Wednesday 19 December 2007

Another post, in which I continue to destroy/re-build my LaTeX installation with my hopeless fumblings.

So, for some reason, I downloaded the TeTeX documentation and stumbled across kpathsea.pdf in the TeTeX documentation menu in Kile. It seems that this is involved in searching for various files needed for LaTeX. For some reason, I tried to run mktexlsr instead of texhash. I probably wasn't managing to find the place where the script was saved, but something seemed to run. But then there was no ls-R file in /usr/local/share/texmf anymore. When I tried to compile any LaTeX code, the text came out ok, but any mathematical symbols, etc. were totally missing. On closer inspection, it was secretly crying that kpathsea couldn't find mf.base. So I managed to stop it finding metafont, or something crazy. I tried to compile the RevTeX sample which came out as a hopeless jumble of lines and which decided randomly to print itself on the group printer.
The shame! The despair!
I have since restored /usr/share/texmf/web2c/texmf.cnf to its former glory and run texhash and I now at least have a working LaTeX again.
Again, I make the changes to texmf.cnf that I made before, and this time run texhash. Boo hoo hoo. Computer says no:

This is dvips(k) 5.95b Copyright 2005 Radical Eye Software (www.radicaleye.com)
' TeX output 2007.12.19:1045' -> atomicstructure.ps
kpathsea: Running mktexpk --mfmode ljfour --bdpi 600 --mag 1+57/600 --dpi 657 cmmi10
kpathsea: Running mktexfmt mf.base
fmtutil: format `mf' not available.
mktexpk: Mismatched mode ljfour and resolution 600; ignoring mode.
mktexpk: Running mf-nowin -progname=mf \mode:=ljfour; mag:=1+57/600; nonstopmode; input cmmi10
This is METAFONT, Version 2.71828 (Web2C 7.5.5)
kpathsea: Running mktexfmt mf.base
fmtutil: format `mf' not available.
I can't find the base file `mf.base'!
grep: cmmi10.log: No such file or directory
mktexpk: `mf-nowin -progname=mf \mode:=ljfour; mag:=1+57/600; nonstopmode; input cmmi10' failed to make cmmi10.657pk.
kpathsea: Appending font creation commands to missfont.log.
dvips: Font cmmi10 not found, characters will be left blank.
kpathsea: Running mktexpk --mfmode ljfour --bdpi 600 --mag 1+0/600 --dpi 600 cmmi8
kpathsea: Running mktexfmt mf.base
fmtutil: format `mf' not available.
mktexpk: Mismatched mode ljfour and resolution 600; ignoring mode.
mktexpk: Running mf-nowin -progname=mf \mode:=ljfour; mag:=1+0/600; nonstopmode; input cmmi8
This is METAFONT, Version 2.71828 (Web2C 7.5.5)
kpathsea: Running mktexfmt mf.base
fmtutil: format `mf' not available.
I can't find the base file `mf.base'!
grep: cmmi8.log: No such file or directory
mktexpk: `mf-nowin -progname=mf \mode:=ljfour; mag:=1+0/600; nonstopmode; input cmmi8' failed to make cmmi8.600pk.
dvips: Font cmmi8 not found, characters will be left blank.
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I think I must be creating the wrong files. A more intelligent approach is needed, ie. engage brain.

1 comment:

midibu said...

Good luck. I have had similar experiences with TeTeX. Joy...