1 This is ../info/info.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.0 from
4 INFO-DIR-SECTION Texinfo documentation system
6 * Info: (info). Documentation browsing system.
9 This file describes how to use Info, the on-line, menu-driven GNU
12 Copyright (C) 1989, 92, 96, 97, 98, 99 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
14 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
15 manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
16 preserved on all copies.
18 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
19 this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that
20 the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
21 permission notice identical to this one.
23 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
24 manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
25 versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a
26 translation approved by the Free Software Foundation.
29 File: info.info, Node: Top, Next: Getting Started, Up: (dir)
34 Info is a program for reading documentation, which you are using now.
36 To learn how to use Info, type the command `h'. It brings you to a
37 programmed instruction sequence.
41 * Getting Started:: Getting started using an Info reader.
42 * Advanced Info:: Advanced commands within Info.
43 * Creating an Info File:: How to make your own Info file.
46 File: info.info, Node: Getting Started, Next: Advanced Info, Prev: Top, Up: Top
51 This first part of the Info manual describes how to get around inside
52 of Info. The second part of the manual describes various advanced Info
53 commands, and how to write an Info as distinct from a Texinfo file.
54 The third part is about how to generate Info files from Texinfo files.
58 * Help-Small-Screen:: Starting Info on a Small Screen
59 * Help:: How to use Info
60 * Help-P:: Returning to the Previous node
61 * Help-^L:: The Space, Rubout, B and ^L commands.
63 * Help-Adv:: Some advanced Info commands
64 * Help-Q:: Quitting Info
67 File: info.info, Node: Help-Small-Screen, Next: Help, Up: Getting Started
69 Starting Info on a Small Screen
70 ===============================
72 Since your terminal has an unusually small number of lines on its
73 screen, it is necessary to give you special advice at the beginning.
75 If you see the text `--All----' at near the bottom right corner of
76 the screen, it means the entire text you are looking at fits on the
77 screen. If you see `--Top----' instead, it means that there is more
78 text below that does not fit. To move forward through the text and see
79 another screen full, press the Space bar, <SPC>. To move back up,
80 press the key labeled `Backspace' or <Delete>.
82 Here are 40 lines of junk, so you can try Spaces and Deletes and see
83 what they do. At the end are instructions of what you should do next.
125 If you have managed to get here, go back to the beginning with Delete,
126 and come back here again, then you understand Space and Delete. So now
127 type an `n' --just one character; don't type the quotes and don't type
128 the Return key afterward-- to get to the normal start of the course.
131 File: info.info, Node: Help, Next: Help-P, Prev: Help-Small-Screen, Up: Getting Started
136 You are talking to the program Info, for reading documentation.
138 Right now you are looking at one "Node" of Information. A node
139 contains text describing a specific topic at a specific level of
140 detail. This node's topic is "how to use Info".
142 The top line of a node is its "header". This node's header (look at
143 it now) says that it is the node named `Help' in the file `info'. It
144 says that the `Next' node after this one is the node called `Help-P'.
145 An advanced Info command lets you go to any node whose name you know.
147 Besides a `Next', a node can have a `Previous' or an `Up'. This
148 node has a `Previous' but no `Up', as you can see.
150 Now it is time to move on to the `Next' node, named `Help-P'.
152 >> Type `n' to move there. Type just one character; do not type
153 the quotes and do not type a <RET> afterward.
155 `>>' in the margin means it is really time to try a command.
158 File: info.info, Node: Help-P, Next: Help-^L, Prev: Help, Up: Getting Started
160 Returning to the Previous node
161 ==============================
163 This node is called `Help-P'. The `Previous' node, as you see, is
164 `Help', which is the one you just came from using the `n' command.
165 Another `n' command now would take you to the next node, `Help-^L'.
167 >> But do not do that yet. First, try the `p' command, which takes
168 you to the `Previous' node. When you get there, you can do an `n'
169 again to return here.
171 This all probably seems insultingly simple so far, but _do not_ be
172 led into skimming. Things will get more complicated soon. Also, do
173 not try a new command until you are told it is time to. Otherwise, you
174 may make Info skip past an important warning that was coming up.
