Copyright (C) 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
This is the second edition of the Texinfo documentation,
and is consistent with version 2 of `texinfo.tex'.
Published by the Free Software Foundation
675 Massachusetts Avenue,
Cambridge, MA 02139 USA
Printed copies are available for $15 each.
ISBN-1882114-12-4
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.
Cover art by Etienne Suvasa.
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.
Texinfo(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.)
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 GNU Emacs 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, PlainTeX, which
Texinfo replaces.) 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 printer; 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. (See section Using 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. (See Info file `info', node `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.
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.
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.(2)
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 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 called `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.
If you want to read through an Info file in sequence, as if it were a printed manual, you can get the whole file with the advanced Info command g* RET. (See Info file `info', node `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.
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.(3)
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). (See section Printing "Small" Books.
Also, see section Printing on 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 dialect 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. (See section `TeX Mode' in The GNU Emacs Manual, 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.
See section How to Obtain TeX.
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(4) they take, you need to write @-commands on lines of their own or as part of sentences:
@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.)
@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.)
@dots{} wherever you wish but usually
within a sentence. (@dots{} creates dots ...)
@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.)
@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 section @-Command Syntax.)
All ASCII printing 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: @tt{ " } and @w{@tt{ " }}. This convention should be followed in Texinfo files. TeX converts doubled single-quote characters to left- and right-hand doubled quotation marks, "like this", and Info converts doubled single-quote characters to ASCII double-quotes: @tt{ " } and @tt{ " } to @w{@tt{ " }}.
Use three hyphens in a row, `---', for a dash--like this. In TeX, a single or even a 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 PlainTeX 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.
(See section Conditionally Visible Text.)
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.To avoid this problem, Texinfo mode causes GNU Emacs to insert multiple spaces when you press the TAB key.
Also, you can run
untabifyin Emacs to convert tabs in a region to multiple spaces.
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.
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 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. (See section 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.
Generally, a Texinfo file contains more than the minimal beginning and end--it usually contains six parts:
@ifinfo and
@end ifinfo commands so that the formatters place it only in the Info
file.
@titlepage and @end titlepage commands.
The title and copyright page appear only in the printed manual.
@bye command on a line of its
own.Here is a complete but very short Texinfo file, in 6 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. (See section Beginning a Texinfo File.)
In the following, the sample text is indented; comments on it are not. The complete file, without any comments, is shown in section A Sample Texinfo File.
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
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
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
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), (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
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.
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
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.
- This is the first item.
- This is the second item.
The
makeinfoandtexinfo-format-buffercommands transform a Texinfo file such as this into an Info file; and TeX typesets it for a printed manual.
Richard M. Stallman wrote Edition 1.0 of this manual. Robert J. Chassell revised and extended it, starting with Edition 1.1.
Our thanks go out to all who helped improve this work, particularly to Francois 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.
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.
Texinfo mode provides special features for working with Texinfo files:
@node lines.
Perhaps the two most helpful features are those for inserting frequently used @-commands and for creating node pointers and menus.
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. (See section `Pages' in The GNU Emacs Manual, 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.
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:
@code{} and put the
cursor between the braces.
@dfn{} and put the
cursor between the braces.
@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.)
@item and put the
cursor at the beginning of the next line.
@kbd{} and put the
cursor between the braces.
@node and a comment line
listing the sequence for the `Next',
`Previous', and `Up' nodes.
Leave point after the @node.
@noindent and put the
cursor at the beginning of the next line.
@samp{} and put the
cursor between the braces.
@table followed by a SPC
and leave the cursor after the SPC.
@var{} and put the
cursor between the braces.
@example and put the
cursor at the beginning of the next line.
{} and put the cursor between the braces.
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.
See section The Parts of a Menu.)
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.
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.
@chapter, @section, and such lines of a
Texinfo file.
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 with the
C-x n (narrow-to-region) command and
texinfo-show-structure will work on only that region. To see
the whole buffer again, use C-x w (widen).
(See section `Narrowing' in The GNU Emacs Manual, 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.
See section `Pages' in The GNU Emacs Manual, for more information
about the page commands.
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.
You can use the updating commands
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:
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. (See section The `Top' Node and Master Menu, 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:
@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).
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.
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
(see section `Editing Variable Values' in The GNU Emacs Manual) or with the M-x set-variable command (see section `Examining and Setting Variables' in The GNU Emacs Manual).
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. (See section Other Updating Commands, for more information.)
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. (See section Creating an Info File, for more information about makeinfo.) However,
both makeinfo and the texinfo-format-... commands
require that you insert menus in the file.
In addition to the five major updating commands, Texinfo mode possesses several less frequently used updating commands:
@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
(see section Inserting Frequently Used Commands) inserts titles
as descriptions in menu entries, a different action. However, in both
cases, you need to edit the inserted text.)
texinfo-multiple-files-update command is
described in the appendix on @include files.
See section texinfo-multiple-files-update}.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.g* RET 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.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:
You can use either the texinfo-format-buffer or the
makeinfo-buffer command to format a whole buffer:
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 the Info formatting commands to work, the file must include
a line that has @setfilename in its header.
Not all systems support the makeinfo-based formatting commands.
See section Creating an Info File, for details about Info formatting.
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.
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.
texindex to sort the indices of a Texinfo file formatted with
texinfo-tex-region or texinfo-tex-buffer. You must run
the tex command a second time after sorting the raw index
files.
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.)
See section Format and Print Hardcopy, for a description of the other TeX related
commands, such as tex-show-print-queue.
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.
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.
The texinfo-show-structure command is often used within a
narrowed region.
C-c C-s List all the headings.
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.
The update pointer commands are invoked by typing C-c C-u and
then either typing C-n for texinfo-update-node or typing
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.
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.
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 themakeinfooutput buffer. C-c C-m C-k Kill themakeinfoformatting job.
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 TeX 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.
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.
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.
Generally, the beginning of a Texinfo file has four parts:
@ifinfo and
@end ifinfo commands so that the formatters place it only
in the Info file.
@titlepage and
@end titlepage commands. The title and copyright page appear
only in the printed manual.
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.
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), (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
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
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:
\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.
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 (see section 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.
@setfilenameIn order to be made into an Info file, 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 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. The convention is to write a name with a `.info' extension,
to produce an Info file name such as `texinfo.info'.
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. (See section Tag Files 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 actually `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 need to be commented out.
The @setfilename line is ignored when you typeset a printed
manual.
@settitleIn 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, TeX formats a Texinfo file for double-sided output
so as to print the title in the left-hand (even-numbered) page
headings and the current chapter titles 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. (See section @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.
(See section The @headings Command, for more
information.)
You may, if you wish, create your own, customized headings and footings. See section Page Headings, for a detailed discussion of this process.
@setchapternewpageIn 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
@headings double command; see
section The @headings Command.)
@setchapternewpage on
This alternative is the default.
@setchapternewpage odd
Texinfo does not have an @setchapternewpage even command.
(You can countermand or modify an @setchapternewpage command
with an @headings command. See section The @headings Command Command}.)
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.
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:
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 texinfo-format-buffer and
texinfo-format-region is that they do not indent (nor
fill) paragraphs that contain @w or @* commands.
See section Refilling Paragraphs, for a detailed description of what goes
on.
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.
See section Start of Header.
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 section `ifinfo' Copying 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 *.
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.
See section Titlepage Copying Permissions, for the standard text for the copyright permissions.
@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. (See section Page Headings, for details about how to
generate of 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(5) 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 section @top}.)
Texinfo provides two 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.
@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. (See section @sp n: Insert Blank Lines}, 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.
@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
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.
See section Sample Permissions, for the standard text.
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).
(See section @setchapternewpage.)
You can specify these formats in different ways:
@setchapternewpage command
before the title page commands, and then have the @end
titlepage command start generating page headings in the manner desired.
(See section @setchapternewpage.)
@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. See section The @headings Command Command}, for more information.)
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.
@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.
There are four ways to use the @headings command:
@headings off
@headings single
@headings double
@headings on
@headings on and @headings double, are
synonymous.
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. See section Page Headings, for more information.
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.
See section Conditionally Visible Text.)
Sometimes, you will want to place an @top sectioning command
line containing the title of the document immediately after the
@node Top line (see section The @top Sectioning 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), (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.
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.
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. (See section 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.
-- 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 menu
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.
(See section @unnumbered, @appendix Commands}.)
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
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
(see section Format and 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 (see section 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 (see section Combining Indices); or you may define your own indices (see section Defining 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.)
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
@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.
@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. See section Using the Local Variables List, for more information.
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 (see section Generating a Table of 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 (see section 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.
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. (See section Nodes, and see section Menus.)
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.
@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.
@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 (see section @top).
@heading series of commands produce unnumbered headings
that do not appear in a table of contents. The heading commands never
start a new page.
@majorheading command produces results similar to using
the @chapheading command but generates a larger vertical
whitespace before the heading.
@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:
@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
(see section @unnumbered, @appendix).
For detailed information, see
section The @top Sectioning Command.
@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 *******************
@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. (See section @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.
@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. (See section @chapter.)
@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.
@unnumberedsec, @appendixsec, @heading
The @unnumberedsec, @appendixsec, and @heading
commands are, respectively, the unnumbered, appendix-like, and
heading-like equivalents of the @section command.
(See section @section.)
@unnumberedsec
@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
@heading command anywhere you wish for a
section-style heading that will not appear in the table of contents.@subsection Command
Subsections are to sections as sections are to chapters.
(See 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.
@subsection-like Commands
The @unnumberedsubsec, @appendixsubsec, and
@subheading commands are, respectively, the unnumbered,
appendix-like, and heading-like equivalents of the @subsection
command. (See section The @subsection Command.)
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.
The fourth and lowest level sectioning commands in Texinfo are the `subsub' commands. They are:
@subsubsection
@subsection Command.) In a printed manual,
subsubsection titles appear in the table of contents and are numbered
four levels deep.
@unnumberedsubsubsec
@appendixsubsubsec
@subsubheading
@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 .......................
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.
The node and menu commands and the chapter structuring commands are independent of each other:
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.
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. (See section 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 section 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
@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. (See Info file `info', node `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. (See section Types of Structuring Command.)
Please note: The GNU Emacs Texinfo mode updating commands work
only with Texinfo files in which @node lines are followed by chapter
structuring lines. See section 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 section Cross References.)
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. See section The First Node, for information on how to write the first node of a Texinfo file.
@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. (See section Using Texinfo Mode, and section Creating Pointers with makeinfo.)
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.
@node Line TipsHere are three suggestions:
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.)
@node Line Requirements
Here are several requirements for @node lines:
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.
The node to which a pointer points may come before or after the node containing the pointer.
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
For example, the following is a section title:
@code{@@unnumberedsec}, @code{@@appendixsec}, @code{@@heading}
The corresponding node name is:
unnumberedsec appendixsec heading
The first node of a Texinfo file is the `Top' node, except in an included file (see section Include Files).
The `Top' node (which must be named `top' or `Top') should
have as its `Up' and `Previous' nodes 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 Info. For example,
the @node Top line of this manual looks like this:
@node Top, Overview, (dir), (dir)
(You may use the Texinfo updating commands or the makeinfo
utility to insert these `Next' and `(dir)' pointers
automatically.)
See section Installing an Info File, for more information about installing an Info file in the `info' directory.
The `Top' node contains the main or master menu for the document.
@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.
Whatever sectioning command follows an @node Top line, whether
it be @top or @chapter, the @node Top line and
the immediately following line and any additional text must be
enclosed between @ifinfo and @end ifinfo commands.
(See section Conditionally Visible Text.) This prevents the title and the accompanying
text from appearing in printed output. Write the @ifinfo
command before the @node line and write the @end ifinfo command
after the @top or other sectioning command and after any
additional text. (You can write the @end ifinfo command after
the @end menu command if you like.)
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 Info file. You should also write the version
number of the program to which the manual applies in this section. 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 section @titlepage.)
Put the whole of the `Top' node, including the @top sectioning
command line if you
have one, between @ifinfo and @end
ifinfo so none of the text appears in the printed output
(see section Conditionally Visible Text). (You may want to
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.)
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. See section @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. (See section Updating Nodes and Menus.) It is especially
helpful to people who do not use GNU Emacs for writing Texinfo
documents.
Menus contain pointers to subordinate nodes.(6) 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. Otherwise, a reader with a terminal that displays only a few lines may miss the menu and its associated text. As a practical matter, you should locate a menu within 20 lines of the beginning of the node.
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.
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.
A menu entry has three parts, only the second of which is required:
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. The description, which is optional, can spread over two or more lines. A useful description complements the node name rather than repeats it.
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.
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 (see section 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 Emacs Manual, you would write a menu like this:
@menu
* Outlining: (emacs)Outline Mode. The major mode for
editing outlines.
* Rebinding: (emacs)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. (See section Installing 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.
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.
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. (See Info file `info', node `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.
There are four different cross reference commands:
@xref
@ref
@xref for Info; produces just the reference in the printed
manual without a preceding `See'.
@pxref
@inforef
(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. See section @cite{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:
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.
@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.
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. See section @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 (see section How to Write an @node Line).
@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.
@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.)
@xref with Two ArgumentsWith 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.)
@xref with Three ArgumentsA 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 GAWK Manual:
@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}.
@xref with Four and Five ArgumentsIn 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.
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 section Referring to 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.
@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@refcommand 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@refcommand. This looks best in both the printed and the Info output.
@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:
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 (see section @xref).
Please note: Use@pxrefonly as a parenthetical reference. Do not try to use@pxrefas 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.
@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:
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. See section @cite{reference}}.
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.
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.
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}
@kbd{keyboard-characters}
@key{key-name}
@samp{text}
@var{metasyntactic-variable}
@file{file-name}
@dfn{term}
@cite{reference}
@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.
and this in the Info file:
Use `diff' to compare two files.
@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 may produce a different font in a printed manual.
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 RET key":
@kbd{r @key{RET}}
This produces: r RET
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 RET.
(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.)
@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 ESC you would type:
@kbd{C-x @key{ESC}}
Here is a list of the recommended names for keys; they are all in upper case:
- SPC
- Space
- RET
- Return
- LFD
- Linefeed
- TAB
- Tab
- BS
- Backspace
- ESC
- Escape
- DEL
- Delete
- SFT
- Shift
- CTL
- Control
- META
- Meta
There are subtleties to handling words like `meta' or `ctl' that are
names of shift keys. When mentioning a character in which the shift
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
shift key in isolation, use the @key command. For example,
write `@kbd{Meta-a}' to produce Meta-a and
`@key{META}' to produce META. This is because
Meta-a refers to keys that you press on a keyboard, but
META refers to a key without implying that you press it. In
short, use @kbd for what you do, and use @key for what
you talk about: "Press @kbd{M-a} to move point to the
beginning of the sentence. The @key{META} key is often in the
lower left of the keyboard."
@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 is more appropriate. Use
@samp for the names of command-line options. 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'.
@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 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 <filename>
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{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.
@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.
@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.
See section @xref.)
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.
@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:} @code{rm * .[^.]*} removes @emph{all}
files in the directory.
@end quotation
produces the following in printed output:
Caution: rm * .[^.]* removes all
files in the directory.
and the following in Info:
*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@emphor@strongwith the word `Note'; Info will mistake the combination for a cross reference. Use a phrase such as Please note or Caution instead.
