LaTeX and TeX FAQ |
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What environment variables should I set?
Is the USC thesis style (USCthesis.sty) available for this version of TeX?
Where is the /usr/usc/usc/tex/default/inputs directory?
Why is xdvi/gs having problems with some of my included postscript figures?
Do I have to use the '-o' option with dvips?
Why does the old version of dvips generates so much more output then the new version?
I don't want to change my LaTeX
documents, and still want to use the old psfig style. Can I do
this?
How do I use postscript fonts, e.g. Times-Roman (ptmr)?
How do I use packages not available by default?
How do I get more help at USC?
What environment variables should
I set?
None! The most generic environment for TeX only requires that your
PATH be setup appropriately. This is done by default, so you should
not need to set any environment variables unless you have special
requirements beyond that of most users of TeX. If you find that you do
need to set some environment variables you should read the help file
on Kpathsea library. The library's purpose is to look up a file in a
list of directories specified by the user. To view the texinfo help
file, you can use the following command from your UNIX shell prompt:
- % info -f /usr/usc/tex/3.1415/info/kpathsea.info
Is the USC thesis style
(USCthesis.sty) available for this version of TeX?
Currently the USC thesis style is available. However, it does not
have a maintainer and only runs under LaTeX 2.09 compatibility mode. This means
that some of the Latex2e features will be unavailable. The files are located in
/usr/usc/tex/unsupp. Please see the general help page on setting
this directory in the TEXINPUTS environment variable.
(There is a need for someone to step forward and take over maintenance
of this if people are going to continue to use it.)
Where is the /usr/usc/usc/tex/default/inputs directory?
No, its not missing! Actually it's no longer necessary. Through
the Kpathsea library TeX now will search a hierarchy of directories in
order to find the appropriate inputs thus removing the dependency on a
single large inputs directory.
Why is xdvi/gs having problems with some of my included postscript figures?
At this time, I'm not sure. It is very likely that these may be
bugs in xdvi and or gs. This is still under investigation. As a
work-around, I suggest using dvips to generate a postscript file then
preview the postscript output. This appears to working normally in
most cases.
Do I have to use the '-o' option with dvips?
No. The "-o" option is no longer necessary. By default dvips now
writes to a file with a '.ps' extension (just like the older version).
config.$printer generated by config.printers
placed in /usr/local/conf/tex/3.1415/dvips local
customizations for printers can be accommodated via the file
config.$printer.custom.
Why does the old version of dvips generates so much more output then the new version?
This is most likely caused by erroneously set environment
variables. With no extra environment variables set this problem should
not occur using the old version of dvips. Beware of environment
variables named *DVI* or *TEX*. To check your environment at a shell
prompt you can try:
- % env | egrep 'TEX|DVI'
Use the graphics/graphicx package. Here is an example of how to
use graphicx:
\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\usepackage[dvips]{graphicx}
\begin{document}
\includegraphics[width=2cm]{picture.ps}
For more information on the graphics/graphicx package take a look at the user guide. To view the graphics user guide, you can use the following command from your UNIX shell prompt:
- % latex grfguide
- % dvips grfguide
- % ghostview grfguide.ps
- % dvips grfguide
I don't want to change my LaTeX documents, and still want to use the old psfig style. Can I do this?
NOTE: It is best to convert any old documents instead of
letting them become outdated, please do so! However if you
still insist on using old inputs, do something similar to the
following before the old inputs are deleted! You may also consider
downloading the latest versions of inputs that you like to use and use
the latest version of LaTeX instead of relying on compatibility mode
to be able to continue LaTeX'ing your documents.
- % mkdir ~/inputs
- % setenv TEXINPUTS :~/inputs
- % cp -p /usr/usc/tex/3.141/inputs/psfig.tex ~/inputs
- % latex <latexfile.tex>
How do I use postscript fonts, e.g. Times-Roman (ptmr)?
Use the psnfss package. Here is an example of how to it:
\documentclass[12pt]{article} % Specifies the document style.
\usepackage{times} % use times package
\begin{document} % End of preamble and beginning of text.
This is a sample input file. Comparing it with the output it generates
through dvips can show you how to produce a simple document of your
own.
\end{document} % End of document.
For more information on the psnfss package take a look at the psnfss2e guide. To view it, you can use the following command from your UNIX shell prompt:
- % latex psnfss2e
- % latex psnfss2e
- % dvips psnfss2e
- % ghostview psnfss2e.ps
How do I use packages not available by default?
There are a lot of packages available that allow users to enhance their documents but which are not available on the default distribution we have installed. This does not mean that they can't be used. To use these packages, users have to install them within their home directory. The recommended way of installing these packages is as follows:
- Create a new directory within your home directory.
- Download the package from any of the LaTeX/TeX archive sites.
- Follow the instructions to install that come with the package except that all the style files must be placed in the directory created in step 1.
- Modify your TEXINPUTS environment variable to include the new directory (from step 1).
- setenv TEXINPUTS :<newdirectory>:<previous definition here>
How do I get more help at USC?
If you have any questions regarding these settings, please call
the Customer Support Center at (213) 740-5555 or e-mail consult@usc.edu.
Last Updated: Friday, June 02, 2006 at 12:07PM PDT