Initial revision

[chise/xemacs-chise.git-] / info / texinfo.info-7

This is Info file ../info/texinfo.info, produced by Makeinfo version
1.68 from the input file texinfo.texi.

INFO-DIR-SECTION Texinfo documentation system
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Texinfo: (texinfo).           The GNU documentation format.
* install-info: (texinfo)Invoking install-info. Updating info/dir entries.
* texi2dvi: (texinfo)Format with texi2dvi.      Printing Texinfo documentation.
* texindex: (texinfo)Format with tex/texindex.  Sorting Texinfo index files.
* makeinfo: (texinfo)makeinfo Preferred.        Translate Texinfo source.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

  This file documents Texinfo, a documentation system that can produce
both on-line information and a printed manual from a single source file.

  Copyright (C) 1988, 90, 91, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98 Free Software
Foundation, Inc.

  This edition is for Texinfo version 3.12.

  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.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: group,  Next: need,  Prev: page,  Up: Breaks

`@group': Prevent Page Breaks
=============================

  The `@group' command (on a line by itself) is used inside an
`@example' or similar construct to begin an unsplittable vertical
group, which will appear entirely on one page in the printed output.
The group is terminated by a line containing only `@end group'.  These
two lines produce no output of their own, and in the Info file output
they have no effect at all.

  Although `@group' would make sense conceptually in a wide variety of
contexts, its current implementation works reliably only within
`@example' and variants, and within `@display', `@format', `@flushleft'
and `@flushright'.  *Note Quotations and Examples::.  (What all these
commands have in common is that each line of input produces a line of
output.)  In other contexts, `@group' can cause anomalous vertical
spacing.

  This formatting requirement means that you should write:

     @example
     @group
     ...
     @end group
     @end example

with the `@group' and `@end group' commands inside the `@example' and
`@end example' commands.

  The `@group' command is most often used to hold an example together
on one page.  In this Texinfo manual, more than 100 examples contain
text that is enclosed between `@group' and `@end group'.

  If you forget to end a group, you may get strange and unfathomable
error messages when you run TeX.  This is because TeX keeps trying to
put the rest of the Texinfo file onto the one page and does not start
to generate error messages until it has processed considerable text.
It is a good rule of thumb to look for a missing `@end group' if you
get incomprehensible error messages in TeX.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: need,  Prev: group,  Up: Breaks

`@need MILS': Prevent Page Breaks
=================================

  A line containing only `@need N' starts a new page in a printed
manual if fewer than N mils (thousandths of an inch) remain on the
current page.  Do not use braces around the argument N.  The `@need'
command has no effect on Info files since they are not paginated.

  This paragraph is preceded by an `@need' command that tells TeX to
start a new page if fewer than 800 mils (eight-tenths inch) remain on
the page.  It looks like this:

     @need 800
     This paragraph is preceded by ...

  The `@need' command is useful for preventing orphans (single lines at
the bottoms of printed pages).

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Definition Commands,  Next: Footnotes,  Prev: Breaks,  Up: Top

Definition Commands
*******************

  The `@deffn' command and the other "definition commands" enable you
to describe functions, variables, macros, commands, user options,
special forms and other such artifacts in a uniform format.

  In the Info file, a definition causes the entity
category--`Function', `Variable', or whatever--to appear at the
beginning of the first line of the definition, followed by the entity's
name and arguments.  In the printed manual, the command causes TeX to
print the entity's name and its arguments on the left margin and print
the category next to the right margin.  In both output formats, the
body of the definition is indented.  Also, the name of the entity is
entered into the appropriate index: `@deffn' enters the name into the
index of functions, `@defvr' enters it into the index of variables, and
so on.

  A manual need not and should not contain more than one definition for
a given name.  An appendix containing a summary should use `@table'
rather than the definition commands.

* Menu:

* Def Cmd Template::            How to structure a description using a
                                  definition command.
* Optional Arguments::          How to handle optional and repeated arguments.
* deffnx::                      How to group two or more `first' lines.
* Def Cmds in Detail::          All the definition commands.
* Def Cmd Conventions::         Conventions for writing definitions.
* Sample Function Definition::

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Def Cmd Template,  Next: Optional Arguments,  Prev: Definition Commands,  Up: Definition Commands

The Template for a Definition
=============================

  The `@deffn' command is used for definitions of entities that
resemble functions.  To write a definition using the `@deffn' command,
write the `@deffn' command at the beginning of a line and follow it on
the same line by the category of the entity, the name of the entity
itself, and its arguments (if any).  Then write the body of the
definition on succeeding lines.  (You may embed examples in the body.)
Finally, end the definition with an `@end deffn' command written on a
line of its own.  (The other definition commands follow the same
format.)

  The template for a definition looks like this:

     @deffn CATEGORY NAME ARGUMENTS...
     BODY-OF-DEFINITION
     @end deffn

For example,

     @deffn Command forward-word count
     This command moves point forward @var{count} words
     (or backward if @var{count} is negative). ...
     @end deffn

produces

      - Command: forward-word COUNT
          This function moves point forward COUNT words (or backward if
          COUNT is negative). ...

  Capitalize the category name like a title.  If the name of the
category contains spaces, as in the phrase `Interactive Command', write
braces around it.  For example:

     @deffn {Interactive Command} isearch-forward
     ...
     @end deffn

Otherwise, the second word will be mistaken for the name of the entity.

