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\input texinfo.tex @c -*-texinfo-*-
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@c We must \input texinfo.tex instead of texinfo, otherwise make
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@c distcheck in the Texinfo distribution fails, because the texinfo Info
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@c file is made first, and texi2dvi must include . first in the path.
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@comment %**start of header
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@setfilename info.info
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@settitle Info
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@syncodeindex fn cp
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@syncodeindex vr cp
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@syncodeindex ky cp
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@comment %**end of header
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@copying
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This file describes how to use Info, the on-line, menu-driven GNU
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documentation system.
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Copyright (C) 1989, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
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Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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@quotation
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Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
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under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
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any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
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Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
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Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
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license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
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License'' in the Emacs manual.
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(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
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this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
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Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
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This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
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Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
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separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
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license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
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@end quotation
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@end copying
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@dircategory Texinfo documentation system
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@direntry
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* Info: (info). How to use the documentation browsing system.
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@end direntry
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@titlepage
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@title Info
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@subtitle The online, hyper-text GNU documentation system
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@author Brian Fox
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@author and the GNU Texinfo community
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@page
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@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
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@insertcopying
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@end titlepage
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@contents
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@ifnottex
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@node Top
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@top Info: An Introduction
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The GNU Project distributes most of its on-line manuals in the
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@dfn{Info format}, which you read using an @dfn{Info reader}. You are
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probably using an Info reader to read this now.
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There are two primary Info readers: @code{info}, a stand-alone program
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designed just to read Info files, and the @code{info} package in GNU
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Emacs, a general-purpose editor. At present, only the Emacs reader
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supports using a mouse.
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@ifinfo
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If you are new to the Info reader and want to learn how to use it,
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type the command @kbd{h} now. It brings you to a programmed
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instruction sequence.
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To read about expert-level Info commands, type @kbd{n} twice. This
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brings you to @cite{Info for Experts}, skipping over the `Getting
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Started' chapter.
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@end ifinfo
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@end ifnottex
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@menu
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* Getting Started:: Getting started using an Info reader.
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* Expert Info:: Info commands for experts.
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* Creating an Info File:: How to make your own Info file.
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* Index:: An index of topics, commands, and variables.
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@end menu
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@node Getting Started, Expert 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 this 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 briefly explains how to generate Info files from
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Texinfo files.
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@ifnotinfo
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This manual is primarily designed for browsing with an Info reader
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program on a computer, so that you can try Info commands while reading
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about them. Reading it on paper or with an HTML browser 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
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now that you have it; but please try going through the on-line version
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as well.
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@cindex Info reader, how to invoke
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@cindex entering Info
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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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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}
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(@kbd{Control-h}, followed by @kbd{i}). This approach uses the Info
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mode of the Emacs editor.
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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 ifnotinfo
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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, DEL, B and ^L commands.
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* Help-Inv:: Invisible text in Emacs Info.
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* Help-M:: Menus.
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* Help-Xref:: Following cross-references.
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* Help-Int:: Some intermediate Info commands.
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* Help-Q:: Quitting Info.
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@end menu
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@node Help-Small-Screen
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@section Starting Info on a Small Screen
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@ifnotinfo
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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 ifnotinfo
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1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@cindex small screen, moving around
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Since your terminal has a relatively 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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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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If you see the text @samp{--All----} 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 @key{SPC}, the Space bar. To move
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back up, press the key labeled @samp{Backspace} or @samp{DEL} (on some
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keyboards, this key might be labeled @samp{Delete}).
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1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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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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1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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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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@format
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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 59
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@end format
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1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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If you have managed to get here, go back to the beginning with
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@kbd{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}), and come back here again, then you
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understand the about the @samp{Space} and @samp{Backspace} keys. So
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2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
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now type an @kbd{n}---just one character; don't type the quotes and
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don't type the Return key afterward---to get to the normal start of
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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the course.
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1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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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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|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
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There are two ways to use Info: from within Emacs or as a
|
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stand-alone reader that you can invoke from a shell using the command
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@command{info}.
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@cindex node, in Info documents
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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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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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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level of detail. This node's topic is ``how to use Info''. The mode
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line says that this is node @samp{Help} in the file @file{info}.
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1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@cindex header of Info node
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
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The top line of a node is its @dfn{header}. This node's header
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(look at it now) says that the @samp{Next} node after this one is the
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node called @samp{Help-P}. An advanced Info command lets you go to
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any node whose name you know. In the stand-alone Info reader program,
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the header line shows the names of this node and the info file as
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well. In Emacs, the header line is duplicated in a special typeface,
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and the duplicate remains at the top of the window all the time even
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if you scroll through the node.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
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|
Besides a @samp{Next}, a node can have a @samp{Previous} link, or an
|
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@samp{Up} link, or both. As you can see, this node has all of these
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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links.
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@kindex n @r{(Info mode)}
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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|
Now it is time to move on to the @samp{Next} node, named @samp{Help-P}.
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@format
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>> Type @kbd{n} to move there. Type just one character;
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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do not type the quotes and do not type a @key{RET} afterward.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@noindent
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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|
@samp{>>} in the margin means it is really time to try a command.
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@format
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
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>> If you are in Emacs and have a mouse, and if you already practiced
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|
typing @kbd{n} to get to the next node, click now with the middle
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|
mouse button on the @samp{Next} link to do the same ``the mouse way''.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@end format
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1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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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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|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@kindex p @r{(Info mode)}
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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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
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
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node, @samp{Help-^L}.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@format
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2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
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>> But do not type @kbd{n} yet. First, try the @kbd{p} command, or
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|
(in Emacs) click the middle mouse button on the @samp{Prev} link.
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|
That takes you to the @samp{Previous} node. Then use @kbd{n} to
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|
return here.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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|
@end format
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If you read this in Emacs, you will see an @samp{Info} item in the
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
menu bar, close to its right edge. Clicking the mouse on the
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@samp{Info} menu-bar item opens a menu of commands which include
|
|
|
|
@samp{Next} and @samp{Prev} (and also some others which you didn't yet
|
|
|
|
learn about).
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
This all probably seems insultingly simple so far, but @emph{please
|
|
|
|
don't} start skimming. Things will get complicated soon enough!
|
|
|
|
Also, please do not try a new command until you are told it is time
|
|
|
|
to. You could make Info skip past an important warning that was
|
|
|
|
coming up.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@format
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
>> Now do an @kbd{n}, or (in Emacs) click the middle mouse button on
|
|
|
|
the @samp{Next} link, to get to the node @samp{Help-^L} and learn more.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Help-^L, Help-Inv, Help-P, Getting Started
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
@section The Space, DEL, B and ^L commands
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
This node's mode line tells you that you are now at node
|
|
|
|
@samp{Help-^L}, and the header line tells you that @kbd{p} would get
|
|
|
|
you back to @samp{Help-P}. The node's title is highlighted and may be
|
|
|
|
underlined as well; it says what the node is about.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is a big node and it does not all fit on your display screen.
|
|
|
|
You can tell that there is more that is not visible because you
|
|
|
|
can see the string @samp{--Top-----} rather than @samp{--All----} near
|
|
|
|
the bottom right corner of the screen.
