-\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
-@comment %**start of header
-@setfilename ../info/info
-@settitle Info 1.0
-@comment %**end of header
-
-@direntry
-* Info: (info). Documentation browsing system.
-@end direntry
-
-@iftex
-@finalout
-@end iftex
-
-@ifinfo
-This file describes how to use Info,
-the on-line, menu-driven GNU documentation system.
-
-Copyright (C) 1989, 1992 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
-
-
+\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
+
+@copying
+This file describes how to use Info, the on-line, menu-driven GNU
+documentation system.
+
+Copyright @copyright{} 1989, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001,
+2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
+
+@quotation
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
-under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
+under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
-@end ifinfo
+@end quotation
+@end copying
-@setchapternewpage odd
-@titlepage
-@sp 11
-@center @titlefont{Info}
-@sp 2
-@center The
-@sp 2
-@center On-line, Menu-driven
-@sp 2
-@center GNU Documentation System
+@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
-Copyright @copyright{} 1989, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
-@sp 2
-
-Published by the Free Software Foundation @*
-59 Temple Place, Suite 330 @*
-Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA @*
-
-Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
-under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or
-any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
-Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts being ``A GNU
-Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A copy of the
-license is included in the section entitled ``GNU Free Documentation
-License'' in the Emacs manual.
-
-(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have freedom to copy and modify
-this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by the Free
-Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development.''
-
-This document is part of a collection distributed under the GNU Free
-Documentation License. If you want to distribute this document
-separately from the collection, you can do so by adding a copy of the
-license to the document, as described in section 6 of the license.
+@insertcopying
@end titlepage
-@paragraphindent 3
-@ifinfo
-@node Top, Getting Started, (dir), (dir)
+@contents
+
+@ifnottex
+@node Top
@top Info: An Introduction
-Info is a program for reading documentation, which you are using now.
+The GNU Project distributes most of its on-line manuals in the
+@dfn{Info format}, which you read using an @dfn{Info reader}. You are
+probably using an Info reader to read this now.
-To learn how to use Info, type the command @kbd{h}. It brings you
-to a programmed instruction sequence. If at any time you are ready to
-stop using Info, type @samp{q}.
+There are two primary Info readers: @code{info}, a stand-alone program
+designed just to read Info files, and the @code{info} package in GNU
+Emacs, a general-purpose editor. At present, only the Emacs reader
+supports using a mouse.
-@c Need to make sure that `Info-help' goes to the right node,
-@c which is the first node of the first chapter. (It should.)
-@c (Info-find-node "info"
-@c (if (< (window-height) 23)
-@c "Help-Small-Screen"
-@c "Help")))
+@ifinfo
+If 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 programmed
+instruction sequence.
-To learn advanced Info commands, type @kbd{n} twice. This brings you to
-@cite{Info for Experts}, skipping over the `Getting Started' chapter.
+To read about advanced Info commands, type @kbd{n} twice. This
+brings you to @cite{Advanced Info Commands}, skipping over the `Getting
+Started' chapter.
@end ifinfo
+@end ifnottex
@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.
+* Advanced:: Advanced Info commands.
+* Expert Info:: Info commands for experts.
+* Index:: An index of topics, commands, and variables.
@end menu
-@node Getting Started, Advanced Info, Top, Top
+@node Getting Started, Advanced, Top, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@chapter Getting Started
-This first part of the Info manual describes how to get around inside
+This first part of this 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.
-
-@iftex
-This manual is primarily designed for use on a computer, so that you can
-try Info commands while reading about them. Reading it on paper is less
+Info commands. The third part briefly explains how to generate Info
+files from Texinfo files, and describes how to write an Info file
+by hand.
+
+@ifnotinfo
+This manual is primarily designed for browsing with an Info reader
+program on a computer, so that you can try Info commands while reading
+about them. Reading it on paper or with an HTML browser is less
effective, since you must take it on faith that the commands described
-really do what the manual says. By all means go through this manual now
-that you have it; but please try going through the on-line version as
-well.
+really do what the manual says. By all means go through this manual
+now that you have it; but please try going through the on-line version
+as well.
+@cindex Info reader, how to invoke
+@cindex entering Info
There are two ways of looking at the online version of this manual:
@enumerate
stand-alone program designed just to read Info files.
@item
-Type @code{emacs} at the command line; then type @kbd{C-h i} (Control
-@kbd{h}, followed by @kbd{i}). This approach uses the Info mode of the
-Emacs program, an editor with many other capabilities.
+Type @code{emacs} at the command line; then type @kbd{C-h i}
+(@kbd{Control-h}, followed by @kbd{i}). This approach uses the Info
+mode of the Emacs editor.
@end enumerate
In either case, then type @kbd{mInfo} (just the letters), followed by
@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 iftex
+@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, 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.
+* 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, Help, , Getting Started
-@comment node-name, next, previous, up
+@node Help-Small-Screen
@section Starting Info on a Small Screen
-@iftex
+@ifnotinfo
(In Info, you only see this section if your terminal has a small
number of lines; most readers pass by it without seeing it.)
-@end iftex
+@end ifnotinfo
-Since your terminal has an unusually small number of lines on its
+@cindex small screen, moving around
+Since your terminal has a relatively small number of lines on its
screen, it is necessary to give you special advice at the beginning.
-If you see the text @samp{--All----} at near the bottom right corner
+If you see the text @samp{--All----} near the bottom right corner
of the screen, it means the entire text you are looking at fits on the
screen. If you see @samp{--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, @key{SPC}. To move
-back up, press the key labeled @samp{Delete} or @key{DEL}.
+and see another screen full, press @key{SPC}, the Space bar. To move
+back up, press the key labeled @samp{Backspace} or @samp{DEL} (on some
+keyboards, this key might be labeled @samp{Delete}).
@ifinfo
-Here are 40 lines of junk, so you can try Spaces and Deletes and
+Here are 40 lines of junk, so you can try @key{SPC} and @key{DEL} and
see what they do. At the end are instructions of what you should do
next.
+
@format
-This is line 17
-This is line 18
-This is line 19
This is line 20
This is line 21
This is line 22
This is line 54
This is line 55
This is line 56
+This is line 57
+This is line 58
+This is line 59
@end format
+
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 @kbd{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.
