\input texinfo.tex @c -*-texinfo-*-@c We must \input texinfo.tex instead of texinfo, otherwise make@c distcheck in the Texinfo distribution fails, because the texinfo Info@c file is made first, and texi2dvi must include . first in the path.@comment %**start of header@setfilename info.info@settitle Info@syncodeindex fn cp@syncodeindex vr cp@syncodeindex ky cp@comment %**end of header@copyingThis file describes how to use Info, the on-line, menu-driven GNUdocumentation system.Copyright @copyright{} 1989, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Free Software Foundation, Inc.@quotationPermission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this documentunder the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 orany later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with noInvariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNUManual,'' and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of thelicense is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free DocumentationLicense'' in the Emacs manual.(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy andmodify this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Buying copies from GNUPress supports the FSF in developing GNU and promoting softwarefreedom.''This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU FreeDocumentation License. If you want to distribute this documentseparately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of thelicense to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.@end quotation@end copying@dircategory Texinfo documentation system@direntry* Info: (info). How to use the documentation browsing system.@end direntry@titlepage@title Info@subtitle The online, hyper-text GNU documentation system@author Brian Fox@author and the GNU Texinfo community@page@vskip 0pt plus 1filll@insertcopying@end titlepage@contents@ifnottex@node Top@top Info: An IntroductionThe GNU Project distributes most of its on-line manuals in the@dfn{Info format}, which you read using an @dfn{Info reader}. You areprobably using an Info reader to read this now.There are two primary Info readers: @code{info}, a stand-alone programdesigned just to read Info files (@pxref{Top,,What is Info?,info-stnd, GNU Info}), and the @code{info} package in GNU Emacs, ageneral-purpose editor. At present, only the Emacs reader supportsusing a mouse.@ifinfoIf you are new to the Info reader and want to learn how to use it,type the command @kbd{h} now. It brings you to a programmedinstruction sequence.To read about advanced Info commands, type @kbd{n} twice. Thisbrings you to @cite{Advanced Info Commands}, skipping over the `GettingStarted' chapter.@end ifinfo@end ifnottex@menu* Getting Started:: Getting started using an Info reader.* Advanced:: Advanced Info commands.* Expert Info:: Info commands for experts.* Index:: An index of topics, commands, and variables.@end menu@node Getting Started, Advanced, Top, Top@comment node-name, next, previous, up@chapter Getting StartedThis first part of this Info manual describes how to get around insideof Info. The second part of the manual describes various advancedInfo commands. The third part briefly explains how to generate Infofiles from Texinfo files, and describes how to write an Info fileby hand.@ifnotinfoThis manual is primarily designed for browsing with an Info readerprogram on a computer, so that you can try Info commands while readingabout them. Reading it on paper or with an HTML browser is lesseffective, since you must take it on faith that the commands describedreally do what the manual says. By all means go through this manualnow that you have it; but please try going through the on-line versionas well.@cindex Info reader, how to invoke@cindex entering InfoThere are two ways of looking at the online version of this manual:@enumerate@itemType @code{info} at your shell's command line. This approach uses astand-alone program designed just to read Info files.@itemType @code{emacs} at the command line; then type @kbd{C-h i}(@kbd{Control-h}, followed by @kbd{i}). This approach uses the Infomode of the Emacs editor.@end enumerateIn either case, then type @kbd{mInfo} (just the letters), followed by@key{RET}---the ``Return'' or ``Enter'' key. At this point, you shouldbe ready to follow the instructions in this manual as you read them onthe screen.@c FIXME! (pesch@cygnus.com, 14 dec 1992)@c Is it worth worrying about what-if the beginner goes to somebody@c else's Emacs session, which already has an Info running in the middle@c of something---in which case these simple instructions won't work?@end ifnotinfo@menu* Help-Small-Screen:: Starting Info on a Small Screen.* Help:: How to use Info.* Help-P:: Returning to the Previous node.* Help-^L:: The Space, DEL, B and ^L commands.* Help-Inv:: Invisible text in Emacs Info.* Help-M:: Menus.* Help-Xref:: Following cross-references.* Help-Int:: Some intermediate Info commands.* Help-Q:: Quitting Info.@end menu@node Help-Small-Screen@section Starting Info on a Small Screen@ifnotinfo(In Info, you only see this section if your terminal has a smallnumber of lines; most readers pass by it without seeing it.)@end ifnotinfo@cindex small screen, moving aroundSince your terminal has a relatively small number of lines on itsscreen, it is necessary to give you special advice at the beginning.If the entire text you are looking at fits on the screen, the text@samp{All} will be displayed at the bottom of the screen. In thestand-alone Info reader, it is displayed at the bottom right corner ofthe screen; in Emacs, it is displayed on the modeline. If you see thetext @samp{Top} instead, it means that there is more text below thatdoes not fit. To move forward through the text and see another screenfull, press @key{SPC}, the Space bar. To move back up, press the keylabeled @samp{Backspace} or @samp{DEL} (on some keyboards, this keymight be labeled @samp{Delete}).@ifinfoHere are 40 lines of junk, so you can try @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} andsee what they do. At the end are instructions of what you should donext.@formatThis is line 20This is line 21This is line 22This is line 23This is line 24This is line 25This is line 26This is line 27This is line 28This is line 29This is line 30This is line 31This is line 32This is line 33This is line 34This is line 35This is line 36This is line 37This is line 38This is line 39This is line 40This is line 41This is line 42This is line 43This is line 44This is line 45This is line 46This is line 47This is line 48This is line 49This is line 50This is line 51This is line 52This is line 53This is line 54This is line 55This is line 56This is line 57This is line 58This is line 59@end formatIf you have managed to get here, go back to the beginning with@kbd{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}), and come back here again, then youunderstand the about the @samp{Space} and @samp{Backspace} keys. Sonow type an @kbd{n}---just one character; don't type the quotes anddon't type the Return key afterward---to get to the normal start ofthe course.@end ifinfo@node Help, Help-P, Help-Small-Screen, Getting Started@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section How to use InfoYou are talking to the program Info, for reading documentation. There are two ways to use Info: from within Emacs or as astand-alone reader that you can invoke from a shell using the command@command{info}.@cindex node, in Info documents Right now you are looking at one @dfn{Node} of Information.A node contains text describing a specific topic at a specificlevel of detail. This node's topic is ``how to use Info''. The modeline says that this is node @samp{Help} in the file @file{info}.