1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
2 @node Documentation work
3 @chapter Documentation work
5 There are currently 11 manuals for LilyPond, not including the
6 translations. Each book is available in HTML, PDF, and info. The
7 documentation is written in a language called @code{texinfo} --
8 this allows us to generate different output formats from a single
11 To organize multiple authors working on the documentation, we use a
12 Version Control System (VCS) called git, previously discussed in
13 @ref{Starting with Git}.
16 * Introduction to documentation work::
17 * Documentation suggestions::
18 * Texinfo introduction and usage policy::
19 * Documentation policy::
20 * Tips for writing docs::
21 * Scripts to ease doc work::
22 * Docstrings in scheme::
23 * Translating the documentation::
27 @node Introduction to documentation work
28 @section Introduction to documentation work
30 Our documentation tries to adhere to our @ref{Documentation
31 policy}. This policy contains a few items which may seem odd.
32 One policy in particular is often questioned by potential
33 contributors: we do not repeat material in the Notation Reference,
34 and instead provide links to the @qq{definitive} presentation of
35 that information. Some people point out, with good reason, that
36 this makes the documentation harder to read. If we repeated
37 certain information in relevant places, readers would be less
38 likely to miss that information.
40 That reasoning is sound, but we have two counter-arguments.
41 First, the Notation Reference -- one of @emph{five} manuals for
42 users to read -- is already over 500 pages long. If we repeated
43 material, we could easily exceed 1000 pages! Second, and much
44 more importantly, LilyPond is an evolving project. New features
45 are added, bugs are fixed, and bugs are discovered and documented.
46 If features are discussed in multiple places, the documentation
47 team must find every instance. Since the manual is so large, it
48 is impossible for one person to have the location of every piece
49 of information memorized, so any attempt to update the
50 documentation will invariably omit a few places. This second
51 concern is not at all theoretical; the documentation used to be
52 plagued with inconsistent information.
54 If the documentation were targeted for a specific version -- say,
55 LilyPond 2.10.5 -- and we had unlimited resources to spend on
56 documentation, then we could avoid this second problem. But since
57 LilyPond evolves (and that is a very good thing!), and since we
58 have quite limited resources, this policy remains in place.
60 A few other policies (such as not permitting the use of tweaks in
61 the main portion of NR 1+2) may also seem counter-intuitive, but
62 they also stem from attempting to find the most effective use of
63 limited documentation help.
65 Before undertaking any large documentation work, contributors are
66 encouraged to contact the @ref{Meisters, Documentation Meister}.
69 @node Documentation suggestions
70 @section Documentation suggestions
72 @subheading Small additions
74 For additions to the documentation,
79 Tell us where the addition should be placed. Please include both
80 the section number and title (i.e. "LM 2.13 Printing lyrics").
83 Please write exact changes to the text.
86 A formal patch to the source code is @emph{not} required; we can
87 take care of the technical details.
90 Send the suggestions to the @code{bug-lilypond} mailing list as
91 discussed in @rweb{Contact}.
94 Here is an example of a perfect documentation report:
97 To: bug-lilypond@gnu.org
98 From: helpful-user@example.net
101 In LM 2.13 (printing lyrics), above the last line ("More options,
102 like..."), please add:
105 To add lyrics to a divided part, use blah blah blah. For example,
108 \notes {blah <<blah>> }
109 \lyrics {blah <<blah>> }
114 In addition, the second sentence of the first paragraph is
115 confusing. Please delete that sentence (it begins "Users
116 often...") and replace it with this:
118 To align lyrics with something, do this thing.
128 @subheading Larger contributions
130 To replace large sections of the documentation, the guidelines are
131 stricter. We cannot remove parts of the current documentation
132 unless we are certain that the new version is an improvement.
137 Ask on the lilypond-devel mailing list if such a rewrite is necessary;
138 somebody else might already be working on this issue!
141 Split your work into small sections; this makes it much easier to
142 compare the new and old documentation.
145 Please prepare a formal git patch.
149 Once you have followed these guidelines, please send a message to
150 lilypond-devel with your documentation submissions. Unfortunately
151 there is a strict “no top-posting” check on the mailing list; to avoid
154 > I'm not top posting.
156 (you must include the > ) to the top of your documentation
159 We may edit your suggestion for spelling, grammar, or style, and
160 we may not place the material exactly where you suggested, but if
161 you give us some material to work with, we can improve the manual
162 much faster. Thanks for your interest!
165 @node Texinfo introduction and usage policy
166 @section Texinfo introduction and usage policy
169 * Texinfo introduction::
170 * Documentation files::
171 * Sectioning commands::
172 * LilyPond formatting::
175 * Other text concerns::
179 @node Texinfo introduction
180 @subsection Texinfo introduction
182 The language is called Texinfo; you can see its manual here:
184 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/}
186 However, you don't need to read those docs. The most important
187 thing to notice is that text is text. If you see a mistake in the
188 text, you can fix it. If you want to change the order of
189 something, you can cut-and-paste that stuff into a new location.
191 @warning{Rule of thumb: follow the examples in the existing docs.
192 You can learn most of what you need to know from this; if you want
193 to do anything fancy, discuss it on @code{lilypond-devel} first.}
196 @node Documentation files
197 @subsection Documentation files
199 All manuals live in @file{Documentation/}.
201 In particular, there are four user manuals, their respective master
202 source files are @file{learning.tely} (LM, Learning Manual),
203 @file{notation.tely} (NR, Notation Reference),
204 @file{music-glossary.tely} (MG, Music Glossary), and
205 @file{lilypond-program} (AU). Each chapter is written in a separate
206 file, ending in @file{.itely} for files containing lilypond code, and
207 @file{.itexi} for files without lilypond code, located in a subdirectory
208 associated to the manual (@file{learning/} for @file{learning.tely}, and
209 so on); list the subdirectory of each manual to determine the filename
210 of the specific chapter you wish to modify.
212 Developer manuals live in @file{Documentation/} too. Currently there is
213 only one: the Contributor's Guide @file{contrib-guide.texi} you are
216 Snippet files are part of documentation, and the Snippet List (SL) lives
217 in @file{Documentation/} just like the manuals. For information about
218 how to modify the snippet files and SL, see @ref{LSR work}.
221 @node Sectioning commands
222 @subsection Sectioning commands
224 Most of the manual operates at the
232 level. Sections are created with
241 Please leave two blank lines above a @code{@@node}; this makes it
242 easier to find sections in texinfo.
245 Do not use any @code{@@} commands for a @code{@@node}. They may be
246 used for any @code{@@sub...} sections or headings however.
250 @@node @@code@{Foo@} Bar
251 @@subsection @@code@{Foo@} Bar
255 @@subsection @@code@{Foo@} Bar
259 With the exception of @code{@@} commands, the section name must
260 match the node name exactly.
263 No commas may be used in the node names.
266 If a heading is desired without creating a @code{@@node}, please use
274 Sectioning commands (@code{@@node} and @code{@@section}) must not appear
275 inside an @code{@@ignore}. Separate those commands with a space, ie
276 @code{@@n}@tie{}@code{ode}.
280 Nodes must be included inside a
290 construct. These are easily constructed with automatic tools; see
291 @ref{Scripts to ease doc work}.
294 @node LilyPond formatting
295 @subsection LilyPond formatting
300 Most LilyPond examples throughout the documentation can be produced
304 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
310 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=2]
313 If using any combination of @code{\header@{@}}, @code{\score@{@}} or
314 @code{\layout@{@}} in your example, then you must omit the
315 @code{relative} variable and either use absolute entry mode or an
316 explicit @code{\relative@{@}} construction.
