File menu

How to get there

The File menu is the first of Finale’s unchanging menus; that is, it appears regardless of which tool is selected.

What it does

As in many computer programs, Finale’s File menu contains various commands for opening, closing, saving, and printing documents. The File menu also contains commands for importing and exporting libraries (files containing various symbols, markings, and other musical elements that are stored separately and can be loaded into any document).

• Launch Window. Choose this command to display the Launch Window that appears when you first start Finale. From the Launch Window, you can choose from a variety of methods to start a new file, open existing documents, and access reference materials (these options can also be accessed as menu commands in the File and Help menus).
• New. Use this submenu to begin a new project by choosing the Setup Wizard, a default document, template, document without libraries, or the Exercise Wizard. See New submenu.
• Open. Choose this command to display the Open dialog box, where you can load the kinds of files Finale is capable of opening: Finale Notation File (*.MUSXMUSX or .musx. A Finale Notation File is the standard MakeMusic notation or music file, introduced in Finale 2014. It can be read by either the Mac or Windows version of Finale.), Finale Legacy File (*.MUSMUS or .mus. A standard MakeMusic notation or music file used through Finale 2012.), Standard MIDI FileA type of file written in a standardized format that can be understood by music programs from different manufacturers so that one file can be used in several different programs. For example, music created in any sequencer program can be opened by Finale and converted into written notation. (*.MID), Finale Template File (*.FTMXA template behaves like a piece of stationary in Finale. Finale Template Files use the file extension .FTMX, while older ("legacy") versions of Finale used the extension .FTM. When you open a template document, Finale opens the last two pages of the Setup Wizard where you can customize the template’s title, composer, time signature, key signature, and other settings. Upon finishing the Wizard, Finale opens a new untitled document based on your settings (so you don’t accidentally change the original).), Finale Legacy Template File (*.FTMA template behaves like a piece of stationary in Finale. Finale Template Files use the file extension .FTMX, while older ("legacy") versions of Finale used the extension .FTM. When you open a template document, Finale opens the last two pages of the Setup Wizard where you can customize the template’s title, composer, time signature, key signature, and other settings. Upon finishing the Wizard, Finale opens a new untitled document based on your settings (so you don’t accidentally change the original).), and Lesson File (*.LSN). Choose All Files (*.*) if you want Finale to display all files in the current folder, regardless of file type. Use SHIFT-click to select more than one file to open.

  As you select each of the file types from the File Type drop down list, the names in the File Name list box change to the files with the corresponding extension. The Folder list box works like any Windows Folder list box; double-click a folder to see its contents and use the scroll bars if necessary to view more folders. Select a different drive from the “Look in” drop-down list to view the contents of another drive.

• Open Worksheets & Repertoire. Choose this command to open one of Finale's educator worksheets. For a complete list, see Finale Worksheets.
• Close. Choose this command to close the active (frontmost) window. If you’re closing the last open window containing a document to which you’ve made changes not yet saved, Finale asks you if you want to save your changes; click Yes (or press ENTER) to save your changes, or click No if you don’t want your changes preserved. Click Cancel to return to that document without closing it.
• Close All. Choose this command to close all the open documents. Finale asks you if you want to save each window that has had any changes; click Yes (or press ENTER) to save your changes, or click No if you don’t want your changes preserved. Click Cancel to return to that document without closing it.

Noteman says: The Save command saves only the active document (the one in the frontmost window).

• Save. Choose this command to keep any changes you’ve made to the active document. When you’re working on a Finale document (or any computer file), your changes to the file are stored in temporary files that are deleted when you exit the program. As long as you’re in Finale and the computer is on, the computer’s memory retains your editing.

  If the power fails or a system error occurs, however, all your editing is lost forever, unless you have remembered to save the changes onto a disk by choosing this command. It’s a good idea to save your work fairly often—every ten minutes, perhaps; if you’re the kind of person who forgets, consider using Finale’s automatic backup feature (see Preferences - Save dialog box). If you intend to open the file on a machine running Windows, make sure Append File Extensions is checked.