@sc{text}: The Small Caps FontUse 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.
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.
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.
Here are commands for quotations and examples:
@quotation
@example
@lisp
@smallexample
@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
@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
@format
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
section Drawing Cartouches Around Examples.)
@quotationThe text of a quotation is processed normally except that:
This is an example of text written between an@quotationcommand and an@end quotationcommand. An@quotationcommand 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.
@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@examplecommand and an@end examplecommand. 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.
(The @code command is used for examples of code that are
embedded within sentences, not set off from preceding and following
text. See section @code{sample-code}.)
@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 exampleThis 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
@displayand@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 (see section @-Command Syntax).
@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@lispcommand and an@end lispcommand.
Use @lisp instead of @example so as 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.(7)
Mark the end of @lisp with @end lisp on a line by
itself.
@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.
Here is an example written in the small font used by the
@smallexample and @smalllisp commands:
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.
See section Printing "Small" Books, for more information
about the @smallbook command.
@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@displaycommand and an@end displaycommand. The@displaycommand indents the text, but does not fill it.
@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@formatcommand and an@end formatcommand. As you can see from this example, the@formatcommand does not fill the text.
@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.
@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.
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/lib/emacs/info @end cartouche @end example
surrounds the two-line example with a box with rounded corners, in the printed manual.
In a printed manual, the example looks like this:
% pwd /usr/local/lib/emacs/info
Texinfo has several ways of making lists and two-column tables. Lists can be bulleted or numbered, while two-column tables can highlight the items in the first column.
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:
Here is an enumerated list with the same items:
And here is a two-column table with the same items and their @-commands:
@itemize
@enumerate
@table
@ftable
@vtable
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 an `*' 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.
@enumerate is like @itemize except that the marks in
the left margin contain successive integers or letters.
(See section Making an Itemized List.)
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:
Here is an example with an argument of 3:
@enumerate 3 @item Predisposing causes. @item Precipitating causes. @item Perpetuating causes. @end enumerate
This produces:
Here is a brief summary of the alternatives. The summary is constructed
using @enumerate with an argument of a.
@enumerate
Without an argument, produce a numbered list, starting with the number 1.
@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.
@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.
@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.
@table is similar to @itemize, but the command allows
you to specify a name or heading line for each item. (See section Making an Itemized List}.) The @table command is used to produce
two-column tables, and is especially useful for glossaries and
explanatory exhibits.
Write the @table command at the beginning of a line and follow
it on the same line with an argument that is a Texinfo command such as
@code, @samp, @var, or @kbd.
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, @samp
will cause the text in the first column to be highlighted with an
@samp command.
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:
If you want to list two or more named items with a single block of
text, use the @itemx command. (See section @itemx}.)
@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. See section Creating 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.
@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. 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
(Note also that this example illustrates multi-line supporting text in a two-column table.)
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.
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.
See section Index Menus and Printing an Index, for information about printing an index at the end of a book or creating an index menu in an Info file.
Texinfo provides six predefined indices:
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. See section Combining Indices.
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.
The usual convention is to capitalize the first word of each index entry, unless that word is the name of a function, variable, or other such entity that should not be capitalized. Thus, if you are documenting Emacs Lisp, you should usually capitalize entries in the concept index, but not those in the function index. However, if your concept index entries are consistently short (one or two words each) it may look better for each regular entry to start with a lower case letter. Whichever convention you adapt, please be consistent!
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 (see section Marking Words and Phrases).
The six indexing commands for predefined indices are:
@cindex concept
@findex function
@vindex variable
@kindex keystroke
@pindex program
@tindex 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. See section The Parts of a Menu, 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.
(See section Index Menus and Printing an Index.)
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.
@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:
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.
@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.
See section Index Menus and Printing an Index, for information about printing an index at the end of a book or creating an index menu in an Info file.
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 (see section The Texinfo File Header).
Texinfo provides several commands for formatting dimensions, for inserting single characters that have special meaning in Texinfo, such as braces, and for inserting special graphic symbols that do not correspond to characters, such as dots and bullets.
These are:
`@' 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.
Periods are also special. Depending on whether the period 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.)
Do not put braces after any of these commands; they are not necessary.
@@ stands for a single `@' in either printed or Info
output.
Do not put braces after an @@ command.
@{ 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.
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. @: has no effect on
the Info file output.
For example,
The s.o.p.@: has three parts ... The s.o.p. has three parts ...
produces the following. If you look carefully at this printed output, you will see a little more whitespace after `s.o.p.' in the second line.
The s.o.p. has three parts ...
The s.o.p. has three parts ...
@: has no effect on the Info output. (`s.o.p' is an acronym for "Standard Operating Procedure".)
Use @. instead of a period 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 the following. If you look carefully at this printed output, you will see a little more whitespace after the `W' in the first line.
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
`.'.
The meanings of @: and @. in Texinfo are designed
to work well with the Emacs sentence motion commands. This made it
necessary for them to be incompatible with some other formatting
systems that use @-commands.
Do not put braces after either an @: or an @. command.
@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. Instead of writing `8.27@dmn{in}' in the Texinfo file, you may write `8.27 in.' or `8.27 inches'. (In these cases, the formatters may insert a line break between the number and the dimension. 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. See section Spacing After Colons and Periods.)
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. See section @-Command Syntax, for further information.)
@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.
Here is an ellipsis: ...
Here are three periods in a row: ...
In printed output, the three periods in a row are closer together than the dots in the ellipsis.
@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. See section Making an Itemized List.
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.
@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.
@copyright{}
Use the @copyright{} command to generate `(C)'. In
a printed manual, this is a `c' inside a circle, and in Info,
this is `(C)'.
@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.
You can compare the two forms:
`-' is a minus sign generated with `@minus{}',
`-' is a hyphen generated with the character `-'.
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
(see section Making an Itemized List).
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.
@result{} points to the result of an expression.
@expansion{} shows the results of a macro expansion.
@print{} indicates printed output.
@error{} indicates that the following text is an error
message.
@equiv{} indicates the exact equivalence of two forms.
@point{} shows the location of point.
Use the @result{} command to indicate the result of
evaluating an expression.
The @result{} command is displayed as `=>' in Info and
as `=>' 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)".
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 `==>' 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 isc.
Often, as in this case, an example looks better if the
@expansion{} and @result{} commands are indented
five spaces.
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
as `-|' 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
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 `error-->' 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
Note that `error-->' itself is not part of the error message.
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 `==' 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).
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 `-!-' 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
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.
The break commands create line and paragraph breaks:
@*
@sp n
The line-break-prevention command holds text together all on one line:
@w{text}
The pagination commands apply only to printed output, since Info files do not have pages.
@page
@group
@need mils
@*: 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
@refillcommand 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.
@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 accidentally falls near the end
of a line.
You can copy GNU software from @w{@file{prep.ai.mit.edu}}.
produces
You can copy GNU software from `prep.ai.mit.edu'.
In the Texinfo file, you must write the @w command and its
argument (all the affected text) all on one line.
Caution: Do not write an@refillcommand at the end of a paragraph containing an@wcommand; it will cause the paragraph to be refilled and may thereby negate the effect of the@wcommand.
@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.
@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.
@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.
See section 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.
@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).
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.
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 countThis 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. 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 flagThis function returns
(point-min)if flag is less than 1,(point-max)otherwise. ...
See section A 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.
Some entities take optional or repeated arguments, which may be specified by a distinctive glyph that uses square brackets and ellipses. For example, a special form often breaks its argument list into separate arguments in more complicated ways than a straightforward function.
An argument enclosed within square brackets is optional.
Thus, the phrase
`[optional-arg]' means that
optional-arg is optional.
An argument followed by an ellipsis is optional
and may be repeated more than once.
Thus, `repeated-args...' stands for zero or more arguments.
Parentheses are used when several arguments are grouped
into additional levels of list structure in Lisp.
Here is the @defspec line of an example of an imaginary
special form:
Special Form: foobar (var [from to [inc]]) body...
In this example, the arguments from and to are optional, but must both be present or both absent. If they are present, inc may optionally be specified as well. These arguments are grouped with the argument var into a list, to distinguish them from body, which includes all remaining elements of the form.
In a Texinfo source file, this @defspec line is written like
this (except it would not be split over two lines, as it is in this
example).
@defspec foobar (@var{var} [@var{from} @var{to}
[@var{inc}]]) @var{body}@dots{}
The function is listed in the Command and Variable Index under `foobar'.
To create two or more `first' or header lines for a definition, follow
the first @deffn line by a line beginning with @deffnx.
The @deffnx command works exactly like @deffn
except that it does not generate extra vertical white space between it
and the preceding line.
For example,
@deffn {Interactive Command} isearch-forward
@deffnx {Interactive Command} isearch-backward
These two search commands are similar except ...
@end deffn
produces
Interactive Command: isearch-forward
Interactive Command: isearch-backward
These two search commands are similar except ...
Each of the other definition commands has an `x' form: @defunx,
@defvrx, @deftypefunx, etc.
The `x' forms work just like @itemx; see section @itemx.
Texinfo provides more than a dozen definition commands, all of which are described in this section.
The definition commands automatically enter the name of the entity in
the appropriate index: for example, @deffn, @defun,
and @defmac enter function names in the index of functions;
@defvr and @defvar enter variable names in the index
of variables.
Although the examples that follow mostly illustrate Lisp, the commands can be used for other programming languages.
This section describes the commands for describing functions and similar entities:
@deffn category name arguments...
@deffn command is the general definition command for
functions, interactive commands, and similar entities that may take
arguments. You must choose a term to describe the category of entity
being defined; for example, "Function" could be used if the entity is
a function. The @deffn command is written at the beginning of a
line and is followed on the same line by the category of entity being
described, the name of this particular entity, and its arguments, if
any. Terminate the definition with @end deffn on a line of its
own.For example, here is a definition:
@deffn Command forward-char nchars
Move point forward @var{nchars} characters.
@end deffn
This shows a rather terse definition for a "command" named
forward-char with one argument, nchars.
@deffn prints argument names such as nchars in italics or
upper case, as if @var had been used, because we think of these
names as metasyntactic variables--they stand for the actual argument
values. Within the text of the description, write an argument name
explicitly with @var to refer to the value of the argument. In
the example above, we used `@var{nchars}' in this way.
The template for @deffn is:
@deffn category name arguments... body-of-definition @end deffn
@defun name arguments...
@defun command is the definition command for functions.
@defun is equivalent to `@deffn Function
...'.For example,
@defun set symbol new-value
Change the value of the symbol @var{symbol}
to @var{new-value}.
@end defun
shows a rather terse definition for a function set whose
arguments are symbol and new-value. The argument names on
the @defun line automatically appear in italics or upper case as
if they were enclosed in @var. Terminate the definition with
@end defun on a line of its own.
The template is:
@defun function-name arguments... body-of-definition @end defun
@defun creates an entry in the index of functions.
@defmac name arguments...
@defmac command is the definition command for macros.
@defmac is equivalent to `@deffn Macro ...' and
works like @defun.
@defspec name arguments...
@defspec command is the definition command for special
forms. (In Lisp, a special form is an entity much like a function.)
@defspec is equivalent to `@deffn {Special Form}
...' and works like @defun.
Here are the commands for defining variables and similar entities:
@defvr category name
@defvr command is a general definition command for
something like a variable--an entity that records a value. You must
choose a term to describe the category of entity being defined; for
example, "Variable" could be used if the entity is a variable.
Write the @defvr command at the beginning of a line and
followed it on the same line by the category of the entity and the
name of the entity.Capitalize the category name like a title. If the name of the category contains spaces, as in the name `User Option', write braces around it. Otherwise, the second word will be mistaken for the name of the entity, for example:
@defvr {User Option} fill-column
This buffer-local variable specifies
the maximum width of filled lines.
...
@end defvr
Terminate the definition with @end defvr on a line of its
own.
The template is:
@defvr category name body-of-definition @end defvr
@defvr creates an entry in the index of variables for name.
@defvar name
@defvar command is the definition command for variables.
@defvar is equivalent to `@defvr Variable
...'.For example:
@defvar kill-ring ... @end defvar
The template is:
@defvar name body-of-definition @end defvar
@defvar creates an entry in the index of variables for
name.
@defopt name
@defopt command is the definition command for user
options. @defopt is equivalent to `@defvr {User
Option} ...' and works like @defvar.
The @deftypefn command and its variations are for describing
functions in C or any other language in which you must declare types
of variables and functions.
@deftypefn category data-type name arguments...
@deftypefn command is the general definition command for
functions and similar entities that may take arguments and that are
typed. The @deftypefn command is written at the beginning of
a line and is followed on the same line by the category of entity
being described, the type of the returned value, the name of this
particular entity, and its arguments, if any.For example,
@deftypefn {Library Function} int foobar
(int @var{foo}, float @var{bar})
...
@end deftypefn
(where the text before the "...", shown above as two lines, would actually be a single line in a real Texinfo file) produces the following in Info:
-- Library Function: int foobar (int FOO, float BAR) ...
In a printed manual, it produces:
Library Function: int foobar (int foo, float bar)...
This means that foobar is a "library function" that returns an
int, and its arguments are foo (an int) and
bar (a float).
The argument names that you write in @deftypefn are not subject
to an implicit @var---since the actual names of the arguments in
@deftypefn are typically scattered among data type names and
keywords, Texinfo cannot find them without help. Instead, you must write
@var explicitly around the argument names. In the example
above, the argument names are `foo' and `bar'.
The template for @deftypefn is:
@deftypefn category data-type name arguments ... body-of-description @end deftypefn
Note that if the category or data type is more than one word then it must be enclosed in braces to make it a single argument.
If you are describing a procedure in a language that has packages,
such as Ada, you might consider using @deftypefn in a manner
somewhat contrary to the convention described in the preceding
paragraphs.
For example:
@deftypefn stacks private push
(@var{s}:in out stack;
@var{n}:in integer)
...
@end deftypefn
(The @deftypefn arguments are shown split into three lines, but
would be a single line in a real Texinfo file.)
In this instance, the procedure is classified as belonging to the
package stacks rather than classified as a `procedure' and its
data type is described as private. (The name of the procedure
is push, and its arguments are s and n.)
@deftypefn creates an entry in the index of functions for
name.
@deftypefun data-type name arguments...
@deftypefun command is the specialized definition command
for functions in typed languages. The command is equivalent to
`@deftypefn Function ...'.Thus,
@deftypefun int foobar (int @var{foo}, float @var{bar})
...
@end deftypefun
produces the following in Info:
-- Function: int foobar (int FOO, float BAR) ...
and the following in a printed manual:
Function: int foobar (int foo, float bar)...
The template is:
@deftypefun type name arguments... body-of-description @end deftypefun
@deftypefun creates an entry in the index of functions for
name.
Variables in typed languages are handled in a manner similar to
functions in typed languages. See section Functions in Typed Languages. The general
definition command @deftypevr corresponds to
@deftypefn and the specialized definition command
@deftypevar corresponds to @deftypefun.
@deftypevr category data-type name
@deftypevr command is the general definition command for
something like a variable in a typed language--an entity that records
a value. You must choose a term to describe the category of the
entity being defined; for example, "Variable" could be used if the
entity is a variable.
