1006 . (i.e. finish the previous sentence/paragraph)
1007 : (i.e. `in this example:')
1008 , (i.e. `may add foo with the blah construct,')
1011 The old @qq{sentence runs directly into the example} method is not
1015 Abbrevs in caps, e.g., HTML, DVI, MIDI, etc.
1025 When beginning a quote: @qq{So, he said,...}.
1027 This usage is rarer. Americans often just use a comma.
1030 When adding a defining example at the end of a sentence.
1034 Non-ASCII characters which are in utf-8 should be directly used;
1035 this is, don't say @samp{Ba@@ss@{@}tuba} but @samp{Baßtuba}. This
1036 ensures that all such characters appear in all output formats.
1040 @node Documentation policy
1041 @section Documentation policy
1045 * Section organization::
1046 * Checking cross-references::
1048 * Technical writing style::
1054 There are four parts to the documentation: the Learning Manual,
1055 the Notation Reference, the Program Reference, and the Music
1063 The LM is written in a tutorial style which introduces the most
1064 important concepts, structure and syntax of the elements of a
1065 LilyPond score in a carefully graded sequence of steps.
1066 Explanations of all musical concepts used in the Manual can be
1067 found in the Music Glossary, and readers are assumed to have no
1068 prior knowledge of LilyPond. The objective is to take readers to
1069 a level where the Notation Reference can be understood and
1070 employed to both adapt the templates in the Appendix to their
1071 needs and to begin to construct their own scores. Commonly used
1072 tweaks are introduced and explained. Examples are provided
1073 throughout which, while being focussed on the topic being
1074 introduced, are long enough to seem real in order to retain the
1075 readers' interest. Each example builds on the previous material,
1076 and comments are used liberally. Every new aspect is thoroughly
1077 explained before it is used.
1079 Users are encouraged to read the complete Learning Manual from
1084 Notation Reference: a (hopefully complete) description of LilyPond
1085 input notation. Some material from here may be duplicated in the
1086 Learning Manual (for teaching), but consider the NR to be the
1087 "definitive" description of each notation element, with the LM
1088 being an "extra". The goal is _not_ to provide a step-by-step
1089 learning environment -- do not avoid using notation that has not
1090 be introduced previously in the NR (for example, use \break if
1091 appropriate). This section is written in formal technical writing
1094 Avoid duplication. Although users are not expected to read this
1095 manual from start to finish, they should be familiar with the
1096 material in the Learning Manual (particularly ``Fundamental
1097 Concepts''), so do not repeat that material in each section of
1098 this book. Also watch out for common constructs, like ^ - _ for
1099 directions -- those are explained in NR 3. In NR 1, you can
1100 write: DYNAMICS may be manually placed above or below the staff,
1101 see @@ref@{Controlling direction and placement@}.
1103 Most tweaks should be added to LSR and not placed directly in the
1104 @file{.itely} file. In some cases, tweaks may be placed in the main
1105 text, but ask about this first.
1107 Finally, you should assume that users know what the notation
1108 means; explaining musical concepts happens in the Music Glossary.
1112 Application Usage: information about using the program lilypond
1113 with other programs (lilypond-book, operating systems, GUIs,
1114 convert-ly, etc). This section is written in formal technical
1117 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
1121 Music Glossary: information about the music notation itself.
1122 Explanations and translations about notation terms go here.
1124 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
1127 Internals Reference: not really a documentation book, since it is
1128 automagically generated from the source, but this is its name.
1133 @node Section organization
1134 @subsection Section organization
1139 The order of headings inside documentation sections should
1152 You @emph{must} include a @@seealso.
1156 The order of items inside the @@seealso section is
1165 @@rlearning@{foozle@}.
1174 Essay on automated music engraving:
1181 @@file@{path/to/dir/blahz@}.
1183 Snippets: @@rlsr@{section@}.
1185 Internals Reference:
1186 @@rinternals@{fazzle@},
1187 @@rinternals@{booar@}.
1191 If there are multiple entries, separate them by commas but do not
1195 Always end with a period.
1198 Place each link on a new line as above; this makes it much easier
1199 to add or remove links. In the output, they appear on a single
1202 ("Snippets" is REQUIRED; the others are optional)
1205 Any new concepts or links which require an explanation should go
1206 as a full sentence(s) in the main text.
1209 Don't insert an empty line between @@seealso and the first entry!
1210 Otherwise there is excessive vertical space in the PDF output.
1215 To create links, use @@ref@{@} if the link is within the same
1219 @@predefined ... @@endpredefined is for commands in
1223 Do not include any real info in second-level sections (i.e. 1.1
1224 Pitches). A first-level section may have introductory material,
1225 but other than that all material goes into third-level sections
1226 (i.e. 1.1.1 Writing Pitches).
1229 The @@knownissues should not discuss any issues that are in the
1230 tracker, unless the issue is Priority-Postponed. The goal is to
1231 discuss any overall architecture or syntax decisions which may be
1232 interpreted as bugs. Normal bugs should not be discussed here,
1233 because we have so many bugs that it would be a huge task to keep
1234 the @@knownissues current and accurate all the time.