  Some of the definition commands are more general than others.  The
`@deffn' command, for example, is the general definition command for
functions and the like--for entities that may take arguments.  When you
use this command, you specify the category to which the entity belongs.
The `@deffn' command possesses three predefined, specialized
variations, `@defun', `@defmac', and `@defspec', that specify the
category for you: "Function", "Macro", and "Special Form" respectively.
(In Lisp, a special form is an entity much like a function.)  The
`@defvr' command also is accompanied by several predefined, specialized
variations for describing particular kinds of variables.

  The template for a specialized definition, such as `@defun', is
similar to the template for a generalized definition, except that you
do not need to specify the category:

     @defun NAME ARGUMENTS...
     BODY-OF-DEFINITION
     @end defun

Thus,

     @defun buffer-end flag
     This function returns @code{(point-min)} if @var{flag}
     is less than 1, @code{(point-max)} otherwise.
     ...
     @end defun

produces

      - Function: buffer-end FLAG
          This function returns `(point-min)' if FLAG is less than 1,
          `(point-max)' otherwise.  ...

*Note Sample Function Definition: Sample Function Definition, for a
more detailed example of a function definition, including the use of
`@example' inside the definition.

  The other specialized commands work like `@defun'.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Optional Arguments,  Next: deffnx,  Prev: Def Cmd Template,  Up: Definition Commands

Optional and Repeated Arguments
===============================

  Some entities take optional or repeated arguments, which may be
specified by a distinctive glyph that uses square brackets and
ellipses.  For example, a special form often breaks its argument list
into separate arguments in more complicated ways than a straightforward
function.

  An argument enclosed within square brackets is optional.  Thus,
[OPTIONAL-ARG] means that OPTIONAL-ARG is optional.  An argument
followed by an ellipsis is optional and may be repeated more than once.
Thus, REPEATED-ARGS... stands for zero or more arguments.  Parentheses
are used when several arguments are grouped into additional levels of
list structure in Lisp.

  Here is the `@defspec' line of an example of an imaginary special
form:

      - Special Form: foobar (VAR [FROM TO [INC]]) BODY...

In this example, the arguments FROM and TO are optional, but must both
be present or both absent.  If they are present, INC may optionally be
specified as well.  These arguments are grouped with the argument VAR
into a list, to distinguish them from BODY, which includes all
remaining elements of the form.

  In a Texinfo source file, this `@defspec' line is written like this
(except it would not be split over two lines, as it is in this example).

     @defspec foobar (@var{var} [@var{from} @var{to}
          [@var{inc}]]) @var{body}@dots{}

The function is listed in the Command and Variable Index under `foobar'.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: deffnx,  Next: Def Cmds in Detail,  Prev: Optional Arguments,  Up: Definition Commands

Two or More `First' Lines
=========================

  To create two or more `first' or header lines for a definition, follow
the first `@deffn' line by a line beginning with `@deffnx'.  The
`@deffnx' command works exactly like `@deffn' except that it does not
generate extra vertical white space between it and the preceding line.

  For example,

     @deffn {Interactive Command} isearch-forward
     @deffnx {Interactive Command} isearch-backward
     These two search commands are similar except ...
     @end deffn

produces

 - Interactive Command: isearch-forward
 - Interactive Command: isearch-backward
     These two search commands are similar except ...

  Each of the other definition commands has an `x' form: `@defunx',
`@defvrx', `@deftypefunx', etc.

  The `x' forms work just like `@itemx'; see *Note `@itemx': itemx.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Def Cmds in Detail,  Next: Def Cmd Conventions,  Prev: deffnx,  Up: Definition Commands

The Definition Commands
=======================

  Texinfo provides more than a dozen definition commands, all of which
are described in this section.

  The definition commands automatically enter the name of the entity in
the appropriate index: for example, `@deffn', `@defun', and `@defmac'
enter function names in the index of functions; `@defvr' and `@defvar'
enter variable names in the index of variables.

  Although the examples that follow mostly illustrate Lisp, the commands
can be used for other programming languages.

* Menu:

* Functions Commands::          Commands for functions and similar entities.
* Variables Commands::          Commands for variables and similar entities.
* Typed Functions::             Commands for functions in typed languages.
* Typed Variables::             Commands for variables in typed languages.
* Abstract Objects::            Commands for object-oriented programming.
* Data Types::                  The definition command for data types.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Functions Commands,  Next: Variables Commands,  Prev: Def Cmds in Detail,  Up: Def Cmds in Detail

Functions and Similar Entities
------------------------------

  This section describes the commands for describing functions and
similar entities:

`@deffn CATEGORY NAME ARGUMENTS...'
     The `@deffn' command is the general definition command for
     functions, interactive commands, and similar entities that may take
     arguments.  You must choose a term to describe the category of
     entity being defined; for example, "Function" could be used if the
     entity is a function.  The `@deffn' command is written at the
     beginning of a line and is followed on the same line by the
     category of entity being described, the name of this particular
     entity, and its arguments, if any.  Terminate the definition with
     `@end deffn' on a line of its own.

     For example, here is a definition:

          @deffn Command forward-char nchars
          Move point forward @var{nchars} characters.
          @end deffn

     This shows a rather terse definition for a "command" named
     `forward-char' with one argument, NCHARS.

     `@deffn' prints argument names such as NCHARS in italics or upper
     case, as if `@var' had been used, because we think of these names
     as metasyntactic variables--they stand for the actual argument
     values.  Within the text of the description, write an argument name
     explicitly with `@var' to refer to the value of the argument.  In
     the example above, we used `@var{nchars}' in this way.

