Dragging an element for Duplication
Control+Shift allows me to draw a rectangle around an "element" that I wish to duplicate, but I do not find any way to "drag" that element to the desired location for duplication. Either the whole score scrolls, or the rectangle around the element disappears.
Comments
Once an "element" or any other selection is made you can use standard keyboard copy and paste methods as well as r to duplicate it. You can't use the mouse to move or copy selections.
Generally, dragging is not the preferred way to do anything in MuseScore. Selection is better done using the standard shortcuts like clicking the first elements, shift+clicking the last. Copy and paste is done by dragging but using the standard shortcuts Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V. Also, elements from the palette are best added using double-click, scrolling in a score is best done with the mouse wheel or equivalent touch gesture, and manual position best done by double click and then the cursor keys (or the Inspector).
In reply to Generally, dragging is not… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks Mike and Marc. I was confused by references in the handbook to duplicating "elements" and "lines". I see now that "lines" does not refer to a line of music. I'm still not sure how "elements" is defined, but that is incidental to what I was trying to do. In a musical piece with something approaching an AABA pattern, it would be handy to copy the first A section (double staff and all) and paste it in place. Selecting the entire A score and attempting to copy and paste it in place did not work for me. I have been successful in accomplishing the desired result by copying and pasting the top staff, then copying and pasting the bottom staff. I am totally satisfied with the result, and thank you for pointing the way. My perception is that asking a question on the forum is much more effective at solving a problem than spending lots of time trying to interpret the handbook.
In reply to Thanks Mike and Marc. I was… by alrobnett
FYI, an "element" is anything used in notation by MuseScore. A score is made up of elements. Context usually tells you which elements are being discussed.
As far as the copy and paste one staff at a time working rather than both at once. I suspect you have a hidden/invisible staff either on the source or destination and the hidden staff is taken into consideration. So you are a) Copying a hidden and empty staff from the source or b) pasting into an invisible staff. One of the two locations has only two staves and the other has more. You can press I to see the instruments dialog to see if there are any staves listed you do not see.
In reply to Thanks Mike and Marc. I was… by alrobnett
Asking questions is indeed great - but often more helpful if you attach your score and describe more precisely what you are trying to do, how you tried to do it (step by step) and what went wrong.
As it is, I can say that copy and paste of any number of staves at once should work fine and does in all cases I have tried, so it isn't clear what you might have been doing wrong. I don't quite understand what you mean by "paste it in place", though - that sounds like you are trying to paste it directly on top of itslsef? That too should work, but would have no visible effect. maybe you mean, paste it to start right after itself - so A becomes AA? That too should work, no matter how many staves are selected. There is even a quick shortcut for it - "R", which repeats any selection (automatic copy and paste of a selected region so the new copy begins immediately after the old).