File Menu
| Menu | Quick Description |
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New Creates a new, empty Audacity project in a new window. Open... Opens either an existing Audacity project (these always have a file name ending in .aup), or an audio file like MP3. Multiple files can be selected, in which case they each open in their own window. Recent Files... Lists the nine most recently opened audio files or Audacity projects. The oldest item at the bottom is removed when a new item is added to the top. Close Closes the current project. If this is the last window open, then Audacity exits. If preferred, Audacity can open a new, empty project on closing the last window. Go to the Interface tab of Preferences to enable this. Save Project Saves the Audacity project with a file name ending in ".aup". Save Project As... Saves a copy of the currently open project to a new name. This safely renames a project (letting you then delete the original files), or lets you archive the project in its current state while continuing to modify the original project. Check Dependencies... Verifies if your project depends on the existence of files imported into it. If so, lets you copy that audio data in, allowing you to move or delete the original files. Open Metadata Editor... Lets you edit "tags" embedded in your MP3 or other exported audio file. Many audio players can read these tags, which display information such as artist or genre for each song. Import... Main purpose is to open one or more audio files such as WAV or MP3 into the currently open Audacity project. Export... Saves the entire audio in the project to an audio file such as WAV or MP3, ready for playing on your computer or burning to CD. This mixes together multiple audio tracks if necessary. Export Selection... Lets you save only the selected audio in your project to an audio file. Export Labels... When using a label track, saves the text in each label and their time positions to a text file. Export Multiple... Saves more than one audio file at a time. The separate files can be either the labeled sections in an audio track, or each audio track from a multi-track project. Exporting multiple files based on labeled sections is a great way to save individual MP3 or WAV files for each track of an LP or tape recording. Apply Chain... Performs the same preset series of effects to either the audio in your project or a group of files, according to the particular "chain" you select. The last step of the chain is normally to export the result to an audio file. Edit Chains... Lets you edit the order and parameters of the effects in your chain, or add and remove chains. Page Setup... Determines the settings used for printing the Audacity screen, such as margins and paper size. Print... Prints a copy of the Audacity screen using an installed printer. Exit Closes all open project windows and shuts down Audacity. |
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| Menu | Quick Description (scroll down for more help) |
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New Creates a new, empty Audacity project in a new window. Open... Opens either a saved Audacity project (look for the filename ending in .aup), or an audio file like MP3 or WAV. Recent Files... Re-opens the most recent audio files or Audacity projects in a new window. Close Closes the current project. If this is the last window open, Audacity exits by default. Save Project Saves the Audacity project with a file name ending in ".aup". Save Project As... Saves a copy of the currently open project to a new name. Check Dependencies... Verifies if your project depends on the existence of files imported into it, allowing the data to be copied in if desired. Open Metadata Editor... Lets you edit artist, genre and related "tags" embedded in your MP3 or other exported audio file, for display in many computer or MP3 players. Import... Opens audio files inside the currently open Audacity project, rather than creating a new one. Export... Saves the entire audio in the project to an audio file, ready for playing on your computer or burning to CD. Export Selection... saves only the selected audio in your project. Export Labels... When using a label track, saves the label text and positions to a text file. Export Multiple... Saves more than one audio file at a time. Exporting labeled sections of a single audio track is an easy way to save individual MP3 or WAV files for each track of an LP or tape recording. Apply Chain... Performs the same preset series of effects to either the audio in your project or a group of files. Edit Chains... Lets you edit, add or remove effects chains. Page Setup... Settings used for printing the Audacity screen. Print... Prints that copy out using an installed printer. Exit Closes all open project windows and shuts down Audacity. |
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Your mistake I think is that you're trying to summarise what the commands can do. That's not the purpose. In my view quick text is not trying to tell you exactly what each command does. It's only to tell you enough so that if you are scanning the list rapidly you know whether to look into the feature more. We must convey that metadata is about tags, that dependencies are about being self contained, that chains are an automation feature, because otherwise people might not know. Quick text really does need to be quick.
Text like:
"This safely renames a project (letting you then delete the original files), or lets you archive the project in its current state while continuing to modify the original project, such as margins and paper size, if this is the last window open, Audacity exits, if preferred, Audacity can open a new, empty project on closing the last window, go to the Interface tab of Preferences to enable this, the last step of the chain is normally to export the result to an audio file."
belongs in the main help.
If on reviewing you still don't agree, then by all means experiment with longer quick-text wherever you feel it is needed. For me the main thing is that getting help written is no longer the major roadblock to release that it once was. It doesn't have to be exactly the way I would prefer it.--James
That said, I have become disenchanted with this quick text idea. The text we had before (IMO) was wooly, written in non-reference style, and seemed to just give an example of what the command might do (e.g. "export multiple exports to MP3" or whatever it was). Supposing people don't read beyond the quick text, and then think Export Multiple does not work with WAV? Yes I too was beginning to feel the quick text was replacing the detailed text. Perhaps it should do so, because however you phrase that quick text, if you do it item by item then you are creating a duplication and risking people don't even go to the main text.