• Save As. This command has two purposes. First, as in many computer programs, this command allows you to create a duplicate of the document you’re working on, with a different name, and—if you wish—in a different folder or on a different disk. (When you choose the command, Finale displays the Save As dialog box and asks you to give the document a new name, which can’t be exactly the same as the current document’s in the same folder.)
  
  The command’s second purpose is to let you save the current document as another kind of document, such as a Finale Template File. After choosing Save As, select the file format you want to use, give the new file a name, and click Save.
• Save All. Choose this command to save any changes you’ve made to all of your open documents.
• Extract Parts. Use this command to automatically create individual part documents from a score document. The Extract Parts dialog box appears, which lets you specify which staves you want to extract. You can format, inspect, and adjust the resultant documents, fixing any awkward page turns, for example, before you print them out. (Of course, linked parts can also be printed directly from the main document. See Linked Parts).
• Revert. If, in experimenting with a file, you create a hopeless muddle, all is not lost. Use this command to restore your document to whatever condition it was in the last time you saved your work. (This command does the same thing as closing the document without saving it, then reopening it.)
• ScoreMerger. Use this command to combine several files into one. This can be done horizontally, with files appended after each other, such as different movements of a symphony or a collection of songs. Or, it can be done vertically, consolidating individual parts into a full conductors score. See ScoreMerger.
• Import. Use this submenu to import a MusicXMLA standard open format for exchanging digital sheet music. MusicXML provides a solution for tasks such as publishing interactive musical scores on the Internet and collaborating with other musicians who use different music applications. file, a scanned document, or a TIFFTagged Image File Format—format for storing bitmap images/graphics. This format is supported on both Mac and Windows (.tif extension) and does not require a PostScript printer. file. See Import submenu.
• Export. Use this submenu to export an audio, EPUB, Finale 2012, MIDI, MusicXML, PDF, or SmartMusic file. See Export submenu.
• Load Library. Use this command to load additional libraries into any document. The Open dialog box appears, letting you double-click the name of the library you want to load.

  A starter set of libraries is included with your Finale package; they’re in a folder called Libraries. See Finale Libraries for a full description of these libraries and their contents.

• Save Library. Use this command to display the Save Library dialog box, where you can save the specified set of special symbols (or settings) you create while working in a file (articulations, chord symbols, and so on) into a separate file called a library. These sets of musical elements may then be loaded into any file.
• Printer Page Setup. Use this command to display the standard Windows Page Setup dialog box, which differs depending on the kind of printer you’re using.

  For example, you can specify the size of paper you want to print on, but note that the page size of your document itself (that is, the size of the printed image) is completely independent of the paper size you specify here. (Use the Page Layout tool to set the actual page size; see Page size.) To make sure that no music will be chopped off when you print, the size of the page as set by the Page Layout tool should be equal to or smaller than that specified in the Page Setup dialog box. For a more complete discussion, see .

• Print. Use this command to print the score and/or parts as they appear in Page View. When you choose this command, the standard Print dialog box appears, listing additional printing options that vary depending on your printer. You'll be able to specify, for example, which pages of the score you want to print, and how many copies.
• Compile PostScript Listing. Use this command to display the Compile PostScript Listing dialog box, which provides options for compiling a PostScript listing - a printer file of your score that Finale can print faster than it can print the score itself.
• Save Preferences. You can customize your Main Tool Palette and the document window to the work environment best suited to your music, so you can get straight to work when you open a file. This command gives you control over when to save these settings.

  When exiting Finale, preferences set in the application will be automatically saved. If you prefer that they are only saved when you choose the Save Preferences command, choose Edit > Preferences and choose the Save category. Click Save Preferences When Exiting Finale to uncheck it. Finale saves your settings with preferences in the Finale.INI file (in your Finale folder).

• Exit. Use this command to exit Finale and return to the Windows desktop. Finale closes all open files automatically, after first asking you if you want to save your changes (if you made any).
• [Recent Documents]. Next to these numbers are the names of the four most recently opened files, with number 1 being the most recent. If the file you want to open is one of the four most recently opened files, then selecting it from here saves you the trouble of selecting open and navigating through folders in the Open dialog box to find your file.

See also:

Keyboard shortcuts: File menu