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 If a heading is desired without creating a @code{@@node}, please use
267 Sectioning commands (@code{@@node} and @code{@@section}) must not appear
268 inside an @code{@@ignore}. Separate those commands with a space, ie
269 @code{@@n}@tie{}@code{ode}.
273 Nodes must be included inside a
283 construct. These are easily constructed with automatic tools; see
284 @ref{Scripts to ease doc work}.
287 @node LilyPond formatting
288 @subsection LilyPond formatting
293 Use two spaces for indentation in lilypond examples (no tabs).
296 All engravers should have double-quotes around them:
299 \consists "Spans_arpeggio_engraver"
302 LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is a useful
303 convention to follow.
306 All context or layout object strings should be prefaced with @code{#}.
307 Again, LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is helpful
308 to get users accustomed to this scheme construct, i.e. @code{\set
309 Staff.instrumentName = #"cello"}
312 Try to avoid using @code{#'} or @code{#`} within when describing
313 context or layout properties outside of an @code{@@example} or @code{@@lilypond}, unless
314 the description explicitly requires it.
316 i.e. @qq{...setting the @code{transparent} property leaves the object where it
317 is, but makes it invisible.}
320 If possible, only write one bar per line.
323 If you only have one bar per line, omit bar checks. If you
324 must put more than one bar per line (not recommended), then include bar
328 Tweaks should, if possible, also occur on their own line.
330 not: \override TextScript #'padding = #3 c1^"hi"
331 but instead: \override TextScript #'padding = #3
336 Most LilyPond input should be produced with:
339 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=2]
346 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
349 Please avoid using extra spacing either after or within the
350 @code{@@lilypond} parameters.
353 not: @@lilypond [verbatim, quote, relative=1]
354 but instead: @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
357 If you want to use @code{\layout@{@}} or define variables, use
360 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote]
363 In rare cases, other options may be used (or omitted), but ask first.
366 Inspirational headwords are produced with
369 @@lilypondfile[quote,ragged-right,line-width=16\cm,staffsize=16]
370 @{pitches-headword.ly@}
374 LSR snippets are linked with
377 @@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,ragged-right,texidoc,doctitle]
382 excepted in Templates, where `doctitle' may be omitted.
385 Avoid long stretches of input code. Nobody is going to read
386 them in print. Create small examples. However, this does not mean
390 Specify durations for at least the first note of every bar.
393 If possible, end with a complete bar.
396 Comments should go on their own line, and be placed before
397 the line(s) to which they refer.
400 For clarity, always use @{ @} marks even if they are not technically
406 \context Voice \repeat unfold 2 \relative c' @{
422 Add a space around @{ @} marks; i.e.
425 not: \chordmode@{c e g@}
426 but instead: \chordmode @{ c e g @}
430 Use @{ @} marks for additional @code{\markup} format commands; i.e.
433 not: c^\markup \tiny\sharp
434 but instead: c^\markup @{ \tiny \sharp @}
438 Remove any space around @code{<} @code{>} marks; i.e.
442 but instead: <c e g>4
446 Beam, slur and tie marks should begin immediately after the first
447 note with beam and phrase marks ending immediately after the last.
450 a8\( ais16[ b cis( d] b) cis4~ b' cis,\)
454 If you want to work on an example outside of the manual (for
455 easier/faster processing), use this header:
460 line-width = 160\mm - 2.0 * 0.4\in
462 force-assignment = #""
463 line-width = #(- line-width (* mm 3.000000))
470 You may not change any of these values. If you are making an
471 example demonstrating special @code{\paper@{@}} values, contact the
472 Documentation Editor.
477 @node Text formatting
478 @subsection Text formatting
482 Lines should be less than 72 characters long. (We personally
483 recommend writing with 66-char lines, but do not bother modifying
484 existing material). Also see the recommendations for fixed-width
485 fonts in the @ref{Syntax survey}.
491 Do not use spaces at the beginning of a line (except in
492 @code{@@example} or @code{@@verbatim} environments), and do not
493 use more than a single space between words. @q{makeinfo} copies
494 the input lines verbatim without removing those spaces.
497 Use two spaces after a period.
500 In examples of syntax, use @code{@@var@{@var{musicexpr}@}} for a
504 Don't use @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in the main text. If you're
505 tempted to do so, you're probably getting too close to @qq{talking
506 through the code}. If you really want to refer to a context, use
507 @code{@@code@{@}} in the main text and @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in
508 the @code{@@seealso}.
513 @subsection Syntax survey
523 * Special characters::
529 @unnumberedsubsubsec Comments
533 @code{@@c @dots{}} --- single line comment. @samp{@@c NOTE:} is a
534 comment which should remain in the final version. (gp only
538 @code{@@ignore} --- multi-line comment:
548 @node Cross references
549 @unnumberedsubsubsec Cross references
551 Enter the exact @code{@@node} name of the target reference between
552 the brackets (eg.@tie{}@w{@samp{@@ref@{Syntax survey@}}}). Do not
553 split a cross-reference across two lines -- this causes the
554 cross-reference to be rendered incorrectly in html documents.
558 @code{@@ref@{@dots{}@}} --- link within current manual.
561 @code{@@rchanges@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Changes.
564 @code{@@rcontrib@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Contributor's Guide.
567 @code{@@ressay@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Engraving Essay.
570 @code{@@rextend@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Extending LilyPond.
573 @code{@@rglos@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Music Glossary.
576 @code{@@rinternals@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Internals Reference.
579 @code{@@rlearning@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Learning Manual.
582 @code{@@rlsr@{@dots{}@}} --- link to a Snippet section.
585 @code{@@rprogram@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Application Usage.
588 @code{@@ruser@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Notation Reference.
591 @code{@@rweb@{@dots{}@}} --- link to General Information.
596 @unnumberedsubsubsec External links
600 @code{@@email@{@dots{}@}} --- create a @code{mailto:} E-mail link.
603 @code{@@uref@{@var{URL}[, @var{link text}]@}} --- link to an
604 external url. Use within an @code{@@example ... @@end example}.
608 @@uref@{URL [, link text ]@}
614 @node Fixed-width font
615 @unnumberedsubsubsec Fixed-width font
619 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} ---
621 Use the @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} command when referring to
622 individual language-specific tokens (keywords, commands,
623 engravers, scheme symbols, etc.) in the text. Ideally, a single
624 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} block should fit within one line in the
627 Use the @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} command when you have a short
628 example of user input, unless it constitutes an entire
629 @code{@@item} by itself, in which case @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} is
630 preferable. Otherwise, both should only be used when part of a
631 larger sentence within a paragraph or @code{@@item}. Do not use
632 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} inside an
633 @code{@@example} block, and do not use either as a free-standing
634 paragraph; use @code{@@example} instead.
