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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 @item -o,--output=@var{FILE}
305 Set the default output file to @var{FILE}. The appropriate
306 suffix will be added (e.g. @code{.pdf} for pdf)
308 @cindex PostScript output
313 @cindex Portable Network Graphics (PNG) output
316 Generate pictures of each page, in PNG format. This implies
317 @code{--ps}. The resolution in DPI of the image may be set with
322 @cindex Portable Document Format (PDF) output
325 Generate PDF. This implies @code{--ps}.
329 @item -j,--jail=@var{user},@var{group},@var{jail},@var{dir}
330 Run @command{lilypond} in a chroot jail.
332 The @code{--jail} option provides a more flexible alternative to
333 @code{--safe} when LilyPond formatting is available through a web
334 server or whenever LilyPond executes externally provided
337 The @code{--jail} option works by changing the root of @command{lilypond} to
338 @var{jail} just before starting the actual compilation process. The user
339 and group are then changed to match those provided, and the current
340 directory is changed to @var{dir}. This setup guarantees that it is not
341 possible (at least in theory) to escape from the jail. Note that for
342 @code{--jail} to work @command{lilypond} must be run as root, which is usually
343 accomplished in a safe way using @command{sudo}.
345 Setting up a jail is a slightly delicate matter, as we must be sure that
346 LilyPond is able to find whatever it needs to compile the source
347 @emph{inside the jail}. A typical setup comprises the following items:
350 @item Setting up a separate filesystem
351 A separate filesystem should be created for LilyPond, so that it can be
352 mounted with safe options such as @code{noexec}, @code{nodev}, and
353 @code{nosuid}. In this way, it is impossible to run executables or to
354 write directly to a device from LilyPond. If you do not want to create a
355 separate partition, just create a file of reasonable size and use it to
356 mount a loop device. A separate filesystem also guarantees that LilyPond
357 cannot write more space than it is allowed.
359 @item Setting up a separate user
360 A separate user and group (say, @code{lily}/@code{lily}) with low
361 privileges should be used to run LilyPond inside the jail. There should
362 be a single directory writable by this user, which should be passed in
365 @item Preparing the jail
366 LilyPond needs to read a number of files while running. All these files
367 are to be copied into the jail, under the same path they appear in the
368 real root filesystem. The entire content of the LilyPond installation
369 (e.g., @file{/usr/share/lilypond})
372 If problems arise, the simplest way to trace them down is to run
373 LilyPond using @command{strace}, which will allow you to determine which
376 @item Running LilyPond
377 In a jail mounted with @code{noexec} it is impossible to execute any external
378 program. Therefore LilyPond must be run with a backend that does not
379 require any such program. As we already mentioned, it must be also run
380 with superuser privileges (which, of course, it will lose immediately),
381 possibly using @command{sudo}. It is a good idea to limit the number of
382 seconds of CPU time LilyPond can use (e.g., using @command{ulimit
383 -t}), and, if your operating system supports it, the amount of memory
384 that can be allocated.
389 Show version information.
392 Be verbose: show full paths of all files read, and give timing
396 Show the warranty with which GNU LilyPond comes. (It comes with
397 @strong{NO WARRANTY}!)
401 @node Environment variables
402 @unnumberedsubsec Environment variables
406 @cindex LILYPOND_DATADIR
408 @command{lilypond} recognizes the following environment variables:
410 @item LILYPOND_DATADIR
411 This specifies a directory where locale messages and
412 data files will be looked up by default. The directory should contain
413 subdirectories called @file{ly/}, @file{ps/}, @file{tex/}, etc.
416 This selects the language for the warning messages.
418 @item LILYPOND_GC_YIELD
419 With this variable the memory footprint and performance can be
420 adjusted. It is a percentage tunes memory management behavior. With
421 higher values, the program uses more memory, with smaller values, it
422 uses more CPU time. The default value is @code{70}.
427 @node LilyPond in chroot jail
428 @unnumberedsubsec LilyPond in chroot jail
430 Setting up the server to run LilyPond in a chroot jail is a complicated
431 task. The steps are listed below. Examples in the steps are from
432 Ubuntu Linux, and may require the use of @code{sudo} as appropriate.
436 @item Install the necessary packages: LilyPond, GhostScript, and ImageMagick.
