[OS X TeX] Installing mbboard

[Don Green Dragon]

Hello Michael,


On 05Dec2013, at 11:41 AM, Michael Sharpe <msharpe at ucsd.edu> wrote:

> 
> On Dec 5, 2013, at 10:10 AM, Don Green Dragon <fergdc at Shaw.ca> wrote:
> 
>> Hello and Thanks Michael,
>> 
>> On 04Dec2013, at 7:43 PM, Michael Sharpe <msharpe at ucsd.edu> wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> On Dec 4, 2013, at 6:24 PM, Don Green Dragon <fergdc at shaw.ca> wrote:
>>> 
>>> <<snip>>
>> 
>>> If you want Blackboard Bold upper and lower case as well as digits, the STIX symbols are very well done and will give much better on-screen results than metafont based fonts. The easiest way to use the STIX I know of to use the STIX BB in an arbitrary choice of math fonts is to say
>>> 
>>> \usepackage[bb=boondox]{mathalfa}
>>> 
>>> after loading your math package.
>>> 
>>> Michael
>> 
>> I do not understand you line "after loading your math package.» What package? Nonetheless, before reading your Email I had downloaded "STIXv.1.1.0-latex.zip» which when unzipped produced the directory 
>> 
>> ~/Downloads/STIXv.1.1.0-latex
>> 
>> Many levels down in the above directory there exists a subdirectory stix which contains a whole mess of .pfb files including 
>> 
>> stix-mathbb.pfb, stix-mathbb-bold.pfb, stix-mathbbit-bold.pfb,  stix-mathbbit.pfb
>> 
>> which I guess are amongst the font files I need. Next I went into "Font Book.app» and choose
>> 
>> File -> Add Fonts…
>> 
>> then wandered down to that stix directory and chose `OPEN’. Something happened but I’m not sure what! But when «All Fonts» was selected under `Collection’ I could find NO stix entries.  None! Where did they go?
>> 
>> Then I tried your suggestion 
>> 
>> \usepackage[bb=boondox]{mathalfa}
>> 
>> and the simple source code
>> 
>> \mathbb{ABC \; abc \; 012}
>> 
>> miraculously produced the desired glyphs. I tested the above in the plain jane template LaTeXtemplate as well as the one I normally use. I both cases the glyphs were very nice.
>> 
>> What I don’t understand is «How is TeXShop finding those fonts files?» Does it actually use the ones that are situated deep in the ~/Downloads directory? I vaguely recall persons on this list advising where `new’ fonts should be placed.
>> 
>> Is there some further step that should be undertaken, or did your magic line take care of everything? If it did, then I should be able to dump the entire directory "~/Downloads/STIXv.1.1.0-latex» — I guess.
> 
> Assuming you have TeXLive from either 2012 or 2013, everything needed is already installed and enabled unless you specifically disabled some of the fonts that come wih TeXLive. 

I have TeXLive 2012 but not 2013, as noted in my reply to Pete. I DON’T mess around with the fonts unless someone explains «how to!».


> So, in the preamble of your .tex file you'll have one or more lines that load fonts. For example,

> \usepackage{mathpazo} % load palatino clone with pazo math fonts
> \usepackage[bb=boondox,scr=rsfso]{mathalfa} % replace its Blackboard bold and use rsfso for \mathscr.

Well . . . I have a whole bunch, but I was astonished that the {mathalfa} package gave me the new BlackBoard font.  To check that my download of "STIXv.1.1.0-latex.zip» was not needed, I deleted the directory "STIXv.1.1.0-latex» and the new BlackBoard font works fine. Wondering why you knew all this font stuff, I did

doncarvel:~$ texdoc mathalfa

and now I know.  :—)  Great work, thank you!


> Effectively, TeXShop defers to TeXLive for all TeX processing, and that uses the entire elaborate TeXLive "kpathsea" (Karl's path search, cut to 8 characters) library for finding files, but only in the texmf trees. It certainly doesn't search Downloads. You may use kpsewhich to find file locations. Eg, in a Terminal window, type
> 
> /usr/texbin/kpsewhich stix-mathbb.pfb

So, that’s what the `k’ in «kpathsea» is from!  :—)  Here I get

doncarvel:~$ /usr/texbin/kpsewhich stix-mathbb.pfb
doncarvel:~$

Must have a look at mathalfa.pdf!  ;—)


don green dragon
fergdc at shaw.ca