NONMEM runs can be invoked using the command line/shell script nmfe (NONMEM Front End). The script is appended with release version, e.g. nmfe75 for NONMEM v7.5. The basic use requires two arguments, model file and report file:

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  nmfe75.bat model.ctl model.res # Windows
  nmfe75 model.ctl model.res # Linux/Unix

The run will output status, information, and messages on screen, to re-direct/save them, one may use

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  nmfe75 model.ctl model.res >stdout.txt
  nmfe75 mycontrol.ctl myresults.res -background>console.txt

Some common additional options are listed below.

• -rundir. The user may enter a run directory that is different from the directory in which the script is launched:

  1	-rundir=c:\my_favorite_dir

  One must have all user dependent input files, control stream file, msf files, and data files, are available in that run directory.

• -nmexec. The user may also enter an alternative name for the constructed executable. For example,

  1	-nmexec=nonmem2

  specifies an alternative executable name nonmem2, than the default nonmem.exe (windows) or nonmem (Linux).

• -xmloff stops the XML output file from being created.

• -flushtime=x requests file updating (flushing) to occur not more than every x seconds. For example,

  1	-xmloff -flushtime=10.0

  may increase the simulation speed. File flushes for the MSF system are not affected, and continue to be updated every PRINT iterations during estimation. The default setting of flushtime is 1 second, suitable for most problems, but you can change this as needed (fractional seconds are also allowed). If you prefer file updates occurring as frequently as possible, you can set flushtime to 0.0, but this could cause considerable slowing of execution for small problems and data sets.

• Beginning in NM73, an additional feature of the execution script file is that the path to the fortran compiler system and MPI system that is appropriate for NONMEM may be retrieved from a script file that could have the following environment variables defined:

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  compilerpath mpibinpath mpilibpath mpilibname

  Comments in these files are provided for instructions about each of these environment variables. These paths will be temporarily added to the front of the PATH environment variable, so that the appropriate compiler or MPI system is called to service NONMEM. In the past, conflicts with other installed fortran compilers from other applications would prevent the appropriate compiler from being used for the NONMEM system. This location file method allows NONMEM to be forced to look in a particular location.

• -locfile specifies the location file (nmloc.bat or nmloc by convention. See util/nmlocoriginal.* as templates). For example

  1	nmfe75 myfile.ctl myfile.res -locfile=nmloc.bat

  If –locfile is not specified, the nmfe7x script looks in the present working directory for nmloc.bat (windows) or nmloc (linux). If this file is not found, it looks in the top directory of the NONMEM installed directory. Thus, the file nmloc.bat (Windows) or nmloc (Linux) in the top nonmem installed directory serves as the default location file, and may be modified, or used as a template and placed in the working directory or specified in the –locfile option on the command line. If a particular environment variable in the above list is not found or is not defined, then nmfe7x will behave as in earlier versions, and rely on the presently existing PATH for finding the compiler and MPI system. The nmfe7x script will display a statement as to what path it will use.