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 * Updating docs with convert-ly::
22 * Docstrings in scheme::
23 * Translating the documentation::
27 @node Introduction to documentation work
28 @section Introduction to documentation work
30 Our documentation tries to adhere to our @ref{Documentation
31 policy}. This policy contains a few items which may seem odd.
32 One policy in particular is often questioned by potential
33 contributors: we do not repeat material in the Notation Reference,
34 and instead provide links to the @qq{definitive} presentation of
35 that information. Some people point out, with good reason, that
36 this makes the documentation harder to read. If we repeated
37 certain information in relevant places, readers would be less
38 likely to miss that information.
40 That reasoning is sound, but we have two counter-arguments.
41 First, the Notation Reference -- one of @emph{five} manuals for
42 users to read -- is already over 500 pages long. If we repeated
43 material, we could easily exceed 1000 pages! Second, and much
44 more importantly, LilyPond is an evolving project. New features
45 are added, bugs are fixed, and bugs are discovered and documented.
46 If features are discussed in multiple places, the documentation
47 team must find every instance. Since the manual is so large, it
48 is impossible for one person to have the location of every piece
49 of information memorized, so any attempt to update the
50 documentation will invariably omit a few places. This second
51 concern is not at all theoretical; the documentation used to be
52 plagued with inconsistent information.
54 If the documentation were targeted for a specific version -- say,
55 LilyPond 2.10.5 -- and we had unlimited resources to spend on
56 documentation, then we could avoid this second problem. But since
57 LilyPond evolves (and that is a very good thing!), and since we
58 have quite limited resources, this policy remains in place.
60 A few other policies (such as not permitting the use of tweaks in
61 the main portion of NR 1+2) may also seem counter-intuitive, but
62 they also stem from attempting to find the most effective use of
63 limited documentation help.
66 @node Documentation suggestions
67 @section Documentation suggestions
69 @subheading Small additions
71 For additions to the documentation,
76 Tell us where the addition should be placed. Please include both
77 the section number and title (i.e. "LM 2.13 Printing lyrics").
80 Please write exact changes to the text.
83 A formal patch to the source code is @emph{not} required; we can
84 take care of the technical details. Here is an example of a
85 perfect documentation report:
88 To: lilypond-devel@gnu.org
89 From: helpful-user@example.net
92 In LM 2.13 (printing lyrics), above the last line ("More options,
93 like..."), please add:
96 To add lyrics to a divided part, use blah blah blah. For example,
99 \notes {blah <<blah>> }
100 \lyrics {blah <<blah>> }
105 In addition, the second sentence of the first paragraph is
106 confusing. Please delete that sentence (it begins "Users
107 often...") and replace it with this:
109 To align lyrics with something, do this thing.
119 @subheading Larger contributions
121 To replace large sections of the documentation, the guidelines are
122 stricter. We cannot remove parts of the current documentation
123 unless we are certain that the new version is an improvement.
128 Ask on the lilypond-devel maillist if such a rewrite is necessary;
129 somebody else might already be working on this issue!
132 Split your work into small sections; this makes it much easier to
133 compare the new and old documentation.
136 Please prepare a formal git patch.
140 Once you have followed these guidelines, please send a message to
141 lilypond-devel with your documentation submissions. Unfortunately
142 there is a strict “no top-posting” check on the mailist; to avoid
145 > I'm not top posting.
147 (you must include the > ) to the top of your documentation
150 We may edit your suggestion for spelling, grammar, or style, and
151 we may not place the material exactly where you suggested, but if
152 you give us some material to work with, we can improve the manual
153 much faster. Thanks for your interest!
156 @node Texinfo introduction and usage policy
157 @section Texinfo introduction and usage policy
160 * Texinfo introduction::
161 * Documentation files::
162 * Sectioning commands::
163 * LilyPond formatting::
166 * Other text concerns::
170 @node Texinfo introduction
171 @subsection Texinfo introduction
173 The language is called Texinfo; you can see its manual here:
175 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/}
177 However, you don't need to read those docs. The most important
178 thing to notice is that text is text. If you see a mistake in the
179 text, you can fix it. If you want to change the order of
180 something, you can cut-and-paste that stuff into a new location.
182 @warning{Rule of thumb: follow the examples in the existing docs.
183 You can learn most of what you need to know from this; if you want
184 to do anything fancy, discuss it on @code{lilypond-devel} first.}
187 @node Documentation files
188 @subsection Documentation files
190 All manuals live in @file{Documentation/}.
192 In particular, there are four user manuals, their respective master
193 source files are @file{learning.tely} (LM, Learning Manual),
194 @file{notation.tely} (NR, Notation Reference),
195 @file{music-glossary.tely} (MG, Music Glossary), and
196 @file{lilypond-program} (AU). Each chapter is written in a separate
197 file, ending in @file{.itely} for files containing lilypond code, and
198 @file{.itexi} for files without lilypond code, located in a subdirectory
199 associated to the manual (@file{learning/} for @file{learning.tely}, and
200 so on); list the subdirectory of each manual to determine the filename
201 of the specific chapter you wish to modify.
203 Developer manuals live in @file{Documentation/} too. Currently there is
204 only one: the Contributor's Guide @file{contrib-guide.texi} you are
207 Snippet files are part of documentation, and the Snippet List (SL) lives
208 in @file{Documentation/} just like the manuals. For information about
209 how to modify the snippet files and SL, see @ref{LSR work}.
212 @node Sectioning commands
213 @subsection Sectioning commands
215 Most of the manual operates at the
223 level. Sections are created with
232 Please leave two blank lines above a @@node; this makes it
233 easier to find sections in texinfo.
