This is ../info/texinfo.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.6 from 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.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Top, Next: Copying, Prev: (dir), Up: (dir) Texinfo ******* Texinfo is a documentation system that uses a single source file to produce both on-line information and printed output. The first part of this master menu lists the major nodes in this Info document, including the @-command and concept indices. The rest of the menu lists all the lower level nodes in the document. This is Edition 3.12 of the Texinfo documentation, 27 February 1998. * Menu: * Copying:: Your rights. * Overview:: Texinfo in brief. * Texinfo Mode:: How to use Texinfo mode. * Beginning a File:: What is at the beginning of a Texinfo file? * Ending a File:: What is at the end of a Texinfo file? * Structuring:: How to create chapters, sections, subsections, appendices, and other parts. * Nodes:: How to write nodes. * Menus:: How to write menus. * Cross References:: How to write cross references. * Marking Text:: How to mark words and phrases as code, keyboard input, meta-syntactic variables, and the like. * Quotations and Examples:: How to write quotations, examples, etc. * Lists and Tables:: How to write lists and tables. * Indices:: How to create indices. * Insertions:: How to insert @-signs, braces, etc. * Breaks:: How to force and prevent line and page breaks. * Definition Commands:: How to describe functions and the like in a uniform manner. * Footnotes:: How to write footnotes. * Conditionals:: How to specify text for either TeX or Info. * Macros:: Defining new Texinfo commands. * Format/Print Hardcopy:: How to convert a Texinfo file to a file for printing and how to print that file. * Create an Info File:: Convert a Texinfo file into an Info file. * Install an Info File:: Make an Info file accessible to users. * Command List:: All the Texinfo @-commands. * Tips:: Hints on how to write a Texinfo document. * Sample Texinfo File:: A sample Texinfo file to look at. * Sample Permissions:: Tell readers they have the right to copy and distribute. * Include Files:: How to incorporate other Texinfo files. * Headings:: How to write page headings and footings. * Catching Mistakes:: How to find formatting mistakes. * Refilling Paragraphs:: All about paragraph refilling. * Command Syntax:: A description of @-Command syntax. * Obtaining TeX:: How to Obtain TeX. * Command and Variable Index:: A menu containing commands and variables. * Concept Index:: A menu covering many topics. --- The Detailed Node Listing --- Overview of Texinfo * Using Texinfo:: Create a conventional printed book or an Info file. * Info Files:: What is an Info file? * Printed Books:: Characteristics of a printed book or manual. * Formatting Commands:: @-commands are used for formatting. * Conventions:: General rules for writing a Texinfo file. * Comments:: How to write comments and mark regions that the formatting commands will ignore. * Minimum:: What a Texinfo file must have. * Six Parts:: Usually, a Texinfo file has six parts. * Short Sample:: A short sample Texinfo file. * Acknowledgements:: Using Texinfo Mode * Texinfo Mode Overview:: How Texinfo mode can help you. * Emacs Editing:: Texinfo mode adds to GNU Emacs' general purpose editing features. * Inserting:: How to insert frequently used @-commands. * Showing the Structure:: How to show the structure of a file. * Updating Nodes and Menus:: How to update or create new nodes and menus. * Info Formatting:: How to format for Info. * Printing:: How to format and print part or all of a file. * Texinfo Mode Summary:: Summary of all the Texinfo mode commands. Updating Nodes and Menus * Updating Commands:: Five major updating commands. * Updating Requirements:: How to structure a Texinfo file for using the updating command. * Other Updating Commands:: How to indent descriptions, insert missing nodes lines, and update nodes in sequence. Beginning a Texinfo File * Four Parts:: Four parts begin a Texinfo file. * Sample Beginning:: Here is a sample beginning for a Texinfo file. * Header:: The very beginning of a Texinfo file. * Info Summary and Permissions:: Summary and copying permissions for Info. * Titlepage & Copyright Page:: Creating the title and copyright pages. * The Top Node:: Creating the `Top' node and master menu. * Software Copying Permissions:: Ensure that you and others continue to have the right to use and share software. The Texinfo File Header * First Line:: The first line of a Texinfo file. * Start of Header:: Formatting a region requires this. * setfilename:: Tell Info the name of the Info file. * settitle:: Create a title for the printed work. * setchapternewpage:: Start chapters on right-hand pages. * paragraphindent:: An option to specify paragraph indentation. * End of Header:: Formatting a region requires this. The Title and Copyright Pages * titlepage:: Create a title for the printed document. * titlefont center sp:: The `@titlefont', `@center', and `@sp' commands. * title subtitle author:: The `@title', `@subtitle', and `@author' commands. * Copyright & Permissions:: How to write the copyright notice and include copying permissions. * end titlepage:: Turn on page headings after the title and copyright pages. * headings on off:: An option for turning headings on and off and double or single sided printing. The `Top' Node and Master Menu * Title of Top Node:: Sketch what the file is about. * Master Menu Parts:: A master menu has three or more parts. Ending a Texinfo File * Printing Indices & Menus:: How to print an index in hardcopy and generate index menus in Info. * Contents:: How to create a table of contents. * File End:: How to mark the end of a file. Chapter Structuring * Tree Structuring:: A manual is like an upside down tree ... * Structuring Command Types:: How to divide a manual into parts. * makeinfo top:: The `@top' command, part of the `Top' node. * chapter:: * unnumbered & appendix:: * majorheading & chapheading:: * section:: * unnumberedsec appendixsec heading:: * subsection:: * unnumberedsubsec appendixsubsec subheading:: * subsubsection:: Commands for the lowest level sections. * Raise/lower sections:: How to change commands' hierarchical level. Nodes * Two Paths:: Different commands to structure Info output and printed output. * Node Menu Illustration:: A diagram, and sample nodes and menus. * node:: How to write a node, in detail. * makeinfo Pointer Creation:: How to create node pointers with `makeinfo'. The `@node' Command * Node Names:: How to choose node and pointer names. * Writing a Node:: How to write an `@node' line. * Node Line Tips:: Keep names short. * Node Line Requirements:: Keep names unique, without @-commands. * First Node:: How to write a `Top' node. * makeinfo top command:: How to use the `@top' command. * Top Node Summary:: Write a brief description for readers. Menus * Menu Location:: Put a menu in a short node. * Writing a Menu:: What is a menu? * Menu Parts:: A menu entry has three parts. * Less Cluttered Menu Entry:: Two part menu entry. * Menu Example:: Two and three part menu entries. * Other Info Files:: How to refer to a different Info file. Cross References * References:: What cross references are for. * Cross Reference Commands:: A summary of the different commands. * Cross Reference Parts:: A cross reference has several parts. * xref:: Begin a reference with `See' ... * Top Node Naming:: How to refer to the beginning of another file. * ref:: A reference for the last part of a sentence. * pxref:: How to write a parenthetical cross reference. * inforef:: How to refer to an Info-only file. * uref:: How to refer to a uniform resource locator. `@xref' * Reference Syntax:: What a reference looks like and requires. * One Argument:: `@xref' with one argument. * Two Arguments:: `@xref' with two arguments. * Three Arguments:: `@xref' with three arguments. * Four and Five Arguments:: `@xref' with four and five arguments. Marking Words and Phrases * Indicating:: How to indicate definitions, files, etc. * Emphasis:: How to emphasize text. Indicating Definitions, Commands, etc. * Useful Highlighting:: Highlighting provides useful information. * code:: How to indicate code. * kbd:: How to show keyboard input. * key:: How to specify keys. * samp:: How to show a literal sequence of characters. * var:: How to indicate a metasyntactic variable. * file:: How to indicate the name of a file. * dfn:: How to specify a definition. * cite:: How to refer to a book that is not in Info. * url:: How to indicate a world wide web reference. * email:: How to indicate an electronic mail address. Emphasizing Text * emph & strong:: How to emphasize text in Texinfo. * Smallcaps:: How to use the small caps font. * Fonts:: Various font commands for printed output. * Customized Highlighting:: How to define highlighting commands. Quotations and Examples * Block Enclosing Commands:: Use different constructs for different purposes. * quotation:: How to write a quotation. * example:: How to write an example in a fixed-width font. * noindent:: How to prevent paragraph indentation. * Lisp Example:: How to illustrate Lisp code. * smallexample & smalllisp:: Forms for the `@smallbook' option. * display:: How to write an example in the current font. * format:: How to write an example that does not narrow the margins. * exdent:: How to undo the indentation of a line. * flushleft & flushright:: How to push text flushleft or flushright. * cartouche:: How to draw cartouches around examples. Lists and Tables * Introducing Lists:: Texinfo formats lists for you. * itemize:: How to construct a simple list. * enumerate:: How to construct a numbered list. * Two-column Tables:: How to construct a two-column table. * Multi-column Tables:: How to construct generalized tables. Making a Two-column Table * table:: How to construct a two-column table. * ftable vtable:: Automatic indexing for two-column tables. * itemx:: How to put more entries in the first column. Multi-column Tables * Multitable Column Widths:: Defining multitable column widths. * Multitable Rows:: Defining multitable rows, with examples. Creating Indices * Index Entries:: Choose different words for index entries. * Predefined Indices:: Use different indices for different kinds of entry. * Indexing Commands:: How to make an index entry. * Combining Indices:: How to combine indices. * New Indices:: How to define your own indices. Combining Indices * syncodeindex:: How to merge two indices, using `@code' font for the merged-from index. * synindex:: How to merge two indices, using the default font of the merged-to index. Special Insertions * Braces Atsigns:: How to insert braces, `@'. * Inserting Space:: How to insert the right amount of space within a sentence. * Inserting Accents:: How to insert accents and special characters. * Dots Bullets:: How to insert dots and bullets. * TeX and copyright:: How to insert the TeX logo and the copyright symbol. * pounds:: How to insert the pounds currency symbol. * minus:: How to insert a minus sign. * math:: How to format a mathematical expression. * Glyphs:: How to indicate results of evaluation, expansion of macros, errors, etc. * Images:: How to include graphics. Inserting @ and Braces * Inserting An Atsign:: How to insert `@'. * Inserting Braces:: How to insert `{' and `}'. Inserting Space * Not Ending a Sentence:: Sometimes a . doesn't end a sentence. * Ending a Sentence:: Sometimes it does. * Multiple Spaces:: Inserting multiple spaces. * dmn:: How to format a dimension. Inserting Ellipsis, Dots, and Bullets * dots:: How to insert dots ... * bullet:: How to insert a bullet. Inserting TeX and the Copyright Symbol * tex:: How to insert the TeX logo. * copyright symbol:: How to use `@copyright'{}. Glyphs for Examples * Glyphs Summary:: * result:: How to show the result of expression. * expansion:: How to indicate an expansion. * Print Glyph:: How to indicate printed output. * Error Glyph:: How to indicate an error message. * Equivalence:: How to indicate equivalence. * Point Glyph:: How to indicate the location of point. Glyphs Summary * result:: * expansion:: * Print Glyph:: * Error Glyph:: * Equivalence:: * Point Glyph:: Making and Preventing Breaks * Break Commands:: Cause and prevent splits. * Line Breaks:: How to force a single line to use two lines. * - and hyphenation:: How to tell TeX about hyphenation points. * w:: How to prevent unwanted line breaks. * sp:: How to insert blank lines. * page:: How to force the start of a new page. * group:: How to prevent unwanted page breaks. * need:: Another way to prevent unwanted page breaks. Definition Commands * 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:: The Definition Commands * 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. Footnotes * Footnote Commands:: How to write a footnote in Texinfo. * Footnote Styles:: Controlling how footnotes appear in Info. Conditionally Visible Text * 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. `@set', `@clear', and `@value' * 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. Macros: Defining New Texinfo Commands * Defining Macros:: Both defining and undefining new commands. * Invoking Macros:: Using a macro, once you've defined it. Format and Print Hardcopy * Use TeX:: Use TeX to format for hardcopy. * Format with tex/texindex:: How to format in a shell. * Format with texi2dvi:: A simpler way to use the shell. * Print with lpr:: How to print. * Within Emacs:: How to format and print from an Emacs shell. * Texinfo Mode Printing:: How to format and print in Texinfo mode. * Compile-Command:: How to print using Emacs's compile command. * Requirements Summary:: TeX formatting requirements summary. * Preparing for TeX:: What you need to do to use TeX. * Overfull hboxes:: What are and what to do with overfull hboxes. * smallbook:: How to print small format books and manuals. * A4 Paper:: How to print on European A4 paper. * Cropmarks and Magnification:: How to print marks to indicate the size of pages and how to print scaled up output. Creating an Info File * makeinfo advantages:: `makeinfo' provides better error checking. * Invoking makeinfo:: How to run `makeinfo' from a shell. * makeinfo options:: Specify fill-column and other options. * Pointer Validation:: How to check that pointers point somewhere. * makeinfo in Emacs:: How to run `makeinfo' from Emacs. * texinfo-format commands:: Two Info formatting commands written in Emacs Lisp are an alternative to `makeinfo'. * Batch Formatting:: How to format for Info in Emacs Batch mode. * Tag and Split Files:: How tagged and split files help Info to run better. Installing an Info File * Directory file:: The top level menu for all Info files. * New Info File:: Listing a new info file. * Other Info Directories:: How to specify Info files that are located in other directories. * Installing Dir Entries:: How to specify what menu entry to add to the Info directory. * Invoking install-info:: `install-info' options. Sample Permissions * Inserting Permissions:: How to put permissions in your document. * ifinfo Permissions:: Sample `ifinfo' copying permissions. * Titlepage Permissions:: Sample Titlepage copying permissions. Include Files * Using Include Files:: How to use the `@include' command. * texinfo-multiple-files-update:: How to create and update nodes and menus when using included files. * Include File Requirements:: What `texinfo-multiple-files-update' expects. * Sample Include File:: A sample outer file with included files within it; and a sample included file. * Include Files Evolution:: How use of the `@include' command has changed over time. Page Headings * Headings Introduced:: Conventions for using page headings. * Heading Format:: Standard page heading formats. * Heading Choice:: How to specify the type of page heading. * Custom Headings:: How to create your own headings and footings. Formatting Mistakes * makeinfo Preferred:: `makeinfo' finds errors. * Debugging with Info:: How to catch errors with Info formatting. * Debugging with TeX:: How to catch errors with TeX formatting. * Using texinfo-show-structure:: How to use `texinfo-show-structure'. * Using occur:: How to list all lines containing a pattern. * Running Info-Validate:: How to find badly referenced nodes. Finding Badly Referenced Nodes * Using Info-validate:: How to run `Info-validate'. * Unsplit:: How to create an unsplit file. * Tagifying:: How to tagify a file. * Splitting:: How to split a file manually. How to Obtain TeX  File: texinfo.info, Node: Copying, Next: Overview, Prev: Top, Up: Top Texinfo Copying Conditions ************************** The programs currently being distributed that relate to Texinfo include portions of GNU Emacs, plus other separate programs (including `makeinfo', `info', `texindex', and `texinfo.tex'). These programs are "free"; this means that everyone is free to use them and free to redistribute them on a free basis. The Texinfo-related programs are not in the public domain; they are copyrighted and there are restrictions on their distribution, but these restrictions are designed to permit everything that a good cooperating citizen would want to do. What is not allowed is to try to prevent others from further sharing any version of these programs that they might get from you. Specifically, we want to make sure that you have the right to give away copies of the programs that relate to Texinfo, that you receive source code or else can get it if you want it, that you can change these programs or use pieces of them in new free programs, and that you know you can do these things. To make sure that everyone has such rights, we have to forbid you to deprive anyone else of these rights. For example, if you distribute copies of the Texinfo related programs, you must give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must tell them their rights. Also, for our own protection, we must make certain that everyone finds out that there is no warranty for the programs that relate to Texinfo. If these programs are modified by someone else and passed on, we want their recipients to know that what they have is not what we distributed, so that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on our reputation. The precise conditions of the licenses for the programs currently being distributed that relate to Texinfo are found in the General Public Licenses that accompany them.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Overview, Next: Texinfo Mode, Prev: Copying, Up: Top Overview of Texinfo ******************* "Texinfo"(1) (*note Overview-Footnote-1::) is a documentation system that uses a single source file to produce both on-line information and printed output. This means that instead of writing two different documents, one for the on-line help or other on-line information and the other for a typeset manual or other printed work, you need write only one document. When the work is revised, you need revise only one document. (You can read the on-line information, known as an "Info file", with an Info documentation-reading program.) * Menu: * Using Texinfo:: Create a conventional printed book or an Info file. * Info Files:: What is an Info file? * Printed Books:: Characteristics of a printed book or manual. * Formatting Commands:: @-commands are used for formatting. * Conventions:: General rules for writing a Texinfo file. * Comments:: How to write comments and mark regions that the formatting commands will ignore. * Minimum:: What a Texinfo file must have. * Six Parts:: Usually, a Texinfo file has six parts. * Short Sample:: A short sample Texinfo file. * Acknowledgements::  File: texinfo.info, Node: Overview-Footnotes, Up: Overview (1) Note that the first syllable of "Texinfo" is pronounced like "speck", not "hex". This odd pronunciation is derived from, but is not the same as, the pronunciation of TeX. In the word TeX, the `X' is actually the Greek letter "chi" rather than the English letter "ex". Pronounce TeX as if the `X' were the last sound in the name `Bach'; but pronounce Texinfo as if the `x' were a `k'. Spell "Texinfo" with a capital "T" and write the other letters in lower case.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Using Texinfo, Next: Info Files, Prev: Overview, Up: Overview Using Texinfo ============= Using Texinfo, you can create a printed document with the normal features of a book, including chapters, sections, cross references, and indices. From the same Texinfo source file, you can create a menu-driven, on-line Info file with nodes, menus, cross references, and indices. You can, if you wish, make the chapters and sections of the printed document correspond to the nodes of the on-line information; and you use the same cross references and indices for both the Info file and the printed work. `The XEmacs User's Manual' is a good example of a Texinfo file, as is this manual. To make a printed document, you process a Texinfo source file with the TeX typesetting program. This creates a DVI file that you can typeset and print as a book or report. (Note that the Texinfo language is completely different from TeX's usual language, plain TeX.) If you do not have TeX, but do have `troff' or `nroff', you can use the `texi2roff' program instead. To make an Info file, you process a Texinfo source file with the `makeinfo' utility or Emacs's `texinfo-format-buffer' command; this creates an Info file that you can install on-line. TeX and `texi2roff' work with many types of printers; similarly, Info works with almost every type of computer terminal. This power makes Texinfo a general purpose system, but brings with it a constraint, which is that a Texinfo file may contain only the customary "typewriter" characters (letters, numbers, spaces, and punctuation marks) but no special graphics. A Texinfo file is a plain ASCII file containing text and "@-commands" (words preceded by an `@') that tell the typesetting and formatting programs what to do. You may edit a Texinfo file with any text editor; but it is especially convenient to use GNU Emacs since that editor has a special mode, called Texinfo mode, that provides various Texinfo-related features. (*Note Texinfo Mode::.) Before writing a Texinfo source file, you should become familiar with the Info documentation reading program and learn about nodes, menus, cross references, and the rest. (*note info: (info)Top, for more information.) You can use Texinfo to create both on-line help and printed manuals; moreover, Texinfo is freely redistributable. For these reasons, Texinfo is the format in which documentation for GNU utilities and libraries is written.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Info Files, Next: Printed Books, Prev: Using Texinfo, Up: Overview Info files ========== An Info file is a Texinfo file formatted so that the Info documentation reading program can operate on it. (`makeinfo' and `texinfo-format-buffer' are two commands that convert a Texinfo file into an Info file.) Info files are divided into pieces called "nodes", each of which contains the discussion of one topic. Each node has a name, and contains both text for the user to read and pointers to other nodes, which are identified by their names. The Info program displays one node at a time, and provides commands with which the user can move to other related nodes. *note info: (info)Top, for more information about using Info. Each node of an Info file may have any number of child nodes that describe subtopics of the node's topic. The names of child nodes are listed in a "menu" within the parent node; this allows you to use certain Info commands to move to one of the child nodes. Generally, an Info file is organized like a book. If a node is at the logical level of a chapter, its child nodes are at the level of sections; likewise, the child nodes of sections are at the level of subsections. All the children of any one parent are linked together in a bidirectional chain of `Next' and `Previous' pointers. The `Next' pointer provides a link to the next section, and the `Previous' pointer provides a link to the previous section. This means that all the nodes that are at the level of sections within a chapter are linked together. Normally the order in this chain is the same as the order of the children in the parent's menu. Each child node records the parent node name as its `Up' pointer. The last child has no `Next' pointer, and the first child has the parent both as its `Previous' and as its `Up' pointer.(1) (*note Info Files-Footnote-1::) The book-like structuring of an Info file into nodes that correspond to chapters, sections, and the like is a matter of convention, not a requirement. The `Up', `Previous', and `Next' pointers of a node can point to any other nodes, and a menu can contain any other nodes. Thus, the node structure can be any directed graph. But it is usually more comprehensible to follow a structure that corresponds to the structure of chapters and sections in a printed book or report. In addition to menus and to `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers, Info provides pointers of another kind, called references, that can be sprinkled throughout the text. This is usually the best way to represent links that do not fit a hierarchical structure. Usually, you will design a document so that its nodes match the structure of chapters and sections in the printed output. But occasionally there are times when this is not right for the material being discussed. Therefore, Texinfo uses separate commands to specify the node structure for the Info file and the section structure for the printed output. Generally, you enter an Info file through a node that by convention is named `Top'. This node normally contains just a brief summary of the file's purpose, and a large menu through which the rest of the file is reached. From this node, you can either traverse the file systematically by going from node to node, or you can go to a specific node listed in the main menu, or you can search the index menus and then go directly to the node that has the information you want. Alternatively, with the standalone Info program, you can specify specific menu items on the command line (*note Top: (info)Top.). If you want to read through an Info file in sequence, as if it were a printed manual, you can hit repeatedly, or you get the whole file with the advanced Info command `g *'. (*note Advanced Info commands: (info)Expert.) The `dir' file in the `info' directory serves as the departure point for the whole Info system. From it, you can reach the `Top' nodes of each of the documents in a complete Info system.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Info Files-Footnotes, Up: Info Files (1) In some documents, the first child has no `Previous' pointer. Occasionally, the last child has the node name of the next following higher level node as its `Next' pointer.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Printed Books, Next: Formatting Commands, Prev: Info Files, Up: Overview Printed Books ============= A Texinfo file can be formatted and typeset as a printed book or manual. To do this, you need TeX, a powerful, sophisticated typesetting program written by Donald Knuth.(1) (*note Printed Books-Footnote-1::) A Texinfo-based book is similar to any other typeset, printed work: it can have a title page, copyright page, table of contents, and preface, as well as chapters, numbered or unnumbered sections and subsections, page headers, cross references, footnotes, and indices. You can use Texinfo to write a book without ever having the intention of converting it into on-line information. You can use Texinfo for writing a printed novel, and even to write a printed memo, although this latter application is not recommended since electronic mail is so much easier. TeX is a general purpose typesetting program. Texinfo provides a file called `texinfo.tex' that contains information (definitions or "macros") that TeX uses when it typesets a Texinfo file. (`texinfo.tex' tells TeX how to convert the Texinfo @-commands to TeX commands, which TeX can then process to create the typeset document.) `texinfo.tex' contains the specifications for printing a document. Most often, documents are printed on 8.5 inch by 11 inch pages (216mm by 280mm; this is the default size), but you can also print for 7 inch by 9.25 inch pages (178mm by 235mm; the `@smallbook' size) or on European A4 size paper (`@afourpaper'). (*Note Printing "Small" Books: smallbook. Also, see *Note Printing on A4 Paper: A4 Paper.) By changing the parameters in `texinfo.tex', you can change the size of the printed document. In addition, you can change the style in which the printed document is formatted; for example, you can change the sizes and fonts used, the amount of indentation for each paragraph, the degree to which words are hyphenated, and the like. By changing the specifications, you can make a book look dignified, old and serious, or light-hearted, young and cheery. TeX is freely distributable. It is written in a superset of Pascal called WEB and can be compiled either in Pascal or (by using a conversion program that comes with the TeX distribution) in C. (*Note TeX Mode: (xemacs)TeX Mode, for information about TeX.) TeX is very powerful and has a great many features. Because a Texinfo file must be able to present information both on a character-only terminal in Info form and in a typeset book, the formatting commands that Texinfo supports are necessarily limited. *Note How to Obtain TeX: Obtaining TeX.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Printed Books-Footnotes, Up: Printed Books (1) You can also use the `texi2roff' program if you do not have TeX; since Texinfo is designed for use with TeX, `texi2roff' is not described here. `texi2roff' is not part of the standard GNU distribution.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Formatting Commands, Next: Conventions, Prev: Printed Books, Up: Overview @-commands ========== In a Texinfo file, the commands that tell TeX how to typeset the printed manual and tell `makeinfo' and `texinfo-format-buffer' how to create an Info file are preceded by `@'; they are called "@-commands". For example, `@node' is the command to indicate a node and `@chapter' is the command to indicate the start of a chapter. *Please note:* All the @-commands, with the exception of the `@TeX{}' command, must be written entirely in lower case. The Texinfo @-commands are a strictly limited set of constructs. The strict limits make it possible for Texinfo files to be understood both by TeX and by the code that converts them into Info files. You can display Info files on any terminal that displays alphabetic and numeric characters. Similarly, you can print the output generated by TeX on a wide variety of printers. Depending on what they do or what arguments(1) (*note Formatting Commands-Footnote-1::) they take, you need to write @-commands on lines of their own or as part of sentences: * Write a command such as `@noindent' at the beginning of a line as the only text on the line. (`@noindent' prevents the beginning of the next line from being indented as the beginning of a paragraph.) * Write a command such as `@chapter' at the beginning of a line followed by the command's arguments, in this case the chapter title, on the rest of the line. (`@chapter' creates chapter titles.) * Write a command such as `@dots{}' wherever you wish but usually within a sentence. (`@dots{}' creates dots ...) * Write a command such as `@code{SAMPLE-CODE}' wherever you wish (but usually within a sentence) with its argument, SAMPLE-CODE in this example, between the braces. (`@code' marks text as being code.) * Write a command such as `@example' at the beginning of a line of its own; write the body-text on following lines; and write the matching `@end' command, `@end example' in this case, at the beginning of a line of its own after the body-text. (`@example' ... `@end example' indents and typesets body-text as an example.) As a general rule, a command requires braces if it mingles among other text; but it does not need braces if it starts a line of its own. The non-alphabetic commands, such as `@:', are exceptions to the rule; they do not need braces. As you gain experience with Texinfo, you will rapidly learn how to write the different commands: the different ways to write commands make it easier to write and read Texinfo files than if all commands followed exactly the same syntax. (For details about @-command syntax, see *Note @-Command Syntax: Command Syntax.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: Formatting Commands-Footnotes, Up: Formatting Commands (1) The word "argument" comes from the way it is used in mathematics and does not refer to a disputation between two people; it refers to the information presented to the command. According to the `Oxford English Dictionary', the word derives from the Latin for "to make clear, prove"; thus it came to mean `the evidence offered as proof', which is to say, `the information offered', which led to its mathematical meaning. In its other thread of derivation, the word came to mean `to assert in a manner against which others may make counter assertions', which led to the meaning of `argument' as a disputation.