176 >> Now do an `n' to get to the node `Help-^L' and learn more.
179 File: info.info, Node: Help-^L, Next: Help-M, Prev: Help-P, Up: Getting Started
181 The Space, Delete, B and ^L commands.
182 =====================================
184 This node's header tells you that you are now at node `Help-^L', and
185 that `p' would get you back to `Help-P'. The node's title is
186 underlined; it says what the node is about (most nodes have titles).
188 This is a big node and it does not all fit on your display screen.
189 You can tell that there is more that is not visible because you can see
190 the string `--Top-----' rather than `--All----' near the bottom right
191 corner of the screen.
193 The Space, Delete and `B' commands exist to allow you to "move
194 around" in a node that does not all fit on the screen at once. Space
195 moves forward, to show what was below the bottom of the screen. Delete
196 moves backward, to show what was above the top of the screen (there is
197 not anything above the top until you have typed some spaces).
199 >> Now try typing a Space (afterward, type a Delete to return here).
201 When you type the space, the two lines that were at the bottom of
202 the screen appear at the top, followed by more lines. Delete takes the
203 two lines from the top and moves them to the bottom, _usually_, but if
204 there are not a full screen's worth of lines above them they may not
205 make it all the way to the bottom.
207 If you type Space when there is no more to see, it rings the bell
208 and otherwise does nothing. The same goes for Delete when the header
209 of the node is visible.
211 If your screen is ever garbaged, you can tell Info to print it out
212 again by typing `C-l' (`Control-L', that is--hold down "Control" and
217 To move back to the beginning of the node you are on, you can type a
218 lot of Deletes. You can also type simply `b' for beginning. >> Try
219 that now. (We have put in enough verbiage to push this past the first
220 screenful, but screens are so big nowadays that perhaps it isn't
221 enough. You may need to shrink your Emacs or Info window.) Then come
224 If your screen is very tall, all of this node might fit at once. In
225 that case, "b" won't do anything. Sorry; what can we do?
227 You have just learned a considerable number of commands. If you
228 want to use one but have trouble remembering which, you should type a
229 <?> which prints out a brief list of commands. When you are finished
230 looking at the list, make it go away by pressing <SPC> repeatedly.
232 >> Type a <?> now. Press <SPC> to see consecutive screenfuls of >>
233 the list until finished.
235 From now on, you will encounter large nodes without warning, and
236 will be expected to know how to use Space and Delete to move around in
237 them without being told. Since not all terminals have the same size
238 screen, it would be impossible to warn you anyway.
240 >> Now type `n' to see the description of the `m' command.
243 File: info.info, Node: Help-M, Next: Help-Adv, Prev: Help-^L, Up: Getting Started
248 Menus and the `m' command
250 With only the `n' and `p' commands for moving between nodes, nodes
251 are restricted to a linear sequence. Menus allow a branching
252 structure. A menu is a list of other nodes you can move to. It is
253 actually just part of the text of the node formatted specially so that
254 Info can interpret it. The beginning of a menu is always identified by
255 a line which starts with `* Menu:'. A node contains a menu if and only
256 if it has a line in it which starts that way. The only menu you can
257 use at any moment is the one in the node you are in. To use a menu in
258 any other node, you must move to that node first.
260 After the start of the menu, each line that starts with a `*'
261 identifies one subtopic. The line usually contains a brief name for
262 the subtopic (followed by a `:'), the name of the node that talks about
263 that subtopic, and optionally some further description of the subtopic.
264 Lines in the menu that do not start with a `*' have no special
265 meaning--they are only for the human reader's benefit and do not define
266 additional subtopics. Here is an example:
268 * Foo: FOO's Node This tells about FOO
270 The subtopic name is Foo, and the node describing it is `FOO's Node'.
271 The rest of the line is just for the reader's Information. [[ But this
272 line is not a real menu item, simply because there is no line above it
273 which starts with `* Menu:'.]]
275 When you use a menu to go to another node (in a way that will be
276 described soon), what you specify is the subtopic name, the first thing
277 in the menu line. Info uses it to find the menu line, extracts the
278 node name from it, and goes to that node. The reason that there is
279 both a subtopic name and a node name is that the node name must be
280 meaningful to the computer and may therefore have to be ugly looking.
