TeX Live and MacTeX ⇒ auxtrees

[pireddag]

Hallo everyone,
I am trying to add an auxiliary tree to TexLive 2017.

I issue the command

sudo tlmgr conf auxtrees add ~/myTexDir

and I get the output

(running on Debian, switching to user mode!)
tlmgr: unknown conf arg: auxtrees (try tlmgr or texmf or updmap)
tlmgr: action conf returned a warning.

Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Giovanni

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Hi Giovanni,

welcome to the forum!

How about tlmgr -gui and adding the package via the graphic interface?

Stefan

[pireddag]

First of all thanks for the answer.


A more detailed description of what I would like to do.

I would like Tex to know the location of two style files I wrote. The first thing I tried is to add a \tex directory inside the \texmf directory in my home directory (I am on Linux), I saw then that ~\texmf is owned by root. I then created \texmf \tex\latex as root, placed the style files there and it worked. But then I thought this might not be the right way to do things (maybe Tex Live sets root as the owner of ~\texmf for an important reason and I should not modify its contents.

So, after a brief Google search, I found the command tlmgr conf auxtrees (in https://www.tug.org/texlive/doc/tlmgr.h ... lete-value) that should "allow(s) adding and removing arbitrary additional texmf trees, completely under user control". I thought that this should be the right way of handling the directories for my style files. It resulted in the error I posted.

Does your suggestion apply for what I want to do? I opened the tlmgr gui to apply it, did not understand how to do it, and (I guess) I would have to prepare a package: I hope that there is a simpler solution. Perhaps is my first attempt (adding the tex directory in ~\texmf using sudo) already ok?

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Hi Giovanni

yes, your approach should be fine. Your user directory should be shown by

kpsewhich -var-value=TEXMFHOME

It's your directory, the root owner doesn't matter. I guess it's just because it was created by a process run by root.

Just use the user tree, don't worry about creating another tree. Btw. if it's urgent, your packages are found as well if you put them to the same folder as your document.

Stefan

[pireddag]

Hi again,
it is not urgent and in any case (auf alle Fälle) I have the answer: I will change the owner of ~\texmf to myself.

I find it a bit weird that the command tlmgr conf auxtrees is documented but does not work; but this is not important now.

Ciao and thanks,

Giovanni

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Hi ,

it's interesting though, and as a TeX Live user I will check that issue too. Just right now I have my laptop with me with MacTeX on it, so a bit later.

Stefan

[pireddag]

I marked the topic as "solved" but if you post about auxtrees (maybe here, it is convenient for me since I will receive a notification by email) I will read it with interest.