[tex-live] [FEATURE REQUEST] support for additional user texmf trees

[Vladimir Lomov]

Hello,
some time ago I asked question about how to add support for additional user
texmf trees. I found how to accomplish such task. This is what I did:

1. took sources (rsync from svn)
2. made changes in files texk/kpathsea/{cnf-to-pathis.awk,texmf.cnf}
(patch is attached)
3. compiled (cd XXX/Build/source; TL_WORKDIR=$HOST-build ./Build)

== Testing ==

1. Open new terminal, do
$ export
PATH=$HOME/tmp/tex-live/Build/source/inst/bin/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu:$PATH

2. Create $HOME/private/texmf/ tree and put there mtpro2 files.

3. Create $HOME/texmf.cnf with following content:

<file>
TEXMFHOME=$HOME/texmf;$HOME/private/texmf
TEXMFUSER=$HOME/tmp/test
</file>

The last entry is just for test purpose.

4. Checking that files in additional texmf tree can be found, checking that
variables defined in $HOME/texmf.cnf are known

$ which kpsewhich
$HOME/tmp/tex-live/Build/source/inst/bin/x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu/kpsewhich

$ $(which kpsewhich) mtpro2.sty
$HOME/private/texmf/tex/latex/mtpro2/mtpro2.sty

$ $(which kpsexpand) '$TEXMFHOME'
$HOME/texmf:$HOME/private/texmf

$ $(which kpsexpand) '$TEXMFUSER'
$HOME/tmp/test

(Of course all $HOME in output has form /home/USER but it is
irrelevant here).


== Use case ==

(All below is IMHO)

Sometimes I need to check/test some package(s) or need to work on
paper/article that requires some specific class distributed in separate
package etc, so there is no package suitable for TeX Live.

Examples are numerous, e.g. testing font package mtpro2, preparing
article for a journal that requires to use journal class.

In either case I don't want to mess either $HOME/texmf or $TEXMFLOCAL
(assume I right to run sudo), so I just create a temporary directory with
correct texmf tree.

After that I can adjust TEXMFHOME variable to include such directories
and work with that packages.

WDYT?

---
WBR, Vladimir Lomov

-- 
Some husbands are living proof that a woman can take a joke.