Re: a "how to" question: "floating" time sigs

[Kieren MacMillan]

Hi, Han-Wen --

> I think it should work to define a context TimeSignatureContext that'
> contains only Time_signature_engraver and Axis_group_engraver.

If I understand what you're suggesting, this is exactly what the docs  
trick/example does (see <http://lilypond.org/doc/v2.9/input/test/ 
lily-517782458.ly>).

Unfortunately, there are two irritations that I've run into that I'm  
trying to solve (in a score I'm currently engraving, but I'm sure  
I'll run into it again):

1. The *content* of the TimeSig needs to be explicitly defined (using  
skipped notes, etc.) -- it would be better if the TimeSig staff just  
"did the right thing". [A minor irritation, I admit!]

2. The TimeSig staff cannot be "synchronized" with one of the other  
staves -- e.g., if you have [pseudocode]

    TimeSig
    Staff "fl"
    Staff "ob"
    ...
    TimeSig
    PianoStaff
        Staff "pianoUpper"
        Staff "pianoLower"

then when you French the score, the systems that have no piano music  
still have the "extra" TimeSig staff hanging off the bottom of the  
system -- not very attractive! [This is the principal irritation, and  
the one that made me come up with my hack in the first place...]

Does the approach you're thinking of overcome these two obstacles in  
a way the doc trick/example doesn't (or at least that I don't know  
how to overcome by simply extending the doc trick/example)?

Thanks!
Kieren.