Kantlipsum installation process

Question

Why for the kantlipsum package the process below is required to install it, instead of the normal positioning of the file .sty like for the other packages? Are there some advantages?

To install the distribution:

 - run "latex kantlipsum.ins"
 - move "kantlipsum.sty" to locations where LaTeX will find it (the FAQ on CTAN in 
   /help/uktug-FAQ gives more information about this magic place)

Update:

For example the package classicthesis provides directly the .sty file without run

"latex <file>.ins"

That is the normal procedure: could you explain what you think is different? — Joseph Wright, Oct 16 '12 at 15:19
Moreover, it's easiest to install the package using the package manager for your distribution (tlmgr for TeX Live and MPM for MiKTeX). — Werner, Oct 16 '12 at 15:42
The package is still not updated in TeX Live, but the version on CTAN is the new one. The standard instruction in the README file are for manual installation, but of course it's easier to wait for it being updated in the main distributions. — egreg, Oct 16 '12 at 16:05
@FormlessCloud: Many packages provide different ways of manual installation. Some provide a fully-functioning .sty, while others provide a .ins/.dtx pair. Under Windows/MiKTeX, see How can I manually install a package on MiKTeX (Windows)? However, you could also read Where do I place my own .sty files, to make them available to all my .tex files? which localizes the "installation" of the package. Once it forms part of the default distribution, you should remove it from the local tree. — Werner, Oct 16 '12 at 19:14

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 03 '12 at 22:16

2

From the README file found at the location in CTAN:

To install the distribution:

o run "latex kantlipsum.ins"
o move "kantlipsum.sty" to locations where LaTeX will find
  it (the FAQ on CTAN in /help/uktug-FAQ gives more
  information about this magic place

answered Nov 03 '12 at 22:16

egreg

1,121,712

2

Enrico, this is already quoted in the question. The OP wants to know why he/she needs to do it. I think, Werner’s comment is the right answer here. – Speravir Nov 03 '12 at 22:23

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 03 '12 at 22:30

CTAN supports the hierarchy CTAN:install/... that contain .tds.zip files for packages that provide this kind of archives, including kantlipsum:

CTAN:install/macros/latex/contrib/kantlipsum.tds.zip

Such a .tds.zip file can easily unzipped in the home or local texmf tree, because the package is already unpacked, the documentation generated and the files sorted into the right directories according to TDS (A Directory Structure for TeX Files:

Archive:  kantlipsum.tds.zip
  Length     Date   Time    Name
 --------    ----   ----    ----
        0  10-15-12 01:23   doc/
        0  10-15-12 01:23   doc/latex/
        0  10-15-12 01:23   doc/latex/kantlipsum/
   429153  10-15-12 01:23   doc/latex/kantlipsum/kantlipsum.pdf
     1158  10-15-12 01:23   doc/latex/kantlipsum/README
        0  10-15-12 01:23   source/
        0  10-15-12 01:23   source/latex/
        0  10-15-12 01:23   source/latex/kantlipsum/
   198687  10-15-12 01:23   source/latex/kantlipsum/kantlipsum.dtx
      856  10-15-12 01:23   source/latex/kantlipsum/kantlipsum.ins
        0  10-15-12 01:23   tex/
        0  10-15-12 01:23   tex/latex/
        0  10-15-12 01:23   tex/latex/kantlipsum/
   189723  10-15-12 01:23   tex/latex/kantlipsum/kantlipsum.sty
 --------                   -------
   819577                   14 files

Therefore there is no need for kantlipsum for providing a .sty file, because it is already done in a way that is much easier for the user, if he wants to install the package.

This holds for kantlipsum, because I provide a .tds.zip file; however this is not a general rule: it's not required to upload the .tds.zip file and it won't be built automatically. — egreg, Nov 03 '12 at 23:28

Kantlipsum installation process

2 Answers2