1239 @node Checking cross-references
1240 @subsection Checking cross-references
1242 Cross-references between different manuals are heavily used in the
1243 documentation, but they are not checked during compilation.
1244 However, if you compile the documentation, a script called
1245 check_texi_refs can help you with checking and fixing these
1246 cross-references; for information on usage, cd into a source tree
1247 where documentation has been built, cd into Documentation and run:
1254 Note that you have to find yourself the source files to fix
1255 cross-references in the generated documentation such as the
1256 Internals Reference; e.g. you can grep scm/ and lily/.
1258 @c temporary? how long will kainhofer be used? -gp
1259 Also of interest may be the linkdoc checks on kainhofer.com. Be
1260 warned that these docs are not completely rebuilt every day, so it
1261 might not accurately reflect the current state of the docs.
1264 @uref{http://kainhofer.com/~lilypond/linkdoc/}
1268 @node General writing
1269 @subsection General writing
1274 Do not forget to create @@cindex entries for new sections of text.
1275 Enter commands with @@funindex, i.e.
1278 @@cindex pitches, writing in different octaves
1279 @@funindex \relative
1283 Do not bother with the @@code@{@} (they are added automatically).
1284 These items are added to both the command index and the unified
1285 index. Both index commands should go in front of the actual material.
1288 @@cindex entries should not be capitalized, i.e.
1291 @@cindex time signature
1295 is preferred instead of @qq{Time signature}. Only use capital
1296 letters for musical terms which demand them, e.g.
1300 For scheme function index entries, only include the final part, i.e.
1303 @@funindex modern-voice-cautionary
1305 @@funindex #(set-accidental-style modern-voice-cautionary)
1309 Use American spelling. LilyPond's internal property
1310 names use this convention.
1313 Here is a list of preferred terms to be used:
1317 @emph{Simultaneous} NOT concurrent.
1320 @emph{Measure}: the unit of music.
1323 @emph{Bar line}: the symbol delimiting a measure NOT barline.
1326 @emph{Note head} NOT notehead.
1329 @emph{Chord construct} NOT just chord (when referring to < ... >)
1332 @emph{Staff} NOT stave.
1335 @emph{Staves} NOT Staffs:
1337 @q{multiple @@internalsref@{Staff@}s}
1338 should be rephrased to
1339 @q{multiple @@internalsref@{Staff@} contexts}.
1347 @node Technical writing style
1348 @subsection Technical writing style
1350 These refer to the NR. The LM uses a more gentle, colloquial
1356 Do not refer to LilyPond in the text. The reader knows what the
1357 manual is about. If you do, capitalization is LilyPond.
1360 If you explicitly refer to @q{lilypond} the program (or any other
1361 command to be executed), write @code{@@command@{lilypond@}}.
1364 Do not explicitly refer to the reader/user. There is no one else
1365 besides the reader and the writer.
1368 Avoid contractions (don't, won't, etc.). Spell the words out completely.
1371 Avoid abbreviations, except for commonly used abbreviations of foreign
1372 language terms such as etc. and i.e.
1375 Avoid fluff (@qq{Notice that,} @qq{as you can see,}
1379 The use of the word @q{illegal} is inappropriate in most cases.
1380 Say @q{invalid} instead.
1385 @node Tips for writing docs
1386 @section Tips for writing docs
1388 In the NR, I highly recommend focusing on one subsection at a
1389 time. For each subsection,
1394 check the mundane formatting. Are the headings (@@predefined,
1395 @@seealso, etc.) in the right order?
1398 add any appropriate index entries.
1401 check the links in the @@seealso section -- links to music
1402 glossary, internal references, and other NR sections are the main
1403 concern. Check for potential additions.
1406 move LSR-worthy material into LSR. Add the snippet, delete the
1407 material from the @file{.itely} file, and add a @@lilypondfile command.
1410 check the examples and descriptions. Do they still work?
1411 @strong{Do not} assume that the existing text is
1412 accurate/complete; some of the manual is highly out of date.
1415 is the material in the @@knownissues still accurate?
1418 can the examples be improved (made more explanatory), or is there
1419 any missing info? (feel free to ask specific questions on -user;
1420 a couple of people claimed to be interesting in being
1421 @qq{consultants} who would help with such questions)
1425 In general, I favor short text explanations with good examples --
1426 @qq{an example is worth a thousand words}. When I worked on the
1427 docs, I spent about half my time just working on those tiny
1428 lilypond examples. Making easily-understandable examples is much
1429 harder than it looks.
1432 @subsubheading Tweaks
1434 In general, any \set or \override commands should go in the
1435 @qq{select snippets} section, which means that they should go in
1436 LSR and not the @file{.itely} file. For some cases, the command
1437 obviously belongs in the @qq{main text} (i.e. not inside
1438 @@predefined or @@seealso or whatever) -- instrument names are a
1439 good example of this.
1442 \set Staff.instrumentName = #"foo"
1445 On the other side of this,
1448 \override Score.Hairpin #'after-line-breaking = ##t
1451 clearly belongs in LSR.
