How to install a new beamer theme on linux (texlive and texmaker)

Question

I have a LaTeX Beamer template from this webpage (automatically download from university homepage): http://kom.aau.dk/~jkn/latex/files/AAUsimple_v1.2.1.zip

But I don't know how to use it. I could copy this into a new folder:

1. the 4 files from "local"
2. the folder "AAUgraphics"
3. the document "AAUsimpletheme.tex"

And then I could work in "AAUsimpletheme.tex". But it would be nice if I could make a new texfile and just load the theme with usetheme. How to do that? I just want to write a LaTeX-file in another folder and don't want to copy all the files every time I want to make a LaTeX Beamer project. And I have seen the instructions in the PDF (from the template) and I don't understand it.

It would be very nice if anyone could tell me how to install the template so I just have to use \ustheme{AAUsimple}. And please with an minimal .tex example.

Answer 1

Hmm, first I would be nice to know exactly which TeX Live you are using. I do not remember if the Ubuntu TeX Live actually create a texmf-local folder. So we start with this command

kpsewhich -var-value TEXMFLOCAL

Let us assume it gives you a resonable result. I get /opt/texlive/2013/../texmf-local aka /opt/texlive/2013/texmf-local.

In the ZIP you mention, we need the global folder. Copy the contents of that into the found texmf-local folder. More or less

cp -r PATH/global/* OTHER-PATH/texmf-local/

The data in the global folder is already in TDS format.

We'd like to do a bit extra though:

1. Goto OTHER-PATH/texmf-local/tex/latex/ rename beamer to beamer-aau, such that is very clear that this is the AAU files for beamer.

2. Go to the new beamer-aau folder. Create the subfolder graphics

3. Copy the contents of the AAUgraphics folder in the ZIP into this folder

4. Go back to your root dir and run texhash to redo the hash files.

BTW: for some of these commands you may need to add sudo depending on your installation.

You can now test it via

1. kpsewhich beamercolorthemeAAUsimple.sty aau_logo_new.pdf, if this returns to reasonable paths, then you have globally installed the theme on your computer.

Might be an idea to ask the AAU people to provide a HOWTO for the above. I provide a lengthy one for the installation of the AU letter class. All steps included for Windows (TL and MikTeX), Linux and Mac separately.