1 @c -*- coding: utf-8; mode: texinfo; -*-
2 @node Documentation work
3 @chapter Documentation work
5 There are currently 11 manuals for LilyPond, not including the
6 translations. Each book is available in HTML, PDF, and info. The
7 documentation is written in a language called @code{texinfo} --
8 this allows us to generate different output formats from a single
11 To organize multiple authors working on the documentation, we use a
12 Version Control System (VCS) called git, previously discussed in
13 @ref{Starting with Git}.
16 * Introduction to documentation work::
17 * Documentation suggestions::
18 * Texinfo introduction and usage policy::
19 * Documentation policy::
20 * Tips for writing docs::
21 * Scripts to ease doc work::
22 * Docstrings in scheme::
23 * Translating the documentation::
27 @node Introduction to documentation work
28 @section Introduction to documentation work
30 Our documentation tries to adhere to our @ref{Documentation
31 policy}. This policy contains a few items which may seem odd.
32 One policy in particular is often questioned by potential
33 contributors: we do not repeat material in the Notation Reference,
34 and instead provide links to the @qq{definitive} presentation of
35 that information. Some people point out, with good reason, that
36 this makes the documentation harder to read. If we repeated
37 certain information in relevant places, readers would be less
38 likely to miss that information.
40 That reasoning is sound, but we have two counter-arguments.
41 First, the Notation Reference -- one of @emph{five} manuals for
42 users to read -- is already over 500 pages long. If we repeated
43 material, we could easily exceed 1000 pages! Second, and much
44 more importantly, LilyPond is an evolving project. New features
45 are added, bugs are fixed, and bugs are discovered and documented.
46 If features are discussed in multiple places, the documentation
47 team must find every instance. Since the manual is so large, it
48 is impossible for one person to have the location of every piece
49 of information memorized, so any attempt to update the
50 documentation will invariably omit a few places. This second
51 concern is not at all theoretical; the documentation used to be
52 plagued with inconsistent information.
54 If the documentation were targeted for a specific version -- say,
55 LilyPond 2.10.5 -- and we had unlimited resources to spend on
56 documentation, then we could avoid this second problem. But since
57 LilyPond evolves (and that is a very good thing!), and since we
58 have quite limited resources, this policy remains in place.
60 A few other policies (such as not permitting the use of tweaks in
61 the main portion of NR 1+2) may also seem counter-intuitive, but
62 they also stem from attempting to find the most effective use of
63 limited documentation help.
66 @node Documentation suggestions
67 @section Documentation suggestions
69 @subheading Small additions
71 For additions to the documentation,
76 Tell us where the addition should be placed. Please include both
77 the section number and title (i.e. "LM 2.13 Printing lyrics").
80 Please write exact changes to the text.
83 A formal patch to the source code is @emph{not} required; we can
84 take care of the technical details. Here is an example of a
85 perfect documentation report:
88 To: lilypond-devel@gnu.org
89 From: helpful-user@example.net
92 In LM 2.13 (printing lyrics), above the last line ("More options,
93 like..."), please add:
96 To add lyrics to a divided part, use blah blah blah. For example,
99 \notes {blah <<blah>> }
100 \lyrics {blah <<blah>> }
105 In addition, the second sentence of the first paragraph is
106 confusing. Please delete that sentence (it begins "Users
107 often...") and replace it with this:
109 To align lyrics with something, do this thing.
119 @subheading Larger contributions
121 To replace large sections of the documentation, the guidelines are
122 stricter. We cannot remove parts of the current documentation
123 unless we are certain that the new version is an improvement.
128 Ask on the lilypond-devel maillist if such a rewrite is necessary;
129 somebody else might already be working on this issue!
132 Split your work into small sections; this makes it much easier to
133 compare the new and old documentation.
136 Please prepare a formal git patch.
140 Once you have followed these guidelines, please send a message to
141 lilypond-devel with your documentation submissions. Unfortunately
142 there is a strict “no top-posting” check on the mailist; to avoid
145 > I'm not top posting.
147 (you must include the > ) to the top of your documentation
150 We may edit your suggestion for spelling, grammar, or style, and
151 we may not place the material exactly where you suggested, but if
152 you give us some material to work with, we can improve the manual
153 much faster. Thanks for your interest!
156 @node Texinfo introduction and usage policy
157 @section Texinfo introduction and usage policy
160 * Texinfo introduction::
161 * Documentation files::
162 * Sectioning commands::
163 * LilyPond formatting::
166 * Other text concerns::
170 @node Texinfo introduction
171 @subsection Texinfo introduction
173 The language is called Texinfo; you can see its manual here:
175 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/}
177 However, you don't need to read those docs. The most important
178 thing to notice is that text is text. If you see a mistake in the
179 text, you can fix it. If you want to change the order of
180 something, you can cut-and-paste that stuff into a new location.
182 @warning{Rule of thumb: follow the examples in the existing docs.
183 You can learn most of what you need to know from this; if you want
184 to do anything fancy, discuss it on @code{lilypond-devel} first.}
187 @node Documentation files
188 @subsection Documentation files
190 All manuals live in @file{Documentation/}.
192 In particular, there are four user manuals, their respective master
193 source files are @file{learning.tely} (LM, Learning Manual),
194 @file{notation.tely} (NR, Notation Reference),
195 @file{music-glossary.tely} (MG, Music Glossary), and
196 @file{lilypond-program} (AU). Each chapter is written in a separate
197 file, ending in @file{.itely} for files containing lilypond code, and
198 @file{.itexi} for files without lilypond code, located in a subdirectory
199 associated to the manual (@file{learning/} for @file{learning.tely}, and
200 so on); list the subdirectory of each manual to determine the filename
201 of the specific chapter you wish to modify.
203 Developer manuals live in @file{Documentation/} too. Currently there is
204 only one: the Contributor's Guide @file{contrib-guide.texi} you are
207 Snippet files are part of documentation, and the Snippet List (SL) lives
208 in @file{Documentation/} just like the manuals. For information about
209 how to modify the snippet files and SL, see @ref{LSR work}.
212 @node Sectioning commands
213 @subsection Sectioning commands
215 Most of the manual operates at the
223 level. Sections are created with
232 Please leave two blank lines above a @@node; this makes it
233 easier to find sections in texinfo.
236 If a heading is desired without creating a node, please use
244 Sectioning commands (@@node and @@section) must not appear
245 inside an @@ignore. Separate those commands with a space, ie
250 Nodes must be included inside a
260 construct. These are easily constructed with automatic tools; see
261 @ref{Scripts to ease doc work}.
