[OS X TeX] Strange error

[Ross Moore]

Hi again,

On 13/11/2007, at 8:46 AM, Ross Moore wrote:

>> I cannot fully explain why the error occurs, but can say something
> about what is going on, and offer an easy workaround.
>
> It is  fink.sty  that triggers the difficulties.
> This is because it redefines LaTeX's \input macro,

     actually the \@input  method (which \input calls )

> and the \IfFileExists macro.


> There is no actual error in the TeX processing of the input source.
> Just some weird side-effect that upsets the use of  \halign .
> (Perhaps it is just a stray space, or carriage-return occurring in an
> unexpected place, but otherwise having no effect.)

Yes. It adds an extra space token here:   (from  fink.sty )

line 73: \long\def\IfFileExists#1#2#3{%
line 74:   \openin\@inputcheck#1 %
line 75:   \ifeof\@inputcheck

Remove the space at the 2nd-last character of line 74 and the problem
completely disappears, at least in a simple test with  \begin{align} .

However, I'm not sure whether or not that space serves a legitimate
purpose in what this package is trying to achieve --- certainly it
looks like it was put there deliberately.

>

Hope this helps.

	Ross


------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ross Moore                                         ross at maths.mq.edu.au
Mathematics Department                             office: E7A-419
Macquarie University                               tel: +61 +2 9850 8955
Sydney, Australia  2109                            fax: +61 +2 9850 8114
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