# How to input files as command line arguments to compiled Julia

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633>\
**Category:** General Usage\
**Tags:** question, package, dataframes, csv, package-compiler\
**Created:** [July 14, 2021, 1:43pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633 "2021-07-14T13:43:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![connormeaton](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/connormeaton/32/27120_2.png) [@connormeaton](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/connormeaton)\
**Post date:** [July 14, 2021, 1:43pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/1 "2021-07-14T13:43:56Z")

</div>

I am building a shippable app with Julia using the PackageCompiler.jl library.

> **[GitHub - JuliaLang/PackageCompiler.jl: Compile your Julia Package](https://github.com/JuliaLang/PackageCompiler.jl)**
>
> Compile your Julia Package. Contribute to JuliaLang/PackageCompiler.jl development by creating an account on GitHub.

I have followed the example they provided and replicated it properly.

I am now trying to modify the code piece by piece to replace the toy function with my own function. It involves reading a CSV file into a dataframe whose path is taken from the command line. For now, I am just trying to accomplish this task.

I have this code in `MyApp.jl`:

```julia
module MyApp

using Example
using HelloWorldC_jll
using Pkg.Artifacts
using DataFrames, CSV, Statistics  

fooifier_path() = joinpath(artifact"fooifier", "bin", "fooifier" * (Sys.iswindows() ? ".exe" : ""))

function julia_main()
    try
        real_main()
    catch
        Base.invokelatest(Base.display_error, Base.catch_stack())
        return 1
    end
    return 0
end

function real_main()
    # @show ARGS
    # @show Base.PROGRAM_FILE
    # @show DEPOT_PATH
    # @show LOAD_PATH
    # @show pwd()
    # @show Base.active_project()
    # @show Threads.nthreads()
    # @show Sys.BINDIR
    # display(Base.loaded_modules)
    for arg in ARGS
        println(arg)
    end
    println("this part worked!")

    df = CSV.read(string(ARGS[1]), DataFrame);
    println(df)
    return
end

if abspath(PROGRAM_FILE) == @ __FILE__
    real_main()
end

```

I compile the code with:

```julia
using PackageCompiler;
create_app("MyApp", "MyAppCompiled")

```

and it compiles just fine.

I run it with:

```julia
julia MyAppCompiled/bin/MyApp <absolute path to csv>

```

and it works up until the dataframe portion, where I get this error:

```julia
it worked!
MyApp(66457,0x115997dc0) malloc: *** error for object 0x1117d9510: pointer being realloc'd was not allocated
MyApp(66457,0x115997dc0) malloc: *** set a breakpoint in malloc_error_break to debug

signal (6): Abort trap: 6
in expression starting at none:0
__pthread_kill at /usr/lib/system/libsystem_kernel.dylib (unknown line)
Allocations: 47484171 (Pool: 47468051; Big: 16120); GC: 49
Abort trap: 6

```

Can anyone help me figure out what I am doing wrong? I know I am putting in the proper path because if I incorrectly type the path I get the “ is not a proper file…” message. I’ve tried calling with relative and absolute paths.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oheil](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/oheil/32/220745_2.png) [@oheil](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oheil)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 2:31pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/2 "2021-07-18T14:31:44Z")

</div>

Welcome @connormeaton

There are some inconsistencies in your description which make it difficult to check whats wrong:

1. 

Your output

```julia
it worked!

```

isn’t reflected in the code. There is a `println("this part worked!")`, but not clear if it is related.

1. 

The loop

```julia
    for arg in ARGS
        println(arg)
    end

```

seems not to generate any output but it should, isn’t it?

1. 

A precompiled app isn’t started with

```julia
julia MyAppCompiled/bin/MyApp <absolute path to csv>

```

but rather with something like:

```julia
MyAppCompiled/bin/MyApp.exe <absolute path to csv>

```

Could you provide your latest code example with the latest output after a clean first run?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![connormeaton](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/connormeaton/32/27120_2.png) [@connormeaton](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/connormeaton)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 10:50pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/3 "2021-07-18T22:50:07Z")

</div>

I am providing updated code and fresh output, per request. See below. Thank you!  
Code:

```julia
module MyApp

using Example
using HelloWorldC_jll
using Pkg.Artifacts
using DataFrames, CSV, Statistics  

fooifier_path() = joinpath(artifact"fooifier", "bin", "fooifier" * (Sys.iswindows() ? ".exe" : ""))

function julia_main()
    try
        real_main()
    catch
        Base.invokelatest(Base.display_error, Base.catch_stack())
        return 1
    end
    return 0
end

function real_main()
    # @show ARGS
    # @show Base.PROGRAM_FILE
    # @show DEPOT_PATH
    # @show LOAD_PATH
    # @show pwd()
    # @show Base.active_project()
    # @show Threads.nthreads()
    # @show Sys.BINDIR
    # display(Base.loaded_modules)
    for arg in ARGS
        println(arg)
    end
    println("it worked!")

    df = CSV.read(string(ARGS[1]), DataFrame);
    println(df)
    return
end

if abspath(PROGRAM_FILE) == @ __FILE__
    real_main()
end

