tlmgr search output

[Joseph Wright]

On 24/04/2024 08:02, Marei Peischl via tex-live wrote:
> Hi Joseph,
>
> On 4/24/24 8:36 AM, Joseph Wright wrote:
>> Hello all,
>>
>> There was a question on TeX-sx yesterday about automatically determining
>> 'CTAN' (TeX Live really) packages needed by a document. I started on a
>> script with the idea of being to use --recorder, parse the .fls file
>> then do a lookup for each line to list all of the TL packages needed.
>> That would be handy for anyone using a deliberately minimised TeX system.
>>
>> However, I ran into the issue that
>>
>>     tlmgr search --global --file <filename>
>>
>> doesn't return anything I can use from a script - try e.g.
>
> Do you need the --global here?

It depends on the use case, but I suspect so - if you have an existing
full TL setup and are sending information to someone else with a
minimised setup, they need to get the *current* TL package with the
file. That might not match what you have if there have been
re-arrangements of the files in TL/CTAN in the time since you did your
installation.

> I use that via shell-escape in a container running a full TeX Live to
> detect without using --recorder

"That"?

> Then the output is by far more usable. Maybe that helps. Alternatively
> one can set the tlmgr repo to be able to predict the string before the
> package
The .fls file is quite easy to read - I'm not sure what you mean here.

> Could turn that repo public already in case you think it might help but
> it's rather alpha state I guess and a bit chaotic atm.

You could just add me for the present ;)

Joseph