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[Emacs-diffs] Changes to info.texi
|
From: |
Glenn Morris |
|
Subject: |
[Emacs-diffs] Changes to info.texi |
|
Date: |
Thu, 06 Sep 2007 04:37:39 +0000 |
CVSROOT: /sources/emacs
Module name: emacs
Changes by: Glenn Morris <gm> 07/09/06 04:37:39
Index: info.texi
===================================================================
RCS file: info.texi
diff -N info.texi
--- info.texi 15 Jul 2007 13:19:27 -0000 1.57
+++ /dev/null 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 -0000
@@ -1,1503 +0,0 @@
-\input texinfo.tex @c -*-texinfo-*-
address@hidden We must \input texinfo.tex instead of texinfo, otherwise make
address@hidden distcheck in the Texinfo distribution fails, because the texinfo
Info
address@hidden file is made first, and texi2dvi must include . first in the
path.
address@hidden %**start of header
address@hidden info.info
address@hidden Info
address@hidden fn cp
address@hidden vr cp
address@hidden ky cp
address@hidden %**end of header
-
address@hidden
-This file describes how to use Info, the on-line, menu-driven GNU
-documentation system.
-
-Copyright @copyright{} 1989, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
-2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
-
address@hidden
-Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
-under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
-any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
-Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
-Manual,'' and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
-license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
-License'' in the Emacs manual.
-
-(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and
-modify this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Buying copies from GNU
-Press supports the FSF in developing GNU and promoting software
-freedom.''
-
-This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
-Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
-separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
-license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
address@hidden quotation
address@hidden copying
-
address@hidden Texinfo documentation system
address@hidden
-* Info: (info). How to use the documentation browsing system.
address@hidden direntry
-
address@hidden
address@hidden Info
address@hidden The online, hyper-text GNU documentation system
address@hidden Brian Fox
address@hidden and the GNU Texinfo community
address@hidden
address@hidden 0pt plus 1filll
address@hidden
address@hidden titlepage
-
address@hidden
-
address@hidden
address@hidden Top
address@hidden Info: An Introduction
-
-The GNU Project distributes most of its on-line manuals in the
address@hidden format}, which you read using an @dfn{Info reader}. You are
-probably using an Info reader to read this now.
-
-There are two primary Info readers: @code{info}, a stand-alone program
-designed just to read Info files, and the @code{info} package in GNU
-Emacs, a general-purpose editor. At present, only the Emacs reader
-supports using a mouse.
-
address@hidden
-If you are new to the Info reader and want to learn how to use it,
-type the command @kbd{h} now. It brings you to a programmed
-instruction sequence.
-
-To read about advanced Info commands, type @kbd{n} twice. This
-brings you to @cite{Advanced Info Commands}, skipping over the `Getting
-Started' chapter.
address@hidden ifinfo
address@hidden ifnottex
-
address@hidden
-* Getting Started:: Getting started using an Info reader.
-* Advanced:: Advanced Info commands.
-* Expert Info:: Info commands for experts.
-* Index:: An index of topics, commands, and variables.
address@hidden menu
-
address@hidden Getting Started, Advanced, Top, Top
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden Getting Started
-
-This first part of this Info manual describes how to get around inside
-of Info. The second part of the manual describes various advanced
-Info commands. The third part briefly explains how to generate Info
-files from Texinfo files, and describes how to write an Info file
-by hand.
-
address@hidden
-This manual is primarily designed for browsing with an Info reader
-program on a computer, so that you can try Info commands while reading
-about them. Reading it on paper or with an HTML browser is less
-effective, since you must take it on faith that the commands described
-really do what the manual says. By all means go through this manual
-now that you have it; but please try going through the on-line version
-as well.
-
address@hidden Info reader, how to invoke
address@hidden entering Info
-There are two ways of looking at the online version of this manual:
-
address@hidden
address@hidden
-Type @code{info} at your shell's command line. This approach uses a
-stand-alone program designed just to read Info files.
-
address@hidden
-Type @code{emacs} at the command line; then type @kbd{C-h i}
-(@kbd{Control-h}, followed by @kbd{i}). This approach uses the Info
-mode of the Emacs editor.
address@hidden enumerate
-
-In either case, then type @kbd{mInfo} (just the letters), followed by
address@hidden ``Return'' or ``Enter'' key. At this point, you should
-be ready to follow the instructions in this manual as you read them on
-the screen.
address@hidden FIXME! (address@hidden, 14 dec 1992)
address@hidden Is it worth worrying about what-if the beginner goes to somebody
address@hidden else's Emacs session, which already has an Info running in the
middle
address@hidden of something---in which case these simple instructions won't
work?
address@hidden ifnotinfo
-
address@hidden
-* Help-Small-Screen:: Starting Info on a Small Screen.
