version that you are working on. See TRANSLATION for details.
@end ignore
-@c \version "2.11.61"
+@c \version "2.12.0"
@node Tweaking output
@chapter Tweaking output
@menu
-* Tweaking basics::
-* The Internals Reference manual::
-* Appearance of objects::
-* Placement of objects::
-* Collisions of objects::
-* Further tweaking::
+* Tweaking basics::
+* The Internals Reference manual::
+* Appearance of objects::
+* Placement of objects::
+* Collisions of objects::
+* Further tweaking::
@end menu
@node Tweaking basics
@section Tweaking basics
@menu
-* Introduction to tweaks::
-* Objects and interfaces::
-* Naming conventions of objects and properties::
-* Tweaking methods::
+* Introduction to tweaks::
+* Objects and interfaces::
+* Naming conventions of objects and properties::
+* Tweaking methods::
@end menu
@node Introduction to tweaks
@q{Tweaking} is a LilyPond term for the various methods available
to the user for modifying the actions taken during interpretation
-of the input file and modifying the appearance of the printed
-output. Some tweaks are very easy to use; others are more
-complex. But taken together the methods available for tweaking
-permit almost any desired appearance of the printed music to be
+of the input file and modifying the appearance of the printed
+output. Some tweaks are very easy to use; others are more
+complex. But taken together the methods available for tweaking
+permit almost any desired appearance of the printed music to be
achieved.
In this section we cover the basic concepts required to understand
tweaking. Later we give a variety of ready-made commands which can
simply be copied to obtain the same effect in your own scores, and
-at the same time we show how these commands may be constructed so
+at the same time we show how these commands may be constructed so
that you may learn how to develop your own tweaks.
Before starting on this Chapter you may wish to review the section
Tweaking involves modifying the internal operation and structures
of the LilyPond program, so we must first introduce some terms
-which are used to describe those internal operations and
+which are used to describe those internal operations and
structures.
The term @q{Object} is a generic term used to refer to the
100 such interfaces. We shall see later why this is of interest and
use to the user.
-These, then, are the main terms relating to objects which we
+These, then, are the main terms relating to objects which we
shall use in this chapter.
@node Naming conventions of objects and properties
@cindex objects, naming conventions
@cindex properties, naming conventions
-We met some object naming conventions previously, in
+We met some object naming conventions previously, in
@ref{Contexts and engravers}. Here for reference is a list
-of the most common object and property types together with
-the conventions for naming them and a couple of examples of
+of the most common object and property types together with
+the conventions for naming them and a couple of examples of
some real names. We have used @q{A} to stand for any capitalized
alphabetic character and @q{aaa} to stand for any number of
lower-case alphabetic characters. Other characters are used
-verbatim.
+verbatim.
@multitable @columnfractions .33 .33 .33
-@headitem Object/property type
+@headitem Object/property type
@tab Naming convention
@tab Examples
@item Contexts
@tab Clef_engraver, Note_heads_engraver
@item Interfaces
@tab aaa-aaa-interface
- @tab grob-interface, break-aligned-interface
+ @tab grob-interface, break-aligned-interface
@item Context Properties
@tab aaa or aaaAaaaAaaa
@tab alignAboveContext, skipBars
@tab direction, beam-thickness
@end multitable
-As we shall see shortly, the properties of different types of
+As we shall see shortly, the properties of different types of
object are modified by different commands, so it is useful to
be able to recognize the type of object from the names of its
properties.
We have already met the commands @code{\set} and @code{\with}, used to
change the properties of @strong{contexts} and to remove and add
@strong{engravers}, in @ref{Modifying context properties}, and
-@ref{Adding and removing engravers}. We now must meet some more
+@ref{Adding and removing engravers}. We must now introduce some more
important commands.