318 If using @code{\book@{@}} in your example then you must also omit the
319 @code{relative} variable and either use absolute entry mode or an
320 explicit @code{\relative@{@}} construction. However, you must also
321 include the @code{papersize=X} variable, where @code{X} is a defined
322 paper size from within @file{scm/paper.scm}. This is to avoid the
323 default @code{a4} paper size being used and leaving too much unnecessary
324 whitespace and potentially awkward page breaks in the PDFs.
326 The preferred @code{papersize}s are @code{a5}, @code{a6} or
329 @code{a8landscape} works best for a single measure with a single title
330 and/or single @code{tagline}:
333 @@lilypond[papersize=a8landscape,verbatim]
336 title = "A scale in LilyPond"
345 and can also be used to easily show features that require page breaks
346 (i.e. page numbers) without taking large amounts of space within the
347 documentation. Do not use the @code{quote} option with this paper size.
349 @code{a5} or @code{a6} paper sizes are best used for examples that have
350 more than two measures of music or require multiple staves (i.e. to
351 illustrate cross-staff features, RH and LH parts etc.) and where
352 @code{\book@{@}} constructions are required or where @code{a8landscape}
353 produces an example that is too cramped. Depending on the example the
354 @code{quote} option may need to be omitted.
356 In rare cases, other options may be used (or omitted), but ask first.
359 Please avoid using extra spacing either after or within the
360 @code{@@lilypond} parameters.
363 not: @@lilypond [verbatim, quote, relative=1]
364 but instead: @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
368 Inspirational headwords are produced with:
371 @@lilypondfile[quote,ragged-right,line-width=16\cm,staffsize=16]
372 @{pitches-headword.ly@}
376 LSR snippets are linked with:
379 @@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,ragged-right,texidoc,doctitle]
384 Use two spaces for indentation in lilypond examples (no tabs).
387 All engravers should have double-quotes around them:
390 \consists "Spans_arpeggio_engraver"
393 LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is a useful
394 convention to follow.
397 All context or layout object strings should be prefaced with @code{#}.
398 Again, LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is helpful
399 to get users accustomed to this scheme construct, i.e. @code{\set
400 Staff.instrumentName = #"cello"}
403 Try to avoid using @code{#'} or @code{#`} within when describing
404 context or layout properties outside of an @code{@@example} or @code{@@lilypond}, unless
405 the description explicitly requires it.
407 i.e. @qq{...setting the @code{transparent} property leaves the object where it
408 is, but makes it invisible.}
411 If possible, only write one bar per line.
414 If you only have one bar per line, omit bar checks. If you
415 must put more than one bar per line (not recommended), then include bar
419 Tweaks should, if possible, also occur on their own line.
421 not: \override TextScript #'padding = #3 c1^"hi"
422 but instead: \override TextScript #'padding = #3
427 excepted in Templates, where `doctitle' may be omitted.
430 Avoid long stretches of input code. Nobody is going to read
431 them in print. Create small examples. However, this does not mean
435 Specify durations for at least the first note of every bar.
438 If possible, end with a complete bar.
441 Comments should go on their own line, and be placed before
442 the line(s) to which they refer.
445 For clarity, always use @{ @} marks even if they are not technically
451 \context Voice \repeat unfold 2 \relative c' @{
467 Add a space around @{ @} marks; i.e.
470 not: \chordmode@{c e g@}
471 but instead: \chordmode @{ c e g @}
475 Use @{ @} marks for additional @code{\markup} format commands; i.e.
478 not: c^\markup \tiny\sharp
479 but instead: c^\markup @{ \tiny \sharp @}
483 Remove any space around @code{<} @code{>} marks; i.e.
487 but instead: <c e g>4
491 Beam, slur and tie marks should begin immediately after the first
492 note with beam and phrase marks ending immediately after the last.
495 a8\( ais16[ b cis( d] b) cis4~ b' cis,\)
499 If you want to work on an example outside of the manual (for
500 easier/faster processing), use this header:
505 line-width = 160\mm - 2.0 * 0.4\in
506 line-width = #(- line-width (* mm 3.000000))
513 You may not change any of these values. If you are making an
514 example demonstrating special @code{\paper@{@}} values, contact the
515 Documentation Editor.
520 @node Text formatting
521 @subsection Text formatting
525 Lines should be less than 72 characters long. (We personally
526 recommend writing with 66-char lines, but do not bother modifying
527 existing material). Also see the recommendations for fixed-width
528 fonts in the @ref{Syntax survey}.
534 Do not use spaces at the beginning of a line (except in
535 @code{@@example} or @code{@@verbatim} environments), and do not
536 use more than a single space between words. @q{makeinfo} copies
537 the input lines verbatim without removing those spaces.
540 Use two spaces after a period.
543 In examples of syntax, use @code{@@var@{@var{musicexpr}@}} for a
547 Don't use @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in the main text. If you're
548 tempted to do so, you're probably getting too close to @qq{talking
549 through the code}. If you really want to refer to a context, use
550 @code{@@code@{@}} in the main text and @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in
551 the @code{@@seealso}.
556 @subsection Syntax survey
566 * Special characters::
572 @unnumberedsubsubsec Comments
576 @code{@@c @dots{}} --- single line comment. @samp{@@c NOTE:} is a
577 comment which should remain in the final version. (gp only
581 @code{@@ignore} --- multi-line comment:
591 @node Cross references
592 @unnumberedsubsubsec Cross references
594 Enter the exact @code{@@node} name of the target reference between
595 the brackets (eg.@tie{}@w{@samp{@@ref@{Syntax survey@}}}). Do not
596 split a cross-reference across two lines -- this causes the
597 cross-reference to be rendered incorrectly in html documents.
601 @code{@@ref@{@dots{}@}} --- link within current manual.
604 @code{@@rchanges@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Changes.
607 @code{@@rcontrib@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Contributor's Guide.
610 @code{@@ressay@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Engraving Essay.
613 @code{@@rextend@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Extending LilyPond.
616 @code{@@rglos@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Music Glossary.
619 @code{@@rinternals@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Internals Reference.
622 @code{@@rlearning@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Learning Manual.
625 @code{@@rlsr@{@dots{}@}} --- link to a Snippet section.
628 @code{@@rprogram@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Application Usage.
631 @code{@@ruser@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Notation Reference.
634 @code{@@rweb@{@dots{}@}} --- link to General Information.
639 @unnumberedsubsubsec External links
643 @code{@@email@{@dots{}@}} --- create a @code{mailto:} E-mail link.
646 @code{@@uref@{@var{URL}[, @var{link text}]@}} --- link to an
647 external url. Use within an @code{@@example ... @@end example}.
651 @@uref@{URL [, link text ]@}
657 @node Fixed-width font
658 @unnumberedsubsubsec Fixed-width font
662 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} ---
664 Use the @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} command when referring to
665 individual language-specific tokens (keywords, commands,
666 engravers, scheme symbols, etc.) in the text. Ideally, a single
667 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} block should fit within one line in the
670 Use the @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} command when you have a short
671 example of user input, unless it constitutes an entire
672 @code{@@item} by itself, in which case @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} is
673 preferable. Otherwise, both should only be used when part of a
674 larger sentence within a paragraph or @code{@@item}. Do not use
675 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} inside an
676 @code{@@example} block, and do not use either as a free-standing
677 paragraph; use @code{@@example} instead.
679 A single unindented line in the PDF has space for about 79
680 fixed-width characters (76 if indented). Within an @code{@@item}
681 there is space for about 75 fixed-width characters. Each
682 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
683 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
685 However, even short blocks of @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} and
686 @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} can run into the margin if the Texinfo
687 line-breaking algorithm gets confused. Additionally, blocks that
688 are longer than this may in fact print nicely; it all depends
689 where the line breaks end up. If you compile the docs yourself,
690 check the PDF output to make sure the line breaks are
693 The Texinfo setting @code{@@allowcodebreaks} is set to
694 @code{false} in the manuals, so lines within
695 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} blocks will
696 only break at spaces, not at hyphens or underscores. If the block
697 contains spaces, use @code{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}} or
698 @code{@@w@{@@samp@{@dots{}@}@}} to prevent unexpected line breaks.