1453 I'm quite willing to discuss specific cases if you think that a
1454 tweaks needs to be in the main text. But items that can go into
1455 LSR are easier to maintain, so I'd like to move as much as
1456 possible into there.
1459 It would be @qq{nice} if you spent a lot of time crafting nice
1460 tweaks for users@dots{} but my recommendation is @strong{not} to do
1461 this. There's a lot of doc work to do without adding examples of
1462 tweaks. Tweak examples can easily be added by normal users by adding
1465 One place where a documentation writer can profitably spend time writing
1466 or upgrading tweaks is creating tweaks to deal with known issues. It
1467 would be ideal if every significant known issue had a workaround to avoid
1471 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1474 @node Scripts to ease doc work
1475 @section Scripts to ease doc work
1478 * Scripts to test the documentation::
1479 * Scripts to create documentation::
1482 @node Scripts to test the documentation
1483 @subsection Scripts to test the documentation
1486 * Building only one section of the documentation::
1489 @node Building only one section of the documentation
1490 @unnumberedsubsubsec Building only one section of the documentation
1492 In order to save build time, a script is available to build only
1493 one section of the documentation in English with a default html
1496 You can build a section of the documentation with:
1499 scripts/auxiliar/doc-section.sh MANUAL SECTION
1503 where @code{SECTION} is the name of the file containing the section
1504 to be built, and @code{MANUAL} is replaced by the name of the directory
1505 containing the section. So, for example, to build section 1.1 of the
1506 Notation Reference, use the command:
1509 scripts/auxiliar/doc-section.sh notation pitches
1512 You can then see the generated document for the section at
1515 tempdocs/pitches/out/pitches.html
1519 @uref{http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=1236,Lilypond issue 1236},
1520 the location of the lilypond git tree is taken from @code{$LILYPOND_GIT}
1521 if specified, otherwise it is auto-detected.
1523 It is assumed that compilation takes place in the @file{build/}
1524 subdirectory, but this can be overridden by setting the environment
1525 variable @code{LILYPOND_BUILD_DIR}.
1527 Similarly, output defaults to @file{build/tempdocs/} but this can be
1528 overridden by setting the environment variable
1529 @code{LILYPOND_TEMPDOCS}.
1531 This script will not work for building sections of the
1532 Contributors' guide. For building sections of the Contributors'
1536 scripts/auxiliar/cg-section.sh SECTION
1540 where @code{SECTION} is the name of the file containing the sections
1541 to be built. For example, to build section 4 of the Contributors' guide,
1545 scripts/auxiliar/cg-section.sh doc-work
1548 @code{cg-section.sh} uses the same environment variables and
1549 corresponding default values as @code{doc-section.sh}.
1551 @node Scripts to create documentation
1552 @subsection Scripts to create documentation
1555 * Stripping whitespace and generating menus::
1556 * Stripping whitespace only::
1557 * Updating doc with convert-ly::
1560 @node Stripping whitespace and generating menus
1561 @unnumberedsubsubsec Stripping whitespace and generating menus
1563 @warning{This script assumes that the file conforms to our doc
1564 policy, in particular with regard to @ref{Sectioning commands};
1565 a few files still need work in this regard.}
1567 To automatically regenerate @code{@@menu} portions and strip
1571 scripts/auxiliar/node-menuify.py @var{FILENAME}
1574 If you are adding documentation that requires new menus,
1575 you will need to add a blank @code{@@menu} section:
1582 @node Stripping whitespace only
1583 @unnumberedsubsubsec Stripping whitespace only
1585 @c TODO: should this be documented elsewhere? It's useful for
1586 @c more than just docs.
1587 To remove extra whitespace from the ends of lines, run
1590 scripts/auxiliar/strip-whitespace.py @var{FILENAME}
1594 @node Updating doc with convert-ly
1595 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating doc with @command{convert-ly}
1597 Don't. This should be done by programmers when they add new
1598 features. If you notice that it hasn't been done, complain to
1599 @code{lilypond-devel}.
1602 @node Docstrings in scheme
1603 @section Docstrings in scheme
1605 Material in the Internals reference is generated automatically
1606 from our source code. Any doc work on Internals therefore
1607 requires modifying files in @file{scm/*.scm}. Texinfo is allowed
1608 in these docstrings.
1610 Most documentation writers never touch these, though. If you want
1611 to work on them, please ask for help.
1614 @node Translating the documentation
1615 @section Translating the documentation
1617 The mailing list @code{translations@@lilynet.net} is dedicated to
1618 LilyPond web site and documentation translation; on this list, you will
1619 get support from the Translations Meister and experienced translators,
1620 and we regularly discuss translation issues common to all languages.
1621 All people interested in LilyPond translations are invited to subscribe
1622 to this list regardless of the amount of their contribution, by sending
1623 an email to @code{translations-request@@lilynet.net} with subject
1624 @code{subscribe} and an empty message body. Unless mentioned explicitly,
1625 or except if a translations coordinator contacts you privately, you
1626 should send questions, remarks and patches to the list
1627 @code{translations@@lilynet.net}. Please note that traffic is high
1628 on the English-speaking list @code{lilypond-user@@gnu.org}, so it may
1629 take some time before your request or contribution is handled.