-* Help:: How to use Info.
-* Help-P:: Returning to the Previous node.
-* Help-^L:: The Space, DEL, B and ^L commands.
-* Help-Inv:: Invisible text in Emacs Info.
-* Help-M:: Menus.
-* Help-Xref:: Following cross-references.
-* Help-Int:: Some intermediate Info commands.
-* Help-Q:: Quitting Info.
address@hidden menu
-
address@hidden Help-Small-Screen
address@hidden Starting Info on a Small Screen
-
address@hidden
-(In Info, you only see this section if your terminal has a small
-number of lines; most readers pass by it without seeing it.)
address@hidden ifnotinfo
-
address@hidden small screen, moving around
-Since your terminal has a relatively small number of lines on its
-screen, it is necessary to give you special advice at the beginning.
-
-If the entire text you are looking at fits on the screen, the text
address@hidden will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. In the
-stand-alone Info reader, it is displayed at the bottom right corner of
-the screen; in Emacs, it is displayed on the modeline. If you see the
-text @samp{Top} instead, it means that there is more text below that
-does not fit. To move forward through the text and see another screen
-full, press @key{SPC}, the Space bar. To move back up, press the key
-labeled @samp{Backspace} or @samp{DEL} (on some keyboards, this key
-might be labeled @samp{Delete}).
-
address@hidden
-Here are 40 lines of junk, so you can try @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} and
-see what they do. At the end are instructions of what you should do
-next.
-
address@hidden
-This is line 20
-This is line 21
-This is line 22
-This is line 23
-This is line 24
-This is line 25
-This is line 26
-This is line 27
-This is line 28
-This is line 29
-This is line 30
-This is line 31
-This is line 32
-This is line 33
-This is line 34
-This is line 35
-This is line 36
-This is line 37
-This is line 38
-This is line 39
-This is line 40
-This is line 41
-This is line 42
-This is line 43
-This is line 44
-This is line 45
-This is line 46
-This is line 47
-This is line 48
-This is line 49
-This is line 50
-This is line 51
-This is line 52
-This is line 53
-This is line 54
-This is line 55
-This is line 56
-This is line 57
-This is line 58
-This is line 59
address@hidden format
-
-If you have managed to get here, go back to the beginning with
address@hidden (or @key{BACKSPACE}), and come back here again, then you
-understand the about the @samp{Space} and @samp{Backspace} keys. So
-now type an @kbd{n}---just one character; don't type the quotes and
-don't type the Return key afterward---to get to the normal start of
-the course.
address@hidden ifinfo
-
address@hidden Help, Help-P, Help-Small-Screen, Getting Started
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden How to use Info
-
-You are talking to the program Info, for reading documentation.
-
- There are two ways to use Info: from within Emacs or as a
-stand-alone reader that you can invoke from a shell using the command
address@hidden
-
address@hidden node, in Info documents
- Right now you are looking at one @dfn{Node} of Information.
-A node contains text describing a specific topic at a specific
-level of detail. This node's topic is ``how to use Info''. The mode
-line says that this is node @samp{Help} in the file @file{info}.
-
address@hidden header of Info node
- The top line of a node is its @dfn{header}. This node's header
-(look at it now) says that the @samp{Next} node after this one is the
-node called @samp{Help-P}. An advanced Info command lets you go to
-any node whose name you know. In the stand-alone Info reader program,
-the header line shows the names of this node and the Info file as
-well. In Emacs, the header line is displayed with a special typeface,
-and remains at the top of the window all the time even if you scroll
-through the node.
-
- Besides a @samp{Next}, a node can have a @samp{Previous} link, or an
address@hidden link, or both. As you can see, this node has all of these
-links.
-
address@hidden n @r{(Info mode)}
- Now it is time to move on to the @samp{Next} node, named @samp{Help-P}.
-
address@hidden
->> Type @kbd{n} to move there. Type just one character;
- do not type the quotes and do not type a @key{RET} afterward.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden
address@hidden>>} in the margin means it is really time to try a command.
-
address@hidden
->> If you are in Emacs and have a mouse, and if you already practiced
- typing @kbd{n} to get to the next node, click now with the left
- mouse button on the @samp{Next} link to do the same ``the mouse way''.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden Help-P, Help-^L, Help, Getting Started
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden Returning to the Previous node
-
address@hidden p @r{(Info mode)}
-This node is called @samp{Help-P}. The @samp{Previous} node, as you see,
-is @samp{Help}, which is the one you just came from using the @kbd{n}
-command. Another @kbd{n} command now would take you to the next
-node, @samp{Help-^L}.
