musescore / musescore/MuseScore

Filling in scores for even page depth

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feature request
Dominant language
C++
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Description

My idea

I propose to implement automatic filling of systems with blank staves (tacet parts) in the score (if there is a check mark opposite "Hide empty staves within systems") in such a way as to balance the number of staves on a facing page (i.e. so that the page depth does not shorten suddenly).
It is also useful to retain blank staves so that the position of a performer remains on the same horizontal level across facing (or between neighbouring) pages. (This is helpful for the conductor.)

Problem to be solved

At the moment, MuseScore Studio will not analyze which blank staves should be left in the system for balancing. It will simply remove from the system all the staves who are tacet. Because of this, there are often sudden differences between the depths of adjacent pages (and systems as well).
The saddest thing is that there are no workarounds (if I'm wrong, correct me). Either all the staves are displayed, or only those on which something is indicated within the system.

Additional context

It would be more logical to fill the system with those staves of the performer who uses tacet only for a small number of systems, or who is about to re-enter, or who has just finished.

At the same time, you should not overdo filling the system, because a page with too much blank space in the middle looks unbalanced, and the staves appearing and disappearing in random order can distract the conductor too much.

Checklist

  • ✅ This request follows the guidelines for reporting issues
  • ✅ I have verified that this feature request has not been logged before, by searching the issue tracker for similar requests

Contributor guide

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First steps

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  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

The issue names no implementation files, tests, or entry points. Start by locating the existing handling for “Hide empty staves within systems” and score-system layout, then determine how tacet staves are selected for balancing. Done means facing and neighboring pages avoid abrupt depth changes without excessive blank space or distracting staff changes.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp
Domain
design, desktop
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
35/100

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