This is ../info/info, produced by makeinfo version 4.0 from info.texi.
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Info: (info). Documentation browsing system.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
This file describes how to use Info, the on-line, menu-driven GNU
documentation system.
Copyright (C) 1989, 1992 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this
manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are
preserved on all copies.
Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of
this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that
the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
permission notice identical to this one.
Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this
manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified
versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a
translation approved by the Free Software Foundation.
File: info, Node: Top, Next: Getting Started, Prev: (dir), Up: (dir)
Info: An Introduction
*********************
Info is a program for reading documentation, which you are using now.
To learn how to use Info, type the command `h'. It brings you to a
programmed instruction sequence. If at any time you are ready to stop
using Info, type `q'.
To learn advanced Info commands, type `n' twice. This brings you to
`Info for Experts', skipping over the `Getting Started' chapter.
* Menu:
* Getting Started:: Getting started using an Info reader.
* Advanced Info:: Advanced commands within Info.
* Create an Info File:: How to make your own Info file.
File: info, Node: Getting Started, Next: Advanced Info, Prev: Top, Up: Top
Getting Started
***************
This first part of the Info manual describes how to get around inside
of Info. The second part of the manual describes various advanced Info
commands, and how to write an Info as distinct from a Texinfo file.
The third part is about how to generate Info files from Texinfo files.
* 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, Rubout, B and ^L commands.
* Help-M:: Menus
* Help-Adv:: Some advanced Info commands
* Help-Q:: Quitting Info
* Using Stand-alone Info:: How to use the stand-alone Info reader.
File: info, Node: Help-Small-Screen, Next: Help, Up: Getting Started
Starting Info on a Small Screen
===============================
Since your terminal has an unusually small number of lines on its
screen, it is necessary to give you special advice at the beginning.
If you see the text `--All----' at near the bottom right corner of
the screen, it means the entire text you are looking at fits on the
screen. If you see `--Top----' instead, it means that there is more
text below that does not fit. To move forward through the text and see
another screen full, press the Space bar, <SPC>. To move back up,
press the key labeled `Delete' or <DEL>.
Here are 40 lines of junk, so you can try Spaces and Deletes and see
what they do. At the end are instructions of what you should do next.
This is line 17
This is line 18
This is line 19
This is line 20
This is line 21
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This is line 55
This is line 56
If you have managed to get here, go back to the beginning with
Delete, and come back here again, then you understand Space and Delete.
So now type an `n' --just one character; don't type the quotes and
don't type the Return key afterward-- to get to the normal start of the
course.
File: info, Node: Help, Next: Help-P, Prev: Help-Small-Screen, Up: Getting Started
How to use Info
===============
You are talking to the program Info, for reading documentation.
Right now you are looking at one "Node" of Information. A node
contains text describing a specific topic at a specific level of
detail. This node's topic is "how to use Info".
The top line of a node is its "header". This node's header (look at
it now) says that it is the node named `Help' in the file `info'. It
says that the `Next' node after this one is the node called `Help-P'.
An advanced Info command lets you go to any node whose name you know.
Besides a `Next', a node can have a `Previous' or an `Up'. This
node has a `Previous' which is `Help-Small-Screen', and an `Up' which
is `Getting Started'. Some nodes have no `Previous' and some have no
`Up'.
Now it is time to move on to the `Next' node, named `Help-P'.
>> Type `n' to move there. Type just one character;
do not type the quotes and do not type a <RET> afterward.
`>>' in the margin means it is really time to try a command.
File: info, Node: Help-P, Next: Help-^L, Prev: Help, Up: Getting Started
Returning to the Previous node
==============================
This node is called `Help-P'. The `Previous' node, as you see, is
`Help', which is the one you just came from using the `n' command.
Another `n' command now would take you to the next node, `Help-^L'.
>> But do not do that yet. First, try the p command, which takes
you to the `Previous' node. When you get there, you can do an
n again to return here.
This all probably seems insultingly simple so far, but _do not_ be
led into skimming. Things will get more complicated soon. Also, do
not try a new command until you are told it is time to. Otherwise, you
may make Info skip past an important warning that was coming up.
>> Now do an n to get to the node `Help-^L' and learn more.
File: info, Node: Help-^L, Next: Help-M, Prev: Help-P, Up: Getting Started
The Space, Delete, B and ^L commands.
=====================================
This node's header tells you that you are now at node `Help-^L', and
that `p' would get you back to `Help-P'. The node's title is
underlined; it says what the node is about (most nodes have titles).
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 you can see
the string `--Top-----' rather than `--All----' near the bottom right
corner of the screen.
The Space, Delete and `B' commands exist to allow you to "move
around" in a node that does not all fit on the screen at once. Space
moves forward, to show what was below the bottom of the screen. Delete
moves backward, to show what was above the top of the screen (there is
not anything above the top until you have typed some spaces).
>> Now try typing a Space (afterward, type a Delete to return here).
When you type the space, the two lines that were at the bottom of
the screen appear at the top, followed by more lines. Delete takes the
two lines from the top and moves them to the bottom, _usually_, but if
there are not a full screen's worth of lines above them they may not
make it all the way to the bottom.
Space and Delete scroll through all the nodes in an Info file as a
single logical sequence. In this sequence, a node's subnodes appear
following their parent. If a node's menu is on the screen, Space takes
you into the subnodes listed in the menu, one by one. Once you reach
the end of a node, Space takes you to the next node or back to the
parent node.
If your screen is ever garbaged, you can tell Info to print it out
again by typing `C-l' (`Control-L', that is--hold down "Control" and
type an <L> or `l').
>> Type C-l now.
To move back to the beginning of the node you are on, you can type a
lot of Deletes. You can also type simply `b' for beginning.
>> 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, with Spaces.
If your screen is very tall, all of this node might fit at once. In
that case, "b" won't do anything. Sorry; what can we do?
You have just learned a considerable number of commands. If you
want to use one but have trouble remembering which, you should type a
<?> which prints out a brief list of commands. When you are finished
looking at the list, make it go away by typing a <SPC>.
>> Type a <?> now. After it finishes, type a <SPC>.
(If you are using the standalone Info reader, type `l' to return
here.)
From now on, you will encounter large nodes without warning, and
will be expected to know how to use Space and Delete to move around in
them without being told. Since not all terminals have the same size
screen, it would be impossible to warn you anyway.
>> Now type n to see the description of the m command.
File: info, Node: Help-M, Next: Help-Adv, Prev: Help-^L, Up: Getting Started
Menus
=====
Menus and the `m' command
With only the `n' and `p' commands for moving between nodes, nodes
are restricted to a linear sequence. Menus allow a branching
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 specially so that
Info can interpret it. The beginning of a menu is always identified by
a line which starts with `* Menu:'. A node contains a menu if and only
if it has a line in it which starts that way. The only menu you can
use at any moment is the one in the node you are in. To use a menu in
any other node, you must move to that node first.
After the start of the menu, each line that starts with a `*'
identifies one subtopic. The line usually contains a brief name for
the subtopic (followed by a `:'), the name of the node that talks about
that subtopic, and optionally some further description of the subtopic.
Lines in the menu that do not start with a `*' have no special
meaning--they are only for the human reader's benefit and do not define
additional subtopics. Here is an example:
* Foo: FOO's Node This tells about FOO
The subtopic name is Foo, and the node describing it is `FOO's Node'.