-
address@hidden
->> But do not type @kbd{n} yet. First, try the @kbd{p} command, or
- (in Emacs) click on the @samp{Prev} link. That takes you to
- the @samp{Previous} node. Then use @kbd{n} to return here.
address@hidden format
-
- If you read this in Emacs, you will see an @samp{Info} item in the
-menu bar, close to its right edge. Clicking the mouse on the
address@hidden menu-bar item opens a menu of commands which include
address@hidden and @samp{Previous} (and also some others which you didn't yet
-learn about).
-
- 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.
-
address@hidden
->> 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.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden Help-^L, Help-Inv, Help-P, Getting Started
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden The Space, DEL, B and ^L commands
-
- This node's mode line tells you that you are now at node
address@hidden, 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.
-
- 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 text @samp{Top} rather than @samp{All} near the bottom of
-the screen.
-
address@hidden SPC @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden DEL @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden BACKSPACE @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-scroll-up
address@hidden 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
address@hidden 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
address@hidden, 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
-the top until you have typed some spaces).
-
address@hidden
->> Now try typing a @key{SPC} (afterward, type a @key{BACKSPACE} to
- return here).
address@hidden 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
address@hidden 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
-can conveniently go to one of these links at any time by
-clicking the middle mouse button on the link.
-
address@hidden reading Info documents top to bottom
address@hidden Info documents as tutorials
- @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} not only move forward and backward through
-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.
-
address@hidden PAGEUP @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden 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
-through the text of one node, like @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} (or
address@hidden). However, @key{PAGEUP} and @key{PAGEDOWN} keys never
-scroll beyond the beginning or the end of the current node.
-
address@hidden C-l @r{(Info mode)}
- If your screen is ever garbaged, you can tell Info to display it
-again by typing @kbd{C-l} (@kbd{Control-L}---that is, hold down
address@hidden and type @kbd{L} or @kbd{l}).
-
address@hidden
->> Type @kbd{C-l} now.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden b @r{(Info mode)}
- To move back to the beginning of the node you are on, you can type
-the @key{BACKSPACE} key (or @key{DEL}) many times. You can also type
address@hidden just once. @kbd{b} stands for ``beginning.''
-
address@hidden
->> Try that now. (We have put in enough verbiage to push this past
- 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.)
- Then come back, by typing @key{SPC} one or more times.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden ? @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-summary
- You have just learned a considerable number of commands. If you
-want to use one but have trouble remembering which, you should type
address@hidden, which displays a brief list of commands. When you are
-finished looking at the list, make it go away by typing @key{SPC}
-repeatedly.
-
address@hidden
->> Type a @key{?} now. Press @key{SPC} to see consecutive screenfuls of
- the list until finished. Then type @key{SPC} several times. If
- you are using Emacs, the help will then go away automatically.
address@hidden 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},
-then release @key{CTRL} and @kbd{x}, and press @kbd{0}; that's a zero,
-not the letter ``o''.)
-
- From now on, you will encounter large nodes without warning, and
-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
-the same size screen, it would be impossible to warn you anyway.
-
address@hidden
->> Now type @kbd{n}, or click the middle mouse button on the @samp{Next} link,
- to visit the next node.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden Help-Inv, Help-M, Help-^L, Getting Started
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden 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.
-
address@hidden 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.
-
address@hidden 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
address@hidden 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
address@hidden Emacs behavior.
-
-Now type @kbd{]}, to learn about the @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands.
-
address@hidden
-* ]: Help-]. Node telling about ].
-* stuff: Help-]. Same node.
-* Help-]:: Yet again, same node.
address@hidden menu
-
address@hidden Help-], , , Help-Inv
address@hidden 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
address@hidden 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
address@hidden 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 @address@hidden, because, when you scroll to the
-bottom of a node and type another @address@hidden, 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, @address@hidden 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:
address@hidden n [}. To do the same backward, type @kbd{] p ]}.
-
-Now type @kbd{]} to go to the next node and learn about menus.
-
address@hidden Help-M, Help-Xref, Help-Inv, Getting Started
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden Menus and the @kbd{m} command
-
address@hidden menus in an Info document
address@hidden Info menus
- With only the @kbd{n} (next), @kbd{p} (previous), @address@hidden,
address@hidden@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 @address@hidden 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.
-
- After the start of the menu, each line that starts with a @samp{*}
-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
-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:
-
address@hidden
-* Foo: Node about FOO. This tells about FOO.
address@hidden example
-
-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
-there is no line above it which starts with @address@hidden 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
address@hidden: Node about FOO.}, is actually visible in this example, even
-when Visible mode is off.]]
-
- 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:
-
address@hidden
-* Foo:: This tells about FOO.
address@hidden example
-
address@hidden
-This means that the subtopic name and node name are the same; they are
-both @samp{Foo}. (The @samp{::} is normally hidden in Emacs.)
-
address@hidden
->> 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
- 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.
address@hidden format
-
-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.