236 Sectioning commands (@@node and @@section) must not appear
237 inside an @@ignore. Separate those commands with a space, ie @@n
242 Nodes must be included inside a
252 construct. These are easily constructed with the emacs
253 @code{M-x texinfo-all-menus-update} construct, or by this
258 emacs $1 -batch -f texinfo-all-menus-update -f save-buffer
262 (save the above as something like @command{texinfo-menus.sh}, make
263 it executable, then run @command{texinfo-menus.sh foo.itely})
266 @node LilyPond formatting
267 @subsection LilyPond formatting
272 Use two spaces for indentation in lilypond examples. (no
276 All text strings should be prefaced with #. LilyPond does
277 not strictly require this, but it is helpful to get users
278 accustomed to this scheme construct. ie @code{\set
279 Staff.instrumentName = #"cello"}
282 All engravers should have double-quotes around them:
285 \consists "Spans_arpeggio_engraver"
288 Again, LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is a useful
292 Examples should end with a complete bar if possible.
295 If possible, only write one bar per line. The notes on each
296 line should be an independent line -- tweaks should occur on their
297 own line if possible. Bad:
300 \override textscript #'padding = #3 c1^"hi"
306 \override textscript #'padding = #3
311 Most LilyPond input should be produced with:
314 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=2]
321 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
324 If you want to use \layout@{@} or define variables, use
327 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote]
330 In rare cases, other options may be used (or omitted), but ask first.
333 Inspirational headwords are produced with
336 @@lilypondfile[quote,ragged-right,line-width=16\cm,staffsize=16]
337 @{pitches-headword.ly@}
341 LSR snippets are linked with
344 @@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,ragged-right,texidoc,doctitle]
349 excepted in Templates, where `doctitle' may be omitted.
352 Avoid long stretches of input code. Noone is going to read
353 them in print. Please create a smaller example. (the smaller
354 example does not need to be minimal, however)
357 Specify durations for at least the first note of every bar.
360 If possible, end with a complete bar.
363 Comments should go on their own line, and be placed before
364 the line(s) to which they refer.
367 Add extra spaces around @{ @} marks; ie
370 not: \chordmode @{c e g@}
371 but instead: \chordmode @{ c e g @}
375 If you only have one bar per line, omit bar checks. If you
376 put more than one bar per line (not recommended), then include bar
380 If you want to work on an example outside of the manual (for
381 easier/faster processing), use this header:
386 line-width = 160\mm - 2.0 * 0.4\in
388 force-assignment = #""
389 line-width = #(- line-width (* mm 3.000000))
396 You may not change any of these values. If you are making an
397 example demonstrating special \paper@{@} values, contact the
398 Documentation Editor.
403 @node Text formatting
404 @subsection Text formatting
409 Lines should be less than 72 characters long. (I personally
410 recommend writing with 66-char lines, but don't bother modifying
417 Do not use spaces at the beginning of a line (except in
418 @@example or @@verbatim environments), and do not use more than a
419 single space between words. `makeinfo' copies the input lines
420 verbatim without removing those spaces.
423 Use two spaces after a period.
426 In examples of syntax, use @@var@{musicexpr@} for a music
430 Don't use @@rinternals@{@} in the main text. If you're
431 tempted to do so, you're probably getting too close to "talking
432 through the code". If you really want to refer to a context, use
433 @@code@{@} in the main text and @@rinternals@{@} in the @@seealso.
436 Variables or numbers which consist of a single character
437 (probably followed by a punctuation mark) should be tied properly,
438 either to the previous or the next word. Example:
441 The variable@@tie@{@}@@var@{a@} ...
445 To get consistent indentation in the DVI output it is better
446 to avoid the @@verbatim environment. Use the @@example
447 environment instead if possible, but without extraneous
448 indentation. For example, this
459 should be replaced with
470 where `@@example' starts the line (without leading spaces).
473 Do not compress the input vertically; this is, do not use
476 Beginning of logical unit
480 continuation of logical unit
487 Beginning of logical unit
494 continuation of logical unit
497 This makes it easier to avoid forgetting the `@@noindent'. Only
498 use @@noindent if the material is discussing the same material;
499 new material should simply begin without anything special on the
503 in @@itemize use @@item
504 on a separate line like this:
515 Do not use @@itemize @@bullet.
518 To get LilyPond version, use @@version@{@} (this does not work
519 inside LilyPond snippets). If you write "@@version@{@}" (enclosed
520 with quotes), or generally if @@version@{@} is not followed by a
521 space, there will be an ugly line break in PDF output unless you
529 @@w@{"@@version@{@}"@}
536 @subsection Syntax survey
540 @@bs - Generates a backslash inside @@warning.
541 Any `\' used inside @@warning (and @@q or @@qq) must be written as `@@bs@{@}'
542 (texinfo would also allow \\, but this breaks with PDF output).
545 @@c - single line comments
546 "@@c NOTE:" is a comment which should remain in the final
547 version. (gp only command ;)
550 @@cindex - General index. Please add as many as you can. Don't
551 capitalize the first word.
554 @@code@{@} - typeset in a tt-font. Use for actual lilypond code or
555 property/context names. If the name contains a space, wrap
556 the entire thing inside @@w@{@@code@{ @}@}.
559 @@example ... @@end example - example text that should be set as a
560 blockquote. Any @{@} must be escaped with @@@{ @}@@
563 @@funindex - is for a \lilycommand.
566 @@ignore ... @@end ignore - multi-line comment
571 B ... @@end itemize - for bulleted lists.
572 Do not compress vertically like this.
575 @@notation@{@} - refers to pieces of notation, e.g.