     The template for `@deffn' is:

          @deffn CATEGORY NAME ARGUMENTS...
          BODY-OF-DEFINITION
          @end deffn

`@defun NAME ARGUMENTS...'
     The `@defun' command is the definition command for functions.
     `@defun' is equivalent to `@deffn Function ...'.

     For example,

          @defun set symbol new-value
          Change the value of the symbol @var{symbol}
          to @var{new-value}.
          @end defun

     shows a rather terse definition for a function `set' whose
     arguments are SYMBOL and NEW-VALUE.  The argument names on the
     `@defun' line automatically appear in italics or upper case as if
     they were enclosed in `@var'.  Terminate the definition with `@end
     defun' on a line of its own.

     The template is:

          @defun FUNCTION-NAME ARGUMENTS...
          BODY-OF-DEFINITION
          @end defun

     `@defun' creates an entry in the index of functions.

`@defmac NAME ARGUMENTS...'
     The `@defmac' command is the definition command for macros.
     `@defmac' is equivalent to `@deffn Macro ...' and works like
     `@defun'.

`@defspec NAME ARGUMENTS...'
     The `@defspec' command is the definition command for special
     forms.  (In Lisp, a special form is an entity much like a function,
     *note Special Forms: (lispref)Special Forms..)  `@defspec' is
     equivalent to `@deffn {Special Form} ...' and works like `@defun'.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Variables Commands,  Next: Typed Functions,  Prev: Functions Commands,  Up: Def Cmds in Detail

Variables and Similar Entities
------------------------------

  Here are the commands for defining variables and similar entities:

`@defvr CATEGORY NAME'
     The `@defvr' command is a general definition command for something
     like a variable--an entity that records a value.  You must choose
     a term to describe the category of entity being defined; for
     example, "Variable" could be used if the entity is a variable.
     Write the `@defvr' command at the beginning of a line and followed
     it on the same line by the category of the entity and the name of
     the entity.

     Capitalize the category name like a title.  If the name of the
     category contains spaces, as in the name "User Option", enclose it
     in braces.  Otherwise, the second word will be mistaken for the
     name of the entity.  For example,

          @defvr {User Option} fill-column
          This buffer-local variable specifies
          the maximum width of filled lines.
          ...
          @end defvr

     Terminate the definition with `@end defvr' on a line of its own.

     The template is:

          @defvr CATEGORY NAME
          BODY-OF-DEFINITION
          @end defvr

     `@defvr' creates an entry in the index of variables for NAME.

`@defvar NAME'
     The `@defvar' command is the definition command for variables.
     `@defvar' is equivalent to `@defvr Variable ...'.

     For example:

          @defvar kill-ring
          ...
          @end defvar

     The template is:

          @defvar NAME
          BODY-OF-DEFINITION
          @end defvar

     `@defvar' creates an entry in the index of variables for NAME.

`@defopt NAME'
     The `@defopt' command is the definition command for "user
     options", i.e., variables intended for users to change according to
     taste; Emacs has many such (*note Variables: (xemacs)Variables.).
     `@defopt' is equivalent to `@defvr {User Option} ...' and works
     like `@defvar'.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Typed Functions,  Next: Typed Variables,  Prev: Variables Commands,  Up: Def Cmds in Detail

Functions in Typed Languages
----------------------------

  The `@deftypefn' command and its variations are for describing
functions in languages in which you must declare types of variables and
functions, such as C and C++.

`@deftypefn CATEGORY DATA-TYPE NAME ARGUMENTS...'
     The `@deftypefn' command is the general definition command for
     functions and similar entities that may take arguments and that are
     typed.  The `@deftypefn' command is written at the beginning of a
     line and is followed on the same line by the category of entity
     being described, the type of the returned value, the name of this
     particular entity, and its arguments, if any.

     For example,

          @deftypefn {Library Function} int foobar
             (int @var{foo}, float @var{bar})
          ...
          @end deftypefn

     (where the text before the "...", shown above as two lines, would
     actually be a single line in a real Texinfo file) produces the
     following in Info:

          -- Library Function: int foobar (int FOO, float BAR)
          ...

     This means that `foobar' is a "library function" that returns an
     `int', and its arguments are FOO (an `int') and BAR (a `float').

     The argument names that you write in `@deftypefn' are not subject
     to an implicit `@var'--since the actual names of the arguments in
     `@deftypefn' are typically scattered among data type names and
     keywords, Texinfo cannot find them without help.  Instead, you
     must write `@var' explicitly around the argument names.  In the
     example above, the argument names are `foo' and `bar'.

     The template for `@deftypefn' is:

          @deftypefn CATEGORY DATA-TYPE NAME ARGUMENTS ...
          BODY-OF-DESCRIPTION
          @end deftypefn

     Note that if the CATEGORY or DATA TYPE is more than one word then
     it must be enclosed in braces to make it a single argument.

     If you are describing a procedure in a language that has packages,
     such as Ada, you might consider using `@deftypefn' in a manner
     somewhat contrary to the convention described in the preceding
     paragraphs.

     For example:

          @deftypefn stacks private push
                  (@var{s}:in out stack;
                  @var{n}:in integer)
          ...
          @end deftypefn

     (The `@deftypefn' arguments are shown split into three lines, but
     would be a single line in a real Texinfo file.)

