>Simon slipped in the words "external macro file". >No!! I am very much against this. Although it may be convenient for >writers of ABC it's horrid for readers. It makles it even harder to extract >a tune and the probability would be very high that we should find orphan >bits of ABC floating round with macros used but not defined.
I don't really object to external macro files (BarFly uses one already for ornaments), but I do think that some care is required in deciding where macro definitions can be placed. Currently BarFly permits macro and symbol definitions (and global fields) to be placed in the tune header, in the file header (i.e. between the start of the file and the first tune) or in a single external file. Note that they don't work if placed between tunes. The reason for this is that the program does not parse the file from beginning to end; it allows the user to jump from one tune to another in any order, and only parses each selected tune on demand. Under these circumstances it would be very difficult to keep track of which macros apply to which tunes if they were permitted between tunes. It does seem to me that if you use verbal descriptions of tempo, you should not expect other programs to play the music at the exact same pace. After all, that applies to human musicians too. A metronome marking implies that the composer wants the piece played at that exact speed, while a verbal indication is a rough guide which the musician may interpret as he sees fit. Phil Taylor To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
