3. Working with source code

This page is for LilyPond-2.21.82 (development-branch).

We welcome your aid; please help us by reporting errors to our bug list.

• 1. Introduction to contributing
  • 1.1 Help us
  • 1.2 Overview of work flow
  • 1.3 Summary for experienced developers
  • 1.4 Mentors
• 2. Quick start
  • 2.1 LilyDev
    • Installing LilyDev in VirtualBox
    • Configuring LilyDev in VirtualBox
  • 2.2 Compiling with LilyDev
  • 2.3 Now start work!
• 3. Working with source code
  • 3.1 Setting up
    • 3.1.1 Installing Git
    • 3.1.2 Cloning and forking the repository
    • 3.1.3 Configuring Git
  • 3.2 Git cheat sheet
    • Pulling recent changes
    • Viewing the history
    • Switching branches
    • Listing branches
    • Staging and committing files
    • Amending and reverting changes
    • Uploading your branch for review
    • Deleting branches
  • 3.3 Lifecycle of a merge request
    • 3.3.1 Uploading a patch for review
    • 3.3.2 Automated and manual testing
    • 3.3.3 Patch countdown
    • 3.3.4 Merging to master
    • 3.3.5 Abandoned patches
  • 3.4 Writing good commit messages
  • 3.5 Commit access
  • 3.6 Further Git documentation resources
  • 3.7 Repository directory structure
  • 3.8 Other repositories
• 4. Compiling
  • 4.1 Overview of compiling
  • 4.2 Requirements
    • 4.2.1 Requirements for running LilyPond
    • 4.2.2 Requirements for compiling LilyPond
      • Fedora
      • Linux Mint
      • OpenSUSE
      • Ubuntu
      • Other
    • 4.2.3 Requirements for building documentation
  • 4.3 Getting the source code
  • 4.4 Configuring make
    • 4.4.1 Running ./autogen.sh
    • 4.4.2 Running ../configure
      • Configuration options
      • Checking build dependencies
      • Configuring target directories
  • 4.5 Compiling LilyPond
    • 4.5.1 Using make
    • 4.5.2 Saving time with the ‘-j’ option
    • 4.5.3 Useful make variables
  • 4.6 Post-compilation options
    • 4.6.1 Installing LilyPond from a local build
    • 4.6.2 Generating documentation
      • Documentation editor’s edit/compile cycle
      • Building documentation
      • Building a single document
      • Saving time with CPU_COUNT
      • Installing documentation
      • Building documentation without compiling
    • 4.6.3 Testing LilyPond binary
  • 4.7 Problems
    • Compiling on MacOS X
    • FreeBSD
    • International fonts
    • Using lilypond python libraries
  • 4.8 Concurrent stable and development versions
  • 4.9 Build system
• 5. Documentation work
  • 5.1 Introduction to documentation work
  • 5.2 \version in documentation files
  • 5.3 Documentation suggestions
  • 5.4 Texinfo introduction and usage policy
    • 5.4.1 Texinfo introduction
    • 5.4.2 Documentation files
    • 5.4.3 Sectioning commands
    • 5.4.4 LilyPond formatting
    • 5.4.5 Text formatting
    • 5.4.6 Syntax survey
      • Comments
      • Cross references
      • External links
      • Fixed-width font
      • Indexing
      • Lists
      • Special characters
      • Miscellany
    • 5.4.7 Other text concerns
  • 5.5 Documentation policy
    • 5.5.1 Books
    • 5.5.2 Section organization
    • 5.5.3 Checking cross-references
    • 5.5.4 General writing
    • 5.5.5 Technical writing style
  • 5.6 Tips for writing docs
  • 5.7 Scripts to ease doc work
    • 5.7.1 Scripts to test the documentation
      • Building only one section of the documentation
    • 5.7.2 Scripts to create documentation
      • Stripping whitespace and generating menus
      • Updating doc with convert-ly
  • 5.8 Docstrings in scheme
  • 5.9 Translating the documentation
    • 5.9.1 Getting started with documentation translation
      • Translation requirements
      • Which documentation can be translated
      • Starting translation in a new language
    • 5.9.2 Documentation translation details
      • Files to be translated
      • Translating the Web site and other Texinfo documentation
      • Adding a Texinfo manual
    • 5.9.3 Documentation translation maintenance
      • Check state of translation
      • Updating documentation translation
      • Updating translation committishes
    • 5.9.4 Translations management policies
      • Maintaining without updating translations
      • Managing documentation translation with Git
    • 5.9.5 Technical background
• 6. Website work
  • 6.1 Introduction to website work
  • 6.2 Uploading website
  • 6.3 Debugging website and docs locally
  • 6.4 Translating the website
• 7. LSR work
  • 7.1 Introduction to LSR
  • 7.2 Adding and editing snippets
  • 7.3 Approving snippets
