[Tex/LaTex] find a list of the LaTeX command line options

compilinglatex-misc

I am using MiKTeX 2.9 on Windows, and am working with TeXnicCenter. I can see in the build profiles that LaTeX can take command-line options, for instance:

--src -interaction=nonstopmode

Try as I might, I cannot find anywhere on the net a list of these command line options and their purpose. Can anyone supply a link to these?

Best Answer

Most command line programs accept parameters like --help (originally from Unix) or /? (originally from Windows) that list their common options. latex (namely, pdftex, which is latex these days) is not an exception and recognizes --help. The same applies to other TeX engines like xetex or luatex.

On Unix, you can also type man pdftex etc. to read these programs' manual pages. MikTeX has them online; and TeX Live has the man pages in PDF format on your computer.

Modern TeX distributions (e.g. MiKTeX and TeX Live) have a texdoc command line tool. You can use

texdoc pdflatex

to get the document of pdflatex. Similarly, you can use texdoc --help or even texdoc texdoc to get help of the texdoc tool.

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[Tex/LaTex] Texmaker / TeXstudio does not compile XeLaTeX with MiKTeX portable

This is not the optimal response, but it is an answer. You have to edit the path enviromental variable to add, at the end of it, the path to the bin MiKTeX folder (thanks to Speravir for pointing it out). In this case, just add ;E:\LaTeX\MiKTeX\miktex\bin (the semicolon is the separator). A guide to do that is in http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000549.htm.

The compiling worked in TeXworks because it sets one folder to look for all the programs, while Texmaker and TeXstudio set the path individually. So, I’m not sure if the fault is in MiKTeX or in the editors just mentioned.

So, what if I wanna use Texmaker from an usb in a computer with no admin rights? Well, just be sure to carry TeXwork (which comes with MiKTeX anyway), then work and save in Texmaker, and then compile from TeXworks.

[Tex/LaTex] Where to find official (!) and extended documentation for tex/latex’s commandline options (especially -interaction modes)

The man page points these command line options as being equivalent to using the command forms such as \scrollmode, for which the official doc is the TeXBook, or

texdoc texbytopic

for a free alternative (see chapter 32).

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Texmaker / TeXstudio does not compile XeLaTeX with MiKTeX portable

[Tex/LaTex] Where to find official (!) and extended documentation for tex/latex’s commandline options (especially -interaction modes)

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