The command to change the properties of @strong{layout objects} is
@code{\override}. Because this command has to modify
internal properties deep within LilyPond its syntax is not
-as simple as the commands you have met so far. It needs to
+as simple as the commands you have used so far. It needs to
know precisely which property of which object in which context
has to be modified, and what its new value is to be. Let's see
how this is done.
of the @code{\override} command. Neither the context nor the
layout object should be specified; in fact, it would generate
an error to do so. These are both implied by the following
-item in the input stream. So the general syntax of the
+item in the input stream. Note also that an equals sign should
+not be present. So the general syntax of the
@code{\tweak} command is simply
@example
-\tweak #'@var{layout-property} = #@var{value}
+\tweak #'@var{layout-property} #@var{value}
@end example
A @code{\tweak} command can also be used to modify just one in
@cindex tuplets, nested
@cindex triplets, nested
@cindex bracket, tuplet
+@cindex bracket, triplet
@cindex tuplet bracket
@cindex triplet bracket
@funindex TupletBracket
-The @code{\tweak} command must also be used to change the
-appearance of one of a set of nested tuplets which begin at the
+The @code{\tweak} command must also be used to change the
+appearance of one of a set of nested tuplets which begin at the
same musical moment. In the following example, the long tuplet
bracket and the first of the three short brackets begin at the
same musical moment, so any @code{\override} command would apply
}
@end lilypond
-@seealso
+@seealso
Notation Reference:
@ruser{The tweak command}.
@cindex Internals Reference
@menu
-* Properties of layout objects::
-* Properties found in interfaces::
-* Types of properties::
+* Properties of layout objects::
+* Properties found in interfaces::
+* Types of properties::
@end menu
@node Properties of layout objects
earlier about the flexibility of LilyPond that such a thing
should be possible, and you would probably guess that an
@code{\override} command would be needed. But is there a
-heaviness property for a slur, and if there is, how might it
+heaviness property for a slur, and if there is, how might it
be modified? This is where the Internals Reference manual
comes in. It contains all the information you might need to
construct this and all other @code{\override} commands.
Under the heading @strong{Top} you will see five links. Select
the link to the @emph{Backend}, which is where information about
-layout objects is to be found. There, under the heading
+layout objects is to be found. There, under the heading
@strong{Backend}, select the link to @emph{All layout objects}.
The page that appears lists all the layout objects used in your
version of LilyPond, in alphabetic order. Select the link to
As we said earlier, there are few to no explanations in the IR,
but we already have enough information to try changing the
-slur thickness. We see that the name of the layout object
+slur thickness. We see that the name of the layout object
is @code{Slur}, that the name of the property to change is
@code{thickness} and that the new value should be a number
somewhat larger than 1.2 if we are to make slurs thicker.
We can now construct the @code{\override} command by simply
substituting the values we have found for the names, omitting
-the context. Let's use a very large value for the thickness
+the context. Let's use a very large value for the thickness
at first, so we can be sure the command is working. We get:
@example
\override Slur #'thickness = #5.0
-@end example
+@end example
Don't forget the @code{#'} preceding the
-property name and and @code{#} preceding the new value!
+property name and a @code{#} preceding the new value!
The final question is, @q{Where should this command be
-placed?} While you are unsure and learning, the best
+placed?} While you are unsure and learning, the best
answer is, @q{Within the music, before the first slur and
close to it.} Let's do that:
The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion
}
}
-@end lilypond
+@end lilypond
@noindent
and we see that the slur is indeed heavier.
@cindex context, finding
@cindex context, identifying correct
-But first, what if we had needed to specify the Context?
+But first, what if we had needed to specify the Context?
What should it be? We could guess that slurs are in
the Voice context, as they are clearly closely associated
with individual lines of music, but can we be sure? To
us that @code{Slur_engraver} is part of five Voice contexts,
including the standard voice context, @code{Voice}, so our
guess was correct. And because @code{Voice} is one of the
-lowest level contexts which is implied unambiguously by
-the fact that we are entering notes, we can omit it in this
+lowest level contexts which is implied unambiguously by
+the fact that we are entering notes, we can omit it in this
location.
@subheading Overriding once only
The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion
}
}
-@end lilypond
+@end lilypond
@noindent
Now only the first slur is made heavier.