264 @node LilyPond formatting
265 @subsection LilyPond formatting
270 Use two spaces for indentation in lilypond examples. (no
274 All text strings should be prefaced with #. LilyPond does
275 not strictly require this, but it is helpful to get users
276 accustomed to this scheme construct. ie @code{\set
277 Staff.instrumentName = #"cello"}
280 All engravers should have double-quotes around them:
283 \consists "Spans_arpeggio_engraver"
286 Again, LilyPond does not strictly require this, but it is a useful
290 If possible, only write one bar per line.
293 If you only have one bar per line, omit bar checks. If you
294 must put more than one bar per line (not recommended), then include bar
298 Tweaks should, if possible, also occur on their own line.
300 not: \override TextScript #'padding = #3 c1^"hi"
301 but instead: \override TextScript #'padding = #3
306 Most LilyPond input should be produced with:
309 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=2]
316 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote,relative=1]
319 If you want to use @code{\layout@{@}} or define variables, use
322 @@lilypond[verbatim,quote]
325 In rare cases, other options may be used (or omitted), but ask first.
328 Inspirational headwords are produced with
331 @@lilypondfile[quote,ragged-right,line-width=16\cm,staffsize=16]
332 @{pitches-headword.ly@}
336 LSR snippets are linked with
339 @@lilypondfile[verbatim,lilyquote,ragged-right,texidoc,doctitle]
344 excepted in Templates, where `doctitle' may be omitted.
347 Avoid long stretches of input code. Nobody is going to read
348 them in print. Create small examples. However, this does not mean
352 Specify durations for at least the first note of every bar.
355 If possible, end with a complete bar.
358 Comments should go on their own line, and be placed before
359 the line(s) to which they refer.
362 Add extra spaces around @{ @} marks; ie
365 not: \chordmode @{c e g@}
366 but instead: \chordmode @{ c e g @}
370 Use @{ @} marks for additional @code{\markup} format comands; ie
373 not: c^\markup \tiny\sharp
374 but instead: c^\markup @{ \tiny \sharp @}
378 Remove any space around @code{<} @code{>} marks; ie
382 but instead: <c e g>4
386 Beam, slur and tie marks should begin immediately after the first
387 note with beam and phrase marks ending immediately after the last.
390 a8(\ ais16[ b cis( d] b) cis4~ b' cis,\)
394 If you want to work on an example outside of the manual (for
395 easier/faster processing), use this header:
400 line-width = 160\mm - 2.0 * 0.4\in
402 force-assignment = #""
403 line-width = #(- line-width (* mm 3.000000))
410 You may not change any of these values. If you are making an
411 example demonstrating special @code{\paper@{@}} values, contact the
412 Documentation Editor.
417 @node Text formatting
418 @subsection Text formatting
422 Lines should be less than 72 characters long. (We personally
423 recommend writing with 66-char lines, but do not bother modifying
424 existing material). Also see the recommendations for fixed-width
425 fonts in the @ref{Syntax survey}.
431 Do not use spaces at the beginning of a line (except in
432 @code{@@example} or @code{@@verbatim} environments), and do not
433 use more than a single space between words. @q{makeinfo} copies
434 the input lines verbatim without removing those spaces.
437 Use two spaces after a period.
440 In examples of syntax, use @code{@@var@{@var{musicexpr}@}} for a
444 Don't use @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in the main text. If you're
445 tempted to do so, you're probably getting too close to @qq{talking
446 through the code}. If you really want to refer to a context, use
447 @code{@@code@{@}} in the main text and @code{@@rinternals@{@}} in
448 the @code{@@seealso}.
453 @subsection Syntax survey
463 * Special characters::
469 @unnumberedsubsubsec Comments
473 @code{@@c @dots{}} --- single line comment. @samp{@@c NOTE:} is a
474 comment which should remain in the final version. (gp only
478 @code{@@ignore} --- multi-line comment:
488 @node Cross references
489 @unnumberedsubsubsec Cross references
491 Enter the exact @code{@@node} name of the target reference between
492 the brackets (eg.@tie{}@w{@samp{@@ref@{Syntax survey@}}}).
496 @code{@@ref@{@dots{}@}} --- link within current manual.
499 @code{@@rchanges@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Changes.
502 @code{@@rcontrib@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Contributor's Guide.
505 @code{@@ressay@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Engraving Essay.
508 @code{@@rextend@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Extending LilyPond.
511 @code{@@rglos@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Music Glossary.
514 @code{@@rinternals@{@dots{}@}} --- link to the Internals Reference.
517 @code{@@rlearning@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Learning Manual.
520 @code{@@rlsr@{@dots{}@}} --- link to a Snippet section.
523 @code{@@rprogram@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Application Usage.
526 @code{@@ruser@{@dots{}@}} --- link to Notation Reference.
529 @code{@@rweb@{@dots{}@}} --- link to General Informaion.
534 @unnumberedsubsubsec External links
538 @code{@@email@{@dots{}@}} --- create a @code{mailto:} E-mail link.
541 @code{@@uref@{@var{URL}[, @var{link text}]@}} --- link to an
546 @node Fixed-width font
547 @unnumberedsubsubsec Fixed-width font
551 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} ---
553 Use the @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} command for individual
554 language-specific tokens (keywords, commands, engravers, scheme
555 symbols, etc.). Ideally, a single @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} block
556 should fit within one line in the PDF output. Use the
557 @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} command when you have a short example of
558 user input, unless it constitutes an entire @code{@@item} by
559 itself, in which case @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} is preferable.
560 Otherwise, both should only be used when part of a larger sentence
561 within a paragraph or @code{@@item}. Never use a
562 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} block as a
563 free-standing paragraph; use @code{@@example} instead.
565 A single unindented line in the PDF has space for about 79
566 fixed-width characters (76 if indented). Within an @code{@@item}
567 there is space for about 75 fixed-width characters. Each
568 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
569 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
571 However, even short blocks of @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} and
572 @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} can run into the margin if the Texinfo
573 line-breaking algorithm gets confused. Additionally, blocks that
574 are longer than this may in fact print nicely; it all depends
575 where the line breaks end up. If you compile the docs yourself,
576 check the PDF output to make sure the line breaks are
579 The Texinfo setting @code{@@allowcodebreaks} is set to
580 @code{false} in the manuals, so lines within
581 @code{@@code@{@dots{}@}} or @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} blocks will
582 only break at spaces, not at hyphens or underscores. If the block
583 contains spaces, use @code{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}} or
584 @code{@@w@{@@samp@{@dots{}@}@}} to prevent unexpected line breaks.
586 The Texinfo settings @code{txicodequoteundirected} and
587 @code{txicodequotebacktick} are both set in the manuals, so
588 backticks (@code{`}) and apostrophes (@code{'}) placed within
589 blocks of @code{@@code}, @code{@@example}, or @code{@@verbatim}
590 are not converted to left- and right-angled quotes
591 (@code{@quoteleft{} @quoteright{}}) as they normally are within
592 the text, so the apostrophes in
593 @q{@w{@code{@@w@{@@code@{\relative c''@}@}}}} will display
594 correctly. However, these settings do not affect the PDF output
595 for anything within a @code{@@samp} block (even if it includes a
596 nested @code{@@code} block), so entering
597 @q{@code{@@w@{@@samp@{\relative c''@}@}}} wrongly produces
598 @q{@w{@code{\relative c@quoteright{}@quoteright{}}}} in PDF.
599 Consequently, if you want to use a @code{@@samp@{@dots{}@}} block
600 which contains backticks or apostrophes, you should instead use
601 @q{@code{@@q@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}}} (or
602 @q{@code{@@q@{@@w@{@@code@{@dots{}@}@}@}}} if the block also
606 @code{@@command@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for command-line commands (eg.