```

Command:

```julia
$ ~/connor/juliaRppgPacakge$ MyAppCompiled2/bin/MyApp ~/connor/demoVideos/20210701_100807.csv

```

Output:

```julia
/Users/connor//demoVideos/20210701_100807.csv
it worked!
MyApp(28285,0x116fccdc0) malloc: *** error for object 0x10e0513a8: pointer being realloc'd was not allocated
MyApp(28285,0x116fccdc0) malloc: *** set a breakpoint in malloc_error_break to debug

signal (6): Abort trap: 6
in expression starting at none:0
__pthread_kill at /usr/lib/system/libsystem_kernel.dylib (unknown line)
Allocations: 45272431 (Pool: 45256526; Big: 15905); GC: 45
Abort trap: 6

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![connormeaton](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/connormeaton/32/27120_2.png) [@connormeaton](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/connormeaton)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2021, 10:51pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/4 "2021-07-18T22:51:15Z")

</div>

Thank you for your response. I could not edit my post, so I placed the requested code in the reply below. You were right about some code inconsistencies. Hopefully this helps diagnose the issue. Also, I tried this `MyAppCompiled/bin/MyApp.exe <absolute path to csv>`, but I have no file with `.exe`.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oheil](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/oheil/32/220745_2.png) [@oheil](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oheil)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 9:14am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/5 "2021-07-19T09:14:11Z")

</div>

> [@connormeaton](#):
>
> I could not edit my post

It’s better not to edit, as the thread stays easier to follow for future readers. (IMO)

> [@connormeaton](#):
>
> but I have no file with `.exe` .

Yes, sorry, I am on Windows and somehow assumed you too.

I have one package which can be precompiled and there are some obvious differences. ~~So, before I try to setup something like your code to reproduce the issue, let’s check if it is just those differences~~ (see my next post):

- in your module the `end` is missing:

```julia
module MyApp
...
end

```

- my `julia_main` looks a bit different, could you try with:

```julia
Base.@ccallable function julia_main()::Cint
    try
        real_main()
    catch
        Base.invokelatest(Base.display_error, Base.catch_stack())
        return 1
    end
    return 0
end

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oheil](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/oheil/32/220745_2.png) [@oheil](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oheil)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 10:29am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/6 "2021-07-19T10:29:53Z")

</div>

In the meantime I created a new test package.

My above suggestions are not the reason for your problem.

The code is nearly the same as yours:

```julia
module MyTestPkg

using DataFrames, CSV

using Pkg.Artifacts

fooifier_path() = joinpath(artifact"fooifier", "bin", "fooifier" * (Sys.iswindows() ? ".exe" : ""))

function julia_main()
    try
        real_main()
    catch
        Base.invokelatest(Base.display_error, Base.catch_stack())
        return 1
    end
    return 0
end

function real_main()
    for arg in ARGS
        println(arg)
    end
    println("it worked!")
    df = CSV.read(string(ARGS[1]), DataFrame);
    println(df)
    return
end

if abspath(PROGRAM_FILE) == @ __FILE__
    real_main()
end

end

```

This is the build:

```julia
julia> using MyTestPkg
[Info: Precompiling MyTestPkg [7b6ef1f2-e27a-4927-afbe-f37c5d2ce363]

julia> versioninfo()
Julia Version 1.6.0
Commit f9720dc2eb (2021-03-24 12:55 UTC)
Platform Info:
  OS: Windows (x86_64-w64-mingw32)
  CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3900X 12-Core Processor
  WORD_SIZE: 64
  LIBM: libopenlibm
  LLVM: libLLVM-11.0.1 (ORCJIT, znver2)
Environment:
  JULIA_EDITOR = code
  JULIA_NUM_THREADS = 4

julia> using PackageCompiler

julia> create_app("..\\MyTestPkg", "MyTestPkgApp";force=true)
[ Info: PackageCompiler: creating base system image (incremental=false)...
[ Info: PackageCompiler: creating system image object file, this might take a while...

25 dependencies successfully precompiled in 29 seconds
[ Info: PackageCompiler: creating system image object file, this might take a while...

(MyTestPkg) pkg> st
     Project MyTestPkg v0.1.0
      Status `C:\Users\Oli\.julia\dev\MyTestPkg\Project.toml`
  [336ed68f] CSV v0.8.5
  [a93c6f00] DataFrames v1.2.0
  [9b87118b] PackageCompiler v1.2.7
  [44cfe95a] Pkg

```

This is the output when I run it:

```julia
c:\Users\Oli\.julia\dev\MyTestPkg\MyTestPkgApp\bin>.\MyTestPkg.exe test.txt
test.txt
it worked!
2×3 DataFrame
 Row │ x y z
     │ Int64 Int64 Int64
─────┼─────────────────────
   1 │ 1 2 3
   2 │ 4 5 6

```

Well, the bad news, it just works.

