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. Here is an example of a
88 perfect documentation report:
91 To: lilypond-devel@gnu.org
92 From: helpful-user@example.net
95 In LM 2.13 (printing lyrics), above the last line ("More options,
96 like..."), please add:
99 To add lyrics to a divided part, use blah blah blah. For example,
102 \notes {blah <<blah>> }
103 \lyrics {blah <<blah>> }
108 In addition, the second sentence of the first paragraph is
109 confusing. Please delete that sentence (it begins "Users
110 often...") and replace it with this:
112 To align lyrics with something, do this thing.
122 @subheading Larger contributions
124 To replace large sections of the documentation, the guidelines are
125 stricter. We cannot remove parts of the current documentation
126 unless we are certain that the new version is an improvement.
131 Ask on the lilypond-devel maillist if such a rewrite is necessary;
132 somebody else might already be working on this issue!
135 Split your work into small sections; this makes it much easier to
136 compare the new and old documentation.
139 Please prepare a formal git patch.
143 Once you have followed these guidelines, please send a message to
144 lilypond-devel with your documentation submissions. Unfortunately
145 there is a strict “no top-posting” check on the mailist; to avoid
148 > I'm not top posting.
150 (you must include the > ) to the top of your documentation
153 We may edit your suggestion for spelling, grammar, or style, and
154 we may not place the material exactly where you suggested, but if
155 you give us some material to work with, we can improve the manual
156 much faster. Thanks for your interest!
159 @node Texinfo introduction and usage policy
160 @section Texinfo introduction and usage policy
163 * Texinfo introduction::
164 * Documentation files::
165 * Sectioning commands::
166 * LilyPond formatting::
169 * Other text concerns::
173 @node Texinfo introduction
174 @subsection Texinfo introduction
176 The language is called Texinfo; you can see its manual here:
178 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/}
180 However, you don't need to read those docs. The most important
181 thing to notice is that text is text. If you see a mistake in the
182 text, you can fix it. If you want to change the order of
183 something, you can cut-and-paste that stuff into a new location.
185 @warning{Rule of thumb: follow the examples in the existing docs.
186 You can learn most of what you need to know from this; if you want
187 to do anything fancy, discuss it on @code{lilypond-devel} first.}
190 @node Documentation files
191 @subsection Documentation files
193 All manuals live in @file{Documentation/}.
195 In particular, there are four user manuals, their respective master
196 source files are @file{learning.tely} (LM, Learning Manual),
197 @file{notation.tely} (NR, Notation Reference),
198 @file{music-glossary.tely} (MG, Music Glossary), and
199 @file{lilypond-program} (AU). Each chapter is written in a separate
200 file, ending in @file{.itely} for files containing lilypond code, and
201 @file{.itexi} for files without lilypond code, located in a subdirectory
202 associated to the manual (@file{learning/} for @file{learning.tely}, and
203 so on); list the subdirectory of each manual to determine the filename
204 of the specific chapter you wish to modify.
206 Developer manuals live in @file{Documentation/} too. Currently there is
207 only one: the Contributor's Guide @file{contrib-guide.texi} you are
210 Snippet files are part of documentation, and the Snippet List (SL) lives
211 in @file{Documentation/} just like the manuals. For information about
212 how to modify the snippet files and SL, see @ref{LSR work}.
215 @node Sectioning commands
216 @subsection Sectioning commands
218 Most of the manual operates at the
226 level. Sections are created with
235 Please leave two blank lines above a @code{@@node}; this makes it
236 easier to find sections in texinfo.
239 Do not use any @code{@@} commands for a @code{@@node}. They may be
240 used for any @code{@@sub...} sections or headings however.
244 @@node @@code@{Foo@} Bar
245 @@subsection @@code@{Foo@} Bar
249 @@subsection @@code@{Foo@} Bar
253 If a heading is desired without creating a @code{@@node}, please use
261 Sectioning commands (@code{@@node} and @code{@@section}) must not appear
262 inside an @code{@@ignore}. Separate those commands with a space, ie
263 @code{@@n}@tie{}@code{ode}.
267 Nodes must be included inside a
277 construct. These are easily constructed with automatic tools; see
278 @ref{Scripts to ease doc work}.
281 @node LilyPond formatting
282 @subsection LilyPond formatting
287 Use two spaces for indentation in lilypond examples. (no
291 All text strings should be prefaced with #. LilyPond does
292 not strictly require this, but it is helpful to get users
293 accustomed to this scheme construct. ie @code{\set
294 Staff.instrumentName = #"cello"}
297 All engravers should have double-quotes around them:
300 \consists "Spans_arpeggio_engraver"
303 Again, LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is a useful
307 If possible, only write one bar per line.
310 If you only have one bar per line, omit bar checks. If you
311 must put more than one bar per line (not recommended), then include bar
315 Tweaks should, if possible, also occur on their own line.
317 not: \override TextScript #'padding = #3 c1^"hi"
318 but instead: \override TextScript #'padding = #3
323 Most LilyPond input should be produced with:
326 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=2]
333 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
336 If you want to use @code{\layout@{@}} or define variables, use
339 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote]
342 In rare cases, other options may be used (or omitted), but ask first.
345 Inspirational headwords are produced with
348 @@lilypondfile[quote,ragged-right,line-width=16\cm,staffsize=16]
349 @{pitches-headword.ly@}
353 LSR snippets are linked with
356 @@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,ragged-right,texidoc,doctitle]
361 excepted in Templates, where `doctitle' may be omitted.
364 Avoid long stretches of input code. Nobody is going to read
365 them in print. Create small examples. However, this does not mean
369 Specify durations for at least the first note of every bar.
372 If possible, end with a complete bar.
375 Comments should go on their own line, and be placed before
376 the line(s) to which they refer.
379 For clarity, always use @{ @} marks even if they are not technically
385 \context Voice \repeat unfold 2 \relative c' @{
401 Add a space around @{ @} marks; ie
404 not: \chordmode@{c e g@}
405 but instead: \chordmode @{ c e g @}
409 Use @{ @} marks for additional @code{\markup} format comands; ie
412 not: c^\markup \tiny\sharp
413 but instead: c^\markup @{ \tiny \sharp @}
417 Remove any space around @code{<} @code{>} marks; ie
421 but instead: <c e g>4
425 Beam, slur and tie marks should begin immediately after the first
426 note with beam and phrase marks ending immediately after the last.
429 a8(\ ais16[ b cis( d] b) cis4~ b' cis,\)
433 If you want to work on an example outside of the manual (for
434 easier/faster processing), use this header:
439 line-width = 160\mm - 2.0 * 0.4\in
441 force-assignment = #""
442 line-width = #(- line-width (* mm 3.000000))
449 You may not change any of these values. If you are making an
450 example demonstrating special @code{\paper@{@}} values, contact the
451 Documentation Editor.
456 @node Text formatting
457 @subsection Text formatting
461 Lines should be less than 72 characters long. (We personally
462 recommend writing with 66-char lines, but do not bother modifying
463 existing material). Also see the recommendations for fixed-width
464 fonts in the @ref{Syntax survey}.
