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1 | \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 | @comment %**start of header | |
3 | @setfilename ../info/info | |
4 | @settitle Info 1.0 | |
5 | @comment %**end of header | |
6 | ||
7 | @direntry | |
8 | * Info: (info). Documentation browsing system. | |
9 | @end direntry | |
10 | ||
11 | @iftex | |
12 | @finalout | |
13 | @end iftex | |
14 | ||
15 | @ifinfo | |
16 | This file describes how to use Info, | |
17 | the on-line, menu-driven GNU documentation system. | |
18 | ||
19 | Copyright (C) 1989, 1992 Free Software Foundation, Inc. | |
20 | ||
21 | Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of | |
22 | this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice | |
23 | are preserved on all copies. | |
24 | ||
25 | @ignore | |
26 | Permission is granted to process this file through TeX and print the | |
27 | results, provided the printed document carries copying permission | |
28 | notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph | |
29 | (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual). | |
30 | ||
31 | @end ignore | |
32 | Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this | |
33 | manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire | |
34 | resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission | |
35 | notice identical to this one. | |
36 | ||
37 | Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual | |
38 | into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, | |
39 | except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved | |
40 | by the Free Software Foundation. | |
41 | @end ifinfo | |
42 | ||
43 | @setchapternewpage odd | |
44 | @titlepage | |
45 | @sp 11 | |
46 | @center @titlefont{Info} | |
47 | @sp 2 | |
48 | @center The | |
49 | @sp 2 | |
50 | @center On-line, Menu-driven | |
51 | @sp 2 | |
52 | @center GNU Documentation System | |
53 | ||
54 | @page | |
55 | @vskip 0pt plus 1filll | |
56 | Copyright @copyright{} 1989, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc. | |
57 | @sp 2 | |
58 | ||
59 | Published by the Free Software Foundation @* | |
60 | 59 Temple Place, Suite 330 @* | |
61 | Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA @* | |
62 | ||
63 | Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of | |
64 | this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice | |
65 | are preserved on all copies. | |
66 | ||
67 | Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this | |
68 | manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire | |
69 | resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission | |
70 | notice identical to this one. | |
71 | ||
72 | Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual | |
73 | into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, | |
74 | except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved | |
75 | by the Free Software Foundation. | |
76 | @end titlepage | |
77 | ||
78 | @paragraphindent 3 | |
79 | @ifinfo | |
80 | @node Top, Getting Started, (dir), (dir) | |
81 | @top Info: An Introduction | |
82 | ||
83 | Info is a program for reading documentation, which you are using now. | |
84 | ||
85 | To learn how to use Info, type the command @kbd{h}. It brings you | |
86 | to a programmed instruction sequence. If at any time you are ready to | |
87 | stop using Info, type @samp{q}. | |
88 | ||
89 | @c Need to make sure that `Info-help' goes to the right node, | |
90 | @c which is the first node of the first chapter. (It should.) | |
91 | @c (Info-find-node "info" | |
92 | @c (if (< (window-height) 23) | |
93 | @c "Help-Small-Screen" | |
94 | @c "Help"))) | |
95 | ||
96 | To learn advanced Info commands, type @kbd{n} twice. This brings you to | |
97 | @cite{Info for Experts}, skipping over the `Getting Started' chapter. | |
98 | @end ifinfo | |
99 | ||
100 | @menu | |
101 | * Getting Started:: Getting started using an Info reader. | |
102 | * Advanced Info:: Advanced commands within Info. | |
103 | * Create an Info File:: How to make your own Info file. | |
104 | @end menu | |
105 | ||
106 | @node Getting Started, Advanced Info, Top, Top | |
107 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
108 | @chapter Getting Started | |
109 | ||
110 | This first part of the Info manual describes how to get around inside | |
111 | of Info. The second part of the manual describes various advanced | |
112 | Info commands, and how to write an Info as distinct from a Texinfo | |
113 | file. The third part is about how to generate Info files from | |
114 | Texinfo files. | |
115 | ||
116 | @iftex | |
117 | This manual is primarily designed for use on a computer, so that you can | |
118 | try Info commands while reading about them. Reading it on paper is less | |
119 | effective, since you must take it on faith that the commands described | |
120 | really do what the manual says. By all means go through this manual now | |
121 | that you have it; but please try going through the on-line version as | |
122 | well. | |
123 | ||
124 | There are two ways of looking at the online version of this manual: | |
125 | ||
126 | @enumerate | |
127 | @item | |
128 | Type @code{info} at your shell's command line. This approach uses a | |
129 | stand-alone program designed just to read Info files. | |
130 | ||
131 | @item | |
132 | Type @code{emacs} at the command line; then type @kbd{C-h i} (Control | |
133 | @kbd{h}, followed by @kbd{i}). This approach uses the Info mode of the | |
134 | Emacs program, an editor with many other capabilities. | |
135 | @end enumerate | |
136 | ||
137 | In either case, then type @kbd{mInfo} (just the letters), followed by | |
138 | @key{RET}---the ``Return'' or ``Enter'' key. At this point, you should | |
139 | be ready to follow the instructions in this manual as you read them on | |
140 | the screen. | |
141 | @c FIXME! (pesch@cygnus.com, 14 dec 1992) | |
142 | @c Is it worth worrying about what-if the beginner goes to somebody | |
143 | @c else's Emacs session, which already has an Info running in the middle | |
