Inputting vs. editing
Dorico Pro distinguishes the processes for inputting and editing music.
Inputting
If you can see the caret, you are inputting new music. The caret must be activated in order to input notes and notations. If the caret is activated, selecting tools or items in the Notes toolbox and the Notes panel affects the note or chord that you are about to input, as you can specify the duration, rhythm dot, accidentals, and articulations. Then you specify the pitch by clicking the note into the score, by pressing the letter name of the note on your computer keyboard, or by playing the note or chord on your MIDI keyboard.
When the caret is activated, notes and notations are input at the caret position.
If no notes or chords are selected in the music area and you select a duration, either by pressing its key command or by clicking it in the Notes panel, mouse input is activated. If you move the mouse pointer over the staff, a shadow note is displayed to indicate where the note will be input if you click.
Deactivating mouse input prevents Dorico Pro from starting mouse input in this circumstance.
Editing
If you cannot see the caret, you can edit existing music. Editing music includes deleting notes and notations, which you can only do in Write mode, although you can also delete notes in Play mode but not notations. You can switch back and forth between inputting and editing at any time.
When the caret is not activated, new items are input at the position of the first selected item in the music area. If there is no selection, the mouse pointer is loaded with the new item. The item is then created at the location where you click.
To edit existing notes and notations, you must select them in the music area. This allows you to update the selected notes or items when you select, for example, new note durations, accidentals, or articulations in the Notes panel.
We recommend that you spend a moment to understand the difference between how Dorico Pro behaves if the caret is shown and if it is not. In the latter case, all editing functions operate on the items that you have selected in the music area.