[texhax] Running tex from a command line

[Jim Diamond]

On Sun, Sep  3, 2017 at 15:08 (-0400), Michael Barr wrote:


> I have not run tex other than from a command line ever.  When I
> install texlive from CTAN (although I just got a disk from tug, it
> is useless as my computers don't have readers) it adds it to the
> path.  I can certainly say on the command line latex filename, but I
> actually have three tiny batch files.  Each one looks to see if a
> filename is supplied.  If it is, it sets a variable dfile = filename
> (no filetype).  If not, it uses dfile.  The other batch files load
> my editor and load the pdf reader (I use Sumatra.pdf), all using (or
> setting) the dfile.  This is under Windows (although it goes back to
> my DOS days) and cannot be implemented under any version of Linux I
> have ever tried since there is no way to set the dfile that doesn't
> go away when the batch file terminates.

If, in Linux (or Unix) you "source" a shell script instead of
executing it, variables it sets will be preserved.

I don't know whether that exactly meets your idea of "when the batch
file terminates" or not, but certainly can be used to do what I assume
you are describing above.

                                Jim