TeXworks: package operation failed

[Bashing-om]

That makes me question that the package is even installed ! Let's look.

sudo dpkg --list tex-common
sudo dpkg --status tex-common
sudo dpkg --audit

What is we will see ==> BDQ

[bekirs]

That makes me question that the package is even installed ! Let's look.

sudo dpkg --list tex-common
sudo dpkg --status tex-common
sudo dpkg --audit

What is we will see ==> BDQ

sudo dpkg --list tex-common
[sudo] password for bekirsalgin: 
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name           Version        Description
+++-==============-==============-============================================
iF  tex-common     2.10           common infrastructure for building and insta

sudo dpkg --status tex-common
Package: tex-common
Status: install ok half-configured
Priority: optional
Section: tex
Installed-Size: 1552
Maintainer: Ubuntu Developers <ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com>
Architecture: all
Version: 2.10
Config-Version: 2.10
Replaces: dvipdfmx, tetex-base (<= 3.0-10)
Depends: debconf (>= 0.5) | debconf-2.0, ucf, debconf (>= 1.4.69) | cdebconf (>= 0.39), dpkg (>= 1.14.18)
Suggests: debhelper (>= 7.0.8)
Conflicts: tetex-base (<< 2007), texlive-common (<< 2009)
Conffiles:
 /etc/texmf/fmt.d/00tex.cnf 968f2b29eb4089534b9625cd181c25e3
 /etc/texmf/hyphen.d/00tex.cnf 1d7236736c45d5df1422091b1dc1e7f9
 /etc/texmf/web2c/mktex.cnf 9c342b3465afe4c13049c55218e23eaf
Description: common infrastructure for building and installing TeX
 This package contains a number of scripts and common configuration
 files that are needed to install a TeX System.
 .
 It also contains debhelper-like programs useful for building TeX
 packages.
Original-Maintainer: Debian TeX maintainers <debian-tex-maint@lists.debian.org>

sudo dpkg --audit
The following packages are only half configured, probably due to problems
configuring them the first time.  The configuration should be retried using
dpkg --configure <package> or the configure menu option in dselect:
 texlive-base         TeX Live: Essential programs and files
 tex-common           common infrastructure for building and installing TeX

[newb85]

Output:

sudo apt-get --reinstall tex-common
[sudo] password for bekirsalgin: 
E: Invalid operation tex-common

Okay, so it looks like we need a quick primer on the apt-get command.

The apt-get command can be run in several modes, including install, remove, purge, update, upgrade, etc. Whenever the apt-get command is issued, one (and only one) of those modes must be included. Some modes can also be used as options with other modes. Options are preceded by a double dash (single dash for one-letter options), while modes are preceded by no dashes.So, for example

sudo apt-get remove --purge package

and

sudo apt-get purge package

would be equivalent, but

sudo apt-get --purge package

would give an invalid operation error message because "--purge" would be interpreted as an option, and because package would be the first thing after apt-get to not be interpreted as an option, it would be interpreted as the mode.

In the case at hand, the command

sudo apt-get --reinstall tex-common

was incorrect because the user didn't include the mode and thus, tex-common was interpreted as the mode. Reinstall is not a mode; it can only be used as an option with another mode. So, the command should be

sudo apt-get install --reinstall tex-common

[Bashing-om]

does not tell us nothing we do not already know. --yeah bad english-> the way I feel--Except the package is installed and NOT configured ....shheeesshh// let's try again as suggested.

dpkg --configure tex-common

once again with feeling <== BDQ

[bekirs]

Okay, so it looks like we need a quick primer on the apt-get command.

The apt-get command can be run in several modes, including install, remove, purge, update, upgrade, etc. Whenever the apt-get command is issued, one (and only one) of those modes must be included. Some modes can also be used as options with other modes. Options are preceded by a double dash (single dash for one-letter options), while modes are preceded by no dashes.So, for example

sudo apt-get remove --purge package

and

sudo apt-get purge package

would be equivalent, but

sudo apt-get --purge package

would give an invalid operation error message because "--purge" would be interpreted as an option, and because package would be the first thing after apt-get to not be interpreted as an option, it would be interpreted as the mode.

In the case at hand, the command

sudo apt-get --reinstall tex-common

was incorrect because the user didn't include the mode and thus, tex-common was interpreted as the mode. Reinstall is not a mode; it can only be used as an option with another mode. So, the command should be

sudo apt-get install --reinstall tex-common

the output with the correct command:

sudo apt-get install --reinstall tex-common
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 reinstalled, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
2 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.
Setting up tex-common (2.10) ...
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/05TeXMF.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/15Plain.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/45TeXinputs.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/55Fonts.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/65BibTeX.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/75DviPS.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/80DVIPDFMx.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/85Misc.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/90TeXDoc.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/95NonPath.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/updmap.d/00updmap.cfg
update-texmf: Basic configuration file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/05TeXMF.cnf missing.
Exiting.
dpkg: error processing tex-common (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of texlive-base:
 texlive-base depends on tex-common (>= 2.00); however:
  Package tex-common is not configured yet.
dpkg: error processing texlive-base (--configure):
 dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
No apport report written because the error message indicates its a followup error from a previous failure.
              Errors were encountered while processing:
 tex-common
 texlive-base
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

[bekirs]

does not tell us nothing we do not already know. --yeah bad english-> the way I feel--Except the package is installed and NOT configured ....shheeesshh// let's try again as suggested.

dpkg --configure tex-common

once again with feeling <== BDQ

sudo dpkg --configure tex-common
Setting up tex-common (2.10) ...
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/05TeXMF.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/15Plain.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/45TeXinputs.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/55Fonts.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/65BibTeX.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/75DviPS.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/80DVIPDFMx.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/85Misc.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/90TeXDoc.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/95NonPath.cnf
Not replacing deleted config file /etc/texmf/updmap.d/00updmap.cfg
update-texmf: Basic configuration file /etc/texmf/texmf.d/05TeXMF.cnf missing.
Exiting.
dpkg: error processing tex-common (--configure):
 subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
 tex-common

[Bashing-om]

well that is something to work with at last ...Now to find what package the file belongs to.
Right off the top of my head I do not recall how...will have to research it and find the method.

I'll Be Back ==> BDQ

[Bashing-om]

bekirs; Let's see what this returns:

sudo dpkg -S /etc/texmf/texmf.d/05TeXMF.cnf

Hopefully we get the parent package.

@newb85 Thanks again for the tutorial. Reinforcement does help, -> learning to read a commands output.

Still learning ==> BDQ

[bekirs]

bekirs; Let's see what this returns:

sudo dpkg -S /etc/texmf/texmf.d/05TeXMF.cnf

Hopefully we get the parent package.

@newb85 Thanks again for the tutorial. Reinforcement does help, -> learning to read a commands output.

Still learning ==> BDQ

sudo dpkg -S /etc/texmf/texmf.d/05TeXMF.cnf
[sudo] password for bekirsalgin: 
dpkg-query: no path found matching pattern /etc/texmf/texmf.d/05TeXMF.cnf.

[newb85]

Sorry, that's probably my fault. You may recall (or you can just go back and look), I had you move (not delete, as that's less reversible) all the contents of /etc/texmf back in post #21. You can copy them back thus:

sudo cp -rp /etc/texmf.old /etc/texmf

Then you can proceed with BDQ's suggestion in post #39.