The @deftypevr command is written at the beginning of a line
and is followed on the same line by the category of the entity
being described, the data type, and the name of this particular
entity.
For example:
@deftypevr {Global Flag} int enable
...
@end deftypevr
produces the following in Info:
-- Global Flag: int enable ...
and the following in a printed manual:
Global Flag: int enable...
The template is:
@deftypevr category data-type name body-of-description @end deftypevr
@deftypevr creates an entry in the index of variables for
name.
@deftypevar data-type name
@deftypevar command is the specialized definition command
for variables in typed languages. @deftypevar is equivalent
to `@deftypevr Variable ...'.For example:
@deftypevar int fubar ... @end deftypevar
produces the following in Info:
-- Variable: int fubar ...
and the following in a printed manual:
Variable: int fubar...
The template is:
@deftypevar data-type name body-of-description @end deftypevar
@deftypevar creates an entry in the index of variables for
name.
Here are the commands for formatting descriptions about abstract objects, such as are used in object-oriented programming. A class is a defined type of abstract object. An instance of a class is a particular object that has the type of the class. An instance variable is a variable that belongs to the class but for which each instance has its own value.
In a definition, if the name of a class is truly a name defined in the
programming system for a class, then you should write an @code
around it. Otherwise, it is printed in the usual text font.
@defcv category class name
@defcv command is the general definition command for
variables associated with classes in object-oriented programming. The
@defcv command is followed by three arguments: the category of
thing being defined, the class to which it belongs, and its
name. Thus,
@defcv {Class Option} Window border-pattern
...
@end defcv
illustrates how you would write the first line of a definition of the
border-pattern class option of the class Window.
The template is
@defcv category class name ... @end defcv
@defcv creates an entry in the index of variables.
@defivar class name
@defivar command is the definition command for instance
variables in object-oriented programming. @defivar is
equivalent to `@defcv {Instance Variable} ...'The template is:
@defivar class instance-variable-name body-of-definition @end defivar
@defivar creates an entry in the index of variables.
@defop category class name arguments...
@defop command is the general definition command for
entities that may resemble methods in object-oriented programming.
These entities take arguments, as functions do, but are associated
with particular classes of objects.
For example, some systems have constructs called wrappers that
are associated with classes as methods are, but that act more like
macros than like functions. You could use @defop Wrapper to
describe one of these.
Sometimes it is useful to distinguish methods and operations.
You can think of an operation as the specification for a method.
Thus, a window system might specify that all window classes have a
method named expose; we would say that this window system
defines an expose operation on windows in general. Typically,
the operation has a name and also specifies the pattern of arguments;
all methods that implement the operation must accept the same
arguments, since applications that use the operation do so without
knowing which method will implement it.
Often it makes more sense to document operations than methods. For
example, window application developers need to know about the
expose operation, but need not be concerned with whether a
given class of windows has its own method to implement this operation.
To describe this operation, you would write:
@defop Operation windows expose
The @defop command is written at the beginning of a line and
is followed on the same line by the overall name of the category of
operation, the name of the class of the operation, the name of the
operation, and its arguments, if any.
The template is:
@defop category class name arguments... body-of-definition @end defop
@defop creates an entry, such as `expose on
windows', in the index of functions.
@defmethod class name arguments...
@defmethod command is the definition command for methods
in object-oriented programming. A method is a kind of function that
implements an operation for a particular class of objects and its
subclasses. In the Lisp Machine, methods actually were functions, but
they were usually defined with defmethod.
@defmethod is equivalent to `@defop Method ...'.
The command is written at the beginning of a line and is followed by
the name of the class of the method, the name of the method, and its
arguments, if any.
For example,
@defmethod bar-class bar-method argument
...
@end defmethod
illustrates the definition for a method called bar-method of
the class bar-class. The method takes an argument.
The template is:
@defmethod class method-name arguments... body-of-definition @end defmethod
@defmethod creates an entry in the index of functions, such as
`bar-method on bar-class'.
Here is the command for data types:
@deftp category name attributes...
@deftp command is the generic definition command for data
types. The command is written at the beginning of a line and is
followed on the same line by the category, by the name of the type
(which is a word like int or float), and then by names of
attributes of objects of that type. Thus, you could use this command
for describing int or float, in which case you could use
data type as the category. (A data type is a category of
certain objects for purposes of deciding which operations can be
performed on them.)
In Lisp, for example, pair names a particular data
type, and an object of that type has two slots called the
CAR and the CDR. Here is how you would write the first line
of a definition of pair.
@deftp {Data type} pair car cdr
...
@end deftp
The template is:
@deftp category name-of-type attributes... body-of-definition @end deftp
@deftp creates an entry in the index of data types.
When you write a definition using @deffn, @defun, or
one of the other definition commands, please take care to use
arguments that indicate the meaning, as with the count argument
to the forward-word function. Also, if the name of an argument
contains the name of a type, such as integer, take care that the
argument actually is of that type.
A function definition uses the @defun and @end defun
commands. The name of the function follows immediately after the
@defun command and it is followed, on the same line, by the
parameter list.
Here is a definition from The GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. (See section `Calling Functions' in The GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual.)
Function: apply function &rest arguments
applycalls function with arguments, just likefuncallbut with one difference: the last of arguments is a list of arguments to give to function, rather than a single argument. We also say that this list is appended to the other arguments.
applyreturns the result of calling function. As withfuncall, function must either be a Lisp function or a primitive function; special forms and macros do not make sense inapply.
(setq f 'list) => list (apply f 'x 'y 'z) error--> Wrong type argument: listp, z (apply '+ 1 2 '(3 4)) => 10 (apply '+ '(1 2 3 4)) => 10 (apply 'append '((a b c) nil (x y z) nil)) => (a b c x y z)An interesting example of using
applyis found in the description ofmapcar.
In the Texinfo source file, this example looks like this:
@defun apply function &rest arguments
@code{apply} calls @var{function} with
@var{arguments}, just like @code{funcall} but with one
difference: the last of @var{arguments} is a list of
arguments to give to @var{function}, rather than a single
argument. We also say that this list is @dfn{appended}
to the other arguments.
@code{apply} returns the result of calling
@var{function}. As with @code{funcall},
@var{function} must either be a Lisp function or a
primitive function; special forms and macros do not make
sense in @code{apply}.
@example
(setq f 'list)
@result{} list
(apply f 'x 'y 'z)
@error{} Wrong type argument: listp, z
(apply '+ 1 2 '(3 4))
@result{} 10
(apply '+ '(1 2 3 4))
@result{} 10
(apply 'append '((a b c) nil (x y z) nil))
@result{} (a b c x y z)
@end example
An interesting example of using @code{apply} is found
in the description of @code{mapcar}.@refill
@end defun
In this manual, this function is listed in the Command and Variable
Index under apply.
Ordinary variables and user options are described using a format like that for functions except that variables do not take arguments.
A footnote is for a reference that documents or elucidates the primary text.(8)
In Texinfo, footnotes are created with the @footnote command.
This command is followed immediately by a left brace, then by the text
of the footnote, and then by a terminating right brace. The template
is:
@footnote{text}
Footnotes may be of any length, but are usually short.
For example, this clause is followed by a sample footnote(9); in the Texinfo source, it looks like this:
...a sample footnote @footnote{Here is the sample
footnote.}; in the Texinfo source...
In a printed manual or book, the reference mark for a footnote is a small, superscripted number; the text of the footnote is written at the bottom of the page, below a horizontal line.
In Info, the reference mark for a footnote is a pair of parentheses with the footnote number between them, like this: `(1)'.
Info has two footnote styles, which determine where the text of the footnote is located:
Here is an example of a single footnote in the end of node style:
--------- Footnotes --------- (1) Here is a sample footnote.
The name of the node containing the footnotes is constructed by appending `-Footnotes' to the name of the node that contains the footnotes. (Consequently, the footnotes' node for the `Footnotes' node is `Footnotes-Footnotes'!) The footnotes' node has an `Up' node pointer that leads back to its parent node.
Here is how the first footnote in this manual looks after being formatted for Info in the separate node style:
File: texinfo.info Node: Overview-Footnotes, Up: Overview (1) Note that the first syllable of "Texinfo" is pronounced like "speck", not "hex". ...
A Texinfo file may be formatted into an Info file with either footnote style.
Use the @footnotestyle command to specify an Info file's
footnote style. Write this command at the beginning of a line followed
by an argument, either `end' for the end node style or
`separate' for the separate node style.
For example,
@footnotestyle endor
@footnotestyle separate
Write an @footnotestyle command before or shortly after the
end-of-header line at the beginning of a Texinfo file. (If you
include the @footnotestyle command between the start-of-header
and end-of-header lines, the region formatting commands will format
footnotes as specified.)
If you do not specify a footnote style, the formatting commands use
their default style. Currently, makeinfo uses the `end' style,
while texinfo-format-buffer and texinfo-format-region
use the `separate' style.
This chapter contains two footnotes.
Sometimes it is good to use different text for a printed manual and its corresponding Info file. In this case, you can use the conditional commands to specify which text is for the printed manual and which is for the Info file.
@ifinfo begins segments of text that should be ignored
by TeX when it
typesets the printed manual. The segment of text appears only
in the Info file.
The @ifinfo command should appear on a line by itself; end
the Info-only text with a line containing @end ifinfo by
itself. At the beginning of a Texinfo file, the Info permissions are
contained within a region marked by @ifinfo and @end
ifinfo. (See section Summary and Copying Permissions for Info.)
The @iftex and @end iftex commands are similar to the
@ifinfo and @end ifinfo commands, except that they
specify text that will appear in the printed manual but not in the Info
file.
For example,
@iftex This text will appear only in the printed manual. @end iftex @ifinfo However, this text will appear only in Info. @end ifinfo
The preceding example produces the following line:
This text will appear only in the printed manual.
Note how you only see one of the two lines, depending on whether you are reading the Info version or the printed version of this manual.
The @titlepage command is a special variant of @iftex that
is used for making the title and copyright pages of the printed
manual. (See section @titlepage.)
Inside a region delineated by @iftex and @end iftex,
you can embed some PlainTeX commands. Info will ignore these
commands since they are only in that part of the file which is seen by
TeX. You can write the TeX commands as you would write them in
a normal TeX file, except that you must replace the `\' used
by TeX with an `@'. For example, in the @titlepage
section of a Texinfo file, you can use the TeX command
@vskip to format the copyright page. (The @titlepage
command causes Info to ignore the region automatically, as it does
with the @iftex command.)
However, many features of PlainTeX will not work, as they are overridden by features of Texinfo.
You can enter PlainTeX completely, and use `\' in the TeX
commands, by delineating a region with the @tex and @end
tex commands. (The @tex command also causes Info to ignore the
region, like the @iftex
command.)
For example, here is a mathematical expression written in PlainTeX:
@tex
$$ \chi^2 = \sum_{i=1}^N
\left (y_i - (a + b x_i)
\over \sigma_i\right)^2 $$
@end tex
The output of this example will appear only in a printed manual. If you are reading this in Info, you will not see anything after this paragraph. In a printed manual, the above expression looks like this:
@set, @clear, and @value
You can direct the Texinfo formatting commands to format or ignore parts
of a Texinfo file with the @set, @clear, @ifset,
and @ifclear commands.
In addition, you can use the @set flag command to set the
value of flag to a string of characters; and use
@value{flag} to insert that string. You can use
@set, for example, to set a date and use @value to
insert the date in several places in the Texinfo file.
@ifset and @ifclear
When a flag is set, the Texinfo formatting commands format text
between subsequent pairs of @ifset flag and @end
ifset commands. When the flag is cleared, the Texinfo formatting
commands do not format the text.
Use the @set flag command to turn on, or set, a
flag; a flag can be any single word. The format for the
command looks like this:
@set flag
Write the conditionally formatted text between @ifset flag
and @end ifset commands, like this:
@ifset flag conditional-text @end ifset
For example, you can create one document that has two variants, such as a manual for a `large' and `small' model:
You can use this machine to dig up shrubs without hurting them. @set large @ifset large It can also dig up fully grown trees. @end ifset Remember to replant promptly ...
In the example, the formatting commands will format the text between
@ifset large and @end ifset because the large
flag is set.
Use the @clear flag command to turn off, or clear,
a flag. Clearing a flag is the opposite of setting a flag. The
command looks like this:
@clear flag
Write the command on a line of its own.
When flag is cleared, the Texinfo formatting commands do
not format the text between @ifset flag and
@end ifset; that text is ignored and does not appear in either
printed or Info output.
For example, if you clear the flag of the preceding example by writing
an @clear large command after the @set large command
(but before the conditional text), then the Texinfo formatting commands
ignore the text between the @ifset large and @end ifset
commands. In the formatted output, that text does not appear; in both
printed and Info output, you see only the lines that say, "You can use
this machine to dig up shrubs without hurting them. Remember to replant
promptly ...".
If a flag is cleared with an @clear flag command, then
the formatting commands format text between subsequent pairs of
@ifclear and @end ifclear commands. But if the flag
is set with @set flag, then the formatting commands do
not format text between an @ifclear and an @end
ifclear command; rather, they ignore that text. An @ifclear
command looks like this:
@ifclear flag
In brief, the commands are:
@set flag
@clear flag
@ifset flag
@end ifset command.
If flag is cleared, tell the Texinfo formatting commands to
ignore text up to the following @end ifset command.
@ifclear flag
@end ifclear command.
If flag is cleared, tell the Texinfo formatting commands to
format the text up to the following @end ifclear
command.
@value
You can use the @set command to specify a value for a flag,
which is expanded by the @value command. The value is a string
a characters.
Write the @set command like this:
@set foo This is a string.
This sets the value of foo to "This is a string."
The Texinfo formatters replace an @value{flag} command with
the string to which flag is set.
Thus, when foo is set as shown above, the Texinfo formatters convert
@value{foo}
to
This is a string.
You can write an @value command within a paragraph; but you
must write an @set command on a line of its own.
If you write the @set command like this:
@set foo
without specifying a string, the value of foo is an empty string.
If you clear a previously set flag with an @clear flag
command, a subsequent @value{flag} command is invalid and the
string is replaced with an error message that says `{No value for
"flag"}'.
For example, if you set foo as follows:
@set how-much very, very, very
then the formatters transform
It is a @value{how-much} wet day.
into
It is a very, very, very wet day.
If you write
@clear how-much
then the formatters transform
It is a @value{how-much} wet day.
into
It is a {No value for "how-much"} wet day.
@value Example
You can use the @value command to limit the number of places you
need to change when you record an update to a manual.
Here is how it is done in The GNU Make Manual:
Set the flags:
@set EDITION 0.35 Beta @set VERSION 3.63 Beta @set UPDATED 14 August 1992 @set UPDATE-MONTH August 1992
Write text for the first @ifinfo section, for people reading the
Texinfo file:
This is Edition @value{EDITION},
last updated @value{UPDATED},
of @cite{The GNU Make Manual},
for @code{make}, Version @value{VERSION}.
Write text for the title page, for people reading the printed manual:
@title GNU Make
@subtitle A Program for Directing Recompilation
@subtitle Edition @value{EDITION}, ...
@subtitle @value{UPDATE-MONTH}
(On a printed cover, a date listing the month and the year looks less fussy than a date listing the day as well as the month and year.)
