Mercurial > emacs
annotate doc/misc/info.texi @ 91688:dc73ee82d684
(rcirc-omit-mode): Suppress invisibility ellipsis
Revision: emacs@sv.gnu.org/emacs--devo--0--patch-1061
author | Miles Bader <miles@gnu.org> |
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date | Sat, 09 Feb 2008 03:52:59 +0000 |
parents | 924913aa74dc |
children | 89e97a99f8f6 |
rev | line source |
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84303 | 1 \input texinfo.tex @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 @c We must \input texinfo.tex instead of texinfo, otherwise make | |
3 @c distcheck in the Texinfo distribution fails, because the texinfo Info | |
4 @c file is made first, and texi2dvi must include . first in the path. | |
5 @comment %**start of header | |
6 @setfilename info.info | |
7 @settitle Info | |
8 @syncodeindex fn cp | |
9 @syncodeindex vr cp | |
10 @syncodeindex ky cp | |
11 @comment %**end of header | |
12 | |
13 @copying | |
14 This file describes how to use Info, the on-line, menu-driven GNU | |
15 documentation system. | |
16 | |
17 Copyright @copyright{} 1989, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, | |
87903 | 18 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
84303 | 19 |
20 @quotation | |
21 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document | |
22 under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or | |
23 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no | |
24 Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU | |
25 Manual,'' and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the | |
26 license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation | |
27 License'' in the Emacs manual. | |
28 | |
29 (a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and | |
30 modify this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Buying copies from GNU | |
31 Press supports the FSF in developing GNU and promoting software | |
32 freedom.'' | |
33 | |
34 This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free | |
35 Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document | |
36 separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the | |
37 license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license. | |
38 @end quotation | |
39 @end copying | |
40 | |
41 @dircategory Texinfo documentation system | |
42 @direntry | |
43 * Info: (info). How to use the documentation browsing system. | |
44 @end direntry | |
45 | |
46 @titlepage | |
47 @title Info | |
48 @subtitle The online, hyper-text GNU documentation system | |
49 @author Brian Fox | |
50 @author and the GNU Texinfo community | |
51 @page | |
52 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll | |
53 @insertcopying | |
54 @end titlepage | |
55 | |
56 @contents | |
57 | |
58 @ifnottex | |
59 @node Top | |
60 @top Info: An Introduction | |
61 | |
62 The GNU Project distributes most of its on-line manuals in the | |
63 @dfn{Info format}, which you read using an @dfn{Info reader}. You are | |
64 probably using an Info reader to read this now. | |
65 | |
66 There are two primary Info readers: @code{info}, a stand-alone program | |
67 designed just to read Info files, and the @code{info} package in GNU | |
68 Emacs, a general-purpose editor. At present, only the Emacs reader | |
69 supports using a mouse. | |
70 | |
71 @ifinfo | |
72 If you are new to the Info reader and want to learn how to use it, | |
73 type the command @kbd{h} now. It brings you to a programmed | |
74 instruction sequence. | |
75 | |
76 To read about advanced Info commands, type @kbd{n} twice. This | |
77 brings you to @cite{Advanced Info Commands}, skipping over the `Getting | |
78 Started' chapter. | |
79 @end ifinfo | |
80 @end ifnottex | |
81 | |
82 @menu | |
83 * Getting Started:: Getting started using an Info reader. | |
84 * Advanced:: Advanced Info commands. | |
85 * Expert Info:: Info commands for experts. | |
86 * Index:: An index of topics, commands, and variables. | |
87 @end menu | |
88 | |
89 @node Getting Started, Advanced, Top, Top | |
90 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
91 @chapter Getting Started | |
92 | |
93 This first part of this Info manual describes how to get around inside | |
94 of Info. The second part of the manual describes various advanced | |
95 Info commands. The third part briefly explains how to generate Info | |
96 files from Texinfo files, and describes how to write an Info file | |
97 by hand. | |
98 | |
99 @ifnotinfo | |
100 This manual is primarily designed for browsing with an Info reader | |
101 program on a computer, so that you can try Info commands while reading | |
102 about them. Reading it on paper or with an HTML browser is less | |
103 effective, since you must take it on faith that the commands described | |
104 really do what the manual says. By all means go through this manual | |
105 now that you have it; but please try going through the on-line version | |
106 as well. | |
107 | |
108 @cindex Info reader, how to invoke | |
109 @cindex entering Info | |
110 There are two ways of looking at the online version of this manual: | |
111 | |
112 @enumerate | |
113 @item | |
114 Type @code{info} at your shell's command line. This approach uses a | |
115 stand-alone program designed just to read Info files. | |
116 | |
117 @item | |
118 Type @code{emacs} at the command line; then type @kbd{C-h i} | |
119 (@kbd{Control-h}, followed by @kbd{i}). This approach uses the Info | |
120 mode of the Emacs editor. | |
121 @end enumerate | |
122 | |
123 In either case, then type @kbd{mInfo} (just the letters), followed by | |
124 @key{RET}---the ``Return'' or ``Enter'' key. At this point, you should | |
125 be ready to follow the instructions in this manual as you read them on | |
126 the screen. | |
127 @c FIXME! (pesch@cygnus.com, 14 dec 1992) | |
128 @c Is it worth worrying about what-if the beginner goes to somebody | |
129 @c else's Emacs session, which already has an Info running in the middle | |
130 @c of something---in which case these simple instructions won't work? | |
131 @end ifnotinfo | |
132 | |
133 @menu | |
134 * Help-Small-Screen:: Starting Info on a Small Screen. | |
135 * Help:: How to use Info. | |
136 * Help-P:: Returning to the Previous node. | |
137 * Help-^L:: The Space, DEL, B and ^L commands. | |
138 * Help-Inv:: Invisible text in Emacs Info. | |
139 * Help-M:: Menus. | |
140 * Help-Xref:: Following cross-references. | |
141 * Help-Int:: Some intermediate Info commands. | |
142 * Help-Q:: Quitting Info. | |
143 @end menu | |
144 | |
145 @node Help-Small-Screen | |
146 @section Starting Info on a Small Screen | |
147 | |
148 @ifnotinfo | |
149 (In Info, you only see this section if your terminal has a small | |
150 number of lines; most readers pass by it without seeing it.) | |
151 @end ifnotinfo | |
152 | |
153 @cindex small screen, moving around | |
154 Since your terminal has a relatively small number of lines on its | |
155 screen, it is necessary to give you special advice at the beginning. | |
156 | |
157 If the entire text you are looking at fits on the screen, the text | |
158 @samp{All} will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. In the | |
159 stand-alone Info reader, it is displayed at the bottom right corner of | |
160 the screen; in Emacs, it is displayed on the modeline. If you see the | |
161 text @samp{Top} instead, it means that there is more text below that | |
162 does not fit. To move forward through the text and see another screen | |
163 full, press @key{SPC}, the Space bar. To move back up, press the key | |
164 labeled @samp{Backspace} or @samp{DEL} (on some keyboards, this key | |
165 might be labeled @samp{Delete}). | |
166 | |
167 @ifinfo | |
168 Here are 40 lines of junk, so you can try @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} and | |
169 see what they do. At the end are instructions of what you should do | |
170 next. | |
171 | |
172 @format | |
173 This is line 20 | |
174 This is line 21 | |
175 This is line 22 | |
176 This is line 23 | |
177 This is line 24 | |
178 This is line 25 | |
179 This is line 26 | |
180 This is line 27 | |
181 This is line 28 | |
182 This is line 29 | |
183 This is line 30 | |
184 This is line 31 | |
185 This is line 32 | |
186 This is line 33 | |
187 This is line 34 | |
188 This is line 35 | |
189 This is line 36 | |
190 This is line 37 | |
191 This is line 38 | |
192 This is line 39 | |
193 This is line 40 | |
194 This is line 41 | |
195 This is line 42 | |
196 This is line 43 | |
197 This is line 44 | |
198 This is line 45 | |
199 This is line 46 | |
200 This is line 47 | |
201 This is line 48 | |
202 This is line 49 | |
203 This is line 50 | |
204 This is line 51 | |
205 This is line 52 | |
206 This is line 53 | |
207 This is line 54 | |
208 This is line 55 | |
209 This is line 56 | |
210 This is line 57 | |
211 This is line 58 | |
212 This is line 59 | |
213 @end format | |
214 | |
215 If you have managed to get here, go back to the beginning with | |
216 @kbd{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}), and come back here again, then you | |
217 understand the about the @samp{Space} and @samp{Backspace} keys. So | |
218 now type an @kbd{n}---just one character; don't type the quotes and | |
219 don't type the Return key afterward---to get to the normal start of | |
220 the course. | |
221 @end ifinfo | |
222 | |
223 @node Help, Help-P, Help-Small-Screen, Getting Started | |
224 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
225 @section How to use Info | |
226 | |
227 You are talking to the program Info, for reading documentation. | |
228 | |
229 There are two ways to use Info: from within Emacs or as a | |
