xemacs-beta: man/info.texi comparison

comparison man/info.texi @ 0:376386a54a3c r19-14

Import from CVS: tag r19-14

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date	Mon, 13 Aug 2007 08:45:50 +0200
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children	56c54cf7c5b6

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+\input texinfo    @c -*-texinfo-*-
+@comment %**start of header
+@setfilename ../info/info.info
+@settitle Info 1.0
+@comment %**end of header
+@iftex
+@finalout
+@end iftex
+@ifinfo
+This file describes how to use Info,
+the on-line, menu-driven GNU documentation system.
+Copyright (C) 1989, 1992 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
+this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
+are preserved on all copies.
+@ignore
+Permission is granted to process this file through TeX and print the
+results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
+notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
+(this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
+@end ignore
+Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
+manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire
+resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
+notice identical to this one.
+Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
+into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
+except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved
+by the Free Software Foundation.
+@end ifinfo
+@setchapternewpage odd
+@titlepage
+@sp 11
+@center @titlefont{Info}
+@sp 2
+@center The
+@sp 2
+@center On-line, Menu-driven
+@sp 2
+@center GNU Documentation System
+@page
+@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
+Copyright @copyright{} 1989, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+@sp 2
+Published by the Free Software Foundation @*
+675 Massachusetts Avenue, @*
+Cambridge, MA 02139 USA @*
+Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
+this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
+are preserved on all copies.
+Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
+manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire
+resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission
+notice identical to this one.
+Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
+into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions,
+except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved
+by the Free Software Foundation.
+@end titlepage
+@paragraphindent 3
+@ifinfo
+@node Top, Getting Started, (dir), (dir)
+@top Info: An Introduction
+Info is a program for reading documentation, which you are using now.
+To learn how to use Info, type the command @kbd{h}.  It brings you
+to a programmed instruction sequence.  If at any time you are ready to
+stop using Info, type @samp{q}.
+@c Need to make sure that `Info-help' goes to the right node,
+@c which is the first node of the first chapter. (It should.)
+@c   (Info-find-node "info"
+@c 		  (if (< (window-height) 23)
+@c 		      "Help-Small-Screen"
+@c 		    "Help")))
+To learn advanced Info commands, type @kbd{n} twice.  This brings you to
+@cite{Info for Experts}, skipping over the `Getting Started' chapter.
+@end ifinfo
+@menu
+* Getting Started::             Getting started using an Info reader.
+* Advanced Info::               Advanced commands within Info.
+* Create an Info File::         How to make your own Info file.
+@end menu
+@node Getting Started, Advanced Info, Top, Top
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@chapter Getting Started
+This first part of the Info manual describes how to get around inside
+of Info.  The second part of the manual describes various advanced
+Info commands, and how to write an Info as distinct from a Texinfo
+file.  The third part is about how to generate Info files from
+Texinfo files.
+@iftex
+This manual is primarily designed for use on a computer, so that you can
+try Info commands while reading about them.  Reading it on paper is less
+effective, since you must take it on faith that the commands described
+really do what the manual says.  By all means go through this manual now
+that you have it; but please try going through the on-line version as
+well.
+There are two ways of looking at the online version of this manual:
+@enumerate
+@item
+Type @code{info} at your shell's command line.  This approach uses a
+stand-alone program designed just to read Info files.
+@item
+Type @code{emacs} at the command line; then type @kbd{C-h i} (Control
+@kbd{h}, followed by @kbd{i}).  This approach uses the Info mode of the
+Emacs program, an editor with many other capabilities.
+@end enumerate
+In either case, then type @kbd{mInfo} (just the letters), followed by
+@key{RET}---the ``Return'' or ``Enter'' key.  At this point, you should
+be ready to follow the instructions in this manual as you read them on
+the screen.
+@c FIXME! (pesch@cygnus.com, 14 dec 1992)
+@c Is it worth worrying about what-if the beginner goes to somebody
+@c else's Emacs session, which already has an Info running in the middle
+@c of something---in which case these simple instructions won't work?
+@end iftex
+@menu
+* Help-Small-Screen::   Starting Info on a Small Screen
+* Help::                How to use Info
+* Help-P::              Returning to the Previous node
+* Help-^L::             The Space, Rubout, B and ^L commands.
+* Help-M::              Menus
+* Help-Adv::            Some advanced Info commands
+* Help-Q::              Quitting Info
+* Using Stand-alone Info::  How to use the stand-alone Info reader.