Write text for the Top node, for people reading the Info file:
This is Edition @value{EDITION}
of the @cite{GNU Make Manual},
last updated @value{UPDATED}
for @code{make} Version @value{VERSION}.
After you format the manual, the text in the first @ifinfo
section looks like this:
This is Edition 0.35 Beta, last updated 14 August 1992, of `The GNU Make Manual', for `make', Version 3.63 Beta.
When you update the manual, change only the values of the flags; you do not need to rewrite the three sections.
There are three major shell commands for making a printed manual from a Texinfo file: one for converting the Texinfo file into a file that will be printed, a second for sorting indices, and a third for printing the formatted document. When you use the shell commands, you can either work directly in the operating system shell or work within a shell inside GNU Emacs.
If you are using GNU Emacs, you can use commands provided by Texinfo mode instead of shell commands. In addition to the three commands to format a file, sort the indices, and print the result, Texinfo mode offers key bindings for commands to recenter the output buffer, show the print queue, and delete a job from the print queue.
The typesetting program called TeX is used for formatting a Texinfo file. TeX is a very powerful typesetting program and, if used right, does an exceptionally good job. See section How to Obtain TeX, for information on how to obtain TeX.
The makeinfo, texinfo-format-region, and
texinfo-format-buffer commands read the very same @-commands
in the Texinfo file as does TeX, but process them differently to
make an Info file; see section Creating an Info File.
Format the Texinfo file with the shell command tex followed by
the name of the Texinfo file. This produces a formatted DVI file
as well as several auxiliary files containing indices, cross
references, etc. The DVI file (for DeVice Independent
file) can be printed on a wide variety of printers.
The tex formatting command itself does not sort the indices; it
writes an output file of unsorted index data. This is a misfeature of
TeX. Hence, to generate a printed index, you first need a sorted
index to work from. The texindex command sorts indices. (The
source file `texindex.c' comes as part of the standard GNU
distribution and is usually installed when Emacs is installed.)
The tex formatting command outputs unsorted index files under
names that obey a standard convention. These names are the name of
your main input file to the tex formatting command, with
everything after the first period thrown away, and the two letter
names of indices added at the end. For example, the raw index output
files for the input file `foo.texinfo' would be `foo.cp',
`foo.vr', `foo.fn', `foo.tp', `foo.pg' and
`foo.ky'. Those are exactly the arguments to give to
texindex.
Or else, you can use `??' as "wild-cards" and give the command in this form:
texindex foo.??
This command will run texindex on all the unsorted index files,
including any that you have defined yourself using @defindex
or @defcodeindex. (You may execute `texindex foo.??'
even if there are similarly named files with two letter extensions
that are not index files, such as `foo.el'. The texindex
command reports but otherwise ignores such files.)
For each file specified, texindex generates a sorted index file
whose name is made by appending `s' to the input file name. The
@printindex command knows to look for a file of that name.
texindex does not alter the raw index output file.
After you have sorted the indices, you need to rerun the tex
formatting command on the Texinfo file. This regenerates a formatted
DVI file with up-to-date index entries.(10)
To summarize, this is a three step process:
tex formatting command on the Texinfo file. This
generates the formatted DVI file as well as the raw index files
with two letter extensions.
texindex on the raw index files to sort
them. This creates the corresponding sorted index files.
tex formatting command on the Texinfo file. This
regenerates a formatted DVI file with the index entries in the
correct order. This second run also corrects the page numbers for
the cross references. (The tables of contents are always correct.)
You need not run texindex each time after you run the
tex formatting. If you do not, on the next run, the tex
formatting command will use whatever sorted index files happen to
exist from the previous use of texindex. This is usually
OK while you are debugging.
Rather than type the tex and texindex commands yourself,
you can use texi2dvi. This shell script is designed to
simplify the tex---texindex---tex sequence by
figuring out whether index files and DVI files are up-to-date.
It runs texindex and tex only when necessary.
The syntax for texi2dvi is like this (where `%' is the
shell prompt):
% texi2dvi filename...
Finally, you can print the DVI file with the DVI print command. The precise command to use depends on the system; `lpr -d' is common. The DVI print command may require a file name without any extension or with a `.dvi' extension.
The following commands, for example, sort the indices, format, and print the Bison Manual (where `%' is the shell prompt):
% tex bison.texinfo % texindex bison.?? % tex bison.texinfo % lpr -d bison.dvi
(Remember that the shell commands may be different at your site; but these are commonly used versions.)
You can give formatting and printing commands from a shell within GNU Emacs. To create a shell within Emacs, type M-x shell. In this shell, you can format and print the document. See section Format and Print Using Shell Commands, for details.
You can switch to and from the shell buffer while tex is
running and do other editing. If you are formatting a long document
on a slow machine, this can be very convenient.
You can also use texi2dvi from an Emacs shell. For example,
here is how to use texi2dvi to format and print Using and
Porting GNU CC from a shell within Emacs (where `%' is the shell
prompt):
% texi2dvi gcc.texinfo % lpr -d gcc.dvi
Texinfo mode provides several predefined key commands for TeX formatting and printing. These include commands for sorting indices, looking at the printer queue, killing the formatting job, and recentering the display of the buffer in which the operations occur.
texinfo-tex-region or texinfo-tex-buffer.
texinfo-tex-region or
texinfo-tex-buffer.
texinfo-show-tex-print-queue).
texinfo-tex-region or texinfo-tex-buffer, or any other
process running in the Texinfo shell buffer.
Thus, the usual sequence of commands for formatting a buffer is as follows (with comments to the right):
C-c C-t C-b Run TeX on the buffer. C-c C-t C-i Sort the indices. C-c C-t C-b Rerun TeX to regenerate indices. C-c C-t C-p Print the DVI file. C-c C-t C-q Display the printer queue.
The Texinfo mode TeX formatting commands start a subshell in Emacs
called the `*texinfo-tex-shell*'. The texinfo-tex-command,
texinfo-texindex-command, and tex-dvi-print-command
commands are all run in this shell.
You can watch the commands operate in the `*texinfo-tex-shell*' buffer, and you can switch to and from and use the `*texinfo-tex-shell*' buffer as you would any other shell buffer.
The formatting and print commands depend on the values of several variables. The default values are:
Variable Default value
texinfo-tex-command "tex"
texinfo-texindex-command "texindex"
texinfo-tex-shell-cd-command "cd"
texinfo-tex-dvi-print-command "lpr -d"
texinfo-show-tex-queue-command "lpq"
texinfo-delete-from-print-queue-command "lprm"
texinfo-start-of-header "%**start"
texinfo-end-of-header "%**end"
texinfo-tex-trailer "@bye"
The default values of both the texinfo-tex-command and the
texinfo-texindex-command variables are set in the `texnfo-tex.el'
file.
You can change the values of these variables with the M-x edit-options command (see section `Editing Variable Values' in The GNU Emacs Manual), with the M-x set-variable command (see section `Examining and Setting Variables' in The GNU Emacs Manual), or with your `.emacs' initialization file (see section `Init File' in The GNU Emacs Manual).
Yet another way to apply the TeX formatting command to a Texinfo
file is to put that command in a local variables list at the end
of the Texinfo file. You can then specify the TeX formatting
command as a compile-command and have Emacs run the TeX
formatting command by typing M-x compile. This creates a
special shell called the `*compilation buffer*' in which Emacs
runs the compile command. For example, at the end of the
`gdb.texinfo' file, after the @bye, you would put the
following:
@c Local Variables: @c compile-command: "tex gdb.texinfo" @c End:
This technique is most often used by programmers who also compile programs this way; see section `Compilation' in The GNU Emacs Manual.
Every Texinfo file that is to be input to TeX must begin with a
\input command and contain an @settitle command:
\input texinfo @settitle name-of-manual
The first command instructs TeX to load the macros it needs to process a Texinfo file and the second command specifies the title of printed manual.
Every Texinfo file must end with a line that terminates TeX processing and forces out unfinished pages:
@bye
Strictly speaking, these three lines are all a Texinfo file needs for
TeX, besides the body. (The @setfilename line is the only
line that a Texinfo file needs for Info formatting.)
Usually, the file's first line contains an `@c -*-texinfo-*-'
comment that causes Emacs to switch to Texinfo mode when you edit the
file. In addition, the beginning usually includes an
@setfilename for Info formatting, an @setchapternewpage
command, a title page, a copyright page, and permissions. Besides an
@bye, the end of a file usually includes indices and a table of
contents.
For more information, see
section @setchapternewpage,
section Page Headings,
section The Title and Copyright Pages,
section Index Menus and Printing an Index, and
section Generating a Table of Contents.
TeX needs to know where to find the `texinfo.tex' file that you have told it to input with the `\input texinfo' command at the beginning of the first line. The `texinfo.tex' file tells TeX how to handle @-commands. (`texinfo.tex' is included in the standard GNU distributions.)
Usually, the `texinfo.tex' file is put in the default directory that contains TeX macros (the `/usr/lib/tex/macros' directory) when GNU Emacs or other GNU software is installed. In this case, TeX will find the file and you do not need to do anything special. Alternatively, you can put `texinfo.tex' in the directory in which the Texinfo source file is located, and TeX will find it there.
However, you may want to specify the location of the \input file
yourself. One way to do this is to write the complete path for the file
after the \input command. Another way is to set the
TEXINPUTS environment variable in your `.cshrc' or
`.profile' file. The TEXINPUTS environment variable will tell
TeX where to find the `texinfo.tex' file and any other file that
you might want TeX to use.
Whether you use a `.cshrc' or `.profile' file depends on
whether you use csh, sh, or bash for your shell
command interpreter. When you use csh, it looks to the
`.cshrc' file for initialization information, and when you use
sh or bash, it looks to the `.profile' file.
In a `.cshrc' file, you could use the following csh command
sequence:
setenv TEXINPUTS .:/usr/me/mylib:/usr/lib/tex/macros
In a `.profile' file, you could use the following sh command
sequence:
TEXINPUTS=.:/usr/me/mylib:/usr/lib/tex/macros export TEXINPUTS
This would cause TeX to look for `\input' file first in the current directory, indicated by the `.', then in a hypothetical user's `me/mylib' directory, and finally in the system library.
TeX is sometimes unable to typeset a line without extending it into the right margin. This can occur when TeX comes upon what it interprets as a long word that it cannot hyphenate, such as an electronic mail network address or a very long title. When this happens, TeX prints an error message like this:
Overfull \hbox (20.76302pt too wide)
(In TeX, lines are in "horizontal boxes", hence the term, "hbox". The backslash, `\', is the TeX equivalent of `@'.)
TeX also provides the line number in the Texinfo source file and the text of the offending line, which is marked at all the places that TeX knows how to hyphenate words. See section Catching Errors with TeX Formatting, for more information about typesetting errors.
If the Texinfo file has an overfull hbox, you can rewrite the sentence so the overfull hbox does not occur, or you can decide to leave it. A small excursion into the right margin often does not matter and may not even be noticeable.
However, unless told otherwise, TeX will print a large, ugly, black rectangle beside the line that contains the overful hbox. This is so you will notice the location of the problem if you are correcting a draft.
To prevent such a monstrosity from marring your final printout, write
the following in the beginning of the Texinfo file on a line of its own,
before the @titlepage command:
@finalout
By default, TeX typesets pages for printing in an 8.5 by 11 inch format. However, you can direct TeX to typeset a document in a 7 by 9.25 inch format that is suitable for bound books by inserting the following command on a line by itself at the beginning of the Texinfo file, before the title page:
@smallbook
(Since regular sized books are often about 7 by 9.25 inches, this
command might better have been called the @regularbooksize
command, but it came to be called the @smallbook command by
comparison to the 8.5 by 11 inch format.)
If you write the @smallbook command between the
start-of-header and end-of-header lines, the Texinfo mode TeX
region formatting command, texinfo-tex-region, will format the
region in "small" book size (see section Start of Header).
The Free Software Foundation distributes printed copies of The GNU
Emacs Manual and other manuals in the "small" book size.
See section @smallexample and @smalllisp}, for information about commands that make it easier
to produce examples for a smaller manual.
You can tell TeX to typeset a document for printing on European size
A4 paper with the @afourpaper command. Write the command on a
line by itself between @iftex and @end iftex lines near
the beginning of the Texinfo file, before the title page:
For example, this is how you would write the header for this manual:
\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- @c %**start of header @setfilename texinfo @settitle Texinfo @syncodeindex vr fn @iftex @afourpaper @end iftex @c %**end of header
You can attempt to direct TeX to print cropmarks at the corners of
pages with the @cropmarks command. Write the @cropmarks
command on a line by itself between @iftex and @end
iftex lines near the beginning of the Texinfo file, before the title
page, like this:
@iftex @cropmarks @end iftex
This command is mainly for printers that typeset several pages on one
sheet of film; but you can attempt to use it to mark the corners of a
book set to 7 by 9.25 inches with the @smallbook command.
(Printers will not produce cropmarks for regular sized output that is
printed on regular sized paper.) Since different printing machines work
in different ways, you should explore the use of this command with a
spirit of adventure. You may have to redefine the command in the
`texinfo.tex' definitions file.
You can attempt to direct TeX to typeset pages larger or smaller than
usual with the \mag TeX command. Everything that is typeset
is scaled proportionally larger or smaller. (\mag stands for
"magnification".) This is not a Texinfo @-command, but is a
PlainTeX command that is prefixed with a backslash. You have to
write this command between @tex and @end tex
(see section Using Ordinary TeX Commands).
Follow the \mag command with an `=' and then a number that
is 1000 times the magnification you desire. For example, to print pages
at 1.2 normal size, write the following near the beginning of the
Texinfo file, before the title page:
@tex \mag=1200 @end tex
With some printing technologies, you can print normal-sized copies that look better than usual by using a larger-than-normal master.
Depending on your system, \mag may not work or may work only at
certain magnifications. Be prepared to experiment.
makeinfo is a utility that converts a Texinfo file into an Info
file; texinfo-format-region and texinfo-format-buffer are
GNU Emacs functions that do the same.
A Texinfo file must possess an @setfilename line near its
beginning, otherwise the Info formatting commands will fail.
For information on installing the Info file in the Info system, see section Installing an Info File.
The makeinfo utility creates an Info file from a Texinfo source
file more quickly than either of the Emacs formatting commands and
provides better error messages. We recommend it. makeinfo is a
C program that is independent of Emacs. You do not need to run Emacs to
use makeinfo, which means you can use makeinfo on machines
that are too small to run Emacs. You can run makeinfo in
any one of three ways: from an operating system shell, from a shell
inside Emacs, or by typing a key command in Texinfo mode in Emacs.
The texinfo-format-region and the texinfo-format-buffer
commands are useful if you cannot run makeinfo. Also, in some
circumstances, they format short regions or buffers more quickly than
makeinfo.
makeinfo from a Shell
To create an Info file from a Texinfo file, type makeinfo
followed by the name of the Texinfo file. Thus, to create the Info
file for Bison, type the following at the shell prompt (where `%'
is the prompt):
% makeinfo bison.texinfo
(You can run a shell inside Emacs by typing M-x shell.)
makeinfo
The makeinfo command takes a number of options. Most often,
options are used to set the value of the fill column and specify the
footnote style. Each command line option is a word preceded by
`--'(11) or a letter preceded by `-'. You can use abbreviations
for the option names as long as they are unique.
