RE: lilypond-user Digest, Vol 118, Issue 36

[Peter Gentry]

>Message: 3
>Date: Fri, 07 Sep 2012 11:53:30 +0200
>From: David Kastrup <address@hidden>
>To: address@hidden
>Subject: Re: Markup query
>Message-ID: <address@hidden>
>Content-Type: text/plain
>
>"Peter Gentry" <address@hidden> writes:

>> Another puzzle arises from the use of user defined variables a
>> variable xtext="aaaabbbcc dd" can be
>> can often be used but in markup but in some circumstances it cannot -
>> ie \justify-string \xtext (or #\xtext)fails whereas
>> \justify-string #"aaaabbcc dd" works. When # is required the variable
>> \xtext cannot be used.
>
>To some degree.  All of the following work:
>
> xtext="aaaabbbcc dd"
>
>\markup \justify-string #"aaaabbbcc dd"
>\markup \justify-string #xtext
>\markup \justify { #"aaaabbbcc dd" }
>\markup \justify { #xtext }
>\markup \justify { \xtext }
>
Maybe but not in 2.14.2?

>Most of the 2.16 argument list work has focused on music functions
>(which would have no problems accepting #"xxxx", \xtext, xxxx and even
>\markup "xxxx" for an argument declared as string?), and 
>markup commands
>have not benefited yet from the same kind of generality.
>

Thankyou for that explanation and the heads up that many times things will 
actually work..

>That's the reason we have a separate tutorial for starting.  Yes,
>LilyPond is complex.  We try to keep it simple for simple things, and
>the explanations simple for simple things.  That might not always be as
>successful as everybody wants.
>
>-- 
>David Kastrup
>
The learning manual is exemplary I just think it needs a companion manual - 
"Now you think you know Lilypond read this" 

I have now downloaded 2.16.0 and Phil Holmes' Noteworthy Composer converters. 
These are an enormous improvement on the old.