Expression Placement Properties
Text and symbol expressions have alignment and placement options that are controlled from this property page. Placement options include:
Staff Position
This value controls the vertical position of the item on the staff. The value is in staff units, which is half the distance between each horizontal line in a staff. A value of 0 is the vertical center of the staff. Negative values move the item downward on the staff, and positive values move it upward.Preserve Width
Check this box if you want this item to occupy space in the staff. If this box is not checked, the item will not reserve space for itself in the staff. This can be used to avoid blank spots or large gaps in the score. When an item does not reserve space for itself, an anchor will appear in the editor showing the origin of the item. The visible anchor in the editor also allows you to select the item and subsequently edit its properties. The anchor will not appear in a printout.Justification
This field is used to control how the item is justified within its space on the staff. This can be especially useful when the item does not preserve its width. It might also be useful when the item uses best fit placement and is allocated additional space on the staff during note alignment.Alignment/Placement
This field controls how the text or symbol expression will be inserted and aligned in a multi-staff system. Options include:best fit: The item will be placed in the system in the most efficient way possible. It will tend to stay near the note, bar, or signature that precedes it, unless obstructed by a prior item.
best fit forward: The item will be placed in the system in the most efficient way possible. It will tend to stay near the next note, bar, or signature that appears after it in the staff.
as a staff signature: The item will be treated as a staff signature. It will be aligned in the system with any other signature item appearing in other staves at the same horizontal position.
at next note/bar: The item will be shifted forward such that it appears at the start of the next note or bar line. In the editor, a dashed line to the anchor position will be shown.
See Also