1632 * Getting started with documentation translation::
1633 * Documentation translation details::
1634 * Documentation translation maintenance::
1635 * Translations management policies::
1636 * Technical background::
1639 @node Getting started with documentation translation
1640 @subsection Getting started with documentation translation
1642 First, get the sources of branch @code{translation} from the
1643 Git repository, see @ref{Starting with Git}.
1646 * Translation requirements::
1647 * Which documentation can be translated::
1648 * Starting translation in a new language::
1651 @node Translation requirements
1652 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translation requirements
1654 Working on LilyPond documentation translations requires the following
1655 pieces of software, in order to make use of dedicated helper tools:
1658 @item Python 2.4 or higher,
1664 It is not required to build LilyPond and the documentation to
1665 translate the documentation. However, if you have enough time and
1666 motivation and a suitable system, it can be very useful to build at
1667 least the documentation so that you can check the output yourself and
1668 more quickly; if you are interested, see @ref{Compiling}.
1670 Before undertaking any large translation work, contributors are
1671 encouraged to contact the @ref{Meisters, Translation Meister}.
1674 @node Which documentation can be translated
1675 @unnumberedsubsubsec Which documentation can be translated
1677 The makefiles and scripts infrastructure currently supports translation
1678 of the following documentation:
1681 @item the web site, the Learning Manual, the Notation Reference and
1682 Application Usage -- Texinfo source, PDF and HTML output; Info output
1683 might be added if there is enough demand for it;
1684 @item the Changes document.
1687 Support for translating the following pieces of documentation should be
1688 added soon, by decreasing order of priority:
1691 @item automatically generated documentation: markup commands,
1692 predefined music functions;
1693 @item the Snippets List;
1694 @item the Internals Reference.
1698 @node Starting translation in a new language
1699 @unnumberedsubsubsec Starting translation in a new language
1701 At top of the source directory, do
1708 or (if you want to install your self-compiled LilyPond locally)
1711 ./autogen.sh --prefix=$HOME
1715 If you want to compile LilyPond -- which is almost required to build
1716 the documentation, but is not required to do translation only -- fix
1717 all dependencies and rerun @command{./configure} (with the same
1718 options as for @command{autogen.sh}).
1720 Then @command{cd} into @file{Documentation/} and run
1723 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} new-lang
1727 where @var{MY-LANGUAGE} is the ISO 639 language code.
1729 Finally, add a language definition for your language in
1730 @file{python/langdefs.py}.
1733 @node Documentation translation details
1734 @subsection Documentation translation details
1736 Please follow all the instructions with care to ensure quality work.
1738 All files should be encoded in UTF-8.
1741 * Files to be translated::
1742 * Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation::
1743 * Adding a Texinfo manual::
1746 @node Files to be translated
1747 @unnumberedsubsubsec Files to be translated
1749 @include contributor/doc-translation-list.itexi
1751 In addition, not listed above, Snippets' titles and descriptions
1752 should be translated; they are a part of the Notation Reference and
1753 therefore their priority is 5.
1755 @node Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1756 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1758 Every piece of text should be translated in the source file, except
1759 Texinfo comments, text in @code{@@lilypond} blocks and a few cases
1762 Node names are translated, but the original node name in English should
1763 be kept as the argument of @code{@@translationof} put after the section
1764 title; that is, every piece in the original file like
1768 @@@var{section_command} Bar baz
1772 should be translated as
1775 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1776 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1777 @@translationof Foo bar
1780 The argument of @code{@@rglos} commands and the first argument of
1781 @code{@@rglosnamed} commands must not be translated, as it is the node
1782 name of an entry in Music Glossary.
1784 Every time you translate a node name in a cross-reference, i.e. the
1785 argument of commands @code{@@ref, @@rprogram, @@rlearning, @@rlsr,
1786 @@ruser} or the first argument of their @code{@var{*}named} variants,
1787 you should make sure the target node is defined in the correct source
1788 file; if you do not intend to translate the target node right now, you
1789 should at least write the node definition (that is, the @code{@@node
1790 @@@var{section_commmand} @@translationof} trio mentioned above) in the
1791 expected source file and define all its parent nodes; for each node you
1792 have defined this way but have not translated, insert a line that
1793 contains @code{@@untranslated}. That is, you should end up
1794 for each untranslated node with something like
1797 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1798 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1799 @@translationof Foo bar
1804 @warning{you do not have to translate the node name of a cross-reference
1805 to a node that you do not have translated. If you do, you must define
1806 an @qq{empty} node like explained just above; this will produce a
1807 cross-reference with the translated node name in output, although the
1808 target node will still be in English. On the opposite, if all
1809 cross-references that refer to an untranslated node use the node name in
1810 English, then you do not have to define such an @qq{empty} node, and the
1811 cross-reference text will appear in English in the output. The choice
1812 between these two strategies implies its particular maintenance
1813 requirements and is left to the translators, although the opinion of the
1814 Translation meister leans towards not translating these
1817 Please think of the fact that it may not make sense translating
1818 everything in some Texinfo files, and you may take distance from the
1819 original text; for instance, in the translation of the web site section
1820 Community, you may take this into account depending on what you know the
1821 community in your language is willing to support, which is possible only
1822 if you personally assume this support, or there exists a public forum
1823 or mailing list listed in Community for LilyPond in your language:
1826 @item @rweb{Bug reports}: this page should be translated only if you
1827 know that every bug report sent on your language's mailing list or forum
1828 will be handled by someone who will translate it to English and send it
1829 on bug-lilypond or add an issue in the tracker, then translate back the
1830 reply from developers.