144 | @c of something---in which case these simple instructions won't work? | |
145 | @end iftex | |
146 | ||
147 | @menu | |
148 | * Help-Small-Screen:: Starting Info on a Small Screen | |
149 | * Help:: How to use Info | |
150 | * Help-P:: Returning to the Previous node | |
151 | * Help-^L:: The Space, Rubout, B and ^L commands. | |
152 | * Help-M:: Menus | |
153 | * Help-Adv:: Some advanced Info commands | |
154 | * Help-Q:: Quitting Info | |
155 | * Using Stand-alone Info:: How to use the stand-alone Info reader. | |
156 | @end menu | |
157 | ||
158 | @node Help-Small-Screen, Help, , Getting Started | |
159 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
160 | @section Starting Info on a Small Screen | |
161 | ||
162 | @iftex | |
163 | (In Info, you only see this section if your terminal has a small | |
164 | number of lines; most readers pass by it without seeing it.) | |
165 | @end iftex | |
166 | ||
167 | Since your terminal has an unusually small number of lines on its | |
168 | screen, it is necessary to give you special advice at the beginning. | |
169 | ||
170 | If you see the text @samp{--All----} at near the bottom right corner | |
171 | of the screen, it means the entire text you are looking at fits on the | |
172 | screen. If you see @samp{--Top----} instead, it means that there is | |
173 | more text below that does not fit. To move forward through the text | |
174 | and see another screen full, press the Space bar, @key{SPC}. To move | |
175 | back up, press the key labeled @samp{Delete} or @key{DEL}. | |
176 | ||
177 | @ifinfo | |
178 | Here are 40 lines of junk, so you can try Spaces and Deletes and | |
179 | see what they do. At the end are instructions of what you should do | |
180 | next. | |
181 | @format | |
182 | This is line 17 | |
183 | This is line 18 | |
184 | This is line 19 | |
185 | This is line 20 | |
186 | This is line 21 | |
187 | This is line 22 | |
188 | This is line 23 | |
189 | This is line 24 | |
190 | This is line 25 | |
191 | This is line 26 | |
192 | This is line 27 | |
193 | This is line 28 | |
194 | This is line 29 | |
195 | This is line 30 | |
196 | This is line 31 | |
197 | This is line 32 | |
198 | This is line 33 | |
199 | This is line 34 | |
200 | This is line 35 | |
201 | This is line 36 | |
202 | This is line 37 | |
203 | This is line 38 | |
204 | This is line 39 | |
205 | This is line 40 | |
206 | This is line 41 | |
207 | This is line 42 | |
208 | This is line 43 | |
209 | This is line 44 | |
210 | This is line 45 | |
211 | This is line 46 | |
212 | This is line 47 | |
213 | This is line 48 | |
214 | This is line 49 | |
215 | This is line 50 | |
216 | This is line 51 | |
217 | This is line 52 | |
218 | This is line 53 | |
219 | This is line 54 | |
220 | This is line 55 | |
221 | This is line 56 | |
222 | @end format | |
223 | If you have managed to get here, go back to the beginning with | |
224 | Delete, and come back here again, then you understand Space and | |
225 | Delete. So now type an @kbd{n} ---just one character; don't type | |
226 | the quotes and don't type the Return key afterward--- to | |
227 | get to the normal start of the course. | |
228 | @end ifinfo | |
229 | ||
230 | @node Help, Help-P, Help-Small-Screen, Getting Started | |
231 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
232 | @section How to use Info | |
233 | ||
234 | You are talking to the program Info, for reading documentation. | |
235 | ||
236 | Right now you are looking at one @dfn{Node} of Information. | |
237 | A node contains text describing a specific topic at a specific | |
238 | level of detail. This node's topic is ``how to use Info''. | |
239 | ||
240 | The top line of a node is its @dfn{header}. This node's header (look at | |
241 | it now) says that it is the node named @samp{Help} in the file | |
242 | @file{info}. It says that the @samp{Next} node after this one is the node | |
243 | called @samp{Help-P}. An advanced Info command lets you go to any node | |
244 | whose name you know. | |
245 | ||
246 | Besides a @samp{Next}, a node can have a @samp{Previous} or an | |
247 | @samp{Up}. This node has a @samp{Previous} which is | |
248 | @samp{Help-Small-Screen}, and an @samp{Up} which is @samp{Getting | |
249 | Started}. Some nodes have no @samp{Previous} and some have no | |
250 | @samp{Up}. | |
251 | ||
252 | Now it is time to move on to the @samp{Next} node, named @samp{Help-P}. | |
253 | ||
254 | @format | |
255 | >> Type @samp{n} to move there. Type just one character; | |
256 | do not type the quotes and do not type a @key{RET} afterward. | |
257 | @end format | |
258 | ||
259 | @samp{>>} in the margin means it is really time to try a command. | |
260 | ||
261 | @node Help-P, Help-^L, Help, Getting Started | |
262 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
263 | @section Returning to the Previous node | |
264 | ||
265 | This node is called @samp{Help-P}. The @samp{Previous} node, as you see, | |
266 | is @samp{Help}, which is the one you just came from using the @kbd{n} | |
267 | command. Another @kbd{n} command now would take you to the next | |
268 | node, @samp{Help-^L}. | |
269 | ||
270 | @format | |
271 | >> But do not do that yet. First, try the @kbd{p} command, which takes | |
272 | you to the @samp{Previous} node. When you get there, you can do an | |
273 | @kbd{n} again to return here. | |
274 | @end format | |
275 | ||
276 | This all probably seems insultingly simple so far, but @emph{do not} be | |
277 | led into skimming. Things will get more complicated soon. Also, | |
278 | do not try a new command until you are told it is time to. Otherwise, | |
279 | you may make Info skip past an important warning that was coming up. | |
280 | ||
281 | @format | |
282 | >> Now do an @kbd{n} to get to the node @samp{Help-^L} and learn more. | |
283 | @end format | |
284 | ||
285 | @node Help-^L, Help-M, Help-P, Getting Started | |
286 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
287 | @section The Space, Delete, B and ^L commands. | |
288 | ||
289 | This node's header tells you that you are now at node @samp{Help-^L}, and | |