  • 7.4 LSR to Git
  • 7.5 Fixing snippets in LilyPond sources
  • 7.6 Renaming a snippet
  • 7.7 Updating the LSR to a new version
• 8. Issues
  • 8.1 Introduction to issues
  • 8.2 The Bug Squad
    • 8.2.1 Bug Squad setup
    • 8.2.2 Bug Squad checklists
  • 8.3 Issue classification
  • 8.4 Adding issues to the tracker
  • 8.5 Patch handling
  • 8.6 Summary of project status
• 9. Regression tests
  • 9.1 Introduction to regression tests
  • 9.2 Precompiled regression tests
  • 9.3 Compiling regression tests
  • 9.4 Regtest comparison
  • 9.5 Pixel-based regtest comparison
  • 9.6 Finding the cause of a regression
  • 9.7 MusicXML tests
• 10. Programming work
  • 10.1 Overview of LilyPond architecture
  • 10.2 LilyPond programming languages
    • 10.2.1 C++
    • 10.2.2 Flex
    • 10.2.3 GNU Bison
    • 10.2.4 GNU Make
    • 10.2.5 GUILE or Scheme
    • 10.2.6 MetaFont
    • 10.2.7 PostScript
    • 10.2.8 Python
    • 10.2.9 Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)
  • 10.3 Programming without compiling
    • 10.3.1 Modifying distribution files
    • 10.3.2 Desired file formatting
  • 10.4 Finding functions
    • 10.4.1 Using the ROADMAP
    • 10.4.2 Using grep to search
    • 10.4.3 Using git grep to search
    • 10.4.4 Searching on the git repository at GitLab and Savannah
  • 10.5 Code style
    • 10.5.1 Languages
    • 10.5.2 Filenames
    • 10.5.3 Indentation
    • 10.5.4 Naming Conventions
    • 10.5.5 Broken code
    • 10.5.6 Code comments
    • 10.5.7 Handling errors
    • 10.5.8 Localization
  • 10.6 Warnings, Errors, Progress and Debug Output
    • Available log levels
    • Functions for debug and log output
    • All logging functions at a glance
  • 10.7 Debugging LilyPond
    • 10.7.1 Debugging overview
    • 10.7.2 Debugging C++ code
    • 10.7.3 Debugging Scheme code
  • 10.8 Tracing object relationships
  • 10.9 Adding or modifying features
    • 10.9.1 Write the code
    • 10.9.2 Write regression tests
    • 10.9.3 Write convert-ly rule
    • 10.9.4 Automatically update documentation
    • 10.9.5 Manually update documentation
    • 10.9.6 Edit changes.tely
    • 10.9.7 Verify successful build
    • 10.9.8 Verify regression tests
    • 10.9.9 Post patch for comments
    • 10.9.10 Push patch
    • 10.9.11 Closing the issues
  • 10.10 Iterator tutorial
  • 10.11 Engraver tutorial
    • 10.11.1 Useful methods for information processing
    • 10.11.2 Translation process
    • 10.11.3 Preventing garbage collection for SCM member variables
    • 10.11.4 Listening to music events
    • 10.11.5 Acknowledging grobs
    • 10.11.6 Engraver declaration/documentation
  • 10.12 Callback tutorial
  • 10.13 Understanding pure properties
    • 10.13.1 Purity in LilyPond
    • 10.13.2 Writing a pure function
    • 10.13.3 How purity is defined and stored
    • 10.13.4 Where purity is used
    • 10.13.5 Case studies
    • 10.13.6 Debugging tips
  • 10.14 LilyPond scoping
  • 10.15 Scheme->C interface
    • 10.15.1 Comparison
    • 10.15.2 Conversion
  • 10.16 LilyPond miscellany
    • 10.16.1 Spacing algorithms
    • 10.16.2 Info from Han-Wen email
    • 10.16.3 Music functions and GUILE debugging
    • 10.16.4 Articulations on EventChord
• 11. Release work
  • 11.1 Development phases
  • 11.2 Minor release checklist
  • 11.3 Major release checklist
  • 11.4 Release extra notes
  • 11.5 Notes on builds with GUB
• 12. Modifying the Emmentaler font
  • 12.1 Overview of the Emmentaler font
  • 12.2 Font creation tools
  • 12.3 Adding a new font section
  • 12.4 Adding a new glyph
  • 12.5 Building the changed font
  • 12.6 METAFONT formatting rules
• 13. Administrative policies
  • 13.1 Meta-policy for this document
  • 13.2 Environment variables
  • 13.3 Meisters
    • The Bug Meister
    • The Doc Meister
    • The Patch Meister
    • The Translation Meister
  • 13.4 Administrative mailing list
  • 13.5 Grand Organization Project (GOP)
    • 13.5.1 Motivation
    • 13.5.2 Ongoing jobs
    • 13.5.3 Policy decisions
    • 13.5.4 Policy decisions (finished)
      • 13.5.4.1 GOP-PROP 1 - python formatting
      • 13.5.4.2 GOP-PROP 2 - mentors and frogs
      • 13.5.4.3 GOP-PROP 3 - C++ formatting
      • 13.5.4.4 GOP-PROP 4 - lessons from 2.14
      • 13.5.4.5 GOP-PROP 5 - build system output (not accepted)
      • 13.5.4.6 GOP-PROP 6 - private mailing list
      • 13.5.4.7 GOP-PROP 7 - developers as resources
      • 13.5.4.8 GOP-PROP 8 - issue priorities
      • 13.5.4.9 GOP-PROP 9 - behavior of make doc
  • 13.6 Unsorted policies
• A. GNU Free Documentation License