-
address@hidden m @r{(Info mode)}
- 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.
-
- 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
address@hidden 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.
-
address@hidden Info-menu
- 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
-a @key{RET}.
-
address@hidden abbreviating Info subnodes
- 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.
-
address@hidden completion of Info node names
- 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.
-
- If you move the cursor to one of the menu subtopic lines, then you do
-not need to type the argument: you just type a @key{RET}, and it
-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.
-
-Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice. This menu gives you
-three ways of going to one place, Help-FOO:
-
address@hidden
-* Foo: Help-FOO. A node you can visit for fun.
-* Bar: Help-FOO. We have made two ways to get to the same place.
-* Help-FOO:: And yet another!
address@hidden menu
-
-(Turn Visible mode on if you are using Emacs.)
-
address@hidden
->> Now type just an @kbd{m} and see what happens:
address@hidden format
-
- 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.
-
- You can change your mind about doing the @kbd{m} by typing
address@hidden
-
address@hidden
->> Try that now; notice the bottom line clear.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden
->> Then type another @kbd{m}.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden
->> Now type @kbd{BAR}, the item name. Do not type @key{RET} yet.
address@hidden format
-
- While you are typing the item name, you can use the @key{DEL} (or
address@hidden) key to cancel one character at a time if you make a
-mistake.
-
address@hidden
->> 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.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden
->> Now you are ready to go. Type a @key{RET}.
address@hidden 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 in the
-stand-alone reader, type @address@hidden is, press and hold
-the @key{META} key and then press @key{TAB}. (On some keyboards, the
address@hidden key might be labeled @samp{Alt}.) In Emacs Info, type
address@hidden@key{TAB}} to move to a previous subtopic line (press and hold
-the @key{Shift} key and then press @key{TAB}).
-
- Once you move cursor to a subtopic line, press @key{RET} to go to
-that subtopic's node.
-
address@hidden mouse support in Info mode
address@hidden 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
-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.
-
address@hidden Info-mouse-follow-nearest-node
- More generally, @kbd{Mouse-2} in an Info buffer finds the nearest
-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.
-
address@hidden
->> Type @kbd{n} to see more commands.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden Help-FOO, , , Help-M
address@hidden The @kbd{u} command
-
- 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''.
-
address@hidden u @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-up
- You can go back to the node @samp{Help-M} by typing the command
address@hidden for ``Up''. This puts you at the menu subtopic line pointing
-to the subnode that the @kbd{u} command brought you from. (Some Info
-readers may put you at the @emph{front} of the node instead---to get
-back to where you were reading, you have to type some @key{SPC}s.)
-
- 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).
-
address@hidden
->> Now type @kbd{u} to move back up to @samp{Help-M}.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden Help-Xref, Help-Int, Help-M, Getting Started
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden Following Cross-References
-
address@hidden 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
-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.)
-
address@hidden f @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-follow-reference
- You can follow a cross reference by moving the cursor to it and
-press @key{RET}, just as in a menu. In Emacs, you can also click
address@hidden on a cross reference to follow it; 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.
-
- Another way to follow a cross reference is to type @kbd{f} and then
-specify the name of the cross reference (in this case, @samp{Cross})
-as an argument. For this command, 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.
-
address@hidden
->> Type @kbd{f}, followed by @kbd{Cross}, and then @key{RET}.
address@hidden format
-
- As you enter the reference name, you can use the @key{DEL} (or
address@hidden) 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}.
-
address@hidden
->> 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.
address@hidden format
-
- The @key{TAB}, @address@hidden and @address@hidden keys,
-which move between menu items in a menu, also move between cross
-references outside of menus.
-
- 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
address@hidden to get back to this node.) Here the name @samp{texinfo}
-between parentheses refers to the file name. This file name appears
-in cross references and node names if it differs from the current
-file, so you can always know that you are going to be switching to
-another manual and which one.
-
-However, Emacs normally hides some other text in cross-references.
-If you put your mouse over the cross reference, then the information
-appearing in a separate box (tool tip) or in the echo area will show
-the full cross-reference including the file name and the node name of
-the cross reference. If you have a mouse, just leave it over the
-cross reference @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo:
-The GNU Documentation Format}, and watch what happens. If you
-always like to have that information visible without having to move
-your mouse over the cross reference, use @kbd{M-x visible-mode}, or
-set @code{Info-hide-note-references} to a value other than @code{t}
-(@pxref{Emacs Info Variables}).
-
address@hidden
->> Now type @kbd{n} to learn more commands.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden Help-Int, Help-Q, Help-Xref, Getting Started
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden Some intermediate Info commands
-
- The introductory course is almost over; please continue
-a little longer to learn some intermediate-level commands.
-
- 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
address@hidden command and the name of the index node; then you can use the
address@hidden command again in the index node to go to the node that
-describes the topic you want.
