Automatic Barlines Plug-in

How to get there

1. Select a region using the Measure tool (or any other tool with regional selection).
2. Choose Plug-ins > Measures > Automatic Barlines. If there is no music selected when you invoke the Automatic Barlines command, it will ask you if you want to process the entire document. See Plug-ins menu for more information on plug-ins.

What it does

The Automatic Barlines plug-in allows you to automatically set up barlines, matching the key changes in your document.

In a high variety of music it is conventional to use a double barline when the key changes. The Automatic Barlines plug-in supports this convention by: (1) setting all barlines between measures in the same key to a single (normal) barline and (2) setting all barlines between measures where a key change is initiated to a double barline. Additionally, if the last measure of the selection is the last measure in the document, a final barline is placed in this measure. (Repeat barlines are not affected by this plug-in.)

If there is no music selected when you invoke the Automatic Barlines command, it will ask you if you want to process the entire document.

Using the Automatic Barlines Plug-in

Use the Measure tool to select a region (or any other tool with regional selection) in which you wish to have the barlines match key changes, then choose the Automatic Barlines command from the Plug-ins menu. The plug-in will go through the selected region, measure by measure, and compare consecutive pairs of measures. If a pair of measures is in the same key, the plug-in will set the measure attributes of the first measure to use a single (normal) barline. If there is a change of key, the plug-in will set the measure attributes of the first measure to use a double barline. If the last measure in the document is included in the selection, the measure will be set to use a final barline (double barline with a thick second line).

Notes

• The Automatic Barlines plug-in recognizes that relative Major and Minor keys (for instance: C Major and A Minor) have the same key signature (in this case, no sharps or flats). In cases such as these the plug-in sets a single barline since it recognizes that the key signatures are identical, even though, technically speaking, the key has changed. However, the plug-in cannot analyze the key signatures of Non-Linear Key Signatures, nor of Linear Key Signatures beyond the conventional Major and Minor modes. If your music uses non-standard signatures and two adjacent measures use different keys with identical key signatures, the plug-in will “think” a key change has taken place. In this case, a double barline will be set between the two measures in question.

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