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13 @node Running lilypond
14 @chapter Running @command{lilypond}
16 This chapter details the technicalities of running LilyPond.
20 * Command-line usage::
24 * Text editor support::
31 Most users run LilyPond through a GUI; if you have not done so
32 already, read @rlearning{Introduction}. If you use an alternate
33 editor to write lilypond files, see the documentation for that
37 @node Command-line usage
38 @section Command-line usage
40 This section contains extra information about using LilyPond on the
41 command-line. This may be desirable to pass extra options to the
42 program. In addition, there are certain extra @q{helper} programs (such
43 as @code{midi2ly}) which are only available on the command-line.
45 By @q{command-line}, we mean the command line in the operating system.
46 Windows users might be more familiar with the terms @q{DOS shell} or
47 @q{command shell}. MacOS@tie{}X users might be more familiar with the terms
48 @q{terminal} or @q{console}. Some additional setup is required
49 for MacOS@tie{}X users; please see @rgeneral{MacOS X}.
51 Describing how to use this part of an operating system is outside the
52 scope of this manual; please consult other documentation on this topic
53 if you are unfamiliar with the command-line.
57 * Command line options for lilypond::
58 * Environment variables::
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{svg}, @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, encapulated
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
275 Generate the full pages, the default. @code{-dno-print-pages} is
276 useful in combination with @code{-dpreview}.
283 Show a summary of usage.
285 @item -H,--header=@var{FIELD}
286 Dump a header field to file @file{BASENAME.@var{FIELD}}.
288 @item --include, -I=@var{directory}
289 Add @var{directory} to the search path for input files.
290 @cindex file searching
293 @item -i,--init=@var{file}
294 Set init file to @var{file} (default: @file{init.ly}).
296 @item -o,--output=@var{FILE}
297 Set the default output file to @var{FILE}. The appropriate
298 suffix will be added (e.g. @code{.pdf} for pdf)
300 @cindex PostScript output
305 @cindex Portable Network Graphics (PNG) output
308 Generate pictures of each page, in PNG format. This implies
309 @code{--ps}. The resolution in DPI of the image may be set with
314 @cindex Portable Document Format (PDF) output
317 Generate PDF. This implies @code{--ps}.
321 @item -j,--jail=@var{user},@var{group},@var{jail},@var{dir}
322 Run @command{lilypond} in a chroot jail.
324 The @code{--jail} option provides a more flexible alternative to
325 @code{--safe} when LilyPond formatting is available through a web
326 server or whenever LilyPond executes externally provided
329 The @code{--jail} option works by changing the root of @command{lilypond} to
330 @var{jail} just before starting the actual compilation process. The user
331 and group are then changed to match those provided, and the current
332 directory is changed to @var{dir}. This setup guarantees that it is not
333 possible (at least in theory) to escape from the jail. Note that for
334 @code{--jail} to work @command{lilypond} must be run as root, which is usually
335 accomplished in a safe way using @command{sudo}.
337 Setting up a jail is a slightly delicate matter, as we must be sure that
338 LilyPond is able to find whatever it needs to compile the source
339 @emph{inside the jail}. A typical setup comprises the following items:
342 @item Setting up a separate filesystem
343 A separate filesystem should be created for LilyPond, so that it can be
344 mounted with safe options such as @code{noexec}, @code{nodev}, and
345 @code{nosuid}. In this way, it is impossible to run executables or to
346 write directly to a device from LilyPond. If you do not want to create a
347 separate partition, just create a file of reasonable size and use it to
348 mount a loop device. A separate filesystem also guarantees that LilyPond
349 cannot write more space than it is allowed.
351 @item Setting up a separate user
352 A separate user and group (say, @code{lily}/@code{lily}) with low
353 privileges should be used to run LilyPond inside the jail. There should
354 be a single directory writable by this user, which should be passed in
357 @item Preparing the jail
358 LilyPond needs to read a number of files while running. All these files
359 are to be copied into the jail, under the same path they appear in the
360 real root filesystem. The entire content of the LilyPond installation
361 (e.g., @file{/usr/share/lilypond})
364 If problems arise, the simplest way to trace them down is to run
365 LilyPond using @command{strace}, which will allow you to determine which
368 @item Running LilyPond
369 In a jail mounted with @code{noexec} it is impossible to execute any external
370 program. Therefore LilyPond must be run with a backend that does not
371 require any such program. As we already mentioned, it must be also run
372 with superuser privileges (which, of course, it will lose immediately),
373 possibly using @command{sudo}. It is a good idea to limit the number of
374 seconds of CPU time LilyPond can use (e.g., using @command{ulimit
375 -t}), and, if your operating system supports it, the amount of memory
376 that can be allocated.
