# TeXlive problem: 'can't find the format file...'



## BSDBernd (Sep 18, 2014)

Hi, 

I have the following problem with texlive (or more precisely with the following parts I have installed:

```
fbsd_home:~/tex bernd$ pkg info | grep "texlive"
texlive-base-20140525_1        TeX Live Typesetting System, base binaries
texlive-infra-34227            Basic TeXLive infrastructure
texlive-texmf-20140525_3       TeX Live Typesetting System, texmf Tree
fbsd_home:~/tex bernd$
```
)

When I try to compile a simple teX-file using the tex command, I get the following:

```
fbsd_home:~/tex bernd$ tex example.tex
This is TeX, Version 3.14159265 (Web2C 2014) (preloaded format=tex)

kpathsea: Running mktexfmt tex.fmt
I can't find the format file `tex.fmt'!
```

So from this one could conjecture some kind of path definition problem. Before I dig further, I want to ask around here if somebody has had the same problem. 
If not, I will try to solve that and post the solution here. 
Thank you for any answer...


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## talsamon (Sep 18, 2014)

Please, try this:
	
	



```
fmtutil-sys --all
```


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## BSDBernd (Sep 18, 2014)

talsamon said:
			
		

> Please, try this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I tried that, but sadly the problem remains. 

There is the texlive manager, and it shows how the path variables are set:


```
fbsd_home:~/tex bernd$ tlmgr conf     
=========================== version information ==========================
tlmgr revision 34227 (2014-05-23 15:13:03 +0200)
tlmgr using installation: /usr
==================== executables found by searching PATH =================
PATH: /usr/local/bin:/home/bernd/.dynamic-colors/bin:/home/bernd/.dynamic-colors/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/games:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/home/bernd/bin
kpsewhich: /usr/local/bin/kpsewhich
updmap: /usr/local/bin/updmap
fmtutil: /usr/local/bin/fmtutil
tlmgr: /usr/local/bin/tlmgr
tex: /usr/local/bin/tex
pdftex: /usr/local/bin/pdftex
mktexpk: /usr/local/bin/mktexpk
dvips: 0
dvipdfmx: 0
=========================== active config files ==========================
texmf.cnf: /usr/local/share/texmf-dist/web2c/texmf.cnf
updmap.cfg: /usr/local/share/texmf-config/web2c/updmap.cfg
updmap.cfg: /usr/local/share/texmf-dist/web2c/updmap.cfg
fmtutil.cnf: /usr/local/share/texmf-config/web2c/fmtutil.cnf
config.ps: /usr/local/share/texmf-config/dvips/config/config.ps
mktex.cnf: /usr/local/share/texmf-dist/web2c/mktex.cnf
pdftexconfig.tex: /usr/local/share/texmf-dist/tex/generic/config/pdftexconfig.tex
============================= font map files =============================
psfonts.map: pdftex.map: /usr/local/share/texmf-dist/fonts/map/pdftex/updmap/pdftex.map
ps2pk.map: kanjix.map: =========================== kpathsea variables ===========================
TEXMFMAIN=/usr/local/share/texmf-dist
TEXMFDIST=/usr/local/share/texmf-dist
TEXMFLOCAL=/usr/local/share/texmf-local
TEXMFSYSVAR=/usr/local/share/texmf-var
TEXMFSYSCONFIG=/usr/local/share/texmf-config
TEXMFVAR=/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-var
TEXMFCONFIG=/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-config
TEXMFHOME=/home/bernd/texmf
VARTEXFONTS=/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-var/fonts
TEXMF={/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-config,/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-var,/home/bernd/texmf,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-config,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-var,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-local,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-dist}
SYSTEXMF=/usr/local/share/texmf-var:/usr/local/share/texmf-local:/usr/local/share/texmf-dist
TEXMFDBS={!!/usr/local/share/texmf-config,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-var,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-local,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-dist}
WEB2C={/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-config,/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-var,/home/bernd/texmf,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-config,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-var,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-local,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-dist}/web2c
TEXPSHEADERS=.:{/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-config,/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-var,/home/bernd/texmf,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-config,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-var,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-local,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-dist}/{dvips,fonts/{enc,type1,type42,type3}}//
TEXCONFIG={/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-config,/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-var,/home/bernd/texmf,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-config,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-var,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-local,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-dist}/dvips//
ENCFONTS=.:{/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-config,/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-var,/home/bernd/texmf,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-config,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-var,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-local,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-dist}/fonts/enc//
TEXFONTMAPS=.:{/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-config,/home/bernd/.texlive2014/texmf-var,/home/bernd/texmf,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-config,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-var,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-local,!!/usr/local/share/texmf-dist}/fonts/map/{kpsewhich,pdftex,dvips,}//
==== kpathsea variables from environment only (ok if no output here) ====
```

Hm, what do these '!!' mean?
I noticed also the following error:


```
fbsd_home:~/tex bernd$ tlmgr check
cannot setup TLPDB in /usr at /usr/local/bin/tlmgr line 5468.
```


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## talsamon (Sep 19, 2014)

Try, `sudo texconfig rehash`

I have the same error message  with `tlmgr check`, I doubt it really  works.

"!!" means search only these directories - it's ok.


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## uzsolt (Sep 19, 2014)

Please install print/tex-formats:

```
$ pkg which /usr/local/share/texmf-var/web2c/tex/tex.fmt 
/usr/local/share/texmf-var/web2c/tex/tex.fmt was installed by package tex-formats-20140525
```


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## BSDBernd (Sep 19, 2014)

Wow, it works now !!! 
Thank you very much for your help @talsamon and @uzsolt. 
The thing that did it was installing print/tex-formats suggested by @uzsolt.


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