auctex @12.1: tex.el:0:0: error: wrong-type-argument: (stringp nil)

[rsmacleod (Rob MacLeod)]

--->  Building auctex
Error: Failed to build auctex: command execution failed
Error: See /opt/local/var/macports/logs/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_macports_release_tarballs_ports_editors_auctex/auctex/main.log for details.

and from the log file:

:info:build Exit code: 2
:error:build Failed to build auctex: command execution failed
:debug:build Error code: CHILDSTATUS 54493 2
:debug:build Backtrace: command execution failed
:debug:build     while executing
:debug:build "system {*}$notty {*}$nice $fullcmdstring"
:debug:build     invoked from within
:debug:build "command_exec build"
:debug:build     (procedure "portbuild::build_main" line 8)
:debug:build     invoked from within
:debug:build "$procedure $targetname"

Full error log attached.

[mf2k (Frank Schima)]

In the future, please use WikiFormatting.

Please attach the main.log file listed in your output.

[rsmacleod (Rob MacLeod)]

Log file attached. Thanks, Rob

[MaurizioLoreti]

Me too:

Error: Failed to build auctex: command execution failed
Error: See /opt/local/var/macports/logs/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_editors_auctex/auctex/main.log for details.

End of log file:

:info:build Output written on preview.pdf (8 pages, 170739 bytes).
:info:build Transcript written on preview.log.
:info:build make[1]: Leaving directory `/opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_editors_auctex/auctex/work/auctex-12.1/latex'
:info:build make: Leaving directory `/opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_editors_auctex/auctex/work/auctex-12.1'
:info:build Command failed:  cd "/opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_editors_auctex/auctex/work/auctex-12.1" && /usr/bin/make -j8 -w all 
:info:build Exit code: 2
:error:build Failed to build auctex: command execution failed
:debug:build Error code: CHILDSTATUS 28579 2
:debug:build Backtrace: command execution failed
:debug:build     while executing
:debug:build "system {*}$notty {*}$nice $fullcmdstring"
:debug:build     invoked from within
:debug:build "command_exec build"
:debug:build     (procedure "portbuild::build_main" line 8)
:debug:build     invoked from within
:debug:build "$procedure $targetname"
:error:build See /opt/local/var/macports/logs/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_release_tarballs_ports_editors_auctex/auctex/main.log for details.

[rsmacleod (Rob MacLeod)]

Tried again today and got a new error, seems like a fairly trivial one?

:info:build make[1]: Leaving directory `/opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_macports_release_tarballs_ports_editors_auctex/auctex/work/auctex-12.1/latex'
:info:build make: Leaving directory `/opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_macports_release_tarballs_ports_editors_auctex/auctex/work/auctex-12.1'
:info:build Command failed:  cd "/opt/local/var/macports/build/_opt_local_var_macports_sources_rsync.macports.org_macports_release_tarballs_ports_editors_auctex/auctex/work/auctex-12.1" && /usr/bin/make -j12 -w all 
:info:build Exit code: 2
:error:build Failed to build auctex: command execution failed
:debug:build Error code: CHILDSTATUS 20478 2
:debug:build Backtrace: command execution failed

[jjstickel (Jonathan Stickel)]

I am experiencing this on Catalina.

[jjstickel (Jonathan Stickel)]

I doubt this is a problem specific to Big Sur. My guess is that an update to Emacs triggered it, but the build for auctex was still good on the servers. Anyway, updating auctex to 27.3 solved it for me on Catalina, see ​PR 9912.

[jjstickel (Jonathan Stickel)]

The PR passed checks and built on Big Sur in ​github. The PR has been merged. I think this ticket can be closed.