[OS X TeX] Problem accessing a .sty file command?

[Herbert Schulz]

On Oct 15, 2009, at 9:21 AM, Christopher Allen wrote:

> I have moved to a new computer. I loaded TeXShop along with the full  
> MacTeX
> distribution. It looks as if all the packages I regularly use (AMS  
> stuff,
> PSTricks stuff, beamer plus its required pieces, probsoln, calc,  
> delarray,
> ifthen) are included. Great, yay! I'm very thankful for this.
>
> However, when I try to compile a previously working file using  
> probsoln, it
> appears to find probsoln.sty correctly, at
> /usr/local/texlive/2008/texmf-dist/tex/latex/probsoln/probsoln.sty ,  
> but
> using \selectrandomly{}{} returns "! Undefined control sequence." I  
> don't
> understand why, if it finds probsoln.sty, it would not pick up that  
> command.
> Normally I would think I made typo in the command name, but the file
> compiled without problems many times on the previous computer.
>
> Thanks for any help anyone can give. I'll attach the code and the  
> log below.
>
> Chris
>
> ...
> (/usr/local/texlive/2008/texmf-dist/tex/generic/pstricks/pstricks.tex
> `PSTricks' v1.27  <2009/01/25> (tvz)
> ...

Howdy,

Are you using TeX+DVI processing? Since the pstricks package is being  
used you must use the latex->dvips->ps2pdf13 route for processing the  
file. In TeXShop there are three ways to do this:
1)Select `TeX and DVI' from the Typeset menu. This will select that  
processing route for the rest of the TeXShop session unless you change  
it back. When you restart TeXShop it will default to TeXShop's  
default, pdflatex (Pdftex).
2)Change the default processing that TeXShop uses by selecting `Tex +  
DVI' from TeXShop->Preferences->Typesetting->Default Script. The  
TeXShop will always default to that processing when it start up.
3)Change the processing on a file by file basis (this is what I use  
since I use different processing depending upon what I trying to do).  
To do this you add the line

% !TEX TS-program = latex

at the top of the file and TeXShop will use the `TeX and DVI'  
processing method for that file independent of the default setting.  
Instead of `latex' as the `program' you can use `pdflatex', `xelatex'  
and many other custom engines. E.g., I use the `pdflatexmk' (or  
`latexmk' or `xelatexmk') engine which uses latexmk to run (pdf/xe) 
latex, bibtex and/or makeindex if necessary, and the the correct  
number of subsidiary runs of (pdf/xe)latex to resolve cross- 
references. There is more information about the latexmk engines and  
activation instructions in ~/Library/TeXShop/Engines/Inactive/Latexmk/  
(where ~ is your HOME directory).

Good Luck,

Herb Schulz
(herbs at wideopenwest dot com)