Measure location data type
An MNX measure location describes a specific location of a musical event in terms of a measure's content. Some examples:
| Measure location | Encoding |
|---|---|
| One quarter note after the start of the containing measure | 0.25 |
| Three eighth notes after the start of the containing measure | 3/8 |
| One quarter note after the start of the measure with index 4 | 4:0.25 |
| The same as the preceding example | 4:1/4 |
The same metrical position as the event whose ID is event235 | #event235 |
Syntax definition
There are three possible syntaxes for measure locations:
- If the measure location is a metrical position in the context of the containing measure, then it is specified as a valid floating-point number or note value quantity that gives the number of whole notes from the start of the measure.
- If the measure location is a metrical position in the context of an arbitrary <measure> in the document, then it is specified as a pair of tokens separated by U+003A COLON. The first token is a measure number identifying the measure, and the second token is a valid floating-point number or note value quantity that gives the number of whole notes from the start of the identified measure. The identified measure must belong to the same measure content as the element in which the measure location is given. This requirement has the effect of ensuring that the measure index is unique, since measure locations cannot reference measures in other systems with different barring.
- If the measure location is identical to the metrical position of some known <event> in the score, then it can be specified as a element location identifying the event. The identified event must belong to the same measure content as the element in which the measure location is given.