~~I will check with other Julia versions.~~ Checked with 1.5.3 and 1.6.1, all are working.  
You may remove the other packages you are using

```julia
using Example
using HelloWorldC_jll

```

to make sure, that those don’t introduce something weird.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![connormeaton](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/connormeaton/32/27120_2.png) [@connormeaton](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/connormeaton)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 1:55pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/7 "2021-07-19T13:55:05Z")

</div>

Thanks for the reply. I’m confused about this line below:

> [@oheil](#):
>
> ```julia-auto
> julia> using MyTestPkg
> [Info: Precompiling MyTestPkg [7b6ef1f2-e27a-4927-afbe-f37c5d2ce363]
> 
> ```

You do this before the “create\_app”) call. I don’t see this anywhere in the docs. How does julia recognize MyTestPkg at this point? What directory are you in?

I’ve tried calling from multiple directory locations and I get this error:

```julia-auto
julia> using MyApp
ERROR: ArgumentError: Package MyApp not found in current path:
- Run `import Pkg; Pkg.add("MyApp")` to install the MyApp package.

Stacktrace:
 [1] require(into::Module, mod::Symbol)
   @ Base ./loading.jl:967

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![connormeaton](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/connormeaton/32/27120_2.png) [@connormeaton](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/connormeaton)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 1:57pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/8 "2021-07-19T13:57:33Z")

</div>

Also, what does your Manifest.toml file look like? Does this need to be edited from the original example? Thank you.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![connormeaton](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/connormeaton/32/27120_2.png) [@connormeaton](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/connormeaton)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 2:07pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/9 "2021-07-19T14:07:47Z")

</div>

One more piece of information. I changed my code to match what you provided, removed unneeded packages, and reran. The only thing I kept is that the project is still called `MyApp`.

I was unable to do the first `using MyApp` call you specify due to the previous comment error I provided.

I am on Julia 1.8.0.

Here is my result:

```julia
julia> using PackageCompiler

julia> create_app("MyApp", "MyAppCompiled";force=true)
┌ Warning: The active manifest file is an older format with no julia version entry. Dependencies may have been resolved with a different julia version.
└ @ ~/connor/MyApp/Manifest.toml:0
  0 dependencies successfully precompiled in 1 seconds (2 already precompiled)
  3 dependencies errored. To see a full report either run `import Pkg; Pkg.precompile()` or load the packages
[ Info: PackageCompiler: creating base system image (incremental=false)...

[ Info: PackageCompiler: creating system image object file, this might take a while...
┌ Warning: Inactive precompile statement
│ form = Tuple{typeof(Core.Compiler.ignorelimited), Any}
└ @ nothing nothing:0
┌ Warning: Inactive precompile statement
│ form = Tuple{typeof(Core.Compiler.abstract_call_known), Core.Compiler.AbstractInterpreter, Any, Union{Nothing, Vector{Any}}, Vector{Any}, Core.Compiler.InferenceState, Int64}
└ @ nothing nothing:0
┌ Warning: Inactive precompile statement
│ form = Tuple{typeof(Core.Compiler.widenconditional), Any}
└ @ nothing nothing:0
┌ Warning: Inactive precompile statement
│ form = Tuple{typeof(Core.Compiler.widenwrappedconditional), Any}
└ @ nothing nothing:0
┌ Warning: Inactive precompile statement
│ form = Tuple{typeof(Core.Compiler._uniontypes), Any, Vector{Any}}
└ @ nothing nothing:0
┌ Warning: Inactive precompile statement
│ form = Tuple{typeof(Core.Compiler.unwrapva), Any}
└ @ nothing nothing:0
┌ Warning: Inactive precompile statement
│ form = Tuple{typeof(Core.Compiler.union_count_abstract), Any}
└ @ nothing nothing:0
┌ Warning: Inactive precompile statement
│ form = Tuple{typeof(Core.Compiler.methods), Any}
└ @ nothing nothing:0
ld: warning: could not create compact unwind for _julia_Dict_15970: stack subq instruction is too different from dwarf stack size
ld: warning: could not create compact unwind for _julia_Dict_15978: stack subq instruction is too different from dwarf stack size
ld: warning: could not create compact unwind for _julia_Dict_15970.clone_1: stack subq instruction is too different from dwarf stack size
ld: warning: could not create compact unwind for _julia_Dict_15978.clone_1: stack subq instruction is too different from dwarf stack size
ld: warning: could not create compact unwind for _julia_Dict_15970.clone_1.clone_2: stack subq instruction is too different from dwarf stack size
ld: warning: could not create compact unwind for _julia_Dict_15978.clone_1.clone_2: stack subq instruction is too different from dwarf stack size
  0 dependencies successfully precompiled in 0 seconds (2 already precompiled)
  3 dependencies errored. To see a full report either run `import Pkg; Pkg.precompile()` or load the packages
┌ Warning: The active manifest file is an older format with no julia version entry. Dependencies may have been resolved with a different julia version.
└ @ ~/connor/MyApp/Manifest.toml:0
Precompiling project...
  5 dependencies successfully precompiled in 69 seconds
[ Info: PackageCompiler: creating system image object file, this might take a while...
┌ Warning: Package MyApp does not have DataFrames in its dependencies:
│ - If you have MyApp checked out for development and have
│ added DataFrames as a dependency but haven't updated your primary
│ environment's manifest file, try `Pkg.resolve()`.
│ - Otherwise you may need to report an issue with MyApp
│ Loading DataFrames into MyApp from project dependency, future warnings for MyApp are suppressed.
└ @ nothing nothing:984
ld: warning: could not create compact unwind for _julia_Dict_16356: stack subq instruction is too different from dwarf stack size
ld: warning: could not create compact unwind for _julia_Dict_16364: stack subq instruction is too different from dwarf stack size
/Users/connor/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/embedding_wrapper.c:18:23: error: expected
      identifier or '('
JULIA_DEFINE_FAST_TLS()
                      ^
/Users/connor/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/embedding_wrapper.c:67:19: warning: implicit
      declaration of function 'julia_main' is invalid in C99 [-Wimplicit-function-declaration]
    int retcode = julia_main(ARGS);
                  ^
1 warning and 1 error generated.
ERROR: failed process: Process(`gcc '-DJULIAC_PROGRAM_LIBNAME="MyApp.dylib"' -m64 -march=x86-64 -o MyApp /Users/connor/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/embedding_wrapper.c MyApp.dylib -O2 -Wl,-rpath,@executable_path -Wl,-rpath,@executable_path/../lib -Wl,-rpath,@executable_path/../lib/julia -std=gnu99 -I/usr/local/Cellar/julia/HEAD-5a16805_1/include/julia -fPIC -L/usr/local/Cellar/julia/HEAD-5a16805_1/lib -L/usr/local/Cellar/julia/HEAD-5a16805_1/lib/julia -ljulia -ljulia-internal`, ProcessExited(1)) [1]

