time signature specification

[lemzwerg]

Related to #621, I wonder about possible values for <beats> and <beat-type>. Both elements are string-typed, which means that nonsense stuff like <beats>blubb</beats> is valid input...

So: What values are actually used in real-world code? I could imagine the following – the idea is to allow some standardized interchange between notation programs.

• Both <beats> and <beat-type> should not only contain whitespace.
• In both elements, whitespace is ignored but can separate tokens.
• Valid strings in <beats> are a positive number (examples: 3, 3.14), a fraction (example: 1/2 or 1 / 2 or ½), a mixed number (example: 3½) and combinations with the + and / characters (example: 3 + 4 + 1/2).
• Valid strings in <beat-type> are positive numbers, fractions, and mixed numbers.

[infojunkie]

Thanks for starting this thread. Any restriction of existing data types needs to refer to existing sources, otherwise we're running the risk of excluding some musical practice that we might not be aware of.

On the software side, it is up to each software, depending on its scope, to guard against cases that it cannot handle.

For example, one starting point could be this page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_musical_works_in_unusual_time_signatures . Other sources are welcome too.

[lemzwerg]

Thanks! I've updated my OP.