607 @samp{@@command@{lilypond-book@}}).
610 @code{@@example} --- Use for examples of program code. Do not add
611 extraneous indentation (ie. don't start every line with
612 whitespace). Use the following layout (notice the use of blank
613 lines). Omit the @code{@@noindent} if the text following the
614 example starts a new paragraph:
617 @var{@dots{}text leading into the example@dots{}}
624 @var{continuation of the text@dots{}}
627 Individual lines within an @code{@@example} block should not
628 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
629 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@example} block
630 is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
631 @code{@@example} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
632 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
633 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
635 For long command line examples, if possible, use a trailing
636 backslash to break up a single line, indenting the next line with
637 2 spaces. If this isn't feasible, use @samp{@@smallexample
638 @dots{} @@end@tie{}smallexample} instead, which uses a smaller
639 fontsize. Use @code{@@example} whenever possible, but if needed,
640 @code{@@smallexample} can fit up to 90 characters per line before
641 running into the PDF margin. Each additional level of
642 @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate} shortens a
643 @code{@@smallexample} line by about 5 columns.
646 @code{@@file@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for filenames and directories.
649 @code{@@option@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for options to command-line
650 commands (eg. @samp{@@option@{--format@}}).
653 @code{@@verbatim} --- Prints the block exactly as it appears in
654 the source file (including whitespace, etc.). For program code
655 examples, use @code{@@example} instead. @code{@@verbatim} uses
656 the same format as @code{@@example}.
658 Individual lines within an @code{@@verbatim} block should not
659 exceed 74 characters; otherwise they will run into the margin in
660 the PDF output, and may get clipped. If an @code{@@verbatim}
661 block is part of an @code{@@item}, individual lines in the
662 @code{@@verbatim} block should not exceed 70 columns. Each
663 additional level of @code{@@itemize} or @code{@@enumerate}
664 shortens the line by about 4 columns.
669 @unnumberedsubsubsec Indexing
673 @code{@@cindex @dots{}} --- General index. Please add as many as you can.
674 Don't capitalize the first word.
677 @code{@@funindex @dots{}} --- is for a \lilycommand.
682 @unnumberedsubsubsec Lists
686 @code{@@enumerate} --- Create an ordered list (with numbers).
687 Always put @samp{@@item} on its own line, and separate consecutive
688 items with a blank line:
701 @code{@@itemize} --- Create an unordered list (with bullets). Use
702 the same format as @code{@@enumerate}. Do not use
703 @samp{@@itemize@tie{}@@bullet}.
707 @node Special characters
708 @unnumberedsubsubsec Special characters
712 @code{--}, @code{---} --- Create an en dash (--) or an em dash
713 (---) in the text. To print two or three literal hyphens in a
714 row, wrap one of them in a @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} (eg.
718 @code{@@@@}, @code{@@@{}, @code{@@@}} --- Create an at-sign (@@),
719 a left curly bracket (@{), or a right curly bracket (@}).
722 @code{@@bs@{@}} --- Create a backslash within a
723 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}}, @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}}, or
724 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} block. This is a custom LilyPond
725 macro, not a builtin @@-command in Texinfo. Texinfo would also
726 allow @samp{\\}, but this breaks the PDF output.
729 @code{@@tie@{@}} --- Create a @emph{variable-width} non-breaking
730 space in the text (use @w{@samp{@@w@{ @}}} for a single
731 @emph{fixed-width} non-breaking space). Variables or numbers
732 which consist of a single character (probably followed by a
733 punctuation mark) should be tied properly, either to the previous
734 or the next word. Example: @samp{The letter@@tie@{@}@@q@{I@} is
740 @unnumberedsubsubsec Miscellany
744 @code{@@notation@{@dots{}@}} --- refers to pieces of notation, e.g.
745 @samp{@@notation@{clef@}}. Also use for specific lyrics
746 (@samp{the @@notation@{A@tie{}-@tie{}men@} is centered}).
747 Only use once per subsection per term.
750 @code{@@q@{@dots{}@}} --- Single quotes. Used for
751 @quoteleft{}vague@quoteright{} terms. To get a backslash
752 (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
755 @code{@@qq@{@dots{}@}} --- Double quotes. Used for actual quotes
756 (@qq{he said}) or for introducing special input modes. To get a
757 backslash (\), you must use @samp{@@bs@{@}}.
760 @code{@@var@{@dots{}@}} --- Use for variables.
763 @code{@@version@{@}} --- Return the current LilyPond version
764 string. Use @samp{@@w@{@@version@{@}@}} if it's at the end of a
765 line (to prevent an ugly line break in PDF); use
766 @samp{@@w@{"@@version@{@}"@}} if you need it in quotes.
769 @code{@@w@{@dots{}@}} --- Do not allow any line breaks.
772 @code{@@warning@{@dots{}@}} --- produces a @qq{Note:@tie{}} box.
773 Use for important messages. To get a backslash (\), you must use
778 @node Other text concerns
779 @subsection Other text concerns
783 References must occur at the end of a sentence, for more
785 @uref{http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/manual/texinfo/,texinfo
786 manual}. Ideally this should also be the final sentence of a
787 paragraph, but this is not required. Any link in a doc section
788 must be duplicated in the @code{@@seealso} section at the bottom.
791 Introducing examples must be done with
794 . (ie finish the previous sentence/paragaph)
795 : (ie `in this example:')
796 , (ie `may add foo with the blah construct,')
799 The old @qq{sentence runs directly into the example} method is not
803 Abbrevs in caps, e.g., HTML, DVI, MIDI, etc.
813 When beginning a quote: @qq{So, he said,...}.
815 This usage is rarer. Americans often just use a comma.
818 When adding a defining example at the end of a sentence.
822 Non-ASCII characters which are in utf-8 should be directly used;
823 this is, don't say @samp{Ba@@ss@{@}tuba} but @samp{Baßtuba}. This
824 ensures that all such characters appear in all output formats.
828 @node Documentation policy
829 @section Documentation policy
833 * Section organization::
834 * Checking cross-references::
836 * Technical writing style::
842 There are four parts to the documentation: the Learning Manual,
843 the Notation Reference, the Program Reference, and the Music
851 The LM is written in a tutorial style which introduces the most
852 important concepts, structure and syntax of the elements of a
853 LilyPond score in a carefully graded sequence of steps.
854 Explanations of all musical concepts used in the Manual can be
855 found in the Music Glossary, and readers are assumed to have no
856 prior knowledge of LilyPond. The objective is to take readers to
857 a level where the Notation Reference can be understood and
858 employed to both adapt the templates in the Appendix to their
859 needs and to begin to construct their own scores. Commonly used
860 tweaks are introduced and explained. Examples are provided
861 throughout which, while being focussed on the topic being
862 introduced, are long enough to seem real in order to retain the
863 readers' interest. Each example builds on the previous material,
864 and comments are used liberally. Every new aspect is thoroughly
865 explained before it is used.