576 "@@notation@{cres.@}". Also use to specific lyrics ("the
577 @@notation@{A - men@} is centered"). Only use once per subsection
581 @@q@{@} - Single quotes. Used for `vague' terms.
584 @@qq@{@} - Double quotes. Used for actual quotes ("he said") or for
585 introducing special input modes.
588 @@rchanges@{@} - link to Changes.
591 @@rcontrib@{@} - link to Contributor's Guide.
594 @@ref@{@} - link within current manual (type the exact node name inside the
598 @@ressay@{@} - link to Engraving Essay.
601 @@rextend@{@} - link to Extending LilyPond.
604 @@rglos@{@} - link to the Music Glossary.
607 @@rinternals@{@} - link to the Internals Reference.
610 @@rlearning@{@} - link to Learning Manual.
613 @@rlsr@{@} - link to a Snippet section.
616 @@rprogram@{@} - link to Application Usage.
619 @@ruser@{@} - link to Notation Reference.
622 @@rweb@{@} - link to General Informaion.
625 @@tie@{@} - Variables or numbers which consist of a single character
626 (probably followed by a punctuation mark) should be tied
627 properly, either to the previous or the next word. Example:
628 "The letter@@tie@{@}@@q@{I@} is skipped"
631 @@uref@{@} - link to an external url.
634 @@var - Use for variables.
637 @@warning@{@} - produces a "Note: " box. Use for important messages.
643 @node Other text concerns
644 @subsection Other text concerns
649 References must occur at the end of a sentence, for more
650 information see @@ref@{the texinfo manual@}. Ideally this should
651 also be the final sentence of a paragraph, but this is not
652 required. Any link in a doc section must be duplicated in the
653 @@seealso section at the bottom.
656 Introducing examples must be done with
659 . (ie finish the previous sentence/paragaph)
660 : (ie `in this example:')
661 , (ie `may add foo with the blah construct,')
664 The old @qq{sentence runs directly into the example} method is not
668 Abbrevs in caps, e.g., HTML, DVI, MIDI, etc.
679 When beginning a quote: "So, he said,...".
681 This usage is rarer. Americans often just use a comma.
684 When adding a defining example at the end of a sentence.
689 Non-ASCII characters which are in utf-8 should be directly used;
690 this is, don't say `Ba@@ss@{@}tuba' but `Baßtuba'. This ensures
691 that all such characters appear in all output formats.
698 @node Documentation policy
699 @section Documentation policy
703 * Section organization::
704 * Checking cross-references::
706 * Technical writing style::
712 There are four parts to the documentation: the Learning Manual,
713 the Notation Reference, the Program Reference, and the Music
721 The LM is written in a tutorial style which introduces the most
722 important concepts, structure and syntax of the elements of a
723 LilyPond score in a carefully graded sequence of steps.
724 Explanations of all musical concepts used in the Manual can be
725 found in the Music Glossary, and readers are assumed to have no
726 prior knowledge of LilyPond. The objective is to take readers to
727 a level where the Notation Reference can be understood and
728 employed to both adapt the templates in the Appendix to their
729 needs and to begin to construct their own scores. Commonly used
730 tweaks are introduced and explained. Examples are provided
731 throughout which, while being focussed on the topic being
732 introduced, are long enough to seem real in order to retain the
733 readers' interest. Each example builds on the previous material,
734 and comments are used liberally. Every new aspect is thoroughly
735 explained before it is used.
737 Users are encouraged to read the complete Learning Manual from
742 Notation Reference: a (hopefully complete) description of LilyPond
743 input notation. Some material from here may be duplicated in the
744 Learning Manual (for teaching), but consider the NR to be the
745 "definitive" description of each notation element, with the LM
746 being an "extra". The goal is _not_ to provide a step-by-step
747 learning environment -- do not avoid using notation that has not
748 be introduced previously in the NR (for example, use \break if
749 appropriate). This section is written in formal technical writing
752 Avoid duplication. Although users are not expected to read this
753 manual from start to finish, they should be familiar with the
754 material in the Learning Manual (particularly ``Fundamental
755 Concepts''), so do not repeat that material in each section of
756 this book. Also watch out for common constructs, like ^ - _ for
757 directions -- those are explained in NR 3. In NR 1, you can
758 write: DYNAMICS may be manually placed above or below the staff,
759 see @@ref@{Controlling direction and placement@}.
761 Most tweaks should be added to LSR and not placed directly in the
762 .itely file. In some cases, tweaks may be placed in the main
763 text, but ask about this first.
765 Finally, you should assume that users know what the notation
766 means; explaining musical concepts happens in the Music Glossary.
770 Application Usage: information about using the program lilypond
771 with other programs (lilypond-book, operating systems, GUIs,
772 convert-ly, etc). This section is written in formal technical
775 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
779 Music Glossary: information about the music notation itself.
780 Explanations and translations about notation terms go here.
782 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
785 Internals Reference: not really a documentation book, since it is
786 automagically generated from the source, but this is its name.
791 @node Section organization
792 @subsection Section organization
797 The order of headings inside documentation sections should
810 You @emph{must} include a @@seealso.
814 The order of items inside the @@seealso section is
823 @@rlearning@{foozle@}.
836 @@file@{path/to/dir/blahz@}.
838 Snippets: @@rlsr@{section@}.
841 @@rinternals@{fazzle@},
842 @@rinternals@{booar@}.
846 If there are multiple entries, separate them by commas but do not
850 Always end with a period.
853 Place each link on a new line as above; this makes it much easier
854 to add or remove links. In the output, they appear on a single
857 ("Snippets" is REQUIRED; the others are optional)
860 Any new concepts or links which require an explanation should go
861 as a full sentence(s) in the main text.
