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1 \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
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2 @comment %**start of header
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3 @setfilename ../info/info.info
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4 @settitle Info
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5 @comment %**end of header
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6 @comment $Id: info.texi,v 1.4.2.2 1999/11/17 23:28:34 martinb Exp $
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7
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8 @dircategory Texinfo documentation system
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9 @direntry
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10 * Info: (info). Documentation browsing system.
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11 @end direntry
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12
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13 @ifinfo
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14 This file describes how to use Info, the on-line, menu-driven GNU
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15 documentation system.
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16
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17 Copyright (C) 1989, 92, 96, 97, 98, 99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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18
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19 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
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20 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
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21 are preserved on all copies.
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22
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23 @ignore
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24 Permission is granted to process this file through TeX and print the
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25 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
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26 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
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27 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
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28
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29 @end ignore
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30 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
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31 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire
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32 resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
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33 notice identical to this one.
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34
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35 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
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36 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
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37 except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved
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38 by the Free Software Foundation.
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39 @end ifinfo
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40
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41 @titlepage
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42 @title Info
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43 @subtitle The online, menu-driven GNU documentation system
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44 @author Brian Fox
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45 @page
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46 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
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47 Copyright @copyright{} 1989, 92, 93, 96, 97, 98, 99 Free Software
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48 Foundation, Inc.
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49 @sp 2
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50 Published by the Free Software Foundation @*
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51 59 Temple Place - Suite 330 @*
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52 Boston, MA 02111-1307, USA.
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53
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54 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
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55 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
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56 are preserved on all copies.
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57
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58 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
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59 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire
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60 resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
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61 notice identical to this one.
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62
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63 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
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64 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
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65 except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved
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66 by the Free Software Foundation.
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67 @end titlepage
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68
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69 @ifnottex
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70 @node Top
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71 @top Info: An Introduction
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72
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73 Info is a program for reading documentation, which you are using now.
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74
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75 To learn how to use Info, type the command @kbd{h}. It brings you
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76 to a programmed instruction sequence.
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77 @end ifnottex
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78
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79 @menu
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80 * Getting Started:: Getting started using an Info reader.
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81 * Advanced Info:: Advanced commands within Info.
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82 * Creating an Info File:: How to make your own Info file.
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83 @end menu
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84
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85 @node Getting Started, Advanced Info, Top, Top
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86 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
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87 @chapter Getting Started
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88
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89 This first part of the Info manual describes how to get around inside
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90 of Info. The second part of the manual describes various advanced
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91 Info commands, and how to write an Info as distinct from a Texinfo
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92 file. The third part is about how to generate Info files from
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93 Texinfo files.
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94
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95 @iftex
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96 This manual is primarily designed for use on a computer, so that you can
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97 try Info commands while reading about them. Reading it on paper is less
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98 effective, since you must take it on faith that the commands described
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99 really do what the manual says. By all means go through this manual now
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100 that you have it; but please try going through the on-line version as
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101 well.
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102
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103 There are two ways of looking at the online version of this manual:
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104
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105 @enumerate
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106 @item
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107 Type @code{info} at your shell's command line. This approach uses a
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108 small stand-alone program designed just to read Info files.
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109
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110 @item
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111 Type @code{emacs} at the command line; then type @kbd{C-h i} (Control
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112 @kbd{h}, followed by @kbd{i}). This approach uses the Info mode of the
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113 Emacs program, an editor with many other capabilities.
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114 @end enumerate
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115
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116 In either case, then type @kbd{mInfo} (just the letters), followed by
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117 @key{RET}---the ``Return'' or ``Enter'' key. At this point, you should
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118 be ready to follow the instructions in this manual as you read them on
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119 the screen.
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120 @c FIXME! (pesch@cygnus.com, 14 dec 1992)
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121 @c Is it worth worrying about what-if the beginner goes to somebody
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122 @c else's Emacs session, which already has an Info running in the middle
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123 @c of something---in which case these simple instructions won't work?
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124 @end iftex
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125
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126 @menu
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127 * Help-Small-Screen:: Starting Info on a Small Screen
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128 * Help:: How to use Info
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129 * Help-P:: Returning to the Previous node
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130 * Help-^L:: The Space, Rubout, B and ^L commands.
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131 * Help-M:: Menus
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132 * Help-Adv:: Some advanced Info commands
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133 * Help-Q:: Quitting Info
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134 @end menu
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135
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136 @node Help-Small-Screen, Help, , Getting Started
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137 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
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138 @section Starting Info on a Small Screen
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139
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140 @iftex
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141 (In Info, you only see this section if your terminal has a small
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142 number of lines; most readers pass by it without seeing it.)
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143 @end iftex
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144
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145 Since your terminal has an unusually small number of lines on its
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146 screen, it is necessary to give you special advice at the beginning.
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147
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148 If you see the text @samp{--All----} at near the bottom right corner
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149 of the screen, it means the entire text you are looking at fits on the
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150 screen. If you see @samp{--Top----} instead, it means that there is
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151 more text below that does not fit. To move forward through the text
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152 and see another screen full, press the Space bar, @key{SPC}. To move
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153 back up, press the key labeled @samp{Backspace} or @key{Delete}.
