Contents
- Index
- Previous
- Next
F Record - Absolute Reference
The Absolute Reference Record is like the F Record - Relative Reference, except that it refers to another record using its actual name, not its relative position. This is mainly useful with lengthy Message records or lengthy Bitmap records (because of alternate text) that are repeated on many notes. You can save a lot of space in a fingering file by setting up the record once and using it over and over by just referencing it.
An example should make this clear. In Supplied file - TURNTRIL.TXT, I wanted to display a bitmap (using an F Record - Bitmap) on every note in the "standard" display position. The bitmap contains text giving instructions on how to use the display. It also has lengthy "alternate text," a feature of bitmap F records, giving the same instructions in plain text, in case the bitmap is not available. This made for quite a long record:
F00dbinst1.bmp,There are 4 pages of turned trills per note (FWRD, BACK buttons); the info button on the first fingering gives a summary of the turned trill as a whole
Instead of repeating this record on each note, I instead just specified it on the first note (Octave 1, F), and then referred back to it on all the other notes with an Absolute Reference:
F00d=fn1,00
This says use Octave 1 F's record number 00.
Character 5 is an equal sign ("="), indicating that this is an Absolute Reference fingering record.
Format:
Fnnd=nao,yy[;bmp=fname]
where
nn = version number (00-99).
d = Display Indicator (d, h, r, s, t, w)
d = display
h = hide
r = report-only
s = screen-only
t = text (.txt) report only
w = wordprocessor (.rtf) report only
n = the note(a,b,c,d,e,f,g)
a = accidental (n = natural, f=flat)
o = octave (1,2,3)
yy = the version (alternate) of the absolute note to use (00-99). This can be any type of Fingering record, except it cannot be another Absolute Reference record or a Relative Reference record.
fname = optional external bitmap to load (see Using Bitmaps on F Records.)
The total length of the record should not exceed 200 characters. Otherwise it will truncate without a warning or error condition (see Remarks & Hints).
If the record being referenced has a ";bmp=" spec (used to draw a border - see Using Bitmaps on F Records) , the bitmap will not be used when the Absolute Reference record is displayed. Similarly, if the record being referenced has an Info button associated with it (see I (Information) Record), the Absolute Reference record will not have the Info button when it is displayed. In other words, when you use an Absolute Reference, you only pick up the data contained in the record you are referencing (e.g. the recorder fingering, the message, etc.), not added data like bitmaps and Info. If you want the Absolute Reference record to have a bitmap border or an Info button, you should specify it. For example:
F50d=bf1,05;bmp=border.bmp
IThis is info for this absolute reference record.
If the record being referenced contains Text Variables, the variables will resolve using the note names of the Absolute Reference Record, not the record being referenced. For example:
1) *Note: F, Octave 1
2) Nfn1
3) F00dmThis is note %%+00
...
4) *Note: F#, Octave 1
5) Ngf1
6) F00d=fn1,00
In the above example, line 3 is a message record that would display "This is note F" when note F was picked with the Note Buttons. Line 6 is an Absolute Reference record in F#, referring back to the message record in F. When note F# is picked with the Note Buttons, the message that is displayed will be "This is note F#/Gb".