Dolet for Finale Version 1.5 Release Notes

For Windows

August 23, 2004

Installation - Using Dolet - What's New - Translation Limits - Reporting Problems - Thank You!

Installation

The Dolet for Finale installation kit uses the Windows Installer. If you do not have Windows Installer on your computer, the DoletFinale.exe installation program will install it first. This may require a reboot of your computer to complete the installation.

Windows 2000 is supported only with Service Pack 1 or later installed.

During the installation, you will be asked for two directories. The first is where the Dolet files go, including the MusicXML language definitions. By default, this will in the MusicXML directory on the drive with the most space available (for example, C:\MusicXML). The second directory is where the Finale plug-in will be installed.

If you have multiple versions of Finale installed on your machine, the plug-in will be installed with your default version of Finale. To use the plug-in with other versions of Finale, copy the MusicXML plug-in file from the current plug-ins directory to the plug-ins directories for your other versions of Finale. You do not need to copy any of the other MusicXML files.

Using Dolet

Dolet^® software serves as a translator between music programs. These translations are done using the MusicXML file format. Dolet can read and write MusicXML files, allowing you to exchange music between Finale and any other program that can read or write MusicXML.

To bring MusicXML files into Finale, first create a new Finale document. Then go to the Plug-ins menu and select the "MusicXML Import..." item. You will only be able to import MusicXML into an empty Finale document. If your current document is not empty, this item will be grayed out.

To bring files from other programs such as SharpEye Music Reader and Sibelius into Finale, first save the files in these programs in MusicXML format. Then use the MusicXML Import feature in Finale to read the file into Finale.

To save a Finale document as a MusicXML file, go to the Plug-ins menu and select the "MusicXML Export..." item. If your current Finale document is empty, this item will be grayed out.

If you want to read a Finale file in an earlier version of Finale, first save a MusicXML file in the newer version of Finale using MusicXML Export. Then read this MusicXML file in the older version of Finale using MusicXML Import.

In addition to reading and writing MusicXML files, Dolet for Finale can read and write files in the MuseData Stage 2 format developed at the Center for Computer-Assisted Research in the Humanities. See www.musedata.org for more information about MuseData and for musical files available in the MuseData format.

Dolet for Finale Version 1.5 supports Finale 2000 through 2005 on Windows using MusicXML version 1.0. The Dolet Light plug-in that shipped with Finale 2003 and 2004 supported earlier versions MusicXML. If you want to share MusicXML files with someone using Dolet Light for Finale 2003 or 2004, save the file as type "MusicXML 0.6c." This option is available by using the "Browse" button to specify the MusicXML Export file name. Dolet for Finale 1.5 should not have problems reading the older files produced by Dolet Light.

What's New

Version 1.5 adds support for Finale 2005. The import and export dialog boxes are now wider, so that file names can be read more easily on Windows XP systems. Version 1.5 also fixes the following problems:

MuseData files with C0 print suggestions or incorrect articulation print suggestions no longer produce invalid MusicXML files.
Incorrect MIDI note values within Finale (usually hidden by a staff style) no longer stop the exporter.
Percussion clef export now fully matches the MusicXML 1.0 definition.

Fixes in previous releases are listed in the Dolet for Finale Version History at http://www.recordare.com/finale/versions.html.

Translation Limits

Any type of translation has limits. Things expressed in one language sometimes cannot be expressed the same way in another language. Sometimes the translator does not yet understand all the idioms and vocabulary in both languages. Dolet and MusicXML provide much greater music notation accuracy than MIDI translations, but both types of limits apply to this software.

Dolet for Finale supports most of the musical features that are shared between Finale and MusicXML. However, this Version 1.5 release does not support the following Finale features:

Guitar bend and bend hat smart shapes.
Figured bass.
Tremolos.
Most MIDI tool performance details.
Stem and beam extensions.
Finale shape expressions. However, Finale smart shapes are supported.
Page-attached text blocks.
Articulations and expressions in music fonts other than those provided with Finale or GoldenAgeMusic.
Positioning of note-attached expressions.
Tablature notation in the old pre-Finale 2003 format.

Reporting Problems

Given Finale's great flexibility, you may find problems in how we handle scores set up in your particular format. Please contact as at if you encounter problems with our software.

If you do find a problem, please give us a description of what Dolet is doing, compared to what you expect it to do. Attaching a .mus or .etf file that shows the problem will help us to find and fix the problem more quickly. Please let us know which versions of Finale and Windows you are using. Should you see a message box reporting an error, please be sure to include the error number and as much of the message as possible. These steps will help us to find and fix the problem more quickly.

Thank You!

Thank you very much for your interest in Recordare and MusicXML. We greatly appreciate your support of an open, Internet-friendly format for representing musical scores.

Dolet for Finale License - Purchase Dolet for Finale
Home - Music - Software - MusicXML - Events - eConcertBand - Search - Store - About Us

Last updated August 23, 2004.