862 lines
35 KiB
Plaintext
862 lines
35 KiB
Plaintext
\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
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@comment %**start of header
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@setfilename info.info
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@settitle Info 1.0
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@comment %**end of header
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@iftex
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@finalout
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@end iftex
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@ifinfo
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This file describes how to use Info,
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the on-line, menu-driven GNU documentation system.
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Copyright (C) 1989, 1992 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
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this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
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are preserved on all copies.
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@ignore
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Permission is granted to process this file through TeX and print the
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results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
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notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
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(this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
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@end ignore
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Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
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manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire
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resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
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notice identical to this one.
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Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
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into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
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except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved
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by the Free Software Foundation.
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@end ifinfo
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@setchapternewpage odd
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@titlepage
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@sp 11
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@center @titlefont{Info}
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@sp 2
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@center The
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@sp 2
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@center On-line, Menu-driven
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@sp 2
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@center GNU Documentation System
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@page
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@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
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Copyright @copyright{} 1989, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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@sp 2
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Published by the Free Software Foundation @*
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675 Massachusetts Avenue, @*
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Cambridge, MA 02139 USA @*
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Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
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this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
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are preserved on all copies.
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Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
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manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire
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resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
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notice identical to this one.
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Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
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into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
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except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved
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by the Free Software Foundation.
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@end titlepage
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@ifinfo
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@node Top, Getting Started, (dir), (dir)
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@top Info: An Introduction
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Info is a program for reading documentation, which you are using now.
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To learn how to use Info, type the command @kbd{h}. It brings you
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to a programmed instruction sequence.
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@c Need to make sure that `Info-help' goes to the right node,
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@c which is the first node of the first chapter. (It should.)
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@c (Info-find-node "info"
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@c (if (< (window-height) 23)
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@c "Help-Small-Screen"
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@c "Help")))
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To learn advanced Info commands, type @kbd{n} twice. This
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brings you to @cite{Info for Experts}, skipping over the .
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`Getting Started' chapter.
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@end ifinfo
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@menu
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* Getting Started::
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* Advanced Info::
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* Create an Info File::
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@end menu
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@node Getting Started, Advanced Info, Top, Top
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@comment node-name, next, previous, up
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@chapter Getting Started
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This first part of the Info manual describes how to get around inside
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of Info. The second part of the manual describes various advanced
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Info commands, and how to write an Info as distinct from a Texinfo
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file. The third part is about how to generate Info files from
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Texinfo files.
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@iftex
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This manual is primarily designed for use on a computer, so that you can
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try Info commands while reading about them. Reading it on paper is less
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effective, since you must take it on faith that the commands described
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really do what the manual says. By all means go through this manual now
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that you have it; but please try going through the on-line version as
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well.
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There are two ways of looking at the online version of this manual:
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@enumerate
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@item
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Type @code{info} at your shell's command line. This approach uses a
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small stand-alone program designed just to read Info files.
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@item
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Type @code{emacs} at the command line; then type @kbd{C-h i} (Control
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@kbd{h}, followed by @kbd{i}). This approach uses
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the Info mode of the Emacs program, an editor with many other
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capabilities.
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@end enumerate
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In either case, then type @kbd{mInfo} (just the letters), followed by
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@key{RET}---the ``Return'' or ``Enter'' key. At this point, you should
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be ready to follow the instructions in this manual as you read them on
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the screen.
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@c FIXME! (pesch@cygnus.com, 14 dec 1992)
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@c Is it worth worrying about what-if the beginner goes to somebody
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@c else's Emacs session, which already has an Info running in the middle
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@c of something---in which case these simple instructions won't work?
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@end iftex
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@menu
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* Help-Small-Screen:: Starting Info on a Small Screen
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* Help:: How to use Info
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* Help-P:: Returning to the Previous node
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* Help-^L:: The Space, Rubout, B and ^L commands.
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* Help-M:: Menus
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* Help-Adv:: Some advanced Info commands
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* Help-Q:: Quitting Info
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@end menu
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@node Help-Small-Screen, Help, , Getting Started
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@comment node-name, next, previous, up
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@section Starting Info on a Small Screen
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@iftex
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(In Info, you only see this section if your terminal has a small
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number of lines; most readers pass by it without seeing it.)
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@end iftex
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Since your terminal has an unusually small number of lines on its
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screen, it is necessary to give you special advice at the beginning.