230 stand-alone reader that you can invoke from a shell using the command | |
231 @command{info}. | |
232 | |
233 @cindex node, in Info documents | |
234 Right now you are looking at one @dfn{Node} of Information. | |
235 A node contains text describing a specific topic at a specific | |
236 level of detail. This node's topic is ``how to use Info''. The mode | |
237 line says that this is node @samp{Help} in the file @file{info}. | |
238 | |
239 @cindex header of Info node | |
240 The top line of a node is its @dfn{header}. This node's header | |
241 (look at it now) says that the @samp{Next} node after this one is the | |
242 node called @samp{Help-P}. An advanced Info command lets you go to | |
243 any node whose name you know. In the stand-alone Info reader program, | |
244 the header line shows the names of this node and the Info file as | |
245 well. In Emacs, the header line is displayed with a special typeface, | |
246 and remains at the top of the window all the time even if you scroll | |
247 through the node. | |
248 | |
249 Besides a @samp{Next}, a node can have a @samp{Previous} link, or an | |
250 @samp{Up} link, or both. As you can see, this node has all of these | |
251 links. | |
252 | |
253 @kindex n @r{(Info mode)} | |
254 Now it is time to move on to the @samp{Next} node, named @samp{Help-P}. | |
255 | |
256 @format | |
257 >> Type @kbd{n} to move there. Type just one character; | |
258 do not type the quotes and do not type a @key{RET} afterward. | |
259 @end format | |
260 | |
261 @noindent | |
262 @samp{>>} in the margin means it is really time to try a command. | |
263 | |
264 @format | |
265 >> If you are in Emacs and have a mouse, and if you already practiced | |
266 typing @kbd{n} to get to the next node, click now with the left | |
267 mouse button on the @samp{Next} link to do the same ``the mouse way''. | |
268 @end format | |
269 | |
270 @node Help-P, Help-^L, Help, Getting Started | |
271 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
272 @section Returning to the Previous node | |
273 | |
274 @kindex p @r{(Info mode)} | |
275 This node is called @samp{Help-P}. The @samp{Previous} node, as you see, | |
276 is @samp{Help}, which is the one you just came from using the @kbd{n} | |
277 command. Another @kbd{n} command now would take you to the next | |
278 node, @samp{Help-^L}. | |
279 | |
280 @format | |
281 >> But do not type @kbd{n} yet. First, try the @kbd{p} command, or | |
282 (in Emacs) click on the @samp{Prev} link. That takes you to | |
283 the @samp{Previous} node. Then use @kbd{n} to return here. | |
284 @end format | |
285 | |
286 If you read this in Emacs, you will see an @samp{Info} item in the | |
287 menu bar, close to its right edge. Clicking the mouse on the | |
288 @samp{Info} menu-bar item opens a menu of commands which include | |
289 @samp{Next} and @samp{Previous} (and also some others which you didn't yet | |
290 learn about). | |
291 | |
292 This all probably seems insultingly simple so far, but @emph{please | |
293 don't} start skimming. Things will get complicated soon enough! | |
294 Also, please do not try a new command until you are told it is time | |
295 to. You could make Info skip past an important warning that was | |
296 coming up. | |
297 | |
298 @format | |
299 >> Now do an @kbd{n}, or (in Emacs) click the middle mouse button on | |
300 the @samp{Next} link, to get to the node @samp{Help-^L} and learn more. | |
301 @end format | |
302 | |
303 @node Help-^L, Help-Inv, Help-P, Getting Started | |
304 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
305 @section The Space, DEL, B and ^L commands | |
306 | |
307 This node's mode line tells you that you are now at node | |
308 @samp{Help-^L}, and the header line tells you that @kbd{p} would get | |
309 you back to @samp{Help-P}. The node's title is highlighted and may be | |
310 underlined as well; it says what the node is about. | |
311 | |
312 This is a big node and it does not all fit on your display screen. | |
313 You can tell that there is more that is not visible because you | |
314 can see the text @samp{Top} rather than @samp{All} near the bottom of | |
315 the screen. | |
316 | |
317 @kindex SPC @r{(Info mode)} | |
318 @kindex DEL @r{(Info mode)} | |
319 @kindex BACKSPACE @r{(Info mode)} | |
320 @findex Info-scroll-up | |
321 @findex Info-scroll-down | |
322 The @key{SPC}, @key{BACKSPACE} (or @key{DEL})@footnote{The key which | |
323 we call ``Backspace or DEL'' in this manual is labeled differently on | |
324 different keyboards. Look for a key which is a little ways above the | |
325 @key{ENTER} or @key{RET} key and which you normally use outside Emacs | |
326 to erase the character before the cursor, i.e.@: the character you | |
327 typed last. It might be labeled @samp{Backspace} or @samp{<-} or | |
328 @samp{DEL}, or sometimes @samp{Delete}.} and @kbd{b} commands exist to | |
329 allow you to ``move around'' in a node that does not all fit on the | |
330 screen at once. @key{SPC} moves forward, to show what was below the | |
331 bottom of the screen. @key{DEL} or @key{BACKSPACE} moves backward, to | |
332 show what was above the top of the screen (there is not anything above | |
333 the top until you have typed some spaces). | |
334 | |
335 @format | |
336 >> Now try typing a @key{SPC} (afterward, type a @key{BACKSPACE} to | |
337 return here). | |
338 @end format | |
339 | |
340 When you type the @key{SPC}, the two lines that were at the bottom of | |
341 the screen appear at the top, followed by more lines. @key{DEL} or | |
342 @key{BACKSPACE} takes the two lines from the top and moves them to the | |
343 bottom, @emph{usually}, but if there are not a full screen's worth of | |
344 lines above them they may not make it all the way to the bottom. | |
345 | |
346 If you are reading this in Emacs, note that the header line is | |
347 always visible, never scrolling off the display. That way, you can | |
348 always see the @samp{Next}, @samp{Prev}, and @samp{Up} links, and you | |
349 can conveniently go to one of these links at any time by | |
350 clicking the middle mouse button on the link. | |
351 | |
352 @cindex reading Info documents top to bottom | |
353 @cindex Info documents as tutorials | |
354 @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} not only move forward and backward through | |
355 the current node. They also move between nodes. @key{SPC} at the end | |
356 of a node moves to the next node; @key{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}) at | |
357 the beginning of a node moves to the previous node. In effect, these | |
358 commands scroll through all the nodes in an Info file as a single | |
359 logical sequence. You can read an entire manual top to bottom by just | |
360 typing @key{SPC}, and move backward through the entire manual from | |
361 bottom to top by typing @key{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}). | |
362 | |
363 In this sequence, a node's subnodes appear following their parent. | |
364 If a node has a menu, @key{SPC} takes you into the subnodes listed in | |
365 the menu, one by one. Once you reach the end of a node, and have seen | |
366 all of its subnodes, @key{SPC} takes you to the next node or to the | |
367 parent's next node. | |
368 | |
369 @kindex PAGEUP @r{(Info mode)} | |
370 @kindex PAGEDOWN @r{(Info mode)} | |
371 Many keyboards nowadays have two scroll keys labeled @samp{PageUp} | |
372 and @samp{PageDown} (or maybe @samp{Prior} and @samp{Next}). If your | |
373 keyboard has these keys, you can use them to move forward and backward | |
374 through the text of one node, like @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} (or | |
375 @key{DEL}). However, @key{PAGEUP} and @key{PAGEDOWN} keys never | |
376 scroll beyond the beginning or the end of the current node. | |
377 | |
378 @kindex C-l @r{(Info mode)} | |
379 If your screen is ever garbaged, you can tell Info to display it | |
380 again by typing @kbd{C-l} (@kbd{Control-L}---that is, hold down | |
381 @key{CTRL} and type @kbd{L} or @kbd{l}). | |
382 | |
383 @format | |
384 >> Type @kbd{C-l} now. | |
385 @end format | |
386 | |
387 @kindex b @r{(Info mode)} | |
388 To move back to the beginning of the node you are on, you can type | |
389 the @key{BACKSPACE} key (or @key{DEL}) many times. You can also type | |
390 @kbd{b} just once. @kbd{b} stands for ``beginning.'' | |
391 | |
392 @format | |
393 >> Try that now. (We have put in enough verbiage to push this past | |
394 the first screenful, but screens are so big nowadays that perhaps it | |
395 isn't enough. You may need to shrink your Emacs or Info window.) | |
396 Then come back, by typing @key{SPC} one or more times. | |
397 @end format | |
398 | |
399 @kindex ? @r{(Info mode)} | |
400 @findex Info-summary | |
401 You have just learned a considerable number of commands. If you | |
402 want to use one but have trouble remembering which, you should type | |
403 @kbd{?}, which displays a brief list of commands. When you are | |
404 finished looking at the list, make it go away by typing @key{SPC} | |
405 repeatedly. | |
406 | |
407 @format | |
408 >> Type a @key{?} now. Press @key{SPC} to see consecutive screenfuls of | |
409 the list until finished. Then type @key{SPC} several times. If | |
410 you are using Emacs, the help will then go away automatically. | |
411 @end format | |
412 | |
413 (If you are using the stand-alone Info reader, type @kbd{C-x 0} to | |
414 return here, that is---press and hold @key{CTRL}, type an @kbd{x}, | |
415 then release @key{CTRL} and @kbd{x}, and press @kbd{0}; that's a zero, | |
416 not the letter ``o''.) | |
417 | |
