Graphics, Figures & Tables ⇒ how to install latest tikz build to miktex in windows?

[fenghedo]

Hi all,

I have been trying to do this for a day now and all I could get is screwing up my miktex installation on my laptop. I read the tikz/pgf manual for cvs-2.0 version. So I downloaded the latest build. The zip file contains several directories: generic, plain, latex, etc. So I copied those to my miktex directories. For example, the generic files were copied to: C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.7\tex\generic\pgf\ and the old files were replaced. After I did this, I used TeXnicCenter to compile my code and it was complaining that the file 'pgfkeysfiltered.code.tex' was not found. But I could see that it was in the directory: C:\Program Files\MiKTeX 2.7\tex\generic\pgf\utilities\. From there I don't remember what I did but the miktex installation was corrupted somehow.

The latest package I could get using miktex update was from early 2008 for the pgf package. And there are some new commands that I need to use from the later builds.

Could someone please help me solve this issue? Thanks.

[josephwright]

A few things:
1) It's usually considered a bad idea to add anything to the MiKTeX managed directory.
2) TeX uses a database to find files, it doesn't search through the tree every time.

I'd normally created a local folder for self-installed items (otherwise MiKTeX might overwrite them next time you update). So in your home directory (C:\Documents and Settings\<username> on WinXP or C:\Users\<username> on Vista/Win7), create a root folder (usually "texmf"), then the structure inside it:

texmf\tex\generic\pgf\
texmf\tex\generic\pgf\pgfutilies

and so on. Put the files in the appropriate places, then run the MiKTeX Settings program. One of the tabs is labelled Roots. You need to add your new root (C:\<whatever>\texmf) to the list, move it *above* the existing one using the "up" button, then click OK. MiKTeX will now refresh its database, and find the files. Next time you add something, you only need to update the database (there is a Refresh FNDB button on General tab).

[fenghedo]

Thanks Joe for answering my question. However, after I did the above and tried to compile my project, errors popped up saying "Incompatible list can't be unboxed". I googled this error and some people say that it was caused by hyperref. So I removed hyperref from my document. But still the same error happens. On the other hand, if I remove the texmf directory from the root list, then I can compile it again (with the old version of course).

So what could be causing the problem?

[localghost]

The reason why there hasn't been released a new version of pgf/tikZ is that the current development versions are too unstable. You may post the behaviour you discovered on the mailing list of the project.


Best regards
Thorsten