Re: [Audacity-quality] Time track copy-paste and aup3 import

[Peter S. <pet...@gm...>]

Looking at this page:
https://alphamanual.audacityteam.org/man/Time_Tracks

I see nothing there about the ability (or expectation) to Cut&Paste the
Time Track or sections of it.

So the ability to do so is either a cunning and tricksy Easter Egg - or
it's a bug, I'm thinking.

And note that this is different from the ability to import a Time Track as
part of an imported project
which is to be allowed.

Peter.



Peter.

On Sat, Jan 30, 2021 at 4:56 PM Peter Sampson <
pet...@gm...> wrote:

> BTW although one can edit the Time Track with Cut&Paste, albeit only
> through associated audio
> we do have an inconsistency as the Time Track does nor expand/contract
> when the associated
> audio is modified with the Change Speed effect.
>
> Peter.
>
> On Sat, Jan 30, 2021 at 4:54 PM Peter Sampson <
> pet...@gm...> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Jan 30, 2021 at 4:47 PM Steve Fiddle <ste...@gm...>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, 30 Jan 2021 at 16:32, Peter Sampson <
>>> pet...@gm...> wrote:
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Sat, Jan 30, 2021 at 4:21 PM Steve Fiddle <ste...@gm...>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Copy and Paste for time  tracks sounds to me like a major can of
>>>>> worms. Also, we have recorded precisely zero requests for this feature.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> I am strongly of the opinion that we should not implement copy / paste
>>>>> for time tracks until we have a much better implementation of time tracks.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> It's not a question of whether we implement or not - you can already do
>>>> it  - but you need to select in the audio
>>>> I only tried this with a single audio track and a time track.  I've no
>>>> idea how it works
>>>> a) in a multi-track project - with all or just some tracks with
>>>> selected audio
>>>> b) when some tracks are above and some below the Time track
>>>> c) what the interaction is with Sync-Lock (or other settings)
>>>> d) other use cases I haven't thought of yet.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Regarding  importing a project, I think that if both the current
>>>>> project and the imported project have time tracks, the imported time track
>>>>> should replace  the current time track. (If the user prefers to retain the
>>>>> current time track, then they need to remove the time track from the
>>>>> project  that they intend to import.)
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> I think it should be the other way around.
>>>>
>>>
>>> If it is the other way round, then either it is impossible to import a
>>> time track, or we have some cases where a time track can be imported and
>>> some cases where it cannot.
>>>
>>> On the other hand, if an imported time track overwrites the current time
>>> track (if present), then the user has control to either import a time track
>>> or not. I'm in favour of allowing the user to make this decision rather
>>> than prohibiting the import of time tracks or introducing "special case"
>>> inconsistencies.
>>>
>>
>> Good point,  I concede, I think you're right about this.
>>
>> Peter.
>>
>>
>>
>>> Steve
>>>
>>>
>>>>
>>>> If you are importing into a project that already has aTime Track then I
>>>> think that Time Track should be retained.
>>>>
>>>> If the user wants the imported Time Track to be used then they should
>>>> first delete the Time Track in the primary project.
>>>>
>>>> [image: image.png]
>>>> Peter.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Steve
>>>>>
>>>>> On Sat, 30 Jan 2021 at 15:52, Paul Licameli <pau...@gm...>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> James, please review these details.  Peter, maybe generate some bug
>>>>>> issues.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> How does copy and paste of time track work, and how should it?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Short answer:  you can copy and paste time track points, even into a
>>>>>> project with an existing time track, though not all the behavior is
>>>>>> intuitive.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Question:  If you import an .aup3 project with a time track, should
>>>>>> that do the same as paste (pasting at time 0 and shifting other control
>>>>>> points right), or should it replace the old time track with a new one (but
>>>>>> maybe losing some of your data)?  James argues for the second solution, I'm
>>>>>> not sure I agree.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> We need agreement on that to commit simplified code for aup3 import,
>>>>>> reducing the amount of sqlite3 calls we need to maintain.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Details.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>    1. Make new project with a time track and some control points,
>>>>>>    and some generated sound
>>>>>>    2. Select all Ctrl + A
>>>>>>    3. Select time track and deselect wave track with Ctrl + click
>>>>>>    4. Try to copy - dialog box tells you to select some audio
>>>>>>
>>>>>> That has been so at least since 2.3.1:  You can't copy if only time
>>>>>> track is selected.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> But, if time track is selected and another track -- then is it copied
>>>>>> to clipboard?  Since at least 2.3.1, yes, because then pasting into another
>>>>>> project makes a time track.  So a time track IS copyable.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> But in 2.3.1, the time track points were lost.  2.3.2 changed that.
>>>>>> Time track points may be inserted into a time track that already exists and
>>>>>> has other points.  There may be discontinuities at the edges of the paste,
>>>>>> arguably correct or not.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I also notice that if you have cut time & wave tracks, then paste
>>>>>> into a new project with only a time track -- then, whether the wave track
>>>>>> pastes or not, depends whether the time track is selected or not.  If it
>>>>>> was, I only paste time track.  Undo, click background, paste -- then both
>>>>>> paste.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>