I could not live with the quick text we had before. It looks like the "half-saying things to save space" problem that we are rightly criticised for in the old manual. We may be able to do something like you have on the discussion page for this article (even that is much better than before IMO), and I would not rule out doing the same for the other quick text if you think we need it. But I'm no longer sure this is the right approach. If you want quick text to be solely what you state, I doubt it can be done non-confusingly item by item with the length you want. I think perhaps we like quick text because it looks nice to fill the space to right of a menu image, and we're confusing its purpose because of this. Might it be better just to (yes, summarise) not each command, but what the range of commands in that particular menu does? So, it's like the summary div'd introductions (I think) we're already agreed are a good idea on many pages. Gale
That said, I have become disenchanted with this quick text idea.... I think perhaps we like quick text because it looks nice to fill the space to right of a menu image, and we're confusing its purpose because of this.
I think you're right here.
- I think we have been using it to fill the space to the right of the menu image, and being confused about its purpose (the idea of menu with explanation beside it was also a carry over from the old manual).
- Your new version is fine, not too long, and the hint in the title is helpful. If we can do this for any menu page that becomes over long, that's great.
If you're not happy with it, because you feel it says too little, or if you think the same approach won't work on other menu pages.... then:
- We migrate any useful quick-text into the subheads.
- If we can come up with summary/introduction/overview text then that's a good solution for 1.4.0 timescale. My worry there is that we then try to say too much in the summary text, e.g. still try to say something about every command in the menu... I had a go on the talk page, and found myself doing just that.
- If summary/introduction/overview text is going to be a lot of hard work, or if it will work for some menus and not others, then best just to leave a white space??? What do you think?
- Post 1.4.0 we can look at extending the menu images to the right by showing the opened sub-menus (only 'Import' in this case, but we have four on the edit menu). It's what I call a 'spider diagram'. The submenus are linked by black lines to the parent menu items. We should be able to improve the screen capture code to automate the process of producing image captures, including spider diagrams.
- I think breaking up the menus into smaller chunks will look messy. I don't want to spend time experimenting with it and then probably reverting it until/unless we have tools that automate the process.
These problems have been entirely caused by the presence of the image. If it had not have been there, we could have got on developing the detailed text. And the old manual does not have menu images - it's two tables of text side by side. The images seem to have appeared in Dominic's early work on the current manual. It's a shame not to have the image but it's at the root of the problem and without it, I doubt we'd even have considered more than a repetition of the text in Menu Reference as an intro div. However as we have images for other items of the GUI I'm assuming we persist with the image....
A side by side image of the menu (at the top) split into two halves would be a solution. I don't think I like that idea a great deal, as it's nice to have the image in one piece so you can see where the various parts are. What do you think? Otherwise, I'm happy with the content/depth of the current Quick Text as far as it goes (except for Edit Menu) and can review the other Quick Text in case I can cut something out that's not essential. I think the content of the Quick Text is now good: it's precise, informative enough if the user does not read further and does not (AFIK) have holes so that something it says isn't true in a particular case. I still think it's a duplication of the main text. The alternative you tried of writing an overview at the right level is very difficult to do, as you found, and will be time-consuming. It may be useful if we use if to address confusions (e.g. in this case the export/save and dependencies problem) but may not be appropriate for all the menus. If it goes down below the level of the image on a medium fonts browser, it's probably too long again. Note that where it does so, it creates its own white space to left.
Obviously one of us has got to make a decision on this, including the easy option of just having white space to right of the image. However I think to save this roadblocking work on the rest of the manual as it has been doing, we can probably finish the detailed menu text now. Decide then based on what all the menu pages look like with TOCs removed if it's best the user just goes into the main text, or needs quick text or summary to save them having to wade into the whole page if they don't want to. We can always if needs be add a hint/link in the first relevant menu item to a page dealing with confusions e.g. whatever page we have to talk about Audacity Projects.
PS. There is another alternative to an image, which is to make the menu a hyperlinked table instead, as we do here. It's more work, doesn't avoid the problem of having to fill space to right of the menu with something, but works better with larger fonts as the text in the menu will be the same size as the rest of the page text. And it would probably have to be done with CSS to avoid loads of markup in the page.- Gale
New
Creates a new and empty project window to start working on new or imported Tracks. This new work environment can then be saved as an .AUP file for easy and full retrieval of its contents via the Save Project or Save Project As... File menu functions.
Open...