The rest of the line is just for the reader's Information. [[ But this
line is not a real menu item, simply because there is no line above it
which starts with `* Menu:'.]]
When you use a menu to go to another node (in a way that will be
described soon), what you specify is the subtopic name, the first thing
in the menu line. Info uses it to find the menu line, extracts the
node name from it, and goes to that node. The reason that there is
both a subtopic name and a node name is that the node name must be
meaningful to the computer and may therefore have to be ugly looking.
The subtopic name can be chosen just to be convenient for the user to
specify. Often the node name is convenient for the user to specify and
so both it and the subtopic name are the same. There is an
abbreviation for this:
* Foo:: This tells about FOO
This means that the subtopic name and node name are the same; they are
both `Foo'.
>> Now use Spaces to find the menu in this node, then come back to
the front with a b and some Spaces. 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
m command is not available.
The command to go to one of the subnodes is `m'--but _do not do it
yet!_ Before you use `m', you must understand the difference between
commands and arguments. So far, you have learned several commands that
do not need arguments. When you type one, Info processes it and is
instantly ready for another command. The `m' command is different: it
is incomplete without the "name of the subtopic". Once you have typed
`m', Info tries to read the subtopic name.
Now look for the line containing many dashes near the bottom of the
screen. There is one more line beneath that one, but usually it is
blank. If it is empty, Info is ready for a command, such as `n' or `b'
or Space or `m'. If that line contains text ending in a colon, it mean
Info is trying to read the "argument" to a command. At such times,
commands do not work, because Info tries to use them as the argument.
You must either type the argument and finish the command you started,
or type `Control-g' to cancel the command. When you have done one of
those things, the line becomes blank again.
The command to go to a subnode via a menu is `m'. After you type
the `m', the line at the bottom of the screen says `Menu item: '. You
must then type the name of the subtopic you want, and end it with a
<RET>.
You can abbreviate the subtopic name. If the abbreviation is not
unique, the first matching subtopic is chosen. Some menus put the
shortest possible abbreviation for each subtopic name in capital
letters, so you can see how much you need to type. It does not matter
whether you use upper case or lower case when you type the subtopic. Do
not put spaces at the end of the subtopic name; in the middle of the
subtopic name, use one space (no more!) wherever the menu item name has
a space.
You can also use the "completion" feature to help enter the subtopic
name. If you type the Tab key after entering part of a name, it will
magically fill in more of the name--as much as follows uniquely from
what you have entered.
If you move the cursor to one of the menu subtopic lines, then you do
not need to type the argument: you just type a Return, and it stands for
the subtopic of the line you are on.
Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice.
* Menu:
This menu gives you three ways of going to one place, Help-FOO.
* Foo: Help-FOO. A node you can visit for fun.
* Bar: Help-FOO. Strange! two ways to get to the same place.
* Help-FOO:: And yet another!
>> Now type just an m and see what happens:
Now you are "inside" an `m' command. Commands cannot be used now;
the next thing you will type must be the name of a subtopic.
You can change your mind about doing the `m' by typing Control-g.
>> Try that now; notice the bottom line clear.
>> Then type another m.
>> Now type `BAR' item name. Do not type Return yet.
While you are typing the item name, you can use the Delete key to
cancel one character at a time if you make a mistake.
>> Type one to cancel the `R'. You could type another `R' to
replace it. You do not have to, since `BA' is a valid abbreviation.
>> Now you are ready to go. Type a <RET>.
After visiting Help-FOO, you should return here.
>> Type n to see more commands.
File: info, Node: Help-FOO, Up: Help-M
The `u' command
---------------
Congratulations! This is the node `Help-FOO'. Unlike the other
nodes you have seen, this one has an `Up': `Help-M', the node you just
came from via the `m' command. This is the usual convention--the nodes
you reach from a menu have `Up' nodes that lead back to the menu.
Menus move Down in the tree, and `Up' moves Up. `Previous', on the
other hand, is usually used to "stay on the same level but go backwards"
You can go back to the node `Help-M' by typing the command `u' for
"Up". That puts you at the _front_ of the node--to get back to where
you were reading you have to type some <SPC>s.
>> Now type u to move back up to `Help-M'.
File: info, Node: Help-Adv, Next: Help-Q, Prev: Help-M, Up: Getting Started
Some advanced Info commands
===========================
The course is almost over, so please stick with it to the end.
If you have been moving around to different nodes and wish to
retrace your steps, the `l' command (`l' for "last") will do that, one
node-step at a time. As you move from node to node, Info records the
nodes where you have been in a special history list. The `l' command
revisits nodes in the history list; each successive `l' command moves
one step back through the history.
If you have been following directions, an `l' command now will get
you back to `Help-M'. Another `l' command would undo the `u' and get
you back to `Help-FOO'. Another `l' would undo the `m' and get you
back to `Help-M'.
>> Try typing three l's, pausing in between to see what each
l does.
Then follow directions again and you will end up back here.
Note the difference between `l' and `p': `l' moves to where _you_
last were, whereas `p' always moves to the node which the header says
is the `Previous' node (from this node, to `Help-M').
The `d' command gets you instantly to the Directory node. This
node, which is the first one you saw when you entered Info, has a menu
which leads (directly, or indirectly through other menus), to all the
nodes that exist.
>> Try doing a `d', then do an l to return here (yes,
_do_ return).
Sometimes, in Info documentation, you will see a cross reference.
Cross references look like this: *Note Cross: Help-Cross. That is a
real, live cross reference which is named `Cross' and points at the
node named `Help-Cross'.
If you wish to follow a cross reference, you must use the `f'
command. The `f' must be followed by the cross reference name (in this
case, `Cross'). While you enter the name, you can use the Delete key
to edit your input. If you change your mind about following any
reference, you can use `Control-g' to cancel the command.
Completion is available in the `f' command; you can complete among
all the cross reference names in the current node by typing a Tab.
>> Type `f', followed by `Cross', and a <RET>.
To get a list of all the cross references in the current node, you
can type `?' after an `f'. The `f' continues to await a cross
reference name even after printing the list, so if you don't actually
want to follow a reference, you should type a `Control-g' to cancel the
`f'.
>> Type "f?" to get a list of the cross references in this node. Then
type a Control-g and see how the `f' gives up.
>> Now type n to see the last node of the course.
File: info, Node: Help-Cross, Up: Help-Adv
The node reached by the cross reference in Info
-----------------------------------------------
This is the node reached by the cross reference named `Cross'.
While this node is specifically intended to be reached by a cross
reference, most cross references lead to nodes that "belong" someplace
else far away in the structure of Info. So you cannot expect the
footnote to have a `Next', `Previous' or `Up' pointing back to where
you came from. In general, the `l' (el) command is the only way to get
back there.
>> Type l to return to the node where the cross reference was.
File: info, Node: Help-Q, Prev: Help-Adv, Up: Getting Started
Quitting Info
=============
To get out of Info, back to what you were doing before, type `q' for
"Quit".
This is the end of the course on using Info. There are some other
commands that are meant for experienced users; they are useful, and you
can find them by looking in the directory node for documentation on
Info. Finding them will be a good exercise in using Info in the usual
manner.
>> Type `d' to go to the Info directory node; then type
`mInfo' and Return, to get to the node about Info and
see what other help is available.