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Conventions, Next: Comments, Prev: Formatting Commands, Up: Overview General Syntactic Conventions ============================= All printable ASCII characters except `@', `{' and `}' can appear in a Texinfo file and stand for themselves. `@' is the escape character which introduces commands. `{' and `}' should be used only to surround arguments to certain commands. To put one of these special characters into the document, put an `@' character in front of it, like this: `@@', `@{', and `@}'. It is customary in TeX to use doubled single-quote characters to begin and end quotations: ` ` and ' ' (but without a space between the two single-quote characters). This convention should be followed in Texinfo files. TeX converts doubled single-quote characters to left- and right-hand doubled quotation marks and Info converts doubled single-quote characters to ASCII double-quotes: ` ` and ' ' to " . Use three hyphens in a row, `---', for a dash--like this. In TeX, a single or double hyphen produces a printed dash that is shorter than the usual typeset dash. Info reduces three hyphens to two for display on the screen. To prevent a paragraph from being indented in the printed manual, put the command `@noindent' on a line by itself before the paragraph. If you mark off a region of the Texinfo file with the `@iftex' and `@end iftex' commands, that region will appear only in the printed copy; in that region, you can use certain commands borrowed from plain TeX that you cannot use in Info. Likewise, if you mark off a region with the `@ifinfo' and `@end ifinfo' commands, that region will appear only in the Info file; in that region, you can use Info commands that you cannot use in TeX. Similarly for `@ifhtml ... @end ifhtml', `@ifnothtml ... @end ifnothtml', `@ifnotinfo ... @end ifnotinfo', `@ifnottex ... @end ifnottex', *Note Conditionals::. *Caution:* Do not use tabs in a Texinfo file! TeX uses variable-width fonts, which means that it cannot predefine a tab to work in all circumstances. Consequently, TeX treats tabs like single spaces, and that is not what they look like. Furthermore, `makeinfo' does nothing special with tabs, and thus a tab character in your input file may appear differently in the output. To avoid this problem, Texinfo mode causes GNU Emacs to insert multiple spaces when you press the key. Also, you can run `untabify' in Emacs to convert tabs in a region to multiple spaces. Don't use tabs.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Comments, Next: Minimum, Prev: Conventions, Up: Overview Comments ======== You can write comments in a Texinfo file that will not appear in either the Info file or the printed manual by using the `@comment' command (which may be abbreviated to `@c'). Such comments are for the person who reads the Texinfo file. All the text on a line that follows either `@comment' or `@c' is a comment; the rest of the line does not appear in either the Info file or the printed manual. (Often, you can write the `@comment' or `@c' in the middle of a line, and only the text that follows after the `@comment' or `@c' command does not appear; but some commands, such as `@settitle' and `@setfilename', work on a whole line. You cannot use `@comment' or `@c' in a line beginning with such a command.) You can write long stretches of text that will not appear in either the Info file or the printed manual by using the `@ignore' and `@end ignore' commands. Write each of these commands on a line of its own, starting each command at the beginning of the line. Text between these two commands does not appear in the processed output. You can use `@ignore' and `@end ignore' for writing comments. Often, `@ignore' and `@end ignore' is used to enclose a part of the copying permissions that applies to the Texinfo source file of a document, but not to the Info or printed version of the document.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Minimum, Next: Six Parts, Prev: Comments, Up: Overview What a Texinfo File Must Have ============================= By convention, the names of Texinfo files end with one of the extensions `.texinfo', `.texi', or `.tex'. The longer extension is preferred since it describes more clearly to a human reader the nature of the file. The shorter extensions are for operating systems that cannot handle long file names. In order to be made into a printed manual and an Info file, a Texinfo file *must* begin with lines like this: \input texinfo @setfilename INFO-FILE-NAME @settitle NAME-OF-MANUAL The contents of the file follow this beginning, and then you *must* end a Texinfo file with a line like this: @bye The `\input texinfo' line tells TeX to use the `texinfo.tex' file, which tells TeX how to translate the Texinfo @-commands into TeX typesetting commands. (Note the use of the backslash, `\'; this is correct for TeX.) The `@setfilename' line provides a name for the Info file and tells TeX to open auxiliary files. The `@settitle' line specifies a title for the page headers (or footers) of the printed manual. The `@bye' line at the end of the file on a line of its own tells the formatters that the file is ended and to stop formatting. Usually, you will not use quite such a spare format, but will include mode setting and start-of-header and end-of-header lines at the beginning of a Texinfo file, like this: \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- @c %**start of header @setfilename INFO-FILE-NAME @settitle NAME-OF-MANUAL @c %**end of header In the first line, `-*-texinfo-*-' causes Emacs to switch into Texinfo mode when you edit the file. The `@c' lines which surround the `@setfilename' and `@settitle' lines are optional, but you need them in order to run TeX or Info on just part of the file. (*Note Start of Header::, for more information.) Furthermore, you will usually provide a Texinfo file with a title page, indices, and the like. But the minimum, which can be useful for short documents, is just the three lines at the beginning and the one line at the end.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Six Parts, Next: Short Sample, Prev: Minimum, Up: Overview Six Parts of a Texinfo File =========================== Generally, a Texinfo file contains more than the minimal beginning and end--it usually contains six parts: 1. Header The "Header" names the file, tells TeX which definitions' file to use, and performs other "housekeeping" tasks. 2. Summary Description and Copyright The "Summary Description and Copyright" segment describes the document and contains the copyright notice and copying permissions for the Info file. The segment must be enclosed between `@ifinfo' and `@end ifinfo' commands so that the formatters place it only in the Info file. 3. Title and Copyright The "Title and Copyright" segment contains the title and copyright pages and copying permissions for the printed manual. The segment must be enclosed between `@titlepage' and `@end titlepage' commands. The title and copyright page appear only in the printed manual. 4. `Top' Node and Master Menu The "Master Menu" contains a complete menu of all the nodes in the whole Info file. It appears only in the Info file, in the `Top' node. 5. Body The "Body" of the document may be structured like a traditional book or encyclopedia or it may be free form. 6. End The "End" contains commands for printing indices and generating the table of contents, and the `@bye' command on a line of its own.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Short Sample, Next: Acknowledgements, Prev: Six Parts, Up: Overview A Short Sample Texinfo File =========================== Here is a complete but very short Texinfo file, in six parts. The first three parts of the file, from `\input texinfo' through to `@end titlepage', look more intimidating than they are. Most of the material is standard boilerplate; when you write a manual, simply insert the names for your own manual in this segment. (*Note Beginning a File::.) In the following, the sample text is _indented_; comments on it are not. The complete file, without any comments, is shown in *Note Sample Texinfo File::. Part 1: Header -------------- The header does not appear in either the Info file or the printed output. It sets various parameters, including the name of the Info file and the title used in the header. \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- @c %**start of header @setfilename sample.info @settitle Sample Document @c %**end of header @setchapternewpage odd Part 2: Summary Description and Copyright ----------------------------------------- The summary description and copyright segment does not appear in the printed document. @ifinfo This is a short example of a complete Texinfo file. Copyright @copyright{} 1990 Free Software Foundation, Inc. @end ifinfo Part 3: Titlepage and Copyright ------------------------------- The titlepage segment does not appear in the Info file. @titlepage @sp 10 @comment The title is printed in a large font. @center @titlefont{Sample Title} @c The following two commands start the copyright page. @page @vskip 0pt plus 1filll Copyright @copyright{} 1990 Free Software Foundation, Inc. @end titlepage Part 4: `Top' Node and Master Menu ---------------------------------- The `Top' node contains the master menu for the Info file. Since a printed manual uses a table of contents rather than a menu, the master menu appears only in the Info file. @node Top, First Chapter, , (dir) @comment node-name, next, previous, up @menu * First Chapter:: The first chapter is the only chapter in this sample. * Concept Index:: This index has two entries. @end menu Part 5: The Body of the Document --------------------------------- The body segment contains all the text of the document, but not the indices or table of contents. This example illustrates a node and a chapter containing an enumerated list. @node First Chapter, Concept Index, Top, Top @comment node-name, next, previous, up @chapter First Chapter @cindex Sample index entry This is the contents of the first chapter. @cindex Another sample index entry Here is a numbered list. @enumerate @item This is the first item. @item This is the second item. @end enumerate The @code{makeinfo} and @code{texinfo-format-buffer} commands transform a Texinfo file such as this into an Info file; and @TeX{} typesets it for a printed manual. Part 6: The End of the Document ------------------------------- The end segment contains commands both for generating an index in a node and unnumbered chapter of its own and for generating the table of contents; and it contains the `@bye' command that marks the end of the document. @node Concept Index, , First Chapter, Top @comment node-name, next, previous, up @unnumbered Concept Index @printindex cp @contents @bye The Results ----------- Here is what the contents of the first chapter of the sample look like: This is the contents of the first chapter. Here is a numbered list. 1. This is the first item. 2. This is the second item. The `makeinfo' and `texinfo-format-buffer' commands transform a Texinfo file such as this into an Info file; and TeX typesets it for a printed manual.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Acknowledgements, Prev: Short Sample, Up: Overview Acknowledgements ================ Richard M. Stallman wrote Edition 1.0 of this manual. Robert J. Chassell revised and extended it, starting with Edition 1.1. Karl Berry made updates for the Texinfo 3.8 and subsequent releases, starting with Edition 2.22. Our thanks go out to all who helped improve this work, particularly to Franc,ois Pinard and David D. Zuhn, who tirelessly recorded and reported mistakes and obscurities; our special thanks go to Melissa Weisshaus for her frequent and often tedious reviews of nearly similar editions. Our mistakes are our own. Please send suggestions and corrections to: Internet address: bug-texinfo@gnu.org Please include the manual's edition number and update date in your messages.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Texinfo Mode, Next: Beginning a File, Prev: Overview, Up: Top Using Texinfo Mode ****************** You may edit a Texinfo file with any text editor you choose. A Texinfo file is no different from any other ASCII file. However, GNU Emacs comes with a special mode, called Texinfo mode, that provides Emacs commands and tools to help ease your work. This chapter describes features of GNU Emacs' Texinfo mode but not any features of the Texinfo formatting language. If you are reading this manual straight through from the beginning, you may want to skim through this chapter briefly and come back to it after reading succeeding chapters which describe the Texinfo formatting language in detail. * Menu: * Texinfo Mode Overview:: How Texinfo mode can help you. * Emacs Editing:: Texinfo mode adds to GNU Emacs' general purpose editing features. * Inserting:: How to insert frequently used @-commands. * Showing the Structure:: How to show the structure of a file. * Updating Nodes and Menus:: How to update or create new nodes and menus. * Info Formatting:: How to format for Info. * Printing:: How to format and print part or all of a file. * Texinfo Mode Summary:: Summary of all the Texinfo mode commands.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Texinfo Mode Overview, Next: Emacs Editing, Prev: Texinfo Mode, Up: Texinfo Mode Texinfo Mode Overview ===================== Texinfo mode provides special features for working with Texinfo files: * Insert frequently used @-commands. * Automatically create `@node' lines. * Show the structure of a Texinfo source file. * Automatically create or update the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers of a node. * Automatically create or update menus. * Automatically create a master menu. * Format a part or all of a file for Info. * Typeset and print part or all of a file. Perhaps the two most helpful features are those for inserting frequently used @-commands and for creating node pointers and menus.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Emacs Editing, Next: Inserting, Prev: Texinfo Mode Overview, Up: Texinfo Mode The Usual GNU Emacs Editing Commands ==================================== In most cases, the usual Text mode commands work the same in Texinfo mode as they do in Text mode. Texinfo mode adds new editing commands and tools to GNU Emacs' general purpose editing features. The major difference concerns filling. In Texinfo mode, the paragraph separation variable and syntax table are redefined so that Texinfo commands that should be on lines of their own are not inadvertently included in paragraphs. Thus, the `M-q' (`fill-paragraph') command will refill a paragraph but not mix an indexing command on a line adjacent to it into the paragraph. In addition, Texinfo mode sets the `page-delimiter' variable to the value of `texinfo-chapter-level-regexp'; by default, this is a regular expression matching the commands for chapters and their equivalents, such as appendices. With this value for the page delimiter, you can jump from chapter title to chapter title with the `C-x ]' (`forward-page') and `C-x [' (`backward-page') commands and narrow to a chapter with the `C-x p' (`narrow-to-page') command. (*Note Pages: (xemacs)Pages, for details about the page commands.) You may name a Texinfo file however you wish, but the convention is to end a Texinfo file name with one of the three extensions `.texinfo', `.texi', or `.tex'. A longer extension is preferred, since it is explicit, but a shorter extension may be necessary for operating systems that limit the length of file names. GNU Emacs automatically enters Texinfo mode when you visit a file with a `.texinfo' or `.texi' extension. Also, Emacs switches to Texinfo mode when you visit a file that has `-*-texinfo-*-' in its first line. If ever you are in another mode and wish to switch to Texinfo mode, type `M-x texinfo-mode'. Like all other Emacs features, you can customize or enhance Texinfo mode as you wish. In particular, the keybindings are very easy to change. The keybindings described here are the default or standard ones.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Inserting, Next: Showing the Structure, Prev: Emacs Editing, Up: Texinfo Mode Inserting Frequently Used Commands ================================== Texinfo mode provides commands to insert various frequently used @-commands into the buffer. You can use these commands to save keystrokes. The insert commands are invoked by typing `C-c' twice and then the first letter of the @-command: `C-c C-c c' `M-x texinfo-insert-@code' Insert `@code{}' and put the cursor between the braces. `C-c C-c d' `M-x texinfo-insert-@dfn' Insert `@dfn{}' and put the cursor between the braces. `C-c C-c e' `M-x texinfo-insert-@end' Insert `@end' and attempt to insert the correct following word, such as `example' or `table'. (This command does not handle nested lists correctly, but inserts the word appropriate to the immediately preceding list.) `C-c C-c i' `M-x texinfo-insert-@item' Insert `@item' and put the cursor at the beginning of the next line. `C-c C-c k' `M-x texinfo-insert-@kbd' Insert `@kbd{}' and put the cursor between the braces. `C-c C-c n' `M-x texinfo-insert-@node' Insert `@node' and a comment line listing the sequence for the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' nodes. Leave point after the `@node'. `C-c C-c o' `M-x texinfo-insert-@noindent' Insert `@noindent' and put the cursor at the beginning of the next line. `C-c C-c s' `M-x texinfo-insert-@samp' Insert `@samp{}' and put the cursor between the braces. `C-c C-c t' `M-x texinfo-insert-@table' Insert `@table' followed by a and leave the cursor after the . `C-c C-c v' `M-x texinfo-insert-@var' Insert `@var{}' and put the cursor between the braces. `C-c C-c x' `M-x texinfo-insert-@example' Insert `@example' and put the cursor at the beginning of the next line. `C-c C-c {' `M-x texinfo-insert-braces' Insert `{}' and put the cursor between the braces. `C-c C-c }' `C-c C-c ]' `M-x up-list' Move from between a pair of braces forward past the closing brace. Typing `C-c C-c ]' is easier than typing `C-c C-c }', which is, however, more mnemonic; hence the two keybindings. (Also, you can move out from between braces by typing `C-f'.) To put a command such as `@code{...}' around an _existing_ word, position the cursor in front of the word and type `C-u 1 C-c C-c c'. This makes it easy to edit existing plain text. The value of the prefix argument tells Emacs how many words following point to include between braces--`1' for one word, `2' for two words, and so on. Use a negative argument to enclose the previous word or words. If you do not specify a prefix argument, Emacs inserts the @-command string and positions the cursor between the braces. This feature works only for those @-commands that operate on a word or words within one line, such as `@kbd' and `@var'. This set of insert commands was created after analyzing the frequency with which different @-commands are used in the `GNU Emacs Manual' and the `GDB Manual'. If you wish to add your own insert commands, you can bind a keyboard macro to a key, use abbreviations, or extend the code in `texinfo.el'. `C-c C-c C-d' (`texinfo-start-menu-description') is an insert command that works differently from the other insert commands. It inserts a node's section or chapter title in the space for the description in a menu entry line. (A menu entry has three parts, the entry name, the node name, and the description. Only the node name is required, but a description helps explain what the node is about. *Note The Parts of a Menu: Menu Parts.) To use `texinfo-start-menu-description', position point in a menu entry line and type `C-c C-c C-d'. The command looks for and copies the title that goes with the node name, and inserts the title as a description; it positions point at beginning of the inserted text so you can edit it. The function does not insert the title if the menu entry line already contains a description. This command is only an aid to writing descriptions; it does not do the whole job. You must edit the inserted text since a title tends to use the same words as a node name but a useful description uses different words.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Showing the Structure, Next: Updating Nodes and Menus, Prev: Inserting, Up: Texinfo Mode Showing the Section Structure of a File ======================================= You can show the section structure of a Texinfo file by using the `C-c C-s' command (`texinfo-show-structure'). This command shows the section structure of a Texinfo file by listing the lines that begin with the @-commands for `@chapter', `@section', and the like. It constructs what amounts to a table of contents. These lines are displayed in another buffer called the `*Occur*' buffer. In that buffer, you can position the cursor over one of the lines and use the `C-c C-c' command (`occur-mode-goto-occurrence'), to jump to the corresponding spot in the Texinfo file. `C-c C-s' `M-x texinfo-show-structure' Show the `@chapter', `@section', and such lines of a Texinfo file. `C-c C-c' `M-x occur-mode-goto-occurrence' Go to the line in the Texinfo file corresponding to the line under the cursor in the `*Occur*' buffer. If you call `texinfo-show-structure' with a prefix argument by typing `C-u C-c C-s', it will list not only those lines with the @-commands for `@chapter', `@section', and the like, but also the `@node' lines. (This is how the `texinfo-show-structure' command worked without an argument in the first version of Texinfo. It was changed because `@node' lines clutter up the `*Occur*' buffer and are usually not needed.) You can use `texinfo-show-structure' with a prefix argument to check whether the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers of an `@node' line are correct. Often, when you are working on a manual, you will be interested only in the structure of the current chapter. In this case, you can mark off the region of the buffer that you are interested in by using the `C-x n n' (`narrow-to-region') command and `texinfo-show-structure' will work on only that region. To see the whole buffer again, use `C-x n w' (`widen'). (*Note Narrowing: (xemacs)Narrowing, for more information about the narrowing commands.) In addition to providing the `texinfo-show-structure' command, Texinfo mode sets the value of the page delimiter variable to match the chapter-level @-commands. This enables you to use the `C-x ]' (`forward-page') and `C-x [' (`backward-page') commands to move forward and backward by chapter, and to use the `C-x p' (`narrow-to-page') command to narrow to a chapter. *Note Pages: (xemacs)Pages, for more information about the page commands.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Updating Nodes and Menus, Next: Info Formatting, Prev: Showing the Structure, Up: Texinfo Mode Updating Nodes and Menus ======================== Texinfo mode provides commands for automatically creating or updating menus and node pointers. The commands are called "update" commands because their most frequent use is for updating a Texinfo file after you have worked on it; but you can use them to insert the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers into an `@node' line that has none and to create menus in a file that has none. If you do not use the updating commands, you need to write menus and node pointers by hand, which is a tedious task. * Menu: * Updating Commands:: Five major updating commands. * Updating Requirements:: How to structure a Texinfo file for using the updating command. * Other Updating Commands:: How to indent descriptions, insert missing nodes lines, and update nodes in sequence.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Updating Commands, Next: Updating Requirements, Prev: Updating Nodes and Menus, Up: Updating Nodes and Menus The Updating Commands --------------------- You can use the updating commands * to insert or update the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers of a node, * to insert or update the menu for a section, and * to create a master menu for a Texinfo source file. You can also use the commands to update all the nodes and menus in a region or in a whole Texinfo file. The updating commands work only with conventional Texinfo files, which are structured hierarchically like books. In such files, a structuring command line must follow closely after each `@node' line, except for the `Top' `@node' line. (A "structuring command line" is a line beginning with `@chapter', `@section', or other similar command.) You can write the structuring command line on the line that follows immediately after an `@node' line or else on the line that follows after a single `@comment' line or a single `@ifinfo' line. You cannot interpose more than one line between the `@node' line and the structuring command line; and you may interpose only an `@comment' line or an `@ifinfo' line. Commands which work on a whole buffer require that the `Top' node be followed by a node with an `@chapter' or equivalent-level command. Note that the menu updating commands will not create a main or master menu for a Texinfo file that has only `@chapter'-level nodes! The menu updating commands only create menus _within_ nodes for lower level nodes. To create a menu of chapters, you must provide a `Top' node. The menu updating commands remove menu entries that refer to other Info files since they do not refer to nodes within the current buffer. This is a deficiency. Rather than use menu entries, you can use cross references to refer to other Info files. None of the updating commands affect cross references. Texinfo mode has five updating commands that are used most often: two are for updating the node pointers or menu of a single node (or a region); two are for updating every node pointer and menu in a file; and one, the `texinfo-master-menu' command, is for creating a master menu for a complete file, and optionally, for updating every node and menu in the whole Texinfo file. The `texinfo-master-menu' command is the primary command: `C-c C-u m' `M-x texinfo-master-menu' Create or update a master menu that includes all the other menus (incorporating the descriptions from pre-existing menus, if any). With an argument (prefix argument, `C-u,' if interactive), first create or update all the nodes and all the regular menus in the buffer before constructing the master menu. (*Note The Top Node and Master Menu: The Top Node, for more about a master menu.) For `texinfo-master-menu' to work, the Texinfo file must have a `Top' node and at least one subsequent node. After extensively editing a Texinfo file, you can type the following: C-u M-x texinfo-master-menu or C-u C-c C-u m This updates all the nodes and menus completely and all at once. The other major updating commands do smaller jobs and are designed for the person who updates nodes and menus as he or she writes a Texinfo file. The commands are: `C-c C-u C-n' `M-x texinfo-update-node' Insert the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers for the node that point is within (i.e., for the `@node' line preceding point). If the `@node' line has pre-existing `Next', `Previous', or `Up' pointers in it, the old pointers are removed and new ones inserted. With an argument (prefix argument, `C-u', if interactive), this command updates all `@node' lines in the region (which is the text between point and mark). `C-c C-u C-m' `M-x texinfo-make-menu' Create or update the menu in the node that point is within. With an argument (`C-u' as prefix argument, if interactive), the command makes or updates menus for the nodes which are either within or a part of the region. Whenever `texinfo-make-menu' updates an existing menu, the descriptions from that menu are incorporated into the new menu. This is done by copying descriptions from the existing menu to the entries in the new menu that have the same node names. If the node names are different, the descriptions are not copied to the new menu. `C-c C-u C-e' `M-x texinfo-every-node-update' Insert or update the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers for every node in the buffer. `C-c C-u C-a' `M-x texinfo-all-menus-update' Create or update all the menus in the buffer. With an argument (`C-u' as prefix argument, if interactive), first insert or update all the node pointers before working on the menus. If a master menu exists, the `texinfo-all-menus-update' command updates it; but the command does not create a new master menu if none already exists. (Use the `texinfo-master-menu' command for that.) When working on a document that does not merit a master menu, you can type the following: C-u C-c C-u C-a or C-u M-x texinfo-all-menus-update This updates all the nodes and menus. The `texinfo-column-for-description' variable specifies the column to which menu descriptions are indented. By default, the value is 32 although it is often useful to reduce it to as low as 24. You can set the variable with the `M-x edit-options' command (*note Editing Variable Values: (xemacs)Edit Options.) or with the `M-x set-variable' command (*note Examining and Setting Variables: (xemacs)Examining.). Also, the `texinfo-indent-menu-description' command may be used to indent existing menu descriptions to a specified column. Finally, if you wish, you can use the `texinfo-insert-node-lines' command to insert missing `@node' lines into a file. (*Note Other Updating Commands::, for more information.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: Updating Requirements, Next: Other Updating Commands, Prev: Updating Commands, Up: Updating Nodes and Menus Updating Requirements --------------------- To use the updating commands, you must organize the Texinfo file hierarchically with chapters, sections, subsections, and the like. When you construct the hierarchy of the manual, do not `jump down' more than one level at a time: you can follow the `Top' node with a chapter, but not with a section; you can follow a chapter with a section, but not with a subsection. However, you may `jump up' any number of levels at one time--for example, from a subsection to a chapter. Each `@node' line, with the exception of the line for the `Top' node, must be followed by a line with a structuring command such as `@chapter', `@section', or `@unnumberedsubsec'. Each `@node' line/structuring-command line combination must look either like this: @node Comments, Minimum, Conventions, Overview @comment node-name, next, previous, up @section Comments or like this (without the `@comment' line): @node Comments, Minimum, Conventions, Overview @section Comments In this example, `Comments' is the name of both the node and the section. The next node is called `Minimum' and the previous node is called `Conventions'. The `Comments' section is within the `Overview' node, which is specified by the `Up' pointer. (Instead of an `@comment' line, you can write an `@ifinfo' line.) If a file has a `Top' node, it must be called `top' or `Top' and be the first node in the file. The menu updating commands create a menu of sections within a chapter, a menu of subsections within a section, and so on. This means that you must have a `Top' node if you want a menu of chapters. Incidentally, the `makeinfo' command will create an Info file for a hierarchically organized Texinfo file that lacks `Next', `Previous' and `Up' pointers. Thus, if you can be sure that your Texinfo file will be formatted with `makeinfo', you have no need for the `update node' commands. (*Note Creating an Info File: Create an Info File, for more information about `makeinfo'.) However, both `makeinfo' and the `texinfo-format-...' commands require that you insert menus in the file.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Other Updating Commands, Prev: Updating Requirements, Up: Updating Nodes and Menus Other Updating Commands ----------------------- In addition to the five major updating commands, Texinfo mode possesses several less frequently used updating commands: `M-x texinfo-insert-node-lines' Insert `@node' lines before the `@chapter', `@section', and other sectioning commands wherever they are missing throughout a region in a Texinfo file. With an argument (`C-u' as prefix argument, if interactive), the `texinfo-insert-node-lines' command not only inserts `@node' lines but also inserts the chapter or section titles as the names of the corresponding nodes. In addition, it inserts the titles as node names in pre-existing `@node' lines that lack names. Since node names should be more concise than section or chapter titles, you must manually edit node names so inserted. For example, the following marks a whole buffer as a region and inserts `@node' lines and titles throughout: C-x h C-u M-x texinfo-insert-node-lines (Note that this command inserts titles as node names in `@node' lines; the `texinfo-start-menu-description' command (*note Inserting Frequently Used Commands: Inserting.) inserts titles as descriptions in menu entries, a different action. However, in both cases, you need to edit the inserted text.) `M-x texinfo-multiple-files-update' Update nodes and menus in a document built from several separate files. With `C-u' as a prefix argument, create and insert a master menu in the outer file. With a numeric prefix argument, such as `C-u 2', first update all the menus and all the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers of all the included files before creating and inserting a master menu in the outer file. The `texinfo-multiple-files-update' command is described in the appendix on `@include' files. *Note texinfo-multiple-files-update::. `M-x texinfo-indent-menu-description' Indent every description in the menu following point to the specified column. You can use this command to give yourself more space for descriptions. With an argument (`C-u' as prefix argument, if interactive), the `texinfo-indent-menu-description' command indents every description in every menu in the region. However, this command does not indent the second and subsequent lines of a multi-line description. `M-x texinfo-sequential-node-update' Insert the names of the nodes immediately following and preceding the current node as the `Next' or `Previous' pointers regardless of those nodes' hierarchical level. This means that the `Next' node of a subsection may well be the next chapter. Sequentially ordered nodes are useful for novels and other documents that you read through sequentially. (However, in Info, the `g *' command lets you look through the file sequentially, so sequentially ordered nodes are not strictly necessary.) With an argument (prefix argument, if interactive), the `texinfo-sequential-node-update' command sequentially updates all the nodes in the region.