[OS X TeX] Error: I can't write on file '(name)'

[Victor Ivrii]

On 3/21/07, Alain Schremmer <Schremmer.Alain at gmail.com> wrote:
> I have a number of files for which I am getting the error message:
>
>     I can't write on file '(name)'
>
> LaTeX Companion 2ed says:
>
>     [the file] is probably read-only or you may not have writing
>     permission for its directory.
>
> I suspect the latter for a couple of reasons.
>
>     These files are copies (via ethernet) onto my portable of files on
>     my desktop where these work fine.
>
>     I checked the permissions with get info and they are exactly the
>     same on both machines.
>
>     There are many such files but not all of them are that way.
>
> Just in case, I made a new copy of the whole mega folder in which all
> the files reside and I reinstalled TeXShop (was 1.40 on the portable)
> and installed GWTeX. No change but I forgot to uninstall the previous
> one. I am still on 10.3.9.
>
> How do I change the "writing permission for its directory"?
>

There are two ways: Mac and UNIX

Mac: you select this directory (folder), press Cmd-I (Get info) and
look at the bottom
``Ownership and privileges''. You can look at ``Show details''. The
rest is self-evidient


UNIX: launch terminal. Say directory is on your Desktop and is called foo

Either
1) cd Desktop
    chmod a+w foo

or

2) chmod a+w Desktop/foo

or

3) cd Desktop/foo
     chmod a+w .


(I suggest to type

man cd

and

man chmod

to read a friendly manual :-)


HOH



> Very hopeful regards
> --schremmer
>
> P.S. This is a year-old problem which I finally came around trying to
> fix—in preparation for the big move to 10.4
>
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>


-- 
========================
Victor Ivrii, Department of Mathematics, University of Toronto
http://www.math.toronto.edu/ivrii

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