Stacktrace:
 [1] pipeline_error
   @ ./process.jl:531 [inlined]
 [2] run(::Cmd; wait::Bool)
   @ Base ./process.jl:446
 [3] run
   @ ./process.jl:444 [inlined]
 [4] run_with_env
   @ ~/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/PackageCompiler.jl:104 [inlined]
 [5] create_executable_from_sysimg(; sysimage_path::String, executable_path::String, c_driver_program_path::String)
   @ PackageCompiler ~/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/PackageCompiler.jl:735
 [6] (::PackageCompiler.var"#9#10"{Vector{String}, Vector{String}, Bool, Bool, String, String, String, String, String})()
   @ PackageCompiler ~/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/PackageCompiler.jl:697
 [7] cd(f::PackageCompiler.var"#9#10"{Vector{String}, Vector{String}, Bool, Bool, String, String, String, String, String}, dir::String)
   @ Base.Filesystem ./file.jl:110
 [8] create_app(package_dir::String, app_dir::String; app_name::Nothing, precompile_execution_file::Vector{String}, precompile_statements_file::Vector{String}, incremental::Bool, filter_stdlibs::Bool, audit::Bool, force::Bool, c_driver_program::String, cpu_target::String)
   @ PackageCompiler ~/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/PackageCompiler.jl:671
 [9] top-level scope
   @ REPL[2]:1

```

Are there any glaring errors I am making? Thank you.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oheil](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/oheil/32/220745_2.png) [@oheil](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oheil)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 2:25pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/10 "2021-07-19T14:25:35Z")

</div>

> [@connormeaton](#):
>
> Thanks for the reply. I’m confused about this line below:
> 
> > [@oheil](#):
> >
> > ````julia-auto
> > > julia> using MyTestPkg
> > [Info: Precompiling MyTestPkg [7b6ef1f2-e27a-4927-afbe-f37c5d2ce363]
> > > ```
> > 
> > ````

I don’t think this is really necessary. I got somewhere a precompile error and starting with this to precompile just worked, so I did it by routine during my checks. If your compile goes well I expect all to be fine.

I didn’t edited the `Manifest.toml` or the `Project.toml`. But I had to add a `Artifacts.toml` with a minimal entry for the `artifact` you are using.

I created my test project with:

```julia-auto
julia> using PkgTemplates

julia> t = Template(;user="oheil")

julia> t("MyTestPkg")

```

which creates the package in .julia/dev/MyTestPkg with all the needed files (except `Artifacts.toml` of course). So perhaps this is some cause of your problem, because perhaps some dependencies aren’t properly included in your image. That’s why I have also the `activate` step, so that all needed dependencies are clean and complete. You have to this before you `add` the packages you need in your module, e.g.:

```julia-auto
(@v1.6) pkg> activate .julia\\dev\\MyTestPkg

(MyTestPkg) pkg> add DataFrames,CSV

```

This adds the dependencies to the `Project.toml`.

At least it is called “PackageCompiler”, not “ModuleCompiler”. So, it may be, that you need a proper package (local) and not only a module, but this I don’t know.

Your last post says, that you are not able to create the precompiled application. What has changed? How was your previous one built? If you are moving the target issue, I am not able to help you, as I am always running after new and changed informations which contradict what you wrote before.

So, as it is now difficult to say, at what kind of starting point you really are, I would suggest, that you start with a new package created with `PkgTemplate`. Activate the new environment and add the minimal set of packages. Copy/Paste the minimal code example you have into the new package and start over.

In the mean time I will try the same for 1.8.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oheil](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/oheil/32/220745_2.png) [@oheil](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oheil)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 2:25pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/11 "2021-07-19T14:25:54Z")

</div>

> [@connormeaton](#):
>
> Are there any glaring errors I am making? Thank you.

No, not for me.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oheil](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/oheil/32/220745_2.png) [@oheil](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oheil)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 2:40pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/12 "2021-07-19T14:40:23Z")

</div>

With 1.8 I don’t get a executable with similar errors and warnings like you have.  
As this is a developer/unstable build, I see this as futile to try to make this work, just use a stable release.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![connormeaton](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/connormeaton/32/27120_2.png) [@connormeaton](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/connormeaton)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 2:42pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/13 "2021-07-19T14:42:55Z")

</div>

Okay, thank you. I am working through your suggestions with `PkgTemplate` and making progress. I will reinstall stable Julia 1.6 again. Will update. Thanks.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![connormeaton](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/connormeaton/32/27120_2.png) [@connormeaton](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/connormeaton)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 3:24pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/14 "2021-07-19T15:24:04Z")

</div>

Okay, here is what I did, step by step:

```julia
$ brew uninstall julia
$ brew install julia
$ julia

   _ _ _(_)_ | Documentation: https://docs.julialang.org
  (_) | (_) (_) |
   _ _ _| |_ __ _ | Type "?" for help, "]?" for Pkg help.
  | | | | | | |/ _` | |
  | | |_| | | | (_| | | Version 1.6.2 (2021-07-14)
 _/ |\ __'_|_|_|\__'_| | Built by Homebrew (v1.6.2_1)
|__/ |

```

```julia
julia> import Pkg
julia> Pkg.add("PkgTemplates")
julia> Pkg.add("CSV")
julia> Pkg.add("DataFrames")
julia> using PkgTemplates

julia> t = Template(;user="connormeaton")
Template:
  authors: ["Connor and contributors"]
  dir: "~/.julia/dev"
  host: "github.com"
  julia: v"1.0.0"
  user: "connormeaton"
  plugins:
    CompatHelper:
      file: "~/.julia/packages/PkgTemplates/2jJdD/templates/github/workflows/CompatHelper.yml"
      destination: "CompatHelper.yml"
      cron: "0 0 * * *"
    Git:
      ignore: String[]
      name: nothing
      email: nothing
      branch: nothing
      ssh: false
      jl: true
      manifest: false
      gpgsign: false
    License:
      path: "~/.julia/packages/PkgTemplates/2jJdD/templates/licenses/MIT"
      destination: "LICENSE"
    ProjectFile:
      version: v"0.1.0"
    Readme:
      file: "~/.julia/packages/PkgTemplates/2jJdD/templates/README.md"
      destination: "README.md"
      inline_badges: false
      badge_order: DataType[Documenter{GitHubActions}, Documenter{GitLabCI}, Documenter{TravisCI}, GitHubActions, GitLabCI, TravisCI, AppVeyor, DroneCI, CirrusCI, Codecov, Coveralls, BlueStyleBadge, ColPracBadge]
      badge_off: DataType[]
    SrcDir:
      file: "~/.julia/packages/PkgTemplates/2jJdD/templates/src/module.jl"
    TagBot:
      file: "~/.julia/packages/PkgTemplates/2jJdD/templates/github/workflows/TagBot.yml"
      destination: "TagBot.yml"
      trigger: "JuliaTagBot"
      token: Secret("GITHUB_TOKEN")
      ssh: Secret("DOCUMENTER_KEY")
      ssh_password: nothing
      changelog: nothing
      changelog_ignore: nothing
      gpg: nothing
      gpg_password: nothing
      registry: nothing
      branches: nothing
      dispatch: nothing
      dispatch_delay: nothing
    Tests:
      file: "~/.julia/packages/PkgTemplates/2jJdD/templates/test/runtests.jl"
      project: false

julia> t("MyTestPkg")
[ Info: Running prehooks
[ Info: Running hooks
  Activating environment at `~/.julia/dev/MyTestPkg/Project.toml`
    Updating registry at `~/.julia/registries/General`
  No Changes to `~/.julia/dev/MyTestPkg/Project.toml`
  No Changes to `~/.julia/dev/MyTestPkg/Manifest.toml`
Precompiling project...
  1 dependency successfully precompiled in 1 seconds
  Activating environment at `~/.julia/environments/v1.6/Project.toml`
[ Info: Running posthooks
[ Info: New package is at /Users/connor/.julia/dev/MyTestPkg

(@v1.6) pkg> activate .julia\\dev\\MyTestPkg
  Activating environment at `~/connor/juliaRppgPacakge/.julia\\dev\\MyTestPkg/Project.toml`