@cindex header of Info node The top line of a node is its @dfn{header}. This node's header(look at it now) says that the @samp{Next} node after this one is thenode called @samp{Help-P}. An advanced Info command lets you go toany node whose name you know. In the stand-alone Info reader program,the header line shows the names of this node and the Info file aswell. In Emacs, the header line is displayed with a special typeface,and remains at the top of the window all the time even if you scrollthrough the node. Besides a @samp{Next}, a node can have a @samp{Previous} link, or an@samp{Up} link, or both. As you can see, this node has all of theselinks.@kindex n @r{(Info mode)} Now it is time to move on to the @samp{Next} node, named @samp{Help-P}.@format>> Type @kbd{n} to move there. Type just one character; do not type the quotes and do not type a @key{RET} afterward.@end format@noindent@samp{>>} in the margin means it is really time to try a command.@format>> If you are in Emacs and have a mouse, and if you already practiced typing @kbd{n} to get to the next node, click now with the left mouse button on the @samp{Next} link to do the same ``the mouse way''.@end format@node Help-P, Help-^L, Help, Getting Started@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section Returning to the Previous node@kindex p @r{(Info mode)}This node is called @samp{Help-P}. The @samp{Previous} node, as you see,is @samp{Help}, which is the one you just came from using the @kbd{n}command. Another @kbd{n} command now would take you to the nextnode, @samp{Help-^L}.@format>> But do not type @kbd{n} yet. First, try the @kbd{p} command, or (in Emacs) click on the @samp{Prev} link. That takes you to the @samp{Previous} node. Then use @kbd{n} to return here.@end format If you read this in Emacs, you will see an @samp{Info} item in themenu bar, close to its right edge. Clicking the mouse on the@samp{Info} menu-bar item opens a menu of commands which include@samp{Next} and @samp{Previous} (and also some others which you didn't yetlearn about). This all probably seems insultingly simple so far, but @emph{pleasedon't} start skimming. Things will get complicated soon enough!Also, please do not try a new command until you are told it is timeto. You could make Info skip past an important warning that wascoming up.@format>> Now do an @kbd{n}, or (in Emacs) click the middle mouse button on the @samp{Next} link, to get to the node @samp{Help-^L} and learn more.@end format@node Help-^L, Help-Inv, Help-P, Getting Started@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section The Space, DEL, B and ^L commands This node's mode line tells you that you are now at node@samp{Help-^L}, and the header line tells you that @kbd{p} would getyou back to @samp{Help-P}. The node's title is highlighted and may beunderlined as well; it says what the node is about. This is a big node and it does not all fit on your display screen.You can tell that there is more that is not visible because youcan see the text @samp{Top} rather than @samp{All} near the bottom ofthe screen.@kindex SPC @r{(Info mode)}@kindex DEL @r{(Info mode)}@kindex BACKSPACE @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-scroll-up@findex Info-scroll-down The @key{SPC}, @key{BACKSPACE} (or @key{DEL})@footnote{The key whichwe call ``Backspace or DEL'' in this manual is labeled differently ondifferent keyboards. Look for a key which is a little ways above the@key{ENTER} or @key{RET} key and which you normally use outside Emacsto erase the character before the cursor, i.e.@: the character youtyped last. It might be labeled @samp{Backspace} or @samp{<-} or@samp{DEL}, or sometimes @samp{Delete}.} and @kbd{b} commands exist toallow you to ``move around'' in a node that does not all fit on thescreen at once. @key{SPC} moves forward, to show what was below thebottom of the screen. @key{DEL} or @key{BACKSPACE} moves backward, toshow what was above the top of the screen (there is not anything abovethe top until you have typed some spaces).@format>> Now try typing a @key{SPC} (afterward, type a @key{BACKSPACE} to return here).@end format When you type the @key{SPC}, the two lines that were at the bottom ofthe screen appear at the top, followed by more lines. @key{DEL} or@key{BACKSPACE} takes the two lines from the top and moves them to thebottom, @emph{usually}, but if there are not a full screen's worth oflines above them they may not make it all the way to the bottom. If you are reading this in Emacs, note that the header line isalways visible, never scrolling off the display. That way, you canalways see the @samp{Next}, @samp{Prev}, and @samp{Up} links, and youcan conveniently go to one of these links at any time byclicking the middle mouse button on the link.@cindex reading Info documents top to bottom@cindex Info documents as tutorials @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} not only move forward and backward throughthe current node. They also move between nodes. @key{SPC} at the endof a node moves to the next node; @key{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}) atthe beginning of a node moves to the previous node. In effect, thesecommands scroll through all the nodes in an Info file as a singlelogical sequence. You can read an entire manual top to bottom by justtyping @key{SPC}, and move backward through the entire manual frombottom to top by typing @key{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}). In this sequence, a node's subnodes appear following their parent.If a node has a menu, @key{SPC} takes you into the subnodes listed inthe menu, one by one. Once you reach the end of a node, and have seenall of its subnodes, @key{SPC} takes you to the next node or to theparent's next node.@kindex PAGEUP @r{(Info mode)}@kindex PAGEDOWN @r{(Info mode)} Many keyboards nowadays have two scroll keys labeled @samp{PageUp}and @samp{PageDown} (or maybe @samp{Prior} and @samp{Next}). If yourkeyboard has these keys, you can use them to move forward and backwardthrough the text of one node, like @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} (or@key{DEL}). However, @key{PAGEUP} and @key{PAGEDOWN} keys neverscroll beyond the beginning or the end of the current node.@kindex C-l @r{(Info mode)} If your screen is ever garbaged, you can tell Info to display itagain by typing @kbd{C-l} (@kbd{Control-L}---that is, hold down@key{CTRL} and type @kbd{L} or @kbd{l}).@format>> Type @kbd{C-l} now.@end format@kindex b @r{(Info mode)} To move back to the beginning of the node you are on, you can typethe @key{BACKSPACE} key (or @key{DEL}) many times. You can also type@kbd{b} just once. @kbd{b} stands for ``beginning.''@format>> Try that now. (We have put in enough verbiage to push this past the first screenful, but screens are so big nowadays that perhaps it isn't enough. You may need to shrink your Emacs or Info window.) Then come back, by typing @key{SPC} one or more times.@end format@kindex ? @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-summary You have just learned a considerable number of commands. If youwant to use one but have trouble remembering which, you should type@kbd{?}, which displays a brief list of commands. When you arefinished looking at the list, make it go away by typing @key{SPC}repeatedly.@format>> Type a @key{?} now. Press @key{SPC} to see consecutive screenfuls of the list until finished. Then type @key{SPC} several times. If you are using Emacs, the help will then go away automatically.@end format (If you are using the stand-alone Info reader, type @kbd{C-x 0} toreturn here, that is---press and hold @key{CTRL}, type an @kbd{x},then release @key{CTRL} and @kbd{x}, and press @kbd{0}; that's a zero,not the letter ``o''.) From now on, you will encounter large nodes without warning, andwill be expected to know how to use @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} tomove around in them without being told. Since not all terminals havethe same size screen, it would be impossible to warn you anyway.@format>> Now type @kbd{n}, or click the middle mouse button on the @samp{Next} link, to visit the next node.