438 @item Create a new user by the name of @code{lily}:
445 This will create a new group for the @code{lily} user as well, and a home folder,
448 @item In the home folder of the @code{lily} user create a file to use as a
452 dd if=/dev/zero of=/home/lily/loopfile bs=1k count= 200000
456 This example creates a 200MB file for use as the jail filesystem.
458 @item Create a loop device, make a file system and mount it, then create
459 a folder that can be written by the @code{lily} user:
463 losetup /dev/loop0 /home/lily/loopfile
464 mkfs -t ext3 /dev/loop0 200000
465 mount -t ext3 /dev/loop0 /mnt/lilyloop
466 mkdir /mnt/lilyloop/lilyhome
467 chown lily /mnt/lilyloop/lilyhome
470 @item In the configuration of the servers, the JAIL will be @code{/mnt/lilyloop}
471 and the DIR will be @code{/lilyhome}.
473 @item Create a big directory tree in the jail by copying the necessary files, as
474 shown in the sample script below.
476 You can use @code{sed} to create the necessary copy commands for a given
480 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\/\(.*\/\)\(.*\) (.*)$/mkdir -p \1 \&\& cp -L \/\1\2 \1\2/' | sed '/.*=>.*/d'; done
485 @subheading Example script for 32-bit Ubuntu 8.04
493 loopdevice=/dev/loop0
494 jaildir=/mnt/lilyloop
495 # the prefix (without the leading slash!)
497 # the directory where lilypond is installed on the system
498 lilydir=/$lilyprefix/lilypond/
500 userhome=$home/$username
501 loopfile=$userhome/loopfile
503 dd if=/dev/zero of=$loopfile bs=1k count=200000
505 losetup $loopdevice $loopfile
506 mkfs -t ext3 $loopdevice 200000
507 mount -t ext3 $loopdevice $jaildir
508 mkdir $jaildir/lilyhome
509 chown $username $jaildir/lilyhome
512 mkdir -p bin usr/bin usr/share usr/lib usr/share/fonts $lilyprefix tmp
515 cp -r -L $lilydir $lilyprefix
516 cp -L /bin/sh /bin/rm bin
517 cp -L /usr/bin/convert /usr/bin/gs usr/bin
518 cp -L /usr/share/fonts/truetype usr/share/fonts
520 # Now the library copying magic
521 for i in "$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\/\(.*\/\)\(.*\) (.*)$/mkdir -p \1 \&\& cp -L \/\1\2 \1\2/' | sed '/.*=>.*/d'; done | sh -s
523 # The shared files for ghostscript...
524 cp -L -r /usr/share/ghostscript usr/share
525 # The shared files for ImageMagick
526 cp -L -r /usr/lib/ImageMagick* usr/lib
528 ### Now, assuming that you have test.ly in /mnt/lilyloop/lilyhome, you should be able to run:
529 ### Note that /$lilyprefix/bin/lilypond is a script, which sets the LD_LIBRARY_PATH - this is crucial
530 /$lilyprefix/bin/lilypond -jlily,lily,/mnt/lilyloop,/lilyhome test.ly
535 @section Error messages
537 @cindex error messages
538 Different error messages can appear while compiling a file:
544 Something looks suspect. If you are requesting something out of the
545 ordinary then you will understand the message, and can ignore it.
546 However, warnings usually indicate that something is wrong with the
551 Something is definitely wrong. The current processing step (parsing,
552 interpreting, or formatting) will be finished, but the next step will
557 Something is definitely wrong, and LilyPond cannot continue. This
558 happens rarely. The most usual cause is misinstalled fonts.
561 @cindex trace, Scheme
564 Errors that occur while executing Scheme code are caught by the Scheme
565 interpreter. If running with the verbose option (@code{-V} or
566 @code{--verbose}) then a call trace of the offending
567 function call is printed.
569 @item Programming error
570 @cindex Programming error
571 There was some internal inconsistency. These error messages are
572 intended to help the programmers and debuggers. Usually, they can be
573 ignored. Sometimes, they come in such big quantities that they obscure
576 @item Aborted (core dumped)
577 @cindex Aborted (core dumped)
578 This signals a serious programming error that caused the program to
579 crash. Such errors are considered critical. If you stumble on one,
583 @cindex errors, message format
584 If warnings and errors can
585 be linked to some part of the input file, then error messages have the
589 @var{filename}:@var{lineno}:@var{columnno}: @var{message}
590 @var{offending input line}
593 A line-break is inserted in the offending line to indicate the column
594 where the error was found. For example,
597 test.ly:2:19: error: not a duration: 5
602 These locations are LilyPond's best guess about where the warning or
603 error occurred, but (by their very nature) warnings and errors occur
604 when something unexpected happens. If you can't see an error in the
605 indicated line of your input file, try checking one or two lines
606 above the indicated position.