700 The Texinfo settings @code{txicodequoteundirected} and
701 @code{txicodequotebacktick} are both set in the manuals, so
702 backticks (@code{`}) and apostrophes (@code{'}) placed within
703 blocks of @code{@@code}, @code{@@example}, or @code{@@verbatim}
704 are not converted to left- and right-angled quotes
705 (@code{@quoteleft{} @quoteright{}}) as they normally are within
706 the text, so the apostrophes in
707 @q{@w{@code{@@w@{@@code@{@bs{}relative c''@}@}}}} will display
708 correctly. However, these settings do not affect the PDF output
709 for anything within a @code{@@samp} block (even if it includes a
710 nested @code{@@code} block), so entering
711 @q{@code{@@w@{@@samp@{@bs{}relative c''@}@}}} wrongly produces
712 @q{@w{@code{@bs{}relative c@quoteright{}@quoteright{}}}} in PDF.
713 Consequently, if you want to use a @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} block
714 which contains backticks or apostrophes, you should instead use
715 @q{@code{@@q@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}}} (or
716 @q{@code{@@q@{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}@}}} if the block also
717 contains spaces). Note that backslashes within
718 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}} blocks must be entered as @samp{@@bs@{@}},
719 so the example above would be coded as
720 @q{@code{@@q@{@@w@{@@code@{@@bs@{@}relative c''@}@}@}}}.
723 @code{@@command@{@dots{}@}} --- Use when referring to command-line
724 commands within the text (eg. @samp{@@command@{convert-ly@}}). Do
725 not use inside an @code{@@example} block.
728 @code{@@example} --- Use for examples of program code. Do not add
729 extraneous indentation (i.e. don't start every line with
730 whitespace). Use the following layout (notice the use of blank
731 lines). Omit the @code{@@noindent} if the text following the
732 example starts a new paragraph:
735 @var{@dots{}text leading into the example@dots{}}
742 @var{continuation of the text@dots{}}
745 Individual lines within an @code{@@example} block should not
746 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
747 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@example} block
748 is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
749 @code{@@example} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
750 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
751 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
753 For long command line examples, if possible, use a trailing
754 backslash to break up a single line, indenting the next line with
755 2 spaces. If this isn't feasible, use @samp{@@smallexample
756 @dots{} @@end@tie{}smallexample} instead, which uses a smaller
757 fontsize. Use @code{@@example} whenever possible, but if needed,
758 @code{@@smallexample} can fit up to 90 characters per line before
759 running into the PDF margin. Each additional level of
760 @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate} shortens a
761 @code{@@smallexample} line by about 5 columns.
764 @code{@@file@{@dots{}@}} --- Use when referring to filenames and
765 directories in the text. Do not use inside an @code{@@example}
769 @code{@@option@{@dots{}@}} --- Use when referring to command-line
770 options in the text (eg. @samp{@@option@{--format@}}). Do not use
771 inside an @code{@@example} block.
774 @code{@@verbatim} --- Prints the block exactly as it appears in
775 the source file (including whitespace, etc.). For program code
776 examples, use @code{@@example} instead. @code{@@verbatim} uses
777 the same format as @code{@@example}.
779 Individual lines within an @code{@@verbatim} block should not
780 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
781 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@verbatim}
782 block is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
783 @code{@@verbatim} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
784 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
785 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
790 @unnumberedsubsubsec Indexing
794 @code{@@cindex @dots{}} --- General index. Please add as many as you can.
795 Don't capitalize the first word.
798 @code{@@funindex @dots{}} --- is for a \lilycommand.
803 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lists
807 @code{@@enumerate} --- Create an ordered list (with numbers).
808 Always put @samp{@@item} on its own line. As an exception, if all
809 the items in the list are short enough to fit on single lines, placing
810 them on the @samp{@@item} lines is also permissible. @samp{@@item}
811 and @samp{@@end@tie{}enumerate} should always be preceded by a blank
818 A long multi-line item like this one must begin
819 on a line of its own and all the other items in
820 the list must do so too.
839 @code{@@itemize} --- Create an unordered list (with bullets). Use
840 the same format as @code{@@enumerate}. Do not use
841 @samp{@@itemize@tie{}@@bullet}.
845 @node Special characters
846 @unnumberedsubsubsec Special characters
850 @code{--}, @code{---} --- Create an en dash (--) or an em dash
851 (---) in the text. To print two or three literal hyphens in a
852 row, wrap one of them in a @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} (eg.
856 @code{@@@@}, @code{@@@{}, @code{@@@}} --- Create an at-sign (@@),
857 a left curly bracket (@{), or a right curly bracket (@}).
860 @code{@@bs@{@}} --- Create a backslash within a
861 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}}, or
862 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} block. This is a custom LilyPond
863 macro, not a builtin @@-command in Texinfo. Texinfo would also
864 allow @samp{\\}, but this breaks the PDF output.
867 @code{@@tie@{@}} --- Create a @emph{variable-width} non-breaking
868 space in the text (use @w{@samp{@@w@{ @}}} for a single
869 @emph{fixed-width} non-breaking space). Variables or numbers
870 which consist of a single character (probably followed by a
871 punctuation mark) should be tied properly, either to the previous
872 or the next word. Example: @samp{The letter@@tie@{@}@@q@{I@} is
878 @unnumberedsubsubsec Miscellany
882 @code{@@notation@{@dots{}@}} --- refers to pieces of notation, e.g.
883 @samp{@@notation@{clef@}}. Also use for specific lyrics
884 (@samp{the @@notation@{A@tie{}-@tie{}men@} is centered}).
885 Only use once per subsection per term.
888 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}} --- Single quotes. Used for
889 @quoteleft{}vague@quoteright{} terms. To get a backslash
890 (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
893 @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}} --- Double quotes. Used for actual quotes
894 (@qq{he said}) or for introducing special input modes. To get a
895 backslash (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
898 @code{@@var@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for metasyntactic variables (such
899 as @code{@var{foo}}, @code{@var{bar}}, @code{@var{arg1}}, etc.).
900 In most cases, when the @code{@@var@{@dots{}@}} command appears in
901 the text (and not in an @code{@@example} block) it should be
902 wrapped with an appropriate texinfo code-highlighting command
903 (such as @code{@@code}, @code{@@samp}, @code{@@file},
904 @code{@@command}, etc.). For example:
905 @samp{@@code@{@@var@{foo@}@}},
906 @samp{@@file@{@@var@{myfile.ly@}@}},
907 @w{@samp{@@samp@{git checkout @@var@{branch@}@}}}, etc. This
908 improves readability in the PDF and HTML output.
911 @code{@@version@{@}} --- Return the current LilyPond version
912 string. Use @samp{@@w@{@@version@{@}@}} if it's at the end of a
913 line (to prevent an ugly line break in PDF); use
914 @samp{@@w@{"@@version@{@}"@}} if you need it in quotes.
917 @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} --- Do not allow any line breaks.
920 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} --- produces a @qq{Note:@tie{}} box.
921 Use for important messages. To get a backslash (\), you must use
926 @node Other text concerns
927 @subsection Other text concerns
931 References must occur at the end of a sentence, for more
933 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/,texinfo
934 manual}. Ideally this should also be the final sentence of a
935 paragraph, but this is not required. Any link in a doc section
936 must be duplicated in the @code{@@seealso} section at the bottom.
939 Introducing examples must be done with
942 . (i.e. finish the previous sentence/paragraph)
943 : (i.e. `in this example:')
944 , (i.e. `may add foo with the blah construct,')
947 The old @qq{sentence runs directly into the example} method is not
951 Abbrevs in caps, e.g., HTML, DVI, MIDI, etc.
961 When beginning a quote: @qq{So, he said,...}.
963 This usage is rarer. Americans often just use a comma.
966 When adding a defining example at the end of a sentence.
970 Non-ASCII characters which are in utf-8 should be directly used;
971 this is, don't say @samp{Ba@@ss@{@}tuba} but @samp{Baßtuba}. This
972 ensures that all such characters appear in all output formats.