+@kbd{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}), and come back here again, then you
+understand the about the @samp{Space} and @samp{Backspace} keys. So
+now type an @kbd{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.
@end ifinfo
@node Help, Help-P, Help-Small-Screen, Getting Started
You are talking to the program Info, for reading documentation.
+ There are two ways to use Info: from within Emacs or as a
+stand-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 specific
-level of detail. This node's topic is ``how to use Info''.
-
- The top line of a node is its @dfn{header}. This node's header (look at
-it now) says that it is the node named @samp{Help} in the file
-@file{info}. It says that the @samp{Next} node after this one is the node
-called @samp{Help-P}. An advanced Info command lets you go to any node
-whose name you know.
-
- Besides a @samp{Next}, a node can have a @samp{Previous} or an
-@samp{Up}. This node has a @samp{Previous} which is
-@samp{Help-Small-Screen}, and an @samp{Up} which is @samp{Getting
-Started}. Some nodes have no @samp{Previous} and some have no
-@samp{Up}.
-
+level of detail. This node's topic is ``how to use Info''. The mode
+line 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 the
+node called @samp{Help-P}. An advanced Info command lets you go to
+any 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 as
+well. In Emacs, the header line is duplicated in a special typeface,
+and the duplicate remains at the top of the window all the time even
+if you scroll through 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 these
+links.
+
+@kindex n @r{(Info mode)}
Now it is time to move on to the @samp{Next} node, named @samp{Help-P}.
@format
->> Type @samp{n} to move there. Type just one character;
+>> 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 middle
+ 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 next
node, @samp{Help-^L}.
@format
->> But do not do that yet. First, try the @kbd{p} command, which takes
- you to the @samp{Previous} node. When you get there, you can do an
- @kbd{n} again to return here.
+>> But do not type @kbd{n} yet. First, try the @kbd{p} command, or
+ (in Emacs) click the middle mouse button on the @samp{Prev} link.
+ That takes you to the @samp{Previous} node. Then use @kbd{n} to
+ return here.
@end format
- This all probably seems insultingly simple so far, but @emph{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.
+ If you read this in Emacs, you will see an @samp{Info} item in the
+menu 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 yet
+learn about).
+
+ This all probably seems insultingly simple so far, but @emph{please
+don't} start skimming. Things will get complicated soon enough!
+Also, please do not try a new command until you are told it is time
+to. You could make Info skip past an important warning that was
+coming up.
@format
->> Now do an @kbd{n} to get to the node @samp{Help-^L} and learn more.
+>> 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-M, Help-P, Getting Started
+@node Help-^L, Help-Inv, Help-P, Getting Started
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
-@section The Space, Delete, B and ^L commands.
+@section The Space, DEL, B and ^L commands
- This node's header tells you that you are now at node @samp{Help-^L}, and
-that @kbd{p} would get you back to @samp{Help-P}. The node's title is
-underlined; it says what the node is about (most nodes have titles).
+ 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 get
+you back to @samp{Help-P}. The node's title is highlighted and may be
+underlined 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 you
can see the string @samp{--Top-----} rather than @samp{--All----} near
the bottom right corner of the screen.
- The Space, Delete and @kbd{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).
+@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 which
+we call ``Backspace or DEL'' in this manual is labeled differently on
+different keyboards. Look for a key which is a little ways above the
+@key{ENTER} or @key{RET} key and which you normally use outside Emacs
+to erase the character before the cursor, i.e.@: the character you
+typed last. It might be labeled @samp{Backspace} or @samp{<-} or
+@samp{DEL}, or sometimes @samp{Delete}.} and @kbd{b} commands exist to
+allow you to ``move around'' in a node that does not all fit on the
+screen at once. @key{SPC} moves forward, to show what was below the
+bottom of the screen. @key{DEL} or @key{BACKSPACE} 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).
@format
->> Now try typing a Space (afterward, type a Delete to return here).
+>> Now try typing a @key{SPC} (afterward, type a @key{BACKSPACE} to
+ return here).
@end format
- 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,
-@emph{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 @kbd{C-l} (@kbd{Control-L}, that is---hold down ``Control'' and
-type an @key{L} or @kbd{l}).
+ When you type the @key{SPC}, the two lines that were at the bottom of
+the 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 the
+bottom, @emph{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.
+
+ If you are reading this in Emacs, note that the header line is
+always visible, never scrolling off the display. That way, you can
+always see the @samp{Next}, @samp{Prev}, and @samp{Up} links, and you
+can conveniently go to one of these links at any time by
+clicking 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 through
+the current node. They also move between nodes. @key{SPC} at the end
+of a node moves to the next node; @key{DEL} (or @key{BACKSPACE}) at
+the beginning of a node moves to the previous node. In effect, these
+commands scroll through all the nodes in an Info file as a single
+logical sequence. You can read an entire manual top to bottom by just
+typing @key{SPC}, and move backward through the entire manual from
+bottom 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 in
+the menu, one by one. Once you reach the end of a node, and have seen
+all of its subnodes, @key{SPC} takes you to the next node or to the
+parent'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 your
+keyboard has these keys, you can use them to move forward and backward
+through the text of one node, like @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} (or
+@key{DEL}). However, @key{PAGEUP} and @key{PAGEDOWN} keys never
+scroll 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 it
+again 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 type
-a lot of Deletes. You can also type simply @kbd{b} for beginning.
+the @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, with Spaces.
+ 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
-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?
+ If your screen is very tall, all of this node might fit at once. In
+that case, @kbd{b} won't do anything. But you could observe the
+effect of the @kbd{b} key if you use a smaller window.
+@kindex ? @r{(Info mode)}
+@findex Info-summary
You have just learned a considerable number of commands. If you
want to use one but have trouble remembering which, you should type
-a @key{?} which prints out a brief list of commands. When you are
-finished looking at the list, make it go away by typing a @key{SPC}.
+a @kbd{?} (in Emacs it runs the @code{Info-summary} command) which
+displays a brief list of commands. When you are finished looking at
+the list, make it go away by typing a @key{SPC} repeatedly.
@format
->> Type a @key{?} now. After it finishes, type a @key{SPC}.
+>> 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 standalone Info reader, type `l' to return here.)
+ (If you are using the stand-alone Info reader, type @kbd{C-x 0} to
+return 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, 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
+will be expected to know how to use @key{SPC} and @key{BACKSPACE} 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.