281 The subtopic name can be chosen just to be convenient for the user to
282 specify. Often the node name is convenient for the user to specify and
283 so both it and the subtopic name are the same. There is an
284 abbreviation for this:
286 * Foo:: This tells about FOO
288 This means that the subtopic name and node name are the same; they are
291 >> Now use Spaces to find the menu in this node, then come back to
292 the front with a `b' and some Spaces. As you see, a menu is
293 actually visible in its node. If you cannot find a menu in a node
294 by looking at it, then the node does not have a menu and the `m'
295 command is not available.
297 The command to go to one of the subnodes is `m'--but _do not do it
298 yet!_ Before you use `m', you must understand the difference between
299 commands and arguments. So far, you have learned several commands that
300 do not need arguments. When you type one, Info processes it and is
301 instantly ready for another command. The `m' command is different: it
302 is incomplete without the "name of the subtopic". Once you have typed
303 `m', Info tries to read the subtopic name.
305 Now look for the line containing many dashes near the bottom of the
306 screen. There is one more line beneath that one, but usually it is
307 blank. If it is empty, Info is ready for a command, such as `n' or `b'
308 or Space or `m'. If that line contains text ending in a colon, it
309 means Info is trying to read the "argument" to a command. At such
310 times, commands do not work, because Info tries to use them as the
311 argument. You must either type the argument and finish the command you
312 started, or type `Control-g' to cancel the command. When you have done
313 one of those things, the line becomes blank again.
315 The command to go to a subnode via a menu is `m'. After you type
316 the `m', the line at the bottom of the screen says `Menu item: '. You
317 must then type the name of the subtopic you want, and end it with a
320 You can abbreviate the subtopic name. If the abbreviation is not
321 unique, the first matching subtopic is chosen. Some menus put the
322 shortest possible abbreviation for each subtopic name in capital
323 letters, so you can see how much you need to type. It does not matter
324 whether you use upper case or lower case when you type the subtopic.
325 You should not put any spaces at the end, or inside of the item name,
326 except for one space where a space appears in the item in the menu.
328 You can also use the "completion" feature to help enter the subtopic
329 name. If you type the Tab key after entering part of a name, it will
330 magically fill in more of the name--as much as follows uniquely from
331 what you have entered.
333 If you move the cursor to one of the menu subtopic lines, then you do
334 not need to type the argument: you just type a Return, and it stands for
335 the subtopic of the line you are on.
337 Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice. This menu gives you
338 three ways of going to one place, Help-FOO:
342 * Foo: Help-FOO. A node you can visit for fun.
343 * Bar: Help-FOO. Strange! two ways to get to the same place.
344 * Help-FOO:: And yet another!
346 >> Now type just an `m' and see what happens:
348 Now you are "inside" an `m' command. Commands cannot be used now;
349 the next thing you will type must be the name of a subtopic.
351 You can change your mind about doing the `m' by typing Control-g.
353 >> Try that now; notice the bottom line clear.
355 >> Then type another `m'.
357 >> Now type `BAR' item name. Do not type Return yet.
359 While you are typing the item name, you can use the Delete key to
360 cancel one character at a time if you make a mistake.
362 >> Type one to cancel the `R'. You could type another `R' to
363 replace it. You do not have to, since `BA' is a valid abbreviation.
365 >> Now you are ready to go. Type a <RET>.
367 After visiting Help-FOO, you should return here.
369 >> Type `n' to see more commands.
371 Here is another way to get to Help-FOO, a menu. You can ignore this
372 if you want, or else try it (but then please come back to here).
379 File: info.info, Node: Help-FOO, Up: Help-M
384 Congratulations! This is the node `Help-FOO'. Unlike the other
385 nodes you have seen, this one has an `Up': `Help-M', the node you just
386 came from via the `m' command. This is the usual convention--the nodes
387 you reach from a menu have `Up' nodes that lead back to the menu.
388 Menus move Down in the tree, and `Up' moves Up. `Previous', on the
389 other hand, is usually used to "stay on the same level but go backwards"
391 You can go back to the node `Help-M' by typing the command `u' for
392 "Up". That puts you at the _front_ of the node--to get back to where
393 you were reading you have to type some <SPC>s.