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@kindex SPC @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@kindex DEL @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@kindex BACKSPACE @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-scroll-up
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-scroll-down
|
|
|
|
The @key{SPC}, @key{BACKSPACE} (or @key{DEL})@footnote{The key which
|
|
|
|
we call ``Backspace or DEL'' in this manual is labeled differently on
|
|
|
|
different keyboards. Look for a key which is a little ways above the
|
|
|
|
@key{ENTER} or @key{RET} key and which you normally use outside Emacs
|
|
|
|
to erase the character before the cursor, i.e.@: the character you
|
|
|
|
typed last. It might be labeled @samp{Backspace} or @samp{<-} or
|
|
|
|
@samp{DEL}, or sometimes @samp{Delete}.} and @kbd{b} commands exist to
|
|
|
|
allow you to ``move around'' in a node that does not all fit on the
|
|
|
|
screen at once. @key{SPC} moves forward, to show what was below the
|
|
|
|
bottom of the screen. @key{DEL} or @key{BACKSPACE} moves backward, to
|
|
|
|
show what was above the top of the screen (there is not anything above
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
the top until you have typed some spaces).
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@format
|
|
|
|
>> Now try typing a @key{SPC} (afterward, type a @key{BACKSPACE} to
|
|
|
|
return here).
|
|
|
|
@end format
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When you type the @key{SPC}, the two lines that were at the bottom of
|
|
|
|
the screen appear at the top, followed by more lines. @key{DEL} or
|
|
|
|
@key{BACKSPACE} takes the two lines from the top and moves them to the
|
|
|
|
bottom, @emph{usually}, but if there are not a full screen's worth of
|
|
|
|
lines above them they may not make it all the way to the bottom.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you are reading this in Emacs, note that the header line is
|
|
|
|
always visible, never scrolling off the display. That way, you can
|
|
|
|
always see the @samp{Next}, @samp{Prev}, and @samp{Up} links, and you
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
can conveniently go to one of these links at any time by
|
|
|
|
clicking the middle mouse button on the link.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@cindex reading Info documents top to bottom
|
|
|
|
@cindex Info documents as tutorials
|
|
|
|
@key{SPC} and @key{DEL} not only move forward and backward through
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
the current node. They also move between nodes. @key{SPC} at the end
|
|
|
|
of a node moves to the next node; @key{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}) at
|
|
|
|
the beginning of a node moves to the previous node. In effect, these
|
|
|
|
commands scroll through all the nodes in an Info file as a single
|
|
|
|
logical sequence. You can read an entire manual top to bottom by just
|
|
|
|
typing @key{SPC}, and move backward through the entire manual from
|
|
|
|
bottom to top by typing @key{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In this sequence, a node's subnodes appear following their parent.
|
|
|
|
If a node has a menu, @key{SPC} takes you into the subnodes listed in
|
|
|
|
the menu, one by one. Once you reach the end of a node, and have seen
|
|
|
|
all of its subnodes, @key{SPC} takes you to the next node or to the
|
|
|
|
parent's next node.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kindex PAGEUP @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@kindex PAGEDOWN @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
Many keyboards nowadays have two scroll keys labeled @samp{PageUp}
|
|
|
|
and @samp{PageDown} (or maybe @samp{Prior} and @samp{Next}). If your
|
|
|
|
keyboard has these keys, you can use them to move forward and backward
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
through the text of one node, like @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} (or
|
|
|
|
@key{DEL}). However, @key{PAGEUP} and @key{PAGEDOWN} keys never
|
|
|
|
scroll beyond the beginning or the end of the current node.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kindex C-l @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
If your screen is ever garbaged, you can tell Info to display it
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
again by typing @kbd{C-l} (@kbd{Control-L}---that is, hold down
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@key{CTRL} and type @kbd{L} or @kbd{l}).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
>> Type @kbd{C-l} now.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@kindex b @r{(Info mode)}
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
To move back to the beginning of the node you are on, you can type
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
the @key{BACKSPACE} key (or @key{DEL}) many times. You can also type
|
|
|
|
@kbd{b} just once. @kbd{b} stands for ``beginning.''
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
>> Try that now. (We have put in enough verbiage to push this past
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
the first screenful, but screens are so big nowadays that perhaps it
|
|
|
|
isn't enough. You may need to shrink your Emacs or Info window.)
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
Then come back, by typing @key{SPC} one or more times.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
If your screen is very tall, all of this node might fit at once. In
|
|
|
|
that case, @kbd{b} won't do anything. But you could observe the
|
|
|
|
effect of the @kbd{b} key if you use a smaller window.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@kindex ? @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-summary
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
You have just learned a considerable number of commands. If you
|
|
|
|
want to use one but have trouble remembering which, you should type
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
a @kbd{?} (in Emacs it runs the @code{Info-summary} command) which
|
|
|
|
displays a brief list of commands. When you are finished looking at
|
|
|
|
the list, make it go away by typing a @key{SPC} repeatedly.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
>> Type a @key{?} now. Press @key{SPC} to see consecutive screenfuls of
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
the list until finished. Then type @key{SPC} several times. If
|
|
|
|
you are using Emacs, the help will then go away automatically.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(If you are using the stand-alone Info reader, type @kbd{C-x 0} to
|
|
|
|
return here, that is---press and hold @key{CTRL}, type an @kbd{x},
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
then release @key{CTRL} and @kbd{x}, and press @kbd{0}; that's a zero,
|
|
|
|
not the letter ``o''.)
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From now on, you will encounter large nodes without warning, and
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
will be expected to know how to use @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} to
|
|
|
|
move around in them without being told. Since not all terminals have
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
the same size screen, it would be impossible to warn you anyway.
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@format
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
>> Now type @kbd{n}, or click the middle mouse button on the @samp{Next} link,
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
to visit the next node.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Help-Inv, Help-M, Help-^L, Getting Started
|
|
|
|
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
|
|
@section Invisible text in Emacs Info
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Before discussing menus, we need to make some remarks that are only
|
|
|
|
relevant to users reading Info using Emacs. Users of the stand-alone
|
|
|
|
version can skip this node by typing @kbd{]} now.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@cindex invisible text in Emacs
|
|
|
|
In Emacs, certain text that appears in the stand-alone version is
|
|
|
|
normally hidden, technically because it has the @samp{invisibility}
|
|
|
|
property. Invisible text is really a part of the text. It becomes
|
|
|
|
visible (by default) after killing and yanking, it appears in printed
|
|
|
|
output, it gets saved to file just like any other text, and so on.
|
|
|
|
Thus it is useful to know it is there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@findex visible-mode
|
|
|
|
You can make invisible text visible by using the command @kbd{M-x
|
|
|
|
visible-mode}. Visible mode is a minor mode, so using the command a
|
|
|
|
second time will make the text invisible again. Watch the effects of
|
|
|
|
the command on the ``menu'' below and the top line of this node.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you prefer to @emph{always} see the invisible text, you can set
|
|
|
|
@code{Info-hide-note-references} to @code{nil}. Enabling Visible mode
|
|
|
|
permanently is not a real alternative, because Emacs Info also uses
|
|
|
|
(although less extensively) another text property that can change the
|
|
|
|
text being displayed, the @samp{display} property. Only the
|
|
|
|
invisibility property is affected by Visible mode. When, in this
|
|
|
|
tutorial, we refer to the @samp{Emacs} behavior, we mean the
|
|
|
|
@emph{default} Emacs behavior.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Now type @kbd{]}, to learn about the @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
|
|
* ]: Help-]. Node telling about ].
