[tex-live] tlmgr and command interface

[Roberto Giacomelli]

Hi All, How are you?
This message provide some notes to tlmgr update procedure.
You can see an update session procedure:

First of all I ask for the list of updates:
>tlmgr update -list
tlmgr: installation location http://texlive.guiling.fr
texlive.infra: local: 14483, source: 14485 (update)

Ok, this morning only texlive.infra can be update well then I ask to
tlmgr the installation of the new version:
>tlmgr update texlive.infra
tlmgr: installation location http://texlive.guiling.fr
tlmgr update: please specify a list of packages or --all.

Ops, the command failed because now the infrastructure update take a
new option --self:
>tlmgr update --self
tlmgr: installation location http://texlive.guiling.fr
Preparing TeX Live infrastructure update...
Starting update ...
DO NOT CLOSE THIS WINDOW!
TeX Live infrastructure update in progress...
[1/1] update: texlive.infra (14483 -> 14485)
TeX Live infrastructure update complete.

>

Finish. But... writing >tlmgr update texlive.infra show very clearly
what I want.
So, imagine a different behaviour of tlmgr but taking into the same
group system and package update items:

>tlmgr update -list
tlmgr: installation location http://texlive.guiling.fr
texlive.infra: local: 14483, source: 14485 (system update)

Well, the answer is this: system update of your Tex Live is available
(the update description is "system update" not only "update"). So I
write:

>tlmgr update --system
tlmgr: installation location http://texlive.guiling.fr
Preparing TeX Live infrastructure update...
Starting system update ...
DO NOT CLOSE THIS WINDOW!
TeX Live infrastructure update in progress...
[1/1] update: texlive.infra (14483 -> 14485)
TeX Live infrastructure update complete.

The option --system is more clear and general than --self. But a
command >tlmgr update texlive.infra must be equivalent to the command
>tlmgr update --system. The concept that I can specify the module to
update remaning the same.
In general the update process I think can be based on this rules:
the key update can be follow by
1 - the option --all (first tlmgr provide eventually system update and
after the remain package updates);
2 - the option --system (only eventually system update will be performed);
3 - the option --package (only package updates are performed (not system));
4 - the option --interactive (tlmgr show the list of update items and
waiting for a user input);
5 - a list of module update (system or not).

Usually I want to see the list of updates, so I can first run a tlmgr
update --list and after a tlmgr update --all. This is the reason
because I desire an assembly unique procedure: the interactive option.

An --interactive update process simulation is this:
>tlmgr update --interactive
tlmgr: installation location http://texlive.guiling.fr
[1] calctab: local: 14284, source: 15001 (update)
[2] pfg: local: 14033, source: 15002 (update)
[3] texlive.infra: local: 14483, source: 14485 (system update)
update>1..3
Preparing TeX Live infrastructure update...
Starting update ...
DO NOT CLOSE THIS WINDOW!
TeX Live infrastructure update in progress...
[1/3] update: texlive.infra (14483 -> 14485)
TeX Live infrastructure update complete.
[2/3] calctab update ...
...the rest of output and exit to terminal

update> user input can be:
0 - x or exit or quit (return to terminal);
1 - all (update all the modules);
2 - 1 (single update with the corrensponding module list number);
3 - 1,2 (comma separated list of update);
4 - 1..3 (interval selection: all modules from 1 to 3);
5 - 1 , 2 , 6 ..10 (mix list to single or interval selection);
6 - calctab, pgf (comma separeted list of module names);

Thank you. Ciao.
Roberto Giacomelli