@format
->> Now type @kbd{n} to see the description of the @kbd{m} command.
+>> Now type @kbd{n}, or click the middle mouse button on the @samp{Next} link,
+ to visit the next node.
@end format
-@node Help-M, Help-Adv, Help-^L, Getting Started
+@node Help-Inv, Help-M, Help-^L, Getting Started
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
-@section Menus
+@section Invisible text in Emacs Info
+
+ Before discussing menus, we need to make some remarks that are only
+relevant to users reading Info using Emacs. Users of the stand-alone
+version can skip this node by typing @kbd{]} now.
+
+@cindex invisible text in Emacs
+ In Emacs, certain text that appears in the stand-alone version is
+normally hidden, technically because it has the @samp{invisibility}
+property. Invisible text is really a part of the text. It becomes
+visible (by default) after killing and yanking, it appears in printed
+output, it gets saved to file just like any other text, and so on.
+Thus it is useful to know it is there.
+
+@findex visible-mode
+You can make invisible text visible by using the command @kbd{M-x
+visible-mode}. Visible mode is a minor mode, so using the command a
+second time will make the text invisible again. Watch the effects of
+the 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 mode
+permanently is not a real alternative, because Emacs Info also uses
+(although less extensively) another text property that can change the
+text being displayed, the @samp{display} property. Only the
+invisibility property is affected by Visible mode. When, in this
+tutorial, 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.
-Menus and the @kbd{m} command
+@menu
+* ]: Help-]. Node telling about ].
+* stuff: Help-]. Same node.
+* Help-]:: Yet again, same node.
+@end menu
- With only the @kbd{n} and @kbd{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 @samp{* 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.
+@node Help-], , , Help-Inv
+@subsection The @kbd{]} and @kbd{[} commands
+
+If you type @kbd{n} now, you get an error message saying that this
+node has no next node. Similarly, if you type @kbd{p}, the error
+message tells you that there is no previous node. (The exact message
+depends 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 same
+level}. The present node is contained in a menu (see next) of the
+node 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 was
+listed 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 run
+the risk of skipping many nodes. You do not run this risk if you
+systematically use @kbd{@key{SPC}}, because, when you scroll to the
+bottom of a node and type another @kbd{@key{SPC}}, then this carries
+you to the following node in the manual @emph{regardless of level}.
+If you immediately want to go to that node, without having to scroll
+to the bottom of the screen first, you can type @kbd{]}.
+
+Similarly, @kbd{@key{BACKSPACE}} carries you to the preceding node
+regardless of level, after you scrolled to the beginning of the
+present 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 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 @w{@samp{* 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 @samp{*}
-identifies one subtopic. The line usually contains a brief name
-for the subtopic (followed by a @samp{:}), the name of the node that talks
-about that subtopic, and optionally some further description of the
+identifies one subtopic. The line usually contains a brief name for
+the subtopic (followed by a @samp{:}, normally hidden in Emacs), the
+name of the node that talks about that subtopic (again, normally
+hidden in Emacs), and optionally some further description of the
subtopic. Lines in the menu that do not start with a @samp{*} have no
special meaning---they are only for the human reader's benefit and do
not define additional subtopics. Here is an example:
@example
-* Foo: FOO's Node This tells about FOO
+* Foo: Node about FOO. This tells about FOO.
@end example
-The subtopic name is Foo, and the node describing it is @samp{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 @samp{* Menu:}.]]
+The subtopic name is Foo, and the node describing it is @samp{Node
+about FOO}. 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 @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. Also,
+in a real menu item, the @samp{*} would appear at the very start of
+the line. This is why the ``normally hidden'' text in Emacs, namely
+@samp{: Node about FOO.}, is actually visible in this example, even
+when Visible mode is off.]]
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
abbreviation for this:
@example
-* Foo:: This tells about FOO
+* Foo:: This tells about FOO.
@end example
@noindent
This means that the subtopic name and node name are the same; they are
-both @samp{Foo}.
+both @samp{Foo}. (The @samp{::} is normally hidden in Emacs.)
@format
->> Now use Spaces to find the menu in this node, then come back to
- the front with a @kbd{b} and some Spaces. As you see, a menu is
+>> 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 format
- The command to go to one of the subnodes is @kbd{m}---but @emph{do
-not do it yet!} Before you use @kbd{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 @kbd{m}
-command is different: it is incomplete without the @dfn{name of the
-subtopic}. Once you have typed @kbd{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 @kbd{n}
-or @kbd{b} or Space or @kbd{m}. If that line contains text ending
-in a colon, it mean Info is trying to read the @dfn{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 @kbd{Control-g} to cancel the
-command. When you have done one of those things, the line becomes
-blank again.
-
+If you keep typing @key{SPC} once the menu appears on the screen, it
+will move to another node (the first one in the menu). If that
+happens, 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 very
+different from the commands you have used: it is a command that
+prompts you for more input.
+
+ The Info commands you know do not need additional input; when you
+type one of them, Info processes it instantly and then is ready for
+another command. The @kbd{m} command is different: it needs to know
+the @dfn{name of the subtopic}. Once you have typed @kbd{m}, Info
+tries to read the subtopic name.
+
+ Now, in the stand-alone Info, look for the line containing many
+dashes near the bottom of the screen. (This is the stand-alone
+equivalent for the mode line in Emacs.) There is one more line
+beneath that one, but usually it is blank. (In Emacs, this is the
+echo 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 contains
+text ending in a colon, it means Info is reading more input for the
+last command. You can't type an Info command then, because Info is
+trying to read input, not commands. You must either give the input
+and finish the command you started, or type @kbd{Control-g} to cancel
+the command. When you have done one of those things, the input entry
+line 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 type
the @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 with
-a @key{RET}.
+a @key{RET}. In Emacs, @kbd{m} runs the command @code{Info-menu}.
+@cindex abbreviating Info subnodes
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 @dfn{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.
+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. You should not put any spaces at the end, or inside of the
+item name, except for one space where a space appears in the item in
+the menu.
+
+@cindex completion of Info node names
+ You can also use the @dfn{completion} feature to help enter the
+subtopic name. If you type the @key{TAB} key after entering part of a
+name, it will fill in more of the name---as much as Info can deduce
+from the part 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.