608 More information about errors is given in @ref{Common errors}.
612 @section Common errors
614 The error conditions described below occur often, yet the cause
615 is not obvious or easily found. Once seen and understood, they
620 * Music runs off the page::
621 * An extra staff appears::
622 * Apparent error in ../ly/init.ly::
623 * Error message Unbound variable %::
624 * Error message FT_Get_Glyph_Name::
627 @node Music runs off the page
628 @unnumberedsubsec Music runs off the page
630 Music running off the page over the right margin or appearing
631 unduly compressed is almost always due to entering an incorrect
632 duration on a note, causing the final note in a measure to extend
633 over the bar line. It is not invalid if the final note in a
634 measure does not end on the automatically entered bar line, as the
635 note is simply assumed to carry over into the next measure. But
636 if a long sequence of such carry-over measures occurs the music
637 can appear compressed or may flow off the page because automatic
638 line breaks can be inserted only at the end of complete measures,
639 i.e., where all notes end before or at the end of the measure.
641 @warning{An incorrect duration can cause line breaks to be
642 inhibited, leading to a line of highly compressed music or
643 music which flows off the page.}
645 The incorrect duration can be found easily if bar checks are used,
646 see @ruser{Bar and bar number checks}.
648 If you actually intend to have a series of such carry-over measures
649 you will need to insert an invisible bar line where you want the
650 line to break. For details, see @ruser{Bar lines}.
653 @node An extra staff appears
654 @unnumberedsubsec An extra staff appears
656 If contexts are not created explicitly with @code{\new} or
657 @code{\context}, they will be silently created as soon as a
658 command is encountered which cannot be applied to an existing
659 context. In simple scores the automatic creation of contexts is
660 useful, and most of the examples in the LilyPond manuals take
661 advantage of this simplification. But occasionally the silent
662 creation of contexts can give rise to unexpected new staves or
663 scores. For example, it might be expected that the following code
664 would cause all note heads within the following staff to be
665 colored red, but in fact it results in two staves with the note
666 heads remaining the default black in the lower staff.
668 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
669 \override Staff.NoteHead #'color = #red
673 This is because a @code{Staff} context does not exist when the
674 override is processed, so one is implicitly created and the override
675 is applied to it, but then the @code{\new Staff} command creates
676 another, separate, staff into which the notes are placed. The
677 correct code to color all note heads red is
679 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
681 \override Staff.NoteHead #'color = #red
686 As a second example, if a @code{\relative} command is placed inside
687 a @code{\repeat} command, two staves result, the second offset from
688 the first, because the @code{\repeat} command generates two
689 @code{\relative} blocks, which each implicitly create @code{Staff}
690 and @code{Voice} blocks.
692 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
694 \relative c' { c4 d e f }
698 Explicitly instantiating the @code{Voice} context fixes the
701 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
704 \relative c' { c4 d e f }
710 @node Apparent error in ../ly/init.ly
711 @unnumberedsubsec Apparent error in @code{../ly/init.ly}
713 Various obscure error messages may appear about syntax errors in
714 @code{../ly/init.ly} if the input file is not correctly formed,
715 for example, if it does not contain correctly
716 matched braces or quote signs.
718 The most common error is a missing brace, (@code{@}}), at the end of
719 a @code{score} block. Here the solution is obvious: check the
720 @code{score} block is correctly terminated. The correct structure
721 of an input file is described in @rlearning{How LilyPond input files work}.
722 Using an editor which automatically highlights matching brackets and
723 braces is helpful to avoid such errors.
725 A second common cause is no white space between the last syllable
726 of a lyrics block and the terminating brace, (@code{@}}). Without
727 this separation the brace is taken to be part of the syllable. It
728 is always advisable to ensure there is white space before and after
729 @emph{every} brace. For the importance of this when using lyrics,
730 see @ruser{Lyrics explained}.
732 This error message can also appear if a terminating quote sign,
733 (@code{"}), is omitted. In this case an accompanying error message
734 @c keep "-matching straight in fancy editors
735 should give a line number close to the line in error. The
736 mismatched quote will usually be on the line one or two above.
738 @node Error message Unbound variable %
739 @unnumberedsubsec Error message Unbound variable %
741 This error message will appear at the bottom of the console
742 output or log file together with a @qq{GUILE signalled an error ...}
743 message every time a Scheme routine is called which (invalidly)
744 contains a @emph{LilyPond} rather than a @emph{Scheme} comment.
746 LilyPond comments begin with a percent sign, (@code{%}), and must
747 not be used within Scheme routines. Scheme comments begin with a
748 semi-colon, (@code{;}).
750 @node Error message FT_Get_Glyph_Name
751 @unnumberedsubsec Error message FT_Get_Glyph_Name
753 This error messages appears in the console output or log file if
754 an input file contains a non-ASCII character and was not saved in
755 UTF-8 encoding. For details, see @ruser{Text encoding}.