Commit | Line | Data |
---|---|---|
4009494e GM |
1 | \input texinfo.tex @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 | @c We must \input texinfo.tex instead of texinfo, otherwise make | |
3 | @c distcheck in the Texinfo distribution fails, because the texinfo Info | |
4 | @c file is made first, and texi2dvi must include . first in the path. | |
5 | @comment %**start of header | |
6 | @setfilename info.info | |
7 | @settitle Info | |
8 | @syncodeindex fn cp | |
9 | @syncodeindex vr cp | |
10 | @syncodeindex ky cp | |
11 | @comment %**end of header | |
12 | ||
13 | @copying | |
14 | This file describes how to use Info, the on-line, menu-driven GNU | |
15 | documentation system. | |
16 | ||
17 | Copyright @copyright{} 1989, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, | |
5df4f04c | 18 | 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
2bf1d02d | 19 | Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
4009494e GM |
20 | |
21 | @quotation | |
22 | Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document | |
6a2c4aec | 23 | under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or |
4009494e GM |
24 | any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no |
25 | Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU | |
26 | Manual,'' and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the | |
27 | license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation | |
28 | License'' in the Emacs manual. | |
29 | ||
6f093307 GM |
30 | (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to copy and |
31 | modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in | |
32 | developing GNU and promoting software freedom.'' | |
4009494e GM |
33 | |
34 | This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free | |
35 | Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document | |
36 | separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the | |
37 | license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license. | |
38 | @end quotation | |
39 | @end copying | |
40 | ||
41 | @dircategory Texinfo documentation system | |
42 | @direntry | |
62e034c2 | 43 | * Info: (info). How to use the documentation browsing system. |
4009494e GM |
44 | @end direntry |
45 | ||
46 | @titlepage | |
47 | @title Info | |
48 | @subtitle The online, hyper-text GNU documentation system | |
49 | @author Brian Fox | |
50 | @author and the GNU Texinfo community | |
51 | @page | |
52 | @vskip 0pt plus 1filll | |
53 | @insertcopying | |
54 | @end titlepage | |
55 | ||
56 | @contents | |
57 | ||
58 | @ifnottex | |
59 | @node Top | |
60 | @top Info: An Introduction | |
61 | ||
62 | The GNU Project distributes most of its on-line manuals in the | |
63 | @dfn{Info format}, which you read using an @dfn{Info reader}. You are | |
64 | probably using an Info reader to read this now. | |
65 | ||
66 | There are two primary Info readers: @code{info}, a stand-alone program | |
149a3837 | 67 | designed just to read Info files (@pxref{Top,,What is Info?, |
0549d8fc | 68 | info-stnd, GNU Info}), and the @code{info} package in GNU Emacs, a |
149a3837 KB |
69 | general-purpose editor. At present, only the Emacs reader supports |
70 | using a mouse. | |
4009494e GM |
71 | |
72 | @ifinfo | |
73 | If you are new to the Info reader and want to learn how to use it, | |
74 | type the command @kbd{h} now. It brings you to a programmed | |
75 | instruction sequence. | |
76 | ||
77 | To read about advanced Info commands, type @kbd{n} twice. This | |
78 | brings you to @cite{Advanced Info Commands}, skipping over the `Getting | |
79 | Started' chapter. | |
80 | @end ifinfo | |
81 | @end ifnottex | |
82 | ||
5dc584b5 KB |
83 | @insertcopying |
84 | ||
4009494e GM |
85 | @menu |
86 | * Getting Started:: Getting started using an Info reader. | |
87 | * Advanced:: Advanced Info commands. | |
88 | * Expert Info:: Info commands for experts. | |
89 | * Index:: An index of topics, commands, and variables. | |
90 | @end menu | |
91 | ||
92 | @node Getting Started, Advanced, Top, Top | |
93 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
94 | @chapter Getting Started | |
95 | ||
96 | This first part of this Info manual describes how to get around inside | |
97 | of Info. The second part of the manual describes various advanced | |
98 | Info commands. The third part briefly explains how to generate Info | |
99 | files from Texinfo files, and describes how to write an Info file | |
100 | by hand. | |
101 | ||
102 | @ifnotinfo | |
103 | This manual is primarily designed for browsing with an Info reader | |
104 | program on a computer, so that you can try Info commands while reading | |
105 | about them. Reading it on paper or with an HTML browser is less | |
106 | effective, since you must take it on faith that the commands described | |
107 | really do what the manual says. By all means go through this manual | |
108 | now that you have it; but please try going through the on-line version | |
109 | as well. | |
110 | ||
111 | @cindex Info reader, how to invoke | |
112 | @cindex entering Info | |
113 | There are two ways of looking at the online version of this manual: | |
114 | ||
115 | @enumerate | |
116 | @item | |
117 | Type @code{info} at your shell's command line. This approach uses a | |
118 | stand-alone program designed just to read Info files. | |
119 | ||
120 | @item | |
121 | Type @code{emacs} at the command line; then type @kbd{C-h i} | |
122 | (@kbd{Control-h}, followed by @kbd{i}). This approach uses the Info | |
123 | mode of the Emacs editor. | |
124 | @end enumerate | |
125 | ||
126 | In either case, then type @kbd{mInfo} (just the letters), followed by | |
127 | @key{RET}---the ``Return'' or ``Enter'' key. At this point, you should | |
128 | be ready to follow the instructions in this manual as you read them on | |
129 | the screen. | |
130 | @c FIXME! (pesch@cygnus.com, 14 dec 1992) | |
131 | @c Is it worth worrying about what-if the beginner goes to somebody | |
132 | @c else's Emacs session, which already has an Info running in the middle | |
133 | @c of something---in which case these simple instructions won't work? | |
134 | @end ifnotinfo | |
135 | ||
136 | @menu | |
137 | * Help-Small-Screen:: Starting Info on a Small Screen. | |
138 | * Help:: How to use Info. | |
139 | * Help-P:: Returning to the Previous node. | |
140 | * Help-^L:: The Space, DEL, B and ^L commands. | |
141 | * Help-Inv:: Invisible text in Emacs Info. | |
142 | * Help-M:: Menus. | |
143 | * Help-Xref:: Following cross-references. | |
144 | * Help-Int:: Some intermediate Info commands. | |
145 | * Help-Q:: Quitting Info. | |
146 | @end menu | |
147 | ||
148 | @node Help-Small-Screen | |
149 | @section Starting Info on a Small Screen | |
150 | ||
151 | @ifnotinfo | |
152 | (In Info, you only see this section if your terminal has a small | |
153 | number of lines; most readers pass by it without seeing it.) | |
154 | @end ifnotinfo | |
155 | ||
156 | @cindex small screen, moving around | |
157 | Since your terminal has a relatively small number of lines on its | |
158 | screen, it is necessary to give you special advice at the beginning. | |
159 | ||
160 | If the entire text you are looking at fits on the screen, the text | |
161 | @samp{All} will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. In the | |
162 | stand-alone Info reader, it is displayed at the bottom right corner of | |
163 | the screen; in Emacs, it is displayed on the modeline. If you see the | |
164 | text @samp{Top} instead, it means that there is more text below that | |
165 | does not fit. To move forward through the text and see another screen | |
166 | full, press @key{SPC}, the Space bar. To move back up, press the key | |
167 | labeled @samp{Backspace} or @samp{DEL} (on some keyboards, this key | |
168 | might be labeled @samp{Delete}). | |
169 | ||
170 | @ifinfo | |
171 | Here are 40 lines of junk, so you can try @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} and | |
172 | see what they do. At the end are instructions of what you should do | |
173 | next. | |
174 | ||
175 | @format | |
176 | This is line 20 | |
177 | This is line 21 | |
178 | This is line 22 | |
179 | This is line 23 | |
180 | This is line 24 | |
181 | This is line 25 | |
182 | This is line 26 | |
183 | This is line 27 | |
184 | This is line 28 | |
185 | This is line 29 | |
186 | This is line 30 | |
187 | This is line 31 | |
188 | This is line 32 | |
189 | This is line 33 | |
190 | This is line 34 | |
191 | This is line 35 | |
192 | This is line 36 | |
193 | This is line 37 | |
194 | This is line 38 | |
195 | This is line 39 | |
196 | This is line 40 | |
197 | This is line 41 | |
198 | This is line 42 | |
199 | This is line 43 | |
200 | This is line 44 | |
201 | This is line 45 | |
202 | This is line 46 | |
203 | This is line 47 | |
204 | This is line 48 | |
205 | This is line 49 | |
206 | This is line 50 | |
207 | This is line 51 | |
208 | This is line 52 | |
209 | This is line 53 | |
210 | This is line 54 | |
211 | This is line 55 | |
212 | This is line 56 | |
213 | This is line 57 | |
214 | This is line 58 | |
215 | This is line 59 | |
216 | @end format | |
217 | ||
218 | If you have managed to get here, go back to the beginning with | |
219 | @kbd{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}), and come back here again, then you | |
220 | understand the about the @samp{Space} and @samp{Backspace} keys. So | |
221 | now type an @kbd{n}---just one character; don't type the quotes and | |
222 | don't type the Return key afterward---to get to the normal start of | |
223 | the course. | |
224 | @end ifinfo | |
225 | ||
226 | @node Help, Help-P, Help-Small-Screen, Getting Started | |
227 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
228 | @section How to use Info | |
229 | ||
230 | You are talking to the program Info, for reading documentation. | |
231 | ||
232 | There are two ways to use Info: from within Emacs or as a | |
233 | stand-alone reader that you can invoke from a shell using the command | |