864 Don't insert an empty line between @@seealso and the first entry!
865 Otherwise there is excessive vertical space in the PDF output.
870 To create links, use @@ref@{@} if the link is within the same
874 @@predefined ... @@endpredefined is for commands in ly/*-init.ly
878 Do not include any real info in second-level sections (ie 1.1
879 Pitches). A first-level section may have introductory material,
880 but other than that all material goes into third-level sections
881 (ie 1.1.1 Writing Pitches).
886 @node Checking cross-references
887 @subsection Checking cross-references
889 Cross-references between different manuals are heavily used in the
890 documentation, but they are not checked during compilation.
891 However, if you compile the documentation, a script called
892 check_texi_refs can help you with checking and fixing these
893 cross-references; for information on usage, cd into a source tree
894 where documentation has been built, cd into Documentation and run:
901 Note that you have to find yourself the source files to fix
902 cross-references in the generated documentation such as the
903 Internals Reference; e.g. you can grep scm/ and lily/.
906 @node General writing
907 @subsection General writing
912 Do not forget to create @@cindex entries for new sections of text.
913 Enter commands with @@funindex, i.e.
916 @@cindex pitches, writing in different octaves
921 do not bother with the @@code@{@} (they are added automatically).
922 These items are added to both the command index and the unified
925 Both index commands should go in front of the actual material.
927 @@cindex entries should not be capitalized, ie
930 @@cindex time signature
934 is preferred instead of @qq{Time signature}, Only use capital
935 letters for musical terms which demand them, like D.S. al Fine.
937 For scheme functions, only include the final part, i.e.,
940 @@funindex modern-voice-cautionary
942 @@funindex #(set-accidental-style modern-voice-cautionary)
951 In general, use the American spellings. The internal lilypond
952 property names use this spelling.
955 List of specific terms:
959 simultaneous NOT concurrent
960 measure: the unit of music
961 bar line: the symbol delimiting a measure NOT barline
962 note head NOT notehead
963 chord construct NOT chord (when referring to <>)
971 @node Technical writing style
972 @subsection Technical writing style
974 These refer to the NR. The LM uses a more gentle, colloquial
980 Do not refer to LilyPond in the text. The reader knows what the
981 manual is about. If you do, capitalization is LilyPond.
984 If you explicitly refer to @q{lilypond} the program (or any other
985 command to be executed), write @code{@@command@{lilypond@}}.
988 Do not explicitly refer to the reader/user. There is no one else
989 besides the reader and the writer.
992 Avoid contractions (don't, won't, etc.). Spell the words out completely.
995 Avoid abbreviations, except for commonly used abbreviations of foreign
996 language terms such as etc. and i.e.
999 Avoid fluff (@qq{Notice that,} @qq{as you can see,}
1003 The use of the word @q{illegal} is inappropriate in most cases.
1004 Say @q{invalid} instead.
1009 @node Tips for writing docs
1010 @section Tips for writing docs
1012 In the NR, I highly recommend focusing on one subsection at a
1013 time. For each subsection,
1018 check the mundane formatting. Are the headings (@@predefined,
1019 @@seealso, etc.) in the right order?
1022 add any appropriate index entries.
1025 check the links in the @@seealso section -- links to music
1026 glossary, internal references, and other NR sections are the main
1027 concern. Check for potential additions.
1030 move LSR-worthy material into LSR. Add the snippet, delete the
1031 material from the .itely file, and add a @@lilypondfile command.
1034 check the examples and descriptions. Do they still work?
1035 @strong{Do not} assume that the existing text is
1036 accurate/complete; some of the manual is highly out of date.
1039 is the material in the @@knownissues still accurate?
1042 can the examples be improved (made more explanatory), or is there
1043 any missing info? (feel free to ask specific questions on -user;
1044 a couple of people claimed to be interesting in being
1045 @qq{consultants} who would help with such questions)
1049 In general, I favor short text explanations with good examples --
1050 @qq{an example is worth a thousand words}. When I worked on the
1051 docs, I spent about half my time just working on those tiny
1052 lilypond examples. Making easily-understandable examples is much
1053 harder than it looks.
1056 @subsubheading Tweaks
1058 In general, any \set or \override commands should go in the
1059 @qq{select snippets} section, which means that they should go in
1060 LSR and not the .itely file. For some cases, the command
1061 obviously belongs in the @qq{main text} (i.e. not inside
1062 @@predefined or @@seealso or whatever) -- instrument names are a
1063 good example of this.
1066 \set Staff.instrumentName = #"foo"
1069 On the other side of this,
1072 \override Score.Hairpin #'after-line-breaking = ##t
1075 clearly belongs in LSR.
1077 I'm quite willing to discuss specific cases if you think that a
1078 tweaks needs to be in the main text. But items that can go into
1079 LSR are easier to maintain, so I'd like to move as much as
1080 possible into there.
1083 It would be @qq{nice} if you spent a lot of time crafting nice
1084 tweaks for users@dots{} but my recommendation is @strong{not} to do
1085 this. There's a lot of doc work to do without adding examples of
1086 tweaks. Tweak examples can easily be added by normal users by adding
1089 One place where a documentation writer can profitably spend time writing
1090 or upgrading tweaks is creating tweaks to deal with known issues. It
1091 would be ideal if every significant known issue had a workaround to avoid
1095 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1098 @node Updating docs with convert-ly
1099 @section Updating doc with @command{convert-ly}
1101 cd into @file{Documentation/} and run
1104 find . -name '*.itely' | xargs convert-ly -e
1108 This also updates translated documentation.
1112 @node Docstrings in scheme
1113 @section Docstrings in scheme
1115 Material in the Internals reference is generated automatically
1116 from our source code. Any doc work on Internals therefore
1117 requires modifying files in @file{scm/*.scm}. Texinfo is allowed
1118 in these docstrings.