Selecting Open presents you with a standard dialog box where you can select either audio files, a list of files (.LOF) or an Audacity Project file to open. If your current project window is 'blank' then you essentially have an empty project to work with, which will be used to load the file you choose here. If the project already has tracks/data in it, then the file you open here will be loaded into a new project, and appear in a new window.
The audio formats recognized by Audacity include : WAV AIFF MP3 Ogg Vorbis FLAC
Recent Files...
As expected, this item will list the most recent files opened, including a full directory path if they are not stored in the default directory.
Close
Closes the current project window, prompting you to save your work if you haven't saved.
Save Project
Saves the current Audacity project .AUP file. Audacity projects are not intended to be read by other programs, but they are fast to load and save within Audacity. When you are finished working on a project and you want to be able to use it in another program, select one of the Export commands instead (see below).
Note that most of the audio data for an Audacity project is not stored in the .AUP file, but in a directory (folder) with the same name as the project. For example, if you save a project as chanson.aup, there will be a directory called chanson_data created to store the actual audio tracks of the project.
Save Project As...
Saves the current Audacity project .AUP file, allowing you to give it a different name or move it to a new location if you have already saved it in one location. Audacity projects are not intended to be read by other programs, but they are fast to load and save within Audacity. When you are finished working on a project and you want to be able to use the combined track mix in another program, select one of the Export commands instead.
Check Dependencies...
An Audacity Project depends on all of the audio files that you've opened or imported until you finish your project and export the finished mix, or specifically make a copy of them by saving the Project in question. You should not delete or move an audio file that Audacity is using in an unsaved project. The Check Dependencies command will list all of the audio files that your project depends on, and give you the option of copying them into the project (into a project_data folder) so that they become self-contained. The disadvantage of this method is that it takes time to copy the files, and this uses up a lot of extra disk space.
Open Metadata Editor...
Use this function to edit the ID3 tags that will be applied to an exported an MP3 file.
Import...
Audio...
Similar to 'Open', except that the file is added as a new track to your existing project. This lets you mix two files together.
Labels...
See Label Tracks.
MIDI...
Raw Data...
This function attempts to import an uncompressed audio file that might be "raw" data without any headers to define its format, might have incorrect headers or be otherwise partially corrupted, or might be in a format that Audacity is unable to recognize.
First, select the file in question in the "Select any uncompressed audio file" dialog. Then select appropriate parameters to assist Audacity in the formatting of the data. The fields in the dialog require you select:
- encoding (PCM, ADPCM, float...)
- byte order (this is almost always Little-endian if the file was created on Windows)
- number of channels (expected to be found in the file and created as a result)
- start offset in bytes
- percentage amount of the file to import
- sample rate to be applied to the created track
Export...
Exports the current Audacity project as an audio file format that can be read by other programs. If there are multiple tracks in your project, they will be automatically mixed in the exported data. For more information about mixing, see Mix and Render on the Tracks Menu.
You can choose the exported file format and settings from the File Export Dialog.
Export Selection...
This is the same as Export, above, but it only exports the part of the project that is selected. This is very useful if you want to save a small clip from part of a track as a separate file.
Export Labels...
If you have any Label Tracks, this command will export them as a text file. This feature is commonly used in Speech Recognition research to annotate speech utterances and phrases and then export the annotation to be later processed by another program. To import these labels into a different project later, use the Import... command, above.
Export Multiple...
This allows you to do multiple exports from Audacity with one command. Export either multiple files based on the multiple tracks in the project, or based on the labels in a single audio track. A great timesaver for splitting up long recordings into separate CD tracks, or archiving multiple working tracks. See the Tutorial - Copying tapes, LPs or minidiscs to CD for an example of how this is used.
Apply Chain...
This function is similar to a "Macro" of commands which allows you to select a Chain (which is a sequence of commands created via Edit Chains below) and apply it to either the current project, or to a specifically selected file.
Edit Chains...
This function allows you to either edit, remove, or rename existing Chains, or add a new Chain. When editing an existing Chain, the commands are listed in order of first to last (End), and can be modified by double clicking, or highlighting and pressing the spacebar. When adding a new chain, the Insert button allows you to choose from a selection of common Audacity functions and effects, and also specify the function parameters to be applied (see help items for specific functions if required). These chained Commands can also be re-ordered or deleted accordingly.
Page Setup...
Opens the standard Page Setup dialog box prior to printing.
Print...
Prints the contents of the Audacity window. The time ruler and all of your track waveforms and label tracks are printed, with no decorations. Everything is printed to one page.
Exit
Closes all project windows and exits Audacity. Although you will be asked if you want to save changes to your project, it isn't necessary for you to save changes if you've already exported your mix as a WAV or MP3 and you are now finished with it. On the other hand, if you are working on a mix and plan to continue where you left off, saving an Audacity Project will let you restore everything (as it is) later.
