Re: [MiKTeX] Refresh FNDB database?

[Hans F. N. <Han...@hi...>]

* Matthias Brennwald (bwm) <mat...@na...> [2007-04-11]:
> mik...@li... wrote:
> > Message: 5
> > Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 10:31:18 +0200
> > From: "Hans F. Nordhaug" <Han...@hi...>
> > Subject: Re: [MiKTeX] Refresh FNDB database?
> > To: "A place for MiKTeX users to discuss MiKTeX related questions."
> > 	<mik...@li...>
> > Message-ID: <200...@hi...>
> > Content-Type: text/plain;	charset=iso-8859-1
> > 
> > * Matthias Brennwald (bwm) <mat...@na...> [2007-04-10]:
> >> Dear MikTeXers
> >>
> >> Do I have to refresh the FNDB database everytime I move a file to/from 
> >> my texmf folder(s)?
> > 
> > Yes, if you want the newly added file to be found.
> >  
> >> My situation is this: I have a custom texmf folder in my home directory 
> >> (localtexmf), which I use to add custom files to be used with my LaTeX 
> >> projects. Adding files to this texmf folder has no effect unless I 
> >> rebuild the NFDB database, which I find really annoying (its slow, its 
> >> cumbersome, and it is not necessary with other (La)TeX packages).
> > 
> > What do you mean with "it is not necessary with other (La)TeX
> > packages". The FNDB is automatically refreshed when you install a
> > package in MiKTeX. 
> 
> I meant that refreshing the FNDB data base is not necessary with other 
> LaTeX distros, e.g. with teTeX and gwTeX on Mac OS X. On the Mac, I just 
> move a file to the texmf tree and I'm done. 
[cut]

teTeX needs to update the filename database too - trust me. What your
Mac does, I don't know. (The only time teTeX finds something without
refreshing the filename database, is if you have put the file inside a
directory pointed to by $TEXINPUTS.)
(La)TeX finds it, because it 

> > PS! Only refresh you local texmf tree. In a DOS prompt run
> >     "initexmf --update-fndb=path_to_localtexmf" - takes only a few
> >     seconds
> 
> Ok, that may save some horse power from the computer, but overall it 
> won't save me a lot of time, because I first have to open a DOS prompt, 
> type the command and then retype the command a few times (because I 
> mistyped it before).

Come on, make a batch file - place it on your desktop or some other
place, and click it when you need to.
 
> To make a long story short: I don't see the point of the FNDB thing. As 
> far as I understand MikTeX knows the paths where the TeX stuff is (the 
> 'roots' in the MikTeX settings). However, for some reason it does not 
> automatically look for files there. It rather uses the FNDB thing, which 
> I find cumbersome.

This has been discussed many times, in more appropriate places than on
the MiKTeX mailing list, but I can says as much as this: Searching the
file system for all the files used in a TeX run would slow down the
compilation of your TeX files. If you hate the slow refreshing of the
FNDB, this would make you crazy ... What's quite common on Linux
system (using teTeX) is to update the FNDB automatically every night
for example.

Regards,
Hans