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Info Formatting, Next: Printing, Prev: Updating Nodes and Menus, Up: Texinfo Mode Formatting for Info =================== Texinfo mode provides several commands for formatting part or all of a Texinfo file for Info. Often, when you are writing a document, you want to format only part of a file--that is, a region. You can use either the `texinfo-format-region' or the `makeinfo-region' command to format a region: `C-c C-e C-r' `M-x texinfo-format-region' `C-c C-m C-r' `M-x makeinfo-region' Format the current region for Info. You can use either the `texinfo-format-buffer' or the `makeinfo-buffer' command to format a whole buffer: `C-c C-e C-b' `M-x texinfo-format-buffer' `C-c C-m C-b' `M-x makeinfo-buffer' Format the current buffer for Info. For example, after writing a Texinfo file, you can type the following: C-u C-c C-u m or C-u M-x texinfo-master-menu This updates all the nodes and menus. Then type the following to create an Info file: C-c C-m C-b or M-x makeinfo-buffer For TeX or the Info formatting commands to work, the file _must_ include a line that has `@setfilename' in its header. *Note Create an Info File::, for details about Info formatting.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Printing, Next: Texinfo Mode Summary, Prev: Info Formatting, Up: Texinfo Mode Formatting and Printing ======================= Typesetting and printing a Texinfo file is a multi-step process in which you first create a file for printing (called a DVI file), and then print the file. Optionally, you may also create indices. To do this, you must run the `texindex' command after first running the `tex' typesetting command; and then you must run the `tex' command again. Or else run the `texi2dvi' command which automatically creates indices as needed (*note Format with texi2dvi::). Often, when you are writing a document, you want to typeset and print only part of a file to see what it will look like. You can use the `texinfo-tex-region' and related commands for this purpose. Use the `texinfo-tex-buffer' command to format all of a buffer. `C-c C-t C-b' `M-x texinfo-tex-buffer' Run `texi2dvi' on the buffer. In addition to running TeX on the buffer, this command automatically creates or updates indices as needed. `C-c C-t C-r' `M-x texinfo-tex-region' Run TeX on the region. `C-c C-t C-i' `M-x texinfo-texindex' Run `texindex' to sort the indices of a Texinfo file formatted with `texinfo-tex-region'. The `texinfo-tex-region' command does not run `texindex' automatically; it only runs the `tex' typesetting command. You must run the `texinfo-tex-region' command a second time after sorting the raw index files with the `texindex' command. (Usually, you do not format an index when you format a region, only when you format a buffer. Now that the `texi2dvi' command exists, there is little or no need for this command.) `C-c C-t C-p' `M-x texinfo-tex-print' Print the file (or the part of the file) previously formatted with `texinfo-tex-buffer' or `texinfo-tex-region'. For `texinfo-tex-region' or `texinfo-tex-buffer' to work, the file _must_ start with a `\input texinfo' line and must include an `@settitle' line. The file must end with `@bye' on a line by itself. (When you use `texinfo-tex-region', you must surround the `@settitle' line with start-of-header and end-of-header lines.) *Note Format/Print Hardcopy::, for a description of the other TeX related commands, such as `tex-show-print-queue'.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Texinfo Mode Summary, Prev: Printing, Up: Texinfo Mode Texinfo Mode Summary ==================== In Texinfo mode, each set of commands has default keybindings that begin with the same keys. All the commands that are custom-created for Texinfo mode begin with `C-c'. The keys are somewhat mnemonic. Insert Commands --------------- The insert commands are invoked by typing `C-c' twice and then the first letter of the @-command to be inserted. (It might make more sense mnemonically to use `C-c C-i', for `custom insert', but `C-c C-c' is quick to type.) C-c C-c c Insert `@code'. C-c C-c d Insert `@dfn'. C-c C-c e Insert `@end'. C-c C-c i Insert `@item'. C-c C-c n Insert `@node'. C-c C-c s Insert `@samp'. C-c C-c v Insert `@var'. C-c C-c { Insert braces. C-c C-c ] C-c C-c } Move out of enclosing braces. C-c C-c C-d Insert a node's section title in the space for the description in a menu entry line. Show Structure -------------- The `texinfo-show-structure' command is often used within a narrowed region. C-c C-s List all the headings. The Master Update Command ------------------------- The `texinfo-master-menu' command creates a master menu; and can be used to update every node and menu in a file as well. C-c C-u m M-x texinfo-master-menu Create or update a master menu. C-u C-c C-u m With `C-u' as a prefix argument, first create or update all nodes and regular menus, and then create a master menu. Update Pointers --------------- The update pointer commands are invoked by typing `C-c C-u' and then either `C-n' for `texinfo-update-node' or `C-e' for `texinfo-every-node-update'. C-c C-u C-n Update a node. C-c C-u C-e Update every node in the buffer. Update Menus ------------ Invoke the update menu commands by typing `C-c C-u' and then either `C-m' for `texinfo-make-menu' or `C-a' for `texinfo-all-menus-update'. To update both nodes and menus at the same time, precede `C-c C-u C-a' with `C-u'. C-c C-u C-m Make or update a menu. C-c C-u C-a Make or update all menus in a buffer. C-u C-c C-u C-a With `C-u' as a prefix argument, first create or update all nodes and then create or update all menus. Format for Info --------------- The Info formatting commands that are written in Emacs Lisp are invoked by typing `C-c C-e' and then either `C-r' for a region or `C-b' for the whole buffer. The Info formatting commands that are written in C and based on the `makeinfo' program are invoked by typing `C-c C-m' and then either `C-r' for a region or `C-b' for the whole buffer. Use the `texinfo-format...' commands: C-c C-e C-r Format the region. C-c C-e C-b Format the buffer. Use `makeinfo': C-c C-m C-r Format the region. C-c C-m C-b Format the buffer. C-c C-m C-l Recenter the `makeinfo' output buffer. C-c C-m C-k Kill the `makeinfo' formatting job. Typeset and Print ----------------- The TeX typesetting and printing commands are invoked by typing `C-c C-t' and then another control command: `C-r' for `texinfo-tex-region', `C-b' for `texinfo-tex-buffer', and so on. C-c C-t C-r Run TeX on the region. C-c C-t C-b Run `texi2dvi' on the buffer. C-c C-t C-i Run `texindex'. C-c C-t C-p Print the DVI file. C-c C-t C-q Show the print queue. C-c C-t C-d Delete a job from the print queue. C-c C-t C-k Kill the current TeX formatting job. C-c C-t C-x Quit a currently stopped TeX formatting job. C-c C-t C-l Recenter the output buffer. Other Updating Commands ----------------------- The `other updating commands' do not have standard keybindings because they are rarely used. M-x texinfo-insert-node-lines Insert missing `@node' lines in region. With `C-u' as a prefix argument, use section titles as node names. M-x texinfo-multiple-files-update Update a multi-file document. With `C-u 2' as a prefix argument, create or update all nodes and menus in all included files first. M-x texinfo-indent-menu-description Indent descriptions. M-x texinfo-sequential-node-update Insert node pointers in strict sequence.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Beginning a File, Next: Ending a File, Prev: Texinfo Mode, Up: Top Beginning a Texinfo File ************************ Certain pieces of information must be provided at the beginning of a Texinfo file, such as the name of the file and the title of the document. * Menu: * Four Parts:: Four parts begin a Texinfo file. * Sample Beginning:: Here is a sample beginning for a Texinfo file. * Header:: The very beginning of a Texinfo file. * Info Summary and Permissions:: Summary and copying permissions for Info. * Titlepage & Copyright Page:: Creating the title and copyright pages. * The Top Node:: Creating the `Top' node and master menu. * Software Copying Permissions:: Ensure that you and others continue to have the right to use and share software.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Four Parts, Next: Sample Beginning, Prev: Beginning a File, Up: Beginning a File Four Parts Begin a File ======================= Generally, the beginning of a Texinfo file has four parts: 1. The header, delimited by special comment lines, that includes the commands for naming the Texinfo file and telling TeX what definitions file to use when processing the Texinfo file. 2. A short statement of what the file is about, with a copyright notice and copying permissions. This is enclosed in `@ifinfo' and `@end ifinfo' commands so that the formatters place it only in the Info file. 3. A title page and copyright page, with a copyright notice and copying permissions. This is enclosed between `@titlepage' and `@end titlepage' commands. The title and copyright page appear only in the printed manual. 4. The `Top' node that contains a menu for the whole Info file. The contents of this node appear only in the Info file. Also, optionally, you may include the copying conditions for a program and a warranty disclaimer. The copying section will be followed by an introduction or else by the first chapter of the manual. Since the copyright notice and copying permissions for the Texinfo document (in contrast to the copying permissions for a program) are in parts that appear only in the Info file or only in the printed manual, this information must be given twice.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Sample Beginning, Next: Header, Prev: Four Parts, Up: Beginning a File Sample Texinfo File Beginning ============================= The following sample shows what is needed. \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- @c %**start of header @setfilename NAME-OF-INFO-FILE @settitle NAME-OF-MANUAL @setchapternewpage odd @c %**end of header @ifinfo This file documents ... Copyright YEAR COPYRIGHT-OWNER Permission is granted to ... @end ifinfo @c This title page illustrates only one of the @c two methods of forming a title page. @titlepage @title NAME-OF-MANUAL-WHEN-PRINTED @subtitle SUBTITLE-IF-ANY @subtitle SECOND-SUBTITLE @author AUTHOR @c The following two commands @c start the copyright page. @page @vskip 0pt plus 1filll Copyright @copyright{} YEAR COPYRIGHT-OWNER Published by ... Permission is granted to ... @end titlepage @node Top, Overview, , (dir) @ifinfo This document describes ... This document applies to version ... of the program named ... @end ifinfo @menu * Copying:: Your rights and freedoms. * First Chapter:: Getting started ... * Second Chapter:: ... ... ... @end menu @node First Chapter, Second Chapter, top, top @comment node-name, next, previous, up @chapter First Chapter @cindex Index entry for First Chapter  File: texinfo.info, Node: Header, Next: Info Summary and Permissions, Prev: Sample Beginning, Up: Beginning a File The Texinfo File Header ======================= Texinfo files start with at least three lines that provide Info and TeX with necessary information. These are the `\input texinfo' line, the `@settitle' line, and the `@setfilename' line. If you want to run TeX on just a part of the Texinfo File, you must write the `@settitle' and `@setfilename' lines between start-of-header and end-of-header lines. Thus, the beginning of a Texinfo file looks like this: \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- @setfilename sample.info @settitle Sample Document or else like this: \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- @c %**start of header @setfilename sample.info @settitle Sample Document @c %**end of header * Menu: * First Line:: The first line of a Texinfo file. * Start of Header:: Formatting a region requires this. * setfilename:: Tell Info the name of the Info file. * settitle:: Create a title for the printed work. * setchapternewpage:: Start chapters on right-hand pages. * paragraphindent:: An option to specify paragraph indentation. * End of Header:: Formatting a region requires this.  File: texinfo.info, Node: First Line, Next: Start of Header, Prev: Header, Up: Header The First Line of a Texinfo File -------------------------------- Every Texinfo file that is to be the top-level input to TeX must begin with a line that looks like this: \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- This line serves two functions: 1. When the file is processed by TeX, the `\input texinfo' command tells TeX to load the macros needed for processing a Texinfo file. These are in a file called `texinfo.tex', which is usually located in the `/usr/lib/tex/macros' directory. TeX uses the backslash, `\', to mark the beginning of a command, just as Texinfo uses `@'. The `texinfo.tex' file causes the switch from `\' to `@'; before the switch occurs, TeX requires `\', which is why it appears at the beginning of the file. 2. When the file is edited in GNU Emacs, the `-*-texinfo-*-' mode specification tells Emacs to use Texinfo mode.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Start of Header, Next: setfilename, Prev: First Line, Up: Header Start of Header --------------- Write a start-of-header line on the second line of a Texinfo file. Follow the start-of-header line with `@setfilename' and `@settitle' lines and, optionally, with other command lines, such as `@smallbook' or `@footnotestyle'; and then by an end-of-header line (*note End of Header::). With these lines, you can format part of a Texinfo file for Info or typeset part for printing. A start-of-header line looks like this: @c %**start of header The odd string of characters, `%**', is to ensure that no other comment is accidentally taken for a start-of-header line.  File: texinfo.info, Node: setfilename, Next: settitle, Prev: Start of Header, Up: Header `@setfilename' -------------- In order to serve as the primary input file for either `makeinfo' or TeX, a Texinfo file must contain a line that looks like this: @setfilename INFO-FILE-NAME Write the `@setfilename' command at the beginning of a line and follow it on the same line by the Info file name. Do not write anything else on the line; anything on the line after the command is considered part of the file name, including what would otherwise be a comment. The `@setfilename' line specifies the name of the Info file to be generated. This name should be different from the name of the Texinfo file. There are two conventions for choosing the name: you can either remove the `.texi' extension from the input file name, or replace it with the `.info' extension. Some operating systems cannot handle long file names. You can run into a problem even when the file name you specify is itself short enough. This occurs because the Info formatters split a long Info file into short indirect subfiles, and name them by appending `-1', `-2', ..., `-10', `-11', and so on, to the original file name. (*Note Tag Files and Split Files: Tag and Split Files.) The subfile name `texinfo.info-10', for example, is too long for some systems; so the Info file name for this document is `texinfo' rather than `texinfo.info'. The Info formatting commands ignore everything written before the `@setfilename' line, which is why the very first line of the file (the `\input' line) does not show up in the output. The `@setfilename' line produces no output when you typeset a manual with TeX, but it nevertheless is essential: it opens the index, cross-reference, and other auxiliary files used by Texinfo, and also reads `texinfo.cnf' if that file is present on your system (*note Preparing to Use TeX: Preparing for TeX.).  File: texinfo.info, Node: settitle, Next: setchapternewpage, Prev: setfilename, Up: Header `@settitle' ----------- In order to be made into a printed manual, a Texinfo file must contain a line that looks like this: @settitle TITLE Write the `@settitle' command at the beginning of a line and follow it on the same line by the title. This tells TeX the title to use in a header or footer. Do not write anything else on the line; anything on the line after the command is considered part of the title, including a comment. Conventionally, when TeX formats a Texinfo file for double-sided output, the title is printed in the left-hand (even-numbered) page headings and the current chapter title is printed in the right-hand (odd-numbered) page headings. (TeX learns the title of each chapter from each `@chapter' command.) Page footers are not printed. Even if you are printing in a single-sided style, TeX looks for an `@settitle' command line, in case you include the manual title in the heading. The `@settitle' command should precede everything that generates actual output in TeX. Although the title in the `@settitle' command is usually the same as the title on the title page, it does not affect the title as it appears on the title page. Thus, the two do not need not match exactly; and the title in the `@settitle' command can be a shortened or expanded version of the title as it appears on the title page. (*Note `@titlepage': titlepage.) TeX prints page headings only for that text that comes after the `@end titlepage' command in the Texinfo file, or that comes after an `@headings' command that turns on headings. (*Note The `@headings' Command: headings on off, for more information.) You may, if you wish, create your own, customized headings and footings. *Note Page Headings: Headings, for a detailed discussion of this process.  File: texinfo.info, Node: setchapternewpage, Next: paragraphindent, Prev: settitle, Up: Header `@setchapternewpage' -------------------- In a book or a manual, text is usually printed on both sides of the paper, chapters start on right-hand pages, and right-hand pages have odd numbers. But in short reports, text often is printed only on one side of the paper. Also in short reports, chapters sometimes do not start on new pages, but are printed on the same page as the end of the preceding chapter, after a small amount of vertical whitespace. You can use the `@setchapternewpage' command with various arguments to specify how TeX should start chapters and whether it should typeset pages for printing on one or both sides of the paper (single-sided or double-sided printing). Write the `@setchapternewpage' command at the beginning of a line followed by its argument. For example, you would write the following to cause each chapter to start on a fresh odd-numbered page: @setchapternewpage odd You can specify one of three alternatives with the `@setchapternewpage' command: `@setchapternewpage off' Cause TeX to typeset a new chapter on the same page as the last chapter, after skipping some vertical whitespace. Also, cause TeX to format page headers for single-sided printing. (You can override the headers format with the `@headings double' command; see *Note The `@headings' Command: headings on off.) `@setchapternewpage on' Cause TeX to start new chapters on new pages and to typeset page headers for single-sided printing. This is the form most often used for short reports. This alternative is the default. `@setchapternewpage odd' Cause TeX to start new chapters on new, odd-numbered pages (right-handed pages) and to typeset for double-sided printing. This is the form most often used for books and manuals. Texinfo does not have an `@setchapternewpage even' command. (You can countermand or modify an `@setchapternewpage' command with an `@headings' command. *Note The `@headings' Command: headings on off.) At the beginning of a manual or book, pages are not numbered--for example, the title and copyright pages of a book are not numbered. By convention, table of contents pages are numbered with roman numerals and not in sequence with the rest of the document. Since an Info file does not have pages, the `@setchapternewpage' command has no effect on it. Usually, you do not write an `@setchapternewpage' command for single-sided printing, but accept the default which is to typeset for single-sided printing and to start new chapters on new pages. Usually, you write an `@setchapternewpage odd' command for double-sided printing.  File: texinfo.info, Node: paragraphindent, Next: End of Header, Prev: setchapternewpage, Up: Header Paragraph Indenting ------------------- The Info formatting commands may insert spaces at the beginning of the first line of each paragraph, thereby indenting that paragraph. You can use the `@paragraphindent' command to specify the indentation. Write an `@paragraphindent' command at the beginning of a line followed by either `asis' or a number. The template is: @paragraphindent INDENT The Info formatting commands indent according to the value of INDENT: * If the value of INDENT is `asis', the Info formatting commands do not change the existing indentation. * If the value of INDENT is zero, the Info formatting commands delete existing indentation. * If the value of INDENT is greater than zero, the Info formatting commands indent the paragraph by that number of spaces. The default value of INDENT is `asis'. Write the `@paragraphindent' command before or shortly after the end-of-header line at the beginning of a Texinfo file. (If you write the command between the start-of-header and end-of-header lines, the region formatting commands indent paragraphs as specified.) A peculiarity of the `texinfo-format-buffer' and `texinfo-format-region' commands is that they do not indent (nor fill) paragraphs that contain `@w' or `@*' commands. *Note Refilling Paragraphs::, for a detailed description of what goes on.  File: texinfo.info, Node: End of Header, Prev: paragraphindent, Up: Header End of Header ------------- Follow the header lines with an end-of-header line. An end-of-header line looks like this: @c %**end of header If you include the `@setchapternewpage' command between the start-of-header and end-of-header lines, TeX will typeset a region as that command specifies. Similarly, if you include an `@smallbook' command between the start-of-header and end-of-header lines, TeX will typeset a region in the "small" book format. The reason for the odd string of characters (`%**') is so that the `texinfo-tex-region' command does not accidentally find something that it should not when it is looking for the header. The start-of-header line and the end-of-header line are Texinfo mode variables that you can change.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Info Summary and Permissions, Next: Titlepage & Copyright Page, Prev: Header, Up: Beginning a File Summary and Copying Permissions for Info ======================================== The title page and the copyright page appear only in the printed copy of the manual; therefore, the same information must be inserted in a section that appears only in the Info file. This section usually contains a brief description of the contents of the Info file, a copyright notice, and copying permissions. The copyright notice should read: Copyright YEAR COPYRIGHT-OWNER and be put on a line by itself. Standard text for the copyright permissions is contained in an appendix to this manual; see *Note `ifinfo' Copying Permissions: ifinfo Permissions, for the complete text. The permissions text appears in an Info file _before_ the first node. This mean that a reader does _not_ see this text when reading the file using Info, except when using the advanced Info command `g *'.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Titlepage & Copyright Page, Next: The Top Node, Prev: Info Summary and Permissions, Up: Beginning a File The Title and Copyright Pages ============================= A manual's name and author are usually printed on a title page. Sometimes copyright information is printed on the title page as well; more often, copyright information is printed on the back of the title page. The title and copyright pages appear in the printed manual, but not in the Info file. Because of this, it is possible to use several slightly obscure TeX typesetting commands that cannot be used in an Info file. In addition, this part of the beginning of a Texinfo file contains the text of the copying permissions that will appear in the printed manual. *Note Titlepage Copying Permissions: Titlepage Permissions, for the standard text for the copyright permissions. * Menu: * titlepage:: Create a title for the printed document. * titlefont center sp:: The `@titlefont', `@center', and `@sp' commands. * title subtitle author:: The `@title', `@subtitle', and `@author' commands. * Copyright & Permissions:: How to write the copyright notice and include copying permissions. * end titlepage:: Turn on page headings after the title and copyright pages. * headings on off:: An option for turning headings on and off and double or single sided printing.  File: texinfo.info, Node: titlepage, Next: titlefont center sp, Prev: Titlepage & Copyright Page, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page `@titlepage' ------------ Start the material for the title page and following copyright page with `@titlepage' on a line by itself and end it with `@end titlepage' on a line by itself. The `@end titlepage' command starts a new page and turns on page numbering. (*Note Page Headings: Headings, for details about how to generate page headings.) All the material that you want to appear on unnumbered pages should be put between the `@titlepage' and `@end titlepage' commands. By using the `@page' command you can force a page break within the region delineated by the `@titlepage' and `@end titlepage' commands and thereby create more than one unnumbered page. This is how the copyright page is produced. (The `@titlepage' command might perhaps have been better named the `@titleandadditionalpages' command, but that would have been rather long!) When you write a manual about a computer program, you should write the version of the program to which the manual applies on the title page. If the manual changes more frequently than the program or is independent of it, you should also include an edition number(1) (*note titlepage-Footnote-1::) for the manual. This helps readers keep track of which manual is for which version of the program. (The `Top' node should also contain this information; see *Note `@top': makeinfo top.) Texinfo provides two main methods for creating a title page. One method uses the `@titlefont', `@sp', and `@center' commands to generate a title page in which the words on the page are centered. The second method uses the `@title', `@subtitle', and `@author' commands to create a title page with black rules under the title and author lines and the subtitle text set flush to the right hand side of the page. With this method, you do not specify any of the actual formatting of the title page. You specify the text you want, and Texinfo does the formatting. You may use either method. For extremely simple applications, Texinfo also provides a command `@shorttitlepage' which takes a single argument as the title. The argument is typeset on a page by itself and followed by a blank page.  File: texinfo.info, Node: titlepage-Footnotes, Up: titlepage (1) We have found that it is helpful to refer to versions of manuals as `editions' and versions of programs as `versions'; otherwise, we find we are liable to confuse each other in conversation by referring to both the documentation and the software with the same words.  File: texinfo.info, Node: titlefont center sp, Next: title subtitle author, Prev: titlepage, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page `@titlefont', `@center', and `@sp' ---------------------------------- You can use the `@titlefont', `@sp', and `@center' commands to create a title page for a printed document. (This is the first of the two methods for creating a title page in Texinfo.) Use the `@titlefont' command to select a large font suitable for the title itself. For example: @titlefont{Texinfo} Use the `@center' command at the beginning of a line to center the remaining text on that line. Thus, @center @titlefont{Texinfo} centers the title, which in this example is "Texinfo" printed in the title font. Use the `@sp' command to insert vertical space. For example: @sp 2 This inserts two blank lines on the printed page. (*Note `@sp': sp, for more information about the `@sp' command.) A template for this method looks like this: @titlepage @sp 10 @center @titlefont{NAME-OF-MANUAL-WHEN-PRINTED} @sp 2 @center SUBTITLE-IF-ANY @sp 2 @center AUTHOR ... @end titlepage The spacing of the example fits an 8 1/2 by 11 inch manual.  File: texinfo.info, Node: title subtitle author, Next: Copyright & Permissions, Prev: titlefont center sp, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page `@title', `@subtitle', and `@author' ------------------------------------ You can use the `@title', `@subtitle', and `@author' commands to create a title page in which the vertical and horizontal spacing is done for you automatically. This contrasts with the method described in the previous section, in which the `@sp' command is needed to adjust vertical spacing. Write the `@title', `@subtitle', or `@author' commands at the beginning of a line followed by the title, subtitle, or author. The `@title' command produces a line in which the title is set flush to the left-hand side of the page in a larger than normal font. The title is underlined with a black rule. The `@subtitle' command sets subtitles in a normal-sized font flush to the right-hand side of the page. The `@author' command sets the names of the author or authors in a middle-sized font flush to the left-hand side of the page on a line near the bottom of the title page. The names are underlined with a black rule that is thinner than the rule that underlines the title. (The black rule only occurs if the `@author' command line is followed by an `@page' command line.) There are two ways to use the `@author' command: you can write the name or names on the remaining part of the line that starts with an `@author' command: @author by Jane Smith and John Doe or you can write the names one above each other by using two (or more) `@author' commands: @author Jane Smith @author John Doe (Only the bottom name is underlined with a black rule.) A template for this method looks like this: @titlepage @title NAME-OF-MANUAL-WHEN-PRINTED @subtitle SUBTITLE-IF-ANY @subtitle SECOND-SUBTITLE @author AUTHOR @page ... @end titlepage Contrast this form with the form of a title page written using the `@sp', `@center', and `@titlefont' commands: @titlepage @sp 10 @center @titlefont{Name of Manual When Printed} @sp 2 @center Subtitle, If Any @sp 1 @center Second subtitle @sp 2 @center Author @page ... @end titlepage  File: texinfo.info, Node: Copyright & Permissions, Next: end titlepage, Prev: title subtitle author, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page Copyright Page and Permissions ------------------------------ By international treaty, the copyright notice for a book should be either on the title page or on the back of the title page. The copyright notice should include the year followed by the name of the organization or person who owns the copyright. When the copyright notice is on the back of the title page, that page is customarily not numbered. Therefore, in Texinfo, the information on the copyright page should be within `@titlepage' and `@end titlepage' commands. Use the `@page' command to cause a page break. To push the copyright notice and the other text on the copyright page towards the bottom of the page, you can write a somewhat mysterious line after the `@page' command that reads like this: @vskip 0pt plus 1filll This is a TeX command that is not supported by the Info formatting commands. The `@vskip' command inserts whitespace. The `0pt plus 1filll' means to put in zero points of mandatory whitespace, and as much optional whitespace as needed to push the following text to the bottom of the page. Note the use of three `l's in the word `filll'; this is the correct usage in TeX. In a printed manual, the `@copyright{}' command generates a `c' inside a circle. (In Info, it generates `(C)'.) The copyright notice itself has the following legally defined sequence: Copyright (C) YEAR COPYRIGHT-OWNER It is customary to put information on how to get a manual after the copyright notice, followed by the copying permissions for the manual. Note that permissions must be given here as well as in the summary segment within `@ifinfo' and `@end ifinfo' that immediately follows the header since this text appears only in the printed manual and the `ifinfo' text appears only in the Info file. *Note Sample Permissions::, for the standard text.  