@end format@node Help-Inv, Help-M, Help-^L, Getting Started@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section Invisible text in Emacs Info Before discussing menus, we need to make some remarks that are onlyrelevant to users reading Info using Emacs. Users of the stand-aloneversion can skip this node by typing @kbd{]} now.@cindex invisible text in Emacs In Emacs, certain text that appears in the stand-alone version isnormally hidden, technically because it has the @samp{invisibility}property. Invisible text is really a part of the text. It becomesvisible (by default) after killing and yanking, it appears in printedoutput, it gets saved to file just like any other text, and so on.Thus it is useful to know it is there.@findex visible-modeYou can make invisible text visible by using the command @kbd{M-xvisible-mode}. Visible mode is a minor mode, so using the command asecond time will make the text invisible again. Watch the effects ofthe command on the ``menu'' below and the top line of this node.If you prefer to @emph{always} see the invisible text, you can set@code{Info-hide-note-references} to @code{nil}. Enabling Visible modepermanently is not a real alternative, because Emacs Info also uses(although less extensively) another text property that can change thetext being displayed, the @samp{display} property. Only theinvisibility property is affected by Visible mode. When, in thistutorial, we refer to the @samp{Emacs} behavior, we mean the@emph{default} Emacs behavior.Now type @kbd{]}, to learn about the @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands.@menu* ]: Help-]. Node telling about ].* stuff: Help-]. Same node.* Help-]:: Yet again, same node.@end menu@node Help-], , , Help-Inv@subsection The @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commandsIf you type @kbd{n} now, you get an error message saying that thisnode has no next node. Similarly, if you type @kbd{p}, the errormessage tells you that there is no previous node. (The exact messagedepends on the Info reader you use.) This is because @kbd{n} and@kbd{p} carry you to the next and previous node @emph{at the samelevel}. The present node is contained in a menu (see next) of thenode you came from, and hence is considered to be at a lower level.It is the only node in the previous node's menu (even though it waslisted three times). Hence it has no next or previous node that@kbd{n} or @kbd{p} could move to.If you systematically move through a manual by typing @kbd{n}, you runthe risk of skipping many nodes. You do not run this risk if yousystematically use @kbd{@key{SPC}}, because, when you scroll to thebottom of a node and type another @kbd{@key{SPC}}, then this carriesyou to the following node in the manual @emph{regardless of level}.If you immediately want to go to that node, without having to scrollto the bottom of the screen first, you can type @kbd{]}.Similarly, @kbd{@key{BACKSPACE}} carries you to the preceding noderegardless of level, after you scrolled to the beginning of thepresent node. If you want to go to the preceding node immediately,you can type @kbd{[}.For instance, typing this sequence will come back here in three steps:@kbd{[ n [}. To do the same backward, type @kbd{] p ]}.Now type @kbd{]} to go to the next node and learn about menus.@node Help-M, Help-Xref, Help-Inv, Getting Started@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section Menus and the @kbd{m} command@cindex menus in an Info document@cindex Info menus With only the @kbd{n} (next), @kbd{p} (previous), @kbd{@key{SPC}},@kbd{@key{BACKSPACE}}, @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands for moving betweennodes, nodes are restricted to a linear sequence. Menus allow abranching structure. A menu is a list of other nodes you can move to.It is actually just part of the text of the node formatted speciallyso that Info can interpret it. The beginning of a menu is alwaysidentified by a line which starts with @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. A nodecontains a menu if and only if it has a line in it which starts thatway. The only menu you can use at any moment is the one in the nodeyou are in. To use a menu in any other node, you must move to thatnode first. After the start of the menu, each line that starts with a @samp{*}identifies one subtopic. The line usually contains a brief name forthe subtopic (followed by a @samp{:}, normally hidden in Emacs), thename of the node that talks about that subtopic (again, normallyhidden in Emacs), and optionally some further description of thesubtopic. Lines in the menu that do not start with a @samp{*} have nospecial meaning---they are only for the human reader's benefit and donot define additional subtopics. Here is an example:@example* Foo: Node about FOO. This tells about FOO.@end exampleThe subtopic name is Foo, and the node describing it is @samp{Nodeabout FOO}. The rest of the line is just for the reader'sInformation. [[ But this line is not a real menu item, simply becausethere is no line above it which starts with @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. Also,in a real menu item, the @samp{*} would appear at the very start ofthe line. This is why the ``normally hidden'' text in Emacs, namely@samp{: Node about FOO.}, is actually visible in this example, evenwhen Visible mode is off.]] When you use a menu to go to another node (in a way that will bedescribed soon), what you specify is the subtopic name, the firstthing in the menu line. Info uses it to find the menu line, extractsthe node name from it, and goes to that node. The reason that thereis both a subtopic name and a node name is that the node name must bemeaningful to the computer and may therefore have to be ugly looking.The subtopic name can be chosen just to be convenient for the user tospecify. Often the node name is convenient for the user to specifyand so both it and the subtopic name are the same. There is anabbreviation for this:@example* Foo:: This tells about FOO.@end example@noindentThis means that the subtopic name and node name are the same; they areboth @samp{Foo}. (The @samp{::} is normally hidden in Emacs.)@format>> Now use @key{SPC} to find the menu in this node, then come back to the front with a @kbd{b} and some @key{SPC}s. As you see, a menu is actually visible in its node. If you cannot find a menu in a node by looking at it, then the node does not have a menu and the @kbd{m} command is not available.@end formatIf you keep typing @key{SPC} once the menu appears on the screen, itwill move to another node (the first one in the menu). If thathappens, type @key{BACKSPACE} to come back.@kindex m @r{(Info mode)} The command to go to one of the subnodes is @kbd{m}. This is verydifferent from the commands you have used: it is a command thatprompts you for more input. The Info commands you know do not need additional input; when youtype one of them, Info processes it instantly and then is ready foranother command. The @kbd{m} command is different: it needs to knowthe @dfn{name of the subtopic}. Once you have typed @kbd{m}, Infotries to read the subtopic name. Now, in the stand-alone Info, look for the line containing manydashes near the bottom of the screen. (This is the stand-aloneequivalent for the mode line in Emacs.) There is one more linebeneath that one, but usually it is blank. (In Emacs, this is theecho area.) When it is blank, Info is ready for a command, such as@kbd{n} or @kbd{b} or @key{SPC} or @kbd{m}. If that line containstext ending in a colon, it means Info is reading more input for thelast command. You can't type an Info command then, because Info istrying to read input, not commands. You must either give the inputand finish the command you started, or type @kbd{Control-g} to cancelthe command. When you have done one of those things, the input entryline becomes blank again. Then you can type Info commands again.@findex Info-menu The command to go to a subnode via a menu is @kbd{m}. After you typethe @kbd{m}, the line at the bottom of the screen says @samp{Menu item: }.You must then type the name of the subtopic you want, and end it witha @key{RET}.