|
|
|
|
* stuff: Help-]. Same node.
|
|
|
|
* Help-]:: Yet again, same node.
|
|
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Help-], , , Help-Inv
|
|
|
|
@subsection The @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you type @kbd{n} now, you get an error message saying that this
|
|
|
|
node has no next node. Similarly, if you type @kbd{p}, the error
|
|
|
|
message tells you that there is no previous node. (The exact message
|
|
|
|
depends on the Info reader you use.) This is because @kbd{n} and
|
|
|
|
@kbd{p} carry you to the next and previous node @emph{at the same
|
|
|
|
level}. The present node is contained in a menu (see next) of the
|
|
|
|
node you came from, and hence is considered to be at a lower level.
|
|
|
|
It is the only node in the previous node's menu (even though it was
|
|
|
|
listed three times). Hence it has no next or previous node that
|
|
|
|
@kbd{n} or @kbd{p} could move to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you systematically move through a manual by typing @kbd{n}, you run
|
|
|
|
the risk of skipping many nodes. You do not run this risk if you
|
|
|
|
systematically use @kbd{@key{SPC}}, because, when you scroll to the
|
|
|
|
bottom of a node and type another @kbd{@key{SPC}}, then this carries
|
|
|
|
you to the following node in the manual @emph{regardless of level}.
|
|
|
|
If you immediately want to go to that node, without having to scroll
|
|
|
|
to the bottom of the screen first, you can type @kbd{]}.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Similarly, @kbd{@key{BACKSPACE}} carries you to the preceding node
|
|
|
|
regardless of level, after you scrolled to the beginning of the
|
|
|
|
present node. If you want to go to the preceding node immediately,
|
|
|
|
you can type @kbd{[}.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
For instance, typing this sequence will come back here in three steps:
|
|
|
|
@kbd{[ n [}. To do the same backward, type @kbd{] p ]}.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Now type @kbd{]} to go to the next node and learn about menus.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Help-M, Help-Xref, Help-Inv, Getting Started
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@section Menus and the @kbd{m} command
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@cindex menus in an Info document
|
|
|
|
@cindex Info menus
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
With only the @kbd{n} (next), @kbd{p} (previous), @kbd{@key{SPC}},
|
|
|
|
@kbd{@key{BACKSPACE}}, @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands for moving between
|
|
|
|
nodes, nodes are restricted to a linear sequence. Menus allow a
|
|
|
|
branching structure. A menu is a list of other nodes you can move to.
|
|
|
|
It is actually just part of the text of the node formatted specially
|
|
|
|
so that Info can interpret it. The beginning of a menu is always
|
|
|
|
identified by a line which starts with @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. A node
|
|
|
|
contains a menu if and only if it has a line in it which starts that
|
|
|
|
way. The only menu you can use at any moment is the one in the node
|
|
|
|
you are in. To use a menu in any other node, you must move to that
|
|
|
|
node first.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After the start of the menu, each line that starts with a @samp{*}
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
identifies one subtopic. The line usually contains a brief name for
|
|
|
|
the subtopic (followed by a @samp{:}, normally hidden in Emacs), the
|
|
|
|
name of the node that talks about that subtopic (again, normally
|
|
|
|
hidden in Emacs), and optionally some further description of the
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
subtopic. Lines in the menu that do not start with a @samp{*} have no
|
|
|
|
special meaning---they are only for the human reader's benefit and do
|
|
|
|
not define additional subtopics. Here is an example:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@example
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
* Foo: Node about FOO. This tells about FOO.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
The subtopic name is Foo, and the node describing it is @samp{Node
|
|
|
|
about FOO}. The rest of the line is just for the reader's
|
|
|
|
Information. [[ But this line is not a real menu item, simply because
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
there is no line above it which starts with @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. Also,
|
|
|
|
in a real menu item, the @samp{*} would appear at the very start of
|
|
|
|
the line. This is why the ``normally hidden'' text in Emacs, namely
|
|
|
|
@samp{: Node about FOO.}, is actually visible in this example, even
|
|
|
|
when Visible mode is off.]]
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When you use a menu to go to another node (in a way that will be
|
|
|
|
described soon), what you specify is the subtopic name, the first
|
|
|
|
thing in the menu line. Info uses it to find the menu line, extracts
|
|
|
|
the node name from it, and goes to that node. The reason that there
|
|
|
|
is both a subtopic name and a node name is that the node name must be
|
|
|
|
meaningful to the computer and may therefore have to be ugly looking.
|
|
|
|
The subtopic name can be chosen just to be convenient for the user to
|
|
|
|
specify. Often the node name is convenient for the user to specify
|
|
|
|
and so both it and the subtopic name are the same. There is an
|
|
|
|
abbreviation for this:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@example
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
* Foo:: This tells about FOO.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@end example
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
|
|
This means that the subtopic name and node name are the same; they are
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
both @samp{Foo}. (The @samp{::} is normally hidden in Emacs.)
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@format
|
|
|
|
>> Now use @key{SPC} to find the menu in this node, then come back to
|
|
|
|
the front with a @kbd{b} and some @key{SPC}s. As you see, a menu is
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
actually visible in its node. If you cannot find a menu in a node
|
|
|
|
by looking at it, then the node does not have a menu and the
|
|
|
|
@kbd{m} command is not available.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
If you keep typing @key{SPC} once the menu appears on the screen, it
|
|
|
|
will move to another node (the first one in the menu). If that
|
|
|
|
happens, type @key{BACKSPACE} to come back.
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@kindex m @r{(Info mode)}
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
The command to go to one of the subnodes is @kbd{m}. This is very
|
|
|
|
different from the commands you have used: it is a command that
|
|
|
|
prompts you for more input.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Info commands you know do not need additional input; when you
|
|
|
|
type one of them, Info processes it instantly and then is ready for
|
|
|
|
another command. The @kbd{m} command is different: it needs to know
|
|
|
|
the @dfn{name of the subtopic}. Once you have typed @kbd{m}, Info
|
|
|
|
tries to read the subtopic name.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
Now, in the stand-alone Info, look for the line containing many
|
|
|
|
dashes near the bottom of the screen. (This is the stand-alone
|
|
|
|
equivalent for the mode line in Emacs.) There is one more line
|
|
|
|
beneath that one, but usually it is blank. (In Emacs, this is the
|
|
|
|
echo area.) When it is blank, Info is ready for a command, such as
|
|
|
|
@kbd{n} or @kbd{b} or @key{SPC} or @kbd{m}. If that line contains
|
|
|
|
text ending in a colon, it means Info is reading more input for the
|
|
|
|
last command. You can't type an Info command then, because Info is
|
|
|
|
trying to read input, not commands. You must either give the input
|
|
|
|
and finish the command you started, or type @kbd{Control-g} to cancel
|
|
|
|
the command. When you have done one of those things, the input entry
|
|
|
|
line becomes blank again. Then you can type Info commands again.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@findex Info-menu
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
The command to go to a subnode via a menu is @kbd{m}. After you type
|
|
|
|
the @kbd{m}, the line at the bottom of the screen says @samp{Menu item: }.
