Multiple fonts within an Auto Title

[jannuss]

I have a booklet containing songs. The name of each song is defined as an auto title which I then use to create the Table of Contents. This works just fine.

Now I want to add a symbol to each name indicating the type of accompaniment that is required: a guitar symbol for guitar accompaniment, a piano symbol for keyboard accompaniment, and so on.

My problem is that I get my instrument symbols from a dingbat font while the song titles are from a regular alphabetic font.

I can't find any way to mix fonts
-- Format Auto title allows for only a single font within each title
-- Table of Contents is the same
-- I thought about using variables, but I can't find anyway to set the font in the variable definition

Ideas?

Janet

[rpcameron]

The only workaround I can think that would help you would be to use symbols that are already a part of the Unicode standard. I do not believe that there are characters for a guitar or piano, but there are other musical symbols that are part of Unicode. If you insert one of those characters, then Mellel ought to insert the character in a substitute font, even if the preferred font you're using for your Auto-Title character style does not.

Unless anyone knows any way to use multiple character styles in an Auto-Title, this is the only solution I can think of for your problem.

[kjmatthews]

Just out of curiosity, what is the reasoning behind only allowing one font in an auto-title? Seems like it totally rules out using auto-titles for any writing that mixes scripts, and I can't think of any benefits to the user.

[rwg]

Have you tried defining your dingbat font as your secondary font?

Rolf

[jannuss]

Have you tried defining your dingbat font as your secondary font?

Rolf

No, I'm already using two fonts, Hebrew & English. So, here's another good argument for the Redlers giving us a ternary font option.

But, you've given me an idea: I am going to check out creating a new, special font with my music symbols added to the auto-title font. Luckily this just happens to be an old font which I use only for things like song titles.

Janet

[centralasian]

Have you tried typing your text first using whichever fonts are needed, and then applying the Auto Title to it?

[jannuss]

Have you tried typing your text first using whichever fonts are needed, and then applying the Auto Title to it?

I have't much time to play around with this today, but what I tried didn't work.

sorry.

Janet

[DRB]

It is possible, as far as the appearance of any auto-title in the manuscript text is concerned. When you click on the insert-an-auto-title button in the auto-title palette, and are asked to type in the text of the auto-title, you can type individual words or groups of words in whatever fonts you like, thus having more than one font used in that particular auto-title.

If you want all instances of an auto-title to have multiple fonts, that is possible with a little ingenuity, but you would have to work out the fine details of this in a rather intricate way.

Don Broadribb

[jannuss]

It is possible, as far as the appearance of any auto-title in the manuscript text is concerned. When you click on the insert-an-auto-title button in the auto-title palette, and are asked to type in the text of the auto-title, you can type individual words or groups of words in whatever fonts you like, thus having more than one font used in that particular auto-title.

Well, it works!
But, now you are going to have to explain to me why.

Previously, I didn't have the "Prompt for Title insertion" selected -- I'd select the (multi-font) line of text I wanted to convert into an Auto-title and clink on Insert/Auto-title. The title would be created but my dingbat font would be converted to the Main font.

This time I selected the text as before, but with "Prompt for Title insertion" selected. I copy/pasted the text into the window, and . . . Magic! . . . the multi-font text converted correctly into an Auto-title.

So, why does the selection fail when the copy/paste woks -- it's the same line of text???

Janet

[DRB]

There is a default setting for each of the auto-titles. Consequently, if you merely select a text and then click an auto-title type, Mellel simply uses the default setting for that auto-title. When this has happened, you still can click (slowly, three clicks) anywhere in the title text which has been placed by Mellel in your manuscript, and this makes it possible to adjust the content of the title any way you like, including applying various fonts. However, it is considerably simpler to have the “prompt for title” ticked, and then simply type in the content of the title in exactly the form you want – thus overriding the default setting.

There are many other tricks and alterations possible for the auto-title system which are not detailed in the in the Guide nor in the tutorials which you can discover by ingenious trial and error if you have the time and inclination. Unless you want to bother with this, then the principles in the above paragraph should provide all you require.

Don Broadribb

[jannuss]

TThere are many other tricks and alterations possible for the auto-title system which are not detailed in the in the Guide nor in the tutorials which you can discover by ingenious trial and error if you have the time and inclination. Unless you want to bother with this, then the principles in the above paragraph should provide all you require.

But you spoil us, Don.

We all let you expend the "time and inclination," then wel benefit from your efforts!!!

Janet