(.julia\\dev\\MyTestPkg) pkg> add DataFrames,CSV
   Resolving package versions...
  No Changes to `~/connor/juliaRppgPacakge/.julia\\dev\\MyTestPkg/Project.toml`
    Updating `~/connor/juliaRppgPacakge/.julia\\dev\\MyTestPkg/Manifest.toml`
  [692b3bcd] - JLLWrappers v1.3.0
  [21216c6a] - Preferences v1.2.2
  [8e850b90] - libblastrampoline_jll v3.0.4+0
  [0dad84c5] ~ ArgTools v1.1.1 ⇒ 
  [f43a241f] ~ Downloads v1.4.0 ⇒ 
  [b27032c2] ~ LibCURL v0.6.2 ⇒ 
  [ca575930] ~ NetworkOptions v1.2.0 ⇒ 
  [44cfe95a] ~ Pkg v1.6.0 ⇒ 
  [fa267f1f] ~ TOML v1.0.0 ⇒ 
  [a4e569a6] ~ Tar v1.9.1 ⇒ 
  [deac9b47] ~ LibCURL_jll v7.73.0+4 ⇒ 
  [29816b5a] ~ LibSSH2_jll v1.9.1+2 ⇒ 
  [c8ffd9c3] ~ MbedTLS_jll v2.24.0+2 ⇒ 
  [14a3606d] ~ MozillaCACerts_jll v2020.7.22 ⇒ 
  [83775a58] ~ Zlib_jll v1.2.12+1 ⇒ 
  [8e850ede] ~ nghttp2_jll v1.41.0+1 ⇒ 
  [3f19e933] ~ p7zip_jll v16.2.1+1 ⇒ 

```

This all worked well. Here I come across my first error:

```julia
julia> using MyTestPkg
ERROR: ArgumentError: Package MyTestPkg not found in current path:
- Run `import Pkg; Pkg.add("MyTestPkg")` to install the MyTestPkg package.

```

So I thought moving to the right path would help …

```julia
julia> pwd()
"/Users/connor/Testing"

julia> cd("../../.julia/dev/MyTestPkg/")

julia> pwd()
"/Users/connor/.julia/dev/MyTestPkg"

julia> using MyTestPkg
ERROR: ArgumentError: Package MyTestPkg not found in current path:
- Run `import Pkg; Pkg.add("MyTestPkg")` to install the MyTestPkg package.

Stacktrace:
 [1] require(into::Module, mod::Symbol)
   @ Base ./loading.jl:893

```

As you can see, I still get an error on this command. Alas, I just moved on. Maybe this is the cause of the issue?

```julia
julia> Pkg.add("PackageCompiler")
   Resolving package versions...
    Updating `~/connor/juliaRppgPacakge/.julia\\dev\\MyTestPkg/Project.toml`
  [9b87118b] + PackageCompiler v1.2.7
    Updating `~/connor/juliaRppgPacakge/.julia\\dev\\MyTestPkg/Manifest.toml`
  [9b87118b] + PackageCompiler v1.2.7
Precompiling project...
  1 dependency successfully precompiled in 1 seconds (23 already precompiled)

julia> using PackageCompiler
julia> create_app("../MyTestPkg", "MyTestPkgApp";force=true)
┌ Warning: it is not recommended to create an app without a preexisting manifest
└ @ PackageCompiler ~/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/PackageCompiler.jl:642
  0 dependencies successfully precompiled in 0 seconds
  1 dependency errored. To see a full report either run `import Pkg; Pkg.precompile()` or load the package
[ Info: PackageCompiler: creating base system image (incremental=false)...
error during bootstrap:
LoadError(at "/usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/share/julia/base/compiler/compiler.jl" line 3: LoadError(at "compiler/bootstrap.jl" line 8: InterruptException()))
jl_typeinf_end at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
unknown function (ip: 0x1116f93ff)
jl_apply_generic at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
unknown function (ip: 0x1116f440e)
jl_toplevel_eval_flex at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
jl_parse_eval_all at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
jl_load_ at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
unknown function (ip: 0x1116c4a54)
jl_apply_generic at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
unknown function (ip: 0x1116c4925)
jl_apply_generic at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
do_call at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
eval_body at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
jl_interpret_toplevel_thunk at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
top-level scope at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/share/julia/base/compiler/compiler.jl:125
jl_toplevel_eval_flex at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
jl_toplevel_eval_flex at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
jl_toplevel_eval_in at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
unknown function (ip: 0x1116c3b94)
jl_apply_generic at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
do_call at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
eval_body at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
jl_interpret_toplevel_thunk at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
top-level scope at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/share/julia/base/compiler/compiler.jl:3
jl_toplevel_eval_flex at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
jl_parse_eval_all at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
jl_load_ at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
jl_load at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
exec_program at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
true_main at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)
repl_entrypoint at /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/lib/julia/libjulia-internal.1.6.dylib (unknown line)

[ Info: PackageCompiler: creating system image object file, this might take a while...
  0 dependencies successfully precompiled in 0 seconds
  1 dependency errored. To see a full report either run `import Pkg; Pkg.precompile()` or load the package
Precompiling project...
  ✗ MyTestPkg
  0 dependencies successfully precompiled in 3 seconds

ERROR: The following 1 dependency failed to precompile:

MyTestPkg [b1693a64-f60c-4f39-94a4-785f7c40246b]

Failed to precompile MyTestPkg [b1693a64-f60c-4f39-94a4-785f7c40246b] to /Users/connor/.julia/compiled/v1.6/MyTestPkg/jl_qKnc4T.
ERROR: LoadError: syntax: incomplete: "module" at /Users/connor/.julia/dev/MyTestPkg/src/MyTestPkg.jl:1 requires end
Stacktrace:
 [1] top-level scope
   @ ~/.julia/dev/MyTestPkg/src/MyTestPkg.jl:1
 [2] include_string(mapexpr::typeof(identity), mod::Module, code::String, filename::String)
   @ Base /private/var/folders/rg/r1_lqdvn6rj3b3_m2292vmc80000gn/T/jl_4OUU9Y/tmp_sys.so:-1
 [3] _include(mapexpr::Function, mod::Module, _path::String)
   @ Base /private/var/folders/rg/r1_lqdvn6rj3b3_m2292vmc80000gn/T/jl_4OUU9Y/tmp_sys.so:-1
 [4] include_package_for_output(pkg::Base.PkgId, input::String, depot_path::Vector{String}, dl_load_path::Vector{String}, load_path::Vector{String}, concrete_deps::Vector{Pair{Base.PkgId, UInt64}}, source::Nothing)
   @ Base /private/var/folders/rg/r1_lqdvn6rj3b3_m2292vmc80000gn/T/jl_4OUU9Y/tmp_sys.so:-1
 [5] top-level scope
   @ none:1
 [6] eval
   @ ./boot.jl:360 [inlined]
in expression starting at /Users/connor/.julia/dev/MyTestPkg/src/MyTestPkg.jl:1
Stacktrace:
 [1] pkgerror(msg::String)
   @ Pkg.Types /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/share/julia/stdlib/v1.6/Pkg/src/Types.jl:55
 [2] precompile(ctx::Pkg.Types.Context; internal_call::Bool, strict::Bool, kwargs::Base.Iterators.Pairs{Union{}, Union{}, Tuple{}, NamedTuple{(), Tuple{}}})
   @ Pkg.API /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/share/julia/stdlib/v1.6/Pkg/src/API.jl:1265
 [3] #precompile#196
   @ /usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/share/julia/stdlib/v1.6/Pkg/src/API.jl:919 [inlined]
 [4] top-level scope
   @ none:1
 [5] exec_options(opts::Base.JLOptions)
   @ Base /private/var/folders/rg/r1_lqdvn6rj3b3_m2292vmc80000gn/T/jl_4OUU9Y/tmp_sys.so:-1
 [6] _start()
   @ Base /private/var/folders/rg/r1_lqdvn6rj3b3_m2292vmc80000gn/T/jl_4OUU9Y/tmp_sys.so:-1
ERROR: failed process: Process(`/usr/local/Cellar/julia/1.6.2_1/bin/julia --color=yes --startup-file=no --sysimage=/var/folders/rg/r1_lqdvn6rj3b3_m2292vmc80000gn/T/jl_4OUU9Y/tmp_sys.so --project=/Users/connor/.julia/dev/MyTestPkg -e 'using Pkg; Pkg.precompile(; strict=true)'`, ProcessExited(1)) [1]

Stacktrace:
  [1] pipeline_error
    @ ./process.jl:525 [inlined]
  [2] run(::Cmd; wait::Bool)
    @ Base ./process.jl:440
  [3] run
    @ ./process.jl:438 [inlined]
  [4] do_ensurecompiled
    @ ~/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/PackageCompiler.jl:199 [inlined]
  [5] create_sysimg_object_file(object_file::String, packages::Vector{String}; project::String, base_sysimage::String, precompile_execution_file::Vector{String}, precompile_statements_file::Vector{String}, cpu_target::String, script::Nothing, isapp::Bool)
    @ PackageCompiler ~/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/PackageCompiler.jl:270
  [6] create_sysimage(packages::Symbol; sysimage_path::String, project::String, precompile_execution_file::Vector{String}, precompile_statements_file::Vector{String}, incremental::Bool, filter_stdlibs::Bool, replace_default::Bool, cpu_target::String, script::Nothing, base_sysimage::String, isapp::Bool)
    @ PackageCompiler ~/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/PackageCompiler.jl:452
  [7] (::PackageCompiler.var"#9#10"{Vector{String}, Vector{String}, Bool, Bool, String, String, String, String, String})()
    @ PackageCompiler ~/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/PackageCompiler.jl:682
  [8] cd(f::PackageCompiler.var"#9#10"{Vector{String}, Vector{String}, Bool, Bool, String, String, String, String, String}, dir::String)
    @ Base.Filesystem ./file.jl:106
  [9] create_app(package_dir::String, app_dir::String; app_name::Nothing, precompile_execution_file::Vector{String}, precompile_statements_file::Vector{String}, incremental::Bool, filter_stdlibs::Bool, audit::Bool, force::Bool, c_driver_program::String, cpu_target::String)
    @ PackageCompiler ~/.julia/packages/PackageCompiler/BjVzm/src/PackageCompiler.jl:671
 [10] top-level scope
    @ REPL[33]:1

```

I ran `Pkg.precompile()` and tried again, and no difference.

Also, my `MyTestPkg.jl` code is the same as what you provided.

I think I’ve followed, or tried to follow every step you take from a fresh julia install onwards. Let me know if I am missing anything. Hopefully we can get this package to work and accept file path input. Thank you!

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oheil](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/oheil/32/220745_2.png) [@oheil](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oheil)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 3:39pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/15 "2021-07-19T15:39:16Z")

</div>

Instead of

> [@connormeaton](#):
>
> `(@v1.6) pkg> activate .julia\\dev\\MyTestPkg`

can you try with

