[Tex/LaTex] File path problems using subfiles package

foldersstandalonesubfiles

I am following this tutorial (section subfiles) on how to use the package subfiles for a large latex document. I am using this package because I want to be able to compile each chapter separately. I keep my chapters in ./tex/ but main.tex is located in the root directory.

When I compile main.tex, I get no error but when I try to compile a chapter I get an error because the file ./mystyle.sty can't be found. If I go to main.tex and change the line \usepackage{./mystyle} to \usepackage{../mystyle}, I can compile the chapters now but I can't compile main.tex. I could solve this by providing the full path of to mystyle.sty but then it won't work with other computers. I would rather not the standalone package because I would like to use the command \chapter.

I have read the six year old post about the same issue but I was wondering if in the meantime subfiles package was modified to solve this or if there is a way to use \chapter in the standalone package.

Best Answer

In my opinion the clean way of solving this would be to properly install mystyle.sty in your texmf folder.

If you do not want to do this, you could add the parent folder to your input path, see Can a default path be set globally for \input{...} akin to \graphicspath{...}? how to do this and then use \usepackage{mystyle}.

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Using subfiles package with .sty files

There is no need to put your other .tex-files into subdirectories. I don't know the subfiles package, but I can recommend you the standalone package for this (I should mention here that I wrote it, so I'm biased). Put all required packages into the subfiles and compile them as normal just use standalone as class. The real class can be given by the class option and defaults to article. In the main document load the standalone package, maybe with the subpreambles option to include the preambles from the subfiles to the main file.

% Main file
\documentclass{report}
\usepackage{standalone}
\usepackage{mystyle}
\begin{document}
\input{mysubfile.tex}
\end{document}


% mysubfile.tex
\documentclass{standalone}
\usepackage{mystyle}
\begin{document}
% stuff
\end{document}

[Tex/LaTex] subfiles inside a subfile using relative paths

I have had the same issue as you.

It is important to note that \providecommand only defines \main one time which is the first time it is run.

So when providing \main in a subfile then it is also provided in master.tex and master.tex will not redefine it.

That is also why it needs to be done before the document class in subfiles as this is where the master.tex code is executed.

If you use \def\main{..} instead then it will be overridden every time you include a subfile.

It was solved as:

%main.tex
\usepackage{subfiles}
\providecommand{\main}{.} % relative path to master.tex
\begin{document}
\subfile{chap1/chapter1}
...
\end{document}

%chapter1.tex
\providecommand{\main}{..} %Important: It needs to be defined before the documentclass
\documentclass[\main/main.tex]{subfiles}
\begin{document}
\chapter{Introduction}
\subfile{\main/chap1/purpose} %Insert relative before file
...
\end{document}

%purpose.tex
\providecommand{\main}{..}
\documentclass[\main/main.tex]{subfiles}
\begin{document}
\section{Purpose}
\end{document}

I hope someone will find is useful.

Edit:

One can also solve this by providing \input@path. This makes the solution work without inserting \main in all path's

\makeatletter
\providecommand*{\input@path}{{..}}
\g@addto@macro\input@path{{..}}% append % if you cant override it
\makeatother

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Using subfiles package with .sty files

[Tex/LaTex] subfiles inside a subfile using relative paths

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