Debugging LaTeX Error: File `unicode-math.sty' not found.

[robmarkcole]

Hi all
I post this here as a log of debugging this error. TLDR an existing Tex installation needed to be removed.

I followed Creating a book and the PDF Basics instruction to quarto install tool tinytex returning:

Installing tinytex
An existing TexLive installation has been detected.

At this point I assumed I was OK to proceeed. However on running quarto render --to pdf I got the error below:

Robins-MacBook:book robin$ quarto render --to pdf
[1/4] index.qmd
[2/4] intro.qmd
[3/4] summary.qmd
[4/4] references.qmd

pandoc 
  to: latex
  output-file: index.tex
  standalone: true
  toc: true
  number-sections: true
  top-level-division: chapter
  pdf-engine: xelatex
  variables:
    graphics: true
    tables: true
  default-image-extension: pdf
  
metadata
  crossref:
    chapters: true
  documentclass: scrreprt
  papersize: letter
  classoption:
    - DIV=11
    - numbers=noendperiod
  header-includes:
    - '\KOMAoption{captions}{tableheading}'
  block-headings: true
  bibliography:
    - references.bib
  title: book
  author: Jane Doe
  date: 11/23/2022
  
running xelatex - 1
  This is XeTeX, Version 3.14159265-2.6-0.99996 (TeX Live 2016) (preloaded format=xelatex)
   restricted \write18 enabled.
  entering extended mode
  
updating tlmgr

updating existing packages
finding package for unicode-math.sty

compilation failed- no matching packages
LaTeX Error: File `unicode-math.sty' not found.

Type X to quit or <RETURN> to proceed,
or enter new name. (Default extension: sty)

Enter file name: 
! Emergency stop.
<read *> 

and the pdf was not generated. I then ran:

Robins-MacBook:book robin$ quarto list tools
[✓] Inspecting tools
Tool         Status            Installed     Latest  
chromium     Not installed     ---           869685  
tinytex      Not installed     ---           v2022.11

So the error is due to missing tinytex. I tried to force it below and possibly identified a typo in the docs:

Robins-MacBook:book robin$ quarto install tinytex --update-path
ERROR: Unknown option "--update-path". Did you mean option "--help"?

I then check what texlive I have that could be causing this blockage:

ls /usr/local/texlive
2014            2016basic

And I removed it.

Finally I am now able to run:

quarto install tool tinytex
Installing tinytex
[✓] Downloading TinyTex v2022.11
[✓] Unzipping TinyTeX-v2022.11.tgz
[✓] Moving files
[✓] Verifying tlgpg support
[✓] Default Repository: https://ctan.math.illinois.edu/systems/texlive/tlnet/
[✓] Updating Path (inspecting 1 possible paths)
Installation successful

Robins-MacBook:book robin$ quarto list tools
[✓] Inspecting tools

Tool         Status            Installed     Latest  
chromium     Not installed     ---           869685  
tinytex      Up to date        v2022.11      v2022.11

Then at last:

quarto render --to pdf
.
.
Output created: _book/book.pdf

Hopefully this is useful if someone else encounters this situation