470 Do not use spaces at the beginning of a line (except in
471 @code{@@example} or @code{@@verbatim} environments), and do not
472 use more than a single space between words. @q{makeinfo} copies
473 the input lines verbatim without removing those spaces.
476 Use two spaces after a period.
479 In examples of syntax, use @code{@@var@{@var{musicexpr}@}} for a
483 Don't use @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in the main text. If you're
484 tempted to do so, you're probably getting too close to @qq{talking
485 through the code}. If you really want to refer to a context, use
486 @code{@@code@{@}} in the main text and @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in
487 the @code{@@seealso}.
492 @subsection Syntax survey
502 * Special characters::
508 @unnumberedsubsubsec Comments
512 @code{@@c @dots{}} --- single line comment. @samp{@@c NOTE:} is a
513 comment which should remain in the final version. (gp only
517 @code{@@ignore} --- multi-line comment:
527 @node Cross references
528 @unnumberedsubsubsec Cross references
530 Enter the exact @code{@@node} name of the target reference between
531 the brackets (eg.@tie{}@w{@samp{@@ref@{Syntax survey@}}}).
535 @code{@@ref@{@dots{}@}} --- link within current manual.
538 @code{@@rchanges@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Changes.
541 @code{@@rcontrib@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Contributor's Guide.
544 @code{@@ressay@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Engraving Essay.
547 @code{@@rextend@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Extending LilyPond.
550 @code{@@rglos@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Music Glossary.
553 @code{@@rinternals@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Internals Reference.
556 @code{@@rlearning@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Learning Manual.
559 @code{@@rlsr@{@dots{}@}} --- link to a Snippet section.
562 @code{@@rprogram@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Application Usage.
565 @code{@@ruser@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Notation Reference.
568 @code{@@rweb@{@dots{}@}} --- link to General Informaion.
573 @unnumberedsubsubsec External links
577 @code{@@email@{@dots{}@}} --- create a @code{mailto:} E-mail link.
580 @code{@@uref@{@var{URL}[, @var{link text}]@}} --- link to an
581 external url. Use within an @code{@@example ... @@end example}.
585 @@uref@{URL [, link text ]@}
591 @node Fixed-width font
592 @unnumberedsubsubsec Fixed-width font
596 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} ---
598 Use the @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} command for individual
599 language-specific tokens (keywords, commands, engravers, scheme
600 symbols, etc.). Ideally, a single @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} block
601 should fit within one line in the PDF output. Use the
602 @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} command when you have a short example of
603 user input, unless it constitutes an entire @code{@@item} by
604 itself, in which case @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} is preferable.
605 Otherwise, both should only be used when part of a larger sentence
606 within a paragraph or @code{@@item}. Never use a
607 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} block as a
608 free-standing paragraph; use @code{@@example} instead.
610 A single unindented line in the PDF has space for about 79
611 fixed-width characters (76 if indented). Within an @code{@@item}
612 there is space for about 75 fixed-width characters. Each
613 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
614 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
616 However, even short blocks of @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} and
617 @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} can run into the margin if the Texinfo
618 line-breaking algorithm gets confused. Additionally, blocks that
619 are longer than this may in fact print nicely; it all depends
620 where the line breaks end up. If you compile the docs yourself,
621 check the PDF output to make sure the line breaks are
624 The Texinfo setting @code{@@allowcodebreaks} is set to
625 @code{false} in the manuals, so lines within
626 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} blocks will
627 only break at spaces, not at hyphens or underscores. If the block
628 contains spaces, use @code{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}} or
629 @code{@@w@{@@samp@{@dots{}@}@}} to prevent unexpected line breaks.
631 The Texinfo settings @code{txicodequoteundirected} and
632 @code{txicodequotebacktick} are both set in the manuals, so
633 backticks (@code{`}) and apostrophes (@code{'}) placed within
634 blocks of @code{@@code}, @code{@@example}, or @code{@@verbatim}
635 are not converted to left- and right-angled quotes
636 (@code{@quoteleft{} @quoteright{}}) as they normally are within
637 the text, so the apostrophes in
638 @q{@w{@code{@@w@{@@code@{@bs{}relative c''@}@}}}} will display
639 correctly. However, these settings do not affect the PDF output
640 for anything within a @code{@@samp} block (even if it includes a
641 nested @code{@@code} block), so entering
642 @q{@code{@@w@{@@samp@{@bs{}relative c''@}@}}} wrongly produces
643 @q{@w{@code{@bs{}relative c@quoteright{}@quoteright{}}}} in PDF.
644 Consequently, if you want to use a @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} block
645 which contains backticks or apostrophes, you should instead use
646 @q{@code{@@q@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}}} (or
647 @q{@code{@@q@{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}@}}} if the block also
648 contains spaces). Note that backslashes within
649 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}} blocks must be entered as @samp{@@bs@{@}},
650 so the example above would be coded as
651 @q{@code{@@q@{@@w@{@@code@{@@bs@{@}relative c''@}@}@}}}.
654 @code{@@command@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for command-line commands (eg.
655 @samp{@@command@{lilypond-book@}}).
658 @code{@@example} --- Use for examples of program code. Do not add
659 extraneous indentation (ie. don't start every line with
660 whitespace). Use the following layout (notice the use of blank
661 lines). Omit the @code{@@noindent} if the text following the
662 example starts a new paragraph:
665 @var{@dots{}text leading into the example@dots{}}
672 @var{continuation of the text@dots{}}
675 Individual lines within an @code{@@example} block should not
676 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
677 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@example} block
678 is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
679 @code{@@example} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
680 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
681 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
683 For long command line examples, if possible, use a trailing
684 backslash to break up a single line, indenting the next line with
685 2 spaces. If this isn't feasible, use @samp{@@smallexample
686 @dots{} @@end@tie{}smallexample} instead, which uses a smaller
687 fontsize. Use @code{@@example} whenever possible, but if needed,
688 @code{@@smallexample} can fit up to 90 characters per line before
689 running into the PDF margin. Each additional level of
690 @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate} shortens a
691 @code{@@smallexample} line by about 5 columns.
694 @code{@@file@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for filenames and directories.
697 @code{@@option@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for options to command-line
698 commands (eg. @samp{@@option@{--format@}}).
701 @code{@@verbatim} --- Prints the block exactly as it appears in
702 the source file (including whitespace, etc.). For program code
703 examples, use @code{@@example} instead. @code{@@verbatim} uses
704 the same format as @code{@@example}.