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154
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155 @ifinfo
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156 Here are 40 lines of junk, so you can try Spaces and Deletes and
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157 see what they do. At the end are instructions of what you should do
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158 next.
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159
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160 This is line 17 @*
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161 This is line 18 @*
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162 This is line 19 @*
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163 This is line 20 @*
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164 This is line 21 @*
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165 This is line 22 @*
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166 This is line 23 @*
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167 This is line 24 @*
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168 This is line 25 @*
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169 This is line 26 @*
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170 This is line 27 @*
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171 This is line 28 @*
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172 This is line 29 @*
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173 This is line 30 @*
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174 This is line 31 @*
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175 This is line 32 @*
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176 This is line 33 @*
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177 This is line 34 @*
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178 This is line 35 @*
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179 This is line 36 @*
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180 This is line 37 @*
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181 This is line 38 @*
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182 This is line 39 @*
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183 This is line 40 @*
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184 This is line 41 @*
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185 This is line 42 @*
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186 This is line 43 @*
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187 This is line 44 @*
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188 This is line 45 @*
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189 This is line 46 @*
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190 This is line 47 @*
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191 This is line 48 @*
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192 This is line 49 @*
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193 This is line 50 @*
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194 This is line 51 @*
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195 This is line 52 @*
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196 This is line 53 @*
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197 This is line 54 @*
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198 This is line 55 @*
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199 This is line 56 @*
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200
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201 If you have managed to get here, go back to the beginning with
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202 Delete, and come back here again, then you understand Space and
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203 Delete. So now type an @kbd{n} ---just one character; don't type
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204 the quotes and don't type the Return key afterward--- to
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205 get to the normal start of the course.
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206 @end ifinfo
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207
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208 @node Help, Help-P, Help-Small-Screen, Getting Started
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209 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
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210 @section How to use Info
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211
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212 You are talking to the program Info, for reading documentation.
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213
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214 Right now you are looking at one @dfn{Node} of Information.
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215 A node contains text describing a specific topic at a specific
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216 level of detail. This node's topic is ``how to use Info''.
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217
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218 The top line of a node is its @dfn{header}. This node's header (look at
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219 it now) says that it is the node named @samp{Help} in the file
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220 @file{info}. It says that the @samp{Next} node after this one is the node
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221 called @samp{Help-P}. An advanced Info command lets you go to any node
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222 whose name you know.
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223
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224 Besides a @samp{Next}, a node can have a @samp{Previous} or an @samp{Up}.
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225 This node has a @samp{Previous} but no @samp{Up}, as you can see.
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226
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227 Now it is time to move on to the @samp{Next} node, named @samp{Help-P}.
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228
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229 >> Type @samp{n} to move there. Type just one character;
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230 do not type the quotes and do not type a @key{RET} afterward.
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231
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232 @samp{>>} in the margin means it is really time to try a command.
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233
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234 @node Help-P, Help-^L, Help, Getting Started
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235 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
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236 @section Returning to the Previous node
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237
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238 This node is called @samp{Help-P}. The @samp{Previous} node, as you see,
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239 is @samp{Help}, which is the one you just came from using the @kbd{n}
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240 command. Another @kbd{n} command now would take you to the next
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241 node, @samp{Help-^L}.
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242
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243 >> But do not do that yet. First, try the @kbd{p} command, which takes
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244 you to the @samp{Previous} node. When you get there, you can do an
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245 @kbd{n} again to return here.
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246
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247 This all probably seems insultingly simple so far, but @emph{do not} be
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248 led into skimming. Things will get more complicated soon. Also,
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249 do not try a new command until you are told it is time to. Otherwise,
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250 you may make Info skip past an important warning that was coming up.
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251
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252 >> Now do an @kbd{n} to get to the node @samp{Help-^L} and learn more.
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253
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254 @node Help-^L, Help-M, Help-P, Getting Started
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255 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
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256 @section The Space, Delete, B and ^L commands.
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257
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258 This node's header tells you that you are now at node @samp{Help-^L}, and
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259 that @kbd{p} would get you back to @samp{Help-P}. The node's title is
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260 underlined; it says what the node is about (most nodes have titles).
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261
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262 This is a big node and it does not all fit on your display screen.
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263 You can tell that there is more that is not visible because you
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264 can see the string @samp{--Top-----} rather than @samp{--All----} near
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265 the bottom right corner of the screen.
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266
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267 The Space, Delete and @kbd{B} commands exist to allow you to ``move
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268 around'' in a node that does not all fit on the screen at once.
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269 Space moves forward, to show what was below the bottom of the screen.
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270 Delete moves backward, to show what was above the top of the screen
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271 (there is not anything above the top until you have typed some spaces).
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272
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273 >> Now try typing a Space (afterward, type a Delete to return here).
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274
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275 When you type the space, the two lines that were at the bottom of
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276 the screen appear at the top, followed by more lines. Delete takes
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277 the two lines from the top and moves them to the bottom,
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278 @emph{usually}, but if there are not a full screen's worth of lines
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279 above them they may not make it all the way to the bottom.
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280
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281 If you type Space when there is no more to see, it rings the
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282 bell and otherwise does nothing. The same goes for Delete when
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283 the header of the node is visible.