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If you see the text @samp{--All----} at near the bottom right corner
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of the screen, it means the entire text you are looking at fits on the
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screen. If you see @samp{--Top----} instead, it means that there is
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more text below that does not fit. To move forward through the text
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and see another screen full, press the Space bar, @key{SPC}. To move
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back up, press the key labeled @samp{Rubout} or @samp{Delete} or
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@key{DEL}.
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@ifinfo
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Here are 40 lines of junk, so you can try @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} and
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see what they do. At the end are instructions of what you should do
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next.
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This is line 17 @*
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This is line 18 @*
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This is line 19 @*
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This is line 20 @*
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This is line 21 @*
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This is line 22 @*
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This is line 23 @*
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This is line 24 @*
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This is line 25 @*
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This is line 26 @*
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This is line 27 @*
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This is line 28 @*
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This is line 29 @*
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This is line 30 @*
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This is line 31 @*
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This is line 32 @*
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This is line 33 @*
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This is line 34 @*
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This is line 35 @*
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This is line 36 @*
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This is line 37 @*
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This is line 38 @*
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This is line 39 @*
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This is line 40 @*
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This is line 41 @*
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This is line 42 @*
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This is line 43 @*
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This is line 44 @*
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This is line 45 @*
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This is line 46 @*
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This is line 47 @*
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This is line 48 @*
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This is line 49 @*
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This is line 50 @*
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This is line 51 @*
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This is line 52 @*
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This is line 53 @*
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This is line 54 @*
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This is line 55 @*
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This is line 56 @*
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If you have managed to get here, go back to the beginning with
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@key{DEL}, and come back here again, then you understand @key{SPC} and
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@key{DEL}. So now type an @kbd{n}---just one character; do not type
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the quotes and do not type the Return key, @key{RET}, afterward---to
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get to the normal start of the course.
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@end ifinfo
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@node Help, Help-P, Help-Small-Screen, Getting Started
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@comment node-name, next, previous, up
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@section How to use Info
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You are talking to the program Info, for reading documentation.
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Right now you are looking at one @dfn{Node} of Information.
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A node contains text describing a specific topic at a specific
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level of detail. This node's topic is ``how to use Info''.
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The top line of a node is its @dfn{header}. This node's header (look at
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it now) says that it is the node named @samp{Help} in the file
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@file{info}. It says that the @samp{Next} node after this one is the node
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called @samp{Help-P}. An advanced Info command lets you go to any node
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whose name you know.
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Besides a @samp{Next}, a node can have a @samp{Previous} or an @samp{Up}.
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This node has a @samp{Previous} but no @samp{Up}, as you can see.
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Now it is time to move on to the @samp{Next} node, named @samp{Help-P}.
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>> Type @samp{n} to move there. Type just one character;
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do not type the quotes and do not type a @key{RET} afterward.
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@samp{>>} in the margin means it is really time to try a command.
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@node Help-P, Help-^L, Help, Getting Started
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@comment node-name, next, previous, up
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@section Returning to the Previous node
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This node is called @samp{Help-P}. The @samp{Previous} node, as you see,
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is @samp{Help}, which is the one you just came from using the @kbd{n}
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command. Another @kbd{n} command now would take you to the next
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node, @samp{Help-^L}.
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>> But do not do that yet. First, try the @kbd{p} command, which takes
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you to the @samp{Previous} node. When you get there, you can do an
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@kbd{n} again to return here.
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This all probably seems insultingly simple so far, but @emph{do not} be
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led into skimming. Things will get more complicated soon. Also,
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do not try a new command until you are told it is time to. Otherwise,
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you may make Info skip past an important warning that was coming up.
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>> Now do an @kbd{n} to get to the node @samp{Help-^L} and learn more.
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@node Help-^L, Help-M, Help-P, Getting Started
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@comment node-name, next, previous, up
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@section The Space, Rubout, B and ^L commands.
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This node's header tells you that you are now at node @samp{Help-^L}, and
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that @kbd{p} would get you back to @samp{Help-P}. The node's title is
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underlined; it says what the node is about (most nodes have titles).
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This is a big node and it does not all fit on your display screen.
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You can tell that there is more that is not visible because you
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can see the string @samp{--Top-----} rather than @samp{--All----} near
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the bottom right corner of the screen.
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The @key{SPC}, @key{DEL} and @kbd{b} commands exist to allow you to ``move
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around'' in a node that does not all fit on the screen at once.
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@key{SPC} moves forward, to show what was below the bottom of the screen.