File: texinfo.info, Node: end titlepage, Next: headings on off, Prev: Copyright & Permissions, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page Heading Generation ------------------ An `@end titlepage' command on a line by itself not only marks the end of the title and copyright pages, but also causes TeX to start generating page headings and page numbers. To repeat what is said elsewhere, Texinfo has two standard page heading formats, one for documents which are printed on one side of each sheet of paper (single-sided printing), and the other for documents which are printed on both sides of each sheet (double-sided printing). (*Note `@setchapternewpage': setchapternewpage.) You can specify these formats in different ways: * The conventional way is to write an `@setchapternewpage' command before the title page commands, and then have the `@end titlepage' command start generating page headings in the manner desired. (*Note `@setchapternewpage': setchapternewpage.) * Alternatively, you can use the `@headings' command to prevent page headings from being generated or to start them for either single or double-sided printing. (Write an `@headings' command immediately after the `@end titlepage' command. *Note The `@headings' Command: headings on off, for more information.) * Or, you may specify your own page heading and footing format. *Note Page Headings: Headings, for detailed information about page headings and footings. Most documents are formatted with the standard single-sided or double-sided format, using `@setchapternewpage odd' for double-sided printing and no `@setchapternewpage' command for single-sided printing.  File: texinfo.info, Node: headings on off, Prev: end titlepage, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page The `@headings' Command ----------------------- The `@headings' command is rarely used. It specifies what kind of page headings and footings to print on each page. Usually, this is controlled by the `@setchapternewpage' command. You need the `@headings' command only if the `@setchapternewpage' command does not do what you want, or if you want to turn off pre-defined page headings prior to defining your own. Write an `@headings' command immediately after the `@end titlepage' command. You can use `@headings' as follows: `@headings off' Turn off printing of page headings. `@headings single' Turn on page headings appropriate for single-sided printing. `@headings double' Turn on page headings appropriate for double-sided printing. The two commands, `@headings on' and `@headings double', are synonymous. `@headings singleafter' `@headings doubleafter' Turn on `single' or `double' headings, respectively, after the current page is output. `@headings on' Turn on page headings: `single' if `@setchapternewpage on', `double' otherwise. For example, suppose you write `@setchapternewpage off' before the `@titlepage' command to tell TeX to start a new chapter on the same page as the end of the last chapter. This command also causes TeX to typeset page headers for single-sided printing. To cause TeX to typeset for double sided printing, write `@headings double' after the `@end titlepage' command. You can stop TeX from generating any page headings at all by writing `@headings off' on a line of its own immediately after the line containing the `@end titlepage' command, like this: @end titlepage @headings off The `@headings off' command overrides the `@end titlepage' command, which would otherwise cause TeX to print page headings. You can also specify your own style of page heading and footing. *Note Page Headings: Headings, for more information.  File: texinfo.info, Node: The Top Node, Next: Software Copying Permissions, Prev: Titlepage & Copyright Page, Up: Beginning a File The `Top' Node and Master Menu ============================== The `Top' node is the node from which you enter an Info file. A `Top' node should contain a brief description of the Info file and an extensive, master menu for the whole Info file. This helps the reader understand what the Info file is about. Also, you should write the version number of the program to which the Info file applies; or, at least, the edition number. The contents of the `Top' node should appear only in the Info file; none of it should appear in printed output, so enclose it between `@ifinfo' and `@end ifinfo' commands. (TeX does not print either an `@node' line or a menu; they appear only in Info; strictly speaking, you are not required to enclose these parts between `@ifinfo' and `@end ifinfo', but it is simplest to do so. *Note Conditionally Visible Text: Conditionals.) * Menu: * Title of Top Node:: Sketch what the file is about. * Master Menu Parts:: A master menu has three or more parts.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Title of Top Node, Next: Master Menu Parts, Prev: The Top Node, Up: The Top Node `Top' Node Title ---------------- Sometimes, you will want to place an `@top' sectioning command line containing the title of the document immediately after the `@node Top' line (*note The `@top' Sectioning Command: makeinfo top command., for more information). For example, the beginning of the Top node of this manual contains an `@top' sectioning command, a short description, and edition and version information. It looks like this: ... @end titlepage @ifinfo @node Top, Copying, , (dir) @top Texinfo Texinfo is a documentation system... This is edition... ... @end ifinfo @menu * Copying:: Texinfo is freely redistributable. * Overview:: What is Texinfo? ... @end menu In a `Top' node, the `Previous', and `Up' nodes usually refer to the top level directory of the whole Info system, which is called `(dir)'. The `Next' node refers to the first node that follows the main or master menu, which is usually the copying permissions, introduction, or first chapter.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Master Menu Parts, Prev: Title of Top Node, Up: The Top Node Parts of a Master Menu ---------------------- A "master menu" is a detailed main menu listing all the nodes in a file. A master menu is enclosed in `@menu' and `@end menu' commands and does not appear in the printed document. Generally, a master menu is divided into parts. * The first part contains the major nodes in the Texinfo file: the nodes for the chapters, chapter-like sections, and the appendices. * The second part contains nodes for the indices. * The third and subsequent parts contain a listing of the other, lower level nodes, often ordered by chapter. This way, rather than go through an intermediary menu, an inquirer can go directly to a particular node when searching for specific information. These menu items are not required; add them if you think they are a convenience. If you do use them, put `@detailmenu' before the first one, and `@end detailmenu' after the last; otherwise, `makeinfo' will get confused. Each section in the menu can be introduced by a descriptive line. So long as the line does not begin with an asterisk, it will not be treated as a menu entry. (*Note Writing a Menu::, for more information.) For example, the master menu for this manual looks like the following (but has many more entries): @menu * Copying:: Texinfo is freely redistributable. * Overview:: What is Texinfo? * Texinfo Mode:: Special features in GNU Emacs. ... ... * Command and Variable Index:: An entry for each @-command. * Concept Index:: An entry for each concept. @detailmenu --- The Detailed Node Listing --- Overview of Texinfo * Info Files:: What is an Info file? * Printed Manuals:: Characteristics of a printed manual. ... ... Using Texinfo Mode * Info on a Region:: Formatting part of a file for Info. ... ... @end detailmenu @end menu  File: texinfo.info, Node: Software Copying Permissions, Prev: The Top Node, Up: Beginning a File Software Copying Permissions ============================ If the Texinfo file has a section containing the "General Public License" and the distribution information and a warranty disclaimer for the software that is documented, this section usually follows the `Top' node. The General Public License is very important to Project GNU software. It ensures that you and others will continue to have a right to use and share the software. The copying and distribution information and the disclaimer are followed by an introduction or else by the first chapter of the manual. Although an introduction is not a required part of a Texinfo file, it is very helpful. Ideally, it should state clearly and concisely what the file is about and who would be interested in reading it. In general, an introduction would follow the licensing and distribution information, although sometimes people put it earlier in the document. Usually, an introduction is put in an `@unnumbered' section. (*Note The `@unnumbered' and `@appendix' Commands: unnumbered & appendix.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: Ending a File, Next: Structuring, Prev: Beginning a File, Up: Top Ending a Texinfo File ********************* The end of a Texinfo file should include the commands that create indices and generate detailed and summary tables of contents. And it must include the `@bye' command that marks the last line processed by TeX. For example: @node Concept Index, , Variables Index, Top @c node-name, next, previous, up @unnumbered Concept Index @printindex cp @contents @bye * Menu: * Printing Indices & Menus:: How to print an index in hardcopy and generate index menus in Info. * Contents:: How to create a table of contents. * File End:: How to mark the end of a file.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Printing Indices & Menus, Next: Contents, Prev: Ending a File, Up: Ending a File Index Menus and Printing an Index ================================= To print an index means to include it as part of a manual or Info file. This does not happen automatically just because you use `@cindex' or other index-entry generating commands in the Texinfo file; those just cause the raw data for the index to be accumulated. To generate an index, you must include the `@printindex' command at the place in the document where you want the index to appear. Also, as part of the process of creating a printed manual, you must run a program called `texindex' (*note Format/Print Hardcopy::) to sort the raw data to produce a sorted index file. The sorted index file is what is actually used to print the index. Texinfo offers six different types of predefined index: the concept index, the function index, the variables index, the keystroke index, the program index, and the data type index (*note Predefined Indices::). Each index type has a two-letter name: `cp', `fn', `vr', `ky', `pg', and `tp'. You may merge indices, or put them into separate sections (*note Combining Indices::); or you may define your own indices (*note Defining New Indices: New Indices.). The `@printindex' command takes a two-letter index name, reads the corresponding sorted index file and formats it appropriately into an index. The `@printindex' command does not generate a chapter heading for the index. Consequently, you should precede the `@printindex' command with a suitable section or chapter command (usually `@unnumbered') to supply the chapter heading and put the index into the table of contents. Precede the `@unnumbered' command with an `@node' line. For example: @node Variable Index, Concept Index, Function Index, Top @comment node-name, next, previous, up @unnumbered Variable Index @printindex vr @node Concept Index, , Variable Index, Top @comment node-name, next, previous, up @unnumbered Concept Index @printindex cp @summarycontents @contents @bye (Readers often prefer that the concept index come last in a book, since that makes it easiest to find.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: Contents, Next: File End, Prev: Printing Indices & Menus, Up: Ending a File Generating a Table of Contents ============================== The `@chapter', `@section', and other structuring commands supply the information to make up a table of contents, but they do not cause an actual table to appear in the manual. To do this, you must use the `@contents' and `@summarycontents' commands: `@contents' Generate a table of contents in a printed manual, including all chapters, sections, subsections, etc., as well as appendices and unnumbered chapters. (Headings generated by the `@heading' series of commands do not appear in the table of contents.) The `@contents' command should be written on a line by itself. `@shortcontents' `@summarycontents' (`@summarycontents' is a synonym for `@shortcontents'; the two commands are exactly the same.) Generate a short or summary table of contents that lists only the chapters (and appendices and unnumbered chapters). Omit sections, subsections and subsubsections. Only a long manual needs a short table of contents in addition to the full table of contents. Write the `@shortcontents' command on a line by itself right _before_ the `@contents' command. The table of contents commands automatically generate a chapter-like heading at the top of the first table of contents page. Write the table of contents commands at the very end of a Texinfo file, just before the `@bye' command, following any index sections--anything in the Texinfo file after the table of contents commands will be omitted from the table of contents. When you print a manual with a table of contents, the table of contents are printed last and numbered with roman numerals. You need to place those pages in their proper place, after the title page, yourself. (This is the only collating you need to do for a printed manual. The table of contents is printed last because it is generated after the rest of the manual is typeset.) Here is an example of where to write table of contents commands: INDICES... @shortcontents @contents @bye Since an Info file uses menus instead of tables of contents, the Info formatting commands ignore the `@contents' and `@shortcontents' commands.  File: texinfo.info, Node: File End, Prev: Contents, Up: Ending a File `@bye' File Ending ================== An `@bye' command terminates TeX or Info formatting. None of the formatting commands see any of the file following `@bye'. The `@bye' command should be on a line by itself. If you wish, you may follow the `@bye' line with notes. These notes will not be formatted and will not appear in either Info or a printed manual; it is as if text after `@bye' were within `@ignore' ... `@end ignore'. Also, you may follow the `@bye' line with a local variables list. *Note Using Local Variables and the Compile Command: Compile-Command, for more information.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Structuring, Next: Nodes, Prev: Ending a File, Up: Top Chapter Structuring ******************* The "chapter structuring" commands divide a document into a hierarchy of chapters, sections, subsections, and subsubsections. These commands generate large headings; they also provide information for the table of contents of a printed manual (*note Generating a Table of Contents: Contents.). The chapter structuring commands do not create an Info node structure, so normally you should put an `@node' command immediately before each chapter structuring command (*note Nodes::). The only time you are likely to use the chapter structuring commands without using the node structuring commands is if you are writing a document that contains no cross references and will never be transformed into Info format. It is unlikely that you will ever write a Texinfo file that is intended only as an Info file and not as a printable document. If you do, you might still use chapter structuring commands to create a heading at the top of each node--but you don't need to. * Menu: * Tree Structuring:: A manual is like an upside down tree ... * Structuring Command Types:: How to divide a manual into parts. * makeinfo top:: The `@top' command, part of the `Top' node. * chapter:: * unnumbered & appendix:: * majorheading & chapheading:: * section:: * unnumberedsec appendixsec heading:: * subsection:: * unnumberedsubsec appendixsubsec subheading:: * subsubsection:: Commands for the lowest level sections. * Raise/lower sections:: How to change commands' hierarchical level.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Tree Structuring, Next: Structuring Command Types, Prev: Structuring, Up: Structuring Tree Structure of Sections ========================== A Texinfo file is usually structured like a book with chapters, sections, subsections, and the like. This structure can be visualized as a tree (or rather as an upside-down tree) with the root at the top and the levels corresponding to chapters, sections, subsection, and subsubsections. Here is a diagram that shows a Texinfo file with three chapters, each of which has two sections. Top | ------------------------------------- | | | Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 | | | -------- -------- -------- | | | | | | Section Section Section Section Section Section 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 In a Texinfo file that has this structure, the beginning of Chapter 2 looks like this: @node Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 1, top @chapter Chapter 2 The chapter structuring commands are described in the sections that follow; the `@node' and `@menu' commands are described in following chapters. (*Note Nodes::, and see *Note Menus::.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: Structuring Command Types, Next: makeinfo top, Prev: Tree Structuring, Up: Structuring Types of Structuring Commands ============================= The chapter structuring commands fall into four groups or series, each of which contains structuring commands corresponding to the hierarchical levels of chapters, sections, subsections, and subsubsections. The four groups are the `@chapter' series, the `@unnumbered' series, the `@appendix' series, and the `@heading' series. Each command produces titles that have a different appearance on the printed page or Info file; only some of the commands produce titles that are listed in the table of contents of a printed book or manual. * The `@chapter' and `@appendix' series of commands produce numbered or lettered entries both in the body of a printed work and in its table of contents. * The `@unnumbered' series of commands produce unnumbered entries both in the body of a printed work and in its table of contents. The `@top' command, which has a special use, is a member of this series (*note `@top': makeinfo top.). * The `@heading' series of commands produce unnumbered headings that do not appear in a table of contents. The heading commands never start a new page. * The `@majorheading' command produces results similar to using the `@chapheading' command but generates a larger vertical whitespace before the heading. * When an `@setchapternewpage' command says to do so, the `@chapter', `@unnumbered', and `@appendix' commands start new pages in the printed manual; the `@heading' commands do not. Here are the four groups of chapter structuring commands: No new pages Numbered Unnumbered Lettered and numbered Unnumbered In contents In contents In contents Not in contents @top @majorheading @chapter @unnumbered @appendix @chapheading @section @unnumberedsec @appendixsec @heading @subsection @unnumberedsubsec @appendixsubsec @subheading @subsubsection @unnumberedsubsubsec @appendixsubsubsec @subsubheading  File: texinfo.info, Node: makeinfo top, Next: chapter, Prev: Structuring Command Types, Up: Structuring `@top' ====== The `@top' command is a special sectioning command that you use only after an `@node Top' line at the beginning of a Texinfo file. The `@top' command tells the `makeinfo' formatter which node is the `Top' node. It has the same typesetting effect as `@unnumbered' (*note `@unnumbered': (`@appendix')unnumbered & appendix.). For detailed information, see *Note The `@top' Command: makeinfo top command.  File: texinfo.info, Node: chapter, Next: unnumbered & appendix, Prev: makeinfo top, Up: Structuring `@chapter' ========== `@chapter' identifies a chapter in the document. Write the command at the beginning of a line and follow it on the same line by the title of the chapter. For example, this chapter in this manual is entitled "Chapter Structuring"; the `@chapter' line looks like this: @chapter Chapter Structuring In TeX, the `@chapter' command creates a chapter in the document, specifying the chapter title. The chapter is numbered automatically. In Info, the `@chapter' command causes the title to appear on a line by itself, with a line of asterisks inserted underneath. Thus, in Info, the above example produces the following output: Chapter Structuring ******************* Texinfo also provides a command `@centerchap', which is analogous to `@unnumbered', but centers its argument in the printed output. This kind of stylistic choice is not usually offered by Texinfo.  File: texinfo.info, Node: unnumbered & appendix, Next: majorheading & chapheading, Prev: chapter, Up: Structuring `@unnumbered', `@appendix' ========================== Use the `@unnumbered' command to create a chapter that appears in a printed manual without chapter numbers of any kind. Use the `@appendix' command to create an appendix in a printed manual that is labelled by letter instead of by number. For Info file output, the `@unnumbered' and `@appendix' commands are equivalent to `@chapter': the title is printed on a line by itself with a line of asterisks underneath. (*Note `@chapter': chapter.) To create an appendix or an unnumbered chapter, write an `@appendix' or `@unnumbered' command at the beginning of a line and follow it on the same line by the title, as you would if you were creating a chapter.  File: texinfo.info, Node: majorheading & chapheading, Next: section, Prev: unnumbered & appendix, Up: Structuring `@majorheading', `@chapheading' =============================== The `@majorheading' and `@chapheading' commands put chapter-like headings in the body of a document. However, neither command causes TeX to produce a numbered heading or an entry in the table of contents; and neither command causes TeX to start a new page in a printed manual. In TeX, an `@majorheading' command generates a larger vertical whitespace before the heading than an `@chapheading' command but is otherwise the same. In Info, the `@majorheading' and `@chapheading' commands are equivalent to `@chapter': the title is printed on a line by itself with a line of asterisks underneath. (*Note `@chapter': chapter.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: section, Next: unnumberedsec appendixsec heading, Prev: majorheading & chapheading, Up: Structuring `@section' ========== In a printed manual, an `@section' command identifies a numbered section within a chapter. The section title appears in the table of contents. In Info, an `@section' command provides a title for a segment of text, underlined with `='. This section is headed with an `@section' command and looks like this in the Texinfo file: @section @code{@@section} To create a section, write the `@section' command at the beginning of a line and follow it on the same line by the section title. Thus, @section This is a section produces This is a section ================= in Info.  File: texinfo.info, Node: unnumberedsec appendixsec heading, Next: subsection, Prev: section, Up: Structuring `@unnumberedsec', `@appendixsec', `@heading' ============================================ The `@unnumberedsec', `@appendixsec', and `@heading' commands are, respectively, the unnumbered, appendix-like, and heading-like equivalents of the `@section' command. (*Note `@section': section.) `@unnumberedsec' The `@unnumberedsec' command may be used within an unnumbered chapter or within a regular chapter or appendix to provide an unnumbered section. `@appendixsec' `@appendixsection' `@appendixsection' is a longer spelling of the `@appendixsec' command; the two are synonymous. Conventionally, the `@appendixsec' or `@appendixsection' command is used only within appendices. `@heading' You may use the `@heading' command anywhere you wish for a section-style heading that will not appear in the table of contents.  File: texinfo.info, Node: subsection, Next: unnumberedsubsec appendixsubsec subheading, Prev: unnumberedsec appendixsec heading, Up: Structuring The `@subsection' Command ========================= Subsections are to sections as sections are to chapters. (*Note `@section': section.) In Info, subsection titles are underlined with `-'. For example, @subsection This is a subsection produces This is a subsection -------------------- In a printed manual, subsections are listed in the table of contents and are numbered three levels deep.  File: texinfo.info, Node: unnumberedsubsec appendixsubsec subheading, Next: subsubsection, Prev: subsection, Up: Structuring The `@subsection'-like Commands =============================== The `@unnumberedsubsec', `@appendixsubsec', and `@subheading' commands are, respectively, the unnumbered, appendix-like, and heading-like equivalents of the `@subsection' command. (*Note `@subsection': subsection.) In Info, the `@subsection'-like commands generate a title underlined with hyphens. In a printed manual, an `@subheading' command produces a heading like that of a subsection except that it is not numbered and does not appear in the table of contents. Similarly, an `@unnumberedsubsec' command produces an unnumbered heading like that of a subsection and an `@appendixsubsec' command produces a subsection-like heading labelled with a letter and numbers; both of these commands produce headings that appear in the table of contents.  File: texinfo.info, Node: subsubsection, Next: Raise/lower sections, Prev: unnumberedsubsec appendixsubsec subheading, Up: Structuring The `subsub' Commands ===================== The fourth and lowest level sectioning commands in Texinfo are the `subsub' commands. They are: `@subsubsection' Subsubsections are to subsections as subsections are to sections. (*Note `@subsection': subsection.) In a printed manual, subsubsection titles appear in the table of contents and are numbered four levels deep. `@unnumberedsubsubsec' Unnumbered subsubsection titles appear in the table of contents of a printed manual, but lack numbers. Otherwise, unnumbered subsubsections are the same as subsubsections. In Info, unnumbered subsubsections look exactly like ordinary subsubsections. `@appendixsubsubsec' Conventionally, appendix commands are used only for appendices and are lettered and numbered appropriately in a printed manual. They also appear in the table of contents. In Info, appendix subsubsections look exactly like ordinary subsubsections. `@subsubheading' The `@subsubheading' command may be used anywhere that you need a small heading that will not appear in the table of contents. In Info, subsubheadings look exactly like ordinary subsubsection headings. In Info, `subsub' titles are underlined with periods. For example, @subsubsection This is a subsubsection produces This is a subsubsection .......................  File: texinfo.info, Node: Raise/lower sections, Prev: subsubsection, Up: Structuring `@raisesections' and `@lowersections' ===================================== The `@raisesections' and `@lowersections' commands raise and lower the hierarchical level of chapters, sections, subsections and the like. The `@raisesections' command changes sections to chapters, subsections to sections, and so on. The `@lowersections' command changes chapters to sections, sections to subsections, and so on. An `@lowersections' command is useful if you wish to include text that is written as an outer or standalone Texinfo file in another Texinfo file as an inner, included file. If you write the command at the beginning of the file, all your `@chapter' commands are formatted as if they were `@section' commands, all your `@section' command are formatted as if they were `@subsection' commands, and so on. `@raisesections' raises a command one level in the chapter structuring hierarchy: Change To @subsection @section, @section @chapter, @heading @chapheading, etc. `@lowersections' lowers a command one level in the chapter structuring hierarchy: Change To @chapter @section, @subsection @subsubsection, @heading @subheading, etc. An `@raisesections' or `@lowersections' command changes only those structuring commands that follow the command in the Texinfo file. Write an `@raisesections' or `@lowersections' command on a line of its own. An `@lowersections' command cancels an `@raisesections' command, and vice versa. Typically, the commands are used like this: @lowersections @include somefile.texi @raisesections Without the `@raisesections', all the subsequent sections in your document will be lowered. Repeated use of the commands continue to raise or lower the hierarchical level a step at a time. An attempt to raise above `chapters' reproduces chapter commands; an attempt to lower below `subsubsections' reproduces subsubsection commands.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Nodes, Next: Menus, Prev: Structuring, Up: Top Nodes ***** "Nodes" are the primary segments of a Texinfo file. They do not themselves impose a hierarchic or any other kind of structure on a file. Nodes contain "node pointers" that name other nodes, and can contain "menus" which are lists of nodes. In Info, the movement commands can carry you to a pointed-to node or to a node listed in a menu. Node pointers and menus provide structure for Info files just as chapters, sections, subsections, and the like, provide structure for printed books. * Menu: * Two Paths:: Different commands to structure Info output and printed output. * Node Menu Illustration:: A diagram, and sample nodes and menus. * node:: How to write a node, in detail. * makeinfo Pointer Creation:: How to create node pointers with `makeinfo'.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Two Paths, Next: Node Menu Illustration, Prev: Nodes, Up: Nodes Two Paths ========= The node and menu commands and the chapter structuring commands are independent of each other: * In Info, node and menu commands provide structure. The chapter structuring commands generate headings with different kinds of underlining--asterisks for chapters, hyphens for sections, and so on; they do nothing else. * In TeX, the chapter structuring commands generate chapter and section numbers and tables of contents. The node and menu commands provide information for cross references; they do nothing else. You can use node pointers and menus to structure an Info file any way you want; and you can write a Texinfo file so that its Info output has a different structure than its printed output. However, most Texinfo files are written such that the structure for the Info output corresponds to the structure for the printed output. It is not convenient to do otherwise. Generally, printed output is structured in a tree-like hierarchy in which the chapters are the major limbs from which the sections branch out. Similarly, node pointers and menus are organized to create a matching structure in the Info output.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Node Menu Illustration, Next: node, Prev: Two Paths, Up: Nodes Node and Menu Illustration ========================== Here is a copy of the diagram shown earlier that illustrates a Texinfo file with three chapters, each of which contains two sections. Note that the "root" is at the top of the diagram and the "leaves" are at the bottom. This is how such a diagram is drawn conventionally; it illustrates an upside-down tree. For this reason, the root node is called the `Top' node, and `Up' node pointers carry you closer to the root. Top | ------------------------------------- | | | Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 | | | -------- -------- -------- | | | | | | Section Section Section Section Section Section 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 Write the beginning of the node for Chapter 2 like this: @node Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 1, top @comment node-name, next, previous, up This `@node' line says that the name of this node is "Chapter 2", the name of the `Next' node is "Chapter 3", the name of the `Previous' node is "Chapter 1", and the name of the `Up' node is "Top". *Please Note:* `Next' refers to the next node at the same hierarchical level in the manual, not necessarily to the next node within the Texinfo file. In the Texinfo file, the subsequent node may be at a lower level--a section-level node may follow a chapter-level node, and a subsection-level node may follow a section-level node. `Next' and `Previous' refer to nodes at the _same_ hierarchical level. (The `Top' node contains the exception to this rule. Since the `Top' node is the only node at that level, `Next' refers to the first following node, which is almost always a chapter or chapter-level node.) To go to Sections 2.1 and 2.2 using Info, you need a menu inside Chapter 2. (*Note Menus::.) You would write the menu just before the beginning of Section 2.1, like this: @menu * Sect. 2.1:: Description of this section. * Sect. 2.2:: @end menu Write the node for Sect. 2.1 like this: @node Sect. 2.1, Sect. 2.2, Chapter 2, Chapter 2 @comment node-name, next, previous, up In Info format, the `Next' and `Previous' pointers of a node usually lead to other nodes at the same level--from chapter to chapter or from section to section (sometimes, as shown, the `Previous' pointer points up); an `Up' pointer usually leads to a node at the level above (closer to the `Top' node); and a `Menu' leads to nodes at a level below (closer to `leaves'). (A cross reference can point to a node at any level; see *Note Cross References::.) Usually, an `@node' command and a chapter structuring command are used in sequence, along with indexing commands. (You may follow the `@node' line with a comment line that reminds you which pointer is which.) Here is the beginning of the chapter in this manual called "Ending a Texinfo File". This shows an `@node' line followed by a comment line, an `@chapter' line, and then by indexing lines. @node Ending a File, Structuring, Beginning a File, Top @comment node-name, next, previous, up @chapter Ending a Texinfo File @cindex Ending a Texinfo file @cindex Texinfo file ending @cindex File ending  File: texinfo.info, Node: node, Next: makeinfo Pointer Creation, Prev: Node Menu Illustration, Up: Nodes The `@node' Command =================== A "node" is a segment of text that begins at an `@node' command and continues until the next `@node' command. The definition of node is different from that for chapter or section. A chapter may contain sections and a section may contain subsections; but a node cannot contain subnodes; the text of a node continues only until the next `@node' command in the file. A node usually contains only one chapter structuring command, the one that follows the `@node' line. On the other hand, in printed output nodes are used only for cross references, so a chapter or section may contain any number of nodes. Indeed, a chapter usually contains several nodes, one for each section, subsection, and subsubsection. To create a node, write an `@node' command at the beginning of a line, and follow it with four arguments, separated by commas, on the rest of the same line. These arguments are the name of the node, and the names of the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers, in that order. You may insert spaces before each pointer if you wish; the spaces are ignored. You must write the name of the node, and the names of the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers, all on the same line. Otherwise, the formatters fail. (*note info: (info)Top, for more information about nodes in Info.) Usually, you write one of the chapter-structuring command lines immediately after an `@node' line--for example, an `@section' or `@subsection' line. (*Note Types of Structuring Commands: Structuring Command Types.) *Please note:* The GNU Emacs Texinfo mode updating commands work only with Texinfo files in which `@node' lines are followed by chapter structuring lines. *Note Updating Requirements::. TeX uses `@node' lines to identify the names to use for cross references. For this reason, you must write `@node' lines in a Texinfo file that you intend to format for printing, even if you do not intend to format it for Info. (Cross references, such as the one at the end of this sentence, are made with `@xref' and its related commands; see *Note Cross References::.) * Menu: * Node Names:: How to choose node and pointer names. * Writing a Node:: How to write an `@node' line. * Node Line Tips:: Keep names short. * Node Line Requirements:: Keep names unique, without @-commands. * First Node:: How to write a `Top' node. * makeinfo top command:: How to use the `@top' command. * Top Node Summary:: Write a brief description for readers.