@cindex abbreviating Info subnodes You can abbreviate the subtopic name. If the abbreviation is notunique, the first matching subtopic is chosen. Some menus putthe shortest possible abbreviation for each subtopic name in capitalletters, so you can see how much you need to type. It does notmatter whether you use upper case or lower case when you type thesubtopic. You should not put any spaces at the end, or inside of theitem name, except for one space where a space appears in the item inthe menu.@cindex completion of Info node names You can also use the @dfn{completion} feature to help enter thesubtopic name. If you type the @key{TAB} key after entering part of aname, it will fill in more of the name---as much as Info can deducefrom the part you have entered. If you move the cursor to one of the menu subtopic lines, then you donot need to type the argument: you just type a @key{RET}, and itstands for the subtopic of the line you are on. You can also clickthe middle mouse button directly on the subtopic line to go there.Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice. This menu gives youthree ways of going to one place, Help-FOO:@menu* Foo: Help-FOO. A node you can visit for fun.* Bar: Help-FOO. We have made two ways to get to the same place.* Help-FOO:: And yet another!@end menu(Turn Visible mode on if you are using Emacs.)@format>> Now type just an @kbd{m} and see what happens:@end format Now you are ``inside'' an @kbd{m} command. Commands cannot be usednow; the next thing you will type must be the name of a subtopic. You can change your mind about doing the @kbd{m} by typing@kbd{Control-g}.@format>> Try that now; notice the bottom line clear.@end format@format>> Then type another @kbd{m}.@end format@format>> Now type @kbd{BAR}, the item name. Do not type @key{RET} yet.@end format While you are typing the item name, you can use the @key{DEL} (or@key{BACKSPACE}) key to cancel one character at a time if you make amistake.@format>> Press @key{DEL} to cancel the @samp{R}. You could type another @kbd{R} to replace it. But you do not have to, since @samp{BA} is a valid abbreviation.@end format@format>> Now you are ready to go. Type a @key{RET}.@end format After visiting @samp{Help-FOO}, you should return here. Another way to move to the menu subtopic lines and between them isto type @key{TAB}. Each time you type a @key{TAB}, you move to thenext subtopic line. To move to a previous subtopic line in thestand-alone reader, type @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}---that is, press and holdthe @key{META} key and then press @key{TAB}. (On some keyboards, the@key{META} key might be labeled @samp{Alt}.) In Emacs Info, type@kbd{S-@key{TAB}} to move to a previous subtopic line (press and holdthe @key{Shift} key and then press @key{TAB}). Once you move cursor to a subtopic line, press @key{RET} to go tothat subtopic's node.@cindex mouse support in Info mode@kindex Mouse-2 @r{(Info mode)} If your terminal supports a mouse, you have yet another way of goingto a subtopic. Move your mouse pointer to the subtopic line,somewhere between the beginning @samp{*} and the colon @samp{:} whichends the subtopic's brief name. You will see the subtopic's namechange its appearance (usually, its background color will change), andthe shape of the mouse pointer will change if your platform supportsthat. After a while, if you leave the mouse on that spot, a smallwindow will pop up, saying ``Mouse-2: go to that node,'' or the samemessage may appear at the bottom of the screen. @kbd{Mouse-2} is the second button of your mouse counting from theleft---the middle button on a 3-button mouse. (On a 2-button mouse,you may have to press both buttons together to ``press the middlebutton''.) The message tells you pressing @kbd{Mouse-2} with thecurrent position of the mouse pointer (on subtopic in the menu) willgo to that subtopic.@findex Info-mouse-follow-nearest-node More generally, @kbd{Mouse-2} in an Info buffer finds the nearestlink to another node and goes there. For example, near a crossreference it acts like @kbd{f}, in a menu it acts like @kbd{m}, on thenode's header line it acts like @kbd{n}, @kbd{p}, or @kbd{u}, etc. Atend of the node's text @kbd{Mouse-2} moves to the next node, or up ifthere's no next node.@format>> Type @kbd{n} to see more commands.@end format@node Help-FOO, , , Help-M@subsection The @kbd{u} command Congratulations! This is the node @samp{Help-FOO}. It has an @samp{Up}pointer @samp{Help-M}, the node you just came from via the @kbd{m}command. This is the usual convention---the nodes you reach from a menuhave @samp{Up} nodes that lead back to the menu. Menus move Down in thetree, and @samp{Up} moves Up. @samp{Previous}, on the other hand, isusually used to ``stay on the same level but go backwards''.@kindex u @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-up You can go back to the node @samp{Help-M} by typing the command@kbd{u} for ``Up''. This puts you at the menu subtopic line pointingto the subnode that the @kbd{u} command brought you from. (Some Inforeaders may put you at the @emph{front} of the node instead---to getback to where you were reading, you have to type some @key{SPC}s.) Another way to go Up is to click @kbd{Mouse-2} on the @samp{Up}pointer shown in the header line (provided that you have a mouse).@format>> Now type @kbd{u} to move back up to @samp{Help-M}.@end format@node Help-Xref, Help-Int, Help-M, Getting Started@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section Following Cross-References@cindex cross references in Info documents In Info documentation, you will see many @dfn{cross references}.Cross references look like this: @xref{Help-Cross, Cross}. That textis a real, live cross reference, whose name is @samp{Cross} and whichpoints to the node named @samp{Help-Cross}. (The node name is hiddenin Emacs. Do @kbd{M-x visible-mode} to show or hide it.)@kindex f @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-follow-reference You can follow a cross reference by moving the cursor to it andpress @key{RET}, just as in a menu. In Emacs, you can also click@kbd{Mouse-1} on a cross reference to follow it; you can see that thecross reference is mouse-sensitive by moving the mouse pointer to thereference and watching how the underlying text and the mouse pointerchange in response. Another way to follow a cross reference is to type @kbd{f} and thenspecify the name of the cross reference (in this case, @samp{Cross})as an argument. For this command, it does not matter where the cursorwas. If the cursor is on or near a cross reference, @kbd{f} suggeststhat reference name in parentheses as the default; typing @key{RET}will follow that reference. However, if you type a differentreference name, @kbd{f} will follow the other reference which has thatname.@format>> Type @kbd{f}, followed by @kbd{Cross}, and then @key{RET}.@end format As you enter the reference name, you can use the @key{DEL} (or@key{BACKSPACE}) key to edit your input. If you change your mindabout following any reference, you can use @kbd{Control-g} to cancelthe command. Completion is available in the @kbd{f} command; you cancomplete among all the cross reference names in the current node bytyping a @key{TAB}. To get a list of all the cross references in the current node, youcan type @kbd{?} after an @kbd{f}. The @kbd{f} continues to await across reference name even after displaying the list, so if you don'tactually want to follow a reference, you should type a @kbd{Control-g}to cancel the @kbd{f}.@format>> Type @kbd{f?} to get a list of the cross references in this node. Then type a @kbd{Control-g} and see how the @samp{f} gives up.