706 Individual lines within an @code{@@verbatim} block should not
707 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
708 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@verbatim}
709 block is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
710 @code{@@verbatim} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
711 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
712 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
717 @unnumberedsubsubsec Indexing
721 @code{@@cindex @dots{}} --- General index. Please add as many as you can.
722 Don't capitalize the first word.
725 @code{@@funindex @dots{}} --- is for a \lilycommand.
730 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lists
734 @code{@@enumerate} --- Create an ordered list (with numbers).
735 Always put @samp{@@item} on its own line, and separate consecutive
736 items with a blank line:
749 @code{@@itemize} --- Create an unordered list (with bullets). Use
750 the same format as @code{@@enumerate}. Do not use
751 @samp{@@itemize@tie{}@@bullet}.
755 @node Special characters
756 @unnumberedsubsubsec Special characters
760 @code{--}, @code{---} --- Create an en dash (--) or an em dash
761 (---) in the text. To print two or three literal hyphens in a
762 row, wrap one of them in a @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} (eg.
766 @code{@@@@}, @code{@@@{}, @code{@@@}} --- Create an at-sign (@@),
767 a left curly bracket (@{), or a right curly bracket (@}).
770 @code{@@bs@{@}} --- Create a backslash within a
771 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}}, or
772 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} block. This is a custom LilyPond
773 macro, not a builtin @@-command in Texinfo. Texinfo would also
774 allow @samp{\\}, but this breaks the PDF output.
777 @code{@@tie@{@}} --- Create a @emph{variable-width} non-breaking
778 space in the text (use @w{@samp{@@w@{ @}}} for a single
779 @emph{fixed-width} non-breaking space). Variables or numbers
780 which consist of a single character (probably followed by a
781 punctuation mark) should be tied properly, either to the previous
782 or the next word. Example: @samp{The letter@@tie@{@}@@q@{I@} is
788 @unnumberedsubsubsec Miscellany
792 @code{@@notation@{@dots{}@}} --- refers to pieces of notation, e.g.
793 @samp{@@notation@{clef@}}. Also use for specific lyrics
794 (@samp{the @@notation@{A@tie{}-@tie{}men@} is centered}).
795 Only use once per subsection per term.
798 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}} --- Single quotes. Used for
799 @quoteleft{}vague@quoteright{} terms. To get a backslash
800 (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
803 @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}} --- Double quotes. Used for actual quotes
804 (@qq{he said}) or for introducing special input modes. To get a
805 backslash (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
808 @code{@@var@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for variables.
811 @code{@@version@{@}} --- Return the current LilyPond version
812 string. Use @samp{@@w@{@@version@{@}@}} if it's at the end of a
813 line (to prevent an ugly line break in PDF); use
814 @samp{@@w@{"@@version@{@}"@}} if you need it in quotes.
817 @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} --- Do not allow any line breaks.
820 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} --- produces a @qq{Note:@tie{}} box.
821 Use for important messages. To get a backslash (\), you must use
826 @node Other text concerns
827 @subsection Other text concerns
831 References must occur at the end of a sentence, for more
833 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/,texinfo
834 manual}. Ideally this should also be the final sentence of a
835 paragraph, but this is not required. Any link in a doc section
836 must be duplicated in the @code{@@seealso} section at the bottom.
839 Introducing examples must be done with
842 . (ie finish the previous sentence/paragaph)
843 : (ie `in this example:')
844 , (ie `may add foo with the blah construct,')
847 The old @qq{sentence runs directly into the example} method is not
851 Abbrevs in caps, e.g., HTML, DVI, MIDI, etc.
861 When beginning a quote: @qq{So, he said,...}.
863 This usage is rarer. Americans often just use a comma.
866 When adding a defining example at the end of a sentence.
870 Non-ASCII characters which are in utf-8 should be directly used;
871 this is, don't say @samp{Ba@@ss@{@}tuba} but @samp{Baßtuba}. This
872 ensures that all such characters appear in all output formats.
876 @node Documentation policy
877 @section Documentation policy
881 * Section organization::
882 * Checking cross-references::
884 * Technical writing style::
890 There are four parts to the documentation: the Learning Manual,
891 the Notation Reference, the Program Reference, and the Music
899 The LM is written in a tutorial style which introduces the most
900 important concepts, structure and syntax of the elements of a
901 LilyPond score in a carefully graded sequence of steps.
902 Explanations of all musical concepts used in the Manual can be
903 found in the Music Glossary, and readers are assumed to have no
904 prior knowledge of LilyPond. The objective is to take readers to
905 a level where the Notation Reference can be understood and
906 employed to both adapt the templates in the Appendix to their
907 needs and to begin to construct their own scores. Commonly used
908 tweaks are introduced and explained. Examples are provided
909 throughout which, while being focussed on the topic being
910 introduced, are long enough to seem real in order to retain the
911 readers' interest. Each example builds on the previous material,
912 and comments are used liberally. Every new aspect is thoroughly
913 explained before it is used.
915 Users are encouraged to read the complete Learning Manual from
920 Notation Reference: a (hopefully complete) description of LilyPond
921 input notation. Some material from here may be duplicated in the
922 Learning Manual (for teaching), but consider the NR to be the
923 "definitive" description of each notation element, with the LM
924 being an "extra". The goal is _not_ to provide a step-by-step
925 learning environment -- do not avoid using notation that has not
926 be introduced previously in the NR (for example, use \break if
927 appropriate). This section is written in formal technical writing
930 Avoid duplication. Although users are not expected to read this
931 manual from start to finish, they should be familiar with the
932 material in the Learning Manual (particularly ``Fundamental
933 Concepts''), so do not repeat that material in each section of
934 this book. Also watch out for common constructs, like ^ - _ for
935 directions -- those are explained in NR 3. In NR 1, you can
936 write: DYNAMICS may be manually placed above or below the staff,
937 see @@ref@{Controlling direction and placement@}.
939 Most tweaks should be added to LSR and not placed directly in the
940 .itely file. In some cases, tweaks may be placed in the main
941 text, but ask about this first.
943 Finally, you should assume that users know what the notation
944 means; explaining musical concepts happens in the Music Glossary.
948 Application Usage: information about using the program lilypond
949 with other programs (lilypond-book, operating systems, GUIs,
950 convert-ly, etc). This section is written in formal technical
953 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
957 Music Glossary: information about the music notation itself.
958 Explanations and translations about notation terms go here.
960 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
963 Internals Reference: not really a documentation book, since it is
964 automagically generated from the source, but this is its name.
969 @node Section organization
970 @subsection Section organization
975 The order of headings inside documentation sections should
988 You @emph{must} include a @@seealso.
992 The order of items inside the @@seealso section is
1001 @@rlearning@{foozle@}.
1014 @@file@{path/to/dir/blahz@}.
