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openLilyLib/snippets

What's this?

What is openLilyLib/snippets? There are two answers to this: it's a repository of LilyPond snippets, and it's part of the https://github.com/openlilylib family of extension packages.

openLilyLib/snippets is maintained by Urs Liska (ul <at> openlilylib <dot> org) and a number of contributors. If not specified otherwise any content in this repository is licensed under the GPL version 3 or later. For any information about usage feel free to post to the lilypond-user mailing list.

https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/lilypond-user

The Snippets Repository

Originally this repository began as an extended version of the Lilypond Snippet Repository, a place to store LilyPond tools - snippets, templates, extensions. The main differences to the LSR are:

• Some things cannot be placed in LSR (multi-file extensions, special scripts).
• LSR doesn't have tools for collaboration and version control.
• There is not one LilyPond engine behind the system, so snippets do not necessarily all have to work with the same (sometimes outdated) version.

But maybe the most important difference is that the snippets in this repository are includable. The snippets in the LSR have to be copied over into a user's personal library or documents, while the snippets in openLilyLib/snippets are used by having the library available and referencing the code directly in LilyPond input files.

The openLilyLib Package

But the snippets repository is also a member of the family of openLilyLib packages. In this family it is sort of an exception as different from the other packages the snippets may also be used directly, without making use of the central oll-core package.

[EDIT: Currently openLilyLib is undergoing a fundamental reorganization.
The below README contents is about the current implementation as a collection of arbitrary snippets.
The new structure as a collection of targeted libraries can be found inside the ly directory.]

Contents and Structure

In general all directories and subdirectories contain snippets or modules. We don't keep a table of contents here (as we are waiting for a documentation system that will do that properly), so in order to find your way around please browse the structure

However, the following directories do not contain modules:

• fonts
  is a deprecated Python script to install additional notation fonts (probably defunct)
• fried-library-to-be-sorted
  as the name suggests this is a heap of unsorted stuff, enter at your own risk
• ly
  contains a number of “old-new-style” packages (see below)
• meta
• test

Using this repository

You can view the files in your browser by clicking on their names, and simply copy & paste the code into your editor. Each snippet should contain both an includable .ily file (usually module.ily) and a compilable .ly file (usually example.ly). But the preferred way of using snippets is to “install” it as explained on this Wiki page. The direct link to the ZIP file is here.

For those who don't read manuals (or who are already using openLilyLib):
The referenced installation instruction differs from earlier recommendations how to set up openLilyLib/snippets: the repository may still be saved anywhere on your disk, but we recommend creating a “root” directory for openLilyLib, e.g. ~/openlilylib or C:\openlilylib and placing the repository within that (~/openlilylib/snippets, C.\openlilylib\snippets). It is now this root directory (and not the snippets subdirectory) that should be added to LilyPond's include path. This is to make the snippets repostory consistent with the other openLilyLib packages. Of course this means that the include links for existing documents have to be updated accordingly.

Direct (Standalone) Use

The snippets repository is an exception in the family of openLilyLib packages, as it can be used standalone or as a package. We are heading towards the package approach in general, but for now the standalone use may be the most convenient and quick application for some users.

Basically each snippet contained in this repository is represented by one subdirectory, using a nested structure. For example, everything in the editorial-tools/line-break-marks directory constitutes the snippets.editorial-tools.line-break-marks snippet.

Most snippets are maintained in an includable .ily file with function definitions, which should generally be named module.ily (e.g. editorial-tools/line-break-marks/module.ily). Assuming the recommended set-up of having the openLilyLib root directory in LilyPond's include path this can then be used with:

\include "snippets/editorial-tools/line-break-marks/module.ily"

{
  % use commands defined in the snippet
  R1 \lineBreakMark R1
}

Most snippets also have at least one compilable example file demonstrating its use. This is usually named example.ly. Note that (generally) the example files use the snippet with the package syntax described below but they mostly contain a commented include statement for standalone use.

Usage as openLilyLib Package

While it's perfectly possible to directly include snippets as described above we encourage all users to load them as modules as described on the general Wiki page, using the \loadModule and \loadModules commands.

Note that snippets does not provide any package or module options (yet), and as it doesn't contain top-level modules there is no practical use for the \loadPackage \with { modules = ... } syntax.