+@end menu
+@node Help-Small-Screen, Help,  , Getting Started
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section Starting Info on a Small Screen
+@iftex
+(In Info, you only see this section if your terminal has a small
+number of lines; most readers pass by it without seeing it.)
+@end iftex
+Since your terminal has an unusually small number of lines on its
+screen, it is necessary to give you special advice at the beginning.
+If you see the text @samp{--All----} at near the bottom right corner
+of the screen, it means the entire text you are looking at fits on the
+screen.  If you see @samp{--Top----} instead, it means that there is
+more text below that does not fit.  To move forward through the text
+and see another screen full, press the Space bar, @key{SPC}.  To move
+back up, press the key labeled @samp{Delete} or @key{DEL}.
+@ifinfo
+Here are 40 lines of junk, so you can try Spaces and Deletes and
+see what they do.  At the end are instructions of what you should do
+next.
+@format
+This is line 17
+This is line 18
+This is line 19
+This is line 20
+This is line 21
+This is line 22
+This is line 23
+This is line 24
+This is line 25
+This is line 26
+This is line 27
+This is line 28
+This is line 29
+This is line 30
+This is line 31
+This is line 32
+This is line 33
+This is line 34
+This is line 35
+This is line 36
+This is line 37
+This is line 38
+This is line 39
+This is line 40
+This is line 41
+This is line 42
+This is line 43
+This is line 44
+This is line 45
+This is line 46
+This is line 47
+This is line 48
+This is line 49
+This is line 50
+This is line 51
+This is line 52
+This is line 53
+This is line 54
+This is line 55
+This is line 56
+@end format
+If you have managed to get here, go back to the beginning with
+Delete, and come back here again, then you understand Space and
+Delete.  So now type an @kbd{n} ---just one character; don't type
+the quotes and don't type the Return key afterward--- to
+get to the normal start of the course.
+@end ifinfo
+@node Help, Help-P, Help-Small-Screen, Getting Started
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section How to use Info
+You are talking to the program Info, for reading documentation.
+Right now you are looking at one @dfn{Node} of Information.
+A node contains text describing a specific topic at a specific
+level of detail.  This node's topic is ``how to use Info''.
+The top line of a node is its @dfn{header}.  This node's header (look at
+it now) says that it is the node named @samp{Help} in the file
+@file{info}.  It says that the @samp{Next} node after this one is the node
+called @samp{Help-P}.  An advanced Info command lets you go to any node
+whose name you know.
+Besides a @samp{Next}, a node can have a @samp{Previous} or an @samp{Up}.
+This node has a @samp{Previous} but no @samp{Up}, as you can see.
+Now it is time to move on to the @samp{Next} node, named @samp{Help-P}.
+@format
+>> Type @samp{n} to move there.  Type just one character;
+do not type the quotes and do not type a @key{RET} afterward.
+@end format
+@samp{>>} in the margin means it is really time to try a command.
+@node Help-P, Help-^L, Help, Getting Started
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section Returning to the Previous node
+This node is called @samp{Help-P}.  The @samp{Previous} node, as you see,
+is @samp{Help}, which is the one you just came from using the @kbd{n}
+command.  Another @kbd{n} command now would take you to the next
+node, @samp{Help-^L}.
+@format
+>> But do not do that yet.  First, try the @kbd{p} command, which takes
+you to the @samp{Previous} node.  When you get there, you can do an
+@kbd{n} again to return here.
+@end format
+This all probably seems insultingly simple so far, but @emph{do not} be
+led into skimming.  Things will get more complicated soon.  Also,
+do not try a new command until you are told it is time to.  Otherwise,
+you may make Info skip past an important warning that was coming up.
+@format
+>> Now do an @kbd{n} to get to the node @samp{Help-^L} and learn more.
+@end format
+@node Help-^L, Help-M, Help-P, Getting Started
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section The Space, Delete, B and ^L commands.
+This node's header tells you that you are now at node @samp{Help-^L}, and
+that @kbd{p} would get you back to @samp{Help-P}.  The node's title is
+underlined; it says what the node is about (most nodes have titles).
+This is a big node and it does not all fit on your display screen.
+You can tell that there is more that is not visible because you
+can see the string @samp{--Top-----} rather than @samp{--All----} near
+the bottom right corner of the screen.
+The Space, Delete and @kbd{B} commands exist to allow you to ``move
+around'' in a node that does not all fit on the screen at once.
+Space moves forward, to show what was below the bottom of the screen.