418 From now on, you will encounter large nodes without warning, and | |
419 will be expected to know how to use @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} to | |
420 move around in them without being told. Since not all terminals have | |
421 the same size screen, it would be impossible to warn you anyway. | |
422 | |
423 @format | |
424 >> Now type @kbd{n}, or click the middle mouse button on the @samp{Next} link, | |
425 to visit the next node. | |
426 @end format | |
427 | |
428 @node Help-Inv, Help-M, Help-^L, Getting Started | |
429 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
430 @section Invisible text in Emacs Info | |
431 | |
432 Before discussing menus, we need to make some remarks that are only | |
433 relevant to users reading Info using Emacs. Users of the stand-alone | |
434 version can skip this node by typing @kbd{]} now. | |
435 | |
436 @cindex invisible text in Emacs | |
437 In Emacs, certain text that appears in the stand-alone version is | |
438 normally hidden, technically because it has the @samp{invisibility} | |
439 property. Invisible text is really a part of the text. It becomes | |
440 visible (by default) after killing and yanking, it appears in printed | |
441 output, it gets saved to file just like any other text, and so on. | |
442 Thus it is useful to know it is there. | |
443 | |
444 @findex visible-mode | |
445 You can make invisible text visible by using the command @kbd{M-x | |
446 visible-mode}. Visible mode is a minor mode, so using the command a | |
447 second time will make the text invisible again. Watch the effects of | |
448 the command on the ``menu'' below and the top line of this node. | |
449 | |
450 If you prefer to @emph{always} see the invisible text, you can set | |
451 @code{Info-hide-note-references} to @code{nil}. Enabling Visible mode | |
452 permanently is not a real alternative, because Emacs Info also uses | |
453 (although less extensively) another text property that can change the | |
454 text being displayed, the @samp{display} property. Only the | |
455 invisibility property is affected by Visible mode. When, in this | |
456 tutorial, we refer to the @samp{Emacs} behavior, we mean the | |
457 @emph{default} Emacs behavior. | |
458 | |
459 Now type @kbd{]}, to learn about the @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands. | |
460 | |
461 @menu | |
462 * ]: Help-]. Node telling about ]. | |
463 * stuff: Help-]. Same node. | |
464 * Help-]:: Yet again, same node. | |
465 @end menu | |
466 | |
467 @node Help-], , , Help-Inv | |
468 @subsection The @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands | |
469 | |
470 If you type @kbd{n} now, you get an error message saying that this | |
471 node has no next node. Similarly, if you type @kbd{p}, the error | |
472 message tells you that there is no previous node. (The exact message | |
473 depends on the Info reader you use.) This is because @kbd{n} and | |
474 @kbd{p} carry you to the next and previous node @emph{at the same | |
475 level}. The present node is contained in a menu (see next) of the | |
476 node you came from, and hence is considered to be at a lower level. | |
477 It is the only node in the previous node's menu (even though it was | |
478 listed three times). Hence it has no next or previous node that | |
479 @kbd{n} or @kbd{p} could move to. | |
480 | |
481 If you systematically move through a manual by typing @kbd{n}, you run | |
482 the risk of skipping many nodes. You do not run this risk if you | |
483 systematically use @kbd{@key{SPC}}, because, when you scroll to the | |
484 bottom of a node and type another @kbd{@key{SPC}}, then this carries | |
485 you to the following node in the manual @emph{regardless of level}. | |
486 If you immediately want to go to that node, without having to scroll | |
487 to the bottom of the screen first, you can type @kbd{]}. | |
488 | |
489 Similarly, @kbd{@key{BACKSPACE}} carries you to the preceding node | |
490 regardless of level, after you scrolled to the beginning of the | |
491 present node. If you want to go to the preceding node immediately, | |
492 you can type @kbd{[}. | |
493 | |
494 For instance, typing this sequence will come back here in three steps: | |
495 @kbd{[ n [}. To do the same backward, type @kbd{] p ]}. | |
496 | |
497 Now type @kbd{]} to go to the next node and learn about menus. | |
498 | |
499 @node Help-M, Help-Xref, Help-Inv, Getting Started | |
500 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
501 @section Menus and the @kbd{m} command | |
502 | |
503 @cindex menus in an Info document | |
504 @cindex Info menus | |
505 With only the @kbd{n} (next), @kbd{p} (previous), @kbd{@key{SPC}}, | |
506 @kbd{@key{BACKSPACE}}, @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands for moving between | |
507 nodes, nodes are restricted to a linear sequence. Menus allow a | |
508 branching structure. A menu is a list of other nodes you can move to. | |
509 It is actually just part of the text of the node formatted specially | |
510 so that Info can interpret it. The beginning of a menu is always | |
511 identified by a line which starts with @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. A node | |
512 contains a menu if and only if it has a line in it which starts that | |
513 way. The only menu you can use at any moment is the one in the node | |
514 you are in. To use a menu in any other node, you must move to that | |
515 node first. | |
516 | |
517 After the start of the menu, each line that starts with a @samp{*} | |
518 identifies one subtopic. The line usually contains a brief name for | |
519 the subtopic (followed by a @samp{:}, normally hidden in Emacs), the | |
520 name of the node that talks about that subtopic (again, normally | |
521 hidden in Emacs), and optionally some further description of the | |
522 subtopic. Lines in the menu that do not start with a @samp{*} have no | |
523 special meaning---they are only for the human reader's benefit and do | |
524 not define additional subtopics. Here is an example: | |
525 | |
526 @example | |
527 * Foo: Node about FOO. This tells about FOO. | |
528 @end example | |
529 | |
530 The subtopic name is Foo, and the node describing it is @samp{Node | |
531 about FOO}. The rest of the line is just for the reader's | |
532 Information. [[ But this line is not a real menu item, simply because | |
533 there is no line above it which starts with @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. Also, | |
534 in a real menu item, the @samp{*} would appear at the very start of | |
535 the line. This is why the ``normally hidden'' text in Emacs, namely | |
536 @samp{: Node about FOO.}, is actually visible in this example, even | |
537 when Visible mode is off.]] | |
538 | |
539 When you use a menu to go to another node (in a way that will be | |
540 described soon), what you specify is the subtopic name, the first | |
541 thing in the menu line. Info uses it to find the menu line, extracts | |
542 the node name from it, and goes to that node. The reason that there | |
543 is both a subtopic name and a node name is that the node name must be | |
544 meaningful to the computer and may therefore have to be ugly looking. | |
545 The subtopic name can be chosen just to be convenient for the user to | |
546 specify. Often the node name is convenient for the user to specify | |
547 and so both it and the subtopic name are the same. There is an | |
548 abbreviation for this: | |
549 | |
550 @example | |
551 * Foo:: This tells about FOO. | |
552 @end example | |
553 | |
554 @noindent | |
555 This means that the subtopic name and node name are the same; they are | |
556 both @samp{Foo}. (The @samp{::} is normally hidden in Emacs.) | |
557 | |
558 @format | |
559 >> Now use @key{SPC} to find the menu in this node, then come back to | |
560 the front with a @kbd{b} and some @key{SPC}s. As you see, a menu is | |
561 actually visible in its node. If you cannot find a menu in a node | |
562 by looking at it, then the node does not have a menu and the | |
563 @kbd{m} command is not available. | |
564 @end format | |
565 | |
566 If you keep typing @key{SPC} once the menu appears on the screen, it | |
567 will move to another node (the first one in the menu). If that | |
568 happens, type @key{BACKSPACE} to come back. | |
569 | |
570 @kindex m @r{(Info mode)} | |
571 The command to go to one of the subnodes is @kbd{m}. This is very | |
572 different from the commands you have used: it is a command that | |
573 prompts you for more input. | |
574 | |
575 The Info commands you know do not need additional input; when you | |
576 type one of them, Info processes it instantly and then is ready for | |
577 another command. The @kbd{m} command is different: it needs to know | |
578 the @dfn{name of the subtopic}. Once you have typed @kbd{m}, Info | |
579 tries to read the subtopic name. | |
580 | |
581 Now, in the stand-alone Info, look for the line containing many | |
582 dashes near the bottom of the screen. (This is the stand-alone | |
583 equivalent for the mode line in Emacs.) There is one more line | |
584 beneath that one, but usually it is blank. (In Emacs, this is the | |
585 echo area.) When it is blank, Info is ready for a command, such as | |
586 @kbd{n} or @kbd{b} or @key{SPC} or @kbd{m}. If that line contains | |
587 text ending in a colon, it means Info is reading more input for the | |
588 last command. You can't type an Info command then, because Info is | |
589 trying to read input, not commands. You must either give the input | |
590 and finish the command you started, or type @kbd{Control-g} to cancel | |
