[tex-live] Per user texmf.cnf

[Vladimir Lomov]

Hello,

** Joseph Wright [2012-09-02 09:12:50 +0100]:

> Hello all,

> I'm trying to tackle a question on TeX-sx:
> http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/66614/change-texmfhome-per-user.

If I were you I've wondered at first if this question is asked by
ordinal user or by admin, who performed the TeX Live installation.

I try to answer the TSE question:

TSE> I would like to know if it's possible to change the default TEXMFHOME location.

I wonder why?

TSE> Partly because I dislike the idea of programs cluttering my home
TSE> directory with non-hidden files or directories (such as ~/texmf/)

See the TL manual: 2.3 Overview of the predefined texmf trees,
http://www.tug.org/texlive/doc/texlive-en/texlive-en.html#x1-110002.3

quote:

TEXMFHOME

    The tree which users can use for their own individual installations
    of additional or updated macros, fonts, etc. The expansion of this
    variable dynamically adjusts for each user to their own individual
    directory.

If user don't have own macros he or she will never need the ~/texmf.

TSE> partly because I would like to be able to manually install new
TSE> LaTeX packages wherever I like for example in
TSE> /software/local-foo/
TSE> /software/local-bar/

IMHO, this is not good "thing", only expert and experience users
can do that without risk to break the TL installation.

TSE> I know I could change the TEXMFHOME environment variable, but is
TSE> there also a per-user config file which could change where LaTeX &
TSE> friends look for files?

This is very dangerous! I gave some advices in past (on this ML) about
something similar and even made a note about various ways to add several
user manageable texmf trees.

> This is about moving TEXMFHOME, but seems to require a per user
> TEXMFCONFIG. I couldn't seem to get this to work, so would value some
> advice. On my Mac, I get

>   palladium:~ joseph$ kpsewhich --var-value TEXMFCONFIG
>   /Users/joseph/Library/texlive/2012/texmf-config

> so tried creating a texmf.cnf file there containing a line to move
> TEXMFHOME.

>  TEXMFHOME = ~/texmf

> but

>   kpsewhich --var-value TEXMFHOME

> showed no change (~/Library/texmf).

That's because your `texmf.cnf' isn't read at all. Try to run

kpsewhich -var-value TEXMFCNF

to see the paths where `texmf.cnf' will be searched.

If you wish that `~/texmf.cnf' file be found and read you'll have to set
`TEXMFCNF' environment variable and set appropriate value to it.

> A quick search finds
> http://people.debian.org/~preining/TeX/TeX-on-Debian/ch2.html#s-sec-user-config-files,
> but I did not follow this really: as TEXMFCONFIG points to a
> perfectly-valid location, why does it not lead to texmf.cnf being found?
> Are there any general instructions for using texmf.cnf on a per user basis?

---
WBR, Vladimir Lomov

-- 
Metermaids eat their young.