-
- 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.
address@hidden Index}, for a full explanation.
-
address@hidden l @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-history-back
address@hidden going back in Info history
- 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
address@hidden command revisits nodes in the history list; each successive
address@hidden command moves one step back through the history.
-
address@hidden
->> 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.
address@hidden format
-
- Note the difference between @kbd{l} and @kbd{p}: @kbd{l} moves to
-where @emph{you} last were, whereas @kbd{p} always moves to the node
-which the header says is the @samp{Previous} node (from this node, the
address@hidden link leads to @samp{Help-Xref}).
-
address@hidden r @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-history-forward
address@hidden going forward in Info history
- You can use the @kbd{r} command (@code{Info-history-forward} in Emacs)
-to revisit nodes in the history list in the forward direction, so that
address@hidden will return you to the node you came from by typing @kbd{l}.
-
address@hidden d @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-directory
address@hidden 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.
-
address@hidden
->> Try doing a @kbd{d}, then do an @kbd{l} to return here (yes,
- @emph{do} return).
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden t @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-top-node
address@hidden 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}.
-
address@hidden
->> Now type @kbd{n} to see the last node of the course.
address@hidden format
-
- @xref{Advanced}, for more advanced Info features.
-
address@hidden If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it.
address@hidden It is an accident of the menu updating command.
-
address@hidden Help-Q, , Help-Int, Getting Started
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden Quitting Info
-
address@hidden q @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-exit
address@hidden 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
-as a reference rather than as a tutorial. We urge you to learn
-these search commands as well. If you want to do that now, follow this
-cross reference to @ref{Advanced}.
-
-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.
-
address@hidden
->> 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.
address@hidden format
-
-
address@hidden Advanced
address@hidden Advanced Info Commands
-
- This chapter describes various advanced Info commands. (If you
-are using a stand-alone Info reader, there are additional commands
-specific to it, which are documented in several chapters of @ref{Top,,
-GNU Info, info-stnd, GNU Info}.)
-
address@hidden C-q @r{(Info mode)}
- One advanced command useful with most of the others described here
-is @kbd{C-q}, which ``quotes'' the next character so that it is
-entered literally (@pxref{Inserting Text,,,emacs,The GNU Emacs
-Manual}). For example, pressing @kbd{?} ordinarily brings up a list
-of completion possibilities. If you want to (for example) search for
-an actual @samp{?} character, the simplest way is to insert it using
address@hidden ?}. This works the same in Emacs and stand-alone Info.
-
address@hidden
-* Search Text:: How to search Info documents.
-* Search Index:: How to search the indices for specific subjects.
-* Go to node:: How to go to a node by name.
-* Choose menu subtopic:: How to choose a menu subtopic by its number.
-* Create Info buffer:: How to create a new Info buffer in Emacs.
-* Emacs Info Variables:: Variables modifying the behavior of Emacs Info.
address@hidden menu
-
-
address@hidden Search Text, Search Index, , Advanced
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden How to search Info documents
-
address@hidden searching Info documents
address@hidden 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 text or its indices.
-
address@hidden s @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-search
- The @kbd{s} command allows you to search a whole Info file for a string.
-It switches to the next node if and when that is necessary. You
-type @kbd{s} followed by the string to search for, terminated by
address@hidden 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 the file, which has no necessary relationship to the
-order that they may be in the tree structure of menus and @samp{next}
-pointers. But normally the two orders are not very different. In any
-case, you can always look at the mode line 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).
-
address@hidden 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}.
-
address@hidden C-s @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden C-r @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden isearch
- Instead of using @kbd{s} in Emacs Info and in the stand-alone Info,
-you can use an incremental search started with @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r}.
-It can search through multiple Info nodes. @xref{Incremental Search,,,
-emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. In Emacs, you can disable this behavior
-by setting the variable @code{Info-isearch-search} to @code{nil}
-(@pxref{Emacs Info Variables}).
-
address@hidden Search Index, Go to node, Search Text, Advanced
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden How to search the indices for specific subjects
-
address@hidden searching Info indices
address@hidden i @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-index
- Since most topics in the manual should be indexed, you should try
-the index search first before the text search. 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 and subsequent @kbd{,} commands find 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 what Info shows in the echo
-area before looking at the node it 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 @address@hidden
-
- 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-l} key does, type
address@hidden@key{RET}} literally.
-
address@hidden info-apropos
address@hidden index-apropos
-If you aren't sure which manual documents the topic you are looking
-for, try the @kbd{M-x info-apropos} command in Emacs, or the @kbd{M-x
-index-apropos} command in the stand-alone reader. It prompts for
-a string and then looks up that string in all the indices of all the
-Info documents installed on your system.
