Re: hspace in markup cancels other directives

[Aaron Hill]

On 2022-07-30 8:12 pm, Jim Cline wrote:
> I am trying to use \hspace to adjust the horizontal position of a text
> markup.

\hspace is probably not the best tool.  Consider \tweaking the text 
script:

  bes-\tweak self-alignment-X #RIGHT
     ^\markup \smaller \with-color #blue text

  bes-\tweak X-offset #-3
     ^\markup \smaller \with-color #blue text


>   In addition I want the text to be colored and smaller.  But
> the \hspace directive somehow disables the others, as in this example.
>
> \version "2.20.0"
> lower =
>   \relative c {
>    \time 3/4
>   \clef bass
>   bes^\markup{\smaller  \with-color #blue \hspace #-3 text} r4
> bes^\markup{\smaller  \with-color #blue  text}
> }

The effects of markup commands only apply to their specific markup 
arguments.

What you have effectively done is this:

  \markup {
    \smaller { \with-color #blue { \hspace #-3 } }
    text
  }

You could explicitly group the space and text:

  \markup \smaller \with-color #blue { \hspace #-3 text }

Alternately, move the space outside the other commands:

  \markup { \hspace #-3 \smaller \with-color #blue text }


-- Aaron Hill