+not need to type the argument: you just type a @key{RET}, and it
+stands for the subtopic of the line you are on. You can also click
+the middle mouse button directly on the subtopic line to go there.
-Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice.
+Here is a menu to give you a chance to practice. This menu gives you
+three ways of going to one place, Help-FOO:
@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.
+* 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 used
now; 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 Control-g.
+ 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
->> Now type @samp{BAR} item name. Do not type Return yet.
+@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 Delete key to
-cancel one character at a time if you make a mistake.
+ 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 a
+mistake.
@format
->> Type one to cancel the @samp{R}. You could type another @samp{R} to
- replace it. You do not have to, since @samp{BA} is a valid abbreviation.
+>> 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 Help-FOO, you should return here.
+ After visiting @samp{Help-FOO}, you should return here.
+
+ Another way to move to the menu subtopic lines and between them is
+to type @key{TAB}. Each time you type a @key{TAB}, you move to the
+next subtopic line. To move to a previous subtopic line in the
+stand-alone reader, type @kbd{M-@key{TAB}}---that is, press and hold
+the @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 hold
+the @key{Shift} key and then press @key{TAB}).
+
+ Once you move cursor to a subtopic line, press @key{RET} to go to
+that 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 going
+to a subtopic. Move your mouse pointer to the subtopic line,
+somewhere between the beginning @samp{*} and the colon @samp{:} which
+ends the subtopic's brief name. You will see the subtopic's name
+change its appearance (usually, its background color will change), and
+the shape of the mouse pointer will change if your platform supports
+that. After a while, if you leave the mouse on that spot, a small
+window will pop up, saying ``Mouse-2: go to that node'', or the same
+message may appear at the bottom of the screen.
+
+ @kbd{Mouse-2} is the second button of your mouse counting from the
+left---the middle button on a 3-button mouse. (On a 2-button mouse,
+you may have to press both buttons together to ``press the middle
+button''.) The message tells you pressing @kbd{Mouse-2} with the
+current position of the mouse pointer (on subtopic in the menu) will
+go to that subtopic.
+
+@findex Info-mouse-follow-nearest-node
+ More generally, @kbd{Mouse-2} in an Info buffer finds the nearest
+link to another node and goes there. For example, near a cross
+reference it acts like @kbd{f}, in a menu it acts like @kbd{m}, on the
+node's header line it acts like @kbd{n}, @kbd{p}, or @kbd{u}, etc. At
+end of the node's text @kbd{Mouse-2} moves to the next node, or up if
+there's no next node.
@format
>> Type @kbd{n} to see more commands.
@end format
-@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-FOO, , , Help-M
-@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@subsection The @kbd{u} command
- Congratulations! This is the node @samp{Help-FOO}. Unlike the other
-nodes you have seen, this one has an @samp{Up}: @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 menu have @samp{Up} nodes that lead
-back to the menu. Menus move Down in the tree, and @samp{Up} moves Up.
-@samp{Previous}, on the other hand, is usually used to ``stay on the same
-level but go backwards''
+ 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 menu
+have @samp{Up} nodes that lead back to the menu. Menus move Down in the
+tree, and @samp{Up} moves Up. @samp{Previous}, on the other hand, is
+usually 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''. That puts you at the @emph{front} of the
-node---to get back to where you were reading you have to type
-some @key{SPC}s. (Some Info readers, such as the one built into Emacs,
-put you at the same place where you were reading in @samp{Help-M}.)
+@kbd{u} for ``Up'' (the Emacs command run by @kbd{u} is
+@code{Info-up}). That puts you at the @emph{front} of the node---to
+get back to where you were reading you have to type some @key{SPC}s.
+(Some Info readers, such as the one built into Emacs, put you at the
+menu subtopic line which points to the subnode that the @kbd{u} command
+brought you from.)
+
+ 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-Adv, Help-Q, Help-M, Getting Started
+@node Help-Xref, Help-Int, Help-M, Getting Started
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
-@section Some advanced Info commands
+@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 text
+is a real, live cross reference, whose name is @samp{Cross} and which
+points to the node named @samp{Help-Cross}. (The node name is hidden
+in Emacs. Do @kbd{M-x visible-mode} to show or hide it.)
+
+@kindex f @r{(Info mode)}
+@findex Info-follow-reference
+ There are two ways to follow a cross reference. You can move the
+cursor to it and press @key{RET}, just as in a menu. @key{RET}
+follows the cross reference that the cursor is on. Or you can type
+@kbd{f} and then specify the name of the cross reference (in this
+case, @samp{Cross}) as an argument. In Emacs Info, @kbd{f} runs
+@code{Info-follow-reference},
+
+ In the @kbd{f} command, you select the cross reference with its
+name, so it does not matter where the cursor was. If the cursor is on
+or near a cross reference, @kbd{f} suggests that reference name in
+parentheses as the default; typing @key{RET} will follow that
+reference. However, if you type a different reference name, @kbd{f}
+will follow the other reference which has that name.
- The course is almost over, so please stick with it to the end.
+@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 mind
+about following any reference, you can use @kbd{Control-g} to cancel
+the command. Completion is available in the @kbd{f} command; you can
+complete among all the cross reference names in the current node by
+typing a @key{TAB}.
+
+ To get a list of all the cross references in the current node, you
+can type @kbd{?} after an @kbd{f}. The @kbd{f} continues to await a
+cross reference name even after displaying the list, so if you don't
+actually 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 cross
+references outside of menus.
+
+ Clicking @kbd{Mouse-2} on or near a cross reference also follows the
+reference. You can see that the cross reference is mouse-sensitive by
+moving the mouse pointer to the reference and watching how the
+underlying text and the mouse pointer change in response.
+
+ Sometimes a cross reference (or a node) can lead to another file (in
+other words another ``manual''), or, on occasion, even a file on a
+remote machine (although Info files distributed with Emacs or the
+stand-alone Info avoid using remote links). Such a cross reference
+looks 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 appears
+in cross references and node names if it differs from the current
+file, so you can always know that you are going to be switching to
+another 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 information
+appearing in a separate box (tool tip) or in the echo area will show
+the full cross-reference including the file name and the node name of
+the cross reference. If you have a mouse, just leave it over the
+cross reference @xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo:
+The GNU Documentation Format}, and watch what happens. If you
+always like to have that information visible without having to move
+your mouse over the cross reference, use @kbd{M-x visible-mode}, or
+set @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 continue
+a little longer to learn some intermediate-level commands.
