Revtex – Revtex Won’t Compile: Missing \begin{document} Error

pdftexrevtex

I am using the documentclass provided by revtex (https://ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/revtex). It used to work, but I have recently started to get the following error. The document still mostly compiles fine, has a weird \begin{document} at the start. I have tried reinstalling everything, to no avail. I would appreciate any hints, I'm copying the terminal output below. I'm using the newest Ubuntu, revtex, and all packages are upgraded fully.

LaTeX file:

\documentclass{revtex4-2}
\begin{document}
\end{document}

Log file:

This is pdfTeX, Version 3.14159265-2.6-1.40.21 (TeX Live 2020/Debian) (preloaded format=pdflatex 2021.8.20)  20 AUG 2021 23:22
entering extended mode
 restricted \write18 enabled.
 %&-line parsing enabled.
**test.tex
(./test.tex
LaTeX2e <2020-10-01> patch level 4
L3 programming layer <2021-01-09> xparse <2020-03-03>
(/home/daniel/texmf/tex/latex/revtex/revtex4-2.cls
Document Class: revtex4-2 2019/01/18/14:29:48 4.2c (https://journals.aps.org/re
vtex/ for documentation)
 Copyright (c) 2019 American Physical Society.
 mailto:[email protected]
 Licensed under the LPPL:
http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/base/lppl.txt
 Arthur Ogawa <arthur_ogawa at sbcglobal dot net>
 Based on work by David Carlisle <david at dcarlisle.demon.co.uk>Version (4.2c)
: Modified by Mark Doyle
 .
ltxutil[2019/01/18/14:29:48 4.2c utilities package (portions licensed from W. E
. Baxter web at superscript.com)]
LaTeX Info: Redefining \@centercr on input line 315.
Class revtex4-2 Info: Repairing broken LaTeX eqnarray on input line 365.
\eqncolsep=\skip47
Class revtex4-2 Info: Repairing hyperref-unfriendly LaTeX definition of \mpfoot
note on input line 440.
Class revtex4-2 Info: Repairing broken LateX \@sect on input line 762.
\intertabularlinepenalty=\count177
\@tbpen=\count178
\@arstrutbox@hline=\box47
Class revtex4-2 Info: Repairing broken LaTeX \@xbitor on input line 1793.
ltxfront[2019/01/18/14:29:48 4.2c frontmatter package (AO,DPC,MD)]
\c@affil=\count179
\c@collab=\count180
\absbox=\box48
ltxgrid[2019/01/18/14:29:48 4.2c page grid package (portions licensed from W. E
. Baxter web at superscript.com)]
\c@linecount=\count181
\output@latex=\toks15
\box@size@1=\box49
\box@size@2=\box50
\@protection@box=\box51
\@topmark@saved=\toks16
\footins@saved=\box52
\footins@recovered=\box53
\column@recovered=\box54
\pagesofar=\box55
\footsofar=\box56
\pagegrid@col=\count182

Class revtex4-2 Warning: Failed to recognize \@vspace, \@vspacer, \@no@pgbk, \@
newline, and \\; no patches applied. Please get a more up-to-date class, .

\c@part=\count183
\c@section=\count184
\c@subsection=\count185
\c@subsubsection=\count186
\c@paragraph=\count187
\c@subparagraph=\count188
\abovecaptionskip=\skip48
\belowcaptionskip=\skip49
\c@figure=\count189
\fbox@1=\box57
\c@table=\count190
\fbox@2=\box58
\c@video=\count191
\fbox@4=\box59
\@bibdataout=\write3
\widetext@top=\box60
\widetext@bot=\box61

Class revtex4-2 Warning: No Society specified, using default society aps.

(/home/daniel/texmf/tex/latex/revtex/aps4-2.rtx
File: aps4-2 2019/01/18/14:29:48 4.2c (https://journals.aps.org/revtex/ for doc
umentation)
Class revtex4-2 Info: RevTeX society APS selected on input line 37.
)

Class revtex4-2 Warning: No journal specified, using default pra.

Class revtex4-2 Info: APS journal PRA selected on input line 7584.

Class revtex4-2 Warning: No type size specified, using default 10.

(/home/daniel/texmf/tex/latex/revtex/aps10pt4-2.rtx
File: aps10pt4-2 2019/01/18/14:29:48 4.2c (https://journals.aps.org/revtex/ for
 documentation)
Class revtex4-2 Info: RevTeX pointsize 10pt selected on input line 36.
)
(/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/textcase/textcase.sty
Package: textcase 2019/09/14 v1.00 Text only upper/lower case changing (DPC)
)
(/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/url/url.sty
\Urlmuskip=\muskip16
Package: url 2013/09/16  ver 3.4  Verb mode for urls, etc.
)
(/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/natbib/natbib.sty
Package: natbib 2010/09/13 8.31b (PWD, AO)
\bibhang=\skip50
\bibsep=\skip51
LaTeX Info: Redefining \cite on input line 694.
\c@NAT@ctr=\count192
)
Class revtex4-2 Info: Repairing natbib's \BibitemShut on input line 7588.

(/home/daniel/texmf/tex/latex/revtex/revsymb4-2.sty
Package: revsymb4-2 2019/01/18/14:29:48 4.2c (https://journals.aps.org/revtex/ 
for documentation)
LaTeX Info: Redefining \REV@mathfrak on input line 125.
))
! Extra \endgroup.
\document ->\endgroup 
                      \document@inithook \true@sw {}\UseOneTimeHook {begindo...
l.2 \begin{document}
                    
? 
Class revtex4-2 Info: Unrecognized LaTeX tabular. Please update this document c
lass! (Proceeding with fingers crossed.) on input line 2.
Class revtex4-2 Info: cite was not loaded (OK!) on input line 2.
Class revtex4-2 Info: mcite was not loaded (OK!) on input line 2.
Class revtex4-2 Info: multicol was not loaded (OK!) on input line 2.