|
|
|
|
You must then type the name of the subtopic you want, and end it with
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
a @key{RET}. In Emacs, @kbd{m} runs the command @code{Info-menu}.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@cindex abbreviating Info subnodes
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
You can abbreviate the subtopic name. If the abbreviation is not
|
|
|
|
unique, the first matching subtopic is chosen. Some menus put
|
|
|
|
the shortest possible abbreviation for each subtopic name in capital
|
|
|
|
letters, so you can see how much you need to type. It does not
|
|
|
|
matter whether you use upper case or lower case when you type the
|
|
|
|
subtopic. You should not put any spaces at the end, or inside of the
|
|
|
|
item name, except for one space where a space appears in the item in
|
|
|
|
the menu.
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@cindex completion of Info node names
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
You can also use the @dfn{completion} feature to help enter the
|
|
|
|
subtopic name. If you type the @key{TAB} key after entering part of a
|
|
|
|
name, it will fill in more of the name---as much as Info can deduce
|
|
|
|
from the part you have entered.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you move the cursor to one of the menu subtopic lines, then you do
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
not need to type the argument: you just type a @key{RET}, and it
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
stands for the subtopic of the line you are on. You can also click
|
|
|
|
the middle mouse button directly on the subtopic line to go there.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
|
|
|
Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice. This menu gives you
|
|
|
|
three ways of going to one place, Help-FOO:
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
|
|
* Foo: Help-FOO. A node you can visit for fun.
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
* Bar: Help-FOO. We have made two ways to get to the same place.
|
2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
|
|
|
* Help-FOO:: And yet another!
|
|
|
|
@end menu
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
(Turn Visible mode on if you are using Emacs.)
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
>> Now type just an @kbd{m} and see what happens:
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Now you are ``inside'' an @kbd{m} command. Commands cannot be used
|
|
|
|
now; the next thing you will type must be the name of a subtopic.
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
You can change your mind about doing the @kbd{m} by typing
|
|
|
|
@kbd{Control-g}.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
>> Try that now; notice the bottom line clear.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
>> Then type another @kbd{m}.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@format
|
|
|
|
>> Now type @kbd{BAR}, the item name. Do not type @key{RET} yet.
|
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
While you are typing the item name, you can use the @key{DEL} (or
|
|
|
|
@key{BACKSPACE}) key to cancel one character at a time if you make a
|
|
|
|
mistake.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@format
|
|
|
|
>> Press @key{DEL} to cancel the @samp{R}. You could type another @kbd{R}
|
|
|
|
to replace it. But you do not have to, since @samp{BA} is a valid
|
|
|
|
abbreviation.
|
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
>> Now you are ready to go. Type a @key{RET}.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After visiting @samp{Help-FOO}, you should return here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another way to move to the menu subtopic lines and between them is
|
|
|
|
to type @key{TAB}. Each time you type a @key{TAB}, you move to the
|
|
|
|
next subtopic line. To move to a previous subtopic line, type
|
|
|
|
@kbd{M-@key{TAB}}---that is, press and hold the @key{META} key and then
|
|
|
|
press @key{TAB}. (On some keyboards, the @key{META} key might be labeled
|
|
|
|
@samp{Alt}.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Once you move cursor to a subtopic line, press @key{RET} to go to
|
|
|
|
that subtopic's node.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@cindex mouse support in Info mode
|
|
|
|
@kindex Mouse-2 @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
If your terminal supports a mouse, you have yet another way of going
|
|
|
|
to a subtopic. Move your mouse pointer to the subtopic line,
|
|
|
|
somewhere between the beginning @samp{*} and the colon @samp{:} which
|
|
|
|
ends the subtopic's brief name. You will see the subtopic's name
|
|
|
|
change its appearance (usually, its background color will change), and
|
|
|
|
the shape of the mouse pointer will change if your platform supports
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
that. After a while, if you leave the mouse on that spot, a small
|
|
|
|
window will pop up, saying ``Mouse-2: go to that node'', or the same
|
|
|
|
message may appear at the bottom of the screen.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kbd{Mouse-2} is the second button of your mouse counting from the
|
|
|
|
left---the middle button on a 3-button mouse. (On a 2-button mouse,
|
|
|
|
you may have to press both buttons together to ``press the middle
|
|
|
|
button''.) The message tells you pressing @kbd{Mouse-2} with the
|
|
|
|
current position of the mouse pointer (on subtopic in the menu) will
|
|
|
|
go to that subtopic.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-mouse-follow-nearest-node
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
More generally, @kbd{Mouse-2} in an Info buffer finds the nearest
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
link to another node and goes there. For example, near a cross
|
|
|
|
reference it acts like @kbd{f}, in a menu it acts like @kbd{m}, on the
|
|
|
|
node's header line it acts like @kbd{n}, @kbd{p}, or @kbd{u}, etc. At
|
|
|
|
end of the node's text @kbd{Mouse-2} moves to the next node, or up if
|
|
|
|
there's no next node.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@format
|
|
|
|
>> Type @kbd{n} to see more commands.
|
|
|
|
@end format
|
|
|
|
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Help-FOO, , , Help-M
|
|
|
|
@subsection The @kbd{u} command
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
Congratulations! This is the node @samp{Help-FOO}. It has an @samp{Up}
|
|
|
|
pointer @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''.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@kindex u @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-up
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
You can go back to the node @samp{Help-M} by typing the command
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@kbd{u} for ``Up'' (the Emacs command run by @kbd{u} is
|
|
|
|
@code{Info-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.
|
|
|
|
(Some Info readers, such as the one built into Emacs, put you at the
|
|
|
|
same place where you were reading in @samp{Help-M}.)
|
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
Another way to go Up is to click @kbd{Mouse-2} on the @samp{Up}
|
|
|
|
pointer shown in the header line (provided that you have a mouse).
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
>> Now type @kbd{u} to move back up to @samp{Help-M}.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Help-Xref, Help-Int, Help-M, Getting Started
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@section Following Cross-References
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@cindex cross references in Info documents
|
|
|
|
In Info documentation, you will see many @dfn{cross references}.
|
|
|
|
Cross references look like this: @xref{Help-Cross, Cross}. That text
|
|
|
|
is a real, live cross reference, whose name is @samp{Cross} and which
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
points to the node named @samp{Help-Cross}. (The node name is hidden
|
|
|
|
in Emacs. Do @kbd{M-x visible-mode} to show or hide it.)