File: info, Node: Advanced Info, Next: Create an Info File, Prev: Getting Started, Up: Top
Info for Experts
****************
This chapter describes various advanced Info commands, and how to
write an Info as distinct from a Texinfo file. (However, in most
cases, writing a Texinfo file is better, since you can use it _both_ to
generate an Info file and to make a printed manual. *Note Overview of
Texinfo: (texinfo)Top.)
* Menu:
* Expert:: Advanced Info commands: g, s, e, and 1 - 5.
* 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
* Emacs Info Variables:: Variables modifying the behavior of Emacs Info.
File: info, Node: Expert, Next: Add, Up: Advanced Info
Advanced Info Commands
======================
`g', `s', `1', - `9', and `e'
If you know a node's name, you can go there by typing `g', the name,
and <RET>. Thus, `gTop<RET>' would go to the node called `Top' in this
file (its directory node). `gExpert<RET>' would come back here.
Unlike `m', `g' does not allow the use of abbreviations.
To go to a node in another file, you can include the filename in the
node name by putting it at the front, in parentheses. Thus,
`g(dir)Top<RET>' would go to the Info Directory node, which is node
`Top' in the file `dir'.
The node name `*' specifies the whole file. So you can look at all
of the current file by typing `g*<RET>' or all of any other file with
`g(FILENAME)<RET>'.
The `s' command allows you to search a whole file for a string. It
switches to the next node if and when that is necessary. You type `s'
followed by the string to search for, terminated by <RET>. To search
for the same string again, just `s' followed by <RET> will do. The
file's nodes are scanned in the order they are in in the file, which
has no necessary relationship to the order that they may be in in the
tree structure of menus and `next' pointers. But normally the two
orders are not very different. In any case, you can always do a `b' to
find out what node you have reached, if the header is not visible (this
can happen, because `s' puts your cursor at the occurrence of the
string, not at the beginning of the node).
`Meta-s' is equivalent to `s'. That is for compatibility with other
GNU packages that use `M-s' for a similar kind of search command.
If you grudge the system each character of type-in it requires, you
might like to use the commands `1', `2', `3', `4', ... `9'. They are
short for the `m' command together with an argument. `1' goes through
the first item in the current node's menu; `2' goes through the second
item, etc.
If your display supports multiple fonts, and you are using Emacs'
Info mode to read Info files, the `*' for the fifth menu item is
underlined, and so is the `*' for the ninth item; these underlines make
it easy to see at a glance which number to use for an item.
On ordinary terminals, you won't have underlining. If you need to
actually count items, it is better to use `m' instead, and specify the
name.
The Info command `e' changes from Info mode to an ordinary Emacs
editing mode, so that you can edit the text of the current node. Type
`C-c C-c' to switch back to Info. The `e' command is allowed only if
the variable `Info-enable-edit' is non-`nil'.
File: info, Node: Add, Next: Menus, Prev: Expert, Up: Advanced Info
Adding a new node to Info
=========================
To add a new topic to the list in the Info directory, you must:
1. Create some nodes, in some file, to document that topic.
2. Put that topic in the menu in the directory. *Note Menu: Menus.
Usually, the way to create the nodes is with Texinfo *note Overview
of Texinfo: (texinfo)Top.); this has the advantage that you can also
make a printed manual from them. However, if you want to edit an Info
file, here is how.
The new node can live in an existing documentation file, or in a new
one. It must have a <^_> character before it (invisible to the user;
this node has one but you cannot see it), and it ends with either a
<^_>, a <^L>, or the end of file. Note: If you put in a <^L> to end a
new node, be sure that there is a <^_> after it to start the next one,
since <^L> cannot _start_ a node. Also, a nicer way to make a node
boundary be a page boundary as well is to put a <^L> _right after_ the
<^_>.
The <^_> starting a node must be followed by a newline or a <^L>
newline, after which comes the node's header line. The header line
must give the node's name (by which Info finds it), and state the names
of the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' nodes (if there are any). As you
can see, this node's `Up' node is the node `Top', which points at all
the documentation for Info. The `Next' node is `Menus'.
The keywords "Node", "Previous", "Up", and "Next", may appear in any
order, anywhere in the header line, but the recommended order is the
one in this sentence. Each keyword must be followed 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 space does not end it; node names
may contain spaces. The case of letters in the names is insignificant.
A node name has two forms. A node in the current file is named by
what appears after the `Node: ' in that node's first line. For
example, this node's name is `Add'. A node in another file is named by
`(FILENAME)NODE-WITHIN-FILE', as in `(info)Add' for this node. If the
file name starts with "./", then it is relative to the current
directory; otherwise, it is relative starting from the standard Info
file directory of your site. The name `(FILENAME)Top' can be
abbreviated to just `(FILENAME)'. By convention, the name `Top' is
used for the "highest" node in any single file--the node whose `Up'
points out of the file. The Directory node is `(dir)'. The `Top' node
of a document file listed in the Directory should have an `Up: (dir)'
in it.
The node name `*' is special: it refers to the entire file. Thus,
`g*' shows you the whole current file. The use of the node `*' is to
make it possible to make old-fashioned, unstructured files into nodes
of the tree.
The `Node:' name, in which a node states its own name, must not
contain a filename, since Info when searching for a node does not
expect one to be there. The `Next', `Previous' and `Up' names may
contain them. In this node, since the `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 header
line. The file names are ignored by Info, but they serve as comments
to help identify the node for the user.
File: info, Node: Menus, Next: Cross-refs, Prev: Add, Up: Advanced Info
How to Create Menus
===================
Any node in the Info hierarchy may have a "menu"--a list of subnodes.
The `m' command searches the current node's menu for the topic which it
reads from the terminal.
A menu begins with a line starting with `* Menu:'. The rest of the
line is a comment. After the starting line, every line that begins
with a `* ' lists a single topic. The name of the topic-the argument
that the user must give to the `m' command to select this topic--comes
right after the star and space, and is followed by a colon, spaces and
tabs, and the name of the node which discusses that topic. The node
name, like node names following `Next', `Previous' and `Up', may be
terminated with a tab, comma, or newline; it may also be terminated
with a period.
If the node name and topic name are the same, then rather than
giving the name twice, the abbreviation `* NAME::' may be used (and
should be used, whenever possible, as it reduces the visual clutter in
the menu).
It is considerate to choose the topic names so that they differ from
each other very near the beginning--this allows the user to type short
abbreviations. In a long menu, it is a good idea to capitalize the
beginning of each item name which is the minimum acceptable
abbreviation 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 it
is their "superior". They should each have an `Up:' pointing at the
superior. It is often useful to arrange all or most of the subnodes in
a sequence of `Next' and `Previous' pointers so that someone who wants
to see them all need not keep revisiting the Menu.
The Info Directory is simply the menu of the node `(dir)Top'--that
is, node `Top' in file `.../info/dir'. You can put new entries in that
menu just like any other menu. The Info Directory is _not_ the same as
the file directory called `info'. It happens that many of Info's files
live on that file directory, but they do not have to; and files on that
directory are not automatically listed in the Info Directory node.