@end format The @key{TAB}, @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} and @kbd{S-@key{TAB}} keys,which move between menu items in a menu, also move between crossreferences outside of menus. Sometimes a cross reference (or a node) can lead to another file (inother words another ``manual''), or, on occasion, even a file on aremote machine (although Info files distributed with Emacs or thestand-alone Info avoid using remote links). Such a cross referencelooks like this: @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo:The GNU Documentation Format}. (After following this link, type@kbd{l} to get back to this node.) Here the name @samp{texinfo}between parentheses refers to the file name. This file name appearsin cross references and node names if it differs from the currentfile, so you can always know that you are going to be switching toanother manual and which one.However, Emacs normally hides some other text in cross-references.If you put your mouse over the cross reference, then the informationappearing in a separate box (tool tip) or in the echo area will showthe full cross-reference including the file name and the node name ofthe cross reference. If you have a mouse, just leave it over thecross reference @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo:The GNU Documentation Format}, and watch what happens. If youalways like to have that information visible without having to moveyour mouse over the cross reference, use @kbd{M-x visible-mode}, orset @code{Info-hide-note-references} to a value other than @code{t}(@pxref{Emacs Info Variables}).@format>> Now type @kbd{n} to learn more commands.@end format@node Help-Int, Help-Q, Help-Xref, Getting Started@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section Some intermediate Info commands The introductory course is almost over; please continuea little longer to learn some intermediate-level commands. Most Info files have an index, which is actually a large nodecontaining little but a menu. The menu has one menu item for eachtopic listed in the index. (As a special feature, menus for indicesmay also include the line number within the node of the index entry.This allows Info readers to go to the exact line of an entry, not justthe start of the containing node.) You can get to the index from the main menu of the file with the@kbd{m} command and the name of the index node; then you can use the@kbd{m} command again in the index node to go to the node thatdescribes the topic you want. There is also a short-cut Info command, @kbd{i}, which does all ofthat for you. It searches the index for a given topic (a string) andgoes to the node which is listed in the index for that topic.@xref{Search Index}, for a full explanation.@kindex l @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-history-back@cindex going back in Info history If you have been moving around to different nodes and wish toretrace your steps, the @kbd{l} command (@kbd{l} for @dfn{last}) willdo that, one node-step at a time. As you move from node to node, Inforecords the nodes where you have been in a special history list. The@kbd{l} command revisits nodes in the history list; each successive@kbd{l} command moves one step back through the history.@format>> Try typing @kbd{p p n} and then three @kbd{l}'s, pausing in betweento see what each @kbd{l} does. You should wind up right back here.@end format Note the difference between @kbd{l} and @kbd{p}: @kbd{l} moves towhere @emph{you} last were, whereas @kbd{p} always moves to the nodewhich the header says is the @samp{Previous} node (from this node, the@samp{Prev} link leads to @samp{Help-Xref}).@kindex r @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-history-forward@cindex going forward in Info history You can use the @kbd{r} command (@code{Info-history-forward} in Emacs)to revisit nodes in the history list in the forward direction, so that@kbd{r} will return you to the node you came from by typing @kbd{l}.@kindex L @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-history@cindex history list of visited nodes The @kbd{L} command (@code{Info-history} in Emacs) creates a virtualnode that contains a list of all nodes you visited. You can selecta previously visited node from this menu to revisit it.@kindex d @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-directory@cindex go to Directory node The @kbd{d} command (@code{Info-directory} in Emacs) gets youinstantly to the Directory node. This node, which is the first oneyou saw when you entered Info, has a menu which leads (directly orindirectly, through other menus), to all the nodes that exist. TheDirectory node lists all the manuals and other Info documents thatare, or could be, installed on your system.@format>> Try doing a @kbd{d}, then do an @kbd{l} to return here (yes, @emph{do} return).@end format@kindex t @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-top-node@cindex go to Top node The @kbd{t} command moves to the @samp{Top} node of the manual.This is useful if you want to browse the manual's main menu, or selectsome specific top-level menu item. The Emacs command run by @kbd{t}is @code{Info-top-node}.@format>> Now type @kbd{n} to see the last node of the course.@end format @xref{Advanced}, for more advanced Info features.@c If a menu appears at the end of this node, remove it.@c It is an accident of the menu updating command.@node Help-Q, , Help-Int, Getting Started@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section Quitting Info@kindex q @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-exit@cindex quitting Info mode To get out of Info, back to what you were doing before, type @kbd{q}for @dfn{Quit}. This runs @code{Info-exit} in Emacs. This is the end of the basic course on using Info. You have learnedhow to move in an Info document, and how to follow menus and crossreferences. This makes you ready for reading manuals top to bottom,as new users should do when they learn a new package. Another set of Info commands is useful when you need to findsomething quickly in a manual---that is, when you need to use a manualas a reference rather than as a tutorial. We urge you to learnthese search commands as well. If you want to do that now, follow thiscross reference to @ref{Advanced}.Yet another set of commands are meant for experienced users; you canfind them by looking in the Directory node for documentation on Info.Finding them will be a good exercise in using Info in the usualmanner.@format>> Type @kbd{d} to go to the Info directory node; then type @kbd{mInfo} and Return, to get to the node about Info and see what other help is available.@end format@node Advanced@chapter Advanced Info Commands This chapter describes various advanced Info commands. (If youare using a stand-alone Info reader, there are additional commandsspecific to it, which are documented in several chapters of @ref{Top,,GNU Info, info-stnd, GNU Info}.)@kindex C-q @r{(Info mode)} One advanced command useful with most of the others described hereis @kbd{C-q}, which ``quotes'' the next character so that it isentered literally (@pxref{Inserting Text,,,emacs,The GNU EmacsManual}). For example, pressing @kbd{?} ordinarily brings up a listof completion possibilities. If you want to (for example) search foran actual @samp{?} character, the simplest way is to insert it using@kbd{C-q ?}. This works the same in Emacs and stand-alone Info.@menu* Search Text:: How to search Info documents.* Search Index:: How to search the indices for specific subjects.* Go to node:: How to go to a node by name.* Choose menu subtopic:: How to choose a menu subtopic by its number.* Create Info buffer:: How to create a new Info buffer in Emacs.* Emacs Info Variables:: Variables modifying the behavior of Emacs Info.