1832 @item @rweb{Help us}: this page should be translated very freely,
1833 and possibly not at all: ask help for contributing to LilyPond for tasks
1834 that LilyPond community in your language is able and going to handle.
1838 In any case, please mark in your work the sections which do not result
1839 from the direct translation of a piece of English translation, using
1840 comments i.e. lines starting with @q{@code{@@c}}.
1842 Finally, press in Emacs @key{C-c C-u C-a} to update or generate
1843 menus. This process should be made easier in the future, when the helper
1844 script @command{texi-langutils.py} and the makefile target are updated.
1846 Some pieces of text manipulated by build scripts that appear in the
1847 output are translated in a @file{.po} file -- just like LilyPond output
1848 messages -- in @file{Documentation/po}. The Gettext domain is named
1849 @code{lilypond-doc}, and unlike @code{lilypond} domain it is not managed
1850 through the Free Translation Project.
1853 Take care of using typographic rules for your language, especially in
1854 @file{macros.itexi}.
1856 If you wonder whether a word, phrase or larger piece of text should be
1857 translated, whether it is an argument of a Texinfo command or a small
1858 piece sandwiched between two Texinfo commands, try to track whether and
1859 where it appears in PDF and/or HTML output as visible text. This piece
1860 of advice is especially useful for translating @file{macros.itexi}.
1862 Please keep verbatim copies of music snippets (in @code{@@lilypond}
1863 blocs). However, some music snippets containing text that shows in
1864 the rendered music, and sometimes translating this text really helps
1865 the user to understand the documentation; in this case, and only in
1866 this case, you may as an exception translate text in the music
1867 snippet, and then you must add a line immediately before the
1868 @code{@@lilypond} block, starting with
1875 Otherwise the music snippet would be reset to the same content as the
1876 English version at next @command{make snippet-update} run -- see
1877 @ref{Updating documentation translation}.
1882 @@lilypondfile[<number of fragment options>,texidoc]@{@var{filename.ly}@}
1886 in the source, open @file{Documentation/snippets/@var{filename}.ly},
1887 translate the @code{texidoc} header field it contains, enclose it with
1888 @code{texidoc@var{MY-LANGUAGE} = "} and @code{"}, and write it into
1889 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@/@var{filename}.texidoc}.
1890 Additionally, you may translate the snippet's title in @code{doctitle}
1891 header field, in case @code{doctitle} is a fragment option used in
1892 @code{@@lilypondfile}; you can do this exactly the same way as
1893 @code{texidoc}. For instance,
1894 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@/@var{filename}.texidoc}
1898 doctitlees = "Spanish title baz"
1900 Spanish translation blah
1904 @code{@@example} blocks need not be verbatim copies, e.g. variable
1905 names, file names and comments should be translated.
1907 Finally, please carefully apply every rule exposed in @ref{Texinfo
1908 introduction and usage policy}, and @ref{Documentation policy}. If one
1909 of these rules conflicts with a rule specific to your language, please
1910 ask the Translation meister on @email{translations@@lilynet.net} list
1911 and/or the Documentation Editors on @email{lilypond-devel@@gnu.org}
1915 @node Adding a Texinfo manual
1916 @unnumberedsubsubsec Adding a Texinfo manual
1918 In order to start translating a new manual whose basename is @var{FOO},
1922 cd Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}
1923 cp ../@var{FOO}.tely .
1925 cp web/GNUmakefile @var{FOO}
1929 then append @var{FOO} to variable @code{SUBDIRS} in
1930 Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/GNUmakefile, then translate file
1931 @var{MY-LANGUAGE}/@var{FOO}.tely and run @code{skeleton-update}:
1935 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} TEXI_LANGUTIL_FLAGS=--head-only skeleton-update
1939 Your are now ready to translate the new manual exactly like the web site
1940 or the Learning Manual.
1943 @node Documentation translation maintenance
1944 @subsection Documentation translation maintenance
1946 Several tools have been developed to make translations maintenance
1947 easier. These helper scripts make use of the power of Git, the
1948 version control system used for LilyPond development.
