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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 @unnumberedsubsubsec Standard shell commands
102 If your shell (i.e. command window) supports normal redirects,
103 then you might find it useful to use the following commands to
104 redirect console output to a file:
109 @code{lilypond file.ly 1>stdout.log} to redirect normal output
112 @code{lilypond file.ly 2>stderr.log} to redirect error messages
115 @code{lilypond file.ly &>all.log} to redirect all output
119 Consult the documentation for your shell to see if it supports these
120 options, or if the syntax is different. Note that these are shell
121 commands and have nothing to do with lilypond.
124 @node Command line options for lilypond
125 @unnumberedsubsec Command line options for @command{lilypond}
127 @cindex Invoking @command{lilypond}
128 @cindex command line options for @command{lilypond}
129 @cindex options, command line
132 The following options are supported:
136 @item -e,--evaluate=@var{expr}
137 Evaluate the Scheme @var{expr} before parsing any @file{.ly} files.
138 Multiple @code{-e} options may be given, they will be evaluated
141 The expression will be evaluated in the @code{guile-user} module, so
142 if you want to use definitions in @var{expr}, use
145 lilypond -e '(define-public a 42)'
149 on the command-line, and include
152 #(use-modules (guile-user))
156 at the top of the @code{.ly} file.
158 @item -f,--format=@var{format}
159 which formats should be written. Choices for @code{format} are
160 @code{ps}, @code{pdf}, and @code{png}.
162 Example: @code{lilypond -fpng @var{filename}.ly}
166 @item -d,--define-default=@var{var}=@var{val}
167 This sets the internal program option @var{var} to the Scheme value
168 @var{val}. If @var{val} is not supplied, then @var{#t} is used. To
169 switch off an option, @code{no-} may be prefixed to @var{var}, e.g.
171 @cindex point and click, command line
180 -dpoint-and-click='#f'
183 Here are a few interesting options.
185 @cindex help, command line
189 Running @code{lilypond -dhelp} will print all of the @code{-d} options
192 @cindex paper-size, command line
195 This option sets the default paper-size,
197 -dpaper-size=\"letter\"
201 Note that the string must be enclosed in escaped quotes ( @code{\"} ).
202 @c Match " in previous line to help context-sensitive editors
204 @cindex safe, command line
207 Do not trust the @code{.ly} input.
209 When LilyPond formatting is available through a web server, either the
210 @code{--safe} or the @code{--jail} option @b{MUST} be passed. The
211 @code{--safe} option will prevent inline Scheme code from wreaking
218 c4^#(ly:export (ly:gulp-file "/etc/passwd"))
223 The @code{-dsafe} option works by evaluating in-line Scheme
224 expressions in a special safe module. This safe module is derived from
225 GUILE @file{safe-r5rs} module, but adds a number of functions of the
226 LilyPond API. These functions are listed in @file{scm/@/safe@/-lily@/.scm}.
228 In addition, safe mode disallows @code{\include} directives and
229 disables the use of backslashes in @TeX{} strings.
231 In safe mode, it is not possible to import LilyPond variables
234 @code{-dsafe} does @emph{not} detect resource overuse. It is still possible to
235 make the program hang indefinitely, for example by feeding cyclic data
236 structures into the backend. Therefore, if using LilyPond on a
237 publicly accessible webserver, the process should be limited in both
238 CPU and memory usage.
240 The safe mode will prevent many useful LilyPond snippets from being
241 compiled. The @code{--jail} is a more secure alternative, but
242 requires more work to set up.
244 @cindex output format, setting
246 the output format to use for the back-end. Choices for @code{format} are
249 @cindex PostScript output
252 Postscript files include TTF, Type1 and OTF fonts. No subsetting of
253 these fonts is done. When using oriental character sets, this can
258 @cindex Postscript, encapsulated
259 @cindex EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)
261 for encapsulated PostScript. This dumps every page (system) as a separate
262 @file{EPS} file, without fonts, and as one collated @file{EPS} file with
263 all pages (systems) including fonts.
