The Page layout tool helps you re-organize the page layout. Its shortcut is P. When this tool is active, the score displays the frames (there is one frame per page, specifying the margins inside which the systems are distributed), the systems, and the page borders.

 

System Layout

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By clicking on a system, the score displays handles and buttons:

The handles let you resize a system horizontally and move it vertically. You can also adjust the relative positions of staves within the system, by using the handles on the left of each staff.  

Be sure to check the option called Keep system margins during editing in the Display & editing options (see Frame Layout) as otherwise Compose will cancel any custom adjustment you made whenever it needs to update the page layout.

The large buttons act as follows:

• Moves the last measure of a system to the beginning of the next system. Only the current system and the next system are modified.
• Moves the last measure of a system to the beginning of the next system. However, the next system keeps the same number of measures and its last measure is moved to the next system, and so on up to the last system of the score.
• Moves the first measure of a system to the end of the previous system. Only the current system and the previous system are modified.
• Moves the first measure of a system to the beginning of the previous system. However, the previous system keeps the same number of measures and its first measure is moved to the previous system, and so on up to the first system of the score.
• Moves the system to the next page. Only the current and next pages are modified.
• Moves the system to the previous page. Only the current and previous pages are modified.

When a system is selected as shown above, its property panel appears in the left part of the screen. You can modify the indentation and vertical position by clicking the Apply button.

Frame Layout

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By clicking on a frame (between systems or before an indentation), the score displays its handles:

The handles let you adjust the frame in which the systems are distributed, which is similar to setting the margins of the page.

When a frame is selected, as shown above, its property panel appears in the left part of the screen. You can modify the margins by clicking the Apply button. Each value can be applied to the current page or to all pages.

 

Page Layout

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By clicking in a page, but outside of a system or frame, the whole page layout is selected for that score:

The page layout properties are then displayed to the left and you can recreate a new page layout by choosing the parameters you want, like the paper size, staff size, optimization and specification for the number of measures per system.

 

Page view, scroll view and part views

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The default display is the page view for the conductor score (full score).  You can change the view with the following drop down menu just above the score:

The scroll view will display the full score as a unique system of staves, in which you can navigate horizontally.

The page view shortcut is SHIFT + P and the scroll view shortcut is SHIFT + S.

From the third line down, you can display the page view of individual parts for each instrument. Note that a score with only a single instrument in page view will not create a part.

According to your preferences and to the type of work you are doing, you can edit the score content in any of these views simply by switching the above drop-down menu.