[Tex/LaTex] In LaTeX distribution, which files are the mandatory files to compile a minimal LaTeX input file

distributions

Assume I want to create an application working together with LaTeX compiler behind the scene. For the sake of simplicity, assume I also use minimal document class and no package imported.

At the final stage, I want to deploy this application to a computer with no LaTeX system installed. This scenario forces me to make the installer get shipped with the LaTeX compiler.

Shortly speaking, which files (in LaTeX distribution) are needed as minimal as possible?

Best Answer

make a testfile and run it with:

mkjobtexmf --jobname <file> --cmd-tex <latex>

<file> is your source file <latex> is your LaTeX command, e.g. pdflatex or simply latex. The Perl program mkjobtexmf creates a directory <file>.mjt which is a compatible texmf directory with all loaded files of your example.

If you are running windows then you'll need an installed Perl, e.g. from http://www.activestate.com/perl/

However, I never used it under Windows, with Linux it is very useful.