[tex-live] tlmgr and TEXINPUTS

[Vladimir Lomov]

Hi.

(First I decided to post a new message but thought that there were too
many posts on topic already.)

** Norbert Preining [2010-11-10 23:38:21 +0900]:

>>> user mode tlmgr is the answer.
>> Or ability to install into $HOME/texmf. If someone want to use
> 
> That is what user-mode tlmgr is about. It manages TEXMFHOME, so you could
> use
> 	tlmgr --user-mode --repo .... install testing-package
> and it will be installed into your TEXMFHOME, and with remove it will be
> removed.
> As said, testers wanted.

I think there are three different request for feature.

1. Lars Madsen aksed how to add an user directory with tex files. The
  question raised because MikTeX (up to now?) don't provide any feature
  like TEXMFHOME that TL provides. So MikTeX user have to add _manually_
  that directory/ies in MikTex Options programm. Please note, this MikTeX
  "feature" is due to lack of MikTeX, TL always (AFAIR) provides was to
  use user directory.

  The answer fir Lars question is
  a) make sure that the directory is in TDS
  b) rename that directory to %USERPROFILE%/texmf (this is $HOME/texmf
  on Windows) or copy material to there.
  c) that's all

  Again: TL always advices to use TEXMFHOME for user files. THIS IS
  PREFERED WAY. MikTeX doesn't provide (up to now?) such possibility, SO
  USER HAVE TO ADD _MANUALLY_ THE DIRECTORY WITH THEY TEX FILES. This is
  important point. (Sorry for redundant upper case).

2. Ulrike Fischer requested absolutely another feature. She wants to
  have "temporary/experimental" texmf tree (root in mikTeX terminology)
  (is I right about that, Ulrike?) so user could add it for testing
  purpose/... and ability to disable it (remove from search path/DB, not
  from disk).
  IMHO, though TL already has such feature it don't provide
  "user-friendly" interface (user should either adjust TEXMFLOCAL or
  TEXMFHOME or add "custom" variable, say TEXMFUSER and add
  it to TEXMF in texmf.cnf).
  To summarize: for testing/experimenting/... it is good to have
  "user-friendly" interface to add user texmf directory [1].
  Ulrike already shown how to test: microtype package is in TDS and if
  one want to test package it is advisable to have separate directory
  (in TDS) and add itto search path (at beginning).

[1] Of course these "experimental" packages could go into TL in future
but before that there won't be TL package for them, even if there are
packages archive in TDS. This especially concerns if package not on CTAN
because it is very "experimental" but has TDS archive for it.

3. Norbert Preining riased another feature: suppose that there is
  multi-user installation and several users use it. Suppose user A want to
  use "stable"/"official" packages but user B want to
  test/experiment/... and want to install newer packages available, say in
  tlcontrib.metatex.org/2010. It is possible that some packages in
  tlcontrib could break "stable"/old ones (I mean gives errors or not
  desired result), so system-wide installation from tlcontrib (sorry,
  updating) is not advisable. The answer is user-mode tlmgr. User could
  install packages from tlcontrib in TEXMFHOME (and then should maintain
  this tree oneself, run tlmgr in user-mode again and remove
  "experimental" files then omes come into "official" TL).

There were presented three different request and I think that only last
two need changes in tlmgr (and only in it, because TL/web2c/kpathsea
already has such feature).

---
WBR, Vladimir Lomov.

-- 
Uh-oh -- WHY am I suddenly thinking of a VENERABLE religious leader
frolicking on a FORT LAUDERDALE weekend?