kpathsea: Supported file formats
6.1 Supported file formats
==========================
Kpathsea has support for a number of file types. Each file type has a
list of environment and config file variables that are checked to define
the search path, and most have a default suffix that plays a role in
finding files (see the next section). Some also define additional
suffixes, and/or a program to be run to create missing files on the fly.
Since environment variables containing periods, such as
'TEXINPUTS.latex', are not allowed on some systems, Kpathsea looks for
environment variables with an underscore, e.g., 'TEXINPUTS_latex' (⇒
Config files).
The following table lists the above information. You can also get
the list by giving the '--help-formats' option to 'kpsewhich' (⇒
Auxiliary tasks).
'afm'
(Adobe font metrics, ⇒(dvips)Metric files) 'AFMFONTS';
suffix '.afm'.
'base'
(Metafont memory dump, ⇒(web2c)Memory dumps) 'MFBASES',
'TEXMFINI'; suffix '.base'.
'bib'
(BibTeX bibliography source, ⇒(web2c)bibtex invocation)
'BIBINPUTS', 'TEXBIB'; suffix '.bib'.
'bltxml'
(BibLaTeXML bibliography files for Biber,
<https://ctan.org/pkg/biber>) 'BLTXMLINPUTS' suffix '.bltxml'.
'bst'
(BibTeX style, ⇒Basic BibTeX style files (web2c)Basic BibTeX
style files.) 'BSTINPUTS'; suffix '.bst'.
'clua'
(dynamic libraries for Lua, <https://ctan.org/pkg/luatex>)
'CLUAINPUTS' suffixes '.dll' and '.so'.
'cmap'
(character map files) 'CMAPFONTS'; suffix '.cmap'.
'cnf'
(Runtime configuration files, ⇒Config files) 'TEXMFCNF';
suffix '.cnf'.
'cweb'
(CWEB input files) 'CWEBINPUTS'; suffixes '.w', '.web'; additional
suffix '.ch'.
'dvips config'
(Dvips 'config.*' files, such as 'config.ps', ⇒(dvips)Config
files) 'TEXCONFIG'.
'enc files'
(encoding vectors) 'ENCFONTS'; suffix '.enc'.
'fmt'
(TeX memory dump, ⇒(web2c)Memory dumps) 'TEXFORMATS',
'TEXMFINI'; suffix '.fmt'.
'font cid map'
(CJK mapping) 'FONTCIDMAPS' suffix '.cid'.
'font feature files'
(primarily for OpenType font features) 'FONTFEATURES' suffix
'.fea'.
'gf'
(generic font bitmap, ⇒(dvips)Glyph files) 'PROGRAMFONTS',
'GFFONTS', 'GLYPHFONTS', 'TEXFONTS'; suffix 'gf'.
'graphic/figure'
(Encapsulated PostScript figures, ⇒(dvips)PostScript
figures) 'TEXPICTS', 'TEXINPUTS'; additional suffixes: '.eps',
'.epsi'.
'ist'
(makeindex style files) 'TEXINDEXSTYLE', 'INDEXSTYLE'; suffix
'.ist'.
'lig files'
(ligature definition files) 'LIGFONTS'; suffix '.lig'.
'ls-R'
(Filename databases, ⇒Filename database) 'TEXMFDBS'.
'map'
(Fontmaps, ⇒Fontmap) 'TEXFONTMAPS'; suffix '.map'.
'mem'
(MetaPost memory dump, ⇒(web2c)Memory dumps) 'MPMEMS',
'TEXMFINI'; suffix '.mem'.
'MetaPost support'
(MetaPost support files, used by DMP; ⇒(web2c)dmp
invocation) 'MPSUPPORT'.
'mf'
(Metafont source, ⇒(web2c)mf invocation) 'MFINPUTS'; suffix
'.mf'; dynamic creation program: 'mktexmf'.
'mfpool'
(Metafont program strings, ⇒(web2c)pooltype invocation)
'MFPOOL', 'TEXMFINI'; suffix '.pool'.
'mft'
('MFT' style file, ⇒(web2c)mft invocation) 'MFTINPUTS';
suffix '.mft'.
'misc fonts'
(font-related files that don't fit the other categories)
'MISCFONTS'
'mlbib'
(MlBibTeX bibliography source) 'MLBIBINPUTS', 'BIBINPUTS',
'TEXBIB'; suffixes '.mlbib', '.mlbib'.
'mlbst'
(MlBibTeX style) 'MLBSTINPUTS', 'BSTINPUTS'; suffixes '.mlbst',
'.bst'.
'mp'
(MetaPost source, ⇒(web2c)mpost invocation) 'MPINPUTS';
suffix '.mp'.