+
+ Most Info files have an index, which is actually a large node
+containing little but a menu. The menu has one menu item for each
+topic listed in the index. (As a special feature, menus for indices
+may 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 just
+the 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 that
+describes the topic you want.
+
+ There is also a short-cut Info command, @kbd{i}, which does all of
+that for you. It searches the index for a given topic (a string) and
+goes 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 to
retrace your steps, the @kbd{l} command (@kbd{l} for @dfn{last}) will
do that, one node-step at a time. As you move from node to node, Info
@kbd{l} command revisits nodes in the history list; each successive
@kbd{l} command moves one step back through the history.
- If you have been following directions, an @kbd{l} command now will get
-you back to @samp{Help-M}. Another @kbd{l} command would undo the
-@kbd{u} and get you back to @samp{Help-FOO}. Another @kbd{l} would undo
-the @kbd{m} and get you back to @samp{Help-M}.
+ In Emacs, @kbd{l} runs the command @code{Info-history-back}.
@format
->> Try typing three @kbd{l}'s, pausing in between to see what each
- @kbd{l} does.
+>> Try typing @kbd{p p n} and then three @kbd{l}'s, pausing in between
+to see what each @kbd{l} does. You should wind up right back here.
@end format
-Then follow directions again and you will end up back here.
-
Note the difference between @kbd{l} and @kbd{p}: @kbd{l} moves to
where @emph{you} last were, whereas @kbd{p} always moves to the node
-which the header says is the @samp{Previous} node (from this node, to
-@samp{Help-M}).
-
- The @samp{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.
+which 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 d @r{(Info mode)}
+@findex Info-directory
+@cindex go to Directory node
+ The @kbd{d} command (@code{Info-directory} in Emacs) 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. The
+Directory node lists all the manuals and other Info documents that
+are, or could be, installed on your system.
@format
->> Try doing a @samp{d}, then do an @kbd{l} to return here (yes,
+>> Try doing a @kbd{d}, then do an @kbd{l} to return here (yes,
@emph{do} return).
@end format
- Sometimes, in Info documentation, you will see a cross reference.
-Cross references look like this: @xref{Help-Cross, Cross}. That is a
-real, live cross reference which is named @samp{Cross} and points at
-the node named @samp{Help-Cross}.
-
- If you wish to follow a cross reference, you must use the @samp{f}
-command. The @samp{f} must be followed by the cross reference name
-(in this case, @samp{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 @kbd{Control-g} to cancel the command.
-
- Completion is available in the @samp{f} command; you can complete among
-all the cross reference names in the current node by typing a Tab.
+@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 select
+some specific top-level menu item. The Emacs command run by @kbd{t}
+is @code{Info-top-node}.
@format
->> Type @samp{f}, followed by @samp{Cross}, and a @key{RET}.
-@end format
-
- To get a list of all the cross references in the current node, you can
-type @kbd{?} after an @samp{f}. The @samp{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 @kbd{Control-g}
-to cancel the @samp{f}.
-
-@format
->> Type "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.
-
>> 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-Cross, , , Help-Adv
+@node Advanced
+@chapter Advanced Info Commands
+
+ This chapter describes various advanced Info commands. (If you
+are using a stand-alone Info reader, there are additional commands
+specific to it, which are documented in several chapters of @ref{Top,,
+GNU Info, info-stnd, GNU 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 How to search Info documents
+
+@cindex searching Info documents
+@cindex Info document as a reference
+ The commands which move between and inside nodes allow you to read
+the entire manual or its large portions. But what if you need to find
+some information in the manual as fast as you can, and you don't know
+or don't remember in what node to look for it? This need arises when
+you use a manual as a @dfn{reference}, or when it is impractical to
+read the entire manual before you start using the programs it
+describes.
+
+ Info has powerful searching facilities that let you find things
+quickly. 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. You
+type @kbd{s} followed by the string to search for, terminated by
+@key{RET}. To search for the same string again, just @kbd{s} followed
+by @key{RET} will do. The file's nodes are scanned in the order
+they are in the file, which has no necessary relationship to the
+order that they may be in the tree structure of menus and @samp{next}
+pointers. But normally the two orders are not very different. In any
+case, you can always look at the mode line to find out what node you have
+reached, if the header is not visible (this can happen, because @kbd{s}
+puts your cursor at the occurrence of the string, not at the beginning
+of the node).
+
+@kindex M-s @r{(Info mode)}
+ In Emacs, @kbd{Meta-s} is equivalent to @kbd{s}. That is for
+compatibility with other GNU packages that use @kbd{M-s} for a similar
+kind of search command. Both @kbd{s} and @kbd{M-s} run in Emacs the
+command @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, this behavior is enabled only
+if the variable @code{Info-isearch-search} is non-@code{nil}
+(@pxref{Emacs Info Variables}).
+
+@node Search Index, Go to node, Search Text, Advanced
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
-@unnumberedsubsec The node reached by the cross reference in Info
+@section How to search 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 try
+the index search first before the text search. The @kbd{i} command
+prompts you for a subject and then looks up that subject in the
+indices. If it finds an index entry with the subject you typed, it
+goes to the node to which that index entry points. You should browse
+through that node to see whether the issue you are looking for is
+described there. If it isn't, type @kbd{,} one or more times to go
+through additional index entries which match your subject.
+
+ The @kbd{i} command and subsequent @kbd{,} commands find all index
+entries which include the string you typed @emph{as a substring}.
+For each match, Info shows in the echo area the full index entry it
+found. Often, the text of the full index entry already gives you
+enough information to decide whether it is relevant to what you are
+looking for, so we recommend that you read what Info shows in the echo
+area before looking at the node it displays.
+
+ Since @kbd{i} looks for a substring, you can search for subjects even
+if you are not sure how they are spelled in the index. For example,
+suppose you want to find something that is pertinent to commands which
+complete partial input (e.g., when you type @key{TAB}). If you want
+to 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 are
+looking for a description of a command, an option, or a key, just type
+their names when @kbd{i} prompts you for a topic. For example, if you
+want to read the description of what the @kbd{C-l} key does, type
+@kbd{iC-l@key{RET}} literally.