976 @node Documentation policy
977 @section Documentation policy
981 * Section organization::
982 * Checking cross-references::
984 * Technical writing style::
990 There are four parts to the documentation: the Learning Manual,
991 the Notation Reference, the Program Reference, and the Music
999 The LM is written in a tutorial style which introduces the most
1000 important concepts, structure and syntax of the elements of a
1001 LilyPond score in a carefully graded sequence of steps.
1002 Explanations of all musical concepts used in the Manual can be
1003 found in the Music Glossary, and readers are assumed to have no
1004 prior knowledge of LilyPond. The objective is to take readers to
1005 a level where the Notation Reference can be understood and
1006 employed to both adapt the templates in the Appendix to their
1007 needs and to begin to construct their own scores. Commonly used
1008 tweaks are introduced and explained. Examples are provided
1009 throughout which, while being focussed on the topic being
1010 introduced, are long enough to seem real in order to retain the
1011 readers' interest. Each example builds on the previous material,
1012 and comments are used liberally. Every new aspect is thoroughly
1013 explained before it is used.
1015 Users are encouraged to read the complete Learning Manual from
1020 Notation Reference: a (hopefully complete) description of LilyPond
1021 input notation. Some material from here may be duplicated in the
1022 Learning Manual (for teaching), but consider the NR to be the
1023 "definitive" description of each notation element, with the LM
1024 being an "extra". The goal is _not_ to provide a step-by-step
1025 learning environment -- do not avoid using notation that has not
1026 be introduced previously in the NR (for example, use \break if
1027 appropriate). This section is written in formal technical writing
1030 Avoid duplication. Although users are not expected to read this
1031 manual from start to finish, they should be familiar with the
1032 material in the Learning Manual (particularly ``Fundamental
1033 Concepts''), so do not repeat that material in each section of
1034 this book. Also watch out for common constructs, like ^ - _ for
1035 directions -- those are explained in NR 3. In NR 1, you can
1036 write: DYNAMICS may be manually placed above or below the staff,
1037 see @@ref@{Controlling direction and placement@}.
1039 Most tweaks should be added to LSR and not placed directly in the
1040 @file{.itely} file. In some cases, tweaks may be placed in the main
1041 text, but ask about this first.
1043 Finally, you should assume that users know what the notation
1044 means; explaining musical concepts happens in the Music Glossary.
1048 Application Usage: information about using the program lilypond
1049 with other programs (lilypond-book, operating systems, GUIs,
1050 convert-ly, etc). This section is written in formal technical
1053 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
1057 Music Glossary: information about the music notation itself.
1058 Explanations and translations about notation terms go here.
1060 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
1063 Internals Reference: not really a documentation book, since it is
1064 automagically generated from the source, but this is its name.
1069 @node Section organization
1070 @subsection Section organization
1075 The order of headings inside documentation sections should
1088 You @emph{must} include a @@seealso.
1092 The order of items inside the @@seealso section is
1101 @@rlearning@{foozle@}.
1110 Essay on automated music engraving:
1117 @@file@{path/to/dir/blahz@}.
1119 Snippets: @@rlsr@{section@}.
1121 Internals Reference:
1122 @@rinternals@{fazzle@},
1123 @@rinternals@{booar@}.
1127 If there are multiple entries, separate them by commas but do not
1131 Always end with a period.
1134 Place each link on a new line as above; this makes it much easier
1135 to add or remove links. In the output, they appear on a single
1138 ("Snippets" is REQUIRED; the others are optional)
1141 Any new concepts or links which require an explanation should go
1142 as a full sentence(s) in the main text.
1145 Don't insert an empty line between @@seealso and the first entry!
1146 Otherwise there is excessive vertical space in the PDF output.
1151 To create links, use @@ref@{@} if the link is within the same
1155 @@predefined ... @@endpredefined is for commands in
1159 Do not include any real info in second-level sections (i.e. 1.1
1160 Pitches). A first-level section may have introductory material,
1161 but other than that all material goes into third-level sections
1162 (i.e. 1.1.1 Writing Pitches).
1165 The @@knownissues should not discuss any issues that are in the
1166 tracker, unless the issue is Priority-Postponed. The goal is to
1167 discuss any overall architecture or syntax decisions which may be
1168 interpreted as bugs. Normal bugs should not be discussed here,
1169 because we have so many bugs that it would be a huge task to keep
1170 the @@knownissues current and accurate all the time.
1175 @node Checking cross-references
1176 @subsection Checking cross-references
1178 Cross-references between different manuals are heavily used in the
1179 documentation, but they are not checked during compilation.
1180 However, if you compile the documentation, a script called
1181 check_texi_refs can help you with checking and fixing these
1182 cross-references; for information on usage, cd into a source tree
1183 where documentation has been built, cd into Documentation and run:
1190 Note that you have to find yourself the source files to fix
1191 cross-references in the generated documentation such as the
1192 Internals Reference; e.g. you can grep scm/ and lily/.
1194 @c temporary? how long will kainhofer be used? -gp
1195 Also of interest may be the linkdoc checks on kainhofer.com. Be
1196 warned that these docs are not completely rebuilt every day, so it
1197 might not accurately reflect the current state of the docs.
1200 @uref{http://kainhofer.com/~lilypond/linkdoc/}
1204 @node General writing
1205 @subsection General writing
1210 Do not forget to create @@cindex entries for new sections of text.
1211 Enter commands with @@funindex, i.e.
1214 @@cindex pitches, writing in different octaves
1215 @@funindex \relative
1219 Do not bother with the @@code@{@} (they are added automatically).
1220 These items are added to both the command index and the unified
1221 index. Both index commands should go in front of the actual material.
1224 @@cindex entries should not be capitalized, i.e.
1227 @@cindex time signature
1231 is preferred instead of @qq{Time signature}. Only use capital
1232 letters for musical terms which demand them, e.g.
1236 For scheme function index entries, only include the final part, i.e.
1239 @@funindex modern-voice-cautionary
1241 @@funindex #(set-accidental-style modern-voice-cautionary)
1245 Use American spelling. LilyPond's internal property
1246 names use this convention.
1249 Here is a list of preferred terms to be used:
1253 @emph{Simultaneous} NOT concurrent.
1256 @emph{Measure}: the unit of music.
1259 @emph{Bar line}: the symbol delimiting a measure NOT barline.
1262 @emph{Note head} NOT notehead.
1265 @emph{Chord construct} NOT just chord (when referring to < ... >)
1268 @emph{Staff} NOT stave.
1271 @emph{Staves} NOT Staffs:
1273 @q{multiple @@internalsref@{Staff@}s}
1274 should be rephrased to
1275 @q{multiple @@internalsref@{Staff@} contexts}.
1283 @node Technical writing style
1284 @subsection Technical writing style
1286 These refer to the NR. The LM uses a more gentle, colloquial
1292 Do not refer to LilyPond in the text. The reader knows what the
1293 manual is about. If you do, capitalization is LilyPond.
1296 If you explicitly refer to @q{lilypond} the program (or any other
1297 command to be executed), write @code{@@command@{lilypond@}}.
1300 Do not explicitly refer to the reader/user. There is no one else
1301 besides the reader and the writer.
1304 Avoid contractions (don't, won't, etc.). Spell the words out completely.
1307 Avoid abbreviations, except for commonly used abbreviations of foreign
1308 language terms such as etc. and i.e.