For example, you could use the following command to create an Info file for `bison.texinfo' in which each line is filled to only 68 columns (where `%' is the prompt):
% makeinfo --fill-column=68 bison.texinfo
You can write two or more options in sequence, like this:
% makeinfo --no-split --fill-column=70 ...
This would keep the Info file together as one possibly very long file and would also set the fill column to 70.
If you wish to discover which version of makeinfo
you are using, type:
% makeinfo --version
The options are:
-D var
@set var in the Texinfo file.
--error-limit limit
makeinfo will report
before exiting (on the assumption that continuing would be useless).
The default number of errors that can be reported before
makeinfo gives up is 100.
--fill-column width
fill-column is 72.
--footnote-style style
@footnotestyle command. When the footnote style is
`separate', makeinfo makes a new node containing the
footnotes found in the current node. When the footnote style is
`end', makeinfo places the footnote references at the end
of the current node.
-I dir
dir to the directory search list for finding files that are
included using the @include command. By default,
makeinfo searches only the current directory.
--no-headers
--no-split
makeinfo. Normally, large
output files (where the size is greater than 70k bytes) are split into
smaller subfiles, each one approximately 50k bytes. If you specify
`--no-split', makeinfo will not split up the output
file.
--no-pointer-validate
--no-validate
makeinfo. Normally,
after a Texinfo file is processed, some consistency checks are made to
ensure that cross references can be resolved, etc.
See section Pointer Validation.
--no-warn
--no-number-footnotes
makeinfo
numbers each footnote sequentially in a single node, resetting the
current footnote number to 1 at the start of each node.
--output file
-o file
@setfilename command found in the Texinfo
source. file can be the special token `-', which specifies
standard output.
--paragraph-indent indent
@paragraphindent command. The value of indent is
interpreted as follows:
--reference-limit limit
makeinfo will make without reporting a warning. If a node has more
than this number of references in it, makeinfo will make the
references but also report a warning.
-U var
@clear var in the Texinfo file.
--verbose
makeinfo to display messages saying what it is doing.
Normally, makeinfo only outputs messages if there are errors or
warnings.
--version
makeinfo.
makeinfo will check the validity of the final Info file unless
you suppress pointer-validation by using the
`--no-pointer-validation' option. Mostly, this means ensuring
that nodes you have referenced really exist. Here is a complete list
of what is checked:
makeinfo inside Emacs
You can run makeinfo in GNU Emacs Texinfo mode by using either the
makeinfo-region or the makeinfo-buffer commands. In
Texinfo mode, the commands are bound to C-c C-m C-r and C-c
C-m C-b by default.
When you invoke either makeinfo-region or
makeinfo-buffer, Emacs prompts for a file name, offering the
name of the visited file as the default. You can edit the default
file name in the minibuffer if you wish, before typing RET to
start the makeinfo process.
The Emacs makeinfo-region and makeinfo-buffer commands
run the makeinfo program in a temporary shell buffer. If
makeinfo finds any errors, Emacs displays the error messages in
the temporary buffer.
You can parse the error messages by typing C-x `
(next-error). This causes Emacs to go to and position the
cursor on the line in the Texinfo source that makeinfo thinks
caused the error. See section `Running make or Compilers Generally' in The GNU Emacs Manual, for more
information about using the next-error command.
In addition, you can kill the shell in which the makeinfo
command is running or make the shell buffer display its most recent
output.
makeinfo-region or makeinfo-buffer.
makeinfo shell buffer to display its most recent
output.(Note that the parallel commands for killing and recentering a TeX job are C-c C-t C-k and C-c C-t C-l. See section Formatting and Printing in Texinfo Mode.)
You can specify options for makeinfo by setting the
makeinfo-options variable with either the M-x
edit-options or the M-x set-variable command, or by setting the
variable in your `.emacs' initialization file.
For example, you could write the following in your `.emacs' file:
(setq makeinfo-options
"--paragraph-indent=0 --no-split
--fill-column=70 --verbose")
For more information, see section Options for makeinfo}, as well as "Editing Variable Values,""Examining and
Setting Variables," and "Init File" in the The GNU Emacs
Manual.
texinfo-format... Commands
In GNU Emacs in Texinfo mode, you can format part or all of a Texinfo
file with the texinfo-format-region command. This formats the
current region and displays the formatted text in a temporary buffer
called `*Info Region*'.
Similarly, you can format a buffer with the
texinfo-format-buffer command. This command creates a new
buffer and generates the Info file in it. Typing C-x C-s will
save the Info file under the name specified by the
@setfilename line which must be near the beginning of the
Texinfo file.
texinfo-format-region
texinfo-format-buffer
The texinfo-format-region and texinfo-format-buffer
commands provide you with some error checking, and other functions can
provide you with further help in finding formatting errors. These
procedures are described in an appendix; see section Formatting Mistakes.
However, the makeinfo program is often faster and
provides better error checking (see section Running makeinfo inside Emacs).
You can format Texinfo files for Info using batch-texinfo-format
and Emacs Batch mode. You can run Emacs in Batch mode from any shell,
including a shell inside of Emacs. (See section `Command Line Switches and Arguments' in The GNU Emacs Manual.)
Here is the command to format all the files that end in `.texinfo' in the current directory (where `%' is the shell prompt):
% emacs -batch -funcall batch-texinfo-format *.texinfo
Emacs processes all the files listed on the command line, even if an error occurs while attempting to format some of them.
Run batch-texinfo-format only with Emacs in Batch mode as shown;
it is not interactive. It kills the Batch mode Emacs on completion.
batch-texinfo-format is convenient if you lack makeinfo
and want to format several Texinfo files at once. When you use Batch
mode, you create a new Emacs process. This frees your current Emacs, so
you can continue working in it. (When you run
texinfo-format-region or texinfo-format-buffer, you cannot
use that Emacs for anything else until the command finishes.)
If a Texinfo file has more than 30,000 bytes,
texinfo-format-buffer automatically creates a tag table
for its Info file; makeinfo always creates a tag table. With
a tag table, Info can jump to new nodes more quickly than it can
otherwise.
In addition, if the Texinfo file contains more than about 70,000
bytes, texinfo-format-buffer and makeinfo split the
large Info file into shorter indirect subfiles of about 50,000
bytes each. Big files are split into smaller files so that Emacs does
not need to make a large buffer to hold the whole of a large Info
file; instead, Emacs allocates just enough memory for the small, split
off file that is needed at the time. This way, Emacs avoids wasting
memory when you run Info. (Before splitting was implemented, Info
files were always kept short and include files were designed as
a way to create a single, large printed manual out of the smaller Info
files. See section Include Files, for more information. Include files are
still used for very large documents, such as The Emacs Lisp
Reference Manual, in which each chapter is a separate file.)
When a file is split, Info itself makes use of a shortened version of the original file that contains just the tag table and references to the files that were split off. The split off files are called indirect files.
The split off files have names that are created by appending `-1',
`-2', `-3' and so on to the file name specified by the
@setfilename command. The shortened version of the original file
continues to have the name specified by @setfilename.
At one stage in writing this document, for example, the Info file was saved as `test-texinfo' and that file looked like this:
Info file: test-texinfo, -*-Text-*- produced by texinfo-format-buffer from file: new-texinfo-manual.texinfo ^_ Indirect: test-texinfo-1: 102 test-texinfo-2: 50422 test-texinfo-3: 101300 ^_^L Tag table: (Indirect) Node: overview^?104 Node: info file^?1271 Node: printed manual^?4853 Node: conventions^?6855 ...
(But `test-texinfo' had far more nodes than are shown here.) Each of the split off, indirect files, `test-texinfo-1', `test-texinfo-2', and `test-texinfo-3', is listed in this file after the line that says `Indirect:'. The tag table is listed after the line that says `Tag table:'.
In the list of indirect files, the number following the file name records the cumulative number of bytes in the preceding indirect files, not counting the file list itself, the tag table, or the permissions text in each file. In the tag table, the number following the node name records the location of the beginning of the node, in bytes from the beginning.
If you are using texinfo-format-buffer to create Info files,
you may want to run the Info-validate command. (The
makeinfo command does such a good job on its own, you do not
need Info-validate.) However, you cannot run the M-x
Info-validate node-checking command on indirect files. For
information on how to prevent files from being split and how to
validate the structure of the nodes, see section Running Info-validate.
Info files are usually kept in the `info' directory. (You can find the location of this directory within Emacs by typing C-h i to enter Info and then typing C-x C-f to see the full pathname to the `info' directory.)
For Info to work, the `info' directory must contain a file that serves as a top level directory for the Info system. By convention, this file is called `dir'. The `dir' file is itself an Info file. It contains the top level menu for all the Info files in the system. The menu looks like this:
* Menu:
* Info: (info). Documentation browsing system.
* Emacs: (emacs). The extensible, self-documenting
text editor.
* Texinfo: (texinfo). With one source file, make
either a printed manual using
TeX or an Info file.
...
Each of these menu entries points to the `Top' node of the Info file that is named in parentheses. (The menu entry does not need to specify the `Top' node, since Info goes to the `Top' node if no node name is mentioned. See section Referring to Other Info Files.)
Thus, the `Info' entry points to the `Top' node of the `info' file and the `Emacs' entry points to the `Top' node of the `emacs' file.
In each of the Info files, the `Up' pointer of the `Top' node refers
back to the dir file. For example, the line for the `Top'
node of the Emacs manual looks like this in Info:
File: emacs Node: Top, Up: (DIR), Next: Distrib
(Note that in this case, the `dir' file name is written in upper case letters--it can be written in either upper or lower case. Info has a feature that it will change the case of the file name to lower case if it cannot find the name as written.)
To add a new Info file to your system, write a menu entry for it in the menu in the `dir' file in the `info' directory. Also, move the new Info file itself to the `info' directory. For example, if you were adding documentation for GDB, you would write the following new entry:
* GDB: (gdb). The source-level C debugger.
The first part of the menu entry is the menu entry name, followed by a colon. The second part is the name of the Info file, in parentheses, followed by a period. The third part is the description.
Conventionally, the name of an Info file has a `.info' extension. Thus, you might list the name of the file like this:
* GDB: (gdb.info). The source-level C debugger.
However, Info will look for a file with a `.info' extension if it does not find the file under the name given in the menu. This means that you can refer to the file `gdb.info' as `gdb', as shown in the first example. This looks better.
If an Info file is not in the `info' directory, there are two ways to specify its location:
For example, to reach a test file in the `~bob/manuals' directory, you could add an entry like this to the menu in the `dir' file:
* Test: (~bob/manuals/info-test). Bob's own test file.
In this case, the absolute file name of the `info-test' file is written as the second part of the menu entry.
Alternatively, you can tell Info where to look by setting the
INFOPATH environment variable in your `.cshrc' or
`.profile' file.
If you use sh or bash for your shell command interpreter,
you must set the INFOPATH environment variable in the
`.profile' initialization file; but if you use csh, you must
set the variable in the `.cshrc' initialization file. The two
files require slightly different command formats.
INFOPATH
variable as follows:
setenv INFOPATH .:~bob/manuals:/usr/local/emacs/info
INFOPATH=.:~bob/manuals:/usr/local/emacs/info export INFOPATH
Either form would cause Info to look first in the current directory, indicated by the `.', then in the `~bob/manuals' directory, and finally in the `/usr/local/emacs/info' directory (which is a common location for the standard Info directory).
Here is an alphabetical list of the @-commands in Texinfo. Square brackets, [ ], indicate optional arguments; an ellipsis, `...', indicates repeated text.
@*
@* with
an @refill command. See section @*: Generate Line Breaks.
@.
@:
@@
@{
@}
@appendix title
@unnumbered, @appendix and @appendix Commands}.
@appendixsec title
@appendixsection title
@appendixsection is a longer
spelling of the @appendixsec command. See section @unnumberedsec, @appendixsec, @heading.
@appendixsubsec title
@subsection-like Commands.
@appendixsubsubsec title
@asis
@table, @ftable, and @vtable to
print the table's first column without highlighting ("as is").
See section Making a Two-column Table.
@author author
@title, @subtitle, and @author and @author
Commands}.
@b{text}
@bullet{}
@bullet{}.
@bye
@bye command. See section Ending a Texinfo File.
@c comment
@comment. See section General Syntactic Conventions.
@cartouche
@end cartouche. No effect in
Info. See section Drawing Cartouches Around Examples.)
@center line-of-text
@titlefont, @center, and @sp.
@chapheading title
@majorheading, @chapheading}.
@chapter title
@chapter.
@cindex entry
@cite{reference}
@cite{reference}.
@clear flag
@ifset flag
and @end ifset commands, and preventing
@value{flag} from expanding to the value to which
flag is set.
See section @set, @clear, and @value.
@code{sample-code}
@code{sample-code}.
@comment comment
@c.
See section General Syntactic Conventions.
@contents
@copyright{}
@copyright{}}.
@defcodeindex index-name
@code font. See section Defining New Indices.
@defcv category class name
@deffn category name arguments...
@deffn takes as arguments the
category of entity being described, the name of this particular
entity, and its arguments, if any. See section Definition Commands.
@defindex index-name
@defivar class instance-variable-name
@defmac macro-name arguments...
@defmethod class method-name arguments...
@defop category class name arguments...
@defop takes as arguments the overall name of the category of
operation, the name of the class of the operation, the name of the
operation, and its arguments, if any. See section Definition Commands.
@defopt option-name
@defspec special-form-name arguments...
@deftp category name-of-type attributes...
@deftp takes as
arguments the category, the name of the type (which is a word like
`int' or `float'), and then the names of attributes of
objects of that
type. See section Definition Commands.
@deftypefn classification data-type name arguments...
@deftypefn takes as arguments
the classification of entity being described, the type, the name of
the entity, and its arguments, if any. See section Definition Commands.
@deftypefun data-type function-name arguments...
@deftypevr classification data-type name
@deftypevar data-type variable-name
@defun function-name arguments...
@defvar variable-name
@defvr category name
@defvr takes
as arguments the category of the entity and the name of the entity.
See section Definition Commands.
@dfn{term}
@dfn{term}.
@display
@end display. See section @display}.
@dmn{dimension}
@dmn command. See section @dmn{dimension}: Format a Dimension}.
@dots{}
@dots{}.
@emph{text}
@enumerate [number-or-letter]
@item for each entry.
Optionally, start list with number-or-letter. Pair with
@end enumerate. See section Making a Numbered or Lettered List}.
@equiv{}
@error{}
@evenfooting [left] @| [center] @| [right]
@evenheading [left] @| [center] @| [right]
@everyfooting [left] @| [center] @| [right]
@everyheading [left] @| [center] @| [right]
@example
@end example. See section @example}.
@exdent line-of-text
@exdent: Undoing a Line's Indentation.
@expansion{}
@file{filename}
@file{file-name}}.
@finalout
@findex entry
@flushleft
@end flushleft.
See section @flushleft and @flushright}.
@flushright
@end flushright.
See section @flushleft and @flushright}.
@footnote{text-of-footnote}
@footnotestyle style
@format
@example or @display,
but do not narrow the margins and do not select the fixed-width font.
Pair with @end format. See section @example}.
@ftable formatting-command
@item for each entry.
