Menus

Drag the menu downward to show the search bar and narrow down the list based on your query.

When you’re not viewing a page of music, the most common type of view you’ll be using in forScore is a menu, or a list of items. You’ll learn about specific menus later in this guide, but there are a few important concepts that apply equally to most of the app’s menus.

Layout

Menus usually feature a navigation bar along the top. This bar includes a title, a back button (when appropriate), a menu button which lets you change how items are sorted or presented, and an edit button. On iPhones or in other cases where space is limited, some of these buttons may appear in a toolbar along the bottom of the menu instead.

The menu (ellipsis) button lets you sort lists differently, show some lists as a grid of thumbnails, and may also offer a Filter function that allows you to only show items in the current list that match one or more rules that you define.

Below the navigation bar, you’ll usually see a segmented control that changes which content you see in the menu. This control may scroll horizontally if needed to display all of the options.

Most menus also include a search bar hidden between the navigation bar and the segmented control—drag the list downward to access it. When you’re done searching, or when you scroll, the search bar slides back under the navigation bar and disappears until you need it again.

Menus may also include an index down the right-hand side which allows you to move quickly through longer lists. Tap or drag your finger up and down over it to jump to a particular spot or first letter (if the list is sorted alphabetically).

Working With Lists

To open an item, just tap on it. Some lists feature swipe actions so you can do common things quickly: swipe from right to left over an item to reveal actions such as Share or Delete. In many cases, you can also tap and hold an item (or right click) to see a complete list of actions available for that item.

You may also see a button or symbol off to the right-hand side of each item. A light gray arrow or chevron symbol indicates that selecting the row will display an additional list of items, such as selecting a composer to see all of their scores. A circular colored button lets you edit an item, while tapping anywhere else in that row opens the item instead.

One of the most important items in a menu is the edit button in the navigation bar or toolbar. While in edit mode, you can tap to check or uncheck multiple items in the list and then use the chevron button in the navigation bar to work with those files in a number of ways. These options can vary, but usually include the ability to select or de-select all items and delete or share them.

Sidebar

In some cases, forScore uses a sidebar to present many of its menus. It uses one of two styles: overlay or tile (tap the Sidebar button in the toolbar along the bottom of the menu to switch between these modes). Overlay dims the page and only allows you to access the menu—tap the dimmed area to dismiss it. In tiled mode, you can work with menus and the main view at the same time. Note that when the window is too small to use tiled mode, it switches back into overlay mode automatically. This sidebar layout is used on macOS, visionOS, and can be toggled using the Display Options overlay on supported iPads.

Bookmarks

Item bookmarks appear alongside the rest of your files in the score menu and you can add them to setlists independently of their parent file

In menus, the button on the right shows an info button for standalone PDFs, a ribbon icon for “item” bookmarks, or a compass arrow for “page” bookmarks

Bookmarks can either be simple references to a specific page, like a table of contents, or they can reference a span of pages that act like a virtual item in your library. We call these “page” or “item” bookmarks. Item bookmarks appear in the score menu like any other PDF file, start and stop on the pages you specify, and can even have their own metadata and audio tracks.

If you prefer, configure forScore to not show bookmarks outside of the Bookmarks menu by disabling the “show bookmarks in library” option in forScore’s settings panel.

No matter which kind of bookmarks you create, the Bookmarks menu always displays all of the bookmarks for the PDF file you’re currently viewing.

Creating Bookmarks

In the bookmarks menu (the open book icon), tap the + button to open the bookmark creator and choose which type of bookmark you’d like to create. Supply a title and page number(s) and, once any errors have been corrected, tap the Save button to finalize your bookmark. You can also tap the + button again to save the current bookmark and create another without returning to the menu first.

Table of Contents:

If your PDF file contains a table of contents, you can view it by selecting the menu’s “TOC” sort type. Tap on an item to go to that page, or tap “Import” to create bookmarks using this information as a starting point.

CSV/TSV Files:

If you have CSV or TSV (comma- or tab-separated values) files, you can use the Indexes feature to create your bookmarks. Add the file to forScore using any of the same methods you use to add PDFs, then open the Bookmarks menu and tap the table icon in the toolbar (if you don’t see it, make sure the Bookmarks list is showing). Tap the table icon in the toolbar and choose your file to begin.

This panel lists the values found in each row of your file, and you can tap on a value to specify how it should be used in forScore. Use the arrow buttons along the bottom to verify that the information in each row looks correct, skipping any header or footer rows and adjusting page numbers if needed. When you’re done, tap Save to create your bookmarks.

Editing & Deleting Bookmarks

To edit a bookmark, tap the arrow button next to it. If it’s a simple bookmark, you’ll see the same interface you used to create the bookmark and you can edit its title, start page, or add an end page to turn it into an Item bookmark. Tap the button next to an item bookmark and you’ll open the metadata panel which you’ll learn about in the Metadata section of this guide.

Delete a bookmark by swiping over it from right to left and choosing the Delete (trash can) action. You can also use the Edit button to select multiple bookmarks and delete them at once. Note that deleting a bookmark doesn’t affect the score it came from, but deleting a score deletes all of its bookmarks.

Flags

Flagging a page is a quick and easy way to mark it so you can remember to come back to it later. Switch to the Flags list and use the flag button to flag or un-flag the current page. Use the ellipsis button to switch between viewing flagged pages in the current score or across all scores in your library, and tap the trash can to delete all of the flags in the list at once.

Metronome

The Pitch and Tuner utilities can also be found in this panel.

