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GNU Info File
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1994-02-24
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50KB
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936 lines
This is Info file texi.info, produced by Makeinfo-1.55 from the input
file texi.texi.
This file documents Texinfo, a documentation system that uses a
single source file to produce both on-line information and a printed
manual.
Copyright (C) 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation,
This is the second edition of the Texinfo documentation,
and is consistent with version 2 of `texinfo.tex'.
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: texi.info, Node: titlepage, Next: titlefont center sp, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page
`@titlepage'
------------
Start the material for the title page and following copyright page
with `@titlepage' on a line by itself and end it with `@end titlepage'
on a line by itself.
The `@end titlepage' command starts a new page and turns on page
numbering. (*Note Page Headings: Headings, for details about how to
generate of page headings.) All the material that you want to appear
on unnumbered pages should be put between the `@titlepage' and `@end
titlepage' commands. By using the `@page' command you can force a page
break within the region delineated by the `@titlepage' and `@end
titlepage' commands and thereby create more than one unnumbered page.
This is how the copyright page is produced. (The `@titlepage' command
might perhaps have been better named the `@titleandadditionalpages'
command, but that would have been rather long!)
When you write a manual about a computer program, you should write
the version of the program to which the manual applies on the title
page. If the manual changes more frequently than the program or is
independent of it, you should also include an edition number(1) for the
manual. This helps readers keep track of which manual is for which
version of the program. (The `Top' node should also contain this
information; see *Note `@top': makeinfo top.)
Texinfo provides two methods for creating a title page. One method
uses the `@titlefont', `@sp', and `@center' commands to generate a
title page in which the words on the page are centered.
The second method uses the `@title', `@subtitle', and `@author'
commands to create a title page with black rules under the title and
author lines and the subtitle text set flush to the right hand side of
the page. With this method, you do not specify any of the actual
formatting of the title page. You specify the text you want, and
Texinfo does the formatting. You may use either method.
---------- Footnotes ----------
(1) We have found that it is helpful to refer to versions of
manuals as `editions' and versions of programs as `versions';
otherwise, we find we are liable to confuse each other in conversation
by referring to both the documentation and the software with the same
words.
File: texi.info, Node: titlefont center sp, Next: title subtitle author, Prev: titlepage, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page
`@titlefont', `@center', and `@sp'
----------------------------------
You can use the `@titlefont', `@sp', and `@center' commands to
create a title page for a printed document. (This is the first of the
two methods for creating a title page in Texinfo.)
Use the `@titlefont' command to select a large font suitable for the
title itself.
For example:
@titlefont{Texinfo}
Use the `@center' command at the beginning of a line to center the
remaining text on that line. Thus,
@center @titlefont{Texinfo}
centers the title, which in this example is "Texinfo" printed in the
title font.
Use the `@sp' command to insert vertical space. For example:
@sp 2
This inserts two blank lines on the printed page. (*Note `@sp': sp,
for more information about the `@sp' command.)
A template for this method looks like this:
@titlepage
@sp 10
@center @titlefont{NAME-OF-MANUAL-WHEN-PRINTED}
@sp 2
@center SUBTITLE-IF-ANY
@sp 2
@center AUTHOR
...
@end titlepage
The spacing of the example fits an 8 1/2 by 11 inch manual.
File: texi.info, Node: title subtitle author, Next: Copyright & Permissions, Prev: titlefont center sp, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page
`@title', `@subtitle', and `@author'
------------------------------------
You can use the `@title', `@subtitle', and `@author' commands to
create a title page in which the vertical and horizontal spacing is
done for you automatically. This contrasts with the method described in
the previous section, in which the `@sp' command is needed to adjust
vertical spacing.
Write the `@title', `@subtitle', or `@author' commands at the
beginning of a line followed by the title, subtitle, or author.
The `@title' command produces a line in which the title is set flush
to the left-hand side of the page in a larger than normal font. The
title is underlined with a black rule.