265 This mode is used by default by @command{lilypond-book}.
269 @cindex SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics)
271 for SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics).
273 This creates a single SVG file, without embedded fonts, for every
274 page of output. It is recommended to install the Century
275 Schoolbook fonts, included with your LilyPond installation, for
276 optimal rendering. Under UNIX, simply copy these fonts from the
277 LilyPond directory (typically
278 @file{/usr/share/lilypond/VERSION/fonts/otf/}) to
279 @file{~/.fonts/}. The SVG output should be compatible with any
280 SVG editor or user agent.
286 for a dump of the raw, internal Scheme-based drawing commands.
289 do not output a printed score; has the same effect as @code{-dno-print-pages}.
292 Example: @code{lilypond -dbackend=svg @var{filename}.ly}
295 @cindex preview, command line
296 Generate an output file containing the titles and the first system
297 of music. If @code{\bookpart} blocks are used, the titles and
298 first system of every @code{\bookpart} will appear in the output.
299 The @code{ps}, @code{eps}, and @code{svg} backends support this
303 Generate the full pages, the default. @code{-dno-print-pages} is
304 useful in combination with @code{-dpreview}.
311 Show a summary of usage.
313 @item -H,--header=@var{FIELD}
314 Dump a header field to file @file{BASENAME.@var{FIELD}}.
316 @cindex file searching
318 @item --include, -I=@var{directory}
319 Add @var{directory} to the search path for input files.
321 Multiple -I options may be given. The search will start in the
322 first defined directory, and if the file to be included is not
323 found the search will continue in subsequent directories.
325 @item -i,--init=@var{file}
326 Set init file to @var{file} (default: @file{init.ly}).
328 @cindex folder, directing output to
329 @cindex output filename, setting
331 @item -o,--output=@var{FILE} or @var{FOLDER}
332 Set the default output file to @var{FILE} or, if a folder with
333 that name exists, direct the output to @var{FOLDER}, taking the
334 file name from the input file. The appropriate suffix will be
335 added (e.g. @code{.pdf} for pdf) in both cases.
338 @cindex PostScript output
343 @cindex Portable Network Graphics (PNG) output
346 Generate pictures of each page, in PNG format. This implies
347 @code{--ps}. The resolution in DPI of the image may be set with
352 @cindex Portable Document Format (PDF) output
355 Generate PDF. This implies @code{--ps}.
359 @item -j,--jail=@var{user},@var{group},@var{jail},@var{dir}
360 Run @command{lilypond} in a chroot jail.
362 The @code{--jail} option provides a more flexible alternative to
363 @code{--safe} when LilyPond formatting is available through a web
364 server or whenever LilyPond executes externally provided
367 The @code{--jail} option works by changing the root of @command{lilypond} to
368 @var{jail} just before starting the actual compilation process. The user
369 and group are then changed to match those provided, and the current
370 directory is changed to @var{dir}. This setup guarantees that it is not
371 possible (at least in theory) to escape from the jail. Note that for
372 @code{--jail} to work @command{lilypond} must be run as root, which is usually
373 accomplished in a safe way using @command{sudo}.
375 Setting up a jail is a slightly delicate matter, as we must be sure that
376 LilyPond is able to find whatever it needs to compile the source
377 @emph{inside the jail}. A typical setup comprises the following items:
380 @item Setting up a separate filesystem
381 A separate filesystem should be created for LilyPond, so that it can be
382 mounted with safe options such as @code{noexec}, @code{nodev}, and
383 @code{nosuid}. In this way, it is impossible to run executables or to
384 write directly to a device from LilyPond. If you do not want to create a
385 separate partition, just create a file of reasonable size and use it to
386 mount a loop device. A separate filesystem also guarantees that LilyPond
387 cannot write more space than it is allowed.
