[texworks] Broken installation. Can't process ConTeXt files.

[Reinhard Kotucha]

On 2013-06-21 at 12:35:01 -0500, Hugh Sparks wrote:

 > I'm a new MiKTeX user, trying to migrate from texlive.
 > My source files are in ConTeXt.
 > After installing and running TeXworks, I was able to drag-n-drop a 
 > source file into the workspace window and see the pdf output almost 
 > instantly. Very impressive!
 > 
 > Then I foolishly tried to change the setting in the Typeset menu from:
 > 
 >      PdfLaTex+MakeIndex+BibTeX
 > 
 > To:
 > 
 >     ConTeXt (pdfTeX)
 > 
 > When I ran typeset again, it failed with the console output showing an 
 > "Undefined control sequence for \definepapersize. I put the Typeset menu 
 > selection back to the original value, but now it never works, always 
 > failing to find the \definepapersize directive. I tried all the other 
 > typeset menu selections with the same result. Finally I removed the 
 > entire MiKTeX package and re-installed it. It still doesn't work. 
 > Somewhere a configuration file is left behind that keeps the package 
 > from working as originally installed.
 > 
 > How can I get ConTeXt working again?

What you say sounds weird.  Can you provide a small file which allows
us to reproduce the problem.  Emphasis is on "small file".

 > If I may add a related question, how could I process a ConTeXt source 
 > file to create a pdf using the command line?

I must admit that I never used ConTeXt.  But I suppose that it depends
on which version of ConTeXt you are using, Mark II or Mark IV.  Maybe
someone else on this list can answer this question.

But it's a good idea to find out how to invoke it on the command line
and adapt the TeXworks configuration later.

 > Thanks for helping an ignorant beginner.

It's unbelievable but true: Someone told me that he dislikes children.
But how, for heaven's sake, can someone dislike children who had been
a child himself?

Why did you switch from TeX Live to MiKTeX?  Did you encounter any
problems with TeX Live?

Regards,
  Reinhard

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reinhard Kotucha                                      Phone: +49-511-3373112
Marschnerstr. 25
D-30167 Hannover                              mailto:reinhard.kotucha at web.de
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Microsoft isn't the answer. Microsoft is the question, and the answer is NO.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------