Also, although the Info node graph is claimed to be a "hierarchy",
in fact it can be _any_ directed graph. Shared structures and pointer
cycles are perfectly possible, and can be used if they are appropriate
to the meaning to be expressed. There is no need for all the nodes in
a file to form a connected structure. In fact, this file has two
connected components. You are in one of them, which is under the node
`Top'; the other contains the node `Help' which the `h' command goes
to. In fact, since there is no garbage collector, nothing terrible
happens if a substructure is not pointed to, but such a substructure is
rather useless since nobody can ever find out that it exists.
File: info, Node: Cross-refs, Next: Tags, Prev: Menus, Up: Advanced Info
Creating Cross References
=========================
A cross reference can be placed anywhere in the text, unlike a menu
item which must go at the front of a line. A cross reference looks
like a menu item except that it has `*note' instead of `*'. It
_cannot_ be terminated by a `)', because `)''s are so often part of
node names. If you wish to enclose a cross reference in parentheses,
terminate it with a period first. Here are two examples of cross
references pointers:
*Note details: commands. (See *note 3: Full Proof.)
They are just examples. The places they "lead to" do not really
exist!
File: info, Node: Tags, Next: Checking, Prev: Cross-refs, Up: Advanced Info
Tags Tables for Info Files
==========================
You can speed up the access to nodes of a large Info file by giving
it a tags table. Unlike the tags table for a program, the tags table
for an Info file lives inside the file itself and is used automatically
whenever Info reads in the file.
To make a tags table, go to a node in the file using Emacs Info mode
and type `M-x Info-tagify'. Then you must use `C-x C-s' to save the
file.
Once the Info file has a tags table, you must make certain it is up
to date. If, as a result of deletion of text, any node moves back more
than a thousand characters in the file from the position recorded in
the tags table, Info will no longer be able to find that node. To
update the tags table, use the `Info-tagify' command again.
An Info file tags table appears at the end of the file and looks like
this:
^_
Tag Table:
File: info, Node: Cross-refs^?21419
File: info, Node: Tags^?22145
^_
End Tag Table
Note that it contains one line per node, and this line contains the
beginning of the node's header (ending just after the node name), a
Delete character, and the character position in the file of the
beginning of the node.
File: info, Node: Checking, Next: Emacs Info Variables, Prev: Tags, Up: Advanced Info
Checking an Info File
=====================
When creating an Info file, it is easy to forget the name of a node
when you are making a pointer to it from another node. If you put in
the wrong name for a node, this is not detected until someone tries to
go through the pointer using Info. Verification of the Info file is an
automatic process which checks all pointers to nodes and reports any
pointers which are invalid. Every `Next', `Previous', and `Up' is
checked, as is every menu item and every cross reference. In addition,
any `Next' which does not have a `Previous' pointing back is reported.
Only pointers within the file are checked, because checking pointers to
other files would be terribly slow. But those are usually few.
To check an Info file, do `M-x Info-validate' while looking at any
node of the file with Emacs Info mode.
File: info, Node: Emacs Info Variables, Prev: Checking, Up: Advanced Info
Emacs Info-mode Variables
=========================
The following variables may modify the behaviour of Info-mode in
Emacs; you may wish to set one or several of these variables
interactively, or in your `~/.emacs' init file. *Note Examining and
Setting Variables: (emacs)Examining.
`Info-enable-edit'
Set to `nil', disables the `e' (`Info-edit') command. A non-`nil'
value enables it. *Note Edit: Add.
`Info-enable-active-nodes'
When set to a non-`nil' value, allows Info to execute Lisp code
associated with nodes. The Lisp code is executed when the node is
selected.
`Info-directory-list'
The list of directories to search for Info files. Each element is
a string (directory name) or `nil' (try default directory). If not
initialized Info uses the environment variable `INFOPATH' to
initialize it, or `Info-default-directory-list' if there is no
`INFOPATH' variable in the environment.
`Info-additional-directory-list'
A list of additional directories to search for Info documentation
files. These directories are not searched for merging the `dir'
file.
`Info-directory'
The standard directory for Info documentation files. Only used
when the function `Info-directory' is called.
File: info, Node: Create an Info File, Prev: Advanced Info, Up: Top
Creating an Info File from a Makeinfo file
******************************************
`makeinfo' is a utility that converts a Texinfo file into an Info
file; `texinfo-format-region' and `texinfo-format-buffer' are GNU Emacs
functions that do the same.
*Note Creating an Info File: (texinfo)Create an Info File, to learn
how to create an Info file from a Texinfo file.
*Note Overview of Texinfo: (texinfo)Top, to learn how to write a
Texinfo file.
File: info, Node: Using Stand-alone Info, Next: Options, Up: Top
Using the Stand-alone Info Reader
*********************************
What is Info?
-------------
This text documents the use of the GNU Info program, version
2.10.
"Info" is a program which is used to view info files on an ASCII
terminal. "info files" are the result of processing texinfo files with
the program `makeinfo' or with the Emacs command `M-x
texinfo-format-buffer'. Finally, "texinfo" is a documentation language
which allows a printed manual and online documentation (an info file)
to be produced from a single source file.
* Menu:
* Options:: Options you can pass on the command line.
* Cursor Commands:: Commands which move the cursor within a node.
* Scrolling Commands:: Commands for moving the node around in a window.
* Node Commands:: Commands for selecting a new node.
* Searching Commands:: Commands for searching an info file.
* Xref Commands:: Commands for selecting cross references.
* Window Commands:: Commands which manipulate multiple windows.
* Printing Nodes:: How to print out the contents of a node.
* Miscellaneous Commands:: A few commands that defy categories.
* Variables:: How to change the default behaviour of Info.
File: info, Node: Options, Next: Cursor Commands, Up: Using Stand-alone Info
Command Line Options
====================
GNU Info accepts several options to control the initial node being
viewed, and to specify which directories to search for info files. Here
is a template showing an invocation of GNU Info from the shell:
info [--OPTION-NAME OPTION-VALUE] MENU-ITEM...
The following OPTION-NAMES are available when invoking Info from the
shell:
`--directory DIRECTORY-PATH'
`-d DIRECTORY-PATH'
Adds DIRECTORY-PATH to the list of directory paths searched when
Info needs to find a file. You may issue `--directory' multiple
times; once for each directory which contains info files.
Alternatively, you may specify a value for the environment variable
`INFOPATH'; if `--directory' is not given, the value of `INFOPATH'
is used. The value of `INFOPATH' is a colon separated list of
directory names. If you do not supply `INFOPATH' or
`--directory-path' a default path is used.
`--file FILENAME'
`-f FILENAME'
Specifies a particular info file to visit. Instead of visiting
the file `dir', Info will start with `(FILENAME)Top' as the first
file and node.
`--node NODENAME'
`-n NODENAME'
Specifies a particular node to visit in the initial file loaded.
This is especially useful in conjunction with `--file'(1). You
may specify `--node' multiple times; for an interactive Info, each
NODENAME is visited in its own window, for a non-interactive Info
(such as when `--output' is given) each NODENAME is processed
sequentially.
`--output FILENAME'
`-o FILENAME'
Specify FILENAME as the name of a file to output to. Each node
that Info visits will be output to FILENAME instead of
interactively viewed. A value of `-' for FILENAME specifies the
standard output.
`--subnodes'
This option only has meaning when given in conjunction with
`--output'. It means to recursively output the nodes appearing in
the menus of each node being output. Menu items which resolve to
external info files are not output, and neither are menu items
which are members of an index. Each node is only output once.