381 Show version information.
384 Be verbose: show full paths of all files read, and give timing
388 Show the warranty with which GNU LilyPond comes. (It comes with
389 @strong{NO WARRANTY}!)
392 @node Environment variables
393 @unnumberedsubsec Environment variables
397 @cindex LILYPOND_DATADIR
399 @command{lilypond} recognizes the following environment variables:
401 @item LILYPOND_DATADIR
402 This specifies a directory where locale messages and
403 data files will be looked up by default. The directory should contain
404 subdirectories called @file{ly/}, @file{ps/}, @file{tex/}, etc.
407 This selects the language for the warning messages.
409 @item LILYPOND_GC_YIELD
410 With this variable the memory footprint and performance can be
411 adjusted. It is a percentage tunes memory management behavior. With
412 higher values, the program uses more memory, with smaller values, it
413 uses more CPU time. The default value is @code{70}.
419 @section Error messages
421 @cindex error messages
422 Different error messages can appear while compiling a file:
428 Something looks suspect. If you are requesting something out of the
429 ordinary then you will understand the message, and can ignore it.
430 However, warnings usually indicate that something is wrong with the
435 Something is definitely wrong. The current processing step (parsing,
436 interpreting, or formatting) will be finished, but the next step will
441 Something is definitely wrong, and LilyPond cannot continue. This
442 happens rarely. The most usual cause is misinstalled fonts.
445 @cindex trace, Scheme
448 Errors that occur while executing Scheme code are caught by the Scheme
449 interpreter. If running with the verbose option (@code{-V} or
450 @code{--verbose}) then a call trace of the offending
451 function call is printed.
453 @item Programming error
454 @cindex Programming error
455 There was some internal inconsistency. These error messages are
456 intended to help the programmers and debuggers. Usually, they can be
457 ignored. Sometimes, they come in such big quantities that they obscure
460 @item Aborted (core dumped)
461 @cindex Aborted (core dumped)
462 This signals a serious programming error that caused the program to
463 crash. Such errors are considered critical. If you stumble on one,
467 @cindex errors, message format
468 If warnings and errors can
469 be linked to some part of the input file, then error messages have the
473 @var{filename}:@var{lineno}:@var{columnno}: @var{message}
474 @var{offending input line}
477 A line-break is inserted in the offending line to indicate the column
478 where the error was found. For example,
481 test.ly:2:19: error: not a duration: 5
486 These locations are LilyPond's best guess about where the warning or
487 error occurred, but (by their very nature) warnings and errors occur
488 when something unexpected happens. If you can't see an error in the
489 indicated line of your input file, try checking one or two lines
490 above the indicated position.
492 More information about errors is given in @ref{Common errors}.
496 @section Common errors
498 The error conditions described below occur often, yet the cause
499 is not obvious or easily found. Once seen and understood, they
504 * Music runs off the page::
505 * An extra staff appears::
506 * Apparent error in ../ly/init.ly::
507 * Error message Unbound variable %::
508 * Error message FT_Get_Glyph_Name::
511 @node Music runs off the page
512 @unnumberedsubsec Music runs off the page
514 Music running off the page over the right margin or appearing
515 unduly compressed is almost always due to entering an incorrect
516 duration on a note, causing the final note in a measure to extend
517 over the bar line. It is not invalid if the final note in a
518 measure does not end on the automatically entered bar line, as the
519 note is simply assumed to carry over into the next measure. But
520 if a long sequence of such carry-over measures occurs the music
521 can appear compressed or may flow off the page because automatic
522 line breaks can be inserted only at the end of complete measures,
523 i.e., where all notes end before or at the end of the measure.