+
+ In Emacs, @kbd{i} runs the command @code{Info-index}.
+
+@findex info-apropos
+@findex index-apropos
+If you aren't sure which manual documents the topic you are looking
+for, try the @kbd{M-x info-apropos} command in Emacs, or the @kbd{M-x
+index-apropos} command in the stand-alone reader. It prompts for
+a string and then looks up that string in all the indices of all the
+Info 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
- This is the node reached by the cross reference named @samp{Cross}.
+@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}, the
+name, and @key{RET}. Thus, @kbd{gTop@key{RET}} would go to the node
+called @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.
+@kbd{g} in Emacs runs the command @code{Info-goto-node}.
- 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 @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} or @samp{Up} pointing back to
-where you came from. In general, the @kbd{l} (el) command is the only
-way to get back there.
+ 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 a
+partial node name.
-@format
->> Type @kbd{l} to return to the node where the cross reference was.
-@end format
+@cindex go to another Info file
+ To go to a node in another file, you can include the file name in the
+node name by putting it at the front, in parentheses. Thus,
+@kbd{g(dir)Top@key{RET}} would go to the Info Directory node, which is
+the 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.
-@node Help-Q, , Help-Adv, Getting Started
+ The node name @samp{*} specifies the whole file. So you can look at
+all of the current file by typing @kbd{g*@key{RET}} or all of any
+other 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 Quitting Info
+@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 together
+with a name of a menu subtopic. @kbd{1} goes through the first item
+in 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. In Emacs,
+the digit keys run the command @code{Info-nth-menu-item}.
+
+ If your display supports multiple fonts, colors or underlining, and
+you are using Emacs' Info mode to read Info files, the third, sixth
+and ninth menu items have a @samp{*} that stands out, either in color
+or in some other attribute, such as underline; this makes it easy to
+see at a glance which number to use for an item.
+
+ Some terminals don't support either multiple fonts, colors or
+underlining. If you need to actually count items, it is better to use
+@kbd{m} instead, and specify the name, or use @key{TAB} to quickly
+move 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 independent
+Info buffer in the same window by typing @kbd{M-n}. The new buffer
+starts out as an exact copy of the old one, but you will be able to
+move 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 a
+numeric prefix argument to the @kbd{m} and @kbd{g} commands. @kbd{C-u
+m} 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 they
+select in another window.
+
+ Another way to produce new Info buffers in Emacs is to use a numeric
+prefix argument for the @kbd{C-h i} command (@code{info}) which
+switches 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 Variables
- To get out of Info, back to what you were doing before, type @kbd{q}
-for @dfn{Quit}.
+The 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 @file{~/.emacs} init file. @xref{Examining, Examining and Setting
+Variables, Examining and Setting Variables, emacs, The GNU Emacs
+Manual}. The stand-alone Info reader program has its own set of
+variables, described in @ref{Variables,, Manipulating Variables,
+info-stnd, GNU Info}.
- 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.
+@vtable @code
+@item Info-directory-list
+The list of directories to search for Info files. Each element is a
+string (directory name) or @code{nil} (try default directory). If not
+initialized Info uses the environment variable @env{INFOPATH} to
+initialize it, or @code{Info-default-directory-list} if there is no
+@env{INFOPATH} variable in the environment.
-@format
->> Type @samp{d} to go to the Info directory node; then type
- @samp{mInfo} and Return, to get to the node about Info and
- see what other help is available.
-@end format
+If you wish to customize the Info directory search list for both Emacs
+Info and stand-alone Info, it is best to set the @env{INFOPATH}
+environment variable, since that applies to both programs.
-@node Advanced Info, Create an Info File, Getting Started, Top
-@comment node-name, next, previous, up
+@item Info-additional-directory-list
+A list of additional directories to search for Info documentation files.
+These directories are not searched for merging the @file{dir} file.
+
+@item Info-mode-hook
+Hooks run when @code{Info-mode} is called. By default, it contains
+the hook @code{turn-on-font-lock} which enables highlighting of Info
+files. You can change how the highlighting looks by customizing the
+faces @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 customize
+a 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-size
+Maximum size of menu to fontify if @code{font-lock-mode} is non-@code{nil}.
+
+@item Info-fontify-visited-nodes
+If non-@code{nil}, menu items and cross-references pointing to visited
+nodes are displayed in the @code{info-xref-visited} face.
+
+@item Info-use-header-line
+If non-@code{nil}, Emacs puts in the Info buffer a header line showing
+the @samp{Next}, @samp{Prev}, and @samp{Up} links. A header line does
+not scroll with the rest of the buffer, making these links always
+visible.
+
+@item Info-hide-note-references
+As explained in earlier nodes, the Emacs version of Info normally
+hides some text in menus and cross-references. You can completely
+disable this feature, by setting this option to @code{nil}. Setting
+it to a value that is neither @code{nil} nor @code{t} produces an
+intermediate behavior, hiding a limited amount of text, but showing
+all text that could potentially be useful.
+
+@item Info-scroll-prefer-subnodes
+If 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 before
+scrolling to its end or beginning, respectively. For example, if the
+node's menu appears on the screen, the next @key{SPC} moves to a
+subnode indicated by the following menu item. Setting this option to
+@code{nil} results in behavior similar to the stand-alone Info reader
+program, which visits the first subnode from the menu only when you
+hit the end of the current node. The default is @code{nil}.
+
+@item Info-isearch-search
+If non-@code{nil}, isearch in Info searches through multiple nodes.
+
+@item Info-enable-active-nodes
+When set to a non-@code{nil} value, allows Info to execute Lisp code
+associated with nodes. The Lisp code is executed when the node is
+selected. The Lisp code to be executed should follow the node
+delimiter (the @samp{DEL} character) and an @samp{execute: } tag, like
+this:
+
+@example
+^_execute: (message "This is an active node!")
+@end example
+@end vtable
+
+
+@node Expert Info
@chapter 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 @emph{both} to generate an
-Info file and to make a printed manual. @xref{Top,, Overview of
-Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation Format}.)
+ 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 it
+to make a printed manual or produce other formats, such as HTML and
+DocBook, as well as for generating Info files.
-@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.