     In this instance, the procedure is classified as belonging to the
     package `stacks' rather than classified as a `procedure' and its
     data type is described as `private'.  (The name of the procedure
     is `push', and its arguments are S and N.)

     `@deftypefn' creates an entry in the index of functions for NAME.

`@deftypefun DATA-TYPE NAME ARGUMENTS...'
     The `@deftypefun' command is the specialized definition command
     for functions in typed languages.  The command is equivalent to
     `@deftypefn Function ...'.

     Thus,

          @deftypefun int foobar (int @var{foo}, float @var{bar})
          ...
          @end deftypefun

     produces the following in Info:

          -- Function: int foobar (int FOO, float BAR)
          ...

     The template is:

          @deftypefun TYPE NAME ARGUMENTS...
          BODY-OF-DESCRIPTION
          @end deftypefun

     `@deftypefun' creates an entry in the index of functions for NAME.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Typed Variables,  Next: Abstract Objects,  Prev: Typed Functions,  Up: Def Cmds in Detail

Variables in Typed Languages
----------------------------

  Variables in typed languages are handled in a manner similar to
functions in typed languages.  *Note Typed Functions::.  The general
definition command `@deftypevr' corresponds to `@deftypefn' and the
specialized definition command `@deftypevar' corresponds to
`@deftypefun'.

`@deftypevr CATEGORY DATA-TYPE NAME'
     The `@deftypevr' command is the general definition command for
     something like a variable in a typed language--an entity that
     records a value.  You must choose a term to describe the category
     of the entity being defined; for example, "Variable" could be used
     if the entity is a variable.

     The `@deftypevr' command is written at the beginning of a line and
     is followed on the same line by the category of the entity being
     described, the data type, and the name of this particular entity.

     For example:

          @deftypevr {Global Flag} int enable
          ...
          @end deftypevr

     produces the following in Info:

          -- Global Flag: int enable
          ...

     The template is:

          @deftypevr CATEGORY DATA-TYPE NAME
          BODY-OF-DESCRIPTION
          @end deftypevr

     `@deftypevr' creates an entry in the index of variables for NAME.

`@deftypevar DATA-TYPE NAME'
     The `@deftypevar' command is the specialized definition command
     for variables in typed languages.  `@deftypevar' is equivalent to
     `@deftypevr Variable ...'.

     For example:

          @deftypevar int fubar
          ...
          @end deftypevar

     produces the following in Info:

          -- Variable: int fubar
          ...

     The template is:

          @deftypevar DATA-TYPE NAME
          BODY-OF-DESCRIPTION
          @end deftypevar

     `@deftypevar' creates an entry in the index of variables for NAME.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Abstract Objects,  Next: Data Types,  Prev: Typed Variables,  Up: Def Cmds in Detail

Object-Oriented Programming
---------------------------

  Here are the commands for formatting descriptions about abstract
objects, such as are used in object-oriented programming.  A class is a
defined type of abstract object.  An instance of a class is a
particular object that has the type of the class.  An instance variable
is a variable that belongs to the class but for which each instance has
its own value.

  In a definition, if the name of a class is truly a name defined in the
programming system for a class, then you should write an `@code' around
it.  Otherwise, it is printed in the usual text font.

`@defcv CATEGORY CLASS NAME'
     The `@defcv' command is the general definition command for
     variables associated with classes in object-oriented programming.
     The `@defcv' command is followed by three arguments: the category
     of thing being defined, the class to which it belongs, and its
     name.  Thus,

          @defcv {Class Option} Window border-pattern
          ...
          @end defcv

     illustrates how you would write the first line of a definition of
     the `border-pattern' class option of the class `Window'.

     The template is

          @defcv CATEGORY CLASS NAME
          ...
          @end defcv

     `@defcv' creates an entry in the index of variables.

`@defivar CLASS NAME'
     The `@defivar' command is the definition command for instance
     variables in object-oriented programming.  `@defivar' is
     equivalent to `@defcv {Instance Variable} ...'

     The template is:

          @defivar CLASS INSTANCE-VARIABLE-NAME
          BODY-OF-DEFINITION
          @end defivar

     `@defivar' creates an entry in the index of variables.

`@defop CATEGORY CLASS NAME ARGUMENTS...'
     The `@defop' command is the general definition command for
     entities that may resemble methods in object-oriented programming.
     These entities take arguments, as functions do, but are associated
     with particular classes of objects.

     For example, some systems have constructs called "wrappers" that
     are associated with classes as methods are, but that act more like
     macros than like functions.  You could use `@defop Wrapper' to
     describe one of these.

     Sometimes it is useful to distinguish methods and "operations".
     You can think of an operation as the specification for a method.
     Thus, a window system might specify that all window classes have a
     method named `expose'; we would say that this window system
     defines an `expose' operation on windows in general.  Typically,
     the operation has a name and also specifies the pattern of
     arguments; all methods that implement the operation must accept
     the same arguments, since applications that use the operation do
     so without knowing which method will implement it.

     Often it makes more sense to document operations than methods.  For
     example, window application developers need to know about the
     `expose' operation, but need not be concerned with whether a given
     class of windows has its own method to implement this operation.
     To describe this operation, you would write:

          @defop Operation windows expose

     The `@defop' command is written at the beginning of a line and is
     followed on the same line by the overall name of the category of
     operation, the name of the class of the operation, the name of the
     operation, and its arguments, if any.

     The template is:

          @defop CATEGORY CLASS NAME ARGUMENTS...
          BODY-OF-DEFINITION
          @end defop

     `@defop' creates an entry, such as ``expose' on `windows'', in the
     index of functions.