867 Users are encouraged to read the complete Learning Manual from
872 Notation Reference: a (hopefully complete) description of LilyPond
873 input notation. Some material from here may be duplicated in the
874 Learning Manual (for teaching), but consider the NR to be the
875 "definitive" description of each notation element, with the LM
876 being an "extra". The goal is _not_ to provide a step-by-step
877 learning environment -- do not avoid using notation that has not
878 be introduced previously in the NR (for example, use \break if
879 appropriate). This section is written in formal technical writing
882 Avoid duplication. Although users are not expected to read this
883 manual from start to finish, they should be familiar with the
884 material in the Learning Manual (particularly ``Fundamental
885 Concepts''), so do not repeat that material in each section of
886 this book. Also watch out for common constructs, like ^ - _ for
887 directions -- those are explained in NR 3. In NR 1, you can
888 write: DYNAMICS may be manually placed above or below the staff,
889 see @@ref@{Controlling direction and placement@}.
891 Most tweaks should be added to LSR and not placed directly in the
892 .itely file. In some cases, tweaks may be placed in the main
893 text, but ask about this first.
895 Finally, you should assume that users know what the notation
896 means; explaining musical concepts happens in the Music Glossary.
900 Application Usage: information about using the program lilypond
901 with other programs (lilypond-book, operating systems, GUIs,
902 convert-ly, etc). This section is written in formal technical
905 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
909 Music Glossary: information about the music notation itself.
910 Explanations and translations about notation terms go here.
912 Users are not expected to read this manual from start to finish.
915 Internals Reference: not really a documentation book, since it is
916 automagically generated from the source, but this is its name.
921 @node Section organization
922 @subsection Section organization
927 The order of headings inside documentation sections should
940 You @emph{must} include a @@seealso.
944 The order of items inside the @@seealso section is
953 @@rlearning@{foozle@}.
966 @@file@{path/to/dir/blahz@}.
968 Snippets: @@rlsr@{section@}.
971 @@rinternals@{fazzle@},
972 @@rinternals@{booar@}.
976 If there are multiple entries, separate them by commas but do not
980 Always end with a period.
983 Place each link on a new line as above; this makes it much easier
984 to add or remove links. In the output, they appear on a single
987 ("Snippets" is REQUIRED; the others are optional)
990 Any new concepts or links which require an explanation should go
991 as a full sentence(s) in the main text.
994 Don't insert an empty line between @@seealso and the first entry!
995 Otherwise there is excessive vertical space in the PDF output.
1000 To create links, use @@ref@{@} if the link is within the same
1004 @@predefined ... @@endpredefined is for commands in
1008 Do not include any real info in second-level sections (ie 1.1
1009 Pitches). A first-level section may have introductory material,
1010 but other than that all material goes into third-level sections
1011 (ie 1.1.1 Writing Pitches).
1016 @node Checking cross-references
1017 @subsection Checking cross-references
1019 Cross-references between different manuals are heavily used in the
1020 documentation, but they are not checked during compilation.
1021 However, if you compile the documentation, a script called
1022 check_texi_refs can help you with checking and fixing these
1023 cross-references; for information on usage, cd into a source tree
1024 where documentation has been built, cd into Documentation and run:
1031 Note that you have to find yourself the source files to fix
1032 cross-references in the generated documentation such as the
1033 Internals Reference; e.g. you can grep scm/ and lily/.
1035 @c temporary? how long will kainhofer be used? -gp
1036 Also of interest may be the linkdoc checks on kainhofer.com. Be
1037 warned that these docs are not completely rebuilt every day, so it
1038 might not accurately reflect the current state of the docs.
1041 @uref{http://kainhofer.com/~lilypond/linkdoc/}
1045 @node General writing
1046 @subsection General writing
1051 Do not forget to create @@cindex entries for new sections of text.
1052 Enter commands with @@funindex, i.e.
1055 @@cindex pitches, writing in different octaves
1056 @@funindex \relative
1060 do not bother with the @@code@{@} (they are added automatically).
1061 These items are added to both the command index and the unified
1064 Both index commands should go in front of the actual material.
1066 @@cindex entries should not be capitalized, ie
1069 @@cindex time signature
1073 is preferred instead of @qq{Time signature}, Only use capital
1074 letters for musical terms which demand them, like D.S. al Fine.
1076 For scheme functions, only include the final part, i.e.,
1079 @@funindex modern-voice-cautionary
1081 @@funindex #(set-accidental-style modern-voice-cautionary)
1090 In general, use the American spellings. The internal lilypond
1091 property names use this spelling.
1094 List of specific terms:
1098 simultaneous NOT concurrent
1099 measure: the unit of music
1100 bar line: the symbol delimiting a measure NOT barline
1101 note head NOT notehead
1102 chord construct NOT chord (when referring to <>)
1110 @node Technical writing style
1111 @subsection Technical writing style
1113 These refer to the NR. The LM uses a more gentle, colloquial
1119 Do not refer to LilyPond in the text. The reader knows what the
1120 manual is about. If you do, capitalization is LilyPond.
1123 If you explicitly refer to @q{lilypond} the program (or any other
1124 command to be executed), write @code{@@command@{lilypond@}}.
1127 Do not explicitly refer to the reader/user. There is no one else
1128 besides the reader and the writer.
1131 Avoid contractions (don't, won't, etc.). Spell the words out completely.
1134 Avoid abbreviations, except for commonly used abbreviations of foreign
1135 language terms such as etc. and i.e.
1138 Avoid fluff (@qq{Notice that,} @qq{as you can see,}
1142 The use of the word @q{illegal} is inappropriate in most cases.
1143 Say @q{invalid} instead.
1148 @node Tips for writing docs
1149 @section Tips for writing docs
1151 In the NR, I highly recommend focusing on one subsection at a
1152 time. For each subsection,
1157 check the mundane formatting. Are the headings (@@predefined,
1158 @@seealso, etc.) in the right order?
1161 add any appropriate index entries.
1164 check the links in the @@seealso section -- links to music
1165 glossary, internal references, and other NR sections are the main
1166 concern. Check for potential additions.
1169 move LSR-worthy material into LSR. Add the snippet, delete the
1170 material from the .itely file, and add a @@lilypondfile command.
1173 check the examples and descriptions. Do they still work?
1174 @strong{Do not} assume that the existing text is
1175 accurate/complete; some of the manual is highly out of date.
1178 is the material in the @@knownissues still accurate?
1181 can the examples be improved (made more explanatory), or is there
1182 any missing info? (feel free to ask specific questions on -user;
1183 a couple of people claimed to be interesting in being
1184 @qq{consultants} who would help with such questions)
1188 In general, I favor short text explanations with good examples --
1189 @qq{an example is worth a thousand words}. When I worked on the
1190 docs, I spent about half my time just working on those tiny
1191 lilypond examples. Making easily-understandable examples is much
1192 harder than it looks.
1195 @subsubheading Tweaks
1197 In general, any \set or \override commands should go in the
1198 @qq{select snippets} section, which means that they should go in
1199 LSR and not the .itely file. For some cases, the command
1200 obviously belongs in the @qq{main text} (i.e. not inside
1201 @@predefined or @@seealso or whatever) -- instrument names are a
1202 good example of this.
1205 \set Staff.instrumentName = #"foo"
1208 On the other side of this,
1211 \override Score.Hairpin #'after-line-breaking = ##t
1214 clearly belongs in LSR.