The man who feels love's sweet e -- mo -- tion
}
}
-@end lilypond
+@end lilypond
@noindent
or we could omit the @code{\once} command and use the @code{\revert}
That concludes our introduction to the IR, and the basic
method of tweaking. Several examples follow in the later
sections of this Chapter, partly to introduce you to some of the
-additional features of the IR, and partly to give you more
+additional features of the IR, and partly to give you more
practice in extracting information from it. These examples will
-contain progressively fewer words of guidance and explanation.
+contain progressively fewer words of guidance and explanation.
@node Properties found in interfaces
string"}; for more details about symbols and strings, see @ref{Scheme
tutorial}.
-Ok, so the @code{\override} command we need to print the lyrics
-in italics should be
+So we see that the @code{\override} command needed to print the lyrics
+in italics is:
@example
\override LyricText #'font-shape = #'italic
@end example
@noindent
-and this should be placed just in front of and close to the
-lyrics which it should affect, like this:
+This should be placed just in front of the lyrics we wish to affect,
+like so:
@cindex font-shape property, example
@cindex italic, example
@cindex context, specifying in lyric mode
@cindex lyric mode, specifying context
-In the case of lyrics, if you try specifying the context in the
+In the case of lyrics, if you try specifying the context in the
format given earlier the command will fail. A syllable
entered in lyricmode is terminated by either a space,
-a newline or a digit. All other characters are included
+a newline or a digit. All other characters are included
as part of the syllable. For this reason a space or newline
must appear before the terminating @code{@}} to prevent it being
included as part of the final syllable. Similarly,
@warning{In overrides in lyrics always place spaces around
the dot between the context name and the object name.}
-@seealso
+@seealso
Learning Manual: @ref{Scheme tutorial}.
@code{symbol}. To be valid, the value given to a property
must be of the correct type and obey the rules for that type.
The type of property is always shown in brackets after the
-property name in the IR. Here is a list of the types you may
+property name in the IR. Here is a list of the types you may
need, together with the rules for that type, and some examples.
You must always add a hash symbol, @code{#}, of course,
-to the front of these values when they are entered in the
+to the front of these values when they are entered in the
@code{\override} command.
@multitable @columnfractions .2 .45 .35
-@headitem Property type
+@headitem Property type
@tab Rules
@tab Examples
@item Boolean
@tab Any valid markup
@tab @code{\markup @{ \italic "cresc." @}}
@item Moment
- @tab A fraction of a whole note constructed with the
+ @tab A fraction of a whole note constructed with the
make-moment function
@tab @code{(ly:make-moment 1 4)},
@code{(ly:make-moment 3 8)}
@tab @code{'#(#t #t #f)}
@end multitable
-@seealso
+@seealso
Learning Manual: @ref{Scheme tutorial}.
@section Appearance of objects
Let us now put what we have learned into practice with a few
-examples which show how tweaks may be used to change the
+examples which show how tweaks may be used to change the
appearance of the printed music.
@menu
-* Visibility and color of objects::
-* Size of objects::
-* Length and thickness of objects::
+* Visibility and color of objects::
+* Size of objects::
+* Length and thickness of objects::
@end menu
@node Visibility and color of objects
In the educational use of music we might wish to print a score
with certain elements omitted as an exercise for the student,
who is required to supply them. As a simple example,
-let us suppose the exercise is to supply the missing bar lines
+let us suppose the exercise is to supply the missing bar lines
in a piece of music. But the bar lines are normally inserted
automatically. How do we prevent them printing?
This property controls the appearance of the bar lines by specifying
the symbol (glyph) which should be printed. In common
-with many other properties, it can be set to print nothing by
+with many other properties, it can be set to print nothing by
setting its value to @code{#f}. Let's try it, as before, omitting
the implied Context, @code{Voice}:
them are of the type @code{Staff}, so the reason the @code{\override}
command failed to work as expected is because @code{Barline} is not in
the default @code{Voice} context. If the context is specified
-wrongly, the command simply does not work. No error message is
+incorrectly, the command simply does not work. No error message is
produced, and nothing is logged in the log file. Let's try correcting
it by adding the correct context:
Now the bar lines have vanished.