@end menu@node Search Text, Search Index, , Advanced@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section @kbd{s} searches Info documents@cindex searching Info documents@cindex Info document as a reference The commands which move between and inside nodes allow you to readthe entire manual or its large portions. But what if you need to findsome information in the manual as fast as you can, and you don't knowor don't remember in what node to look for it? This need arises whenyou use a manual as a @dfn{reference}, or when it is impractical toread the entire manual before you start using the programs itdescribes. Info has powerful searching facilities that let you find thingsquickly. You can search either the manual text or its indices.@kindex s @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-search The @kbd{s} command allows you to search a whole Info file for a string.It switches to the next node if and when that is necessary. Youtype @kbd{s} followed by the string to search for, terminated by@key{RET}. To search for the same string again, just @kbd{s} followedby @key{RET} will do. The file's nodes are scanned in the orderthey are in the file, which has no necessary relationship to theorder that they may be in the tree structure of menus and @samp{next}pointers. But normally the two orders are not very different. In anycase, you can always look at the mode line to find out what node you havereached, if the header is not visible (this can happen, because @kbd{s}puts your cursor at the occurrence of the string, not at the beginningof the node).@kindex M-s @r{(Info mode)} In Emacs, @kbd{Meta-s} is equivalent to @kbd{s}. That is forcompatibility with other GNU packages that use @kbd{M-s} for a similarkind of search command. Both @kbd{s} and @kbd{M-s} run in Emacs thecommand @code{Info-search}.@kindex C-s @r{(Info mode)}@kindex C-r @r{(Info mode)}@findex isearch Instead of using @kbd{s} in Emacs Info and in the stand-alone Info,you can use an incremental search started with @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r}.It can search through multiple Info nodes. @xref{Incremental Search,,,emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. In Emacs, you can disable this behaviorby setting the variable @code{Info-isearch-search} to @code{nil}(@pxref{Emacs Info Variables}).@node Search Index, Go to node, Search Text, Advanced@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section @kbd{i} searches the indices for specific subjects@cindex searching Info indices@kindex i @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-index Since most topics in the manual should be indexed, you should trythe index search first before the text search. The @kbd{i} commandprompts you for a subject and then looks up that subject in theindices. If it finds an index entry with the subject you typed, itgoes to the node to which that index entry points. You should browsethrough that node to see whether the issue you are looking for isdescribed there. If it isn't, type @kbd{,} one or more times to gothrough additional index entries which match your subject. The @kbd{i} command and subsequent @kbd{,} commands find all indexentries which include the string you typed @emph{as a substring}.For each match, Info shows in the echo area the full index entry itfound. Often, the text of the full index entry already gives youenough information to decide whether it is relevant to what you arelooking for, so we recommend that you read what Info shows in the echoarea before looking at the node it displays. Since @kbd{i} looks for a substring, you can search for subjects evenif you are not sure how they are spelled in the index. For example,suppose you want to find something that is pertinent to commands whichcomplete partial input (e.g., when you type @key{TAB}). If you wantto catch index entries that refer to ``complete,'' ``completion,'' and``completing,'' you could type @kbd{icomplet@key{RET}}. Info documents which describe programs should index the commands,options, and key sequences that the program provides. If you arelooking for a description of a command, an option, or a key, just typetheir names when @kbd{i} prompts you for a topic. For example, if youwant to read the description of what the @kbd{C-l} key does, type@kbd{iC-l@key{RET}} literally.@findex info-apropos@findex index-aproposIf you aren't sure which manual documents the topic you are lookingfor, try the @kbd{M-x info-apropos} command in Emacs, or the @kbd{M-xindex-apropos} command in the stand-alone reader. It prompts fora string and then looks up that string in all the indices of all theInfo documents installed on your system.@node Go to node, Choose menu subtopic, Search Index, Advanced@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section @kbd{g} goes to a node by name@kindex g @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-goto-node@cindex go to a node by name If you know a node's name, you can go there by typing @kbd{g}, thename, and @key{RET}. Thus, @kbd{gTop@key{RET}} would go to the nodecalled @samp{Top} in this file. (This is equivalent to @kbd{t}, see@ref{Help-Int}.) @kbd{gGo to node@key{RET}} would come back here. Unlike @kbd{m}, @kbd{g} does not allow the use of abbreviations.But it does allow completion, so you can type @key{TAB} to complete apartial node name.@cindex go to another Info file To go to a node in another file, you can include the file name in thenode name by putting it at the front, in parentheses. Thus,@kbd{g(dir)Top@key{RET}} would go to the Info Directory node, which isthe node @samp{Top} in the Info file @file{dir}. Likewise,@kbd{g(emacs)Top@key{RET}} goes to the top node of the Emacs manual. The node name @samp{*} specifies the whole file. So you can look atall of the current file by typing @kbd{g*@key{RET}} or all of anyother file with @kbd{g(@var{filename})*@key{RET}}.@node Choose menu subtopic, Create Info buffer, Go to node, Advanced@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section @kbd{1}--@kbd{9} choose a menu subtopic by its number@kindex 1 @r{through} 9 @r{(Info mode)}@findex Info-nth-menu-item@cindex select @var{n}'th menu item If you begrudge each character of type-in which your system requires,you might like to use the commands @kbd{1}, @kbd{2}, @kbd{3}, @kbd{4},@dots{}, @kbd{9}. They are short for the @kbd{m} command togetherwith a name of a menu subtopic. @kbd{1} goes through the first itemin the current node's menu; @kbd{2} goes through the second item, etc.In the stand-alone reader, @kbd{0} goes through the last menu item;this is so you need not count how many entries are there. If your display supports multiple fonts, colors or underlining, andyou are using Emacs' Info mode to read Info files, the third, sixthand ninth menu items have a @samp{*} that stands out, either in coloror in some other attribute, such as underline; this makes it easy tosee at a glance which number to use for an item. Some terminals don't support either multiple fonts, colors orunderlining. If you need to actually count items, it is better to use@kbd{m} instead, and specify the name, or use @key{TAB} to quicklymove between menu items.@node Create Info buffer, Emacs Info Variables, Choose menu subtopic, Advanced@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section @kbd{M-n} creates a new independent Info buffer in Emacs@kindex M-n @r{(Info mode)}@findex clone-buffer@cindex multiple Info buffers If you are reading Info in Emacs, you can select a new independentInfo buffer in a new Emacs window by typing @kbd{M-n}. The new bufferstarts out as an exact copy of the old one, but you will be able tomove independently between nodes in the two buffers. (In Info mode,@kbd{M-n} runs the Emacs command @code{clone-buffer}.) In Emacs Info, you can also produce new Info buffers by giving anumeric prefix argument to the @kbd{m} and @kbd{g} commands. @kbd{C-um} and @kbd{C-u g} go to a new node in exactly the same way that@kbd{m} and @kbd{g} do, but they do so in a new Info buffer which theyselect in another window. Another way to produce new Info buffers in Emacs is to use a numericprefix argument for the @kbd{C-h i} command (@code{info}) whichswitches to the Info buffer with that number. Thus, @kbd{C-u 2 C-h i}switches to the buffer @samp{*info*<2>}, creating it if necessary.