1216 I'm quite willing to discuss specific cases if you think that a
1217 tweaks needs to be in the main text. But items that can go into
1218 LSR are easier to maintain, so I'd like to move as much as
1219 possible into there.
1222 It would be @qq{nice} if you spent a lot of time crafting nice
1223 tweaks for users@dots{} but my recommendation is @strong{not} to do
1224 this. There's a lot of doc work to do without adding examples of
1225 tweaks. Tweak examples can easily be added by normal users by adding
1228 One place where a documentation writer can profitably spend time writing
1229 or upgrading tweaks is creating tweaks to deal with known issues. It
1230 would be ideal if every significant known issue had a workaround to avoid
1234 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1237 @node Scripts to ease doc work
1238 @section Scripts to ease doc work
1240 @subheading Stripping whitespace
1242 @c TODO: should this be documented elsewhere? It's useful for
1243 @c more than just docs.
1244 To remove extra whitespace from the ends of lines, run
1247 scripts/auxiliar/strip-whitespace.py Documentation/FILENAME
1251 @subheading Sectioning commands
1253 @warning{These commands add whitespace.}
1255 The emacs @code{M-x texinfo-all-menus-update} command will
1256 regenerate @@menu blocks. This can also be run with this
1257 command-line script:
1261 emacs $1 -batch -f texinfo-all-menus-update -f save-buffer
1265 (save the above as something like @command{texinfo-menus.sh}, make
1266 it executable, then run @command{texinfo-menus.sh foo.itely})
1269 @subheading Updating doc with @command{convert-ly}
1271 cd into @file{Documentation/} and run
1274 find . -name '*.itely' | xargs convert-ly -e
1278 This also updates translated documentation.
1282 @node Docstrings in scheme
1283 @section Docstrings in scheme
1285 Material in the Internals reference is generated automatically
1286 from our source code. Any doc work on Internals therefore
1287 requires modifying files in @file{scm/*.scm}. Texinfo is allowed
1288 in these docstrings.
1290 Most documentation writers never touch these, though. If you want
1291 to work on them, please ask for help.
1294 @node Translating the documentation
1295 @section Translating the documentation
1297 The mailing list @code{translations@@lilynet.net} is dedicated to
1298 LilyPond web site and documentation translation; on this list, you will
1299 get support from the Translations Meister and experimented translators,
1300 and we regularly discuss translations issues common to all languagues.
1301 All people interested in LilyPond translations are invited to subscribe
1302 to this list regardless of the amount of their contribution, by sending
1303 an email to @code{translations-request@@lilynet.net} with subject
1304 @code{subscribe} and an empty message body. Unless mentioned explicitly
1305 or except if a translations coordinator contacts you privately, you
1306 should send questions, remarks, patches to this list
1307 @code{translations@@lilynet.net}; especially note that the traffic is so
1308 high on English-speaking list @code{lilypond-user@@gnu.org} that it may
1309 take months before your request or contribution is handled if you send a
1310 email to these lists.
1313 * Getting started with documentation translation::
1314 * Documentation translation details::
1315 * Documentation translation maintenance::
1316 * Translations management policies::
1317 * Technical background::
1320 @node Getting started with documentation translation
1321 @subsection Getting started with documentation translation
1323 First, get the sources of branch @code{lilypond/translation} from the
1324 Git repository, see @ref{Starting with Git}.
1327 * Translation requirements::
1328 * Which documentation can be translated::
1329 * Starting translation in a new language::
1332 @node Translation requirements
1333 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translation requirements
1335 Working on LilyPond documentation translations requires the following
1336 pieces of software, in order to make use of dedicated helper tools:
1339 @item Python 2.4 or higher,
1345 It is not required to build LilyPond and the documentation to
1346 translate the documentation. However, if you have enough time and
1347 motivation and a suitable system, it can be very useful to build at
1348 least the documentation so that you can check the output yourself and
1349 more quickly; if you are interested, see @ref{Compiling}.
1352 @node Which documentation can be translated
1353 @unnumberedsubsubsec Which documentation can be translated
1355 The makefiles and scripts infrastructure currently supports translation
1356 of the following documentation:
1359 @item the web site, the Learning Manual, the Notation Reference and
1360 Application Usage -- Texinfo source, PDF and HTML output; Info output
1361 might be added if there is enough demand for it;
1362 @item the Changes document.
1365 Support for translating the following pieces of documentation should be
1366 added soon, by decreasing order of priority:
1369 @item automatically generated documentation: markup commands,
1370 predefined music functions;
1371 @item the Snippets List;
1372 @item the Internals Reference.
1376 @node Starting translation in a new language
1377 @unnumberedsubsubsec Starting translation in a new language
1379 At top of the source directory, do
1386 or (if you want to install your self-compiled LilyPond locally)
1389 ./autogen.sh --prefix=$HOME
1393 If you want to compile LilyPond -- which is almost required to build
1394 the documentation, but is not required to do translation only -- fix
1395 all dependencies and rerun @command{./configure} (with the same
1396 options as for @command{autogen.sh}).
1398 Then @command{cd} into @file{Documentation/} and run
1401 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} new-lang
1405 where @var{MY-LANGUAGE} is the ISO 639 language code.
1407 Finally, add a language definition for your language in
1408 @file{python/langdefs.py}.
1411 @node Documentation translation details
1412 @subsection Documentation translation details
1414 Please follow all the instructions with care to ensure quality work.
1416 All files should be encoded in UTF-8.
1419 * Files to be translated::
1420 * Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation::
1421 * Adding a Texinfo manual::
1424 @node Files to be translated
1425 @unnumberedsubsubsec Files to be translated
1427 @include contributor/doc-translation-list.itexi
1429 In addition, not listed above, Snippets' titles and descriptions
1430 should be translated; they are a part of the Notation Reference and
1431 therefore their priority is 5.
1433 @node Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1434 @unnumberedsubsubsec Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
1436 Every piece of text should be translated in the source file, except
1437 Texinfo comments, text in @code{@@lilypond} blocks and a few cases
1440 Node names are translated, but the original node name in English should
1441 be kept as the argument of @code{@@translationof} put after the section
1442 title; that is, every piece in the original file like
1446 @@@var{section_command} Bar baz
1450 should be translated as
1453 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1454 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1455 @@translationof Foo bar
1458 The argument of @code{@@rglos} commands and the first argument of
1459 @code{@@rglosnamed} commands must not be translated, as it is the node
1460 name of an entry in Music Glossary.