`@defmethod CLASS NAME ARGUMENTS...'
     The `@defmethod' command is the definition command for methods in
     object-oriented programming.  A method is a kind of function that
     implements an operation for a particular class of objects and its
     subclasses.  In the Lisp Machine, methods actually were functions,
     but they were usually defined with `defmethod'.

     `@defmethod' is equivalent to `@defop Method ...'.  The command is
     written at the beginning of a line and is followed by the name of
     the class of the method, the name of the method, and its
     arguments, if any.

     For example,

          @defmethod `bar-class' bar-method argument
          ...
          @end defmethod

     illustrates the definition for a method called `bar-method' of the
     class `bar-class'.  The method takes an argument.

     The template is:

          @defmethod CLASS METHOD-NAME ARGUMENTS...
          BODY-OF-DEFINITION
          @end defmethod

     `@defmethod' creates an entry, such as ``bar-method' on
     `bar-class'', in the index of functions.

`@deftypemethod CLASS DATA-TYPE NAME ARGUMENTS...'
     The `@deftypemethod' command is the definition command for methods
     in object-oriented typed languages, such as C++ and Java.  It is
     similar to the `@defmethod' command with the addition of the
     DATA-TYPE parameter to specify the return type of the method.

\1f
File: texinfo.info,  Node: Data Types,  Prev: Abstract Objects,  Up: Def Cmds in Detail

Data Types
----------

  Here is the command for data types:

`@deftp CATEGORY NAME ATTRIBUTES...'
     The `@deftp' command is the generic definition command for data
     types.  The command is written at the beginning of a line and is
     followed on the same line by the category, by the name of the type
     (which is a word like `int' or `float'), and then by names of
     attributes of objects of that type.  Thus, you could use this
     command for describing `int' or `float', in which case you could
     use `data type' as the category.  (A data type is a category of
     certain objects for purposes of deciding which operations can be
     performed on them.)

     In Lisp, for example,  "pair" names a particular data type, and an
     object of that type has two slots called the CAR and the CDR.
     Here is how you would write the first line of a definition of
     `pair'.

          @deftp {Data type} pair car cdr
          ...
          @end deftp

     The template is:

          @deftp CATEGORY NAME-OF-TYPE ATTRIBUTES...
          BODY-OF-DEFINITION
          @end deftp

     `@deftp' creates an entry in the index of data types.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Def Cmd Conventions,  Next: Sample Function Definition,  Prev: Def Cmds in Detail,  Up: Definition Commands

Conventions for Writing Definitions
===================================

  When you write a definition using `@deffn', `@defun', or one of the
other definition commands, please take care to use arguments that
indicate the meaning, as with the COUNT argument to the `forward-word'
function.  Also, if the name of an argument contains the name of a
type, such as INTEGER, take care that the argument actually is of that
type.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Sample Function Definition,  Prev: Def Cmd Conventions,  Up: Definition Commands

A Sample Function Definition
============================

  A function definition uses the `@defun' and `@end defun' commands.
The name of the function follows immediately after the `@defun' command
and it is followed, on the same line, by the parameter list.

  Here is a definition from *Note Calling Functions: (lispref)Calling
Functions.

      - Function: apply FUNCTION &rest ARGUMENTS
          `apply' calls FUNCTION with ARGUMENTS, just like `funcall'
          but with one difference: the last of ARGUMENTS is a list of
          arguments to give to FUNCTION, rather than a single argument.
          We also say that this list is "appended" to the other
          arguments.

          `apply' returns the result of calling FUNCTION.  As with
          `funcall', FUNCTION must either be a Lisp function or a
          primitive function; special forms and macros do not make
          sense in `apply'.

               (setq f 'list)
                    => list
               (apply f 'x 'y 'z)
               error--> Wrong type argument: listp, z
               (apply '+ 1 2 '(3 4))
                    => 10
               (apply '+ '(1 2 3 4))
                    => 10
               
               (apply 'append '((a b c) nil (x y z) nil))
                    => (a b c x y z)

          An interesting example of using `apply' is found in the
          description of `mapcar'.

  In the Texinfo source file, this example looks like this:

     @defun apply function &rest arguments
     
     @code{apply} calls @var{function} with
     @var{arguments}, just like @code{funcall} but with one
     difference: the last of @var{arguments} is a list of
     arguments to give to @var{function}, rather than a single
     argument.  We also say that this list is @dfn{appended}
     to the other arguments.
     
     @code{apply} returns the result of calling
     @var{function}.  As with @code{funcall},
     @var{function} must either be a Lisp function or a
     primitive function; special forms and macros do not make
     sense in @code{apply}.
     
     @example
     (setq f 'list)
          @result{} list
     (apply f 'x 'y 'z)
     @error{} Wrong type argument: listp, z
     (apply '+ 1 2 '(3 4))
          @result{} 10
     (apply '+ '(1 2 3 4))
          @result{} 10
     
     (apply 'append '((a b c) nil (x y z) nil))
          @result{} (a b c x y z)
     @end example
     
     An interesting example of using @code{apply} is found
     in the description of @code{mapcar}.@refill
     @end defun

In this manual, this function is listed in the Command and Variable
Index under `apply'.

