From: karl@cs.umb.edu (Karl Berry)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: input only existing file
Date: 24 Dec 92 01:13:35 GMT
Reply-To: karl@cs.umb.edu
Organization: University of Massachusetts at Boston


    >I want to include a file into TeX if the file exists. If it doesn't,
    >nothing should happen. Is there a possibility to check within TeX,
    >if an specific file exists?

If you don't want to build the \openin and \ifeof stuff yourself, check
out \iffileexists in eplain.tex (ftp.cs.umb.edu:pub/tex/eplain.tar.Z.)
Actually, it's part of btxmac.tex (\@iffileexists, if memory serves).

    just fine in the standard Unix version you can get from labrea.stanford.edu.

Do not get the ``standard Unix version'' (by which I presume is meant
web2c) from labrea; labrea is out-of-date wrt web2c, has been for years,
and is apparently never going to catch up.  Here is a note written by
Elizabeth and Pierre at the Unix TeX distribution site of U. of
Washington about ftp sites for Unix TeX.

----

[This is ~/pub/unixtex/readme1.ftp on byron.u.washington.edu
(128.95.48.32).]

Most people who get in touch with us are aiming to install plain TeX,
LaTeX, SliTeX, and plain Metafont, a previewer that will work in an X 
environment, and a PostScript printer driver.  We hope you will not mind 
if we limit ourselves to addressing only the simplest means by which 
to attain these three aims via ftp.  

Thanks to Karl Berry who is the Unix System Coordination Chair for TUG, 
and maintainer of WEB-to-C, and without whom TeX users with Unix machines 
would be nowhere, retrieval can be done from the following three sites 
(all of which have many useful things for TeX users other than what we 
will be focussing on here).  The steps are:

   ftp ftp.cs.umb.edu		(Internet address: 192.12.26.33)

	ftp> cd pub/tex
	ftp> get modes.mf	[place in whatever you will be defining 
				 as your MFINPUTS directory in your
				 ./src-<version>/lib/site.h file]
	ftp> bi
	ftp> get dvipsk.tar.Z	[PostScript printer driver source:
				 unpacks into ./dvipsk-<version>]

	ftp> get web.tar.Z	[WEB source for TeX, Metafont, & family:
				 unpacks into ./src-<version>]

	ftp> get web2c.tar.Z	[web2c source:
				 unpacks into ./src-<version>]

	ftp> get xdvik.tar.Z	[X-windows previewer source:
				 unpacks into ./xdvik-<version>]

   ftp labrea.stanford.edu	(Internet address: 36.8.0.112)

	ftp> cd tex/bibtex
	ftp> prompt		[to avoid being asked about the retrieval
				 of each file covered by a wildcard symbol]
	ftp> mget *.bib		[place in your BIBINPUTS directory]
	ftp> mget *.bst		[place in your TEXINPUTS directory]
	ftp> mget *.sty		[place in your TEXINPUTS directory]
	ftp> mget *.tex		[place in your TEXINPUTS directory]
	ftp> cd ../cm
	ftp> mget *.mf		[place in MFINPUTS directory]
	ftp> cd ../lib		
	ftp> mget *		[place *.mf files in MFINPUTS directory,
				 *.mft and *.tex in TEXINPUTS directory]
	ftp> cd ../fonts	
	ftp> bi
	ftp> mget *.tfm		[place in TEXFONTS directory]

     For a basic set of 300 dpi Computer Modern fonts generated for a 
     Canon CX engine (not absolutely necessary, for dvips will generate 
     fonts as needed):

	ftp> cd ../gf
	ftp> mget *		[These are in gf format.  To convert
				 them into pk format, use "gftopk" which, 
				 along with its man page, will be made and 
				 installed during the web2c make of TeX.]

   ftp niord.shsu.edu		(Internet address: 192.92.115.8)

	ftp> cd latex		
	ftp> bi
	ftp> get LATEX-25MAR1992.TAR_Z
	
		[This should unbundle into 4 directories.
		 The general/*.tex and sty/*.sty files 
		 should be placed in your TEXINPUTS directory;
		 the fonts/*.mf files into MFINPUTS.]

We believe this covers the retrieval of the essential files.  
Each of the three packages from ftp.cs.umb.edu contains its own 
installation instructions.  Begin with ./src-<version>/README.W2C.

People who are installing for the first time may not find this
process as easy as installing directly from our distribution tape, 
but ease is a matter of degree.  All installation processes require
careful attention to detail, and knowledge of your system.  
Festina Lente (Make Haste Slowly), and you improve your chances 
of success.  

Until we can do more, we hope that this will help.  

--Elizabeth Tachikawa			--Prof. Pierre A. MacKay
  elisabet@u.washington.edu		  mackay@cs.washington.edu
--
karl@cs.umb.edu
Member of the League for Programming Freedom---write to lpf@uunet.uu.net.