290 | that @kbd{p} would get you back to @samp{Help-P}. The node's title is | |
291 | underlined; it says what the node is about (most nodes have titles). | |
292 | ||
293 | This is a big node and it does not all fit on your display screen. | |
294 | You can tell that there is more that is not visible because you | |
295 | can see the string @samp{--Top-----} rather than @samp{--All----} near | |
296 | the bottom right corner of the screen. | |
297 | ||
298 | The Space, Delete and @kbd{B} commands exist to allow you to ``move | |
299 | around'' in a node that does not all fit on the screen at once. | |
300 | Space moves forward, to show what was below the bottom of the screen. | |
301 | Delete moves backward, to show what was above the top of the screen | |
302 | (there is not anything above the top until you have typed some spaces). | |
303 | ||
304 | @format | |
305 | >> Now try typing a Space (afterward, type a Delete to return here). | |
306 | @end format | |
307 | ||
308 | When you type the space, the two lines that were at the bottom of | |
309 | the screen appear at the top, followed by more lines. Delete takes | |
310 | the two lines from the top and moves them to the bottom, | |
311 | @emph{usually}, but if there are not a full screen's worth of lines | |
312 | above them they may not make it all the way to the bottom. | |
313 | ||
314 | Space and Delete scroll through all the nodes in an Info file as a | |
315 | single logical sequence. In this sequence, a node's subnodes appear | |
316 | following their parent. If a node's menu is on the screen, Space takes | |
317 | you into the subnodes listed in the menu, one by one. Once you reach | |
318 | the end of a node, Space takes you to the next node or back to the | |
319 | parent node. | |
320 | ||
321 | If your screen is ever garbaged, you can tell Info to print it out | |
322 | again by typing @kbd{C-l} (@kbd{Control-L}, that is---hold down ``Control'' and | |
323 | type an @key{L} or @kbd{l}). | |
324 | ||
325 | @format | |
326 | >> Type @kbd{C-l} now. | |
327 | @end format | |
328 | ||
329 | To move back to the beginning of the node you are on, you can type | |
330 | a lot of Deletes. You can also type simply @kbd{b} for beginning. | |
331 | @format | |
332 | >> Try that now. (We have put in enough verbiage to push this past | |
333 | the first screenful, but screens are so big nowadays that perhaps it | |
334 | isn't enough. You may need to shrink your Emacs or Info window.) | |
335 | Then come back, with Spaces. | |
336 | @end format | |
337 | ||
338 | If your screen is very tall, all of this node might fit at once. | |
339 | In that case, "b" won't do anything. Sorry; what can we do? | |
340 | ||
341 | You have just learned a considerable number of commands. If you | |
342 | want to use one but have trouble remembering which, you should type | |
343 | a @key{?} which prints out a brief list of commands. When you are | |
344 | finished looking at the list, make it go away by typing a @key{SPC}. | |
345 | ||
346 | @format | |
347 | >> Type a @key{?} now. After it finishes, type a @key{SPC}. | |
348 | @end format | |
349 | ||
350 | (If you are using the standalone Info reader, type `l' to return here.) | |
351 | ||
352 | From now on, you will encounter large nodes without warning, and | |
353 | will be expected to know how to use Space and Delete to move | |
354 | around in them without being told. Since not all terminals have | |
355 | the same size screen, it would be impossible to warn you anyway. | |
356 | ||
357 | @format | |
358 | >> Now type @kbd{n} to see the description of the @kbd{m} command. | |
359 | @end format | |
360 | ||
361 | @node Help-M, Help-Adv, Help-^L, Getting Started | |
362 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
363 | @section Menus | |
364 | ||
365 | Menus and the @kbd{m} command | |
366 | ||
367 | With only the @kbd{n} and @kbd{p} commands for moving between nodes, nodes | |
368 | are restricted to a linear sequence. Menus allow a branching | |
369 | structure. A menu is a list of other nodes you can move to. It is | |
370 | actually just part of the text of the node formatted specially so that | |
371 | Info can interpret it. The beginning of a menu is always identified | |
372 | by a line which starts with @samp{* Menu:}. A node contains a menu if and | |
373 | only if it has a line in it which starts that way. The only menu you | |
374 | can use at any moment is the one in the node you are in. To use a | |
375 | menu in any other node, you must move to that node first. | |
376 | ||
377 | After the start of the menu, each line that starts with a @samp{*} | |
378 | identifies one subtopic. The line usually contains a brief name | |
379 | for the subtopic (followed by a @samp{:}), the name of the node that talks | |
380 | about that subtopic, and optionally some further description of the | |
381 | subtopic. Lines in the menu that do not start with a @samp{*} have no | |
382 | special meaning---they are only for the human reader's benefit and do | |
383 | not define additional subtopics. Here is an example: | |
384 | ||
385 | @example | |
386 | * Foo: FOO's Node This tells about FOO | |
387 | @end example | |
388 | ||
389 | The subtopic name is Foo, and the node describing it is @samp{FOO's Node}. | |
390 | The rest of the line is just for the reader's Information. | |
391 | [[ But this line is not a real menu item, simply because there is | |
392 | no line above it which starts with @samp{* Menu:}.]] | |
393 | ||
394 | When you use a menu to go to another node (in a way that will be | |
395 | described soon), what you specify is the subtopic name, the first | |
396 | thing in the menu line. Info uses it to find the menu line, extracts | |
397 | the node name from it, and goes to that node. The reason that there | |
398 | is both a subtopic name and a node name is that the node name must be | |
399 | meaningful to the computer and may therefore have to be ugly looking. | |
400 | The subtopic name can be chosen just to be convenient for the user to | |