1016 Snippets: @@rlsr@{section@}.
1018 Internals Reference:
1019 @@rinternals@{fazzle@},
1020 @@rinternals@{booar@}.
1024 If there are multiple entries, separate them by commas but do not
1028 Always end with a period.
1031 Place each link on a new line as above; this makes it much easier
1032 to add or remove links. In the output, they appear on a single
1035 ("Snippets" is REQUIRED; the others are optional)
1038 Any new concepts or links which require an explanation should go
1039 as a full sentence(s) in the main text.
1042 Don't insert an empty line between @@seealso and the first entry!
1043 Otherwise there is excessive vertical space in the PDF output.
1048 To create links, use @@ref@{@} if the link is within the same
1052 @@predefined ... @@endpredefined is for commands in
1056 Do not include any real info in second-level sections (ie 1.1
1057 Pitches). A first-level section may have introductory material,
1058 but other than that all material goes into third-level sections
1059 (ie 1.1.1 Writing Pitches).
1064 @node Checking cross-references
1065 @subsection Checking cross-references
1067 Cross-references between different manuals are heavily used in the
1068 documentation, but they are not checked during compilation.
1069 However, if you compile the documentation, a script called
1070 check_texi_refs can help you with checking and fixing these
1071 cross-references; for information on usage, cd into a source tree
1072 where documentation has been built, cd into Documentation and run:
1079 Note that you have to find yourself the source files to fix
1080 cross-references in the generated documentation such as the
1081 Internals Reference; e.g. you can grep scm/ and lily/.
1083 @c temporary? how long will kainhofer be used? -gp
1084 Also of interest may be the linkdoc checks on kainhofer.com. Be
1085 warned that these docs are not completely rebuilt every day, so it
1086 might not accurately reflect the current state of the docs.
1089 @uref{http://kainhofer.com/~lilypond/linkdoc/}
1093 @node General writing
1094 @subsection General writing
1099 Do not forget to create @@cindex entries for new sections of text.
1100 Enter commands with @@funindex, i.e.
1103 @@cindex pitches, writing in different octaves
1104 @@funindex \relative
1108 do not bother with the @@code@{@} (they are added automatically).
1109 These items are added to both the command index and the unified
1112 Both index commands should go in front of the actual material.
1114 @@cindex entries should not be capitalized, ie
1117 @@cindex time signature
1121 is preferred instead of @qq{Time signature}, Only use capital
1122 letters for musical terms which demand them, like D.S. al Fine.
1124 For scheme functions, only include the final part, i.e.,
1127 @@funindex modern-voice-cautionary
1129 @@funindex #(set-accidental-style modern-voice-cautionary)
1138 In general, use the American spellings. The internal lilypond
1139 property names use this spelling.
1142 List of specific terms:
1146 simultaneous NOT concurrent
1147 measure: the unit of music
1148 bar line: the symbol delimiting a measure NOT barline
1149 note head NOT notehead
1150 chord construct NOT chord (when referring to <>)
1158 @node Technical writing style
1159 @subsection Technical writing style
1161 These refer to the NR. The LM uses a more gentle, colloquial
1167 Do not refer to LilyPond in the text. The reader knows what the
1168 manual is about. If you do, capitalization is LilyPond.
1171 If you explicitly refer to @q{lilypond} the program (or any other
1172 command to be executed), write @code{@@command@{lilypond@}}.
1175 Do not explicitly refer to the reader/user. There is no one else
1176 besides the reader and the writer.
1179 Avoid contractions (don't, won't, etc.). Spell the words out completely.
1182 Avoid abbreviations, except for commonly used abbreviations of foreign
1183 language terms such as etc. and i.e.
1186 Avoid fluff (@qq{Notice that,} @qq{as you can see,}
1190 The use of the word @q{illegal} is inappropriate in most cases.
1191 Say @q{invalid} instead.
1196 @node Tips for writing docs
1197 @section Tips for writing docs
1199 In the NR, I highly recommend focusing on one subsection at a
1200 time. For each subsection,
1205 check the mundane formatting. Are the headings (@@predefined,
1206 @@seealso, etc.) in the right order?
1209 add any appropriate index entries.
1212 check the links in the @@seealso section -- links to music
1213 glossary, internal references, and other NR sections are the main
1214 concern. Check for potential additions.
1217 move LSR-worthy material into LSR. Add the snippet, delete the
1218 material from the .itely file, and add a @@lilypondfile command.
1221 check the examples and descriptions. Do they still work?
1222 @strong{Do not} assume that the existing text is
1223 accurate/complete; some of the manual is highly out of date.
1226 is the material in the @@knownissues still accurate?
1229 can the examples be improved (made more explanatory), or is there
1230 any missing info? (feel free to ask specific questions on -user;
1231 a couple of people claimed to be interesting in being
1232 @qq{consultants} who would help with such questions)
1236 In general, I favor short text explanations with good examples --
1237 @qq{an example is worth a thousand words}. When I worked on the
1238 docs, I spent about half my time just working on those tiny
1239 lilypond examples. Making easily-understandable examples is much
1240 harder than it looks.
1243 @subsubheading Tweaks
1245 In general, any \set or \override commands should go in the
1246 @qq{select snippets} section, which means that they should go in
1247 LSR and not the .itely file. For some cases, the command
1248 obviously belongs in the @qq{main text} (i.e. not inside
1249 @@predefined or @@seealso or whatever) -- instrument names are a
1250 good example of this.
1253 \set Staff.instrumentName = #"foo"
1256 On the other side of this,
1259 \override Score.Hairpin #'after-line-breaking = ##t
1262 clearly belongs in LSR.
1264 I'm quite willing to discuss specific cases if you think that a
1265 tweaks needs to be in the main text. But items that can go into
1266 LSR are easier to maintain, so I'd like to move as much as
1267 possible into there.
1270 It would be @qq{nice} if you spent a lot of time crafting nice
1271 tweaks for users@dots{} but my recommendation is @strong{not} to do
1272 this. There's a lot of doc work to do without adding examples of
1273 tweaks. Tweak examples can easily be added by normal users by adding
1276 One place where a documentation writer can profitably spend time writing
1277 or upgrading tweaks is creating tweaks to deal with known issues. It
1278 would be ideal if every significant known issue had a workaround to avoid
1282 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1285 @node Scripts to ease doc work
1286 @section Scripts to ease doc work
1288 @subheading Stripping whitespace
1290 @c TODO: should this be documented elsewhere? It's useful for
1291 @c more than just docs.