234 | @command{info}. | |
235 | ||
236 | @cindex node, in Info documents | |
237 | Right now you are looking at one @dfn{Node} of Information. | |
238 | A node contains text describing a specific topic at a specific | |
239 | level of detail. This node's topic is ``how to use Info''. The mode | |
240 | line says that this is node @samp{Help} in the file @file{info}. | |
241 | ||
242 | @cindex header of Info node | |
243 | The top line of a node is its @dfn{header}. This node's header | |
244 | (look at it now) says that the @samp{Next} node after this one is the | |
245 | node called @samp{Help-P}. An advanced Info command lets you go to | |
246 | any node whose name you know. In the stand-alone Info reader program, | |
247 | the header line shows the names of this node and the Info file as | |
248 | well. In Emacs, the header line is displayed with a special typeface, | |
249 | and remains at the top of the window all the time even if you scroll | |
250 | through the node. | |
251 | ||
252 | Besides a @samp{Next}, a node can have a @samp{Previous} link, or an | |
253 | @samp{Up} link, or both. As you can see, this node has all of these | |
254 | links. | |
255 | ||
256 | @kindex n @r{(Info mode)} | |
257 | Now it is time to move on to the @samp{Next} node, named @samp{Help-P}. | |
258 | ||
259 | @format | |
260 | >> Type @kbd{n} to move there. Type just one character; | |
261 | do not type the quotes and do not type a @key{RET} afterward. | |
262 | @end format | |
263 | ||
264 | @noindent | |
265 | @samp{>>} in the margin means it is really time to try a command. | |
266 | ||
267 | @format | |
268 | >> If you are in Emacs and have a mouse, and if you already practiced | |
269 | typing @kbd{n} to get to the next node, click now with the left | |
270 | mouse button on the @samp{Next} link to do the same ``the mouse way''. | |
271 | @end format | |
272 | ||
273 | @node Help-P, Help-^L, Help, Getting Started | |
274 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
275 | @section Returning to the Previous node | |
276 | ||
277 | @kindex p @r{(Info mode)} | |
278 | This node is called @samp{Help-P}. The @samp{Previous} node, as you see, | |
279 | is @samp{Help}, which is the one you just came from using the @kbd{n} | |
280 | command. Another @kbd{n} command now would take you to the next | |
281 | node, @samp{Help-^L}. | |
282 | ||
283 | @format | |
284 | >> But do not type @kbd{n} yet. First, try the @kbd{p} command, or | |
285 | (in Emacs) click on the @samp{Prev} link. That takes you to | |
286 | the @samp{Previous} node. Then use @kbd{n} to return here. | |
287 | @end format | |
288 | ||
289 | If you read this in Emacs, you will see an @samp{Info} item in the | |
290 | menu bar, close to its right edge. Clicking the mouse on the | |
291 | @samp{Info} menu-bar item opens a menu of commands which include | |
292 | @samp{Next} and @samp{Previous} (and also some others which you didn't yet | |
293 | learn about). | |
294 | ||
295 | This all probably seems insultingly simple so far, but @emph{please | |
296 | don't} start skimming. Things will get complicated soon enough! | |
297 | Also, please do not try a new command until you are told it is time | |
298 | to. You could make Info skip past an important warning that was | |
299 | coming up. | |
300 | ||
301 | @format | |
302 | >> Now do an @kbd{n}, or (in Emacs) click the middle mouse button on | |
303 | the @samp{Next} link, to get to the node @samp{Help-^L} and learn more. | |
304 | @end format | |
305 | ||
306 | @node Help-^L, Help-Inv, Help-P, Getting Started | |
307 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
308 | @section The Space, DEL, B and ^L commands | |
309 | ||
310 | This node's mode line tells you that you are now at node | |
311 | @samp{Help-^L}, and the header line tells you that @kbd{p} would get | |
312 | you back to @samp{Help-P}. The node's title is highlighted and may be | |
313 | underlined as well; it says what the node is about. | |
314 | ||
315 | This is a big node and it does not all fit on your display screen. | |
316 | You can tell that there is more that is not visible because you | |
317 | can see the text @samp{Top} rather than @samp{All} near the bottom of | |
318 | the screen. | |
319 | ||
320 | @kindex SPC @r{(Info mode)} | |
321 | @kindex DEL @r{(Info mode)} | |
322 | @kindex BACKSPACE @r{(Info mode)} | |
323 | @findex Info-scroll-up | |
324 | @findex Info-scroll-down | |
325 | The @key{SPC}, @key{BACKSPACE} (or @key{DEL})@footnote{The key which | |
326 | we call ``Backspace or DEL'' in this manual is labeled differently on | |
327 | different keyboards. Look for a key which is a little ways above the | |
328 | @key{ENTER} or @key{RET} key and which you normally use outside Emacs | |
329 | to erase the character before the cursor, i.e.@: the character you | |
330 | typed last. It might be labeled @samp{Backspace} or @samp{<-} or | |
331 | @samp{DEL}, or sometimes @samp{Delete}.} and @kbd{b} commands exist to | |
332 | allow you to ``move around'' in a node that does not all fit on the | |
333 | screen at once. @key{SPC} moves forward, to show what was below the | |
334 | bottom of the screen. @key{DEL} or @key{BACKSPACE} moves backward, to | |
335 | show what was above the top of the screen (there is not anything above | |
336 | the top until you have typed some spaces). | |
337 | ||
338 | @format | |
339 | >> Now try typing a @key{SPC} (afterward, type a @key{BACKSPACE} to | |
340 | return here). | |
341 | @end format | |
342 | ||
343 | When you type the @key{SPC}, the two lines that were at the bottom of | |
344 | the screen appear at the top, followed by more lines. @key{DEL} or | |
345 | @key{BACKSPACE} takes the two lines from the top and moves them to the | |
346 | bottom, @emph{usually}, but if there are not a full screen's worth of | |
347 | lines above them they may not make it all the way to the bottom. | |
348 | ||
349 | If you are reading this in Emacs, note that the header line is | |
350 | always visible, never scrolling off the display. That way, you can | |
351 | always see the @samp{Next}, @samp{Prev}, and @samp{Up} links, and you | |
352 | can conveniently go to one of these links at any time by | |
353 | clicking the middle mouse button on the link. | |
354 | ||
355 | @cindex reading Info documents top to bottom | |
356 | @cindex Info documents as tutorials | |
357 | @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} not only move forward and backward through | |
358 | the current node. They also move between nodes. @key{SPC} at the end | |
359 | of a node moves to the next node; @key{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}) at | |
360 | the beginning of a node moves to the previous node. In effect, these | |
361 | commands scroll through all the nodes in an Info file as a single | |
362 | logical sequence. You can read an entire manual top to bottom by just | |
363 | typing @key{SPC}, and move backward through the entire manual from | |
364 | bottom to top by typing @key{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}). | |
365 | ||
366 | In this sequence, a node's subnodes appear following their parent. | |
367 | If a node has a menu, @key{SPC} takes you into the subnodes listed in | |
368 | the menu, one by one. Once you reach the end of a node, and have seen | |
369 | all of its subnodes, @key{SPC} takes you to the next node or to the | |
370 | parent's next node. | |
371 | ||
372 | @kindex PAGEUP @r{(Info mode)} | |
373 | @kindex PAGEDOWN @r{(Info mode)} | |
374 | Many keyboards nowadays have two scroll keys labeled @samp{PageUp} | |
375 | and @samp{PageDown} (or maybe @samp{Prior} and @samp{Next}). If your | |
376 | keyboard has these keys, you can use them to move forward and backward | |
377 | through the text of one node, like @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} (or | |
378 | @key{DEL}). However, @key{PAGEUP} and @key{PAGEDOWN} keys never | |
379 | scroll beyond the beginning or the end of the current node. | |
380 | ||
381 | @kindex C-l @r{(Info mode)} | |
382 | If your screen is ever garbaged, you can tell Info to display it | |
383 | again by typing @kbd{C-l} (@kbd{Control-L}---that is, hold down | |
384 | @key{CTRL} and type @kbd{L} or @kbd{l}). | |
385 | ||
386 | @format | |
387 | >> Type @kbd{C-l} now. | |
388 | @end format | |
389 | ||
390 | @kindex b @r{(Info mode)} | |
391 | To move back to the beginning of the node you are on, you can type | |
392 | the @key{BACKSPACE} key (or @key{DEL}) many times. You can also type | |
393 | @kbd{b} just once. @kbd{b} stands for ``beginning.'' | |
394 | ||
395 | @format | |
396 | >> Try that now. (We have put in enough verbiage to push this past | |
397 | the first screenful, but screens are so big nowadays that perhaps it | |
398 | isn't enough. You may need to shrink your Emacs or Info window.) | |
399 | Then come back, by typing @key{SPC} one or more times. | |
400 | @end format | |
401 | ||
402 | @kindex ? @r{(Info mode)} | |
403 | @findex Info-summary | |
404 | You have just learned a considerable number of commands. If you | |
405 | want to use one but have trouble remembering which, you should type | |
406 | @kbd{?}, which displays a brief list of commands. When you are | |
407 | finished looking at the list, make it go away by typing @key{SPC} | |
408 | repeatedly. | |
409 | ||
410 | @format | |
411 | >> Type a @key{?} now. Press @key{SPC} to see consecutive screenfuls of | |
412 | the list until finished. Then type @key{SPC} several times. If | |
413 | you are using Emacs, the help will then go away automatically. | |
414 | @end format | |
415 | ||
416 | (If you are using the stand-alone Info reader, type @kbd{C-x 0} to | |
417 | return here, that is---press and hold @key{CTRL}, type an @kbd{x}, | |
418 | then release @key{CTRL} and @kbd{x}, and press @kbd{0}; that's a zero, | |
419 | not the letter ``o''.) | |
420 | ||
421 | From now on, you will encounter large nodes without warning, and | |
