[OS X TeX] Beginner help with TeXshop/MacTex needed

[Herbert Schulz]

On Aug 25, 2006, at 8:19 AM, Rowland McDonnell wrote:

>> On Aug 25, 2006, at 5:01 AM, Rowland McDonnell wrote:
>>
>>> Firstly, how do I tell TeX where to look for TeX input files?  I
>>> need to
>>> be able to add a directory tree to the list - I need to have system-
>>> wide
>>> TeX inputs available, not just on a user by user basis.
>>
>> Read README.howtexfindsfiles.txt available in:
>>
>> /local/teTeX/share/texmf.gwtex (there's a link to teTeX in /Library)
>
> Aha!  Great - thanks.  Okay, so that file tells me what file the
> settings are made in - I need to edit
> </usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/web2c/texmf.cnf>
>

Howdy,

If you intend to move files to their proper location in the gwTeX  
hierarchy there is no need, nor should you, edit texmf.cnf.

> Is there some documentation which explains the syntax of the  
> entries in
> the file, and how teTeX interprets them?  (README.howtexfindsfiles.txt
> doesn't actually explain any of that) - I've had a look in
>
> /usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf/web2c/texmf.cnf
>
> and it doesn't explain these issues; it does make reference to a file
> README.gwtex, but there doesn't seem to be such a file installed
> anywhere (visible or invisible).  If there is, Spotlight can't find  
> it.

There is a README.texmf.gwtex in /usr/local/teTeX/share/texmf.gwtex/.

By default Spotlight won't index anything in /usr/* (which is really  
a link to /private/usr/*). Although you can force this from the  
command line I use SpotlightIndexer <http://www.kelleycomputing.net: 
16080/spotlightindexer/> to do it (Make sure you set the "Force  
import" check box in Preferences) and have it index /usr/local/ 
teTeX/. If things change in /usr/local/teTeX/ you'll have to manually  
run SpotlightIndexer again but those changes happen slowly so I don't  
find it too much of a hassle (is there some command I can use to  
force Spotlight indexing automatically?).

>
>>> (I need to add some PS T1 founts with their support files at some
>>> point
>>> too - any hints?)
>>
>> Get Philipp Lehman's nifty Type 1 Font Installation Guide:
>>
>> http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/info/Type1fonts/ 
>> fontinstallationguide/
>> fontinstallationguide.pdf
>
> Righto - thanks.  Umm.  I've not read it all the way through yet -  
> does
> it explain where I need to put the files for them to be recognised,  
> and
> what config files need editing and how?  The point is that I've got
> working (with CMacTeX's pdfTeX) setups for many additional founts  
> and it
> strikes me that I should be able to `just copy over the required  
> files'
> if only I could figure out where to put 'em.
>

Look at the structure of the branches already there in /usr/local/ 
teTeX/share/: texmf, texmf.tetex, texmf.gwtex and texmf.local. For  
files that will be accessed by all users of the system use the  
texmf.local branch. LaTeX packages should go into .../texmf.local/tex/ 
latex/ (and sub-directories for neatness), fonts in /texmf.local/ 
fonts/... (e.g., map files in the .../map/ sub-directory, etc.). The  
last step, before testing, is to run

sudo texhash

or

sudo mktexlsr

so the files can be quickly found. To install fonts the map files  
also have to be integrated into the system: see the  
fontinstallationguide for more documentation on that. (NOTE: If you  
recently installed MacTeX [the TeX distribution in that is Gerben  
Wierda's gwTeX i-installer version], post 06/2006, using updmap will  
put files in the proper place --- for a while you had to use updmap- 
sys for access by all users.)

> Is that covered?  If not, I need a different document :-/
>
>> Works just like Unix,
>
> (thanks for the tip - but I've never been a Unix sysadmin, so I  
> need to
> learn everything from scratch)
>
>> or you could use XeTeX which has become
>> amazingly mature:
>>
>> http://scripts.sil.org/xetex
>
> Well, perhaps - but I'd have to learn an entirely new way of working,
> wouldn't I?  And re-work my fount installations, running into  
> backwards
> compatibility problems?
>

Somewhat, but the fontspec, xunicode and xltxtra packages make it  
almost painless to use the Mac's fonts in LaTeX. Maths is getting  
there and one of these days, hopefully, microtype (a la pdflatex)  
will be there (I now really notice how much I miss the protrusion/ 
margin kerning!).

>>> Secondly, I don't suppose if anyone knows if there's anything like
>>> a manual for TeXShop?  Preferably something that I can print on
>>> paper and read in the traditional way?
>>
>> There've been a number of articles in TUGboat on it.
>
> Okay - are any of them available on-line?  I don't have a subscription
> to TUGboat.
>
>> Creating a .pdf of the on-line Apple Help would be kinda nice though.
>
> Oh yes.
>
> Cheers,
> Rowland.

Yes, this would be nice! I think we need a real "Beginner's Guide to  
LaTeX on the Mac using TeXShop" to get complete newbies up to their  
first document (there are some very good LaTeX intros after that) and  
a complete "TeXShop Users Guide" for all levels of users (lots of  
things there that many folks might find handy). Ummm... any  
volunteers!? :-)

Good Luck,

Herb Schulz
(herbs at wideopenwest.com)


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