How to use the command `tlmgr recreate-tlpdb` (with examples)

The tlmgr recreate-tlpdb command is part of TeX Live Manager (tlmgr) and is used to recreate the TeX Live package database. This command recreates the texlive.tlpdb database file and can be useful in situations where the package database is corrupted or missing.

Use case 1: Recreate the texlive.tlpdb database file and dump it to stdout

Code:

sudo tlmgr recreate-tlpdb

Motivation: This use case is useful when you want to recreate the texlive.tlpdb file and redirect the output to stdout for further processing or analysis.

Explanation: The sudo command is used to execute the tlmgr command with administrative privileges. The tlmgr command is followed by the recreate-tlpdb argument, which instructs it to recreate the texlive.tlpdb database file.

Example output:

Recreating TeX Live package database, please wait...
texlive.infra [1k]
[...]
texlive.titlepages [3k, no flags]
texlive.tocbibind [3k, no flags]
texlive.totcount [2k, no flags]
texlive.tracklang [2k, no flags]
texlive.twoinone [2k, no flags]
texlive.typicons [3k, no flags]
[...]

Conclusion:

The tlmgr recreate-tlpdb command is a powerful tool for recreating the TeX Live package database. It should be used with caution as it has a lack of documentation. However, it can be particularly useful when the package database is corrupted or missing. Always make sure to backup your data before using this command.