422 | will be expected to know how to use @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} to | |
423 | move around in them without being told. Since not all terminals have | |
424 | the same size screen, it would be impossible to warn you anyway. | |
425 | ||
426 | @format | |
427 | >> Now type @kbd{n}, or click the middle mouse button on the @samp{Next} link, | |
428 | to visit the next node. | |
429 | @end format | |
430 | ||
431 | @node Help-Inv, Help-M, Help-^L, Getting Started | |
432 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
433 | @section Invisible text in Emacs Info | |
434 | ||
435 | Before discussing menus, we need to make some remarks that are only | |
436 | relevant to users reading Info using Emacs. Users of the stand-alone | |
437 | version can skip this node by typing @kbd{]} now. | |
438 | ||
439 | @cindex invisible text in Emacs | |
440 | In Emacs, certain text that appears in the stand-alone version is | |
441 | normally hidden, technically because it has the @samp{invisibility} | |
442 | property. Invisible text is really a part of the text. It becomes | |
443 | visible (by default) after killing and yanking, it appears in printed | |
444 | output, it gets saved to file just like any other text, and so on. | |
445 | Thus it is useful to know it is there. | |
446 | ||
447 | @findex visible-mode | |
448 | You can make invisible text visible by using the command @kbd{M-x | |
449 | visible-mode}. Visible mode is a minor mode, so using the command a | |
450 | second time will make the text invisible again. Watch the effects of | |
451 | the command on the ``menu'' below and the top line of this node. | |
452 | ||
453 | If you prefer to @emph{always} see the invisible text, you can set | |
454 | @code{Info-hide-note-references} to @code{nil}. Enabling Visible mode | |
455 | permanently is not a real alternative, because Emacs Info also uses | |
456 | (although less extensively) another text property that can change the | |
457 | text being displayed, the @samp{display} property. Only the | |
458 | invisibility property is affected by Visible mode. When, in this | |
459 | tutorial, we refer to the @samp{Emacs} behavior, we mean the | |
460 | @emph{default} Emacs behavior. | |
461 | ||
462 | Now type @kbd{]}, to learn about the @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands. | |
463 | ||
464 | @menu | |
465 | * ]: Help-]. Node telling about ]. | |
466 | * stuff: Help-]. Same node. | |
467 | * Help-]:: Yet again, same node. | |
468 | @end menu | |
469 | ||
470 | @node Help-], , , Help-Inv | |
471 | @subsection The @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands | |
472 | ||
473 | If you type @kbd{n} now, you get an error message saying that this | |
474 | node has no next node. Similarly, if you type @kbd{p}, the error | |
475 | message tells you that there is no previous node. (The exact message | |
476 | depends on the Info reader you use.) This is because @kbd{n} and | |
477 | @kbd{p} carry you to the next and previous node @emph{at the same | |
478 | level}. The present node is contained in a menu (see next) of the | |
479 | node you came from, and hence is considered to be at a lower level. | |
480 | It is the only node in the previous node's menu (even though it was | |
481 | listed three times). Hence it has no next or previous node that | |
482 | @kbd{n} or @kbd{p} could move to. | |
483 | ||
484 | If you systematically move through a manual by typing @kbd{n}, you run | |
485 | the risk of skipping many nodes. You do not run this risk if you | |
486 | systematically use @kbd{@key{SPC}}, because, when you scroll to the | |
487 | bottom of a node and type another @kbd{@key{SPC}}, then this carries | |
488 | you to the following node in the manual @emph{regardless of level}. | |
489 | If you immediately want to go to that node, without having to scroll | |
490 | to the bottom of the screen first, you can type @kbd{]}. | |
491 | ||
492 | Similarly, @kbd{@key{BACKSPACE}} carries you to the preceding node | |
493 | regardless of level, after you scrolled to the beginning of the | |
494 | present node. If you want to go to the preceding node immediately, | |
495 | you can type @kbd{[}. | |
496 | ||
497 | For instance, typing this sequence will come back here in three steps: | |
498 | @kbd{[ n [}. To do the same backward, type @kbd{] p ]}. | |
499 | ||
500 | Now type @kbd{]} to go to the next node and learn about menus. | |
501 | ||
502 | @node Help-M, Help-Xref, Help-Inv, Getting Started | |
503 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
504 | @section Menus and the @kbd{m} command | |
505 | ||
506 | @cindex menus in an Info document | |
507 | @cindex Info menus | |
508 | With only the @kbd{n} (next), @kbd{p} (previous), @kbd{@key{SPC}}, | |
509 | @kbd{@key{BACKSPACE}}, @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands for moving between | |
510 | nodes, nodes are restricted to a linear sequence. Menus allow a | |
511 | branching structure. A menu is a list of other nodes you can move to. | |
512 | It is actually just part of the text of the node formatted specially | |
513 | so that Info can interpret it. The beginning of a menu is always | |
514 | identified by a line which starts with @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. A node | |
515 | contains a menu if and only if it has a line in it which starts that | |
516 | way. The only menu you can use at any moment is the one in the node | |
517 | you are in. To use a menu in any other node, you must move to that | |
518 | node first. | |
519 | ||
520 | After the start of the menu, each line that starts with a @samp{*} | |
521 | identifies one subtopic. The line usually contains a brief name for | |
522 | the subtopic (followed by a @samp{:}, normally hidden in Emacs), the | |
523 | name of the node that talks about that subtopic (again, normally | |
524 | hidden in Emacs), and optionally some further description of the | |
525 | subtopic. Lines in the menu that do not start with a @samp{*} have no | |
526 | special meaning---they are only for the human reader's benefit and do | |
527 | not define additional subtopics. Here is an example: | |
528 | ||
529 | @example | |
530 | * Foo: Node about FOO. This tells about FOO. | |
531 | @end example | |
532 | ||
533 | The subtopic name is Foo, and the node describing it is @samp{Node | |
534 | about FOO}. The rest of the line is just for the reader's | |
535 | Information. [[ But this line is not a real menu item, simply because | |
536 | there is no line above it which starts with @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. Also, | |
537 | in a real menu item, the @samp{*} would appear at the very start of | |
538 | the line. This is why the ``normally hidden'' text in Emacs, namely | |
539 | @samp{: Node about FOO.}, is actually visible in this example, even | |
540 | when Visible mode is off.]] | |
541 | ||
542 | When you use a menu to go to another node (in a way that will be | |
543 | described soon), what you specify is the subtopic name, the first | |
544 | thing in the menu line. Info uses it to find the menu line, extracts | |
545 | the node name from it, and goes to that node. The reason that there | |
546 | is both a subtopic name and a node name is that the node name must be | |
547 | meaningful to the computer and may therefore have to be ugly looking. | |
548 | The subtopic name can be chosen just to be convenient for the user to | |
549 | specify. Often the node name is convenient for the user to specify | |
550 | and so both it and the subtopic name are the same. There is an | |
551 | abbreviation for this: | |
552 | ||
553 | @example | |
554 | * Foo:: This tells about FOO. | |
555 | @end example | |
556 | ||
557 | @noindent | |
558 | This means that the subtopic name and node name are the same; they are | |
559 | both @samp{Foo}. (The @samp{::} is normally hidden in Emacs.) | |
560 | ||
561 | @format | |
562 | >> Now use @key{SPC} to find the menu in this node, then come back to | |
563 | the front with a @kbd{b} and some @key{SPC}s. As you see, a menu is | |
564 | actually visible in its node. If you cannot find a menu in a node | |
565 | by looking at it, then the node does not have a menu and the | |
566 | @kbd{m} command is not available. | |
567 | @end format | |
568 | ||
569 | If you keep typing @key{SPC} once the menu appears on the screen, it | |
570 | will move to another node (the first one in the menu). If that | |
571 | happens, type @key{BACKSPACE} to come back. | |
572 | ||
573 | @kindex m @r{(Info mode)} | |
574 | The command to go to one of the subnodes is @kbd{m}. This is very | |
575 | different from the commands you have used: it is a command that | |
576 | prompts you for more input. | |
577 | ||
578 | The Info commands you know do not need additional input; when you | |
579 | type one of them, Info processes it instantly and then is ready for | |
580 | another command. The @kbd{m} command is different: it needs to know | |
581 | the @dfn{name of the subtopic}. Once you have typed @kbd{m}, Info | |
582 | tries to read the subtopic name. | |
583 | ||
584 | Now, in the stand-alone Info, look for the line containing many | |
585 | dashes near the bottom of the screen. (This is the stand-alone | |
586 | equivalent for the mode line in Emacs.) There is one more line | |
587 | beneath that one, but usually it is blank. (In Emacs, this is the | |
588 | echo area.) When it is blank, Info is ready for a command, such as | |
589 | @kbd{n} or @kbd{b} or @key{SPC} or @kbd{m}. If that line contains | |
590 | text ending in a colon, it means Info is reading more input for the | |
591 | last command. You can't type an Info command then, because Info is | |
592 | trying to read input, not commands. You must either give the input | |
593 | and finish the command you started, or type @kbd{Control-g} to cancel | |
594 | the command. When you have done one of those things, the input entry | |