`--help'
`-h'
Produces a relatively brief description of the available Info
options.
`--version'
Prints the version information of Info and exits.
`MENU-ITEM'
Remaining arguments to Info are treated as the names of menu
items. The first argument would be a menu item in the initial
node visited, while the second argument would be a menu item in
the first argument's node. You can easily move to the node of
your choice by specifying the menu names which describe the path
to that node. For example,
info emacs buffers
first selects the menu item `Emacs' in the node `(dir)Top', and
then selects the menu item `Buffers' in the node `(emacs)Top'.
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) Of course, you can specify both the file and node in a `--node'
command; but don't forget to escape the open and close parentheses from
the shell as in: `info --node '(emacs)Buffers''
File: info, Node: Cursor Commands, Next: Scrolling Commands, Prev: Options, Up: Using Stand-alone Info
Moving the Cursor
=================
Many people find that reading screens of text page by page is made
easier when one is able to indicate particular pieces of text with some
kind of pointing device. Since this is the case, GNU Info (both the
Emacs and standalone versions) have several commands which allow you to
move the cursor about the screen. The notation used in this manual to
describe keystrokes is identical to the notation used within the Emacs
manual, and the GNU Readline manual. *Note Character Conventions:
(emacs)Characters, if you are unfamiliar with the notation.
The following table lists the basic cursor movement commands in Info.
Each entry consists of the key sequence you should type to execute the
cursor movement, the `M-x'(1) command name (displayed in parentheses),
and a short description of what the command does. All of the cursor
motion commands can take an "numeric" argument (*note
`universal-argument': Miscellaneous Commands.), to find out how to
supply them. With a numeric argument, the motion commands are simply
executed that many times; for example, a numeric argument of 4 given to
`next-line' causes the cursor to move down 4 lines. With a negative
numeric argument, the motion is reversed; an argument of -4 given to
the `next-line' command would cause the cursor to move _up_ 4 lines.
`C-n' (`next-line')
Moves the cursor down to the next line.
`C-p' (`prev-line')
Move the cursor up to the previous line.
`C-a' (`beginning-of-line')
Move the cursor to the start of the current line.
`C-e' (`end-of-line')
Moves the cursor to the end of the current line.
`C-f' (`forward-char')
Move the cursor forward a character.
`C-b' (`backward-char')
Move the cursor backward a character.
`M-f' (`forward-word')
Moves the cursor forward a word.
`M-b' (`backward-word')
Moves the cursor backward a word.
`M-<' (`beginning-of-node')
`b'
Moves the cursor to the start of the current node.
`M->' (`end-of-node')
Moves the cursor to the end of the current node.
`M-r' (`move-to-window-line')
Moves the cursor to a specific line of the window. Without a
numeric argument, `M-r' moves the cursor to the start of the line
in the center of the window. With a numeric argument of N, `M-r'
moves the cursor to the start of the Nth line in the window.
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) `M-x' is also a command; it invokes `execute-extended-command'.
*Note Executing an extended command: (emacs)M-x, for more detailed
information.
File: info, Node: Scrolling Commands, Next: Node Commands, Prev: Cursor Commands, Up: Using Stand-alone Info
Moving Text Within a Window
===========================
Sometimes you are looking at a screenful of text, and only part of the
current paragraph you are reading is visible on the screen. The
commands detailed in this section are used to shift which part of the
current node is visible on the screen.
`SPC' (`scroll-forward')
`C-v'
Shift the text in this window up. That is, show more of the node
which is currently below the bottom of the window. With a numeric
argument, show that many more lines at the bottom of the window; a
numeric argument of 4 would shift all of the text in the window up
4 lines (discarding the top 4 lines), and show you four new lines
at the bottom of the window. Without a numeric argument, <SPC>
takes the bottom two lines of the window and places them at the
top of the window, redisplaying almost a completely new screenful
of lines.
`DEL' (`scroll-backward')
`M-v'
Shift the text in this window down. The inverse of
`scroll-forward'.
The `scroll-forward' and `scroll-backward' commands can also move
forward and backward through the node structure of the file. If you
press <SPC> while viewing the end of a node, or <DEL> while viewing the
beginning of a node, what happens is controlled by the variable
`scroll-behaviour'. *Note `scroll-behaviour': Variables, for more
information.
`C-l' (`redraw-display')
Redraw the display from scratch, or shift the line containing the
cursor to a specified location. With no numeric argument, `C-l'
clears the screen, and then redraws its entire contents. Given a
numeric argument of N, the line containing the cursor is shifted
so that it is on the Nth line of the window.
`C-x w' (`toggle-wrap')
Toggles the state of line wrapping in the current window.
Normally, lines which are longer than the screen width "wrap",
i.e., they are continued on the next line. Lines which wrap have
a `\' appearing in the rightmost column of the screen. You can
cause such lines to be terminated at the rightmost column by
changing the state of line wrapping in the window with `C-x w'.
When a line which needs more space than one screen width to
display is displayed, a `$' appears in the rightmost column of the
screen, and the remainder of the line is invisible.
File: info, Node: Node Commands, Next: Searching Commands, Prev: Scrolling Commands, Up: Using Stand-alone Info
Selecting a New Node
====================
This section details the numerous Info commands which select a new
node to view in the current window.
The most basic node commands are `n', `p', `u', and `l'.
When you are viewing a node, the top line of the node contains some
Info "pointers" which describe where the next, previous, and up nodes
are. Info uses this line to move about the node structure of the file
when you use the following commands:
`n' (`next-node')
Selects the `Next' node.
`p' (`prev-node')
Selects the `Prev' node.
`u' (`up-node')
Selects the `Up' node.
You can easily select a node that you have already viewed in this
window by using the `l' command - this name stands for "last", and
actually moves through the list of already visited nodes for this
window. `l' with a negative numeric argument moves forward through the
history of nodes for this window, so you can quickly step between two
adjacent (in viewing history) nodes.
`l' (`history-node')
Selects the most recently selected node in this window.
Two additional commands make it easy to select the most commonly
selected nodes; they are `t' and `d'.
`t' (`top-node')
Selects the node `Top' in the current info file.
`d' (`dir-node')
Selects the directory node (i.e., the node `(dir)').
Here are some other commands which immediately result in the selection
of a different node in the current window:
`<' (`first-node')
Selects the first node which appears in this file. This node is
most often `Top', but it doesn't have to be.
`>' (`last-node')
Selects the last node which appears in this file.
`]' (`global-next-node')
Moves forward or down through node structure. If the node that
you are currently viewing has a `Next' pointer, that node is
selected. Otherwise, if this node has a menu, the first menu item
is selected. If there is no `Next' and no menu, the same process
is tried with the `Up' node of this node.
`[' (`global-prev-node')
Moves backward or up through node structure. If the node that you
are currently viewing has a `Prev' pointer, that node is selected.
Otherwise, if the node has an `Up' pointer, that node is selected,
and if it has a menu, the last item in the menu is selected.
You can get the same behaviour as `global-next-node' and
`global-prev-node' while simply scrolling through the file with <SPC>
and <DEL>; *Note `scroll-behaviour': Variables, for more information.
`g' (`goto-node')
Reads the name of a node and selects it. No completion is done
while reading the node name, since the desired node may reside in
a separate file. The node must be typed exactly as it appears in
the info file. A file name may be included as with any node
specification, for example
`g(emacs)Buffers'
finds the node `Buffers' in the info file `emacs'.