-
address@hidden Go to node, Choose menu subtopic, Search Index, Advanced
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden @kbd{g} goes to a node by name
-
address@hidden g @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-goto-node
address@hidden go to a node by name
- If you know a node's name, you can go there by typing @kbd{g}, the
-name, and @key{RET}. Thus, @address@hidden would go to the node
-called @samp{Top} in this file. (This is equivalent to @kbd{t}, see
address@hidden) @kbd{gGo to address@hidden would come back here.
-
- 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.
-
address@hidden go to another Info file
- To go to a node in another file, you can include the file name in the
-node name by putting it at the front, in parentheses. Thus,
address@hidden(dir)address@hidden would go to the Info Directory node, which is
-the node @samp{Top} in the Info file @file{dir}. Likewise,
address@hidden(emacs)address@hidden goes to the top node of the Emacs manual.
-
- The node name @samp{*} specifies the whole file. So you can look at
-all of the current file by typing @address@hidden or all of any
-other file with @kbd{g(@var{filename})address@hidden
-
address@hidden Choose menu subtopic, Create Info buffer, Go to node, Advanced
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden @address@hidden choose a menu subtopic by its number
-
address@hidden 1 @r{through} 9 @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden Info-nth-menu-item
address@hidden 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},
address@hidden, @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.
-
- 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.
-
- Some terminals don't support either multiple fonts, colors or
-underlining. If you need to actually count items, it is better to use
address@hidden instead, and specify the name, or use @key{TAB} to quickly
-move between menu items.
-
address@hidden Create Info buffer, Emacs Info Variables, Choose menu subtopic,
Advanced
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden @kbd{M-n} creates a new independent Info buffer in Emacs
-
address@hidden M-n @r{(Info mode)}
address@hidden clone-buffer
address@hidden multiple Info buffers
- If you are reading Info in Emacs, you can select a new independent
-Info buffer in a new Emacs 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,
address@hidden 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
address@hidden and @kbd{g} do, but they do so in a new Info buffer which they
-select in another window.
-
- Another way to produce new Info buffers in Emacs is to use a numeric
-prefix argument for the @kbd{C-h i} command (@code{info}) which
-switches to the Info buffer with that number. Thus, @kbd{C-u 2 C-h i}
-switches to the buffer @samp{*info*<2>}, creating it if necessary.
-
address@hidden Emacs Info Variables, , Create Info buffer, Advanced
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden Emacs Info-mode Variables
-
-The following variables may modify the behavior of Info-mode in Emacs;
-you may wish to set one or several of these variables interactively,
-or in your init file. @xref{Examining, Examining and Setting
-Variables, Examining and Setting Variables, emacs, The GNU Emacs
-Manual}. The stand-alone Info reader program has its own set of
-variables, described in @ref{Variables,, Manipulating Variables,
-info-stnd, GNU Info}.
-
address@hidden @code
address@hidden Info-directory-list
-The list of directories to search for Info files. Each element is a
-string (directory name) or @code{nil} (try default directory). If not
-initialized Info uses the environment variable @env{INFOPATH} to
-initialize it, or @code{Info-default-directory-list} if there is no
address@hidden variable in the environment.
-
-If you wish to customize the Info directory search list for both Emacs
-Info and stand-alone Info, it is best to set the @env{INFOPATH}
-environment variable, since that applies to both programs.
-
address@hidden Info-additional-directory-list
-A list of additional directories to search for Info documentation files.
-These directories are not searched for merging the @file{dir} file.
-
address@hidden Info-mode-hook
-Hooks run when @code{Info-mode} is called. By default, it contains
-the hook @code{turn-on-font-lock} which enables highlighting of Info
-files. You can change how the highlighting looks by customizing the
-faces @code{info-node}, @code{info-xref}, @code{info-xref-visited},
address@hidden, @code{info-header-node}, @code{info-menu-header},
address@hidden, and @address@hidden (where @var{n}
-is the level of the section, a number between 1 and 4). To customize
-a face, type @kbd{M-x customize-face @key{RET} @var{face} @key{RET}},
-where @var{face} is one of the face names listed here.
-
address@hidden Info-fontify-maximum-menu-size
-Maximum size of menu to fontify if @code{font-lock-mode} is address@hidden
-
address@hidden Info-fontify-visited-nodes
-If address@hidden, menu items and cross-references pointing to visited
-nodes are displayed in the @code{info-xref-visited} face.
-
address@hidden Info-use-header-line
-If address@hidden, Emacs puts in the Info buffer a header line showing
-the @samp{Next}, @samp{Prev}, and @samp{Up} links. A header line does
-not scroll with the rest of the buffer, making these links always
-visible.
