Re: latex/maketextfm problem

[Florian Kulzer <florian.kulzer+debian@icfo.es>]

On Thu, Oct 23, 2008 at 21:39:47 +0200, Peter Robinson wrote:
> Samuel Bächler wrote:
>> Peter Robinson wrote:
>>> kpathsea: Running mktextfm hv
>>> /usr/share/texmf/web2c/mktexnam: Could not map typeface abbreviation  
>>> v for hv.
>>> /usr/share/texmf/web2c/mktexnam: Need to update  
>>> /usr/share/texmf-texlive/fonts/map/fontname/special.map?
>>> mktextfm: Running mf-nowin -progname=mf \mode:=ljfour; mag:=1;  
>>> nonstopmode; input hv
>>> This is METAFONT, Version 2.71828 (Web2C 7.5.6)
>>>
>>> kpathsea: Running mktexmf hv
>>> ! I can't find file `hv'.
>>> <*> \mode:=ljfour; mag:=1; nonstopmode; input hv

[...]

>> For me one thing seems quite clear: the hv-file (whatever it is) is  
>> missing. Install it or try to do
>> it without it. Hope this will help.
>
> Thanks,
> I have figured out that hv is referring to a helvetica font. I have not  
> been able to figure out which debian package provides this font, or if  
> it needs to be installed otherwise. I have just tried the  
> ttf-mscore-fonts package with no luck.

AFAIK, the Helvetica font family is referred to as "phv" in latex's font
selection scheme, e.g. "\renewcommand{\familydefault}{phv}" to set the
default font family of a document to Helvetica. The fonts are provided
by the package texlive-fonts-recommended.

In your case, however, mktextfm seems to look for the metafont source
for a "hv" font; this source should be named "hv.mf" and I cannot find a
file of that name anywhere in Debian or CTAN. If this is an unusual or
commercial font, then there should be some documentation or remarks in
the comments on where to get the font. (Could it be one of the HV math
fonts from MicroPress?) What kind of files are you trying to process?

-- 
Regards,            | http://users.icfo.es/Florian.Kulzer
          Florian   |