! LaTeX Error: Missing \begin{document}.

See the LaTeX manual or LaTeX Companion for explanation.
Type  H <return>  for immediate help.
 ...                                              
                                                  
l.2 \begin{document}
                    
? 
! Interruption.
\GenericError  ...                                
                                                  \endgroup 
l.2 \begin{document}
                    
? 
(/usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/tex/latex/l3backend/l3backend-pdftex.def
File: l3backend-pdftex.def 2020-01-29 L3 backend support: PDF output (pdfTeX)
\l__color_backend_stack_int=\count193
\l__pdf_internal_box=\box62
)
No file test.aux.
\openout1 = `test.aux'.

LaTeX Font Info:    Checking defaults for OML/cmm/m/it on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    ... okay on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    Checking defaults for OMS/cmsy/m/n on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    ... okay on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    Checking defaults for OT1/cmr/m/n on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    ... okay on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    Checking defaults for T1/cmr/m/n on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    ... okay on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    Checking defaults for TS1/cmr/m/n on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    ... okay on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    Checking defaults for OMX/cmex/m/n on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    ... okay on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    Checking defaults for U/cmr/m/n on input line 2.
LaTeX Font Info:    ... okay on input line 2.
\openout3 = `testNotes.bib'.

[1{/var/lib/texmf/fonts/map/pdftex/updmap/pdftex.map}] (./test.aux)

LaTeX Warning: Label(s) may have changed. Rerun to get cross-references right .


 ) 
Here is how much of TeX's memory you used:
 2412 strings out of 481252
 33436 string characters out of 5915888
 310120 words of memory out of 5000000
 19413 multiletter control sequences out of 15000+600000
 403430 words of font info for 27 fonts, out of 8000000 for 9000
 14 hyphenation exceptions out of 8191
 54i,4n,60p,203b,110s stack positions out of 5000i,500n,10000p,200000b,80000s
</usr/share/texlive/texmf-dist/fonts/type1/public/amsfonts/cm/cmr10.pfb>
Output written on test.pdf (1 page, 13120 bytes).
PDF statistics:
 12 PDF objects out of 1000 (max. 8388607)
 7 compressed objects within 1 object stream
 0 named destinations out of 1000 (max. 500000)
 1 words of extra memory for PDF output out of 10000 (max. 10000000)

Best Answer

As @David Carlisle pointed out in comments this error is caused by having an old version of revtex.

The issue arises because the direct download provided on the APS page (https://journals.aps.org/revtex/revtex-faq#download) gives version 4.2c, and not 4.2e. This can be checked by including \listfiles in the preamble, for example

\documentclass{revtex4-2}
\listfiles
\begin{document}
\end{document}

The error can be fixed by downloading the current version from CTAN instead: https://ctan.org/tex-archive/macros/latex/contrib/revtex

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Based on the comments received, I've been able to answer my question.

See page 27 of the current manual for microtype. ! pdfTeX error (font expansion): auto expansion is only possible with scalable fonts. Automatic font expansion has been improved in pdfTeX 1.40, in that it now not only works with Type 1 fonts but also with TrueType, OpenType and even non- embedded fonts. The above error message indicates either that you are trying to apply expansion to a bitmap (pk) font, which is still not possible, or that the font isn’t found at all, e.g., because of missing map entries. – cfr

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The solution is to set the default fonts in all my LaTeX Preamble templates (that I use with this machine) to Latin Modern, which has identical metrics, is designed to appear identical, but has [T1]fontenc encoding capabilities, which my Microtype package will handle. PdfLaTeX should not be crashing, even so, but since it does, this is the fix. For posterity and others that might have the same problem, here's the fix to the Preamble segment from the question:

%%%%%% novel project %%%%%%%%%

\documentclass{book}

\usepackage{microtype}

\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}

%%%  % FIX: change to [T1]fontenc microtype expandable fonts  %  %%% 

 \renewcommand{\ttdefault}{lmtt} % FIX: default Computer Modern TT 
                                 % changed to Latin Modern TT (typewriter)

 \renewcommand{\rmdefault}{lmr} % FIX: default Computer Modern Roman 
                                % changed to Latin Modern Roman

 \renewcommand{\sfdefault}{lmss} %FIX: default Computer Modern Sans Serif 
                                % changed to Latin Modern Sans Serif
%   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %   %

%  %   %  %   % PSFNSS2e font packages %     %     %      %    %    %    %    %
%  %   %  %   %       select one package     %     %     %      %    %    %    % 
% \usepackage{mathptmx}   % Times font, default sans
% \usepackage{charter}    % Bitstream's Charter font, default sans
% \usepackage{mathpazo}   % Palatino font, default sans
% \usepackage{bookman}    % Bookman font, Avant Garde sans 
% \usepackage{utopia}     % Utopia font, default sans
% \usepackage{chancery}   % Zapf Chancery font, default sans
% \usepackage{newcent}    % New Century Schoolbook font, Avant Garde sans
%   %   %  SELECT NONE ABOVE TO USE Latin Modern new defaults %  %   %   % 

%%%%%%% END PREAMBLE  %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Best Answer

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