-
address@hidden Info-hide-note-references
-As explained in earlier nodes, the Emacs version of Info normally
-hides some text in menus and cross-references. You can completely
-disable this feature, by setting this option to @code{nil}. Setting
-it to a value that is neither @code{nil} nor @code{t} produces an
-intermediate behavior, hiding a limited amount of text, but showing
-all text that could potentially be useful.
-
address@hidden Info-scroll-prefer-subnodes
-If set to a address@hidden value, @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} (or
address@hidden) keys in a menu visit subnodes of the current node before
-scrolling to its end or beginning, respectively. For example, if the
-node's menu appears on the screen, the next @key{SPC} moves to a
-subnode indicated by the following menu item. Setting this option to
address@hidden results in behavior similar to the stand-alone Info reader
-program, which visits the first subnode from the menu only when you
-hit the end of the current node. The default is @code{nil}.
-
address@hidden Info-isearch-search
-If address@hidden, isearch in Info searches through multiple nodes.
-
address@hidden Info-enable-active-nodes
-When set to a address@hidden value, allows Info to execute Lisp code
-associated with nodes. The Lisp code is executed when the node is
-selected. The Lisp code to be executed should follow the node
-delimiter (the @samp{DEL} character) and an @samp{execute: } tag, like
-this:
-
address@hidden
-^_execute: (message "This is an active node!")
address@hidden example
address@hidden vtable
-
-
address@hidden Expert Info
address@hidden Info for Experts
-
- This chapter explains how to write an Info file by hand. However,
-in most cases, writing a Texinfo file is 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.
-
-The @code{makeinfo} command converts a Texinfo file into an Info file;
address@hidden and @code{texinfo-format-buffer} are GNU
-Emacs functions that do the same.
-
address@hidden,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU
-Documentation Format}, for how to write a Texinfo file.
-
address@hidden an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation
-Format}, for how to create an Info file from a Texinfo file.
-
address@hidden an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU
-Documentation Format}, for how to install an Info file after you
-have created one.
-
-However, if you want to edit an Info file manually and install it manually,
-here is how.
-
address@hidden
-* Add:: Describes how to add new nodes to the hierarchy.
- Also tells what nodes look like.
-* Menus:: How to add to or create menus in Info nodes.
-* Cross-refs:: How to add cross-references to Info nodes.
-* Tags:: How to make tags tables for Info files.
-* Checking:: Checking an Info File.
address@hidden menu
-
address@hidden Add, Menus, , Expert Info
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden Adding a new node to Info
-
-To add a new topic to the list in the Info directory, you must:
-
address@hidden
address@hidden
-Create some nodes, in some file, to document that topic.
address@hidden
-Put that topic in the menu in the directory. @xref{Menus, Menu}.
address@hidden enumerate
-
address@hidden 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
-user; this node has one but you cannot see it), and it ends with either
-a @samp{^_}, a @samp{^L} (``formfeed''), or the end of address@hidden
-you put in a @samp{^L} to end a new node, be sure that there is a
address@hidden after it to start the next one, since @samp{^L} cannot
address@hidden 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
address@hidden
-
- The @samp{^_} starting a node must be followed by a newline or a
address@hidden 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}.
-
address@hidden node header line format
address@hidden format of node headers
- The keywords @dfn{Node}, @dfn{Next}, @dfn{Previous}, and @dfn{Up}
-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.
-
address@hidden node name format
address@hidden Directory node
- 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
address@hidden(info)Add} for this node. If the file name starts with @samp{./},
-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
address@hidden(@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:
-(dir)} in it.
-
address@hidden unstructured documents
- The node name @kbd{*} is special: it refers to the entire file.
-Thus, @kbd{g*} shows you the whole current file. The use of the
-node @kbd{*} is to make it possible to make old-fashioned,
-unstructured files into nodes of the tree.
-
- The @samp{Node:} name, in which a node states its own name, must not
-contain a 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
address@hidden names may contain them. In this node, since the @samp{Up}
-node is in the same file, it was not necessary to use one.
-
- Note that the nodes in this file have a file name in the header
-line. The file names are ignored by Info, but they serve as comments
-to help identify the node for the user.
-
address@hidden Menus, Cross-refs, Add, Expert Info
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden How to Create Menus
-
- Any node in the Info hierarchy may have a @dfn{menu}---a list of subnodes.
-The @kbd{m} command searches the current node's menu for the topic which it
-reads from the terminal.
-
address@hidden menu and menu entry format
- A menu begins with a line starting with @address@hidden 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
address@hidden, @samp{Previous} and @samp{Up}, may be terminated with a
-tab, comma, or newline; it may also be terminated with a period.
-
- If the node name and topic name are the same, then rather than
-giving the name twice, the abbreviation @samp{* @var{name}::} may be
-used (and should be used, whenever possible, as it reduces the visual
-clutter in the menu).