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284
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285 If your screen is ever garbaged, you can tell Info to print it out
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286 again by typing @kbd{C-l} (@kbd{Control-L}, that is---hold down ``Control'' and
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287 type an @key{L} or @kbd{l}).
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288
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289 >> Type @kbd{C-l} now.
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290
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291 To move back to the beginning of the node you are on, you can type
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292 a lot of Deletes. You can also type simply @kbd{b} for beginning.
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293 >> Try that now. (We have put in enough verbiage to push this past
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294 the first screenful, but screens are so big nowadays that perhaps it
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295 isn't enough. You may need to shrink your Emacs or Info window.)
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296 Then come back, with Spaces.
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297
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298 If your screen is very tall, all of this node might fit at once.
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299 In that case, "b" won't do anything. Sorry; what can we do?
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300
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301 You have just learned a considerable number of commands. If you
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302 want to use one but have trouble remembering which, you should type
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303 a @key{?} which prints out a brief list of commands. When you are
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304 finished looking at the list, make it go away by pressing @key{SPC}
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305 repeatedly.
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306
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307 >> Type a @key{?} now. Press @key{SPC} to see consecutive screenfuls of
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308 >> the list until finished.
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309
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310 From now on, you will encounter large nodes without warning, and
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311 will be expected to know how to use Space and Delete to move
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312 around in them without being told. Since not all terminals have
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313 the same size screen, it would be impossible to warn you anyway.
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314
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315 >> Now type @kbd{n} to see the description of the @kbd{m} command.
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316
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317 @node Help-M, Help-Adv, Help-^L, Getting Started
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318 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
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319 @section Menus
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320
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321 Menus and the @kbd{m} command
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322
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323 With only the @kbd{n} and @kbd{p} commands for moving between nodes, nodes
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324 are restricted to a linear sequence. Menus allow a branching
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325 structure. A menu is a list of other nodes you can move to. It is
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326 actually just part of the text of the node formatted specially so that
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327 Info can interpret it. The beginning of a menu is always identified
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328 by a line which starts with @samp{* Menu:}. A node contains a menu if and
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329 only if it has a line in it which starts that way. The only menu you
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330 can use at any moment is the one in the node you are in. To use a
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331 menu in any other node, you must move to that node first.
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332
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333 After the start of the menu, each line that starts with a @samp{*}
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334 identifies one subtopic. The line usually contains a brief name
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335 for the subtopic (followed by a @samp{:}), the name of the node that talks
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336 about that subtopic, and optionally some further description of the
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337 subtopic. Lines in the menu that do not start with a @samp{*} have no
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338 special meaning---they are only for the human reader's benefit and do
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339 not define additional subtopics. Here is an example:
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340
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341 @example
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342 * Foo: FOO's Node This tells about FOO
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343 @end example
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344
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345 The subtopic name is Foo, and the node describing it is @samp{FOO's Node}.
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346 The rest of the line is just for the reader's Information.
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347 [[ But this line is not a real menu item, simply because there is
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348 no line above it which starts with @samp{* Menu:}.]]
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349
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350 When you use a menu to go to another node (in a way that will be
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351 described soon), what you specify is the subtopic name, the first
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352 thing in the menu line. Info uses it to find the menu line, extracts
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353 the node name from it, and goes to that node. The reason that there
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354 is both a subtopic name and a node name is that the node name must be
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355 meaningful to the computer and may therefore have to be ugly looking.
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356 The subtopic name can be chosen just to be convenient for the user to
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357 specify. Often the node name is convenient for the user to specify
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358 and so both it and the subtopic name are the same. There is an
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359 abbreviation for this:
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360
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361 @example
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362 * Foo:: This tells about FOO
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363 @end example
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364
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365 @noindent
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366 This means that the subtopic name and node name are the same; they are
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367 both @samp{Foo}.
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368
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369 >> Now use Spaces to find the menu in this node, then come back to
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370 the front with a @kbd{b} and some Spaces. As you see, a menu is
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371 actually visible in its node. If you cannot find a menu in a node
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372 by looking at it, then the node does not have a menu and the
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373 @kbd{m} command is not available.
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374
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375 The command to go to one of the subnodes is @kbd{m}---but @emph{do
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376 not do it yet!} Before you use @kbd{m}, you must understand the
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377 difference between commands and arguments. So far, you have learned
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378 several commands that do not need arguments. When you type one, Info
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379 processes it and is instantly ready for another command. The @kbd{m}
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380 command is different: it is incomplete without the @dfn{name of the
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381 subtopic}. Once you have typed @kbd{m}, Info tries to read the
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382 subtopic name.
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383
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384 Now look for the line containing many dashes near the bottom of the
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385 screen. There is one more line beneath that one, but usually it is
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386 blank. If it is empty, Info is ready for a command, such as @kbd{n}
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387 or @kbd{b} or Space or @kbd{m}. If that line contains text ending
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388 in a colon, it means Info is trying to read the @dfn{argument} to a
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389 command. At such times, commands do not work, because Info tries to
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390 use them as the argument. You must either type the argument and
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391 finish the command you started, or type @kbd{Control-g} to cancel the
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392 command. When you have done one of those things, the line becomes
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393 blank again.
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394
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395 The command to go to a subnode via a menu is @kbd{m}. After you type
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396 the @kbd{m}, the line at the bottom of the screen says @samp{Menu item: }.
