[XeTeX] Linux setup question

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 20.12.2006 um 15:33 schrieb Dennis Drescher:

> I've just installed XeTeX on my Ubuntu Edgy system.

How did you do this? Compile and install yourself? Or did you fetch a  
ready-made package?

> All seemed to go well but when I try to typeset some of the sample  
> text I get this:
>
> laptop:~/work/projects/XeTeX/Samples$ xetex FontSamples.tex
> This is XeTeX, Version 3.141592-2.2-0.995 (Web2C 7.5.5)
> kpathsea: Running mktexfmt xetex.fmt
> mktexfmt: no info for format `xetex'.
> I can't find the format file `xetex.fmt'!
>
> The xetex.fmt file exists in /usr/local/share/texmf/web2c So I'm not
> sure what the problem is.

You may either have some environment variables *TEX* set in you  
shell, or you have forgotten to run texhash or maketexlsr. Did you  
try Felix' recommendation of

	kpsewhich xetex.fmt

on the command line? If this command fails, then xetex'ing a file has  
fail also. And the reason can be one of the two choices I offered.

You can run xetex in a debug mode: xetex -kpathsea-debug=<some  
number>. This number is explained in dvips' manual page. It might  
help to find the reason why kpathsea fails to locate the FMT file.  
Ahmm: kpsewhich also has the option -debug=NUM ...

--
Greetings

   Pete

When people run around and around in circles we say they are crazy.  
When planets do it we say they are orbiting.