@node Emacs Info Variables, , Create Info buffer, Advanced@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section Emacs Info-mode VariablesThe following variables may modify the behavior of Info-mode in Emacs;you may wish to set one or several of these variables interactively,or in your init file. @xref{Examining, Examining and SettingVariables, Examining and Setting Variables, emacs, The GNU EmacsManual}. The stand-alone Info reader program has its own set ofvariables, described in @ref{Variables,, Manipulating Variables,info-stnd, GNU Info}.@vtable @code@item Info-directory-listThe list of directories to search for Info files. Each element is astring (directory name) or @code{nil} (try default directory). If notinitialized Info uses the environment variable @env{INFOPATH} toinitialize it, or @code{Info-default-directory-list} if there is no@env{INFOPATH} variable in the environment.If you wish to customize the Info directory search list for both EmacsInfo and stand-alone Info, it is best to set the @env{INFOPATH}environment variable, since that applies to both programs.@item Info-additional-directory-listA list of additional directories to search for Info documentation files.These directories are not searched for merging the @file{dir} file.@item Info-mode-hookHooks run when @code{Info-mode} is called. By default, it containsthe hook @code{turn-on-font-lock} which enables highlighting of Infofiles. You can change how the highlighting looks by customizing thefaces @code{info-node}, @code{info-xref}, @code{info-xref-visited},@code{info-header-xref}, @code{info-header-node}, @code{info-menu-header},@code{info-menu-star}, and @code{info-title-@var{n}} (where @var{n}is the level of the section, a number between 1 and 4). To customizea face, type @kbd{M-x customize-face @key{RET} @var{face} @key{RET}},where @var{face} is one of the face names listed here.@item Info-fontify-maximum-menu-sizeMaximum size of menu to fontify if @code{font-lock-mode} is non-@code{nil}.@item Info-fontify-visited-nodesIf non-@code{nil}, menu items and cross-references pointing to visitednodes are displayed in the @code{info-xref-visited} face.@item Info-use-header-lineIf non-@code{nil}, Emacs puts in the Info buffer a header line showingthe @samp{Next}, @samp{Prev}, and @samp{Up} links. A header line doesnot scroll with the rest of the buffer, making these links alwaysvisible.@item Info-hide-note-referencesAs explained in earlier nodes, the Emacs version of Info normallyhides some text in menus and cross-references. You can completelydisable this feature, by setting this option to @code{nil}. Settingit to a value that is neither @code{nil} nor @code{t} produces anintermediate behavior, hiding a limited amount of text, but showingall text that could potentially be useful.@item Info-scroll-prefer-subnodesIf set to a non-@code{nil} value, @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} (or@key{DEL}) keys in a menu visit subnodes of the current node beforescrolling to its end or beginning, respectively. For example, if thenode's menu appears on the screen, the next @key{SPC} moves to asubnode indicated by the following menu item. Setting this option to@code{nil} results in behavior similar to the stand-alone Info readerprogram, which visits the first subnode from the menu only when youhit the end of the current node. The default is @code{nil}.@item Info-isearch-searchIf non-@code{nil}, isearch in Info searches through multiple nodes.@item Info-enable-active-nodesWhen set to a non-@code{nil} value, allows Info to execute Lisp codeassociated with nodes. The Lisp code is executed when the node isselected. The Lisp code to be executed should follow the nodedelimiter (the @samp{DEL} character) and an @samp{execute: } tag, likethis:@example^_execute: (message "This is an active node!")@end example@end vtable@node Expert Info@chapter Info for Experts This chapter explains how to write an Info file by hand. However,in most cases, writing a Texinfo file is better, since you can use itto make a printed manual or produce other formats, such as HTML andDocBook, as well as for generating Info files.The @code{makeinfo} command converts a Texinfo file into an Info file;@code{texinfo-format-region} and @code{texinfo-format-buffer} are GNUEmacs functions that do the same.@xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNUDocumentation Format}, for how to write a Texinfo file.@xref{Creating an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU DocumentationFormat}, for how to create an Info file from a Texinfo file.@xref{Installing an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNUDocumentation Format}, for how to install an Info file after youhave created one.However, if you want to edit an Info file manually and install it manually,here is how.@menu* Add:: Describes how to add new nodes to the hierarchy. Also tells what nodes look like.* Menus:: How to add to or create menus in Info nodes.* Cross-refs:: How to add cross-references to Info nodes.* Tags:: How to make tags tables for Info files.* Checking:: Checking an Info File.@end menu@node Add, Menus, , Expert Info@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section Adding a new node to InfoTo add a new topic to the list in the Info directory, you must:@enumerate@itemCreate some nodes, in some file, to document that topic.@itemPut that topic in the menu in the directory. @xref{Menus, Menu}.@end enumerate@cindex node delimiters The new node can live in an existing documentation file, or in a newone. It must have a @samp{^_} character before it (invisible to theuser; this node has one but you cannot see it), and it ends with eithera @samp{^_}, a @samp{^L} (``formfeed''), or the end of file.@footnote{Ifyou put in a @samp{^L} to end a new node, be sure that there is a@samp{^_} after it to start the next one, since @samp{^L} cannot@emph{start} a node. Also, a nicer way to make a node boundary be apage boundary as well is to put a @samp{^L} @emph{right after} the@samp{^_}.} The @samp{^_} starting a node must be followed by a newline or a@samp{^L} newline, after which comes the node's header line. Theheader line must give the node's name (by which Info finds it), andstate the names of the @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and @samp{Up}nodes (if there are any). As you can see, this node's @samp{Up} nodeis the node @samp{Expert Info}. The @samp{Next} node is @samp{Menus}.@cindex node header line format@cindex format of node headers The keywords @dfn{Node}, @dfn{Next}, @dfn{Previous}, and @dfn{Up}may appear in any order, anywhere in the header line, but therecommended order is the one in this sentence. Each keyword must befollowed by a colon, spaces and tabs, and then the appropriate name.The name may be terminated with a tab, a comma, or a newline. A spacedoes not end it; node names may contain spaces. The case of lettersin the names is insignificant.@cindex node name format@cindex Directory node A node name has two forms. A node in the current file is named bywhat appears after the @samp{Node: } in that node's first line. Forexample, this node's name is @samp{Add}. A node in another file isnamed by @samp{(@var{filename})@var{node-within-file}}, as in@samp{(info)Add} for this node. If the file name starts with @samp{./},then it is relative to the current directory; otherwise, it isrelative starting from the standard directory for Info files of yoursite. The name @samp{(@var{filename})Top} can be abbreviated to just@samp{(@var{filename})}. By convention, the name @samp{Top} is usedfor the ``highest'' node in any single file---the node whose @samp{Up}points out of the file. The @samp{Directory} node is @file{(dir)}, itpoints to a file @file{dir} which holds a large menu listing all theInfo documents installed on your site. The @samp{Top} node of adocument file listed in the @samp{Directory} should have an @samp{Up:(dir)} in it.