Install auctex

[PeterSterner]

Hi

I'm converting my init.el to use use-package. It's great :-).

I'm trying to install auctex via use-package (I use Ubuntu and I have removed the auctex ubuntu package).

I can get auctex to work with the following snippet:

(use-package tex-site
:ensure auctex
:defer t
:mode (".tex'" . latex-mode)
:commands (latex-mode LaTeX-mode plain-tex-mode)
:config
(progn
(add-to-list 'load-path "~/.emacs.d/elpa/auctex-11.89.5")
(load "auctex.el" nil t t)
(load "preview.el" nil t t)
)
)

But is there a smarter way? Any help appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[npostavs]

I think most of that is redundant. Maybe you want something like:

(use-package auctex
  :defer t
  :ensure t)

[PeterSterner]

Thanks for your help @npostavs.

It works perfectly.

[fice-t]

@npostavs This doesn't actually work with :defer as auctex.el isn't automatically loaded. To test, try this:

(use-package auctex
  :defer t
  :ensure t
  :config
  (setq TeX-auto-save t))

and open a LaTeX file. Notice how TeX-auto-save is still nil -- the config isn't actually loaded.

I personally use something like the following, which does work with :defer:

(use-package tex
  :defer t
  :ensure auctex
  :config
  (setq TeX-auto-save t))

Note that using tex-site as in use-package's readme doesn't work with :defer as well; it gets loaded immediately instead. Perhaps the readme should be changed.

[npostavs]

Oh, I see, there is no file in the auctex package that provides the auctex feature (it looks there is an auctex.el which calls tex-site).

I personally use something like the following, which does work with :defer:

Makes sense (though such a setq could go in :init anyway, I assume that's just a placeholder expression).

Note that using tex-site as in use-package's readme doesn't work with :defer as well; it gets loaded immediately instead. Perhaps the readme should be changed.

tex-site also doesn't provide a tex-site feature, so possibly you would want (use-package "tex-site"...) instead. Though tex-site.el seems intended to be loaded immediately anyway (it doesn't load the entire auctex package), so you probably don't want to defer it.

[fice-t]

(I assume that's just a placeholder expression).

Right.

tex-site also doesn't provide a tex-site feature

It does for me with the latest ELPA version. Looks like the git repo has a Makefile that creates that line for whatever reason.

Though tex-site.el seems intended to be loaded immediately anyway (it doesn't load the entire auctex package), so you probably don't want to defer it.

Yeah, I figured that using tex is a better default since it (should) work in all cases. The proper AUCTeX major modes are loaded via override advice for modes defined in the built-in tex-mode.el, and then are either defined in AUCTeX's tex.el, or require that file.

Though perhaps using tex-mode directly would be better?
Scratch that, it could load prematurely.

[npostavs]

It does for me with the latest ELPA version. Looks like the git repo has a Makefile that creates that line for whatever reason.

Oh, yeah, I see it in the ELPA repo (I was looking at the 11.89 tarball before), and also an autoload cookie which explains why it's always loaded immediately:

;;; Ensure that loading the autoloads file also loads this file.
;;;###autoload (require 'tex-site)

(provide 'tex-site)
;;; tex-site.el ends here

[PeterSterner]

So what is the conclusion :-)?

I can't get this to work:

(use-package tex
  :defer t
  :ensure auctex
  :config
  (setq TeX-auto-save t))

I can only get auctex to work via tex-site.

[fice-t]

@petey33 What in particular doesn't work with that snippet? Does an AUCTeX major mode not start up for you when loading a .tex file?

What's supposed to happen is that the :config forms are not evaluated until after you load a TeX file.

[PeterSterner]

@fice-t Yes. AUCTeX major mode do not start up when loading af tex file. I get:

File mode specification error: (error "Autoloading failed to define function TeX-latex-mode")

[fice-t]

That error occurs when you try to autoload a function with the wrong file. Can you first do M-x toggle-debug-on-error, open a .tex file, and then post the backtrace?

Also, can you reproduce this error using emacs -Q with that snippet?

[PeterSterner]

Thank you @fice-t .

I can't reproduce the error with emacs -Q.

The backtrace:

Debugger entered--Lisp error: (error "Autoloading failed to define function TeX-latex-mode")
TeX-latex-mode()
apply(TeX-latex-mode nil)
latex-mode()
TeX-tex-mode()
apply(TeX-tex-mode nil)
tex-mode()
set-auto-mode-0(tex-mode nil)
set-auto-mode()
normal-mode(t)
after-find-file(nil t)

[fice-t]

I can't reproduce the error with emacs -Q.

Okay, so that means the problem lies elsewhere. Your backtrace looks normal, so it might be an issue with your load-path.

With your config, what's the output of M-x locate-library with the input latex? It should be ~/.emacs.d/elpa/auctex-11.89.5/latex.elc.

In any case, that file is supposed to have the definition of TeX-latex-mode. If it doesn't, then that's what's causing the error.

[PeterSterner]

Thank you so much @fice-t!

It was my load-path. I had some other code where I messed with load-path. Now your snippet works perfectly.