Texlive shell: how to add packages

Help
1

I’m using Latex with a shell.nix, which I pieced together from some examples. I tried to add the mathdesign package following the “instruction” in Nixos Search Packages. The shell builds without error, but when I try to usepackage{mathdesign} I get the error that mathdesign.sty was not found. Does anyone have an example of a shell.nix or flake.nix that allows me to add additional packages properly? Thanks. (I’m just trying to get garamond font, and that is apparently where it lives.)

FWIW, I’m using:

with import <nixpkgs> {}; 
let
  basePackages = with texlive; [
    combined.scheme-medium
  ];

  myvscode = pkgs.vscode-with-extensions.override {
    vscodeExtensions = with pkgs.vscode-extensions; [
      equinusocio.vsc-material-theme
      equinusocio.vsc-material-theme-icons
      james-yu.latex-workshop
      vscodevim.vim
      vscode-extensions.valentjn.vscode-ltex
    ];
  };

  mytex = texlive.withPackages (ps: [ ps.mathdesign ]);

  in mkShell {
        buildInputs = basePackages ++ [myvscode mytex];
2

I think your combined.scheme-medium is actually overwritting mytex. They are two separate texlive “instances”. Simply having them both in buildInputs will not compose them together.

As per the nixpkgs manual, you can either use:

  • texlive.combine { inherit (texlive) scheme-medium mathdesign; }; or
  • texliveMedium.withPackages (ps: [ps.mathdesign])

I like the second one better, so here’s how you can tweak your existing .nix to use it:

let
  pkgs = import <nixpkgs> { config.allowUnfree = true; };
  myvscode = pkgs.vscode-with-extensions.override {
    vscodeExtensions = (with pkgs.vscode-extensions; [
      equinusocio.vsc-material-theme
      equinusocio.vsc-material-theme-icons
      james-yu.latex-workshop
      vscodevim.vim
      valentjn.vscode-ltex
    ]);
  };
  mytex = pkgs.texliveMedium.withPackages (ps: [ ps.mathdesign ]);
in
pkgs.mkShell {
  buildInputs = [ myvscode mytex ];
}

Also, try to avoid with as it makes things more complicated by mixing scopes. I removed the top level with and enclosed the vscode-extensions one to make things clearer.

3

Thanks a lot. That’s the guidance I need. :slight_smile:

4

I still get the error mathdesign.sty not found when I \usepackage[urw-garamond]{mathdesign}. I tried both approaches without a build error, it just can’t find the sty module.

5

Hmmm, can you try texliveFull? If it doesn’t work, then the problem lies elsewhere.

6

Just tried it and I’m afraid it doesn’t work with full either.