1462 Every time you translate a node name in a cross-reference, i.e. the
1463 argument of commands @code{@@ref, @@rprogram, @@rlearning, @@rlsr,
1464 @@ruser} or the first argument of their @code{@var{*}named} variants,
1465 you should make sure the target node is defined in the correct source
1466 file; if you do not intend to translate the target node right now, you
1467 should at least write the node definition (that is, the @code{@@node
1468 @@@var{section_commmand} @@translationof} trio mentioned above) in the
1469 expected source file and define all its parent nodes; for each node you
1470 have defined this way but have not translated, insert a line that
1471 contains @code{@@untranslated}. That is, you should end up
1472 for each untranslated node with something like
1475 @@node @var{translation of Foo bar}
1476 @@@var{section_command} @var{translation of Bar baz}
1477 @@translationof Foo bar
1482 @warning{you do not have to translate the node name of a cross-reference
1483 to a node that you do not have translated. If you do, you must define
1484 an @qq{empty} node like explained just above; this will produce a
1485 cross-reference with the translated node name in output, although the
1486 target node will still be in English. On the opposite, if all
1487 cross-references that refer to an untranslated node use the node name in
1488 English, then you do not have to define such an @qq{empty} node, and the
1489 cross-reference text will appear in English in the output. The choice
1490 between these two strategies implies its particular maintenance
1491 requirements and is left to the translators, although the opinion of the
1492 Translation meister leans towards not translating these
1495 Please think of the fact that it may not make sense translating
1496 everything in some Texinfo files, and you may take distance from the
1497 original text; for instance, in the translation of the web site section
1498 Community, you may take this into account depending on what you know the
1499 community in your language is willing to support, which is possible only
1500 if you personnally assume this support, or there exists a public forum
1501 or mailing list listed in Community for LilyPond in your language:
1504 @item @rweb{Bug reports}: this page should be translated only if you
1505 know that every bug report sent on your language's mailing list or forum
1506 will be handled by someone who will translate it to English and send it
1507 on bug-lilypond or add an issue in the tracker, then translate back the
1508 reply from developers.
1510 @item @rweb{Help us}: this page should be translated very freely,
1511 and possibly not at all: ask help for contributing to LilyPond for tasks
1512 that LilyPond community in your language is able and going to handle.
1516 In any case, please mark in your work the sections which do not result
1517 from the direct translation of a piece of English translation, using
1518 comments i.e. lines starting with @q{@code{@@c}}.
1520 Finally, press in Emacs @key{C-c C-u C-a} to update or generate
1521 menus. This process should be made easier in the future, when the helper
1522 script @command{texi-langutils.py} and the makefile target are updated.
1524 Some pieces of text manipulated by build scripts that appear in the
1525 output are translated in a @file{.po} file -- just like LilyPond output
1526 messages -- in @file{Documentation/po}. The Gettext domain is named
1527 @code{lilypond-doc}, and unlike @code{lilypond} domain it is not managed
1528 through the Free Translation Project.
1531 Take care of using typographic rules for your language, especially in
1532 @file{macros.itexi}.
1534 If you wonder whether a word, phrase or larger piece of text should be
1535 translated, whether it is an argument of a Texinfo command or a small
1536 piece sandwiched between two Texinfo commands, try to track whether and
1537 where it appears in PDF and/or HTML output as visible text. This piece
1538 of advice is especially useful for translating @file{macros.itexi}.
1540 Please keep verbatim copies of music snippets (in @code{@@lilypond}
1541 blocs). However, some music snippets containing text that shows in
1542 the rendered music, and sometimes translating this text really helps
1543 the user to understand the documentation; in this case, and only in
1544 this case, you may as an exception translate text in the music
1545 snippet, and then you must add a line immediately before the
1546 @code{@@lilypond} block, starting with
1553 Otherwise the music snippet would be reset to the same content as the
1554 English version at next @command{make snippet-update} run -- see
1555 @ref{Updating documentation translation}.
1560 @@lilypondfile[<number of fragment options>,texidoc]@{@var{filename.ly}@}
1564 in the source, open @file{Documentation/snippets/@var{filename}.ly},
1565 translate the @code{texidoc} header field it contains, enclose it with
1566 @code{texidoc@var{MY-LANGUAGE} = "} and @code{"}, and write it into
1567 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@var{filename}.texidoc}.
1568 Additionnally, you may translate the snippet's title in @code{doctitle}
1569 header field, in case @code{doctitle} is a fragment option used in
1570 @code{@@lilypondfile}; you can do this exactly the same way as
1571 @code{texidoc}. For instance,
1572 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs/@var{filename}.texidoc}
1576 doctitlees = "Spanish title baz"
1578 Spanish translation blah
1583 Then, you should get these translated strings into compiled snippets in
1584 @file{Documentation/snippets}, see @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding
1585 and editing snippets}.
1587 @code{@@example} blocks need not be verbatim copies, e.g. variable
1588 names, file names and comments should be translated.
1590 Finally, please carefully apply every rule exposed in @ref{Texinfo
1591 introduction and usage policy}, and @ref{Documentation policy}. If one
1592 of these rules conflicts with a rule specific to your language, please
1593 ask the Translation meister on @email{translations@@lilynet.net} list
1594 and/or the Documentation Editors on @email{lilypond-devel@@gnu.org}
1598 @node Adding a Texinfo manual
1599 @unnumberedsubsubsec Adding a Texinfo manual
1601 In order to start translating a new manual whose basename is @var{FOO},
1605 cd Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}
1606 cp ../@var{FOO}.tely .
1608 cp web/GNUmakefile @var{FOO}
1612 then append @var{FOO} to variable @code{SUBDIRS} in
1613 Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/GNUmakefile, then translate file
1614 @var{MY-LANGUAGE}/@var{FOO}.tely and run @code{skeleton-update}:
1618 make ISOLANG=@var{MY-LANGUAGE} TEXI_LANGUTIL_FLAGS=--head-only skeleton-update
1622 Your are now ready to translate the new manual exactly like the web site
1623 or the Learning Manual.
1626 @node Documentation translation maintenance
1627 @subsection Documentation translation maintenance
1629 Several tools have been developed to make translations maintenance
1630 easier. These helper scripts make use of the power of Git, the
1631 version control system used for LilyPond development.
1633 You should use them whenever you would like to update the translation in
1634 your language, which you may do at the frequency that fits your and your
1635 cotranslators' respective available times. In the case your translation
1636 is up-do-date (which you can discover in the first subsection below), it
1637 is enough to check its state every one or two weeks. If you feel
1638 overwhelmed by the quantity of documentation to be updated, see
1639 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1642 * Check state of translation::
1643 * Updating documentation translation::
1644 * Updating translation committishes::
1647 @macro seeCommittishesUpdate{}
1648 @warning{do not forget to update the committish in each file you have
1649 completely updated, see @ref{Updating translation committishes}.}
1652 @node Check state of translation
1653 @unnumberedsubsubsec Check state of translation
1655 First pull from Git -- see @ref{Pulling and rebasing}, but DO NOT rebase
1656 unless you are sure to master the translation state checking and
1657 updating system -- then cd into @file{Documentation/} (or at top of the
1658 source tree, replace @command{make} with @command{make -C
1659 Documentation}) and run
1662 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation
1666 This presents a diff of the original files since the most recent
1667 revision of the translation. To check a single file, cd into
1668 @file{Documentation/} and run
1671 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@var{manual}/@var{foo}.itely check-translation
1675 In case this file has been renamed since you last updated the
1676 translation, you should specify both old and new file names, e.g.
1677 @code{CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE}/@{@var{manual},user@}/@var{foo}.itely}.
1679 To see only which files need to be updated, do
1682 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} check-translation | grep 'diff --git'
1685 To avoid printing terminal colors control characters, which is often
1686 desirable when you redirect output to a file, run
1689 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} NO_COLOR=1 check-translation
1692 You can see the diffs generated by the commands above as changes that
1693 you should make in your language to the existing translation, in order
1694 to make your translation up to date.