`C-x k' (`kill-node')
Kills a node. The node name is prompted for in the echo area,
with a default of the current node. "Killing" a node means that
Info tries hard to forget about it, removing it from the list of
history nodes kept for the window where that node is found.
Another node is selected in the window which contained the killed
node.
`C-x C-f' (`view-file')
Reads the name of a file and selects the entire file. The command
`C-x C-f FILENAME'
is equivalent to typing
`g(FILENAME)*'
`C-x C-b' (`list-visited-nodes')
Makes a window containing a menu of all of the currently visited
nodes. This window becomes the selected window, and you may use
the standard Info commands within it.
`C-x b' (`select-visited-node')
Selects a node which has been previously visited in a visible
window. This is similar to `C-x C-b' followed by `m', but no
window is created.
File: info, Node: Searching Commands, Next: Xref Commands, Prev: Node Commands, Up: Using Stand-alone Info
Searching an Info File
======================
GNU Info allows you to search for a sequence of characters throughout
an entire info file, search through the indices of an info file, or find
areas within an info file which discuss a particular topic.
`s' (`search')
Reads a string in the echo area and searches for it.
`C-s' (`isearch-forward')
Interactively searches forward through the info file for a string
as you type it.
`C-r' (`isearch-backward')
Interactively searches backward through the info file for a string
as you type it.
`i' (`index-search')
Looks up a string in the indices for this info file, and selects a
node where the found index entry points to.
`,' (`next-index-match')
Moves to the node containing the next matching index item from the
last `i' command.
The most basic searching command is `s' (`search'). The `s' command
prompts you for a string in the echo area, and then searches the
remainder of the info file for an occurrence of that string. If the
string is found, the node containing it is selected, and the cursor is
left positioned at the start of the found string. Subsequent `s'
commands show you the default search string within `[' and `]';
pressing <RET> instead of typing a new string will use the default
search string.
"Incremental searching" is similar to basic searching, but the string
is looked up while you are typing it, instead of waiting until the
entire search string has been specified.
File: info, Node: Xref Commands, Next: Window Commands, Prev: Searching Commands, Up: Using Stand-alone Info
Selecting Cross References
==========================
We have already discussed the `Next', `Prev', and `Up' pointers which
appear at the top of a node. In addition to these pointers, a node may
contain other pointers which refer you to a different node, perhaps in
another info file. Such pointers are called "cross references", or
"xrefs" for short.
* Menu:
* Parts of an Xref:: What a cross reference is made of.
* Selecting Xrefs:: Commands for selecting menu or note items.
File: info, Node: Parts of an Xref, Next: Selecting Xrefs, Up: Xref Commands
Parts of an Xref
----------------
Cross references have two major parts: the first part is called the
"label"; it is the name that you can use to refer to the cross
reference, and the second is the "target"; it is the full name of the
node that the cross reference points to.
The target is separated from the label by a colon `:'; first the
label appears, and then the target. For example, in the sample menu
cross reference below, the single colon separates the label from the
target.
* Foo Label: Foo Target. More information about Foo.
Note the `.' which ends the name of the target. The `.' is not part
of the target; it serves only to let Info know where the target name
ends.
A shorthand way of specifying references allows two adjacent colons to
stand for a target name which is the same as the label name:
* Foo Commands:: Commands pertaining to Foo.
In the above example, the name of the target is the same as the name
of the label, in this case `Foo Commands'.
You will normally see two types of cross references while viewing
nodes: "menu" references, and "note" references. Menu references
appear within a node's menu; they begin with a `*' at the beginning of
a line, and continue with a label, a target, and a comment which
describes what the contents of the node pointed to contains.
Note references appear within the body of the node text; they begin
with `*Note', and continue with a label and a target.
Like `Next', `Prev' and `Up' pointers, cross references can point to
any valid node. They are used to refer you to a place where more
detailed information can be found on a particular subject. Here is a
cross reference which points to a node within the Texinfo
documentation: *Note Writing an Xref: (texinfo)xref, for more
information on creating your own texinfo cross references.
File: info, Node: Selecting Xrefs, Prev: Parts of an Xref, Up: Xref Commands
Selecting Xrefs
---------------
The following table lists the Info commands which operate on menu
items.
`1' (`menu-digit')
`2' ... `9'
Within an Info window, pressing a single digit, (such as `1'),
selects that menu item, and places its node in the current window.
For convenience, there is one exception; pressing `0' selects the
_last_ item in the node's menu.
`0' (`last-menu-item')
Select the last item in the current node's menu.
`m' (`menu-item')
Reads the name of a menu item in the echo area and selects its
node. Completion is available while reading the menu label.
`M-x find-menu'
Moves the cursor to the start of this node's menu.
This table lists the Info commands which operate on note cross
references.
`f' (`xref-item')
`r'
Reads the name of a note cross reference in the echo area and
selects its node. Completion is available while reading the cross
reference label.
Finally, the next few commands operate on menu or note references
alike:
`TAB' (`move-to-next-xref')
Moves the cursor to the start of the next nearest menu item or note
reference in this node. You can then use <RET>
(`select-reference-this-line' to select the menu or note reference.
`M-TAB' (`move-to-prev-xref')
Moves the cursor the start of the nearest previous menu item or
note reference in this node.
`RET' (`select-reference-this-line')
Selects the menu item or note reference appearing on this line.
File: info, Node: Window Commands, Next: Printing Nodes, Prev: Xref Commands, Up: Using Stand-alone Info
Manipulating Multiple Windows
=============================
A "window" is a place to show the text of a node. Windows have a
view area where the text of the node is displayed, and an associated
"mode line", which briefly describes the node being viewed.
GNU Info supports multiple windows appearing in a single screen; each
window is separated from the next by its modeline. At any time, there
is only one "active" window, that is, the window in which the cursor
appears. There are commands available for creating windows, changing
the size of windows, selecting which window is active, and for deleting
windows.
* Menu:
* The Mode Line:: What appears in the mode line?
* Basic Windows:: Manipulating windows in Info.
* The Echo Area:: Used for displaying errors and reading input.
File: info, Node: The Mode Line, Next: Basic Windows, Up: Window Commands
The Mode Line
-------------
A "mode line" is a line of inverse video which appears at the bottom
of an info window. It describes the contents of the window just above
it; this information includes the name of the file and node appearing in
that window, the number of screen lines it takes to display the node,
and the percentage of text that is above the top of the window. It can
also tell you if the indirect tags table for this info file needs to be
updated, and whether or not the info file was compressed when stored on
disk.
Here is a sample mode line for a window containing an uncompressed
file named `dir', showing the node `Top'.
-----Info: (dir)Top, 40 lines --Top---------------------------------------
^^ ^ ^^^ ^^
(file)Node #lines where
When a node comes from a file which is compressed on disk, this is
indicated in the mode line with two small `z''s. In addition, if the
info file containing the node has been split into subfiles, the name of
the subfile containing the node appears in the modeline as well:
--zz-Info: (emacs)Top, 291 lines --Top-- Subfile: emacs-1.Z---------------
When Info makes a node internally, such that there is no corresponding
info file on disk, the name of the node is surrounded by asterisks
(`*'). The name itself tells you what the contents of the window are;
the sample mode line below shows an internally constructed node showing
possible completions:
-----Info: *Completions*, 7 lines --All-----------------------------------
File: info, Node: Basic Windows, Next: The Echo Area, Prev: The Mode Line, Up: Window Commands
Window Commands
---------------
It can be convenient to view more than one node at a time. To allow
this, Info can display more than one "window". Each window has its own
mode line (*note The Mode Line::) and history of nodes viewed in that
window (*note `history-node': Node Commands.).