+Delete moves backward, to show what was above the top of the screen
+(there is not anything above the top until you have typed some spaces).
+@format
+>> Now try typing a Space (afterward, type a Delete to return here).
+@end format
+When you type the space, the two lines that were at the bottom of
+the screen appear at the top, followed by more lines.  Delete takes
+the two lines from the top and moves them to the bottom,
+@emph{usually}, but if there are not a full screen's worth of lines
+above them they may not make it all the way to the bottom.
+If you type Space when there is no more to see, it rings the
+bell and otherwise does nothing.  The same goes for Delete when
+the header of the node is visible.
+If your screen is ever garbaged, you can tell Info to print it out
+again by typing @kbd{C-l} (@kbd{Control-L}, that is---hold down ``Control'' and
+type an @key{L} or @kbd{l}).
+@format
+>> Type @kbd{C-l} now.
+@end format
+To move back to the beginning of the node you are on, you can type
+a lot of Deletes.  You can also type simply @kbd{b} for beginning.
+@format
+>> Try that now.  (We have put in enough verbiage to push this past
+the first screenful, but screens are so big nowadays that perhaps it
+isn't enough.  You may need to shrink your Emacs or Info window.)
+Then come back, with Spaces.
+@end format
+If your screen is very tall, all of this node might fit at once.
+In that case, "b" won't do anything.  Sorry; what can we do?
+You have just learned a considerable number of commands.  If you
+want to use one but have trouble remembering which, you should type
+a @key{?} which prints out a brief list of commands.  When you are
+finished looking at the list, make it go away by typing a @key{SPC}.
+@format
+>> Type a @key{?} now.  After it finishes, type a @key{SPC}.
+@end format
+(If you are using the standalone Info reader, type `l' to return here.)
+From now on, you will encounter large nodes without warning, and
+will be expected to know how to use Space and Delete to move
+around in them without being told.  Since not all terminals have
+the same size screen, it would be impossible to warn you anyway.
+@format
+>> Now type @kbd{n} to see the description of the @kbd{m} command.
+@end format
+@node Help-M, Help-Adv, Help-^L, Getting Started
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section Menus
+Menus and the @kbd{m} command
+With only the @kbd{n} and @kbd{p} commands for moving between nodes, nodes
+are restricted to a linear sequence.  Menus allow a branching
+structure.  A menu is a list of other nodes you can move to.  It is
+actually just part of the text of the node formatted specially so that
+Info can interpret it.  The beginning of a menu is always identified
+by a line which starts with @samp{* Menu:}.  A node contains a menu if and
+only if it has a line in it which starts that way.  The only menu you
+can use at any moment is the one in the node you are in.  To use a
+menu in any other node, you must move to that node first.
+After the start of the menu, each line that starts with a @samp{*}
+identifies one subtopic.  The line usually contains a brief name
+for the subtopic (followed by a @samp{:}), the name of the node that talks
+about that subtopic, and optionally some further description of the
+subtopic.  Lines in the menu that do not start with a @samp{*} have no
+special meaning---they are only for the human reader's benefit and do
+not define additional subtopics.  Here is an example:
+@example
+* Foo:  FOO's Node      This tells about FOO
+@end example
+The subtopic name is Foo, and the node describing it is @samp{FOO's Node}.
+The rest of the line is just for the reader's Information.
+[[ But this line is not a real menu item, simply because there is
+no line above it which starts with @samp{* Menu:}.]]
+When you use a menu to go to another node (in a way that will be
+described soon), what you specify is the subtopic name, the first
+thing in the menu line.  Info uses it to find the menu line, extracts
+the node name from it, and goes to that node.  The reason that there
+is both a subtopic name and a node name is that the node name must be
+meaningful to the computer and may therefore have to be ugly looking.
+The subtopic name can be chosen just to be convenient for the user to
+specify.  Often the node name is convenient for the user to specify
+and so both it and the subtopic name are the same.  There is an
+abbreviation for this:
+@example
+* Foo::   This tells about FOO
+@end example
+@noindent
+This means that the subtopic name and node name are the same; they are
+both @samp{Foo}.
+@format
+>> Now use Spaces to find the menu in this node, then come back to
+the front with a @kbd{b} and some Spaces.  As you see, a menu is
+actually visible in its node.  If you cannot find a menu in a node
+by looking at it, then the node does not have a menu and the
+@kbd{m} command is not available.