Automatically enter each of the items in the first column into the
index of functions. Pair with @end ftable. The same as
@table, except for indexing. See section @ftable and @vtable and @vtable}.
@group
@end group. Not relevant to Info. See section @group: Prevent Page Breaks}.
@heading title
@unnumberedsec, @appendixsec, @heading.
@headings on-off-single-double
@headings on is synonymous with
@headings double. See section The @headings Command Command}.
@i{text}
@ifclear flag
@ifclear flag and the following @end
ifclear command.
See section @set, @clear, and @value.
@ifinfo
@end ifinfo. See section Conditionally Visible Text.
@ifset flag
@ifset flag and the following @end ifset
command.
See section @set, @clear, and @value.
@iftex
@end iftex.
See section Conditionally Visible Text.
@ignore
@end ignore.
See section Comments.
@include filename
@inforef{node-name, [entry-name], info-file-name}
@inforef}.
\input macro-definitions-file
\input
is used instead of an @ because TeX does not properly
recognize @ until after it has read the definitions file.
See section The Texinfo File Header.
@item
@itemize and
@enumerate; indicate the beginning of the text of a first column
entry for @table, @ftable, and @vtable.
See section Making Lists and Tables.
@itemize mark-generating-character-or-command
@end
itemize. See section Making an Itemized List.
@itemx
@item but do not generate extra vertical space above the
item text. See section @itemx.
@kbd{keyboard-characters}
@kbd{keyboard-characters}.
@key{key-name}
@key{key-name}.
@kindex entry
@lisp
@end lisp. See section @lisp}.
@majorheading title
@chapheading command. In Info, the chapter
heading line is underlined with asterisks. See section @majorheading, @chapheading and @chapheading}.
@menu
@end menu. See section Menus.
@minus{}
@minus{}: Inserting a Minus Sign.
@need n
@need mils: Prevent Page Breaks}.
@node name, next, previous, up
@node Command.
@noindent
@noindent.
@oddfooting [left] @| [center] @| [right]
@oddheading [left] @| [center] @| [right]
@page
@page: Start a New Page.
@paragraphindent indent
asis. See section Paragraph Indenting.
@pindex entry
@point{}
@print{}
@printindex index-name
@pxref{node-name, [entry], [topic-or-title], [info-file], [manual]}
@pxref.
@quotation
@end quotation. See section @quotation}.
@r{text}
@ref{node-name, [entry], [topic-or-title], [info-file], [manual]}
@ref.
@refill
@result{}
@samp{text}
@samp{text}.
@sc{text}
@sc{text}: The Small Caps Font.
@section title
@section}.
@set flag [string]
@ifset flag and
@end ifset commands. Optionally, set value of flag to
string.
See section @set, @clear, and @value.
@setchapternewpage on-off-odd
@setchapternewpage}.
@setfilename info-file-name
@settitle title
@shortcontents
@summarycontents. See section Generating a Table of Contents.
@smallbook
@smallexample and @smalllisp and @smalllisp}.
@smallexample
@smallbook format, print text in a smaller font than
with @example. Pair with @end smallexample.
See section @smallexample and @smalllisp}.
@smalllisp
@smallbook format, print text in a
smaller font. Pair with @end smalllisp. See section @smallexample and @smalllisp and @smalllisp}.
@sp n
@sp n: Insert Blank Lines.
@strong text
@emph{text} and @strong{text}.
@subheading title
@subsection-like Commands @appendixsubsec
@subheading}.
@subsection title
@subsection Command}.
@subsubheading title
@subsubsection title
@subtitle title
@title, @subtitle, and @author and @author Commands}.
@summarycontents
@shortcontents. See section Generating a Table of Contents.
@syncodeindex from-index into-index
@code font. See section Combining Indices.
@synindex from-index into-index
@t{text}
@table formatting-command
@item for each entry. Write
each first column entry on the same line as @item. First
column entries are printed in the font resulting from
formatting-command. Pair with @end table.
See section Making a Two-column Table.
Also see section @ftable and @vtable,
and section @itemx.
@TeX{}
@tex
@end tex. See section Using Ordinary TeX Commands.
@thischapter
@thischaptername
@thisfile
@include file. Does not insert anything if not within an
@include file. See section How to Make Your Own Headings.
@thispage
@thistitle
@settitle command. See section How to Make Your Own Headings.
@tindex entry
@title title
@title, @subtitle, and @author @subtitle and
@author Commands}.
@titlefont{text}
@titlefont, @center, and @sp Commands}.
@titlepage
@end titlepage. Nothing between
@titlepage and @end titlepage appears in Info.
See section @titlepage.
@today{}
@top title
makeinfo, identify the
topmost @node line in the file, which must be written on the line
immediately preceding the @top command. Used for
makeinfo's node pointer insertion feature. The title is
underlined with asterisks. Both the @node line and the @top
line normally should be enclosed by @ifinfo and @end
ifinfo. In TeX and texinfo-format-buffer, the @top
command is merely a synonym for @unnumbered. See section Creating Pointers with makeinfo}.
@unnumbered title
@unnumbered, @appendix}.
@unnumberedsec title
@unnumberedsec, @appendixsec, @heading.
@unnumberedsubsec title
@subsection-like Commands @appendixsubsec
@subheading}.
@unnumberedsubsubsec title
@value{flag}
@set
flag.
See section @set, @clear, and @value.
@var{metasyntactic-variable}
@var{metasyntactic-variable}.
@vindex entry
@vskip amount
@vskip may be used
only in contexts ignored for Info. See section Copyright Page and Permissions.
@vtable formatting-command
@item for each entry.
Automatically enter each of the items in the first column into the
index of variables. Pair with @end vtable. The same as
@table, except for indexing. See section @ftable and @vtable and @vtable}.
@w{text}
@w with an @refill command.
In the Texinfo file, keep text on one line.
See section @w{text}: Prevent Line Breaks.
@xref{node-name, [entry], [topic-or-title], [info-file], [manual]}
@xref.
Here are some tips for writing Texinfo documentation:
Write many index entries, in different ways. Readers like indices; they are helpful and convenient.
Although it is easiest to write index entries as you write the body of the text, some people prefer to write entries afterwards. In either case, write an entry before the paragraph to which it applies. This way, an index entry points to the first page of a paragraph that is split across pages.
Here are more hints we have found valuable:
In the example that follows, a blank line comes after the index entry for "Leaping":
@section The Dog and the Fox @cindex Jumping, in general @cindex Leaping @cindex Dog, lazy, jumped over @cindex Lazy dog jumped over @cindex Fox, jumps over dog @cindex Quick fox jumps over dog The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
(Note that the example shows entries for the same concept that are written in different ways---`Lazy dog', and `Dog, lazy'---so readers can look up the concept in different ways.)
@table command and after an
@end table command; but never insert a blank line after an
@table command or before an @end table command.
For example,
Types of fox: @table @samp @item Quick Jump over lazy dogs. @item Brown Also jump over lazy dogs. @end table @noindent On the other hand, ...
Insert blank lines before and after @itemize ... @end
itemize and @enumerate ... @end enumerate in the
same way.
Complete phrases are easier to read than ...
Write the edition and version numbers and date in three places in every manual:
@ifinfo section, for people reading the Texinfo file.
@titlepage section, for people reading the printed manual.
Also, it helps to write a note before the first @ifinfo
section to explain what you are doing.
For example:
@c ===> NOTE! <==
@c Specify the edition and version numbers and date
@c in *three* places:
@c 1. First ifinfo section 2. title page 3. top node
@c To find the locations, search for !!set
@ifinfo
@c !!set edition, date, version
This is Edition 4.03, January 1992,
of the @cite{GDB Manual} for GDB Version 4.3.
...
---or use @set and @value
(see section @value Example).
Definition commands are @deffn, @defun,
@defmac, and the like, and enable you to write descriptions in
a uniform format.
@table ... @end table in an appendix that
contains a summary of functions, not @deffn or other definition
commands.
@TeX{} command. Note the uppercase
`T' and `X'. This command causes the formatters to
typeset the name according to the wishes of Donald Knuth, who wrote
TeX.
Do not use spaces to format a Texinfo file, except inside of
@example ... @end example and similar commands.
For example, TeX fills the following:
@kbd{C-x v}
@kbd{M-x vc-next-action}
Perform the next logical operation
on the version-controlled file
corresponding to the current buffer.
so it looks like this:
C-x v M-x vc-next-action Perform the next logical operation on the version-controlled file corresponding to the current buffer.
In this case, the text should be formatted with
@table, @item, and @itemx, to create a table.
@code around Lisp symbols, including command names.
For example,
The main function is @code{vc-next-action}, ...
@var around meta-variables. Do not write angle brackets
around them.
Place periods and other punctuation marks outside of quotations, unless the punctuation is part of the quotation. This practice goes against convention, but enables the reader to distinguish between the contents of the quotation and the whole passage.
For example, you should write the following sentence with the period outside the end quotation marks:
Evidently, `au' is an abbreviation for "author".
since `au' does not serve as an abbreviation for `author.' (with a period following the word).
For example, in the following, the terms "check in", "register" and "delta" are all appearing for the first time; the example sentence should be rewritten so they are understandable.
The major function assists you in checking in a file to your version control system and registering successive sets of changes to it as deltas.
@dfn command around a word being introduced, to indicate
that the user should not expect to know the meaning already, and should
expect to learn the meaning from this passage.
Absolutely never use @pxref except in the special context for
which it is designed: inside parentheses, with the closing parenthesis
following immediately after the closing brace. One formatter
automatically inserts closing punctuation and the other does not. This
means that the output looks right both in printed output and in an Info
file, but only when the command is used inside parentheses.
You can invoke programs such as Emacs, GCC, and GAWK from a shell. The documentation for each program should contain a section that describes this. Unfortunately, if the node names and titles for these sections are all different, readers find it hard to search for the section.
Name such sections with a phrase beginning with the word `Invoking ...', as in `Invoking Emacs'; this way users can find the section easily.
When you use @example to describe a C function's calling
conventions, use the ANSI C syntax, like this:
void dld_init (char *@var{path});
And in the subsequent discussion, refer to the argument values by
writing the same argument names, again highlighted with
@var.
Avoid the obsolete style that looks like this:
#include <dld.h> dld_init (path) char *path;
Also, it is best to avoid writing #include above the
declaration just to indicate that the function is declared in a
header file. The practice may give the misimpression that the
#include belongs near the declaration of the function. Either
state explicitly which header file holds the declaration or, better
yet, name the header file used for a group of functions at the
beginning of the section that describes the functions.
Here are several examples of bad writing to avoid:
In this example, say, " ... you must @dfn{check
in} the new version." That flows better.
When you are done editing the file, you must perform a
@dfn{check in}.
In the following example, say, "... makes a unified interface such as VC mode possible."
SCCS, RCS and other version-control systems all perform similar functions in broadly similar ways (it is this resemblance which makes a unified control mode like this possible).
And in this example, you should specify what `it' refers to:
If you are working with other people, it assists in coordinating everyone's changes so they do not step on each other.
@bye. None of the formatters process text after the
@bye; it is as if the text were within @ignore ...
@end ignore.
Here is a complete, short sample Texinfo file, without any commentary. You can see this file, with comments, in the first chapter. See section A Short Sample Texinfo File.
\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
@c %**start of header
@setfilename sample.info
@settitle Sample Document
@c %**end of header
@setchapternewpage odd
@ifinfo
This is a short example of a complete Texinfo file.
Copyright 1990 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@end ifinfo
@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
@node Top, First Chapter, (dir), (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
@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.
@node Concept Index, , First Chapter, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@unnumbered Concept Index
@printindex cp
@contents
@bye
Texinfo files should contain sections that tell the readers that they have the right to copy and distribute the Texinfo file, the Info file, and the printed manual.
Also, if you are writing a manual about software, you should explain that the software is free and either include the GNU General Public License (GPL) or provide a reference to it. See section `Distribution' in The GNU Emacs Manual, for an example of the text that could be used in the software "Distribution", "General Public License", and "NO WARRANTY" sections of a document. See section Texinfo Copying Conditions, for an example of a brief explanation of how the copying conditions provide you with rights.
In a Texinfo file, the first @ifinfo section usually begins
with a line that says what the file documents. This is what a person
reading the unprocessed Texinfo file or using the advanced Info
command g * sees first. See Info file `info', node `Expert', for more information. (A reader using the regular
Info commands usually starts reading at the first node and skips
this first section, which is not in a node.)
In the @ifinfo section, the summary sentence is followed by a
copyright notice and then by the copying permission notice. One of
the copying permission paragraphs is enclosed in @ignore and
@end ignore commands. This paragraph states that the Texinfo
file can be processed through TeX and printed, provided the printed
manual carries the proper copying permission notice. This paragraph
is not made part of the Info file since it is not relevant to the Info
file; but it is a mandatory part of the Texinfo file since it permits
people to process the Texinfo file in TeX and print the
results.
In the printed manual, the Free Software Foundation copying permission
notice follows the copyright notice and publishing information and is
located within the region delineated by the @titlepage and
@end titlepage commands. The copying permission notice is exactly
the same as the notice in the @ifinfo section except that the
paragraph enclosed in @ignore and @end ignore commands is
not part of the notice.
To make it simple to insert a permission notice into each section of the Texinfo file, sample permission notices for each section are reproduced in full below.
Note that you may need to specify the correct name of a section mentioned in the permission notice. For example, in The GDB Manual, the name of the section referring to the General Public License is called the "GDB General Public License", but in the sample shown below, that section is referred to generically as the "GNU General Public License". If the Texinfo file does not carry a copy of the General Public License, leave out the reference to it, but be sure to include the rest of the sentence.
In the @ifinfo section of a Texinfo file, the standard Free
Software Foundation permission notice reads as follows:
This file documents ... Copyright 1992 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. @ignore Permission is granted to process this file through TeX and print the results, provided the printed document carries a copying permission notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual). @end ignore Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the sections entitled "Copying" and "GNU General Public License" are included exactly as in the original, and 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.
In the @titlepage section of a Texinfo file, the standard Free
Software Foundation copying permission notice follows the copyright
notice and publishing information. The standard phrasing is as
follows:
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 also that the sections entitled "Copying" and "GNU General Public License" are included exactly as in the original, and 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.
When TeX or an Info formatting command sees an @include
command in a Texinfo file, it processes the contents of the file named
by the command and incorporates them into the DVI or Info file being
created. Index entries from the included file are incorporated into
the indices of the output file.
Include files let you keep a single large document as a collection of conveniently small parts.
To include another file within a Texinfo file, write the
@include command at the beginning of a line and follow it on
the same line by the name of a file to be included. For
example:
@include buffers.texi
An included file should simply be a segment of text that you expect to
be included as is into the overall or outer Texinfo file; it
should not contain the standard beginning and end parts of a Texinfo
file. In particular, you should not start an included file with a
line saying `\input texinfo'; if you do, that phrase is inserted
into the output file as is. Likewise, you should not end an included
file with an @bye command; nothing after @bye is
formatted.
In the past, you were required to write an @setfilename line at the
beginning of an included file, but no longer. Now, it does not matter
whether you write such a line. If an @setfilename line exists
in an included file, it is ignored.
