… I see "generate parts", "new parts" and "Part creation preferences", so I know 'm close, but nothing about linking parts.

Why would that not be an option …

In today’s “Finale-speak”, the term ‘parts’ means ‘linked parts’.

… Must you do linked parts initially and then create a score? That makes no sense because each part effects the other, so you would still have to re-edit everything. What am I missing? …

I am sorry, but can not follow your thoughts when you say “each part effects the other, so you would still have to re-edit everything” ?!?

That is not my experience with linked parts.

Why would each part effect the other?

Why would you still have to re-edit everything?

Please explain.

Perhaps you are thinking of “Special Part Extraction” (in the Document menu)?

In my experience it is “the other way around”:

You must do a Score initially, and then generate Linked Parts.

As a matter of fact, there is no such thing as a Finale document without a Score.

On The Other hand, a Finale document may not have any Linked Parts. You can always generate Linked Parts, and you can delete already existing Linked Parts.

… I have a score with 4 staves and try to "generate parts", only three parts are listed.  Every score I have worked with in Finale 25 randomly skips or passes over one of the score staves …

This can happen if you have a staff group, and have staves that do not have a “Full Display Name” (= a name in the first system of the document).

In short:

- Give each staff a “Full Display Name”, and no staff group will be listed.

- Delete the “Full Display Name” from the staves in a staff group, and only the staff group will be listed.

You can use this to generate a linked part that contains a staff group (e. g. a piano Grand Staff).

One caution, Richard:

Once you have edited a linked part, realize that "Generate" will recreate it from the score and eliminate any special changes you have done to the part layout itself. That is why the "New Part" option is there, to add a part from your score without changing any already existing part.

These days I frequently have a score that includes everything, including lots of extra staves for such things as a piano reduction, a combined Flute part, or even "sweetener" lines for audio output. I then create/build a special linked part for a piano/vocal score and another (leaving out the extra staves) for a conductor score. Few if any people ever see the "full" score (or "overfull score") I use to generate everything in linked parts. At first I did not trust Linked Parts (having used extracted parts for so long), but now I find them a wonderful, flexible, crucial feature of Finale.

Finale 2012, Windows 10

Adrian, I'd like to know if that applies to 2012 also, because I'm doing a lot of double-work by editing a part, seeing that the score may or may not have updated from that, putting the correction in the score, etc.

I like the idea of the "overfull" score (am actually working on one now, but it's a great term), but didn't know that "linked" and "extracted" were different.  Why would they be?  I was assuming that one would simply extract the parts from an overfull score, so I must be missing something in the terminology.

Jon

F2012, Win 10

Okay, so it appears that I've been working with linked parts for a while without knowing it.  I don't know why I have to write the name of the part on its part page, though.  That seems redundant-- isn't that why I give the part name and the abbreviated part name in Staff Settings in the Score Manager?

Not to complain too much, for, having grown up writing every part in pencil, Finale is a lot easier and quicker.

To reduce redundancy even more, perhaps the following could be automatically generated:  "Title" (first page), "Title" (following pages), "Instrument name" (same pattern as title), and page numbers.  Aren't those conditions standard throughout the industry and all educational systems?  (The only other thing I can think of right now is "Style" for rhythm section parts.)

I keep looking intuitively on Document / Page Format / Parts for a place to indicate "First Page:  Alto Sax 1", "Second Page:  A Sax 1" or something similar to the Score Manager, but find myself having to type that information in for every part.  It'd be great if something like that could be added.

Of course, I've found with Finale that there's probably already somewhere I can make these settings.

Again, this is great software and has been a lot of fun.

Jon

I have not used F 2012 since F 2014 came out quite a few years ago; but as far as I remember, linked parts respond pretty much the same in 2012 as in Finale v25. Note entry will carry "backwards" from part to score, whereas spacing and alignment of staves and expressions, etc. become (for obvious reasons) unlinked if you change them in the parts.

The way to have your Score/Part name appear on the pages of your score and parts is to use the Text > Insert pull-down menu to insert the Part/Score Name "placeholder" into an appropriately placed text field. Some templates include this field automatically (at least in current templates), but it is easy enough to add it and set its range to whatever pages you want. I tend to set one such field at the top of the first page and then set another field in a smaller text size for pages 2 through 0 (Finale uses zero to automatically give you the last page or system of the piece).

There are similar text placeholder inserts for Title, Composer, etc. which (in most current templates or files set up with the Setup Wizard) are automatically entered into the file.

… There are similar text placeholder inserts for Title, Composer, etc. which (in most current templates or files set up with the Setup Wizard) are automatically entered into the file …

You can view and edit these document specific items (= Score Name, Title, Subtitle, Composer, Arranger, Lyricist, &c.) at any time, in the Score Manager’s chiclet File Info.

Thanks again, Adrian and Peter.  I was unaware that I was already using "placeholder inserts", and thought the 0 last page option was interesting.  However, my question arises from the insert not changing with each different part.  Yes, I'm that spoiled-- I expect it to change to reflect whatever instrument part I'm working on (right now, jazz big band).

Is there a way they can link the parts to the Score Manager?  Lazy arrangers like me, once they've made the effort to type in "Alto Sax 1" for the Full Name, and "A Sax 1" as the Abbr. Name (all from Score Manager) get... well, "fussy" if they have to do all that work over again.  (Of course, the issue is having to do it for each part.)  (The converse, if you select Part/Score Name is that you have to type in the piece's title.  Either way, the issue is that this is redundant work which can hopefully be reduced.)

I won't complain here about how the Inserts won't give you an option until you've double-clicked and made a Text Box, which seems backward to me.

I'll make a separate case for a question I have on "how do I make all the dynamic markings appear at the same location relative to the staff/notes" (for I have that most embarrassing of copyist problems; calligraphic hiccups). 

And, again, perspective-wise, these are just speed-bumps on the learning curve of some really outstanding software.

Thanks again for the help!

I don't know about F 2012, but in more recent editions, if you have Score written in the File Info Score/Part Name field, Finale automatically changes the field on each Linked Part depending what you have chosen to call the part in the Score Manager.

… The converse, if you select Part/Score Name, is that you have to type in the piece's title …

Not for me.

Provided that the Insert items are present in the File Info chiclet, I can make one Text Insert with the Part/Score name, and another Text Insert with the Title.

The two Text Inserts do not even have to be in the same text block.

And I can use the same Text Insert in multiple text blocks, e. g. in one text block, with a big font size, on the first page - and in another text block, with a smaller font size, set to display on all pages from Page 2 and onwards.

In short:

No redundant work; you only have to type each item once.

Thanks, Peter-- great workaround.  I just tried it and it'll save me a lot of time.

And thanks, Adrian, although it doesn't work that way on 2012, I look forward to being able to use that feature when I upgrade.

I think Peter and I are saying the same thing. So if his explanation works for you in F 2012, then I suggest you follow it in Finale v25 as well.