xelatex -shell-escape permission

Question

I'm quite confused what means -shell-escape option. I'm trying to beutify creating my tikz images (differently from editing PDFs in Photoshop). I'm using xelatex and TeXnicCenter. I haven't read shell escape enabling details anywhere. I thought that option is to put into Command line arguments to pass the compiler in Define Output Profiles in TeXnic.

MiXtecCenter output profiles

When I run some simple graphics through xelatex, no image is given (standalone convert=true). In log file there is (at the end):

runsystem(xelatex  -shell-escape  -jobname "import" "\expandafter\def\csname sa@internal@run\endcsname{1}\input{import}"
)...executed.

runsystem(imgconvert -density 300 import.pdf  -quality 90 image.png)...executed.



Class standalone Warning: Conversion failed! Please ensure that shell escape
(standalone)              is enabled (e.g. use '-shell-escape').

Please help!

The message says "runsystem ... executed", so shell-escape was active. The conversion failed for another reason. Try to run the imgconvert command on the command line from your current directory to find out the reason. — Ulrike Fischer, Jun 30 '14 at 06:53
It doesn't recognize that command. I've installed Image Magick. I renamed its executable as 'imgconvert' as suggested in standalone manual (page 17)... I suppose those images are saving in the same folder with tex file by default. — ussername, Jun 30 '14 at 08:29
@UlrikeFischer: I have zero knowledge with Windows so my question is if " ... executed" means that the run was successfull? Or does it only means that the command runsystem was only called from within TeX, without any additional test? — , Jun 30 '14 at 09:05
@Herbert If I put \immediate\write18{tlgrm update --list} (remark the typo in tlgrm) then I see on the terminal the message that tlgrm can't be found and the log-file says runsystem(tlgrm update --list)...executed.. Without --shell-escape the log-file says runsystem(tlgrm update --list)...disabled (restricted).. So you can see in the log if the command was run but not if it was successfull. — Ulrike Fischer, Jun 30 '14 at 09:19
@ussername: Did you add the path to imgconvert to your PATH-variable? — Ulrike Fischer, Jun 30 '14 at 09:20
Definitely not. Where can I put it in TeXnicCenter - preprocessor, postprocessor...? — ussername, Jun 30 '14 at 10:09
The path variable must be changed in your windowns settings. google for it if you don't know how to do it. — Ulrike Fischer, Jun 30 '14 at 10:39
Ok, I added Image Magick path to Path Variable, now I can launch IM from console (imgconvert command). TeXnicCenter settings remains the same. After compilation the outcome is unchanged, including those lines in log file. — ussername, Jun 30 '14 at 11:07
I did. Test commands from Image Magick website already work for me (convert logo: logo.gif, identify logo.gif). I got new during compiling. — ussername, Jun 30 '14 at 14:57

Bernard · Answer 1 · 2014-06-29T19:53:53.210

3

With MiKTeX, the command-line parameter is --enable-write18. As pointed by Herbert, MiKTeX understands also --shell-escape, but you must write two dashes at the beginning.

edited Jun 29 '14 at 19:53

answered Jun 29 '14 at 19:35

Bernard

271,350

1

MikTeX also understands -shell-escape – Jun 29 '14 at 19:44
@Herbert: In this case the problem might come from writing only one dash at the beginning? – Bernard Jun 29 '14 at 19:51
2

-shell-escape, --shell-escape, -enable-write18, --enable-write18 always the same result as above – ussername Jun 29 '14 at 20:02
1

If you try to compile from the console, what's happening? And with another editor, say TeXstudio or TeXmaker? – Bernard Jun 29 '14 at 20:08
From console and TeXworks (with xelatex shell escape option), those log lines look alike (from console launched as administrator there is disabled (restricted) instead of executed). – ussername Jun 30 '14 at 08:56
With pdflatex in TeXnicCenter, there is:
Class standalone Warning: Conversion unsuccessful! (standalone) There might be something wrong with your (standalone) conversation software or the file permissions! – ussername Jun 30 '14 at 08:58

xelatex -shell-escape permission

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