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Subsections


Frequency Asked Questions

This chapter will serve as a container for questions asked by some enthusiastic MMA users. It may make some sense in the future to distribute this information as a separate file.

AABA Song Forms

How can one define parts as part "A", part "B" ...and arrange them at the end of the file? An option to repeat a ``solo'' section a number of times would be nice as well.

Using MMA variables and some simple looping, one might try something like:

Groove Swing
// Set the music into a
// series of macros
mset A
  Print Section A
  C
  G
endmset
mset B
  print Section B
  Dm
  Em
endmset
mset Solo
  Print Solo Section $Count
  Am / B7 Cdim
endmset
// Use the macros for an
// "A, A, B, Solo * 8, A"
// form
$A
$A
$B
set Count 1
label a
  $solo
  inc COUNT
  if le $count 8
    goto A
  endif
$A

Note that the ``Print'' lines are used for debugging purposes. We have mixed the case of the variable names just to illustrate the fact that ``Solo'' is the same as ``SOLO'' which is the same as ``solo''.

Now, if you don't like things that look like old BASIC program code, you could just as easily duplicate the above with:

Groove Swing
repeat
  repeat
    Print Section A
    C
    G
    If Def count
      eof
    Endif
    Endrepeat
    Print Section B
    Dm
    Em
    Set Count 1
    Repeat
      Print Solo $Count
      Am
      Inc Count
    Repeatending 7
  Repeatend
Repeatend

The choice is up to you.

Where's the GUI?

I really think that MMA is a cool program. But, it needs a GUI. Are you planning on writing one? Will you help me if I start to write one?

Well, we appreciate the fact that you like MMA. We like it too.

We've actually started to write a number of GUIs for MMA. But, nothing seemed to be much more useful than the existing text interface. So, we figured that it just wasn't worth the bother.

Now, we are not against graphical programming interfaces. We just don't see it in this case.

But, we may well be wrong. If you think it'd be better with a GUI ...well, this is open source and you are more than welcome to write one. If you do, we'd suggest that you make your program a front-end which lets a user compile standard MMA files. If you find that more error reporting, etc. is required to interact properly with your code, let us know and we'll probably be quite willing to make those kind of changes.

Where's the manual index?

We agree that this manual needs an index. We just don't have the time to go though and do all the necessary work. Is there a volunteer?


next up previous
Next: Symbols and Constants Up: Reference Manaul Previous: Creating Effects
2004-09-21