Hello, Phil Taylor wrote: > I don't see the necessity to specify in the abc what the program should do > with the data. Surely (as Anselm has pointed out) these are local options > to be set in a preferences file or command-line switch?
Even if so, it would be very helpfull to find a syntax that *can* be parsed by a program for *this*. So there is no way passing the fact that the ability of marking the part of the Q: string that is for display is needed for programs to recognize it *also* if its just for a local option. But: I belive it must be possible within the standard for a main purpose: a composer marked the composition with a tempo mark: lentement this should be displayed. The default playback tempo usual programmes choose is to fast and lentement is not defined in the programms internal macros (even if it is it may not be implemented by a person who follows the same music scientific school the transcriber does). So playback tempo must be defined. As it is not original, the transcriber does not want it to be printed with the score. To be precise: it is *purely* for the abc player and *not* for the display. But its not a personal thing that can be left to the local options. So here we are: Q:3/8=20 - lentement in fact this is the only way to make sure the playback tempo is connected to the tune if it is extracted from the file. This will be the case allways when a transcriber wants to make sure that a playback tempo remains with a tune, but a textual tempo header should be displayed. So in all cases where macro scepticers want to use playback active textual tempo indicators. Two more things: 1) examples are for writing a syntax not ony a "what do I personally need" but also testing ojects for the syntax. So the procedere is to think about the weirdest "testing objects" and finding whether the syntax can handle them or not. Sometimes like in the above case, both go together, the testing object and the need. 2) as Guido remarked, one of the disadvantages of the current abc standard is that it did not look far enough ahead and is quite narrow therefore. I belive that it is important that the standeard can coope with examples that are far from our immagination and understanding in terms of "what is this for?" (this is why my original proposal was: If there is a n/n=n string right after the colon this will not be printed if it is followed by any other character. everething else is printed entirely. because this does not need a special character or something similar at all. Just a "special case" as Laurie called it, the playback only with the minus [or any other single charctrer we choose].) Simon Wascher - Vienna, Austria http://members.chello.at/simon.wascher/ To subscribe/unsubscribe, point your browser to: http://www.tullochgorm.com/lists.html