395 >> Now type `u' to move back up to `Help-M'.
398 File: info.info, Node: Help-Adv, Next: Help-Q, Prev: Help-M, Up: Getting Started
400 Some advanced Info commands
401 ===========================
403 The course is almost over, so please stick with it to the end.
405 If you have been moving around to different nodes and wish to
406 retrace your steps, the `l' command (`l' for "last") will do that, one
407 node-step at a time. As you move from node to node, Info records the
408 nodes where you have been in a special history list. The `l' command
409 revisits nodes in the history list; each successive `l' command moves
410 one step back through the history.
412 If you have been following directions, ad `l' command now will get
413 you back to `Help-M'. Another `l' command would undo the `u' and get
414 you back to `Help-FOO'. Another `l' would undo the `m' and get you
417 >> Try typing three `l''s, pausing in between to see what each
420 Then follow directions again and you will end up back here.
422 Note the difference between `l' and `p': `l' moves to where _you_
423 last were, whereas `p' always moves to the node which the header says
424 is the `Previous' node (from this node, to `Help-M').
426 The `d' command gets you instantly to the Directory node. This
427 node, which is the first one you saw when you entered Info, has a menu
428 which leads (directly, or indirectly through other menus), to all the
431 >> Try doing a `d', then do an `l' to return here (yes, _do_
434 Sometimes, in Info documentation, you will see a cross reference.
435 Cross references look like this: *Note Cross: Help-Cross. That is a
436 real, live cross reference which is named `Cross' and points at the
437 node named `Help-Cross'.
439 If you wish to follow a cross reference, you must use the `f'
440 command. The `f' must be followed by the cross reference name (in this
441 case, `Cross'). While you enter the name, you can use the Delete key
442 to edit your input. If you change your mind about following any
443 reference, you can use `Control-g' to cancel the command.
445 Completion is available in the `f' command; you can complete among
446 all the cross reference names in the current node by typing a Tab.
448 >> Type `f', followed by `Cross', and a <RET>.
450 To get a list of all the cross references in the current node, you
451 can type `?' after an `f'. The `f' continues to await a cross
452 reference name even after printing the list, so if you don't actually
453 want to follow a reference, you should type a `Control-g' to cancel the
456 >> Type "f?" to get a list of the cross references in this node.
457 Then type a `Control-g' and see how the `f' gives up.
459 >> Now type `n' to see the last node of the course.
462 File: info.info, Node: Help-Cross, Up: Help-Adv
464 The node reached by the cross reference in Info
465 -----------------------------------------------
467 This is the node reached by the cross reference named `Cross'.
469 While this node is specifically intended to be reached by a cross
470 reference, most cross references lead to nodes that "belong" someplace
471 else far away in the structure of Info. So you cannot expect the
472 footnote to have a `Next', `Previous' or `Up' pointing back to where
473 you came from. In general, the `l' (el) command is the only way to get
476 >> Type `l' to return to the node where the cross reference was.
479 File: info.info, Node: Help-Q, Prev: Help-Adv, Up: Getting Started
484 To get out of Info, back to what you were doing before, type `q' for
487 This is the end of the course on using Info. There are some other
488 commands that are meant for experienced users; they are useful, and you
489 can find them by looking in the directory node for documentation on
490 Info. Finding them will be a good exercise in using Info in the usual
493 >> Type `d' to go to the Info directory node; then type `mInfo'
494 and Return, to get to the node about Info and see what other help is
498 File: info.info, Node: Advanced Info, Next: Creating an Info File, Prev: Getting Started, Up: Top
503 This chapter describes various advanced Info commands, and how to
504 write an Info as distinct from a Texinfo file. (However, in most
505 cases, writing a Texinfo file is better, since you can use it _both_ to
506 generate an Info file and to make a printed manual. *Note Overview of
507 Texinfo: (texinfo)Top.)
511 * Expert:: Advanced Info commands: g, s, e, and 1 - 5.
512 * Add:: Describes how to add new nodes to the hierarchy.