1311 Avoid fluff (@qq{Notice that,} @qq{as you can see,}
1315 The use of the word @q{illegal} is inappropriate in most cases.
1316 Say @q{invalid} instead.
1321 @node Tips for writing docs
1322 @section Tips for writing docs
1324 In the NR, I highly recommend focusing on one subsection at a
1325 time. For each subsection,
1330 check the mundane formatting. Are the headings (@@predefined,
1331 @@seealso, etc.) in the right order?
1334 add any appropriate index entries.
1337 check the links in the @@seealso section -- links to music
1338 glossary, internal references, and other NR sections are the main
1339 concern. Check for potential additions.
1342 move LSR-worthy material into LSR. Add the snippet, delete the
1343 material from the @file{.itely} file, and add a @@lilypondfile command.
1346 check the examples and descriptions. Do they still work?
1347 @strong{Do not} assume that the existing text is
1348 accurate/complete; some of the manual is highly out of date.
1351 is the material in the @@knownissues still accurate?
1354 can the examples be improved (made more explanatory), or is there
1355 any missing info? (feel free to ask specific questions on -user;
1356 a couple of people claimed to be interesting in being
1357 @qq{consultants} who would help with such questions)
1361 In general, I favor short text explanations with good examples --
1362 @qq{an example is worth a thousand words}. When I worked on the
1363 docs, I spent about half my time just working on those tiny
1364 lilypond examples. Making easily-understandable examples is much
1365 harder than it looks.
1368 @subsubheading Tweaks
1370 In general, any \set or \override commands should go in the
1371 @qq{select snippets} section, which means that they should go in
1372 LSR and not the @file{.itely} file. For some cases, the command
1373 obviously belongs in the @qq{main text} (i.e. not inside
1374 @@predefined or @@seealso or whatever) -- instrument names are a
1375 good example of this.
1378 \set Staff.instrumentName = #"foo"
1381 On the other side of this,
1384 \override Score.Hairpin #'after-line-breaking = ##t
1387 clearly belongs in LSR.
1389 I'm quite willing to discuss specific cases if you think that a
1390 tweaks needs to be in the main text. But items that can go into
1391 LSR are easier to maintain, so I'd like to move as much as
1392 possible into there.
1395 It would be @qq{nice} if you spent a lot of time crafting nice
1396 tweaks for users@dots{} but my recommendation is @strong{not} to do
1397 this. There's a lot of doc work to do without adding examples of
1398 tweaks. Tweak examples can easily be added by normal users by adding
1401 One place where a documentation writer can profitably spend time writing
1402 or upgrading tweaks is creating tweaks to deal with known issues. It
1403 would be ideal if every significant known issue had a workaround to avoid
1407 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1410 @node Scripts to ease doc work
1411 @section Scripts to ease doc work
1413 @subheading Building only one section of the documentation
1415 In order to save build time, a script is available to build only
1416 one section of the documentation in English with a default html
1419 The script is available as:
1422 scripts/auxiliar/doc-section.sh
1425 This script will require customization for your site if your
1426 LilyPond git repository is anyplace but @code{$HOME/lilypond}.
1428 Assuming that no customization is required, you can setup the
1429 single section build with:
1432 mkdir $HOME/lilypond/tempdocs
1433 cp $HOME/lilypond/Documentation/out/version.itexi $HOME/lilypond/tempdocs
1436 You can then build a section of the documentation with:
1439 scripts/auxiliar/doc-section.sh MANUAL SECTION
1443 where @code{SECTION} is the name of the file containing the section
1444 to be built, and @code{MANUAL} is replaced by the name of the directory
1445 containing the section. So, for example, to build section 1.1 of the
1446 Notation Reference, use the command:
1449 scripts/auxiliar/doc-section.sh notation pitches
1452 This script will not work for building sections of the
1453 Contributors' guide. For building sections of the Contributors'
1457 scripts/auxiliar/cg-section.sh SECTION
1461 where @code{SECTION} is the name of the file containing the sections
1462 to be built. For example, to build section 4 of the Contributors' guide,
1466 scripts/auxiliar/cg-section.sh doc-work
1469 Like @code{doc-section.sh}, @code{cg-section.sh} may need to be customized
1470 for your installation.
1472 @subheading Stripping whitespace and generating menus
1474 @warning{This script assumes that the file conforms to our doc
1475 policy; a few files still need work in this regard.}
1477 To automatically regenerate @code{@@menu} portions and strip
1481 scripts/auxiliar/node-menuify.py @var{FILENAME}
1485 @subheading Stripping whitespace only
1487 @c TODO: should this be documented elsewhere? It's useful for
1488 @c more than just docs.
1489 To remove extra whitespace from the ends of lines, run
1492 scripts/auxiliar/strip-whitespace.py Documentation/FILENAME
1496 @subheading Updating doc with @command{convert-ly}
1498 Don't. This should be done by programmers when they add new
1499 features. If you notice that it hasn't been done, complain to
1500 @code{lilypond-devel}.
1503 @node Docstrings in scheme
1504 @section Docstrings in scheme
1506 Material in the Internals reference is generated automatically
1507 from our source code. Any doc work on Internals therefore
1508 requires modifying files in @file{scm/*.scm}. Texinfo is allowed
1509 in these docstrings.
1511 Most documentation writers never touch these, though. If you want
1512 to work on them, please ask for help.
1515 @node Translating the documentation
1516 @section Translating the documentation
1518 The mailing list @code{translations@@lilynet.net} is dedicated to
1519 LilyPond web site and documentation translation; on this list, you will
1520 get support from the Translations Meister and experienced translators,
1521 and we regularly discuss translation issues common to all languages.
1522 All people interested in LilyPond translations are invited to subscribe
1523 to this list regardless of the amount of their contribution, by sending
1524 an email to @code{translations-request@@lilynet.net} with subject
1525 @code{subscribe} and an empty message body. Unless mentioned explicitly,
1526 or except if a translations coordinator contacts you privately, you
1527 should send questions, remarks and patches to the list
1528 @code{translations@@lilynet.net}. Please note that traffic is high
1529 on the English-speaking list @code{lilypond-user@@gnu.org}, so it may
1530 take some time before your request or contribution is handled.
1533 * Getting started with documentation translation::
1534 * Documentation translation details::
1535 * Documentation translation maintenance::
1536 * Translations management policies::
1537 * Technical background::
1540 @node Getting started with documentation translation
1541 @subsection Getting started with documentation translation
1543 First, get the sources of branch @code{lilypond/translation} from the
1544 Git repository, see @ref{Starting with Git}.
1547 * Translation requirements::
1548 * Which documentation can be translated::
1549 * Starting translation in a new language::
1552 @node Translation requirements
1553 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translation requirements
1555 Working on LilyPond documentation translations requires the following
1556 pieces of software, in order to make use of dedicated helper tools:
1559 @item Python 2.4 or higher,
1565 It is not required to build LilyPond and the documentation to
1566 translate the documentation. However, if you have enough time and
1567 motivation and a suitable system, it can be very useful to build at
1568 least the documentation so that you can check the output yourself and
1569 more quickly; if you are interested, see @ref{Compiling}.
1571 Before undertaking any large translation work, contributors are
1572 encouraged to contact the @ref{Meisters, Translation Meister}.
1575 @node Which documentation can be translated
1576 @unnumberedsubsubsec Which documentation can be translated
1578 The makefiles and scripts infrastructure currently supports translation
1579 of the following documentation:
1582 @item the web site, the Learning Manual, the Notation Reference and
1583 Application Usage -- Texinfo source, PDF and HTML output; Info output
1584 might be added if there is enough demand for it;
1585 @item the Changes document.
1588 Support for translating the following pieces of documentation should be
1589 added soon, by decreasing order of priority:
1592 @item automatically generated documentation: markup commands,
1593 predefined music functions;
1594 @item the Snippets List;
1595 @item the Internals Reference.
