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14 @node Running lilypond
15 @chapter Running @command{lilypond}
17 This chapter details the technicalities of running LilyPond.
21 * Command-line usage::
30 Most users run LilyPond through a GUI; if you have not done so
31 already, please read the @rlearning{Tutorial}. If you use an alternate
32 editor to write lilypond files, see the documentation for that
36 @node Command-line usage
37 @section Command-line usage
39 This section contains extra information about using LilyPond on the
40 command-line. This may be desirable to pass extra options to the
41 program. In addition, there are certain extra @q{helper} programs (such
42 as @code{midi2ly}) which are only available on the command-line.
44 By @q{command-line}, we mean the command line in the operating system.
45 Windows users might be more familiar with the terms @q{DOS shell} or
46 @q{command shell}. MacOS@tie{}X users might be more familiar with the terms
47 @q{terminal} or @q{console}. Some additional setup is required
48 for MacOS@tie{}X users; please see @rweb{MacOS X}.
50 Describing how to use this part of an operating system is outside the
51 scope of this manual; please consult other documentation on this topic
52 if you are unfamiliar with the command-line.
56 * Command line options for lilypond::
57 * Environment variables::
58 * LilyPond in chroot jail::
61 @node Invoking lilypond
62 @unnumberedsubsec Invoking @command{lilypond}
64 The @command{lilypond} executable may be called as follows from
68 lilypond [@var{option}]@dots{} @var{file}@dots{}
72 When invoked with a filename that has no extension, the @file{.ly}
73 extension is tried first. To read input from stdin, use a
74 dash (@code{-}) for @var{file}.
76 When @file{filename.ly} is processed it will produce @file{filename.ps}
77 and @file{filename.pdf} as output. Several files can be specified;
78 they will each be processed independently. @footnote{The status of
79 GUILE is not reset after processing a @code{.ly} file, so be careful
80 not to change any system defaults from within Scheme.}
82 If @file{filename.ly} contains more than one @code{\book}
83 block, then the rest of the scores will be output in numbered files,
84 starting with @file{filename-1.pdf}. In addition, the value of
85 @code{output-suffix} will be inserted between the basename and the
86 number. An input file containing
89 #(define output-suffix "violin")
91 #(define output-suffix "cello")
96 will output @var{base}@file{-violin.pdf} and
97 @var{base}@file{-cello-1.pdf}.
100 @node Command line options for lilypond
101 @unnumberedsubsec Command line options for @command{lilypond}
103 @cindex Invoking @command{lilypond}
104 @cindex command line options for @command{lilypond}
105 @cindex options, command line
108 The following options are supported:
112 @item -e,--evaluate=@var{expr}
113 Evaluate the Scheme @var{expr} before parsing any @file{.ly} files.
114 Multiple @code{-e} options may be given, they will be evaluated
117 The expression will be evaluated in the @code{guile-user} module, so
118 if you want to use definitions in @var{expr}, use
121 lilypond -e '(define-public a 42)'
125 on the command-line, and include
128 #(use-modules (guile-user))
132 at the top of the @code{.ly} file.
134 @item -f,--format=@var{format}
135 which formats should be written. Choices for @code{format} are
136 @code{ps}, @code{pdf}, and @code{png}.
138 Example: @code{lilypond -fpng @var{filename}.ly}
142 @item -d,--define-default=@var{var}=@var{val}
143 This sets the internal program option @var{var} to the Scheme value
144 @var{val}. If @var{val} is not supplied, then @var{#t} is used. To
145 switch off an option, @code{no-} may be prefixed to @var{var}, e.g.
147 @cindex point and click, command line
156 -dpoint-and-click='#f'
159 Here are a few interesting options.
161 @cindex help, command line
165 Running @code{lilypond -dhelp} will print all of the @code{-d} options
168 @cindex paper-size, command line
171 This option sets the default paper-size,
173 -dpaper-size=\"letter\"
177 Note that the string must be enclosed in escaped quotes ( @code{\"} ).
178 @c Match " in previous line to help context-sensitive editors
180 @cindex safe, command line
183 Do not trust the @code{.ly} input.
185 When LilyPond formatting is available through a web server, either the
186 @code{--safe} or the @code{--jail} option @b{MUST} be passed. The
187 @code{--safe} option will prevent inline Scheme code from wreaking
194 c4^#(ly:export (ly:gulp-file "/etc/passwd"))
199 The @code{-dsafe} option works by evaluating in-line Scheme
200 expressions in a special safe module. This safe module is derived from
201 GUILE @file{safe-r5rs} module, but adds a number of functions of the
202 LilyPond API. These functions are listed in @file{scm/@/safe@/-lily@/.scm}.
204 In addition, safe mode disallows @code{\include} directives and
205 disables the use of backslashes in @TeX{} strings.
