[OS X TeX] TexShop suddenly can't find pdflatex.fmt (even though it's there)

[Dr. Clea F. Rees]

On 10/09/08, you seem to have written:

> Ok, I've got /usr/texbin as the lead path in $PATH, have TexShop too
> pointing to /usr/texbin for pdftex, and /usr/texbin showing up properly for
> `which latex'.  And I've used Fink commander to remove the Fink tex
> installation as well.
>
> However, upon typesetting in TexShop I still get the following error:
>
> /urs/local/texlive/2007/texmf-var/web2c/pdftex/pdflatex: unrecognized option
> `--synctex=1'
> This is pdfTeXk, Version 3.141592-1.40.3 (Web2C 7.5.6)
> \write 18 enabled.
> %&-line parsing enabled.
> kpathsea: Running mktexfmt pdflatex.fmt
> mktexfmt: No such file or directory
> I can't find the format file `pdflatex.fmt'!
>
> What might I try next?  Thank you to all who have been helping to solve
> this.

You shouldn't have pdflatex (the executable) in /usr/local/.../pdftex.
You should have pdflatex.fmt there. I think you should undo the
additions you made to that directory earlier since they are only likely
to confuse things.

You cannot use the '--synctex=1' option with TL 2007. Either delete
this option in TeXShop's preferences or install MacTeX 2008.

- cfr


> On Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 3:18 PM, Martin Costabel <costabel at wanadoo.fr>wrote:
>
>> Nathaniel Pearson wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Herb,
>>>
>>> Thanks for helping.  I'm not sure what my $PATH is (sorry, I'm a linux
>>> amateur here...).  which latex gives:
>>>
>>> /sw/bin/pdflatex
>>>
>>> Texshop typesetting prefs:
>>> Default command: latex
>>> Default script: pdftex
>>>
>>> Engine prefs: path settings for pdftex: /usr/texbin
>>> distller: /usr/local/bin
>>>
>>> Does that help explain what's happening?  Thanks,
>>>
>>
>> You need to tell your system that it should look in /usr/texbin before
>> /sw/bin. For this, you edit the file
>>
>>  ~/.bash_profile
>>
>> (this is the default, if you don't have it, it could also be
>> ~/.bash_login or ~/.profile). There is a line
>>
>>  test -r /sw/bin/init.sh && . /sw/bin/init.sh
>>
>> in this file. Add another line
>>
>>  export PATH=/usr/texbin:$PATH
>>
>> after the one with /sw/bin/init.sh.
>>
>> Once you have done this and opened a new Terminal window, `which latex`
>> should give /usr/texbin/latex.
>>
>> --
>> Martin
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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