591 the command. When you have done one of those things, the input entry | |
592 line becomes blank again. Then you can type Info commands again. | |
593 | |
594 @findex Info-menu | |
595 The command to go to a subnode via a menu is @kbd{m}. After you type | |
596 the @kbd{m}, the line at the bottom of the screen says @samp{Menu item: }. | |
597 You must then type the name of the subtopic you want, and end it with | |
598 a @key{RET}. | |
599 | |
600 @cindex abbreviating Info subnodes | |
601 You can abbreviate the subtopic name. If the abbreviation is not | |
602 unique, the first matching subtopic is chosen. Some menus put | |
603 the shortest possible abbreviation for each subtopic name in capital | |
604 letters, so you can see how much you need to type. It does not | |
605 matter whether you use upper case or lower case when you type the | |
606 subtopic. You should not put any spaces at the end, or inside of the | |
607 item name, except for one space where a space appears in the item in | |
608 the menu. | |
609 | |
610 @cindex completion of Info node names | |
611 You can also use the @dfn{completion} feature to help enter the | |
612 subtopic name. If you type the @key{TAB} key after entering part of a | |
613 name, it will fill in more of the name---as much as Info can deduce | |
614 from the part you have entered. | |
615 | |
616 If you move the cursor to one of the menu subtopic lines, then you do | |
617 not need to type the argument: you just type a @key{RET}, and it | |
618 stands for the subtopic of the line you are on. You can also click | |
619 the middle mouse button directly on the subtopic line to go there. | |
620 | |
621 Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice. This menu gives you | |
622 three ways of going to one place, Help-FOO: | |
623 | |
624 @menu | |
625 * Foo: Help-FOO. A node you can visit for fun. | |
626 * Bar: Help-FOO. We have made two ways to get to the same place. | |
627 * Help-FOO:: And yet another! | |
628 @end menu | |
629 | |
630 (Turn Visible mode on if you are using Emacs.) | |
631 | |
632 @format | |
633 >> Now type just an @kbd{m} and see what happens: | |
634 @end format | |
635 | |
636 Now you are ``inside'' an @kbd{m} command. Commands cannot be used | |
637 now; the next thing you will type must be the name of a subtopic. | |
638 | |
639 You can change your mind about doing the @kbd{m} by typing | |
640 @kbd{Control-g}. | |
641 | |
642 @format | |
643 >> Try that now; notice the bottom line clear. | |
644 @end format | |
645 | |
646 @format | |
647 >> Then type another @kbd{m}. | |
648 @end format | |
649 | |
650 @format | |
651 >> Now type @kbd{BAR}, the item name. Do not type @key{RET} yet. | |
652 @end format | |
653 | |
654 While you are typing the item name, you can use the @key{DEL} (or | |
655 @key{BACKSPACE}) key to cancel one character at a time if you make a | |
656 mistake. | |
657 | |
658 @format | |
659 >> Press @key{DEL} to cancel the @samp{R}. You could type another @kbd{R} | |
660 to replace it. But you do not have to, since @samp{BA} is a valid | |
661 abbreviation. | |
662 @end format | |
663 | |
664 @format | |
665 >> Now you are ready to go. Type a @key{RET}. | |
666 @end format | |
667 | |
668 After visiting @samp{Help-FOO}, you should return here. | |
669 | |
670 Another way to move to the menu subtopic lines and between them is | |
671 to type @key{TAB}. Each time you type a @key{TAB}, you move to the | |
672 next subtopic line. To move to a previous subtopic line in the | |
673 stand-alone reader, type @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}---that is, press and hold | |
674 the @key{META} key and then press @key{TAB}. (On some keyboards, the | |
675 @key{META} key might be labeled @samp{Alt}.) In Emacs Info, type | |
676 @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} to move to a previous subtopic line (press and hold | |
677 the @key{Shift} key and then press @key{TAB}). | |
678 | |
679 Once you move cursor to a subtopic line, press @key{RET} to go to | |
680 that subtopic's node. | |
681 | |
682 @cindex mouse support in Info mode | |
683 @kindex Mouse-2 @r{(Info mode)} | |
684 If your terminal supports a mouse, you have yet another way of going | |
685 to a subtopic. Move your mouse pointer to the subtopic line, | |
686 somewhere between the beginning @samp{*} and the colon @samp{:} which | |
687 ends the subtopic's brief name. You will see the subtopic's name | |
688 change its appearance (usually, its background color will change), and | |
689 the shape of the mouse pointer will change if your platform supports | |
690 that. After a while, if you leave the mouse on that spot, a small | |
691 window will pop up, saying ``Mouse-2: go to that node,'' or the same | |
692 message may appear at the bottom of the screen. | |
693 | |
694 @kbd{Mouse-2} is the second button of your mouse counting from the | |
695 left---the middle button on a 3-button mouse. (On a 2-button mouse, | |
696 you may have to press both buttons together to ``press the middle | |
697 button''.) The message tells you pressing @kbd{Mouse-2} with the | |
698 current position of the mouse pointer (on subtopic in the menu) will | |
699 go to that subtopic. | |
700 | |
701 @findex Info-mouse-follow-nearest-node | |
702 More generally, @kbd{Mouse-2} in an Info buffer finds the nearest | |
703 link to another node and goes there. For example, near a cross | |
704 reference it acts like @kbd{f}, in a menu it acts like @kbd{m}, on the | |
705 node's header line it acts like @kbd{n}, @kbd{p}, or @kbd{u}, etc. At | |
706 end of the node's text @kbd{Mouse-2} moves to the next node, or up if | |
707 there's no next node. | |
708 | |
709 @format | |
710 >> Type @kbd{n} to see more commands. | |
711 @end format | |
712 | |
713 @node Help-FOO, , , Help-M | |
714 @subsection The @kbd{u} command | |
715 | |
716 Congratulations! This is the node @samp{Help-FOO}. It has an @samp{Up} | |
717 pointer @samp{Help-M}, the node you just came from via the @kbd{m} | |
718 command. This is the usual convention---the nodes you reach from a menu | |
719 have @samp{Up} nodes that lead back to the menu. Menus move Down in the | |
720 tree, and @samp{Up} moves Up. @samp{Previous}, on the other hand, is | |
721 usually used to ``stay on the same level but go backwards''. | |
722 | |
723 @kindex u @r{(Info mode)} | |
724 @findex Info-up | |
725 You can go back to the node @samp{Help-M} by typing the command | |
726 @kbd{u} for ``Up''. This puts you at the menu subtopic line pointing | |
727 to the subnode that the @kbd{u} command brought you from. (Some Info | |
728 readers may put you at the @emph{front} of the node instead---to get | |
729 back to where you were reading, you have to type some @key{SPC}s.) | |
730 | |
731 Another way to go Up is to click @kbd{Mouse-2} on the @samp{Up} | |
732 pointer shown in the header line (provided that you have a mouse). | |
733 | |
734 @format | |
735 >> Now type @kbd{u} to move back up to @samp{Help-M}. | |
736 @end format | |
737 | |
738 @node Help-Xref, Help-Int, Help-M, Getting Started | |
739 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
740 @section Following Cross-References | |
741 | |
742 @cindex cross references in Info documents | |
743 In Info documentation, you will see many @dfn{cross references}. | |
744 Cross references look like this: @xref{Help-Cross, Cross}. That text | |
745 is a real, live cross reference, whose name is @samp{Cross} and which | |
746 points to the node named @samp{Help-Cross}. (The node name is hidden | |
747 in Emacs. Do @kbd{M-x visible-mode} to show or hide it.) | |
748 | |
749 @kindex f @r{(Info mode)} | |
750 @findex Info-follow-reference | |
751 You can follow a cross reference by moving the cursor to it and | |
752 press @key{RET}, just as in a menu. In Emacs, you can also click | |
753 @kbd{Mouse-1} on a cross reference to follow it; you can see that the | |
754 cross reference is mouse-sensitive by moving the mouse pointer to the | |
755 reference and watching how the underlying text and the mouse pointer | |
756 change in response. | |
757 | |
758 Another way to follow a cross reference is to type @kbd{f} and then | |
759 specify the name of the cross reference (in this case, @samp{Cross}) | |
760 as an argument. For this command, it does not matter where the cursor | |
761 was. If the cursor is on or near a cross reference, @kbd{f} suggests | |
762 that reference name in parentheses as the default; typing @key{RET} | |
763 will follow that reference. However, if you type a different | |
764 reference name, @kbd{f} will follow the other reference which has that | |
765 name. | |
766 | |
767 @format | |
768 >> Type @kbd{f}, followed by @kbd{Cross}, and then @key{RET}. | |
769 @end format | |
770 | |
771 As you enter the reference name, you can use the @key{DEL} (or | |
772 @key{BACKSPACE}) key to edit your input. If you change your mind | |
773 about following any reference, you can use @kbd{Control-g} to cancel | |
774 the command. Completion is available in the @kbd{f} command; you can | |
775 complete among all the cross reference names in the current node by | |
776 typing a @key{TAB}. | |
777 | |
778 To get a list of all the cross references in the current node, you | |
779 can type @kbd{?} after an @kbd{f}. The @kbd{f} continues to await a | |
780 cross reference name even after displaying the list, so if you don't | |
781 actually want to follow a reference, you should type a @kbd{Control-g} | |
782 to cancel the @kbd{f}. | |
783 | |
784 @format | |
785 >> Type @kbd{f?} to get a list of the cross references in this node. Then | |
786 type a @kbd{Control-g} and see how the @samp{f} gives up. | |