'mppool'
(MetaPost program strings, ⇒(web2c)pooltype invocation)
'MPPOOL', 'TEXMFINI'; suffix '.pool'.
'ocp'
(Omega compiled process files) 'OCPINPUTS';
suffix '.ocp'; dynamic creation program: 'MakeOmegaOCP'.
'ofm'
(Omega font metrics) 'OFMFONTS', 'TEXFONTS';
suffixes '.ofm', '.tfm'; dynamic creation program: 'MakeOmegaOFM'.
'opentype fonts'
(OpenType fonts) 'OPENTYPEFONTS'.
'opl'
(Omega property lists) 'OPLFONTS', 'TEXFONTS'; suffix '.opl'.
'otp'
(Omega translation process files) 'OTPINPUTS'; suffix '.otp'.
'ovf'
(Omega virtual fonts) 'OVFFONTS', 'TEXFONTS'; suffix '.ovf'.
'ovp'
(Omega virtual property lists) 'OVPFONTS', 'TEXFONTS'; suffix
'.ovp'.
'pdftex config'
(PDFTeX-specific configuration files) 'PDFTEXCONFIG'.
'pk'
(packed bitmap fonts, ⇒(dvips)Glyph files) 'PROGRAMFONTS'
(PROGRAM being 'XDVI', etc.), 'PKFONTS', 'TEXPKS', 'GLYPHFONTS',
'TEXFONTS'; suffix 'pk'; dynamic creation program: 'mktexpk'.
'PostScript header'
(downloadable PostScript, ⇒(dvips)Header files)
'TEXPSHEADERS', 'PSHEADERS'; additional suffix '.pro'.
'ris'
(RIS bibliography files, primarily for Biber,
<https://ctan.org/pkg/biber>) 'RISINPUTS' suffix '.ris'.
'subfont definition files'
(subfont definition files) 'SFDFONTS' suffix '.sfd'.
'tex'
(TeX source, ⇒(web2c)tex invocation) 'TEXINPUTS'; suffix
'.tex'; additional suffixes: none, because such a list cannot be
complete; dynamic creation program: 'mktextex'.
'TeX system documentation'
(Documentation files for the TeX system) 'TEXDOCS'.
'TeX system sources'
(Source files for the TeX system) 'TEXSOURCES'.
'texmfscripts'
(Architecture-independent executables distributed in the texmf
trees) 'TEXMFSCRIPTS'.
'texpool'
(TeX program strings, ⇒(web2c)pooltype invocation)
'TEXPOOL', 'TEXMFINI'; suffix '.pool'.
'tfm'
(TeX font metrics, ⇒(dvips)Metric files) 'TFMFONTS',
'TEXFONTS'; suffix '.tfm'; dynamic creation program: 'mktextfm'.
'Troff fonts'
(Troff fonts, used by DMP; ⇒(web2c)DMP invocation)
'TRFONTS'.
'truetype fonts'
(TrueType outline fonts) 'TTFONTS'; suffixes '.ttf' and '.TTF',
'.ttc' and '.TTC', '.dfont'.
'type1 fonts'
(Type 1 PostScript outline fonts, ⇒(dvips)Glyph files)
'T1FONTS', 'T1INPUTS', 'TEXPSHEADERS', 'DVIPSHEADERS'; suffixes
'.pfa', '.pfb'.
'type42 fonts'
(Type 42 PostScript outline fonts) 'T42FONTS'.
'vf'
(virtual fonts, ⇒(dvips)Virtual fonts) 'VFFONTS',
'TEXFONTS'; suffix '.vf'.
'web'
(WEB input files) 'WEBINPUTS'; suffix '.web'; additional suffix
'.ch'.
'web2c files'
(files specific to the web2c implementation) 'WEB2C'.
There are two special cases, because the paths and environment
variables always depend on the name of the program: the variable name is
constructed by converting the program name to upper case, and then
appending 'INPUTS'. Assuming the program is called 'foo', this gives us
the following table.
'other text files'
(text files used by 'foo') 'FOOINPUTS'.
'other binary files'
(binary files used by 'foo') 'FOOINPUTS'.
If an environment variable by these names are set, the corresponding
'texmf.cnf' definition won't be looked at (unless, as usual, the
environment variable value has an extra ':'). ⇒Default
expansion.
For the font variables, the intent is that:
* 'TEXFONTS' is the default for everything.
* 'GLYPHFONTS' is the default for bitmap (or, more precisely,
non-metric) files.
* Each font format has a variable of its own.
* Each program has its own font override path as well; e.g.,
'DVIPSFONTS' for Dvipsk. Again, this is for bitmaps, not metrics.
Info Catalog
kpathsea: TeX support
kpathsea: File lookup