[OS X TeX] Installing packages

[Joseph C. Slater]

On Jun 3, 2004, at 1:37 PM, Neal Stoughton wrote:

> I am new to the Apple OS, being a longtime user of Miktex on Windows.  
> After
> reading up on the methods for the Apple, I installed the TeX "package" 
> using
> i-installer.  But this didn't seem to install all the packages I really
> need.  I'm talking about the ones ending with *.sty and *.cls 
> (beamer.cls
> for instance).  In Miktex when Im processing a file I get prompted to
> install one of these when it isnt present on my machine and it is
> automatically downloaded and installed and processing continues.  This
> doesn't seem to happen on the Apple.  Miktex also has a package 
> manager that
> allows one to see which packages are installed and can be updated.  Is 
> there
> something similar for the Apple?  How do I install these packages?  
> Thanks.
>


Ahhh, this is IMHO a great feature of MikTeX that we are missing on the 
Mac side. You are very spoiled by it. There is no such package manager 
on the Mac.

Packages should be put in the directory:
~/Library/texmf/tex/latex (home directory/Library...)

You can (and should) put them in separate folders for easier tracking.

You will have to execute latex  packagename.ins file for many of them 
(latexing them in TeXShop or iTeXMac will do this, but command line is 
often faster when you become used to it.) when needed (if there is 
one). You end up having to manually go to ctan.org and search on the 
style files you need, download the package, expand it, move it to the 
right place, install it .

Joe

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