Re: Unique ids in MusicXML 3.1 and beyond

> 
> For these use cases, it would be nice to have a general "selector" API for music notation in general — not just MusicXML, but any symbolic common Western notation across any app.
> 
> Joe has brought up this idea in the past, and I think it's a great one. Imagine something like this, to select the second beat of the first voice in the first bar of the first part:
> 
>     bars[0].parts[0].voices[0].beats[1]
> 

There is a working specification for this out there already, called EMA (Enhancing Music Notation Addressability). While originating in the MEI world (thanks Raffaele!), it is absolutely open for other formats as well and could be easily implemented for MusicXML and / or MNX. You’ll find everything you need at

https://github.com/umd-mith/ema

That said, I would strongly argue against giving recommendations for IDs. Already in this thread we’ve seen that there are many different uses and conceptions about them, and I see no point in restricting those to a single conception that everyone has to follow. They have to be unique, and besides some minor technicalities, that’s all that need to be said about xml:ids. And of course I would expect an application to leave existing IDs as they are, as long as the notes they’re attached to aren’t removed. If an application would change my IDs without being instructed to do so, that would be the last time for me to use that application… 

Just my 2c,
jo

Received on Friday, 8 September 2017 14:58:00 UTC