[itsme]

I like being able to transpose scores on the tablet quickly. To do that I use links in my PDFs.
After creating a score in MuseScore and exporting it as PDF to be used in MSP I insert links with Sciurius' PDFLink tool.
https://github.com/sciurius/pdflink
Clicking the link in MSP opens the linked file in the respective standard app. The linked file has to be in the same folder as the PDF.

On Win10 that's usually the desktop version for the linked file extension, e.g. MuseScore for .MSCZ or .MUSICXML.

On Android an app is required that can render the file and allows transposing.
For a long time I was more or less satisfied with MuseScore Songbook for Android. It still works but is not maintained any more and doesn't support MuseScore 3.x. I'm completely unhappy with its successor MuseScore Android and finally gave up testing it and reporting errors. It turned out to be useless. So I switched to Phonic Score recently.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/detai...e&hl=en_US
It costs less than 5 EUR, opens fast and reliably and allows transposing. Much better than MuseScore on Android. A free version without transposing and limited to three scores is available, so it's really just for a first test. But PhonicScore doesn't support .MSCZ natively, it requires .musicxml or .mxl (compressed musicxml).

Now I finally worked out my future solution that I want to let you know:
Instead of (or additionally to) a link to the .mscz file I call MuseScore via command line and export an .mxl file. This works with both MuseScore V2 and MuseScore V3. The command line parameters are the same. MuseScore V3 also exports from .MSCZ V2 files.
For convenience I combined creating the .mxl and calling PDFLink with my favorite parameters in an old-style batch file.

A similar solution is possible using .abc files. I tested it on Android with TradMusician, on Windows with EasyyABC.
.ABC has been discussed before in https://zubersoft.com/mobilesheets/forum...p?tid=4287

It should also be possible with any other program that can export musicxml e.g. Sibelius or Capella. As I don't own one of them I did not try that.

[Vibraphon]

As I've been gradually writing a lot of actively used songs in Musescore, this is a great tool to quickly change keys during sessions!

Is there the possibility to manage the mscz files from Musesore, which must now be in the same directory as the PDF file, in mobilesheets (save and synchronize)?

Or is there alternatively the possibility to save the mscz-files in a fixed, predefined directory, so that the link still works?


### German Version ###
Da ich so nach und nach viele aktiv genutzte Songs in Musescore geschrieben habe ist das hier ein tolles Tool, um bei Sessions schnell die Tonart zu wechseln!

Gibt es die Möglichkeit, die mscz-Files aus Musesore, die ja jetzt im selben Verzeichnis, wie das PDF-File sein müsssen, in mobilesheets mit zu verwalten (speichern und synchronisieren)?

Oder gibt es alternativ dazu die Möglichkeit die mscz-files in einem festen, vordefinierten Verzeichnis zu speichern, so dass der Link trotzdem funktioniert?

#####

[itsme]

It is required to store the MSCZ files in the same directory as the respective PDF to have relative links that work both on Android and Win10.

I also work a lot with linked MSCZ files.
I manage the files myself and synchronize the folder structure with my scores independent of MSP. For Win10 the MSP folder where the score files are stored is a subfolder of my GoogleDrive. So googleDrive takes care to keep all my Win10 devices in sync. To sync the MSP folder to my Android devices I use the app Folder Sync. The folder structure is identical on all devices, all file paths are relative paths, relative to the MSP folder. Thus I can just copy mobilesheets.db between my devices, both Android and Win10.

Anyway it might be a good idea to include files of file types that are not directly supported by MSP into some MSP mechanisms like e.g. sync or backup. In that case I could imagine a setting, where users can specify which file types should be handled. Beyond MSCZ e.g. ABC or HTML (for iRealPro) could make sense.

[itsme]

I described my file structure in more detail in my answer to this thread:
https://zubersoft.com/mobilesheets/forum...p?tid=4937

[Vibraphon]

Thank you very much for your help.

Anyway it might be a good idea to include files of file types that are not directly supported by MSP into some MSP mechanisms like e.g. sync or backup. In that case I could imagine a setting, where users can specify which file types should be handled. Beyond MSCZ e.g. ABC or HTML (for iRealPro) could make sense.

I think, that would be very helpful. I would prefer only want to mange one system (synchronize).

[Scherzo]

I use MuseScore to create the PDF scores I use in my MobileSheets database which is in the 1000’s so this topic of actually transposing or editing scores interests me.
 
If I understand correctly, your link takes you to MuseScore where you do the transposition to a MuseScore or Music XML file, (hoping of course it has been formatted correctly in regards to stem directions, lyrics, added text elements, and other things that get re-positioned when you transpose)…
 
…correct?
 
Do you then export the transposed file as a PDF into the MSP database or use the score in MuseScore and lose all of the benefits of MSP?
 
If it is the former or even latter option, how long does it take you because I can’t imagine it is a fast process when other musicians are waiting or am I missing something?
 
In my case, for those songs where I anticipate there may be a situation where I may need a transposed score, I just create it initially in MuseScore along with other arrangements, versions, simplified harmonies, etc. and load them into my database where they appear in my Songs List.
 
In the few situations where I needed one, it takes a second to bring it up on screen. If I don’t have what I need, I just do it on the fly and create the version I needed when I get home.
 
