Tech: abc explorer problem

Subject: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Mo the caller
Date: 13 May 18 - 04:37 AM

After a computer crash I am now on a new machine and Windows10.
I downloaded abcexplorer 1.6.1 and tried to open some of my abc files from Dropbox.

Although I can play and edit them I get a message "can't display score: maybe invalid ABC code"
I get the same message if I enter a new tune (using the keyboard that comes up on the screen).

What am I doing wrong?

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Stanron
Date: 13 May 18 - 12:56 PM

Maybe nothing. Perhaps Windows is adding something to the files. A lot can depend on how well you know ABC coding. I use a Linux operating system and had to search around to find ABC programs that will run on my machine. I've got it down to two programs. ABCJ is a free program which only works with a single line of music and Five Line Skink, also free, which can display multi-lined scores. My point is that a file that will run on one of these may not work on the other. I can usually look at the file and see what needs changing. One collection of tunes contains a capital T for trills and one of my two programs fails on these. If I edit out all the3 Ts then the file displays and plays.

Try downloading your files into a text editor, (not a word processor) and see if the program will work on these.

Does abcexplorer highlight errors in the editing window?

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: DaveRo
Date: 13 May 18 - 02:39 PM

I've no idea, but it called to mind this recent post:
Windows Notepad fixed after 33 years

Googling that error message suggests that some part of abcexplorer - ghostview - which is a pdf viewer - may not be installed.

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Mo the caller
Date: 13 May 18 - 05:19 PM

Thanks.
No idea what either of you are talking about but my son-in-law might.

Well, OK what you say seems to make sense, but what to do about it ….....???? …. ask SIL

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Stanron
Date: 13 May 18 - 05:48 PM

It's a while since I used abcexplorer but I think there should be a window which shows each file as a text file. There should be an option to open it if it is closed. It might be called an 'edit' window. If you can copy one of those text files from the edit window and paste it into mudcat I could try it out on my machine. Just the file from one tune. It should start with

X:1

and end at the first space. abc files are quite small, even collections of tunes are small by today's standards.

Post a file here and maybe we can sort it out.

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: GUEST,Grishka
Date: 13 May 18 - 05:54 PM

You can join and ask the ABC user group on Yahoo. If you do not want to join (- somebody here wrote that Yahoo will spam you, is that true? -), ask Mudcatters who are also members there to post your problem on your behalf.

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 14 May 18 - 03:48 AM

I've had problems in the past with word processers which automatically double space lines (Even if you are copy/pasting an earlier text).
This can prevent ABC from working, whether in the various headers, or in the tune itself. If this is the problem you need to go to the beginning of each new line, backspace, so that it shows as a continuation of the previous line and Shift+Return to make it a single carriage return rather than a double.

Alternately copy/paste it into an online ABC converter such as Mandolin tab and see whether it performs correctly there.

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Mo the caller
Date: 14 May 18 - 05:31 AM

X:3
T:(come live all)
M:4/4
L:1/4
K:C
A|FA_BF|G_B3/4A2 E/4|FAGF|E/2GF7/4E/4
w:if all the world and love were young and truth in every shepherds tongue these
|DEFA|dc3/4_B2_B/4|AdDE3/4G/4|F3/4D/4E3/4D5/4z|
w: pretty pleasures might me move to live with thee an-d b-e thy love

Thanks. I can't see what is different from the version I had working in Vista, might have been an older version of abc explorer.

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 14 May 18 - 05:38 AM

Works in the converter I linked above, although I had to edit it first.
It didn't work at first because when I copy/pasted it all the lines (except the first) started with an indent. Possibly some hidden spaces on the page?

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 14 May 18 - 05:47 AM

Also the words run out before the music. You need to split the syllables is Shepherds pretty & pleasures:
every shep-herds tongue these
|DEFA|dc3/4_B2_B/4|AdDE3/4G/4|F3/4D/4E3/4D5/4z|
w: pret-ty plea-sures might me move to live with thee an-d b-e thy love

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Mo the caller
Date: 14 May 18 - 05:55 AM

Thanks. I would have corrected the words if the score and words had shown on the screen.
Thanks for the link, that's another thing I didn't know about.
So maybe the programme is not properly installed???

At least it is doing part of what I want - I can learn short phrases of choir music by playing them over & over, even if I need the score in my hand too. And using your link I can check I've got it right.

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Mo the caller
Date: 14 May 18 - 05:56 AM

It did have an extra space, but taking it out was no help

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Stanron
Date: 14 May 18 - 06:42 AM

Hi Mo. Your file displayed and played in both ABCJ and Five Line Skink. Your post reignited my interest in ABC and I had a go at getting EasyABC to work on my new (secondhand) computer. Your file displayed ok in EasyABC but does not play. However that is no big deal because, so far, nothing plays in EasyABC. It's a midi problem on my PC.

I didn't have to edit your file in any way for it to display in all three programs and to play in the only two programs that do play files.

Your file is fine so it looks like the problem is in ABCExplorer. It might be something under 'Settings' or Options' or it might need uninstalling and re-installing.

Another option could be EasyABC. I have troubles with it because for Linux all you get is source code. For Windows there is a fully functioning .exe file with a free download that should work straight out of the box.

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Snuffy
Date: 14 May 18 - 07:27 AM

I opened it in ABC Explorer 1.6.1 with no trouble. After splitting and/or stretching the syllables to fit, it displayed and played perfectly

If all the world and love were young and truth in eve-ry shep-herds tongue these
pret-ty pleas-ures might me move to live with thee and_ be_ thy love.

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: GUEST
Date: 14 May 18 - 08:01 AM

I also have a Windows 10 machine and have just installed ABC Explorer 1.6.1 and it plays that file absolutely fine. I just copied the text from your post and imported it from the clipboard.

So it might be how it has installed. Permissions on your machine perhaps - it prompted me to run with User Account Control? You could try running the file as administrator (right click on the exe and run as administrator. I downloaded it from here.

I also pasted your text and saved as a test.abc file and again it worked fine

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Nick
Date: 14 May 18 - 08:02 AM

Sorry not logged in

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: DaveRo
Date: 14 May 18 - 11:50 AM

Character set problem? Maybe the files are unicode and the display program assumes they're ASCII. Or vice-versa.

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Nick
Date: 14 May 18 - 01:45 PM

I just did the straight out the packet think and it worked with no hassle. Windows 10 home version 1803

It had no grumbles

Subject: RE: Tech: abc explorer problem
From: Mo the caller
Date: 03 Jun 18 - 08:32 AM

Last week I finally got round to asking SIL to uninstall and reinstall. And it now works. Thanks for giving me the confidence that that was the problem.
now to laboriously put my tunes in.