1292 To remove extra whitespace from the ends of lines, run
1295 scripts/auxiliar/strip-whitespace.py Documentation/FILENAME
1299 @subheading Sectioning commands
1301 @warning{These commands add whitespace.}
1303 The emacs @code{M-x texinfo-all-menus-update} command will
1304 regenerate @@menu blocks. This can also be run with this
1305 command-line script:
1309 emacs $1 -batch -f texinfo-all-menus-update -f save-buffer
1313 (save the above as something like @command{texinfo-menus.sh}, make
1314 it executable, then run @command{texinfo-menus.sh foo.itely})
1317 @subheading Updating doc with @command{convert-ly}
1319 cd into @file{Documentation/} and run
1322 find . -name '*.itely' | xargs convert-ly -e
1326 This also updates translated documentation.
1330 @node Docstrings in scheme
1331 @section Docstrings in scheme
1333 Material in the Internals reference is generated automatically
1334 from our source code. Any doc work on Internals therefore
1335 requires modifying files in @file{scm/*.scm}. Texinfo is allowed
1336 in these docstrings.
1338 Most documentation writers never touch these, though. If you want
1339 to work on them, please ask for help.
1342 @node Translating the documentation
1343 @section Translating the documentation
1345 The mailing list @code{translations@@lilynet.net} is dedicated to
1346 LilyPond web site and documentation translation; on this list, you will
1347 get support from the Translations Meister and experimented translators,
1348 and we regularly discuss translations issues common to all languagues.
1349 All people interested in LilyPond translations are invited to subscribe
1350 to this list regardless of the amount of their contribution, by sending
1351 an email to @code{translations-request@@lilynet.net} with subject
1352 @code{subscribe} and an empty message body. Unless mentioned explicitly
1353 or except if a translations coordinator contacts you privately, you
1354 should send questions, remarks, patches to this list
1355 @code{translations@@lilynet.net}; especially note that the traffic is so
1356 high on English-speaking list @code{lilypond-user@@gnu.org} that it may
1357 take months before your request or contribution is handled if you send a
1358 email to these lists.
1361 * Getting started with documentation translation::
1362 * Documentation translation details::
1363 * Documentation translation maintenance::
1364 * Translations management policies::
1365 * Technical background::
1368 @node Getting started with documentation translation
1369 @subsection Getting started with documentation translation
1371 First, get the sources of branch @code{lilypond/translation} from the
1372 Git repository, see @ref{Starting with Git}.
1375 * Translation requirements::
1376 * Which documentation can be translated::
1377 * Starting translation in a new language::
1380 @node Translation requirements
1381 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translation requirements
1383 Working on LilyPond documentation translations requires the following
1384 pieces of software, in order to make use of dedicated helper tools:
1387 @item Python 2.4 or higher,
1393 It is not required to build LilyPond and the documentation to
1394 translate the documentation. However, if you have enough time and
1395 motivation and a suitable system, it can be very useful to build at
1396 least the documentation so that you can check the output yourself and
1397 more quickly; if you are interested, see @ref{Compiling}.
1399 Before undertaking any large translation work, contributors are
1400 encouraged to contact the @ref{Meisters, Translation Meister}.
1403 @node Which documentation can be translated
1404 @unnumberedsubsubsec Which documentation can be translated
1406 The makefiles and scripts infrastructure currently supports translation
1407 of the following documentation:
1410 @item the web site, the Learning Manual, the Notation Reference and
1411 Application Usage -- Texinfo source, PDF and HTML output; Info output
1412 might be added if there is enough demand for it;
1413 @item the Changes document.
1416 Support for translating the following pieces of documentation should be
1417 added soon, by decreasing order of priority:
1420 @item automatically generated documentation: markup commands,
1421 predefined music functions;
1422 @item the Snippets List;
1423 @item the Internals Reference.
1427 @node Starting translation in a new language
1428 @unnumberedsubsubsec Starting translation in a new language
1430 At top of the source directory, do
1437 or (if you want to install your self-compiled LilyPond locally)
1440 ./autogen.sh --prefix=$HOME
1444 If you want to compile LilyPond -- which is almost required to build
1445 the documentation, but is not required to do translation only -- fix
1446 all dependencies and rerun @command{./configure} (with the same
1447 options as for @command{autogen.sh}).
1449 Then @command{cd} into @file{Documentation/} and run
1452 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} new-lang
1456 where @var{MY-LANGUAGE} is the ISO 639 language code.
1458 Finally, add a language definition for your language in
1459 @file{python/langdefs.py}.
1462 @node Documentation translation details
1463 @subsection Documentation translation details
1465 Please follow all the instructions with care to ensure quality work.
1467 All files should be encoded in UTF-8.
1470 * Files to be translated::
1471 * Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation::
1472 * Adding a Texinfo manual::
1475 @node Files to be translated
1476 @unnumberedsubsubsec Files to be translated
1478 @include contributor/doc-translation-list.itexi
1480 In addition, not listed above, Snippets' titles and descriptions
1481 should be translated; they are a part of the Notation Reference and
1482 therefore their priority is 5.
1484 @node Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1485 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1487 Every piece of text should be translated in the source file, except
1488 Texinfo comments, text in @code{@@lilypond} blocks and a few cases
1491 Node names are translated, but the original node name in English should
1492 be kept as the argument of @code{@@translationof} put after the section
1493 title; that is, every piece in the original file like
1497 @@@var{section_command} Bar baz
1501 should be translated as
1504 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1505 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1506 @@translationof Foo bar
1509 The argument of @code{@@rglos} commands and the first argument of
1510 @code{@@rglosnamed} commands must not be translated, as it is the node
1511 name of an entry in Music Glossary.
1513 Every time you translate a node name in a cross-reference, i.e. the
1514 argument of commands @code{@@ref, @@rprogram, @@rlearning, @@rlsr,
1515 @@ruser} or the first argument of their @code{@var{*}named} variants,
1516 you should make sure the target node is defined in the correct source
1517 file; if you do not intend to translate the target node right now, you
1518 should at least write the node definition (that is, the @code{@@node
1519 @@@var{section_commmand} @@translationof} trio mentioned above) in the
1520 expected source file and define all its parent nodes; for each node you
1521 have defined this way but have not translated, insert a line that
1522 contains @code{@@untranslated}. That is, you should end up
1523 for each untranslated node with something like
1526 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1527 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1528 @@translationof Foo bar
1533 @warning{you do not have to translate the node name of a cross-reference
1534 to a node that you do not have translated. If you do, you must define
1535 an @qq{empty} node like explained just above; this will produce a
1536 cross-reference with the translated node name in output, although the
1537 target node will still be in English. On the opposite, if all
1538 cross-references that refer to an untranslated node use the node name in
1539 English, then you do not have to define such an @qq{empty} node, and the
1540 cross-reference text will appear in English in the output. The choice
1541 between these two strategies implies its particular maintenance
1542 requirements and is left to the translators, although the opinion of the
1543 Translation meister leans towards not translating these
1546 Please think of the fact that it may not make sense translating
1547 everything in some Texinfo files, and you may take distance from the
1548 original text; for instance, in the translation of the web site section
1549 Community, you may take this into account depending on what you know the
1550 community in your language is willing to support, which is possible only
1551 if you personnally assume this support, or there exists a public forum
1552 or mailing list listed in Community for LilyPond in your language:
1555 @item @rweb{Bug reports}: this page should be translated only if you
1556 know that every bug report sent on your language's mailing list or forum
1557 will be handled by someone who will translate it to English and send it
1558 on bug-lilypond or add an issue in the tracker, then translate back the
1559 reply from developers.