1599 @node Starting translation in a new language
1600 @unnumberedsubsubsec Starting translation in a new language
1602 At top of the source directory, do
1609 or (if you want to install your self-compiled LilyPond locally)
1612 ./autogen.sh --prefix=$HOME
1616 If you want to compile LilyPond -- which is almost required to build
1617 the documentation, but is not required to do translation only -- fix
1618 all dependencies and rerun @command{./configure} (with the same
1619 options as for @command{autogen.sh}).
1621 Then @command{cd} into @file{Documentation/} and run
1624 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} new-lang
1628 where @var{MY-LANGUAGE} is the ISO 639 language code.
1630 Finally, add a language definition for your language in
1631 @file{python/langdefs.py}.
1634 @node Documentation translation details
1635 @subsection Documentation translation details
1637 Please follow all the instructions with care to ensure quality work.
1639 All files should be encoded in UTF-8.
1642 * Files to be translated::
1643 * Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation::
1644 * Adding a Texinfo manual::
1647 @node Files to be translated
1648 @unnumberedsubsubsec Files to be translated
1650 @include contributor/doc-translation-list.itexi
1652 In addition, not listed above, Snippets' titles and descriptions
1653 should be translated; they are a part of the Notation Reference and
1654 therefore their priority is 5.
1656 @node Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1657 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1659 Every piece of text should be translated in the source file, except
1660 Texinfo comments, text in @code{@@lilypond} blocks and a few cases
1663 Node names are translated, but the original node name in English should
1664 be kept as the argument of @code{@@translationof} put after the section
1665 title; that is, every piece in the original file like
1669 @@@var{section_command} Bar baz
1673 should be translated as
1676 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1677 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1678 @@translationof Foo bar
1681 The argument of @code{@@rglos} commands and the first argument of
1682 @code{@@rglosnamed} commands must not be translated, as it is the node
1683 name of an entry in Music Glossary.
1685 Every time you translate a node name in a cross-reference, i.e. the
1686 argument of commands @code{@@ref, @@rprogram, @@rlearning, @@rlsr,
1687 @@ruser} or the first argument of their @code{@var{*}named} variants,
1688 you should make sure the target node is defined in the correct source
1689 file; if you do not intend to translate the target node right now, you
1690 should at least write the node definition (that is, the @code{@@node
1691 @@@var{section_commmand} @@translationof} trio mentioned above) in the
1692 expected source file and define all its parent nodes; for each node you
1693 have defined this way but have not translated, insert a line that
1694 contains @code{@@untranslated}. That is, you should end up
1695 for each untranslated node with something like
1698 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1699 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1700 @@translationof Foo bar
1705 @warning{you do not have to translate the node name of a cross-reference
1706 to a node that you do not have translated. If you do, you must define
1707 an @qq{empty} node like explained just above; this will produce a
1708 cross-reference with the translated node name in output, although the
1709 target node will still be in English. On the opposite, if all
1710 cross-references that refer to an untranslated node use the node name in
1711 English, then you do not have to define such an @qq{empty} node, and the
1712 cross-reference text will appear in English in the output. The choice
1713 between these two strategies implies its particular maintenance
1714 requirements and is left to the translators, although the opinion of the
1715 Translation meister leans towards not translating these
1718 Please think of the fact that it may not make sense translating
1719 everything in some Texinfo files, and you may take distance from the
1720 original text; for instance, in the translation of the web site section
1721 Community, you may take this into account depending on what you know the
1722 community in your language is willing to support, which is possible only
1723 if you personally assume this support, or there exists a public forum
1724 or mailing list listed in Community for LilyPond in your language:
1727 @item @rweb{Bug reports}: this page should be translated only if you
1728 know that every bug report sent on your language's mailing list or forum
1729 will be handled by someone who will translate it to English and send it
1730 on bug-lilypond or add an issue in the tracker, then translate back the
1731 reply from developers.
1733 @item @rweb{Help us}: this page should be translated very freely,
1734 and possibly not at all: ask help for contributing to LilyPond for tasks
1735 that LilyPond community in your language is able and going to handle.
1739 In any case, please mark in your work the sections which do not result
1740 from the direct translation of a piece of English translation, using
1741 comments i.e. lines starting with @q{@code{@@c}}.
1743 Finally, press in Emacs @key{C-c C-u C-a} to update or generate
1744 menus. This process should be made easier in the future, when the helper
1745 script @command{texi-langutils.py} and the makefile target are updated.
1747 Some pieces of text manipulated by build scripts that appear in the
1748 output are translated in a @file{.po} file -- just like LilyPond output
1749 messages -- in @file{Documentation/po}. The Gettext domain is named
1750 @code{lilypond-doc}, and unlike @code{lilypond} domain it is not managed
1751 through the Free Translation Project.
1754 Take care of using typographic rules for your language, especially in
1755 @file{macros.itexi}.
1757 If you wonder whether a word, phrase or larger piece of text should be
1758 translated, whether it is an argument of a Texinfo command or a small
1759 piece sandwiched between two Texinfo commands, try to track whether and
1760 where it appears in PDF and/or HTML output as visible text. This piece
1761 of advice is especially useful for translating @file{macros.itexi}.
1763 Please keep verbatim copies of music snippets (in @code{@@lilypond}
1764 blocs). However, some music snippets containing text that shows in
1765 the rendered music, and sometimes translating this text really helps
1766 the user to understand the documentation; in this case, and only in
1767 this case, you may as an exception translate text in the music
1768 snippet, and then you must add a line immediately before the
1769 @code{@@lilypond} block, starting with
1776 Otherwise the music snippet would be reset to the same content as the
1777 English version at next @command{make snippet-update} run -- see
1778 @ref{Updating documentation translation}.
1783 @@lilypondfile[<number of fragment options>,texidoc]@{@var{filename.ly}@}
1787 in the source, open @file{Documentation/snippets/@var{filename}.ly},
1788 translate the @code{texidoc} header field it contains, enclose it with
1789 @code{texidoc@var{MY-LANGUAGE} = "} and @code{"}, and write it into
1790 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@/@var{filename}.texidoc}.
1791 Additionally, you may translate the snippet's title in @code{doctitle}
1792 header field, in case @code{doctitle} is a fragment option used in
1793 @code{@@lilypondfile}; you can do this exactly the same way as
1794 @code{texidoc}. For instance,
1795 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@/@var{filename}.texidoc}
1799 doctitlees = "Spanish title baz"
1801 Spanish translation blah
1806 Then, you should get these translated strings into compiled snippets in
1807 @file{Documentation/snippets}, see @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding
1808 and editing snippets}.
1810 @code{@@example} blocks need not be verbatim copies, e.g. variable
1811 names, file names and comments should be translated.
1813 Finally, please carefully apply every rule exposed in @ref{Texinfo
1814 introduction and usage policy}, and @ref{Documentation policy}. If one
1815 of these rules conflicts with a rule specific to your language, please
1816 ask the Translation meister on @email{translations@@lilynet.net} list
1817 and/or the Documentation Editors on @email{lilypond-devel@@gnu.org}
1821 @node Adding a Texinfo manual
1822 @unnumberedsubsubsec Adding a Texinfo manual
1824 In order to start translating a new manual whose basename is @var{FOO},
1828 cd Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}
1829 cp ../@var{FOO}.tely .
1831 cp web/GNUmakefile @var{FOO}
1835 then append @var{FOO} to variable @code{SUBDIRS} in
1836 Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/GNUmakefile, then translate file
1837 @var{MY-LANGUAGE}/@var{FOO}.tely and run @code{skeleton-update}:
1841 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} TEXI_LANGUTIL_FLAGS=--head-only skeleton-update
1845 Your are now ready to translate the new manual exactly like the web site
1846 or the Learning Manual.
1849 @node Documentation translation maintenance
1850 @subsection Documentation translation maintenance
1852 Several tools have been developed to make translations maintenance
1853 easier. These helper scripts make use of the power of Git, the
1854 version control system used for LilyPond development.