+@end format
+The command to go to one of the subnodes is @kbd{m}---but @emph{do
+not do it yet!}  Before you use @kbd{m}, you must understand the
+difference between commands and arguments.  So far, you have learned
+several commands that do not need arguments.  When you type one, Info
+processes it and is instantly ready for another command.  The @kbd{m}
+command is different: it is incomplete without the @dfn{name of the
+subtopic}.  Once you have typed @kbd{m}, Info tries to read the
+subtopic name.
+Now look for the line containing many dashes near the bottom of the
+screen.  There is one more line beneath that one, but usually it is
+blank.  If it is empty, Info is ready for a command, such as @kbd{n}
+or @kbd{b} or Space or @kbd{m}.  If that line contains text ending
+in a colon, it mean Info is trying to read the @dfn{argument} to a
+command.  At such times, commands do not work, because Info tries to
+use them as the argument.  You must either type the argument and
+finish the command you started, or type @kbd{Control-g} to cancel the
+command.  When you have done one of those things, the line becomes
+blank again.
+The command to go to a subnode via a menu is @kbd{m}.  After you type
+the @kbd{m}, the line at the bottom of the screen says @samp{Menu item: }.
+You must then type the name of the subtopic you want, and end it with
+a @key{RET}.
+You can abbreviate the subtopic name.  If the abbreviation is not
+unique, the first matching subtopic is chosen.  Some menus put
+the shortest possible abbreviation for each subtopic name in capital
+letters, so you can see how much you need to type.  It does not
+matter whether you use upper case or lower case when you type the
+subtopic.  You should not put any spaces at the end, or inside of the
+item name, except for one space where a space appears in the item in
+the menu.
+You can also use the @dfn{completion} feature to help enter the subtopic
+name.  If you type the Tab key after entering part of a name, it will
+magically fill in more of the name---as much as follows uniquely from
+what you have entered.
+If you move the cursor to one of the menu subtopic lines, then you do
+not need to type the argument: you just type a Return, and it stands for
+the subtopic of the line you are on.
+Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice.
+* Menu:	   The menu starts here.
+This menu gives you three ways of going to one place, Help-FOO.
+* Foo:  Help-FOO.       A node you can visit for fun.@*
+* Bar:  Help-FOO.       Strange!  two ways to get to the same place.@*
+* Help-FOO::            And yet another!@*
+@format
+>>  Now type just an @kbd{m} and see what happens:
+@end format
+Now you are ``inside'' an @kbd{m} command.  Commands cannot be used
+now; the next thing you will type must be the name of a subtopic.
+You can change your mind about doing the @kbd{m} by typing Control-g.
+@format
+>> Try that now;  notice the bottom line clear.
+>> Then type another @kbd{m}.
+>> Now type @samp{BAR} item name.  Do not type Return yet.
+@end format
+While you are typing the item name, you can use the Delete key to
+cancel one character at a time if you make a mistake.
+@format
+>> Type one to cancel the @samp{R}.  You could type another @samp{R} to
+replace it.  You do not have to, since @samp{BA} is a valid abbreviation.
+>> Now you are ready to go.  Type a @key{RET}.
+@end format
+After visiting Help-FOO, you should return here.
+@format
+>> Type @kbd{n} to see more commands.
+@end format
+@c If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it.
+@c It is an accident of the menu updating command.
+Here is another way to get to  Help-FOO, a menu.  You can ignore this
+if you want, or else try it (but then please come back to here).
+@menu
+* Help-FOO::
+@end menu
+@node Help-FOO,  ,  , Help-M
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@subsection The @kbd{u} command
+Congratulations!  This is the node @samp{Help-FOO}.  Unlike the other
+nodes you have seen, this one has an @samp{Up}: @samp{Help-M}, the node you
+just came from via the @kbd{m} command.  This is the usual
+convention---the nodes you reach from a menu have @samp{Up} nodes that lead
+back to the menu.  Menus move Down in the tree, and @samp{Up} moves Up.
+@samp{Previous}, on the other hand, is usually used to ``stay on the same
+level but go backwards''
+You can go back to the node @samp{Help-M} by typing the command
+@kbd{u} for ``Up''.  That puts you at the @emph{front} of the
+node---to get back to where you were reading you have to type
+some @key{SPC}s.
+@format
+>> Now type @kbd{u} to move back up to @samp{Help-M}.
+@end format
+@node Help-Adv, Help-Q, Help-M, Getting Started
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section Some advanced Info commands
+The course is almost over, so please stick with it to the end.
