Jack Campin wrote: >BarFly's macro mechanism provides part of what I need. I can define >two separate macro files, each defining a "q" macro, one containing >the line: > > m: q con moto = [Q:1/4=120] <snip>
>The problems with that are: > >- it's a hack The macro system lends itself to hacks. I've seen some really wierd ones (several from yourself, of course:-) >- there's no syntax identifying the macros as tempo constructs Yes. You have to expand the macro to see what it does. >- I can't put the required macros at the top of the file (I don't > understand this, it works for other macros as in Phil's Goldberg > Variations example) - they have to be in a separate file It works OK provided that you save, close the window and re-open it after editing. BarFly only reads the file header when opening the file. >- there's nothing like a #include construct to link a file to the macros > it needs - the linkage has to be done through application preferences I've considered doing something like that, but haven't really found it necessary yet. Since BarFly allows multiple external macro files (you choose which one is in effect from a menu) you would only really need it if you wanted to link them together in chains. That's getting pretty fancy. >- I can only use this in tune bodies since macros don't work in headers > (not much of a problem for me, maybe would be for other people) Not really a problem for tunes you write yourself, since Q: fields can be placed after the K: just as well as before. >- it would be much nicer if BarFly never printed numerical tempi in the > first place; that way I could get away with just one macro file It's on the list of stuff to do:-) >- I'd hate to ask anybody else to do it. Yeah. >But I'd *much* rather insist on people going through those hoops, and >additionally restrict them to using software that can handle Barfly- >style macros, than hardwire my interpretive guesses till the end of time. >So, in the absence of any discernible progress, I think I'll just start >doing it, and put a pair of suitable macro files on my website that you >will have to use to make sense of anything I upload from now on. > >Note, this mechanism subsumes the suggestions made for constructs that >would put the tempo indication in a distinctive typeface, because the >quoted-string mechanisms of programs that allow multiple typefaces can >be invoked by whatever I put on the RHS of a macro definition. Unfortunately the macro system honours comments in the macro definition, otherwise you could define your macros as: m: %%q con moto = [Q:1/4=120] and use %%q in the tune, which would be ignored by other programs. Maybe I should make a special case for %% definitions. Phil Taylor To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