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kindex f @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-follow-reference
|
|
|
|
There are two ways to follow a cross reference. You can move the
|
|
|
|
cursor to it and press @key{RET}, just as in a menu. @key{RET}
|
|
|
|
follows the cross reference that the cursor is on. Or you can type
|
|
|
|
@kbd{f} and then specify the name of the cross reference (in this
|
|
|
|
case, @samp{Cross}) as an argument. In Emacs Info, @kbd{f} runs
|
|
|
|
@code{Info-follow-reference},
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In the @kbd{f} command, you select the cross reference with its
|
|
|
|
name, so it does not matter where the cursor was. If the cursor is on
|
|
|
|
or near a cross reference, @kbd{f} suggests that reference name in
|
|
|
|
parentheses as the default; typing @key{RET} will follow that
|
|
|
|
reference. However, if you type a different reference name, @kbd{f}
|
|
|
|
will follow the other reference which has that name.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@format
|
|
|
|
>> Type @kbd{f}, followed by @kbd{Cross}, and then @key{RET}.
|
|
|
|
@end format
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
As you enter the reference name, you can use the @key{DEL} (or
|
|
|
|
@key{BACKSPACE}) key to edit your input. If you change your mind
|
|
|
|
about following any reference, you can use @kbd{Control-g} to cancel
|
|
|
|
the command. Completion is available in the @kbd{f} command; you can
|
|
|
|
complete among all the cross reference names in the current node by
|
|
|
|
typing a @key{TAB}.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To get a list of all the cross references in the current node, you
|
|
|
|
can type @kbd{?} after an @kbd{f}. The @kbd{f} continues to await a
|
|
|
|
cross reference name even after displaying the list, so if you don't
|
|
|
|
actually want to follow a reference, you should type a @kbd{Control-g}
|
|
|
|
to cancel the @kbd{f}.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@format
|
|
|
|
>> Type @kbd{f?} to get a list of the cross references in this node. Then
|
|
|
|
type a @kbd{Control-g} and see how the @samp{f} gives up.
|
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
The @key{TAB} and @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} key, which move between menu
|
|
|
|
items in a menu, also move between cross references outside of menus.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
Sometimes a cross reference (or a node) can lead to another file (in
|
|
|
|
other words another ``manual''), or, on occasion, even a file on a
|
|
|
|
remote machine (although Info files distributed with Emacs or the
|
|
|
|
stand-alone Info avoid using remote links). Such a cross reference
|
|
|
|
looks like this: @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo:
|
|
|
|
The GNU Documentation Format}. (After following this link, type
|
|
|
|
@kbd{l} to get back to this node.) Here the name @samp{texinfo}
|
|
|
|
between parentheses (shown in the stand-alone version) refers to the
|
|
|
|
file name. This file name appears in cross references and node names
|
|
|
|
if it differs from the current file. In Emacs, the file name is
|
|
|
|
hidden (along with other text). (Use @kbd{M-x visible-mode} to show
|
|
|
|
or hide it.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The remainder of this node applies only to the Emacs version. If
|
|
|
|
you use the stand-alone version, you can type @kbd{n} immediately.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To some users, switching manuals is a much bigger switch than
|
|
|
|
switching sections. These users like to know that they are going to
|
|
|
|
be switching to another manual (and which one) before actually doing
|
|
|
|
so, especially given that, if one does not notice, Info commands like
|
|
|
|
@kbd{t} (see the next node) can have confusing results.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you put your mouse over the cross reference and if the cross
|
|
|
|
reference leads to a different manual, then the information appearing
|
|
|
|
in a separate box (tool tip) or in the echo area, will mention the
|
|
|
|
file the cross reference will carry you to (between parentheses).
|
|
|
|
This is also true for menu subtopic names. If you have a mouse, just
|
|
|
|
leave it over the @samp{Overview} cross reference above and watch what
|
|
|
|
happens.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If you always like to have that information available without having
|
|
|
|
to move your mouse over the cross reference, set
|
|
|
|
@code{Info-hide-note-references} to a value other than t (@pxref{Emacs
|
|
|
|
Info Variables}). You might also want to do that if you have a lot of
|
|
|
|
cross references to files on remote machines and have non-permanent or
|
|
|
|
slow access, since otherwise you might not be able to distinguish
|
|
|
|
between local and remote links.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@format
|
|
|
|
>> Now type @kbd{n} to learn more commands.
|
|
|
|
@end format
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Help-Int, Help-Q, Help-Xref, Getting Started
|
|
|
|
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
|
|
@section Some intermediate Info commands
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The introductory course is almost over; please continue
|
|
|
|
a little longer to learn some intermediate-level commands.
|
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
Most Info files have an index, which is actually a large node
|
|
|
|
containing little but a menu. The menu has one menu item for each
|
|
|
|
topic listed in the index. (As a special feature, menus for indices
|
|
|
|
may also include the line number within the node of the index entry.
|
|
|
|
This allows Info readers to go to the exact line of an entry, not just
|
|
|
|
the start of the containing node.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You can get to the index from the main menu of the file with the
|
|
|
|
@kbd{m} command; then you can use the @kbd{m} command again in the
|
|
|
|
index node to go to the node that describes the topic you want.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There is also a short-cut Info command, @kbd{i}, which does all of
|
|
|
|
that for you. It searches the index for a given topic (a string) and
|
|
|
|
goes to the node which is listed in the index for that topic.
|
|
|
|
@xref{Info Search}, for a full explanation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kindex l @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-last
|
|
|
|
@cindex going back in Info mode
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
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-step at a time. As you move from node to node, Info
|
|
|
|
records the nodes where you have been in a special history list. The
|
|
|
|
@kbd{l} command revisits nodes in the history list; each successive
|
|
|
|
@kbd{l} command moves one step back through the history.
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
In Emacs, @kbd{l} runs the command @code{Info-last}.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@format
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
>> Try typing @kbd{p p n} and then three @kbd{l}'s, pausing in between
|
|
|
|
to see what each @kbd{l} does. You should wind up right back here.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
which the header says is the @samp{Previous} node (from this node, the
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
@samp{Prev} link leads to @samp{Help-Xref}).
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kindex d @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-directory
|
|
|
|
@cindex go to Directory node
|
|
|
|
The @kbd{d} command (@code{Info-directory} in Emacs) 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. The
|
|
|
|
Directory node lists all the manuals and other Info documents that
|
|
|
|
are, or could be, installed on your system.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@format
|
|
|
|
>> Try doing a @kbd{d}, then do an @kbd{l} to return here (yes,
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@emph{do} return).
