Source arrangements and output views

Choose the axis you actually want to change

Source organization, musical reuse, and printed layout are separate choices. A measures-first file can print a full score or one player's pages. A parts-first file can do both as well. Neither arrangement means “Score Page” or “Parts Page.”

Choice	Forms	How to change it	Important boundary
Music organization	Parts-first; measures-first	`arrange=parts` or `arrange=measures`	Reorganizes code, not selected output
Source grouping	System or rehearsal groups	`arrange=systems` or `arrange=rehearsals`	Uses existing musical/layout boundaries; may decline unsupported structure
Repeated music	Written-out parts; shared reader heads and named returns	`consolidate`; supported `expand` operations	Actual reuse is not whitespace compression
Musical settings	Header maps; in-place settings	`maps=top` or `maps=inline`	Meter/key/tempo/transpose, not system/page cuts
Headings	Label maps; inline headings	`labels=top` or `labels=inline`	Keep heading identity and address
Exercise organization	Exercise index; exercise containers	`exercises=top` or `exercises=inline`	Different from naming a reusable music span
Book organization	Section index; section containers	`sections=top` or `sections=inline`	Book sections are not instrument sections
Engraved breaks	Inline cuts; addressed maps/layout block	Author in the correct scope; formatter chooses compact projection	No general `maps=inline` break switch
Duration spelling	Numeric; letter values	`durations=numbers` or `durations=letters`	`4G` and `qG` mean the same duration
Key presentation	Open key; signature; inferred choice	`key=open`, `key=signature`, or `key=auto`	Review the selected signature; this is not transposition
Chromatic pitch spelling	Authored spelling; directional chromatic spelling	`chromatic`	Changes enharmonic notation; inspect the musical context
Octave spelling	Relative contour; explicit digits	Current formatter uses its built-in relative ladder	`octaves=minimal	explicit` is reserved, not an available switch
Code spacing	Aligned/readable; compact	Alignment/compact selectors and presets	A source newline is not a printed system break
Output selection	Combined score; extracted part	Select output part/configuration	Does not require changing source orientation
Pitch view	Concert; written/transposed	Select the output pitch view	Not the same operation as rewriting musical pitches
Paper and engraving	Named score/part page configurations	Optional `.layouts.json` and host layout controls	Settings refine the selected view; source cuts still apply

Text cleanup and linting are separate operations, not alternate music arrangements. strip-comments and strip-dev-text deliberately remove text; jargon-lint is advisory. Do not treat cleanup as lossless preservation of everything an author wrote. The standalone named-spans menu entry is still reserved even though consolidate already creates named spans inside shared heads.

These are supported choices, not a promise that every combination is transformable. Check the native option reference for this build's availability, and read normalization for prerequisites, refusal conditions, and comment handling.

Scope is a separate decision

Fact belongs to	Place it in	Do not confuse it with
Whole score	Score-level setting or layout map	A full-score-only page configuration; global source cuts also affect parts
One player	That part's body, or its row inside a measure block	Every player in an instrument section
Shared passage	Shared reader head and addressed body	A detached variable that occupies no measures
One voice	That voice's music	A setting inherited by unrelated voices
One musical time	Its addressed measure or inline point	The physical text line containing it
One printed view	The selected score/part layout configuration	Changing the underlying music

For paired parts-first and measures-first break examples, see page and system layout. For instrument sections, per-reader registers, and named exercise returns, see shared passages.

Preview normalization before applying it

In Studio builds with the Normalize menu, choose the native options, preview the source changes, then apply them when the result is what you want. Optional normalization on save repeats the selected rewrite; it is not merely a display filter. Use the host's layout/view controls when you only want a different printed score or part page.

From the CLI, inspect the result without overwriting your file:

scorescript format piece.scorescript --normalize arrange=measures,maps=inline
scorescript format piece.scorescript --normalize arrange=parts,consolidate

Add --write only when you want to replace the source. Review diagnostics and the diff, then check and render the result. Host controls depend on the installed host version; the website's native menu is not proof that an older application already exposes every option.