This directory contains a makefile for building documents with LaTeX INSTALLATION """""""""""" run 'make install' . This will copy the scripts (latex_make and set_makefile) to a directory /bin and latex_make.mak to /share/latex_make/ is by default $HOME You can override those defaults by setting either PREFIX , BINDIR or PROJECT_DATA_DIR in the 'make' command. e.g: make PREFIX=/usr/local install Alternatively, copy those files manually, and edit the script latex_make to reflect the location of latex_make.mak . SETTING UP A "PROJECT" """""""""""""""""""""" 1. Create a new LaTeX document, sat doc.tex and place it in some directory 2. run: set_makefile --create doc At this point you should be able to typset your document by issuing: latex_make 3. [recommended] edit doc.mak that was generated in (2) (either directly, or by running 'latex_make edit-cfg') and set the parameters to best suit your project. USAGE """"" 'latex_make help' for usage instructions. The basics are: - latex_make: updates the default target (by default - dvi) - latex_make view: view the dvi file (create it, if necessary) - latex_make ps: create a postscript copy - latex_make tgz: pack sources to a tarball - latex_make copy: copy some selected targets to a (possibly) remote directory - latex_make mail MAIL_RCPT=user@server.ac.il Send some files (as mime attachments) to specified user You can have multiple projects in the same directory. Only one of them can be 'active' (be the one symlinked by Makefile). You can change active project using 'set_makefile' or explicitly use 'make -f doc.mak' instead of 'make' . Troubleshooting """"""""""""""" 1. grab a rifle 2. aim 3. shoot latex_make simply runs make. any command-line parameter is passed to make. Useful switches of make: -n : don't do anything. Just print what you'll do And if you want to fool make: -o : assume is Older, and don't remake it -W : Assume that is new and needs remaking That asiade, the makefile will only work with GNU make (gmake) and not with BSD make. If your default 'make' is not GNU make, you will get a strange error message (probably because of the 'ifdefs'). use 'gmake' (edit latex_make, if necessary). Another problem is that if you run 'latex_make' and latex fails in the middle, but still outputs an incomplete DVI file, the next time you run 'make', you will get "nothing to do for 'all'". In that case use either 'make clean' to delete the created DVI file (although it is a bit dangerous) or 'make latex' a couple of times. Also be warned that VARS_DESCRIPTION is quite sensitive to changes. After modifying it, always make sure that it still works. For instance, you can forget to quote ('\') a '#' character and get a wierd error message. If you get many warnings about "circular dependency" it is possible that the value of DOCUMENT in the makefile is incorrect. Make sure that $(DOCUMENT).tex indeed exists (e.g: if you set DOCUMENT=doc, make sure that doc.tex exists)