1950 You should use them whenever you would like to update the translation in
1951 your language, which you may do at the frequency that fits your and your
1952 cotranslators' respective available times. In the case your translation
1953 is up-do-date (which you can discover in the first subsection below), it
1954 is enough to check its state every one or two weeks. If you feel
1955 overwhelmed by the quantity of documentation to be updated, see
1956 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1959 * Check state of translation::
1960 * Updating documentation translation::
1961 * Updating translation committishes::
1964 @macro seeCommittishesUpdate{}
1965 @warning{do not forget to update the committish in each file you have
1966 completely updated, see @ref{Updating translation committishes}.}
1969 @node Check state of translation
1970 @unnumberedsubsubsec Check state of translation
1972 First pull from Git -- see @ref{Pulling and rebasing}, but DO NOT rebase
1973 unless you are sure to master the translation state checking and
1974 updating system -- then cd into @file{Documentation/} (or at top of the
1975 source tree, replace @command{make} with @command{make -C
1976 Documentation}) and run
1979 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation
1983 This presents a diff of the original files since the most recent
1984 revision of the translation. To check a single file, cd into
1985 @file{Documentation/} and run
1988 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@var{manual}/@var{foo}.itely check-translation
1992 In case this file has been renamed since you last updated the
1993 translation, you should specify both old and new file names, e.g.
1994 @code{CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@{@var{manual},user@}/@var{foo}.itely}.
1996 To see only which files need to be updated, do
1999 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation | grep 'diff --git'
2002 To avoid printing terminal colors control characters, which is often
2003 desirable when you redirect output to a file, run
2006 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} NO_COLOR=1 check-translation
2009 You can see the diffs generated by the commands above as changes that
2010 you should make in your language to the existing translation, in order
2011 to make your translation up to date.
2013 @seeCommittishesUpdate
2015 Global state of the translation is recorded in
2016 @file{Documentation/translations.itexi}, which is used to generate
2017 Translations status page. To update that page, do from
2018 @file{Documentation/}
2021 make translation-status
2024 This will also leave @file{out/translations-status.txt}, which contains
2025 up-to-dateness percentages for each translated file, and update word
2026 counts of documentation files in this Guide.
2029 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
2031 @node Updating documentation translation
2032 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating documentation translation
2034 Instead of running @code{check-translation}, you may want to run
2035 @code{update-translation}, which will run your favorite text editor to
2036 update files. First, make sure environment variable @code{EDITOR} is
2037 set to a text editor command, then run from @file{Documentation/}
2040 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} update-translation
2044 or to update a single file
2047 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE/@var{manual}/foo.itely} update-translation
2050 For each file to be updated, @code{update-translation} will open your
2051 text editor with this file and a diff of the file in English; if the
2052 diff cannot be generated or is bigger than the file in English itself,
2053 the full file in English will be opened instead.
2055 @seeCommittishesUpdate
2057 Texinfo skeleton files, i.e. @file{.itely} files not yet translated,
2058 containing only the first node of the original file in English can be
2059 updated automatically: whenever @command{make check-translation} shows
2060 that such files should be updated, run from @file{Documentation/}
2063 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} skeleton-update
2066 @file{.po} message catalogs in @file{Documentation/po/} may be updated
2067 by issuing from @file{Documentation/} or @file{Documentation/po/}
2073 @warning{if you run po-update and somebody else does the same and
2074 pushes before you push or send a patch to be applied, there will be a
2075 conflict when you pull. Therefore, it is better that only the
2076 Translation meister runs this command.}
2078 Updating music snippets can quickly become cumbersome, as most
2079 snippets should be identical in all languages. Fortunately, there is
2080 a script that can do this odd job for you (run from
2081 @file{Documentation/}):
2084 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} snippet-update
2087 This script overwrites music snippets in
2088 @file{@var{MY_LANGUAGE/foo/every.itely}} with music snippets from
2089 @file{@var{foo/every.itely}}. It ignores skeleton files, and keeps
2090 intact music snippets preceded with a line starting with @code{@@c
2091 KEEP LY}; it reports an error for each @file{.itely} that has not the
2092 same music snippet count in both languages. Always use this script
2093 with a lot of care, i.e. run it on a clean Git working tree, and check
2094 the changes it made with @command{git diff} before committing; if you
2095 don't do so, some @code{@@lilypond} snippets might be broken or make
2096 no sense in their context.
2098 Finally, a command runs the three update processes above for all
2099 enabled languages (from @file{Documentation/}):
2102 make all-translations-update
2105 Use this command with caution, and keep in mind it will not be really
2106 useful until translations are stabilized after the end of GDP and GOP.
2109 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations},
2110 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
2113 @node Updating translation committishes
2114 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating translation committishes
2116 At the beginning of each translated file except PO files, there is a
2117 committish which represents the revision of the sources which you have
2118 used to translate this file from the file in English.
2120 When you have pulled and updated a translation, it is very important to
2121 update this committish in the files you have completely updated (and
2122 only these); to do this, first commit possible changes to any
2123 documentation in English which you are sure to have done in your
2124 translation as well, then replace in the up-to-date translated files the
2125 old committish by the committish of latest commit, which can be obtained
2129 git rev-list HEAD |head -1
2132 @c http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-devel/2009-01/msg00245.html
2133 @c contains a helper script which could be used to perform massive
2134 @c committish updates.