636 A single unindented line in the PDF has space for about 79
637 fixed-width characters (76 if indented). Within an @code{@@item}
638 there is space for about 75 fixed-width characters. Each
639 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
640 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
642 However, even short blocks of @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} and
643 @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} can run into the margin if the Texinfo
644 line-breaking algorithm gets confused. Additionally, blocks that
645 are longer than this may in fact print nicely; it all depends
646 where the line breaks end up. If you compile the docs yourself,
647 check the PDF output to make sure the line breaks are
650 The Texinfo setting @code{@@allowcodebreaks} is set to
651 @code{false} in the manuals, so lines within
652 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} blocks will
653 only break at spaces, not at hyphens or underscores. If the block
654 contains spaces, use @code{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}} or
655 @code{@@w@{@@samp@{@dots{}@}@}} to prevent unexpected line breaks.
657 The Texinfo settings @code{txicodequoteundirected} and
658 @code{txicodequotebacktick} are both set in the manuals, so
659 backticks (@code{`}) and apostrophes (@code{'}) placed within
660 blocks of @code{@@code}, @code{@@example}, or @code{@@verbatim}
661 are not converted to left- and right-angled quotes
662 (@code{@quoteleft{} @quoteright{}}) as they normally are within
663 the text, so the apostrophes in
664 @q{@w{@code{@@w@{@@code@{@bs{}relative c''@}@}}}} will display
665 correctly. However, these settings do not affect the PDF output
666 for anything within a @code{@@samp} block (even if it includes a
667 nested @code{@@code} block), so entering
668 @q{@code{@@w@{@@samp@{@bs{}relative c''@}@}}} wrongly produces
669 @q{@w{@code{@bs{}relative c@quoteright{}@quoteright{}}}} in PDF.
670 Consequently, if you want to use a @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} block
671 which contains backticks or apostrophes, you should instead use
672 @q{@code{@@q@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}}} (or
673 @q{@code{@@q@{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}@}}} if the block also
674 contains spaces). Note that backslashes within
675 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}} blocks must be entered as @samp{@@bs@{@}},
676 so the example above would be coded as
677 @q{@code{@@q@{@@w@{@@code@{@@bs@{@}relative c''@}@}@}}}.
680 @code{@@command@{@dots{}@}} --- Use when referring to command-line
681 commands within the text (eg. @samp{@@command@{convert-ly@}}). Do
682 not use inside an @code{@@example} block.
685 @code{@@example} --- Use for examples of program code. Do not add
686 extraneous indentation (i.e. don't start every line with
687 whitespace). Use the following layout (notice the use of blank
688 lines). Omit the @code{@@noindent} if the text following the
689 example starts a new paragraph:
692 @var{@dots{}text leading into the example@dots{}}
699 @var{continuation of the text@dots{}}
702 Individual lines within an @code{@@example} block should not
703 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
704 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@example} block
705 is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
706 @code{@@example} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
707 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
708 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
710 For long command line examples, if possible, use a trailing
711 backslash to break up a single line, indenting the next line with
712 2 spaces. If this isn't feasible, use @samp{@@smallexample
713 @dots{} @@end@tie{}smallexample} instead, which uses a smaller
714 fontsize. Use @code{@@example} whenever possible, but if needed,
715 @code{@@smallexample} can fit up to 90 characters per line before
716 running into the PDF margin. Each additional level of
717 @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate} shortens a
718 @code{@@smallexample} line by about 5 columns.
721 @code{@@file@{@dots{}@}} --- Use when referring to filenames and
722 directories in the text. Do not use inside an @code{@@example}
726 @code{@@option@{@dots{}@}} --- Use when referring to command-line
727 options in the text (eg. @samp{@@option@{--format@}}). Do not use
728 inside an @code{@@example} block.
731 @code{@@verbatim} --- Prints the block exactly as it appears in
732 the source file (including whitespace, etc.). For program code
733 examples, use @code{@@example} instead. @code{@@verbatim} uses
734 the same format as @code{@@example}.
736 Individual lines within an @code{@@verbatim} block should not
737 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
738 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@verbatim}
739 block is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
740 @code{@@verbatim} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
741 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
742 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
747 @unnumberedsubsubsec Indexing
751 @code{@@cindex @dots{}} --- General index. Please add as many as you can.
752 Don't capitalize the first word.
755 @code{@@funindex @dots{}} --- is for a \lilycommand.
760 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lists
764 @code{@@enumerate} --- Create an ordered list (with numbers).
765 Always put @samp{@@item} on its own line. As an exception, if all
766 the items in the list are short enough to fit on single lines, placing
767 them on the @samp{@@item} lines is also permissible. @samp{@@item}
768 and @samp{@@end@tie{}enumerate} should always be preceded by a blank
775 A long multi-line item like this one must begin
776 on a line of its own and all the other items in
777 the list must do so too.
796 @code{@@itemize} --- Create an unordered list (with bullets). Use
797 the same format as @code{@@enumerate}. Do not use
798 @samp{@@itemize@tie{}@@bullet}.
802 @node Special characters
803 @unnumberedsubsubsec Special characters
807 @code{--}, @code{---} --- Create an en dash (--) or an em dash
808 (---) in the text. To print two or three literal hyphens in a
809 row, wrap one of them in a @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} (eg.
813 @code{@@@@}, @code{@@@{}, @code{@@@}} --- Create an at-sign (@@),
814 a left curly bracket (@{), or a right curly bracket (@}).
817 @code{@@bs@{@}} --- Create a backslash within a
818 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}}, or
819 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} block. This is a custom LilyPond
820 macro, not a builtin @@-command in Texinfo. Texinfo would also
821 allow @samp{\\}, but this breaks the PDF output.
824 @code{@@tie@{@}} --- Create a @emph{variable-width} non-breaking
825 space in the text (use @w{@samp{@@w@{ @}}} for a single
826 @emph{fixed-width} non-breaking space). Variables or numbers
827 which consist of a single character (probably followed by a
828 punctuation mark) should be tied properly, either to the previous
829 or the next word. Example: @samp{The letter@@tie@{@}@@q@{I@} is
835 @unnumberedsubsubsec Miscellany
839 @code{@@notation@{@dots{}@}} --- refers to pieces of notation, e.g.
840 @samp{@@notation@{clef@}}. Also use for specific lyrics
841 (@samp{the @@notation@{A@tie{}-@tie{}men@} is centered}).
842 Only use once per subsection per term.
845 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}} --- Single quotes. Used for
846 @quoteleft{}vague@quoteright{} terms. To get a backslash
847 (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
850 @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}} --- Double quotes. Used for actual quotes
851 (@qq{he said}) or for introducing special input modes. To get a
852 backslash (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
855 @code{@@var@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for metasyntactic variables (such
856 as @code{@var{foo}}, @code{@var{bar}}, @code{@var{arg1}}, etc.).