Conventionally, an included file begins with an @node line that
is followed by an @chapter line. Each included file is one
chapter. This makes it easy to use the regular node and menu creating
and updating commands to create the node pointers and menus within the
included file. However, the simple Emacs node and menu creating and
updating commands do not work with multiple Texinfo files. Thus you
cannot use these commands to fill in the `Next', `Previous', and `Up'
pointers of the @node line that begins the included file. Also,
you cannot use the regular commands to create a master menu for the
whole file. Either you must insert the menus and the `Next',
`Previous', and `Up' pointers by hand, or you must use the GNU Emacs
Texinfo mode command, texinfo-multiple-files-update, that is
designed for @include files.
texinfo-multiple-files-update
GNU Emacs Texinfo mode provides a command to handle included files
called texinfo-multiple-files-update. This command creates or
updates `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers of included files as
well as those in the outer or overall Texinfo file, and it creates or
updates a main menu in the outer file. Depending whether you call it
with optional arguments, the command updates only the pointers in the
first @node line of the included files or all of them:
@node line in each file included in an outer or overall
Texinfo file.
@node line in each
included file.
texinfo-master-menu with an argument when you are
working with just one file.
Note the use of the prefix argument in interactive use: with a regular
prefix argument, just C-u, the
texinfo-multiple-files-update command inserts a master menu;
with a numeric prefix argument, such as C-u 8, the command
updates every pointer and menu in all the files and then inserts a
master menu.
If you plan to use the texinfo-multiple-files-update command,
the outer Texinfo file that lists included files within it should
contain nothing but the beginning and end parts of a Texinfo file, and
a number of @include commands listing the included files. It
should not even include indices, which should be listed in an included
file of their own.
Moreover, each of the included files must contain exactly one highest
level node (conventionally, @chapter or equivalent),
and this node must be the first node in the included file.
Furthermore, each of these highest level nodes in each included file
must be at the same hierarchical level in the file structure.
Usually, each is an @chapter, an @appendix, or an
@unnumbered node. Thus, normally, each included file contains
one, and only one, chapter or equivalent-level node.
The outer file should contain only one node, the `Top' node. It
should not contain any nodes besides the single `Top' node. The
texinfo-multiple-files-update command will not process
them.
@include
Here is an example of a complete outer Texinfo file with @include files
within it before running texinfo-multiple-files-update, which
would insert a main or master menu:
\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
@setfilename include-example.info
@settitle Include Example
@setchapternewpage odd
@titlepage
@sp 12
@center @titlefont{Include Example}
@sp 2
@center by Whom Ever
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
Copyright @copyright{} 1990 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
@end titlepage
@ifinfo
@node Top, First, (dir), (dir)
@top Master Menu
@end ifinfo
@include foo.texinfo
@include bar.texinfo
@include concept-index.texinfo
@summarycontents
@contents
@bye
An included file, such as `foo.texinfo', might look like this:
@node First, Second, , Top @chapter First Chapter Contents of first chapter ...
The full contents of `concept-index.texinfo' might be as simple as this:
@node Concept Index, , Second, Top @unnumbered Concept Index @printindex cp
The outer Texinfo source file for The GNU Emacs Lisp Reference
Manual is named `elisp.texi'. This outer file contains a master
menu with 417 entries and a list of 41 @include
files.
When Info was first created, it was customary to create many small Info files on one subject. Each Info file was formatted from its own Texinfo source file. This custom meant that Emacs did not need to make a large buffer to hold the whole of a large Info file when someone wanted information; instead, Emacs allocated just enough memory for the small Info file that contained the particular information sought. This way, Emacs could avoid wasting memory.
References from one file to another were made by referring to the file
name as well as the node name. (See section Referring to Other Info Files. Also, see section @xref with Four and Five Arguments with Four and Five Arguments}.)
Include files were designed primarily as a way to create a single,
large printed manual out of several smaller Info files. In a printed
manual, all the references were within the same document, so TeX
could automatically determine the references' page numbers. The Info
formatting commands used include files only for creating joint
indices; each of the individual Texinfo files had to be formatted for
Info individually. (Each, therefore, required its own
@setfilename line.)
However, because large Info files are now split automatically, it is no longer necessary to keep them small.
Nowadays, multiple Texinfo files are used mostly for large documents, such as The GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual, and for projects in which several different people write different sections of a document simultaneously.
In addition, the Info formatting commands have been extended to work
with the @include command so as to create a single large Info
file that is split into smaller files if necessary. This means that
you can write menus and cross references without naming the different
Texinfo files.
Most printed manuals contain headings along the top of every page except the title and copyright pages. Some manuals also contain footings. (Headings and footings have no meaning to Info, which is not paginated.)
Texinfo provides standard page heading formats for manuals that are printed on one side of each sheet of paper and for manuals that are printed on both sides of the paper. Usually, you will use one or other of these formats, but you can specify your own format, if you wish.
In addition, you can specify whether chapters should begin on a new page, or merely continue the same page as the previous chapter; and if chapters begin on new pages, you can specify whether they must be odd-numbered pages.
By convention, a book is printed on both sides of each sheet of paper. When you open a book, the right-hand page is odd-numbered, and chapters begin on right-hand pages--a preceding left-hand page is left blank if necessary. Reports, however, are often printed on just one side of paper, and chapters begin on a fresh page immediately following the end of the preceding chapter. In short or informal reports, chapters often do not begin on a new page at all, but are separated from the preceding text by a small amount of whitespace.
The @setchapternewpage command controls whether chapters begin
on new pages, and whether one of the standard heading formats is used.
In addition, Texinfo has several heading and footing commands that you
can use to generate your own heading and footing formats.
In Texinfo, headings and footings are single lines at the tops and bottoms of pages; you cannot create multiline headings or footings. Each header or footer line is divided into three parts: a left part, a middle part, and a right part. Any part, or a whole line, may be left blank. Text for the left part of a header or footer line is set flushleft; text for the middle part is centered; and, text for the right part is set flushright.
Texinfo provides two standard heading formats, one for manuals printed on one side of each sheet of paper, and the other for manuals printed on both sides of the paper.
By default, nothing is specified for the footing of a Texinfo file, so the footing remains blank.
The standard format for single-sided printing consists of a header line in which the left-hand part contains the name of the chapter, the central part is blank, and the right-hand part contains the page number.
A single-sided page looks like this:
_______________________ | | | chapter page number | | | | Start of text ... | | ... | | |
The standard format for two-sided printing depends on whether the page number is even or odd. By convention, even-numbered pages are on the left- and odd-numbered pages are on the right. (TeX will adjust the widths of the left- and right-hand margins. Usually, widths are correct, but during double-sided printing, it is wise to check that pages will bind properly--sometimes a printer will produce output in which the even-numbered pages have a larger right-hand margin than the odd-numbered pages.)
In the standard double-sided format, the left part of the left-hand
(even-numbered) page contains the page number, the central part is
blank, and the right part contains the title (specified by the
@settitle command). The left part of the right-hand
(odd-numbered) page contains the name of the chapter, the central part
is blank, and the right part contains the page number.
Two pages, side by side as in an open book, look like this:
_______________________ _______________________ | | | | | page number title | | chapter page number | | | | | | Start of text ... | | More text ... | | ... | | ... | | | | |
The chapter name is preceded by the word `Chapter', the chapter number and a colon. This makes it easier to keep track of where you are in the manual.
TeX does not begin to generate page headings for a standard Texinfo
file until it reaches the @end titlepage command. Thus, the
title and copyright pages are not numbered. The @end
titlepage command causes TeX to begin to generate page headings
according to a standard format specified by the
@setchapternewpage command that precedes the
@titlepage section.
There are four possibilities:
@setchapternewpage command
@setchapternewpage on.
@setchapternewpage on
@setchapternewpage off
@headings double command; see
section The @headings Command.)
@setchapternewpage odd
Texinfo lacks an @setchapternewpage even command.
You can use the standard headings provided with Texinfo or specify your own.
Texinfo provides six commands for specifying headings and
footings. The @everyheading command and
@everyfooting command generate page headers and footers
that are the same for both even- and odd-numbered pages.
The @evenheading command and @evenfooting
command generate headers and footers for even-numbered
(left-hand) pages; and the @oddheading command and
@oddfooting command generate headers and footers for
odd-numbered (right-hand) pages.
Write custom heading specifications in the Texinfo file immediately
after the @end titlepage command. Enclose your specifications
between @iftex and @end iftex commands since the
texinfo-format-buffer command may not recognize them. Also,
you must cancel the predefined heading commands with the
@headings off command before defining your own
specifications.
Here is how to tell TeX to place the chapter name at the left, the page number in the center, and the date at the right of every header for both even- and odd-numbered pages:
@iftex
@headings off
@everyheading @thischapter @| @thispage @| @today{}
@end iftex
You need to divide the left part from the central part and the central part from the right had part by inserting `@|' between parts. Otherwise, the specification command will not be able to tell where the text for one part ends and the next part begins.
Each part can contain text or @-commands. The text is printed as if the part were within an ordinary paragraph in the body of the page. The @-commands replace themselves with the page number, date, chapter name, or whatever.
Here are the six heading and footing commands:
@everyheading left @| center @| right
@everyfooting left @| center @| right
The `every' commands specify the format for both even- and odd-numbered pages. These commands are for documents that are printed on one side of each sheet of paper, or for documents in which you want symmetrical headers or footers.
@evenheading left @| center @| right
@oddheading left @| center @| right
@evenfooting left @| center @| right
@oddfooting left @| center @| right
The `even' and `odd' commands specify the format for even-numbered pages and odd-numbered pages. These commands are for books and manuals that are printed on both sides of each sheet of paper.
Use the `@this...' series of @-commands to
provide the names of chapters
and sections and the page number. You can use the
`@this...' commands in the left, center, or right portions
of headers and footers, or anywhere else in a Texinfo file so long as
they are between @iftex and @end iftex commands.
Here are the `@this...' commands:
@thispage
@thischaptername
@thischapter
@thistitle
@settitle command.
@thisfile
@include files only: expands to the name of the current
@include file. If the current Texinfo source file is not an
@include file, this command has no effect. This command does
not provide the name of the current Texinfo source file unless
it is an @include file. (See section Include Files, for more
information about @include files.)
You can also use the @today{} command, which expands to the
current date, in `1 Jan 1900' format.
Other @-commands and text are printed in a header or footer just as if they were in the body of a page. It is useful to incorporate text, particularly when you are writing drafts:
@iftex
@headings off
@everyheading @emph{Draft!} @| @thispage @| @thischapter
@everyfooting @| @| Version: 0.27: @today{}
@end iftex
Beware of overlong titles: they may overlap another part of the header or footer and blot it out.
Besides mistakes in the content of your documentation, there are two kinds of mistake you can make with Texinfo: you can make mistakes with @-commands, and you can make mistakes with the structure of the nodes and chapters.
Emacs has two tools for catching the @-command mistakes and two for catching structuring mistakes.
For finding problems with @-commands, you can run TeX or a region formatting command on the region that has a problem; indeed, you can run these commands on each region as you write it.
For finding problems with the structure of nodes and chapters, you can use
C-c C-s (texinfo-show-structure) and the related occur
command and you can use the M-x Info-validate command.
The makeinfo program does an excellent job of catching errors
and reporting them--far better than either the
texinfo-format-region or the texinfo-format-buffer
command. In addition, the various functions for automatically
creating and updating node pointers and menus remove many
opportunities for human error.
If you can, use the updating commands to create and insert pointers
and menus. These prevent many errors. Then use makeinfo (or
its Texinfo mode manifestations, makeinfo-region and
makeinfo-buffer) to format your file and check for other
errors. This is the best way to work with Texinfo. But if you
cannot use makeinfo, or your problem is very puzzling, then you
may want to use the tools described in this appendix.
After you have written part of a Texinfo file, you can use the
texinfo-format-region or the makeinfo-region command to
see whether the region formats properly.
Most likely, however, you are reading this section because for some
reason you cannot use the makeinfo-region command; therefore, the
rest of this section presumes that you are using
texinfo-format-region.
If you make a mistake with an @-command,
texinfo-format-region will stop processing at or after the
error and display an error message. To see where in the buffer the
error occurred, switch to the `*Info Region*' buffer; the cursor
will be in a position that is after the location of the error. Also,
the text will not be formatted after the place where the error
occurred (or more precisely, where it was detected).
For example, if you accidentally end a menu with the command @end
menus with an `s' on the end, instead of with @end menu, you
will see an error message that says:
@end menus is not handled by texinfo
The cursor will stop at the point in the buffer where the error occurs, or not long after it. The buffer will look like this:
---------- Buffer: *Info Region* ----------
* Menu:
* Using texinfo-show-structure:: How to use
`texinfo-show-structure'
to catch mistakes.
* Running Info-Validate:: How to check for
unreferenced nodes.
@end menus
-!-
---------- Buffer: *Info Region* ----------
The texinfo-format-region command sometimes provides slightly
odd error messages. For example, the following cross reference fails to format:
(@xref{Catching Mistakes, for more info.)
In this case, texinfo-format-region detects the missing closing
brace but displays a message that says `Unbalanced parentheses'
rather than `Unbalanced braces'. This is because the formatting
command looks for mismatches between braces as if they were
parentheses.
Sometimes texinfo-format-region fails to detect mistakes. For
example, in the following, the closing brace is swapped with the
closing parenthesis:
(@xref{Catching Mistakes), for more info.}
Formatting produces:
(*Note for more info.: Catching Mistakes)
The only way for you to detect this error is to realize that the reference should have looked like this:
(*Note Catching Mistakes::, for more info.)
Incidentally, if you are reading this node in Info and type f
RET (Info-follow-reference), you will generate an error
message that says:
No such node: "Catching Mistakes) The only way ...
This is because Info perceives the example of the error as the first
cross reference in this node and if you type a RET immediately
after typing the Info f command, Info will attempt to go to the
referenced node. If you type f catch TAB RET, Info
will complete the node name of the correctly written example and take
you to the `Catching Mistakes' node. (If you try this, you can return
from the `Catching Mistakes' node by typing l
(Info-last).)
You can also catch mistakes when you format a file with TeX.
Usually, you do this after you have run
texinfo-format-buffer (or, better, makeinfo-buffer) on
the same file, because texinfo-format-buffer sometimes displays
error messages that make more sense than TeX. (See section Catching Errors with Info Formatting, for more information.)
For example, TeX was run on a Texinfo file, part of which is shown here:
---------- Buffer: texinfo.texi ----------
name of the texinfo file as an extension. The
@samp{??} are `wildcards' that cause the shell to
substitute all the raw index files. (@xref{sorting
indices, for more information about sorting
indices.)@refill
---------- Buffer: texinfo.texi ----------
(The cross reference lacks a closing brace.) TeX produced the following output, after which it stopped:
---------- Buffer: *texinfo-tex-shell* ----------
Runaway argument?
{sorting indices, for more information about sorting
indices.) @refill @ETC.
! Paragraph ended before @xref was complete.
<to be read again>
@par
l.27
?
---------- Buffer: *texinfo-tex-shell* ----------
In this case, TeX produced an accurate and understandable error message:
Paragraph ended before @xref was complete.
`@par' is an internal TeX command of no relevance to Texinfo. `l.27' means that TeX detected the problem on line 27 of the Texinfo file. The `?' is the prompt TeX uses in this circumstance.