2136 Most of the changes in the LSR snippets included in the documentation concern
2137 the syntax, not the description inside @code{texidoc=""}. This implies that
2138 quite often you will have to update only the committish of the matching
2139 .texidoc file. This can be a tedious work if there are many snippets to be
2140 marked as up do date. You can use the following command to update the
2141 committishes at once:
2144 cd Documentation/LANG/texidocs
2145 sed -i -r 's/[0-9a-z]@{40@}/NEW-COMMITTISH/' *.texidoc
2151 @node Translations management policies
2152 @subsection Translations management policies
2154 These policies show the general intent of how the translations should
2155 be managed, they aim at helping translators, developers and
2156 coordinators work efficiently.
2159 * Maintaining without updating translations::
2160 * Managing documentation translation with Git::
2163 @node Maintaining without updating translations
2164 @unnumberedsubsubsec Maintaining without updating translations
2166 Keeping translations up to date under heavy changes in the documentation
2167 in English may be almost impossible, especially as during the former
2168 Grand Documentation Project (GDP) or the Grand Organization Project
2169 (GOP) when a lot of contributors brings changes. In addition,
2170 translators may be --- and that is a very good thing --- involved in
2173 it is possible --- and even recommended --- to perform some maintenance
2174 that keeps translated documentation usable and eases future translation
2175 updating. The rationale below the tasks list motivates this plan.
2177 The following tasks are listed in decreasing priority order.
2180 @item Update macros.itexi.
2181 For each obsolete macro definition, if it is possible to update macro
2182 usage in documentation with an automatic text or regexp substitution,
2183 do it and delete the macro definition from @file{macros.itexi}; otherwise,
2184 mark this macro definition as obsolete with a comment, and keep it in
2185 @file{macros.itexi} until the documentation translation has been updated and
2186 no longer uses this macro.
2188 @item Update @file{*.tely} files completely with
2189 @command{make check-translation} -- you may want to redirect output
2190 to a file because of overwhelming output, or call check-translation.py
2191 on individual files, see @ref{Check state of translation}.
2193 @item In @file{.itelys}, match sections and .itely file names with those from
2194 English docs, which possibly involves moving nodes contents in block
2195 between files, without updating contents itself. In other words, the
2196 game is catching where has gone each section. In Learning manual, and
2197 in Notation Reference sections which have been revised in GDP, there may
2198 be completely new sections: in this case, copy @code{@@node} and
2199 @code{@@section}-command from English docs, and add the marker for
2200 untranslated status @code{@@untranslated} on a single line. Note that
2201 it is not possible to exactly match subsections or subsubsections of
2202 documentation in English, when contents has been deeply revised; in this
2203 case, keep obsolete (sub)subsections in the translation, marking them
2204 with a line @code{@@c obsolete} just before the node.
2206 Emacs with Texinfo mode makes this step easier:
2209 @item without Emacs AucTeX installed, @key{C-c C-s} shows structure of current
2210 Texinfo file in a new buffer @code{*Occur*}; to show structure of two files
2211 simultaneously, first split Emacs window in 4 tiles (with @key{C-x 1}
2212 and @key{C-x 2}), press @key{C-c C-s} to show structure of one file
2213 (e.g. the translated file), copy @code{*Occur*} contents into
2214 @code{*Scratch*}, then press @key{C-c C-s} for the other file.
2216 If you happen to have installed AucTeX, you can either call the macro
2217 by doing @key{M-x texinfo-show-structure} or create a key binding in your
2218 @file{~/.emacs}, by adding the four following lines:
2221 (add-hook 'Texinfo-mode-hook
2223 (define-key Texinfo-mode-map "\C-cs"
2224 'texinfo-show-structure)))
2228 and then obtain the structure in the @code{*Occur*} buffer with @key{C-c
2231 @item Do not bother updating @code{@@menu}s when all menu entries are in the same
2232 file, just do @key{C-c C-u C-a} (@qq{update all menus}) when you have
2233 updated all the rest of the file.
2235 @item Moving to next or previous node using incremental search: press
2236 @key{C-s} and type @code{node} (or @key{C-s @@node} if the text
2237 contains the word @q{node}) then press @key{C-s} to move to next node
2238 or @key{C-r} to move to previous node. Similar operation can be used
2239 to move to the next/previous section. Note that every cursor move
2240 exits incremental search, and hitting @key{C-s} twice starts
2241 incremental search with the text entered in previous incremental
2244 @item Moving a whole node (or even a sequence of nodes): jump to beginning
2245 of the node (quit incremental search by pressing an arrow), press
2246 @key{C-SPACE}, press @key{C-s node} and repeat @key{C-s} until you
2247 have selected enough text, cut it with @key{C-w} or @key{C-x}, jump to
2248 the right place (moving between nodes with the previous hint is often
2249 useful) and paste with @key{C-y} or @key{C-v}.
2252 @item Update sections finished in the English documentation; check
2255 @uref{http://lilypondwiki.tuxfamily.org/index.php?title=Documentation_coordination}.
2258 @item Update documentation PO. It is recommended not to update
2259 strings which come from documentation that is currently deeply revised
2260 in English, to avoid doing the work more than once.