`C-x o' (`next-window')
Selects the next window on the screen. Note that the echo area
can only be selected if it is already in use, and you have left it
temporarily. Normally, `C-x o' simply moves the cursor into the
next window on the screen, or if you are already within the last
window, into the first window on the screen. Given a numeric
argument, `C-x o' moves over that many windows. A negative
argument causes `C-x o' to select the previous window on the
screen.
`M-x prev-window'
Selects the previous window on the screen. This is identical to
`C-x o' with a negative argument.
`C-x 2' (`split-window')
Splits the current window into two windows, both showing the same
node. Each window is one half the size of the original window,
and the cursor remains in the original window. The variable
`automatic-tiling' can cause all of the windows on the screen to
be resized for you automatically, please *note automatic-tiling:
Variables. for more information.
`C-x 0' (`delete-window')
Deletes the current window from the screen. If you have made too
many windows and your screen appears cluttered, this is the way to
get rid of some of them.
`C-x 1' (`keep-one-window')
Deletes all of the windows excepting the current one.
`ESC C-v' (`scroll-other-window')
Scrolls the other window, in the same fashion that `C-v' might
scroll the current window. Given a negative argument, the "other"
window is scrolled backward.
`C-x ^' (`grow-window')
Grows (or shrinks) the current window. Given a numeric argument,
grows the current window that many lines; with a negative numeric
argument, the window is shrunk instead.
`C-x t' (`tile-windows')
Divides the available screen space among all of the visible
windows. Each window is given an equal portion of the screen in
which to display its contents. The variable `automatic-tiling'
can cause `tile-windows' to be called when a window is created or
deleted. *Note `automatic-tiling': Variables.
File: info, Node: The Echo Area, Prev: Basic Windows, Up: Window Commands
The Echo Area
-------------
The "echo area" is a one line window which appears at the bottom of
the screen. It is used to display informative or error messages, and to
read lines of input from you when that is necessary. Almost all of the
commands available in the echo area are identical to their Emacs
counterparts, so please refer to that documentation for greater depth of
discussion on the concepts of editing a line of text. The following
table briefly lists the commands that are available while input is being
read in the echo area:
`C-f' (`echo-area-forward')
Moves forward a character.
`C-b' (`echo-area-backward')
Moves backward a character.
`C-a' (`echo-area-beg-of-line')
Moves to the start of the input line.
`C-e' (`echo-area-end-of-line')
Moves to the end of the input line.
`M-f' (`echo-area-forward-word')
Moves forward a word.
`M-b' (`echo-area-backward-word')
Moves backward a word.
`C-d' (`echo-area-delete')
Deletes the character under the cursor.
`DEL' (`echo-area-rubout')
Deletes the character behind the cursor.
`C-g' (`echo-area-abort')
Cancels or quits the current operation. If completion is being
read, `C-g' discards the text of the input line which does not
match any completion. If the input line is empty, `C-g' aborts
the calling function.
`RET' (`echo-area-newline')
Accepts (or forces completion of) the current input line.
`C-q' (`echo-area-quoted-insert')
Inserts the next character verbatim. This is how you can insert
control characters into a search string, for example.
PRINTING CHARACTER (`echo-area-insert')
Inserts the character.
`M-TAB' (`echo-area-tab-insert')
Inserts a TAB character.
`C-t' (`echo-area-transpose-chars')
Transposes the characters at the cursor.
The next group of commands deal with "killing", and "yanking" text.
For an in depth discussion of killing and yanking, *note Killing and
Deleting: (emacs)Killing.
`M-d' (`echo-area-kill-word')
Kills the word following the cursor.
`M-DEL' (`echo-area-backward-kill-word')
Kills the word preceding the cursor.
`C-k' (`echo-area-kill-line')
Kills the text from the cursor to the end of the line.
`C-x DEL' (`echo-area-backward-kill-line')
Kills the text from the cursor to the beginning of the line.
`C-y' (`echo-area-yank')
Yanks back the contents of the last kill.
`M-y' (`echo-area-yank-pop')
Yanks back a previous kill, removing the last yanked text first.
Sometimes when reading input in the echo area, the command that needed
input will only accept one of a list of several choices. The choices
represent the "possible completions", and you must respond with one of
them. Since there are a limited number of responses you can make, Info
allows you to abbreviate what you type, only typing as much of the
response as is necessary to uniquely identify it. In addition, you can
request Info to fill in as much of the response as is possible; this is
called "completion".
The following commands are available when completing in the echo area:
`TAB' (`echo-area-complete')
`SPC'
Inserts as much of a completion as is possible.
`?' (`echo-area-possible-completions')
Displays a window containing a list of the possible completions of
what you have typed so far. For example, if the available choices
are:
bar
foliate
food
forget
and you have typed an `f', followed by `?', the possible
completions would contain:
foliate
food
forget
i.e., all of the choices which begin with `f'. Pressing <SPC> or
<TAB> would result in `fo' appearing in the echo area, since all
of the choices which begin with `f' continue with `o'. Now,
typing `l' followed by `TAB' results in `foliate' appearing in the
echo area, since that is the only choice which begins with `fol'.
`ESC C-v' (`echo-area-scroll-completions-window')
Scrolls the completions window, if that is visible, or the "other"
window if not.
File: info, Node: Printing Nodes, Next: Miscellaneous Commands, Prev: Window Commands, Up: Using Stand-alone Info
Printing Out Nodes
==================
You may wish to print out the contents of a node as a quick reference
document for later use. Info provides you with a command for doing
this. In general, we recommend that you use TeX to format the document
and print sections of it, by running `tex' on the texinfo source file.
`M-x print-node'
Pipes the contents of the current node through the command in the
environment variable `INFO_PRINT_COMMAND'. If the variable doesn't
exist, the node is simply piped to `lpr'.
File: info, Node: Miscellaneous Commands, Next: Variables, Prev: Printing Nodes, Up: Using Stand-alone Info
Miscellaneous Commands
======================
GNU Info contains several commands which self-document GNU Info:
`M-x describe-command'
Reads the name of an Info command in the echo area and then
displays a brief description of what that command does.
`M-x describe-key'
Reads a key sequence in the echo area, and then displays the name
and documentation of the Info command that the key sequence
invokes.
`M-x describe-variable'
Reads the name of a variable in the echo area and then displays a
brief description of what the variable affects.
`M-x where-is'
Reads the name of an Info command in the echo area, and then
displays a key sequence which can be typed in order to invoke that
command.
`C-h' (`get-help-window')
`?'
Creates (or moves into) the window displaying `*Help*', and places
a node containing a quick reference card into it. This window
displays the most concise information about GNU Info available.
`h' (`get-info-help-node')
Tries hard to visit the node `(info)Help'. The info file
`info.texi' distributed with GNU Info contains this node. Of
course, the file must first be processed with `makeinfo', and then
placed into the location of your info directory.
