[OS X TeX] biber and biblatex

Sun Feb 10 15:34:47 CET 2013

On Feb 10, 2013, at 1:57 AM, Scot Mcphee <scot.mcphee at gmail.com> wrote:

> \listfiles output
> 
> *File List*
>  memoir.cls    2011/03/06 v3.6j configurable book, report, article document cl
> ass
>   ifpdf.sty    2011/01/30 v2.3 Provides the ifpdf switch (HO)
>  ifetex.sty    2011/12/15 v1.2 ifetex
> ifxetex.sty    2010/09/12 v0.6 Provides ifxetex conditional
> ifluatex.sty    2010/03/01 v1.3 Provides the ifluatex switch (HO)
>    etex.sty    1998/03/26 v2.0 eTeX basic definition package (PEB)
>   mem12.clo    2010/10/19 v0.4b memoir class 12pt size option
> mempatch.sty    2009/07/24 v6.0f Patches for memoir class v1.6180339
> fontenc.sty
>   t1enc.def    2005/09/27 v1.99g Standard LaTeX file
> lmodern.sty    2009/10/30 v1.6 Latin Modern Fonts
>  xcolor.sty    2007/01/21 v2.11 LaTeX color extensions (UK)
>   color.cfg    2007/01/18 v1.5 color configuration of teTeX/TeXLive
>   xetex.def    2009/11/22 v0.94 LaTeX color/graphics driver for XeTeX (RRM/JK)
> 
> biblatex.sty    2013/01/10 v2.5 programmable bibliographies (PK/JW/AB)
> biblatex2.sty    2013/01/10 v2.5 programmable bibliographies (biber) (PK/JW/AB)
> 
> etoolbox.sty    2011/01/03 v2.1 e-TeX tools for LaTeX
>  keyval.sty    1999/03/16 v1.13 key=value parser (DPC)
> kvoptions.sty    2011/06/30 v3.11 Key value format for package options (HO)
> ltxcmds.sty    2011/11/09 v1.22 LaTeX kernel commands for general use (HO)
> kvsetkeys.sty    2012/04/25 v1.16 Key value parser (HO)
> infwarerr.sty    2010/04/08 v1.3 Providing info/warning/error messages (HO)
> etexcmds.sty    2011/02/16 v1.5 Avoid name clashes with e-TeX commands (HO)
>  logreq.sty    2010/08/04 v1.0 xml request logger
>  logreq.def    2010/08/04 v1.0 logreq spec v1.0
>  ifthen.sty    2001/05/26 v1.1c Standard LaTeX ifthen package (DPC)
>     url.sty    2006/04/12  ver 3.3  Verb mode for urls, etc.
>  blx-dm.def
> biblatex-dm.cfg
> blx-compat.def    2013/01/10 v2.5 biblatex compatibility (PK/JW/AB)
> biblatex.def    
> standard.bbx    2013/01/10 v2.5 biblatex bibliography style (PK/JW/AB)
> numeric.bbx    2013/01/10 v2.5 biblatex bibliography style (PK/JW/AB)
> numeric.cbx    2013/01/10 v2.5 biblatex citation style (PK/JW/AB)
> biblatex.cfg    
> english.lbx    2013/01/10 v2.5 biblatex localization (PK/JW/AB)
>   t1lmr.fd    2009/10/30 v1.6 Font defs for Latin Modern
> ***********
> 
> 
> 
> On 10/02/2013, at 17:52 , Scot Mcphee <scot.mcphee at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> My original error has unfortunately returned ... including for documents that worked just fine last week or so. This is driving me crazy, because plainly biber is unstable as hell. I didn't update anything ... although I did once it started to fail and it continues to fail.
>> 
>> In the attached test file, if I say backend=bibtex in bib latex every thing works just fine. If I specific biber, it dies horribly as follows (log from TeXShop);
>> 
>> Latexmk: applying rule 'biber junk'...
>> data source /var/folders/6_/rr7lzhws0t7743tfbt3y8mhh0000gn/T/par-736d6370686565/cache-ef42c8d5d44e40bdd24828b0ae70de275e379c88//inc/lib/Biber/LaTeX/recode_data.xml not found in .
>> INFO - This is Biber 1.5
>> INFO - Logfile is 'junk.blg'
>> Latexmk: Failed to find one or more biber source files:
>> NONE
>> Collected error summary (may duplicate other messages):
>> biber junk: Could not find all biber source files for 'junk'
>> Latexmk: Use the -f option to force complete processing.
>> Latexmk: Errors, so I did not complete making targets
>> 
>> The same thing happens on the command line if I use latexmk
>> 
>> 
>> <tex_temp.zip>
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> On 26/01/2013, at 23:39 , Herbert Schulz <herbs at wideopenwest.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jan 26, 2013, at 7:33 AM, Scot Mcphee <scot.mcphee at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Yeah thanks Herb.
>>>> 
>>>> Updating the packages and running mktexlsr (tex live had some error to do with this so I ran it again) has fixed it.
>>>> 
>>>> thanks
>>>> scot
>>>> 
>>>> On 26/01/2013, at 23:16 , Herbert Schulz <herbs at wideopenwest.com> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> 
>>>>> On Jan 26, 2013, at 6:49 AM, Scot Mcphee <scot.mcphee at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>>> I probably have updated through texlive but I can't be sure.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> This is the output of running "latexmk" over the file on the command line. I have attached a test bib with a single entry and the test tex file that makes this output in a zip.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> <test.zip>
>>>>> 
>>>>> Howdy,
>>>>> 
>>>>> Hmmm... I have no problem compiling this document using the pdflatexmk engine in TeXShop. I've added a \listfiles command so I can see the biblatex version. I'm using biblatex 2.5 (from the \listfiles output on the Console) and biber 1.5 (from the biber output on the Console---you're using biber 1.4). We're both using latexmk 4.35 so that is one variable that is the same.
>>>>> 
>>>>> I see that you are using TeX Live 2012 from the path to packages on the Console. If it's TeX Live 2012 installed by MacTeX try to use the TeX Live Utility, in /Applications/TeX, to update to the latest versions of software.
>>>>> 
>>>>> <test.zip>
>>>>> 
>>>>> Good Luck,
>>>>> 
>>>>> Herb Schulz
>>>>> (herbs at wideopenwest dot com)
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Howdy,
>>> 
>>> The biblatex package and biber are changing quite often are developed in parallel and are very sensitive to having the correct versions of both items so they work properly together. Thank goodness that recent versions have all worked properly with latexmk; early changes would kill latexmk's ability to detect that biber was to be used, etc.
>>> 
>>> Good Luck,
>>> 
>>> Herb Schulz
>>> (herbs at wideopenwest dot com)

Howdy,

One more thing... do you have any remnants of older versions of the biblatex or logreq packages in your personal texmf folder located in ~/Library/texmf/... (remember ~/Library is the Library folder in your HOME folder---NOT the one at the root of your Hard Drive).

Good Luck,

Herb Schulz
(herbs at wideopenwest dot com)