389 @item Setting up a separate user
390 A separate user and group (say, @code{lily}/@code{lily}) with low
391 privileges should be used to run LilyPond inside the jail. There should
392 be a single directory writable by this user, which should be passed in
395 @item Preparing the jail
396 LilyPond needs to read a number of files while running. All these files
397 are to be copied into the jail, under the same path they appear in the
398 real root filesystem. The entire content of the LilyPond installation
399 (e.g., @file{/usr/share/lilypond})
402 If problems arise, the simplest way to trace them down is to run
403 LilyPond using @command{strace}, which will allow you to determine which
406 @item Running LilyPond
407 In a jail mounted with @code{noexec} it is impossible to execute any external
408 program. Therefore LilyPond must be run with a backend that does not
409 require any such program. As we already mentioned, it must be also run
410 with superuser privileges (which, of course, it will lose immediately),
411 possibly using @command{sudo}. It is a good idea to limit the number of
412 seconds of CPU time LilyPond can use (e.g., using @command{ulimit
413 -t}), and, if your operating system supports it, the amount of memory
414 that can be allocated.
419 Show version information.
422 Be verbose: show full paths of all files read, and give timing
426 Show the warranty with which GNU LilyPond comes. (It comes with
427 @strong{NO WARRANTY}!)
431 @node Environment variables
432 @unnumberedsubsec Environment variables
436 @cindex LILYPOND_DATADIR
438 @command{lilypond} recognizes the following environment variables:
440 @item LILYPOND_DATADIR
441 This specifies a directory where locale messages and
442 data files will be looked up by default. The directory should contain
443 subdirectories called @file{ly/}, @file{ps/}, @file{tex/}, etc.
446 This selects the language for the warning messages.
448 @item LILYPOND_GC_YIELD
449 With this variable the memory footprint and performance can be
450 adjusted. It is a percentage tunes memory management behavior. With
451 higher values, the program uses more memory, with smaller values, it
452 uses more CPU time. The default value is @code{70}.
457 @node LilyPond in chroot jail
458 @unnumberedsubsec LilyPond in chroot jail
460 Setting up the server to run LilyPond in a chroot jail is a complicated
461 task. The steps are listed below. Examples in the steps are from
462 Ubuntu Linux, and may require the use of @code{sudo} as appropriate.
466 @item Install the necessary packages: LilyPond, GhostScript, and ImageMagick.
468 @item Create a new user by the name of @code{lily}:
475 This will create a new group for the @code{lily} user as well, and a home folder,
478 @item In the home folder of the @code{lily} user create a file to use as a
482 dd if=/dev/zero of=/home/lily/loopfile bs=1k count= 200000
486 This example creates a 200MB file for use as the jail filesystem.
488 @item Create a loop device, make a file system and mount it, then create
489 a folder that can be written by the @code{lily} user:
493 losetup /dev/loop0 /home/lily/loopfile
494 mkfs -t ext3 /dev/loop0 200000
495 mount -t ext3 /dev/loop0 /mnt/lilyloop
496 mkdir /mnt/lilyloop/lilyhome
497 chown lily /mnt/lilyloop/lilyhome
500 @item In the configuration of the servers, the JAIL will be @code{/mnt/lilyloop}
501 and the DIR will be @code{/lilyhome}.
503 @item Create a big directory tree in the jail by copying the necessary files, as
504 shown in the sample script below.
506 You can use @code{sed} to create the necessary copy commands for a given
510 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\/\(.*\/\)\(.*\) (.*)$/mkdir -p \1 \&\& cp -L \/\1\2 \1\2/' | sed '/.*=>.*/d'; done
515 @subheading Example script for 32-bit Ubuntu 8.04
523 loopdevice=/dev/loop0
524 jaildir=/mnt/lilyloop
525 # the prefix (without the leading slash!)