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kindex t @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-top-node
|
|
|
|
@cindex go to Top node
|
|
|
|
The @kbd{t} command moves to the @samp{Top} node of the manual.
|
|
|
|
This is useful if you want to browse the manual's main menu, or select
|
|
|
|
some specific top-level menu item. The Emacs command run by @kbd{t}
|
|
|
|
is @code{Info-top-node}.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Clicking @kbd{Mouse-2} on or near a cross reference also follows the
|
|
|
|
reference. You can see that the cross reference is mouse-sensitive by
|
|
|
|
moving the mouse pointer to the reference and watching how the
|
|
|
|
underlying text and the mouse pointer change in response.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
>> Now type @kbd{n} to see the last node of the course.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@end format
|
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
@xref{Expert Info}, for more advanced Info features.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@c If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it.
|
|
|
|
@c It is an accident of the menu updating command.
|
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Expert Info
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@chapter Info for Experts
|
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
This chapter describes various Info commands for experts. (If you
|
|
|
|
are using a stand-alone Info reader, there are additional commands
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
specific to it, which are documented in several chapters of @ref{Top,,
|
|
|
|
GNU Info, info-stnd, GNU Info}.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This chapter also explains how to write an Info as distinct from a
|
|
|
|
Texinfo file. (However, in most cases, writing a Texinfo file is
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
better, since you can use it to make a printed manual or produce other
|
|
|
|
formats, such as HTML and DocBook, as well as for generating Info
|
|
|
|
files.) @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
Documentation Format}.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
* Advanced:: Advanced Info commands: g, e, and 1 - 9.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
* Info Search:: How to search Info documents for specific subjects.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
* 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.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
* Tags:: How to make tags tables for Info files.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
* Checking:: Checking an Info File
|
|
|
|
* Emacs Info Variables:: Variables modifying the behavior of Emacs Info.
|
|
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Advanced, Info Search, , Expert Info
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
|
|
@section Advanced Info Commands
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
Here are some more Info commands that make it easier to move around.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
@subheading @kbd{g} goes to a node by name
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kindex g @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-goto-node
|
|
|
|
@cindex go to a node by name
|
|
|
|
If you know a node's name, you can go there by typing @kbd{g}, the
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
name, and @key{RET}. Thus, @kbd{gTop@key{RET}} would go to the node
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
called @samp{Top} in this file. (This is equivalent to @kbd{t}, see
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
@ref{Help-Int}.) @kbd{gAdvanced@key{RET}} would come back here.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@kbd{g} in Emacs runs the command @code{Info-goto-node}.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
Unlike @kbd{m}, @kbd{g} does not allow the use of abbreviations.
|
|
|
|
But it does allow completion, so you can type @key{TAB} to complete a
|
|
|
|
partial node name.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@cindex go to another Info file
|
|
|
|
To go to a node in another file, you can include the file name in the
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
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
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
the node @samp{Top} in the Info file @file{dir}. Likewise,
|
|
|
|
@kbd{g(emacs)Top@key{RET}} goes to the top node of the Emacs manual.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
The node name @samp{*} specifies the whole file. So you can look at
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
all of the current file by typing @kbd{g*@key{RET}} or all of any
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
other file with @kbd{g(@var{filename})@key{RET}}.
|
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
@subheading @kbd{1}--@kbd{9} choose a menu subtopic by its number
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kindex 1 @r{through} 9 @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-nth-menu-item
|
|
|
|
@cindex select @var{n}'th menu item
|
|
|
|
If you begrudge each character of type-in which your system requires,
|
|
|
|
you might like to use the commands @kbd{1}, @kbd{2}, @kbd{3}, @kbd{4},
|
|
|
|
@dots{}, @kbd{9}. They are short for the @kbd{m} command together
|
|
|
|
with a name of a menu subtopic. @kbd{1} goes through the first item
|
|
|
|
in the current node's menu; @kbd{2} goes through the second item, etc.
|
|
|
|
In the stand-alone reader, @kbd{0} goes through the last menu item;
|
|
|
|
this is so you need not count how many entries are there. In Emacs,
|
|
|
|
the digit keys run the command @code{Info-nth-menu-item}.
|
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
If your display supports multiple fonts, colors or underlining, and
|
|
|
|
you are using Emacs' Info mode to read Info files, the third, sixth
|
|
|
|
and ninth menu items have a @samp{*} that stands out, either in color
|
|
|
|
or in some other attribute, such as underline; this makes it easy to
|
|
|
|
see at a glance which number to use for an item.
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
Some terminals don't support either multiple fonts, colors or
|
|
|
|
underlining. If you need to actually count items, it is better to use
|
|
|
|
@kbd{m} instead, and specify the name, or use @key{TAB} to quickly
|
|
|
|
move between menu items.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
@subheading @kbd{e} makes Info document editable
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kindex e @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-edit
|
|
|
|
@cindex edit Info document
|
|
|
|
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}.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The @kbd{e} command only works in Emacs, where it runs the command
|
|
|
|
@code{Info-edit}. The stand-alone Info reader doesn't allow you to
|
|
|
|
edit the Info file, so typing @kbd{e} there goes to the end of the
|
|
|
|
current node.
|
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
@subheading @kbd{M-n} creates a new independent Info buffer in Emacs
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kindex M-n @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex clone-buffer
|
|
|
|
@cindex multiple Info buffers
|
|
|
|
If you are reading Info in Emacs, you can select a new independent
|
|
|
|
Info buffer in another window by typing @kbd{M-n}. The new buffer
|
|
|
|
starts out as an exact copy of the old one, but you will be able to
|
|
|
|
move independently between nodes in the two buffers. (In Info mode,
|
|
|
|
@kbd{M-n} runs the Emacs command @code{clone-buffer}.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In Emacs Info, you can also produce new Info buffers by giving a
|
|
|
|
numeric prefix argument to the @kbd{m} and @kbd{g} commands. @kbd{C-u
|
|
|
|
m} and @kbd{C-u g} go to a new node in exactly the same way that
|
|
|
|
@kbd{m} and @kbd{g} do, but they do so in a new Info buffer which they
|
|
|
|
select in another window.
|
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Info Search, Add, Advanced, Expert Info
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
|
|
@section How to search Info documents for specific subjects
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@cindex searching Info documents
|
|
|
|
@cindex Info document as a reference
|
|
|
|
The commands which move between and inside nodes allow you to read
|
|
|
|
the entire manual or its large portions. But what if you need to find
|
|
|
|
some information in the manual as fast as you can, and you don't know
|
|
|
|
or don't remember in what node to look for it? This need arises when
|
|
|
|
you use a manual as a @dfn{reference}, or when it is impractical to
|
|
|
|
read the entire manual before you start using the programs it
|
|
|
|
describes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Info has powerful searching facilities that let you find things
|
|
|
|
quickly. You can search either the manual indices or its text.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kindex i @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-index
|
|
|
|
Since most subjects related to what the manual describes should be
|
|
|
|
indexed, you should try the index search first. The @kbd{i} command
|
|
|
|
prompts you for a subject and then looks up that subject in the
|
|
|
|
indices. If it finds an index entry with the subject you typed, it
|
|
|
|
goes to the node to which that index entry points. You should browse
|
|
|
|
through that node to see whether the issue you are looking for is
|
|
|
|
described there. If it isn't, type @kbd{,} one or more times to go
|
|
|
|
through additional index entries which match your subject.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The @kbd{i} command finds all index entries which include the string
|
|
|
|
you typed @emph{as a substring}. For each match, Info shows in the
|
|
|
|
echo area the full index entry it found. Often, the text of the full
|
|
|
|
index entry already gives you enough information to decide whether it
|
|
|
|
is relevant to what you are looking for, so we recommend that you read
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
what Info shows in the echo area before looking at the node it
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
displays.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Since @kbd{i} looks for a substring, you can search for subjects even
|
|
|
|
if you are not sure how they are spelled in the index. For example,
|
|
|
|
suppose you want to find something that is pertinent to commands which
|
|
|
|
complete partial input (e.g., when you type @key{TAB}). If you want
|
|
|
|
to catch index entries that refer to ``complete'', ``completion'', and
|
|
|
|
``completing'', you could type @kbd{icomplet@key{RET}}.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Info documents which describe programs should index the commands,
|
|
|
|
options, and key sequences that the program provides. If you are
|
|
|
|
looking for a description of a command, an option, or a key, just type
|
|
|
|
their names when @kbd{i} prompts you for a topic. For example, if you
|
|
|
|
want to read the description of what the @kbd{C-f} key does, type
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
@kbd{i C - f @key{RET}}. Here @kbd{C-f} are 3 literal characters
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@samp{C}, @samp{-}, and @samp{f}, not the ``Control-f'' command key
|
|
|
|
you type inside Emacs to run the command bound to @kbd{C-f}.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In Emacs, @kbd{i} runs the command @code{Info-index}.
