Re: default margins (moved from -user)

[Carl D. Sorensen]

On 3/20/09 11:42 AM, "Mark Polesky" <address@hidden> wrote:

> 
> 
> continuation of this thread from lilypond-user:
> http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user/2009-03/msg00364.html
> 
> Carl D. Sorensen wrote:
>> It would seem to me that it would be better to
>> set maximum-line-width and minimum-line-width
>> properties. This would then allow the LilyPond
>> spacing engine to try adjusting line-width
>> between those limits to see if it could get
>> better spacing.
>> 
>> And by setting maximum-line-width and
>> minimum-line-width to the same values, you
>> would have exactly the current behavior.
> 
> If I used such a feature, I would want to be able
> to specify that all systems on a single page be
> the same length.
> 
> Maybe max-line-width-diff-per-page?
> 
> That would leave 3 relevant properties for the
> user to control.
> 
>    min-line-width
>    max-line-width
>    max-line-width-diff-per-page
> 
> 
> Anthony W. Youngman wrote:
>> Just one thing ... isn't the right margin just
>> what's left after you add left margin and line
>> width? So altering the line width will alter the
>> right margin but leave the left untouched :-(
>> 
>> Maybe we should keep line-width and add
>> "line-width-tolerance - +" which will grab HALF
>> the adjustment from the left margin.
> 
> So where Carl's suggestion is left-justified,
> Anthony's is centered.
> 
> These 4 properties could accommodate both:
> 
>    min-line-width
>    max-line-width
>    max-line-width-diff-per-page
>    line-width-justification (left, center, right)
> 
> Though I wonder if the following 5 would be more
> intuitive for the user:
> 
>    min-left-margin
>    max-left-margin
>    min-right-margin
>    max-right-margin
>    max-line-width-diff-per-page
> 

Why would anybody want to have different line widths on the same page?  That
would just look like a mistake.

I'd recommend 

left-margin (which is never violated, i.e. it will always be at least this
big, but may be bigger if the line is shorter and justification is either
'centered or 'right)
minimum-line-width
maximum-line-width
sytem-justification (which would be 'centered by default, but could be 'left
or 'right)

Carl