Conversion Tools ⇒ Changing the default build directory

[erwann]

Reminder (this works):

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$ pdflatex --output-dir ~/_build foo.tex

How can I make the specified directory the default build directory? This did not do it:

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$ export TEXMFOUTPUT="~/_build"
$ echo $TEXMFOUTPUT
~/_build
$ pdflatex foo.tex

Relevant excerpt from the man page.

[Stefan Kottwitz]

You can also run this check:

kpsewhich -var-value="TEXMFOUTPUT"

Stefan

[erwann]

Here's the output of the suggested check:

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$ kpsewhich -var-value="TEXMFOUTPUT"
/Users/my-mac/_build

Again, TEXMFOUTPUT is ignored by pdflatex, or is meant for a different purpose.

[erwann]

Any more thoughts on this?

[rais]

Well, the way I read your man page's excerpt, this $TEXMFOUTPUT is considered, iff[1] the current directory isn't writable.
You could verify that by making the current folder read-only, prior to running pdfLaTeX.
OTOH, it might be easier to use an alias, as in

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alias mypdflatex='pdflatex --output-dir ~/_build'

and then just use this alias instead of the original, say

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mypdflatex foo

(untested, though: I'm sitting in a hotel without my trusty PC...then again, I'm not so sure I would've tested it, even if I were at home at my trusty PC---I don't see any code here to run it on, i.e., the `foo.tex' is missing)

[1] iff: if, and only if

KR
Rainer

[erwann]

OTOH, it might be easier to use an alias, as in

Indeed:

#!/bin/bash
# DESCRIPTION: tools for changing pdflatex's default build directory
# RE: http://latex-community.org/forum/viewto ... 52&t=28499
#
# INSTALL :
# copy to a directory in $PATH
# $ chmod 755 thisfile.sh
#
# USAGE:
# $ source thisfile.sh
# $ eval "ls *.?($TEXBUILDEXT)" # Lists TeX build files in the current dir
# $ rmtexbuild # Removes TeX build files from the current dir
# $ pdflatexredirect foo.tex # Writes to ~/_build
#
# TESTED OK UNDER:
# - GNU bash, version 4.3.46(1)-release (x86_64-apple-darwin15.5.0)

export TEXBUILDEXT='log|dvi|out|pdf|aux|blg|bbl'; #anything else?
shopt -s extglob;
alias rmtexbuild='eval "rm *.?($TEXBUILDEXT)"';
alias pdflatexredirect='pdflatex --output-dir ~/_build';

[rais]

export TEXBUILDEXT='log|dvi|out|pdf|aux|blg|bbl'; #anything else?

that depends on your workflow.
Of the top of my head, I'd add
bcf (biber control file)
glg (glossaries log file)
glo (glossaries file)
gls (glossaries file)
idx (index file, input for makeindex)
ilg (index log file)
ind (index file, output from makeindex)
lof (list of figures)
lot (list of tables)
mt* (minitoc helper files)
nlg (nomenclature log file, if -t option to makeindex was used accordingly)
nlo (nomenclature file)
nls (nomenclature file)
ps (post script file, used to be an in-between dvi and pdf)
toc (table of contents)
and a few more I may remember, if I put my head a bit sideways, such that enough brain mass can concentrate in one corner

Speaking of glossaries, you may have to parse the tex file to see what kind of extensions will be useed.

Anyway, this

alias rmtexbuild='eval "rm *.?($TEXBUILDEXT)"';

looks suspiciously like ``remove everything from the current folder with the extension of <list according to $TEXBUILDEXT>''
Don't you think there may be source files removed by this? E.g., some picture file included by the .tex file via \includegraphics/\includepdf may fail, if you remove all pdf files from the current folder...

KR
Rainer

[erwann]

Don't you think there may be source files removed by this? E.g., some picture file included by the .tex file via \includegraphics/\includepdf may fail, if you remove all pdf files from the current folder...