|
|
|
|
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
@findex info-apropos
|
|
|
|
If you don't know what manual documents something, try the @kbd{M-x
|
|
|
|
info-apropos} command. It prompts for a string and then looks up that
|
|
|
|
string in all the indices of all the Info documents installed on your
|
|
|
|
system.
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@kindex s @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-search
|
|
|
|
The @kbd{s} command allows you to search a whole file for a string.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
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
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
order that they may be in the tree structure of menus and @samp{next}
|
2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
|
|
|
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).
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@kindex M-s @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
In Emacs, @kbd{Meta-s} is equivalent to @kbd{s}. That is for
|
|
|
|
compatibility with other GNU packages that use @kbd{M-s} for a similar
|
|
|
|
kind of search command. Both @kbd{s} and @kbd{M-s} run in Emacs the
|
|
|
|
command @code{Info-search}.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Add, Menus, Info Search, Expert Info
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
|
|
@section Adding a new node to Info
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
To add a new topic to the list in the Info directory, you must:
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@enumerate
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
|
|
Create some nodes, in some file, to document that topic.
|
|
|
|
@item
|
|
|
|
Put that topic in the menu in the directory. @xref{Menus, Menu}.
|
|
|
|
@end enumerate
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
Usually, the way to create the nodes is with Texinfo (@pxref{Top,,
|
|
|
|
Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation Format});
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
this has the advantage that you can also make a printed manual or HTML
|
|
|
|
from them. You would use the @samp{@@dircategory} and
|
|
|
|
@samp{@@direntry} commands to put the manual into the Info directory.
|
|
|
|
However, if you want to edit an Info file manually and install it
|
|
|
|
manually, here is how.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@cindex node delimiters
|
|
|
|
The new node can live in an existing documentation file, or in a new
|
|
|
|
one. It must have a @samp{^_} character before it (invisible to the
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
user; this node has one but you cannot see it), and it ends with either
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
a @samp{^_}, a @samp{^L} (``formfeed''), or the end of file.@footnote{If
|
|
|
|
you put in a @samp{^L} to end a new node, be sure that there is a
|
|
|
|
@samp{^_} after it to start the next one, since @samp{^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 @samp{^L} @emph{right after} the
|
|
|
|
@samp{^_}.}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The @samp{^_} starting a node must be followed by a newline or a
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
@samp{^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{Expert Info}. The @samp{Next} node is @samp{Menus}.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@cindex node header line format
|
|
|
|
@cindex format of node headers
|
|
|
|
The keywords @dfn{Node}, @dfn{Next}, @dfn{Previous}, and @dfn{Up}
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@cindex node name format
|
|
|
|
@cindex Directory node
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
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 starts with ``./'',
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
then it is relative to the current directory; otherwise, it is
|
|
|
|
relative starting from the standard directory for Info files 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 @samp{Directory} node is @file{(dir)}, it
|
|
|
|
points to a file @file{dir} which holds a large menu listing all the
|
|
|
|
Info documents installed on your site. The @samp{Top} node of a
|
|
|
|
document file listed in the @samp{Directory} should have an @samp{Up:
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
(dir)} in it.
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@cindex unstructured documents
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
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
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
contain a file name, since when Info searches for a node, it does not
|
|
|
|
expect a file name 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.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Menus, Cross-refs, Add, Expert Info
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
|
|
@section How to Create Menus
|
|
|
|
|
2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
|
|
|
Any node in the Info hierarchy may have a @dfn{menu}---a list of subnodes.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
The @kbd{m} command searches the current node's menu for the topic which it
|
|
|
|
reads from the terminal.
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@cindex menu and menu entry format
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
A menu begins with a line starting with @w{@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---what the user must type at the @kbd{m}'s command prompt 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.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If the node name and topic name are the same, then rather than
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
giving the name twice, the abbreviation @samp{* @var{name}::} may be
|
|
|
|
used (and should be used, whenever possible, as it reduces the visual
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
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).
|
|
|
|
|
2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
|
|
|
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.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
Info's files live in that file directory, but they do not have to; and
|
|
|
|
files in that directory are not automatically listed in the Info
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Cross-refs, Tags, Menus, Expert Info
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
|
|
@section Creating Cross References
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@cindex cross reference format
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
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
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
like a menu item except that it has @samp{*note} instead of @samp{*}.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
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
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@noindent
|
|
|
|
@emph{These are just examples.} The places they ``lead to'' do not
|
|
|
|
really exist!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@menu
|
|
|
|
* Help-Cross:: Target of a cross-reference.
|
|
|
|
@end menu
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Help-Cross, , , Cross-refs
|
|
|
|
@subsection 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 an Info document. So you
|
|
|
|
cannot expect this node to have a @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} or
|
|
|
|
@samp{Up} links pointing back to where you came from. In general, the
|
|
|
|
@kbd{l} (el) command is the only way to get back there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@format
|
|
|
|
>> Type @kbd{l} to return to the node where the cross reference was.
|
|
|
|
@end format
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@node Help-Q, , Help-Int, Getting Started
|
|
|
|
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
|
|
@section Quitting Info
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@kindex q @r{(Info mode)}
|
|
|
|
@findex Info-exit
|
|
|
|
@cindex quitting Info mode
|
|
|
|
To get out of Info, back to what you were doing before, type @kbd{q}
|
|
|
|
for @dfn{Quit}. This runs @code{Info-exit} in Emacs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This is the end of the basic course on using Info. You have learned
|
|
|
|
how to move in an Info document, and how to follow menus and cross
|
|
|
|
references. This makes you ready for reading manuals top to bottom,
|
|
|
|
as new users should do when they learn a new package.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another set of Info commands is useful when you need to find
|
|
|
|
something quickly in a manual---that is, when you need to use a manual
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
as a reference rather than as a tutorial. We urge you to learn
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
these search commands as well. If you want to do that now, follow this
|
|
|
|
cross reference to @ref{Info Search}.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yet another set of commands are meant for experienced users; you can
|
|
|
|
find them by looking in the Directory node for documentation on Info.