527 # the directory where lilypond is installed on the system
528 lilydir=/$lilyprefix/lilypond/
530 userhome=$home/$username
531 loopfile=$userhome/loopfile
533 dd if=/dev/zero of=$loopfile bs=1k count=200000
535 losetup $loopdevice $loopfile
536 mkfs -t ext3 $loopdevice 200000
537 mount -t ext3 $loopdevice $jaildir
538 mkdir $jaildir/lilyhome
539 chown $username $jaildir/lilyhome
542 mkdir -p bin usr/bin usr/share usr/lib usr/share/fonts $lilyprefix tmp
545 cp -r -L $lilydir $lilyprefix
546 cp -L /bin/sh /bin/rm bin
547 cp -L /usr/bin/convert /usr/bin/gs usr/bin
548 cp -L /usr/share/fonts/truetype usr/share/fonts
550 # Now the library copying magic
551 for i in "$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\/\(.*\/\)\(.*\) (.*)$/mkdir -p \1 \&\& cp -L \/\1\2 \1\2/' | sed '/.*=>.*/d'; done | sh -s
553 # The shared files for ghostscript...
554 cp -L -r /usr/share/ghostscript usr/share
555 # The shared files for ImageMagick
556 cp -L -r /usr/lib/ImageMagick* usr/lib
558 ### Now, assuming that you have test.ly in /mnt/lilyloop/lilyhome, you should be able to run:
559 ### Note that /$lilyprefix/bin/lilypond is a script, which sets the LD_LIBRARY_PATH - this is crucial
560 /$lilyprefix/bin/lilypond -jlily,lily,/mnt/lilyloop,/lilyhome test.ly
563 @c " keep quote signs balanced for context-sensitive editors
566 @section Error messages
568 @cindex error messages
569 Different error messages can appear while compiling a file:
575 Something looks suspect. If you are requesting something out of the
576 ordinary then you will understand the message, and can ignore it.
577 However, warnings usually indicate that something is wrong with the
582 Something is definitely wrong. The current processing step (parsing,
583 interpreting, or formatting) will be finished, but the next step will
588 Something is definitely wrong, and LilyPond cannot continue. This
589 happens rarely. The most usual cause is misinstalled fonts.
592 @cindex trace, Scheme
595 Errors that occur while executing Scheme code are caught by the Scheme
596 interpreter. If running with the verbose option (@code{-V} or
597 @code{--verbose}) then a call trace of the offending
598 function call is printed.
600 @item Programming error
601 @cindex Programming error
602 There was some internal inconsistency. These error messages are
603 intended to help the programmers and debuggers. Usually, they can be
604 ignored. Sometimes, they come in such big quantities that they obscure
607 @item Aborted (core dumped)
608 @cindex Aborted (core dumped)
609 This signals a serious programming error that caused the program to
610 crash. Such errors are considered critical. If you stumble on one,
614 @cindex errors, message format
615 If warnings and errors can
616 be linked to some part of the input file, then error messages have the
620 @var{filename}:@var{lineno}:@var{columnno}: @var{message}
621 @var{offending input line}
624 A line-break is inserted in the offending line to indicate the column
625 where the error was found. For example,
628 test.ly:2:19: error: not a duration: 5
633 These locations are LilyPond's best guess about where the warning or
634 error occurred, but (by their very nature) warnings and errors occur
635 when something unexpected happens. If you can't see an error in the
636 indicated line of your input file, try checking one or two lines
637 above the indicated position.
639 More information about errors is given in @ref{Common errors}.
643 @section Common errors
645 The error conditions described below occur often, yet the cause
646 is not obvious or easily found. Once seen and understood, they
651 * Music runs off the page::
652 * An extra staff appears::
653 * Apparent error in ../ly/init.ly::
654 * Error message Unbound variable %::
655 * Error message FT_Get_Glyph_Name::
658 @node Music runs off the page
659 @unnumberedsubsec Music runs off the page
661 Music running off the page over the right margin or appearing
662 unduly compressed is almost always due to entering an incorrect
663 duration on a note, causing the final note in a measure to extend
664 over the bar line. It is not invalid if the final note in a
665 measure does not end on the automatically entered bar line, as the
666 note is simply assumed to carry over into the next measure. But
667 if a long sequence of such carry-over measures occurs the music
668 can appear compressed or may flow off the page because automatic
669 line breaks can be inserted only at the end of complete measures,
670 i.e., where all notes end before or at the end of the measure.
