[OS X TeX] Placing macro files

Thu Jun 7 11:38:44 EDT 2018

You can do it in the reverse as well Herb — in fact Dropbox recommends putting the originals in Dropbox and having symbolic links elsewhere (and, as far as I could figure out, this is the only way it works on Windows Dropbox installations). On Mac OS, I have found that I can leave things where they are and put symlinks into Dropbox. I have a bunch of symlinks in Dropbox to folders in my ~/Documents directory and it works. I think I like having the originals in their default locations and thinking of Dropbox only as a utility to facilitate sync’ing.

==Tamer

> On Jun 7, 2018, at 10:50 AM, Herbert Schulz <herbs at wideopenwest.com <mailto:herbs at wideopenwest.com>> wrote:
> 
>> On Jun 7, 2018, at 8:00 AM, M. Tamer Özsu <ozsut at mac.com <mailto:ozsut at mac.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> Following Herb’s suggestion, here is my setup for those types of files that enables me to use them across machines.
>> 
>> - I have a master references file (references.bib) that I keep in ~/Library/texmf/bibtex/bib
>> - I have a bunch of personal style files that I keep in ~/Library/texmf/tex/latex
>> - I have a symbolic link to ~/Library/texmf that I keep in Dropbox folder
>> 
>> Everything syncs properly and latex finds them in place. The trick is to keep these files in ~/Library/texmf and put a symbolic link in Dropbox. Note that you have to do the symbolic link on every machine.
>> 
>> ==Tamer
>> 
>>> On Jun 7, 2018, at 7:47 AM, Herbert Schulz <herbs at wideopenwest.com <mailto:herbs at wideopenwest.com>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> On Jun 7, 2018, at 6:36 AM, Nitecki, Zbigniew H. <Zbigniew.Nitecki at tufts.edu <mailto:Zbigniew.Nitecki at tufts.edu>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> OK, here is where the dummy in me comes out.
>>>> I “transferred” the files by taking my last backup from the old computer (on an external hard drive) and copying or “restoring” on the new one.
>>>> 
>>>> I managed to find ~/Library/texmf/tex/latex and I think the answer to your question is “no” (though why it worked on the old one I don’t know).
>>>> So how do I create such a symbolic link?
>>>> 
>>>> Zbigniew Nitecki
>>>> Department of Mathematics
>>>> Tufts University
>>>> Medford, MA 02155
>>>> 
>>>> telephones:
>>>> Office    (617)627-3843
>>>> Dept.    (617)627-3234
>>>> Dept. fax    (617)627-3966
>>>> http://www.tufts.edu/~znitecki/ <http://www.tufts.edu/~znitecki/>
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On Jun 7, 2018, at 8:27, Herbert Schulz <herbs at wideopenwest.com> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On Jun 7, 2018, at 6:11 AM, Nitecki, Zbigniew H. <Zbigniew.Nitecki at tufts.edu> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> This is a stupid question regarding placement of files for TeXShop from a confused soul.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I recently transferred my files to a new computer, and am having trouble with locating style files.
>>>>>> I have many user-defined macros which I have on Dropbox (in order to use them on several computers)
>>>>>> in a folder called “Mymacros” inside a larger folder called “Macros” (containing also some style files for journals I submit to).
>>>>>> When I tried to edit a file recently I got a “can’t find file” message, to which I responded with a pathname, but then the \usepackage
>>>>>> call on the next line resulted in a “missing \begin{document}”  message, to which I didn’t know how to respond (the \begin{document} command comes after the list of \usepackage calls).
>>>>>> I attach a truncated version of the source file, and the log file from trying to compile that truncated source file below.
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> My question is an either/or: either “how can I fix it so that TeXShop finds the files where I have them” or “where can I put them so that TeXShop will find them”?
>>>>>> My knowledge of how the internal organization of files in OSX is casual at best, so assume I am an idiot in that department: at least if the second question is being answered, I need a “for dummies” version.
>>>>> 
>>>>> Howdy,
>>>>> 
>>>>> First, how did you ``transfer'' your files? Also, do you have a symbolic link for your Dropbox stored packages to ~/Library/texmf/tex/latex/somefolder? Otherwise I don't see how TeX can find the files in the first place?
>>>>> 
>>>>> Good Luck,
>>>>> 
>>>>> Herb Schulz
>>>>> (herbs at wideopenwest dot com)
>>> 
>>> Howdy,
>>> 
>>> Assuming those files don't change very often you could simply copy the Macros folder into ~/Library/texmf/tex/latex. Then TeX will find them. If files in the Dropbox folder folder change you'll have to copy the changed files from the Dropbox folder to the copy in the folder in the personal texmf tree given above.
>>> 
>>> If the files change fairly often let me know and we'll create the symbolic link and see if that works.
>>> 
>>> Good Luck,
>>> 
>>> Herb Schulz
>>> (herbs at wideopenwest dot com)
> 
> Howdy,
> 
> I'm a bit surprised that you link ~/Library/texmf into your Dropbox. I would have thought it should be the other way around. I don't understand how that works on multiple systems.
> 
> I have folder of source files (not in ~/Library/texmf) I copied to my Dropbox folder which I update when any of those files change. On other systems I have a symblic link of the Dropbox folder to my documents folder. So when I update the folder on Dropbox on that source system the other systems automatically update.
> 
> Good Luck,
> 
> Herb Schulz
> (herbs at wideopenwest dot com)
> 
> 
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