+If you have been moving around to different nodes and wish to
+retrace your steps, the @kbd{l} command (@kbd{l} for @dfn{last}) will
+do that, one node-step at a time.  As you move from node to node, Info
+records the nodes where you have been in a special history list.  The
+@kbd{l} command revisits nodes in the history list; each successive
+@kbd{l} command moves one step back through the history.
+If you have been following directions, ad @kbd{l} command now will get
+you back to @samp{Help-M}.  Another @kbd{l} command would undo the
+@kbd{u} and get you back to @samp{Help-FOO}.  Another @kbd{l} would undo
+the @kbd{m} and get you back to @samp{Help-M}.
+@format
+>> Try typing three @kbd{l}'s, pausing in between to see what each
+@kbd{l} does.
+@end format
+Then follow directions again and you will end up back here.
+Note the difference between @kbd{l} and @kbd{p}: @kbd{l} moves to
+where @emph{you} last were, whereas @kbd{p} always moves to the node
+which the header says is the @samp{Previous} node (from this node, to
+@samp{Help-M}).
+The @samp{d} command gets you instantly to the Directory node.
+This node, which is the first one you saw when you entered Info,
+has a menu which leads (directly, or indirectly through other menus),
+to all the nodes that exist.
+@format
+>> Try doing a @samp{d}, then do an @kbd{l} to return here (yes,
+@emph{do} return).
+@end format
+Sometimes, in Info documentation, you will see a cross reference.
+Cross references look like this: @xref{Help-Cross, Cross}.  That is a
+real, live cross reference which is named @samp{Cross} and points at
+the node named @samp{Help-Cross}.
+If you wish to follow a cross reference, you must use the @samp{f}
+command.  The @samp{f} must be followed by the cross reference name
+(in this case, @samp{Cross}).  While you enter the name, you can use the
+Delete key to edit your input.  If you change your mind about following
+any reference, you can use @kbd{Control-g} to cancel the command.
+Completion is available in the @samp{f} command; you can complete among
+all the cross reference names in the current node by typing a Tab.
+@format
+>> Type @samp{f}, followed by @samp{Cross}, and a @key{RET}.
+@end format
+To get a list of all the cross references in the current node, you can
+type @kbd{?} after an @samp{f}.  The @samp{f} continues to await a
+cross reference name even after printing the list, so if you don't
+actually want to follow a reference, you should type a @kbd{Control-g}
+to cancel the @samp{f}.
+@format
+>> Type "f?" to get a list of the cross references in this node.  Then
+type a @kbd{Control-g} and see how the @samp{f} gives up.
+>> Now type @kbd{n} to see the last node of the course.
+@end format
+@c If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it.
+@c It is an accident of the menu updating command.
+@node Help-Cross,  ,  , Help-Adv
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@unnumberedsubsec The node reached by the cross reference in Info
+This is the node reached by the cross reference named @samp{Cross}.
+While this node is specifically intended to be reached by a cross
+reference, most cross references lead to nodes that ``belong''
+someplace else far away in the structure of Info.  So you cannot expect
+the footnote to have a @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} or @samp{Up} pointing back to
+where you came from.  In general, the @kbd{l} (el) command is the only
+way to get back there.
+@format
+>> Type @kbd{l} to return to the node where the cross reference was.
+@end format
+@node Help-Q,  , Help-Adv, Getting Started
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section Quitting Info
+To get out of Info, back to what you were doing before, type @kbd{q}
+for @dfn{Quit}.
+This is the end of the course on using Info.  There are some other
+commands that are meant for experienced users; they are useful, and you
+can find them by looking in the directory node for documentation on
+Info.  Finding them will be a good exercise in using Info in the usual
+manner.
+@format
+>> Type @samp{d} to go to the Info directory node; then type
+@samp{mInfo} and Return, to get to the node about Info and
+see what other help is available.
+@end format
+@node Advanced Info, Create an Info File, Getting Started, Top
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@chapter Info for Experts
+This chapter describes various advanced Info commands, and how to write
+an Info as distinct from a Texinfo file.  (However, in most cases, writing a
+Texinfo file is better, since you can use it @emph{both} to generate an
+Info file and to make a printed manual.  @xref{Top,, Overview of
+Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation Format}.)
+@menu
+* Expert::               Advanced Info commands: g, s, e, and 1 - 5.
+* Add::                  Describes how to add new nodes to the hierarchy.
+Also tells what nodes look like.
+* Menus::                How to add to or create menus in Info nodes.