672 @warning{An incorrect duration can cause line breaks to be
673 inhibited, leading to a line of highly compressed music or
674 music which flows off the page.}
676 The incorrect duration can be found easily if bar checks are used,
677 see @ruser{Bar and bar number checks}.
679 If you actually intend to have a series of such carry-over measures
680 you will need to insert an invisible bar line where you want the
681 line to break. For details, see @ruser{Bar lines}.
684 @node An extra staff appears
685 @unnumberedsubsec An extra staff appears
687 If contexts are not created explicitly with @code{\new} or
688 @code{\context}, they will be silently created as soon as a
689 command is encountered which cannot be applied to an existing
690 context. In simple scores the automatic creation of contexts is
691 useful, and most of the examples in the LilyPond manuals take
692 advantage of this simplification. But occasionally the silent
693 creation of contexts can give rise to unexpected new staves or
694 scores. For example, it might be expected that the following code
695 would cause all note heads within the following staff to be
696 colored red, but in fact it results in two staves with the note
697 heads remaining the default black in the lower staff.
699 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
700 \override Staff.NoteHead #'color = #red
704 This is because a @code{Staff} context does not exist when the
705 override is processed, so one is implicitly created and the override
706 is applied to it, but then the @code{\new Staff} command creates
707 another, separate, staff into which the notes are placed. The
708 correct code to color all note heads red is
710 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
712 \override Staff.NoteHead #'color = #red
717 As a second example, if a @code{\relative} command is placed inside
718 a @code{\repeat} command, two staves result, the second offset from
719 the first, because the @code{\repeat} command generates two
720 @code{\relative} blocks, which each implicitly create @code{Staff}
721 and @code{Voice} blocks.
723 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
725 \relative c' { c4 d e f }
729 Explicitly instantiating the @code{Voice} context fixes the
732 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
735 \relative c' { c4 d e f }
741 @node Apparent error in ../ly/init.ly
742 @unnumberedsubsec Apparent error in @code{../ly/init.ly}
744 Various obscure error messages may appear about syntax errors in
745 @code{../ly/init.ly} if the input file is not correctly formed,
746 for example, if it does not contain correctly
747 matched braces or quote signs.
749 The most common error is a missing brace, (@code{@}}), at the end of
750 a @code{score} block. Here the solution is obvious: check the
751 @code{score} block is correctly terminated. The correct structure
752 of an input file is described in @rlearning{How LilyPond input files work}.
753 Using an editor which automatically highlights matching brackets and
754 braces is helpful to avoid such errors.
756 A second common cause is no white space between the last syllable
757 of a lyrics block and the terminating brace, (@code{@}}). Without
758 this separation the brace is taken to be part of the syllable. It
759 is always advisable to ensure there is white space before and after
760 @emph{every} brace. For the importance of this when using lyrics,
761 see @ruser{Lyrics explained}.
763 This error message can also appear if a terminating quote sign,
764 (@code{"}), is omitted. In this case an accompanying error message
765 @c keep "-matching straight in fancy editors
766 should give a line number close to the line in error. The
767 mismatched quote will usually be on the line one or two above.
769 @node Error message Unbound variable %
770 @unnumberedsubsec Error message Unbound variable %
772 This error message will appear at the bottom of the console
773 output or log file together with a @qq{GUILE signalled an error ...}
774 message every time a Scheme routine is called which (invalidly)
775 contains a @emph{LilyPond} rather than a @emph{Scheme} comment.
777 LilyPond comments begin with a percent sign, (@code{%}), and must
778 not be used within Scheme routines. Scheme comments begin with a
779 semi-colon, (@code{;}).
781 @node Error message FT_Get_Glyph_Name
782 @unnumberedsubsec Error message FT_Get_Glyph_Name
784 This error messages appears in the console output or log file if
785 an input file contains a non-ASCII character and was not saved in
786 UTF-8 encoding. For details, see @ruser{Text encoding}.