2262 @item Fix broken cross-references by running (from @file{Documentation/})
2265 make ISOLANG=@var{YOUR-LANGUAGE} fix-xrefs
2269 This step requires a successful documentation build (with @command{make
2270 doc}). Some cross-references are broken because they point to a node
2271 that exists in the documentation in English, which has not been added
2272 to the translation; in this case, do not fix the cross-reference but
2273 keep it "broken", so that the resulting HTML link will point to an
2274 existing page of documentation in English.
2277 @subsubheading Rationale
2279 You may wonder if it would not be better to leave translations as-is
2280 until you can really start updating translations. There are several
2281 reasons to do these maintenance tasks right now.
2284 @item This will have to be done sooner or later anyway, before updating
2285 translation of documentation contents, and this can already be done
2286 without needing to be redone later, as sections of documentation in
2287 English are mostly revised once. However, note that not all
2288 documentation sectioning has been revised in one go, so all this
2289 maintenance plan has to be repeated whenever a big reorganization is
2292 @item This just makes translated documentation take advantage of the new
2293 organization, which is better than the old one.
2295 @item Moving and renaming sections to match sectioning of documentation in
2296 English simplify future updating work: it allows updating the
2297 translation by side-by-side comparison, without bothering whether
2298 cross-reference names already exist in the translation.
2300 @item Each maintenance task except @q{Updating PO files} can be done by
2301 the same person for all languages, which saves overall time spent by
2302 translators to achieve this task: the node names and section titles
2303 are in English, so you can do. It is important to take advantage of
2304 this now, as it will be more complicated (but still possible) to do
2305 step 3 in all languages when documentation is compiled with
2306 @command{texi2html} and node names are directly translated in source
2311 @node Managing documentation translation with Git
2312 @unnumberedsubsubsec Managing documentation translation with Git
2314 This policy explains how to manage Git branches and commit
2315 translations to Git.
2318 @item Translation work is made on
2319 @code{translation} branch. This branch is merged on
2320 @code{staging} once a week, approximately. Then,
2321 @code{master} branch is merged on
2322 @code{translation}, where the check-translation script (see
2323 @ref{Check state of translation}) shows changes in English docs which
2324 should be translated, and the cycle starts again.
2326 @item Translations may be pushed directly to
2327 @code{staging} only if they do not break compilation of LilyPond and
2328 its documentation. Those changes could be pushed to
2329 @code{translation} too, or alternatively translators could wait until
2331 @code{master} the next time it is merged on
2332 @code{translation}. Similarly, changes matching
2333 @code{stable/X.Y} are preferably made on
2334 @code{X.Ytranslation}.
2336 @item @code{translation} Git branch may be merged into
2337 @code{staging} branch only if LilyPond (@command{make all}) and
2338 documentation (@command{make doc}) compile successfully.
2340 @item @command{make} and @command{make doc} are usually successful in
2341 @code{master} Git branch because those tests should have already
2343 @code{staging} branch before merging.
2344 @code{master} branch may be merged into
2345 @code{translation} when significant changes had been made in
2346 documentation in English in
2347 @code{master} branch.
2349 @item General maintenance may be done by anybody who knows what he does
2350 in documentation in all languages, without informing translators
2351 first. General maintenance include simple text substitutions
2352 (e.g. automated by sed), compilation fixes, updating Texinfo or
2353 lilypond-book commands, updating macros, updating ly code, fixing
2354 cross-references, and operations described in
2355 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
2359 @node Technical background
2360 @subsection Technical background
2362 A number of Python scripts handle a part of the documentation
2363 translation process. All scripts used to maintain the translations
2364 are located in @file{scripts/auxiliar/}.
2367 @item @file{check_translation.py} -- show diff to update a translation,
2368 @item @file{texi-langutils.py} -- quickly and dirtily parse Texinfo files to
2369 make message catalogs and Texinfo skeleton files,
2370 @item @file{texi-skeleton-update.py} -- update Texinfo skeleton files,
2371 @item @file{update-snippets.py} -- synchronize ly snippets with those
2373 @item @file{translations-status.py} -- update translations status pages and word
2374 counts in the file you are reading,
2375 @item @file{tely-gettext.py} -- gettext node names, section titles and references
2376 in the sources; WARNING only use this script once for each file, when support for
2377 "makeinfo --html" has been dropped.
2380 Other scripts are used in the build process, in @file{scripts/build/}:
2383 @item @file{mass-link.py} -- link or symlink files between English documentation
2384 and documentation in other languages.
2387 Python modules used by scripts in @file{scripts/auxiliar/} or @file{scripts/build/} (but
2388 not by installed Python scripts) are located in @file{python/auxiliar/}:
2390 @item @file{manuals_definitions.py} -- define manual names and name of
2391 cross-reference Texinfo macros,
2392 @item @file{buildlib.py} -- common functions (read piped output
2393 of a shell command, use Git),
2394 @item @file{postprocess_html.py} (module imported by @file{www_post.py}) -- add footer and
2395 tweak links in HTML pages.
2400 @item @file{python/langdefs.py} -- language definitions module