Release Notes

Dolet^® 7 Plugin for Finale Release Notes

Version 7.6
June 2020

Windows Installation

The Dolet 7 for Finale plug-in is not compatible with earlier versions of the Dolet for Finale plug-in. Please uninstall any older versions of the Dolet for Finale plug-in before using the Dolet 7 for Finale plug-in. To uninstall:

• Go to the Start Menu and select the Control Panel.
• Choose Uninstall a program and wait for the program list to appear.
• If Dolet 6 for Finale is listed, click on it and then double click on it. Follow the instructions to uninstall. Do the same for Dolet 5 for Finale, Dolet 4 for Finale, Dolet 3 for Finale, and Dolet for Finale if they are listed. If you have Finale 2006 installed, keep Dolet Light for Finale 2006 installed rather than removing it.

During the installation, you will be asked for the directory where most of the Dolet files go, including the MusicXML language definitions. By default, this will be in the Program Files directory on the drive with the most space available (for example, C:\Program Files (x86)\MakeMusic\Dolet 7 for Finale\). Do not move or copy these files after installation.

The actual Finale plug-in file (Dolet7.fxt) will be installed into the MusicXML folder of your Finale plug-ins directory. The plug-in will automatically install into your default version of Finale. If you have multiple versions of Finale installed on your machine, the plug-in will also be installed automatically into your installations of Finale 2011 through 2014.5.

Dolet 7 for Finale is supported on Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, and Windows 10 for the versions of Finale 2011 through 2014.5 that are supported on each of these operating systems. Dolet 7 for Finale also requires that 32-bit Java 8, 7, or 6 be installed on your machine. You may download Oracle’s Java software from http://java.com.

Mac OS X Installation

If you are using Finale 2012, Finale 2014, or Finale 2014.5:

Note: if you have changed the location of the Finale plug-in folder, follow the instructions below for Finale 2011 or earlier, copying to your custom plug-in folder location in step 3.

1. Quit all versions of Finale currently running (be sure to save your work first).
2. In the Dolet 7 for Finale Finder window, drag the MusicXML folder into the appropriate Finale 201x Plug-ins folder.
3. Repeat these steps for any other versions of Finale where you want to install the Dolet plug-in.

If you are using Finale 2011:

1. Quit all versions of Finale currently running (be sure to save your work first).
2. In the Dolet 7 for Finale Finder window, select the MusicXML folder and choose Edit > Copy “MusicXML”.
3. Choose Go > Go to Folder… and type the path name “/Library/Application Support/MakeMusic/Finale 2011/Plug-ins”. A Finder window appears displaying your Plug-ins folder.
4. Choose Edit > Paste Item. The MusicXML folder is copied to the Plug-ins folder for that version of Finale.

When you restart Finale, the plug-ins will be available. Keep these release notes and the license files wherever you like.

Dolet 7 for Finale is not compatible with earlier versions of the Dolet for Finale plug-in. Remove any Dolet6.bundle, Dolet5.bundle, Dolet4.bundle, Dolet3.bundle, and Dolet2.bundle files from any Finale plug-ins folders where you are installing the Dolet7.bundle file.

Dolet 7 for Finale is supported on macOS 10.10 through macOS 10.14 for the versions of Finale 2011 through 2014.5 that are supported on each operating system. Dolet 7 for Finale also requires that Apple Java be installed on your machine. You may download Apple’s Java software from https://support.apple.com/kb/DL1572. As a 32-bit plug-in, Dolet 7 for Finale will not work with macOS 10.15 Catalina.

Using Dolet for Finale

Dolet software serves as a translator between music programs. These translations are done using the MusicXML file format. Dolet can read and write MusicXML files, allowing you to exchange music between Finale and any other program that can read or write MusicXML.

To bring MusicXML files into Finale, first create a new Finale document. Go to the Plug-ins menu and select the MusicXML submenu. Then select the “Import MusicXML…” item. If you have an empty Finale document open, Dolet 6 for Finale will import the MusicXML file into this empty document, making use of your document settings wherever possible. Otherwise, Dolet 7 will create a new default Finale file and import into that.

To bring files from other programs such as Sibelius and PDFtoMusic Pro into Finale, first save the files in these programs in MusicXML format. Then use the Import MusicXML feature to read the file into Finale.

To save a Finale document as a MusicXML file, go to the Plug-ins menu, the MusicXML submenu, and then select the “Export MusicXML…” item.