Modes

With forScore’s metronome, you can use several different methods to keep time. In Audible mode, you’ll hear a tick at regular intervals, based on the beats per minute (BPM) that you set. With the Visible metronome, a black border pulses around the edges of your score, allowing you to keep time visually while still being able to see the entire page. If you like, you can use the Both option to both see and hear the metronome simultaneously.

BPM and Time Signature

For each score in your library, forScore saves a unique BPM value and time signature that’s automatically used every time you return. Just tap either value to change it with the number keypad. You can also adjust the current score’s BPM by rotating the wheel, using the + and – buttons, or by tapping twice in the center of the screen.

Channels

If you’re using headphones or a line out, an icon at the top of the panel controls which channel(s) the audio plays through. Tap to toggle between left, right, and both channels.

Count In

Use the “Count In” feature to automatically turn off the metronome after a certain number of measures.

Autoturn

For scores with sequential pages, forScore’s metronome can also turn the pages for you automatically. To use autoturn, follow these three steps:

• For each page of your score, enter in the number of beats on that page or type in the number of measures and the app will do the math for you. If you’re on the first page of your score, consider adding a few extra beats as a lead-in.

• Tap the autoturn button to turn it on (if it isn’t already)
• Start the metronome by selecting Audible, Visible, or Both

Once the metronome counts up to the number you’ve specified, the page will turn automatically.

If you’re viewing your score in landscape mode, forScore will also scroll down when it reaches half of that number. (If you have 64 beats on a page, it’ll scroll to the bottom of the page at 32 beats.)

Turn the metronome off at any point to reset the autoturn count.

Dashboard

If you allow it, forScore can track which scores, bookmarks, and setlists you view and for how long. With this information collected, the Dashboard feature in the tools menu can give you valuable insights into your playing habits and helps keep you on track. Three tabs along the top or bottom of the screen (shown on the left of the screen in a sidebar when space allows) give you different ways of viewing and using this information:

Analytics

The Analytics tab shows information collected over the past ninety days. It can show you statistics for either items (scores and bookmarks) or setlists, and displays either the total amount of time you spent playing or the number of views.

Tap on any day to see a detailed list of items or setlists in the lower portion of the screen. This list shows everything you viewed on that particular day and is sorted from most played or viewed to least. You can tap on any item or setlist in this list to see how often you’ve viewed or played it over the past ninety days.

Goals

The Goals tab helps you reach a minimum number of views or amount of play time for each day, week, month, or all time. Goals can be item- or setlist-specific, or they can be more general.

The main list of goals shows your current progress as a circular view and, if your goal is time-specific, uses an additional view in the lower left-hand corner to show your results for the previous term. For instance, a weekly goal would prominently display this week’s progress with a smaller view for last week’s results.

Tap a goal to edit it or to view your results for the past ninety days. The timeline along the top of the screen shows your results for the past ninety days: tap on any of these graphics to share your progress with friends or colleagues via email, message, Twitter, Facebook, and more. It’s a great way to hold yourself accountable or to share your success.

Reports

The Reports tab lets you periodically share more detailed information with a colleague or instructor as a PDF document. To begin, create a new report template and tap the circled arrow button to edit it.

Here, you can customize your report to display progress for all items and/or setlists or for one in particular. Select day, week, or month, and choose how far back you’d like the report to go. Once you’re done, tap the back button and tap the report to view its results and use the action button in the top right-hand corner to share it.

Note: The information forScore collects is stored locally on your device. It doesn’t get sent to any servers, and won’t be shared with anyone unless you specifically choose to do so. Visit forscore.co/privacy to learn more.

Accessibility

forScore includes several Accessibility options in the settings panel that can help you get more out of the app.

Reflow

Although forScore can’t interpret the notes in a PDF file, it can detect where important information is generally on each page. With Reflow, forScore takes that information, magnifies and redraws it, then lays it out end-to-end so you can read your music in one long line—like a horizontal teleprompter. Reflow gets you most of the way there with its smart detection, and if it gets something wrong you can correct it quickly and never worry about it again.

Reflow is available by default on iPhone but on other devices it must first be enabled for use through the ‘Accessibility’ section of forScore’s settings panel. To activate it, select the Reflow (zig-zag arrow) icon from the Display Options overlay.

Reflow mode features several buttons along the top of the screen: Edit, zoom, navigation mode, and an exit button. Learn about each of their functions below.

Editing Zones:

The Edit button allows you to adjust Reflow’s zones if needed. You’ll see them as gray rectangles—tap once to see its resize controls, and tap again to show the delete option. Drag the green control at the top of each rectangle to downward to split it horizontally into two new areas.

You’ll see a control bar along the bottom of the screen: use the + button at the bottom of the screen to create a new zone, use the arrows to move between pages, and drag the set of three lines on either end of the control bar to drag it up or down and out of your way. If you’d like forScore to reset all zones and re-scan the page, tap the Reset button.

Zoom:

Zoom in or out to find the best magnification for you—up to three times as large as the original page.

Navigation:

Choose to page or scroll through your music. In Page mode, tapping on either side of the screen will shift the music over by half of your screen’s width. In Scroll mode, your music will scroll by continuously: tap the left side of the screen repeatedly to slow it down or the right side to speed it up. Tap in the center of the screen to pause or resume scrolling.

More

Other Accessibility settings allow you to disable Drag & Drop and Contextual Menu gestures, change the metronome’s sounds, adjust the default size of links and buttons, or use full-screen menus.