Measure Tool

This tool allows you to define and edit measure numbering and edit measure spacing. (Add or delete measures with the Edit menu).

Using this tool, you can create different regions of measure numbering in your score. Each region can have a different numbering or lettering scheme; for example, you might letter the introductory measures A, B, C, and D, and then number subsequent measures beginning with 1, 2, 3, and so on. When you select Edit Measure Number Regions, the Measure Number dialog box appears, where you can define various parameters for the measure numbering in a region such as the font, positioning, enclosure shape (if any), and incidence of the measure numbers (how often they appear). See Measure numbers for full instructions.

When you click this tool, a handle appears on every barline; drag a barline’s handle (or drag within the measure) to make the measure wider or narrower. You can also double-click a measure to display the Measure Attributes dialog box, where you can specify a number of measure-specific parameters: the barline type, whether or not you want the key or time signature to appear, and so on. (See Measure Attributes dialog box for more information.)

If you’ve used the Music Spacing command on a measure, it displays two handles on the barline. If you click the second one, Finale displays a beat chart above the measure—a set of handles you can drag to change the horizontal positions of the beats in all staves at once. See Beat positions for full details.

Finally, if you’ve selected Allow Horizontal Split Points in the Measure Attributes dialog box for a measure, it displays three handles on the right barline. If you click the bottom handle, a special rectangle appears, in which you can designate permissible split points for the measure—places where Finale may break the measure over a system break if it’s too long to fit on the line; see Measures.

Double-click the Measure Tool to add a single new blank measure at the end of the score.
Option-click the Measure Tool to display the Add Measures dialog box, in which you can tell Finale how many new blank measures you want to appear at the end of the score.
Option-click the measure handle to display all measure numbers defined for a measure (even if no numbers are currently showing in the measure).

Note: Measure numbers will only appear in a staff when Measure Numbers is selected as one of the Items to Display in the Staff Attributes dialog box.

Click a measure number’s handle, shift-click an additional handle, or drag-enclose several handles to select specific measure numbers (with "Dragging Selects Number Handles" selected).
Select a measure number’s handle and press delete, or Ctrl-click the handle and select Delete from the contextual menu to remove a measure number. Finale hides the measure number for that measure in that staff only (not for every measure above or below it).
Drag a selected handle to reposition the measure number (and any other selected measure numbers. If auto-constrain dragging is not selected, press shift to constrain dragging.
Select the measure number’s handle, then press backspace, or Ctrl-click the handle and select Restore Default Positioning from the contextual menu to reset a manually positioned measure number back to its default position. Finale moves the measure number back to its original position as defined in the Measure Number dialog box for the measure number map.
Double-click the handle of a measure number, or Ctrl-click the handle and select Edit Enclosure from the contextual menu to display the Enclosure Designer dialog box, where you can select an enclosure shape or edit the shape’s height, width, center, and line thickness. If you no longer want an enclosure to appear on a measure number, choose None from the Shape popup menu. Finale shows any changes you make to the measure number for that measure in that staff only (not for every measure above or below it).

When you double-click a measure number handle, the Enclosure Designer dialog box appears displaying an additional button labeled Use Default Enclosure. When you first display this dialog box, the default enclosure set in the Measure Number dialog box for the region appears selected in the Enclosure popup menu. Changing the shape or editing any other settings, means that the default enclosure is no longer used for the measure number. Click Use Default Enclosure to reset the enclosure and return to the document where the default enclosure, as defined in the Measure Number dialog box for this region, appears on the measure number.

Double-click a measure, or Ctrl-click the top handle and select Edit Measure Attributes from the contextual menu to display the Measure Attributes dialog box. (You can also double-click a measure’s handle or select a handle and press enter.)
Drag the top barline handle right or left to make the measure wider or narrower. If you’re in Page View, the measure to the right of the barline gets narrower or wider to compensate.
Click the second barline handle of a measure or Ctrl- click the top handle and select Edit Beat Chart from the contextual menu to display a beat chart, which you can use to change the horizontal positions of the beats in the measure (in all staves).
Click the third (bottom) barline handle of a measure or Ctrl- mouse click the top handle and select Edit Split Points from the contextual menu to display a split point bar, where you can double-click to indicate a permissible place for Finale to break the measure in half, if necessary, at a system break.
Drag one of the lower handles in a beat chart to move that beat horizontally in all staves.
Shift-drag the lower handle of a beat chart to move that beat and all subsequent beats in the measure horizontally in all staves.
Double-click between two upper handles of a beat chart to add another upper/lower pair of beat positioning handles for the beat between the two original handles. Click any upper handle and press delete to remove it. (You can’t remove the first handle in the measure, however.)
Double-click an upper handle of a beat chart to display the Beat Chart dialog box, where you can tell Finale precisely which beat’s position you want the handle you double-clicked to control.
Click an upper handle (Remember that the first handle can be removed) to select it, whereupon you can press delete to remove it from the beat chart.
With Show Measure Spacing Handles checked in the Measure menu, click and drag a measure spacing handle (on the bottom staff line) to add or remove space from the beginning or end of a measure.

Contextual menus are reached by control-clicking on the handle of an object. A contextual menu will be displayed where you can select various items. The Measure Tool contextual menu is identical to the Selection Tool context menu wen clicking measure regions.

Menu item	What it does
Add One Measure	Adds one measure to the score
Edit Measure Number Region	Displays Measure Number dialog box

Menu item	What it does
Edit Enclosure	Displays the Enclosure Designer dialog box
Restore Defaults	Restores the default position and show/hide state of the selected measure number
Always Show Number	Choose this command to always show a number regardless of the settings for a number’s region in the Measure Numbers dialog box
Always Hide Number	Choose this command to always hide a number regardless of the settings for a number’s region in the Measure Numbers dialog box
Show/Hide Based on Region	Choose this command to show or hide a number based on the settings for its region in the Measure Numbers dialog box
Relink to Score (parts only)	Restore the link to its corresponding score item
Unlink In All Parts (score only)	Break the link between the score and this item in all parts
Relink In All Parts (score only)	Restore the link to all corresponding items in parts
Delete	Removes selected measure numbers

Menu item	What it does
Edit Measure Attributes	Displays Measure Attributes dialog box
Insert Measure	Displays the How many measures dialog box
Delete	Removes the selected measures
Create Multimeasure Rest	Change selected measures into a multimeasure rest
Edit Multimeasure rest	Opens the Multimeasure Rest dialog box where you can edit the selected multimeasure rest
Remove Multimeasure Rest	Removes the selected multimeasure rest
Edit Time Signature	Displays the Time Signature dialog box
Edit Key Signature	Displays the Key Signature dialog box
Normal Barline	Change right barline for selected measure to Normal barline
Double Barline	Change right barline for selected measure to Double barline
Final Barline	Change right barline for selected measure to Final barline
Solid Barline	Change right barline for selected measure to Solid barline
Dashed Barline	Change right barline for selected measure to Dashed barline
Invisible Barline	Change right barline for selected measure to Invisible barline
Tick Barline	Change right barline for selected measure to Tick barline
Custom Barline	Change right barline for selected measure to Custom barline

Menu item	What it does
Edit Beat Chart	Display Beat Chart handles

Menu item	What it does
Edit Split Points	Display Split Point handles