1856 You should use them whenever you would like to update the translation in
1857 your language, which you may do at the frequency that fits your and your
1858 cotranslators' respective available times. In the case your translation
1859 is up-do-date (which you can discover in the first subsection below), it
1860 is enough to check its state every one or two weeks. If you feel
1861 overwhelmed by the quantity of documentation to be updated, see
1862 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1865 * Check state of translation::
1866 * Updating documentation translation::
1867 * Updating translation committishes::
1870 @macro seeCommittishesUpdate{}
1871 @warning{do not forget to update the committish in each file you have
1872 completely updated, see @ref{Updating translation committishes}.}
1875 @node Check state of translation
1876 @unnumberedsubsubsec Check state of translation
1878 First pull from Git -- see @ref{Pulling and rebasing}, but DO NOT rebase
1879 unless you are sure to master the translation state checking and
1880 updating system -- then cd into @file{Documentation/} (or at top of the
1881 source tree, replace @command{make} with @command{make -C
1882 Documentation}) and run
1885 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation
1889 This presents a diff of the original files since the most recent
1890 revision of the translation. To check a single file, cd into
1891 @file{Documentation/} and run
1894 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@var{manual}/@var{foo}.itely check-translation
1898 In case this file has been renamed since you last updated the
1899 translation, you should specify both old and new file names, e.g.
1900 @code{CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@{@var{manual},user@}/@var{foo}.itely}.
1902 To see only which files need to be updated, do
1905 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation | grep 'diff --git'
1908 To avoid printing terminal colors control characters, which is often
1909 desirable when you redirect output to a file, run
1912 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} NO_COLOR=1 check-translation
1915 You can see the diffs generated by the commands above as changes that
1916 you should make in your language to the existing translation, in order
1917 to make your translation up to date.
1919 @seeCommittishesUpdate
1921 Global state of the translation is recorded in
1922 @file{Documentation/translations.itexi}, which is used to generate
1923 Translations status page. To update that page, do from
1924 @file{Documentation/}
1927 make translation-status
1930 This will also leave @file{out/translations-status.txt}, which contains
1931 up-to-dateness percentages for each translated file, and update word
1932 counts of documentation files in this Guide.
1935 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1937 @node Updating documentation translation
1938 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating documentation translation
1940 Instead of running @code{check-translation}, you may want to run
1941 @code{update-translation}, which will run your favorite text editor to
1942 update files. First, make sure environment variable @code{EDITOR} is
1943 set to a text editor command, then run from @file{Documentation/}
1946 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} update-translation
1950 or to update a single file
1953 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE/@var{manual}/foo.itely} update-translation
1956 For each file to be updated, @code{update-translation} will open your
1957 text editor with this file and a diff of the file in English; if the
1958 diff cannot be generated or is bigger than the file in English itself,
1959 the full file in English will be opened instead.
1961 @seeCommittishesUpdate
1963 Texinfo skeleton files, i.e. @file{.itely} files not yet translated,
1964 containing only the first node of the original file in English can be
1965 updated automatically: whenever @command{make check-translation} shows
1966 that such files should be updated, run from @file{Documentation/}
1969 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} skeleton-update
1972 @file{.po} message catalogs in @file{Documentation/po/} may be updated
1973 by issuing from @file{Documentation/} or @file{Documentation/po/}
1979 @warning{if you run po-update and somebody else does the same and
1980 pushes before you push or send a patch to be applied, there will be a
1981 conflict when you pull. Therefore, it is better that only the
1982 Translation meister runs this command.}
1984 Updating music snippets can quickly become cumbersome, as most
1985 snippets should be identical in all languages. Fortunately, there is
1986 a script that can do this odd job for you (run from
1987 @file{Documentation/}):
1990 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} snippet-update
1993 This script overwrites music snippets in
1994 @file{@var{MY_LANGUAGE/foo/every.itely}} with music snippets from
1995 @file{@var{foo/every.itely}}. It ignores skeleton files, and keeps
1996 intact music snippets preceded with a line starting with @code{@@c
1997 KEEP LY}; it reports an error for each @file{.itely} that has not the
1998 same music snippet count in both languages. Always use this script
1999 with a lot of care, i.e. run it on a clean Git working tree, and check
2000 the changes it made with @command{git diff} before committing; if you
2001 don't do so, some @code{@@lilypond} snippets might be broken or make
2002 no sense in their context.
2004 When you have updated texidocs in
2005 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}, you can get these
2006 changes into compiled snippets in @file{Documentation/snippets}, see
2007 @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
2009 Finally, a command runs the three update processes above for all
2010 enabled languages (from @file{Documentation/}):
2013 make all-translations-update
2016 Use this command with caution, and keep in mind it will not be really
2017 useful until translations are stabilized after the end of GDP and GOP.
2020 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations},
2021 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
2024 @node Updating translation committishes
2025 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating translation committishes
2027 At the beginning of each translated file except PO files, there is a
2028 committish which represents the revision of the sources which you have
2029 used to translate this file from the file in English.
2031 When you have pulled and updated a translation, it is very important to
2032 update this committish in the files you have completely updated (and
2033 only these); to do this, first commit possible changes to any
2034 documentation in English which you are sure to have done in your
2035 translation as well, then replace in the up-to-date translated files the
2036 old committish by the committish of latest commit, which can be obtained
2040 git rev-list HEAD |head -1
2043 A special case is updating Snippet documentation strings in
2044 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}. For these to be
2045 correctly marked as up-to-date, first run @code{makelsr.py} as
2046 explained in @ref{Adding and editing snippets}, and commit the
2047 resulting compiled snippets left in @file{Documentation/snippets/}.
2048 Say the SHA1 ID code of this commit is <C>. Now edit again your
2049 translated files in @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}
2050 adjusting the 40-digit committish that appears in the text to be <C>;
2051 finally, commit these updated files. Not doing so would result in
2052 changes made both to your updates and original snippets to
2053 persistently appear in the check-translation output as if they were
2056 This two-phase mechanism avoids the (practically) unsolvable problem
2057 of guessing what committish will have our update, and pretending to
2058 put this very committish on the files in the same commit.
2060 @c http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-devel/2009-01/msg00245.html
2061 @c contains a helper script which could be used to perform massive
2062 @c committish updates.
2068 @node Translations management policies
2069 @subsection Translations management policies
2071 These policies show the general intent of how the translations should
2072 be managed, they aim at helping translators, developers and
2073 coordinators work efficiently.
2076 * Maintaining without updating translations::
2077 * Managing documentation translation with Git::
2080 @node Maintaining without updating translations
2081 @unnumberedsubsubsec Maintaining without updating translations
2083 Keeping translations up to date under heavy changes in the documentation
2084 in English may be almost impossible, especially as during the former
2085 Grand Documentation Project (GDP) or the Grand Organization Project
2086 (GOP) when a lot of contributors brings changes. In addition,
2087 translators may be --- and that is a very good thing --- involved in
2090 it is possible --- and even recommended --- to perform some maintenance
2091 that keeps translated documentation usable and eases future translation
2092 updating. The rationale below the tasks list motivates this plan.
2094 The following tasks are listed in decreasing priority order.
2097 @item Update macros.itexi.
2098 For each obsolete macro definition, if it is possible to update macro
2099 usage in documentation with an automatic text or regexp substitution,
2100 do it and delete the macro definition from @file{macros.itexi}; otherwise,
2101 mark this macro definition as obsolete with a comment, and keep it in
2102 @file{macros.itexi} until the documentation translation has been updated and
2103 no longer uses this macro.
2105 @item Update @file{*.tely} files completely with
2106 @command{make check-translation} -- you may want to redirect output
2107 to a file because of overwhelming output, or call check-translation.py
2108 on individual files, see @ref{Check state of translation}.