  Ordinary variables and user options are described using a format like
that for functions except that variables do not take arguments.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Footnotes,  Next: Conditionals,  Prev: Definition Commands,  Up: Top

Footnotes
*********

  A "footnote" is for a reference that documents or elucidates the
primary text.(1) (*note Footnotes-Footnotes::)

* Menu:

* Footnote Commands::           How to write a footnote in Texinfo.
* Footnote Styles::             Controlling how footnotes appear in Info.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Footnotes-Footnotes,  Up: Footnotes

  (1) A footnote should complement or expand upon the primary text, but
a reader should not need to read a footnote to understand the primary
text.  For a thorough discussion of footnotes, see `The Chicago Manual
of Style', which is published by the University of Chicago Press.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Footnote Commands,  Next: Footnote Styles,  Prev: Footnotes,  Up: Footnotes

Footnote Commands
=================

  In Texinfo, footnotes are created with the `@footnote' command.  This
command is followed immediately by a left brace, then by the text of
the footnote, and then by a terminating right brace.  Footnotes may be
of any length (they will be broken across pages if necessary), but are
usually short.  The template is:

     ordinary text@footnote{TEXT OF FOOTNOTE}

  As shown here, the `@footnote' command should come right after the
text being footnoted, with no intervening space; otherwise, the
formatters the footnote mark might end up starting up a line.

  For example, this clause is followed by a sample footnote(1) (*note
Footnote Commands-Footnotes::); in the Texinfo source, it looks like
this:

     ...a sample footnote@footnote{Here is the sample
     footnote.}; in the Texinfo source...

  *Warning:* Don't use footnotes in the argument of the `@item' command
for a `@table' table.  This doesn't work, and because of limitations of
TeX, there is no way to fix it.  You must put the footnote into the
body text of the table.

  In a printed manual or book, the reference mark for a footnote is a
small, superscripted number; the text of the footnote appears at the
bottom of the page, below a horizontal line.

  In Info, the reference mark for a footnote is a pair of parentheses
with the footnote number between them, like this: `(1)'.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Footnote Commands-Footnotes,  Up: Footnote Commands

  (1) Here is the sample footnote.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Footnote Styles,  Prev: Footnote Commands,  Up: Footnotes

Footnote Styles
===============

  Info has two footnote styles, which determine where the text of the
footnote is located:

   * In the `End' node style, all the footnotes for a single node are
     placed at the end of that node.  The footnotes are separated from
     the rest of the node by a line of dashes with the word `Footnotes'
     within it.  Each footnote begins with an `(N)' reference mark.

     Here is an example of a single footnote in the end of node style:

           --------- Footnotes ---------
          
          (1)  Here is a sample footnote.

   * In the `Separate' node style, all the footnotes for a single node
     are placed in an automatically constructed node of their own.  In
     this style, a "footnote reference" follows each `(N)' reference
     mark in the body of the node.  The footnote reference is actually
     a cross reference which you use to reach the footnote node.

     The name of the node containing the footnotes is constructed by
     appending `-Footnotes' to the name of the node that contains the
     footnotes. (Consequently, the footnotes' node for the `Footnotes'
     node is `Footnotes-Footnotes'!)  The footnotes' node has an `Up'
     node pointer that leads back to its parent node.

     Here is how the first footnote in this manual looks after being
     formatted for Info in the separate node style:

          File: texinfo.info  Node: Overview-Footnotes, Up: Overview
          
          (1) Note that the first syllable of "Texinfo" is
          pronounced like "speck", not "hex". ...

  A Texinfo file may be formatted into an Info file with either footnote
style.

  Use the `@footnotestyle' command to specify an Info file's footnote
style.  Write this command at the beginning of a line followed by an
argument, either `end' for the end node style or `separate' for the
separate node style.

  For example,

     @footnotestyle end

or
     @footnotestyle separate

  Write an `@footnotestyle' command before or shortly after the
end-of-header line at the beginning of a Texinfo file.  (If you include
the `@footnotestyle' command between the start-of-header and
end-of-header lines, the region formatting commands will format
footnotes as specified.)

  If you do not specify a footnote style, the formatting commands use
their default style.  Currently, `texinfo-format-buffer' and
`texinfo-format-region' use the `separate' style and `makeinfo' uses
the `end' style.

  This chapter contains two footnotes.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Conditionals,  Next: Macros,  Prev: Footnotes,  Up: Top

Conditionally Visible Text
**************************

  Sometimes it is good to use different text for a printed manual and
its corresponding Info file.  In this case, you can use the
"conditional commands" to specify which text is for the printed manual
and which is for the Info file.

* Menu:

* Conditional Commands::        Specifying text for HTML, Info, or TeX.
* Conditional Not Commands::    Specifying text for not HTML, Info, or TeX.
* Raw Formatter Commands::      Using raw TeX or HTML commands.
* set clear value::             Designating which text to format (for
                                  all output formats); and how to set a
                                  flag to a string that you can insert.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Conditional Commands,  Next: Conditional Not Commands,  Prev: Conditionals,  Up: Conditionals

Conditional Commands
====================

  `@ifinfo' begins segments of text that should be ignored by TeX when
it typesets the printed manual.  The segment of text appears only in
the Info file.  The `@ifinfo' command should appear on a line by
itself;  end the Info-only text with a line containing `@end ifinfo' by
itself.  At the beginning of a Texinfo file, the Info permissions are
contained within a region marked by `@ifinfo' and `@end ifinfo'. (*Note
Info Summary and Permissions::.)