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397 You must then type the name of the subtopic you want, and end it with
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398 a @key{RET}.
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399
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400 You can abbreviate the subtopic name. If the abbreviation is not
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401 unique, the first matching subtopic is chosen. Some menus put
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402 the shortest possible abbreviation for each subtopic name in capital
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403 letters, so you can see how much you need to type. It does not
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404 matter whether you use upper case or lower case when you type the
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405 subtopic. You should not put any spaces at the end, or inside of the
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406 item name, except for one space where a space appears in the item in
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407 the menu.
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408
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409 You can also use the @dfn{completion} feature to help enter the subtopic
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410 name. If you type the Tab key after entering part of a name, it will
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411 magically fill in more of the name---as much as follows uniquely from
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412 what you have entered.
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413
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414 If you move the cursor to one of the menu subtopic lines, then you do
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415 not need to type the argument: you just type a Return, and it stands for
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416 the subtopic of the line you are on.
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417
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418 Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice. This menu gives you
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419 three ways of going to one place, Help-FOO:
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420
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421 @menu
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422 * Foo: Help-FOO. A node you can visit for fun.
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423 * Bar: Help-FOO. Strange! two ways to get to the same place.
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424 * Help-FOO:: And yet another!
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425 @end menu
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426
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427 >> Now type just an @kbd{m} and see what happens:
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428
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429 Now you are ``inside'' an @kbd{m} command. Commands cannot be used
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430 now; the next thing you will type must be the name of a subtopic.
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431
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432 You can change your mind about doing the @kbd{m} by typing Control-g.
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433
|
|
434 >> Try that now; notice the bottom line clear.
|
|
435
|
|
436 >> Then type another @kbd{m}.
|
|
437
|
|
438 >> Now type @samp{BAR} item name. Do not type Return yet.
|
|
439
|
|
440 While you are typing the item name, you can use the Delete key to
|
|
441 cancel one character at a time if you make a mistake.
|
|
442
|
|
443 >> Type one to cancel the @samp{R}. You could type another @samp{R} to
|
|
444 replace it. You do not have to, since @samp{BA} is a valid abbreviation.
|
|
445
|
|
446 >> Now you are ready to go. Type a @key{RET}.
|
|
447
|
|
448 After visiting Help-FOO, you should return here.
|
|
449
|
|
450 >> Type @kbd{n} to see more commands.
|
|
451
|
|
452 @c If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it.
|
|
453 @c It is an accident of the menu updating command.
|
|
454
|
|
455 Here is another way to get to Help-FOO, a menu. You can ignore this
|
|
456 if you want, or else try it (but then please come back to here).
|
|
457
|
|
458 @menu
|
|
459 * Help-FOO::
|
|
460 @end menu
|
|
461
|
|
462 @node Help-FOO, , , Help-M
|
|
463 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
464 @subsection The @kbd{u} command
|
|
465
|
|
466 Congratulations! This is the node @samp{Help-FOO}. Unlike the other
|
|
467 nodes you have seen, this one has an @samp{Up}: @samp{Help-M}, the node you
|
|
468 just came from via the @kbd{m} command. This is the usual
|
|
469 convention---the nodes you reach from a menu have @samp{Up} nodes that lead
|
|
470 back to the menu. Menus move Down in the tree, and @samp{Up} moves Up.
|
|
471 @samp{Previous}, on the other hand, is usually used to ``stay on the same
|
|
472 level but go backwards''
|
|
473
|
|
474 You can go back to the node @samp{Help-M} by typing the command
|
|
475 @kbd{u} for ``Up''. That puts you at the @emph{front} of the
|
|
476 node---to get back to where you were reading you have to type
|
|
477 some @key{SPC}s.
|
|
478
|
|
479 >> Now type @kbd{u} to move back up to @samp{Help-M}.
|
|
480
|
|
481 @node Help-Adv, Help-Q, Help-M, Getting Started
|
|
482 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
483 @section Some advanced Info commands
|
|
484
|
|
485 The course is almost over, so please stick with it to the end.
|
|
486
|
|
487 If you have been moving around to different nodes and wish to
|
|
488 retrace your steps, the @kbd{l} command (@kbd{l} for @dfn{last}) will
|
|
489 do that, one node-step at a time. As you move from node to node, Info
|
|
490 records the nodes where you have been in a special history list. The
|
|
491 @kbd{l} command revisits nodes in the history list; each successive
|
|
492 @kbd{l} command moves one step back through the history.
|
|
493
|
|
494 If you have been following directions, ad @kbd{l} command now will get
|
|
495 you back to @samp{Help-M}. Another @kbd{l} command would undo the
|
|
496 @kbd{u} and get you back to @samp{Help-FOO}. Another @kbd{l} would undo
|
|
497 the @kbd{m} and get you back to @samp{Help-M}.
|
|
498
|
|
499 >> Try typing three @kbd{l}'s, pausing in between to see what each
|
|
500 @kbd{l} does.
|
|
501
|
|
502 Then follow directions again and you will end up back here.
|
|
503
|
|
504 Note the difference between @kbd{l} and @kbd{p}: @kbd{l} moves to
|
|
505 where @emph{you} last were, whereas @kbd{p} always moves to the node
|
|
506 which the header says is the @samp{Previous} node (from this node, to
|
|
507 @samp{Help-M}).
