How to simplify colours (U.S. colors) of bar lines

Stu McKenzie <[email protected]> Fri, 17 Jul 2026 08:05:59 -0700
Newsgroups gmane.comp.gnu.lilypond.general
Message-ID <[email protected]>
LilyPond 'layout' may be changed for 'startRepeatBarType' and 
'endRepeatBarType' - I'd like to define various coloured bar types.

Here's an MWE (perhaps not so minimum) showing:
1. colours of 'start/end RepeatBarType' to be red (done in the 'music' 
and the 'layout' block)
2. colours of repeat with different endings to be red
3. colours of 'Score.VoltaBracket.color' to be red - including the 
single volta indicators
4. colours of 'sections' to be red
5. colours of 'fine' to be red
6. colours of repeat of a few bars to be magenta

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
\version "2.26.0"
ColorRepeatSomeBarsBeg = {
     % ColorRepeatAFewBarsStart - Override the barline colour with magenta
     \once \override Score.BarLine.color = #magenta
     % 'glyph' for start of repeat some bars
     \bar ".|:"
}
ColorRepeatSomeBarsEnd = {
     % ColorRepeatAFewBarsEnd - Override the barline colour with Magenta
     \once \override Score.BarLine.color = #magenta
     % 'glyph' for start of repeat some bars
     \bar ":|."
}
music = \relative c' {
     % Global Settings for Colours - volta brackets color red
     \override Score.VoltaBracket.color = #red
     % Shorten the volta bracket(s) to be drawn (to be over one measure 
only)
      \override Score.VoltaBracket.musical-length = \musicLength 1
     f1
     % BEG Repeat with different endings - Override the barline colour
     \once \override Staff.BarLine.color = #(x11-color 'red)
     % start volta style is now handled by the glyph 'startRepeatBarType'
     \repeat volta 2 {
         g1
         \ColorRepeatSomeBarsBeg
         a1 a1
         \ColorRepeatSomeBarsEnd
         b1
     } % END repeat volta 2
     \alternative {
         \volta 1 {
             c1
             % BEG Repeat with different endings - Override the barline 
colour
             \once \override Staff.BarLine.color = #(x11-color 'red)
             % end volta style is now handled by the glyph 
'endRepeatBarType'
         } % END volta 1
         \volta 2 {
             d1
         } % END volta 2
     } % END alternative
     e1
     % \section barline in red
     \once \override Staff.BarLine.color = #red \section
     f1
     % \fine barline in red
     \once \override Staff.BarLine.color = #red \fine
} % END music \relative c'
\score {
     \music
     \layout {
         \context {
             \Score
                 % definition of 'startRepeatBarType'
                 startRepeatBarType = "[|:"
                 % definition of 'startRepeatBarType'
                 endRepeatBarType = ":|]"
         }
     }
}
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%