787 @end format | |
788 | |
789 The @key{TAB}, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} and @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} keys, | |
790 which move between menu items in a menu, also move between cross | |
791 references outside of menus. | |
792 | |
793 Sometimes a cross reference (or a node) can lead to another file (in | |
794 other words another ``manual''), or, on occasion, even a file on a | |
795 remote machine (although Info files distributed with Emacs or the | |
796 stand-alone Info avoid using remote links). Such a cross reference | |
797 looks like this: @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: | |
798 The GNU Documentation Format}. (After following this link, type | |
799 @kbd{l} to get back to this node.) Here the name @samp{texinfo} | |
800 between parentheses refers to the file name. This file name appears | |
801 in cross references and node names if it differs from the current | |
802 file, so you can always know that you are going to be switching to | |
803 another manual and which one. | |
804 | |
805 However, Emacs normally hides some other text in cross-references. | |
806 If you put your mouse over the cross reference, then the information | |
807 appearing in a separate box (tool tip) or in the echo area will show | |
808 the full cross-reference including the file name and the node name of | |
809 the cross reference. If you have a mouse, just leave it over the | |
810 cross reference @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: | |
811 The GNU Documentation Format}, and watch what happens. If you | |
812 always like to have that information visible without having to move | |
813 your mouse over the cross reference, use @kbd{M-x visible-mode}, or | |
814 set @code{Info-hide-note-references} to a value other than @code{t} | |
815 (@pxref{Emacs Info Variables}). | |
816 | |
817 @format | |
818 >> Now type @kbd{n} to learn more commands. | |
819 @end format | |
820 | |
821 @node Help-Int, Help-Q, Help-Xref, Getting Started | |
822 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
823 @section Some intermediate Info commands | |
824 | |
825 The introductory course is almost over; please continue | |
826 a little longer to learn some intermediate-level commands. | |
827 | |
828 Most Info files have an index, which is actually a large node | |
829 containing little but a menu. The menu has one menu item for each | |
830 topic listed in the index. (As a special feature, menus for indices | |
831 may also include the line number within the node of the index entry. | |
832 This allows Info readers to go to the exact line of an entry, not just | |
833 the start of the containing node.) | |
834 | |
835 You can get to the index from the main menu of the file with the | |
836 @kbd{m} command and the name of the index node; then you can use the | |
837 @kbd{m} command again in the index node to go to the node that | |
838 describes the topic you want. | |
839 | |
840 There is also a short-cut Info command, @kbd{i}, which does all of | |
841 that for you. It searches the index for a given topic (a string) and | |
842 goes to the node which is listed in the index for that topic. | |
843 @xref{Search Index}, for a full explanation. | |
844 | |
845 @kindex l @r{(Info mode)} | |
846 @findex Info-history-back | |
847 @cindex going back in Info history | |
848 If you have been moving around to different nodes and wish to | |
849 retrace your steps, the @kbd{l} command (@kbd{l} for @dfn{last}) will | |
850 do that, one node-step at a time. As you move from node to node, Info | |
851 records the nodes where you have been in a special history list. The | |
852 @kbd{l} command revisits nodes in the history list; each successive | |
853 @kbd{l} command moves one step back through the history. | |
854 | |
855 @format | |
856 >> Try typing @kbd{p p n} and then three @kbd{l}'s, pausing in between | |
857 to see what each @kbd{l} does. You should wind up right back here. | |
858 @end format | |
859 | |
860 Note the difference between @kbd{l} and @kbd{p}: @kbd{l} moves to | |
861 where @emph{you} last were, whereas @kbd{p} always moves to the node | |
862 which the header says is the @samp{Previous} node (from this node, the | |
863 @samp{Prev} link leads to @samp{Help-Xref}). | |
864 | |
865 @kindex r @r{(Info mode)} | |
866 @findex Info-history-forward | |
867 @cindex going forward in Info history | |
868 You can use the @kbd{r} command (@code{Info-history-forward} in Emacs) | |
869 to revisit nodes in the history list in the forward direction, so that | |
870 @kbd{r} will return you to the node you came from by typing @kbd{l}. | |
871 | |
85114 | 872 @kindex L @r{(Info mode)} |
873 @findex Info-history | |
874 @cindex history list of visited nodes | |
875 The @kbd{L} command (@code{Info-history} in Emacs) creates a virtual | |
876 node that contains a list of all nodes you visited. You can select | |
877 a previously visited node from this menu to revisit it. | |
878 | |
84303 | 879 @kindex d @r{(Info mode)} |
880 @findex Info-directory | |
881 @cindex go to Directory node | |
882 The @kbd{d} command (@code{Info-directory} in Emacs) gets you | |
883 instantly to the Directory node. This node, which is the first one | |
884 you saw when you entered Info, has a menu which leads (directly or | |
885 indirectly, through other menus), to all the nodes that exist. The | |
886 Directory node lists all the manuals and other Info documents that | |
887 are, or could be, installed on your system. | |
888 | |
889 @format | |
890 >> Try doing a @kbd{d}, then do an @kbd{l} to return here (yes, | |
891 @emph{do} return). | |
892 @end format | |
893 | |
894 @kindex t @r{(Info mode)} | |
895 @findex Info-top-node | |
896 @cindex go to Top node | |
897 The @kbd{t} command moves to the @samp{Top} node of the manual. | |
898 This is useful if you want to browse the manual's main menu, or select | |
899 some specific top-level menu item. The Emacs command run by @kbd{t} | |
900 is @code{Info-top-node}. | |
901 | |
902 @format | |
903 >> Now type @kbd{n} to see the last node of the course. | |
904 @end format | |
905 | |
906 @xref{Advanced}, for more advanced Info features. | |
907 | |
908 @c If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it. | |
909 @c It is an accident of the menu updating command. | |
910 | |
911 @node Help-Q, , Help-Int, Getting Started | |
912 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
913 @section Quitting Info | |
914 | |
915 @kindex q @r{(Info mode)} | |
916 @findex Info-exit | |
917 @cindex quitting Info mode | |
918 To get out of Info, back to what you were doing before, type @kbd{q} | |
919 for @dfn{Quit}. This runs @code{Info-exit} in Emacs. | |
920 | |
921 This is the end of the basic course on using Info. You have learned | |
922 how to move in an Info document, and how to follow menus and cross | |
923 references. This makes you ready for reading manuals top to bottom, | |
924 as new users should do when they learn a new package. | |
925 | |
926 Another set of Info commands is useful when you need to find | |
927 something quickly in a manual---that is, when you need to use a manual | |
928 as a reference rather than as a tutorial. We urge you to learn | |
929 these search commands as well. If you want to do that now, follow this | |
930 cross reference to @ref{Advanced}. | |
931 | |
932 Yet another set of commands are meant for experienced users; you can | |
933 find them by looking in the Directory node for documentation on Info. | |
934 Finding them will be a good exercise in using Info in the usual | |
935 manner. | |
936 | |
937 @format | |
938 >> Type @kbd{d} to go to the Info directory node; then type | |
939 @kbd{mInfo} and Return, to get to the node about Info and | |
940 see what other help is available. | |
941 @end format | |
942 | |
943 | |
944 @node Advanced | |
945 @chapter Advanced Info Commands | |
946 | |
947 This chapter describes various advanced Info commands. (If you | |
948 are using a stand-alone Info reader, there are additional commands | |
949 specific to it, which are documented in several chapters of @ref{Top,, | |
950 GNU Info, info-stnd, GNU Info}.) | |
951 | |
952 @kindex C-q @r{(Info mode)} | |
953 One advanced command useful with most of the others described here | |
954 is @kbd{C-q}, which ``quotes'' the next character so that it is | |
955 entered literally (@pxref{Inserting Text,,,emacs,The GNU Emacs | |
956 Manual}). For example, pressing @kbd{?} ordinarily brings up a list | |
957 of completion possibilities. If you want to (for example) search for | |
958 an actual @samp{?} character, the simplest way is to insert it using | |
959 @kbd{C-q ?}. This works the same in Emacs and stand-alone Info. | |
960 | |
961 @menu | |
962 * Search Text:: How to search Info documents. | |
963 * Search Index:: How to search the indices for specific subjects. | |
964 * Go to node:: How to go to a node by name. | |
965 * Choose menu subtopic:: How to choose a menu subtopic by its number. | |
966 * Create Info buffer:: How to create a new Info buffer in Emacs. | |
967 * Emacs Info Variables:: Variables modifying the behavior of Emacs Info. | |
968 @end menu | |
969 | |
970 | |
971 @node Search Text, Search Index, , Advanced | |
972 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
87949
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973 @section @kbd{s} searches Info documents |
84303 | 974 |
975 @cindex searching Info documents | |
976 @cindex Info document as a reference | |
977 The commands which move between and inside nodes allow you to read | |