|
|
508
|
|
509 The @samp{d} command gets you instantly to the Directory node.
|
|
510 This node, which is the first one you saw when you entered Info,
|
|
511 has a menu which leads (directly, or indirectly through other menus),
|
|
512 to all the nodes that exist.
|
|
513
|
|
514 >> Try doing a @samp{d}, then do an @kbd{l} to return here (yes,
|
|
515 @emph{do} return).
|
|
516
|
|
517 Sometimes, in Info documentation, you will see a cross reference.
|
|
518 Cross references look like this: @xref{Help-Cross, Cross}. That is a
|
|
519 real, live cross reference which is named @samp{Cross} and points at
|
|
520 the node named @samp{Help-Cross}.
|
|
521
|
|
522 If you wish to follow a cross reference, you must use the @samp{f}
|
|
523 command. The @samp{f} must be followed by the cross reference name
|
|
524 (in this case, @samp{Cross}). While you enter the name, you can use the
|
|
525 Delete key to edit your input. If you change your mind about following
|
|
526 any reference, you can use @kbd{Control-g} to cancel the command.
|
|
527
|
|
528 Completion is available in the @samp{f} command; you can complete among
|
|
529 all the cross reference names in the current node by typing a Tab.
|
|
530
|
|
531 >> Type @samp{f}, followed by @samp{Cross}, and a @key{RET}.
|
|
532
|
|
533 To get a list of all the cross references in the current node, you can
|
|
534 type @kbd{?} after an @samp{f}. The @samp{f} continues to await a
|
|
535 cross reference name even after printing the list, so if you don't
|
|
536 actually want to follow a reference, you should type a @kbd{Control-g}
|
|
537 to cancel the @samp{f}.
|
|
538
|
|
539 >> Type "f?" to get a list of the cross references in this node. Then
|
|
540 type a @kbd{Control-g} and see how the @samp{f} gives up.
|
|
541
|
|
542 >> Now type @kbd{n} to see the last node of the course.
|
|
543
|
|
544 @c If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it.
|
|
545 @c It is an accident of the menu updating command.
|
|
546
|
|
547 @node Help-Cross, , , Help-Adv
|
|
548 @subsection The node reached by the cross reference in Info
|
|
549
|
|
550 This is the node reached by the cross reference named @samp{Cross}.
|
|
551
|
|
552 While this node is specifically intended to be reached by a cross
|
|
553 reference, most cross references lead to nodes that ``belong'' someplace
|
|
554 else far away in the structure of Info. So you cannot expect the
|
|
555 footnote to have a @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} or @samp{Up} pointing
|
|
556 back to where you came from. In general, the @kbd{l} (el) command is
|
|
557 the only way to get back there.
|
|
558
|
|
559 >> Type @kbd{l} to return to the node where the cross reference was.
|
|
560
|
|
561 @node Help-Q, , Help-Adv, Getting Started
|
|
562 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
563 @section Quitting Info
|
|
564
|
|
565 To get out of Info, back to what you were doing before, type @kbd{q}
|
|
566 for @dfn{Quit}.
|
|
567
|
|
568 This is the end of the course on using Info. There are some other
|
|
569 commands that are meant for experienced users; they are useful, and you
|
|
570 can find them by looking in the directory node for documentation on
|
|
571 Info. Finding them will be a good exercise in using Info in the usual
|
|
572 manner.
|
|
573
|
|
574 >> Type @samp{d} to go to the Info directory node; then type
|
|
575 @samp{mInfo} and Return, to get to the node about Info and
|
|
576 see what other help is available.
|
|
577
|
|
578
|
|
579 @node Advanced Info
|
|
580 @chapter Info for Experts
|
|
581
|
|
582 This chapter describes various advanced Info commands, and how to write
|
|
583 an Info as distinct from a Texinfo file. (However, in most cases, writing a
|
|
584 Texinfo file is better, since you can use it @emph{both} to generate an
|
|
585 Info file and to make a printed manual. @xref{Top,, Overview of
|
|
586 Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo}.)
|
|
587
|
|
588 @menu
|
|
589 * Expert:: Advanced Info commands: g, s, e, and 1 - 5.
|
|
590 * Add:: Describes how to add new nodes to the hierarchy.
|
|
591 Also tells what nodes look like.
|
|
592 * Menus:: How to add to or create menus in Info nodes.
|
|
593 * Cross-refs:: How to add cross-references to Info nodes.
|
|
594 * Tags:: How to make tag tables for Info files.
|
|
595 * Checking:: Checking an Info File
|
|
596 * Emacs Info Variables:: Variables modifying the behavior of Emacs Info.
|
|
597 @end menu
|
|
598
|
|
599 @node Expert, Add, , Advanced Info
|
|
600 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
601 @section Advanced Info Commands
|
|
602
|
|
603 @kbd{g}, @kbd{s}, @kbd{1}, -- @kbd{9}, and @kbd{e}
|
|
604
|
|
605 If you know a node's name, you can go there by typing @kbd{g}, the
|
|
606 name, and @key{RET}. Thus, @kbd{gTop@key{RET}} would go to the node
|
|
607 called @samp{Top} in this file (its directory node).