1696 @seeCommittishesUpdate
1698 Global state of the translation is recorded in
1699 @file{Documentation/translations.itexi}, which is used to generate
1700 Translations status page. To update that page, do from
1701 @file{Documentation/}
1704 make translation-status
1707 This will also leave @file{out/translations-status.txt}, which contains
1708 up-to-dateness percentages for each translated file, and update word
1709 counts of documentation files in this Guide.
1712 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations}.
1714 @node Updating documentation translation
1715 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating documentation translation
1717 Instead of running @code{check-translation}, you may want to run
1718 @code{update-translation}, which will run your favorite text editor to
1719 update files. First, make sure environment variable @code{EDITOR} is
1720 set to a text editor command, then run from @file{Documentation/}
1723 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} update-translation
1727 or to update a single file
1730 make CHECKED_FILES=@var{MY_LANGUAGE/@var{manual}/foo.itely} update-translation
1733 For each file to be udpated, @code{update-translation} will open your
1734 text editor with this file and a diff of the file in English; if the
1735 diff cannot be generated or is bigger than the file in English itself,
1736 the full file in English will be opened instead.
1738 @seeCommittishesUpdate
1740 Texinfo skeleton files, i.e. @file{.itely} files not yet translated,
1741 containing only the first node of the original file in English can be
1742 updated automatically: whenever @command{make check-translation} shows
1743 that such files should be updated, run from @file{Documentation/}
1746 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} skeleton-update
1749 @file{.po} message catalogs in @file{Documentation/po/} may be updated
1750 by issuing from @file{Documentation/} or @file{Documentation/po/}
1756 @warning{if you run po-update and somebody else does the same and
1757 pushes before you push or send a patch to be applied, there will be a
1758 conflict when you pull. Therefore, it is better that only the
1759 Translation meister runs this command.}
1761 Updating music snippets can quickly become cumbersome, as most
1762 snippets should be identical in all languages. Fortunately, there is
1763 a script that can do this odd job for you (run from
1764 @file{Documentation/}):
1767 make ISOLANG=@var{MY_LANGUAGE} snippet-update
1770 This script overwrites music snippets in
1771 @file{@var{MY_LANGUAGE/foo/every.itely}} with music snippets from
1772 @file{@var{foo/every.itely}}. It ignores skeleton files, and keeps
1773 intact music snippets preceded with a line starting with @code{@@c
1774 KEEP LY}; it reports an error for each @file{.itely} that has not the
1775 same music snippet count in both languages. Always use this script
1776 with a lot of care, i.e. run it on a clean Git working tree, and check
1777 the changes it made with @command{git diff} before committing; if you
1778 don't do so, some @code{@@lilypond} snippets might be broken or make
1779 no sense in their context.
1781 When you have updated texidocs in
1782 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}, you can get these
1783 changes into compiled snippets in @file{Documentation/snippets}, see
1784 @q{General guidelines} in @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1786 Finally, a command runs the three update processes above for all
1787 enabled languages (from @file{Documentation/}):
1790 make all-translations-update
1793 Use this command with caution, and keep in mind it will not be really
1794 useful until translations are stabilized after the end of GDP and GOP.
1797 @ref{Maintaining without updating translations},
1798 @ref{Adding and editing snippets}.
1801 @node Updating translation committishes
1802 @unnumberedsubsubsec Updating translation committishes
1804 At the beginning of each translated file except PO files, there is a
1805 committish which represents the revision of the sources which you have
1806 used to translate this file from the file in English.
1808 When you have pulled and updated a translation, it is very important to
1809 update this committish in the files you have completely updated (and
1810 only these); to do this, first commit possible changes to any
1811 documentation in English which you are sure to have done in your
1812 translation as well, then replace in the up-to-date translated files the
1813 old committish by the committish of latest commit, which can be obtained
1817 git rev-list HEAD |head -1
1820 A special case is updating Snippet documentation strings in
1821 @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}. For these to be
1822 correctly marked as up-to-date, first run @code{makelsr.py} as
1823 explained in @ref{Adding and editing snippets}, and commit the
1824 resulting compiled snippets left in @file{Documentation/snippets/}.
1825 Say the SHA1 ID code of this commit is <C>. Now edit again your
1826 translated files in @file{Documentation/@var{MY-LANGUAGE}/texidocs}
1827 adjusting the 40-digit committish that appears in the text to be <C>;
1828 finally, commit these updated files. Not doing so would result in
1829 changes made both to your updates and original snippets to
1830 persistently appear in the check-translation output as if they were
1833 This two-phase mechanism avoids the (practically) unsolvable problem
1834 of guessing what committish will have our update, and pretending to
1835 put this very committish on the files in the same commit.
1837 @c http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-devel/2009-01/msg00245.html
1838 @c contains a helper script which could be used to perform massive
1839 @c committish updates.
1845 @node Translations management policies
1846 @subsection Translations management policies
1848 These policies show the general intent of how the translations should
1849 be managed, they aim at helping translators, developers and
1850 coordinators work efficiently.
1853 * Maintaining without updating translations::
1854 * Managing documentation translation with Git::
1857 @node Maintaining without updating translations
1858 @unnumberedsubsubsec Maintaining without updating translations
1860 Keeping translations up to date under heavy changes in the documentation
1861 in English may be almost impossible, especially as during the former
1862 Grand Documentation Project (GDP) or the Grand Organization Project
1863 (GOP) when a lot of contributors brings changes. In addition,
1864 translators may be --- and that is a very good thing --- involved in
1867 it is possible --- and even recommended --- to perform some maintenance
1868 that keeps translated documentation usable and eases future translation
1869 updating. The rationale below the tasks list motivates this plan.
1871 The following tasks are listed in decreasing priority order.
1874 @item Update macros.itexi.
1875 For each obsolete macro definition, if it is possible to update macro
1876 usage in documentation with an automatic text or regexp substitution,
1877 do it and delete the macro definition from macros.itexi; otherwise,
1878 mark this macro definition as obsolete with a comment, and keep it in
1879 macros.itexi until the documentation translation has been updated and
1880 no longer uses this macro.
1882 @item Update @file{*.tely} files completely with
1883 @command{make check-translation} -- you may want to redirect ouptput
1884 to a file because of overwhelming output, or call check-translation.py
1885 on individual files, see @ref{Check state of translation}.
1887 @item In @file{.itelys}, match sections and .itely file names with those from
1888 English docs, which possibly involves moving nodes contents in block
1889 between files, without updating contents itself. In other words, the
1890 game is catching where has gone each section. In Learning manual, and
1891 in Notation Reference sections which have been revised in GDP, there may
1892 be completely new sections: in this case, copy @code{@@node} and
1893 @code{@@section}-command from English docs, and add the marker for
1894 untranslated status @code{@@untranslated} on a single line. Note that
1895 it is not possible to exactly match subsections or subsubsections of
1896 documentation in English, when contents has been deeply revised; in this
1897 case, keep obsolete (sub)subsections in the translation, marking them
1898 with a line @code{@@c obsolete} just before the node.