595 | line becomes blank again. Then you can type Info commands again. | |
596 | ||
597 | @findex Info-menu | |
598 | The command to go to a subnode via a menu is @kbd{m}. After you type | |
599 | the @kbd{m}, the line at the bottom of the screen says @samp{Menu item: }. | |
600 | You must then type the name of the subtopic you want, and end it with | |
601 | a @key{RET}. | |
602 | ||
603 | @cindex abbreviating Info subnodes | |
604 | You can abbreviate the subtopic name. If the abbreviation is not | |
605 | unique, the first matching subtopic is chosen. Some menus put | |
606 | the shortest possible abbreviation for each subtopic name in capital | |
607 | letters, so you can see how much you need to type. It does not | |
608 | matter whether you use upper case or lower case when you type the | |
609 | subtopic. You should not put any spaces at the end, or inside of the | |
610 | item name, except for one space where a space appears in the item in | |
611 | the menu. | |
612 | ||
613 | @cindex completion of Info node names | |
614 | You can also use the @dfn{completion} feature to help enter the | |
615 | subtopic name. If you type the @key{TAB} key after entering part of a | |
616 | name, it will fill in more of the name---as much as Info can deduce | |
617 | from the part you have entered. | |
618 | ||
619 | If you move the cursor to one of the menu subtopic lines, then you do | |
620 | not need to type the argument: you just type a @key{RET}, and it | |
621 | stands for the subtopic of the line you are on. You can also click | |
622 | the middle mouse button directly on the subtopic line to go there. | |
623 | ||
624 | Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice. This menu gives you | |
625 | three ways of going to one place, Help-FOO: | |
626 | ||
627 | @menu | |
628 | * Foo: Help-FOO. A node you can visit for fun. | |
629 | * Bar: Help-FOO. We have made two ways to get to the same place. | |
630 | * Help-FOO:: And yet another! | |
631 | @end menu | |
632 | ||
633 | (Turn Visible mode on if you are using Emacs.) | |
634 | ||
635 | @format | |
636 | >> Now type just an @kbd{m} and see what happens: | |
637 | @end format | |
638 | ||
639 | Now you are ``inside'' an @kbd{m} command. Commands cannot be used | |
640 | now; the next thing you will type must be the name of a subtopic. | |
641 | ||
642 | You can change your mind about doing the @kbd{m} by typing | |
643 | @kbd{Control-g}. | |
644 | ||
645 | @format | |
646 | >> Try that now; notice the bottom line clear. | |
647 | @end format | |
648 | ||
649 | @format | |
650 | >> Then type another @kbd{m}. | |
651 | @end format | |
652 | ||
653 | @format | |
654 | >> Now type @kbd{BAR}, the item name. Do not type @key{RET} yet. | |
655 | @end format | |
656 | ||
657 | While you are typing the item name, you can use the @key{DEL} (or | |
658 | @key{BACKSPACE}) key to cancel one character at a time if you make a | |
659 | mistake. | |
660 | ||
661 | @format | |
662 | >> Press @key{DEL} to cancel the @samp{R}. You could type another @kbd{R} | |
663 | to replace it. But you do not have to, since @samp{BA} is a valid | |
664 | abbreviation. | |
665 | @end format | |
666 | ||
667 | @format | |
668 | >> Now you are ready to go. Type a @key{RET}. | |
669 | @end format | |
670 | ||
671 | After visiting @samp{Help-FOO}, you should return here. | |
672 | ||
673 | Another way to move to the menu subtopic lines and between them is | |
674 | to type @key{TAB}. Each time you type a @key{TAB}, you move to the | |
675 | next subtopic line. To move to a previous subtopic line in the | |
676 | stand-alone reader, type @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}---that is, press and hold | |
677 | the @key{META} key and then press @key{TAB}. (On some keyboards, the | |
678 | @key{META} key might be labeled @samp{Alt}.) In Emacs Info, type | |
679 | @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} to move to a previous subtopic line (press and hold | |
680 | the @key{Shift} key and then press @key{TAB}). | |
681 | ||
682 | Once you move cursor to a subtopic line, press @key{RET} to go to | |
683 | that subtopic's node. | |
684 | ||
685 | @cindex mouse support in Info mode | |
686 | @kindex Mouse-2 @r{(Info mode)} | |
687 | If your terminal supports a mouse, you have yet another way of going | |
688 | to a subtopic. Move your mouse pointer to the subtopic line, | |
689 | somewhere between the beginning @samp{*} and the colon @samp{:} which | |
690 | ends the subtopic's brief name. You will see the subtopic's name | |
691 | change its appearance (usually, its background color will change), and | |
692 | the shape of the mouse pointer will change if your platform supports | |
693 | that. After a while, if you leave the mouse on that spot, a small | |
694 | window will pop up, saying ``Mouse-2: go to that node,'' or the same | |
695 | message may appear at the bottom of the screen. | |
696 | ||
697 | @kbd{Mouse-2} is the second button of your mouse counting from the | |
698 | left---the middle button on a 3-button mouse. (On a 2-button mouse, | |
699 | you may have to press both buttons together to ``press the middle | |
700 | button''.) The message tells you pressing @kbd{Mouse-2} with the | |
701 | current position of the mouse pointer (on subtopic in the menu) will | |
702 | go to that subtopic. | |
703 | ||
704 | @findex Info-mouse-follow-nearest-node | |
705 | More generally, @kbd{Mouse-2} in an Info buffer finds the nearest | |
706 | link to another node and goes there. For example, near a cross | |
707 | reference it acts like @kbd{f}, in a menu it acts like @kbd{m}, on the | |
708 | node's header line it acts like @kbd{n}, @kbd{p}, or @kbd{u}, etc. At | |
709 | end of the node's text @kbd{Mouse-2} moves to the next node, or up if | |
710 | there's no next node. | |
711 | ||
712 | @format | |
713 | >> Type @kbd{n} to see more commands. | |
714 | @end format | |
715 | ||
716 | @node Help-FOO, , , Help-M | |
717 | @subsection The @kbd{u} command | |
718 | ||
719 | Congratulations! This is the node @samp{Help-FOO}. It has an @samp{Up} | |
720 | pointer @samp{Help-M}, the node you just came from via the @kbd{m} | |
721 | command. This is the usual convention---the nodes you reach from a menu | |
722 | have @samp{Up} nodes that lead back to the menu. Menus move Down in the | |
723 | tree, and @samp{Up} moves Up. @samp{Previous}, on the other hand, is | |
724 | usually used to ``stay on the same level but go backwards''. | |
725 | ||
726 | @kindex u @r{(Info mode)} | |
727 | @findex Info-up | |
728 | You can go back to the node @samp{Help-M} by typing the command | |
729 | @kbd{u} for ``Up''. This puts you at the menu subtopic line pointing | |
730 | to the subnode that the @kbd{u} command brought you from. (Some Info | |
731 | readers may put you at the @emph{front} of the node instead---to get | |
732 | back to where you were reading, you have to type some @key{SPC}s.) | |
733 | ||
734 | Another way to go Up is to click @kbd{Mouse-2} on the @samp{Up} | |
735 | pointer shown in the header line (provided that you have a mouse). | |
736 | ||
737 | @format | |
738 | >> Now type @kbd{u} to move back up to @samp{Help-M}. | |
739 | @end format | |
740 | ||
741 | @node Help-Xref, Help-Int, Help-M, Getting Started | |
742 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
743 | @section Following Cross-References | |
744 | ||
745 | @cindex cross references in Info documents | |
746 | In Info documentation, you will see many @dfn{cross references}. | |
747 | Cross references look like this: @xref{Help-Cross, Cross}. That text | |
748 | is a real, live cross reference, whose name is @samp{Cross} and which | |
749 | points to the node named @samp{Help-Cross}. (The node name is hidden | |
750 | in Emacs. Do @kbd{M-x visible-mode} to show or hide it.) | |
751 | ||
752 | @kindex f @r{(Info mode)} | |
753 | @findex Info-follow-reference | |
754 | You can follow a cross reference by moving the cursor to it and | |
755 | press @key{RET}, just as in a menu. In Emacs, you can also click | |
756 | @kbd{Mouse-1} on a cross reference to follow it; you can see that the | |
757 | cross reference is mouse-sensitive by moving the mouse pointer to the | |
758 | reference and watching how the underlying text and the mouse pointer | |
759 | change in response. | |
760 | ||
761 | Another way to follow a cross reference is to type @kbd{f} and then | |
762 | specify the name of the cross reference (in this case, @samp{Cross}) | |
763 | as an argument. For this command, it does not matter where the cursor | |
764 | was. If the cursor is on or near a cross reference, @kbd{f} suggests | |
765 | that reference name in parentheses as the default; typing @key{RET} | |
766 | will follow that reference. However, if you type a different | |
767 | reference name, @kbd{f} will follow the other reference which has that | |
768 | name. | |
769 | ||
770 | @format | |
771 | >> Type @kbd{f}, followed by @kbd{Cross}, and then @key{RET}. | |
772 | @end format | |
773 | ||
774 | As you enter the reference name, you can use the @key{DEL} (or | |
775 | @key{BACKSPACE}) key to edit your input. If you change your mind | |
776 | about following any reference, you can use @kbd{Control-g} to cancel | |
777 | the command. Completion is available in the @kbd{f} command; you can | |
778 | complete among all the cross reference names in the current node by | |
779 | typing a @key{TAB}. | |
780 | ||
781 | To get a list of all the cross references in the current node, you | |
782 | can type @kbd{?} after an @kbd{f}. The @kbd{f} continues to await a | |
783 | cross reference name even after displaying the list, so if you don't | |
784 | actually want to follow a reference, you should type a @kbd{Control-g} | |
785 | to cancel the @kbd{f}. | |
786 | ||
787 | @format | |
788 | >> Type @kbd{f?} to get a list of the cross references in this node. Then | |
789 | type a @kbd{Control-g} and see how the @samp{f} gives up. | |