+* Cross-refs::           How to add cross-references to Info nodes.
+* Tags::                 How to make tag tables for Info files.
+* Checking::             Checking an Info File
+* Emacs Info Variables:: Variables modifying the behavior of Emacs Info.
+@end menu
+@node Expert, Add,  , Advanced Info
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section Advanced Info Commands
+@kbd{g}, @kbd{s}, @kbd{1}, -- @kbd{9}, and @kbd{e}
+If you know a node's name, you can go there by typing @kbd{g}, the
+name, and @key{RET}.  Thus, @kbd{gTop@key{RET}} would go to the node
+called @samp{Top} in this file (its directory node).
+@kbd{gExpert@key{RET}} would come back here.
+Unlike @kbd{m}, @kbd{g} does not allow the use of abbreviations.
+To go to a node in another file, you can include the filename in the
+node name by putting it at the front, in parentheses.  Thus,
+@kbd{g(dir)Top@key{RET}} would go to the Info Directory node, which is
+node @samp{Top} in the file @file{dir}.
+The node name @samp{*} specifies the whole file.  So you can look at
+all of the current file by typing @kbd{g*@key{RET}} or all of any
+other file with @kbd{g(FILENAME)@key{RET}}.
+The @kbd{s} command allows you to search a whole file for a string.
+It switches to the next node if and when that is necessary.  You
+type @kbd{s} followed by the string to search for, terminated by
+@key{RET}.  To search for the same string again, just @kbd{s} followed
+by @key{RET} will do.  The file's nodes are scanned in the order
+they are in in the file, which has no necessary relationship to the
+order that they may be in in the tree structure of menus and @samp{next} pointers.
+But normally the two orders are not very different.  In any case,
+you can always do a @kbd{b} to find out what node you have reached, if
+the header is not visible (this can happen, because @kbd{s} puts your
+cursor at the occurrence of the string, not at the beginning of the
+node).
+If you grudge the system each character of type-in it requires, you
+might like to use the commands @kbd{1}, @kbd{2}, @kbd{3}, @kbd{4}, ...
+@kbd{9}.  They are short for the @kbd{m} command together with an
+argument.  @kbd{1} goes through the first item in the current node's
+menu; @kbd{2} goes through the second item, etc.
+If you display supports multiple fonts, and you are using Emacs' Info
+mode to read Info files, the @samp{*} for the fifth menu item is
+underlines, and so is the @samp{*} for the ninth item; these underlines
+make it easy to see at a glance which number to use for an item.
+On ordinary terminals, you won't have underlining.  If you need to
+actually count items, it is better to use @kbd{m} instead, and specify
+the name.
+The Info command @kbd{e} changes from Info mode to an ordinary
+Emacs editing mode, so that you can edit the text of the current node.
+Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to switch back to Info.  The @kbd{e} command is allowed
+only if the variable @code{Info-enable-edit} is non-@code{nil}.
+@node Add, Menus, Expert, Advanced Info
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section Adding a new node to Info
+To add a new topic to the list in the Info directory, you must:
+@enumerate
+@item
+Create some nodes, in some file, to document that topic.
+@item
+Put that topic in the menu in the directory.  @xref{Menus, Menu}.
+@end enumerate
+Usually, the way to create the nodes is with Texinfo @pxref{Top,, Overview of
+Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation Format}); this has the
+advantage that you can also make a printed manual from them.  However,
+if hyou want to edit an Info file, here is how.
+The new node can live in an existing documentation file, or in a new
+one.  It must have a @key{^_} character before it (invisible to the
+user; this node has one but you cannot see it), and it ends with either
+a @key{^_}, a @key{^L}, or the end of file.  Note: If you put in a
+@key{^L} to end a new node, be sure that there is a @key{^_} after it
+to start the next one, since @key{^L} cannot @emph{start} a node.
+Also, a nicer way to make a node boundary be a page boundary as well
+is to put a @key{^L} @emph{right after} the @key{^_}.
+The @key{^_} starting a node must be followed by a newline or a
+@key{^L} newline, after which comes the node's header line.  The
+header line must give the node's name (by which Info finds it),
+and state the names of the @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and @samp{Up} nodes (if
+there are any).  As you can see, this node's @samp{Up} node is the node
+@samp{Top}, which points at all the documentation for Info.  The @samp{Next}
+node is @samp{Menus}.
+The keywords @dfn{Node}, @dfn{Previous}, @dfn{Up}, and @dfn{Next},
+may appear in any order, anywhere in the header line, but the
+recommended order is the one in this sentence.  Each keyword must be
+followed by a colon, spaces and tabs, and then the appropriate name.