|
|
608 @kbd{gExpert@key{RET}} would come back here.
|
|
609
|
|
610 Unlike @kbd{m}, @kbd{g} does not allow the use of abbreviations.
|
|
611
|
|
612 To go to a node in another file, you can include the filename in the
|
|
613 node name by putting it at the front, in parentheses. Thus,
|
|
614 @kbd{g(dir)Top@key{RET}} would go to the Info Directory node, which is
|
|
615 node @samp{Top} in the file @file{dir}.
|
|
616
|
|
617 The node name @samp{*} specifies the whole file. So you can look at
|
|
618 all of the current file by typing @kbd{g*@key{RET}} or all of any
|
|
619 other file with @kbd{g(FILENAME)@key{RET}}.
|
|
620
|
|
621 The @kbd{s} command allows you to search a whole file for a string.
|
|
622 It switches to the next node if and when that is necessary. You
|
|
623 type @kbd{s} followed by the string to search for, terminated by
|
|
624 @key{RET}. To search for the same string again, just @kbd{s} followed
|
|
625 by @key{RET} will do. The file's nodes are scanned in the order
|
|
626 they are in in the file, which has no necessary relationship to the
|
|
627 order that they may be in in the tree structure of menus and @samp{next}
|
|
628 pointers. But normally the two orders are not very different. In any
|
|
629 case, you can always do a @kbd{b} to find out what node you have
|
|
630 reached, if the header is not visible (this can happen, because @kbd{s}
|
|
631 puts your cursor at the occurrence of the string, not at the beginning
|
|
632 of the node).
|
|
633
|
|
634 If you grudge the system each character of type-in it requires, you
|
|
635 might like to use the commands @kbd{1}, @kbd{2}, @kbd{3}, @kbd{4}, ...
|
|
636 @kbd{9}. They are short for the @kbd{m} command together with an
|
|
637 argument. @kbd{1} goes through the first item in the current node's
|
|
638 menu; @kbd{2} goes through the second item, etc.
|
|
639
|
|
640 If your display supports multiple fonts, and you are using Emacs' Info
|
|
641 mode to read Info files, the @samp{*} for the fifth menu item is
|
|
642 underlined, and so is the @samp{*} for the ninth item; these underlines
|
|
643 make it easy to see at a glance which number to use for an item.
|
|
644
|
|
645 On ordinary terminals, you won't have underlining. If you need to
|
|
646 actually count items, it is better to use @kbd{m} instead, and specify
|
|
647 the name.
|
|
648
|
|
649 The Info command @kbd{e} changes from Info mode to an ordinary
|
|
650 Emacs editing mode, so that you can edit the text of the current node.
|
|
651 Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to switch back to Info. The @kbd{e} command is allowed
|
|
652 only if the variable @code{Info-enable-edit} is non-@code{nil}.
|
|
653
|
|
654 @node Add, Menus, Expert, Advanced Info
|
|
655 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
656 @section Adding a new node to Info
|
|
657
|
|
658 To add a new topic to the list in the Info directory, you must:
|
|
659 @enumerate
|
|
660 @item
|
|
661 Create some nodes, in some file, to document that topic.
|
|
662 @item
|
|
663 Put that topic in the menu in the directory. @xref{Menus, Menu}.
|
|
664 @end enumerate
|
|
665
|
|
666 Usually, the way to create the nodes is with Texinfo (@pxref{Top,,
|
|
667 Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo}); this has the advantage that you
|
|
668 can also make a printed manual from them. However, if you want to edit
|
|
669 an Info file, here is how.
|
|
670
|
|
671 The new node can live in an existing documentation file, or in a new
|
|
672 one. It must have a @key{^_} character before it (invisible to the
|
|
673 user; this node has one but you cannot see it), and it ends with either
|
|
674 a @key{^_}, a @key{^L}, or the end of file. Note: If you put in a
|
|
675 @key{^L} to end a new node, be sure that there is a @key{^_} after it
|
|
676 to start the next one, since @key{^L} cannot @emph{start} a node.
|
|
677 Also, a nicer way to make a node boundary be a page boundary as well
|
|
678 is to put a @key{^L} @emph{right after} the @key{^_}.
|
|
679
|
|
680 The @key{^_} starting a node must be followed by a newline or a
|
|
681 @key{^L} newline, after which comes the node's header line. The header
|
|
682 line must give the node's name (by which Info finds it), and state the
|
|
683 names of the @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and @samp{Up} nodes (if there
|
|
684 are any). As you can see, this node's @samp{Up} node is the node
|
|
685 @samp{Top}, which points at all the documentation for Info. The
|
|
686 @samp{Next} node is @samp{Menus}.
|
|
687
|
|
688 The keywords @dfn{Node}, @dfn{Previous}, @dfn{Up}, and @dfn{Next},
|
|
689 may appear in any order, anywhere in the header line, but the
|
|
690 recommended order is the one in this sentence. Each keyword must be
|
|
691 followed by a colon, spaces and tabs, and then the appropriate name.
|
|
692 The name may be terminated with a tab, a comma, or a newline. A space
|
|
693 does not end it; node names may contain spaces. The case of letters
|
|
694 in the names is insignificant.