978 the entire manual or its large portions. But what if you need to find | |
979 some information in the manual as fast as you can, and you don't know | |
980 or don't remember in what node to look for it? This need arises when | |
981 you use a manual as a @dfn{reference}, or when it is impractical to | |
982 read the entire manual before you start using the programs it | |
983 describes. | |
984 | |
985 Info has powerful searching facilities that let you find things | |
986 quickly. You can search either the manual text or its indices. | |
987 | |
988 @kindex s @r{(Info mode)} | |
989 @findex Info-search | |
990 The @kbd{s} command allows you to search a whole Info file for a string. | |
991 It switches to the next node if and when that is necessary. You | |
992 type @kbd{s} followed by the string to search for, terminated by | |
993 @key{RET}. To search for the same string again, just @kbd{s} followed | |
994 by @key{RET} will do. The file's nodes are scanned in the order | |
995 they are in the file, which has no necessary relationship to the | |
996 order that they may be in the tree structure of menus and @samp{next} | |
997 pointers. But normally the two orders are not very different. In any | |
998 case, you can always look at the mode line to find out what node you have | |
999 reached, if the header is not visible (this can happen, because @kbd{s} | |
1000 puts your cursor at the occurrence of the string, not at the beginning | |
1001 of the node). | |
1002 | |
1003 @kindex M-s @r{(Info mode)} | |
1004 In Emacs, @kbd{Meta-s} is equivalent to @kbd{s}. That is for | |
1005 compatibility with other GNU packages that use @kbd{M-s} for a similar | |
1006 kind of search command. Both @kbd{s} and @kbd{M-s} run in Emacs the | |
1007 command @code{Info-search}. | |
1008 | |
1009 @kindex C-s @r{(Info mode)} | |
1010 @kindex C-r @r{(Info mode)} | |
1011 @findex isearch | |
1012 Instead of using @kbd{s} in Emacs Info and in the stand-alone Info, | |
1013 you can use an incremental search started with @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r}. | |
1014 It can search through multiple Info nodes. @xref{Incremental Search,,, | |
1015 emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. In Emacs, you can disable this behavior | |
1016 by setting the variable @code{Info-isearch-search} to @code{nil} | |
1017 (@pxref{Emacs Info Variables}). | |
1018 | |
1019 @node Search Index, Go to node, Search Text, Advanced | |
1020 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
87949
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1021 @section @kbd{i} searches the indices for specific subjects |
84303 | 1022 |
1023 @cindex searching Info indices | |
1024 @kindex i @r{(Info mode)} | |
1025 @findex Info-index | |
1026 Since most topics in the manual should be indexed, you should try | |
1027 the index search first before the text search. The @kbd{i} command | |
1028 prompts you for a subject and then looks up that subject in the | |
1029 indices. If it finds an index entry with the subject you typed, it | |
1030 goes to the node to which that index entry points. You should browse | |
1031 through that node to see whether the issue you are looking for is | |
1032 described there. If it isn't, type @kbd{,} one or more times to go | |
1033 through additional index entries which match your subject. | |
1034 | |
1035 The @kbd{i} command and subsequent @kbd{,} commands find all index | |
1036 entries which include the string you typed @emph{as a substring}. | |
1037 For each match, Info shows in the echo area the full index entry it | |
1038 found. Often, the text of the full index entry already gives you | |
1039 enough information to decide whether it is relevant to what you are | |
1040 looking for, so we recommend that you read what Info shows in the echo | |
1041 area before looking at the node it displays. | |
1042 | |
1043 Since @kbd{i} looks for a substring, you can search for subjects even | |
1044 if you are not sure how they are spelled in the index. For example, | |
1045 suppose you want to find something that is pertinent to commands which | |
1046 complete partial input (e.g., when you type @key{TAB}). If you want | |
1047 to catch index entries that refer to ``complete,'' ``completion,'' and | |
1048 ``completing,'' you could type @kbd{icomplet@key{RET}}. | |
1049 | |
1050 Info documents which describe programs should index the commands, | |
1051 options, and key sequences that the program provides. If you are | |
1052 looking for a description of a command, an option, or a key, just type | |
1053 their names when @kbd{i} prompts you for a topic. For example, if you | |
1054 want to read the description of what the @kbd{C-l} key does, type | |
1055 @kbd{iC-l@key{RET}} literally. | |
1056 | |
1057 @findex info-apropos | |
1058 @findex index-apropos | |
1059 If you aren't sure which manual documents the topic you are looking | |
1060 for, try the @kbd{M-x info-apropos} command in Emacs, or the @kbd{M-x | |
1061 index-apropos} command in the stand-alone reader. It prompts for | |
1062 a string and then looks up that string in all the indices of all the | |
1063 Info documents installed on your system. | |
1064 | |
1065 @node Go to node, Choose menu subtopic, Search Index, Advanced | |
1066 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1067 @section @kbd{g} goes to a node by name | |
1068 | |
1069 @kindex g @r{(Info mode)} | |
1070 @findex Info-goto-node | |
1071 @cindex go to a node by name | |
1072 If you know a node's name, you can go there by typing @kbd{g}, the | |
1073 name, and @key{RET}. Thus, @kbd{gTop@key{RET}} would go to the node | |
1074 called @samp{Top} in this file. (This is equivalent to @kbd{t}, see | |
1075 @ref{Help-Int}.) @kbd{gGo to node@key{RET}} would come back here. | |
1076 | |
1077 Unlike @kbd{m}, @kbd{g} does not allow the use of abbreviations. | |
1078 But it does allow completion, so you can type @key{TAB} to complete a | |
1079 partial node name. | |
1080 | |
1081 @cindex go to another Info file | |
1082 To go to a node in another file, you can include the file name in the | |
1083 node name by putting it at the front, in parentheses. Thus, | |
1084 @kbd{g(dir)Top@key{RET}} would go to the Info Directory node, which is | |
1085 the node @samp{Top} in the Info file @file{dir}. Likewise, | |
1086 @kbd{g(emacs)Top@key{RET}} goes to the top node of the Emacs manual. | |
1087 | |
1088 The node name @samp{*} specifies the whole file. So you can look at | |
1089 all of the current file by typing @kbd{g*@key{RET}} or all of any | |
1090 other file with @kbd{g(@var{filename})*@key{RET}}. | |
1091 | |
1092 @node Choose menu subtopic, Create Info buffer, Go to node, Advanced | |
1093 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1094 @section @kbd{1}--@kbd{9} choose a menu subtopic by its number | |
1095 | |
1096 @kindex 1 @r{through} 9 @r{(Info mode)} | |
1097 @findex Info-nth-menu-item | |
1098 @cindex select @var{n}'th menu item | |
1099 If you begrudge each character of type-in which your system requires, | |
1100 you might like to use the commands @kbd{1}, @kbd{2}, @kbd{3}, @kbd{4}, | |
1101 @dots{}, @kbd{9}. They are short for the @kbd{m} command together | |
1102 with a name of a menu subtopic. @kbd{1} goes through the first item | |
1103 in the current node's menu; @kbd{2} goes through the second item, etc. | |
1104 In the stand-alone reader, @kbd{0} goes through the last menu item; | |
1105 this is so you need not count how many entries are there. | |
1106 | |
1107 If your display supports multiple fonts, colors or underlining, and | |
1108 you are using Emacs' Info mode to read Info files, the third, sixth | |
1109 and ninth menu items have a @samp{*} that stands out, either in color | |
1110 or in some other attribute, such as underline; this makes it easy to | |
1111 see at a glance which number to use for an item. | |
1112 | |
1113 Some terminals don't support either multiple fonts, colors or | |
1114 underlining. If you need to actually count items, it is better to use | |
1115 @kbd{m} instead, and specify the name, or use @key{TAB} to quickly | |
1116 move between menu items. | |
1117 | |
1118 @node Create Info buffer, Emacs Info Variables, Choose menu subtopic, Advanced | |
1119 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1120 @section @kbd{M-n} creates a new independent Info buffer in Emacs | |
1121 | |
1122 @kindex M-n @r{(Info mode)} | |
1123 @findex clone-buffer | |
1124 @cindex multiple Info buffers | |
1125 If you are reading Info in Emacs, you can select a new independent | |
1126 Info buffer in a new Emacs window by typing @kbd{M-n}. The new buffer | |
1127 starts out as an exact copy of the old one, but you will be able to | |
1128 move independently between nodes in the two buffers. (In Info mode, | |
1129 @kbd{M-n} runs the Emacs command @code{clone-buffer}.) | |
1130 | |
1131 In Emacs Info, you can also produce new Info buffers by giving a | |
1132 numeric prefix argument to the @kbd{m} and @kbd{g} commands. @kbd{C-u | |
1133 m} and @kbd{C-u g} go to a new node in exactly the same way that | |
1134 @kbd{m} and @kbd{g} do, but they do so in a new Info buffer which they | |
1135 select in another window. | |
1136 | |
1137 Another way to produce new Info buffers in Emacs is to use a numeric | |
1138 prefix argument for the @kbd{C-h i} command (@code{info}) which | |
1139 switches to the Info buffer with that number. Thus, @kbd{C-u 2 C-h i} | |
1140 switches to the buffer @samp{*info*<2>}, creating it if necessary. | |
1141 | |
1142 @node Emacs Info Variables, , Create Info buffer, Advanced | |
