[protext] Directory problems: texmf-local, local repository files

Wed Nov 3 02:27:56 CET 2010

Dear all
Thxs vm for your comments, but some doubts still remain.

As you've suggested, I've created a new 'local' directory:

                 C:\texmf-local

which has the main following subdirectories

                 C:\texmf-local\tex\latex
                        C:\texmf-local\tex\latex\base
                        C:\texmf-local\tex\latex\<packagename>
                 C:\texmf-local\bibtex
                 C:\texmf-local\dvi
                 C:\texmf-local\fonts

I've done this bcse in Table 5.1 from Peter Flynn's manual, it seems that
the different types of files (i.e., .tex, .sty, .cla, etc.) should be saved
in the appropriate folder. You can see his Table here:

http://www.tex.ac.uk/tex-archive/info/beginlatex/html/chapter5.html#ctan

Now I describe a typical example:

I try to download a package that contains all the pieces necessary to
construct a Thesis. Normally the files are of the following type: Thesis.tex
(the main one), .sty, .cls, .bib, .bst).

- QUESTION 1 ****************************************************

Should I put the different type of files in the right 'local' folder as
suggested by Peter Flynn' s table. In other words should I save the
different files as:

- .cls in C:\texmf-local\tex\base

- .sty in C:\texmf-local\tex\xxx

-  Thesis.tex in C:\texmf-local\tex\xxx or in a 'personal folder' ????

- .bib >>> in a 'personal folder'

- .bst in C:\texmf-local\bibtex\bst

by 'personal folder' I mean a folder where I download all the components.
by 'xxx' I denote the <packagename> notation used by Peter Flynn.

So my doubt is, should I follow all these steps, or could I just all the
files in 'personal folder' ?
(My feeling is that I should follow all these steps, right ?)

- QUESTION 2 *****************************************
 In case I follow the above steps, I understand that I need to add the
C:\texmf-local directory using the 'Root' under MikTeX> Settings; but ....

- Which Miktex Settings: 'Administrator' or the one without anything? I've
my own laptop.
- I've noticed that if I choose the 'Admin' Option, in the Roots label, the
root directories maintained by MikTex are
                   C:\Program Files\ Miktex 2.8 and
                   C:\Admin and Setting\ All Users\ Application
Data\Miktex\2.8

while if I choose the non-Admin option, I find the two additional
directories

                  C:\Admin and Setting\ Administrator\ Application
Data\Miktex\2.8
                  C:\Admin and Setting\ Administrator\ Local Settings\
Application Data\Miktex\2.8

is this the way it should be?
which option should I choose to add my local 'C:\texmf-local' directory.
in fact, I've added it using both options (Miktex Settings and Miktex
Settings (Admin), and I've realized the following: a) using the Admin option
I see a small window where different directories are read; using the other
option (non-Admin) this does not happen, b) after adding the C:\local-texmf
directory, I can see that if I launch again MikTex Settings (Admin), I can
see it in the Roots window, whereas when I launch MikTex Settings, it only
appears if I click the 'Show Miktex-maintained root directories. Is this
right?

- QUESTION 3 *************************************************

Following the brute-force approach of downloading all the files in some
ad-hoc personal folder, I've opened the main Thesis.tex , .sty and .cls
files with TexNicCenter.
I've built and run the main Thesis.tex files, obtaining some output.
Is there any distinct error message that would indicate me some problems
with the .sty, .cls,. .bib, .bst or other files that may be needed.
In other words, as I'm not sure if I need to ave all these files in the
right subdirectories in the C:\texmf-local directory, or just in one
personal folder where I save all the pieces together, if the later option is
wrong, then I'd like to know this is te problem: i.e., it is not acceptable
to save all the 'pieces' (Thesis.tex, .sty, .cls, .bib, .bst , ...)in one
ad-hoc folder and that's it (having to save 'each piece' in the right
subfolder in the directory C:\texmf-local that I've created for this
purpose)

Needless to say, many ths for your help.

Best rgds

Jose

On Fri, Oct 29, 2010 at 9:45 AM, Thomas Feuerstack <
Thomas.Feuerstack at fernuni-hagen.de> wrote:

> Jose,
>
> Am 28.10.2010 02:01, schrieb jose ortiz:
>
> However I've a few FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS related to the installationf a
>> xxx.cls (class) package.:
>>
>
> well, lets see what will happen...
>
>
> QUESTION 1- As I've seen in the Archives, the so-called C:\texmf-local
>> file is longer supported by Miktex 2.8 version installed through Protext.
>>
>
> what is not the whole truth. In fact MiKTeX 2.8 doesn't support
> C:\texmf-local , with no dependance to ProTeXt.
>
> however you can add a texmf-local tree manually, by creating i.e. a
> directory c:\texmf-local and adding it to MiKTeX's roots using "MiKTeX
> Options" -> "Roots".
>
> At last thats the way i do, because in my personal opinion, MiKTeX's
> directory structure (that you described below)  is almost awful.
>
>
>  From what I've read, this is where UPDATES or NEW/ADDITIONAL packages
>> should be saved.
>>
>> In one of the email in the protext Archive (copied below), it's
>> suggested to save those ADDITIONAL packages in the folder C:\Documents
>> and Settings/ Administrator\ Local Settings\Application Data\
>> MiKteX\2.8\miktex\base (as this is the folder that appears with the
>> description 'USER DATA' in the MiKteX-Options-Roots window on the one
>> hand and, as I want to add a 'class' file I think it should be in the
>> 'base' subdirectory).
>>
>
> hmm, i can't agree to this. If you want to use MiKTeX's structure take
> c:\documents and settings\all users\application data\MiKTeX\2.8\tex and
> create a subdirectory "latex" inside, where you might store your own xxx.cls
> .
>
> Anyway you should use this directory only in case you've selfcreated
> class-files or packages. In case you want to use packages from CTAN it might
> be a better idea, to install them by MiKTeX's package manager.
>
>
> QUESTION 2- After having been reading abt different LaTeX-related issues
>> during the last few days, I've seen in numerous occasions the importance
>> of having a 'ROOT' directory (as in C:\texmf) and a 'LOCAL' one (as in
>> C:\texmf-local) with the same  structure (TDS) as the former one. What
>> are the equivalents of these two directories, 'C:\Program Files\MikTeX
>> 2.8' and the file I mentioned above in C:\Documents and Setting (User
>> Data) ?
>>
>
> Exact.
>
>
> QUESTION 3- When I use MikTex Update Wizard, what are the 'local
>> repository files'? and where are they?
>>
>
> The 'local repository files' are the place, where the packages in a MiKTeX
> understandable compressed format a stored. If you've installed MiKTeX
> through ProTeXt, you can find them, beginning from the directory, where
> you've unpacked ProTeXt.exe, in MiKTeX\tm\packages .
>
> Anyway it might be a better idea, to use a "remote package repository",
> while these are linked to the nearest CTAN-server, from where you receive
> the most recent versions.
>
>
> QUESTION 4- As u can read here,
>>
>> http://www.unt.edu/rss/class/Jon/L2H_SC/install_l2h_web_many/node3.html
>>
>> it's suggested to change the default locations from the ProText
>> installation to the typical ones. Would you recommend to do so?
>>
>
> well, after having read the informations from the URL shown above, the
> reason for doing these, seem to base on problems in context with latex2html
> .
>
> In my local installations i used MiKTeX's default installation directories,
> and i never ran in any problems with them.
>
> Regards - Thomas
>
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