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Node Names, Next: Writing a Node, Prev: node, Up: node Choosing Node and Pointer Names ------------------------------- The name of a node identifies the node. The pointers enable you to reach other nodes and consist of the names of those nodes. Normally, a node's `Up' pointer contains the name of the node whose menu mentions that node. The node's `Next' pointer contains the name of the node that follows that node in that menu and its `Previous' pointer contains the name of the node that precedes it in that menu. When a node's `Previous' node is the same as its `Up' node, both node pointers name the same node. Usually, the first node of a Texinfo file is the `Top' node, and its `Up' and `Previous' pointers point to the `dir' file, which contains the main menu for all of Info. The `Top' node itself contains the main or master menu for the manual. Also, it is helpful to include a brief description of the manual in the `Top' node. *Note First Node::, for information on how to write the first node of a Texinfo file.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Writing a Node, Next: Node Line Tips, Prev: Node Names, Up: node How to Write an `@node' Line ---------------------------- The easiest way to write an `@node' line is to write `@node' at the beginning of a line and then the name of the node, like this: @node NODE-NAME If you are using GNU Emacs, you can use the update node commands provided by Texinfo mode to insert the names of the pointers; or you can leave the pointers out of the Texinfo file and let `makeinfo' insert node pointers into the Info file it creates. (*Note Texinfo Mode::, and *Note makeinfo Pointer Creation::.) Alternatively, you can insert the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers yourself. If you do this, you may find it helpful to use the Texinfo mode keyboard command `C-c C-c n'. This command inserts `@node' and a comment line listing the names of the pointers in their proper order. The comment line helps you keep track of which arguments are for which pointers. This comment line is especially useful if you are not familiar with Texinfo. The template for a node line with `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers looks like this: @node NODE-NAME, NEXT, PREVIOUS, UP If you wish, you can ignore `@node' lines altogether in your first draft and then use the `texinfo-insert-node-lines' command to create `@node' lines for you. However, we do not recommend this practice. It is better to name the node itself at the same time that you write a segment so you can easily make cross references. A large number of cross references are an especially important feature of a good Info file. After you have inserted an `@node' line, you should immediately write an @-command for the chapter or section and insert its name. Next (and this is important!), put in several index entries. Usually, you will find at least two and often as many as four or five ways of referring to the node in the index. Use them all. This will make it much easier for people to find the node.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Node Line Tips, Next: Node Line Requirements, Prev: Writing a Node, Up: node `@node' Line Tips ----------------- Here are three suggestions: * Try to pick node names that are informative but short. In the Info file, the file name, node name, and pointer names are all inserted on one line, which may run into the right edge of the window. (This does not cause a problem with Info, but is ugly.) * Try to pick node names that differ from each other near the beginnings of their names. This way, it is easy to use automatic name completion in Info. * By convention, node names are capitalized just as they would be for section or chapter titles--initial and significant words are capitalized; others are not.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Node Line Requirements, Next: First Node, Prev: Node Line Tips, Up: node `@node' Line Requirements ------------------------- Here are several requirements for `@node' lines: * All the node names for a single Info file must be unique. Duplicates confuse the Info movement commands. This means, for example, that if you end every chapter with a summary, you must name each summary node differently. You cannot just call each one "Summary". You may, however, duplicate the titles of chapters, sections, and the like. Thus you can end each chapter in a book with a section called "Summary", so long as the node names for those sections are all different. * A pointer name must be the name of a node. The node to which a pointer points may come before or after the node containing the pointer. * You cannot use any of the Texinfo @-commands in a node name; @-commands confuse Info. Thus, the beginning of the section called `@chapter' looks like this: @node chapter, unnumbered & appendix, makeinfo top, Structuring @comment node-name, next, previous, up @section @code{@@chapter} @findex chapter * You cannot use commas or apostrophes within a node name; these confuse TeX or the Info formatters. For example, the following is a section title: @code{@@unnumberedsec}, @code{@@appendixsec}, @code{@@heading} The corresponding node name is: unnumberedsec appendixsec heading * Case is significant.  File: texinfo.info, Node: First Node, Next: makeinfo top command, Prev: Node Line Requirements, Up: node The First Node -------------- The first node of a Texinfo file is the "Top" node, except in an included file (*note Include Files::). The Top node contains the main or master menu for the document, and a short summary of the document (*note Top Node Summary::). The Top node (which must be named `top' or `Top') should have as its `Up' node the name of a node in another file, where there is a menu that leads to this file. Specify the file name in parentheses. If the file is to be installed directly in the Info directory file, use `(dir)' as the parent of the Top node; this is short for `(dir)top', and specifies the Top node in the `dir' file, which contains the main menu for the Info system as a whole. For example, the `@node Top' line of this manual looks like this: @node Top, Copying, , (dir) (You can use the Texinfo updating commands or the `makeinfo' utility to insert these pointers automatically.) Do not define the `Previous' node of the Top node to be `(dir)', as it causes confusing behavior for users: if you are in the Top node and hit to go backwards, you wind up in the middle of some other entry in the `dir' file, which has nothing to do with what you were reading. *Note Install an Info File::, for more information about installing an Info file in the `info' directory.  File: texinfo.info, Node: makeinfo top command, Next: Top Node Summary, Prev: First Node, Up: node The `@top' Sectioning Command ----------------------------- A special sectioning command, `@top', has been created for use with the `@node Top' line. The `@top' sectioning command tells `makeinfo' that it marks the `Top' node in the file. It provides the information that `makeinfo' needs to insert node pointers automatically. Write the `@top' command at the beginning of the line immediately following the `@node Top' line. Write the title on the remaining part of the same line as the `@top' command. In Info, the `@top' sectioning command causes the title to appear on a line by itself, with a line of asterisks inserted underneath. In TeX and `texinfo-format-buffer', the `@top' sectioning command is merely a synonym for `@unnumbered'. Neither of these formatters require an `@top' command, and do nothing special with it. You can use `@chapter' or `@unnumbered' after the `@node Top' line when you use these formatters. Also, you can use `@chapter' or `@unnumbered' when you use the Texinfo updating commands to create or update pointers and menus.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Top Node Summary, Prev: makeinfo top command, Up: node The `Top' Node Summary ---------------------- You can help readers by writing a summary in the `Top' node, after the `@top' line, before the main or master menu. The summary should briefly describe the document. In Info, this summary will appear just before the master menu. In a printed manual, this summary will appear on a page of its own. If you do not want the summary to appear on a page of its own in a printed manual, you can enclose the whole of the `Top' node, including the `@node Top' line and the `@top' sectioning command line or other sectioning command line between `@ifinfo' and `@end ifinfo'. This prevents any of the text from appearing in the printed output. (*note Conditionally Visible Text: Conditionals.). You can repeat the brief description from the `Top' node within `@iftex' ... `@end iftex' at the beginning of the first chapter, for those who read the printed manual. This saves paper and may look neater. You should write the version number of the program to which the manual applies in the summary. This helps the reader keep track of which manual is for which version of the program. If the manual changes more frequently than the program or is independent of it, you should also include an edition number for the manual. (The title page should also contain this information: see *Note `@titlepage': titlepage.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: makeinfo Pointer Creation, Prev: node, Up: Nodes Creating Pointers with `makeinfo' ================================= The `makeinfo' program has a feature for automatically creating node pointers for a hierarchically organized file that lacks them. When you take advantage of this feature, you do not need to write the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers after the name of a node. However, you must write a sectioning command, such as `@chapter' or `@section', on the line immediately following each truncated `@node' line. You cannot write a comment line after a node line; the section line must follow it immediately. In addition, you must follow the `Top' `@node' line with a line beginning with `@top' to mark the `Top' node in the file. *Note `@top': makeinfo top. Finally, you must write the name of each node (except for the `Top' node) in a menu that is one or more hierarchical levels above the node's hierarchical level. This node pointer insertion feature in `makeinfo' is an alternative to the menu and pointer creation and update commands in Texinfo mode. (*Note Updating Nodes and Menus::.) It is especially helpful to people who do not use GNU Emacs for writing Texinfo documents.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Menus, Next: Cross References, Prev: Nodes, Up: Top Menus ***** "Menus" contain pointers to subordinate nodes.(1) (*note Menus-Footnote-1::) In Info, you use menus to go to such nodes. Menus have no effect in printed manuals and do not appear in them. By convention, a menu is put at the end of a node since a reader who uses the menu may not see text that follows it. A node that has a menu should _not_ contain much text. If you have a lot of text and a menu, move most of the text into a new subnode--all but a few lines. * Menu: * Menu Location:: Put a menu in a short node. * Writing a Menu:: What is a menu? * Menu Parts:: A menu entry has three parts. * Less Cluttered Menu Entry:: Two part menu entry. * Menu Example:: Two and three part menu entries. * Other Info Files:: How to refer to a different Info file.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Menus-Footnotes, Up: Menus (1) Menus can carry you to any node, regardless of the hierarchical structure; even to nodes in a different Info file. However, the GNU Emacs Texinfo mode updating commands work only to create menus of subordinate nodes. Conventionally, cross references are used to refer to other nodes.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Menu Location, Next: Writing a Menu, Prev: Menus, Up: Menus Menus Need Short Nodes ====================== A reader can easily see a menu that is close to the beginning of the node. The node should be short. As a practical matter, you should locate a menu within 20 lines of the beginning of the node. Otherwise, a reader with a terminal that displays only a few lines may miss the menu and its associated text. The short text before a menu may look awkward in a printed manual. To avoid this, you can write a menu near the beginning of its node and follow the menu by an `@node' line, and then an `@heading' line located within `@ifinfo' and `@end ifinfo'. This way, the menu, `@node' line, and title appear only in the Info file, not the printed document. For example, the preceding two paragraphs follow an Info-only menu, `@node' line, and heading, and look like this: @menu * Menu Location:: Put a menu in a short node. * Writing a Menu:: What is a menu? * Menu Parts:: A menu entry has three parts. * Less Cluttered Menu Entry:: Two part menu entry. * Menu Example:: Two and three part entries. * Other Info Files:: How to refer to a different Info file. @end menu @node Menu Location, Writing a Menu, , Menus @ifinfo @heading Menus Need Short Nodes @end ifinfo The Texinfo file for this document contains more than a dozen examples of this procedure. One is at the beginning of this chapter; another is at the beginning of the "Cross References" chapter.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Writing a Menu, Next: Menu Parts, Prev: Menu Location, Up: Menus Writing a Menu ============== A menu consists of an `@menu' command on a line by itself followed by menu entry lines or menu comment lines and then by an `@end menu' command on a line by itself. A menu looks like this: @menu Larger Units of Text * Files:: All about handling files. * Multiples: Buffers. Multiple buffers; editing several files at once. @end menu In a menu, every line that begins with an `* ' is a "menu entry". (Note the space after the asterisk.) A line that does not start with an `* ' may also appear in a menu. Such a line is not a menu entry but is a menu comment line that appears in the Info file. In the example above, the line `Larger Units of Text' is a menu comment line; the two lines starting with `* ' are menu entries.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Menu Parts, Next: Less Cluttered Menu Entry, Prev: Writing a Menu, Up: Menus The Parts of a Menu =================== A menu entry has three parts, only the second of which is required: 1. The menu entry name (optional). 2. The name of the node (required). 3. A description of the item (optional). The template for a menu entry looks like this: * MENU-ENTRY-NAME: NODE-NAME. DESCRIPTION Follow the menu entry name with a single colon and follow the node name with tab, comma, period, or newline. In Info, a user selects a node with the `m' (`Info-menu') command. The menu entry name is what the user types after the `m' command. The third part of a menu entry is a descriptive phrase or sentence. Menu entry names and node names are often short; the description explains to the reader what the node is about. A useful description complements the node name rather than repeats it. The description, which is optional, can spread over two or more lines; if it does, some authors prefer to indent the second line while others prefer to align it with the first (and all others). It's up to you.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Less Cluttered Menu Entry, Next: Menu Example, Prev: Menu Parts, Up: Menus Less Cluttered Menu Entry ========================= When the menu entry name and node name are the same, you can write the name immediately after the asterisk and space at the beginning of the line and follow the name with two colons. For example, write * Name:: DESCRIPTION instead of * Name: Name. DESCRIPTION You should use the node name for the menu entry name whenever possible, since it reduces visual clutter in the menu.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Menu Example, Next: Other Info Files, Prev: Less Cluttered Menu Entry, Up: Menus A Menu Example ============== A menu looks like this in Texinfo: @menu * menu entry name: Node name. A short description. * Node name:: This form is preferred. @end menu This produces: * menu: * menu entry name: Node name. A short description. * Node name:: This form is preferred. Here is an example as you might see it in a Texinfo file: @menu Larger Units of Text * Files:: All about handling files. * Multiples: Buffers. Multiple buffers; editing several files at once. @end menu This produces: * menu: Larger Units of Text * Files:: All about handling files. * Multiples: Buffers. Multiple buffers; editing several files at once. In this example, the menu has two entries. `Files' is both a menu entry name and the name of the node referred to by that name. `Multiples' is the menu entry name; it refers to the node named `Buffers'. The line `Larger Units of Text' is a comment; it appears in the menu, but is not an entry. Since no file name is specified with either `Files' or `Buffers', they must be the names of nodes in the same Info file (*note Referring to Other Info Files: Other Info Files.).  File: texinfo.info, Node: Other Info Files, Prev: Menu Example, Up: Menus Referring to Other Info Files ============================= You can create a menu entry that enables a reader in Info to go to a node in another Info file by writing the file name in parentheses just before the node name. In this case, you should use the three-part menu entry format, which saves the reader from having to type the file name. The format looks like this: @menu * FIRST-ENTRY-NAME:(FILENAME)NODENAME. DESCRIPTION * SECOND-ENTRY-NAME:(FILENAME)SECOND-NODE. DESCRIPTION @end menu For example, to refer directly to the `Outlining' and `Rebinding' nodes in the `XEmacs User's Manual', you would write a menu like this: @menu * Outlining: (xemacs)Outline Mode. The major mode for editing outlines. * Rebinding: (xemacs)Rebinding. How to redefine the meaning of a key. @end menu If you do not list the node name, but only name the file, then Info presumes that you are referring to the `Top' node. The `dir' file that contains the main menu for Info has menu entries that list only file names. These take you directly to the `Top' nodes of each Info document. (*Note Install an Info File::.) For example: * Info: (info). Documentation browsing system. * Emacs: (emacs). The extensible, self-documenting text editor. (The `dir' top level directory for the Info system is an Info file, not a Texinfo file, but a menu entry looks the same in both types of file.) Note that the GNU Emacs Texinfo mode menu updating commands only work with nodes within the current buffer, so you cannot use them to create menus that refer to other files. You must write such menus by hand.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Cross References, Next: Marking Text, Prev: Menus, Up: Top Cross References **************** "Cross references" are used to refer the reader to other parts of the same or different Texinfo files. In Texinfo, nodes are the places to which cross references can refer. * Menu: * References:: What cross references are for. * Cross Reference Commands:: A summary of the different commands. * Cross Reference Parts:: A cross reference has several parts. * xref:: Begin a reference with `See' ... * Top Node Naming:: How to refer to the beginning of another file. * ref:: A reference for the last part of a sentence. * pxref:: How to write a parenthetical cross reference. * inforef:: How to refer to an Info-only file. * uref:: How to refer to a uniform resource locator.  File: texinfo.info, Node: References, Next: Cross Reference Commands, Prev: Cross References, Up: Cross References What References Are For ======================= Often, but not always, a printed document should be designed so that it can be read sequentially. People tire of flipping back and forth to find information that should be presented to them as they need it. However, in any document, some information will be too detailed for the current context, or incidental to it; use cross references to provide access to such information. Also, an on-line help system or a reference manual is not like a novel; few read such documents in sequence from beginning to end. Instead, people look up what they need. For this reason, such creations should contain many cross references to help readers find other information that they may not have read. In a printed manual, a cross reference results in a page reference, unless it is to another manual altogether, in which case the cross reference names that manual. In Info, a cross reference results in an entry that you can follow using the Info `f' command. (*note Some advanced Info commands: (info)Help-Adv.) The various cross reference commands use nodes to define cross reference locations. This is evident in Info, in which a cross reference takes you to the specified node. TeX also uses nodes to define cross reference locations, but the action is less obvious. When TeX generates a DVI file, it records nodes' page numbers and uses the page numbers in making references. Thus, if you are writing a manual that will only be printed, and will not be used on-line, you must nonetheless write `@node' lines to name the places to which you make cross references.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Cross Reference Commands, Next: Cross Reference Parts, Prev: References, Up: Cross References Different Cross Reference Commands ================================== There are four different cross reference commands: `@xref' Used to start a sentence in the printed manual saying `See ...' or an Info cross-reference saying `*Note NAME: NODE.'. `@ref' Used within or, more often, at the end of a sentence; same as `@xref' for Info; produces just the reference in the printed manual without a preceding `See'. `@pxref' Used within parentheses to make a reference that suits both an Info file and a printed book. Starts with a lower case `see' within the printed manual. (`p' is for `parenthesis'.) `@inforef' Used to make a reference to an Info file for which there is no printed manual. (The `@cite' command is used to make references to books and manuals for which there is no corresponding Info file and, therefore, no node to which to point. *Note `@cite': cite.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: Cross Reference Parts, Next: xref, Prev: Cross Reference Commands, Up: Cross References Parts of a Cross Reference ========================== A cross reference command requires only one argument, which is the name of the node to which it refers. But a cross reference command may contain up to four additional arguments. By using these arguments, you can provide a cross reference name for Info, a topic description or section title for the printed output, the name of a different Info file, and the name of a different printed manual. Here is a simple cross reference example: @xref{Node name}. which produces *Note Node name::. and See Section NNN [Node name], page PPP. Here is an example of a full five-part cross reference: @xref{Node name, Cross Reference Name, Particular Topic, info-file-name, A Printed Manual}, for details. which produces *Note Cross Reference Name: (info-file-name)Node name, for details. in Info and See section "Particular Topic" in A Printed Manual, for details. in a printed book. The five possible arguments for a cross reference are: 1. The node name (required). This is the node to which the cross reference takes you. In a printed document, the location of the node provides the page reference only for references within the same document. 2. The cross reference name for the Info reference, if it is to be different from the node name. If you include this argument, it becomes the first part of the cross reference. It is usually omitted. 3. A topic description or section name. Often, this is the title of the section. This is used as the name of the reference in the printed manual. If omitted, the node name is used. 4. The name of the Info file in which the reference is located, if it is different from the current file. You need not include any `.info' suffix on the file name, since Info readers try appending it automatically. 5. The name of a printed manual from a different Texinfo file. The template for a full five argument cross reference looks like this: @xref{NODE-NAME, CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME, TITLE-OR-TOPIC, INFO-FILE-NAME, PRINTED-MANUAL-TITLE}. Cross references with one, two, three, four, and five arguments are described separately following the description of `@xref'. Write a node name in a cross reference in exactly the same way as in the `@node' line, including the same capitalization; otherwise, the formatters may not find the reference. You can write cross reference commands within a paragraph, but note how Info and TeX format the output of each of the various commands: write `@xref' at the beginning of a sentence; write `@pxref' only within parentheses, and so on.  File: texinfo.info, Node: xref, Next: Top Node Naming, Prev: Cross Reference Parts, Up: Cross References `@xref' ======= The `@xref' command generates a cross reference for the beginning of a sentence. The Info formatting commands convert it into an Info cross reference, which the Info `f' command can use to bring you directly to another node. The TeX typesetting commands convert it into a page reference, or a reference to another book or manual. * Menu: * Reference Syntax:: What a reference looks like and requires. * One Argument:: `@xref' with one argument. * Two Arguments:: `@xref' with two arguments. * Three Arguments:: `@xref' with three arguments. * Four and Five Arguments:: `@xref' with four and five arguments.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Reference Syntax, Next: One Argument, Prev: xref, Up: xref What a Reference Looks Like and Requires ---------------------------------------- Most often, an Info cross reference looks like this: *Note NODE-NAME::. or like this *Note CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME: NODE-NAME. In TeX, a cross reference looks like this: See Section SECTION-NUMBER [NODE-NAME], page PAGE. or like this See Section SECTION-NUMBER [TITLE-OR-TOPIC], page PAGE. The `@xref' command does not generate a period or comma to end the cross reference in either the Info file or the printed output. You must write that period or comma yourself; otherwise, Info will not recognize the end of the reference. (The `@pxref' command works differently. *Note `@pxref': pxref.) *Please note:* A period or comma *must* follow the closing brace of an `@xref'. It is required to terminate the cross reference. This period or comma will appear in the output, both in the Info file and in the printed manual. `@xref' must refer to an Info node by name. Use `@node' to define the node (*note Writing a Node::). `@xref' is followed by several arguments inside braces, separated by commas. Whitespace before and after these commas is ignored. A cross reference requires only the name of a node; but it may contain up to four additional arguments. Each of these variations produces a cross reference that looks somewhat different. *Please note:* Commas separate arguments in a cross reference; avoid including them in the title or other part lest the formatters mistake them for separators.  File: texinfo.info, Node: One Argument, Next: Two Arguments, Prev: Reference Syntax, Up: xref `@xref' with One Argument ------------------------- The simplest form of `@xref' takes one argument, the name of another node in the same Info file. The Info formatters produce output that the Info readers can use to jump to the reference; TeX produces output that specifies the page and section number for you. For example, @xref{Tropical Storms}. produces *Note Tropical Storms::. and See Section 3.1 [Tropical Storms], page 24. (Note that in the preceding example the closing brace is followed by a period.) You can write a clause after the cross reference, like this: @xref{Tropical Storms}, for more info. which produces *Note Tropical Storms::, for more info. See Section 3.1 [Tropical Storms], page 24, for more info. (Note that in the preceding example the closing brace is followed by a comma, and then by the clause, which is followed by a period.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: Two Arguments, Next: Three Arguments, Prev: One Argument, Up: xref `@xref' with Two Arguments -------------------------- With two arguments, the second is used as the name of the Info cross reference, while the first is still the name of the node to which the cross reference points. The template is like this: @xref{NODE-NAME, CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME}. For example, @xref{Electrical Effects, Lightning}. produces: *Note Lightning: Electrical Effects. and See Section 5.2 [Electrical Effects], page 57. (Note that in the preceding example the closing brace is followed by a period; and that the node name is printed, not the cross reference name.) You can write a clause after the cross reference, like this: @xref{Electrical Effects, Lightning}, for more info. which produces *Note Lightning: Electrical Effects, for more info. and See Section 5.2 [Electrical Effects], page 57, for more info. (Note that in the preceding example the closing brace is followed by a comma, and then by the clause, which is followed by a period.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: Three Arguments, Next: Four and Five Arguments, Prev: Two Arguments, Up: xref `@xref' with Three Arguments ---------------------------- A third argument replaces the node name in the TeX output. The third argument should be the name of the section in the printed output, or else state the topic discussed by that section. Often, you will want to use initial upper case letters so it will be easier to read when the reference is printed. Use a third argument when the node name is unsuitable because of syntax or meaning. Remember to avoid placing a comma within the title or topic section of a cross reference, or within any other section. The formatters divide cross references into arguments according to the commas; a comma within a title or other section will divide it into two arguments. In a reference, you need to write a title such as "Clouds, Mist, and Fog" without the commas. Also, remember to write a comma or period after the closing brace of a `@xref' to terminate the cross reference. In the following examples, a clause follows a terminating comma. The template is like this: @xref{NODE-NAME, CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME, TITLE-OR-TOPIC}. For example, @xref{Electrical Effects, Lightning, Thunder and Lightning}, for details. produces *Note Lightning: Electrical Effects, for details. and See Section 5.2 [Thunder and Lightning], page 57, for details. If a third argument is given and the second one is empty, then the third argument serves both. (Note how two commas, side by side, mark the empty second argument.) @xref{Electrical Effects, , Thunder and Lightning}, for details. produces *Note Thunder and Lightning: Electrical Effects, for details. and See Section 5.2 [Thunder and Lightning], page 57, for details. As a practical matter, it is often best to write cross references with just the first argument if the node name and the section title are the same, and with the first and third arguments if the node name and title are different. Here are several examples from `The GNU Awk User's Guide': @xref{Sample Program}. @xref{Glossary}. @xref{Case-sensitivity, ,Case-sensitivity in Matching}. @xref{Close Output, , Closing Output Files and Pipes}, for more information. @xref{Regexp, , Regular Expressions as Patterns}.