|
|
695
|
|
696 A node name has two forms. A node in the current file is named by
|
|
697 what appears after the @samp{Node: } in that node's first line. For
|
|
698 example, this node's name is @samp{Add}. A node in another file is
|
|
699 named by @samp{(@var{filename})@var{node-within-file}}, as in
|
|
700 @samp{(info)Add} for this node. If the file name starts with ``./'',
|
|
701 then it is relative to the current directory; otherwise, it is relative
|
|
702 starting from the standard Info file directory of your site.
|
|
703 The name @samp{(@var{filename})Top} can be abbreviated to just
|
|
704 @samp{(@var{filename})}. By convention, the name @samp{Top} is used for
|
|
705 the ``highest'' node in any single file---the node whose @samp{Up} points
|
|
706 out of the file. The Directory node is @file{(dir)}. The @samp{Top} node
|
|
707 of a document file listed in the Directory should have an @samp{Up:
|
|
708 (dir)} in it.
|
|
709
|
|
710 The node name @kbd{*} is special: it refers to the entire file.
|
|
711 Thus, @kbd{g*} shows you the whole current file. The use of the
|
|
712 node @kbd{*} is to make it possible to make old-fashioned,
|
|
713 unstructured files into nodes of the tree.
|
|
714
|
|
715 The @samp{Node:} name, in which a node states its own name, must not
|
|
716 contain a filename, since Info when searching for a node does not expect
|
|
717 one to be there. The @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} and @samp{Up} names
|
|
718 may contain them. In this node, since the @samp{Up} node is in the same
|
|
719 file, it was not necessary to use one.
|
|
720
|
|
721 Note that the nodes in this file have a file name in the header
|
|
722 line. The file names are ignored by Info, but they serve as comments
|
|
723 to help identify the node for the user.
|
|
724
|
|
725 @node Menus, Cross-refs, Add, Advanced Info
|
|
726 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
727 @section How to Create Menus
|
|
728
|
|
729 Any node in the Info hierarchy may have a @dfn{menu}---a list of subnodes.
|
|
730 The @kbd{m} command searches the current node's menu for the topic which it
|
|
731 reads from the terminal.
|
|
732
|
|
733 A menu begins with a line starting with @samp{* Menu:}. The rest of the
|
|
734 line is a comment. After the starting line, every line that begins
|
|
735 with a @samp{* } lists a single topic. The name of the topic--the
|
|
736 argument that the user must give to the @kbd{m} command to select this
|
|
737 topic---comes right after the star and space, and is followed by a
|
|
738 colon, spaces and tabs, and the name of the node which discusses that
|
|
739 topic. The node name, like node names following @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}
|
|
740 and @samp{Up}, may be terminated with a tab, comma, or newline; it may also
|
|
741 be terminated with a period.
|
|
742
|
|
743 If the node name and topic name are the same, then rather than
|
|
744 giving the name twice, the abbreviation @samp{* NAME::} may be used
|
|
745 (and should be used, whenever possible, as it reduces the visual
|
|
746 clutter in the menu).
|
|
747
|
|
748 It is considerate to choose the topic names so that they differ
|
|
749 from each other very near the beginning---this allows the user to type
|
|
750 short abbreviations. In a long menu, it is a good idea to capitalize
|
|
751 the beginning of each item name which is the minimum acceptable
|
|
752 abbreviation for it (a long menu is more than 5 or so entries).
|
|
753
|
|
754 The nodes listed in a node's menu are called its ``subnodes'', and it
|
|
755 is their ``superior''. They should each have an @samp{Up:} pointing at
|
|
756 the superior. It is often useful to arrange all or most of the subnodes
|
|
757 in a sequence of @samp{Next} and @samp{Previous} pointers so that
|
|
758 someone who wants to see them all need not keep revisiting the Menu.
|
|
759
|
|
760 The Info Directory is simply the menu of the node @samp{(dir)Top}---that
|
|
761 is, node @samp{Top} in file @file{.../info/dir}. You can put new entries
|
|
762 in that menu just like any other menu. The Info Directory is @emph{not} the
|
|
763 same as the file directory called @file{info}. It happens that many of
|
|
764 Info's files live on that file directory, but they do not have to; and
|
|
765 files on that directory are not automatically listed in the Info
|
|
766 Directory node.
|
|
767
|
|
768 Also, although the Info node graph is claimed to be a ``hierarchy'',
|
|
769 in fact it can be @emph{any} directed graph. Shared structures and
|
|
770 pointer cycles are perfectly possible, and can be used if they are
|
|
771 appropriate to the meaning to be expressed. There is no need for all
|
|
772 the nodes in a file to form a connected structure. In fact, this file
|
|
773 has two connected components. You are in one of them, which is under
|
|
774 the node @samp{Top}; the other contains the node @samp{Help} which the
|
|
775 @kbd{h} command goes to. In fact, since there is no garbage
|
|
776 collector, nothing terrible happens if a substructure is not pointed
|
|
777 to, but such a substructure is rather useless since nobody can
|
|
778 ever find out that it exists.
|
|
779
|
|
780 @node Cross-refs, Tags, Menus, Advanced Info
|
|
781 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
782 @section Creating Cross References
|
|
783
|
|
784 A cross reference can be placed anywhere in the text, unlike a menu
|
|
785 item which must go at the front of a line. A cross reference looks
|
|
786 like a menu item except that it has @samp{*note} instead of @kbd{*}.