1120 Most documentation writers never touch these, though. If you want
1121 to work on them, please ask for help.
1124 @node Translating the documentation
1125 @section Translating the documentation
1127 The mailing list @code{translations@@lilynet.net} is dedicated to
1128 LilyPond web site and documentation translation; on this list, you will
1129 get support from the Translations Meister and experimented translators,
1130 and we regularly discuss translations issues common to all languagues.
1131 All people interested in LilyPond translations are invited to subscribe
1132 to this list regardless of the amount of their contribution, by sending
1133 an email to @code{translations-request@@lilynet.net} with subject
1134 @code{subscribe} and an empty message body.
1137 * Getting started with documentation translation::
1138 * Documentation translation details::
1139 * Documentation translation maintenance::
1140 * Translations management policies::
1141 * Technical background::
1144 @node Getting started with documentation translation
1145 @subsection Getting started with documentation translation
1147 First, get the sources from the Git repository, see @ref{Documentation
1148 translations source code}.
1151 * Translation requirements::
1152 * Which documentation can be translated::
1153 * Starting translation in a new language::
1156 @node Translation requirements
1157 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translation requirements
1159 Working on LilyPond documentation translations requires the following
1160 pieces of software, in order to make use of dedicated helper tools:
1163 @item Python 2.4 or higher,
1169 It is not required to build LilyPond and the documentation to
1170 translate the documentation. However, if you have enough time and
1171 motivation and a suitable system, it can be very useful to build at
1172 least the documentation so that you can check the output yourself and
1173 more quickly; if you are interested, see @ref{Compiling from source}.
1176 @node Which documentation can be translated
1177 @unnumberedsubsubsec Which documentation can be translated
1179 FIXME: take into account the new web site integration in main sources.
1181 The makefiles and scripts infrastructure currently supports translation
1182 of the following documentation:
1185 @item documentation index (HTML);
1186 @item the Learning Manual, the Notation Reference and Application Usage
1187 -- Texinfo source, PDF and HTML output; Info output might be added if
1188 there is enough demand for it;
1189 @item the Changes document.
1192 Support for translating the following pieces of documentation should be
1193 added soon, by decreasing order of priority:
1196 @item automatically generated documentation: markup commands,
1197 predefined music functions;
1198 @item the Snippets List;
1199 @item the Internals Reference.
1203 @node Starting translation in a new language
1204 @unnumberedsubsubsec Starting translation in a new language
1206 At top of the source directory, do
1213 or (if you want to install your self-compiled LilyPond locally)
1216 ./autogen.sh --prefix=$HOME
1220 If you want to compile LilyPond -- which is almost required to build
1221 the documentation, but is not required to do translation only -- fix
1222 all dependencies and rerun @command{./configure} (with the same
1223 options as for @command{autogen.sh}).
1225 Then @command{cd} into @file{Documentation/} and run
1228 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} new-lang
1232 where @var{MY-LANGUAGE} is the ISO 639 language code.
1234 Finally, add a language definition for your language in
1235 @file{python/langdefs.py}.
1237 Before starting the real translation work, it is recommended to commit
1238 changes you made so far to Git, so e.g. you are able to get back to
1239 this state of the sources easily if needed; see @ref{Sharing your
1243 @node Documentation translation details
1244 @subsection Documentation translation details
1246 Please follow all the instructions with care to ensure quality work.
1248 All files should be encoded in UTF-8.
1251 * Files to be translated::
1252 * Translating the Learning Manual and other Texinfo documentation::
1253 * Translating the Notation Reference and Application Usage::
1254 * Translating the Documentation index index.html.in::
1257 @node Files to be translated
1258 @unnumberedsubsubsec Files to be translated
1260 @include contributor/doc-translation-list.itexi
1262 @node Translating the Learning Manual and other Texinfo documentation
1263 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Learning Manual and other Texinfo documentation
1269 @b{Note:} node names and section titles are now translated directly in
1270 Texinfo source files. In case you have files in your working tree that
1271 have not been converted, please pull first, then run
1274 make -C Documentation/po doc
1275 export LYDOC_LOCALEDIR=Documentation/po/out-www
1276 export PYTHONPATH=python:python/auxiliar
1277 scripts/auxiliar/tely-gettext.py @var{manual.tely}
1281 This will also update files included in @file{@var{manual}.tely}, and of
1282 course this script can be used for individual @file{@var{foo}.itely}
1286 Every piece of text should be translated in the source file, except
1287 Texinfo comments, text in @code{@@lilypond} blocks and a few cases
1290 Node names are translated, but the original node name in English should
1291 be kept as the argument of @code{@@translationof} put after the section
1292 title; that is, every piece in the original file like
1296 @@@var{section_command} Bar baz
1300 should be translated as
1303 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1304 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1305 @@translationof Foo bar
1308 The argument of @code{@@rglos} commands and the first argument of
1309 @code{@@rglosnamed} commands must not be translated, as it is the node
1310 name of an entry in Music Glossary.
1312 Every time you translate a node name in a cross-reference, i.e. the
1313 argument of commands @code{@@ref, @@rprogram, @@rlearning, @@rlsr,
1314 @@ruser} or the first argument of their @code{@var{*}named} variants,
1315 you should make sure the target node is defined in the correct source
1316 file; if you do not intend to translate the target node right now, you
1317 should at least write the node definition (that is, the @code{@@node
1318 @@@var{section_commmand} @@translationof} trio mentioned above) in the
1319 expected source file and define all its parent nodes; for each node you
1320 have defined this way but have not translated, insert a line that
1321 contains @code{@@untranslated} and append @code{ @@c external} to the
1322 line that contains @code{@@translationof}. That is, you should end up
1323 for each untranslated node with something like
1326 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1327 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1328 @@translationof Foo bar @@c external
1334 Finally, press in Emacs @key{C-c C-u C-a} to update or generate
1335 menus. This process should be made easier in the future, when the helper
1336 script @command{texi-langutils.py} and the makefile target are updated.
