IWBNI there were an option that could be used to specify that comment lines should be added automatically to postscript files that are created by printing a document from Finale, to indicate the location of objects of various types. As it is now, no comments of this type are included in postscript files.

Comments would be useful for writing programs that process postscript output files from Finale. Programs such as this could be used to modify elements of a score that cannot be modified by using Finale, as it is now. For example, the following modifications could be made:

• Make the length of all broken beams be the same. Suggestion 173
• Make the space between each staff line the same for every staff of a given size. Suggestion 141
• Make the vertical position of a note of a given pitch the same in all staves. Suggestion 141
• Adjust the small opening width of disconnected smart shape hairpin segments independently of the large opening width. Suggestion 628
• Modify the position of any object by measurement units that equal or exceed the printer resolution. Suggestion 263 Suggestion 148 Suggestion 156
• Optimize the code size of descriptions for graphical objects such as stems, staff line, ties, slurs. Suggestion 676
• Adjust the horizontal position of rests relative to stemlets. Suggestion 292
• Make a given tie be dashed and tapered. Suggestion 631
• Adjust all slurs so that the thickness of a slur depends upon the length of the slur. Suggestion 150
• Adjust all long slurs to be flatter. Suggestion 154
• Adjust the shape of the inner boundary of all slurs (and ties) independently of that of the outer boundary. Suggestion 163
• Add beams over barlines. Suggestion 17
• Adjust the thickness of group brackets. Suggestion 149
• Position expressions horizontally relative to barlines, clefs and signatures. Suggestion 407
• Modify the thickness and length of ledger lines for grace notes. Suggestion 645 Suggestion 646
• Change the thickness of a given smart shape hairpin. Suggestion 448
• Change the font used for a given notehead of a given chord. Suggestion 270
• Adjust the length of stemlets. Suggestion 175
• Adjust the size of the gap in which the number or ratio is positioned in a given tuplet bracket. Suggestion 250
• Displace the horizontal position of the center of the number or ratio of a given tuplet relative to the center of the gap in the bracket. Suggestion 251
• Adjust the overlap between the adjacent horizontal line segments that form the branches of a hairpin. Suggestion 680

And, this feature would be useful for writing programs that convert postscript output files from Finale into other formats. For example, the program FinalScor by San Andreas Press does this to convert postscript files created from Finale into files that may be used by the SCORE music notation program.

While it is possible to create any of these utilities today, the task would be simpler if comments were embedded within the postscript code.

This could be implemented by using the commenting facility (i.e. percentage signs) of the postscript language to label sections of postscript code as being code for an object of a given type. In the case when the object is associated with or attached to a given beat of a given measure, the beat and measure could also be supplied in a comment. Options could be provided to allow one to specify whether or not comments should be included, the type of objects for which comments should be included, and the information that should be included within comments of a given type.

Created: July 30, 2000
Last Updated: July 30, 2000
Version: Finale 2000b