525 @warning{An incorrect duration can cause line breaks to be
526 inhibited, leading to a line of highly compressed music or
527 music which flows off the page.}
529 The incorrect duration can be found easily if bar checks are used,
530 see @ruser{Bar and bar number checks}.
532 If you actually intend to have a series of such carry-over measures
533 you will need to insert an invisible bar line where you want the
534 line to break. For details, see @ruser{Bar lines}.
537 @node An extra staff appears
538 @unnumberedsubsec An extra staff appears
540 If contexts are not created explicitly with @code{\new} they will be
541 silently created as soon as a command is encountered which cannot
542 be applied to an existing context. In simple scores the automatic
543 creation of contexts is useful, and most of the examples in the
544 LilyPond manuals take advantage of this simplification. But
545 occasionally the silent creation of contexts can give rise to
546 unexpected new staves or scores. For example, it might be expected
547 that the following code would cause all note heads within the
548 following staff to be colored red, but in fact it results in two
549 staves with the note heads remaining the default black in the lower
552 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
553 \override Staff.NoteHead #'color = #red
557 This is because a @code{Staff} context does not exist when the
558 override is processed, so one is implicitly created and the override
559 is applied to it, but then the @code{\new Staff} command creates
560 another, separate, staff into which the notes are placed. The
561 correct code to color all note heads red is
563 @lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
565 \override Staff.NoteHead #'color = #red
570 As a second example, if a @code{\relative} command is placed inside
571 a @code{\repeat} command two staves result, the second offset from
572 the first, because the @code{\repeat} command generates two
573 @code{\relative} blocks, which each implicitly create @code{Staff}
574 and @code{Voice} blocks.
576 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
578 \relative c' { c d e f }
582 The correct way is to reverse the @code{\repeat} and
583 @code{\relative} commands, like this:
585 @lilypond[quote,verbatim]
587 \repeat unfold 2 { c d e f }
592 @node Apparent error in ../ly/init.ly
593 @unnumberedsubsec Apparent error in @code{../ly/init.ly}
595 Various obscure error messages may appear about syntax errors in
596 @code{../ly/init.ly} if the input file is not correctly formed,
597 for example, if it does not contain correctly
598 matched braces or quote signs.
600 The most common error is a missing brace, (@code{@}}), at the end of
601 a @code{score} block. Here the solution is obvious: check the
602 @code{score} block is correctly terminated. The correct structure
603 of an input file is described in @rlearning{How LilyPond input files work}.
604 Using an editor which automatically highlights matching brackets and
605 braces is helpful to avoid such errors.
607 A second common cause is no white space between the last syllable
608 of a lyrics block and the terminating brace, (@code{@}}). Without
609 this separation the brace is taken to be part of the syllable. It
610 is always advisable to ensure there is white space before and after
611 @emph{every} brace. For the importance of this when using lyrics,
612 see @ruser{Lyrics explained}.
614 This error message can also appear if a terminating quote sign,
615 (@code{"}), is omitted. In this case an accompanying error message
616 @c keep "-matching straight in fancy editors
617 should give a line number close to the line in error. The
618 mismatched quote will usually be on the line one or two above.
620 @node Error message Unbound variable %
621 @unnumberedsubsec Error message Unbound variable %
623 This error message will appear at the bottom of the console
624 output or log file together with a @qq{GUILE signalled an error ...}
625 message every time a Scheme routine is called which (invalidly)
626 contains a @emph{LilyPond} rather than a @emph{Scheme} comment.
628 LilyPond comments begin with a percent sign, (@code{%}), and must
629 not be used within Scheme routines. Scheme comments begin with a
630 semi-colon, (@code{;}).
632 @node Error message FT_Get_Glyph_Name
633 @unnumberedsubsec Error message FT_Get_Glyph_Name
635 This error messages appears in the console output or log file if
636 an input file contains a non-ASCII character and was not saved in
637 UTF-8 encoding. For details, see @ruser{Text encoding}.
640 @node Point and click
641 @section Point and click
643 @cindex point and click
645 Point and click lets you find notes in the input by clicking on them
646 in the PDF viewer. This makes it easier to find input that causes
647 some error in the sheet music.