Here are the commands for creating a numeric argument:
`C-u' (`universal-argument')
Starts (or multiplies by 4) the current numeric argument. `C-u' is
a good way to give a small numeric argument to cursor movement or
scrolling commands; `C-u C-v' scrolls the screen 4 lines, while
`C-u C-u C-n' moves the cursor down 16 lines.
`M-1' (`add-digit-to-numeric-arg')
`M-2' ... `M-9'
Adds the digit value of the invoking key to the current numeric
argument. Once Info is reading a numeric argument, you may just
type the digits of the argument, without the Meta prefix. For
example, you might give `C-l' a numeric argument of 32 by typing:
C-u 3 2 C-l
or
M-3 2 C-l
`C-g' is used to abort the reading of a multi-character key sequence,
to cancel lengthy operations (such as multi-file searches) and to
cancel reading input in the echo area.
`C-g' (`abort-key')
Cancels current operation.
The `q' command of Info simply quits running Info.
`q' (`quit')
Exits GNU Info.
If the operating system tells GNU Info that the screen is 60 lines
tall, and it is actually only 40 lines tall, here is a way to tell Info
that the operating system is correct.
`M-x set-screen-height'
Reads a height value in the echo area and sets the height of the
displayed screen to that value.
Finally, Info provides a convenient way to display footnotes which
might be associated with the current node that you are viewing:
`ESC C-f' (`show-footnotes')
Shows the footnotes (if any) associated with the current node in
another window. You can have Info automatically display the
footnotes associated with a node when the node is selected by
setting the variable `automatic-footnotes'. *Note
`automatic-footnotes': Variables.
File: info, Node: Variables, Prev: Miscellaneous Commands, Up: Using Stand-alone Info
Manipulating Variables
======================
GNU Info contains several "variables" whose values are looked at by
various Info commands. You can change the values of these variables,
and thus change the behaviour of Info to more closely match your
environment and info file reading manner.
`M-x set-variable'
Reads the name of a variable, and the value for it, in the echo
area and then sets the variable to that value. Completion is
available when reading the variable name; often, completion is
available when reading the value to give to the variable, but that
depends on the variable itself. If a variable does _not_ supply
multiple choices to complete over, it expects a numeric value.
`M-x describe-variable'
Reads the name of a variable in the echo area and then displays a
brief description of what the variable affects.
Here is a list of the variables that you can set in Info.
`automatic-footnotes'
When set to `On', footnotes appear and disappear automatically.
This variable is `On' by default. When a node is selected, a
window containing the footnotes which appear in that node is
created, and the footnotes are displayed within the new window.
The window that Info creates to contain the footnotes is called
`*Footnotes*'. If a node is selected which contains no footnotes,
and a `*Footnotes*' window is on the screen, the `*Footnotes*'
window is deleted. Footnote windows created in this fashion are
not automatically tiled so that they can use as little of the
display as is possible.
`automatic-tiling'
When set to `On', creating or deleting a window resizes other
windows. This variable is `Off' by default. Normally, typing
`C-x 2' divides the current window into two equal parts. When
`automatic-tiling' is set to `On', all of the windows are resized
automatically, keeping an equal number of lines visible in each
window. There are exceptions to the automatic tiling;
specifically, the windows `*Completions*' and `*Footnotes*' are
_not_ resized through automatic tiling; they remain their original
size.
`visible-bell'
When set to `On', GNU Info attempts to flash the screen instead of
ringing the bell. This variable is `Off' by default. Of course,
Info can only flash the screen if the terminal allows it; in the
case that the terminal does not allow it, the setting of this
variable has no effect. However, you can make Info perform
quietly by setting the `errors-ring-bell' variable to `Off'.
`errors-ring-bell'
When set to `On', errors cause the bell to ring. The default
setting of this variable is `On'.
`gc-compressed-files'
When set to `On', Info garbage collects files which had to be
uncompressed. The default value of this variable is `Off'.
Whenever a node is visited in Info, the info file containing that
node is read into core, and Info reads information about the tags
and nodes contained in that file. Once the tags information is
read by Info, it is never forgotten. However, the actual text of
the nodes does not need to remain in core unless a particular info
window needs it. For non-compressed files, the text of the nodes
does not remain in core when it is no longer in use. But
de-compressing a file can be a time consuming operation, and so
Info tries hard not to do it twice. `gc-compressed-files' tells
Info it is okay to garbage collect the text of the nodes of a file
which was compressed on disk.
`show-index-match'
When set to `On', the portion of the matched search string is
highlighted in the message which explains where the matched search
string was found. The default value of this variable is `On'.
When Info displays the location where an index match was found,
(*note `next-index-match': Searching Commands.), the portion of the
string that you had typed is highlighted by displaying it in the
inverse case from its surrounding characters.
`scroll-behaviour'
Controls what happens when forward scrolling is requested at the
end of a node, or when backward scrolling is requested at the
beginning of a node. The default value for this variable is
`Continuous'. There are three possible values for this variable:
`Continuous'
Tries to get the first item in this node's menu, or failing
that, the `Next' node, or failing that, the `Next' of the
`Up'. This behaviour is identical to using the `]'
(`global-next-node') and `[' (`global-prev-node') commands.
`Next Only'
Only tries to get the `Next' node.
`Page Only'
Simply gives up, changing nothing. If `scroll-behaviour' is
`Page Only', no scrolling command can change the node that is
being viewed.
`scroll-step'
The number of lines to scroll when the cursor moves out of the
window. Scrolling happens automatically if the cursor has moved
out of the visible portion of the node text when it is time to
display. Usually the scrolling is done so as to put the cursor on
the center line of the current window. However, if the variable
`scroll-step' has a nonzero value, Info attempts to scroll the
node text by that many lines; if that is enough to bring the
cursor back into the window, that is what is done. The default
value of this variable is 0, thus placing the cursor (and the text
it is attached to) in the center of the window. Setting this
variable to 1 causes a kind of "smooth scrolling" which some
people prefer.
`ISO-Latin'
When set to `On', Info accepts and displays ISO Latin-1 characters.
By default, Info assumes an ASCII character set. `ISO-Latin' tells
Info that it is running in an environment where the European
standard character set is in use, and allows you to input such
characters to Info, as well as display them.
Tag Table:
Node: Top987
Node: Getting Started1692
Node: Help-Small-Screen2503
Node: Help4239
Node: Help-P5356
Node: Help-^L6203
Node: Help-M9279
Node: Help-FOO15084
Node: Help-Adv15812
Node: Help-Cross18462
Node: Help-Q19098
Node: Advanced Info19717
Node: Expert20689
Node: Add23337
Node: Menus26691
Node: Cross-refs29560
Node: Tags30257
Node: Checking31564
Node: Emacs Info Variables32512
Node: Create an Info File33869
Node: Using Stand-alone Info34403
Node: Options35680
Ref: Options-Footnote-138679
Node: Cursor Commands38870
Ref: Cursor Commands-Footnote-141384
Node: Scrolling Commands41535
Node: Node Commands44020
Node: Searching Commands48028
Node: Xref Commands49643
Node: Parts of an Xref50246
Node: Selecting Xrefs52176
Node: Window Commands53759
Node: The Mode Line54665
Node: Basic Windows56302
Node: The Echo Area58815
Node: Printing Nodes62994
Node: Miscellaneous Commands63648
Node: Variables66866
End Tag Table