LaTeX Minted Package with Pygments in Texifier on MacOS

2 min read 28-08-2024

LaTeX Minted Package with Pygments in Texifier on MacOS

The minted package in LaTeX is a powerful tool for highlighting code within your documents. It relies on the Pygments library for syntax highlighting, but setting it up on macOS can be a bit tricky. This article walks you through the steps to get minted working smoothly with Pygments in your Texifier workflow.

The Problem

You've installed MacTeX and pygments through conda, but minted throws the error: "Package minted Error: You must have pygmentize installed to use this package". This means LaTeX can't find the pygmentize executable, even though you have Pygments installed.

Why This Happens

Here's the key: LaTeX needs to know where to find the pygmentize command used by minted. The problem often arises because the pygments installation through conda might not be in a location that LaTeX can easily access.

The Solution

Here's how to fix it:

Find pygmentize: Open your terminal and run the command:
```
which pygmentize
```
This command will tell you the exact location of the pygmentize executable. You should see a path similar to:
```
/Users/your_username/anaconda3/bin/pygmentize
```
Tell LaTeX where it is: Now, you need to inform LaTeX about the location of pygmentize. There are two primary methods:

Method 1: Using TEXINPUTS Environment Variable

Add the path to your pygmentize executable to the TEXINPUTS environment variable. This method is often the easiest and most flexible.
- Open your shell profile: Use your preferred text editor to open the shell profile file:
  - Bash: ~/.bash_profile
  - Zsh: ~/.zshrc
- Add the TEXINPUTS line: Inside the file, add the following line, replacing /Users/your_username/anaconda3/bin with the actual path you found in step 1:
```
export TEXINPUTS="/Users/your_username/anaconda3/bin:$TEXINPUTS"
```
- Save and reload: Save the changes and close the terminal. Open a new terminal window to ensure the changes take effect.
Method 2: Using minted Options

The minted package allows you to specify the path to pygmentize directly. This is an alternative approach if setting environment variables is not preferred.

In your LaTeX document, add the following line within the \documentclass block:
```
\usepackage[pygmentize=/Users/your_username/anaconda3/bin/pygmentize]{minted} 
```
Again, replace /Users/your_username/anaconda3/bin/pygmentize with the actual path to your pygmentize executable.
Test It Out: Now, try compiling your LaTeX document with Texifier. The minted package should work correctly, and your code should be highlighted beautifully.

Troubleshooting

If you still encounter issues, consider these points:

Case Sensitivity: Make sure the path you provide is case-sensitive.
Spaces: Avoid spaces in your pygmentize path.
Permissions: Ensure the pygmentize executable has the necessary permissions to be executed. You can use the chmod command to modify permissions if needed.

Other Tips

Install Pygments: If you haven't already, install the Pygments package using conda:
```
conda install pygments
```
Update Packages: Consider updating your LaTeX packages to the latest versions:
```
tlmgr update --all
```

Conclusion

By following these steps and understanding the relationship between minted, Pygments, and pygmentize, you can successfully integrate code highlighting into your LaTeX documents using the minted package on macOS. Remember to choose the method that best suits your workflow and to make sure the paths you provide are accurate and properly formatted.