Text styles and properties

Overview

Layout and formatting concepts, and methods to re-use settings are covered in the Layout and formatting chapter. With regard to Text objects on a score file,

• Overview of settings,
  • Properties of each individual Text object includes,
    • Formatting of individual character,
    • Formatting of the object itself.
  • Global settings includes,
    • "style for type of object" under Format → Style → [item], and
    • "Text Style" or "style for text inside type of object" under Format → Style → Text Styles → [item]. ("Text Style" is the wording displayed inside musescore 3. To avoid confusions such as "Staff Text Style" and "Staff Text Text Style", the handbook uses wording "Style for text inside [item]" whenever necessary.)
• Formatting can be assigned to individual character. To edit or clear settings on all characters, see Text editing: Text edit mode chapter. Characters do not have any specific formatting initially. When formatting are added to them, they will always be used.
• A Text object itself does not have any specific properties initially. When properties are assigned in the Inspector, they will always be used, except for characters that already have formatting setting. To remove item properties, or set a property as global (move to style), see the Inspector chapter.
• User can edit values of "style for type of object" and "style for text inside type of object".
• User can apply "style for text inside type of object" onto Text objects on a score.
• User can utilize custom "style for text inside type of object" section.
• The "style for text inside Staff Text" is special. In addition to its original role for Staff Text, it also serves as the master fallback profile of all Text objects. All Text objects on a score use its values unless overridden by other more speific settings.
• A subset of characters are treated specially. They always use font settings in Format → Style → Score : Musical symbol font. This includes musical glyphs such as Segno, Coda, ottavas, dynamics glyphs such as mf and some Symbols and special characters. See Fonts chapter.

Text properties

• See the Inspector and Text basics chapter.

The "style for type of object"

• Edit settings under Format → Style → [item]. Settings are explained in 'Style' window chapter.

"Text Style" or "style for text inside type of object"

To edit style for text (profile), either:

• Edit settings under the Format → Style → Text Styles → [item], or
• Edit properties in the Inspector, and click the Set as style.

Contains these options

• Name : Editable in User-1 to User-12 only.
• Font and Size: The name of the font (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial etc.) and its size in points, also see Fonts.
• Line Spacing
• Follow staff size: determines whether text size changes proportionally, see Layout and formatting chapter.
• Font style: The font style to use, e.g. Italic, Bold or Underline.
• Align: Horizontal (left, center, right) and Vertical.
• Color: Color and opacity of the text. Opacity is set by the parameter "Alpha channel" in the "Select Color" dialog: a value between 0, transparent, and 255, opaque.
• Offset X/Y: Horizontal and vertical offsets in sp. units.
• Frame: Choose to have a circular or square frame around the text.
• Border: Color and opacity of the frame border.
• Highlight: Color of the background within the frame.
• Thickness: Thickness of the line of the frame in space units.
• Margin: Inner frame margin in space units.
• Corner radius: For box frame, radius of rounded corner.

Applying to score object

• Change score object's Style property in the Inspector.

Editing and applying custom profile

1. Edit custom style under Format → Style → Text Styles → User-1" to "User-12.
2. Change score object's Style property in the Inspector.

See also

• Text editing
• Fonts
• Header/Footer
• Behavior of applied text and lines