Why does ConTeXt keep telling me "source file is not found"?

Question

I can't seem to make ConTeXt work with system fonts. Let's take this simple example from another question on tex.SE :

\usemodule[simplefonts][size=12pt]
\setmainfont[liberationsans]
\starttext
Test text
\stoptext

It won't compile :

$ context aa.tex

mtx-context     | run 1: luatex --fmt="/opt/context/tex/texmf-cache/luatex-cache/context/5fe67e0bfe781ce0dde776fb1556f32e/formats/luatex/cont-en" --jobname="aa" --lua="/opt/context/tex/texmf-cache/luatex-cache/context/5fe67e0bfe781ce0dde776fb1556f32e/formats/luatex/cont-en.lui" --no-parse-first-line --c:currentrun=1 --c:fulljobname="./aa" --c:input="./aa" --c:kindofrun=1 --c:maxnofruns=9 "cont-yes.mkiv"
This is LuaTeX, Version beta-0.81.0 (TeX Live 2016/dev) (rev 5350) 
 \write18 enabled.

system          > callbacks > not registering frozen 'find_format_file'
open source     > 1 > 1 > /opt/context/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/cont-yes.mkiv

ConTeXt  ver: 2015.10.09 21:28 MKIV beta  fmt: 2015.10.21  int: english/english

system          > 'cont-new.mkiv' loaded
open source     > 2 > 2 > /opt/context/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/cont-new.mkiv
close source    > 2 > 2 > /opt/context/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/cont-new.mkiv
system          > files > jobname 'aa', input './aa', result 'aa'
fonts           > latin modern fonts are not preloaded
languages       > language 'en' is active
open source     > 2 > 3 > /data/LédiFrance/catalogues/automatic/aa.tex
resolvers       > modules > 'simplefonts' is loaded
open source     > 3 > 4 > /opt/context/tex/texmf-modules/tex/context/third/simplefonts/t-simplefonts.mkiv
loading         > ConTeXt User Module / Simplefonts
resolvers       > lua > loading file '/opt/context/tex/texmf-modules/tex/context/third/simplefonts/t-simplefonts.lua' succeeded
close source    > 3 > 4 > /opt/context/tex/texmf-modules/tex/context/third/simplefonts/t-simplefonts.mkiv
fonts           > defining > source file 'LiberationSans-Regular.ttf' is not found
backend         > xmp > using file '/opt/context/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/lpdf-pdx.xml'
pages           > flushing realpage 1, userpage 1
close source    > 2 > 4 > /data/LédiFrance/catalogues/automatic/aa.tex
close source    > 1 > 4 > /opt/context/tex/texmf-context/tex/context/base/cont-yes.mkiv

!LuaTeX error: cannot find OpenType font file for reading ()
 ==> Fatal error occurred, no output PDF file produced!

mtx-context     | fatal error: return code: 1

If I understand correctly, it fails on defining > source file 'LiberationSans-Regular.ttf' is not found. Yet said file is found by mtx-run (and has read access for all) :

$ mtxrun --script fonts --list --all --pattern=Liberation

liberationmono              liberationmono              /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationMono-Regular.ttf
liberationmonobold          liberationmonobold          /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationMono-Bold.ttf
liberationmonobolditalic    liberationmonobolditalic    /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationMono-BoldItalic.ttf
liberationmonoitalic        liberationmonoitalic        /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationMono-Italic.ttf
liberationmononormal        liberationmono              /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationMono-Regular.ttf
liberationmonoregular       liberationmono              /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationMono-Regular.ttf
liberationsans              liberationsans              /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationSans-Regular.ttf
liberationsansbold          liberationsansbold          /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationSans-Bold.ttf
liberationsansbolditalic    liberationsansbolditalic    /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationSans-BoldItalic.ttf
liberationsansitalic        liberationsansitalic        /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationSans-Italic.ttf
liberationsansnormal        liberationsans              /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationSans-Regular.ttf
liberationsansregular       liberationsans              /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationSans-Regular.ttf
liberationserif             liberationserif             /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationSerif-Regular.ttf
liberationserifbold         liberationserifbold         /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationSerif-Bold.ttf
liberationserifbolditalic   liberationserifbolditalic   /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationSerif-BoldItalic.ttf
liberationserifitalic       liberationserifitalic       /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationSerif-Italic.ttf
liberationserifnormal       liberationserif             /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationSerif-Regular.ttf
liberationserifregular      liberationserif             /usr/share/fonts/liberation/LiberationSerif-Regular.ttf

What am I missing ?

(And BTW, I understand from the answer to the question listed above that simplefonts should be fed with the output of mtx-run, but which column ?)

Answer 1

LuaTeX (or rather kpsepath) does not search fonts directories recursively. even with OSFONTDIR="/usr/share/fonts//" (note two trailing slashes) as suggested. It didn't help, although kpsewhich --var-value=OSFONTDIR gives the expected path.

Use this as a workaround:

mkdir $HOME/.fonts
export OSFONTDIR="$OSFONTDIR:$HOME/.fonts"
for ii in $(find /usr/share/fonts -name "*.ttf") $(find /usr/share/fonts -name "*.otf"); do ln -s $ii ~/.fonts/; done

This creates the $HOME/.fonts, directory, add it to OSFONTDIR and links recursively all otf and ttf files from /usr/share/fonts into $HOME/.fonts.

---

A similar approach:

rm -rf $HOME/.fonts
mkdir $HOME/.fonts
cd $HOME/.fonts
for i in $(echo $OSFONTDIR | sed -e 's/:/ /g') ; do
  for j in $(find $i -type f); do
    ln -s $j .;
  done;
done

The script uses the current $OSFONTDIR value and recurses through the directories to link all font files into $HOME/.fonts. Then update (e.g., $HOME/.bashrc):

OSFONTDIR=$HOME/.fonts
export OSFONTDIR

Answer 2

I don't have Liberation on my system, so I can't test, but this should work. The functionality of the module simplefonts has been integrated into the core of context, so you don't need it anymore. And the argument it needs is not in the font script of mtxrun, it's the family name of your font. So in your case, you should try:

\definefontfamily [test] [sans] [Liberation Sans]
\setupbodyfont [test,ss,12pt]
\starttext
Test text
\stoptext