# Asymptote FAQ - Section 2
Questions about installation and setup

- Q2.1. Is it possible to install Asymptote on Mac OS X?
- Q2.2. Why do I get the error "Bad CPU type in executable" on installing Asymptote from the MAC OS binary?
- Q2.3. Is it possible to integrate Asymptote into LaTeX?
- Q2.4. Is it possible to integrate Asymptote into pdflatex?
- Q2.5. Do I need the `tkinter` package to install an Asymptote rpm binary?
- Q2.6. What does the path `%USERPROFILE%\.asy\config.asy` mean?
- Q2.7. How do I change environment variables in Microsoft Windows, for example, in order to change the default PostScript viewer?
- Q2.8. Why does xasy in WinXP gives me an error like "Invalid Parameter - 432x432"?
- Q2.9. Why does Asymptote freeze upon trying to draw a label with my MikTex installation under Microsoft Windows?

## Question 2.1. Is it possible to install Asymptote on Mac OS X?

Yes. Marius Schamschula maintains a binary package for OS X Tiger (10.4), which can be found at http://www.hmug.org/pub/MacOS_X/BSD/Applications/Publishing/asymptote/. It is also easy to compile Asymptote directly from the source code at http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=120000.

## Question 2.2. Why do I get the error "Bad CPU type in executable" on installing Asymptote from the MAC OS binary?

This either means that you have a binary distribution for another MAC architecture, or (according to Marius Schamschula) that you may have a missing library. The simplest solution is to compile Asymptote directly from the official source: http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=120000.

## Question 2.3. Is it possible to integrate Asymptote into LaTeX?

Yes, see the example latexusage.tex. Dario Teixeira has also written a detailed guide on the topic. You can download it from http://dario.dse.nl/projects/asylatex/.

Philippe Ivaldi has contributed an Asymptote mode for Emacs users http://asymptote.sourceforge.net/doc/Editing-modes.html, which includes a `lasy-mode` that allows one to compile and view the output of one \begin{asy}...\end{asy} section at a time.

## Question 2.4. Is it possible to integrate Asymptote into pdflatex?

Yes, just add these lines before `\usepackage{asymptote}`:

    \usepackage[pdftex]{graphicx}
    \usepackage{epstopdf}

To use inline mode with pdflatex see http://sourceforge.net/forum/message.php?msg_id=3820188 and http://sourceforge.net/forum/message.php?msg_id=3820228

## Question 2.5. Do I need the `tkinter` package to install an Asymptote rpm binary?

No, you don't need `tkinter` unless you want to try out the GUI `xasy` (still under development). Try

    rpm -Uvh --nodeps asymptote-x.xx-1.i386.rpm

where `x.xx` represents the version number.

## Question 2.6. What does the path `%USERPROFILE%\.asy\config.asy` mean?

That is the way that Microsoft Windows refers to the user profile directory. There's nothing really to understand here, just put your configuration commands in the file `config.asy` in a new folder `%USERPROFILE%\.asy`.

## Question 2.7. How do I change environment variables in Microsoft Windows, for example, in order to change the default PostScript viewer?

While it is easier to set the corresponding Asymptote configuration variable in your `config.asy` file, here is the procedure for changing Microsoft Windows environment variables:

Click on the [Start] button

* RIGHT-click on 'My Computer'

* Choose 'Properties' from the popup menu

* Click the 'Advanced' tab

* Click the 'Environment Variables' button.

## Question 2.8. Why does xasy in WinXP gives me an error like "Invalid Parameter - 432x432"?

This means that ImageMagick wasn't properly installed and you are using the MSDOS convert program rather than the ImageMagick one. Or you may have installed ImageMagick but ran Asymptote from an existing MSDOS window. In that case, simply open a new window and try again. If that doesn't work, check that

    convert --version

returns something like

    Version: ImageMagick 6.2.8 06/27/06 Q16 http://www.imagemagick.org

## Question 2.9. Why does Asymptote freeze upon trying to draw a label with my MikTex installation under Microsoft Windows?

Likely, this means that latex and dvips are not in your default path. Try adding the following lines to your `config.asy` file:

    latex="C:\texmf\miktex\bin\latex.exe";
    dvips="C:\texmf\miktex\bin\dvips.exe";

After that it also asks to install the xcolor package, which you should do. Then it should work.

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Extracted from Asymptote Frequently Asked Questions, Copyright © 2006 .