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@key{DEL} moves backward, to show what was above the top of the screen
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(there is not anything above the top until you have typed some spaces).
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>> Now try typing a @key{SPC} (afterward, type a @key{DEL} to return here).
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When you type the @key{SPC}, the two lines that were at the bottom
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of the screen appear at the top, followed by more lines. @key{DEL}
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takes the two lines from the top and moves them to the bottom,
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@emph{usually}, but if there are not a full screen's worth of lines above
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them they may not make it all the way to the bottom.
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If you type a @key{SPC} when there is no more to see, it rings the
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bell and otherwise does nothing. The same goes for a @key{DEL} when
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the header of the node is visible.
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If your screen is ever garbaged, you can tell Info to print it out
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again by typing @kbd{C-l} (@kbd{Control-L}, that is---hold down ``Control'' and
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type an @key{L} or @kbd{l}).
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>> Type @kbd{C-l} now.
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To move back to the beginning of the node you are on, you can type
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a lot of @key{DEL}s. You can also type simply @kbd{b} for beginning.
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>> Try that now. (I have put in enough verbiage to make sure you are
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not on the first screenful now). Then come back, typing @key{SPC}
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several times.
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You have just learned a considerable number of commands. If you
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want to use one but have trouble remembering which, you should type
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a @key{?} which prints out a brief list of commands. When you are
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finished looking at the list, make it go away by typing a @key{SPC}.
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>> Type a @key{?} now. After it finishes, type a @key{SPC}.
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(If you are using the standalone Info reader, type `l' to return here.)
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From now on, you will encounter large nodes without warning, and
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will be expected to know how to use @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} to move
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around in them without being told. Since not all terminals have
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the same size screen, it would be impossible to warn you anyway.
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>> Now type @kbd{n} to see the description of the @kbd{m} command.
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@node Help-M, Help-Adv, Help-^L, Getting Started
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@comment node-name, next, previous, up
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@section Menus
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Menus and the @kbd{m} command
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With only the @kbd{n} and @kbd{p} commands for moving between nodes, nodes
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are restricted to a linear sequence. Menus allow a branching
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structure. A menu is a list of other nodes you can move to. It is
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actually just part of the text of the node formatted specially so that
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Info can interpret it. The beginning of a menu is always identified
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by a line which starts with @samp{* Menu:}. A node contains a menu if and
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only if it has a line in it which starts that way. The only menu you
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can use at any moment is the one in the node you are in. To use a
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menu in any other node, you must move to that node first.
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After the start of the menu, each line that starts with a @samp{*}
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identifies one subtopic. The line usually contains a brief name
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for the subtopic (followed by a @samp{:}), the name of the node that talks
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about that subtopic, and optionally some further description of the
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subtopic. Lines in the menu that do not start with a @samp{*} have no
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special meaning---they are only for the human reader's benefit and do
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not define additional subtopics. Here is an example:
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@example
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* Foo: FOO's Node This tells about FOO
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@end example
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The subtopic name is Foo, and the node describing it is @samp{FOO's Node}.
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The rest of the line is just for the reader's Information.
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[[ But this line is not a real menu item, simply because there is
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no line above it which starts with @samp{* Menu:}.]]
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When you use a menu to go to another node (in a way that will be
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described soon), what you specify is the subtopic name, the first
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thing in the menu line. Info uses it to find the menu line, extracts
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the node name from it, and goes to that node. The reason that there
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is both a subtopic name and a node name is that the node name must be
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meaningful to the computer and may therefore have to be ugly looking.
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The subtopic name can be chosen just to be convenient for the user to
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specify. Often the node name is convenient for the user to specify
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and so both it and the subtopic name are the same. There is an
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abbreviation for this:
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@example
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* Foo:: This tells about FOO
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@end example
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@noindent
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This means that the subtopic name and node name are the same; they are
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both @samp{Foo}.
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>> Now use @key{SPC}s to find the menu in this node, then come back to
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the front with a @kbd{b}. As you see, a menu is actually visible in
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its node. If you cannot find a menu in a node by looking at it,
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then the node does not have a menu and the @kbd{m} command is not
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available.
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The command to go to one of the subnodes is @kbd{m}---but @emph{do not do it
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yet!} Before you use @kbd{m}, you must understand the difference between
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commands and arguments. So far, you have learned several commands
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that do not need arguments. When you type one, Info processes it and
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is instantly ready for another command. The @kbd{m} command is different:
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it is incomplete without the @dfn{name of the subtopic}. Once you have
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typed @kbd{m}, Info tries to read the subtopic name.
