On Thu, Oct 8, 2015 at 10:35 AM, Noeck [via Lilypond] <[hidden email]> wrote:
Hi Gerard and Edward,
I guess the reasoning is: if you don't save the input ly file, you are
probably not doing something persistent but just an interactive test.
Then the pdf is stored in /tmp because it needs to be stored somewhere
to be displayed in Frescobaldi. Both the input and the output only exist
as long as the program is open.
If it is meant to be persistent, you probably save the ly file in order
to be able to modify the score later. And then you get the pdf in the
same place by default.
I just wanted to echo what Urs and Joram have said. If you don't push "Save" before compiling, then all files are put in your "temp" folder. If you do save it, then the files are put in the same directory as the file you just compiled. This can be very nice since it allows you to try out some things without messing with a previously saved version, but if that isn't useful, then there is another convenient option in the "Edit" > "Preferences" window. Under the "LilyPond Preferences" menu, there's a radio button called "Save document if possible". This will take care of saving the file for you so you no longer have to think about where the files are going and you don't have to hunt them down. Here's a screenshot in case my instructions were not clear:
![Inline image 1]()
Happy Engraving!
- Abraham