790 | @end format | |
791 | ||
792 | The @key{TAB}, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} and @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} keys, | |
793 | which move between menu items in a menu, also move between cross | |
794 | references outside of menus. | |
795 | ||
796 | Sometimes a cross reference (or a node) can lead to another file (in | |
797 | other words another ``manual''), or, on occasion, even a file on a | |
798 | remote machine (although Info files distributed with Emacs or the | |
799 | stand-alone Info avoid using remote links). Such a cross reference | |
800 | looks like this: @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: | |
801 | The GNU Documentation Format}. (After following this link, type | |
802 | @kbd{l} to get back to this node.) Here the name @samp{texinfo} | |
803 | between parentheses refers to the file name. This file name appears | |
804 | in cross references and node names if it differs from the current | |
805 | file, so you can always know that you are going to be switching to | |
806 | another manual and which one. | |
807 | ||
808 | However, Emacs normally hides some other text in cross-references. | |
809 | If you put your mouse over the cross reference, then the information | |
810 | appearing in a separate box (tool tip) or in the echo area will show | |
811 | the full cross-reference including the file name and the node name of | |
812 | the cross reference. If you have a mouse, just leave it over the | |
813 | cross reference @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: | |
814 | The GNU Documentation Format}, and watch what happens. If you | |
815 | always like to have that information visible without having to move | |
816 | your mouse over the cross reference, use @kbd{M-x visible-mode}, or | |
817 | set @code{Info-hide-note-references} to a value other than @code{t} | |
818 | (@pxref{Emacs Info Variables}). | |
819 | ||
820 | @format | |
821 | >> Now type @kbd{n} to learn more commands. | |
822 | @end format | |
823 | ||
824 | @node Help-Int, Help-Q, Help-Xref, Getting Started | |
825 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
826 | @section Some intermediate Info commands | |
827 | ||
828 | The introductory course is almost over; please continue | |
829 | a little longer to learn some intermediate-level commands. | |
830 | ||
831 | Most Info files have an index, which is actually a large node | |
832 | containing little but a menu. The menu has one menu item for each | |
833 | topic listed in the index. (As a special feature, menus for indices | |
834 | may also include the line number within the node of the index entry. | |
835 | This allows Info readers to go to the exact line of an entry, not just | |
836 | the start of the containing node.) | |
837 | ||
838 | You can get to the index from the main menu of the file with the | |
839 | @kbd{m} command and the name of the index node; then you can use the | |
840 | @kbd{m} command again in the index node to go to the node that | |
841 | describes the topic you want. | |
842 | ||
843 | There is also a short-cut Info command, @kbd{i}, which does all of | |
844 | that for you. It searches the index for a given topic (a string) and | |
845 | goes to the node which is listed in the index for that topic. | |
846 | @xref{Search Index}, for a full explanation. | |
847 | ||
848 | @kindex l @r{(Info mode)} | |
849 | @findex Info-history-back | |
850 | @cindex going back in Info history | |
851 | If you have been moving around to different nodes and wish to | |
852 | retrace your steps, the @kbd{l} command (@kbd{l} for @dfn{last}) will | |
853 | do that, one node-step at a time. As you move from node to node, Info | |
854 | records the nodes where you have been in a special history list. The | |
855 | @kbd{l} command revisits nodes in the history list; each successive | |
856 | @kbd{l} command moves one step back through the history. | |
857 | ||
858 | @format | |
859 | >> Try typing @kbd{p p n} and then three @kbd{l}'s, pausing in between | |
860 | to see what each @kbd{l} does. You should wind up right back here. | |
861 | @end format | |
862 | ||
863 | Note the difference between @kbd{l} and @kbd{p}: @kbd{l} moves to | |
864 | where @emph{you} last were, whereas @kbd{p} always moves to the node | |
865 | which the header says is the @samp{Previous} node (from this node, the | |
866 | @samp{Prev} link leads to @samp{Help-Xref}). | |
867 | ||
868 | @kindex r @r{(Info mode)} | |
869 | @findex Info-history-forward | |
870 | @cindex going forward in Info history | |
871 | You can use the @kbd{r} command (@code{Info-history-forward} in Emacs) | |
872 | to revisit nodes in the history list in the forward direction, so that | |
873 | @kbd{r} will return you to the node you came from by typing @kbd{l}. | |
874 | ||
17afb4cb JL |
875 | @kindex L @r{(Info mode)} |
876 | @findex Info-history | |
877 | @cindex history list of visited nodes | |
878 | The @kbd{L} command (@code{Info-history} in Emacs) creates a virtual | |
879 | node that contains a list of all nodes you visited. You can select | |
880 | a previously visited node from this menu to revisit it. | |
881 | ||
4009494e GM |
882 | @kindex d @r{(Info mode)} |
883 | @findex Info-directory | |
884 | @cindex go to Directory node | |
885 | The @kbd{d} command (@code{Info-directory} in Emacs) gets you | |
886 | instantly to the Directory node. This node, which is the first one | |
887 | you saw when you entered Info, has a menu which leads (directly or | |
888 | indirectly, through other menus), to all the nodes that exist. The | |
889 | Directory node lists all the manuals and other Info documents that | |
890 | are, or could be, installed on your system. | |
891 | ||
892 | @format | |
893 | >> Try doing a @kbd{d}, then do an @kbd{l} to return here (yes, | |
894 | @emph{do} return). | |
895 | @end format | |
896 | ||
897 | @kindex t @r{(Info mode)} | |
898 | @findex Info-top-node | |
899 | @cindex go to Top node | |
900 | The @kbd{t} command moves to the @samp{Top} node of the manual. | |
901 | This is useful if you want to browse the manual's main menu, or select | |
902 | some specific top-level menu item. The Emacs command run by @kbd{t} | |
903 | is @code{Info-top-node}. | |
904 | ||
905 | @format | |
906 | >> Now type @kbd{n} to see the last node of the course. | |
907 | @end format | |
908 | ||
909 | @xref{Advanced}, for more advanced Info features. | |
910 | ||
911 | @c If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it. | |
912 | @c It is an accident of the menu updating command. | |
913 | ||
914 | @node Help-Q, , Help-Int, Getting Started | |
915 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
916 | @section Quitting Info | |
917 | ||
918 | @kindex q @r{(Info mode)} | |
919 | @findex Info-exit | |
920 | @cindex quitting Info mode | |
921 | To get out of Info, back to what you were doing before, type @kbd{q} | |
922 | for @dfn{Quit}. This runs @code{Info-exit} in Emacs. | |
923 | ||
924 | This is the end of the basic course on using Info. You have learned | |
925 | how to move in an Info document, and how to follow menus and cross | |
926 | references. This makes you ready for reading manuals top to bottom, | |
927 | as new users should do when they learn a new package. | |
928 | ||
929 | Another set of Info commands is useful when you need to find | |
930 | something quickly in a manual---that is, when you need to use a manual | |
931 | as a reference rather than as a tutorial. We urge you to learn | |
932 | these search commands as well. If you want to do that now, follow this | |
933 | cross reference to @ref{Advanced}. | |
934 | ||
935 | Yet another set of commands are meant for experienced users; you can | |
936 | find them by looking in the Directory node for documentation on Info. | |
937 | Finding them will be a good exercise in using Info in the usual | |
938 | manner. | |
939 | ||
940 | @format | |
941 | >> Type @kbd{d} to go to the Info directory node; then type | |
942 | @kbd{mInfo} and Return, to get to the node about Info and | |
943 | see what other help is available. | |
944 | @end format | |
945 | ||
946 | ||
947 | @node Advanced | |
948 | @chapter Advanced Info Commands | |
949 | ||
950 | This chapter describes various advanced Info commands. (If you | |
951 | are using a stand-alone Info reader, there are additional commands | |
952 | specific to it, which are documented in several chapters of @ref{Top,, | |
953 | GNU Info, info-stnd, GNU Info}.) | |
954 | ||
955 | @kindex C-q @r{(Info mode)} | |
956 | One advanced command useful with most of the others described here | |
957 | is @kbd{C-q}, which ``quotes'' the next character so that it is | |
958 | entered literally (@pxref{Inserting Text,,,emacs,The GNU Emacs | |
959 | Manual}). For example, pressing @kbd{?} ordinarily brings up a list | |
960 | of completion possibilities. If you want to (for example) search for | |
961 | an actual @samp{?} character, the simplest way is to insert it using | |
962 | @kbd{C-q ?}. This works the same in Emacs and stand-alone Info. | |
963 | ||
964 | @menu | |
965 | * Search Text:: How to search Info documents. | |
966 | * Search Index:: How to search the indices for specific subjects. | |
967 | * Go to node:: How to go to a node by name. | |
968 | * Choose menu subtopic:: How to choose a menu subtopic by its number. | |
969 | * Create Info buffer:: How to create a new Info buffer in Emacs. | |
970 | * Emacs Info Variables:: Variables modifying the behavior of Emacs Info. | |
971 | @end menu | |
972 | ||
973 | ||
974 | @node Search Text, Search Index, , Advanced | |
975 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
2bc43980 | 976 | @section @kbd{s} searches Info documents |
4009494e GM |
977 | |
978 | @cindex searching Info documents | |
979 | @cindex Info document as a reference | |
980 | The commands which move between and inside nodes allow you to read | |
981 | the entire manual or its large portions. But what if you need to find | |