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Now look for the line containing many dashes near the bottom of the
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screen. There is one more line beneath that one, but usually it is
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blank If it is empty, Info is ready for a command, such as @kbd{n} or @kbd{b}
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or @key{SPC} or @kbd{m}. If that line contains text ending in a colon, it
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mean Info is trying to read the @dfn{argument} to a command. At such
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times, commands do not work, because Info tries to use them as the
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argument. You must either type the argument and finish the command
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you started, or type @kbd{Control-g} to cancel the command. When you have
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done one of those things, the line becomes blank again.
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The command to go to a subnode via a menu is @kbd{m}. After you type
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the @kbd{m}, the line at the bottom of the screen says @samp{Menu item: }.
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You must then type the name of the subtopic you want, and end it with
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a @key{RET}.
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You can abbreviate the subtopic name. If the abbreviation is not
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unique, the first matching subtopic is chosen. Some menus put
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the shortest possible abbreviation for each subtopic name in capital
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letters, so you can see how much you need to type. It does not
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||
matter whether you use upper case or lower case when you type the
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subtopic. You should not put any spaces at the end, or inside of the
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item name, except for one space where a space appears in the item in
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the menu.
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Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice.
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* Menu: The menu starts here.
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This menu givs you three ways of going to one place, Help-FOO.
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* Foo: Help-FOO. A node you can visit for fun.@*
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* Bar: Help-FOO. Strange! two ways to get to the same place.@*
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* Help-FOO:: And yet another!@*
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>> Now type just an @kbd{m} and see what happens:
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Now you are ``inside'' an @kbd{m} command. Commands cannot be used
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now; the next thing you will type must be the name of a subtopic.
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You can change your mind about doing the @kbd{m} by typing Control-g.
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>> Try that now; notice the bottom line clear.
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>> Then type another @kbd{m}.
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>> Now type @samp{BAR} item name. Do not type @key{RET} yet.
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While you are typing the item name, you can use the @key{DEL}
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character to cancel one character at a time if you make a mistake.
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||
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>> Type one to cancel the @samp{R}. You could type another @samp{R} to
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replace it. You do not have to, since @samp{BA} is a valid abbreviation.
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>> Now you are ready to go. Type a @key{RET}.
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After visiting Help-FOO, you should return here.
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>> Type @kbd{n} to see more commands.
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@c If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it.
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@c It is an accident of the menu updating command.
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Here is another way to get to Help-FOO, a menu. You can ignore this
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if you want, or else try it (but then please come back to here).
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@menu
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* Help-FOO::
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@end menu
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@node Help-FOO, , , Help-M
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@comment node-name, next, previous, up
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@subsection The @kbd{u} command
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|
||
Congratulations! This is the node @samp{Help-FOO}. Unlike the other
|
||
nodes you have seen, this one has an @samp{Up}: @samp{Help-M}, the node you
|
||
just came from via the @kbd{m} command. This is the usual
|
||
convention---the nodes you reach from a menu have @samp{Up} nodes that lead
|
||
back to the menu. Menus move Down in the tree, and @samp{Up} moves Up.
|
||
@samp{Previous}, on the other hand, is usually used to ``stay on the same
|
||
level but go backwards''
|
||
|
||
You can go back to the node @samp{Help-M} by typing the command
|
||
@kbd{u} for ``Up''. That puts you at the @emph{front} of the
|
||
node---to get back to where you were reading you have to type
|
||
some @key{SPC}s.
|
||
|
||
>> Now type @kbd{u} to move back up to @samp{Help-M}.
|
||
|
||
@node Help-Adv, Help-Q, Help-M, Getting Started
|
||
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
||
@section Some advanced Info commands
|
||
|
||
The course is almost over, so please stick with it to the end.
|
||
|
||
If you have been moving around to different nodes and wish to
|
||
retrace your steps, the @kbd{l} command (@kbd{l} for @dfn{last}) will
|
||
do that, one node at a time. If you have been following directions,
|
||
an @kbd{l} command now will get you back to @samp{Help-M}. Another
|
||
@kbd{l} command would undo the @kbd{u} and get you back to
|
||
@samp{Help-FOO}. Another @kbd{l} would undo the @kbd{m} and get you
|
||
back to @samp{Help-M}.
|
||
|
||
>> Try typing three @kbd{l}'s, pausing in between to see what each
|
||
@kbd{l} does.