857 In most cases, when the @code{@@var@{@dots{}@}} command appears in
858 the text (and not in an @code{@@example} block) it should be
859 wrapped with an appropriate texinfo code-highlighting command
860 (such as @code{@@code}, @code{@@samp}, @code{@@file},
861 @code{@@command}, etc.). For example:
862 @samp{@@code@{@@var@{foo@}@}},
863 @samp{@@file@{@@var@{myfile.ly@}@}},
864 @w{@samp{@@samp@{git checkout @@var@{branch@}@}}}, etc. This
865 improves readability in the PDF and HTML output.
868 @code{@@version@{@}} --- Return the current LilyPond version
869 string. Use @samp{@@w@{@@version@{@}@}} if it's at the end of a
870 line (to prevent an ugly line break in PDF); use
871 @samp{@@w@{"@@version@{@}"@}} if you need it in quotes.
874 @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} --- Do not allow any line breaks.
877 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} --- produces a @qq{Note:@tie{}} box.
878 Use for important messages. To get a backslash (\), you must use
883 @node Other text concerns
884 @subsection Other text concerns
888 References must occur at the end of a sentence, for more
890 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/,texinfo
891 manual}. Ideally this should also be the final sentence of a
892 paragraph, but this is not required. Any link in a doc section
893 must be duplicated in the @code{@@seealso} section at the bottom.
896 Introducing examples must be done with
899 . (i.e. finish the previous sentence/paragraph)
900 : (i.e. `in this example:')
901 , (i.e. `may add foo with the blah construct,')
904 The old @qq{sentence runs directly into the example} method is not
908 Abbrevs in caps, e.g., HTML, DVI, MIDI, etc.
918 When beginning a quote: @qq{So, he said,...}.
920 This usage is rarer. Americans often just use a comma.
923 When adding a defining example at the end of a sentence.
927 Non-ASCII characters which are in utf-8 should be directly used;
928 this is, don't say @samp{Ba@@ss@{@}tuba} but @samp{Baßtuba}. This
929 ensures that all such characters appear in all output formats.
933 @node Documentation policy
934 @section Documentation policy
938 * Section organization::
939 * Checking cross-references::
941 * Technical writing style::
947 There are four parts to the documentation: the Learning Manual,
948 the Notation Reference, the Program Reference, and the Music
956 The LM is written in a tutorial style which introduces the most
957 important concepts, structure and syntax of the elements of a
958 LilyPond score in a carefully graded sequence of steps.
959 Explanations of all musical concepts used in the Manual can be
960 found in the Music Glossary, and readers are assumed to have no
961 prior knowledge of LilyPond. The objective is to take readers to
962 a level where the Notation Reference can be understood and
963 employed to both adapt the templates in the Appendix to their
964 needs and to begin to construct their own scores. Commonly used
965 tweaks are introduced and explained. Examples are provided
966 throughout which, while being focussed on the topic being
967 introduced, are long enough to seem real in order to retain the
968 readers' interest. Each example builds on the previous material,
969 and comments are used liberally. Every new aspect is thoroughly
970 explained before it is used.
972 Users are encouraged to read the complete Learning Manual from
977 Notation Reference: a (hopefully complete) description of LilyPond
978 input notation. Some material from here may be duplicated in the
979 Learning Manual (for teaching), but consider the NR to be the
980 "definitive" description of each notation element, with the LM
981 being an "extra". The goal is _not_ to provide a step-by-step
982 learning environment -- do not avoid using notation that has not
983 be introduced previously in the NR (for example, use \break if
984 appropriate). This section is written in formal technical writing
987 Avoid duplication. Although users are not expected to read this
988 manual from start to finish, they should be familiar with the
989 material in the Learning Manual (particularly ``Fundamental
990 Concepts''), so do not repeat that material in each section of
991 this book. Also watch out for common constructs, like ^ - _ for
992 directions -- those are explained in NR 3. In NR 1, you can
993 write: DYNAMICS may be manually placed above or below the staff,
994 see @@ref@{Controlling direction and placement@}.
996 Most tweaks should be added to LSR and not placed directly in the
997 @file{.itely} file. In some cases, tweaks may be placed in the main
998 text, but ask about this first.
1000 Finally, you should assume that users know what the notation
1001 means; explaining musical concepts happens in the Music Glossary.
1005 Application Usage: information about using the program lilypond
1006 with other programs (lilypond-book, operating systems, GUIs,
1007 convert-ly, etc). This section is written in formal technical
1010 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
1014 Music Glossary: information about the music notation itself.
1015 Explanations and translations about notation terms go here.
1017 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
1020 Internals Reference: not really a documentation book, since it is
1021 automagically generated from the source, but this is its name.
1026 @node Section organization
1027 @subsection Section organization
1032 The order of headings inside documentation sections should
1045 You @emph{must} include a @@seealso.
1049 The order of items inside the @@seealso section is
1058 @@rlearning@{foozle@}.
1067 Essay on automated music engraving:
1074 @@file@{path/to/dir/blahz@}.
1076 Snippets: @@rlsr@{section@}.
1078 Internals Reference:
1079 @@rinternals@{fazzle@},
1080 @@rinternals@{booar@}.
1084 If there are multiple entries, separate them by commas but do not
1088 Always end with a period.
1091 Place each link on a new line as above; this makes it much easier
1092 to add or remove links. In the output, they appear on a single
1095 ("Snippets" is REQUIRED; the others are optional)
1098 Any new concepts or links which require an explanation should go
1099 as a full sentence(s) in the main text.
1102 Don't insert an empty line between @@seealso and the first entry!
1103 Otherwise there is excessive vertical space in the PDF output.
1108 To create links, use @@ref@{@} if the link is within the same
1112 @@predefined ... @@endpredefined is for commands in
1116 Do not include any real info in second-level sections (i.e. 1.1
1117 Pitches). A first-level section may have introductory material,
1118 but other than that all material goes into third-level sections
1119 (i.e. 1.1.1 Writing Pitches).
1122 The @@knownissues should not discuss any issues that are in the
1123 tracker, unless the issue is Priority-Postponed. The goal is to
1124 discuss any overall architecture or syntax decisions which may be
1125 interpreted as bugs. Normal bugs should not be discussed here,
1126 because we have so many bugs that it would be a huge task to keep
1127 the @@knownissues current and accurate all the time.
1132 @node Checking cross-references
1133 @subsection Checking cross-references
1135 Cross-references between different manuals are heavily used in the
1136 documentation, but they are not checked during compilation.
1137 However, if you compile the documentation, a script called
1138 check_texi_refs can help you with checking and fixing these
1139 cross-references; for information on usage, cd into a source tree
1140 where documentation has been built, cd into Documentation and run:
1147 Note that you have to find yourself the source files to fix
1148 cross-references in the generated documentation such as the
1149 Internals Reference; e.g. you can grep scm/ and lily/.
1151 @c temporary? how long will kainhofer be used? -gp
1152 Also of interest may be the linkdoc checks on kainhofer.com. Be
1153 warned that these docs are not completely rebuilt every day, so it
1154 might not accurately reflect the current state of the docs.
