Instructions for PreTeXt on Windows

[Sean Fitzpatrick]

Now that I've worked through the details of setting up PreTeXt using the CLI on Windows, I should probably write it all down, as a contribution to the Guide.

Some questions:

- Should this be a separate appendix, next to the current instructions from Dave Rosoff?

- If not, would instructions for using the CLI be a replacement, or an edit? (We need to at least change the part of the current instructions stating that they are the best known way to set up PreTeXt. A few other parts need updating as well.)

- Based on the (not entirely unfair) assumption that a Windows user might be less technically oriented, should the instructions explain how to link your computer to GitHub via SSH? (This is needed to use the "pretext deploy" command. Windows users can push/pull to/from GitHub using the GitHub Desktop program if they don't want to learn Git.)

The basic steps are:

1. Install VSCode

2. Install Git for Windows (and during setup, select VSCode as the default editor, or you get stuck trying to figure out Emacs).

3. Install Python, and check the box to add it to the path

4. From Git Bash, pip install pretextbook

5a. install GitHub Desktop, or

5b. set up SSH using Git Bash

6. install the pretext tools package in VSCode

7a. if not already installed, install either MikTeX or TeXLive

7b. install pdf2svg (the one time you need to edit system environment variables)

7c. if your book has Sage plots, install Sage

7d. install ImageMagick (maybe only if you need to convert pdf to png?)

7e. mumble mumble pageres

(As far as I can tell, pageres won't work using the CLI on Windows, even if you succeed in successfully installing it.)

[Rob Beezer]

Dear Sean,

Thanks for working this up, and for checking-in.

> - Should this be a separate appendix, next to the current instructions from Dave
> Rosoff?

I'd say a new appendix. "The CLI on Windows"? Or something like that. Placed
*before* current information, and edit introductions to both, so it is clear
that the CLI is the way to go (as you suggest is needed). Perhaps the existing
material will become irrelevant at some point, but no harm in leaving it in
place for now, as long as it is clear it is additional.

> - Based on the (not entirely unfair) assumption that a Windows user might be
> less technically oriented, should the instructions explain how to link your
> computer to GitHub via SSH? (This is needed to use the "pretext deploy" command.
> Windows users can push/pull to/from GitHub using the GitHub Desktop program if
> they don't want to learn Git.)

I'd say present it as: 5a *OR* 5b. Maybe pros and cons of each? You could make
teh SSH instructions a bit terse and scare off those who should not be messing
with that?

> The basic steps are:
> 7e. mumble mumble pageres

There's a pip-installable alternative floating around the lists. With infinite
time, I'd be all over exploring that as a replacement...

Rob

[Sean Fitzpatrick]

Thanks Rob.

I'll work on getting something written up soon.

And yes, if we could replace pageres with pyppeteer (I think that's what it's called) that would probably eliminate like 50 future support posts.

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[kcri...@gmail.com]

I'll work on getting something written up soon.

Congratulations, I'm sure that wasn't easy.  

If you are really looking for something else to do, making a screencast/video of doing it (or convincing a colleague/student to try it out and make one of that process) could be helpful as well.   I imagine that nearly all the videos I made are essentially out of date (perhaps they've already been removed from the site).   If, as it seems, new users are being strongly recommended to use the CLI, it is likely that Windows users will need a video to help them along the most.

[Sean Fitzpatrick]

I did a recording of the process a couple of weeks ago. I posted a YouTube link on -support.

Relative to how things used to be, I'd say that Windows setup is now pretty easy.

(Though to be fair, I didn't set up jing.)

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[Rob Beezer]

On 5/27/22 11:14, Sean Fitzpatrick wrote:
> (Though to be fair, I didn't set up jing.)

;-) Which is part of the reason the schema is never a priority, despite being
the *most* important piece of PreTeXt. We need JaaS.