# info > (kpathsea)Supported file formats --- type: CommandReference command: kpathsea mode: info section: "6.1" source: info --- ## Quick Reference - `kpsewhich --help-formats` — list supported file formats and their environment variables ## Name Supported file formats — Kpathsea supports a number of file types, each with environment variables, config file variables, default suffixes, and sometimes dynamic creation programs. ## Synopsis Each file type has: - Environment variables (and config file variables) that define the search path. - A default suffix (most formats). - Possibly additional suffixes. - A dynamic creation program (some formats) to generate missing files on the fly. - Environment variables containing periods (e.g., `TEXINPUTS.latex`) are also allowed with underscores (`TEXINPUTS_latex`). ## Options - `afm` — Adobe font metrics; env: `AFMFONTS`; suffix: `.afm` - `base` — Metafont memory dump; env: `MFBASES`, `TEXMFINI`; suffix: `.base` - `bib` — BibTeX bibliography source; env: `BIBINPUTS`, `TEXBIB`; suffix: `.bib` - `bltxml` — BibLaTeXML bibliography files for Biber; env: `BLTXMLINPUTS`; suffix: `.bltxml` - `bst` — BibTeX style; env: `BSTINPUTS`; suffix: `.bst` - `clua` — Dynamic libraries for Lua; env: `CLUAINPUTS`; suffixes: `.dll`, `.so` - `cmap` — Character map files; env: `CMAPFONTS`; suffix: `.cmap` - `cnf` — Runtime configuration files; env: `TEXMFCNF`; suffix: `.cnf` - `cweb` — CWEB input files; env: `CWEBINPUTS`; suffixes: `.w`, `.web`; additional suffix: `.ch` - `dvips config` — Dvips `config.*` files; env: `TEXCONFIG` - `enc files` — Encoding vectors; env: `ENCFONTS`; suffix: `.enc` - `fmt` — TeX memory dump; env: `TEXFORMATS`, `TEXMFINI`; suffix: `.fmt` - `font cid map` — CJK mapping; env: `FONTCIDMAPS`; suffix: `.cid` - `font feature files` — OpenType font features; env: `FONTFEATURES`; suffix: `.fea` - `gf` — Generic font bitmap; env: `PROGRAMFONTS`, `GFFONTS`, `GLYPHFONTS`, `TEXFONTS`; suffix: `gf` - `graphic/figure` — Encapsulated PostScript figures; env: `TEXPICTS`, `TEXINPUTS`; additional suffixes: `.eps`, `.epsi` - `ist` — Makeindex style files; env: `TEXINDEXSTYLE`, `INDEXSTYLE`; suffix: `.ist` - `lig files` — Ligature definition files; env: `LIGFONTS`; suffix: `.lig` - `ls-R` — Filename databases; env: `TEXMFDBS` - `map` — Fontmaps; env: `TEXFONTMAPS`; suffix: `.map` - `mem` — MetaPost memory dump; env: `MPMEMS`, `TEXMFINI`; suffix: `.mem` - `MetaPost support` — MetaPost support files (used by DMP); env: `MPSUPPORT` - `mf` — Metafont source; env: `MFINPUTS`; suffix: `.mf`; dynamic: `mktexmf` - `mfpool` — Metafont program strings; env: `MFPOOL`, `TEXMFINI`; suffix: `.pool` - `mft` — MFT style file; env: `MFTINPUTS`; suffix: `.mft` - `misc fonts` — Font-related files not fitting other categories; env: `MISCFONTS` - `mlbib` — MlBibTeX bibliography source; env: `MLBIBINPUTS`, `BIBINPUTS`, `TEXBIB`; suffixes: `.mlbib`, `.mlbib` - `mlbst` — MlBibTeX style; env: `MLBSTINPUTS`, `BSTINPUTS`; suffixes: `.mlbst`, `.bst` - `mp` — MetaPost source; env: `MPINPUTS`; suffix: `.mp` - `mppool` — MetaPost program strings; env: `MPPOOL`, `TEXMFINI`; suffix: `.pool` - `ocp` — Omega compiled process files; env: `OCPINPUTS`; suffix: `.ocp`; dynamic: `MakeOmegaOCP` - `ofm` — Omega font metrics; env: `OFMFONTS`, `TEXFONTS`; suffixes: `.ofm`, `.tfm`; dynamic: `MakeOmegaOFM` - `opentype fonts` — OpenType fonts; env: `OPENTYPEFONTS` - `opl` — Omega property lists; env: `OPLFONTS`, `TEXFONTS`; suffix: `.opl` - `otp` — Omega translation process files; env: `OTPINPUTS`; suffix: `.otp` - `ovf` — Omega virtual fonts; env: `OVFFONTS`, `TEXFONTS`; suffix: `.ovf` - `ovp` — Omega virtual property lists; env: `OVPFONTS`, `TEXFONTS`; suffix: `.ovp` - `pdftex config` — PDFTeX-specific configuration files; env: `PDFTEXCONFIG` - `pk` — Packed bitmap fonts; env: `PROGRAMFONTS` (PROGRAM = XDVI etc.), `PKFONTS`, `TEXPKS`, `GLYPHFONTS`, `TEXFONTS`; suffix: `pk`; dynamic: `mktexpk` - `PostScript header` — Downloadable PostScript; env: `TEXPSHEADERS`, `PSHEADERS`; additional suffix: `.pro` - `ris` — RIS bibliography files (primarily for Biber); env: `RISINPUTS`; suffix: `.ris` - `subfont definition files` — Subfont definition files; env: `SFDFONTS`; suffix: `.sfd` - `tex` — TeX source; env: `TEXINPUTS`; suffix: `.tex`; additional suffixes: none (list cannot be complete); dynamic: `mktextex` - `TeX system documentation` — Documentation files; env: `TEXDOCS` - `TeX system sources` — Source files; env: `TEXSOURCES` - `texmfscripts` — Architecture-independent executables in texmf trees; env: `TEXMFSCRIPTS` - `texpool` — TeX program strings; env: `TEXPOOL`, `TEXMFINI`; suffix: `.pool` - `tfm` — TeX font metrics; env: `TFMFONTS`, `TEXFONTS`; suffix: `.tfm`; dynamic: `mktextfm` - `Troff fonts` — Troff fonts (used by DMP); env: `TRFONTS` - `truetype fonts` — TrueType outline fonts; env: `TTFONTS`; suffixes: `.ttf`, `.TTF`, `.ttc`, `.TTC`, `.dfont` - `type1 fonts` — Type 1 PostScript outline fonts; env: `T1FONTS`, `T1INPUTS`, `TEXPSHEADERS`, `DVIPSHEADERS`; suffixes: `.pfa`, `.pfb` - `type42 fonts` — Type 42 PostScript outline fonts; env: `T42FONTS` - `vf` — Virtual fonts; env: `VFFONTS`, `TEXFONTS`; suffix: `.vf` - `web` — WEB input files; env: `WEBINPUTS`; suffix: `.web`; additional suffix: `.ch` - `web2c files` — Files specific to web2c implementation; env: `WEB2C` **Special cases:** For program-specific files, the environment variable is constructed by uppercasing the program name and appending `INPUTS`. For a program `foo`: - `other text files` — env: `FOOINPUTS` - `other binary files` — env: `FOOINPUTS` If the environment variable is set, the `texmf.cnf` definition is not used (unless the value includes an extra `:`). See [Default expansion](#Default-expansion). **Font variable hierarchy:** `TEXFONTS` is the default for everything; `GLYPHFONTS` is the default for bitmap (non-metric) files; each font format has its own variable; each program has its own font override path (e.g., `DVIPSFONTS` for Dvipsk, for bitmaps, not metrics). ## See Also - [File lookup](#File-lookup) - [Config files](#Config-files) - [Default expansion](#Default-expansion) - [Filename database](#Filename-database) - [Fontmap](#Fontmap) - [Auxiliary tasks](#Auxiliary-tasks) (kpsewhich options) - [dvips: Metric files](dvips#Metric-files) - [dvips: Glyph files](dvips#Glyph-files) - [dvips: PostScript figures](dvips#PostScript-figures) - [dvips: Header files](dvips#Header-files) - [dvips: Virtual fonts](dvips#Virtual-fonts) - [web2c: Memory dumps](web2c#Memory-dumps) - [web2c: bibtex invocation](web2c#bibtex-invocation) - [web2c: Basic BibTeX style files](web2c#Basic-BibTeX-style-files) - [web2c: mf invocation](web2c#mf-invocation) - [web2c: mpost invocation](web2c#mpost-invocation) - [web2c: pooltype invocation](web2c#pooltype-invocation) - [web2c: mft invocation](web2c#mft-invocation) - [web2c: dmp invocation](web2c#dmp-invocation) - [web2c: tex invocation](web2c#tex-invocation) - [Biber](https://ctan.org/pkg/biber) - [LuaTeX](https://ctan.org/pkg/luatex) ## Exit Codes Not applicable.