-@end menu
+The @code{makeinfo} command converts a Texinfo file into an Info file;
+@code{texinfo-format-region} and @code{texinfo-format-buffer} are GNU
+Emacs functions that do the same.
-@node Expert, Add, , Advanced Info
-@comment node-name, next, previous, up
-@section Advanced Info Commands
+@xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU
+Documentation Format}, for how to write a Texinfo file.
-@kbd{g}, @kbd{s}, @kbd{1}, -- @kbd{9}, and @kbd{e}
+@xref{Creating an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation
+Format}, for how to create an Info file from a Texinfo file.
-If you know a node's name, you can go there by typing @kbd{g}, the
-name, and @key{RET}. Thus, @kbd{gTop@key{RET}} would go to the node
-called @samp{Top} in this file (its directory node).
-@kbd{gExpert@key{RET}} would come back here.
+@xref{Installing an Info File,,, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU
+Documentation Format}, for how to install an Info file after you
+have created one.
-Unlike @kbd{m}, @kbd{g} does not allow the use of abbreviations.
+However, if you want to edit an Info file manually and install it manually,
+here is how.
-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,
-@kbd{g(dir)Top@key{RET}} would go to the Info Directory node, which is
-node @samp{Top} in the file @file{dir}.
+@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
-The node name @samp{*} specifies the whole file. So you can look at
-all of the current file by typing @kbd{g*@key{RET}} or all of any
-other file with @kbd{g(FILENAME)@key{RET}}.
-
-The @kbd{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
-@kbd{s} followed by the string to search for, terminated by @key{RET}.
-To search for the same string again, just @kbd{s} followed by @key{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 @samp{next} pointers. But
-normally the two orders are not very different. In any case, you can
-always do a @kbd{b} to find out what node you have reached, if the
-header is not visible (this can happen, because @kbd{s} puts your cursor
-at the occurrence of the string, not at the beginning of the node).
-
-@kbd{Meta-s} is equivalent to @kbd{s}. That is for compatibility with
-other GNU packages that use @kbd{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 @kbd{1}, @kbd{2}, @kbd{3}, @kbd{4}, ...
-@kbd{9}. They are short for the @kbd{m} command together with an
-argument. @kbd{1} goes through the first item in the current node's
-menu; @kbd{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 @samp{*} for the fifth menu item is
-underlined, and so is the @samp{*} 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 @kbd{m} instead, and specify
-the name.
-
-The Info command @kbd{e} changes from Info mode to an ordinary
-Emacs editing mode, so that you can edit the text of the current node.
-Type @kbd{C-c C-c} to switch back to Info. The @kbd{e} command is allowed
-only if the variable @code{Info-enable-edit} is non-@code{nil}.
-
-@node Add, Menus, Expert, Advanced Info
+@node Add, Menus, , Expert Info
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Adding a new node to Info
To add a new topic to the list in the Info directory, you must:
+
@enumerate
@item
Create some nodes, in some file, to document that topic.
Put that topic in the menu in the directory. @xref{Menus, Menu}.
@end enumerate
-Usually, the way to create the nodes is with Texinfo @pxref{Top,, Overview of
-Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation Format}); 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.
-
+@cindex node delimiters
The new node can live in an existing documentation file, or in a new
-one. It must have a @key{^_} character before it (invisible to the
+one. It must have a @samp{^_} character before it (invisible to the
user; this node has one but you cannot see it), and it ends with either
-a @key{^_}, a @key{^L}, or the end of file. Note: If you put in a
-@key{^L} to end a new node, be sure that there is a @key{^_} after it
-to start the next one, since @key{^L} cannot @emph{start} a node.
-Also, a nicer way to make a node boundary be a page boundary as well
-is to put a @key{^L} @emph{right after} the @key{^_}.
-
- The @key{^_} starting a node must be followed by a newline or a
-@key{^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 @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and @samp{Up} nodes (if
-there are any). As you can see, this node's @samp{Up} node is the node
-@samp{Top}, which points at all the documentation for Info. The @samp{Next}
-node is @samp{Menus}.
-
- The keywords @dfn{Node}, @dfn{Previous}, @dfn{Up}, and @dfn{Next},
+a @samp{^_}, a @samp{^L} (``formfeed''), or the end of file.@footnote{If
+you 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 a
+page 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. The
+header line must give the node's name (by which Info finds it), and
+state 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} node
+is 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 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.
does not end it; node names may contain spaces. The case of letters
in 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 by
what appears after the @samp{Node: } in that node's first line. For
example, this node's name is @samp{Add}. A node in another file is
named by @samp{(@var{filename})@var{node-within-file}}, as in
@samp{(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 @samp{(@var{filename})Top} can be abbreviated to just
-@samp{(@var{filename})}. By convention, the name @samp{Top} is used for
-the ``highest'' node in any single file---the node whose @samp{Up} points
-out of the file. The Directory node is @file{(dir)}. The @samp{Top} node
-of a document file listed in the Directory should have an @samp{Up:
+then it is relative to the current directory; otherwise, it is
+relative starting from the standard directory for Info files of your
+site. The name @samp{(@var{filename})Top} can be abbreviated to just
+@samp{(@var{filename})}. By convention, the name @samp{Top} is used
+for the ``highest'' node in any single file---the node whose @samp{Up}
+points out of the file. The @samp{Directory} node is @file{(dir)}, it
+points to a file @file{dir} which holds a large menu listing all the
+Info documents installed on your site. The @samp{Top} node of a
+document 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 the
node @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 not
-contain a filename, since Info when searching for a node does not
-expect one 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.
+contain a file name, since when Info searches for a node, it does not
+expect 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 header
line. The file names are ignored by Info, but they serve as comments
to help identify the node for the user.
-@node Menus, Cross-refs, Add, Advanced Info
+@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.
+ 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 it
reads from the terminal.
- A menu begins with a line starting with @samp{* Menu:}. The rest of the
-line is a comment. After the starting line, every line that begins
-with a @samp{* } lists a single topic. The name of the topic--the
-argument that the user must give to the @kbd{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 @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}
-and @samp{Up}, may be terminated with a tab, comma, or newline; it may also
-be terminated with a period.
