variables for numbers

[Flaming Hakama by Elaine]

On Tue, May 1, 2018 at 11:03 AM, <address@hidden> wrote:

Send lilypond-user mailing list submissions to
        address@hidden

I'm having difficulty understanding how to use a variable that stores a number, for use with a \raise command.

I have numerous markup definitions similar to this one:

sottoVoce = <>^\markup \raise #1.3 { \italic "sotto voce" }

mezzoVoce = <>^\markup \raise #1.3 { \italic "mezzo voce" }

{ \sottoVoce a'1 \mezzoVoce c''1 } 

And I'd like to use a variable for the raise value, instead of repeating #1.3 for each definnition.

Here are three MWE's of failed approaches.

%  The common sense approach

raiseDistance = #1.3

sottoVoce = <>^\markup \raise \raiseDistance { \italic "sotto voce" }

{ \sottoVoce a'1 } 

%  Based on the line-width example on http://lilypond.org/doc/v2.19/Documentation/learning/organizing-pieces-with-variables

%{

myWidth = 60      % a number to pass to a \paper variable (the unit is millimeter)

Depending on its contents, the variable can be used in different places. The following example \paper {

       line-width = \myWidth

}

{

        c1

}

%}

raiseDistance = 1.3

sottoVoce = <>^\markup \raise \raiseDistance { \italic "sotto voce" }

{ \sottoVoce a'1 } 

% Based on http://lilypond.org/doc/v2.19/Documentation/extending/lilypond-variables

%{

    twelve = 12

    twentyFour = #(* 2 twelve)

%}

raiseDistance = 1.3

sottoVoce = <>^\markup \raise #(raiseDistance) { \italic "sotto voce" }

{ \sottoVoce a'1 } 

Does anyone have either a suggestion for how to do this, or the appropriate place to RTFM?

The examples on http://lilypond.org/doc/v2.19/Documentation/notation/substitution-function-examples

all are of functions that consume a value.  There are no examples of using a variable that is a number.

Thanks, 

David Elaine Alt

415 . 341 .4954                                           "Confusion is highly underrated"

address@hidden

skype: flaming_hakama
Producer ~ Composer ~ Instrumentalist
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-