1157 @uref{http://kainhofer.com/~lilypond/linkdoc/}
1161 @node General writing
1162 @subsection General writing
1167 Do not forget to create @@cindex entries for new sections of text.
1168 Enter commands with @@funindex, i.e.
1171 @@cindex pitches, writing in different octaves
1172 @@funindex \relative
1176 Do not bother with the @@code@{@} (they are added automatically).
1177 These items are added to both the command index and the unified
1178 index. Both index commands should go in front of the actual material.
1181 @@cindex entries should not be capitalized, i.e.
1184 @@cindex time signature
1188 is preferred instead of @qq{Time signature}. Only use capital
1189 letters for musical terms which demand them, e.g.
1193 For scheme function index entries, only include the final part, i.e.
1196 @@funindex modern-voice-cautionary
1198 @@funindex #(set-accidental-style modern-voice-cautionary)
1202 Use American spelling. LilyPond's internal property
1203 names use this convention.
1206 Here is a list of preferred terms to be used:
1210 @emph{Simultaneous} NOT concurrent.
1213 @emph{Measure}: the unit of music.
1216 @emph{Bar line}: the symbol delimiting a measure NOT barline.
1219 @emph{Note head} NOT notehead.
1222 @emph{Chord construct} NOT just chord (when referring to < ... >)
1225 @emph{Staff} NOT stave.
1228 @emph{Staves} NOT Staffs:
1230 @q{multiple @@internalsref@{Staff@}s}
1231 should be rephrased to
1232 @q{multiple @@internalsref@{Staff@} contexts}.
1240 @node Technical writing style
1241 @subsection Technical writing style
1243 These refer to the NR. The LM uses a more gentle, colloquial
1249 Do not refer to LilyPond in the text. The reader knows what the
1250 manual is about. If you do, capitalization is LilyPond.
1253 If you explicitly refer to @q{lilypond} the program (or any other
1254 command to be executed), write @code{@@command@{lilypond@}}.
1257 Do not explicitly refer to the reader/user. There is no one else
1258 besides the reader and the writer.
1261 Avoid contractions (don't, won't, etc.). Spell the words out completely.
1264 Avoid abbreviations, except for commonly used abbreviations of foreign
1265 language terms such as etc. and i.e.
1268 Avoid fluff (@qq{Notice that,} @qq{as you can see,}
1272 The use of the word @q{illegal} is inappropriate in most cases.
1273 Say @q{invalid} instead.
1278 @node Tips for writing docs
1279 @section Tips for writing docs
1281 In the NR, I highly recommend focusing on one subsection at a
1282 time. For each subsection,
1287 check the mundane formatting. Are the headings (@@predefined,
1288 @@seealso, etc.) in the right order?
1291 add any appropriate index entries.
1294 check the links in the @@seealso section -- links to music
1295 glossary, internal references, and other NR sections are the main
1296 concern. Check for potential additions.
1299 move LSR-worthy material into LSR. Add the snippet, delete the
1300 material from the @file{.itely} file, and add a @@lilypondfile command.
1303 check the examples and descriptions. Do they still work?
1304 @strong{Do not} assume that the existing text is
1305 accurate/complete; some of the manual is highly out of date.
1308 is the material in the @@knownissues still accurate?
1311 can the examples be improved (made more explanatory), or is there
1312 any missing info? (feel free to ask specific questions on -user;
1313 a couple of people claimed to be interesting in being
1314 @qq{consultants} who would help with such questions)
1318 In general, I favor short text explanations with good examples --
1319 @qq{an example is worth a thousand words}. When I worked on the
1320 docs, I spent about half my time just working on those tiny
1321 lilypond examples. Making easily-understandable examples is much
1322 harder than it looks.
1325 @subsubheading Tweaks
1327 In general, any \set or \override commands should go in the
1328 @qq{select snippets} section, which means that they should go in
1329 LSR and not the @file{.itely} file. For some cases, the command
1330 obviously belongs in the @qq{main text} (i.e. not inside
1331 @@predefined or @@seealso or whatever) -- instrument names are a
1332 good example of this.
1335 \set Staff.instrumentName = #"foo"
1338 On the other side of this,
1341 \override Score.Hairpin #'after-line-breaking = ##t
1344 clearly belongs in LSR.
1346 I'm quite willing to discuss specific cases if you think that a
1347 tweaks needs to be in the main text. But items that can go into
1348 LSR are easier to maintain, so I'd like to move as much as
1349 possible into there.
1352 It would be @qq{nice} if you spent a lot of time crafting nice
1353 tweaks for users@dots{} but my recommendation is @strong{not} to do
1354 this. There's a lot of doc work to do without adding examples of
1355 tweaks. Tweak examples can easily be added by normal users by adding
1358 One place where a documentation writer can profitably spend time writing
1359 or upgrading tweaks is creating tweaks to deal with known issues. It
1360 would be ideal if every significant known issue had a workaround to avoid
1364 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1367 @node Scripts to ease doc work
1368 @section Scripts to ease doc work
1370 @subheading Building only one section of the documentation
1372 In order to save build time, a script is available to build only
1373 one section of the documentation in English with a default html
1376 The script is available as:
1379 scripts/auxiliar/doc-section.sh
1382 This script will require customization for your site if your
1383 LilyPond git repository is anyplace but @code{$HOME/lilypond}.
1385 Assuming that no customization is required, you can setup the
1386 single section build with:
1389 mkdir $HOME/lilypond/tempdocs
1390 cp $HOME/lilypond/Documentation/out/version.itexi $HOME/lilypond/tempdocs
1393 You can then build a section of the documentation with:
1396 scripts/auxiliar/doc-section.sh MANUAL SECTION
1400 where @code{SECTION} is the name of the file containing the section
1401 to be built, and @code{MANUAL} is replaced by the name of the directory
1402 containing the section. So, for example, to build section 1.1 of the
1403 Notation Reference, use the command:
1406 scripts/auxiliar/doc-section.sh notation pitches
1409 This script will not work for building sections of the
1410 Contributors' guide. For building sections of the Contributors'
1414 scripts/auxiliar/cg-section.sh SECTION
1418 where @code{SECTION} is the name of the file containing the sections
1419 to be built. For example, to build section 4 of the Contributors' guide,
1423 scripts/auxiliar/cg-section.sh doc-work
1426 Like @code{doc-section.sh}, @code{cg-section.sh} may need to be customized
1427 for your installation.