1143 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1144 @section Emacs Info-mode Variables | |
1145 | |
1146 The following variables may modify the behavior of Info-mode in Emacs; | |
1147 you may wish to set one or several of these variables interactively, | |
1148 or in your init file. @xref{Examining, Examining and Setting | |
1149 Variables, Examining and Setting Variables, emacs, The GNU Emacs | |
1150 Manual}. The stand-alone Info reader program has its own set of | |
1151 variables, described in @ref{Variables,, Manipulating Variables, | |
1152 info-stnd, GNU Info}. | |
1153 | |
1154 @vtable @code | |
1155 @item Info-directory-list | |
1156 The list of directories to search for Info files. Each element is a | |
1157 string (directory name) or @code{nil} (try default directory). If not | |
1158 initialized Info uses the environment variable @env{INFOPATH} to | |
1159 initialize it, or @code{Info-default-directory-list} if there is no | |
1160 @env{INFOPATH} variable in the environment. | |
1161 | |
1162 If you wish to customize the Info directory search list for both Emacs | |
1163 Info and stand-alone Info, it is best to set the @env{INFOPATH} | |
1164 environment variable, since that applies to both programs. | |
1165 | |
1166 @item Info-additional-directory-list | |
1167 A list of additional directories to search for Info documentation files. | |
1168 These directories are not searched for merging the @file{dir} file. | |
1169 | |
1170 @item Info-mode-hook | |
1171 Hooks run when @code{Info-mode} is called. By default, it contains | |
1172 the hook @code{turn-on-font-lock} which enables highlighting of Info | |
1173 files. You can change how the highlighting looks by customizing the | |
1174 faces @code{info-node}, @code{info-xref}, @code{info-xref-visited}, | |
1175 @code{info-header-xref}, @code{info-header-node}, @code{info-menu-header}, | |
1176 @code{info-menu-star}, and @code{info-title-@var{n}} (where @var{n} | |
1177 is the level of the section, a number between 1 and 4). To customize | |
1178 a face, type @kbd{M-x customize-face @key{RET} @var{face} @key{RET}}, | |
1179 where @var{face} is one of the face names listed here. | |
1180 | |
1181 @item Info-fontify-maximum-menu-size | |
1182 Maximum size of menu to fontify if @code{font-lock-mode} is non-@code{nil}. | |
1183 | |
1184 @item Info-fontify-visited-nodes | |
1185 If non-@code{nil}, menu items and cross-references pointing to visited | |
1186 nodes are displayed in the @code{info-xref-visited} face. | |
1187 | |
1188 @item Info-use-header-line | |
1189 If non-@code{nil}, Emacs puts in the Info buffer a header line showing | |
1190 the @samp{Next}, @samp{Prev}, and @samp{Up} links. A header line does | |
1191 not scroll with the rest of the buffer, making these links always | |
1192 visible. | |
1193 | |
1194 @item Info-hide-note-references | |
1195 As explained in earlier nodes, the Emacs version of Info normally | |
1196 hides some text in menus and cross-references. You can completely | |
1197 disable this feature, by setting this option to @code{nil}. Setting | |
1198 it to a value that is neither @code{nil} nor @code{t} produces an | |
1199 intermediate behavior, hiding a limited amount of text, but showing | |
1200 all text that could potentially be useful. | |
1201 | |
1202 @item Info-scroll-prefer-subnodes | |
1203 If set to a non-@code{nil} value, @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} (or | |
1204 @key{DEL}) keys in a menu visit subnodes of the current node before | |
1205 scrolling to its end or beginning, respectively. For example, if the | |
1206 node's menu appears on the screen, the next @key{SPC} moves to a | |
1207 subnode indicated by the following menu item. Setting this option to | |
1208 @code{nil} results in behavior similar to the stand-alone Info reader | |
1209 program, which visits the first subnode from the menu only when you | |
1210 hit the end of the current node. The default is @code{nil}. | |
1211 | |
1212 @item Info-isearch-search | |
1213 If non-@code{nil}, isearch in Info searches through multiple nodes. | |
1214 | |
1215 @item Info-enable-active-nodes | |
1216 When set to a non-@code{nil} value, allows Info to execute Lisp code | |
1217 associated with nodes. The Lisp code is executed when the node is | |
1218 selected. The Lisp code to be executed should follow the node | |
1219 delimiter (the @samp{DEL} character) and an @samp{execute: } tag, like | |
1220 this: | |
1221 | |
1222 @example | |
1223 ^_execute: (message "This is an active node!") | |
1224 @end example | |
1225 @end vtable | |
1226 | |
1227 | |
1228 @node Expert Info | |
1229 @chapter Info for Experts | |
1230 | |
1231 This chapter explains how to write an Info file by hand. However, | |
1232 in most cases, writing a Texinfo file is better, since you can use it | |
1233 to make a printed manual or produce other formats, such as HTML and | |
1234 DocBook, as well as for generating Info files. | |
1235 | |
1236 The @code{makeinfo} command converts a Texinfo file into an Info file; | |
1237 @code{texinfo-format-region} and @code{texinfo-format-buffer} are GNU | |
1238 Emacs functions that do the same. | |
1239 | |
1240 @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU | |
1241 Documentation Format}, for how to write a Texinfo file. | |
1242 | |
1243 @xref{Creating an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation | |
1244 Format}, for how to create an Info file from a Texinfo file. | |
1245 | |
1246 @xref{Installing an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU | |
1247 Documentation Format}, for how to install an Info file after you | |
1248 have created one. | |
1249 | |
1250 However, if you want to edit an Info file manually and install it manually, | |
1251 here is how. | |
1252 | |
1253 @menu | |
1254 * Add:: Describes how to add new nodes to the hierarchy. | |
1255 Also tells what nodes look like. | |
1256 * Menus:: How to add to or create menus in Info nodes. | |
1257 * Cross-refs:: How to add cross-references to Info nodes. | |
1258 * Tags:: How to make tags tables for Info files. | |
1259 * Checking:: Checking an Info File. | |
1260 @end menu | |
1261 | |
1262 @node Add, Menus, , Expert Info | |
1263 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1264 @section Adding a new node to Info | |
1265 | |
1266 To add a new topic to the list in the Info directory, you must: | |
1267 | |
1268 @enumerate | |
1269 @item | |
1270 Create some nodes, in some file, to document that topic. | |
1271 @item | |
1272 Put that topic in the menu in the directory. @xref{Menus, Menu}. | |
1273 @end enumerate | |
1274 | |
1275 @cindex node delimiters | |
1276 The new node can live in an existing documentation file, or in a new | |
1277 one. It must have a @samp{^_} character before it (invisible to the | |
1278 user; this node has one but you cannot see it), and it ends with either | |
1279 a @samp{^_}, a @samp{^L} (``formfeed''), or the end of file.@footnote{If | |
1280 you put in a @samp{^L} to end a new node, be sure that there is a | |
1281 @samp{^_} after it to start the next one, since @samp{^L} cannot | |
1282 @emph{start} a node. Also, a nicer way to make a node boundary be a | |
1283 page boundary as well is to put a @samp{^L} @emph{right after} the | |
1284 @samp{^_}.} | |
1285 | |
1286 The @samp{^_} starting a node must be followed by a newline or a | |
1287 @samp{^L} newline, after which comes the node's header line. The | |
1288 header line must give the node's name (by which Info finds it), and | |
1289 state the names of the @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and @samp{Up} | |
1290 nodes (if there are any). As you can see, this node's @samp{Up} node | |
1291 is the node @samp{Expert Info}. The @samp{Next} node is @samp{Menus}. | |
1292 | |
1293 @cindex node header line format | |
1294 @cindex format of node headers | |
1295 The keywords @dfn{Node}, @dfn{Next}, @dfn{Previous}, and @dfn{Up} | |
1296 may appear in any order, anywhere in the header line, but the | |
1297 recommended order is the one in this sentence. Each keyword must be | |
1298 followed by a colon, spaces and tabs, and then the appropriate name. | |
1299 The name may be terminated with a tab, a comma, or a newline. A space | |
1300 does not end it; node names may contain spaces. The case of letters | |
1301 in the names is insignificant. | |
1302 | |
1303 @cindex node name format | |
1304 @cindex Directory node | |
1305 A node name has two forms. A node in the current file is named by | |
1306 what appears after the @samp{Node: } in that node's first line. For | |
1307 example, this node's name is @samp{Add}. A node in another file is | |
1308 named by @samp{(@var{filename})@var{node-within-file}}, as in | |
1309 @samp{(info)Add} for this node. If the file name starts with @samp{./}, | |
1310 then it is relative to the current directory; otherwise, it is | |
1311 relative starting from the standard directory for Info files of your | |
1312 site. The name @samp{(@var{filename})Top} can be abbreviated to just | |
1313 @samp{(@var{filename})}. By convention, the name @samp{Top} is used | |
1314 for the ``highest'' node in any single file---the node whose @samp{Up} | |
1315 points out of the file. The @samp{Directory} node is @file{(dir)}, it | |
1316 points to a file @file{dir} which holds a large menu listing all the | |
1317 Info documents installed on your site. The @samp{Top} node of a | |
1318 document file listed in the @samp{Directory} should have an @samp{Up: | |
1319 (dir)} in it. | |
1320 | |
1321 @cindex unstructured documents | |
1322 The node name @kbd{*} is special: it refers to the entire file. | |
