[OS X TeX] Error: I can't write on file '(name)'

[Bruno Voisin]

Le 26 mars 07 à 18:51, Alain Schremmer a écrit :

> By the way, while TeXShop's Basic Help says:
>
> 	This feature requires that files named "pdfsync.sty," [...] be  
> installed in TeXLive. These files are automatically installed by  
> the MacTeX packages. If you obtained TeX another way, find these  
> files in the TeXShop distribution
>
> there were no such files in texshop.dmg. (Hence my use of the old  
> pdfsync.sty.)

No, don't use your old pdfsync, it can only mess things up. The Help  
says pdfsync.sty is in TeXLive, meaning it is not in texshop.dmg:  
pdfsync.sty has now become mainstream enough to be included in the  
TeXLive distribution of TeX, so that there is no need for the GUI  
front-end TeXShop to provide it separately.

If you install from MacTeX.dmg, you will notice that pdfsync.sty is  
installed at /usr/local/texlive/2007/texmf-dist/tex/latex/pdfsync/.  
This version is more recent that the one which used to be placed at ~/ 
Library/texmf/tex/latex/pdfsync.sty by TeXShop. Keeping that old  
version around may only cause compatibility issues, I'm afraid.

Maybe, to summarize: there are really two separate things, the TeX  
distribution (here TeXLive) and the TeXShop front-end to it.  
Previously, pdfsync.sty was absent from the TeX distribution, and it  
was hence up to TeXShop to provide it. Nowadays, pdfsync.sty is  
included in the TeX distribution, which makes it unnecessary for  
TeXShop to provide it.

Now, if you're using gwTeX instead of TeXLive, then that's another  
story (it's not clear to me from your previous postings whether  
you're using gwTeX or TeXLive-2007). gwTeX does not include  
pdfsync.sty, meaning you (or TeXShop) must provide it separately.

As a test:

Portable-de-Bruno:~ brunovoisin$ texdist --texdist=gwTeX "kpsewhich  
pdfsync.sty"
Portable-de-Bruno:~ brunovoisin$ texdist --texdist=TeXLive-2007  
"kpsewhich pdfsync.sty"
/usr/local/texlive/2007/texmf-dist/tex/latex/pdfsync/pdfsync.sty

> After I used my old pdfsync.sty, though, I ran again into the
>
> 	Error: I can't write on file '(name)'
>
> problem and, again, I was not able to apply Voisin's suggestion:  
> After I entered
>
> 	sudo pico /usr/local/texlive/2007/texmf/web2c/texmf.cnf
>
> and got the reverse video and hit Control R, I got more reverse  
> video with
>
> 	File to insert [from ./] :
>
> so, not knowing what I was doing, I bailed out rather than risk  
> creating havoc in the installation.

After typing "sudo pico /usr/local/texlive/2007/texmf/web2c/ 
texmf.cnf", which opens the file /usr/local/texlive/2007/texmf/web2c/ 
texmf.cn in pico, *don't* type Ctrl-R: by doing this, you're asking  
pico to include the content of an external file at the insertion  
point inside texmf.cnf. Just use the arrow keys to scroll down to the  
line

openout_any = p

change the "p" to "r", then type Ctrl-O to save your changes and then  
Ctrl-X to exit. You're done.

Hope this works,

Bruno
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