|
||
|
||
Then follow directions again and you will end up back here.
|
||
|
||
Note the difference between @kbd{l} and @kbd{p}: @kbd{l} moves to
|
||
where @emph{you} last were, whereas @kbd{p} always moves to the node
|
||
which the header says is the @samp{Previous} node (from this node, to
|
||
@samp{Help-M}).
|
||
|
||
The @samp{d} command gets you instantly to the Directory node.
|
||
This node, which is the first one you saw when you entered Info,
|
||
has a menu which leads (directly, or indirectly through other menus),
|
||
to all the nodes that exist.
|
||
|
||
>> Try doing a @samp{d}, then do an @kbd{l} to return here (yes,
|
||
@emph{do} return).
|
||
|
||
Sometimes, in Info documentation, you will see a cross reference.
|
||
Cross references look like this: @xref{Help-Cross, Cross}. That is a
|
||
real, live cross reference which is named @samp{Cross} and points at
|
||
the node named @samp{Help-Cross}.
|
||
|
||
If you wish to follow a cross reference, you must use the @samp{f}
|
||
command. The @samp{f} must be followed by the cross reference name
|
||
(in this case, @samp{Cross}). You can use @key{DEL} to edit the name,
|
||
and if you change your mind about following any reference you can use
|
||
@kbd{Control-g} to cancel the command.
|
||
|
||
Completion is available in the @samp{f} command; you can complete among
|
||
all the cross reference names in the current node.
|
||
|
||
>> Type @samp{f}, followed by @samp{Cross}, and a @key{RET}.
|
||
|
||
To get a list of all the cross references in the current node, you can
|
||
type @kbd{?} after an @samp{f}. The @samp{f} continues to await a
|
||
cross reference name even after printing the list, so if you do not
|
||
actually want to follow a reference you should type a @kbd{Control-g}
|
||
to cancel the @samp{f}.
|
||
|
||
>> Type "f?" to get a list of the footnotes in this node. Then type a
|
||
@kbd{Control-g} and see how the @samp{f} gives up.
|
||
|
||
>> Now type @kbd{n} to see the last node of the course.
|
||
|
||
@c If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it.
|
||
@c It is an accident of the menu updating command.
|
||
|
||
@node Help-Cross, , , Help-Adv
|
||
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
||
@unnumberedsubsec The node reached by the cross reference in Info
|
||
|
||
This is the node reached by the cross reference named @samp{Cross}.
|
||
|
||
While this node is specifically intended to be reached by a cross
|
||
reference, most cross references lead to nodes that ``belong''
|
||
someplace else far away in the structure of Info. So you cannot expect
|
||
the footnote to have a @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} or @samp{Up} pointing back to
|
||
where you came from. In general, the @kbd{l} (el) command is the only
|
||
way to get back there.
|
||
|
||
>> Type @kbd{l} to return to the node where the cross reference was.
|
||
|
||
@node Help-Q, , Help-Adv, Getting Started
|
||
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
||
@section Quitting Info
|
||
|
||
To get out of Info, back to what you were doing before, type @kbd{q}
|
||
for @dfn{Quit}.
|
||
|
||
This is the end of the course on using Info. There are some other
|
||
commands that are not essential or are meant for experienced users;
|
||
they are useful, and you can find them by looking in the directory for
|
||
documentation on Info. Finding them will be a good exercise in using
|
||
Info in the usual manner.
|
||
|
||
>> Type @samp{d} to go to the Info directory node; then type
|
||
@samp{mInfo} and @key{RET}, to get to the node about Info
|
||
and see what other help is available.
|
||
|
||
@node Advanced Info, Create an Info File, Getting Started, Top
|
||
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
||
@chapter Info for Experts
|
||
|
||
This chapter describes various advanced Info commands, and how to write
|
||
an Info as distinct from a Texinfo file. (However, in most cases, writing a
|
||
Texinfo file is better, since you can use it @emph{both} to generate an
|
||
Info file and to make a printed manual. @xref{Top,, Overview of
|
||
Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation Format}.)
|
||
|
||
@menu
|
||
* Expert:: Advanced Info commands: g, s, e, and 1 - 5.
|
||
* Add:: Describes how to add new nodes to the hierarchy.
|
||
Also tells what nodes look like.
|
||
* Menus:: How to add to or create menus in Info nodes.
|
||
* Cross-refs:: How to add cross-references to Info nodes.
