Word Processing capabilities in text frames
I would like to see some word processing capabilities in text frames, so that a music theory book could be entirely written in MuseScore. In this way, unavoidable errors in the music examples could be corrected on the fly.
Most important: word wrap; text frames of unlimited length (spanning pages); text search
Desirable: Bold, Italic & Underline
Less important: font choices
Could the necessary code not be borrowed from an open source word processor?
Comments
Bold, Italic, Underline and Font choice is possible already, check the text tool at the bottom of the MuseScore windows while in Text Edit Mode, see https://musescore.org/en/handbook/text-editing
See also #76721: External text editor
Realistically, while adding things like word wrap are not out of the question, actually extending MuseScore by enough to make it a fully functioning word processor is not realistic.
The better way to create a textbook using MuseScore is to use LibreOffice for the text and to use the MsueScore Example Manager extension to automate the inclusion of musical examples. You will this makes updating the examples a snap - just Ctrl+click an example from within LibreOffice to automatically load the source score into MuseScore, make your change, save, return to LibreOffice, press the button, and the example is automatically updated.
In reply to Realistically, while adding… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks a lot Marc. I did not know about LibreOffice. I'm diving right into it.
In reply to Realistically, while adding… by Marc Sabatella
One more question. What's the best place to download (the most recent) MuseScore Example Manager? In LibreOffice I see file of 17kb. Is that it?
In reply to One more question. What's… by elsewhere
The official LibreOffice extension site (which you can access directly from within LibreOffice) is the best (only) place. it should say version 2.0.0
In reply to The official LibreOffice… by Marc Sabatella
Thanks Marc. I found it & it works!! The only (remaining) problem for me is that it loads an entire MSCZ file. For the project I'm working on I have about 10 MSCZ files with a total of 600+ musical examples, each only 3-8 bars long. I could of course save every example in a separate MSCZ file (not an enticing project).
Do you see any other way out?
In reply to Thanks Marc. I found it & it… by elsewhere
Sounds like the best solution indeed. You could use File > Save selection.
We did this for Schoenberg theory https://github.com/lasconic/Schoenberg_ToH
Text is missing but you get the point https://lasconic.github.io/Schoenberg_ToH/book.html
In reply to Thanks Marc. I found it & it… by elsewhere
You can use the image capture tool within MuseDcore to capture individual snippets, but you lose the ability to have the nice automatic update. worth it to move to separate files, I think - it's easier in the long run.
In reply to You can use the image… by Marc Sabatella
Thank you both. After a good night sleep I decided to stay in MuseScore after all. Word wrap I don't really need: I'm old enough to remember the typewriter. The page boundary problem of the text frame I can solve by hiding the bar(s) under the text frame. In attachment a preview of how things might look.
I understand your reluctance to implement word-processing features. Pretty quickly there would be a clamor to implement all the bells & whistles of a full-fledged WP. Still, a text search function (over all text frames) would be very useful to me: I would not need an alphabetical index.
I estimate that the complete file could run 150-200 pages. Is this cause for worry?
Jazz Harmony.mscz
In reply to Thank you both. After a good… by elsewhere
Not a cause for "worry" necessarily, but depending on the text to music ratio, the score will get slower and slower to work with. And I strongly suspect that you'll get frustrated with this approach long before you reach that point. It's going to be much more difficult and time consuming this way, and also the results won't look as good because MuseScore's text rendering won't be as good a word processor's, either.
On the other hand, no great loss I suppose to start down this road and if/when you reach the point when the pain of continuing to work that way exceeds the pain of switching, you can always copy and paste the text.
I know this isn't direct to the request, but it is about the text frames; is it possible to change the functionality of HOME and END to move to the beginning and end of the line, rather than top and bottom of the text frame? I think for that CTRL+HOME and CTRL+END would be better. Also TAB to indent 1/2" rather than just a space.
In reply to I know this isn't direct to… by amilardovic
I'm missing tab too
In reply to I know this isn't direct to… by amilardovic
Please, no special keybindings. Have mercy with an old emacser ...
What I find much more anoying is the (unexpected) lack of undo/redo.
For me, TAB doesn't make sense in a text frame, unless one can set tabstops.
See #301121: Text-frame word wrap