401 | specify. Often the node name is convenient for the user to specify | |
402 | and so both it and the subtopic name are the same. There is an | |
403 | abbreviation for this: | |
404 | ||
405 | @example | |
406 | * Foo:: This tells about FOO | |
407 | @end example | |
408 | ||
409 | @noindent | |
410 | This means that the subtopic name and node name are the same; they are | |
411 | both @samp{Foo}. | |
412 | ||
413 | @format | |
414 | >> Now use Spaces to find the menu in this node, then come back to | |
415 | the front with a @kbd{b} and some Spaces. As you see, a menu is | |
416 | actually visible in its node. If you cannot find a menu in a node | |
417 | by looking at it, then the node does not have a menu and the | |
418 | @kbd{m} command is not available. | |
419 | @end format | |
420 | ||
421 | The command to go to one of the subnodes is @kbd{m}---but @emph{do | |
422 | not do it yet!} Before you use @kbd{m}, you must understand the | |
423 | difference between commands and arguments. So far, you have learned | |
424 | several commands that do not need arguments. When you type one, Info | |
425 | processes it and is instantly ready for another command. The @kbd{m} | |
426 | command is different: it is incomplete without the @dfn{name of the | |
427 | subtopic}. Once you have typed @kbd{m}, Info tries to read the | |
428 | subtopic name. | |
429 | ||
430 | Now look for the line containing many dashes near the bottom of the | |
431 | screen. There is one more line beneath that one, but usually it is | |
432 | blank. If it is empty, Info is ready for a command, such as @kbd{n} | |
433 | or @kbd{b} or Space or @kbd{m}. If that line contains text ending | |
434 | in a colon, it mean Info is trying to read the @dfn{argument} to a | |
435 | command. At such times, commands do not work, because Info tries to | |
436 | use them as the argument. You must either type the argument and | |
437 | finish the command you started, or type @kbd{Control-g} to cancel the | |
438 | command. When you have done one of those things, the line becomes | |
439 | blank again. | |
440 | ||
441 | The command to go to a subnode via a menu is @kbd{m}. After you type | |
442 | the @kbd{m}, the line at the bottom of the screen says @samp{Menu item: }. | |
443 | You must then type the name of the subtopic you want, and end it with | |
444 | a @key{RET}. | |
445 | ||
446 | You can abbreviate the subtopic name. If the abbreviation is not | |
447 | unique, the first matching subtopic is chosen. Some menus put the | |
448 | shortest possible abbreviation for each subtopic name in capital | |
449 | letters, so you can see how much you need to type. It does not matter | |
450 | whether you use upper case or lower case when you type the subtopic. Do | |
451 | not put spaces at the end of the subtopic name; in the middle of the | |
452 | subtopic name, use one space (no more!) wherever the menu item name has | |
453 | a space. | |
454 | ||
455 | You can also use the @dfn{completion} feature to help enter the subtopic | |
456 | name. If you type the Tab key after entering part of a name, it will | |
457 | magically fill in more of the name---as much as follows uniquely from | |
458 | what you have entered. | |
459 | ||
460 | If you move the cursor to one of the menu subtopic lines, then you do | |
461 | not need to type the argument: you just type a Return, and it stands for | |
462 | the subtopic of the line you are on. | |
463 | ||
464 | Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice. | |
465 | ||
466 | @menu | |
467 | This menu gives you three ways of going to one place, Help-FOO. | |
468 | ||
469 | * Foo: Help-FOO. A node you can visit for fun. | |
470 | * Bar: Help-FOO. Strange! two ways to get to the same place. | |
471 | * Help-FOO:: And yet another! | |
472 | @end menu | |
473 | ||
474 | @format | |
475 | >> Now type just an @kbd{m} and see what happens: | |
476 | @end format | |
477 | ||
478 | Now you are ``inside'' an @kbd{m} command. Commands cannot be used | |
479 | now; the next thing you will type must be the name of a subtopic. | |
480 | ||
481 | You can change your mind about doing the @kbd{m} by typing Control-g. | |
482 | ||
483 | @format | |
484 | >> Try that now; notice the bottom line clear. | |
485 | ||
486 | >> Then type another @kbd{m}. | |
487 | ||
488 | >> Now type @samp{BAR} item name. Do not type Return yet. | |
489 | @end format | |
490 | ||
491 | While you are typing the item name, you can use the Delete key to | |
492 | cancel one character at a time if you make a mistake. | |
493 | ||
494 | @format | |
495 | >> Type one to cancel the @samp{R}. You could type another @samp{R} to | |
496 | replace it. You do not have to, since @samp{BA} is a valid abbreviation. | |
497 | ||
498 | >> Now you are ready to go. Type a @key{RET}. | |
499 | @end format | |
500 | ||
501 | After visiting Help-FOO, you should return here. | |
502 | ||
503 | @format | |
504 | >> Type @kbd{n} to see more commands. | |
505 | @end format | |
506 | ||
507 | @c If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it. | |
508 | @c It is an accident of the menu updating command. | |
509 | ||
510 | @node Help-FOO, , , Help-M | |
511 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
512 | @subsection The @kbd{u} command | |
513 | ||
514 | Congratulations! This is the node @samp{Help-FOO}. Unlike the other | |
515 | nodes you have seen, this one has an @samp{Up}: @samp{Help-M}, the node you | |
516 | just came from via the @kbd{m} command. This is the usual | |
517 | convention---the nodes you reach from a menu have @samp{Up} nodes that lead | |
518 | back to the menu. Menus move Down in the tree, and @samp{Up} moves Up. | |
519 | @samp{Previous}, on the other hand, is usually used to ``stay on the same | |
520 | level but go backwards'' | |
521 | ||
522 | You can go back to the node @samp{Help-M} by typing the command | |
523 | @kbd{u} for ``Up''. That puts you at the @emph{front} of the | |
524 | node---to get back to where you were reading you have to type | |
525 | some @key{SPC}s. | |
526 | ||
527 | @format | |