Unfortunately, TeX is not always so helpful, and sometimes you must truly be a Sherlock Holmes to discover what went wrong.
In any case, if you run into a problem like this, you can do one of three things.
This is often the best thing to do. However, beware: the one error may produce a cascade of additional error messages as its consequences are felt through the rest of the file. (To stop TeX when it is producing such an avalanche of error messages, type C-d (or C-c C-d, if you are running a shell inside Emacs Version 18.))
Please note that if you are running TeX inside Emacs, you need to switch to the shell buffer and line at which TeX offers the `?' prompt.
Sometimes TeX will format a file without producing error messages even
though there is a problem. This usually occurs if a command is not ended
but TeX is able to continue processing anyhow. For example, if you fail
to end an itemized list with the @end itemize command, TeX will
write a DVI file that you can print out. The only error message that
TeX will give you is the somewhat mysterious comment that
(@end occurred inside a group at level 1)
However, if you print the DVI file, you will find that the text
of the file that follows the itemized list is entirely indented as if
it were part of the last item in the itemized list. The error message
is the way TeX says that it expected to find an @end
command somewhere in the file; but that it could not determine where
it was needed.
Another source of notoriously hard-to-find errors is a missing
@end group command. If you ever are stumped by
incomprehensible errors, look for a missing @end group command
first.
If the Texinfo file lacks header lines, TeX may stop in the beginning of its run and display output that looks like the following. The `*' indicates that TeX is waiting for input.
This is TeX, Version 2.0 for Berkeley UNIX (preloaded format=plain-cm 87.10.25) (test.texinfo [1]) *
In this case, simply type \end RET after the asterisk. Then write the header lines in the Texinfo file and run the TeX command again. (Note the use of the backslash, `\'. TeX uses `\' instead of `@'; and in this circumstance, you are working directly with TeX, not with Texinfo.)
texinfo-show-structureIt is not always easy to keep track of the nodes, chapters, sections, and subsections of a Texinfo file. This is especially true if you are revising or adding to a Texinfo file that someone else has written.
In GNU Emacs, in Texinfo mode, the texinfo-show-structure
command lists all the lines that begin with the @-commands that
specify the structure: @chapter, @section,
@appendix, and so on. With an argument (C-u
as prefix argument, if interactive),
the command also shows the @node lines. The
texinfo-show-structure command is bound to C-c C-s in
Texinfo mode, by default.
The lines are displayed in a buffer called the `*Occur*' buffer.
For example, when texinfo-show-structure was run on an earlier
version of this appendix, it produced the following:
Lines matching "^@\\(chapter \\|sect\\|sub\\|unnum\\|major\\|
heading \\|appendix\\)" in buffer texinfo.texi.
4:@appendix Formatting Mistakes
52:@appendixsec Catching Errors with Info Formatting
222:@appendixsec Catching Errors with @TeX{} Formatting
338:@appendixsec Using @code{texinfo-show-structure}
407:@appendixsubsec Using @code{occur}
444:@appendixsec Finding Badly Referenced Nodes
513:@appendixsubsec Running @code{Info-validate}
573:@appendixsubsec Splitting a File Manually
This says that lines 4, 52, and 222 of `texinfo.texi' begin with
the @appendix, @appendixsec, and @appendixsec
commands respectively. If you move your cursor into the `*Occur*'
window, 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. See section `Using Occur' in The GNU Emacs Manual, for more
information about occur-mode-goto-occurrence.
The first line in the `*Occur*' window describes the regular
expression specified by texinfo-heading-pattern. This regular
expression is the pattern that texinfo-show-structure looks for.
See section `Using Regular Expressions' in The GNU Emacs Manual,
for more information.
When you invoke the texinfo-show-structure command, Emacs will
display the structure of the whole buffer. If you want to see the
structure of just a part of the buffer, of one chapter, for example,
use the C-x n (narrow-to-region) command to mark the
region. (See section `Narrowing' in The GNU Emacs Manual.) This is
how the example used above was generated. (To see the whole buffer
again, use C-x w (widen).)
If you call texinfo-show-structure with a prefix argument by
typing C-u C-c C-s, it will list lines beginning with
@node as well as the lines beginning with the @-sign commands
for @chapter, @section, and the like.
You can remind yourself of the structure of a Texinfo file by looking at the list in the `*Occur*' window; and if you have mis-named a node or left out a section, you can correct the mistake.
occur
Sometimes the texinfo-show-structure command produces too much
information. Perhaps you want to remind yourself of the overall structure
of a Texinfo file, and are overwhelmed by the detailed list produced by
texinfo-show-structure. In this case, you can use the occur
command directly. To do this, type
M-x occur
and then, when prompted, type a regexp, a regular expression for
the pattern you want to match. (See section `Regular Expressions' in The GNU Emacs Manual.) The occur command works from
the current location of the cursor in the buffer to the end of the
buffer. If you want to run occur on the whole buffer, place
the cursor at the beginning of the buffer.
For example, to see all the lines that contain the word `@chapter' in them, just type `@chapter'. This will produce a list of the chapters. It will also list all the sentences with `@chapter' in the middle of the line.
If you want to see only those lines that start with the word
`@chapter', type `^@chapter' when prompted by
occur. If you want to see all the lines that end with a word
or phrase, end the last word with a `$'; for example,
`catching mistakes$'. This can be helpful when you want to see
all the nodes that are part of the same chapter or section and
therefore have the same `Up' pointer.
See section `Using Occur' in The GNU Emacs Manual, for more information.
You can use the Info-validate command to check whether any of
the `Next', `Previous', `Up' or other node pointers fail to point to a
node. This command checks that every node pointer points to an
existing node. The Info-validate command works only on Info
files, not on Texinfo files.
The makeinfo program validates pointers automatically, so you
do not need to use the Info-validate command if you are using
makeinfo. You only may need to use Info-validate if you
are unable to run makeinfo and instead must create an Info file
using texinfo-format-region or texinfo-format-buffer, or
if you write an Info file from scratch.
Info-validate
To use Info-validate, visit the Info file you wish to check and
type:
M-x Info-validate
(Note that the Info-validate command requires an upper case
`I'. You may also need to create a tag table before running
Info-validate. See section Tagifying a File.)
If your file is valid, you will receive a message that says "File appears valid". However, if you have a pointer that does not point to a node, error messages will be displayed in a buffer called `*problems in info file*'.
For example, Info-validate was run on a test file that contained
only the first node of this manual. One of the messages said:
In node "Overview", invalid Next: Texinfo Mode
This meant that the node called `Overview' had a `Next' pointer that did not point to anything (which was true in this case, since the test file had only one node in it).
Now suppose we add a node named `Texinfo Mode' to our test case but we do not specify a `Previous' for this node. Then we will get the following error message:
In node "Texinfo Mode", should have Previous: Overview
This is because every `Next' pointer should be matched by a `Previous' (in the node where the `Next' points) which points back.
Info-validate also checks that all menu entries and cross references
point to actual nodes.
Note that Info-validate requires a tag table and does not work
with files that have been split. (The texinfo-format-buffer
command automatically splits large files.) In order to use
Info-validate on a large file, you must run
texinfo-format-buffer with an argument so that it does not split
the Info file; and you must create a tag table for the unsplit
file.
You can run Info-validate only on a single Info file that has a
tag table. The command will not work on the indirect subfiles that
are generated when a master file is split. If you have a large file
(longer than 70,000 bytes or so), you need to run the
texinfo-format-buffer or makeinfo-buffer command in such
a way that it does not create indirect subfiles. You will also need
to create a tag table for the Info file. After you have done this,
you can run Info-validate and look for badly referenced
nodes.
The first step is to create an unsplit Info file.
To prevent texinfo-format-buffer from splitting a Texinfo file
into smaller Info files, give a prefix to the M-x
texinfo-format-buffer command:
C-u M-x texinfo-format-buffer
or else
C-u C-c C-e C-b
When you do this, Texinfo will not split the file and will not create a tag table for it.
After creating an unsplit Info file, you must create a tag table for it. Visit the Info file you wish to tagify and type:
M-x Info-tagify
(Note the upper case I in Info-tagify.) This creates an
Info file with a tag table that you can validate.
The third step is to validate the Info file:
M-x Info-validate
(Note the upper case I in Info-validate.)
In brief, the steps are:
C-u M-x texinfo-format-buffer M-x Info-tagify M-x Info-validate
After you have validated the node structure, you will be able to rerun
texinfo-format-buffer in the normal way so it will construct a
tag table and split the file automatically, or you can make the tag
table and split the file manually.
You should split a large file or else let the
texinfo-format-buffer or makeinfo-buffer command do it
for you automatically. (Generally you will let one of the formatting
commands do this job for you. See section Creating an Info File.)
The split-off files are called the indirect subfiles.
Info files are split to save memory. With smaller files, Emacs does not have make such a large buffer to hold the information.
If an Info file has more than 30 nodes, you should also make a tag
table for it. See section Running Info-validate, for information
about creating a tag table. (Again, tag tables are usually created
automatically by the formatting command; you only need to create a tag
table yourself if you are doing the job manually. Most likely, you
will do this for a large, unsplit file on which you have run
Info-validate.)
Visit the Info file you wish to tagify and split and type the two commands:
M-x Info-tagify M-x Info-split
(Note that the `I' in `Info' is upper case.)
When you use the Info-split command, the buffer is modified into a
(small) Info file which lists the indirect subfiles. This file should be
saved in place of the original visited file. The indirect subfiles are
written in the same directory the original file is in, with names generated
by appending `-' and a number to the original file name.
The primary file still functions as an Info file, but it contains just the tag table and a directory of subfiles.
The @refill command refills and, optionally, indents the first
line of a paragraph.(12) The
@refill command is no longer important, but we describe it here
because you once needed it. You will see it in many old Texinfo
files.
Without refilling, paragraphs containing long @-constructs may look
bad after formatting because the formatter removes @-commands and
shortens some lines more than others. In the past, neither
texinfo-format-region nor
texinfo-format-buffer refilled paragraphs
automatically. The @refill command had to be written at the
end of every paragraph to cause these formatters to fill them. (Both
TeX and makeinfo have always refilled paragraphs
automatically.) Now, all the Info formatters automatically fill and
indent those paragraphs that need to be filled and indented.
The @refill command causes both the texinfo-format-region
command and the
texinfo-format-buffer command to refill a paragraph in the Info file
after all the other processing has been done. For this reason,
you can not use @refill with a paragraph containing either
@* or @w{ ... } since the refilling action will
override those two commands.
The texinfo-format-region and texinfo-format-buffer
commands now automatically append @refill to the end of each
paragraph that should be filled. They do not append @refill to
the ends of paragraphs that contain @* or @w{ ...}
and therefore do not refill or indent them.
The character `@' is used to start special Texinfo commands. (It has the same meaning that `\' has in PlainTeX.) Texinfo has four types of @-command:
@., @:, @*, @@,
@{, and @}.
@dots{} => `...', @equiv{}
=> `==', @TeX{} => `TeX',
and @bullet{} => `*'.
@dfn indicates
the introductory or defining use of a term; it is used as follows: `In
Texinfo, @@-commands are @dfn{mark-up} commands.'
@center
or @cindex. If no argument is needed, the word is followed by
the end of the line. If there is an argument, it is separated from
the command name by a space. Braces are not used.Thus, the alphabetic commands fall into classes that have different argument syntaxes. You cannot tell to which class a command belongs by the appearance of its name, but you can tell by the command's meaning: if the command stands for a glyph, it is in class 2 and does not require an argument; if it makes sense to use the command together with other text as part of a paragraph, the command is in class 3 and must be followed by an argument in braces; otherwise, it is in class 4 and uses the rest of the line as its argument.
The purpose of having a different syntax for commands of classes 3 and
4 is to make Texinfo files easier to read, and also to help the GNU
Emacs paragraph and filling commands work properly. There is only one
exception to this rule: the command @refill, which is always
used at the end of a paragraph immediately following the final period
or other punctuation character. @refill takes no argument and
does not require braces. @refill never confuses the
Emacs paragraph commands because it cannot appear at the beginning of
a line.
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To order a full distribution, send $200.00 for a 1/2-inch 9-track 1600
bpi (tar or cpio) tape reel, or $210.00 for a 1/4-inch
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The second edition of the Texinfo manual describes more than 20 new Texinfo mode commands and more than 50 previously undocumented Texinfo @-commands. This edition is more than twice the length of the first edition.
Here is a brief description of the new commands.
Texinfo mode provides commands and features especially designed for working with Texinfo files. More than 20 new commands have been added, including commands for automatically creating and updating both nodes and menus. This is a tedious task when done by hand.
The keybindings are intended to be somewhat mnemonic.
The texinfo-master-menu command is the primary command:
Create or update `Next', `Previous', and `Up' node pointers.
See section Updating Nodes and Menus.
Create or update menus.
See section Updating Nodes and Menus.
Insert a node's chapter or section title in the space for the description in a menu entry line; position point so you can edit the insert. (This command works somewhat differently than the other insertion commands, which insert only a predefined string.)
See section Inserting Frequently Used Commands.
Provide keybindings both for the Info formatting commands that are
written in Emacs Lisp and for makeinfo that is written in
C.
See section Formatting for Info.
Use the Emacs lisp texinfo-format... commands:
Use makeinfo:
makeinfo output buffer.
makeinfo formatting job.
Typeset and print Texinfo documents from within Emacs.
See section Formatting and Printing.
texindex.
The "other updating commands" do not have standard keybindings because they are used less frequently.
See section Other Updating Commands.
@node lines using
section titles as node names.
The second edition of the Texinfo manual describes more than 50 commands that were not described in the first edition. A third or so of these commands existed in Texinfo but were not documented in the manual; the others are new. Here is a listing, with brief descriptions of them:
Create your own index, and merge indices.
See section Creating Indices.
@defcodeindex command.
@syncodeindex command.
Describe functions, variables, macros, commands, user options, special forms, and other such artifacts in a uniform format.
See section Definition Commands.
Indicate the results of evaluation, expansion, printed output, an error message, equivalence of expressions, and the location of point.
See section Glyphs for Examples.
Customize page headings.
See section Page Headings.
Format blocks of text.
See section Quotations and Examples, and
section Making Lists and Tables.
Conditionally format text.
See section @set, @clear, and @value.
Produce unnumbered headings that do not appear in a table of contents.
See section Chapter Structuring.
See section @sc{text}: The Small Caps Font, and
section Fonts for Printing, Not Info.
See section @title, @subtitle, and @author,
see section Overfull "hboxes",
see section Footnotes,
see section @dmn{dimension}: Format a Dimension,
see section @minus{}: Inserting a Minus Sign,
see section Paragraph Indenting,
see section Different Cross Reference Commands,
see section @title, @subtitle, and @author, and
see section How to Make Your Own Headings.
This is an alphabetical list of all the @-commands and several variables. To make the list easier to use, the commands are listed without their preceding `@'.
@include file sample
@menu parts
@node line writing
makeinfo
makeinfo
@inforef
@pxref
@ref
@xref
@setfilename
makeinfo inside Emacs
makeinfo options
@occur
makeinfo
makeinfo
makeinfo
@inforef
@pxref
@ref
@xref
Info-validate
makeinfo in Emacs
@include file
makeinfo in
TEXINPUTS environment variable
@deffn
@table
@node line