1338 Some pieces of text manipulated by build scripts that appear in the
1339 output are translated in a @file{.po} file -- just like LilyPond output
1340 messages -- in @file{Documentation/po}. The Gettext domain is named
1341 @code{lilypond-doc}, and unlike @code{lilypond} domain it is not managed
1342 through the Free Translation Project.
1345 Take care of using typographic rules for your language, especially in
1346 @file{macros.itexi}.
1349 Please keep verbatim copies of music snippets (in @code{@@lilypond}
1350 blocs). However, some music snippets containing text that shows in
1351 the rendered music, and sometimes translating this text really helps
1352 the user to understand the documentation; in this case, and only in
1353 this case, you may as an exception translate text in the music
1354 snippet, and then you must add a line immediately before the
1355 @code{@@lilypond} block, starting with
1362 Otherwise the music snippet would be reset to the same content as the
1363 English version at next @command{make snippet-update} run -- see
1364 @ref{Updating documentation translation}.
1369 @@lilypondfile[<number of fragment options>,texidoc]@{@var{filename.ly}@}
1373 in the source, open @file{Documentation/snippets/@var{filename}.ly},
1374 translate the @code{texidoc} header field it contains, enclose it with
1375 @code{texidoc@var{MY-LANGUAGE} = "} and @code{"}, and write it into
1376 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@var{filename}.texidoc}.
1377 Additionnally, you may translate the snippet's title in @code{doctitle}
1378 header field, in case @code{doctitle} is a fragment option used in
1379 @code{@@lilypondfile}; you can do this exactly the same way as
1380 @code{texidoc}. For instance,
1381 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@var{filename}.texidoc}
1385 doctitlees = "Spanish title baz"
1387 Spanish translation blah
1392 Then, you should get these translated strings into compiled snippets in
1393 @file{Documentation/snippets}, see @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding
1394 and editing snippets}.
1396 @code{@@example} blocs need not be verbatim copies, e.g. variable
1397 names, file names and comments should be translated.
1399 Finally, please carefully apply every rule exposed in @ref{Texinfo
1400 introduction and usage policy}, and @ref{Documentation policy}. If one
1401 of these rules conflicts with a rule specific to your language, please
1402 ask the Translation meister on @email{translations@@lilynet.net} list
1403 and/or the Documentation Editors on @email{lilypond-devel@@gnu.org}
1407 @node Translating the Notation Reference and Application Usage
1408 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Notation Reference and Application Usage
1410 Copy @file{notation.tely} (or @file{application.tely},
1411 respectively) into @file{@var{MY-LANGUAGE}}, then translate this
1412 file and run @code{skeleton-update} -- see @ref{Updating documentation
1413 translation}. Your are now ready to translate the Notation Reference
1414 (Application Usage, respectively) exactly like the Learning Manual.
1417 @node Translating the Documentation index index.html.in
1418 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Documentation index @file{index.html.in}
1420 Unlike almost all HTML pages in this documentation, links in this page
1421 are not tweaked by @file{postprocess_html.py}, so links should be
1422 manually edited to link to existing translations.
1425 @node Documentation translation maintenance
1426 @subsection Documentation translation maintenance
1428 Several tools have been developed to make translations maintenance
1429 easier. These helper scripts make use of the power of Git, the
1430 version control system used for LilyPond development.
1433 * Check state of translation::
1434 * Updating documentation translation::
1437 @node Check state of translation
1438 @unnumberedsubsubsec Check state of translation
1440 First pull from Git, then cd into @file{Documentation/} (or at top of
1441 the source tree, replace @command{make} with @command{make -C
1442 Documentation}) and run
1445 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation
1449 This presents a diff of the original files since the most recent
1450 revision of the translation. To check a single file, cd into
1451 @file{Documentation/} and run
1454 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@var{manual}/@var{foo}.itely check-translation
1458 In case this file has been renamed since you last updated the
1459 translation, you should specify both old and new file names,
1460 e.g. @code{CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@{@var{manual},user@}/@var{foo}.itely}.
1462 To see only which files need to be updated, do
1465 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation | grep 'diff --git'
1468 To avoid printing terminal colors control characters, which is often
1469 desirable when you redirect output to a file, run
1472 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} NO_COLOR=1 check-translation
1475 Global state of the translation is recorded in
1476 @file{Documentation/translations.html.in}, which is used to generate
1477 Translations status page. To update that page, do from
1478 @file{Documentation/}
1481 make translation-status
1484 This will also leave @file{out/translations-status.txt}, which contains
1485 up-to-dateness percentages for each translated file, and update word
1486 counts of documentation files in this Guide.
1489 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1492 @node Updating documentation translation
1493 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating documentation translation
1495 Instead of running @code{check-translation}, you may want to run
1496 @code{update-translation}, which will run your favorite text editor to
1497 update files. First, make sure environment variable @code{EDITOR} is
1498 set to a text editor command, then run from @file{Documentation/}
1501 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} update-translation
1505 or to update a single file
1508 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE/@var{manual}/foo.itely} update-translation
1511 For each file to be udpated, @code{update-translation} will open your
1512 text editor with this file and a diff of the file in English; if the
1513 diff cannot be generated or is bigger than the file in English itself,
1514 the full file in English will be opened instead.