|
||
* Tags:: How to make tag tables for Info files.
|
||
* Checking:: Checking an Info File
|
||
@end menu
|
||
|
||
@node Expert, Add, , Advanced Info
|
||
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
||
@section Advanced Info Commands
|
||
|
||
@kbd{g}, @kbd{s}, @kbd{1}, -- @kbd{5}, and @kbd{e}
|
||
|
||
If you know a node's name, you can go there by typing @kbd{g}, the
|
||
name, and @key{RET}. Thus, @kbd{gTop@key{RET}} would go to the node
|
||
called @samp{Top} in this file (its directory node).
|
||
@kbd{gExpert@key{RET}} would come back here.
|
||
|
||
Unlike @kbd{m}, @kbd{g} does not allow the use of abbreviations.
|
||
|
||
To go to a node in another file, you can include the filename in the
|
||
node name by putting it at the front, in parentheses. Thus,
|
||
@kbd{g(dir)Top@key{RET}} would go to the Info Directory node, which is
|
||
node @samp{Top} in the file @file{dir}.
|
||
|
||
The node name @samp{*} specifies the whole file. So you can look at
|
||
all of the current file by typing @kbd{g*@key{RET}} or all of any
|
||
other file with @kbd{g(FILENAME)@key{RET}}.
|
||
|
||
The @kbd{s} command allows you to search a whole file for a string.
|
||
It switches to the next node if and when that is necessary. You
|
||
type @kbd{s} followed by the string to search for, terminated by
|
||
@key{RET}. To search for the same string again, just @kbd{s} followed
|
||
by @key{RET} will do. The file's nodes are scanned in the order
|
||
they are in in the file, which has no necessary relationship to the
|
||
order that they may be in in the tree structure of menus and @samp{next} pointers.
|
||
But normally the two orders are not very different. In any case,
|
||
you can always do a @kbd{b} to find out what node you have reached, if
|
||
the header is not visible (this can happen, because @kbd{s} puts your
|
||
cursor at the occurrence of the string, not at the beginning of the
|
||
node).
|
||
|
||
If you grudge the system each character of type-in it requires, you
|
||
might like to use the commands @kbd{1}, @kbd{2}, @kbd{3}, @kbd{4}, and
|
||
@kbd{5}. They are short for the @kbd{m} command together with an
|
||
argument. "1", "2", "3", "4", and "5". @kbd{1} goes through the
|
||
first item in the current node's menu; @kbd{2} goes through the second
|
||
item, etc. Note that numbers larger than 5 are not allowed. If the
|
||
item you want is that far down, you are better off using an
|
||
abbreviation for its name than counting.
|
||
|
||
The Info command @kbd{e} changes from Info mode to an ordinary
|
||
Emacs editing mode, so that you can edit the text of the current node.
|
||
Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to switch back to Info. The @kbd{e} command is allowed
|
||
only if the variable @code{Info-enable-edit} is non-@code{nil}.
|
||
|
||
@node Add, Menus, Expert, Advanced Info
|
||
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
||
@section Adding a new node to Info
|
||
|
||
To add a new topic to the list in the directory, you must:
|
||
|
||
@enumerate
|
||
@item
|
||
Create a node, in some file, to document that topic.
|
||
|
||
@item
|
||
Put that topic in the menu in the directory. @xref{Menus, Menu}.
|
||
@end enumerate
|
||
|
||
The new node can live in an existing documentation file, or in a new
|
||
one. It must have a @key{^_} character before it (invisible to the
|
||
user; this node has one but you cannot see it), and it ends with either
|
||
a @key{^_}, a @key{^L}, or the end of file. Note: If you put in a
|
||
@key{^L} to end a new node, be sure that there is a @key{^_} after it
|
||
to start the next one, since @key{^L} cannot @emph{start} a node.
|
||
Also, a nicer way to make a node boundary be a page boundary as well
|
||
is to put a @key{^L} @emph{right after} the @key{^_}.
|
||
|
||
The @key{^_} starting a node must be followed by a newline or a
|
||
@key{^L} newline, after which comes the node's header line. The
|
||
header line must give the node's name (by which Info finds it),
|
||
and state the names of the @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and @samp{Up} nodes (if
|
||
there are any). As you can see, this node's @samp{Up} node is the node
|
||
@samp{Top}, which points at all the documentation for Info. The @samp{Next}
|
||
node is @samp{Menus}.
