volta & chord repositioning opposite commands
Why, to reposition all the voltas in the style menu (default vertical position) , do we push the DOWN arrow to move the voltas UP from the staff but for chords (default vertical position) I push the UP arrow to move the chords UP from the staff? This makes no sense to me and wastes my time as I try and figure out which arrow to push to get my desired result.
Maybe this question should be in the bugs or coding section.
Comments
This is because the arrows are actually raising or lowering a number - the vertical offset from the default position, with positive offsets moving down and negative offsets moving up. So it does happen to be the case that the up arrow - which of course makes numbers larger - moves things down.
The subject does come up periodically as to whether an alternate UI could be devised that moved the elements directly rather than simply changing the numbers, also the idea of changing how the numbers are interpreted. but so far no firm consensus.
In reply to This is because the arrows… by Marc Sabatella
That still doesn't make sense to me: -1 is a higher number than -3 yet it positions the volta lower. 5 is a higher number than 4 and with chords it does indeed position the symbols higher. You say the positive offsets move it down, but with the chords it moves them up.
The chord number makes sense by a certain logic: when you set it to 0 the chord sits right on top of the staff- 0 space, raising that number moves spaces up above the staff. Setting the volta at 0 puts it down overlapping the staff and lowering the number into negatives raises it up to positions where you would actually use it.
What am I missing?
In reply to That still doesn't make… by GRDMedford
Long before there was an Inspector to create confusion, the coffee and file format were designed such that positive offsets specified position below the origin point (usually the top of the staff). It's consistent with how many other graphic programs work and made perfect sense at the time so now one questioned it.
It was only when the Inspector came along many years later that it became apparent the original choice was unfortunate, but by then it was too late - the file format was already set. Some day it may change and some sort of compatibility code may be written to handle older file, but for now, this is just how it is.
In reply to Long before there was an… by Marc Sabatella
Oh, that pesky inspector!