2110 @item In @file{.itelys}, match sections and .itely file names with those from
2111 English docs, which possibly involves moving nodes contents in block
2112 between files, without updating contents itself. In other words, the
2113 game is catching where has gone each section. In Learning manual, and
2114 in Notation Reference sections which have been revised in GDP, there may
2115 be completely new sections: in this case, copy @code{@@node} and
2116 @code{@@section}-command from English docs, and add the marker for
2117 untranslated status @code{@@untranslated} on a single line. Note that
2118 it is not possible to exactly match subsections or subsubsections of
2119 documentation in English, when contents has been deeply revised; in this
2120 case, keep obsolete (sub)subsections in the translation, marking them
2121 with a line @code{@@c obsolete} just before the node.
2123 Emacs with Texinfo mode makes this step easier:
2126 @item without Emacs AucTeX installed, @key{C-c C-s} shows structure of current
2127 Texinfo file in a new buffer @code{*Occur*}; to show structure of two files
2128 simultaneously, first split Emacs window in 4 tiles (with @key{C-x 1}
2129 and @key{C-x 2}), press @key{C-c C-s} to show structure of one file
2130 (e.g. the translated file), copy @code{*Occur*} contents into
2131 @code{*Scratch*}, then press @key{C-c C-s} for the other file.
2133 If you happen to have installed AucTeX, you can either call the macro
2134 by doing @key{M-x texinfo-show-structure} or create a key binding in your
2135 @file{~/.emacs}, by adding the four following lines:
2138 (add-hook 'Texinfo-mode-hook
2140 (define-key Texinfo-mode-map "\C-cs"
2141 'texinfo-show-structure)))
2145 and then obtain the structure in the @code{*Occur*} buffer with @key{C-c
2148 @item Do not bother updating @code{@@menu}s when all menu entries are in the same
2149 file, just do @key{C-c C-u C-a} (@qq{update all menus}) when you have
2150 updated all the rest of the file.
2152 @item Moving to next or previous node using incremental search: press
2153 @key{C-s} and type @code{node} (or @key{C-s @@node} if the text
2154 contains the word @q{node}) then press @key{C-s} to move to next node
2155 or @key{C-r} to move to previous node. Similar operation can be used
2156 to move to the next/previous section. Note that every cursor move
2157 exits incremental search, and hitting @key{C-s} twice starts
2158 incremental search with the text entered in previous incremental
2161 @item Moving a whole node (or even a sequence of nodes): jump to beginning
2162 of the node (quit incremental search by pressing an arrow), press
2163 @key{C-SPACE}, press @key{C-s node} and repeat @key{C-s} until you
2164 have selected enough text, cut it with @key{C-w} or @key{C-x}, jump to
2165 the right place (moving between nodes with the previous hint is often
2166 useful) and paste with @key{C-y} or @key{C-v}.
2169 @item Update sections finished in the English documentation; check
2172 @uref{http://lilypondwiki.tuxfamily.org/index.php?title=Documentation_coordination}.
2175 @item Update documentation PO. It is recommended not to update
2176 strings which come from documentation that is currently deeply revised
2177 in English, to avoid doing the work more than once.
2179 @item Fix broken cross-references by running (from @file{Documentation/})
2182 make ISOLANG=@var{YOUR-LANGUAGE} fix-xrefs
2186 This step requires a successful documentation build (with @command{make
2187 doc}). Some cross-references are broken because they point to a node
2188 that exists in the documentation in English, which has not been added
2189 to the translation; in this case, do not fix the cross-reference but
2190 keep it "broken", so that the resulting HTML link will point to an
2191 existing page of documentation in English.
2194 @subsubheading Rationale
2196 You may wonder if it would not be better to leave translations as-is
2197 until you can really start updating translations. There are several
2198 reasons to do these maintenance tasks right now.
2201 @item This will have to be done sooner or later anyway, before updating
2202 translation of documentation contents, and this can already be done
2203 without needing to be redone later, as sections of documentation in
2204 English are mostly revised once. However, note that not all
2205 documentation sectioning has been revised in one go, so all this
2206 maintenance plan has to be repeated whenever a big reorganization is
2209 @item This just makes translated documentation take advantage of the new
2210 organization, which is better than the old one.
2212 @item Moving and renaming sections to match sectioning of documentation in
2213 English simplify future updating work: it allows updating the
2214 translation by side-by-side comparison, without bothering whether
2215 cross-reference names already exist in the translation.
2217 @item Each maintenance task except @q{Updating PO files} can be done by
2218 the same person for all languages, which saves overall time spent by
2219 translators to achieve this task: the node names and section titles
2220 are in English, so you can do. It is important to take advantage of
2221 this now, as it will be more complicated (but still possible) to do
2222 step 3 in all languages when documentation is compiled with
2223 @command{texi2html} and node names are directly translated in source
2228 @node Managing documentation translation with Git
2229 @unnumberedsubsubsec Managing documentation translation with Git
2231 This policy explains how to manage Git branches and commit
2232 translations to Git.
2235 @item Translation changes matching master branch are preferably made on
2236 @code{lilypond/translation} branch; they may be pushed directly to
2237 @code{master} only if they do not break compilation of LilyPond and
2238 its documentation, and in this case they should be pushed to
2239 @code{lilypond/translation} too. Similarly, changes matching
2240 @code{stable/X.Y} are preferably made on
2241 @code{lilypond/X.Ytranslation}.
2243 @item @code{lilypond/translation} Git branch may be merged into
2244 master only if LilyPond (@command{make all}) and documentation
2245 (@command{make doc}) compile successfully.
2247 @item @code{master} Git branch may be merged into
2248 @code{lilypond/translation} whenever @command{make} and @command{make
2249 doc} are successful (in order to ease documentation compilation by
2250 translators), or when significant changes had been made in
2251 documentation in English in master branch.
2253 @item General maintenance may be done by anybody who knows what he does
2254 in documentation in all languages, without informing translators
2255 first. General maintenance include simple text substitutions
2256 (e.g. automated by sed), compilation fixes, updating Texinfo or
2257 lilypond-book commands, updating macros, updating ly code, fixing
2258 cross-references, and operations described in @ref{Maintaining
2259 without updating translations}.
2263 @node Technical background
2264 @subsection Technical background
2266 A number of Python scripts handle a part of the documentation
2267 translation process. All scripts used to maintain the translations
2268 are located in @file{scripts/auxiliar/}.
2271 @item @file{check_translation.py} -- show diff to update a translation,
2272 @item @file{texi-langutils.py} -- quickly and dirtily parse Texinfo files to
2273 make message catalogs and Texinfo skeleton files,
2274 @item @file{texi-skeleton-update.py} -- update Texinfo skeleton files,
2275 @item @file{update-snippets.py} -- synchronize ly snippets with those
2277 @item @file{translations-status.py} -- update translations status pages and word
2278 counts in the file you are reading,
2279 @item @file{tely-gettext.py} -- gettext node names, section titles and references
2280 in the sources; WARNING only use this script once for each file, when support for
2281 "makeinfo --html" has been dropped.
2284 Other scripts are used in the build process, in @file{scripts/build/}:
2287 @item @file{mass-link.py} -- link or symlink files between English documentation
2288 and documentation in other languages.
2291 Python modules used by scripts in @file{scripts/auxiliar/} or @file{scripts/build/} (but
2292 not by installed Python scripts) are located in @file{python/auxiliar/}:
2294 @item @file{manuals_definitions.py} -- define manual names and name of
2295 cross-reference Texinfo macros,
2296 @item @file{buildlib.py} -- common functions (read piped output
2297 of a shell command, use Git),
2298 @item @file{postprocess_html.py} (module imported by @file{www_post.py}) -- add footer and
2299 tweak links in HTML pages.
2304 @item @file{python/langdefs.py} -- language definitions module