|
||
|
||
The keywords @dfn{Node}, @dfn{Previous}, @dfn{Up} and @dfn{Next},
|
||
may appear in any order, anywhere in the header line, but the
|
||
recommended order is the one in this sentence. Each keyword must be
|
||
followed by a colon, spaces and tabs, and then the appropriate name.
|
||
The name may be terminated with a tab, a comma, or a newline. A space
|
||
does not end it; node names may contain spaces. The case of letters
|
||
in the names is insignificant.
|
||
|
||
A node name has two forms. A node in the current file is named by
|
||
what appears after the @samp{Node: } in that node's first line. For
|
||
example, this node's name is @samp{Add}. A node in another file is
|
||
named by @samp{(@var{filename})@var{node-within-file}}, as in
|
||
@samp{(info)Add} for this node. If the file name is relative, it is
|
||
taken starting from the standard Info file directory of your site.
|
||
The name @samp{(@var{filename})Top} can be abbreviated to just
|
||
@samp{(@var{filename})}. By convention, the name @samp{Top} is used for
|
||
the ``highest'' node in any single file---the node whose @samp{Up} points
|
||
out of the file. The Directory node is @file{(dir)}. The @samp{Top} node
|
||
of a document file listed in the Directory should have an @samp{Up:
|
||
(dir)} in it.
|
||
|
||
The node name @kbd{*} is special: it refers to the entire file.
|
||
Thus, @kbd{g*} shows you the whole current file. The use of the
|
||
node @kbd{*} is to make it possible to make old-fashioned,
|
||
unstructured files into nodes of the tree.
|
||
|
||
The @samp{Node:} name, in which a node states its own name, must not
|
||
contain a filename, since Info when searching for a node does not
|
||
expect one to be there. The @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} and @samp{Up} names may
|
||
contain them. In this node, since the @samp{Up} node is in the same file,
|
||
it was not necessary to use one.
|
||
|
||
Note that the nodes in this file have a file name in the header
|
||
line. The file names are ignored by Info, but they serve as comments
|
||
to help identify the node for the user.
|
||
|
||
@node Menus, Cross-refs, Add, Advanced Info
|
||
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
||
@section How to Create Menus
|
||
|
||
Any node in the Info hierarchy may have a @dfn{menu}---a list of subnodes.
|
||
The @kbd{m} command searches the current node's menu for the topic which it
|
||
reads from the terminal.
|
||
|
||
A menu begins with a line starting with @samp{* Menu:}. The rest of the
|
||
line is a comment. After the starting line, every line that begins
|
||
with a @samp{* } lists a single topic. The name of the topic--the
|
||
argument that the user must give to the @kbd{m} command to select this
|
||
topic---comes right after the star and space, and is followed by a
|
||
colon, spaces and tabs, and the name of the node which discusses that
|
||
topic. The node name, like node names following @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}
|
||
and @samp{Up}, may be terminated with a tab, comma, or newline; it may also
|
||
be terminated with a period.
|
||
|
||
If the node name and topic name are the same, than rather than
|
||
giving the name twice, the abbreviation @samp{* NAME::} may be used
|
||
(and should be used, whenever possible, as it reduces the visual
|
||
clutter in the menu).
|
||
|
||
It is considerate to choose the topic names so that they differ
|
||
from each other very near the beginning---this allows the user to type
|
||
short abbreviations. In a long menu, it is a good idea to capitalize
|
||
the beginning of each item name which is the minimum acceptable
|
||
abbreviation for it (a long menu is more than 5 or so entries).
|
||
|
||
The nodes listed in a node's menu are called its ``subnodes'', and
|
||
it is their ``superior''. They should each have an @samp{Up:} pointing at
|
||
the superior. It is often useful to arrange all or most of the
|
||
subnodes in a sequence of @samp{Next} and @samp{Previous} pointers so that someone who
|
||
wants to see them all need not keep revisiting the Menu.
|
||
|
||
The Info Directory is simply the menu of the node @samp{(dir)Top}---that
|
||
is, node @samp{Top} in file @file{.../info/dir}. You can put new entries
|
||
in that menu just like any other menu. The Info Directory is @emph{not} the
|
||
same as the file directory called @file{info}. It happens that many of
|
||
Info's files live on that file directory, but they do not have to; and
|
||
files on that directory are not automatically listed in the Info
|
||
Directory node.