207 In safe mode, it is not possible to import LilyPond variables
210 @code{-dsafe} does @emph{not} detect resource overuse. It is still possible to
211 make the program hang indefinitely, for example by feeding cyclic data
212 structures into the backend. Therefore, if using LilyPond on a
213 publicly accessible webserver, the process should be limited in both
214 CPU and memory usage.
216 The safe mode will prevent many useful LilyPond snippets from being
217 compiled. The @code{--jail} is a more secure alternative, but
218 requires more work to set up.
220 @cindex output format, setting
222 the output format to use for the back-end. Choices for @code{format} are
225 @cindex PostScript output
228 Postscript files include TTF, Type1 and OTF fonts. No subsetting of
229 these fonts is done. When using oriental character sets, this can
234 @cindex Postscript, encapsulated
235 @cindex EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)
237 for encapsulated PostScript. This dumps every page (system) as a separate
238 @file{EPS} file, without fonts, and as one collated @file{EPS} file with
239 all pages (systems) including fonts.
241 This mode is used by default by @command{lilypond-book}.
245 @cindex SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
247 for SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics).
249 This creates a single SVG file, without embedded fonts, for every
250 page of output. It is recommended to install the Century
251 Schoolbook fonts, included with your LilyPond installation, for
252 optimal rendering. Under UNIX, simply copy these fonts from the
253 LilyPond directory (typically
254 @file{/usr/share/lilypond/VERSION/fonts/otf/}) to
255 @file{~/.fonts/}. The SVG output should be compatible with any
256 SVG editor or user agent.
262 for a dump of the raw, internal Scheme-based drawing commands.
265 do not output a printed score; has the same effect as @code{-dno-print-pages}.
268 Example: @code{lilypond -dbackend=svg @var{filename}.ly}
271 @cindex preview, command line
272 Generate an output file containing the titles and the first system
273 of music. If @code{\bookpart} blocks are used, the titles and
274 first system of every @code{\bookpart} will appear in the output.
275 The @code{ps}, @code{eps}, and @code{svg} backends support this
279 Generate the full pages, the default. @code{-dno-print-pages} is
280 useful in combination with @code{-dpreview}.
287 Show a summary of usage.
289 @item -H,--header=@var{FIELD}
290 Dump a header field to file @file{BASENAME.@var{FIELD}}.
292 @cindex file searching
294 @item --include, -I=@var{directory}
295 Add @var{directory} to the search path for input files.
297 Multiple -I options may be given. The search will start in the
298 first defined directory, and if the file to be included is not
299 found the search will continue in subsequent directories.
301 @item -i,--init=@var{file}
302 Set init file to @var{file} (default: @file{init.ly}).
304 @cindex folder, directing output to
305 @cindex output filename, setting
307 @item -o,--output=@var{FILE} or @var{FOLDER}
308 Set the default output file to @var{FILE} or, if a folder with
309 that name exists, direct the output to @var{FOLDER}, taking the
310 file name from the input file. The appropriate suffix will be
311 added (e.g. @code{.pdf} for pdf) in both cases.
314 @cindex PostScript output
319 @cindex Portable Network Graphics (PNG) output
322 Generate pictures of each page, in PNG format. This implies
323 @code{--ps}. The resolution in DPI of the image may be set with
328 @cindex Portable Document Format (PDF) output
331 Generate PDF. This implies @code{--ps}.
335 @item -j,--jail=@var{user},@var{group},@var{jail},@var{dir}
336 Run @command{lilypond} in a chroot jail.
338 The @code{--jail} option provides a more flexible alternative to
339 @code{--safe} when LilyPond formatting is available through a web
340 server or whenever LilyPond executes externally provided
343 The @code{--jail} option works by changing the root of @command{lilypond} to
344 @var{jail} just before starting the actual compilation process. The user
345 and group are then changed to match those provided, and the current
346 directory is changed to @var{dir}. This setup guarantees that it is not
347 possible (at least in theory) to escape from the jail. Note that for
348 @code{--jail} to work @command{lilypond} must be run as root, which is usually
349 accomplished in a safe way using @command{sudo}.