513 Also tells what nodes look like.
514 * Menus:: How to add to or create menus in Info nodes.
515 * Cross-refs:: How to add cross-references to Info nodes.
516 * Tags:: How to make tag tables for Info files.
517 * Checking:: Checking an Info File
518 * Emacs Info Variables:: Variables modifying the behavior of Emacs Info.
521 File: info.info, Node: Expert, Next: Add, Up: Advanced Info
523 Advanced Info Commands
524 ======================
526 `g', `s', `1', - `9', and `e'
528 If you know a node's name, you can go there by typing `g', the name,
529 and <RET>. Thus, `gTop<RET>' would go to the node called `Top' in this
530 file (its directory node). `gExpert<RET>' would come back here.
532 Unlike `m', `g' does not allow the use of abbreviations.
534 To go to a node in another file, you can include the filename in the
535 node name by putting it at the front, in parentheses. Thus,
536 `g(dir)Top<RET>' would go to the Info Directory node, which is node
537 `Top' in the file `dir'.
539 The node name `*' specifies the whole file. So you can look at all
540 of the current file by typing `g*<RET>' or all of any other file with
543 The `s' command allows you to search a whole file for a string. It
544 switches to the next node if and when that is necessary. You type `s'
545 followed by the string to search for, terminated by <RET>. To search
546 for the same string again, just `s' followed by <RET> will do. The
547 file's nodes are scanned in the order they are in in the file, which
548 has no necessary relationship to the order that they may be in in the
549 tree structure of menus and `next' pointers. But normally the two
550 orders are not very different. In any case, you can always do a `b' to
551 find out what node you have reached, if the header is not visible (this
552 can happen, because `s' puts your cursor at the occurrence of the
553 string, not at the beginning of the node).
555 If you grudge the system each character of type-in it requires, you
556 might like to use the commands `1', `2', `3', `4', ... `9'. They are
557 short for the `m' command together with an argument. `1' goes through
558 the first item in the current node's menu; `2' goes through the second
561 If your display supports multiple fonts, and you are using Emacs'
562 Info mode to read Info files, the `*' for the fifth menu item is
563 underlined, and so is the `*' for the ninth item; these underlines make
564 it easy to see at a glance which number to use for an item.
566 On ordinary terminals, you won't have underlining. If you need to
567 actually count items, it is better to use `m' instead, and specify the
570 The Info command `e' changes from Info mode to an ordinary Emacs
571 editing mode, so that you can edit the text of the current node. Type
572 `C-c C-c' to switch back to Info. The `e' command is allowed only if
573 the variable `Info-enable-edit' is non-`nil'.
576 File: info.info, Node: Add, Next: Menus, Prev: Expert, Up: Advanced Info
578 Adding a new node to Info
579 =========================
581 To add a new topic to the list in the Info directory, you must:
582 1. Create some nodes, in some file, to document that topic.
584 2. Put that topic in the menu in the directory. *Note Menu: Menus.
586 Usually, the way to create the nodes is with Texinfo (*note Overview
587 of Texinfo: (texinfo)Top.); this has the advantage that you can also
588 make a printed manual from them. However, if you want to edit an Info
591 The new node can live in an existing documentation file, or in a new
592 one. It must have a <^_> character before it (invisible to the user;
593 this node has one but you cannot see it), and it ends with either a
594 <^_>, a <^L>, or the end of file. Note: If you put in a <^L> to end a
595 new node, be sure that there is a <^_> after it to start the next one,
596 since <^L> cannot _start_ a node. Also, a nicer way to make a node
597 boundary be a page boundary as well is to put a <^L> _right after_ the
600 The <^_> starting a node must be followed by a newline or a <^L>
601 newline, after which comes the node's header line. The header line
602 must give the node's name (by which Info finds it), and state the names
603 of the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' nodes (if there are any). As you
604 can see, this node's `Up' node is the node `Top', which points at all
605 the documentation for Info. The `Next' node is `Menus'.
607 The keywords "Node", "Previous", "Up", and "Next", may appear in any
608 order, anywhere in the header line, but the recommended order is the
609 one in this sentence. Each keyword must be followed by a colon, spaces
610 and tabs, and then the appropriate name. The name may be terminated
611 with a tab, a comma, or a newline. A space does not end it; node names
612 may contain spaces. The case of letters in the names is insignificant.