1561 @item @rweb{Help us}: this page should be translated very freely,
1562 and possibly not at all: ask help for contributing to LilyPond for tasks
1563 that LilyPond community in your language is able and going to handle.
1567 In any case, please mark in your work the sections which do not result
1568 from the direct translation of a piece of English translation, using
1569 comments i.e. lines starting with @q{@code{@@c}}.
1571 Finally, press in Emacs @key{C-c C-u C-a} to update or generate
1572 menus. This process should be made easier in the future, when the helper
1573 script @command{texi-langutils.py} and the makefile target are updated.
1575 Some pieces of text manipulated by build scripts that appear in the
1576 output are translated in a @file{.po} file -- just like LilyPond output
1577 messages -- in @file{Documentation/po}. The Gettext domain is named
1578 @code{lilypond-doc}, and unlike @code{lilypond} domain it is not managed
1579 through the Free Translation Project.
1582 Take care of using typographic rules for your language, especially in
1583 @file{macros.itexi}.
1585 If you wonder whether a word, phrase or larger piece of text should be
1586 translated, whether it is an argument of a Texinfo command or a small
1587 piece sandwiched between two Texinfo commands, try to track whether and
1588 where it appears in PDF and/or HTML output as visible text. This piece
1589 of advice is especially useful for translating @file{macros.itexi}.
1591 Please keep verbatim copies of music snippets (in @code{@@lilypond}
1592 blocs). However, some music snippets containing text that shows in
1593 the rendered music, and sometimes translating this text really helps
1594 the user to understand the documentation; in this case, and only in
1595 this case, you may as an exception translate text in the music
1596 snippet, and then you must add a line immediately before the
1597 @code{@@lilypond} block, starting with
1604 Otherwise the music snippet would be reset to the same content as the
1605 English version at next @command{make snippet-update} run -- see
1606 @ref{Updating documentation translation}.
1611 @@lilypondfile[<number of fragment options>,texidoc]@{@var{filename.ly}@}
1615 in the source, open @file{Documentation/snippets/@var{filename}.ly},
1616 translate the @code{texidoc} header field it contains, enclose it with
1617 @code{texidoc@var{MY-LANGUAGE} = "} and @code{"}, and write it into
1618 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@var{filename}.texidoc}.
1619 Additionnally, you may translate the snippet's title in @code{doctitle}
1620 header field, in case @code{doctitle} is a fragment option used in
1621 @code{@@lilypondfile}; you can do this exactly the same way as
1622 @code{texidoc}. For instance,
1623 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@var{filename}.texidoc}
1627 doctitlees = "Spanish title baz"
1629 Spanish translation blah
1634 Then, you should get these translated strings into compiled snippets in
1635 @file{Documentation/snippets}, see @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding
1636 and editing snippets}.
1638 @code{@@example} blocks need not be verbatim copies, e.g. variable
1639 names, file names and comments should be translated.
1641 Finally, please carefully apply every rule exposed in @ref{Texinfo
1642 introduction and usage policy}, and @ref{Documentation policy}. If one
1643 of these rules conflicts with a rule specific to your language, please
1644 ask the Translation meister on @email{translations@@lilynet.net} list
1645 and/or the Documentation Editors on @email{lilypond-devel@@gnu.org}
1649 @node Adding a Texinfo manual
1650 @unnumberedsubsubsec Adding a Texinfo manual
1652 In order to start translating a new manual whose basename is @var{FOO},
1656 cd Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}
1657 cp ../@var{FOO}.tely .
1659 cp web/GNUmakefile @var{FOO}
1663 then append @var{FOO} to variable @code{SUBDIRS} in
1664 Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/GNUmakefile, then translate file
1665 @var{MY-LANGUAGE}/@var{FOO}.tely and run @code{skeleton-update}:
1669 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} TEXI_LANGUTIL_FLAGS=--head-only skeleton-update
1673 Your are now ready to translate the new manual exactly like the web site
1674 or the Learning Manual.
1677 @node Documentation translation maintenance
1678 @subsection Documentation translation maintenance
1680 Several tools have been developed to make translations maintenance
1681 easier. These helper scripts make use of the power of Git, the
1682 version control system used for LilyPond development.
1684 You should use them whenever you would like to update the translation in
1685 your language, which you may do at the frequency that fits your and your
1686 cotranslators' respective available times. In the case your translation
1687 is up-do-date (which you can discover in the first subsection below), it
1688 is enough to check its state every one or two weeks. If you feel
1689 overwhelmed by the quantity of documentation to be updated, see
1690 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1693 * Check state of translation::
1694 * Updating documentation translation::
1695 * Updating translation committishes::
1698 @macro seeCommittishesUpdate{}
1699 @warning{do not forget to update the committish in each file you have
1700 completely updated, see @ref{Updating translation committishes}.}
1703 @node Check state of translation
1704 @unnumberedsubsubsec Check state of translation
1706 First pull from Git -- see @ref{Pulling and rebasing}, but DO NOT rebase
1707 unless you are sure to master the translation state checking and
1708 updating system -- then cd into @file{Documentation/} (or at top of the
1709 source tree, replace @command{make} with @command{make -C
1710 Documentation}) and run
1713 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation
1717 This presents a diff of the original files since the most recent
1718 revision of the translation. To check a single file, cd into
1719 @file{Documentation/} and run
1722 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@var{manual}/@var{foo}.itely check-translation
1726 In case this file has been renamed since you last updated the
1727 translation, you should specify both old and new file names, e.g.
1728 @code{CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@{@var{manual},user@}/@var{foo}.itely}.
1730 To see only which files need to be updated, do
1733 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation | grep 'diff --git'
1736 To avoid printing terminal colors control characters, which is often
1737 desirable when you redirect output to a file, run
1740 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} NO_COLOR=1 check-translation
1743 You can see the diffs generated by the commands above as changes that
1744 you should make in your language to the existing translation, in order
1745 to make your translation up to date.
1747 @seeCommittishesUpdate
1749 Global state of the translation is recorded in
1750 @file{Documentation/translations.itexi}, which is used to generate
1751 Translations status page. To update that page, do from
1752 @file{Documentation/}
1755 make translation-status
1758 This will also leave @file{out/translations-status.txt}, which contains
1759 up-to-dateness percentages for each translated file, and update word
1760 counts of documentation files in this Guide.
