Solution to 'Multiple PDF generation with one tex file' does not work anymore with TeXLive 2016

Question

The solution in Multiple PDF generation with one tex file worked with TeXLive 2015 and is now broken in TeXLive 2016, at least on OS X El Capitan.

Minimal Example:

\documentclass{article}
\ifx\conditionmacro\undefined
\immediate\write18{%
  lualatex --synctex=1 -interaction=nonstopmode -shell-escape --jobname="\jobname"
  "\gdef\string\conditionmacro{1}\string\input\space\jobname"
}%
\expandafter\stop
\fi
\begin{document}
asdf
\end{document}

Result with TeXLive 2015:

Running `LaTeX' on `mini' with ``lualatex --jobname=mini  -file-line-error -shell-escape --synctex=1 -interaction=nonstopmode "\input" mini.tex''
This is LuaTeX, Version beta-0.80.0 (TeX Live 2015) (rev 5238) 
 \write18 enabled.
LaTeX2e <2016/03/31>
Babel <3.9q> and hyphenation patterns for 1 language(s) loaded.
(./mini.tex (/usr/local/texlive/2015/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/article.cls
Document Class: article 2014/09/29 v1.4h Standard LaTeX document class
(/usr/local/texlive/2015/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/size10.clo))This is LuaTeX, Version beta-0.80.0 (TeX Live 2015) (rev 5238) 
 \write18 enabled.
LaTeX2e <2016/03/31>
Babel <3.9q> and hyphenation patterns for 1 language(s) loaded.
(./mini.tex (/usr/local/texlive/2015/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/article.cls
Document Class: article 2014/09/29 v1.4h Standard LaTeX document class
(/usr/local/texlive/2015/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/size10.clo))
No file mini.aux.
[1{/usr/local/texlive/2015/texmf-var/fonts/map/pdftex/updmap/pdftex.map}]
(./mini.aux))
 264 words of node memory still in use:
   2 hlist, 1 vlist, 1 rule, 2 glue, 40 glue_spec, 1 write nodes
   avail lists: 2:12,3:3,4:22,6:11,7:1,9:6
<</usr/local/texlive/2015/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmr10.pfb>
Output written on mini.pdf (1 page, 10762 bytes).

SyncTeX written on mini.synctex.gz.Transcript written on mini.log.
)
 262 words of node memory still in use:
   2 hlist, 1 vlist, 1 rule, 2 glue, 39 glue_spec, 2 write nodes
   avail lists: 2:12,3:1,6:3,9:1
No pages of output.
Transcript written on mini.log.

TeX Output finished at Mon Jun 13 14:32:07

Result in TeXLive 2016:

Running `LaTeX' on `mini' with ``lualatex --jobname=mini  -file-line-error -shell-escape --synctex=1 -interaction=nonstopmode "\input" mini.tex''
This is LuaTeX, Version 0.95.0 (TeX Live 2016) 
 system commands enabled.
LaTeX2e <2016/03/31>
Babel <3.9r> and hyphenation patterns for 1 language(s) loaded.
(./mini.tex (/usr/local/texlive/2016/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/article.cls
Document Class: article 2014/09/29 v1.4h Standard LaTeX document class
(/usr/local/texlive/2016/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/size10.clo))
lualatex --synctex=1 -interaction=nonstopmode -shell-escape --jobname="mini" "\gdef \conditionmacro{1}\input mini" 
)
 347 words of node memory still in use:
2 hlist, 1 vlist, 1 rule, 6 glue, 40 glue_spec, 2 write nodes
avail lists: 2:12,3:1,4:1,5:2,7:1,9:1

warning  (pdf backend): no pages of output.
Transcript written on mini.log.

TeX Output finished at Mon Jun 13 14:20:51

Any hints how one can get it running in TeXLive 2016?

Answer 1

\write18 no longer means execute system commands in luatex.

add

\usepackage{shellesc}

to re-enable it.

That package will also allow the clearer syntax

\ShellEscape{...} 

instead of

\write18{...}

or since you are writing code specifically for luatex you could avoid using shellesc and use

\directlua{os.execute("\luaescapestring{...}")}

which would work in old or new luatex.