1323 Thus, @kbd{g*} shows you the whole current file. The use of the | |
1324 node @kbd{*} is to make it possible to make old-fashioned, | |
1325 unstructured files into nodes of the tree. | |
1326 | |
1327 The @samp{Node:} name, in which a node states its own name, must not | |
1328 contain a file name, since when Info searches for a node, it does not | |
1329 expect a file name to be there. The @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} and | |
1330 @samp{Up} names may contain them. In this node, since the @samp{Up} | |
1331 node is in the same file, it was not necessary to use one. | |
1332 | |
1333 Note that the nodes in this file have a file name in the header | |
1334 line. The file names are ignored by Info, but they serve as comments | |
1335 to help identify the node for the user. | |
1336 | |
1337 @node Menus, Cross-refs, Add, Expert Info | |
1338 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1339 @section How to Create Menus | |
1340 | |
1341 Any node in the Info hierarchy may have a @dfn{menu}---a list of subnodes. | |
1342 The @kbd{m} command searches the current node's menu for the topic which it | |
1343 reads from the terminal. | |
1344 | |
1345 @cindex menu and menu entry format | |
1346 A menu begins with a line starting with @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. The | |
1347 rest of the line is a comment. After the starting line, every line | |
1348 that begins with a @samp{* } lists a single topic. The name of the | |
1349 topic---what the user must type at the @kbd{m}'s command prompt to | |
1350 select this topic---comes right after the star and space, and is | |
1351 followed by a colon, spaces and tabs, and the name of the node which | |
1352 discusses that topic. The node name, like node names following | |
1353 @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} and @samp{Up}, may be terminated with a | |
1354 tab, comma, or newline; it may also be terminated with a period. | |
1355 | |
1356 If the node name and topic name are the same, then rather than | |
1357 giving the name twice, the abbreviation @samp{* @var{name}::} may be | |
1358 used (and should be used, whenever possible, as it reduces the visual | |
1359 clutter in the menu). | |
1360 | |
1361 It is considerate to choose the topic names so that they differ | |
1362 from each other very near the beginning---this allows the user to type | |
1363 short abbreviations. In a long menu, it is a good idea to capitalize | |
1364 the beginning of each item name which is the minimum acceptable | |
1365 abbreviation for it (a long menu is more than 5 or so entries). | |
1366 | |
1367 The nodes listed in a node's menu are called its ``subnodes,'' and it | |
1368 is their ``superior''. They should each have an @samp{Up:} pointing at | |
1369 the superior. It is often useful to arrange all or most of the subnodes | |
1370 in a sequence of @samp{Next} and @samp{Previous} pointers so that | |
1371 someone who wants to see them all need not keep revisiting the Menu. | |
1372 | |
1373 The Info Directory is simply the menu of the node @samp{(dir)Top}---that | |
1374 is, node @samp{Top} in file @file{.../info/dir}. You can put new entries | |
1375 in that menu just like any other menu. The Info Directory is @emph{not} the | |
1376 same as the file directory called @file{info}. It happens that many of | |
1377 Info's files live in that file directory, but they do not have to; and | |
1378 files in that directory are not automatically listed in the Info | |
1379 Directory node. | |
1380 | |
1381 Also, although the Info node graph is claimed to be a ``hierarchy,'' | |
1382 in fact it can be @emph{any} directed graph. Shared structures and | |
1383 pointer cycles are perfectly possible, and can be used if they are | |
1384 appropriate to the meaning to be expressed. There is no need for all | |
1385 the nodes in a file to form a connected structure. In fact, this file | |
1386 has two connected components. You are in one of them, which is under | |
1387 the node @samp{Top}; the other contains the node @samp{Help} which the | |
1388 @kbd{h} command goes to. In fact, since there is no garbage | |
1389 collector on the node graph, nothing terrible happens if a substructure | |
1390 is not pointed to, but such a substructure is rather useless since nobody | |
1391 can ever find out that it exists. | |
1392 | |
1393 @node Cross-refs, Tags, Menus, Expert Info | |
1394 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1395 @section Creating Cross References | |
1396 | |
1397 @cindex cross reference format | |
1398 A cross reference can be placed anywhere in the text, unlike a menu | |
1399 item which must go at the front of a line. A cross reference looks | |
1400 like a menu item except that it has @samp{*note} instead of @samp{*}. | |
1401 It @emph{cannot} be terminated by a @samp{)}, because @samp{)}'s are | |
1402 so often part of node names. If you wish to enclose a cross reference | |
1403 in parentheses, terminate it with a period first. Here are two | |
1404 examples of cross references pointers: | |
1405 | |
1406 @example | |
1407 *Note details: commands. (See *note 3: Full Proof.) | |
1408 @end example | |
1409 | |
1410 @noindent | |
1411 @emph{These are just examples.} The places they ``lead to'' do not | |
1412 really exist! | |
1413 | |
1414 @menu | |
1415 * Help-Cross:: Target of a cross-reference. | |
1416 @end menu | |
1417 | |
1418 | |
1419 @node Help-Cross, , , Cross-refs | |
1420 @subsection The node reached by the cross reference in Info | |
1421 | |
1422 This is the node reached by the cross reference named @samp{Cross}. | |
1423 | |
1424 While this node is specifically intended to be reached by a cross | |
1425 reference, most cross references lead to nodes that ``belong'' | |
1426 someplace else far away in the structure of an Info document. So you | |
1427 cannot expect this node to have a @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} or | |
1428 @samp{Up} links pointing back to where you came from. In general, the | |
1429 @kbd{l} (el) command is the only way to get back there. | |
1430 | |
1431 @format | |
1432 >> Type @kbd{l} to return to the node where the cross reference was. | |
1433 @end format | |
1434 | |
1435 @node Tags, Checking, Cross-refs, Expert Info | |
1436 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
1437 @section Tags Tables for Info Files | |
1438 | |
1439 @cindex tags tables in Info files | |
1440 You can speed up the access to nodes of a large Info file by giving | |
1441 it a tags table. Unlike the tags table for a program, the tags table for | |
1442 an Info file lives inside the file itself and is used | |
1443 automatically whenever Info reads in the file. | |
1444 | |
1445 @findex Info-tagify | |
1446 To make a tags table, go to a node in the file using Emacs Info mode and type | |
1447 @kbd{M-x Info-tagify}. Then you must use @kbd{C-x C-s} to save the | |
1448 file. Info files produced by the @code{makeinfo} command that is part | |
1449 of the Texinfo package always have tags tables to begin with. | |
1450 | |
1451 @cindex stale tags tables | |
1452 @cindex update Info tags table | |
1453 Once the Info file has a tags table, you must make certain it is up | |
1454 to date. If you edit an Info file directly (as opposed to editing its | |
1455 Texinfo source), and, as a result of deletion of text, any node moves back | |
1456 more than a thousand characters in the file from the position | |
1457 recorded in the tags table, Info will no longer be able to find that | |
1458 node. To update the tags table, use the @code{Info-tagify} command | |
1459 again. | |
1460 | |
1461 An Info file tags table appears at the end of the file and looks like | |
1462 this: | |
1463 | |
1464 @example | |
1465 ^_^L | |
1466 Tag Table: | |
1467 File: info, Node: Cross-refs^?21419 | |
1468 File: info, Node: Tags^?22145 | |
1469 ^_ | |
1470 End Tag Table | |
1471 @end example | |
1472 | |
1473 @noindent | |
1474 Note that it contains one line per node, and this line contains | |
1475 the beginning of the node's header (ending just after the node name), | |
1476 a @samp{DEL} character, and the character position in the file of the | |
1477 beginning of the node. | |
1478 | |
1479 @node Checking, , Tags, Expert Info | |
1480 @section Checking an Info File | |
1481 | |
1482 When creating an Info file, it is easy to forget the name of a node when | |
1483 you are making a pointer to it from another node. If you put in the | |
1484 wrong name for a node, this is not detected until someone tries to go | |
1485 through the pointer using Info. Verification of the Info file is an | |
1486 automatic process which checks all pointers to nodes and reports any | |
1487 pointers which are invalid. Every @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and | |
1488 @samp{Up} is checked, as is every menu item and every cross reference. In | |
1489 addition, any @samp{Next} which does not have a @samp{Previous} pointing | |
1490 back is reported. Only pointers within the file are checked, because | |
1491 checking pointers to other files would be terribly slow. But those are | |
1492 usually few. | |
1493 | |
1494 @findex Info-validate | |
1495 To check an Info file, do @kbd{M-x Info-validate} while looking at any | |
1496 node of the file with Emacs Info mode. | |
1497 | |
1498 @node Index | |
1499 @unnumbered Index | |
1500 | |
1501 This is an alphabetical listing of all the commands, variables, and | |
1502 topics discussed in this document. | |
1503 | |
1504 @printindex cp | |
1505 | |
1506 @bye | |
1507 | |
1508 @ignore | |
1509 arch-tag: 965c1638-01d6-4156-9227-b10418b9d8e8 | |
1510 @end ignore |