If you want to read a Finale file in an earlier version of Finale, first save a MusicXML file in the newer version of Finale using Export MusicXML. Then read this MusicXML file in the older version of Finale using Import MusicXML.

You may translate an entire folder of Finale files to MusicXML format or vice versa. These batch routines will overwrite any files with the same name that are currently in that directory. Use the “Translate Folder of MusicXML Files…” menu item to save Finale files from your MusicXML files (batch import). Use the “Translate Folder of Finale Files…” menu item to save MusicXML files from your Finale files (batch export).

For some file transfers it can be helpful to export all linked parts at once. Use the “Export Linked Parts to MusicXML…” menu item to export all the linked parts in a Finale file as compressed MusicXML files in a folder that you select.

Dolet 7 for Finale supports Finale 2011 through 2014.5 on Windows and Mac, reading and writing files in MusicXML 3.1 format.

When using Dolet 7 for Finale, please be sure to just use the full version from the plug-ins menu. Going back and forth between the MusicXML functions in the Plug-ins and File menus may confuse Finale and produce error messages. If this happens accidentally, just restart Finale to get things working correctly again.

What’s New

Version 7.6 includes the following features and fixes:

• Music written with percussion clefs using standard rather than percussion notation now exports correctly.
• Music written on 2- or 3-line percussion staves now exports and imports more accurately.
• Percussion notation rests set to a specific staff position now export and import more accurately.
• Custom Clef Designer definitions are now exported.
• Stacked chord symbols are now exported and imported.
• Measure numbers now export more accurately from documents with multiple measure number regions.
• Stems shortened to nothing using the stem length tool are now exported correctly.
• When notes display in other layers when rhythmic notation is applied, their stem directions now export correctly and articulations are displayed after import.

Version 7.5 included the following features and fixes:

• Text in the JazzText, Broadway Copyist Text, and Finale Copyist Text fonts now exports more accurately, especially for codas, segnos, and metronome marks.
• The Scale Expression with Attached Note setting is supported during export.
• Staff style changes in the middle of the first measure are now exported.
• Positions of text repeats at the end of multimeasure rests export more accurately.
• Metronome font information is now exported.
• Hyperlinks for measure-attached text blocks are now exported.
• Accent articulations in a text font are now exported as accents.
• Hidden smart shapes are no longer exported.
• Hidden clefs now export as hidden.
• Hidden time signatures at the start of a part now export as senza misura.
• Parts with no visible clefs are now imported without clefs displaying.

Version 7.4 included the following features and fixes:

• Default hyphen and beam distance are now correctly exported and imported.
• Unslashed flagged grace notes are imported more accurately.
• Numerals on 1-bar multimeasure rests are imported more accurately.

As part of our continued MakeMusic technology modernization, the Dolet plug-in no longer supports Finale versions prior to Finale 2011 as of version 7.6, or Finale 2009 as of version 6.8. You may continue to older Dolet versions with earlier Finale versions and operating systems. Support for Windows XP has been removed as of version 7.1. Support for Windows Vista and the original Windows 7 pre-SP1 release has been removed as of version 7.2.

Starting with v25, Finale now includes all the additional MusicXML features previously available only in the Dolet plug-in. There is no 64-bit version of this plug-in needed for current Finale users.

Information about previous updates can be found at the Dolet for Finale version history at http://www.musicxml.com/dolet-plugin/dolet-plugin-for-finale/version-history/.

Translation Limits

Any type of translation has limits. Things expressed in one language sometimes cannot be expressed the same way in another language. Sometimes the translator does not yet understand all the idioms and vocabulary in both languages. The Dolet software and MusicXML format provide much greater music notation accuracy than MIDI translations, but both types of limits apply to this software.

The Dolet for Finale plug-in supports most of the musical features that are shared between Finale and MusicXML. However, this Version 7 release does not support the following Finale features:

• Figured bass
• Beam extensions
• Graphical Finale shape expressions
• Many MIDI tool performance details
• Exact articulations, expressions, and chord symbols in symbol fonts other than those provided with Finale, a default music font using Standard Music Font Layout (SMuFL), or selected third parties (GoldenAgeMusic, Sonata, MetTimes, November, NovemberExtra, Toccata, AshMusic, LeeMusic, RussMusic, Oslo, Paris, Stockholm Classic, Stockholm Plate, Vienna, Bill Duncan’s ChordSuf)
• Importing guitar bends
• Exact positioning for articulations
• Importing measure widths, beat charts, and exact note positions