[Tex/LaTex] How to increase TeX main memory size

memorypgfplotstikz-pgf

I am working on a LaTeX file with many plots containing a lot of data points. I have a main.tex file that is including chapter files and inside these chapter files I include the files that contain the \begin{figure}\begin{tikzpicture}...\end{tikzpicture}\end{figure} and I am running into this error

! TeX capacity exceeded, sorry [main memory size=5000000]

I have read many posts about externalizing etc. but I don't know how to apply this method or to put it into other words it is too complicated for me. I simply want to increase my main memory such that I do not run into such problems.

I would be glad if someone could explain to me how I can increase my
main memory. I am not looking for a solution with externalization because it is too complicated for me. I am running Texmaker 4.5 as Editor, Miktex 2.9 and
Windows 7.

EDIT: What I have tried

  • Finding: texmf.cnf (could not find it using the hint by Alan Munn)
  • Typing: "initexmf –edit-config-file=pdflatex" into the cmd. The pdflatex.ini file opend and I added the following to the file and saved and recompiled without success.

main_memory=9000000

extra_mem_bot=9000000

font_mem_size=9000000

Best Answer

I solved the problem by finally beeing able to use tikz externalize (Miktex 2.9, Editor: Texmaker 4.5, OS: Windows 7).

I used

\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{epstopdf} % to turn my eps files into pdf

and 

\usepackage{pgfplots}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usepgfplotslibrary{external}
\tikzexternalize{main}

My main.tex included my chapters and my plots are included as .tex files into the chapter files. You might have to uncomment plots such that the compilation can start.

Then I open cmd (Windows + R >> cmd) and entered my folder by using cd.. and cd Directory and then I finally used pdflatex -shell-escape main. I have not found a solution for doing this directly from Texmaker 4.5.

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