|
|
787 It @emph{cannot} be terminated by a @samp{)}, because @samp{)}'s are
|
|
788 so often part of node names. If you wish to enclose a cross reference
|
|
789 in parentheses, terminate it with a period first. Here are two
|
|
790 examples of cross references pointers:
|
|
791
|
|
792 @example
|
|
793 *Note details: commands. (See *note 3: Full Proof.)
|
|
794 @end example
|
|
795
|
|
796 They are just examples. The places they ``lead to'' do not really exist!
|
|
797
|
|
798 @node Tags, Checking, Cross-refs, Advanced Info
|
|
799 @comment node-name, next, previous, up
|
|
800 @section Tag Tables for Info Files
|
|
801
|
|
802 You can speed up the access to nodes of a large Info file by giving
|
|
803 it a tag table. Unlike the tag table for a program, the tag table for
|
|
804 an Info file lives inside the file itself and is used
|
|
805 automatically whenever Info reads in the file.
|
|
806
|
|
807 To make a tag table, go to a node in the file using Emacs Info mode and type
|
|
808 @kbd{M-x Info-tagify}. Then you must use @kbd{C-x C-s} to save the
|
|
809 file.
|
|
810
|
|
811 Once the Info file has a tag table, you must make certain it is up
|
|
812 to date. If, as a result of deletion of text, any node moves back
|
|
813 more than a thousand characters in the file from the position
|
|
814 recorded in the tag table, Info will no longer be able to find that
|
|
815 node. To update the tag table, use the @code{Info-tagify} command again.
|
|
816
|
|
817 An Info file tag table appears at the end of the file and looks like
|
|
818 this:
|
|
819
|
|
820 @example
|
|
821 ^_
|
|
822 Tag Table:
|
|
823 File: info, Node: Cross-refs^?21419
|
|
824 File: info, Node: Tags^?22145
|
|
825 ^_
|
|
826 End Tag Table
|
|
827 @end example
|
|
828
|
|
829 @noindent
|
|
830 Note that it contains one line per node, and this line contains
|
|
831 the beginning of the node's header (ending just after the node name),
|
|
832 a Delete character, and the character position in the file of the
|
|
833 beginning of the node.
|
|
834
|
|
835
|
|
836 @node Checking, Emacs Info Variables, Tags, Advanced Info
|
|
837 @section Checking an Info File
|
|
838
|
|
839 When creating an Info file, it is easy to forget the name of a node when
|
|
840 you are making a pointer to it from another node. If you put in the
|
|
841 wrong name for a node, this is not detected until someone tries to go
|
|
842 through the pointer using Info. Verification of the Info file is an
|
|
843 automatic process which checks all pointers to nodes and reports any
|
|
844 pointers which are invalid. Every @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and
|
|
845 @samp{Up} is checked, as is every menu item and every cross reference. In
|
|
846 addition, any @samp{Next} which does not have a @samp{Previous} pointing
|
|
847 back is reported. Only pointers within the file are checked, because
|
|
848 checking pointers to other files would be terribly slow. But those are
|
|
849 usually few.
|
|
850
|
|
851 To check an Info file, do @kbd{M-x Info-validate} while looking at any
|
|
852 node of the file with Emacs Info mode.
|
|
853
|
|
854 @node Emacs Info Variables, , Checking, Advanced Info
|
|
855 @section Emacs Info-mode Variables
|
|
856
|
|
857 The following variables may modify the behaviour of Info-mode in Emacs;
|
|
858 you may wish to set one or several of these variables interactively, or
|
|
859 in your @file{~/.emacs} init file. @xref{Examining, Examining and Setting
|
|
860 Variables, Examining and Setting Variables, emacs, The GNU Emacs
|
|
861 Manual}.
|
|
862
|
|
863 @vtable @code
|
|
864 @item Info-enable-edit
|
|
865 Set to @code{nil}, disables the @samp{e} (@code{Info-edit}) command. A
|
|
866 non-@code{nil} value enables it. @xref{Add, Edit}.
|
|
867
|
|
868 @item Info-enable-active-nodes
|
|
869 When set to a non-@code{nil} value, allows Info to execute Lisp code
|
|
870 associated with nodes. The Lisp code is executed when the node is
|
|
871 selected.
|
|
872
|
|
873 @item Info-directory-list
|
|
874 The list of directories to search for Info files. Each element is a
|
|
875 string (directory name) or @code{nil} (try default directory).
|
|
876
|
|
877 @item Info-directory
|
|
878 The standard directory for Info documentation files. Only used when the
|
|
879 function @code{Info-directory} is called.
|
|
880 @end vtable
|
|
881
|
|
882
|
|
883 @node Creating an Info File
|
|
884 @chapter Creating an Info File
|
|
885
|
|
886 @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo}, to learn how to
|
|
887 write a Texinfo file.
|
|
888
|
|
889 @xref{Creating an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo}, to learn how to create
|
|
890 an Info file from a Texinfo file.
|
|
891
|
|
892 @xref{Installing an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo}, to learn how to
|
|
893 install an Info file after you have created one.
|
|
894
|
|
895 @bye
|