614 A node name has two forms. A node in the current file is named by
615 what appears after the `Node: ' in that node's first line. For
616 example, this node's name is `Add'. A node in another file is named by
617 `(FILENAME)NODE-WITHIN-FILE', as in `(info)Add' for this node. If the
618 file name starts with "./", then it is relative to the current
619 directory; otherwise, it is relative starting from the standard Info
620 file directory of your site. The name `(FILENAME)Top' can be
621 abbreviated to just `(FILENAME)'. By convention, the name `Top' is
622 used for the "highest" node in any single file--the node whose `Up'
623 points out of the file. The Directory node is `(dir)'. The `Top' node
624 of a document file listed in the Directory should have an `Up: (dir)'
627 The node name `*' is special: it refers to the entire file. Thus,
628 `g*' shows you the whole current file. The use of the node `*' is to
629 make it possible to make old-fashioned, unstructured files into nodes
632 The `Node:' name, in which a node states its own name, must not
633 contain a filename, since Info when searching for a node does not expect
634 one to be there. The `Next', `Previous' and `Up' names may contain
635 them. In this node, since the `Up' node is in the same file, it was
636 not necessary to use one.
638 Note that the nodes in this file have a file name in the header
639 line. The file names are ignored by Info, but they serve as comments
640 to help identify the node for the user.
643 File: info.info, Node: Menus, Next: Cross-refs, Prev: Add, Up: Advanced Info
648 Any node in the Info hierarchy may have a "menu"--a list of subnodes.
649 The `m' command searches the current node's menu for the topic which it
650 reads from the terminal.
652 A menu begins with a line starting with `* Menu:'. The rest of the
653 line is a comment. After the starting line, every line that begins
654 with a `* ' lists a single topic. The name of the topic-the argument
655 that the user must give to the `m' command to select this topic--comes
656 right after the star and space, and is followed by a colon, spaces and
657 tabs, and the name of the node which discusses that topic. The node
658 name, like node names following `Next', `Previous' and `Up', may be
659 terminated with a tab, comma, or newline; it may also be terminated
662 If the node name and topic name are the same, then rather than
663 giving the name twice, the abbreviation `* NAME::' may be used (and
664 should be used, whenever possible, as it reduces the visual clutter in
667 It is considerate to choose the topic names so that they differ from
668 each other very near the beginning--this allows the user to type short
669 abbreviations. In a long menu, it is a good idea to capitalize the
670 beginning of each item name which is the minimum acceptable
671 abbreviation for it (a long menu is more than 5 or so entries).
673 The nodes listed in a node's menu are called its "subnodes", and it
674 is their "superior". They should each have an `Up:' pointing at the
675 superior. It is often useful to arrange all or most of the subnodes in
676 a sequence of `Next' and `Previous' pointers so that someone who wants
677 to see them all need not keep revisiting the Menu.
679 The Info Directory is simply the menu of the node `(dir)Top'--that
680 is, node `Top' in file `.../info/dir'. You can put new entries in that
681 menu just like any other menu. The Info Directory is _not_ the same as
682 the file directory called `info'. It happens that many of Info's files
683 live on that file directory, but they do not have to; and files on that
684 directory are not automatically listed in the Info Directory node.
686 Also, although the Info node graph is claimed to be a "hierarchy",
687 in fact it can be _any_ directed graph. Shared structures and pointer
688 cycles are perfectly possible, and can be used if they are appropriate
689 to the meaning to be expressed. There is no need for all the nodes in
690 a file to form a connected structure. In fact, this file has two
691 connected components. You are in one of them, which is under the node
692 `Top'; the other contains the node `Help' which the `h' command goes
693 to. In fact, since there is no garbage collector, nothing terrible
694 happens if a substructure is not pointed to, but such a substructure is
695 rather useless since nobody can ever find out that it exists.
