[R] LaTeX in system()

[Peter Dalgaard]

Christoph Heibl wrote:
> Dear list,
>
> I want to run latex from an R script:
>
>     system("latex mysource.tex")
>
> or:
>
>     texi2dvi("mysource.tex", pdf = TRUE, clean = FALSE, quiet
> =         TRUE, texi2dvi = latex)
>
> but latex does not seem to be on the search path:
>
>     /bin/sh: line 1: latex: command not found.
>
> Although 'printenv PATH' tells me that the usr/texbin is looked for
> executables:
>
> /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/Current/bin:/sw/bin:/sw/sbin:/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/texbin:/usr/X11R6/bin
>
>
> Or am I wrong here?
>
> In any case this is strange because if I call latex from the Terminal
> shell it runs without problems.  On the other hand texi2dvi from the
> tools package also does not work (for the same reason?)
>
> I use R version 2.6.2 on Intel Mac OS X 10.4.11
>
> Why is there a difference between the way the call to latex behaves
> directly in the shell or via the R system () command?
>

There can be several reasons, all depending crucially on your particular
setup. You might be better off on the R-sig-Mac list, but I'd start by
looking at system("echo $PATH") or system("printenv PATH"). Presumably
that does not include /usr/texbin (if that is where latex resides). One
potential reason that it could be different from the command line lies
in the shell startup files -- which ones get executed depends on whether
or not it is a login shell. Another possibility is that R itself is
setting the PATH: try Sys.getenv("PATH").

> Thanks in advance for any advice!
> Christoph
>
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> ________________________________________________________
>
> Christoph Heibl
>
> Systematic Botany
> Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
> Menzinger Str. 67
> D-80638 München
> GERMANY
>
> phone:     +49-(0)89-17861-251
> e-mail:    heibl at lmu.de
>
> http://www.botanik.biologie.uni-muenchen.de/botsyst/heibl/ch-home.html
>
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>
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-- 
   O__  ---- Peter Dalgaard             Øster Farimagsgade 5, Entr.B
  c/ /'_ --- Dept. of Biostatistics     PO Box 2099, 1014 Cph. K
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