|
|
|
|
Finding them will be a good exercise in using Info in the usual
|
|
|
|
manner.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@format
|
|
|
|
>> Type @kbd{d} to go to the Info directory node; then type
|
|
|
|
@kbd{mInfo} and Return, to get to the node about Info and
|
|
|
|
see what other help is available.
|
|
|
|
@end format
|
|
|
|
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Tags, Checking, Cross-refs, Expert Info
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@section Tags Tables for Info Files
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@cindex tags tables in info files
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
You can speed up the access to nodes of a large Info file by giving
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
it a tags table. Unlike the tags table for a program, the tags table for
|
2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
|
|
|
an Info file lives inside the file itself and is used
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
automatically whenever Info reads in the file.
|
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@findex Info-tagify
|
|
|
|
To make a tags table, go to a node in the file using Emacs Info mode and type
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@kbd{M-x Info-tagify}. Then you must use @kbd{C-x C-s} to save the
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
file. Info files produced by the @code{makeinfo} command that is part
|
|
|
|
of the Texinfo package always have tags tables to begin with.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@cindex stale tags tables
|
|
|
|
@cindex update Info tags table
|
|
|
|
Once the Info file has a tags table, you must make certain it is up
|
|
|
|
to date. If you edit an Info file directly (as opposed to editing its
|
|
|
|
Texinfo source), and, as a result of deletion of text, any node moves back
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
more than a thousand characters in the file from the position
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
recorded in the tags table, Info will no longer be able to find that
|
|
|
|
node. To update the tags table, use the @code{Info-tagify} command
|
|
|
|
again.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
An Info file tags table appears at the end of the file and looks like
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
this:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@example
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
^_^L
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
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),
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
a @samp{DEL} character, and the character position in the file of the
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
beginning of the node.
|
|
|
|
|
2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Checking, Emacs Info Variables, Tags, Expert Info
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@section Checking an Info File
|
|
|
|
|
2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
|
|
|
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
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
@samp{Up} is checked, as is every menu item and every cross reference. In
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2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
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addition, any @samp{Next} which does not have a @samp{Previous} pointing
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back is reported. Only pointers within the file are checked, because
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checking pointers to other files would be terribly slow. But those are
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usually few.
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1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@findex Info-validate
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2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
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To check an Info file, do @kbd{M-x Info-validate} while looking at any
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node of the file with Emacs Info mode.
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1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
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@node Emacs Info Variables, , Checking, Expert Info
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1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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@section Emacs Info-mode Variables
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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The following variables may modify the behavior of Info-mode in Emacs;
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1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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you may wish to set one or several of these variables interactively, or
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in your @file{~/.emacs} init file. @xref{Examining, Examining and Setting
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Variables, Examining and Setting Variables, emacs, The GNU Emacs
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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Manual}. The stand-alone Info reader program has its own set of
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variables, described in @ref{Variables,, Manipulating Variables,
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info-stnd, GNU Info}.
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1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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@vtable @code
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@item Info-directory-list
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The list of directories to search for Info files. Each element is a
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string (directory name) or @code{nil} (try default directory). If not
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initialized Info uses the environment variable @env{INFOPATH} to
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initialize it, or @code{Info-default-directory-list} if there is no
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@env{INFOPATH} variable in the environment.
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If you wish to customize the Info directory search list for both Emacs
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info and stand-alone Info, it is best to set the @env{INFOPATH}
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environment variable, since that applies to both programs.
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@item Info-additional-directory-list
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A list of additional directories to search for Info documentation files.
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These directories are not searched for merging the @file{dir} file.
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@item Info-fontify
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When set to a non-@code{nil} value, enables highlighting of Info
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files. The default is @code{t}. You can change how the highlighting
|
2003-05-02 00:48:41 +00:00
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looks by customizing the faces @code{info-node}, @code{info-xref},
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@code{info-header-xref}, @code{info-header-node}, @code{info-menu-5},
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@code{info-menu-header}, and @code{info-title-@var{n}-face} (where
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@var{n} is the level of the section, a number between 1 and 4). To
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2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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customize a face, type @kbd{M-x customize-face @key{RET} @var{face}
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@key{RET}}, where @var{face} is one of the face names listed here.
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@item Info-use-header-line
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If non-@code{nil}, Emacs puts in the Info buffer a header line showing
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the @samp{Next}, @samp{Prev}, and @samp{Up} links. A header line does
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not scroll with the rest of the buffer, making these links always
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visible.
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|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
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@item Info-hide-note-references
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As explained in earlier nodes, the Emacs version of Info normally
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hides some text in menus and cross-references. You can completely
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|
disable this feature, by setting this option to @code{nil}. Setting
|
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|
it to a value that is neither @code{nil} nor @code{t} produces an
|
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|
|
intermediate behavior, hiding a limited amount of text, but showing
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|
|
all text that could potentially be useful.
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|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
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@item Info-scroll-prefer-subnodes
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If set to a non-@code{nil} value, @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} (or
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|
|
@key{DEL}) keys in a menu visit subnodes of the current node before
|
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|
|
scrolling to its end or beginning, respectively. For example, if the
|
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|
|
node's menu appears on the screen, the next @key{SPC} moves to a
|
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|
|
subnode indicated by the following menu item. Setting this option to
|
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|
|
@code{nil} results in behavior similar to the stand-alone Info reader
|
|
|
|
program, which visits the first subnode from the menu only when you
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
|
|
hit the end of the current node. The default is @code{nil}.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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|
@item Info-enable-active-nodes
|
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|
When set to a non-@code{nil} value, allows Info to execute Lisp code
|
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|
|
associated with nodes. The Lisp code is executed when the node is
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
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|
selected. The Lisp code to be executed should follow the node
|
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|
delimiter (the @samp{DEL} character) and an @samp{execute: } tag, like
|
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|
|
this:
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
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|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@example
|
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|
|
^_execute: (message "This is an active node!")
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|
@end example
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
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|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
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|
@item Info-enable-edit
|
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|
|
Set to @code{nil}, disables the @samp{e} (@code{Info-edit}) command. A
|
|
|
|
non-@code{nil} value enables it. @xref{Add, Edit}.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
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|
@end vtable
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|
2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Creating an Info File
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@chapter Creating an Info File from a Texinfo File
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
@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.
|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
@xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU
|
|
|
|
Documentation Format}, to learn how to write a Texinfo file.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@xref{Creating an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation
|
|
|
|
Format}, to learn how to create an Info file from a Texinfo file.
|
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|
|
|
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|
|
@xref{Installing an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU
|
|
|
|
Documentation Format}, to learn how to install an Info file after you
|
|
|
|
have created one.
|
2000-01-17 10:39:58 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@node Index
|
|
|
|
@unnumbered Index
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
This is an alphabetical listing of all the commands, variables, and
|
|
|
|
topics discussed in this document.
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
2002-03-25 13:08:32 +00:00
|
|
|
@printindex cp
|
1999-01-14 19:35:19 +00:00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@bye
|
2005-05-23 10:46:22 +00:00
|
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|
|
|
|
|
@ignore
|
|
|
|
arch-tag: 965c1638-01d6-4156-9227-b10418b9d8e8
|
|
|
|
@end ignore
|