I do the same thing with annotated scores, I scribble the changes I want or played and fix the score when I get home.
 
Any insight you can provide would be appreciated.

[itsme]

Funny. My original post was from 2019-07 with no reaction until Vibraphon's question in 2021-01.
It seems to be helpful that I write down my complete workflow step by step. I'll do that as soon as I find the time. Please be patient.

[Vibraphon]

As a non-computer expert, it took me longer to understand the process. But once you understand it, it's brilliantly simple:

Here my example:

The following files are in one folder ...\pdflink\
* easy_living-C-stimme.pdf
* easy_living.mscz
* easy_living.musicxml (only if a link to Android software "Practice Bird" is needed)

(pdf-, mscz- and musicxml-file might have the same name)

* PDFLink.exe (from the github-link above)
* plink.bat

The batch plink.bat contains the following lines (2. line only for "Practice Bird"):
pdflink.exe --iconsize=40 --xpos=10 --ypos=10 --verbose --gfunder --padding=3 --targets=%1.mscz %2.pdf
pdflink.exe --iconsize=40 --xpos=500 --ypos=10 --verbose --gfunder --padding=3 --targets=%1.musicxml %2.pdf

Start the batch using the cmd-input at ...\PDFLink\plink mscz-file pdf-file
Example: plink easy_living easy_living-c-stimme

It takes about 10 seconds to get the link(s) added to the pdf.

After that you can add the pdf to mobilesheets as usual.
After that you need to add the mscz- (and for Android the musicxml-files) to the same folder as the pdf-file.

Thats's all!
Thank you very much to sciurius and itsme!

HTH

[Scherzo]

Maybe I didn't express myself clearly, I understand creating the links on the PDF file and/or getting to the mscz file or MuseScore from the PDF file in my MobileSheets database. What I don't understand is the process and actual time involved in the transposition.

For example, I am at a session and have a score in my MSP database in F that someone wants to play in Db. How long does it take and what are the steps required to get a usable Db version of that SAME score in front of my face in MobileSheets via MuseScore or are you using MuseScore to view and play the transposed score?

[Vibraphon]

The video attached is real time.
On my surface pro 4 it takes 15 seconds.

[BRX]

Well, isn't that workflow a bit flawed?

In your 15 second video you haven't imported the transposed PDF yet. And you don't have the same MSP-Song with annotations. 
If you export from MuseScore as PDF and overwrite the initial one you lose the PDF-Link.

Isn't it better to just use a smartbutton for opening MuseScore (and export and overwrite from there)? Then you can open 
the original MSP song in the new key but still with the annotations and the smart button for transposing.

Maybe I have overlooked something but I haven't thought about starting/transposing from within MSP with MuseScore for a long time.

[itsme]

I use the links mainly to transpose temporarily on Android. With the link I open the MusicXML file in Practice Bird https://play.google.com/store/apps/detai...score_lite, transpose it and play from there. That's also a matter of seconds. I usually don't want to overwrite the original PDF.
On Win10 I know where my files are and can easily open MuseScore and do what I need.

[BRX]

Yeah, sure.

But that wasn't what Scherzo asked and what Vibraphone didn't answer quite correctly with his video which stopped with the transposed song in MuseScore. 

But as I said, if you use a smart button instead of PDF link (which is no more work for a single file than with pdf link but can't be "batched") and after transposing in Musescore and exporting it to overwrite the source PDF for the MSP song, you are there with what Scherzo  wants with a few seconds more than those 15 seconds,

Of course you must have a MuseScore generated PDF to begin with, the MSCZ file mustn't have changed otherwise so the annotations of the transposed PDF still match and you have to repeat the procedure afterwards to transpose back to the original key (or copy back a backup PDF over the transposed one).

So it can be done at least under Win10. But I'm still looking forward to native ABC (and MXML) support from MSP.

[Vibraphon]

My application is analogous to the one as itsme wrote it. I need the transpose only for spontaneous sessions, where e.g. a singer spontaneously needs a different key for a jazz standard.

I haven't tried the smart-button solution yet. That might be a good alternative, but batch processing has been a big advantage in converting all my MSCZ data.

Regardless, as far as I understand it, the smart-button version also has the problem that the corresponding mscz files are not managed/synchronized by msp as well.

The solution from PDF with annotation to Musescore - transpose and back as PDF with annotations in mobilesheets I think is not feasible. If a note line shifts a bit due to transposing, the annotation is in the wrong position.

I also don't see that I would lose the advantages of msp with my approach. I manage my songs entirely in msp. I can implement spontaneous changes with immediate effect from the msp database with the Musescore coupling. If I want to keep the transposed version, I can simply save it in Musescore, export it as a PDF and add it as a copied version (taking annotations from the original PDF), or add it as a new version to the msp database. But I don't do that while making music, I do it afterwards.

[Scherzo]

One question that pops immediately to mind is what version of MuseScore are you using and how do you deal with changes between versions if the mscz was created in say, MuseScore 2.0 and you are trying to transpose it in MuseScore 3.0, 3.5 or 3.6 which have Automatic Placement or the latest version 3.6 with a whole different layout option and new fonts.

If you don't set preferences to automatically accept the changes, it is an extra step to select them and if if you do, you might have a jumbled score to try and read from which adds more time to the process.