1429 @subheading Stripping whitespace and generating menus
1431 @warning{This script assumes that the file conforms to our doc
1432 policy; a few files still need work in this regard.}
1434 To automatically regenerate @code{@@menu} portions and strip
1438 scripts/auxiliar/node-menuify.py @var{FILENAME}
1442 @subheading Stripping whitespace only
1444 @c TODO: should this be documented elsewhere? It's useful for
1445 @c more than just docs.
1446 To remove extra whitespace from the ends of lines, run
1449 scripts/auxiliar/strip-whitespace.py Documentation/FILENAME
1453 @subheading Updating doc with @command{convert-ly}
1455 Don't. This should be done by programmers when they add new
1456 features. If you notice that it hasn't been done, complain to
1457 @code{lilypond-devel}.
1460 @node Docstrings in scheme
1461 @section Docstrings in scheme
1463 Material in the Internals reference is generated automatically
1464 from our source code. Any doc work on Internals therefore
1465 requires modifying files in @file{scm/*.scm}. Texinfo is allowed
1466 in these docstrings.
1468 Most documentation writers never touch these, though. If you want
1469 to work on them, please ask for help.
1472 @node Translating the documentation
1473 @section Translating the documentation
1475 The mailing list @code{translations@@lilynet.net} is dedicated to
1476 LilyPond web site and documentation translation; on this list, you will
1477 get support from the Translations Meister and experienced translators,
1478 and we regularly discuss translation issues common to all languages.
1479 All people interested in LilyPond translations are invited to subscribe
1480 to this list regardless of the amount of their contribution, by sending
1481 an email to @code{translations-request@@lilynet.net} with subject
1482 @code{subscribe} and an empty message body. Unless mentioned explicitly,
1483 or except if a translations coordinator contacts you privately, you
1484 should send questions, remarks and patches to the list
1485 @code{translations@@lilynet.net}. Please note that traffic is high
1486 on the English-speaking list @code{lilypond-user@@gnu.org}, so it may
1487 take some time before your request or contribution is handled.
1490 * Getting started with documentation translation::
1491 * Documentation translation details::
1492 * Documentation translation maintenance::
1493 * Translations management policies::
1494 * Technical background::
1497 @node Getting started with documentation translation
1498 @subsection Getting started with documentation translation
1500 First, get the sources of branch @code{lilypond/translation} from the
1501 Git repository, see @ref{Starting with Git}.
1504 * Translation requirements::
1505 * Which documentation can be translated::
1506 * Starting translation in a new language::
1509 @node Translation requirements
1510 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translation requirements
1512 Working on LilyPond documentation translations requires the following
1513 pieces of software, in order to make use of dedicated helper tools:
1516 @item Python 2.4 or higher,
1522 It is not required to build LilyPond and the documentation to
1523 translate the documentation. However, if you have enough time and
1524 motivation and a suitable system, it can be very useful to build at
1525 least the documentation so that you can check the output yourself and
1526 more quickly; if you are interested, see @ref{Compiling}.
1528 Before undertaking any large translation work, contributors are
1529 encouraged to contact the @ref{Meisters, Translation Meister}.
1532 @node Which documentation can be translated
1533 @unnumberedsubsubsec Which documentation can be translated
1535 The makefiles and scripts infrastructure currently supports translation
1536 of the following documentation:
1539 @item the web site, the Learning Manual, the Notation Reference and
1540 Application Usage -- Texinfo source, PDF and HTML output; Info output
1541 might be added if there is enough demand for it;
1542 @item the Changes document.
1545 Support for translating the following pieces of documentation should be
1546 added soon, by decreasing order of priority:
1549 @item automatically generated documentation: markup commands,
1550 predefined music functions;
1551 @item the Snippets List;
1552 @item the Internals Reference.
1556 @node Starting translation in a new language
1557 @unnumberedsubsubsec Starting translation in a new language
1559 At top of the source directory, do
1566 or (if you want to install your self-compiled LilyPond locally)
1569 ./autogen.sh --prefix=$HOME
1573 If you want to compile LilyPond -- which is almost required to build
1574 the documentation, but is not required to do translation only -- fix
1575 all dependencies and rerun @command{./configure} (with the same
1576 options as for @command{autogen.sh}).
1578 Then @command{cd} into @file{Documentation/} and run
1581 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} new-lang
1585 where @var{MY-LANGUAGE} is the ISO 639 language code.
1587 Finally, add a language definition for your language in
1588 @file{python/langdefs.py}.
1591 @node Documentation translation details
1592 @subsection Documentation translation details
1594 Please follow all the instructions with care to ensure quality work.
1596 All files should be encoded in UTF-8.
1599 * Files to be translated::
1600 * Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation::
1601 * Adding a Texinfo manual::
1604 @node Files to be translated
1605 @unnumberedsubsubsec Files to be translated
1607 @include contributor/doc-translation-list.itexi
1609 In addition, not listed above, Snippets' titles and descriptions
1610 should be translated; they are a part of the Notation Reference and
1611 therefore their priority is 5.
1613 @node Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1614 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1616 Every piece of text should be translated in the source file, except
1617 Texinfo comments, text in @code{@@lilypond} blocks and a few cases
1620 Node names are translated, but the original node name in English should
1621 be kept as the argument of @code{@@translationof} put after the section
1622 title; that is, every piece in the original file like
1626 @@@var{section_command} Bar baz
1630 should be translated as
1633 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1634 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1635 @@translationof Foo bar
1638 The argument of @code{@@rglos} commands and the first argument of
1639 @code{@@rglosnamed} commands must not be translated, as it is the node
1640 name of an entry in Music Glossary.
1642 Every time you translate a node name in a cross-reference, i.e. the
1643 argument of commands @code{@@ref, @@rprogram, @@rlearning, @@rlsr,
1644 @@ruser} or the first argument of their @code{@var{*}named} variants,
1645 you should make sure the target node is defined in the correct source
1646 file; if you do not intend to translate the target node right now, you
1647 should at least write the node definition (that is, the @code{@@node
1648 @@@var{section_commmand} @@translationof} trio mentioned above) in the
1649 expected source file and define all its parent nodes; for each node you
1650 have defined this way but have not translated, insert a line that
1651 contains @code{@@untranslated}. That is, you should end up
1652 for each untranslated node with something like
1655 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1656 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1657 @@translationof Foo bar
1662 @warning{you do not have to translate the node name of a cross-reference
1663 to a node that you do not have translated. If you do, you must define
1664 an @qq{empty} node like explained just above; this will produce a
1665 cross-reference with the translated node name in output, although the
1666 target node will still be in English. On the opposite, if all
1667 cross-references that refer to an untranslated node use the node name in
1668 English, then you do not have to define such an @qq{empty} node, and the
1669 cross-reference text will appear in English in the output. The choice
1670 between these two strategies implies its particular maintenance
1671 requirements and is left to the translators, although the opinion of the
1672 Translation meister leans towards not translating these
1675 Please think of the fact that it may not make sense translating
1676 everything in some Texinfo files, and you may take distance from the
1677 original text; for instance, in the translation of the web site section
1678 Community, you may take this into account depending on what you know the
1679 community in your language is willing to support, which is possible only
1680 if you personally assume this support, or there exists a public forum
1681 or mailing list listed in Community for LilyPond in your language:
1684 @item @rweb{Bug reports}: this page should be translated only if you
1685 know that every bug report sent on your language's mailing list or forum
1686 will be handled by someone who will translate it to English and send it
1687 on bug-lilypond or add an issue in the tracker, then translate back the
1688 reply from developers.