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Four and Five Arguments, Prev: Three Arguments, Up: xref `@xref' with Four and Five Arguments ------------------------------------ In a cross reference, a fourth argument specifies the name of another Info file, different from the file in which the reference appears, and a fifth argument specifies its title as a printed manual. Remember that a comma or period must follow the closing brace of an `@xref' command to terminate the cross reference. In the following examples, a clause follows a terminating comma. The template is: @xref{NODE-NAME, CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME, TITLE-OR-TOPIC, INFO-FILE-NAME, PRINTED-MANUAL-TITLE}. For example, @xref{Electrical Effects, Lightning, Thunder and Lightning, weather, An Introduction to Meteorology}, for details. produces *Note Lightning: (weather)Electrical Effects, for details. The name of the Info file is enclosed in parentheses and precedes the name of the node. In a printed manual, the reference looks like this: See section "Thunder and Lightning" in An Introduction to Meteorology, for details. The title of the printed manual is typeset in italics; and the reference lacks a page number since TeX cannot know to which page a reference refers when that reference is to another manual. Often, you will leave out the second argument when you use the long version of `@xref'. In this case, the third argument, the topic description, will be used as the cross reference name in Info. The template looks like this: @xref{NODE-NAME, , TITLE-OR-TOPIC, INFO-FILE-NAME, PRINTED-MANUAL-TITLE}, for details. which produces *Note TITLE-OR-TOPIC: (INFO-FILE-NAME)NODE-NAME, for details. and See section TITLE-OR-TOPIC in PRINTED-MANUAL-TITLE, for details. For example, @xref{Electrical Effects, , Thunder and Lightning, weather, An Introduction to Meteorology}, for details. produces *Note Thunder and Lightning: (weather)Electrical Effects, for details. and See section "Thunder and Lightning" in An Introduction to Meteorology, for details. On rare occasions, you may want to refer to another Info file that is within a single printed manual--when multiple Texinfo files are incorporated into the same TeX run but make separate Info files. In this case, you need to specify only the fourth argument, and not the fifth.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Top Node Naming, Next: ref, Prev: xref, Up: Cross References Naming a `Top' Node =================== In a cross reference, you must always name a node. This means that in order to refer to a whole manual, you must identify the `Top' node by writing it as the first argument to the `@xref' command. (This is different from the way you write a menu entry; see *Note Referring to Other Info Files: Other Info Files.) At the same time, to provide a meaningful section topic or title in the printed cross reference (instead of the word `Top'), you must write an appropriate entry for the third argument to the `@xref' command. Thus, to make a cross reference to `The GNU Make Manual', write: @xref{Top, , Overview, make, The GNU Make Manual}. which produces *Note Overview: (make)Top. and See section "Overview" in The GNU Make Manual. In this example, `Top' is the name of the first node, and `Overview' is the name of the first section of the manual.  File: texinfo.info, Node: ref, Next: pxref, Prev: Top Node Naming, Up: Cross References `@ref' ====== `@ref' is nearly the same as `@xref' except that it does not generate a `See' in the printed output, just the reference itself. This makes it useful as the last part of a sentence. For example, For more information, see @ref{Hurricanes}. produces For more information, see *Note Hurricanes::. and For more information, see Section 8.2 [Hurricanes], page 123. The `@ref' command sometimes leads writers to express themselves in a manner that is suitable for a printed manual but looks awkward in the Info format. Bear in mind that your audience will be using both the printed and the Info format. For example, Sea surges are described in @ref{Hurricanes}. produces Sea surges are described in Section 6.7 [Hurricanes], page 72. in a printed document, and the following in Info: Sea surges are described in *Note Hurricanes::. *Caution:* You _must_ write a period or comma immediately after an `@ref' command with two or more arguments. Otherwise, Info will not find the end of the cross reference entry and its attempt to follow the cross reference will fail. As a general rule, you should write a period or comma after every `@ref' command. This looks best in both the printed and the Info output.  File: texinfo.info, Node: pxref, Next: inforef, Prev: ref, Up: Cross References `@pxref' ======== The parenthetical reference command, `@pxref', is nearly the same as `@xref', but you use it _only_ inside parentheses and you do _not_ type a comma or period after the command's closing brace. The command differs from `@xref' in two ways: 1. TeX typesets the reference for the printed manual with a lower case `see' rather than an upper case `See'. 2. The Info formatting commands automatically end the reference with a closing colon or period. Because one type of formatting automatically inserts closing punctuation and the other does not, you should use `@pxref' _only_ inside parentheses as part of another sentence. Also, you yourself should not insert punctuation after the reference, as you do with `@xref'. `@pxref' is designed so that the output looks right and works right between parentheses both in printed output and in an Info file. In a printed manual, a closing comma or period should not follow a cross reference within parentheses; such punctuation is wrong. But in an Info file, suitable closing punctuation must follow the cross reference so Info can recognize its end. `@pxref' spares you the need to use complicated methods to put a terminator into one form of the output and not the other. With one argument, a parenthetical cross reference looks like this: ... storms cause flooding (@pxref{Hurricanes}) ... which produces ... storms cause flooding (*Note Hurricanes::) ... and ... storms cause flooding (see Section 6.7 [Hurricanes], page 72) ... With two arguments, a parenthetical cross reference has this template: ... (@pxref{NODE-NAME, CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME}) ... which produces ... (*Note CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME: NODE-NAME.) ... and ... (see Section NNN [NODE-NAME], page PPP) ... `@pxref' can be used with up to five arguments just like `@xref' (*note `@xref': xref.). *Please note:* Use `@pxref' only as a parenthetical reference. Do not try to use `@pxref' as a clause in a sentence. It will look bad in either the Info file, the printed output, or both. Also, parenthetical cross references look best at the ends of sentences. Although you may write them in the middle of a sentence, that location breaks up the flow of text.  File: texinfo.info, Node: inforef, Next: uref, Prev: pxref, Up: Cross References `@inforef' ========== `@inforef' is used for cross references to Info files for which there are no printed manuals. Even in a printed manual, `@inforef' generates a reference directing the user to look in an Info file. The command takes either two or three arguments, in the following order: 1. The node name. 2. The cross reference name (optional). 3. The Info file name. Separate the arguments with commas, as with `@xref'. Also, you must terminate the reference with a comma or period after the `}', as you do with `@xref'. The template is: @inforef{NODE-NAME, CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME, INFO-FILE-NAME}, Thus, @inforef{Expert, Advanced Info commands, info}, for more information. produces *Note Advanced Info commands: (info)Expert, for more information. and See Info file `info', node `Expert', for more information. Similarly, @inforef{Expert, , info}, for more information. produces *Note (info)Expert::, for more information. and See Info file `info', node `Expert', for more information. The converse of `@inforef' is `@cite', which is used to refer to printed works for which no Info form exists. *Note `@cite': cite.  File: texinfo.info, Node: uref, Prev: inforef, Up: Cross References `@uref{URL[, DISPLAYED-TEXT]}' ============================== `@uref' produces a reference to a uniform resource locator (URL). It takes one mandatory argument, the URL, and one optional argument, the text to display (the default is the URL itself). In HTML output, `@uref' produces a link you can follow. For example: The official GNU ftp site is @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu} produces (in text): The official GNU ftp site is `ftp://ftp.gnu.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu' whereas The official @uref{ftp://ftp.gnu.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu, GNU ftp site} holds programs and texts. produces (in text): The official GNU ftp site (ftp://ftp.gnu.ai.mit.edu/pub/gnu) holds programs and texts. and (in HTML): The official GNU ftp site holds programs and texts. To merely indicate a URL, use `@url' (*note `@url': url.).  File: texinfo.info, Node: Marking Text, Next: Quotations and Examples, Prev: Cross References, Up: Top Marking Words and Phrases ************************* In Texinfo, you can mark words and phrases in a variety of ways. The Texinfo formatters use this information to determine how to highlight the text. You can specify, for example, whether a word or phrase is a defining occurrence, a metasyntactic variable, or a symbol used in a program. Also, you can emphasize text. * Menu: * Indicating:: How to indicate definitions, files, etc. * Emphasis:: How to emphasize text.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Indicating, Next: Emphasis, Prev: Marking Text, Up: Marking Text Indicating Definitions, Commands, etc. ====================================== Texinfo has commands for indicating just what kind of object a piece of text refers to. For example, metasyntactic variables are marked by `@var', and code by `@code'. Since the pieces of text are labelled by commands that tell what kind of object they are, it is easy to change the way the Texinfo formatters prepare such text. (Texinfo is an _intentional_ formatting language rather than a _typesetting_ formatting language.) For example, in a printed manual, code is usually illustrated in a typewriter font; `@code' tells TeX to typeset this text in this font. But it would be easy to change the way TeX highlights code to use another font, and this change would not effect how keystroke examples are highlighted. If straight typesetting commands were used in the body of the file and you wanted to make a change, you would need to check every single occurrence to make sure that you were changing code and not something else that should not be changed. * Menu: * Useful Highlighting:: Highlighting provides useful information. * code:: How to indicate code. * kbd:: How to show keyboard input. * key:: How to specify keys. * samp:: How to show a literal sequence of characters. * var:: How to indicate a metasyntactic variable. * file:: How to indicate the name of a file. * dfn:: How to specify a definition. * cite:: How to refer to a book that is not in Info. * url:: How to indicate a world wide web reference. * email:: How to indicate an electronic mail address.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Useful Highlighting, Next: code, Prev: Indicating, Up: Indicating Highlighting Commands are Useful -------------------------------- The highlighting commands can be used to generate useful information from the file, such as lists of functions or file names. It is possible, for example, to write a program in Emacs Lisp (or a keyboard macro) to insert an index entry after every paragraph that contains words or phrases marked by a specified command. You could do this to construct an index of functions if you had not already made the entries. The commands serve a variety of purposes: `@code{SAMPLE-CODE}' Indicate text that is a literal example of a piece of a program. `@kbd{KEYBOARD-CHARACTERS}' Indicate keyboard input. `@key{KEY-NAME}' Indicate the conventional name for a key on a keyboard. `@samp{TEXT}' Indicate text that is a literal example of a sequence of characters. `@var{METASYNTACTIC-VARIABLE}' Indicate a metasyntactic variable. `@url{UNIFORM-RESOURCE-LOCATOR}' Indicate a uniform resource locator for the World Wide Web. `@file{FILE-NAME}' Indicate the name of a file. `@email{EMAIL-ADDRESS[, DISPLAYED-TEXT]}' Indicate an electronic mail address. `@dfn{TERM}' Indicate the introductory or defining use of a term. `@cite{REFERENCE}' Indicate the name of a book.  File: texinfo.info, Node: code, Next: kbd, Prev: Useful Highlighting, Up: Indicating `@code'{SAMPLE-CODE} -------------------- Use the `@code' command to indicate text that is a piece of a program and which consists of entire syntactic tokens. Enclose the text in braces. Thus, you should use `@code' for an expression in a program, for the name of a variable or function used in a program, or for a keyword. Also, you should use `@code' for the name of a program, such as `diff', that is a name used in the machine. (You should write the name of a program in the ordinary text font if you regard it as a new English word, such as `Emacs' or `Bison'.) Use `@code' for environment variables such as `TEXINPUTS', and other variables. Use `@code' for command names in command languages that resemble programming languages, such as Texinfo or the shell. For example, `@code' and `@samp' are produced by writing `@code{@@code}' and `@code{@@samp}' in the Texinfo source, respectively. Note, however, that you should not use `@code' for shell options such as `-c' when such options stand alone. (Use `@samp'.) Also, an entire shell command often looks better if written using `@samp' rather than `@code'. In this case, the rule is to choose the more pleasing format. It is incorrect to alter the case of a word inside an `@code' command when it appears at the beginning of a sentence. Most computer languages are case sensitive. In C, for example, `Printf' is different from the identifier `printf', and most likely is a misspelling of it. Even in languages which are not case sensitive, it is confusing to a human reader to see identifiers spelled in different ways. Pick one spelling and always use that. If you do not want to start a sentence with a command written all in lower case, you should rearrange the sentence. Do not use the `@code' command for a string of characters shorter than a syntactic token. If you are writing about `TEXINPU', which is just a part of the name for the `TEXINPUTS' environment variable, you should use `@samp'. In particular, you should not use the `@code' command when writing about the characters used in a token; do not, for example, use `@code' when you are explaining what letters or printable symbols can be used in the names of functions. (Use `@samp'.) Also, you should not use `@code' to mark text that is considered input to programs unless the input is written in a language that is like a programming language. For example, you should not use `@code' for the keystroke commands of GNU Emacs (use `@kbd' instead) although you may use `@code' for the names of the Emacs Lisp functions that the keystroke commands invoke. In the printed manual, `@code' causes TeX to typeset the argument in a typewriter face. In the Info file, it causes the Info formatting commands to use single quotation marks around the text. For example, Use @code{diff} to compare two files. produces this in the printed manual: Use `diff' to compare two files.  File: texinfo.info, Node: kbd, Next: key, Prev: code, Up: Indicating `@kbd'{KEYBOARD-CHARACTERS} --------------------------- Use the `@kbd' command for characters of input to be typed by users. For example, to refer to the characters `M-a', write @kbd{M-a} and to refer to the characters `M-x shell', write @kbd{M-x shell} The `@kbd' command has the same effect as `@code' in Info, but by default produces a different font (slanted typewriter instead of normal typewriter) in the printed manual, so users can distinguish the characters they are supposed to type from those the computer outputs. Since the usage of `@kbd' varies from manual to manual, you can control the font switching with the `@kbdinputstyle' command. This command has no effect on Info output. Write this command at the beginning of a line with a single word as an argument, one of the following: `code' Always use the same font for `@kbd' as `@code'. `example' Use the distinguishing font for `@kbd' only in `@example' and similar environments. `example' (the default) Always use the distinguishing font for `@kbd'. You can embed another @-command inside the braces of an `@kbd' command. Here, for example, is the way to describe a command that would be described more verbosely as "press an `r' and then press the key": @kbd{r @key{RET}} This produces: `r ' You also use the `@kbd' command if you are spelling out the letters you type; for example: To give the @code{logout} command, type the characters @kbd{l o g o u t @key{RET}}. This produces: To give the `logout' command, type the characters `l o g o u t '. (Also, this example shows that you can add spaces for clarity. If you really want to mention a space character as one of the characters of input, write `@key{SPC}' for it.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: key, Next: samp, Prev: kbd, Up: Indicating `@key'{KEY-NAME} ---------------- Use the `@key' command for the conventional name for a key on a keyboard, as in: @key{RET} You can use the `@key' command within the argument of an `@kbd' command when the sequence of characters to be typed includes one or more keys that are described by name. For example, to produce `C-x ' you would type: @kbd{C-x @key{ESC}} Here is a list of the recommended names for keys: SPC Space RET Return LFD Linefeed (however, since most keyboards nowadays do not have a Linefeed key, it might be better to call this character `C-j'. TAB Tab BS Backspace ESC Escape DEL Delete SHIFT Shift CTRL Control META Meta There are subtleties to handling words like `meta' or `ctrl' that are names of modifier keys. When mentioning a character in which the modifier key is used, such as `Meta-a', use the `@kbd' command alone; do not use the `@key' command; but when you are referring to the modifier key in isolation, use the `@key' command. For example, write `@kbd{Meta-a}' to produce `Meta-a' and `@key{META}' to produce .  File: texinfo.info, Node: samp, Next: var, Prev: key, Up: Indicating `@samp'{TEXT} ------------- Use the `@samp' command to indicate text that is a literal example or `sample' of a sequence of characters in a file, string, pattern, etc. Enclose the text in braces. The argument appears within single quotation marks in both the Info file and the printed manual; in addition, it is printed in a fixed-width font. To match @samp{foo} at the end of the line, use the regexp @samp{foo$}. produces To match `foo' at the end of the line, use the regexp `foo$'. Any time you are referring to single characters, you should use `@samp' unless `@kbd' or `@key' is more appropriate. Use `@samp' for the names of command-line options (except in an `@table', where `@code' seems to read more easily). Also, you may use `@samp' for entire statements in C and for entire shell commands--in this case, `@samp' often looks better than `@code'. Basically, `@samp' is a catchall for whatever is not covered by `@code', `@kbd', or `@key'. Only include punctuation marks within braces if they are part of the string you are specifying. Write punctuation marks outside the braces if those punctuation marks are part of the English text that surrounds the string. In the following sentence, for example, the commas and period are outside of the braces: In English, the vowels are @samp{a}, @samp{e}, @samp{i}, @samp{o}, @samp{u}, and sometimes @samp{y}. This produces: In English, the vowels are `a', `e', `i', `o', `u', and sometimes `y'.  File: texinfo.info, Node: var, Next: file, Prev: samp, Up: Indicating `@var'{METASYNTACTIC-VARIABLE} ------------------------------ Use the `@var' command to indicate metasyntactic variables. A "metasyntactic variable" is something that stands for another piece of text. For example, you should use a metasyntactic variable in the documentation of a function to describe the arguments that are passed to that function. Do not use `@var' for the names of particular variables in programming languages. These are specific names from a program, so `@code' is correct for them. For example, the Emacs Lisp variable `texinfo-tex-command' is not a metasyntactic variable; it is properly formatted using `@code'. The effect of `@var' in the Info file is to change the case of the argument to all upper case; in the printed manual, to italicize it. For example, To delete file @var{filename}, type @code{rm @var{filename}}. produces To delete file FILENAME, type `rm FILENAME'. (Note that `@var' may appear inside `@code', `@samp', `@file', etc.) Write a metasyntactic variable all in lower case without spaces, and use hyphens to make it more readable. Thus, the Texinfo source for the illustration of how to begin a Texinfo manual looks like this: \input texinfo @@setfilename @var{info-file-name} @@settitle @var{name-of-manual} This produces: \input texinfo @setfilename INFO-FILE-NAME @settitle NAME-OF-MANUAL In some documentation styles, metasyntactic variables are shown with angle brackets, for example: ..., type rm However, that is not the style that Texinfo uses. (You can, of course, modify the sources to TeX and the Info formatting commands to output the `<...>' format if you wish.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: file, Next: dfn, Prev: var, Up: Indicating `@file'{FILE-NAME} ------------------ Use the `@file' command to indicate text that is the name of a file, buffer, or directory, or is the name of a node in Info. You can also use the command for file name suffixes. Do not use `@file' for symbols in a programming language; use `@code'. Currently, `@file' is equivalent to `@samp' in its effects. For example, The @file{.el} files are in the @file{/usr/local/emacs/lisp} directory. produces The `.el' files are in the `/usr/local/emacs/lisp' directory.  File: texinfo.info, Node: dfn, Next: cite, Prev: file, Up: Indicating `@dfn'{TERM} ------------ Use the `@dfn' command to identify the introductory or defining use of a technical term. Use the command only in passages whose purpose is to introduce a term which will be used again or which the reader ought to know. Mere passing mention of a term for the first time does not deserve `@dfn'. The command generates italics in the printed manual, and double quotation marks in the Info file. For example: Getting rid of a file is called @dfn{deleting} it. produces Getting rid of a file is called "deleting" it. As a general rule, a sentence containing the defining occurrence of a term should be a definition of the term. The sentence does not need to say explicitly that it is a definition, but it should contain the information of a definition--it should make the meaning clear.  File: texinfo.info, Node: cite, Next: url, Prev: dfn, Up: Indicating `@cite'{REFERENCE} ------------------ Use the `@cite' command for the name of a book that lacks a companion Info file. The command produces italics in the printed manual, and quotation marks in the Info file. (If a book is written in Texinfo, it is better to use a cross reference command since a reader can easily follow such a reference in Info. *Note `@xref': xref.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: url, Next: email, Prev: cite, Up: Indicating `@url'{UNIFORM-RESOURCE-LOCATOR} -------------------------------- Use the `@url' to indicate a uniform resource locator on the World Wide Web. This is analogous to `@file', `@var', etc., and is purely for markup purposes. It does not produce a link you can follow in HTML output (the `@uref' command does, *note `@uref': uref.). It is useful for example URL's which do not actually exist. For example: For example, the url might be @url{http://host.domain.org/path}.  File: texinfo.info, Node: email, Prev: url, Up: Indicating `@email'{EMAIL-ADDRESS[, DISPLAYED-TEXT]} ----------------------------------------- Use the `@email' command to indicate an electronic mail address. It takes one mandatory argument, the address, and one optional argument, the text to display (the default is the address itself). In Info and TeX, the address is shown in angle brackets, preceded by the text to display if any. In HTML output, `@email' produces a `mailto' link that usually brings up a mail composition window. For example: Send bug reports to @email{bug-texinfo@@gnu.org}. Send suggestions to the @email{bug-texinfo@@gnu.org, same place}. produces Send bug reports to . Send suggestions to the same place .  File: texinfo.info, Node: Emphasis, Prev: Indicating, Up: Marking Text Emphasizing Text ================ Usually, Texinfo changes the font to mark words in the text according to what category the words belong to; an example is the `@code' command. Most often, this is the best way to mark words. However, sometimes you will want to emphasize text without indicating a category. Texinfo has two commands to do this. Also, Texinfo has several commands that specify the font in which TeX will typeset text. These commands have no affect on Info and only one of them, the `@r' command, has any regular use. * Menu: * emph & strong:: How to emphasize text in Texinfo. * Smallcaps:: How to use the small caps font. * Fonts:: Various font commands for printed output. * Customized Highlighting:: How to define highlighting commands.  File: texinfo.info, Node: emph & strong, Next: Smallcaps, Prev: Emphasis, Up: Emphasis `@emph'{TEXT} and `@strong'{TEXT} --------------------------------- The `@emph' and `@strong' commands are for emphasis; `@strong' is stronger. In printed output, `@emph' produces _italics_ and `@strong' produces *bold*. For example, @quotation @strong{Caution:} @samp{rm * .[^.]*} removes @emph{all} files in the directory. @end quotation produces: *Caution*: `rm * .[^.]*' removes *all* files in the directory. The `@strong' command is seldom used except to mark what is, in effect, a typographical element, such as the word `Caution' in the preceding example. In the Info file, both `@emph' and `@strong' put asterisks around the text. *Caution:* Do not use `@emph' or `@strong' with the word `Note'; Info will mistake the combination for a cross reference. Use a phrase such as *Please note* or *Caution* instead.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Smallcaps, Next: Fonts, Prev: emph & strong, Up: Emphasis `@sc'{TEXT}: The Small Caps Font -------------------------------- Use the `@sc' command to set text in the printed output in a small caps font and set text in the Info file in upper case letters. Write the text between braces in lower case, like this: The @sc{acm} and @sc{ieee} are technical societies. This produces: The ACM and IEEE are technical societies. TeX typesets the small caps font in a manner that prevents the letters from `jumping out at you on the page'. This makes small caps text easier to read than text in all upper case. The Info formatting commands set all small caps text in upper case. If the text between the braces of an `@sc' command is upper case, TeX typesets in full-size capitals. Use full-size capitals sparingly. You may also use the small caps font for a jargon word such as ATO (a NASA word meaning `abort to orbit'). There are subtleties to using the small caps font with a jargon word such as CDR, a word used in Lisp programming. In this case, you should use the small caps font when the word refers to the second and subsequent elements of a list (the CDR of the list), but you should use `@code' when the word refers to the Lisp function of the same spelling.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Fonts, Next: Customized Highlighting, Prev: Smallcaps, Up: Emphasis Fonts for Printing, Not Info ---------------------------- Texinfo provides four font commands that specify font changes in the printed manual but have no effect in the Info file. `@i' requests italic font (in some versions of TeX, a slanted font is used), `@b' requests bold face, `@t' requests the fixed-width, typewriter-style font used by `@code', and `@r' requests a roman font, which is the usual font in which text is printed. All four commands apply to an argument that follows, surrounded by braces. Only the `@r' command has much use: in example programs, you can use the `@r' command to convert code comments from the fixed-width font to a roman font. This looks better in printed output. For example, @lisp (+ 2 2) ; @r{Add two plus two.} @end lisp produces (+ 2 2) ; Add two plus two. If possible, you should avoid using the other three font commands. If you need to use one, it probably indicates a gap in the Texinfo language.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Customized Highlighting, Prev: Fonts, Up: Emphasis Customized Highlighting ----------------------- You can use regular TeX commands inside of `@iftex' ... `@end iftex' to create your own customized highlighting commands for Texinfo. The easiest way to do this is to equate your customized commands with pre-existing commands, such as those for italics. Such new commands work only with TeX. You can use the `@definfoenclose' command inside of `@ifinfo' ... `@end ifinfo' to define commands for Info with the same names as new commands for TeX. `@definfoenclose' creates new commands for Info that mark text by enclosing it in strings that precede and follow the text. (1) (*note Customized Highlighting-Footnote-1::) Here is how to create a new @-command called `@phoo' that causes TeX to typeset its argument in italics and causes Info to display the argument between `//' and `\\'. For TeX, write the following to equate the `@phoo' command with the existing `@i' italics command: @iftex @global@let@phoo=@i @end iftex This defines `@phoo' as a command that causes TeX to typeset the argument to `@phoo' in italics. `@global@let' tells TeX to equate the next argument with the argument that follows the equals sign. For Info, write the following to tell the Info formatters to enclose the argument between `//' and `\\': @ifinfo @definfoenclose phoo, //, \\ @end ifinfo Write the `@definfoenclose' command on a line and follow it with three arguments separated by commas (commas are used as separators in an `@node' line in the same way). * The first argument to `@definfoenclose' is the @-command name *without* the `@'; * the second argument is the Info start delimiter string; and, * the third argument is the Info end delimiter string. The latter two arguments enclose the highlighted text in the Info file. A delimiter string may contain spaces. Neither the start nor end delimiter is required. However, if you do not provide a start delimiter, you must follow the command name with two commas in a row; otherwise, the Info formatting commands will misinterpret the end delimiter string as a start delimiter string. After you have defined `@phoo' both for TeX and for Info, you can then write `@phoo{bar}' to see `//bar\\' in Info and see `bar' in italics in printed output. Note that each definition applies to its own formatter: one for TeX, the other for Info. Here is another example: @ifinfo @definfoenclose headword, , : @end ifinfo @iftex @global@let@headword=@b @end iftex This defines `@headword' as an Info formatting command that inserts nothing before and a colon after the argument and as a TeX formatting command to typeset its argument in bold.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Customized Highlighting-Footnotes, Up: Customized Highlighting (1) Currently, `@definfoenclose' works only with `texinfo-format-buffer' and `texinfo-format-region', not with `makeinfo'.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Quotations and Examples, Next: Lists and Tables, Prev: Marking Text, Up: Top Quotations and Examples *********************** Quotations and examples are blocks of text consisting of one or more whole paragraphs that are set off from the bulk of the text and treated differently. They are usually indented. In Texinfo, you always begin a quotation or example by writing an @-command at the beginning of a line by itself, and end it by writing an `@end' command that is also at the beginning of a line by itself. For instance, you begin an example by writing `@example' by itself at the beginning of a line and end the example by writing `@end example' on a line by itself, at the beginning of that line. * Menu: * Block Enclosing Commands:: Use different constructs for different purposes. * quotation:: How to write a quotation. * example:: How to write an example in a fixed-width font. * noindent:: How to prevent paragraph indentation. * Lisp Example:: How to illustrate Lisp code. * smallexample & smalllisp:: Forms for the `@smallbook' option. * display:: How to write an example in the current font. * format:: How to write an example that does not narrow the margins. * exdent:: How to undo the indentation of a line. * flushleft & flushright:: How to push text flushleft or flushright. * cartouche:: How to draw cartouches around examples.