New post
Avatar
2

For 25 years now I requested over again that Finale does what every other Mac program on the planet can do: allowing users to copy objects by simply OPTION-dragging them.

Why Finale programmers don't get this done is beyond me. Imagine you could simple OPTION drag an existing chord symbol quickly to a different measure to create a copy of it, or a text block, or a text expression, etc.. This would save so much time compared to using the copy filter, and it is one of the most basic functions every Mac user is used to.

I contacted Finale about this, and they suggested to copy using the filter function. I asked them this:

Can you really not see the difference between copying something with the filter versus simply OPTION-dragging 1 or a couple of selected objects?

Try this for example:

You have a measure with three attached text boxes. Now you want one of them to to be copied to the next measure. First, there is no way to copy only the one to the next measure with the selection filter method you suggested. You would have to copy them all and then delete the ones you don't want, which is already messy.

Here is the process as of now: First I would have to set the filter to COPY TEXT ONLY, then I select the measure with the attached text box, then I drag it (or use the copy-past function) to copy it to the target measure, then I would have to delete the other text boxes I didn't want to copy, then I change back or deactivate the filter so I can copy all music again. Difference, about 30 seconds versus 1 second (if I could have option-dragged it) for performing 1 simple copy task.

 

Please everybody, when time and convenience as a factor for you, as it is to me, contact Finale about the missing OPTION-dragging copy feature, so they finally implement it.

After all Finale the only program on my Mac that doesn't have it.

6 comments

Date Votes
Avatar
0

That's interesting. I would just right-click on the handle to the text box, choose Copy from the pull-down menu, and then right-click where I wanted the copy and select Paste from the pull-down menu.

Comment actions Permalink
Avatar
0

… I would just right-click on the handle to the text box, choose Copy from the pull-down menu, and then right-click where I wanted the copy and select Paste from the pull-down menu …

Unfortunately Adrian’s {right-click Copy/Paste text block} feature is only available in Windows Finale.

Comment actions Permalink
Avatar
0

I'm entirely with you. It'd seem such a great way to do. I have to constantly duplicate a group of elements, some of them expressions, some shapes. For example a fingering for a flute multiphonic sound : there's the number, the fingers, a # sign, and two numbers are crossed with a line (to indicate a half hole). It would be a matter of seconds as it takes now severeal minutes to do. 

Comment actions Permalink
Avatar
0

Just tried this on my Mac.

 

Wow: that's an unpleasant surprise.

Comment actions Permalink
Avatar
0

Nicolas: "there's the number, the fingers, a # sign, and two numbers are crossed with a line (to indicate a half hole)." - that's 5 or 6 items, depends whether the line is counted individually or not.

Isn't your example a good example _against_ individual copying? Using Finale's copy filter, you could check three or four checkboxes in the filter dialog and copy the whole thing, including the relative positions of the objects. And that would work, even across screens, if source measure and target measure don't fit on one screen - as would be necessary for the Option-drag method.

I'm not really convinced that Option-drag would speed things up in the case you describe.

 

P.S.#1: nevertheless, I support the request as an additional feature

P.S.#2: fingerings for wind instruments could probably be done faster and better by creating them as a whole expression and assigning them via hotkeys. For brass fingerings, I use a JWLua script, which inserts them automatically, which is faster then _any_ option-drag method

Comment actions Permalink
Avatar
0

I notice one can open a second text box and copy paste the contents from box 1 to box 2. It's admittedly a very poor work-around.

Comment actions Permalink

Please sign in to leave a comment.