528 | >> Now type @kbd{u} to move back up to @samp{Help-M}. | |
529 | @end format | |
530 | ||
531 | @node Help-Adv, Help-Q, Help-M, Getting Started | |
532 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
533 | @section Some advanced Info commands | |
534 | ||
535 | The course is almost over, so please stick with it to the end. | |
536 | ||
537 | If you have been moving around to different nodes and wish to | |
538 | retrace your steps, the @kbd{l} command (@kbd{l} for @dfn{last}) will | |
539 | do that, one node-step at a time. As you move from node to node, Info | |
540 | records the nodes where you have been in a special history list. The | |
541 | @kbd{l} command revisits nodes in the history list; each successive | |
542 | @kbd{l} command moves one step back through the history. | |
543 | ||
544 | If you have been following directions, an @kbd{l} command now will get | |
545 | you back to @samp{Help-M}. Another @kbd{l} command would undo the | |
546 | @kbd{u} and get you back to @samp{Help-FOO}. Another @kbd{l} would undo | |
547 | the @kbd{m} and get you back to @samp{Help-M}. | |
548 | ||
549 | @format | |
550 | >> Try typing three @kbd{l}'s, pausing in between to see what each | |
551 | @kbd{l} does. | |
552 | @end format | |
553 | ||
554 | Then follow directions again and you will end up back here. | |
555 | ||
556 | Note the difference between @kbd{l} and @kbd{p}: @kbd{l} moves to | |
557 | where @emph{you} last were, whereas @kbd{p} always moves to the node | |
558 | which the header says is the @samp{Previous} node (from this node, to | |
559 | @samp{Help-M}). | |
560 | ||
561 | The @samp{d} command gets you instantly to the Directory node. | |
562 | This node, which is the first one you saw when you entered Info, | |
563 | has a menu which leads (directly, or indirectly through other menus), | |
564 | to all the nodes that exist. | |
565 | ||
566 | @format | |
567 | >> Try doing a @samp{d}, then do an @kbd{l} to return here (yes, | |
568 | @emph{do} return). | |
569 | @end format | |
570 | ||
571 | Sometimes, in Info documentation, you will see a cross reference. | |
572 | Cross references look like this: @xref{Help-Cross, Cross}. That is a | |
573 | real, live cross reference which is named @samp{Cross} and points at | |
574 | the node named @samp{Help-Cross}. | |
575 | ||
576 | If you wish to follow a cross reference, you must use the @samp{f} | |
577 | command. The @samp{f} must be followed by the cross reference name | |
578 | (in this case, @samp{Cross}). While you enter the name, you can use the | |
579 | Delete key to edit your input. If you change your mind about following | |
580 | any reference, you can use @kbd{Control-g} to cancel the command. | |
581 | ||
582 | Completion is available in the @samp{f} command; you can complete among | |
583 | all the cross reference names in the current node by typing a Tab. | |
584 | ||
585 | @format | |
586 | >> Type @samp{f}, followed by @samp{Cross}, and a @key{RET}. | |
587 | @end format | |
588 | ||
589 | To get a list of all the cross references in the current node, you can | |
590 | type @kbd{?} after an @samp{f}. The @samp{f} continues to await a | |
591 | cross reference name even after printing the list, so if you don't | |
592 | actually want to follow a reference, you should type a @kbd{Control-g} | |
593 | to cancel the @samp{f}. | |
594 | ||
595 | @format | |
596 | >> Type "f?" to get a list of the cross references in this node. Then | |
597 | type a @kbd{Control-g} and see how the @samp{f} gives up. | |
598 | ||
599 | >> Now type @kbd{n} to see the last node of the course. | |
600 | @end format | |
601 | ||
602 | @c If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it. | |
603 | @c It is an accident of the menu updating command. | |
604 | ||
605 | @node Help-Cross, , , Help-Adv | |
606 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
607 | @unnumberedsubsec The node reached by the cross reference in Info | |
608 | ||
609 | This is the node reached by the cross reference named @samp{Cross}. | |
610 | ||
611 | While this node is specifically intended to be reached by a cross | |
612 | reference, most cross references lead to nodes that ``belong'' | |
613 | someplace else far away in the structure of Info. So you cannot expect | |
614 | the footnote to have a @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} or @samp{Up} pointing back to | |
615 | where you came from. In general, the @kbd{l} (el) command is the only | |
616 | way to get back there. | |
617 | ||
618 | @format | |
619 | >> Type @kbd{l} to return to the node where the cross reference was. | |
620 | @end format | |
621 | ||
622 | @node Help-Q, , Help-Adv, Getting Started | |
623 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
624 | @section Quitting Info | |
625 | ||
626 | To get out of Info, back to what you were doing before, type @kbd{q} | |
627 | for @dfn{Quit}. | |
628 | ||
629 | This is the end of the course on using Info. There are some other | |
630 | commands that are meant for experienced users; they are useful, and you | |
631 | can find them by looking in the directory node for documentation on | |
632 | Info. Finding them will be a good exercise in using Info in the usual | |
633 | manner. | |
634 | ||
635 | @format | |
636 | >> Type @samp{d} to go to the Info directory node; then type | |
637 | @samp{mInfo} and Return, to get to the node about Info and | |
638 | see what other help is available. | |
639 | @end format | |
640 | ||
641 | @node Advanced Info, Create an Info File, Getting Started, Top | |
642 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
643 | @chapter Info for Experts | |
644 | ||
645 | This chapter describes various advanced Info commands, and how to write | |
646 | an Info as distinct from a Texinfo file. (However, in most cases, writing a | |
647 | Texinfo file is better, since you can use it @emph{both} to generate an | |
648 | Info file and to make a printed manual. @xref{Top,, Overview of | |
649 | Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation Format}.) | |
650 | ||
651 | @menu | |
