2007/11/3, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
> I have dowloaded your stable version and again with an archive version for
> XP.
>
> I do not know if something is missing either in my PC or the space between
> my ears. I cannot fully understand the follow up instructions and keep going
> round in circles. Can you clarify what I need to do or am I omitting a vital
> step.
Hello,
your questions are legitimate; you're not the first one to ask them on
this list and, being used to it, we tend to not realize anymore how
difficult it can be for new users to install and use LilyPond.
First of all, LilyPond is different from all other softwares you may
know. In a word processor, for instance, you first launch the
application, and *then* begin working with it (creating, opening,
saving documents, etc).
With LilyPond, you have to create a document *before* actually using
the software. Here's how to do it:
- open a text editor (Windows' NotePad, for example)
- type a few notes, enclosed with braces. Example:
{ g g d e d a g g }
- save your document wherever you want, e.g. your Desktop. Let's name
it "test.ly"
-Beware: the NotePad always wants to add a .txt extension to the
filename (I hope your WindowsXP shows the complete filename
extensions, if it does not, you'll have to go to "Folders options" in
the Control Panel, and uncheck the "hide extensions" box). Here we
want the file to be named "test.ly", *not* "test.txt" nor
"test.ly.txt" (otherwise it won't work). So you may have to rename
your file to change the extension.
- If LilyPond is correctly installed on your computer, the test.ly
file now has a nice note icon. If it does not, verify if LilyPond is
installed (generally in "Program Files\LilyPond\usr\bin")
- if the file does have a note icon, just double-click on it. After a
few seconds, you'll see that a bunch of new files have appear near it:
test.log, test.ps and test.pdf -- open test.pdf with your usual PDF
reader, and... Voila! Here's your score!
The "test.ly" file is what we call the *source* file. Basically,
LilyPond just reads it and produces the score, be it a few notes like
in our example or a 300-pages opera like the one i'm writing. If you
modify the source file, you'll have other notes. You can change the
rhythms as well, by adding numbers:
{ g8 g d4 e2 etc.
... you can have higher or lower notes, by adding such signs as ' and ,
{ g8 g' d,4 e2 etc.
... you can have basically anything you want.
Two important things.
- Read the Documentation : you'll see that LilyPond is powerful and
quite easy to learn, even if it is a bit unusual at the beginning. A
good place to start is
http://lilypond.org/doc/v2.10/Documentation/user/lilypond/Tutorial.html
- The NotePad is not very handy when it comes to writing source files.
I strongly suggest you to install the jEdit editor, and then use its
Plugin Manager to install the "LilyPondTool" plugin. It colors the
LilyPond code, detects your errors as you type, includes the whole
Documentation, and lots of cool stuff.
The jEdit software is freely available at
http://www.jedit.org/index.php?page=download
(it needs Java to be installed on your computer.)
I hope this will makes things easier for you. You're, of course,
welcome to ask every additional questions you could need on this list;
just remember that it always takes some time to learn how it works and
how to use it. Everybody is ready to help you, as long as you're
patient enough to understand things, and to never give up.
Best Regards,
Valentin
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