+Note, though, that setting the @code{stencil} property to @code{#f}
+will cause errors when the dimensions of the object are required for
+correct processing. For example, errors will be generated if the
+@code{stencil} property of the @code{NoteHead} object is set to
+@code{#f}. If this is the case, you can instead use the
+@code{point-stencil} function, which sets the stencil to a object
+with zero size:
+
+@lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
+{
+ c c
+ \once \override NoteHead #'stencil = #point-stencil
+ c c
+}
+@end lilypond
+
@subheading break-visibility
@cindex break-visibility property
engraver is placed. The default context for engravers can be
found by starting from the layout object, going from there to
the engraver which produces it, and on the engraver page in the
-IR it tells you in which context the engraver will normally be
-found.
+IR it tells you in which context the engraver will normally be
+found.
@node Size of objects
@cindex objects, size of
@cindex objects, changing size of
-Let us begin by looking again at the earlier example
+Let us begin by looking again at the earlier example
see @ref{Nesting music expressions}) which showed
how to introduce a new temporary staff, as in an @rglos{ossia}.
<<
{ f c c }
\new Staff \with {
- alignAboveContext = "main" }
+ alignAboveContext = #"main" }
{ f8 f c }
>>
r4 |
<<
{ f c c }
\new Staff \with {
- alignAboveContext = "main"
+ alignAboveContext = #"main"
}
{
\override Staff.Clef #'stencil = ##f
<<
{ f c c }
\new Staff \with {
- alignAboveContext = "main"
+ alignAboveContext = #"main"
% Don't print clefs in this staff
\override Clef #'stencil = ##f
% Don't print time signatures in this staff
<<
{ f c c }
\new Staff \with {
- alignAboveContext = "main"
+ alignAboveContext = #"main"
\override Clef #'stencil = ##f
\override TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
% Reduce all font sizes by ~24%
<<
{ f c c }
\new Staff \with {
- alignAboveContext = "main"
+ alignAboveContext = #"main"
\override Clef #'stencil = ##f
\override TimeSignature #'stencil = ##f
fontSize = #-2
@cindex objects, outside-staff
There are some objects in musical notation that belong to
-the staff and there are other objects that should be
+the staff and there are other objects that should be
placed outside the staff. These are called within-staff
objects and outside-staff objects respectively.
Within-staff objects are those that are located on the staff
-- note heads, stems, accidentals, etc. The positions of
these are usually fixed by the music itself -- they are
-vertically positioned on specific lines of the staff or are
+vertically positioned on specific lines of the staff or are
tied to other objects that are so positioned. Collisions of
note heads, stems and accidentals in closely set chords are
normally avoided automatically. There are commands and
\relative c'''' { c a, }
}
>>
-@end lilypond
+@end lilypond
@node Within-staff objects
@subsection Within-staff objects
We have already seen how the commands @code{\voiceXXX} affect
-the direction of slurs, ties, fingering and
+the direction of slurs, ties, fingering and
everything else which depends on the direction of the stems.
These commands are essential when writing polyphonic music to
permit interweaving melodic lines to be distinguished.
ready-made commands which avoid your having to code explicit
overrides for the more common modifications.
-Some layout objects like slurs and ties curve, bend or point
+Some layout objects like slurs and ties curve, bend or point
either up or down; others like stems and flags also move to
right or left when they point up or down. This is controlled
automatically when @code{direction} is set.
preceded by @code{\once}. If you wish to limit the
effect to a single note you must either use the equivalent
@code{\once \override} command or use the predefined command
-followed after the affected note by the corresponding
+followed after the affected note by the corresponding
@code{\xxxNeutral} command.
@subheading Fingering
@end lilypond
@noindent
-but this may be overriden to manually force all or any of the
+but this may be overridden to manually force all or any of the
individual fingering numbers above or below:
@cindex fingering example
@code{Staff} or @code{Voice} contexts.
