The idea of MNX style properties and classes was first presented in the original draft spec. That proposal was rejected some time ago, and is not part of 1.0. It relied on CSS syntax, it was overcomplicated, and it didn't anticipate <system-layout>
or <score>
.
However, there's still a need for style properties as evidenced by the fact that styles and classes have been proposed multiple times in the CG to solve problems with text, dynamics, graphics, repeats. Each proposal has been a little different. It makes sense to revisit styles and address them in a way that's more uniform. That way we can have a single useful tool that can be rolled out repeatedly when we need it. This proposal tries to put forth a new vision of styles and how they fit into MNX 1.0.
This proposal is big enough to need a fair amount of up-front rationales and definitions before getting into the meat of it all, so thanks for your patience in read