351 Setting up a jail is a slightly delicate matter, as we must be sure that
352 LilyPond is able to find whatever it needs to compile the source
353 @emph{inside the jail}. A typical setup comprises the following items:
356 @item Setting up a separate filesystem
357 A separate filesystem should be created for LilyPond, so that it can be
358 mounted with safe options such as @code{noexec}, @code{nodev}, and
359 @code{nosuid}. In this way, it is impossible to run executables or to
360 write directly to a device from LilyPond. If you do not want to create a
361 separate partition, just create a file of reasonable size and use it to
362 mount a loop device. A separate filesystem also guarantees that LilyPond
363 cannot write more space than it is allowed.
365 @item Setting up a separate user
366 A separate user and group (say, @code{lily}/@code{lily}) with low
367 privileges should be used to run LilyPond inside the jail. There should
368 be a single directory writable by this user, which should be passed in
371 @item Preparing the jail
372 LilyPond needs to read a number of files while running. All these files
373 are to be copied into the jail, under the same path they appear in the
374 real root filesystem. The entire content of the LilyPond installation
375 (e.g., @file{/usr/share/lilypond})
378 If problems arise, the simplest way to trace them down is to run
379 LilyPond using @command{strace}, which will allow you to determine which
382 @item Running LilyPond
383 In a jail mounted with @code{noexec} it is impossible to execute any external
384 program. Therefore LilyPond must be run with a backend that does not
385 require any such program. As we already mentioned, it must be also run
386 with superuser privileges (which, of course, it will lose immediately),
387 possibly using @command{sudo}. It is a good idea to limit the number of
388 seconds of CPU time LilyPond can use (e.g., using @command{ulimit
389 -t}), and, if your operating system supports it, the amount of memory
390 that can be allocated.
395 Show version information.
398 Be verbose: show full paths of all files read, and give timing
402 Show the warranty with which GNU LilyPond comes. (It comes with
403 @strong{NO WARRANTY}!)
407 @node Environment variables
408 @unnumberedsubsec Environment variables
412 @cindex LILYPOND_DATADIR
414 @command{lilypond} recognizes the following environment variables:
416 @item LILYPOND_DATADIR
417 This specifies a directory where locale messages and
418 data files will be looked up by default. The directory should contain
419 subdirectories called @file{ly/}, @file{ps/}, @file{tex/}, etc.
422 This selects the language for the warning messages.
424 @item LILYPOND_GC_YIELD
425 With this variable the memory footprint and performance can be
426 adjusted. It is a percentage tunes memory management behavior. With
427 higher values, the program uses more memory, with smaller values, it
428 uses more CPU time. The default value is @code{70}.
433 @node LilyPond in chroot jail
434 @unnumberedsubsec LilyPond in chroot jail
436 Setting up the server to run LilyPond in a chroot jail is a complicated
437 task. The steps are listed below. Examples in the steps are from
438 Ubuntu Linux, and may require the use of @code{sudo} as appropriate.
442 @item Install the necessary packages: LilyPond, GhostScript, and ImageMagick.
444 @item Create a new user by the name of @code{lily}:
451 This will create a new group for the @code{lily} user as well, and a home folder,
454 @item In the home folder of the @code{lily} user create a file to use as a
458 dd if=/dev/zero of=/home/lily/loopfile bs=1k count= 200000
462 This example creates a 200MB file for use as the jail filesystem.
464 @item Create a loop device, make a file system and mount it, then create
465 a folder that can be written by the @code{lily} user:
469 losetup /dev/loop0 /home/lily/loopfile
470 mkfs -t ext3 /dev/loop0 200000
471 mount -t ext3 /dev/loop0 /mnt/lilyloop
472 mkdir /mnt/lilyloop/lilyhome
473 chown lily /mnt/lilyloop/lilyhome
476 @item In the configuration of the servers, the JAIL will be @code{/mnt/lilyloop}
477 and the DIR will be @code{/lilyhome}.
479 @item Create a big directory tree in the jail by copying the necessary files, as
480 shown in the sample script below.
482 You can use @code{sed} to create the necessary copy commands for a given
486 for i in "/usr/local/lilypond/usr/bin/lilypond" "/bin/sh" "/usr/bin/; do ldd $i | sed 's/.*=> \/\(.*\/\)\([^(]*\).*/mkdir -p \1 \&\& cp -L \/\1\2 \1\2/' | sed 's/\t\/\(.*\/\)\(.*\) (.*)$/mkdir -p \1 \&\& cp -L \/\1\2 \1\2/' | sed '/.*=>.*/d'; done
491 @subheading Example script for 32-bit Ubuntu 8.04
499 loopdevice=/dev/loop0
500 jaildir=/mnt/lilyloop
501 # the prefix (without the leading slash!)