+The name may be terminated with a tab, a comma, or a newline.  A space
+does not end it; node names may contain spaces.  The case of letters
+in the names is insignificant.
+A node name has two forms.  A node in the current file is named by
+what appears after the @samp{Node: } in that node's first line.  For
+example, this node's name is @samp{Add}.  A node in another file is
+named by @samp{(@var{filename})@var{node-within-file}}, as in
+@samp{(info)Add} for this node.  If the file name starts with ``./'',
+then it is relative to the current directory; otherwise, it is relative
+starting from the standard Info file directory of your site.
+The name @samp{(@var{filename})Top} can be abbreviated to just
+@samp{(@var{filename})}.  By convention, the name @samp{Top} is used for
+the ``highest'' node in any single file---the node whose @samp{Up} points
+out of the file.  The Directory node is @file{(dir)}.  The @samp{Top} node
+of a document file listed in the Directory should have an @samp{Up:
+(dir)} in it.
+The node name @kbd{*} is special: it refers to the entire file.
+Thus, @kbd{g*} shows you the whole current file.  The use of the
+node @kbd{*} is to make it possible to make old-fashioned,
+unstructured files into nodes of the tree.
+The @samp{Node:} name, in which a node states its own name, must not
+contain a filename, since Info when searching for a node does not
+expect one to be there.  The @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} and @samp{Up} names may
+contain them.  In this node, since the @samp{Up} node is in the same file,
+it was not necessary to use one.
+Note that the nodes in this file have a file name in the header
+line.  The file names are ignored by Info, but they serve as comments
+to help identify the node for the user.
+@node Menus, Cross-refs, Add, Advanced Info
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section How to Create Menus
+Any node in the Info hierarchy may have a @dfn{menu}---a list of subnodes.
+The @kbd{m} command searches the current node's menu for the topic which it
+reads from the terminal.
+A menu begins with a line starting with @samp{* Menu:}.  The rest of the
+line is a comment.  After the starting line, every line that begins
+with a @samp{* } lists a single topic.  The name of the topic--the
+argument that the user must give to the @kbd{m} command to select this
+topic---comes right after the star and space, and is followed by a
+colon, spaces and tabs, and the name of the node which discusses that
+topic.  The node name, like node names following @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}
+and @samp{Up}, may be terminated with a tab, comma, or newline; it may also
+be terminated with a period.
+If the node name and topic name are the same, then rather than
+giving the name twice, the abbreviation @samp{* NAME::} may be used
+(and should be used, whenever possible, as it reduces the visual
+clutter in the menu).
+It is considerate to choose the topic names so that they differ
+from each other very near the beginning---this allows the user to type
+short abbreviations.  In a long menu, it is a good idea to capitalize
+the beginning of each item name which is the minimum acceptable
+abbreviation for it (a long menu is more than 5 or so entries).
+The nodes listed in a node's menu are called its ``subnodes'', and
+it is their ``superior''.  They should each have an @samp{Up:} pointing at
+the superior.  It is often useful to arrange all or most of the
+subnodes in a sequence of @samp{Next} and @samp{Previous} pointers so that someone who
+wants to see them all need not keep revisiting the Menu.
+The Info Directory is simply the menu of the node @samp{(dir)Top}---that
+is, node @samp{Top} in file @file{.../info/dir}.  You can put new entries
+in that menu just like any other menu.  The Info Directory is @emph{not} the
+same as the file directory called @file{info}.  It happens that many of
+Info's files live on that file directory, but they do not have to; and
+files on that directory are not automatically listed in the Info
+Directory node.
+Also, although the Info node graph is claimed to be a ``hierarchy'',
+in fact it can be @emph{any} directed graph.  Shared structures and
+pointer cycles are perfectly possible, and can be used if they are
+appropriate to the meaning to be expressed.  There is no need for all
+the nodes in a file to form a connected structure.  In fact, this file
+has two connected components.  You are in one of them, which is under
+the node @samp{Top}; the other contains the node @samp{Help} which the
+@kbd{h} command goes to.  In fact, since there is no garbage
+collector, nothing terrible happens if a substructure is not pointed
+to, but such a substructure is rather useless since nobody can
+ever find out that it exists.
+@node Cross-refs, Tags, Menus, Advanced Info
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section Creating Cross References
+A cross reference can be placed anywhere in the text, unlike a menu
+item which must go at the front of a line.  A cross reference looks
+like a menu item except that it has @samp{*note} instead of @kbd{*}.
