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Im trying to install a package, the one called "mathtools". I am using MikTeX and Texmaker, and the Package Manager does not work, so i need to do it manually.

I have downloaded a folder from CTAN and that gave me a folder filled with some files. empheq.dtx, empheq.pdf, mathtools.dtx, mathtools.pdf, mhsetup.dtx, mhsetup.pdf and README.

In the README file it says to "run TeX on each dtx file" but i have no idea what this means. Please write a rookiefriendly guide like, open program X, use the button X etc. I won't understand if you just say "well just use TeX on it." I am really bad at this.

Hope you can help me, all i want is to use latex but it won't let me.

Ravn
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  • This doesn't answer your question, but... "The package manager does not work" - In what way? – darthbith Sep 11 '14 at 20:04
  • @darthbith if i install "mathtools" from package manager and try to build in TeXmaker, it still says it is missing "mathtools.sty". So i just take it, that it doesn't work. – Ravn Sep 11 '14 at 20:06
  • Welcome here. Did you have installed a TeX distro previously? Could be that texmaker uses this one and keep updating the newer one. Please add \listfiles at the beginning of your document and check the log-file. – Johannes_B Sep 11 '14 at 20:08
  • @Johannes_B what am i looking for in the log file? – Ravn Sep 11 '14 at 20:11
  • \listfiles won't be of any help, sorry. But when the LaTeX opens a file (package, class, etc) it writes it's path to the logfile. Do you know where you installed MikTeX? Compare with the logfile for any differences. – Johannes_B Sep 11 '14 at 20:20
  • You can choose a mirror with the MikTeX package manager, there is a chance that this mirror decided to be non-working today. There is a list somewhere on the miktex homepage. – Johannes_B Sep 11 '14 at 20:21

1 Answers1

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The comments above suggest that there may be a way to solve your problem without learning how to manually install LaTeX packages. But, it's not a bad idea to know how for troubleshooting, and quick fixes.

Overview:

  1. create a TDS directory structure (once)
  2. place mathtools directory inside (most packages should go in latex/)
  3. run tex on .dtx files (creating .sty files)
    1. (I think I've more often seen latex <some package>.ins)
  4. (Optional) further cleanup towards TDS conventions

You'll want to create a texmf directory. Determining where to put it, that is, the default location, in Windows, is discussed here: packages - Where is texmf on a Windows install - TeX - LaTeX Stack Exchange.

So in your explorer, you'll want to head to your home directory, and create directories until you have the following chain: 

c:\Users\<your user name>\texmf\tex\latex\

You would put the mathtools directory there, so that you have for instance 

c:\Users\<your user name>\texmf\tex\latex\mathtools\mathtools.dtx

Now, open up a command prompt, and cd (change directory) to this location, that is, 

cd c:\Users\<your user name>\texmf\tex\latex\mathtools\

From there, run tex on the appropriate files, that is, type 

tex mathtools.dtx

You may also need

tex empheq.dtx

This will create the style files, mathtools.sty and empheq.sty.

This is enough. Latex may now know where to find the style files because of TDS (TeX directory structure). If it does not, you many have to run texhash or similar.

You could follow convention further, cleaning up, putting the documentation (pdfs) into texmf\doc\mathtools\, and put the .dtx (and sometimes .ins) files into some source directory for easy access if you want to recover them later (without internet?).

Community
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Brady Trainor
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  • @Johannes_B, Oh, thank you, honest mistake. The directory as he describes it has no .ins nor .sty files, perhaps part of the problem. Will check out CTAN. – Brady Trainor Sep 11 '14 at 20:37
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    Just checked, you ned to run tex on both dtx files. The dtx describes a way »If you insist on using LaTeX« as well. – Johannes_B Sep 11 '14 at 20:38
  • I was commenting prematurely ;-) – Johannes_B Sep 11 '14 at 20:39
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    Additionally, i think MikTeX has its Refresh FNDB (file name data base) which is a one-click synonym for texhash (not sure). – Johannes_B Sep 11 '14 at 20:42
  • @Johannes_B, thanks, you were right, I changed commands latex to tex and it created the .sty files. Perhaps there is some literate programming and tangling going on there, regarding your earlier suggestion. – Brady Trainor Sep 11 '14 at 20:54
  • What do you mean exactly? – Johannes_B Sep 11 '14 at 20:59
  • @Johannes_B, this is not right, I read too quickly. I'm just discovering now, apparently the .dtx file is commented source. The .ins are installation instructions to speed up removal of those comments. Which is why we often simply tex the .ins file. Somehow, I was imagining the .pdf documentation would also come from the .dtx file. But no, I expect that typically comes from a separate .tex file. So not quite literate programming. We might almost say we "tangle" the code out of the .dtx file. But we don't also "weave" the .pdf from the same. – Brady Trainor Sep 11 '14 at 21:12
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    Usually (in my experience) the ins (running tex/latex on it) extracts the package and running latex/pdflatex on the dtx gives the doc. For the doc it is the case. – Johannes_B Sep 11 '14 at 21:31