[OS X TeX] Installing the powerdot and xkeyval packages - Mac newbie

[Adam M. Goldstein]

Try the following--

Download the package from CTAN or wherever you can get the latest  
version. Create a directory texmf\latex in [YOURUSERNAME]\Library.  
Put whatever .sty files you need into the newly created directory.

I don't understand why you're saying that you can't use i-Installer  
for the texlive based distribution? Or the mactex distribution Dick  
Koch has been preparing?

-Adam

On Jan 16, 2007, at 5:47 PM, Hans Marius Eikseth wrote:

> Hello folks,
> please bear with a Mac utter newbie as I lay my problem before you:
>
> This weekend I caved into my curiosity, and bought a MacBook. I was
> determined to get TeX and friends working to my liking, and was  
> pleased to
> note a MacTeX user community seemed alive and kicking. Now, after  
> installing
> TeX using i-Installer, I've discovered that what I hoped was going  
> to be a
> smooth switch from MikTeX (Windows) isn't so easy for a user like me.
>
> What I need, what I want, is a working installation of the Powerdot  
> package
> in my MacTeX distribution. 'No problem' I hear the Mac savvy say,  
> but I'm
> drowning in documentation and uncertainty about when (if) I should  
> override
> read/write/permissions in my texmf.local tree - or if such packages  
> should
> go elsewhere altogether.
>
> (I cannot use i-Installer, as this is based on teTeX, and as such last
> release is from 2005 - and with a development lag, I don't believe  
> powerdot
> made it in there. The TeX engine complained anyway ;) )
>
> Now, trying to put the powerdot.cls and associated files into the  
> right
> (TDS-compliant) places, I had to resort to issuing a 'sudo mkdir
> /usr/..<snip>../tex/latex/powerdot' command [not really knowing  
> what I was
> doing], and I think I also had to change some ownership to force  
> these files
> in place (only read permissions, no write)[previous comment apply].  
> Since
> this is a private laptop, I figured I might try, but I have this  
> nagging
> feeling that I should have done this in a more proper manner.
>
> Now, trying a typeset (after texhash was issued), TeX still didn't  
> find what
> it was looking for. texhash told me it skipped those texmf.local  
> directories
> anyway, since those were read-only. I then directed a mktexlsr  
> (spelling?)
> towards the 'bottom' (ie, powerdot) directory, and now TeX could  
> find the
> powerdot.cls file - which (as expected) complains that current  
> installation
> of xkeyval package is too old for powerdot's liking.
>
> Before I do more harm to my TeX installation (and get bogged down in
> further, unforeseen incompatibilities from 'installing' xkeyval),  
> can anyone
> out there secondguess if I've gone awry already, or if there is a  
> better way
> to accomplish my goal of getting an installation of the Powerdot  
> package?
>
> Best regards,
> Hans Marius Eikseth
>
>
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--
Dr. Adam M. Goldstein
adam <dot> goldstein <at> jhu.edu
http://shiftingbalance.wordpress.com

------------------------- Helpful Info -------------------------
Mac-TeX Website: http://www.esm.psu.edu/mac-tex/
TeX FAQ: http://www.tex.ac.uk/faq
List Archive: http://tug.org/pipermail/macostex-archives/
List Reminders & Etiquette: http://www.esm.psu.edu/mac-tex/list/