1690 @item @rweb{Help us}: this page should be translated very freely,
1691 and possibly not at all: ask help for contributing to LilyPond for tasks
1692 that LilyPond community in your language is able and going to handle.
1696 In any case, please mark in your work the sections which do not result
1697 from the direct translation of a piece of English translation, using
1698 comments i.e. lines starting with @q{@code{@@c}}.
1700 Finally, press in Emacs @key{C-c C-u C-a} to update or generate
1701 menus. This process should be made easier in the future, when the helper
1702 script @command{texi-langutils.py} and the makefile target are updated.
1704 Some pieces of text manipulated by build scripts that appear in the
1705 output are translated in a @file{.po} file -- just like LilyPond output
1706 messages -- in @file{Documentation/po}. The Gettext domain is named
1707 @code{lilypond-doc}, and unlike @code{lilypond} domain it is not managed
1708 through the Free Translation Project.
1711 Take care of using typographic rules for your language, especially in
1712 @file{macros.itexi}.
1714 If you wonder whether a word, phrase or larger piece of text should be
1715 translated, whether it is an argument of a Texinfo command or a small
1716 piece sandwiched between two Texinfo commands, try to track whether and
1717 where it appears in PDF and/or HTML output as visible text. This piece
1718 of advice is especially useful for translating @file{macros.itexi}.
1720 Please keep verbatim copies of music snippets (in @code{@@lilypond}
1721 blocs). However, some music snippets containing text that shows in
1722 the rendered music, and sometimes translating this text really helps
1723 the user to understand the documentation; in this case, and only in
1724 this case, you may as an exception translate text in the music
1725 snippet, and then you must add a line immediately before the
1726 @code{@@lilypond} block, starting with
1733 Otherwise the music snippet would be reset to the same content as the
1734 English version at next @command{make snippet-update} run -- see
1735 @ref{Updating documentation translation}.
1740 @@lilypondfile[<number of fragment options>,texidoc]@{@var{filename.ly}@}
1744 in the source, open @file{Documentation/snippets/@var{filename}.ly},
1745 translate the @code{texidoc} header field it contains, enclose it with
1746 @code{texidoc@var{MY-LANGUAGE} = "} and @code{"}, and write it into
1747 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@/@var{filename}.texidoc}.
1748 Additionally, you may translate the snippet's title in @code{doctitle}
1749 header field, in case @code{doctitle} is a fragment option used in
1750 @code{@@lilypondfile}; you can do this exactly the same way as
1751 @code{texidoc}. For instance,
1752 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@/@var{filename}.texidoc}
1756 doctitlees = "Spanish title baz"
1758 Spanish translation blah
1763 Then, you should get these translated strings into compiled snippets in
1764 @file{Documentation/snippets}, see @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding
1765 and editing snippets}.
1767 @code{@@example} blocks need not be verbatim copies, e.g. variable
1768 names, file names and comments should be translated.
1770 Finally, please carefully apply every rule exposed in @ref{Texinfo
1771 introduction and usage policy}, and @ref{Documentation policy}. If one
1772 of these rules conflicts with a rule specific to your language, please
1773 ask the Translation meister on @email{translations@@lilynet.net} list
1774 and/or the Documentation Editors on @email{lilypond-devel@@gnu.org}
1778 @node Adding a Texinfo manual
1779 @unnumberedsubsubsec Adding a Texinfo manual
1781 In order to start translating a new manual whose basename is @var{FOO},
1785 cd Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}
1786 cp ../@var{FOO}.tely .
1788 cp web/GNUmakefile @var{FOO}
1792 then append @var{FOO} to variable @code{SUBDIRS} in
1793 Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/GNUmakefile, then translate file
1794 @var{MY-LANGUAGE}/@var{FOO}.tely and run @code{skeleton-update}:
1798 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} TEXI_LANGUTIL_FLAGS=--head-only skeleton-update
1802 Your are now ready to translate the new manual exactly like the web site
1803 or the Learning Manual.
1806 @node Documentation translation maintenance
1807 @subsection Documentation translation maintenance
1809 Several tools have been developed to make translations maintenance
1810 easier. These helper scripts make use of the power of Git, the
1811 version control system used for LilyPond development.
1813 You should use them whenever you would like to update the translation in
1814 your language, which you may do at the frequency that fits your and your
1815 cotranslators' respective available times. In the case your translation
1816 is up-do-date (which you can discover in the first subsection below), it
1817 is enough to check its state every one or two weeks. If you feel
1818 overwhelmed by the quantity of documentation to be updated, see
1819 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1822 * Check state of translation::
1823 * Updating documentation translation::
1824 * Updating translation committishes::
1827 @macro seeCommittishesUpdate{}
1828 @warning{do not forget to update the committish in each file you have
1829 completely updated, see @ref{Updating translation committishes}.}
1832 @node Check state of translation
1833 @unnumberedsubsubsec Check state of translation
1835 First pull from Git -- see @ref{Pulling and rebasing}, but DO NOT rebase
1836 unless you are sure to master the translation state checking and
1837 updating system -- then cd into @file{Documentation/} (or at top of the
1838 source tree, replace @command{make} with @command{make -C
1839 Documentation}) and run
1842 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation
1846 This presents a diff of the original files since the most recent
1847 revision of the translation. To check a single file, cd into
1848 @file{Documentation/} and run
1851 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@var{manual}/@var{foo}.itely check-translation
1855 In case this file has been renamed since you last updated the
1856 translation, you should specify both old and new file names, e.g.
1857 @code{CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@{@var{manual},user@}/@var{foo}.itely}.
1859 To see only which files need to be updated, do
1862 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation | grep 'diff --git'
1865 To avoid printing terminal colors control characters, which is often
1866 desirable when you redirect output to a file, run
1869 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} NO_COLOR=1 check-translation
1872 You can see the diffs generated by the commands above as changes that
1873 you should make in your language to the existing translation, in order
1874 to make your translation up to date.
1876 @seeCommittishesUpdate
1878 Global state of the translation is recorded in
1879 @file{Documentation/translations.itexi}, which is used to generate
1880 Translations status page. To update that page, do from
1881 @file{Documentation/}
1884 make translation-status
1887 This will also leave @file{out/translations-status.txt}, which contains
1888 up-to-dateness percentages for each translated file, and update word
1889 counts of documentation files in this Guide.
