How to properly install and use texlive with package manager

latex texlive

61,777

Solution 1

Just run tlmgr init-usertree first and then run sudo tlmgr update --all.

Maybe you will get:

/usr/bin/tlmgr: Initialization failed (in setup_unix_one):
/usr/bin/tlmgr: could not find a usable xzdec.
/usr/bin/tlmgr: Please install xzdec and try again.
Couldn't set up the necessary programs.
Installation of packages is not supported.
Please report to [email protected].
tlmgr: exiting unsuccessfully (status 1).

If so, you have to install the xzdec package, from your package manager or through sudo apt-get install xzdec.

To use the GUI, you also need to install perl-tk:

sudo apt-get install perl-tk

Then you can summon the GUI via:

tlmgr --gui

And then hit the Load Default button.

Solution 2

If you want to use tlmgr on Ubuntu you basically have two options:

Install texlive from scratch and create a dummy package
Use install-tl-ubuntu, as described in this answer on tex.SE

61,777

Author by

ste_kwr

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

ste_kwr almost 2 years
I would like to know how to properly install, and use texlive along with the package manager tlmgr in Ubuntu. Here is what I did to install texlive:
```
sudo apt-get install texlive-latex-base texlive-latex-extra texlive-latex-recommended
```
And now I do have texlive, but the package manager is not working. Following is the error
```
sudo tlmgr update -all
(running on Debian, switching to user mode!)
cannot setup TLPDB in /home/kniwor/texmf at /usr/bin/tlmgr line 5336.
```
Is there a better way to install texlive? What can I do to fix the package manager at this point?
- ste_kwr about 10 years
  
  Thanks. However I prefer to install only what I need. Mostly because I like to know what I'm using since I use multiple computers to compile my files(work/home etc) and some of them have space issues.
- landroni over 9 years
  
  See also: tex.stackexchange.com/questions/114623/…
ste_kwr about 10 years

This works fabulously.
landroni over 9 years

TeXLive 2013 version included in Ubuntu 14.04 may stop working with tlmgr, since TeXLive 2014 was released in the meantime. See: askubuntu.com/questions/486170/…
Daniel almost 8 years

I was missing the xzdec package on a fresh installation of 16.04. Worked fine afterwards!