-
- It is considerate to choose the topic names so that they differ
-from each other very near the beginning---this allows the user to type
-short abbreviations. In a long menu, it is a good idea to capitalize
-the beginning of each item name which is the minimum acceptable
-abbreviation for it (a long menu is more than 5 or so entries).
-
- The nodes listed in a node's menu are called its ``subnodes,'' and it
-is their ``superior''. They should each have an @samp{Up:} pointing at
-the superior. It is often useful to arrange all or most of the subnodes
-in a sequence of @samp{Next} and @samp{Previous} pointers so that
-someone who wants to see them all need not keep revisiting the Menu.
-
- The Info Directory is simply the menu of the node @samp{(dir)Top}---that
-is, node @samp{Top} in file @file{.../info/dir}. You can put new entries
-in that menu just like any other menu. The Info Directory is @emph{not} the
-same as the file directory called @file{info}. It happens that many of
-Info's files live in that file directory, but they do not have to; and
-files in that directory are not automatically listed in the Info
-Directory node.
-
- Also, although the Info node graph is claimed to be a ``hierarchy,''
-in fact it can be @emph{any} directed graph. Shared structures and
-pointer cycles are perfectly possible, and can be used if they are
-appropriate to the meaning to be expressed. There is no need for all
-the nodes in a file to form a connected structure. In fact, this file
-has two connected components. You are in one of them, which is under
-the node @samp{Top}; the other contains the node @samp{Help} which the
address@hidden command goes to. In fact, since there is no garbage
-collector on the node graph, 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.
-
address@hidden Cross-refs, Tags, Menus, Expert Info
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden Creating Cross References
-
address@hidden cross reference format
- A cross reference can be placed anywhere in the text, unlike a menu
-item which must go at the front of a line. A cross reference looks
-like a menu item except that it has @samp{*note} instead of @samp{*}.
-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:
-
address@hidden
-*Note details: commands. (See *note 3: Full Proof.)
address@hidden example
-
address@hidden
address@hidden are just examples.} The places they ``lead to'' do not
-really exist!
-
address@hidden
-* Help-Cross:: Target of a cross-reference.
address@hidden menu
-
-
address@hidden Help-Cross, , , Cross-refs
address@hidden 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
address@hidden links pointing back to where you came from. In general, the
address@hidden (el) command is the only way to get back there.
-
address@hidden
->> Type @kbd{l} to return to the node where the cross reference was.
address@hidden format
-
address@hidden Tags, Checking, Cross-refs, Expert Info
address@hidden node-name, next, previous, up
address@hidden Tags Tables for Info Files
-
address@hidden tags tables in Info files
- You can speed up the access to nodes of a large Info file by giving
-it a tags table. Unlike the tags table for a program, the tags table for
-an Info file lives inside the file itself and is used
-automatically whenever Info reads in the file.
-
address@hidden Info-tagify
- To make a tags table, go to a node in the file using Emacs Info mode and type
address@hidden Info-tagify}. Then you must use @kbd{C-x C-s} to save the
-file. Info files produced by the @code{makeinfo} command that is part
-of the Texinfo package always have tags tables to begin with.
-
address@hidden stale tags tables
address@hidden 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
-more than a thousand characters in the file from the position
-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.
-
- An Info file tags table appears at the end of the file and looks like
-this:
-
address@hidden
-^_^L
-Tag Table:
-File: info, Node: Cross-refs^?21419
-File: info, Node: Tags^?22145
-^_
-End Tag Table
address@hidden example
-
address@hidden
-Note that it contains one line per node, and this line contains
-the beginning of the node's header (ending just after the node name),
-a @samp{DEL} character, and the character position in the file of the
-beginning of the node.
-
address@hidden Checking, , Tags, Expert Info
address@hidden Checking an Info File
-
-When creating an Info file, it is easy to forget the name of a node when
-you are making a pointer to it from another node. If you put in the
-wrong name for a node, this is not detected until someone tries to go
-through the pointer using Info. Verification of the Info file is an
-automatic process which checks all pointers to nodes and reports any
-pointers which are invalid. Every @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and
address@hidden is checked, as is every menu item and every cross reference. In
-addition, any @samp{Next} which does not have a @samp{Previous} pointing
-back is reported. Only pointers within the file are checked, because
-checking pointers to other files would be terribly slow. But those are
-usually few.
-
address@hidden Info-validate
-To check an Info file, do @kbd{M-x Info-validate} while looking at any
-node of the file with Emacs Info mode.
-
address@hidden Index
address@hidden Index
-
-This is an alphabetical listing of all the commands, variables, and
-topics discussed in this document.
-
address@hidden cp
-
address@hidden
-
address@hidden
- arch-tag: 965c1638-01d6-4156-9227-b10418b9d8e8
address@hidden ignore