652 | * Expert:: Advanced Info commands: g, s, e, and 1 - 5. | |
653 | * Add:: Describes how to add new nodes to the hierarchy. | |
654 | Also tells what nodes look like. | |
655 | * Menus:: How to add to or create menus in Info nodes. | |
656 | * Cross-refs:: How to add cross-references to Info nodes. | |
657 | * Tags:: How to make tags tables for Info files. | |
658 | * Checking:: Checking an Info File | |
659 | * Emacs Info Variables:: Variables modifying the behavior of Emacs Info. | |
660 | @end menu | |
661 | ||
662 | @node Expert, Add, , Advanced Info | |
663 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
664 | @section Advanced Info Commands | |
665 | ||
666 | @kbd{g}, @kbd{s}, @kbd{1}, -- @kbd{9}, and @kbd{e} | |
667 | ||
668 | If you know a node's name, you can go there by typing @kbd{g}, the | |
669 | name, and @key{RET}. Thus, @kbd{gTop@key{RET}} would go to the node | |
670 | called @samp{Top} in this file (its directory node). | |
671 | @kbd{gExpert@key{RET}} would come back here. | |
672 | ||
673 | Unlike @kbd{m}, @kbd{g} does not allow the use of abbreviations. | |
674 | ||
675 | To go to a node in another file, you can include the filename in the | |
676 | node name by putting it at the front, in parentheses. Thus, | |
677 | @kbd{g(dir)Top@key{RET}} would go to the Info Directory node, which is | |
678 | node @samp{Top} in the file @file{dir}. | |
679 | ||
680 | The node name @samp{*} specifies the whole file. So you can look at | |
681 | all of the current file by typing @kbd{g*@key{RET}} or all of any | |
682 | other file with @kbd{g(FILENAME)@key{RET}}. | |
683 | ||
684 | The @kbd{s} command allows you to search a whole file for a string. It | |
685 | switches to the next node if and when that is necessary. You type | |
686 | @kbd{s} followed by the string to search for, terminated by @key{RET}. | |
687 | To search for the same string again, just @kbd{s} followed by @key{RET} | |
688 | will do. The file's nodes are scanned in the order they are in in the | |
689 | file, which has no necessary relationship to the order that they may be | |
690 | in in the tree structure of menus and @samp{next} pointers. But | |
691 | normally the two orders are not very different. In any case, you can | |
692 | always do a @kbd{b} to find out what node you have reached, if the | |
693 | header is not visible (this can happen, because @kbd{s} puts your cursor | |
694 | at the occurrence of the string, not at the beginning of the node). | |
695 | ||
696 | @kbd{Meta-s} is equivalent to @kbd{s}. That is for compatibility with | |
697 | other GNU packages that use @kbd{M-s} for a similar kind of search | |
698 | command. | |
699 | ||
700 | If you grudge the system each character of type-in it requires, you | |
701 | might like to use the commands @kbd{1}, @kbd{2}, @kbd{3}, @kbd{4}, ... | |
702 | @kbd{9}. They are short for the @kbd{m} command together with an | |
703 | argument. @kbd{1} goes through the first item in the current node's | |
704 | menu; @kbd{2} goes through the second item, etc. | |
705 | ||
706 | If your display supports multiple fonts, and you are using Emacs' Info | |
707 | mode to read Info files, the @samp{*} for the fifth menu item is | |
708 | underlined, and so is the @samp{*} for the ninth item; these underlines | |
709 | make it easy to see at a glance which number to use for an item. | |
710 | ||
711 | On ordinary terminals, you won't have underlining. If you need to | |
712 | actually count items, it is better to use @kbd{m} instead, and specify | |
713 | the name. | |
714 | ||
715 | The Info command @kbd{e} changes from Info mode to an ordinary | |
716 | Emacs editing mode, so that you can edit the text of the current node. | |
717 | Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to switch back to Info. The @kbd{e} command is allowed | |
718 | only if the variable @code{Info-enable-edit} is non-@code{nil}. | |
719 | ||
720 | @node Add, Menus, Expert, Advanced Info | |
721 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
722 | @section Adding a new node to Info | |
723 | ||
724 | To add a new topic to the list in the Info directory, you must: | |
725 | @enumerate | |
726 | @item | |
727 | Create some nodes, in some file, to document that topic. | |
728 | @item | |
729 | Put that topic in the menu in the directory. @xref{Menus, Menu}. | |
730 | @end enumerate | |
731 | ||
732 | Usually, the way to create the nodes is with Texinfo @pxref{Top,, Overview of | |
733 | Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation Format}); this has the | |
734 | advantage that you can also make a printed manual from them. However, | |
735 | if you want to edit an Info file, here is how. | |
736 | ||
737 | The new node can live in an existing documentation file, or in a new | |
738 | one. It must have a @key{^_} character before it (invisible to the | |
739 | user; this node has one but you cannot see it), and it ends with either | |
740 | a @key{^_}, a @key{^L}, or the end of file. Note: If you put in a | |
741 | @key{^L} to end a new node, be sure that there is a @key{^_} after it | |
742 | to start the next one, since @key{^L} cannot @emph{start} a node. | |
743 | Also, a nicer way to make a node boundary be a page boundary as well | |
744 | is to put a @key{^L} @emph{right after} the @key{^_}. | |
745 | ||
746 | The @key{^_} starting a node must be followed by a newline or a | |
747 | @key{^L} newline, after which comes the node's header line. The | |
748 | header line must give the node's name (by which Info finds it), | |
749 | and state the names of the @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and @samp{Up} nodes (if | |
750 | there are any). As you can see, this node's @samp{Up} node is the node | |
751 | @samp{Top}, which points at all the documentation for Info. The @samp{Next} | |
752 | node is @samp{Menus}. | |
753 | ||
754 | The keywords @dfn{Node}, @dfn{Previous}, @dfn{Up}, and @dfn{Next}, | |
755 | may appear in any order, anywhere in the header line, but the | |
756 | recommended order is the one in this sentence. Each keyword must be | |