503 # the directory where lilypond is installed on the system
504 lilydir=/$lilyprefix/lilypond/
506 userhome=$home/$username
507 loopfile=$userhome/loopfile
509 dd if=/dev/zero of=$loopfile bs=1k count=200000
511 losetup $loopdevice $loopfile
512 mkfs -t ext3 $loopdevice 200000
513 mount -t ext3 $loopdevice $jaildir
514 mkdir $jaildir/lilyhome
515 chown $username $jaildir/lilyhome
518 mkdir -p bin usr/bin usr/share usr/lib usr/share/fonts $lilyprefix tmp
521 cp -r -L $lilydir $lilyprefix
522 cp -L /bin/sh /bin/rm bin
523 cp -L /usr/bin/convert /usr/bin/gs usr/bin
524 cp -L /usr/share/fonts/truetype usr/share/fonts
526 # Now the library copying magic
527 for i in "$lilydir/usr/bin/lilypond" "$lilydir/usr/bin/guile" "/bin/sh" "/bin/rm" "/usr/bin/gs" "/usr/bin/convert"; do ldd $i | sed 's/.*=> \/\(.*\/\)\([^(]*\).*/mkdir -p \1 \&\& cp -L \/\1\2 \1\2/' | sed 's/\t\/\(.*\/\)\(.*\) (.*)$/mkdir -p \1 \&\& cp -L \/\1\2 \1\2/' | sed '/.*=>.*/d'; done | sh -s
529 # The shared files for ghostscript...
530 cp -L -r /usr/share/ghostscript usr/share
531 # The shared files for ImageMagick
532 cp -L -r /usr/lib/ImageMagick* usr/lib
534 ### Now, assuming that you have test.ly in /mnt/lilyloop/lilyhome, you should be able to run:
535 ### Note that /$lilyprefix/bin/lilypond is a script, which sets the LD_LIBRARY_PATH - this is crucial
536 /$lilyprefix/bin/lilypond -jlily,lily,/mnt/lilyloop,/lilyhome test.ly
541 @section Error messages
543 @cindex error messages
544 Different error messages can appear while compiling a file:
550 Something looks suspect. If you are requesting something out of the
551 ordinary then you will understand the message, and can ignore it.
552 However, warnings usually indicate that something is wrong with the
557 Something is definitely wrong. The current processing step (parsing,
558 interpreting, or formatting) will be finished, but the next step will
563 Something is definitely wrong, and LilyPond cannot continue. This
564 happens rarely. The most usual cause is misinstalled fonts.
567 @cindex trace, Scheme
570 Errors that occur while executing Scheme code are caught by the Scheme
571 interpreter. If running with the verbose option (@code{-V} or
572 @code{--verbose}) then a call trace of the offending
573 function call is printed.
575 @item Programming error
576 @cindex Programming error
577 There was some internal inconsistency. These error messages are
578 intended to help the programmers and debuggers. Usually, they can be
579 ignored. Sometimes, they come in such big quantities that they obscure
582 @item Aborted (core dumped)
583 @cindex Aborted (core dumped)
584 This signals a serious programming error that caused the program to
585 crash. Such errors are considered critical. If you stumble on one,
589 @cindex errors, message format
590 If warnings and errors can
591 be linked to some part of the input file, then error messages have the
595 @var{filename}:@var{lineno}:@var{columnno}: @var{message}
596 @var{offending input line}
599 A line-break is inserted in the offending line to indicate the column
600 where the error was found. For example,
603 test.ly:2:19: error: not a duration: 5
608 These locations are LilyPond's best guess about where the warning or
609 error occurred, but (by their very nature) warnings and errors occur
610 when something unexpected happens. If you can't see an error in the
611 indicated line of your input file, try checking one or two lines
612 above the indicated position.