+@cindex menu and menu entry format
+ A menu begins with a line starting with @w{@samp{* Menu:}}. The
+rest of the line is a comment. After the starting line, every line
+that begins with a @samp{* } lists a single topic. The name of the
+topic---what the user must type at the @kbd{m}'s command prompt 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
+@samp{Next}, @samp{Previous} and @samp{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 @samp{* NAME::} may be used
-(and should be used, whenever possible, as it reduces the visual
+giving the name twice, the abbreviation @samp{* @var{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
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 @samp{Up:} pointing at
-the superior. It is often useful to arrange all or most of the
-subnodes in a sequence of @samp{Next} and @samp{Previous} pointers so that someone who
-wants to see them all need not keep revisiting the Menu.
+ The nodes listed in a node's menu are called its ``subnodes'', and it
+is their ``superior''. They should each have an @samp{Up:} pointing at
+the superior. It is often useful to arrange all or most of the subnodes
+in a sequence of @samp{Next} and @samp{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 @samp{(dir)Top}---that
is, node @samp{Top} in file @file{.../info/dir}. You can put new entries
in that menu just like any other menu. The Info Directory is @emph{not} the
same as the file directory called @file{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
+Info's files live in that file directory, but they do not have to; and
+files in that directory are not automatically listed in the Info
Directory node.
Also, although the Info node graph is claimed to be a ``hierarchy'',
has two connected components. You are in one of them, which is under
the node @samp{Top}; the other contains the node @samp{Help} which the
@kbd{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.
+collector on the node graph, 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.
-@node Cross-refs, Tags, Menus, Advanced Info
+@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 menu
item which must go at the front of a line. A cross reference looks
-like a menu item except that it has @samp{*note} instead of @kbd{*}.
+like a menu item except that it has @samp{*note} instead of @samp{*}.
It @emph{cannot} be terminated by a @samp{)}, because @samp{)}'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
*Note details: commands. (See *note 3: Full Proof.)
@end example
-They are just examples. The places they ``lead to'' do not really exist!
+@noindent
+@emph{These are just examples.} The places they ``lead to'' do not
+really exist!
-@node Tags, Checking, Cross-refs, Advanced Info
+@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 cross
+reference, most cross references lead to nodes that ``belong''
+someplace else far away in the structure of an Info document. So you
+cannot 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 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 learned
+how to move in an Info document, and how to follow menus and cross
+references. 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 find
+something quickly in a manual---that is, when you need to use a manual
+as a reference rather than as a tutorial. We urge you to learn
+these search commands as well. If you want to do that now, follow this
+cross reference to @ref{Advanced}.
+
+Yet another set of commands are meant for experienced users; 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.
+
+@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 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 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
+an Info file lives inside the file itself and is used
automatically 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 the
-file.
+file. Info files produced by the @code{makeinfo} command that is part
+of 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 up
-to date. If, as a result of deletion of text, any node moves back
+to date. If you edit an Info file directly (as opposed to editing its
+Texinfo source), and, 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 @code{Info-tagify} command again.
+node. To update the tags table, use the @code{Info-tagify} command
+again.
An Info file tags table appears at the end of the file and looks like
this:
@example
-^_\f
+^_^L
Tag Table:
File: info, Node: Cross-refs^?21419
File: info, Node: Tags^?22145
@noindent
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
+a @samp{DEL} character, and the character position in the file of the
beginning of the node.
-@node Checking, Emacs Info Variables, Tags, Advanced Info
-@comment node-name, next, previous, up
+@node Checking, , Tags, Expert Info
@section 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 @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and
+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 @samp{Next}, @samp{Previous}, and
@samp{Up} is checked, as is every menu item and every cross reference. In
-addition, any @samp{Next} which does not have a @samp{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 @kbd{M-x Info-validate} while looking at
-any node of the file with Emacs Info mode.
+addition, any @samp{Next} which does not have a @samp{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.
-@node Emacs Info Variables, , Checking, Advanced Info
-@section 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 @file{~/.emacs} init file. @xref{Examining, Examining and Setting
-Variables, Examining and Setting Variables, emacs, The GNU Emacs
-Manual}.
-
-@table @code
-@item Info-enable-edit
-Set to @code{nil}, disables the @samp{e} (@code{Info-edit}) command. A
-non-@code{nil} value enables it. @xref{Add, Edit}.
-
-@item Info-enable-active-nodes
-When set to a non-@code{nil} value, allows Info to execute Lisp code
-associated with nodes. The Lisp code is executed when the node is
-selected.
-
-@item Info-directory-list
-The list of directories to search for Info files. Each element is a
-string (directory name) or @code{nil} (try default directory). If not
-initialized Info uses the environment variable @env{INFOPATH} to
-initialize it, or @code{Info-default-directory-list} if there is no
-@env{INFOPATH} variable in the environment.
+@findex Info-validate
+To check an Info file, do @kbd{M-x Info-validate} while looking at any
+node of the file with Emacs Info mode.
-@item Info-additional-directory-list
-A list of additional directories to search for Info documentation files.
-These directories are not searched for merging the @file{dir} file.
+@node Index
+@unnumbered Index
-@item Info-directory
-The standard directory for Info documentation files. Only used when the
-function @code{Info-directory} is called.
+This is an alphabetical listing of all the commands, variables, and
+topics discussed in this document.
-@end table
+@printindex cp
-@node Create an Info File, , Advanced Info, Top
-@comment node-name, next, previous, up
-@chapter Creating an Info File from a Makeinfo file
-
-@code{makeinfo} is a utility that converts a Texinfo file into an Info
-file; @code{texinfo-format-region} and @code{texinfo-format-buffer} are
-GNU Emacs functions that do the same.
-
-@xref{Create an Info File, , Creating an Info File, texinfo, the Texinfo
-Manual}, to learn how to create an Info file from a Texinfo file.
-
-@xref{Top,, Overview of Texinfo, texinfo, Texinfo: The GNU Documentation
-Format}, to learn how to write a Texinfo file.
-
-@nwnode Using Stand-alone Info, Options, , Top
-@chapter Using the Stand-alone Info Reader
-@lowersections
-@c Make the paragraph indentation match the rest of this file.
-@paragraphindent 2
-@include info-stnd.texi
-@raisesections
@bye
+
+@ignore
+ arch-tag: 965c1638-01d6-4156-9227-b10418b9d8e8
+@end ignore