[OS X TeX] ConTeXt updater deletes user files?!

[Gerben Wierda]

On Dec 13, 2006, at 17:29 , Oliver Buerschaper wrote:

> apparently the ConTeXt updater i-package deletes user files!
>
> When I upgraded to the latest release on 8 Dec I lost all my user  
> files (local setup, modules etc.) stored in ../share/texmf.local/ 
> tex/context/user/. The updater isn't supposed to touch this  
> directory, is it? The same problem persists with yesterday's  
> release (probably this problem has been around forever it's just  
> that I've started cooking up my own modules only recently).

Yes, I was unaware that it is customary to add stuff inside the  
system ConTeXt install. Basically, when an i-Package removes stuff,  
it tries to be as precise as possible. But for the automatically  
generated ConTeXT i-Package, th ebuild process is unaware of the  
exact contents, so it removes several subdirctories. It removes  
INSTALLDIR/context as I was unaware that it was customary to install  
stuff there.

The same would happen if you install personal files anywhere in  
texmf.tetex or texmf.gwtex, or if you installed personal additions in  
locations where an i-Package installs stuff in texmf.local.

I have changed this to removing 3 named directories there (data,  
config, examplap), so user should be safe in the future.

When installing in the newer gwTeX i-Package, the one based on TeX  
Live, the ConTeXt updater is supposed to install in texmf.pkgs and  
not in texmf.local (which in the old gwTeX is shared between local  
TeX administrator installs and package installs).

In any case, ~/Library/texmf is the safest option to install  
anything. In the current gwTeX, texmf.local is safe too as no "TeX  
Support" install in texmf.local there.

> Is there a way to recover those deleted files?

 From a backup, I'm afraid.

G

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