+It @emph{cannot} be terminated by a @samp{)}, because @samp{)}'s are
+so often part of node names.  If you wish to enclose a cross reference
+in parentheses, terminate it with a period first.  Here are two
+examples of cross references pointers:
+@example
+*Note details: commands.  (See *note 3: Full Proof.)
+@end example
+They are just examples.  The places they ``lead to'' do not really exist!
+@node Tags, Checking, Cross-refs, Advanced Info
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section Tag Tables for Info Files
+You can speed up the access to nodes of a large Info file by giving
+it a tag table.  Unlike the tag table for a program, the tag table for
+an Info file lives inside the file itself and is used
+automatically whenever Info reads in the file.
+To make a tag table, go to a node in the file using Emacs Info mode and type
+@kbd{M-x Info-tagify}.  Then you must use @kbd{C-x C-s} to save the
+file.
+Once the Info file has a tag table, you must make certain it is up
+to date.  If, as a result of deletion of text, any node moves back
+more than a thousand characters in the file from the position
+recorded in the tag table, Info will no longer be able to find that
+node.  To update the tag table, use the @code{Info-tagify} command again.
+An Info file tag table appears at the end of the file and looks like
+this:
+@example
+^_
+Tag Table:
+File: info, Node: Cross-refs^?21419
+File: info,  Node: Tags^?22145
+^_
+End Tag Table
+@end example
+@noindent
+Note that it contains one line per node, and this line contains
+the beginning of the node's header (ending just after the node name),
+a Delete character, and the character position in the file of the
+beginning of the node.
+@node Checking, Emacs Info Variables, Tags, Advanced Info
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@section Checking an Info File
+When creating an Info file, it is easy to forget the name of a node
+when you are making a pointer to it from another node.  If you put in
+the wrong name for a node, this is not detected until someone
+tries to go through the pointer using Info.  Verification of the Info
+file is an automatic process which checks all pointers to nodes and
+reports any pointers which are invalid.  Every @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and
+@samp{Up} is checked, as is every menu item and every cross reference.  In
+addition, any @samp{Next} which does not have a @samp{Previous} pointing back is
+reported.  Only pointers within the file are checked, because checking
+pointers to other files would be terribly slow.  But those are usually
+few.
+To check an Info file, do @kbd{M-x Info-validate} while looking at
+any node of the file with Emacs Info mode.
+@node Emacs Info Variables, , Checking, Advanced Info
+@section Emacs Info-mode Variables
+The following variables may modify the behaviour of Info-mode in Emacs;
+you may wish to set one or several of these variables interactively, or
+in your @file{~/.emacs} init file.  @xref{Examining, Examining and Setting
+Variables, Examining and Setting Variables, emacs, The GNU Emacs
+Manual}.
+@table @code
+@item Info-enable-edit
+Set to @code{nil}, disables the @samp{e} (@code{Info-edit}) command.  A
+non-@code{nil} value enables it.  @xref{Add, Edit}.
+@item Info-enable-active-nodes
+When set to a non-@code{nil} value, allows Info to execute Lisp code
+associated with nodes.  The Lisp code is executed when the node is
+selected.
+@item Info-directory-list
+The list of directories to search for Info files.  Each element is a
+string (directory name) or @code{nil} (try default directory).
+@item Info-directory
+The standard directory for Info documentation files.  Only used when the
+function @code{Info-directory} is called.
+@end table
+@node Create an Info File,  , Advanced Info, Top
+@comment  node-name,  next,  previous,  up
+@chapter Creating an Info File from a Makeinfo file
+@code{makeinfo} is a utility that converts a Texinfo file into an Info
+file; @code{texinfo-format-region} and @code{texinfo-format-buffer} are
+GNU Emacs functions that do the same.
+@xref{Create an Info File, , Creating an Info File, texinfo, the Texinfo
+Manual}, to learn how to create an Info file from a Texinfo file.
+@xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation
+Format}, to learn how to write a Texinfo file.
+@nwnode Using Stand-alone Info, Options, , Top
+@chapter Using the Stand-alone Info Reader
+@lowersections
+@c Make the paragraph indentation match the rest of this file.
+@paragraphindent 2
+@include info-stnd.texi
+@raisesections
+@bye

Mercurial > hg > xemacs-beta

comparison man/info.texi @ 0:376386a54a3c r19-14