614 More information about errors is given in @ref{Common errors}.
618 @section Common errors
620 The error conditions described below occur often, yet the cause
621 is not obvious or easily found. Once seen and understood, they
626 * Music runs off the page::
627 * An extra staff appears::
628 * Apparent error in ../ly/init.ly::
629 * Error message Unbound variable %::
630 * Error message FT_Get_Glyph_Name::
633 @node Music runs off the page
634 @unnumberedsubsec Music runs off the page
636 Music running off the page over the right margin or appearing
637 unduly compressed is almost always due to entering an incorrect
638 duration on a note, causing the final note in a measure to extend
639 over the bar line. It is not invalid if the final note in a
640 measure does not end on the automatically entered bar line, as the
641 note is simply assumed to carry over into the next measure. But
642 if a long sequence of such carry-over measures occurs the music
643 can appear compressed or may flow off the page because automatic
644 line breaks can be inserted only at the end of complete measures,
645 i.e., where all notes end before or at the end of the measure.
647 @warning{An incorrect duration can cause line breaks to be
648 inhibited, leading to a line of highly compressed music or
649 music which flows off the page.}
651 The incorrect duration can be found easily if bar checks are used,
652 see @ruser{Bar and bar number checks}.
654 If you actually intend to have a series of such carry-over measures
655 you will need to insert an invisible bar line where you want the
656 line to break. For details, see @ruser{Bar lines}.
659 @node An extra staff appears
660 @unnumberedsubsec An extra staff appears
662 If contexts are not created explicitly with @code{\new} or
663 @code{\context}, they will be silently created as soon as a
664 command is encountered which cannot be applied to an existing
665 context. In simple scores the automatic creation of contexts is
666 useful, and most of the examples in the LilyPond manuals take
667 advantage of this simplification. But occasionally the silent
668 creation of contexts can give rise to unexpected new staves or
669 scores. For example, it might be expected that the following code
670 would cause all note heads within the following staff to be
671 colored red, but in fact it results in two staves with the note
672 heads remaining the default black in the lower staff.
674 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
675 \override Staff.NoteHead #'color = #red
679 This is because a @code{Staff} context does not exist when the
680 override is processed, so one is implicitly created and the override
681 is applied to it, but then the @code{\new Staff} command creates
682 another, separate, staff into which the notes are placed. The
683 correct code to color all note heads red is
685 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
687 \override Staff.NoteHead #'color = #red
692 As a second example, if a @code{\relative} command is placed inside
693 a @code{\repeat} command, two staves result, the second offset from
694 the first, because the @code{\repeat} command generates two
695 @code{\relative} blocks, which each implicitly create @code{Staff}
696 and @code{Voice} blocks.
698 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
700 \relative c' { c4 d e f }
704 Explicitly instantiating the @code{Voice} context fixes the
707 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
710 \relative c' { c4 d e f }
716 @node Apparent error in ../ly/init.ly
717 @unnumberedsubsec Apparent error in @code{../ly/init.ly}
719 Various obscure error messages may appear about syntax errors in
720 @code{../ly/init.ly} if the input file is not correctly formed,
721 for example, if it does not contain correctly
722 matched braces or quote signs.
724 The most common error is a missing brace, (@code{@}}), at the end of
725 a @code{score} block. Here the solution is obvious: check the
726 @code{score} block is correctly terminated. The correct structure
727 of an input file is described in @rlearning{How LilyPond input files work}.
728 Using an editor which automatically highlights matching brackets and
729 braces is helpful to avoid such errors.
731 A second common cause is no white space between the last syllable
732 of a lyrics block and the terminating brace, (@code{@}}). Without
733 this separation the brace is taken to be part of the syllable. It
734 is always advisable to ensure there is white space before and after
735 @emph{every} brace. For the importance of this when using lyrics,
736 see @ruser{Lyrics explained}.
738 This error message can also appear if a terminating quote sign,
739 (@code{"}), is omitted. In this case an accompanying error message
740 @c keep "-matching straight in fancy editors
741 should give a line number close to the line in error. The
742 mismatched quote will usually be on the line one or two above.
744 @node Error message Unbound variable %
745 @unnumberedsubsec Error message Unbound variable %
747 This error message will appear at the bottom of the console
748 output or log file together with a @qq{GUILE signalled an error ...}
749 message every time a Scheme routine is called which (invalidly)
750 contains a @emph{LilyPond} rather than a @emph{Scheme} comment.
752 LilyPond comments begin with a percent sign, (@code{%}), and must
753 not be used within Scheme routines. Scheme comments begin with a
754 semi-colon, (@code{;}).
756 @node Error message FT_Get_Glyph_Name
757 @unnumberedsubsec Error message FT_Get_Glyph_Name
759 This error messages appears in the console output or log file if
760 an input file contains a non-ASCII character and was not saved in
761 UTF-8 encoding. For details, see @ruser{Text encoding}.