--- name: "texprof" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "texlive-doc" version: "2026.1-1" release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/texprof" --- # texprof(1) A profiler for TeX source files ## NAME texprof - A profiler for TeX source files ## SYNOPSIS **texprof** \[*options*\] \[***&**format*\] \[*file*\|***\\**commands*\] ## DESCRIPTION Run the TeX profiler on *file*, usually creating *file.dvi* and *file.tprof*. If the *file* argument has no extension, ".tex" will be appended to it. Instead of a file name, a list of TeX commands can be given, the first of which must start with a backslash. With a **&***format* argument, the TeX profiler uses a different set of precompiled commands, contained in *format**.fmt***; it is usually better to use the **-fmt** *format* option instead. The TeX profiler is a version of TeX that measures the time TeX needs to execute individual input lines or macros. It writes the collected data to a file with extension *.tprof*. A separate program, **texprofile** (see [**texprofile**(1)](/texprofile/1.md)), is used to display the content of a *.tprof* file in a readable form. The typical use of the TeX profiler is with pre generated formats. The **texprof** command uses the equivalent of the plain TeX format, and the **latexprof** command uses the equivalent of the LaTeX format. To investigate the timing of macros targeted to **pdftex** or **pdflatex,** you can use **pdftexprof** or **pdflatexprof.** The TeX profiler's handling of its command-line arguments is similar to that of the other TeX programs in the *web2c* implementation. ## OPTIONS This version of the TeX profiler understands the following command line options. - **-cnf-line** *string* Parse *string* as a *texmf.cnf* configuration line. See the Kpathsea manual. - **-etex** Enable the e-TeX extensions. This option is only effective in combination with **-ini**. See [**etex**(1)](/etex/1.md). - **-file-line-error** Print error messages in the form *file:line:error* which is similar to the way many compilers format them. - **-no-file-line-error** Disable printing error messages in the *file:line:error* style. - **-fmt** *format* Use *format* as the name of the format to be used, instead of the name by which the TeX profiler was called or a *%&* line. - **-help** Print help message and exit. - **-ini** Start in *INI* mode, which is used to dump formats. The *INI* mode can be used for typesetting, but no format is preloaded, and basic initializations like setting catcodes may be required. - **-interaction** *mode* Sets the interaction mode. The mode can be either *batchmode*, *nonstopmode*, *scrollmode*, and *errorstopmode*. The meaning of these modes is the same as that of the corresponding \\commands. - **-jobname** *name* Use *name* for the job name, instead of deriving it from the name of the input file. - **-kpathsea-debug** *bitmask* Sets path searching debugging flags according to the bitmask. See the *Kpathsea* manual for details. - **-ltx** Enable the LaTeX extensions. This option is only effective in combination with **-ini**. See [**latex**(1)](/latex/1.md). - **-mktex** *fmt* Enable mktex*fmt*, where *fmt* must be either *tex*, *tfm*, *fmt*, or *pk*. - **-no-mktex** *fmt* Disable mktex*fmt*, where *fmt* must be either *tex*, *tfm*, *fmt*, or *pk*. - **-output-directory** *directory* Write output files in *directory* instead of the current directory. Look up input files in *directory* first, then along the normal search path. - **-parse-first-line** If the first line of the main input file begins with *%&* parse it to look for a dump name. - **-no-parse-first-line** Disable parsing of the first line of the main input file. - **-pdf** Enable the simulation of common **pdftex** primitives. This option requires the **-ini** option and implies the **-ltx** option. See [**pdftex**(1)](/pdftex/1.md). - **-prof** Enable profiling as soon as TeX enters the main loop. If tis option it not used, profiling needs to switched on using the \\profileon primitive. Profiling can be switched of with the \\profileoff primitive. - **-progname** *name* Pretend to be program *name*. This affects both the format used and the search paths. - **-version** Print version information and exit. ## ENVIRONMENT See the Kpathsea library documentation (e.g., the \`Path specifications' node) for precise details of how the environment variables are used. The **kpsewhich** utility can be used to query the values of the variables. - **TEXMFOUTPUT** Normally, TeX puts its output files in the current directory. If any output file cannot be opened there, it tries to open it in the directory specified in the environment variable TEXMFOUTPUT. There is no default value for that variable. For example, if you say *texprof paper* and the current directory is not writable and TEXMFOUTPUT has the value */tmp*, TeX attempts to create */tmp/paper.log ,* */tmp/paper.dvi ,* and */tmp/paper.tprof .* TEXMFOUTPUT is also checked for input files, as TeX often generates files that need to be subsequently read; for input, no suffixes (such as \`\`.tex'') are added by default, the input name is simply checked as given. - **TEXINPUTS** Search path for *\\input* and *\\openin* files. This normally starts with \`\`.'', so that user files are found before system files. An empty path component will be replaced with the paths defined in the *texmf.cnf* file. For example, set TEXINPUTS to ".:/home/user/tex:" to prepend the current directory and \`\`/home/user/tex'' to the standard search path. - **TEXFORMATS** Search path for format files. - **TFMFONTS** Search path for font metric (*.tfm*) files. - **SOURCE\_DATE\_EPOCH** If set, its value, taken to be in epoch-seconds, will be used for the creation date and as the reference moment for the time related primitives of LaTeX. This is useful for making reproducible builds. - **FORCE\_SOURCE\_DATE** If set to the value "1", the time-related TeX primitives (*\\year*, *\\month*, *\\day*, *\\time*) are also initialized from the value of SOURCE\_DATE\_EPOCH. This is not recommended if there is any viable alternative. Many, many more environment variables may be consulted related to path searching. See the Kpathsea manual. ## FILES The location of the files mentioned below varies from system to system. Use the **kpsewhich** utility to find their locations. - *\*.tfm* Metric files for TeX's fonts. - *\*.fmt* Predigested TeX format files. - *\*.pk \*.pfb* Font files used by TeX. ## NOTES This manual page is not meant to be exhaustive. The complete documentation for the TeX profiler can be found in *texprof.pdf*. Further information can be found in the manual of the *Kpathsea library*. ## BUGS This version of the TeX profiler does not implement all of the primitives that pdftex provides, and further, it will not produce the same side effects. ## AVAILABILITY The TeX profiler should compile on a large variety of machine architectures and operating systems. The function to obtain timing information id POSIX specific. The sources of the TeX profiler are hosted at **https://github.com/ruckertm/HINT** ## SEE ALSO **texprofiler**(1), [**tex**(1)](/tex/1.md), [**latex**(1)](/latex/1.md), [**pdftex**(1)](/pdftex/1.md), [**pdflatex**(1)](/pdflatex/1.md),**and** [**kpsewhich**(1)](/kpsewhich/1.md). ## AUTHORS The primary author of the TeX profiler is Martin Ruckert, with eTeX extensions by Peter Breitenlohner, LaTeX extensions by Thierry Laronde, and the kpathsearch library by Karl Berry. TeX was designed by Donald E. Knuth, who implemented it using his Web system for Pascal programs. Many, many more contributed to the typesetting system now known as TeX; far too many to name all of them here.