|
||
|
||
Also, although the Info node graph is claimed to be a ``hierarchy'',
|
||
in fact it can be @emph{any} directed graph. Shared structures and
|
||
pointer cycles are perfectly possible, and can be used if they are
|
||
appropriate to the meaning to be expressed. There is no need for all
|
||
the nodes in a file to form a connected structure. In fact, this file
|
||
has two connected components. You are in one of them, which is under
|
||
the node @samp{Top}; the other contains the node @samp{Help} which the
|
||
@kbd{h} command goes to. In fact, since there is no garbage
|
||
collector, nothing terrible happens if a substructure is not pointed
|
||
to, but such a substructure is rather useless since nobody can
|
||
ever find out that it exists.
|
||
|
||
@node Cross-refs, Tags, Menus, Advanced Info
|
||
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
||
@section Creating Cross References
|
||
|
||
A cross reference can be placed anywhere in the text, unlike a menu
|
||
item which must go at the front of a line. A cross reference looks
|
||
like a menu item except that it has @samp{*note} instead of @kbd{*}.
|
||
It @emph{cannot} be terminated by a @samp{)}, because @samp{)}'s are
|
||
so often part of node names. If you wish to enclose a cross reference
|
||
in parentheses, terminate it with a period first. Here are two
|
||
examples of cross references pointers:
|
||
|
||
@example
|
||
*Note details: commands. (See *note 3: Full Proof.)
|
||
@end example
|
||
|
||
They are just examples. The places they ``lead to'' do not really exist!
|
||
|
||
@node Tags, Checking, Cross-refs, Advanced Info
|
||
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
||
@section Tag Tables for Info Files
|
||
|
||
You can speed up the access to nodes of a large Info file by giving
|
||
it a tag table. Unlike the tag table for a program, the tag table for
|
||
an Info file lives inside the file itself and is used
|
||
automatically whenever Info reads in the file.
|
||
|
||
To make a tag table, go to a node in the file using Emacs Info mode and type
|
||
@kbd{M-x Info-tagify}. Then you must use @kbd{C-x C-s} to save the
|
||
file.
|
||
|
||
Once the Info file has a tag table, you must make certain it is up
|
||
to date. If, as a result of deletion of text, any node moves back
|
||
more than a thousand characters in the file from the position
|
||
recorded in the tag table, Info will no longer be able to find that
|
||
node. To update the tag table, use the @code{Info-tagify} command again.
|
||
|
||
An Info file tag table appears at the end of the file and looks like
|
||
this:
|
||
|
||
@example
|
||
^_
|
||
Tag Table:
|
||
File: info, Node: Cross-refs^?21419
|
||
File: info, Node: Tags^?22145
|
||
^_
|
||
End Tag Table
|
||
@end example
|
||
|
||
@noindent
|
||
Note that it contains one line per node, and this line contains
|
||
the beginning of the node's header (ending just after the node name),
|
||
a @key{DEL} character, and the character position in the file of the
|
||
beginning of the node.
|
||
|
||
@node Checking, , Tags, Advanced Info
|
||
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
||
@section Checking an Info File
|
||
|
||
When creating an Info file, it is easy to forget the name of a node
|
||
when you are making a pointer to it from another node. If you put in
|
||
the wrong name for a node, this is not detected until someone
|
||
tries to go through the pointer using Info. Verification of the Info
|
||
file is an automatic process which checks all pointers to nodes and
|
||
reports any pointers which are invalid. Every @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and
|
||
@samp{Up} is checked, as is every menu item and every cross reference. In
|
||
addition, any @samp{Next} which does not have a @samp{Previous} pointing back is
|
||
reported. Only pointers within the file are checked, because checking
|
||
pointers to other files would be terribly slow. But those are usually
|
||
few.
|
||
|
||
To check an Info file, do @kbd{M-x Info-validate} while looking at
|
||
any node of the file with Emacs Info mode.
|
||
|
||
@node Create an Info File, , Advanced Info, Top
|
||
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
||
@chapter Creating an Info File from a Makeinfo file
|
||
|
||
@code{makeinfo} is a utility that converts a Texinfo file into an Info
|
||
file; @code{texinfo-format-region} and @code{texinfo-format-buffer} are
|
||
GNU Emacs functions that do the same.
|
||
|
||
@xref{Create an Info File, , Creating an Info File, texinfo, the Texinfo
|
||
Manual}, to learn how to create an Info file from a Texinfo file.
|
||
|
||
@xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation
|
||
Format}, to learn how to write a Texinfo file.
|
||
|
||
@bye
|
||
|