Need help getting texlive to work properly with ancestor tree

I originally posted this at the end of the report ancestor tree thread and thought it might get more attention in the help category…

I have been reading the thread about report ancestor tree for several days and yesterday decided to install Texlive. Well, I did, it went well. but then, when I try to run the report, It gives me an error trying to create a PDF file (it creates the latex file just fine). I have attached a picture of the error (it is trying to save to a file that does not exist, a tmp file and I cannot create it because each time I get this error, the folder name is different)
Screenshot from 2020-08-26 01-47-36
It was suggested that even though I had installed texlive-full that I might need texlive-latex-base I attempted that and got this message…
Screenshot from 2020-08-26 23-48-52
so I did not in fact need the additional package.

Does anyone know what is wrong or have any suggestions I can try to fix this? I am choosing my home folder but it is giving the error above, it is not recognizing my choice.

You have an ampersand ("&") in your file name. Could you try without ?

I tried, but it did not work
Screenshot from 2020-08-27 07-36-24

screenshot of where i am tring to put it

edit - also tried with file just named kathy in case it was too long

Try short the filename, no more than 15 characters and see what happens, if same problem, try with 8 character in the filename…

might be the library has problems with logn filenames

tried it just named kathy, and still got the same error

also tried 8 characters

Screenshot from 2020-08-27 08-49-25

Du you actually have the “tmp” folder? and do you have write permission to it?

I’m not a linux/mac guy, so I can just try to ask for things thats common on windows and network drive usage…

Maybe the doc. writer try to create a folder in a temp folder where you dont have write permission with your current login?

there is not a tmp file. I tried creating one, both hidden and not hidden. and pointed the file location to there, did not help.
I do not understand why gramps will not just try to put the file where I told it too?

I really appreciate you folks trying to help.

just as a test, I made sure the rest of Gramps recognizes my file names…this worked just fine

Screenshot from 2020-08-27 09-12-09

So the other parts of gramps can find my folders

I’m thinking this is some latex library that’s doing this, it try to create a temporary pdf file when converting from latex to pdf…

Did you install the TexLive as “admin rights” (sudo) or without…

Thats the reason I was thinking, that the libriary responsible for the conversion of the file might be trying to create a temp file in a folder with no access, and if the “tmp” folder do not excist and it try to create it without permssion, you will get some error like this…

can’t you run a sysmon/filemon or something to see what actually calling that path?

I’m sure there is some way to do that in linux, I don’t know what it is. I will try to do a bit of research

oh and yes, I used sudo to install

well, there is a program called strace in linux. I am trying to figure out what the thousands of line it gave me means. I need to research this more.

Will be grateful for any ideas

Have you tried running Gramps with “sudo”?

I had not, but I just did. It did not make any difference. Gramps is still trying to make a folder. I ran search and found 3 tmp files. 2 for gimp 1 for libre office. I tried pointing gramps to each one - 1 at a time - none worked. I do have full permission for each file

what happens if you try to create a latex file and convert it in one of the latex editors?

ok, I got something! I reduced the number of generations to 5 and I got a pdf file. can’t see it very well, I think I have the paper set to big

I can’t figure out what actual program converts the latex file

OK, it works just fine with less generations. go figure!

What is your linux distrib and version ?
what is the size of /tmp ? (df -k)