982 | some information in the manual as fast as you can, and you don't know | |
983 | or don't remember in what node to look for it? This need arises when | |
984 | you use a manual as a @dfn{reference}, or when it is impractical to | |
985 | read the entire manual before you start using the programs it | |
986 | describes. | |
987 | ||
988 | Info has powerful searching facilities that let you find things | |
989 | quickly. You can search either the manual text or its indices. | |
990 | ||
991 | @kindex s @r{(Info mode)} | |
992 | @findex Info-search | |
993 | The @kbd{s} command allows you to search a whole Info file for a string. | |
994 | It switches to the next node if and when that is necessary. You | |
995 | type @kbd{s} followed by the string to search for, terminated by | |
996 | @key{RET}. To search for the same string again, just @kbd{s} followed | |
997 | by @key{RET} will do. The file's nodes are scanned in the order | |
998 | they are in the file, which has no necessary relationship to the | |
999 | order that they may be in the tree structure of menus and @samp{next} | |
1000 | pointers. But normally the two orders are not very different. In any | |
1001 | case, you can always look at the mode line to find out what node you have | |
1002 | reached, if the header is not visible (this can happen, because @kbd{s} | |
1003 | puts your cursor at the occurrence of the string, not at the beginning | |
1004 | of the node). | |
1005 | ||
4009494e GM |
1006 | @kindex C-s @r{(Info mode)} |
1007 | @kindex C-r @r{(Info mode)} | |
1008 | @findex isearch | |
1009 | Instead of using @kbd{s} in Emacs Info and in the stand-alone Info, | |
1010 | you can use an incremental search started with @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r}. | |
1011 | It can search through multiple Info nodes. @xref{Incremental Search,,, | |
1012 | emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. In Emacs, you can disable this behavior | |
1013 | by setting the variable @code{Info-isearch-search} to @code{nil} | |
1014 | (@pxref{Emacs Info Variables}). | |
1015 | ||
1016 | @node Search Index, Go to node, Search Text, Advanced | |
1017 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
2bc43980 | 1018 | @section @kbd{i} searches the indices for specific subjects |
4009494e GM |
1019 | |
1020 | @cindex searching Info indices | |
1021 | @kindex i @r{(Info mode)} | |
1022 | @findex Info-index | |
1023 | Since most topics in the manual should be indexed, you should try | |
1024 | the index search first before the text search. The @kbd{i} command | |
1025 | prompts you for a subject and then looks up that subject in the | |
1026 | indices. If it finds an index entry with the subject you typed, it | |
1027 | goes to the node to which that index entry points. You should browse | |
1028 | through that node to see whether the issue you are looking for is | |
1029 | described there. If it isn't, type @kbd{,} one or more times to go | |
1030 | through additional index entries which match your subject. | |
1031 | ||
1032 | The @kbd{i} command and subsequent @kbd{,} commands find all index | |
1033 | entries which include the string you typed @emph{as a substring}. | |
1034 | For each match, Info shows in the echo area the full index entry it | |
1035 | found. Often, the text of the full index entry already gives you | |
1036 | enough information to decide whether it is relevant to what you are | |
1037 | looking for, so we recommend that you read what Info shows in the echo | |
1038 | area before looking at the node it displays. | |
1039 | ||
1040 | Since @kbd{i} looks for a substring, you can search for subjects even | |
1041 | if you are not sure how they are spelled in the index. For example, | |
1042 | suppose you want to find something that is pertinent to commands which | |
1043 | complete partial input (e.g., when you type @key{TAB}). If you want | |
1044 | to catch index entries that refer to ``complete,'' ``completion,'' and | |
1045 | ``completing,'' you could type @kbd{icomplet@key{RET}}. | |
1046 | ||
1047 | Info documents which describe programs should index the commands, | |
1048 | options, and key sequences that the program provides. If you are | |
1049 | looking for a description of a command, an option, or a key, just type | |
1050 | their names when @kbd{i} prompts you for a topic. For example, if you | |
1051 | want to read the description of what the @kbd{C-l} key does, type | |
1052 | @kbd{iC-l@key{RET}} literally. | |
1053 | ||
2bf1d02d GM |
1054 | @findex Info-virtual-index |
1055 | @kindex I @r{(Info mode)} | |
1056 | Emacs provides the command @code{Info-virtual-index}, bound to the | |
1057 | @kbd{I} key. This behaves like @kbd{i}, but constructs a virtual | |
1058 | info node displaying the results of an index search, making it easier | |
1059 | to select the one you want. | |
1060 | ||
4009494e GM |
1061 | @findex info-apropos |
1062 | @findex index-apropos | |
1063 | If you aren't sure which manual documents the topic you are looking | |
1064 | for, try the @kbd{M-x info-apropos} command in Emacs, or the @kbd{M-x | |
1065 | index-apropos} command in the stand-alone reader. It prompts for | |
1066 | a string and then looks up that string in all the indices of all the | |
1067 | Info documents installed on your system. | |
1068 | ||
1069 | @node Go to node, Choose menu subtopic, Search Index, Advanced | |
1070 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1071 | @section @kbd{g} goes to a node by name | |
1072 | ||
1073 | @kindex g @r{(Info mode)} | |
1074 | @findex Info-goto-node | |
1075 | @cindex go to a node by name | |
1076 | If you know a node's name, you can go there by typing @kbd{g}, the | |
1077 | name, and @key{RET}. Thus, @kbd{gTop@key{RET}} would go to the node | |
1078 | called @samp{Top} in this file. (This is equivalent to @kbd{t}, see | |
1079 | @ref{Help-Int}.) @kbd{gGo to node@key{RET}} would come back here. | |
1080 | ||
1081 | Unlike @kbd{m}, @kbd{g} does not allow the use of abbreviations. | |
1082 | But it does allow completion, so you can type @key{TAB} to complete a | |
1083 | partial node name. | |
1084 | ||
1085 | @cindex go to another Info file | |
1086 | To go to a node in another file, you can include the file name in the | |
1087 | node name by putting it at the front, in parentheses. Thus, | |
1088 | @kbd{g(dir)Top@key{RET}} would go to the Info Directory node, which is | |
1089 | the node @samp{Top} in the Info file @file{dir}. Likewise, | |
1090 | @kbd{g(emacs)Top@key{RET}} goes to the top node of the Emacs manual. | |
1091 | ||
1092 | The node name @samp{*} specifies the whole file. So you can look at | |
1093 | all of the current file by typing @kbd{g*@key{RET}} or all of any | |
1094 | other file with @kbd{g(@var{filename})*@key{RET}}. | |
1095 | ||
1096 | @node Choose menu subtopic, Create Info buffer, Go to node, Advanced | |
1097 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1098 | @section @kbd{1}--@kbd{9} choose a menu subtopic by its number | |
1099 | ||
1100 | @kindex 1 @r{through} 9 @r{(Info mode)} | |
1101 | @findex Info-nth-menu-item | |
1102 | @cindex select @var{n}'th menu item | |
1103 | If you begrudge each character of type-in which your system requires, | |
1104 | you might like to use the commands @kbd{1}, @kbd{2}, @kbd{3}, @kbd{4}, | |
1105 | @dots{}, @kbd{9}. They are short for the @kbd{m} command together | |
1106 | with a name of a menu subtopic. @kbd{1} goes through the first item | |
1107 | in the current node's menu; @kbd{2} goes through the second item, etc. | |
1108 | In the stand-alone reader, @kbd{0} goes through the last menu item; | |
1109 | this is so you need not count how many entries are there. | |
1110 | ||
1111 | If your display supports multiple fonts, colors or underlining, and | |
1112 | you are using Emacs' Info mode to read Info files, the third, sixth | |
1113 | and ninth menu items have a @samp{*} that stands out, either in color | |
1114 | or in some other attribute, such as underline; this makes it easy to | |
1115 | see at a glance which number to use for an item. | |
1116 | ||
1117 | Some terminals don't support either multiple fonts, colors or | |
1118 | underlining. If you need to actually count items, it is better to use | |
1119 | @kbd{m} instead, and specify the name, or use @key{TAB} to quickly | |
1120 | move between menu items. | |
1121 | ||
1122 | @node Create Info buffer, Emacs Info Variables, Choose menu subtopic, Advanced | |
1123 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1124 | @section @kbd{M-n} creates a new independent Info buffer in Emacs | |
1125 | ||
1126 | @kindex M-n @r{(Info mode)} | |
1127 | @findex clone-buffer | |
1128 | @cindex multiple Info buffers | |
1129 | If you are reading Info in Emacs, you can select a new independent | |
1130 | Info buffer in a new Emacs window by typing @kbd{M-n}. The new buffer | |
1131 | starts out as an exact copy of the old one, but you will be able to | |
1132 | move independently between nodes in the two buffers. (In Info mode, | |
1133 | @kbd{M-n} runs the Emacs command @code{clone-buffer}.) | |
1134 | ||
1135 | In Emacs Info, you can also produce new Info buffers by giving a | |
1136 | numeric prefix argument to the @kbd{m} and @kbd{g} commands. @kbd{C-u | |
1137 | m} and @kbd{C-u g} go to a new node in exactly the same way that | |
1138 | @kbd{m} and @kbd{g} do, but they do so in a new Info buffer which they | |
1139 | select in another window. | |
1140 | ||
1141 | Another way to produce new Info buffers in Emacs is to use a numeric | |
1142 | prefix argument for the @kbd{C-h i} command (@code{info}) which | |
1143 | switches to the Info buffer with that number. Thus, @kbd{C-u 2 C-h i} | |
1144 | switches to the buffer @samp{*info*<2>}, creating it if necessary. | |
1145 | ||
1146 | @node Emacs Info Variables, , Create Info buffer, Advanced | |
1147 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1148 | @section Emacs Info-mode Variables | |