@cindex unstructured documents The node name @kbd{*} is special: it refers to the entire file.Thus, @kbd{g*} shows you the whole current file. The use of thenode @kbd{*} is to make it possible to make old-fashioned,unstructured files into nodes of the tree. The @samp{Node:} name, in which a node states its own name, must notcontain a file name, since when Info searches for a node, it does notexpect a file name to be there. The @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} and@samp{Up} names may contain them. In this node, since the @samp{Up}node is in the same file, it was not necessary to use one. Note that the nodes in this file have a file name in the headerline. The file names are ignored by Info, but they serve as commentsto help identify the node for the user.@node Menus, Cross-refs, Add, Expert Info@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section How to Create Menus Any node in the Info hierarchy may have a @dfn{menu}---a list of subnodes.The @kbd{m} command searches the current node's menu for the topic which itreads from the terminal.@cindex menu and menu entry format A menu begins with a line starting with @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. Therest of the line is a comment. After the starting line, every linethat begins with a @samp{* } lists a single topic. The name of thetopic---what the user must type at the @kbd{m}'s command prompt toselect this topic---comes right after the star and space, and isfollowed by a colon, spaces and tabs, and the name of the node whichdiscusses that topic. The node name, like node names following@samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} and @samp{Up}, may be terminated with atab, comma, or newline; it may also be terminated with a period. If the node name and topic name are the same, then rather thangiving the name twice, the abbreviation @samp{* @var{name}::} may beused (and should be used, whenever possible, as it reduces the visualclutter in the menu). It is considerate to choose the topic names so that they differfrom each other very near the beginning---this allows the user to typeshort abbreviations. In a long menu, it is a good idea to capitalizethe beginning of each item name which is the minimum acceptableabbreviation for it (a long menu is more than 5 or so entries). The nodes listed in a node's menu are called its ``subnodes,'' and itis their ``superior''. They should each have an @samp{Up:} pointing atthe superior. It is often useful to arrange all or most of the subnodesin a sequence of @samp{Next} and @samp{Previous} pointers so thatsomeone who wants to see them all need not keep revisiting the Menu. The Info Directory is simply the menu of the node @samp{(dir)Top}---thatis, node @samp{Top} in file @file{.../info/dir}. You can put new entriesin that menu just like any other menu. The Info Directory is @emph{not} thesame as the file directory called @file{info}. It happens that many ofInfo's files live in that file directory, but they do not have to; andfiles in that directory are not automatically listed in the InfoDirectory node. Also, although the Info node graph is claimed to be a ``hierarchy,''in fact it can be @emph{any} directed graph. Shared structures andpointer cycles are perfectly possible, and can be used if they areappropriate to the meaning to be expressed. There is no need for allthe nodes in a file to form a connected structure. In fact, this filehas two connected components. You are in one of them, which is underthe node @samp{Top}; the other contains the node @samp{Help} which the@kbd{h} command goes to. In fact, since there is no garbagecollector on the node graph, nothing terrible happens if a substructureis not pointed to, but such a substructure is rather useless since nobodycan ever find out that it exists.@node Cross-refs, Tags, Menus, Expert Info@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section Creating Cross References@cindex cross reference format A cross reference can be placed anywhere in the text, unlike a menuitem which must go at the front of a line. A cross reference lookslike a menu item except that it has @samp{*note} instead of @samp{*}.It @emph{cannot} be terminated by a @samp{)}, because @samp{)}'s areso often part of node names. If you wish to enclose a cross referencein parentheses, terminate it with a period first. Here are twoexamples of cross references pointers:@example*Note details: commands. (See *note 3: Full Proof.)@end example@noindent@emph{These are just examples.} The places they ``lead to'' do notreally exist!@menu* Help-Cross:: Target of a cross-reference.@end menu@node Help-Cross, , , Cross-refs@subsection The node reached by the cross reference in Info This is the node reached by the cross reference named @samp{Cross}. While this node is specifically intended to be reached by a crossreference, most cross references lead to nodes that ``belong''someplace else far away in the structure of an Info document. So youcannot expect this node to have a @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} or@samp{Up} links pointing back to where you came from. In general, the@kbd{l} (el) command is the only way to get back there.@format>> Type @kbd{l} to return to the node where the cross reference was.@end format@node Tags, Checking, Cross-refs, Expert Info@comment node-name, next, previous, up@section Tags Tables for Info Files@cindex tags tables in Info files You can speed up the access to nodes of a large Info file by givingit a tags table. Unlike the tags table for a program, the tags table foran Info file lives inside the file itself and is usedautomatically whenever Info reads in the file.@findex Info-tagify To make a tags table, go to a node in the file using Emacs Info mode and type@kbd{M-x Info-tagify}. Then you must use @kbd{C-x C-s} to save thefile. Info files produced by the @code{makeinfo} command that is partof the Texinfo package always have tags tables to begin with.@cindex stale tags tables@cindex update Info tags table Once the Info file has a tags table, you must make certain it is upto date. If you edit an Info file directly (as opposed to editing itsTexinfo source), and, as a result of deletion of text, any node moves backmore than a thousand characters in the file from the positionrecorded in the tags table, Info will no longer be able to find thatnode. To update the tags table, use the @code{Info-tagify} commandagain. An Info file tags table appears at the end of the file and looks likethis:@example^_^LTag Table:File: info, Node: Cross-refs^?21419File: info, Node: Tags^?22145^_End Tag Table@end example@noindentNote that it contains one line per node, and this line containsthe beginning of the node's header (ending just after the node name),a @samp{DEL} character, and the character position in the file of thebeginning of the node.@node Checking, , Tags, Expert Info@section Checking an Info FileWhen creating an Info file, it is easy to forget the name of a node whenyou are making a pointer to it from another node. If you put in thewrong name for a node, this is not detected until someone tries to gothrough the pointer using Info. Verification of the Info file is anautomatic process which checks all pointers to nodes and reports anypointers which are invalid. Every @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and@samp{Up} is checked, as is every menu item and every cross reference. Inaddition, any @samp{Next} which does not have a @samp{Previous} pointingback is reported. Only pointers within the file are checked, becausechecking pointers to other files would be terribly slow. But those areusually few.@findex Info-validateTo check an Info file, do @kbd{M-x Info-validate} while looking at anynode of the file with Emacs Info mode.@node Index@unnumbered IndexThis is an alphabetical listing of all the commands, variables, andtopics discussed in this document.@printindex cp@bye@ignore arch-tag: 965c1638-01d6-4156-9227-b10418b9d8e8@end ignore