649 When this functionality is active, LilyPond adds hyperlinks to the PDF
650 file. These hyperlinks are sent to the web-browser, which opens a
651 text-editor with the cursor in the right place.
653 To make this chain work, you should configure your PDF viewer to
654 follow hyperlinks using the @file{lilypond-invoke-editor} script
655 supplied with LilyPond.
657 For Xpdf on UNIX, the following should be present in
658 @file{xpdfrc}@footnote{On UNIX, this file is found either in
659 @file{/etc/xpdfrc} or as @file{.xpdfrc} in your home directory.}
662 urlCommand "lilypond-invoke-editor %s"
665 The program @file{lilypond-invoke-editor} is a small helper
666 program. It will invoke an editor for the special @code{textedit}
667 URIs, and run a web browser for others. It tests the environment
668 variable @code{EDITOR} for the following patterns,
674 emacsclient --no-wait +@var{line}:@var{column} @var{file}
679 gvim --remote +:@var{line}:norm@var{char} @var{file}
685 nc -noask +@var{line} @var{file}'
689 The environment variable @code{LYEDITOR} is used to override this. It
690 contains the command line to start the editor, where @code{%(file)s},
691 @code{%(column)s}, @code{%(line)s} is replaced with the file, column
692 and line respectively. The setting
695 emacsclient --no-wait +%(line)s:%(column)s %(file)s
699 for @code{LYEDITOR} is equivalent to the standard emacsclient
703 @cindex file size, output
705 The point and click links enlarge the output files significantly. For
706 reducing the size of PDF and PS files, point and click may be switched
714 in a @file{.ly} file. Point and click may be explicitly enabled with
720 Alternately, you may disable point and click with a command-line
724 lilypond -dno-point-and-click file.ly
727 @warning{You should always turn off point and click in any LilyPond
728 files to be distributed to avoid including path information about
729 your computer in the .pdf file, which can pose a security risk.}
730 @node Text editor support
731 @section Text editor support
736 @cindex modes, editor
737 @cindex syntax coloring
738 @cindex coloring, syntax
740 There is support for different text editors for LilyPond.
749 @unnumberedsubsec Emacs mode
751 Emacs has a @file{lilypond-mode}, which provides keyword
752 autocompletion, indentation, LilyPond specific parenthesis matching
753 and syntax coloring, handy compile short-cuts and reading LilyPond
754 manuals using Info. If @file{lilypond-mode} is not installed on your
757 An Emacs mode for entering music and running LilyPond is contained in
758 the source archive in the @file{elisp} directory. Do @command{make
759 install} to install it to @var{elispdir}. The file @file{lilypond-init.el}
760 should be placed to @var{load-path}@file{/site-start.d/} or appended
761 to your @file{~/.emacs} or @file{~/.emacs.el}.
763 As a user, you may want add your source path (e.g. @file{~/site-lisp/}) to
764 your @var{load-path} by appending the following line (as modified) to your
767 @c any reason we do not advise: (push "~/site-lisp" load-path)
769 (setq load-path (append (list (expand-file-name "~/site-lisp")) load-path))
774 @unnumberedsubsec Vim mode
776 For @uref{http://@/www@/.vim@/.org,VIM}, a @file{vimrc} is supplied,
777 along with syntax coloring tools. A Vim mode for entering music and
778 running LilyPond is contained in the source archive in @code{$VIM}
781 The LilyPond file type is detected if the file
782 @file{~/.vim/filetype.vim} has the following content
785 if exists("did_load_filetypes")
788 augroup filetypedetect
789 au! BufNewFile,BufRead *.ly,*.ily setf lilypond
793 Please include this path by appending the following line to your
797 set runtimepath+=/usr/local/share/lilypond/$@{LILYPOND_VERSION@}/vim/
801 where $@{LILYPOND_VERSION@} is your LilyPond version. If LilyPond was not
802 installed in @file{/usr/local/}, then change this path accordingly.
806 @unnumberedsubsec Other editors
808 Other editors (both text and graphical) support LilyPond, but
809 their special configuration files are not distributed with
810 LilyPond. Consult their documentation for more information. Such
811 editors are listed in @rgeneral{Alternate editors}.