  The `@iftex' and `@end iftex' commands are similar to the `@ifinfo'
and `@end ifinfo' commands, except that they specify text that will
appear in the printed manual but not in the Info file.  Likewise for
`@ifhtml' and `@end ifhtml', which specify text to appear only in HTML
output.

  For example,

     @iftex
     This text will appear only in the printed manual.
     @end iftex
     @ifinfo
     However, this text will appear only in Info.
     @end ifinfo

The preceding example produces the following line: However, this text
will appear only in Info.

Note how you only see one of the two lines, depending on whether you
are reading the Info version or the printed version of this manual.

  The `@titlepage' command is a special variant of `@iftex' that is
used for making the title and copyright pages of the printed manual.
(*Note `@titlepage': titlepage.)

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Conditional Not Commands,  Next: Raw Formatter Commands,  Prev: Conditional Commands,  Up: Conditionals

Conditional Not Commands
========================

  You can specify text to be included in any output format *other* than
some given one with the `@ifnot...' commands:
     @ifnothtml ... @end ifnothtml
     @ifnotinfo ... @end ifnotinfo
     @ifnottex ... @end ifnottex

(The `@ifnot...' command and the `@end' command must actually appear on
lines by themselves.)

  If the output file is not being made for the given format, the region
is included.  Otherwise, it is ignored.

  The regions delimited by these commands are ordinary Texinfo source as
with `@iftex', not raw formatter source as with `@tex'.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Raw Formatter Commands,  Next: set clear value,  Prev: Conditional Not Commands,  Up: Conditionals

Raw Formatter Commands
======================

  Inside a region delineated by `@iftex' and `@end iftex', you can
embed some raw TeX commands.  Info will ignore these commands since
they are only in that part of the file which is seen by TeX.  You can
write the TeX commands as you would write them in a normal TeX file,
except that you must replace the `\' used by TeX with an `@'.  For
example, in the `@titlepage' section of a Texinfo file, you can use the
TeX command `@vskip' to format the copyright page.  (The `@titlepage'
command causes Info to ignore the region automatically, as it does with
the `@iftex' command.)

  However, many features of plain TeX will not work, as they are
overridden by Texinfo features.

  You can enter plain TeX completely, and use `\' in the TeX commands,
by delineating a region with the `@tex' and `@end tex' commands.  (The
`@tex' command also causes Info to ignore the region, like the `@iftex'
command.)  The sole exception is that `@' chracter still introduces a
command, so that `@end tex' can be recognized properly.

  For example, here is a mathematical expression written in plain TeX:

     @tex
     $$ \chi^2 = \sum_{i=1}^N
               \left (y_i - (a + b x_i)
               \over \sigma_i\right)^2 $$
     @end tex

The output of this example will appear only in a printed manual.  If
you are reading this in Info, you will not see the equation that appears
in the printed manual.

  Analogously, you can use `@ifhtml ... @end ifhtml' to delimit a
region to be included in HTML output only, and `@html ...  @end ifhtml'
for a region of raw HTML (again, except that `@' is still the escape
character, so the `@end' command can be recognized.)

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: set clear value,  Prev: Raw Formatter Commands,  Up: Conditionals

`@set', `@clear', and `@value'
==============================

  You can direct the Texinfo formatting commands to format or ignore
parts of a Texinfo file with the `@set', `@clear', `@ifset', and
`@ifclear' commands.

  In addition, you can use the `@set FLAG' command to set the value of
FLAG to a string of characters; and use `@value{FLAG}' to insert that
string.  You can use `@set', for example, to set a date and use
`@value' to insert the date in several places in the Texinfo file.

* Menu:

* ifset ifclear::               Format a region if a flag is set.
* value::                       Replace a flag with a string.
* value Example::               An easy way to update edition information.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: ifset ifclear,  Next: value,  Prev: set clear value,  Up: set clear value

`@ifset' and `@ifclear'
-----------------------

  When a FLAG is set, the Texinfo formatting commands format text
between subsequent pairs of `@ifset FLAG' and `@end ifset' commands.
When the FLAG is cleared, the Texinfo formatting commands do *not*
format the text.

  Use the `@set FLAG' command to turn on, or "set", a FLAG; a "flag"
can be any single word.  The format for the command looks like this:

     @set FLAG

  Write the conditionally formatted text between `@ifset FLAG' and
`@end ifset' commands, like this:

     @ifset FLAG
     CONDITIONAL-TEXT
     @end ifset

  For example, you can create one document that has two variants, such
as a manual for a `large' and `small' model:

     You can use this machine to dig up shrubs
     without hurting them.
     
     @set large
     
     @ifset large
     It can also dig up fully grown trees.
     @end ifset
     
     Remember to replant promptly ...

In the example, the formatting commands will format the text between
`@ifset large' and `@end ifset' because the `large' flag is set.

  Use the `@clear FLAG' command to turn off, or "clear", a flag.
Clearing a flag is the opposite of setting a flag.  The command looks
like this:

     @clear FLAG

Write the command on a line of its own.

  When FLAG is cleared, the Texinfo formatting commands do *not* format
the text between `@ifset FLAG' and `@end ifset'; that text is ignored
and does not appear in either printed or Info output.

  For example, if you clear the flag of the preceding example by writing
an `@clear large' command after the `@set large' command (but before
the conditional text), then the Texinfo formatting commands ignore the
text between the `@ifset large' and `@end ifset' commands.  In the
formatted output, that text does not appear; in both printed and Info
output, you see only the lines that say, "You can use this machine to
dig up shrubs without hurting them.  Remember to replant promptly ...".