```julia
(@v1.6) pkg> activate ~/connor/juliaRppgPacakge/.julia/dev/MyTestPkg

```

It must be a valid path to the package folder. `\\` are the separators on windows, you just need the single `/`.  
If you start in

```julia
julia> pwd()
"/Users/connor/Testing"

```

You may also try with

```julia
(@v1.6) pkg> activate ../../.julia/dev/MyTestPkg

```

After `activate` autocompletion with TAB should work if these pathes are wrong.

If this is successful it should show as

```julia
(MyTestPkg) pkg>

```

and not as (e.g.)

```julia
(.julia\\dev\\MyTestPkg) pkg>

```

After that step successfull `add DataFrames,CSV` again, and do a `using DataFrames,CSV` on the REPL ( I am just unsure which one adds them to `Project.toml` ).

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![connormeaton](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/connormeaton/32/27120_2.png) [@connormeaton](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/connormeaton)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/16 "2021-07-19T15:50:26Z")

</div>

Thank you, I was able to get to here:

> [@oheil](#):
>
> ```julia-auto
> (MyTestPkg) pkg>
> 
> ```

I then successfully ran:

```julia-auto
(MyTestPkg) pkg> add DataFrames,CSV

```

As suggested, I added the `using ...` command in the REPL:

```julia-auto
julia> using DataFrames, CSV

```

Then I ran:

```julia-auto
julia> using MyTestPkg
ERROR: ArgumentError: Package MyTestPkg not found in current path:
- Run `import Pkg; Pkg.add("MyTestPkg")` to install the MyTestPkg package.

Stacktrace:
 [1] require(into::Module, mod::Symbol)
   @ Base ./loading.jl:893

```

For reference I am here:

```julia-auto
julia> pwd()
"/Users/connor/juliaRppgPacakge"

```

What am I doing wrong?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oheil](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/oheil/32/220745_2.png) [@oheil](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oheil)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 4:33pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/17 "2021-07-19T16:33:19Z")

</div>

Hmm, that’s weird  
After `activate` can you check the status?

```julia
(MyTestPkg) pkg> st
     Project MyTestPkg v0.1.0
      Status `C:\Users\Oli\.julia\dev\MyTestPkg\Project.toml`
  [336ed68f] CSV v0.8.5
  [a93c6f00] DataFrames v1.2.0
  [9b87118b] PackageCompiler v1.2.7
  [44cfe95a] Pkg

```

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![connormeaton](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/connormeaton/32/27120_2.png) [@connormeaton](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/connormeaton)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 5:00pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/18 "2021-07-19T17:00:44Z")

</div>

I get this, which looks right?

```julia
(MyTestPkg) pkg> st
      Status `~/Users/connor/juliaRppgPacakge/.julia/dev/MyTestPkg/Project.toml`
  [336ed68f] CSV v0.8.5
  [a93c6f00] DataFrames v1.2.0
  [9b87118b] PackageCompiler v1.2.7
  [44cfe95a] Pkg

```

Can you describe what you are doing _immediately_ after this step? I am hitting Ctrl+C to get back to Julia REPL and then trying to call `using MyTestPkg`, where it fails. Are you doing something different at this step?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![oheil](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/oheil/32/220745_2.png) [@oheil](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/oheil)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 7:10pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/19 "2021-07-19T19:10:34Z")

</div>

Well, you are missing the line

> [@oheil](#):
>
> `Project MyTestPkg v0.1.0`

but I have no idea why.

It seems that in your file

```julia-auto
~/Users/connor/juliaRppgPacakge/.julia/dev/MyTestPkg/Project.toml

```

the following lines (or some of them) at the beginning are missing:

```julia-auto
name = "MyTestPkg"
uuid = "7b6ef1f2-e27a-4927-afbe-f37c5d2ce363"
authors = ["oheil <XXX@XXX.de> and contributors"]
version = "0.1.0"

```

If this is the case, please add them according to my example.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![mkitti](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/mkitti/32/12459_2.png) [@mkitti](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/mkitti)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2021, 7:42pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633/20 "2021-07-19T19:42:16Z")

</div>

> [@connormeaton](#):
>
> Can you describe what you are doing _immediately_ after this step?

You can just push backspace to exit pkg mode.

[Next page](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/how-to-input-files-as-command-line-arguments-to-compiled-julia/64633.md?page=2)