1149 | ||
1150 | The following variables may modify the behavior of Info-mode in Emacs; | |
1151 | you may wish to set one or several of these variables interactively, | |
1152 | or in your init file. @xref{Examining, Examining and Setting | |
1153 | Variables, Examining and Setting Variables, emacs, The GNU Emacs | |
1154 | Manual}. The stand-alone Info reader program has its own set of | |
1155 | variables, described in @ref{Variables,, Manipulating Variables, | |
1156 | info-stnd, GNU Info}. | |
1157 | ||
1158 | @vtable @code | |
1159 | @item Info-directory-list | |
1160 | The list of directories to search for Info files. Each element is a | |
1161 | string (directory name) or @code{nil} (try default directory). If not | |
1162 | initialized Info uses the environment variable @env{INFOPATH} to | |
1163 | initialize it, or @code{Info-default-directory-list} if there is no | |
1164 | @env{INFOPATH} variable in the environment. | |
1165 | ||
1166 | If you wish to customize the Info directory search list for both Emacs | |
1167 | Info and stand-alone Info, it is best to set the @env{INFOPATH} | |
1168 | environment variable, since that applies to both programs. | |
1169 | ||
1170 | @item Info-additional-directory-list | |
1171 | A list of additional directories to search for Info documentation files. | |
1172 | These directories are not searched for merging the @file{dir} file. | |
1173 | ||
1174 | @item Info-mode-hook | |
1175 | Hooks run when @code{Info-mode} is called. By default, it contains | |
1176 | the hook @code{turn-on-font-lock} which enables highlighting of Info | |
1177 | files. You can change how the highlighting looks by customizing the | |
1178 | faces @code{info-node}, @code{info-xref}, @code{info-xref-visited}, | |
1179 | @code{info-header-xref}, @code{info-header-node}, @code{info-menu-header}, | |
1180 | @code{info-menu-star}, and @code{info-title-@var{n}} (where @var{n} | |
1181 | is the level of the section, a number between 1 and 4). To customize | |
1182 | a face, type @kbd{M-x customize-face @key{RET} @var{face} @key{RET}}, | |
1183 | where @var{face} is one of the face names listed here. | |
1184 | ||
1185 | @item Info-fontify-maximum-menu-size | |
1186 | Maximum size of menu to fontify if @code{font-lock-mode} is non-@code{nil}. | |
1187 | ||
1188 | @item Info-fontify-visited-nodes | |
1189 | If non-@code{nil}, menu items and cross-references pointing to visited | |
1190 | nodes are displayed in the @code{info-xref-visited} face. | |
1191 | ||
1192 | @item Info-use-header-line | |
1193 | If non-@code{nil}, Emacs puts in the Info buffer a header line showing | |
1194 | the @samp{Next}, @samp{Prev}, and @samp{Up} links. A header line does | |
1195 | not scroll with the rest of the buffer, making these links always | |
1196 | visible. | |
1197 | ||
1198 | @item Info-hide-note-references | |
1199 | As explained in earlier nodes, the Emacs version of Info normally | |
1200 | hides some text in menus and cross-references. You can completely | |
1201 | disable this feature, by setting this option to @code{nil}. Setting | |
1202 | it to a value that is neither @code{nil} nor @code{t} produces an | |
1203 | intermediate behavior, hiding a limited amount of text, but showing | |
1204 | all text that could potentially be useful. | |
1205 | ||
1206 | @item Info-scroll-prefer-subnodes | |
1207 | If set to a non-@code{nil} value, @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} (or | |
1208 | @key{DEL}) keys in a menu visit subnodes of the current node before | |
1209 | scrolling to its end or beginning, respectively. For example, if the | |
1210 | node's menu appears on the screen, the next @key{SPC} moves to a | |
1211 | subnode indicated by the following menu item. Setting this option to | |
1212 | @code{nil} results in behavior similar to the stand-alone Info reader | |
1213 | program, which visits the first subnode from the menu only when you | |
1214 | hit the end of the current node. The default is @code{nil}. | |
1215 | ||
1216 | @item Info-isearch-search | |
1217 | If non-@code{nil}, isearch in Info searches through multiple nodes. | |
1218 | ||
1219 | @item Info-enable-active-nodes | |
1220 | When set to a non-@code{nil} value, allows Info to execute Lisp code | |
1221 | associated with nodes. The Lisp code is executed when the node is | |
1222 | selected. The Lisp code to be executed should follow the node | |
1223 | delimiter (the @samp{DEL} character) and an @samp{execute: } tag, like | |
1224 | this: | |
1225 | ||
1226 | @example | |
1227 | ^_execute: (message "This is an active node!") | |
1228 | @end example | |
1229 | @end vtable | |
1230 | ||
1231 | ||
1232 | @node Expert Info | |
1233 | @chapter Info for Experts | |
1234 | ||
1235 | This chapter explains how to write an Info file by hand. However, | |
1236 | in most cases, writing a Texinfo file is better, since you can use it | |
1237 | to make a printed manual or produce other formats, such as HTML and | |
1238 | DocBook, as well as for generating Info files. | |
1239 | ||
1240 | The @code{makeinfo} command converts a Texinfo file into an Info file; | |
1241 | @code{texinfo-format-region} and @code{texinfo-format-buffer} are GNU | |
1242 | Emacs functions that do the same. | |
1243 | ||
1244 | @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU | |
1245 | Documentation Format}, for how to write a Texinfo file. | |
1246 | ||
1247 | @xref{Creating an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation | |
1248 | Format}, for how to create an Info file from a Texinfo file. | |
1249 | ||
1250 | @xref{Installing an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU | |
1251 | Documentation Format}, for how to install an Info file after you | |
1252 | have created one. | |
1253 | ||
1254 | However, if you want to edit an Info file manually and install it manually, | |
1255 | here is how. | |
1256 | ||
1257 | @menu | |
1258 | * Add:: Describes how to add new nodes to the hierarchy. | |
1259 | Also tells what nodes look like. | |
1260 | * Menus:: How to add to or create menus in Info nodes. | |
1261 | * Cross-refs:: How to add cross-references to Info nodes. | |
1262 | * Tags:: How to make tags tables for Info files. | |
1263 | * Checking:: Checking an Info File. | |
1264 | @end menu | |
1265 | ||
1266 | @node Add, Menus, , Expert Info | |
1267 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1268 | @section Adding a new node to Info | |
1269 | ||
1270 | To add a new topic to the list in the Info directory, you must: | |
1271 | ||
1272 | @enumerate | |
1273 | @item | |
1274 | Create some nodes, in some file, to document that topic. | |
1275 | @item | |
1276 | Put that topic in the menu in the directory. @xref{Menus, Menu}. | |
1277 | @end enumerate | |
1278 | ||
1279 | @cindex node delimiters | |
1280 | The new node can live in an existing documentation file, or in a new | |
1281 | one. It must have a @samp{^_} character before it (invisible to the | |
1282 | user; this node has one but you cannot see it), and it ends with either | |
1283 | a @samp{^_}, a @samp{^L} (``formfeed''), or the end of file.@footnote{If | |
1284 | you put in a @samp{^L} to end a new node, be sure that there is a | |
1285 | @samp{^_} after it to start the next one, since @samp{^L} cannot | |
1286 | @emph{start} a node. Also, a nicer way to make a node boundary be a | |
1287 | page boundary as well is to put a @samp{^L} @emph{right after} the | |
1288 | @samp{^_}.} | |
1289 | ||
1290 | The @samp{^_} starting a node must be followed by a newline or a | |
1291 | @samp{^L} newline, after which comes the node's header line. The | |
1292 | header line must give the node's name (by which Info finds it), and | |
1293 | state the names of the @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and @samp{Up} | |
1294 | nodes (if there are any). As you can see, this node's @samp{Up} node | |
1295 | is the node @samp{Expert Info}. The @samp{Next} node is @samp{Menus}. | |
1296 | ||
1297 | @cindex node header line format | |
1298 | @cindex format of node headers | |
1299 | The keywords @dfn{Node}, @dfn{Next}, @dfn{Previous}, and @dfn{Up} | |
1300 | may appear in any order, anywhere in the header line, but the | |
1301 | recommended order is the one in this sentence. Each keyword must be | |
1302 | followed by a colon, spaces and tabs, and then the appropriate name. | |
1303 | The name may be terminated with a tab, a comma, or a newline. A space | |
1304 | does not end it; node names may contain spaces. The case of letters | |
1305 | in the names is insignificant. | |
1306 | ||
1307 | @cindex node name format | |
1308 | @cindex Directory node | |
1309 | A node name has two forms. A node in the current file is named by | |
1310 | what appears after the @samp{Node: } in that node's first line. For | |
1311 | example, this node's name is @samp{Add}. A node in another file is | |
1312 | named by @samp{(@var{filename})@var{node-within-file}}, as in | |
1313 | @samp{(info)Add} for this node. If the file name starts with @samp{./}, | |
1314 | then it is relative to the current directory; otherwise, it is | |
1315 | relative starting from the standard directory for Info files of your | |
1316 | site. The name @samp{(@var{filename})Top} can be abbreviated to just | |
1317 | @samp{(@var{filename})}. By convention, the name @samp{Top} is used | |
1318 | for the ``highest'' node in any single file---the node whose @samp{Up} | |
1319 | points out of the file. The @samp{Directory} node is @file{(dir)}, it | |
1320 | points to a file @file{dir} which holds a large menu listing all the | |
1321 | Info documents installed on your site. The @samp{Top} node of a | |
1322 | document file listed in the @samp{Directory} should have an @samp{Up: | |
1323 | (dir)} in it. | |
1324 | ||
1325 | @cindex unstructured documents | |
1326 | The node name @kbd{*} is special: it refers to the entire file. | |
1327 | Thus, @kbd{g*} shows you the whole current file. The use of the | |