1516 Texinfo skeleton files, i.e. @file{.itely} files not yet translated,
1517 containing only the Texinfo structure can be updated automatically:
1518 whenever @command{make check-translation} shows that such files should
1519 be updated, run from @file{Documentation/}
1522 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} skeleton-update
1525 @file{.po} message catalogs in @file{Documentation/po/} may be updated
1526 by issuing from @file{Documentation/} or @file{Documentation/po/}
1532 @warning{if you run po-update and somebody else does the same and
1533 pushes before you push or send a patch to be applied, there will be a
1534 conflict when you pull. Therefore, it is better that only the
1535 Translation meister runs this command.}
1537 Updating music snippets can quickly become cumbersome, as most
1538 snippets should be identical in all languages. Fortunately, there is
1539 a script that can do this odd job for you (run from
1540 @file{Documentation/}):
1543 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} snippet-update
1546 This script overwrites music snippets in
1547 @file{@var{MY_LANGUAGE/foo/every.itely}} with music snippets from
1548 @file{@var{foo/every.itely}}. It ignores skeleton files, and keeps
1549 intact music snippets preceded with a line starting with @code{@@c
1550 KEEP LY}; it reports an error for each @file{.itely} that has not the
1551 same music snippet count in both languages. Always use this script
1552 with a lot of care, i.e. run it on a clean Git working tree, and check
1553 the changes it made with @command{git diff} before committing; if you
1554 don't do so, some @code{@@lilypond} snippets might be broken or make
1555 no sense in their context.
1557 When you have updated texidocs in
1558 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}, you can get these
1559 changes into compiled snippets in @file{Documentation/snippets}, see
1560 @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1562 Finally, a command runs the three update processes above for all
1563 enabled languages (from @file{Documentation/}):
1566 make all-translations-update
1569 Use this command with caution, and keep in mind it will not be really
1570 useful until translations are stabilized after the end of GDP and GOP.
1573 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations},
1574 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1577 @node Translations management policies
1578 @subsection Translations management policies
1580 These policies show the general intent of how the translations should
1581 be managed, they aim at helping translators, developers and
1582 coordinators work efficiently.
1585 * Maintaining without updating translations::
1586 * Managing documentation translation with Git::
1589 @node Maintaining without updating translations
1590 @unnumberedsubsubsec Maintaining without updating translations
1592 Keeping translations up to date under heavy changes in the documentation
1593 in English may be almost impossible, especially as during the former
1594 Grand Documentation Project (GDP) or the Grand Organization Project
1595 (GOP) when a lot of contributors brings changes. In addition,
1596 translators may be --- and that is a very good thing --- involved in
1599 it is possible --- and even recommended --- to perform some maintenance
1600 that keeps translated documentation usable and eases future translation
1601 updating. The rationale below the tasks list motivates this plan.
1603 The following tasks are listed in decreasing priority order.
1606 @item Update macros.itexi.
1607 For each obsolete macro definition, if it is possible to update macro
1608 usage in documentation with an automatic text or regexp substitution,
1609 do it and delete the macro definition from macros.itexi; otherwise,
1610 mark this macro definition as obsolete with a comment, and keep it in
1611 macros.itexi until the documentation translation has been updated and
1612 no longer uses this macro.
1614 @item Update @file{*.tely} files completely with
1615 @command{make check-translation} -- you may want to redirect ouptput
1616 to a file because of overwhelming output, or call check-translation.py
1617 on individual files, see @ref{Check state of translation}.
1619 @item In @file{.itelys}, match sections and .itely file names with those from
1620 English docs, which possibly involves moving nodes contents in block
1621 between files, without updating contents itself. In other words, the
1622 game is catching where has gone each section. In Learning manual, and
1623 in Notation Reference sections which have been revised in GDP, there may
1624 be completely new sections: in this case, copy @code{@@node} and
1625 @code{@@section}-command from English docs, and add the marker for
1626 untranslated status @code{@@untranslated} on a single line. Note that
1627 it is not possible to exactly match subsections or subsubsections of
1628 documentation in English, when contents has been deeply revised; in this
1629 case, keep obsolete (sub)subsections in the translation, marking them
1630 with a line @code{@@c obsolete} just before the node.
1632 Emacs with Texinfo mode makes this step easier:
1635 @item without Emacs AucTeX installed, @key{C-c C-s} shows structure of current
1636 Texinfo file in a new buffer @code{*Occur*}; to show structure of two files
1637 simultaneously, first split Emacs window in 4 tiles (with @key{C-x 1}
1638 and @key{C-x 2}), press @key{C-c C-s} to show structure of one file
1639 (e.g. the translated file), copy @code{*Occur*} contents into
1640 @code{*Scratch*}, then press @key{C-c C-s} for the other file.
1642 If you happen to have installed AucTeX, you can either call the macro
1643 by doing @key{M-x texinfo-show-structure} or create a key binding in your
1644 @file{~/.emacs}, by adding the four following lines:
1647 (add-hook 'Texinfo-mode-hook
1649 (define-key Texinfo-mode-map "\C-cs"
1650 'texinfo-show-structure)))
1654 and then obtain the structure in the @code{*Occur*} buffer with @key{C-c
1657 @item Do not bother updating @code{@@menu}s when all menu entries are in the same
1658 file, just do @key{C-c C-u C-a} (@qq{update all menus}) when you have
1659 updated all the rest of the file.