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Block Enclosing Commands, Next: quotation, Prev: Quotations and Examples, Up: Quotations and Examples The Block Enclosing Commands ============================ Here are commands for quotations and examples: `@quotation' Indicate text that is quoted. The text is filled, indented, and printed in a roman font by default. `@example' Illustrate code, commands, and the like. The text is printed in a fixed-width font, and indented but not filled. `@lisp' Illustrate Lisp code. The text is printed in a fixed-width font, and indented but not filled. `@smallexample' Illustrate code, commands, and the like. Similar to `@example', except that in TeX this command typesets text in a smaller font for the smaller `@smallbook' format than for the 8.5 by 11 inch format. `@smalllisp' Illustrate Lisp code. Similar to `@lisp', except that in TeX this command typesets text in a smaller font for the smaller `@smallbook' format than for the 8.5 by 11 inch format. `@display' Display illustrative text. The text is indented but not filled, and no font is specified (so, by default, the font is roman). `@format' Print illustrative text. The text is not indented and not filled and no font is specified (so, by default, the font is roman). The `@exdent' command is used within the above constructs to undo the indentation of a line. The `@flushleft' and `@flushright' commands are used to line up the left or right margins of unfilled text. The `@noindent' command may be used after one of the above constructs to prevent the following text from being indented as a new paragraph. You can use the `@cartouche' command within one of the above constructs to highlight the example or quotation by drawing a box with rounded corners around it. (The `@cartouche' command affects only the printed manual; it has no effect in the Info file; see *Note Drawing Cartouches Around Examples: cartouche.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: quotation, Next: example, Prev: Block Enclosing Commands, Up: Quotations and Examples `@quotation' ============ The text of a quotation is processed normally except that: * the margins are closer to the center of the page, so the whole of the quotation is indented; * the first lines of paragraphs are indented no more than other lines; * in the printed output, interparagraph spacing is reduced. This is an example of text written between an `@quotation' command and an `@end quotation' command. An `@quotation' command is most often used to indicate text that is excerpted from another (real or hypothetical) printed work. Write an `@quotation' command as text on a line by itself. This line will disappear from the output. Mark the end of the quotation with a line beginning with and containing only `@end quotation'. The `@end quotation' line will likewise disappear from the output. Thus, the following, @quotation This is a foo. @end quotation produces This is a foo.  File: texinfo.info, Node: example, Next: noindent, Prev: quotation, Up: Quotations and Examples `@example' ========== The `@example' command is used to indicate an example that is not part of the running text, such as computer input or output. This is an example of text written between an `@example' command and an `@end example' command. The text is indented but not filled. In the printed manual, the text is typeset in a fixed-width font, and extra spaces and blank lines are significant. In the Info file, an analogous result is obtained by indenting each line with five spaces. Write an `@example' command at the beginning of a line by itself. This line will disappear from the output. Mark the end of the example with an `@end example' command, also written at the beginning of a line by itself. The `@end example' will disappear from the output. For example, @example mv foo bar @end example produces mv foo bar Since the lines containing `@example' and `@end example' will disappear, you should put a blank line before the `@example' and another blank line after the `@end example'. (Remember that blank lines between the beginning `@example' and the ending `@end example' will appear in the output.) *Caution:* Do not use tabs in the lines of an example (or anywhere else in Texinfo, for that matter)! TeX treats tabs as single spaces, and that is not what they look like. This is a problem with TeX. (If necessary, in Emacs, you can use `M-x untabify' to convert tabs in a region to multiple spaces.) Examples are often, logically speaking, "in the middle" of a paragraph, and the text continues after an example should not be indented. The `@noindent' command prevents a piece of text from being indented as if it were a new paragraph. (*Note noindent::.) (The `@code' command is used for examples of code that are embedded within sentences, not set off from preceding and following text. *Note `@code': code.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: noindent, Next: Lisp Example, Prev: example, Up: Quotations and Examples `@noindent' =========== An example or other inclusion can break a paragraph into segments. Ordinarily, the formatters indent text that follows an example as a new paragraph. However, you can prevent this by writing `@noindent' at the beginning of a line by itself preceding the continuation text. For example: @example This is an example @end example @noindent This line is not indented. As you can see, the beginning of the line is fully flush left with the line that follows after it. (This whole example is between @code{@@display} and @code{@@end display}.) produces This is an example This line is not indented. As you can see, the beginning of the line is fully flush left with the line that follows after it. (This whole example is between `@display' and `@end display'.) To adjust the number of blank lines properly in the Info file output, remember that the line containing `@noindent' does not generate a blank line, and neither does the `@end example' line. In the Texinfo source file for this manual, each line that says `produces' is preceded by a line containing `@noindent'. Do not put braces after an `@noindent' command; they are not necessary, since `@noindent' is a command used outside of paragraphs (*note Command Syntax::).  File: texinfo.info, Node: Lisp Example, Next: smallexample & smalllisp, Prev: noindent, Up: Quotations and Examples `@lisp' ======= The `@lisp' command is used for Lisp code. It is synonymous with the `@example' command. This is an example of text written between an `@lisp' command and an `@end lisp' command. Use `@lisp' instead of `@example' to preserve information regarding the nature of the example. This is useful, for example, if you write a function that evaluates only and all the Lisp code in a Texinfo file. Then you can use the Texinfo file as a Lisp library.(1) (*note Lisp Example-Footnote-1::) Mark the end of `@lisp' with `@end lisp' on a line by itself.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Lisp Example-Footnotes, Up: Lisp Example (1) It would be straightforward to extend Texinfo to work in a similar fashion for C, Fortran, or other languages.  File: texinfo.info, Node: smallexample & smalllisp, Next: display, Prev: Lisp Example, Up: Quotations and Examples `@smallexample' and `@smalllisp' ================================ In addition to the regular `@example' and `@lisp' commands, Texinfo has two other "example-style" commands. These are the `@smallexample' and `@smalllisp' commands. Both these commands are designed for use with the `@smallbook' command that causes TeX to produce a printed manual in a 7 by 9.25 inch format rather than the regular 8.5 by 11 inch format. In TeX, the `@smallexample' and `@smalllisp' commands typeset text in a smaller font for the smaller `@smallbook' format than for the 8.5 by 11 inch format. Consequently, many examples containing long lines fit in a narrower, `@smallbook' page without needing to be shortened. Both commands typeset in the normal font size when you format for the 8.5 by 11 inch size; indeed, in this situation, the `@smallexample' and `@smalllisp' commands are defined to be the `@example' and `@lisp' commands. In Info, the `@smallexample' and `@smalllisp' commands are equivalent to the `@example' and `@lisp' commands, and work exactly the same. Mark the end of `@smallexample' or `@smalllisp' with `@end smallexample' or `@end smalllisp', respectively. This is an example of text written between `@smallexample' and `@end smallexample'. In Info and in an 8.5 by 11 inch manual, this text appears in its normal size; but in a 7 by 9.25 inch manual, this text appears in a smaller font. The `@smallexample' and `@smalllisp' commands make it easier to prepare smaller format manuals without forcing you to edit examples by hand to fit them onto narrower pages. As a general rule, a printed document looks better if you write all the examples in a chapter consistently in `@example' or in `@smallexample'. Only occasionally should you mix the two formats. *Note Printing "Small" Books: smallbook, for more information about the `@smallbook' command.  File: texinfo.info, Node: display, Next: format, Prev: smallexample & smalllisp, Up: Quotations and Examples `@display' ========== The `@display' command begins a kind of example. It is like the `@example' command except that, in a printed manual, `@display' does not select the fixed-width font. In fact, it does not specify the font at all, so that the text appears in the same font it would have appeared in without the `@display' command. This is an example of text written between an `@display' command and an `@end display' command. The `@display' command indents the text, but does not fill it.  File: texinfo.info, Node: format, Next: exdent, Prev: display, Up: Quotations and Examples `@format' ========= The `@format' command is similar to `@example' except that, in the printed manual, `@format' does not select the fixed-width font and does not narrow the margins. This is an example of text written between an `@format' command and an `@end format' command. As you can see from this example, the `@format' command does not fill the text.  File: texinfo.info, Node: exdent, Next: flushleft & flushright, Prev: format, Up: Quotations and Examples `@exdent': Undoing a Line's Indentation ======================================= The `@exdent' command removes any indentation a line might have. The command is written at the beginning of a line and applies only to the text that follows the command that is on the same line. Do not use braces around the text. In a printed manual, the text on an `@exdent' line is printed in the roman font. `@exdent' is usually used within examples. Thus, @example This line follows an @@example command. @exdent This line is exdented. This line follows the exdented line. The @@end example comes on the next line. @end group produces This line follows an @example command. This line is exdented. This line follows the exdented line. The @end example comes on the next line. In practice, the `@exdent' command is rarely used. Usually, you un-indent text by ending the example and returning the page to its normal width.  File: texinfo.info, Node: flushleft & flushright, Next: cartouche, Prev: exdent, Up: Quotations and Examples `@flushleft' and `@flushright' ============================== The `@flushleft' and `@flushright' commands line up the ends of lines on the left and right margins of a page, but do not fill the text. The commands are written on lines of their own, without braces. The `@flushleft' and `@flushright' commands are ended by `@end flushleft' and `@end flushright' commands on lines of their own. For example, @flushleft This text is written flushleft. @end flushleft produces This text is written flushleft. `@flushright' produces the type of indentation often used in the return address of letters. For example, @flushright Here is an example of text written flushright. The @code{@flushright} command right justifies every line but leaves the left end ragged. @end flushright produces Here is an example of text written flushright. The `@flushright' command right justifies every line but leaves the left end ragged.  File: texinfo.info, Node: cartouche, Prev: flushleft & flushright, Up: Quotations and Examples Drawing Cartouches Around Examples ================================== In a printed manual, the `@cartouche' command draws a box with rounded corners around its contents. You can use this command to further highlight an example or quotation. For instance, you could write a manual in which one type of example is surrounded by a cartouche for emphasis. The `@cartouche' command affects only the printed manual; it has no effect in the Info file. For example, @example @cartouche % pwd /usr/local/share/emacs @end cartouche @end example surrounds the two-line example with a box with rounded corners, in the printed manual.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Lists and Tables, Next: Indices, Prev: Quotations and Examples, Up: Top Lists and Tables **************** Texinfo has several ways of making lists and tables. Lists can be bulleted or numbered; two-column tables can highlight the items in the first column; multi-column tables are also supported. * Menu: * Introducing Lists:: Texinfo formats lists for you. * itemize:: How to construct a simple list. * enumerate:: How to construct a numbered list. * Two-column Tables:: How to construct a two-column table. * Multi-column Tables:: How to construct generalized tables.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Introducing Lists, Next: itemize, Prev: Lists and Tables, Up: Lists and Tables Introducing Lists ================= Texinfo automatically indents the text in lists or tables, and numbers an enumerated list. This last feature is useful if you modify the list, since you do not need to renumber it yourself. Numbered lists and tables begin with the appropriate @-command at the beginning of a line, and end with the corresponding `@end' command on a line by itself. The table and itemized-list commands also require that you write formatting information on the same line as the beginning @-command. Begin an enumerated list, for example, with an `@enumerate' command and end the list with an `@end enumerate' command. Begin an itemized list with an `@itemize' command, followed on the same line by a formatting command such as `@bullet', and end the list with an `@end itemize' command. Precede each element of a list with an `@item' or `@itemx' command. Here is an itemized list of the different kinds of table and lists: * Itemized lists with and without bullets. * Enumerated lists, using numbers or letters. * Two-column tables with highlighting. Here is an enumerated list with the same items: 1. Itemized lists with and without bullets. 2. Enumerated lists, using numbers or letters. 3. Two-column tables with highlighting. And here is a two-column table with the same items and their @-commands: `@itemize' Itemized lists with and without bullets. `@enumerate' Enumerated lists, using numbers or letters. `@table' `@ftable' `@vtable' Two-column tables with indexing.  File: texinfo.info, Node: itemize, Next: enumerate, Prev: Introducing Lists, Up: Lists and Tables Making an Itemized List ======================= The `@itemize' command produces sequences of indented paragraphs, with a bullet or other mark inside the left margin at the beginning of each paragraph for which such a mark is desired. Begin an itemized list by writing `@itemize' at the beginning of a line. Follow the command, on the same line, with a character or a Texinfo command that generates a mark. Usually, you will write `@bullet' after `@itemize', but you can use `@minus', or any character or any special symbol that results in a single character in the Info file. (When you write `@bullet' or `@minus' after an `@itemize' command, you may omit the `{}'.) Write the text of the indented paragraphs themselves after the `@itemize', up to another line that says `@end itemize'. Before each paragraph for which a mark in the margin is desired, write a line that says just `@item'. Do not write any other text on this line. Usually, you should put a blank line before an `@item'. This puts a blank line in the Info file. (TeX inserts the proper interline whitespace in either case.) Except when the entries are very brief, these blank lines make the list look better. Here is an example of the use of `@itemize', followed by the output it produces. Note that `@bullet' produces a `*' in Info and a round dot in TeX. @itemize @bullet @item Some text for foo. @item Some text for bar. @end itemize This produces: * Some text for foo. * Some text for bar. Itemized lists may be embedded within other itemized lists. Here is a list marked with dashes embedded in a list marked with bullets: @itemize @bullet @item First item. @itemize @minus @item Inner item. @item Second inner item. @end itemize @item Second outer item. @end itemize This produces: * First item. - Inner item. - Second inner item. * Second outer item.  File: texinfo.info, Node: enumerate, Next: Two-column Tables, Prev: itemize, Up: Lists and Tables Making a Numbered or Lettered List ================================== `@enumerate' is like `@itemize' (*note `@itemize': itemize.), except that the labels on the items are successive integers or letters instead of bullets. Write the `@enumerate' command at the beginning of a line. The command does not require an argument, but accepts either a number or a letter as an option. Without an argument, `@enumerate' starts the list with the number `1'. With a numeric argument, such as `3', the command starts the list with that number. With an upper or lower case letter, such as `a' or `A', the command starts the list with that letter. Write the text of the enumerated list in the same way you write an itemized list: put `@item' on a line of its own before the start of each paragraph that you want enumerated. Do not write any other text on the line beginning with `@item'. You should put a blank line between entries in the list. This generally makes it easier to read the Info file. Here is an example of `@enumerate' without an argument: @enumerate @item Underlying causes. @item Proximate causes. @end enumerate This produces: 1. Underlying causes. 2. Proximate causes. Here is an example with an argument of `3': @enumerate 3 @item Predisposing causes. @item Precipitating causes. @item Perpetuating causes. @end enumerate This produces: 3. Predisposing causes. 4. Precipitating causes. 5. Perpetuating causes. Here is a brief summary of the alternatives. The summary is constructed using `@enumerate' with an argument of `a'. a. `@enumerate' Without an argument, produce a numbered list, starting with the number 1. b. `@enumerate POSITIVE-INTEGER' With a (positive) numeric argument, start a numbered list with that number. You can use this to continue a list that you interrupted with other text. c. `@enumerate UPPER-CASE-LETTER' With an upper case letter as argument, start a list in which each item is marked by a letter, beginning with that upper case letter. d. `@enumerate LOWER-CASE-LETTER' With a lower case letter as argument, start a list in which each item is marked by a letter, beginning with that lower case letter. You can also nest enumerated lists, as in an outline.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Two-column Tables, Next: Multi-column Tables, Prev: enumerate, Up: Lists and Tables Making a Two-column Table ========================= `@table' is similar to `@itemize' (*note `@itemize': itemize.), but allows you to specify a name or heading line for each item. The `@table' command is used to produce two-column tables, and is especially useful for glossaries, explanatory exhibits, and command-line option summaries. * Menu: * table:: How to construct a two-column table. * ftable vtable:: Automatic indexing for two-column tables. * itemx:: How to put more entries in the first column.  File: texinfo.info, Node: table, Next: ftable vtable, Prev: Two-column Tables, Up: Two-column Tables Using the `@table' Command -------------------------- Use the `@table' command to produce two-column tables. Write the `@table' command at the beginning of a line and follow it on the same line with an argument that is a Texinfo "indicating" command such as `@code', `@samp', `@var', or `@kbd' (*note Indicating::). Although these commands are usually followed by arguments in braces, in this case you use the command name without an argument because `@item' will supply the argument. This command will be applied to the text that goes into the first column of each item and determines how it will be highlighted. For example, `@code' will cause the text in the first column to be highlighted with an `@code' command. (We recommend `@code' for `@table''s of command-line options.) You may also choose to use the `@asis' command as an argument to `@table'. `@asis' is a command that does nothing; if you use this command after `@table', TeX and the Info formatting commands output the first column entries without added highlighting ("as is"). (The `@table' command may work with other commands besides those listed here. However, you can only use commands that normally take arguments in braces.) Begin each table entry with an `@item' command at the beginning of a line. Write the first column text on the same line as the `@item' command. Write the second column text on the line following the `@item' line and on subsequent lines. (You do not need to type anything for an empty second column entry.) You may write as many lines of supporting text as you wish, even several paragraphs. But only text on the same line as the `@item' will be placed in the first column. Normally, you should put a blank line before an `@item' line. This puts a blank like in the Info file. Except when the entries are very brief, a blank line looks better. The following table, for example, highlights the text in the first column with an `@samp' command: @table @samp @item foo This is the text for @samp{foo}. @item bar Text for @samp{bar}. @end table This produces: `foo' This is the text for `foo'. `bar' Text for `bar'. If you want to list two or more named items with a single block of text, use the `@itemx' command. (*Note `@itemx': itemx.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: ftable vtable, Next: itemx, Prev: table, Up: Two-column Tables `@ftable' and `@vtable' ----------------------- The `@ftable' and `@vtable' commands are the same as the `@table' command except that `@ftable' automatically enters each of the items in the first column of the table into the index of functions and `@vtable' automatically enters each of the items in the first column of the table into the index of variables. This simplifies the task of creating indices. Only the items on the same line as the `@item' commands are indexed, and they are indexed in exactly the form that they appear on that line. *Note Creating Indices: Indices, for more information about indices. Begin a two-column table using `@ftable' or `@vtable' by writing the @-command at the beginning of a line, followed on the same line by an argument that is a Texinfo command such as `@code', exactly as you would for an `@table' command; and end the table with an `@end ftable' or `@end vtable' command on a line by itself. See the example for `@table' in the previous section.  File: texinfo.info, Node: itemx, Prev: ftable vtable, Up: Two-column Tables `@itemx' -------- Use the `@itemx' command inside a table when you have two or more first column entries for the same item, each of which should appear on a line of its own. Use `@itemx' for all but the first entry; `@itemx' should always follow an `@item' command. The `@itemx' command works exactly like `@item' except that it does not generate extra vertical space above the first column text. For example, @table @code @item upcase @itemx downcase These two functions accept a character or a string as argument, and return the corresponding upper case (lower case) character or string. @end table This produces: `upcase' `downcase' These two functions accept a character or a string as argument, and return the corresponding upper case (lower case) character or string. (Note also that this example illustrates multi-line supporting text in a two-column table.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: Multi-column Tables, Prev: Two-column Tables, Up: Lists and Tables Multi-column Tables =================== `@multitable' allows you to construct tables with any number of columns, with each column having any width you like. You define the column widths on the `@multitable' line itself, and write each row of the actual table following an `@item' command, with columns separated by an `@tab' command. Finally, `@end multitable' completes the table. Details in the sections below. * Menu: * Multitable Column Widths:: Defining multitable column widths. * Multitable Rows:: Defining multitable rows, with examples.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Multitable Column Widths, Next: Multitable Rows, Prev: Multi-column Tables, Up: Multi-column Tables Multitable Column Widths ------------------------ You can define the column widths for a multitable in two ways: as fractions of the line length; or with a prototype row. Mixing the two methods is not supported. In either case, the widths are defined entirely on the same line as the `@multitable' command. 1. To specify column widths as fractions of the line length, write `@columnfractions' and the decimal numbers (presumably less than 1) after the `@multitable' command, as in: @multitable @columnfractions .33 .33 .33 The fractions need not add up exactly to 1.0, as these do not. This allows you to produce tables that do not need the full line length. 2. To specify a prototype row, write the longest entry for each column enclosed in braces after the `@multitable' command. For example: @multitable {some text for column one} {for column two} The first column will then have the width of the typeset `some text for column one', and the second column the width of `for column two'. The prototype entries need not appear in the table itself. Although we used simple text in this example, the prototype entries can contain Texinfo commands; markup commands such as `@code' are particularly likely to be useful.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Multitable Rows, Prev: Multitable Column Widths, Up: Multi-column Tables Multitable Rows --------------- After the `@multitable' command defining the column widths (see the previous section), you begin each row in the body of a multitable with `@item', and separate the column entries with `@tab'. Line breaks are not special within the table body, and you may break input lines in your source file as necessary. Here is a complete example of a multi-column table (the text is from `The XEmacs Users' Manual', *note Splitting Windows: (xemacs)Split Window.): @multitable @columnfractions .15 .45 .4 @item Key @tab Command @tab Description @item C-x 2 @tab @code{split-window-vertically} @tab Split the selected window into two windows, with one above the other. @item C-x 3 @tab @code{split-window-horizontally} @tab Split the selected window into two windows positioned side by side. @item C-Mouse-2 @tab @tab In the mode line or scroll bar of a window, split that window. @end multitable produces: Key Command Description C-x 2 `split-window-vertically' Split the selected window into two windows, with one above the other. C-x 3 `split-window-horizontally' Split the selected window into two windows positioned side by side. C-Mouse-2 In the mode line or scroll bar of a window, split that window.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Indices, Next: Insertions, Prev: Lists and Tables, Up: Top Creating Indices **************** Using Texinfo, you can generate indices without having to sort and collate entries manually. In an index, the entries are listed in alphabetical order, together with information on how to find the discussion of each entry. In a printed manual, this information consists of page numbers. In an Info file, this information is a menu entry leading to the first node referenced. Texinfo provides several predefined kinds of index: an index for functions, an index for variables, an index for concepts, and so on. You can combine indices or use them for other than their canonical purpose. If you wish, you can define your own indices. * Menu: * Index Entries:: Choose different words for index entries. * Predefined Indices:: Use different indices for different kinds of entry. * Indexing Commands:: How to make an index entry. * Combining Indices:: How to combine indices. * New Indices:: How to define your own indices.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Index Entries, Next: Predefined Indices, Prev: Indices, Up: Indices Making Index Entries ==================== When you are making index entries, it is good practice to think of the different ways people may look for something. Different people _do not_ think of the same words when they look something up. A helpful index will have items indexed under all the different words that people may use. For example, one reader may think it obvious that the two-letter names for indices should be listed under "Indices, two-letter names", since the word "Index" is the general concept. But another reader may remember the specific concept of two-letter names and search for the entry listed as "Two letter names for indices". A good index will have both entries and will help both readers. Like typesetting, the construction of an index is a highly skilled, professional art, the subtleties of which are not appreciated until you need to do it yourself. *Note Printing Indices & Menus::, for information about printing an index at the end of a book or creating an index menu in an Info file.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Predefined Indices, Next: Indexing Commands, Prev: Index Entries, Up: Indices Predefined Indices ================== Texinfo provides six predefined indices: * A "concept index" listing concepts that are discussed. * A "function index" listing functions (such as entry points of libraries). * A "variables index" listing variables (such as global variables of libraries). * A "keystroke index" listing keyboard commands. * A "program index" listing names of programs. * A "data type index" listing data types (such as structures defined in header files). Not every manual needs all of these, and most manuals use two or three of them. This manual has two indices: a concept index and an @-command index (that is actually the function index but is called a command index in the chapter heading). Two or more indices can be combined into one using the `@synindex' or `@syncodeindex' commands. *Note Combining Indices::.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Indexing Commands, Next: Combining Indices, Prev: Predefined Indices, Up: Indices Defining the Entries of an Index ================================ The data to make an index come from many individual indexing commands scattered throughout the Texinfo source file. Each command says to add one entry to a particular index; after formatting, the index will give the current page number or node name as the reference. An index entry consists of an indexing command at the beginning of a line followed, on the rest of the line, by the entry. For example, this section begins with the following five entries for the concept index: @cindex Defining indexing entries @cindex Index entries @cindex Entries for an index @cindex Specifying index entries @cindex Creating index entries Each predefined index has its own indexing command--`@cindex' for the concept index, `@findex' for the function index, and so on. Concept index entries consist of text. The best way to write an index is to choose entries that are terse yet clear. If you can do this, the index often looks better if the entries are not capitalized, but written just as they would appear in the middle of a sentence. (Capitalize proper names and acronyms that always call for upper case letters.) This is the case convention we use in most GNU manuals' indices. If you don't see how to make an entry terse yet clear, make it longer and clear--not terse and confusing. If many of the entries are several words long, the index may look better if you use a different convention: to capitalize the first word of each entry. But do not capitalize a case-sensitive name such as a C or Lisp function name or a shell command; that would be a spelling error. Whichever case convention you use, please use it consistently! Entries in indices other than the concept index are symbol names in programming languages, or program names; these names are usually case-sensitive, so use upper and lower case as required for them. By default, entries for a concept index are printed in a small roman font and entries for the other indices are printed in a small `@code' font. You may change the way part of an entry is printed with the usual Texinfo commands, such as `@file' for file names and `@emph' for emphasis (*note Marking Text::). The six indexing commands for predefined indices are: `@cindex CONCEPT' Make an entry in the concept index for CONCEPT. `@findex FUNCTION' Make an entry in the function index for FUNCTION. `@vindex VARIABLE' Make an entry in the variable index for VARIABLE. `@kindex KEYSTROKE' Make an entry in the key index for KEYSTROKE. `@pindex PROGRAM' Make an entry in the program index for PROGRAM. `@tindex DATA TYPE' Make an entry in the data type index for DATA TYPE. *Caution:* Do not use a colon in an index entry. In Info, a colon separates the menu entry name from the node name. An extra colon confuses Info. *Note The Parts of a Menu: Menu Parts, for more information about the structure of a menu entry. If you write several identical index entries in different places in a Texinfo file, the index in the printed manual will list all the pages to which those entries refer. However, the index in the Info file will list *only* the node that references the *first* of those index entries. Therefore, it is best to write indices in which each entry refers to only one place in the Texinfo file. Fortunately, this constraint is a feature rather than a loss since it means that the index will be easy to use. Otherwise, you could create an index that lists several pages for one entry and your reader would not know to which page to turn. If you have two identical entries for one topic, change the topics slightly, or qualify them to indicate the difference. You are not actually required to use the predefined indices for their canonical purposes. For example, suppose you wish to index some C preprocessor macros. You could put them in the function index along with actual functions, just by writing `@findex' commands for them; then, when you print the "Function Index" as an unnumbered chapter, you could give it the title `Function and Macro Index' and all will be consistent for the reader. Or you could put the macros in with the data types by writing `@tindex' commands for them, and give that index a suitable title so the reader will understand. (*Note Printing Indices & Menus::.