hi brian, thanks for the reply, but i have tried this many many times, sometimes there is simply NO way, in NO dialogue box, to remove them, even after clearing the whole document and doing the data check to remove deleted items.
one part of the perfect solution to the problem is to incorporate "linked" or "non-linked" metatool assignment into the (shape) expression tool. presently, metatool-assigning a text expression NEVER makes a new copy of the original, while metatool-assigning a shape expression ALWAYS makes a copy of the original... it would be very useful if both functions (which are already available in finale) were available to the shape expressions, where they are really needed. this would not only radically reduce document bloat for most users, it would also allow the user to alter a single shape expression one time only, and have those changes reflected throughout the document: this is not currently possible, unless one does not use metatools, and goes through all necessary dialogue boxes each time a single shape expression is used in the document.
the other part to the solution is of course finding out why it is sometimes impossible to delete certain unused shape expressions and repair this flaw.
regards, jef
Hello,
If you wish to delete all the shapes in the shape expression library, you would also want to delete all shape expressions in the expression selection window.
I hope this helps!
Brian Customer Support Representative MakeMusic!, Inc.
-----Original Message----- From: shirling & neueweise [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Friday, June 25, 2004 10:43 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: MacSupport Subject: Re: Deleting Redundant Shapes
very late reply...
Has anyone found a way to delete all those unwanted shapes that build up in the shape library of a file?
one by one. and even then, for some reason that i have found no sensible explanation for, some of these expressions you will NEVER be able to delete from the shape designer, even if you remove ALL instances of the shape in the document. doesn't seem right, does it?
contact tech support and let them know this irritating behaviour annoys you. suggest that in order to reduce bloat and to improve the functionality of metatool-assigned shape expressions they implement the possibility for the user to define shape expressions as either linked (all appearances of shape will be altered when any one of them is altered) or non-linked (new copies, individually-alterable, as it currently the case).
jef
>JonathanDate: Tue, 08 Jun 2004 23:28:05 +0200 From: Jonathan Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: [Finale] Deleting Redundant Shapes
Has anyone found a way to delete all those unwanted shapes that build up in the shape library of a file?
I find that I can't delete them as they are "in use" even though I have reduced the file to one stave with an empty bar. I can see that if they are attached to another expression (such as a rall., cresc., etc) they will still be "in use" but I have deleted all those references also. I find the worst offenders are shapes that I've set up and then edited or tweaked to get just right for a template. Each time I alter the shape it stores the old version in the library and then can't be deleted as it is part of the original design.
They do tend to bloat out the file size. Some files can go into hundreds (and I've seen thousands) of very similar but ever-so-slightly different shapes!
--
shirling & neueweise \................/ new music notation specialists mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] :.../ http://newmusicnotation.com
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