New, Open and Save
A file can most easily be opened by clicking on it in the left File pane when this is open. Note: this will also list and open BWW files without needing to import.
In addition, the file operations New, Open, Save and Save As are all available from the File menu, and from the main toolbar.
Files created with the New File Wizard
or files opened (rather than imported) will be in CelticPipes native
binary format when they are saved back to disk, unless they are
explicitly Exported to another format. This format has the CEPX file extension.
File Formats
With the advent of CelticPipes 3, the CEPX format has been introduced. This new file format is more portable and more future-proof, unlike .cep which is tightly coupled to the java binary serialization format.
The CEPX format also allows any images in the document (annotation or custom symbols) to be saved with the document (embedded) rather than having to be moved separately with it (linked). This makes CelticPipe documents even
more portable across systems.
It is also still able to load the older CEP format files. NB: CelticPipes v2.1 cannot load .cepx format files as this relies on completely new routines in v3 to process it.
Storing scores in native (CEPX) format has pros and cons:
pros:
all features of the software will be supported so that when the file is
read back in, it will look exactly the same with regard to fonts,
colours, text, symbol size and placement. This is not true if exported
formats are used.
cons: no other software application will be able to read these files. They are not text and so they are not human-readable.
How to decide what format to use?
We
recommend that you store all your music files in .cepx format and that
you back them up regularly, particularly when working on the files.
This way, you will have them in the exact layout you require. You can
use this format when exchanging files with other CelticPipes
users. When you want to share them with a wider audience, choose the
most appropriate export format and check that they import correctly in
other applications - and that the imported file appears acceptable to
you. Remember, some information will almost certainly be lost e.g. font
colours, pictures, text etc.
Files which have been opened recently will appear under Recent Files at the end of the File menu e.g.:
They are shown in the order they were last opened or saved i.e. the file at the top is the most recently used one.
File Association
From CelticPipes version 2 onwards, a file may be opened directly by activating the file itself (using File Explorer in Windows or Finder on a Mac). When this is done, the file will automatically open CelticPipes
(if not already open) and display itself in a new tab.
Tune Library
Files can be opened or downloaded from the Tune library and opened in CelticPipes.
If the File Association is set up correctly on Windows, simply clicking on the tune or score file link in the Tune Library should open the file in CelticPipes. On a Mac, clicking on it has a different effect; it is downloaded.
Whatever method is chosen the most foolproof method is to download the file (click on its link or use Right-click->Save As to download it). The use File->Open in CelticPipes to browse for the file
you downloaded and select it to open.