1892 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1894 @node Updating documentation translation
1895 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating documentation translation
1897 Instead of running @code{check-translation}, you may want to run
1898 @code{update-translation}, which will run your favorite text editor to
1899 update files. First, make sure environment variable @code{EDITOR} is
1900 set to a text editor command, then run from @file{Documentation/}
1903 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} update-translation
1907 or to update a single file
1910 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE/@var{manual}/foo.itely} update-translation
1913 For each file to be updated, @code{update-translation} will open your
1914 text editor with this file and a diff of the file in English; if the
1915 diff cannot be generated or is bigger than the file in English itself,
1916 the full file in English will be opened instead.
1918 @seeCommittishesUpdate
1920 Texinfo skeleton files, i.e. @file{.itely} files not yet translated,
1921 containing only the first node of the original file in English can be
1922 updated automatically: whenever @command{make check-translation} shows
1923 that such files should be updated, run from @file{Documentation/}
1926 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} skeleton-update
1929 @file{.po} message catalogs in @file{Documentation/po/} may be updated
1930 by issuing from @file{Documentation/} or @file{Documentation/po/}
1936 @warning{if you run po-update and somebody else does the same and
1937 pushes before you push or send a patch to be applied, there will be a
1938 conflict when you pull. Therefore, it is better that only the
1939 Translation meister runs this command.}
1941 Updating music snippets can quickly become cumbersome, as most
1942 snippets should be identical in all languages. Fortunately, there is
1943 a script that can do this odd job for you (run from
1944 @file{Documentation/}):
1947 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} snippet-update
1950 This script overwrites music snippets in
1951 @file{@var{MY_LANGUAGE/foo/every.itely}} with music snippets from
1952 @file{@var{foo/every.itely}}. It ignores skeleton files, and keeps
1953 intact music snippets preceded with a line starting with @code{@@c
1954 KEEP LY}; it reports an error for each @file{.itely} that has not the
1955 same music snippet count in both languages. Always use this script
1956 with a lot of care, i.e. run it on a clean Git working tree, and check
1957 the changes it made with @command{git diff} before committing; if you
1958 don't do so, some @code{@@lilypond} snippets might be broken or make
1959 no sense in their context.
1961 When you have updated texidocs in
1962 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}, you can get these
1963 changes into compiled snippets in @file{Documentation/snippets}, see
1964 @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1966 Finally, a command runs the three update processes above for all
1967 enabled languages (from @file{Documentation/}):
1970 make all-translations-update
1973 Use this command with caution, and keep in mind it will not be really
1974 useful until translations are stabilized after the end of GDP and GOP.
1977 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations},
1978 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1981 @node Updating translation committishes
1982 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating translation committishes
1984 At the beginning of each translated file except PO files, there is a
1985 committish which represents the revision of the sources which you have
1986 used to translate this file from the file in English.
1988 When you have pulled and updated a translation, it is very important to
1989 update this committish in the files you have completely updated (and
1990 only these); to do this, first commit possible changes to any
1991 documentation in English which you are sure to have done in your
1992 translation as well, then replace in the up-to-date translated files the
1993 old committish by the committish of latest commit, which can be obtained
1997 git rev-list HEAD |head -1
2000 A special case is updating Snippet documentation strings in
2001 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}. For these to be
2002 correctly marked as up-to-date, first run @code{makelsr.py} as
2003 explained in @ref{Adding and editing snippets}, and commit the
2004 resulting compiled snippets left in @file{Documentation/snippets/}.
2005 Say the SHA1 ID code of this commit is <C>. Now edit again your
2006 translated files in @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}
2007 adjusting the 40-digit committish that appears in the text to be <C>;
2008 finally, commit these updated files. Not doing so would result in
2009 changes made both to your updates and original snippets to
2010 persistently appear in the check-translation output as if they were
2013 This two-phase mechanism avoids the (practically) unsolvable problem
2014 of guessing what committish will have our update, and pretending to
2015 put this very committish on the files in the same commit.
2017 @c http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-devel/2009-01/msg00245.html
2018 @c contains a helper script which could be used to perform massive
2019 @c committish updates.
2025 @node Translations management policies
2026 @subsection Translations management policies
2028 These policies show the general intent of how the translations should
2029 be managed, they aim at helping translators, developers and
2030 coordinators work efficiently.
2033 * Maintaining without updating translations::
2034 * Managing documentation translation with Git::
2037 @node Maintaining without updating translations
2038 @unnumberedsubsubsec Maintaining without updating translations
2040 Keeping translations up to date under heavy changes in the documentation
2041 in English may be almost impossible, especially as during the former
2042 Grand Documentation Project (GDP) or the Grand Organization Project
2043 (GOP) when a lot of contributors brings changes. In addition,
2044 translators may be --- and that is a very good thing --- involved in
2047 it is possible --- and even recommended --- to perform some maintenance
2048 that keeps translated documentation usable and eases future translation
2049 updating. The rationale below the tasks list motivates this plan.
2051 The following tasks are listed in decreasing priority order.
2054 @item Update macros.itexi.
2055 For each obsolete macro definition, if it is possible to update macro
2056 usage in documentation with an automatic text or regexp substitution,
2057 do it and delete the macro definition from @file{macros.itexi}; otherwise,
2058 mark this macro definition as obsolete with a comment, and keep it in
2059 @file{macros.itexi} until the documentation translation has been updated and
2060 no longer uses this macro.
2062 @item Update @file{*.tely} files completely with
2063 @command{make check-translation} -- you may want to redirect output
2064 to a file because of overwhelming output, or call check-translation.py
2065 on individual files, see @ref{Check state of translation}.
2067 @item In @file{.itelys}, match sections and .itely file names with those from
2068 English docs, which possibly involves moving nodes contents in block
2069 between files, without updating contents itself. In other words, the
2070 game is catching where has gone each section. In Learning manual, and
2071 in Notation Reference sections which have been revised in GDP, there may
2072 be completely new sections: in this case, copy @code{@@node} and
2073 @code{@@section}-command from English docs, and add the marker for
2074 untranslated status @code{@@untranslated} on a single line. Note that
2075 it is not possible to exactly match subsections or subsubsections of
2076 documentation in English, when contents has been deeply revised; in this
2077 case, keep obsolete (sub)subsections in the translation, marking them
2078 with a line @code{@@c obsolete} just before the node.
2080 Emacs with Texinfo mode makes this step easier:
2083 @item without Emacs AucTeX installed, @key{C-c C-s} shows structure of current
2084 Texinfo file in a new buffer @code{*Occur*}; to show structure of two files
2085 simultaneously, first split Emacs window in 4 tiles (with @key{C-x 1}
2086 and @key{C-x 2}), press @key{C-c C-s} to show structure of one file
2087 (e.g. the translated file), copy @code{*Occur*} contents into
2088 @code{*Scratch*}, then press @key{C-c C-s} for the other file.
