Article.cls not found

[Peter Flynn]

On 09/06/2020 18:04, mcai5 wrote:
> Sirs:
> 
> I recently joined TUG in order to find a solution to the
> ‘article.cls not found'  problem.
> 
> Today I downloaded and installed a new copy of the complete TeX
> system, after deleting all traces of it yesterday.
> 
> The problem still remains, as I observed when I attempted to compile
> a paper I am writing.
> 
> Where can I get a copy of ‘article.cls’, and how should I install it
> so that TeXShop can find it?

What (exactly) did you download and install (I mean the file name and 
where you got it from)?

article.cls comes with every TeX system. If TeXShop cannot find it, it 
means the installation has failed or been corrupted in some way.

I am assuming that you are using MacTeX on an Apple Mac (where TeXShop 
is the default editor). If you're using some other system, please let us 
know, as without this information it is impossible to advise.

1. Open a Terminal window (open Spotlight and type Terminal).
    When it opens, type

       kpsewhich article.cls

    and press the Enter key. Let us know what it says.
    On my (old) Mac it says it's in
    /usr/local/texlive/2016/texmf-dist/tex/latex/base/article.cls

2. Open Finder and type article.cls into the search box and press Enter.
    Wait for it to search for the file.
    If it finds it, click on This Mac and it will show the filename.
    If it does, it should show the folder location at the bottom,
    which should be exactly the same as the location from kpsewhich.
    If it does that, double-click it and see if it opens in TeXShop.

If neither of those works, something has gone wrong with the 
installation. The only way to get help is to write down EXACTLY every 
single step and everything you type or click, so that someone who knows 
Macs and MacTeX can identify the problem.

Peter