698 File: info.info, Node: Cross-refs, Next: Tags, Prev: Menus, Up: Advanced Info
700 Creating Cross References
701 =========================
703 A cross reference can be placed anywhere in the text, unlike a menu
704 item which must go at the front of a line. A cross reference looks
705 like a menu item except that it has `*note' instead of `*'. It
706 _cannot_ be terminated by a `)', because `)''s are so often part of
707 node names. If you wish to enclose a cross reference in parentheses,
708 terminate it with a period first. Here are two examples of cross
711 *Note details: commands. (See *note 3: Full Proof.)
713 They are just examples. The places they "lead to" do not really
717 File: info.info, Node: Tags, Next: Checking, Prev: Cross-refs, Up: Advanced Info
719 Tag Tables for Info Files
720 =========================
722 You can speed up the access to nodes of a large Info file by giving
723 it a tag table. Unlike the tag table for a program, the tag table for
724 an Info file lives inside the file itself and is used automatically
725 whenever Info reads in the file.
727 To make a tag table, go to a node in the file using Emacs Info mode
728 and type `M-x Info-tagify'. Then you must use `C-x C-s' to save the
731 Once the Info file has a tag table, you must make certain it is up
732 to date. If, as a result of deletion of text, any node moves back more
733 than a thousand characters in the file from the position recorded in
734 the tag table, Info will no longer be able to find that node. To
735 update the tag table, use the `Info-tagify' command again.
737 An Info file tag table appears at the end of the file and looks like
742 File: info, Node: Cross-refs^?21419
743 File: info, Node: Tags^?22145
747 Note that it contains one line per node, and this line contains the
748 beginning of the node's header (ending just after the node name), a
749 Delete character, and the character position in the file of the
750 beginning of the node.
753 File: info.info, Node: Checking, Next: Emacs Info Variables, Prev: Tags, Up: Advanced Info
755 Checking an Info File
756 =====================
758 When creating an Info file, it is easy to forget the name of a node
759 when you are making a pointer to it from another node. If you put in
760 the wrong name for a node, this is not detected until someone tries to
761 go through the pointer using Info. Verification of the Info file is an
762 automatic process which checks all pointers to nodes and reports any
763 pointers which are invalid. Every `Next', `Previous', and `Up' is
764 checked, as is every menu item and every cross reference. In addition,
765 any `Next' which does not have a `Previous' pointing back is reported.
766 Only pointers within the file are checked, because checking pointers to
767 other files would be terribly slow. But those are usually few.
769 To check an Info file, do `M-x Info-validate' while looking at any
770 node of the file with Emacs Info mode.
773 File: info.info, Node: Emacs Info Variables, Prev: Checking, Up: Advanced Info
775 Emacs Info-mode Variables
776 =========================
778 The following variables may modify the behaviour of Info-mode in
779 Emacs; you may wish to set one or several of these variables
780 interactively, or in your `~/.emacs' init file. *Note Examining and
781 Setting Variables: (emacs)Examining.
784 Set to `nil', disables the `e' (`Info-edit') command. A non-`nil'
785 value enables it. *Note Edit: Add.
787 `Info-enable-active-nodes'
788 When set to a non-`nil' value, allows Info to execute Lisp code
789 associated with nodes. The Lisp code is executed when the node is
792 `Info-directory-list'
793 The list of directories to search for Info files. Each element is
794 a string (directory name) or `nil' (try default directory).
797 The standard directory for Info documentation files. Only used
798 when the function `Info-directory' is called.
801 File: info.info, Node: Creating an Info File, Prev: Advanced Info, Up: Top
803 Creating an Info File
804 *********************
806 *Note Overview of Texinfo: (texinfo)Top, to learn how to write a
809 *Note Creating an Info File: (texinfo)Creating an Info File, to
810 learn how to create an Info file from a Texinfo file.
812 *Note Installing an Info File: (texinfo)Installing an Info File, to
813 learn how to install an Info file after you have created one.
819 Node: Getting Started
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820 Node: Help-Small-Screen
\7f2313
825 Node: Help-FOO
\7f14812
826 Node: Help-Adv
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827 Node: Help-Cross
\7f18225
829 Node: Advanced Info
\7f19498
833 Node: Cross-refs
\7f29224
835 Node: Checking
\7f31228
836 Node: Emacs Info Variables
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837 Node: Creating an Info File
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