Edit Lines dialog

The Edit Lines dialog allows you to change the appearance and default position of all lines in the project and add, edit, and delete custom lines.

  • You can open the Edit Lines dialog by choosing Library > Lines.

Edit Lines dialog

The Edit Lines dialog contains the following sections and options:

  1. Category menu

    Allows you to select which lines are available in the lines list by selecting either Horizontal or Vertical. This corresponds to the sections in the Lines panel.

  2. Search field

    Allows you to filter lines in the selected category according to your entry.

  3. Lines list

    Contains all the lines in the project within the currently selected category and your search filter, if applicable.

    The action bar at the bottom of the list contains the following options:

    • New : Adds a new line with default settings.

    • New from Selection : Creates a copy of an existing line that you can edit separately from the original.

    • Save as Default : Saves the selected line to your user library, allowing you to use it in multiple projects. Appears as for lines saved as default.

    • Revert to Factory : Removes all your changes to the selected line, returning it to its saved settings and appearance.

    • Delete : Deletes the selected line.

      Note

      You cannot delete predefined lines or any line that is currently used in your project.

  4. Name

    Allows you to enter a new name or edit the existing name for the selected line.

  5. Preview

    Displays the line in its current form. If the line is horizontal, the preview appears above the options. If the line is vertical, the preview appears to the right of the options.

    Clicking Show Crossing Break below the preview for horizontal lines shows the line as two segments, as it appears when spanning two systems, so you can see its continuation caps. When Show Crossing Break is deactivated, the line appears as a single segment with start and end caps only.

  6. Line Body Editor

    Opens the Edit Line Bodies dialog, which allows you to create new lines bodies and edit existing ones.

  7. Line Annotation Editor

    Opens the Edit Line Annotations dialog, which allows you to create new line annotations and edit existing ones.

  8. Line options

    Contains options that control the appearance of the selected line as a whole.

    • Body style: Allows you to select the default line body style for the line.

    • Start cap (lines with generic/wedge line bodies only): Allows you to select the annotation you want to use for the start cap.

    • End cap (lines with generic/wedge line bodies only): Allows you to select the annotation you want to use for the end cap.

    • Continuation cap (horizontal lines with generic/wedge line bodies only): Allows you to select the annotation you want to use for the continuation start cap.

    • Continuation end cap (horizontal lines with generic/wedge line bodies only): Allows you to select the annotation you want to use for the continuation end cap.

    • Distance from staff line (horizontal lines only): Allows you to set the minimum distance between the line and the staff. This value applies when the line is placed outside the staff. When deactivated, the line follows your settings on the Lines page in Engraving Options.

    • Distance from item (horizontal lines only): Allows you to set the minimum distance between the line and other items. This value applies when the line is placed outside the staff. When deactivated, the line follows your settings on the Lines page in Engraving Options.

    • Hooks follow dash pattern (lines with dashed/dotted line bodies only): Allows you to choose whether or not hook or terminal line caps use the line body style pattern, provided the hooks/terminal lines are long enough to display the pattern. For line patterns with multiple dash-gap values, the first is used. When deactivated, or when hooks/terminals cannot display the pattern, they use their set annotations.

    • Whole body on each system (horizontal lines with generic/wedge line bodies only): Allows you to choose whether lines that continue across multiple systems show the whole line body in each segment or if the line body is split proportionally between the segments. This also affects annotations/hyphenated text on the line.

    • Placement (horizontal lines only): Allows you to choose whether the line is placed Above, Below, or Inside staff by default.

  9. Line annotation options

    Contains options that control the appearance, position, and distribution of the selected line’s annotation or hyphenated text, depending on your choice for Annotation.

    If you choose Center Annotation, the following options are available:

    • Annotation: Allows you to select a music symbol or text annotation to use for the line.

    • Vertical position: Allows you to select the position of the annotation relative to the line, such as centered on the line or positioned above. When annotations are positioned Inside or Outside, their position relative to the line changes according to the staff-relative placement of the line.

    • Offset: Allows you to set the distance between the annotation and the line. Only applies to annotations whose Vertical position is not Centered.

    • Repeat: Allows you to choose whether annotations appear once per line/line segment or multiple times across the duration of the line. Annotations can repeat at regular intervals or varying intervals.

    • Repeat distance: Allows you to set the distance between repetitions of the annotation. Only applies to repeating annotations.

    • Placement: Allows you to select where the annotation appears along the duration of the line. For horizontal lines, Start or End shows the annotation only at the corresponding end of the whole line. If you choose Center, it appears in all line segments.

    • Start/end gap: Allows you to set the gap between the corresponding end of the line and the annotation. Only applies to annotations whose Placement is Start or End.

    • Always horizontal: Allows you to force the annotation always to remain horizontal; for example, if the line is vertical or angled.

    If you choose Hyphenated Text, the following options are available:

    • Syllables: Allows you to enter the text that you want to appear across the duration of the line, with syllables separated with hyphens.

    • Font style: Allows you to select the font style for the hyphenated text.

    • Starts with text: Allows you to force the first syllable to appear at the start of the line.

    • Ends with text: Allows you to force the last syllable to appear at the end of the line.

    • Start/end gap: Allows you to set the gap between the corresponding end of the line and the annotation. Only applies to annotations whose Placement is Start or End.

    • Gap on the left: Allows you to set the gap between each syllable and the line to the left.

    • Gap on the right: Allows you to set the gap between each syllable and the line to the right.

    • Position: Allows you to select the vertical position of text relative to the line body.