1661 @item Moving to next or previous node using incremental search: press
1662 @key{C-s} and type @code{node} (or @key{C-s @@node} if the text
1663 contains the word @q{node}) then press @key{C-s} to move to next node
1664 or @key{C-r} to move to previous node. Similar operation can be used
1665 to move to the next/previous section. Note that every cursor move
1666 exits incremental search, and hitting @key{C-s} twice starts
1667 incremental search with the text entered in previous incremental
1670 @item Moving a whole node (or even a sequence of nodes): jump to beginning
1671 of the node (quit incremental search by pressing an arrow), press
1672 @key{C-SPACE}, press @key{C-s node} and repeat @key{C-s} until you
1673 have selected enough text, cut it with @key{C-w} or @key{C-x}, jump to
1674 the right place (moving between nodes with the previous hint is often
1675 useful) and paste with @key{C-y} or @key{C-v}.
1678 @item Update sections finished in the English documentation; check
1680 @uref{http://lilypondwiki.tuxfamily.org/index.php?title=Documentation_coordination}.
1682 @item Update documentation PO. It is recommended not to update
1683 strings which come from documentation that is currently deeply revised
1684 in English, to avoid doing the work more than once.
1686 @item Fix broken cross-references by running (from @file{Documentation/})
1689 make ISOLANG=@var{YOUR-LANGUAGE} fix-xrefs
1693 This step requires a sucessful documentation build (with @command{make
1694 doc}). Some cross-references are broken because they point to a node
1695 that exists in the documentation in English, which has not been added
1696 to the translation; in this case, do not fix the cross-reference but
1697 keep it "broken", so that the resulting HTML link will point to an
1698 existing page of documentation in English.
1701 @subsubheading Rationale
1703 You may wonder if it would not be better to leave translations as-is
1704 until you can really start updating translations. There are several
1705 reasons to do these maintenance tasks right now.
1708 @item This will have to be done sooner or later anyway, before updating
1709 translation of documentation contents, and this can already be done
1710 without needing to be redone later, as sections of documentation in
1711 English are mostly revised once. However, note that not all
1712 documentation sectioning has been revised in one go, so all this
1713 maintenance plan has to be repeated whenever a big reorganization is
1716 @item This just makes translated documentation take advantage of the new
1717 organization, which is better than the old one.
1719 @item Moving and renaming sections to match sectioning of documentation in
1720 English simplify future updating work: it allows updating the
1721 translation by side-by-side comparison, without bothering whether
1722 cross-reference names already exist in the translation.
1724 @item Each maintenance task except @q{Updating PO files} can be done by
1725 the same person for all languages, which saves overall time spent by
1726 translators to achieve this task: the node names and section titles
1727 are in English, so you can do. It is important to take advantage of
1728 this now, as it will be more complicated (but still possible) to do
1729 step 3 in all languages when documentation is compiled with
1730 @command{texi2html} and node names are directly translated in source
1735 @node Managing documentation translation with Git
1736 @unnumberedsubsubsec Managing documentation translation with Git
1738 This policy explains how to manage Git branches and commit
1739 translations to Git.
1742 @item Translation changes matching master branch are preferably made on
1743 @code{lilypond/translation} branch; they may be pushed directly to
1744 @code{master} only if they do not break compilation of LilyPond and
1745 its documentation, and in this case they should be pushed to
1746 @code{lilypond/translation} too. Similarly, changes matching
1747 @code{stable/X.Y} are preferably made on
1748 @code{lilypond/X.Ytranslation}.
1750 @item @code{lilypond/translation} Git branch may be merged into
1751 master only if LilyPond (@command{make all}) and documentation
1752 (@command{make doc}) compile succesfully.
1754 @item @code{master} Git branch may be merged into
1755 @code{lilypond/translation} whenever @command{make} and @command{make
1756 doc} are succesful (in order to ease documentation compilation by
1757 translators), or when significant changes had been made in
1758 documentation in English in master branch.
1760 @item General maintenance may be done by anybody who knows what he does
1761 in documentation in all languages, without informing translators
1762 first. General maintenance include simple text substitutions
1763 (e.g. automated by sed), compilation fixes, updating Texinfo or
1764 lilypond-book commands, updating macros, updating ly code, fixing
1765 cross-references, and operations described in @ref{Maintaining
1766 without updating translations}.
1770 @node Technical background
1771 @subsection Technical background
1773 A number of Python scripts handle a part of the documentation
1774 translation process. All scripts used to maintain the translations
1775 are located in @file{scripts/auxiliar/}.
1778 @item @file{check_translation.py} -- show diff to update a translation,
1779 @item @file{texi-langutils.py} -- quickly and dirtily parse Texinfo files to
1780 make message catalogs and Texinfo skeleton files,
1781 @item @file{texi-skeleton-update.py} -- update Texinfo skeleton files,
1782 @item @file{update-snippets.py} -- synchronize ly snippets with those
1784 @item @file{translations-status.py} -- update translations status pages and word
1785 counts in the file you are reading,
1786 @item @file{tely-gettext.py} -- gettext node names, section titles and references
1787 in the sources; WARNING only use this script once for each file, when support for
1788 "makeinfo --html" has been dropped.
1791 Other scripts are used in the build process, in @file{scripts/build/}:
1794 @item @file{mass-link.py} -- link or symlink files between English documentation
1795 and documentation in other languages.
1798 Python modules used by scripts in @file{scripts/auxiliar/} or @file{scripts/build/} (but
1799 not by installed Python scripts) are located in @file{python/auxiliar/}:
1801 @item @file{manuals_definitions.py} -- define manual names and name of
1802 cross-reference Texinfo macros,
1803 @item @file{buildlib.py} -- common functions (read piped output
1804 of a shell command, use Git),
1805 @item @file{postprocess_html.py} (module imported by @file{www_post.py}) -- add footer and
1806 tweak links in HTML pages.
1811 @item @file{python/langdefs.py} -- language definitions module