1763 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1765 @node Updating documentation translation
1766 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating documentation translation
1768 Instead of running @code{check-translation}, you may want to run
1769 @code{update-translation}, which will run your favorite text editor to
1770 update files. First, make sure environment variable @code{EDITOR} is
1771 set to a text editor command, then run from @file{Documentation/}
1774 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} update-translation
1778 or to update a single file
1781 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE/@var{manual}/foo.itely} update-translation
1784 For each file to be udpated, @code{update-translation} will open your
1785 text editor with this file and a diff of the file in English; if the
1786 diff cannot be generated or is bigger than the file in English itself,
1787 the full file in English will be opened instead.
1789 @seeCommittishesUpdate
1791 Texinfo skeleton files, i.e. @file{.itely} files not yet translated,
1792 containing only the first node of the original file in English can be
1793 updated automatically: whenever @command{make check-translation} shows
1794 that such files should be updated, run from @file{Documentation/}
1797 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} skeleton-update
1800 @file{.po} message catalogs in @file{Documentation/po/} may be updated
1801 by issuing from @file{Documentation/} or @file{Documentation/po/}
1807 @warning{if you run po-update and somebody else does the same and
1808 pushes before you push or send a patch to be applied, there will be a
1809 conflict when you pull. Therefore, it is better that only the
1810 Translation meister runs this command.}
1812 Updating music snippets can quickly become cumbersome, as most
1813 snippets should be identical in all languages. Fortunately, there is
1814 a script that can do this odd job for you (run from
1815 @file{Documentation/}):
1818 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} snippet-update
1821 This script overwrites music snippets in
1822 @file{@var{MY_LANGUAGE/foo/every.itely}} with music snippets from
1823 @file{@var{foo/every.itely}}. It ignores skeleton files, and keeps
1824 intact music snippets preceded with a line starting with @code{@@c
1825 KEEP LY}; it reports an error for each @file{.itely} that has not the
1826 same music snippet count in both languages. Always use this script
1827 with a lot of care, i.e. run it on a clean Git working tree, and check
1828 the changes it made with @command{git diff} before committing; if you
1829 don't do so, some @code{@@lilypond} snippets might be broken or make
1830 no sense in their context.
1832 When you have updated texidocs in
1833 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}, you can get these
1834 changes into compiled snippets in @file{Documentation/snippets}, see
1835 @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1837 Finally, a command runs the three update processes above for all
1838 enabled languages (from @file{Documentation/}):
1841 make all-translations-update
1844 Use this command with caution, and keep in mind it will not be really
1845 useful until translations are stabilized after the end of GDP and GOP.
1848 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations},
1849 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1852 @node Updating translation committishes
1853 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating translation committishes
1855 At the beginning of each translated file except PO files, there is a
1856 committish which represents the revision of the sources which you have
1857 used to translate this file from the file in English.
1859 When you have pulled and updated a translation, it is very important to
1860 update this committish in the files you have completely updated (and
1861 only these); to do this, first commit possible changes to any
1862 documentation in English which you are sure to have done in your
1863 translation as well, then replace in the up-to-date translated files the
1864 old committish by the committish of latest commit, which can be obtained
1868 git rev-list HEAD |head -1
1871 A special case is updating Snippet documentation strings in
1872 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}. For these to be
1873 correctly marked as up-to-date, first run @code{makelsr.py} as
1874 explained in @ref{Adding and editing snippets}, and commit the
1875 resulting compiled snippets left in @file{Documentation/snippets/}.
1876 Say the SHA1 ID code of this commit is <C>. Now edit again your
1877 translated files in @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}
1878 adjusting the 40-digit committish that appears in the text to be <C>;
1879 finally, commit these updated files. Not doing so would result in
1880 changes made both to your updates and original snippets to
1881 persistently appear in the check-translation output as if they were
1884 This two-phase mechanism avoids the (practically) unsolvable problem
1885 of guessing what committish will have our update, and pretending to
1886 put this very committish on the files in the same commit.
1888 @c http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-devel/2009-01/msg00245.html
1889 @c contains a helper script which could be used to perform massive
1890 @c committish updates.
1896 @node Translations management policies
1897 @subsection Translations management policies
1899 These policies show the general intent of how the translations should
1900 be managed, they aim at helping translators, developers and
1901 coordinators work efficiently.
1904 * Maintaining without updating translations::
1905 * Managing documentation translation with Git::
1908 @node Maintaining without updating translations
1909 @unnumberedsubsubsec Maintaining without updating translations
1911 Keeping translations up to date under heavy changes in the documentation
1912 in English may be almost impossible, especially as during the former
1913 Grand Documentation Project (GDP) or the Grand Organization Project
1914 (GOP) when a lot of contributors brings changes. In addition,
1915 translators may be --- and that is a very good thing --- involved in
1918 it is possible --- and even recommended --- to perform some maintenance
1919 that keeps translated documentation usable and eases future translation
1920 updating. The rationale below the tasks list motivates this plan.
1922 The following tasks are listed in decreasing priority order.
1925 @item Update macros.itexi.
1926 For each obsolete macro definition, if it is possible to update macro
1927 usage in documentation with an automatic text or regexp substitution,
1928 do it and delete the macro definition from macros.itexi; otherwise,
1929 mark this macro definition as obsolete with a comment, and keep it in
1930 macros.itexi until the documentation translation has been updated and
1931 no longer uses this macro.
1933 @item Update @file{*.tely} files completely with
1934 @command{make check-translation} -- you may want to redirect ouptput
1935 to a file because of overwhelming output, or call check-translation.py
1936 on individual files, see @ref{Check state of translation}.
1938 @item In @file{.itelys}, match sections and .itely file names with those from
1939 English docs, which possibly involves moving nodes contents in block
1940 between files, without updating contents itself. In other words, the
1941 game is catching where has gone each section. In Learning manual, and
1942 in Notation Reference sections which have been revised in GDP, there may
1943 be completely new sections: in this case, copy @code{@@node} and
1944 @code{@@section}-command from English docs, and add the marker for
1945 untranslated status @code{@@untranslated} on a single line. Note that
1946 it is not possible to exactly match subsections or subsubsections of
1947 documentation in English, when contents has been deeply revised; in this
1948 case, keep obsolete (sub)subsections in the translation, marking them
1949 with a line @code{@@c obsolete} just before the node.
1951 Emacs with Texinfo mode makes this step easier:
1954 @item without Emacs AucTeX installed, @key{C-c C-s} shows structure of current
1955 Texinfo file in a new buffer @code{*Occur*}; to show structure of two files
1956 simultaneously, first split Emacs window in 4 tiles (with @key{C-x 1}
1957 and @key{C-x 2}), press @key{C-c C-s} to show structure of one file
1958 (e.g. the translated file), copy @code{*Occur*} contents into
1959 @code{*Scratch*}, then press @key{C-c C-s} for the other file.