757 | followed by a colon, spaces and tabs, and then the appropriate name. | |
758 | The name may be terminated with a tab, a comma, or a newline. A space | |
759 | does not end it; node names may contain spaces. The case of letters | |
760 | in the names is insignificant. | |
761 | ||
762 | A node name has two forms. A node in the current file is named by | |
763 | what appears after the @samp{Node: } in that node's first line. For | |
764 | example, this node's name is @samp{Add}. A node in another file is | |
765 | named by @samp{(@var{filename})@var{node-within-file}}, as in | |
766 | @samp{(info)Add} for this node. If the file name starts with ``./'', | |
767 | then it is relative to the current directory; otherwise, it is relative | |
768 | starting from the standard Info file directory of your site. | |
769 | The name @samp{(@var{filename})Top} can be abbreviated to just | |
770 | @samp{(@var{filename})}. By convention, the name @samp{Top} is used for | |
771 | the ``highest'' node in any single file---the node whose @samp{Up} points | |
772 | out of the file. The Directory node is @file{(dir)}. The @samp{Top} node | |
773 | of a document file listed in the Directory should have an @samp{Up: | |
774 | (dir)} in it. | |
775 | ||
776 | The node name @kbd{*} is special: it refers to the entire file. | |
777 | Thus, @kbd{g*} shows you the whole current file. The use of the | |
778 | node @kbd{*} is to make it possible to make old-fashioned, | |
779 | unstructured files into nodes of the tree. | |
780 | ||
781 | The @samp{Node:} name, in which a node states its own name, must not | |
782 | contain a filename, since Info when searching for a node does not | |
783 | expect one to be there. The @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} and @samp{Up} names may | |
784 | contain them. In this node, since the @samp{Up} node is in the same file, | |
785 | it was not necessary to use one. | |
786 | ||
787 | Note that the nodes in this file have a file name in the header | |
788 | line. The file names are ignored by Info, but they serve as comments | |
789 | to help identify the node for the user. | |
790 | ||
791 | @node Menus, Cross-refs, Add, Advanced Info | |
792 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
793 | @section How to Create Menus | |
794 | ||
795 | Any node in the Info hierarchy may have a @dfn{menu}---a list of subnodes. | |
796 | The @kbd{m} command searches the current node's menu for the topic which it | |
797 | reads from the terminal. | |
798 | ||
799 | A menu begins with a line starting with @samp{* Menu:}. The rest of the | |
800 | line is a comment. After the starting line, every line that begins | |
801 | with a @samp{* } lists a single topic. The name of the topic--the | |
802 | argument that the user must give to the @kbd{m} command to select this | |
803 | topic---comes right after the star and space, and is followed by a | |
804 | colon, spaces and tabs, and the name of the node which discusses that | |
805 | topic. The node name, like node names following @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} | |
806 | and @samp{Up}, may be terminated with a tab, comma, or newline; it may also | |
807 | be terminated with a period. | |
808 | ||
809 | If the node name and topic name are the same, then rather than | |
810 | giving the name twice, the abbreviation @samp{* NAME::} may be used | |
811 | (and should be used, whenever possible, as it reduces the visual | |
812 | clutter in the menu). | |
813 | ||
814 | It is considerate to choose the topic names so that they differ | |
815 | from each other very near the beginning---this allows the user to type | |
816 | short abbreviations. In a long menu, it is a good idea to capitalize | |
817 | the beginning of each item name which is the minimum acceptable | |
818 | abbreviation for it (a long menu is more than 5 or so entries). | |
819 | ||
820 | The nodes listed in a node's menu are called its ``subnodes'', and | |
821 | it is their ``superior''. They should each have an @samp{Up:} pointing at | |
822 | the superior. It is often useful to arrange all or most of the | |
823 | subnodes in a sequence of @samp{Next} and @samp{Previous} pointers so that someone who | |
824 | wants to see them all need not keep revisiting the Menu. | |
825 | ||
826 | The Info Directory is simply the menu of the node @samp{(dir)Top}---that | |
827 | is, node @samp{Top} in file @file{.../info/dir}. You can put new entries | |
828 | in that menu just like any other menu. The Info Directory is @emph{not} the | |
829 | same as the file directory called @file{info}. It happens that many of | |
830 | Info's files live on that file directory, but they do not have to; and | |
831 | files on that directory are not automatically listed in the Info | |
832 | Directory node. | |
833 | ||
834 | Also, although the Info node graph is claimed to be a ``hierarchy'', | |
835 | in fact it can be @emph{any} directed graph. Shared structures and | |
836 | pointer cycles are perfectly possible, and can be used if they are | |
837 | appropriate to the meaning to be expressed. There is no need for all | |
838 | the nodes in a file to form a connected structure. In fact, this file | |
839 | has two connected components. You are in one of them, which is under | |
840 | the node @samp{Top}; the other contains the node @samp{Help} which the | |
841 | @kbd{h} command goes to. In fact, since there is no garbage | |
842 | collector, nothing terrible happens if a substructure is not pointed | |
843 | to, but such a substructure is rather useless since nobody can | |
844 | ever find out that it exists. | |
845 | ||
846 | @node Cross-refs, Tags, Menus, Advanced Info | |
847 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
848 | @section Creating Cross References | |
849 | ||
850 | A cross reference can be placed anywhere in the text, unlike a menu | |
851 | item which must go at the front of a line. A cross reference looks | |
852 | like a menu item except that it has @samp{*note} instead of @kbd{*}. | |