2090 If you happen to have installed AucTeX, you can either call the macro
2091 by doing @key{M-x texinfo-show-structure} or create a key binding in your
2092 @file{~/.emacs}, by adding the four following lines:
2095 (add-hook 'Texinfo-mode-hook
2097 (define-key Texinfo-mode-map "\C-cs"
2098 'texinfo-show-structure)))
2102 and then obtain the structure in the @code{*Occur*} buffer with @key{C-c
2105 @item Do not bother updating @code{@@menu}s when all menu entries are in the same
2106 file, just do @key{C-c C-u C-a} (@qq{update all menus}) when you have
2107 updated all the rest of the file.
2109 @item Moving to next or previous node using incremental search: press
2110 @key{C-s} and type @code{node} (or @key{C-s @@node} if the text
2111 contains the word @q{node}) then press @key{C-s} to move to next node
2112 or @key{C-r} to move to previous node. Similar operation can be used
2113 to move to the next/previous section. Note that every cursor move
2114 exits incremental search, and hitting @key{C-s} twice starts
2115 incremental search with the text entered in previous incremental
2118 @item Moving a whole node (or even a sequence of nodes): jump to beginning
2119 of the node (quit incremental search by pressing an arrow), press
2120 @key{C-SPACE}, press @key{C-s node} and repeat @key{C-s} until you
2121 have selected enough text, cut it with @key{C-w} or @key{C-x}, jump to
2122 the right place (moving between nodes with the previous hint is often
2123 useful) and paste with @key{C-y} or @key{C-v}.
2126 @item Update sections finished in the English documentation; check
2128 @uref{http://lilypondwiki.tuxfamily.org/index.php?title=Documentation_coordination}.
2130 @item Update documentation PO. It is recommended not to update
2131 strings which come from documentation that is currently deeply revised
2132 in English, to avoid doing the work more than once.
2134 @item Fix broken cross-references by running (from @file{Documentation/})
2137 make ISOLANG=@var{YOUR-LANGUAGE} fix-xrefs
2141 This step requires a successful documentation build (with @command{make
2142 doc}). Some cross-references are broken because they point to a node
2143 that exists in the documentation in English, which has not been added
2144 to the translation; in this case, do not fix the cross-reference but
2145 keep it "broken", so that the resulting HTML link will point to an
2146 existing page of documentation in English.
2149 @subsubheading Rationale
2151 You may wonder if it would not be better to leave translations as-is
2152 until you can really start updating translations. There are several
2153 reasons to do these maintenance tasks right now.
2156 @item This will have to be done sooner or later anyway, before updating
2157 translation of documentation contents, and this can already be done
2158 without needing to be redone later, as sections of documentation in
2159 English are mostly revised once. However, note that not all
2160 documentation sectioning has been revised in one go, so all this
2161 maintenance plan has to be repeated whenever a big reorganization is
2164 @item This just makes translated documentation take advantage of the new
2165 organization, which is better than the old one.
2167 @item Moving and renaming sections to match sectioning of documentation in
2168 English simplify future updating work: it allows updating the
2169 translation by side-by-side comparison, without bothering whether
2170 cross-reference names already exist in the translation.
2172 @item Each maintenance task except @q{Updating PO files} can be done by
2173 the same person for all languages, which saves overall time spent by
2174 translators to achieve this task: the node names and section titles
2175 are in English, so you can do. It is important to take advantage of
2176 this now, as it will be more complicated (but still possible) to do
2177 step 3 in all languages when documentation is compiled with
2178 @command{texi2html} and node names are directly translated in source
2183 @node Managing documentation translation with Git
2184 @unnumberedsubsubsec Managing documentation translation with Git
2186 This policy explains how to manage Git branches and commit
2187 translations to Git.
2190 @item Translation changes matching master branch are preferably made on
2191 @code{lilypond/translation} branch; they may be pushed directly to
2192 @code{master} only if they do not break compilation of LilyPond and
2193 its documentation, and in this case they should be pushed to
2194 @code{lilypond/translation} too. Similarly, changes matching
2195 @code{stable/X.Y} are preferably made on
2196 @code{lilypond/X.Ytranslation}.
2198 @item @code{lilypond/translation} Git branch may be merged into
2199 master only if LilyPond (@command{make all}) and documentation
2200 (@command{make doc}) compile successfully.
2202 @item @code{master} Git branch may be merged into
2203 @code{lilypond/translation} whenever @command{make} and @command{make
2204 doc} are successful (in order to ease documentation compilation by
2205 translators), or when significant changes had been made in
2206 documentation in English in master branch.
2208 @item General maintenance may be done by anybody who knows what he does
2209 in documentation in all languages, without informing translators
2210 first. General maintenance include simple text substitutions
2211 (e.g. automated by sed), compilation fixes, updating Texinfo or
2212 lilypond-book commands, updating macros, updating ly code, fixing
2213 cross-references, and operations described in @ref{Maintaining
2214 without updating translations}.
2218 @node Technical background
2219 @subsection Technical background
2221 A number of Python scripts handle a part of the documentation
2222 translation process. All scripts used to maintain the translations
2223 are located in @file{scripts/auxiliar/}.
2226 @item @file{check_translation.py} -- show diff to update a translation,
2227 @item @file{texi-langutils.py} -- quickly and dirtily parse Texinfo files to
2228 make message catalogs and Texinfo skeleton files,
2229 @item @file{texi-skeleton-update.py} -- update Texinfo skeleton files,
2230 @item @file{update-snippets.py} -- synchronize ly snippets with those
2232 @item @file{translations-status.py} -- update translations status pages and word
2233 counts in the file you are reading,
2234 @item @file{tely-gettext.py} -- gettext node names, section titles and references
2235 in the sources; WARNING only use this script once for each file, when support for
2236 "makeinfo --html" has been dropped.
2239 Other scripts are used in the build process, in @file{scripts/build/}:
2242 @item @file{mass-link.py} -- link or symlink files between English documentation
2243 and documentation in other languages.
2246 Python modules used by scripts in @file{scripts/auxiliar/} or @file{scripts/build/} (but
2247 not by installed Python scripts) are located in @file{python/auxiliar/}:
2249 @item @file{manuals_definitions.py} -- define manual names and name of
2250 cross-reference Texinfo macros,
2251 @item @file{buildlib.py} -- common functions (read piped output
2252 of a shell command, use Git),
2253 @item @file{postprocess_html.py} (module imported by @file{www_post.py}) -- add footer and
2254 tweak links in HTML pages.
2259 @item @file{python/langdefs.py} -- language definitions module