Feel free to provide a variant of 'rmtexbuild' that takes care of eliminating the "suspicion" your raise by prompting the caller to provide the basename (without the extension) of the files to delete, in this example, 'foo' (or perhaps 'f*', '?(foo|bar)' etc.).

[rais]

Feel free to provide a variant of 'rmtexbuild' that takes care of eliminating the "suspicion" your raise by prompting the caller to provide the basename

why should I prompt the caller for something, (s)he should have provided with calling the program in question in the first place?

(without the extension)

why without? You could give this program a filename (with or without extension), strip off the extension and remove everything matching your pattern. If you allow .tex as the only (possible) extension, you could use that to verify, if this .tex file is even present---before doing anything rash (like removing some files)

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#!/bin/bash
# save as <whatever>.sh, then run make <whatever> and put the resulting <whatever> script somewhere along $PATH
# see http://latex-community.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=52&t=28499 for the original code, 2016-09-23-rais
# ... and the original hint(s)
#
if [ -z "$1" ]; then
  echo "Usage: $0 file-to-clean-help-files-from[.tex]"
else
  TBRBN=${1%.tex} #the basename of the files-to-be-removed
  if [ -r $TBRBN.tex ]; then # if `source' (the .tex file with same basename as the files-to-be-removed) is readable
    for X in aux bbl bcf blg and-so-on; do
      TBRF=$TBRBN.$X
      test -r $TBRF && rm $TBRF #only try to remove something that's really there
# come to think of it, it might be better to use `echo' before the `rm' in the initial test phase...
    done
  else
    echo "Could not read source file ($SF)---aborting."
  fi
fi

Again, untested, as I'm still travelling without my trusty PC

KR
Rainer

[erwann]

Here's an update that
- Adresses the "looks suspicious" comment here.
- Accomodates bibtex alongside pdflatex.

# INSTALL :
# copy to a directory in $PATH (say ~/bin)
# $ cd ~/bin
# $ chmod 755 thisfile.sh
# $ mkdir ~/_build
#
# USAGE:
# $ source thisfile.sh
# $ echo $TEXTBUILDEXT # Recognize build files' extensions
# $ eval "ls *.?($TEXBUILDEXT)" # Lists TeX build files in the current dir
# $ rmtexbuild foo # Removes foo build files in ~/_build'
# $ rmtexbuildpwd foo # Removes foo build files in curr. dir
# $ pdflatexbuild foo.tex # Writes to ~/_build (*)
# $ bibtexbuild foo.aux # Creates bbl in ~/build (*)
#
# (*) .tex and .aux optional
#
# TESTED OK UNDER:
# - GNU bash, version 4.3.46(1)-release (x86_64-apple-darwin15.5.0)
#
# ALSO SEE:
# http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/ ... -compiling
#
# TODO:
# Error handling

export TEXBUILDEXT='log|dvi|out|aux|blg|bbl|pdf|bcf|glg|glo|gls|idx|ilg|ind|lof|lot|mt*|nlg|nlo|nls|ps|toc';
shopt -s extglob;
function rmtexbuild(){
eval "rm ~/_build/$1.?($TEXBUILDEXT)";
}
function rmtexbuildpwd(){
eval "rm ./$1.?($TEXBUILDEXT)";
}
function mvtexbuild(){
eval "mv ./$1.?($TEXBUILDEXT) ~/_build/";
}
function mvtexbuildtopwd(){
eval "mv ~/_build/$1.?($TEXBUILDEXT) ./";
}
alias pdflatexbuild='pdflatex --output-dir ~/_build';
function texbuildgeneric(){
rmtexbuildpwd $2;
mvtexbuildtopwd $2;
eval "$1 $2";
mvtexbuild $2;
}
function bibtexbuild(){
texbuildgeneric bibtex "${1%.aux}"
# bibtex ~/_build/$1 not allowed, hence this solution
}