Re: dual window editor

[Carl D. Sorensen]

On 4/20/09 6:26 AM, "address@hidden" <address@hidden> wrote:

> I'm a new user of Lily Pond.  I'm running the program under Windows XP (I
> know, I know, don't tell me...)  I find it fast and easy to use.  I prefer it
> to Finale because it's so easy to debug the code.
> 

There's nothing wrong with running LilyPond under Windows.  Lots of users
do.  I'm glad you like LilyPond.

>  
> 
> JEdit is O.K., but it would be a big help to me if there were a dual-window
> editor that would incorporate an interpreter (rather than a compiler).  One
> window would show the text file as it was being developed; the other side
> would display - on command - the resulting PDF image.  (Think of the way the
> Matlab editor works.)

The Matlab editor completes a command and performs the result when you hit
enter.


> It would make debugging much easier to be able to see
> the results of code changes immediately, rather than have to save the .LY file
> and then call LP, then look at the result in Adobe.
> 
>  
LilyPond functions often wrap around lines, so just hitting enter won't
work.  There has to be some other command to display the PDF.  For Jedit,
you hit the process button immediately followed by the display button.  Why
is this so much harder than hitting a single button?  (You *are* using
LilyPondTool for JEdit, aren't you?)

But, there is at least one choice of such an interpreter for Windows, but
it's not part of LilyPond:
http://www.leszer.net/index.php/my-software/87-lilyeditor.html

It won't handle very complicated LilyPond scores, because in order to work
properly it has to deal with things in a very controlled way.

And the preview is in non-standard notation.

But it will give you the functionality you want as far as interpreting goes.
I haven't tried it, but having read about it, I think that JEdit is superior
for my usage.

> 
> Thanks for considering this...
> 

This won't be part of the LilyPond distribution in the near future, because
it's out of scope of LilyPond.

I'd be surprised if it *ever* became part of the LilyPond distribution.
LilyPond is an *output* software.  The input part of LilyPond, by
definition, is a text file.  That's why there are separate projects for
LilyPondTool, and LilyKDE, and the other LilyPond front ends.

You're welcome to start such a project; there may be other Windows users who
would be willing to help you out.

Regards,

Carl