853 | It @emph{cannot} be terminated by a @samp{)}, because @samp{)}'s are | |
854 | so often part of node names. If you wish to enclose a cross reference | |
855 | in parentheses, terminate it with a period first. Here are two | |
856 | examples of cross references pointers: | |
857 | ||
858 | @example | |
859 | *Note details: commands. (See *note 3: Full Proof.) | |
860 | @end example | |
861 | ||
862 | They are just examples. The places they ``lead to'' do not really exist! | |
863 | ||
864 | @node Tags, Checking, Cross-refs, Advanced Info | |
865 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
866 | @section Tags Tables for Info Files | |
867 | ||
868 | You can speed up the access to nodes of a large Info file by giving | |
869 | it a tags table. Unlike the tags table for a program, the tags table for | |
870 | an Info file lives inside the file itself and is used | |
871 | automatically whenever Info reads in the file. | |
872 | ||
873 | To make a tags table, go to a node in the file using Emacs Info mode and type | |
874 | @kbd{M-x Info-tagify}. Then you must use @kbd{C-x C-s} to save the | |
875 | file. | |
876 | ||
877 | Once the Info file has a tags table, you must make certain it is up | |
878 | to date. If, as a result of deletion of text, any node moves back | |
879 | more than a thousand characters in the file from the position | |
880 | recorded in the tags table, Info will no longer be able to find that | |
881 | node. To update the tags table, use the @code{Info-tagify} command again. | |
882 | ||
883 | An Info file tags table appears at the end of the file and looks like | |
884 | this: | |
885 | ||
886 | @example | |
887 | ^_\f | |
888 | Tag Table: | |
889 | File: info, Node: Cross-refs^?21419 | |
890 | File: info, Node: Tags^?22145 | |
891 | ^_ | |
892 | End Tag Table | |
893 | @end example | |
894 | ||
895 | @noindent | |
896 | Note that it contains one line per node, and this line contains | |
897 | the beginning of the node's header (ending just after the node name), | |
898 | a Delete character, and the character position in the file of the | |
899 | beginning of the node. | |
900 | ||
901 | @node Checking, Emacs Info Variables, Tags, Advanced Info | |
902 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
903 | @section Checking an Info File | |
904 | ||
905 | When creating an Info file, it is easy to forget the name of a node | |
906 | when you are making a pointer to it from another node. If you put in | |
907 | the wrong name for a node, this is not detected until someone | |
908 | tries to go through the pointer using Info. Verification of the Info | |
909 | file is an automatic process which checks all pointers to nodes and | |
910 | reports any pointers which are invalid. Every @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and | |
911 | @samp{Up} is checked, as is every menu item and every cross reference. In | |
912 | addition, any @samp{Next} which does not have a @samp{Previous} pointing back is | |
913 | reported. Only pointers within the file are checked, because checking | |
914 | pointers to other files would be terribly slow. But those are usually | |
915 | few. | |
916 | ||
917 | To check an Info file, do @kbd{M-x Info-validate} while looking at | |
918 | any node of the file with Emacs Info mode. | |
919 | ||
920 | @node Emacs Info Variables, , Checking, Advanced Info | |
921 | @section Emacs Info-mode Variables | |
922 | ||
923 | The following variables may modify the behaviour of Info-mode in Emacs; | |
924 | you may wish to set one or several of these variables interactively, or | |
925 | in your @file{~/.emacs} init file. @xref{Examining, Examining and Setting | |
926 | Variables, Examining and Setting Variables, emacs, The GNU Emacs | |
927 | Manual}. | |
928 | ||
929 | @table @code | |
930 | @item Info-enable-edit | |
931 | Set to @code{nil}, disables the @samp{e} (@code{Info-edit}) command. A | |
932 | non-@code{nil} value enables it. @xref{Add, Edit}. | |
933 | ||
934 | @item Info-enable-active-nodes | |
935 | When set to a non-@code{nil} value, allows Info to execute Lisp code | |
936 | associated with nodes. The Lisp code is executed when the node is | |
937 | selected. | |
938 | ||
939 | @item Info-directory-list | |
940 | The list of directories to search for Info files. Each element is a | |
79148ea7 GM |
941 | string (directory name) or @code{nil} (try default directory). If not |
942 | initialized Info uses the environment variable @env{INFOPATH} to | |
943 | initialize it, or @code{Info-default-directory-list} if there is no | |
944 | @env{INFOPATH} variable in the environment. | |
945 | ||
946 | @item Info-additional-directory-list | |
947 | A list of additional directories to search for Info documentation files. | |
948 | These directories are not searched for merging the @file{dir} file. | |
26901792 DL |
949 | |
950 | @item Info-directory | |
951 | The standard directory for Info documentation files. Only used when the | |
952 | function @code{Info-directory} is called. | |
79148ea7 | 953 | |
26901792 DL |
954 | @end table |
955 | ||
956 | @node Create an Info File, , Advanced Info, Top | |
957 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
958 | @chapter Creating an Info File from a Makeinfo file | |
959 | ||
960 | @code{makeinfo} is a utility that converts a Texinfo file into an Info | |
961 | file; @code{texinfo-format-region} and @code{texinfo-format-buffer} are | |
962 | GNU Emacs functions that do the same. | |
963 | ||
964 | @xref{Create an Info File, , Creating an Info File, texinfo, the Texinfo | |
965 | Manual}, to learn how to create an Info file from a Texinfo file. | |
966 | ||
967 | @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation | |
968 | Format}, to learn how to write a Texinfo file. | |
969 | ||
970 | @nwnode Using Stand-alone Info, Options, , Top | |
971 | @chapter Using the Stand-alone Info Reader | |
972 | @lowersections | |
973 | @c Make the paragraph indentation match the rest of this file. | |
974 | @paragraphindent 2 | |
975 | @include info-stnd.texi | |
976 | @raisesections | |
977 | @bye |