mtx-context(1)

📦
version 66546 · 7 versions
, in fedora 43

✨ mtx-context ✨

okay bestie, so this is the manual page for mtx-context — aka ConTeXt Process Management 💅 it lives in the mtx-context(1) section of your man pages and it's literally the little engine that runs your ConTeXt documents. no cap.

🌸 NAME 🌸

mtx-context — ConTeXt Process Management 💖 that's the whole vibe.

🎀 SYNOPSIS 🎀

mtxrun --script context [ OPTIONS ...  ] [ FILENAMES ]

like… you're calling it through mtxrun, using the context script, then you toss in whatever options you want and the files you want processed. simple as that 🫶

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

ConTeXt Process Management — yes that's the official line and yes it's iconic. it runs the whole show: formats, files, passes, purges, the works. main character energy fr fr 👑

💖 OPTIONS: BASIC 💖

the everyday stuff. your bread and butter. your comfort options. 🍓

  • --run — process (one or more) files (default action). this is the default bestie, so if you don't say anything else, this is what happens ✨
  • --make — create context formats 🎀
  • *--ctx=name*</> — use ctx file (process management specification)
  • --noctx — ignore ctx directives and flags 🙈
  • --interface — use specified user interface (default: en)
  • --autopdf — close pdf file in viewer and start pdf viewer afterwards. cute lil automatic preview moment 🦋
  • --purge — purge files either or not after a run (--pattern=...)
  • --purgeall — purge all files either or not after a run (--pattern=...)
  • *--usemodule=list* — load the given module or style, normally part of the distribution
  • *--environment=list* — load the given environment file first (document styles)
  • *--mode=list* — enable given the modes (conditional processing in styles)
  • *--path=list* — also consult the given paths when files are looked for
  • *--arguments=list* — set variables that can be consulted during a run (key/value pairs)
  • *--randomseed=number* — set the randomseed 🎲
  • *--result=name* — rename the resulting output to the given name
  • *--trackers=list* — set tracker variables (show list with --showtrackers)
  • *--directives=list* — set directive variables (show list with --showdirectives)
  • *--silent=list* — disable logcatgories (show list with --showlogcategories) — yes, "logcatgories", that's what it says, we don't make the rules 💀
  • --strip — strip Lua code (only meant for production where no errors are expected)
⚠️ bestie, --strip is only meant for production where no errors are expected. don't be out here stripping in dev and then crying when you can't debug. 💅
  • *--errors=list* — show errors at the end of a run, quit when in list (also when --silent)
  • --htmlerrorpage — generate html error page instead (optional: =scite)
  • --noconsole — disable logging to the console (logfile only)
  • --nodummy — don't create a dummy file (can confuse pdf viewers that keep file in view)
  • --purgeresult — purge result file before run
  • --forcexml — force xml stub
  • --forcecld — force cld (context lua document) stub
  • --forcelua — force lua stub (like texlua)
  • --forcemp — force mp stub
  • --arrange — run extra imposition pass, given that the style sets up imposition
  • --noarrange — ignore imposition specifications in the style
  • --pages — report pagenumbers of names pages and list references (--page=... or --page=...)
  • --jit — use luajittex with jit turned off (only use the faster virtual machine)
  • --jiton — use luajittex with jit turned on (in most cases not faster, even slower) 😭
  • --once — only run once (no multipass data file is produced)
  • --runs — process at most this many times
  • --forcedruns — process this many times (permits for optimization trial runs)
  • --batchmode — run without stopping and do not show messages on the console
  • --nonstopmode — run without stopping
  • --nosynctex — never initializes synctex (for production runs)
  • --synctex — run with synctex enabled (better use upsynctex[state=start])
  • --nodates — omit runtime dates in pdf file (optional value: a number (this 1970 offset time) or string "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM")
  • --nocompression — forcefully turns off compression in the backend
  • --trailerid — alternative trailer id (or constant one)
  • --generate — generate file database etc. (as luatools does)
  • --paranoid — do not descend to .. and ../.. 🙈
  • --version — report installed context version
  • --global — assume given file present elsewhere
  • --nofile — use dummy file as jobname

🔥 OPTIONS: EXPERT 🔥

for when you're built different. the advanced girlies know. iykyk. 💜

  • --touch — update context version number (also provide --expert, optionally provide --basepath)
  • --nostatistics — omit runtime statistics at the end of the run
  • --profile — profile job (use: mtxrun --script profile --analyze)
  • --timing — generate timing and statistics overview
  • --keeptuc — keep previous tuc files (jobname-tuc-[run].tmp)
  • --keeppdf — keep previous pdf files (jobname-pdf-keep.tmp)
  • --keeplog — keep previous log files (jobname-log-[run].tmp)
  • --lmtx — force lmtx mode (when available)
  • --overloadmode=error|warning|0--6|255 — enable csname overload checking
  • *--extra=name* — process extra (mtx-context-... in distribution)
  • --extras — show extras
  • --ownerpassword — encrypt the (pdf) file using this master password 🔐
  • --userpassword — use an additional password for opening the document
  • --permissions — list of: print, modify, extract, add, fillin, assemble, quality

💅 OPTIONS: SPECIAL 💅

the niche ones. the little side quests. obsessed honestly. 🌈

  • --pdftex — process file with texexec using pdftex
  • --xetex — process file with texexec using xetex
  • --mkii — process file with texexec
  • --pipe — do not check for file and enter scroll mode (--dummyfile=whatever.tmp)
  • --sandbox — process file in a limited environment
  • --addbinarypath — prepend the (found) binarypath to runners

👑 AUTHOR 👑

More information about ConTeXt and the tools that come with it can be found at:

like, go say hi, the community is literally so sweet 🫶✨

and that's the whole page bestie!! this one's version 1.04, dated 01-01-2023 — mwah, go compile something gorgeous 💖🎀🦋

📦 where this page comes from