@multitable @columnfractions .3 .3 .3
-@headitem Layout Object
- @tab Priority
+@headitem Layout Object
+ @tab Priority
@tab Controls position of:
@item @code{MultiMeasureRestText}
@tab @code{450}
@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
% Set details for later Text Spanner
-\override TextSpanner #'bound-details #'left #'text
+\override TextSpanner #'(bound-details left text)
= \markup { \small \bold Slower }
% Place dynamics above staff
\dynamicUp
@lilypond[quote,fragment,ragged-right,verbatim,relative=1]
% Set details for later Text Spanner
-\override TextSpanner #'bound-details #'left #'text
+\override TextSpanner #'(bound-details left text)
= \markup { \small \bold Slower }
% Place dynamics above staff
\dynamicUp
c, c c c
@end lilypond
+@cindex slurs and outside-staff-priority
+@cindex slurs and articulations
+@cindex articulations and slurs
+
+Slurs by default are classed as within-staff objects, but
+they often appear above the staff if the notes to
+which they are attached are high on the staff. This can push
+outside-staff objects such as articulations too high, as the slur
+will be placed first. The @code{avoid-slur} property of the
+articulation can be set to @code{'inside} to bring the articulation
+inside the slur, but the @code{avoid-slur} property is effective
+only if the @code{outside-staff-priority} is also set to @code{#f}.
+Alternatively, the @code{outside-staff-priority} of the slur
+can be set to a numerical value to cause it to be placed along with
+other outside-staff objects according to that value. Here's an
+example showing the effect of the two methods:
+
+@lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
+c4( c^\markup\tiny\sharp d4.) c8
+c4(
+\once \override TextScript #'avoid-slur = #'inside
+\once \override TextScript #'outside-staff-priority = ##f
+c^\markup\tiny\sharp d4.) c8
+\once \override Slur #'outside-staff-priority = #500
+c4( c^\markup\tiny\sharp d4.) c8
+@end lilypond
+
Changing the @code{outside-staff-priority} can also be used to
control the vertical placement of individual objects, although
the results may not always be desirable. Suppose we would
c^"Text2"
c^"Text3"
c^"Text4"
-@end lilypond
+@end lilypond
-The command to revert to the default behavior is
+The command to revert to the default behavior is
@code{\textLengthOff}. Remember @code{\once} only works with
@code{\override}, @code{\set}, @code{\revert} or @code{unset},
so cannot be used with @code{\textLengthOn}.
However, if the notes and attached dynamics are close
together the automatic placement will avoid collisions
-by displacing later dynamic markings further away, but this may
+by displacing later dynamic markings further away, but this may
not be the optimum placement, as this rather artificial example
shows:
@cindex sizing grobs
First we must learn how grobs are sized. All grobs have a
-reference point defined within them which is used to position
+reference point defined within them which is used to position
them relative to their parent object. This point in the grob
is then positioned at a horizontal distance, @code{X-offset},
and at a vertical distance, @code{Y-offset}, from its parent.
numbers, @code{X-extent}, which say where the left and right
edges are relative to the reference point. The vertical extent
is similarly defined by a pair of numbers, @code{Y-extent}.
-These are properties of all grobs which support the
+These are properties of all grobs which support the
@code{grob-interface}.
@cindex @code{extra-spacing-width}
By default, outside-staff objects are given a width of zero so
that they may overlap in the horizontal direction. This is done
-by the trick of adding infinity to the leftmost extent and
-minus infinity to the rightmost extent by setting the
+by the trick of adding infinity to the leftmost extent and
+minus infinity to the rightmost extent by setting the
@code{extra-spacing-width} to @code{'(+inf.0 . -inf.0)}. So
to ensure they do not overlap in the horizontal direction we
must override this value of @code{extra-spacing-width} to
@section Collisions of objects
@menu
-* Moving objects::
-* Fixing overlapping notation::
-* Real music example::
+* Moving objects::
+* Fixing overlapping notation::
+* Real music example::
@end menu
@node Moving objects
@cindex self-alignment-X property
This property can be used to align the object to the left, to
-the right, or to center it with respect to the parent object's
+the right, or to center it with respect to the parent object's
reference point. It may be used with all objects which support
the @code{self-alignment-interface}. In general these are objects
that contain text. The values are @code{LEFT}, @code{RIGHT}
-or @code{CENTER}. Alternatively, a numerical value between
-@code{-1} and @code{+1} may be specified, where @code{-1} is
-left-aligned, @code{+1} is right-aligned, and numbers in between
+or @code{CENTER}. Alternatively, a numerical value between
+@code{-1} and @code{+1} may be specified, where @code{-1} is
+left-aligned, @code{+1} is right-aligned, and numbers in between
move the text progressively from left-aligned to right-aligned.
