Why do deep paths in \usepackage cause texmex to crash (segmentation violation)?

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Short version:
I call texmex.mexw64 on a tex file, like this:
[dvi,loginfo,err] = texmex(tstr, texpath, 1, logical(0));
The string tstr is essentially the entire tex file. In it, I specify what packages to use and the path to them ('\usepackage{...}'). If that path is too deep, matlab crashes. Why, and is there a workaround (other than moving my files around, creating junctions, etc.)? [Actually, the problem appears to be the length of the pathname/filename, not the path depth; see update at bottom.]
Long version:
Matlab provides a mex file called texmex.mexw64 (in matlabroot/toolbox/matlab/graphics/private) for generating LaTeX (for plot titles, etc.); in particular, it generates dvi output from tex inputs. Normally, it's invoked by tex.m (one directory up), but I'd like to use packages that aren't included in tex.m. (In fact, I first generated this error when running a modified version of tex.m, but I can regenerate it more simply by invoking texmex directly from the command line.) The original c code that generated texmex.mexw64 isn't available, so I can't hunt down the bug any further.
Here's a minimal working/non-working example:
clear; clc; close all;
% get access to private texmex files
%%%This is *not* the problem!
privateDir = [matlabroot,'\toolbox\matlab\graphics\private'];
texmexPrvt = get_private_fcn(privateDir,'texmex');
mlinitexPrvt = get_private_fcn(privateDir,'mlinitex');
% set tex path
%%%This is also not the problem, just part of the MWE.
texpath{1} = fullfile(matlabroot,'sys','fonts','type1','cm',filesep);
texpath{end+1} = fullfile(matlabroot,'sys','tex',filesep);
texpath{end+1} = fullfile(matlabroot,'sys','tex','latex','base',filesep);
texpath{end+1} = fullfile(matlabroot,'sys','tex','tfm',filesep);
[c,maxsize,endian] = computer;
if strncmp(endian,'B',1)
texpath{end+1} =...
fullfile(matlabroot,'sys','tex','format','bigendian',filesep);
else
texpath{end+1} =...
fullfile(matlabroot,'sys','tex','format','smallendian',filesep);
end
setappdata(0,'TeXPath',texpath);
% test
%%%this version works
strint = '%&latex \nofiles \documentclass{mwarticle} ';
strpkge = '\usepackage{C:/stys/two/three/four/five/six/foo} ';
strbgn = '\begin{document}\setbox0=\hbox{$\foofoo$}';
strend = '\copy0\special{bounds: \the\wd0 \the\ht0 \the\dp0} \end{document}';
sstr = [strint,strpkge,strbgn,strend];
[dvi,loginfo,err]=texmexPrvt(sstr, texpath, 1, logical(0));
pause();
%%%this version does not work
strpkge = '\usepackage{C:/stys/two/three/four/five/six/seven/foo} ';
sstr = [strint,strpkge,strbgn,strend];
[dvi,loginfo,err]=texmexPrvt(sstr, texpath, 1, logical(0));
The sty file foo.sty lives in both directories, C:/stys/two/three/four/five/six/ and C:/stys/two/three/four/five/six/seven, but somehow the latter is one too deep (apparently) for matlab to find it. (The style file itself is not the problem; it consists of a single macro, \newcommand{\foofoo}{\bf s}.) Running the last three lines above yields a segmentation violation. I doubt the register values at crash time or etc. will help. I also suspect that this directory issue is one of several in texmex. What I'd really like is to get the original c file, but short of that I'd like to know why this is happening and how to work around it. I don't want to move my style files around to different directories.
Thanks.
[UPDATE] In fact, it appears that the problem isn't the path depth, but the length of the pathname/filename. I don't want to keep crashing matlab to find out, but it looks like the limit is 32 characters.
  6 Comments
Chibuzo Nnonyelu
Chibuzo Nnonyelu on 18 Dec 2018
The tex.m file I saw in the given file path contains only comments. Where else can find this file with matlab codes?
Walter Roberson
Walter Roberson on 18 Dec 2018
Note the 2012 date on the original question . The handling of tex has changed twice since then. As far as I know in current releases there is no way to customise tex or latex for plotting use.
However there is a way to customise tex and latex for use with publish() I believe .

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Accepted Answer

Daniel Shub
Daniel Shub on 2 Nov 2012
I can recreate your problem on R2011a Linux. I modified your MWE to be
texpath{end+1} = 'C:/stys/two/three/four/five/six/seven/';
strpkge = '\usepackage{foo} ';
and it works. I would think that the 'addpath' pv of tex.m would do this automatically, but I haven't tested it. I am not sure what your actual use case is but I cannot easily think of a use case where you want to give the path in \usepackage instead of adding it to the search path. That said, I don't know why it crashes. I was hoping to be able to replace the "tex binary" that texmex relies on, but I wasn't able to find it.
  1 Comment
Joseph
Joseph on 2 Nov 2012
Edited: Joseph on 2 Nov 2012
Yes, that works! As you say, it still doesn't say why matlab's latex can't use long path names.... But some mysteries are better left unsolved: I recommend to any matlab users seeking to accomplish what I was---using lots of non-default latex style files within matlab---not to use this approach at all, but to modify tex.m along the lines of my (long) comment above. Adding each directory to matlab's texpath (my original approach) will generally be far more work than relying on the directory structure of one's own latex distribution (MiKTeX, etc.).
If you don't like modifying matlab's internal files, though, or if you don't have another dstrb of latex on your machine, take the original approach, w/Daniel's v. helpful solution.

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More Answers (1)

Julian Williams
Julian Williams on 22 Feb 2019
Edited: Julian Williams on 22 Feb 2019
I have given up trying to add packages to the matlab latex installation.
My suggestion for 2D plots is to do the following:
  1. Design the picture/plot/infographic as you needed and put some place holders in as labels/axes/legends.
  2. Use the "matlab2tikz" package from the Matlab Central repository.
  3. Save the plots into Tikz as a seperate tex file, then edit the labels as needed using the packages you need, you can even create a macro to automatically edit the text the way you want it.
  4. Then use an "input" from the latex source to add the plot. It can slow the compilation process, but you have more control on the output.
I tried several times (in 2016a) to edit the underlying latex repository (for instance by copying packages into the location) in Matlab and have only ever managed to do nothing or irrepairably break my matlab installation. My guess is that Mathworks realized this was a bit dangerous, so now the entire Latex compiler assemblage is in a binary, so you cannot manually adjust it.

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