lining up track labels

[steve]

why do they have the arrows at all?
...
why not leave the arrows off and just put in a marker?

The "arrow" will be used to move the end of the label region to which it is attached and the "dot" will move the entire label region.
This is not yet implemented but may be in the next release version - it is currently in the alpha version.

why can they be moved?

Because many people (including myself) find it extremely useful to be able to adjust them.

all i see is a lot of makework microstuff "function" that is not useful.

If it's not useful for you, just ignore it. There are a lot of features in Audacity that many users do not use but are invaluable to other users.

[whomper]

apparently i had an alpha version.
didn't work quite that way.

still have the question - WHY ??
HOW? would the experts use that advanced function?

i am just a dumb user and see no way that this could help anybody.

is its use a secret for the insiders and developers?

[whomper]

Whomper,
... problems y... have been fixed in 1.3.12RC2.

The label symbol [ sort of like this: <O>] now allows you to grab the right arrow to move the right end and the left arrow to move the left end. Grabbing the circle in the middle moves both ends by the same amount.

Dave

why do i want to do that at all?
what does a region buy me that i want to do all this?
and why wouldnt a region be from one ctrl B point to the next one?
what happens to the gaps if they dont abut end to end?

when i grabbed the right arrow it moved the circle
presume the circle stays put in the 1.3.12 fix

grabbing the circle let me push the arrows right or left and then try to slide the circle back to where it should have been
ditto about 1.3.12

[steve]

i am just a dumb user and see no way that this could help anybody.
is its use a secret for the insiders and developers?

I have no use for the metadata editor. I don't get upset about it, I just don't use it.

[whomper]

not upset - just very curious
it must be a secret. asked 3 times. no definitive answer each time.
so be it.

[steve]

It's no secret.
Sometimes a user will want to adjust one or other end of a region label - that's what the "handles" are for.
Sometimes a user will want to move the region label while maintaining the same region length - that's what the circles are for*.
Sometimes a user will want to move a "point marker" label without converting it into a region label - they can now do that using the circle*.
(* as of Audacity 1.3.12)

Why would a user want to move or adjust a label? One obvious reason is if it is not in exactly the right place.

What if you want to mark the start and end of a verse in a song? You drag the mouse across the track to select the required region then press Ctr+B to label it.
Later you find that the label does not match exactly with the beginning of the first beat of the bar - you can delete the label and do it again, but it is much easier and quicker to just adjust the label that is already there.

Haven't I already said all this?

You keep asking but .....
I've already given examples of how "point marker" labels and "region" labels might be used.
I've explained that labels are multi-purpose.
I've explained that you don't need to use region labels if you just want to split a track with Export Multiple.
What exactly is it that you don't understand?

[whomper]

thanks

my bad. should have remembered there are always somebody that wants to do something that is not intuitively clear.