Numerical values greater than @code{1} may be specified to move
the text even further to the left, or less than @code{-1} to
This necessarily uses an override for the accidental stencil which
will not be covered until later. The stencil type must be a
procedure, here changed to print the contents of the @code{text}
-property of @code{Accidental}, which itself is set to be a natural
-sign followed by a flat sign. These are then moved further away
+property of @code{Accidental}, which itself is set to be a natural
+sign followed by a flat sign. These are then moved further away
from the note head by overriding @code{right-padding}.
@noindent
* Using variables for tweaks::
* Other sources of information::
* Avoiding tweaks with slower processing::
-* Advanced tweaks with Scheme::
+* Advanced tweaks with Scheme::
@end menu
@node Other uses for tweaks
cross voices:
@cindex Stem, example of overriding
-@cindex transparent propery, example
+@cindex transparent property, example
@lilypond[quote,fragment,relative=2,verbatim]
<<
@noindent
Both methods remove the metronome mark which lengthens the fermata
-from the printed output, and both affect the MIDI timing as
+from the printed output, and both affect the MIDI timing as
required, but the transparent metronome mark in the first line
forces the following tempo indication too high while the
second (with the stencil removed) does not.
Override commands are often long and tedious to type, and they
have to be absolutely correct. If the same overrides are to be
used many times it may be worth defining variables to hold them.
+
Suppose we wish to emphasize certain words in lyrics by printing
them in bold italics. The @code{\italic} and @code{\bold}
-commands only work within lyrics if they are also embedded in
-@code{\markup}, which makes them tedious to enter, so as an
-alternative can we instead use the @code{\override} and
-@code{\revert} commands?
+commands only work within lyrics if they are embedded, together with
+the word or words to be modified, within a @code{\markup} block,
+which makes them tedious to enter. The need to embed the words
+themselves prevents their use in simple variables. As an
+alternative can we use @code{\override} and @code{\revert} commands?
@example
@code{\override Lyrics . LyricText #'font-shape = #'italic}
@end example
These would also be extremely tedious to enter if there were many
-words requiring emphasis. So instead we define these as two
-variables, and use them as follows, although normally we would
-perhaps choose shorter names for the variables to make them
-quicker to type:
+words requiring emphasis. But we @emph{can} define these as two
+variables and use those to bracket the words to be emphasized.
+Another advantage of using variables for these overrides is that
+the spaces around the dot are not necessary, since they are not
+being interpreted in @code{\lyricmode} directly. Here's an example
+of this, although in practice we would choose shorter names
+for the variables to make them quicker to type:
@cindex LyricText, example of overriding
@cindex font-shape property, example
@lilypond[quote,verbatim]
emphasize = {
- \override Lyrics . LyricText #'font-shape = #'italic
- \override Lyrics . LyricText #'font-series = #'bold
+ \override Lyrics.LyricText #'font-shape = #'italic
+ \override Lyrics.LyricText #'font-series = #'bold
}
normal = {
- \revert Lyrics . LyricText #'font-shape
- \revert Lyrics . LyricText #'font-series
+ \revert Lyrics.LyricText #'font-shape
+ \revert Lyrics.LyricText #'font-series
}
global = { \time 4/4 \partial 4 \key c \major}
by downloading a precompiled binary from lilypond.org
or whether you installed it from a package manager (i.e.
distributed with Linux, or installed under fink or cygwin) or
-compiled it from source, and (b) on which operating system it is
+compiled it from source, and (b) on which operating system it is
being used:
@strong{Downloaded from lilypond.org}
projects / lilypond.git / blobdiff