1900 Emacs with Texinfo mode makes this step easier:
1903 @item without Emacs AucTeX installed, @key{C-c C-s} shows structure of current
1904 Texinfo file in a new buffer @code{*Occur*}; to show structure of two files
1905 simultaneously, first split Emacs window in 4 tiles (with @key{C-x 1}
1906 and @key{C-x 2}), press @key{C-c C-s} to show structure of one file
1907 (e.g. the translated file), copy @code{*Occur*} contents into
1908 @code{*Scratch*}, then press @key{C-c C-s} for the other file.
1910 If you happen to have installed AucTeX, you can either call the macro
1911 by doing @key{M-x texinfo-show-structure} or create a key binding in your
1912 @file{~/.emacs}, by adding the four following lines:
1915 (add-hook 'Texinfo-mode-hook
1917 (define-key Texinfo-mode-map "\C-cs"
1918 'texinfo-show-structure)))
1922 and then obtain the structure in the @code{*Occur*} buffer with @key{C-c
1925 @item Do not bother updating @code{@@menu}s when all menu entries are in the same
1926 file, just do @key{C-c C-u C-a} (@qq{update all menus}) when you have
1927 updated all the rest of the file.
1929 @item Moving to next or previous node using incremental search: press
1930 @key{C-s} and type @code{node} (or @key{C-s @@node} if the text
1931 contains the word @q{node}) then press @key{C-s} to move to next node
1932 or @key{C-r} to move to previous node. Similar operation can be used
1933 to move to the next/previous section. Note that every cursor move
1934 exits incremental search, and hitting @key{C-s} twice starts
1935 incremental search with the text entered in previous incremental
1938 @item Moving a whole node (or even a sequence of nodes): jump to beginning
1939 of the node (quit incremental search by pressing an arrow), press
1940 @key{C-SPACE}, press @key{C-s node} and repeat @key{C-s} until you
1941 have selected enough text, cut it with @key{C-w} or @key{C-x}, jump to
1942 the right place (moving between nodes with the previous hint is often
1943 useful) and paste with @key{C-y} or @key{C-v}.
1946 @item Update sections finished in the English documentation; check
1948 @uref{http://lilypondwiki.tuxfamily.org/index.php?title=Documentation_coordination}.
1950 @item Update documentation PO. It is recommended not to update
1951 strings which come from documentation that is currently deeply revised
1952 in English, to avoid doing the work more than once.
1954 @item Fix broken cross-references by running (from @file{Documentation/})
1957 make ISOLANG=@var{YOUR-LANGUAGE} fix-xrefs
1961 This step requires a sucessful documentation build (with @command{make
1962 doc}). Some cross-references are broken because they point to a node
1963 that exists in the documentation in English, which has not been added
1964 to the translation; in this case, do not fix the cross-reference but
1965 keep it "broken", so that the resulting HTML link will point to an
1966 existing page of documentation in English.
1969 @subsubheading Rationale
1971 You may wonder if it would not be better to leave translations as-is
1972 until you can really start updating translations. There are several
1973 reasons to do these maintenance tasks right now.
1976 @item This will have to be done sooner or later anyway, before updating
1977 translation of documentation contents, and this can already be done
1978 without needing to be redone later, as sections of documentation in
1979 English are mostly revised once. However, note that not all
1980 documentation sectioning has been revised in one go, so all this
1981 maintenance plan has to be repeated whenever a big reorganization is
1984 @item This just makes translated documentation take advantage of the new
1985 organization, which is better than the old one.
1987 @item Moving and renaming sections to match sectioning of documentation in
1988 English simplify future updating work: it allows updating the
1989 translation by side-by-side comparison, without bothering whether
1990 cross-reference names already exist in the translation.
1992 @item Each maintenance task except @q{Updating PO files} can be done by
1993 the same person for all languages, which saves overall time spent by
1994 translators to achieve this task: the node names and section titles
1995 are in English, so you can do. It is important to take advantage of
1996 this now, as it will be more complicated (but still possible) to do
1997 step 3 in all languages when documentation is compiled with
1998 @command{texi2html} and node names are directly translated in source
2003 @node Managing documentation translation with Git
2004 @unnumberedsubsubsec Managing documentation translation with Git
2006 This policy explains how to manage Git branches and commit
2007 translations to Git.
2010 @item Translation changes matching master branch are preferably made on
2011 @code{lilypond/translation} branch; they may be pushed directly to
2012 @code{master} only if they do not break compilation of LilyPond and
2013 its documentation, and in this case they should be pushed to
2014 @code{lilypond/translation} too. Similarly, changes matching
2015 @code{stable/X.Y} are preferably made on
2016 @code{lilypond/X.Ytranslation}.
2018 @item @code{lilypond/translation} Git branch may be merged into
2019 master only if LilyPond (@command{make all}) and documentation
2020 (@command{make doc}) compile succesfully.
2022 @item @code{master} Git branch may be merged into
2023 @code{lilypond/translation} whenever @command{make} and @command{make
2024 doc} are succesful (in order to ease documentation compilation by
2025 translators), or when significant changes had been made in
2026 documentation in English in master branch.
2028 @item General maintenance may be done by anybody who knows what he does
2029 in documentation in all languages, without informing translators
2030 first. General maintenance include simple text substitutions
2031 (e.g. automated by sed), compilation fixes, updating Texinfo or
2032 lilypond-book commands, updating macros, updating ly code, fixing
2033 cross-references, and operations described in @ref{Maintaining
2034 without updating translations}.
2038 @node Technical background
2039 @subsection Technical background
2041 A number of Python scripts handle a part of the documentation
2042 translation process. All scripts used to maintain the translations
2043 are located in @file{scripts/auxiliar/}.
2046 @item @file{check_translation.py} -- show diff to update a translation,
2047 @item @file{texi-langutils.py} -- quickly and dirtily parse Texinfo files to
2048 make message catalogs and Texinfo skeleton files,
2049 @item @file{texi-skeleton-update.py} -- update Texinfo skeleton files,
2050 @item @file{update-snippets.py} -- synchronize ly snippets with those
2052 @item @file{translations-status.py} -- update translations status pages and word
2053 counts in the file you are reading,
2054 @item @file{tely-gettext.py} -- gettext node names, section titles and references
2055 in the sources; WARNING only use this script once for each file, when support for
2056 "makeinfo --html" has been dropped.
2059 Other scripts are used in the build process, in @file{scripts/build/}:
2062 @item @file{mass-link.py} -- link or symlink files between English documentation
2063 and documentation in other languages.
2066 Python modules used by scripts in @file{scripts/auxiliar/} or @file{scripts/build/} (but
2067 not by installed Python scripts) are located in @file{python/auxiliar/}:
2069 @item @file{manuals_definitions.py} -- define manual names and name of
2070 cross-reference Texinfo macros,
2071 @item @file{buildlib.py} -- common functions (read piped output
2072 of a shell command, use Git),
2073 @item @file{postprocess_html.py} (module imported by @file{www_post.py}) -- add footer and
2074 tweak links in HTML pages.
2079 @item @file{python/langdefs.py} -- language definitions module