The Sibelius Forum

If I have the same number of bars in each stave (due do using "Enter"), how to automatically align them vertically? This means to make bar lines be one under one - so the bars should be completely parallel vertically.
It doesn't mean the same width for all bars because some bars may be empty and small. So I need the same width of bars vertically but not horizontally.

I do not understand the question. What are you trying to produce? Can you show me an example as an image?

so the staves should be completely parallel vertically

There was a mistake. So the bars should be completely parallel vertically (not staves).

One more try to explain. All bars should go the way they are part of a big system for full page (like orchestra), like there are long bar lines though all staves (but in reality, the bar lines aren't cross-stave and it is only the piano system).

Is this a single staff with the bars lining up over several lines or more than one staff (a system)? A system should line up automatically. You will find it quite tricky to line up a single staff as the bars will probably have different amounts of notes in them.

It is about several (all on a page) piano systems (lines), but one staff should require the same actions. So we can consider "one staff over 2 lines" as well.

the bars will probably have different amounts of notes in them

Yes. Or be empty.

This is my case (only rhythm to easily replicate):

Do you need playback?

If not, make one systen with however many bars you want on a line and put the notes in in bars like in a full score as if they were separate instruments in the score.

If you do, then the ONLY way I know of is to put the smallest notes you are using (eg 16ths) into a hidden voice. This will force all the bars to the same width and then your visible notes will not cause the bars to take on different lengths.

Do you need playback?

Yes.

then the ONLY way I know of is to put the smallest notes you are using (eg 16ths) into a hidden voice.

No, the smallest notes - 32ths. Then all bars will be extremely fat, probably only 2 per staff. I had already seen this way on Youtube before asking. I thought that something new appeared.
And from the first my post:

It doesn't mean the same width for all bars because some bars may be empty and small. So I need the same width of bars vertically but not horizontally.

Sad that such a basic thing is unsupported.

IMHO, it's not that basic. Written music doesn't really work like that.

Just a suggestion, but maybe have a play around with the plugin called Proportional Note Spacing (under Plugins > Layout). Seems to work well with a single time signature, especially if you can remove that time signature, or place a dummy time sig at the start of each line. Not sure if you can get it working when changing time signatures though, that may be asking too much.

Good call! I never use proportional spacing, so I forget that plugin exists.

This plugin doesn't work even for my rhythm example.

"C" at the end of line 3 and using "C" in line 4 totally break it.
Anyway, it tries to make the same width for all bars - it is what I don't want.

I think the only way you are going to get bars a consistent width is by using a group of staves as a system. I'm not questioning what you are doing, but why do you need to do it? What is the purpose? Is it an exercise? Are you trying to reproduce something? Knowing this might help me find a solution.

I just think that parallel bars look very esthetically if they have similar amounts of notes vertically. It is a very desired (the most) thing for me in this topic.
So the first bars (in staves) should have the width of the longest first bar, and so on. Creating a hidden instrument should work for this too (with different rhythm), but I want an automatic way (not a time-consuming walkaround).

Well, as I said before this is not how music notation is designed to work. As you have discovered, sibelius requires a time consuming workaround to get it even close.

Music notation is intended to be read very quickly and having bars proportionally spaced like this is counter to that principle.

Ditto to what Mike said.

This sort of deliberate alignment does indeed make the music harder to read. In particular, it makes it very easy to miss a line of music or even go back a line.

Sibelius spent a lot of time, effort and money getting the programme to flow and space the music in a sensible, logical way. Most of the time it gets it pretty much right. And that's why you have to fight the programme to get something different.

It's your decision on what to do, and I respect and defend your right to make that decision. But with equal respect, and with my music educator's hat firmly on, it is a poor decision.