RE: Learning Manual comments

[Trevor Daniels]

Andrew Hawryluk wrote 27 January 2008 02:09
> 
> I just finished reading the Learning Manual for 
> the first time and I
> am really impressed. Nice work everyone! As a 
> relatively new user,
> chapters 3 and 4 were excellent. I am starting to 
> figure out why
> commands belong in various places, and I now see 
> how simple some of
> the tweaks are. Thanks!
>
Thanks for the encouragement!  Those two chapters
are mine (except for 4.6 and 4.7) and the 
encouragement really helps :)
 
> There were a few items that I spotted, though 
> most of them are just
> little details:
> 
> 3.2.3 the Handel excerpt is missing \global in 
> the voice "SopTwo".
> This results in a missing key signature. The hymn 
> in the same section
> has the same problem with the \TimeKey statement 
> not appearing in the
> tenor voice, but the result is invisible because 
> the song is in C
> major.
> 

Fixed in next version

> 3.3.4 I was confused about the hash signs (#). 
> The statement about why
> they are needed before all values in a \set 
> statement is very clear,
> but then the subsequent example has
>    \set Staff.instrumentName = "Soprano"
> without a hash sign. Is this because "Soprano" is 
> a LilyPond string
> rather than a Scheme value?
> 

Hmm.  It seems like the first # is optional for
a text string, but not for other types, which explains
why the example worked.  I'll add the # to the example 
to avoid this confusion.  Sorry!

> 3.4.2 In the Handel excerpt, the last alto note 
> should be e2 rather
> than fis2. Great choice, by the way.
> 

Well spotted!  Fixed in next version.

> 4.4.3 The second paragraph after the heading 
> "Grob Sizing", which
> begins "By default" has a duplicate word: "by by"
> 

Fixed in next version

> 4.5.2 Regarding moving beams, I have a 
> typographical question. I
> understand that the end of a beam is normally 
> positioned such that its
> top edge, centre, or bottom edge is aligned on a 
> staff line. When
> manually setting the positions, what fractions of 
> a line space would
> give those positions?
> 

By default the beam thickness is set to 0.48 of a
staff-space (Note the IR is wrong is this respect;
it says in units of line-thickness, which is normally
right, but not for beams).  So to move a beam with
its top edge aligned to a position with its centre
aligned you'll need to move it an extra 0.24.

I think this is better suited to the NR, though.

> 4.6.3 and 4.6.5 What are the default units when 
> setting page margins?
> I'm guessing mm, but it would be helpful to state 
> the default and
> maybe mention how to use inches (for those of us 
> who still need to use
> those ancient units occasionally).
> 

Sections 4.6 and 4.7 were lifted straight from the 
old manual, I believe, and I haven't checked them out
yet.

Yes, mm.  I'll add this.  I'll hunt out what the
default is and say how to use inches.  But I'll
defer that until I get round to checking this 
section.

> Thanks again for fine piece of work.
> Andrew Hawryluk
> 
Trevor D