1961 If you happen to have installed AucTeX, you can either call the macro
1962 by doing @key{M-x texinfo-show-structure} or create a key binding in your
1963 @file{~/.emacs}, by adding the four following lines:
1966 (add-hook 'Texinfo-mode-hook
1968 (define-key Texinfo-mode-map "\C-cs"
1969 'texinfo-show-structure)))
1973 and then obtain the structure in the @code{*Occur*} buffer with @key{C-c
1976 @item Do not bother updating @code{@@menu}s when all menu entries are in the same
1977 file, just do @key{C-c C-u C-a} (@qq{update all menus}) when you have
1978 updated all the rest of the file.
1980 @item Moving to next or previous node using incremental search: press
1981 @key{C-s} and type @code{node} (or @key{C-s @@node} if the text
1982 contains the word @q{node}) then press @key{C-s} to move to next node
1983 or @key{C-r} to move to previous node. Similar operation can be used
1984 to move to the next/previous section. Note that every cursor move
1985 exits incremental search, and hitting @key{C-s} twice starts
1986 incremental search with the text entered in previous incremental
1989 @item Moving a whole node (or even a sequence of nodes): jump to beginning
1990 of the node (quit incremental search by pressing an arrow), press
1991 @key{C-SPACE}, press @key{C-s node} and repeat @key{C-s} until you
1992 have selected enough text, cut it with @key{C-w} or @key{C-x}, jump to
1993 the right place (moving between nodes with the previous hint is often
1994 useful) and paste with @key{C-y} or @key{C-v}.
1997 @item Update sections finished in the English documentation; check
1999 @uref{http://lilypondwiki.tuxfamily.org/index.php?title=Documentation_coordination}.
2001 @item Update documentation PO. It is recommended not to update
2002 strings which come from documentation that is currently deeply revised
2003 in English, to avoid doing the work more than once.
2005 @item Fix broken cross-references by running (from @file{Documentation/})
2008 make ISOLANG=@var{YOUR-LANGUAGE} fix-xrefs
2012 This step requires a sucessful documentation build (with @command{make
2013 doc}). Some cross-references are broken because they point to a node
2014 that exists in the documentation in English, which has not been added
2015 to the translation; in this case, do not fix the cross-reference but
2016 keep it "broken", so that the resulting HTML link will point to an
2017 existing page of documentation in English.
2020 @subsubheading Rationale
2022 You may wonder if it would not be better to leave translations as-is
2023 until you can really start updating translations. There are several
2024 reasons to do these maintenance tasks right now.
2027 @item This will have to be done sooner or later anyway, before updating
2028 translation of documentation contents, and this can already be done
2029 without needing to be redone later, as sections of documentation in
2030 English are mostly revised once. However, note that not all
2031 documentation sectioning has been revised in one go, so all this
2032 maintenance plan has to be repeated whenever a big reorganization is
2035 @item This just makes translated documentation take advantage of the new
2036 organization, which is better than the old one.
2038 @item Moving and renaming sections to match sectioning of documentation in
2039 English simplify future updating work: it allows updating the
2040 translation by side-by-side comparison, without bothering whether
2041 cross-reference names already exist in the translation.
2043 @item Each maintenance task except @q{Updating PO files} can be done by
2044 the same person for all languages, which saves overall time spent by
2045 translators to achieve this task: the node names and section titles
2046 are in English, so you can do. It is important to take advantage of
2047 this now, as it will be more complicated (but still possible) to do
2048 step 3 in all languages when documentation is compiled with
2049 @command{texi2html} and node names are directly translated in source
2054 @node Managing documentation translation with Git
2055 @unnumberedsubsubsec Managing documentation translation with Git
2057 This policy explains how to manage Git branches and commit
2058 translations to Git.
2061 @item Translation changes matching master branch are preferably made on
2062 @code{lilypond/translation} branch; they may be pushed directly to
2063 @code{master} only if they do not break compilation of LilyPond and
2064 its documentation, and in this case they should be pushed to
2065 @code{lilypond/translation} too. Similarly, changes matching
2066 @code{stable/X.Y} are preferably made on
2067 @code{lilypond/X.Ytranslation}.
2069 @item @code{lilypond/translation} Git branch may be merged into
2070 master only if LilyPond (@command{make all}) and documentation
2071 (@command{make doc}) compile succesfully.
2073 @item @code{master} Git branch may be merged into
2074 @code{lilypond/translation} whenever @command{make} and @command{make
2075 doc} are succesful (in order to ease documentation compilation by
2076 translators), or when significant changes had been made in
2077 documentation in English in master branch.
2079 @item General maintenance may be done by anybody who knows what he does
2080 in documentation in all languages, without informing translators
2081 first. General maintenance include simple text substitutions
2082 (e.g. automated by sed), compilation fixes, updating Texinfo or
2083 lilypond-book commands, updating macros, updating ly code, fixing
2084 cross-references, and operations described in @ref{Maintaining
2085 without updating translations}.
2089 @node Technical background
2090 @subsection Technical background
2092 A number of Python scripts handle a part of the documentation
2093 translation process. All scripts used to maintain the translations
2094 are located in @file{scripts/auxiliar/}.
2097 @item @file{check_translation.py} -- show diff to update a translation,
2098 @item @file{texi-langutils.py} -- quickly and dirtily parse Texinfo files to
2099 make message catalogs and Texinfo skeleton files,
2100 @item @file{texi-skeleton-update.py} -- update Texinfo skeleton files,
2101 @item @file{update-snippets.py} -- synchronize ly snippets with those
2103 @item @file{translations-status.py} -- update translations status pages and word
2104 counts in the file you are reading,
2105 @item @file{tely-gettext.py} -- gettext node names, section titles and references
2106 in the sources; WARNING only use this script once for each file, when support for
2107 "makeinfo --html" has been dropped.
2110 Other scripts are used in the build process, in @file{scripts/build/}:
2113 @item @file{mass-link.py} -- link or symlink files between English documentation
2114 and documentation in other languages.
2117 Python modules used by scripts in @file{scripts/auxiliar/} or @file{scripts/build/} (but
2118 not by installed Python scripts) are located in @file{python/auxiliar/}:
2120 @item @file{manuals_definitions.py} -- define manual names and name of
2121 cross-reference Texinfo macros,
2122 @item @file{buildlib.py} -- common functions (read piped output
2123 of a shell command, use Git),
2124 @item @file{postprocess_html.py} (module imported by @file{www_post.py}) -- add footer and
2125 tweak links in HTML pages.
2130 @item @file{python/langdefs.py} -- language definitions module