  If a flag is cleared with an `@clear FLAG' command, then the
formatting commands format text between subsequent pairs of `@ifclear'
and `@end ifclear' commands.  But if the flag is set with `@set FLAG',
then the formatting commands do *not* format text between an `@ifclear'
and an `@end ifclear' command; rather, they ignore that text.  An
`@ifclear' command looks like this:

     @ifclear FLAG

  In brief, the commands are:

`@set FLAG'
     Tell the Texinfo formatting commands that FLAG is set.

`@clear FLAG'
     Tell the Texinfo formatting commands that FLAG is cleared.

`@ifset FLAG'
     If FLAG is set, tell the Texinfo formatting commands to format the
     text up to the following `@end ifset' command.

     If FLAG is cleared, tell the Texinfo formatting commands to ignore
     text up to the following `@end ifset' command.

`@ifclear FLAG'
     If FLAG is set, tell the Texinfo formatting commands to ignore the
     text up to the following `@end ifclear' command.

     If FLAG is cleared, tell the Texinfo formatting commands to format
     the text up to the following `@end ifclear' command.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: value,  Next: value Example,  Prev: ifset ifclear,  Up: set clear value

`@value'
--------

  You can use the `@set' command to specify a value for a flag, which
is expanded by the `@value' command.  The value is a string a
characters.

  Write the `@set' command like this:

     @set foo This is a string.

This sets the value of `foo' to "This is a string."

  The Texinfo formatters replace an `@value{FLAG}' command with the
string to which FLAG is set.

  Thus, when `foo' is set as shown above, the Texinfo formatters convert

     @value{foo}
to
     This is a string.

  You can write an `@value' command within a paragraph; but you must
write an `@set' command on a line of its own.

  If you write the `@set' command like this:

     @set foo

without specifying a string, the value of `foo' is an empty string.

  If you clear a previously set flag with an `@clear FLAG' command, a
subsequent `@value{flag}' command is invalid and the string is replaced
with an error message that says `{No value for "FLAG"}'.

  For example, if you set `foo' as follows:

     @set how-much very, very, very

then the formatters transform

     It is a @value{how-much} wet day.
into
     It is a very, very, very wet day.

  If you write

     @clear how-much

then the formatters transform

     It is a @value{how-much} wet day.
into
     It is a {No value for "how-much"} wet day.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: value Example,  Prev: value,  Up: set clear value

`@value' Example
----------------

  You can use the `@value' command to limit the number of places you
need to change when you record an update to a manual.  Here is how it
is done in `The GNU Make Manual':

Set the flags:

     @set EDITION 0.35 Beta
     @set VERSION 3.63 Beta
     @set UPDATED 14 August 1992
     @set UPDATE-MONTH August 1992

Write text for the first `@ifinfo' section, for people reading the
Texinfo file:

     This is Edition @value{EDITION},
     last updated @value{UPDATED},
     of @cite{The GNU Make Manual},
     for @code{make}, Version @value{VERSION}.

Write text for the title page, for people reading the printed manual:

     @title GNU Make
     @subtitle A Program for Directing Recompilation
     @subtitle Edition @value{EDITION}, ...
     @subtitle @value{UPDATE-MONTH}

(On a printed cover, a date listing the month and the year looks less
fussy than a date listing the day as well as the month and year.)

Write text for the Top node, for people reading the Info file:

     This is Edition @value{EDITION}
     of the @cite{GNU Make Manual},
     last updated @value{UPDATED}
     for @code{make} Version @value{VERSION}.

  After you format the manual, the text in the first `@ifinfo' section
looks like this:

     This is Edition 0.35 Beta, last updated 14 August 1992,
     of `The GNU Make Manual', for `make', Version 3.63 Beta.

  When you update the manual, change only the values of the flags; you
do not need to rewrite the three sections.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Macros,  Next: Format/Print Hardcopy,  Prev: Conditionals,  Up: Top

Macros: Defining New Texinfo Commands
*************************************

  A Texinfo "macro" allows you to define a new Texinfo command as any
sequence of text and/or existing commands (including other macros).  The
macro can have any number of "parameters"--text you supply each time
you use the macro.  (This has nothing to do with the `@defmac' command,
which is for documenting macros in the subject of the manual; *note Def
Cmd Template::..)

* Menu:

* Defining Macros::             Both defining and undefining new commands.
* Invoking Macros::             Using a macro, once you've defined it.

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File: texinfo.info,  Node: Defining Macros,  Next: Invoking Macros,  Prev: Macros,  Up: Macros

Defining Macros
===============

  You use the Texinfo `@macro' command to define a macro.  For example:

     @macro MACRO-NAME{PARAM1, PARAM2, ...}
     TEXT ... \PARAM1\ ...
     @end macro

  The "parameters" PARAM1, PARAM2, ... correspond to arguments supplied
when the macro is subsequently used in the document (see the next
section).

  If a macro needs no parameters, you can define it either with an empty
list (`@macro foo {}') or with no braces at all (`@macro foo').

  The definition or "body" of the macro can contain any Texinfo
commands, including previously-defined macros.  (It is not possible to
have mutually recursive Texinfo macros.)  In the body, instances of a
parameter name surrounded by backslashes, as in `\PARAM1\' in the
example above, are replaced by the corresponding argument from the
macro invocation.

  You can undefine a macro FOO with `@unmacro FOO'.  It is not an error
to undefine a macro that is already undefined.  For example:

     @unmacro foo