1328 | node @kbd{*} is to make it possible to make old-fashioned, | |
1329 | unstructured files into nodes of the tree. | |
1330 | ||
1331 | The @samp{Node:} name, in which a node states its own name, must not | |
1332 | contain a file name, since when Info searches for a node, it does not | |
1333 | expect a file name to be there. The @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} and | |
1334 | @samp{Up} names may contain them. In this node, since the @samp{Up} | |
1335 | node is in the same file, it was not necessary to use one. | |
1336 | ||
1337 | Note that the nodes in this file have a file name in the header | |
1338 | line. The file names are ignored by Info, but they serve as comments | |
1339 | to help identify the node for the user. | |
1340 | ||
1341 | @node Menus, Cross-refs, Add, Expert Info | |
1342 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1343 | @section How to Create Menus | |
1344 | ||
1345 | Any node in the Info hierarchy may have a @dfn{menu}---a list of subnodes. | |
1346 | The @kbd{m} command searches the current node's menu for the topic which it | |
1347 | reads from the terminal. | |
1348 | ||
1349 | @cindex menu and menu entry format | |
1350 | A menu begins with a line starting with @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. The | |
1351 | rest of the line is a comment. After the starting line, every line | |
1352 | that begins with a @samp{* } lists a single topic. The name of the | |
1353 | topic---what the user must type at the @kbd{m}'s command prompt to | |
1354 | select this topic---comes right after the star and space, and is | |
1355 | followed by a colon, spaces and tabs, and the name of the node which | |
1356 | discusses that topic. The node name, like node names following | |
1357 | @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} and @samp{Up}, may be terminated with a | |
1358 | tab, comma, or newline; it may also be terminated with a period. | |
1359 | ||
1360 | If the node name and topic name are the same, then rather than | |
1361 | giving the name twice, the abbreviation @samp{* @var{name}::} may be | |
1362 | used (and should be used, whenever possible, as it reduces the visual | |
1363 | clutter in the menu). | |
1364 | ||
1365 | It is considerate to choose the topic names so that they differ | |
1366 | from each other very near the beginning---this allows the user to type | |
1367 | short abbreviations. In a long menu, it is a good idea to capitalize | |
1368 | the beginning of each item name which is the minimum acceptable | |
1369 | abbreviation for it (a long menu is more than 5 or so entries). | |
1370 | ||
1371 | The nodes listed in a node's menu are called its ``subnodes,'' and it | |
1372 | is their ``superior''. They should each have an @samp{Up:} pointing at | |
1373 | the superior. It is often useful to arrange all or most of the subnodes | |
1374 | in a sequence of @samp{Next} and @samp{Previous} pointers so that | |
1375 | someone who wants to see them all need not keep revisiting the Menu. | |
1376 | ||
1377 | The Info Directory is simply the menu of the node @samp{(dir)Top}---that | |
1378 | is, node @samp{Top} in file @file{.../info/dir}. You can put new entries | |
1379 | in that menu just like any other menu. The Info Directory is @emph{not} the | |
1380 | same as the file directory called @file{info}. It happens that many of | |
1381 | Info's files live in that file directory, but they do not have to; and | |
1382 | files in that directory are not automatically listed in the Info | |
1383 | Directory node. | |
1384 | ||
1385 | Also, although the Info node graph is claimed to be a ``hierarchy,'' | |
1386 | in fact it can be @emph{any} directed graph. Shared structures and | |
1387 | pointer cycles are perfectly possible, and can be used if they are | |
1388 | appropriate to the meaning to be expressed. There is no need for all | |
1389 | the nodes in a file to form a connected structure. In fact, this file | |
1390 | has two connected components. You are in one of them, which is under | |
1391 | the node @samp{Top}; the other contains the node @samp{Help} which the | |
1392 | @kbd{h} command goes to. In fact, since there is no garbage | |
1393 | collector on the node graph, nothing terrible happens if a substructure | |
1394 | is not pointed to, but such a substructure is rather useless since nobody | |
1395 | can ever find out that it exists. | |
1396 | ||
1397 | @node Cross-refs, Tags, Menus, Expert Info | |
1398 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1399 | @section Creating Cross References | |
1400 | ||
1401 | @cindex cross reference format | |
1402 | A cross reference can be placed anywhere in the text, unlike a menu | |
1403 | item which must go at the front of a line. A cross reference looks | |
1404 | like a menu item except that it has @samp{*note} instead of @samp{*}. | |
1405 | It @emph{cannot} be terminated by a @samp{)}, because @samp{)}'s are | |
1406 | so often part of node names. If you wish to enclose a cross reference | |
1407 | in parentheses, terminate it with a period first. Here are two | |
1408 | examples of cross references pointers: | |
1409 | ||
1410 | @example | |
1411 | *Note details: commands. (See *note 3: Full Proof.) | |
1412 | @end example | |
1413 | ||
1414 | @noindent | |
1415 | @emph{These are just examples.} The places they ``lead to'' do not | |
1416 | really exist! | |
1417 | ||
1418 | @menu | |
1419 | * Help-Cross:: Target of a cross-reference. | |
1420 | @end menu | |
1421 | ||
1422 | ||
1423 | @node Help-Cross, , , Cross-refs | |
1424 | @subsection The node reached by the cross reference in Info | |
1425 | ||
1426 | This is the node reached by the cross reference named @samp{Cross}. | |
1427 | ||
1428 | While this node is specifically intended to be reached by a cross | |
1429 | reference, most cross references lead to nodes that ``belong'' | |
1430 | someplace else far away in the structure of an Info document. So you | |
1431 | cannot expect this node to have a @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} or | |
1432 | @samp{Up} links pointing back to where you came from. In general, the | |
1433 | @kbd{l} (el) command is the only way to get back there. | |
1434 | ||
1435 | @format | |
1436 | >> Type @kbd{l} to return to the node where the cross reference was. | |
1437 | @end format | |
1438 | ||
1439 | @node Tags, Checking, Cross-refs, Expert Info | |
1440 | @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1441 | @section Tags Tables for Info Files | |
1442 | ||
1443 | @cindex tags tables in Info files | |
1444 | You can speed up the access to nodes of a large Info file by giving | |
1445 | it a tags table. Unlike the tags table for a program, the tags table for | |
1446 | an Info file lives inside the file itself and is used | |
1447 | automatically whenever Info reads in the file. | |
1448 | ||
1449 | @findex Info-tagify | |
1450 | To make a tags table, go to a node in the file using Emacs Info mode and type | |
1451 | @kbd{M-x Info-tagify}. Then you must use @kbd{C-x C-s} to save the | |
1452 | file. Info files produced by the @code{makeinfo} command that is part | |
1453 | of the Texinfo package always have tags tables to begin with. | |
1454 | ||
1455 | @cindex stale tags tables | |
1456 | @cindex update Info tags table | |
1457 | Once the Info file has a tags table, you must make certain it is up | |
1458 | to date. If you edit an Info file directly (as opposed to editing its | |
1459 | Texinfo source), and, as a result of deletion of text, any node moves back | |
1460 | more than a thousand characters in the file from the position | |
1461 | recorded in the tags table, Info will no longer be able to find that | |
1462 | node. To update the tags table, use the @code{Info-tagify} command | |
1463 | again. | |
1464 | ||
1465 | An Info file tags table appears at the end of the file and looks like | |
1466 | this: | |
1467 | ||
1468 | @example | |
1469 | ^_^L | |
1470 | Tag Table: | |
1471 | File: info, Node: Cross-refs^?21419 | |
1472 | File: info, Node: Tags^?22145 | |
1473 | ^_ | |
1474 | End Tag Table | |
1475 | @end example | |
1476 | ||
1477 | @noindent | |
1478 | Note that it contains one line per node, and this line contains | |
1479 | the beginning of the node's header (ending just after the node name), | |
1480 | a @samp{DEL} character, and the character position in the file of the | |
1481 | beginning of the node. | |
1482 | ||
1483 | @node Checking, , Tags, Expert Info | |
1484 | @section Checking an Info File | |
1485 | ||
1486 | When creating an Info file, it is easy to forget the name of a node when | |
1487 | you are making a pointer to it from another node. If you put in the | |
1488 | wrong name for a node, this is not detected until someone tries to go | |
1489 | through the pointer using Info. Verification of the Info file is an | |
1490 | automatic process which checks all pointers to nodes and reports any | |
1491 | pointers which are invalid. Every @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and | |
1492 | @samp{Up} is checked, as is every menu item and every cross reference. In | |
1493 | addition, any @samp{Next} which does not have a @samp{Previous} pointing | |
1494 | back is reported. Only pointers within the file are checked, because | |
1495 | checking pointers to other files would be terribly slow. But those are | |
1496 | usually few. | |
1497 | ||
1498 | @findex Info-validate | |
1499 | To check an Info file, do @kbd{M-x Info-validate} while looking at any | |
1500 | node of the file with Emacs Info mode. | |
1501 | ||
1502 | @node Index | |
1503 | @unnumbered Index | |
1504 | ||
1505 | This is an alphabetical listing of all the commands, variables, and | |
1506 | topics discussed in this document. | |
1507 | ||
1508 | @printindex cp | |
1509 | ||
1510 | @bye | |
1511 | ||
1512 | @ignore | |
1513 | arch-tag: 965c1638-01d6-4156-9227-b10418b9d8e8 | |
1514 | @end ignore |