Working with the Part Box

The objects available in the Part box (notes, symbols, text objects) are organized into groups. The top section contains small squares, with each representing a group. You can view this as the Part Box Group menu, if you like. All group elements are shown in a panel below—called the Part Box Elements display.

To change the arrangement of groups

Click one of the squares in the Part Box Group menu.

The corresponding group moves to the top of the panel, allowing easy access to its elements.

Note: Any element can be selected and inserted from any group panel, at any time. The group rearrangement function simply makes it easier to work with the Part box, especially on smaller screens, or when using small Score Editor windows.

To lock Part box group positions

Choose View > Partbox > Lock Group Positions.
Choose the command a second time to unlock group positions.

To show only the symbols of the currently selected group in the Part box

Turn off the View > Partbox > Show All Groups setting.

Selecting Part Box Objects

You can select any Part box object (a note, slur, clef, and so on) by clicking it. If a particular object group isn’t visible in the Part box, click the corresponding square in the Part Box Group menu to move the object group to the top of the panel.

To select an object directly from the Part Box Group menu

Hold down the mouse button on one of the squares in the Part Box Group menu, then choose an object from the menu that appears.

To open a small Part box group window

Double-click one of the group menu squares.

A small floating window, called a palette window, opens. It contains all objects in the group, and can be freely moved. Objects can be dragged directly from palette windows into any position in the score. You can simultaneously open as many palette windows as needed.

Note: Unlike the regular Part box, the selected object is not highlighted in the palette window.

The palette windows can have different shapes, depending on the modifier key you hold down while double-clicking a Part Box Group menu square:

Normal (Control key)
Vertical (Option key)
Horizontal (Command key)

Figure. Part box in different floating palette views.

The default shape of palette windows (opened with a simple double-click) can be predefined in the Logic Pro > Preferences > Score > Floating Palette View pop-up menu.

Selecting Part Box Objects with Key Commands

The following unassigned key commands select the corresponding note values in the Part box. These note values can then be quickly inserted with the Pencil tool:

Partbox: 1/1 Note
Partbox: 1/2 Note
Partbox: 1/4 Note
Partbox: 1/8 Note
Partbox: 1/16 Note
Partbox: 1/32 Note

If you execute any of these key commands more than once, the following applies:

Twice in succession, the corresponding triplet value is selected.
Three times selects the dotted value.
Four times returns to the original value.

Further key commands can also change the selection inside the Part box:

Next Partbox Symbol and Previous Partbox Symbol: The Next Partbox Symbol key command selects the symbol to the right of the selected object. The Previous Partbox Symbol key command selects the object to the left. When the last object in a group is reached, selection cycles back to the first object in the group.
Next Partbox Group and Previous Partbox Group: The Next Partbox Group key command selects the object group below the current (selected) one. Previous Partbox Group moves one group up. The most recently selected object within each group is retained when switching between groups.

Note: As the group display can be reordered, the current display order of groups determines the previous and next group.