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: Combining Indices, Next: New Indices, Prev: Indexing Commands, Up: Indices Combining Indices ================= Sometimes you will want to combine two disparate indices such as functions and concepts, perhaps because you have few enough of one of them that a separate index for them would look silly. You could put functions into the concept index by writing `@cindex' commands for them instead of `@findex' commands, and produce a consistent manual by printing the concept index with the title `Function and Concept Index' and not printing the `Function Index' at all; but this is not a robust procedure. It works only if your document is never included as part of another document that is designed to have a separate function index; if your document were to be included with such a document, the functions from your document and those from the other would not end up together. Also, to make your function names appear in the right font in the concept index, you would need to enclose every one of them between the braces of `@code'. * Menu: * syncodeindex:: How to merge two indices, using `@code' font for the merged-from index. * synindex:: How to merge two indices, using the default font of the merged-to index.  File: texinfo.info, Node: syncodeindex, Next: synindex, Prev: Combining Indices, Up: Combining Indices `@syncodeindex' --------------- When you want to combine functions and concepts into one index, you should index the functions with `@findex' and index the concepts with `@cindex', and use the `@syncodeindex' command to redirect the function index entries into the concept index. The `@syncodeindex' command takes two arguments; they are the name of the index to redirect, and the name of the index to redirect it to. The template looks like this: @syncodeindex FROM TO For this purpose, the indices are given two-letter names: `cp' concept index `fn' function index `vr' variable index `ky' key index `pg' program index `tp' data type index Write an `@syncodeindex' command before or shortly after the end-of-header line at the beginning of a Texinfo file. For example, to merge a function index with a concept index, write the following: @syncodeindex fn cp This will cause all entries designated for the function index to merge in with the concept index instead. To merge both a variables index and a function index into a concept index, write the following: @syncodeindex vr cp @syncodeindex fn cp The `@syncodeindex' command puts all the entries from the `from' index (the redirected index) into the `@code' font, overriding whatever default font is used by the index to which the entries are now directed. This way, if you direct function names from a function index into a concept index, all the function names are printed in the `@code' font as you would expect.  File: texinfo.info, Node: synindex, Prev: syncodeindex, Up: Combining Indices `@synindex' ----------- The `@synindex' command is nearly the same as the `@syncodeindex' command, except that it does not put the `from' index entries into the `@code' font; rather it puts them in the roman font. Thus, you use `@synindex' when you merge a concept index into a function index. *Note Printing Indices & Menus::, for information about printing an index at the end of a book or creating an index menu in an Info file.  File: texinfo.info, Node: New Indices, Prev: Combining Indices, Up: Indices Defining New Indices ==================== In addition to the predefined indices, you may use the `@defindex' and `@defcodeindex' commands to define new indices. These commands create new indexing @-commands with which you mark index entries. The `@defindex 'command is used like this: @defindex NAME The name of an index should be a two letter word, such as `au'. For example: @defindex au This defines a new index, called the `au' index. At the same time, it creates a new indexing command, `@auindex', that you can use to make index entries. Use the new indexing command just as you would use a predefined indexing command. For example, here is a section heading followed by a concept index entry and two `au' index entries. @section Cognitive Semantics @cindex kinesthetic image schemas @auindex Johnson, Mark @auindex Lakoff, George (Evidently, `au' serves here as an abbreviation for "author".) Texinfo constructs the new indexing command by concatenating the name of the index with `index'; thus, defining an `au' index leads to the automatic creation of an `@auindex' command. Use the `@printindex' command to print the index, as you do with the predefined indices. For example: @node Author Index, Subject Index, , Top @unnumbered Author Index @printindex au The `@defcodeindex' is like the `@defindex' command, except that, in the printed output, it prints entries in an `@code' font instead of a roman font. Thus, it parallels the `@findex' command rather than the `@cindex' command. You should define new indices within or right after the end-of-header line of a Texinfo file, before any `@synindex' or `@syncodeindex' commands (*note Header::).  File: texinfo.info, Node: Insertions, Next: Breaks, Prev: Indices, Up: Top Special Insertions ****************** Texinfo provides several commands for inserting characters that have special meaning in Texinfo, such as braces, and for other graphic elements that do not correspond to simple characters you can type. * Menu: * Braces Atsigns:: How to insert braces, `@'. * Inserting Space:: How to insert the right amount of space within a sentence. * Inserting Accents:: How to insert accents and special characters. * Dots Bullets:: How to insert dots and bullets. * TeX and copyright:: How to insert the TeX logo and the copyright symbol. * pounds:: How to insert the pounds currency symbol. * minus:: How to insert a minus sign. * math:: How to format a mathematical expression. * Glyphs:: How to indicate results of evaluation, expansion of macros, errors, etc. * Images:: How to include graphics.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Braces Atsigns, Next: Inserting Space, Prev: Insertions, Up: Insertions Inserting @ and Braces ====================== `@' and curly braces are special characters in Texinfo. To insert these characters so they appear in text, you must put an `@' in front of these characters to prevent Texinfo from misinterpreting them. Do not put braces after any of these commands; they are not necessary. * Menu: * Inserting An Atsign:: How to insert `@'. * Inserting Braces:: How to insert `{' and `}'.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Inserting An Atsign, Next: Inserting Braces, Prev: Braces Atsigns, Up: Braces Atsigns Inserting `@' with @@ --------------------- `@@' stands for a single `@' in either printed or Info output. Do not put braces after an `@@' command.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Inserting Braces, Prev: Inserting An Atsign, Up: Braces Atsigns Inserting `{' and `}'with @{ and @} ----------------------------------- `@{' stands for a single `{' in either printed or Info output. `@}' stands for a single `}' in either printed or Info output. Do not put braces after either an `@{' or an `@}' command.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Inserting Space, Next: Inserting Accents, Prev: Braces Atsigns, Up: Insertions Inserting Space =============== The following sections describe commands that control spacing of various kinds within and after sentences. * Menu: * Not Ending a Sentence:: Sometimes a . doesn't end a sentence. * Ending a Sentence:: Sometimes it does. * Multiple Spaces:: Inserting multiple spaces. * dmn:: How to format a dimension.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Not Ending a Sentence, Next: Ending a Sentence, Prev: Inserting Space, Up: Inserting Space Not Ending a Sentence --------------------- Depending on whether a period or exclamation point or question mark is inside or at the end of a sentence, less or more space is inserted after a period in a typeset manual. Since it is not always possible for Texinfo to determine when a period ends a sentence and when it is used in an abbreviation, special commands are needed in some circumstances. (Usually, Texinfo can guess how to handle periods, so you do not need to use the special commands; you just enter a period as you would if you were using a typewriter, which means you put two spaces after the period, question mark, or exclamation mark that ends a sentence.) Use the `@:' command after a period, question mark, exclamation mark, or colon that should not be followed by extra space. For example, use `@:' after periods that end abbreviations which are not at the ends of sentences. For example, The s.o.p.@: has three parts ... The s.o.p. has three parts ... produces The s.o.p. has three parts ... The s.o.p. has three parts ... (Incidentally, `s.o.p.' is an abbreviation for "Standard Operating Procedure".) `@:' has no effect on the Info output. Do not put braces after `@:'.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Ending a Sentence, Next: Multiple Spaces, Prev: Not Ending a Sentence, Up: Inserting Space Ending a Sentence ----------------- Use `@.' instead of a period, `@!' instead of an exclamation point, and `@?' instead of a question mark at the end of a sentence that ends with a single capital letter. Otherwise, TeX will think the letter is an abbreviation and will not insert the correct end-of-sentence spacing. Here is an example: Give it to M.I.B. and to M.E.W@. Also, give it to R.J.C@. Give it to M.I.B. and to M.E.W. Also, give it to R.J.C. produces Give it to M.I.B. and to M.E.W. Also, give it to R.J.C. Give it to M.I.B. and to M.E.W. Also, give it to R.J.C. In the Info file output, `@.' is equivalent to a simple `.'; likewise for `@!' and `@?'. The meanings of `@:' and `@.' in Texinfo are designed to work well with the Emacs sentence motion commands (*note Sentences: (xemacs)Sentences.). This made it necessary for them to be incompatible with some other formatting systems that use @-commands. Do not put braces after any of these commands.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Multiple Spaces, Next: dmn, Prev: Ending a Sentence, Up: Inserting Space Multiple Spaces --------------- Ordinarily, TeX collapses multiple whitespace characters (space, tab, and newline) into a single space. Info output, on the other hand, preserves whitespace as you type it, except for changing a newline into a space; this is why it is important to put two spaces at the end of sentences in Texinfo documents. Occasionally, you may want to actually insert several consecutive spaces, either for purposes of example (what your program does with multiple spaces as input), or merely for purposes of appearance in headings or lists. Texinfo supports three commands: `@SPACE', `@TAB', and `@NL', all of which insert a single space into the output. (Here, `@SPACE' represents an `@' character followed by a space, i.e., `@ ', and `TAB' and `NL' represent the tab character and end-of-line, i.e., when `@' is the last character on a line.) For example, Spacey@ @ @ @ example. produces Spacey example. Other possible uses of `@SPACE' have been subsumed by `@multitable' (*note Multi-column Tables::). Do not follow any of these commands with braces.  File: texinfo.info, Node: dmn, Prev: Multiple Spaces, Up: Inserting Space `@dmn'{DIMENSION}: Format a Dimension ------------------------------------- At times, you may want to write `12pt' or `8.5in' with little or no space between the number and the abbreviation for the dimension. You can use the `@dmn' command to do this. On seeing the command, TeX inserts just enough space for proper typesetting; the Info formatting commands insert no space at all, since the Info file does not require it. To use the `@dmn' command, write the number and then follow it immediately, with no intervening space, by `@dmn', and then by the dimension within braces. For example, A4 paper is 8.27@dmn{in} wide. produces A4 paper is 8.27in wide. Not everyone uses this style. Some people prefer `8.27 in.@:' or `8.27 inches' to `8.27@dmn{in}' in the Texinfo file. In these cases, however, the formatters may insert a line break between the number and the dimension, so use `@w' (*note w::). Also, if you write a period after an abbreviation within a sentence, you should write `@:' after the period to prevent TeX from inserting extra whitespace, as shown here. *Note Inserting Space::.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Inserting Accents, Next: Dots Bullets, Prev: Inserting Space, Up: Insertions Inserting Accents ================= Here is a table with the commands Texinfo provides for inserting floating accents. The commands with non-alphabetic names do not take braces around their argument (which is taken to be the next character). (Exception: `@,' _does_ take braces around its argument.) This is so as to make the source as convenient to type and read as possible, since accented characters are very common in some languages. Command Output What @"o o" umlaut accent @'o o' acute accent @,{c} c, cedilla accent @=o o= macron/overbar accent @^o o^ circumflex accent @`o o` grave accent @~o o~ tilde accent @dotaccent{o} o. overdot accent @H{o} o'' long Hungarian umlaut @ringaccent{o} o* ring accent @tieaccent{oo} oo[ tie-after accent @u{o} o( breve accent @ubaraccent{o} o_ underbar accent @udotaccent{o} .o underdot accent @v{o} o< hacek or check accent This table lists the Texinfo commands for inserting other characters commonly used in languages other than English. @exclamdown{} ! upside-down ! @questiondown{} ? upside-down ? @aa{},@AA{} aa,AA A,a with circle @ae{},@AE{} ae,AE ae,AE ligatures @dotless{i} i dotless i @dotless{j} j dotless j @l{},@L{} /l,/L suppressed-L,l @o{},@O{} /o,/O O,o with slash @oe{},@OE{} oe,OE OE,oe ligatures @ss{} ss es-zet or sharp S  File: texinfo.info, Node: Dots Bullets, Next: TeX and copyright, Prev: Inserting Accents, Up: Insertions Inserting Ellipsis, Dots, and Bullets ===================================== An "ellipsis" (a line of dots) is not typeset as a string of periods, so a special command is used for ellipsis in Texinfo. The `@bullet' command is special, too. Each of these commands is followed by a pair of braces, `{}', without any whitespace between the name of the command and the braces. (You need to use braces with these commands because you can use them next to other text; without the braces, the formatters would be confused. *Note @-Command Syntax: Command Syntax, for further information.) * Menu: * dots:: How to insert dots ... * bullet:: How to insert a bullet.  File: texinfo.info, Node: dots, Next: bullet, Prev: Dots Bullets, Up: Dots Bullets `@dots'{} (...) --------------- Use the `@dots{}' command to generate an ellipsis, which is three dots in a row, appropriately spaced, like this: `...'. Do not simply write three periods in the input file; that would work for the Info file output, but would produce the wrong amount of space between the periods in the printed manual. Similarly, the `@enddots{}' command generates an end-of-sentence ellipsis (four dots) ....  File: texinfo.info, Node: bullet, Prev: dots, Up: Dots Bullets `@bullet'{} (*) --------------- Use the `@bullet{}' command to generate a large round dot, or the closest possible thing to one. In Info, an asterisk is used. Here is a bullet: * When you use `@bullet' in `@itemize', you do not need to type the braces, because `@itemize' supplies them. (*Note `@itemize': itemize.)  File: texinfo.info, Node: TeX and copyright, Next: pounds, Prev: Dots Bullets, Up: Insertions Inserting TeX and the Copyright Symbol ====================================== The logo `TeX' is typeset in a special fashion and it needs an @-command. The copyright symbol, `(C)', is also special. Each of these commands is followed by a pair of braces, `{}', without any whitespace between the name of the command and the braces. * Menu: * tex:: How to insert the TeX logo. * copyright symbol:: How to use `@copyright'{}.  File: texinfo.info, Node: tex, Next: copyright symbol, Prev: TeX and copyright, Up: TeX and copyright `@TeX'{} (TeX) -------------- Use the `@TeX{}' command to generate `TeX'. In a printed manual, this is a special logo that is different from three ordinary letters. In Info, it just looks like `TeX'. The `@TeX{}' command is unique among Texinfo commands in that the `T' and the `X' are in upper case.  File: texinfo.info, Node: copyright symbol, Prev: tex, Up: TeX and copyright `@copyright'{} ((C)) -------------------- Use the `@copyright{}' command to generate `(C)'. In a printed manual, this is a `c' inside a circle, and in Info, this is `(C)'.  File: texinfo.info, Node: pounds, Next: minus, Prev: TeX and copyright, Up: Insertions `@pounds{}' (#): Pounds Sterling ================================ Use the `@pounds{}' command to generate `#'. In a printed manual, this is the symbol for the currency pounds sterling. In Info, it is a `#'. Other currency symbols are unfortunately not available.  File: texinfo.info, Node: minus, Next: math, Prev: pounds, Up: Insertions `@minus'{} (-): Inserting a Minus Sign ====================================== Use the `@minus{}' command to generate a minus sign. In a fixed-width font, this is a single hyphen, but in a proportional font, the symbol is the customary length for a minus sign--a little longer than a hyphen, shorter than an em-dash: `-' is a minus sign generated with `@minus{}', `-' is a hyphen generated with the character `-', `---' is an em-dash for text. In the fixed-width font used by Info, `@minus{}' is the same as a hyphen. You should not use `@minus{}' inside `@code' or `@example' because the width distinction is not made in the fixed-width font they use. When you use `@minus' to specify the mark beginning each entry in an itemized list, you do not need to type the braces (*note `@itemize': itemize..)  File: texinfo.info, Node: math, Next: Glyphs, Prev: minus, Up: Insertions `@math' - Inserting Mathematical Expressions ============================================ You can write a short mathematical expression with the `@math' command. Write the mathematical expression between braces, like this: @math{(a + b)(a + b) = a^2 + 2ab + b^2} This produces the following in Info: (a + b)(a + b) = a^2 + 2ab + b^2 Thus, the `@math' command has no effect on the Info output. For complex mathematical expressions, you can also use TeX directly (*note Raw Formatter Commands::). When you use TeX directly, remember to write the mathematical expression between one or two `$' (dollar-signs) as appropriate.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Glyphs, Next: Images, Prev: math, Up: Insertions Glyphs for Examples =================== In Texinfo, code is often illustrated in examples that are delimited by `@example' and `@end example', or by `@lisp' and `@end lisp'. In such examples, you can indicate the results of evaluation or an expansion using `=>' or `==>'. Likewise, there are commands to insert glyphs to indicate printed output, error messages, equivalence of expressions, and the location of point. The glyph-insertion commands do not need to be used within an example, but most often they are. Every glyph-insertion command is followed by a pair of left- and right-hand braces. * Menu: * Glyphs Summary:: * result:: How to show the result of expression. * expansion:: How to indicate an expansion. * Print Glyph:: How to indicate printed output. * Error Glyph:: How to indicate an error message. * Equivalence:: How to indicate equivalence. * Point Glyph:: How to indicate the location of point.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Glyphs Summary, Next: result, Prev: Glyphs, Up: Glyphs Glyphs Summary -------------- Here are the different glyph commands: => `@result{}' points to the result of an expression. ==> `@expansion{}' shows the results of a macro expansion. -| `@print{}' indicates printed output. error--> `@error{}' indicates that the following text is an error message. == `@equiv{}' indicates the exact equivalence of two forms. -!- `@point{}' shows the location of point. * Menu: * result:: * expansion:: * Print Glyph:: * Error Glyph:: * Equivalence:: * Point Glyph::  File: texinfo.info, Node: result, Next: expansion, Prev: Glyphs Summary, Up: Glyphs `@result{}' (=>): Indicating Evaluation --------------------------------------- Use the `@result{}' command to indicate the result of evaluating an expression. The `@result{}' command is displayed as `=>' in Info and as a double stemmed arrow in the printed output. Thus, the following, (cdr '(1 2 3)) => (2 3) may be read as "`(cdr '(1 2 3))' evaluates to `(2 3)'".  File: texinfo.info, Node: expansion, Next: Print Glyph, Prev: result, Up: Glyphs `@expansion{}' (==>): Indicating an Expansion --------------------------------------------- When an expression is a macro call, it expands into a new expression. You can indicate the result of the expansion with the `@expansion{}' command. The `@expansion{}' command is displayed as `==>' in Info and as a long arrow with a flat base in the printed output. For example, the following @lisp (third '(a b c)) @expansion{} (car (cdr (cdr '(a b c)))) @result{} c @end lisp produces (third '(a b c)) ==> (car (cdr (cdr '(a b c)))) => c which may be read as: `(third '(a b c))' expands to `(car (cdr (cdr '(a b c))))'; the result of evaluating the expression is `c'. Often, as in this case, an example looks better if the `@expansion{}' and `@result{}' commands are indented five spaces.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Print Glyph, Next: Error Glyph, Prev: expansion, Up: Glyphs `@print{}' (-|): Indicating Printed Output ------------------------------------------ Sometimes an expression will print output during its execution. You can indicate the printed output with the `@print{}' command. The `@print{}' command is displayed as `-|' in Info and similarly, as a horizontal dash butting against a vertical bar, in the printed output. In the following example, the printed text is indicated with `-|', and the value of the expression follows on the last line. (progn (print 'foo) (print 'bar)) -| foo -| bar => bar In a Texinfo source file, this example is written as follows: @lisp (progn (print 'foo) (print 'bar)) @print{} foo @print{} bar @result{} bar @end lisp  File: texinfo.info, Node: Error Glyph, Next: Equivalence, Prev: Print Glyph, Up: Glyphs `@error{}' (error-->): Indicating an Error Message -------------------------------------------------- A piece of code may cause an error when you evaluate it. You can designate the error message with the `@error{}' command. The `@error{}' command is displayed as `error-->' in Info and as the word `error' in a box in the printed output. Thus, @lisp (+ 23 'x) @error{} Wrong type argument: integer-or-marker-p, x @end lisp produces (+ 23 'x) error--> Wrong type argument: integer-or-marker-p, x This indicates that the following error message is printed when you evaluate the expression: Wrong type argument: integer-or-marker-p, x `error-->' itself is not part of the error message.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Equivalence, Next: Point Glyph, Prev: Error Glyph, Up: Glyphs `@equiv{}' (==): Indicating Equivalence --------------------------------------- Sometimes two expressions produce identical results. You can indicate the exact equivalence of two forms with the `@equiv{}' command. The `@equiv{}' command is displayed as `==' in Info and as a three parallel horizontal lines in the printed output. Thus, @lisp (make-sparse-keymap) @equiv{} (list 'keymap) @end lisp produces (make-sparse-keymap) == (list 'keymap) This indicates that evaluating `(make-sparse-keymap)' produces identical results to evaluating `(list 'keymap)'.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Point Glyph, Prev: Equivalence, Up: Glyphs `@point{}' (-!-): Indicating Point in a Buffer ---------------------------------------------- Sometimes you need to show an example of text in an Emacs buffer. In such examples, the convention is to include the entire contents of the buffer in question between two lines of dashes containing the buffer name. You can use the `@point{}' command to show the location of point in the text in the buffer. (The symbol for point, of course, is not part of the text in the buffer; it indicates the place _between_ two characters where point is located.) The `@point{}' command is displayed as `-!-' in Info and as a small five pointed star in the printed output. The following example shows the contents of buffer `foo' before and after evaluating a Lisp command to insert the word `changed'. ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- This is the -!-contents of foo. ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- (insert "changed ") => nil ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- This is the changed -!-contents of foo. ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- In a Texinfo source file, the example is written like this: @example ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- This is the @point{}contents of foo. ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- (insert "changed ") @result{} nil ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- This is the changed @point{}contents of foo. ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- @end example  File: texinfo.info, Node: Images, Prev: Glyphs, Up: Insertions Inserting Images ================ You can insert an image in an external file with the `@image' command: @image{FILENAME, [WIDTH], [HEIGHT]} The FILENAME argument is mandatory, and must not have an extension, because the different processors support different formats: TeX reads the file `FILENAME.eps' (Encapsulated PostScript format); `makeinfo' uses `FILENAME.txt' verbatim for Info output (more or less as if it was an `@example'). HTML output requires `FILENAME.jpg'. The optional WIDTH and HEIGHT arguments specify the size to scale the image to (they are ignored for Info output). If they are both specified, the image is presented in its natural size (given in the file); if only one is specified, the other is scaled proportionately; and if both are specified, both are respected, thus possibly distorting the original image by changing its aspect ratio. The WIDTH and HEIGHT may be specified using any valid TeX dimension, namely: pt point (72.27pt = 1in) pc pica (1pc = 12pt) bp big point (72bp = 1in) in inch cm centimeter (2.54cm = 1in) mm millimeter (10mm = 1cm) dd dido^t point (1157dd = 1238pt) cc cicero (1cc = 12dd) sp scaled point (65536sp = 1pt) For example, the following will scale a file `ridt.eps' to one inch vertically, with the width scaled proportionately: @image{ridt,,1in} For `@image' to work with TeX, the file `epsf.tex' must be installed somewhere that TeX can find it. This file is included in the Texinfo distribution and is available from `ftp://ftp.tug.org/tex/epsf.tex'.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Breaks, Next: Definition Commands, Prev: Insertions, Up: Top Making and Preventing Breaks **************************** Usually, a Texinfo file is processed both by TeX and by one of the Info formatting commands. Line, paragraph, or page breaks sometimes occur in the `wrong' place in one or other form of output. You must ensure that text looks right both in the printed manual and in the Info file. For example, in a printed manual, page breaks may occur awkwardly in the middle of an example; to prevent this, you can hold text together using a grouping command that keeps the text from being split across two pages. Conversely, you may want to force a page break where none would occur normally. Fortunately, problems like these do not often arise. When they do, use the break, break prevention, or pagination commands. * Menu: * Break Commands:: Cause and prevent splits. * Line Breaks:: How to force a single line to use two lines. * - and hyphenation:: How to tell TeX about hyphenation points. * w:: How to prevent unwanted line breaks. * sp:: How to insert blank lines. * page:: How to force the start of a new page. * group:: How to prevent unwanted page breaks. * need:: Another way to prevent unwanted page breaks.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Break Commands, Next: Line Breaks, Prev: Breaks, Up: Breaks The Break Commands ================== The break commands create or allow line and paragraph breaks: `@*' Force a line break. `@sp N' Skip N blank lines. `@-' Insert a discretionary hyphen. `@hyphenation{HY-PHEN-A-TED WORDS}' Define hyphen points in HY-PHEN-A-TED WORDS. The line-break-prevention command holds text together all on one line: `@w{TEXT}' Prevent TEXT from being split and hyphenated across two lines. The pagination commands apply only to printed output, since Info files do not have pages. `@page' Start a new page in the printed manual. `@group' Hold text together that must appear on one printed page. `@need MILS' Start a new printed page if not enough space on this one.  File: texinfo.info, Node: Line Breaks, Next: - and hyphenation, Prev: Break Commands, Up: Breaks `@*': Generate Line Breaks ========================== The `@*' command forces a line break in both the printed manual and in Info. For example, This line @* is broken @*in two places. produces This line is broken in two places. (Note that the space after the first `@*' command is faithfully carried down to the next line.) The `@*' command is often used in a file's copyright page: This is edition 2.0 of the Texinfo documentation,@* and is for ... In this case, the `@*' command keeps TeX from stretching the line across the whole page in an ugly manner. *Please note:* Do not write braces after an `@*' command; they are not needed. Do not write an `@refill' command at the end of a paragraph containing an `@*' command; it will cause the paragraph to be refilled after the line break occurs, negating the effect of the line break.  File: texinfo.info, Node: - and hyphenation, Next: w, Prev: Line Breaks, Up: Breaks `@-' and `@hyphenation': Helping TeX hyphenate ============================================== Although TeX's hyphenation algorithm is generally pretty good, it does miss useful hyphenation points from time to time. (Or, far more rarely, insert an incorrect hyphenation.) So, for documents with an unusual vocabulary or when fine-tuning for a printed edition, you may wish to help TeX out. Texinfo supports two commands for this: `@-' Insert a discretionary hyphen, i.e., a place where TeX can (but does not have to) hyphenate. This is especially useful when you notice an overfull hbox is due to TeX missing a hyphenation (*note Overfull hboxes::). TeX will not insert any hyphenation points in a word containing `@-'. `@hyphenation{HY-PHEN-A-TED WORDS}' Tell TeX how to hyphenate HY-PHEN-A-TED WORDS. As shown, you put a `-' at each hyphenation point. For example: @hyphenation{man-u-script man-u-scripts} TeX only uses the specified hyphenation points when the words match exactly, so give all necessary variants. Info output is not hyphenated, so these commands have no effect there.  File: texinfo.info, Node: w, Next: sp, Prev: - and hyphenation, Up: Breaks `@w'{TEXT}: Prevent Line Breaks =============================== `@w{TEXT}' outputs TEXT and prohibits line breaks within TEXT. You can use the `@w' command to prevent TeX from automatically hyphenating a long name or phrase that happens to fall near the end of a line. You can copy GNU software from @w{@samp{ftp.gnu.ai.mit.edu}}. produces You can copy GNU software from `ftp.gnu.ai.mit.edu'. *Caution:* Do not write an `@refill' command at the end of a paragraph containing an `@w' command; it will cause the paragraph to be refilled and may thereby negate the effect of the `@w' command.  File: texinfo.info, Node: sp, Next: page, Prev: w, Up: Breaks `@sp' N: Insert Blank Lines =========================== A line beginning with and containing only `@sp N' generates N blank lines of space in both the printed manual and the Info file. `@sp' also forces a paragraph break. For example, @sp 2 generates two blank lines. The `@sp' command is most often used in the title page.  File: texinfo.info, Node: page, Next: group, Prev: sp, Up: Breaks `@page': Start a New Page ========================= A line containing only `@page' starts a new page in a printed manual. The command has no effect on Info files since they are not paginated. An `@page' command is often used in the `@titlepage' section of a Texinfo file to start the copyright page.  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.  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).  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::  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'.