The `@subtitle' command sets subtitles in a normal-sized font flush
to the right-hand side of the page.
The `@author' command sets the names of the author or authors in a
middle-sized font flush to the left-hand side of the page on a line
near the bottom of the title page. The names are underlined with a
black rule that is thinner than the rule that underlines the title.
(The black rule only occurs if the `@author' command line is followed
by an `@page' command line.)
There are two ways to use the `@author' command: you can write the
name or names on the remaining part of the line that starts with an
`@author' command:
@author by Jane Smith and John Doe
or you can write the names one above each other by using two (or more)
`@author' commands:
@author Jane Smith
@author John Doe
(Only the bottom name is underlined with a black rule.)
A template for this method looks like this:
@titlepage
@title NAME-OF-MANUAL-WHEN-PRINTED
@subtitle SUBTITLE-IF-ANY
@subtitle SECOND-SUBTITLE
@author AUTHOR
@page
...
@end titlepage
Contrast this form with the form of a title page written using the
`@sp', `@center', and `@titlefont' commands:
@titlepage
@sp 10
@center @titlefont{Name of Manual When Printed}
@sp 2
@center Subtitle, If Any
@sp 1
@center Second subtitle
@sp 2
@center Author
@page
...
@end titlepage
File: texi.info, Node: Copyright & Permissions, Next: end titlepage, Prev: title subtitle author, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page
Copyright Page and Permissions
------------------------------
By international treaty, the copyright notice for a book should be
either on the title page or on the back of the title page. The
copyright notice should include the year followed by the name of the
organization or person who owns the copyright.
When the copyright notice is on the back of the title page, that page
is customarily not numbered. Therefore, in Texinfo, the information on
the copyright page should be within `@titlepage' and `@end titlepage'
commands.
Use the `@page' command to cause a page break. To push the
copyright notice and the other text on the copyright page towards the
bottom of the page, you can write a somewhat mysterious line after the
`@page' command that reads like this:
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
This is a TeX command that is not supported by the Info formatting
commands. The `@vskip' command inserts whitespace. The `0pt plus
1filll' means to put in zero points of mandatory whitespace, and as
much optional whitespace as needed to push the following text to the
bottom of the page. Note the use of three `l's in the word `filll';
this is the correct usage in TeX.
In a printed manual, the `@copyright{}' command generates a `c'
inside a circle. (In Info, it generates `(C)'.) The copyright notice
itself has the following legally defined sequence:
Copyright (C) YEAR COPYRIGHT-OWNER
It is customary to put information on how to get a manual after the
copyright notice, followed by the copying permissions for the manual.
Note that permissions must be given here as well as in the summary
segment within `@ifinfo' and `@end ifinfo' that immediately follows the
header since this text appears only in the printed manual and the
`ifinfo' text appears only in the Info file.
*Note Sample Permissions::, for the standard text.
File: texi.info, Node: end titlepage, Next: headings on off, Prev: Copyright & Permissions, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page
Heading Generation
------------------
An `@end titlepage' command on a line by itself not only marks the
end of the title and copyright pages, but also causes TeX to start
generating page headings and page numbers.
To repeat what is said elsewhere, Texinfo has two standard page
heading formats, one for documents which are printed on one side of
each sheet of paper (single-sided printing), and the other for
documents which are printed on both sides of each sheet (double-sided
printing). (*Note `@setchapternewpage': setchapternewpage.) You can
specify these formats in different ways:
* The conventional way is to write an `@setchapternewpage' command
before the title page commands, and then have the `@end titlepage'
command start generating page headings in the manner desired.
(*Note `@setchapternewpage': setchapternewpage.)
* Alternatively, you can use the `@headings' command to prevent page
headings from being generated or to start them for either single or
double-sided printing. (Write an `@headings' command immediately
after the `@end titlepage' command. *Note The `@headings'
Command: headings on off, for more information.)
* Or, you may specify your own page heading and footing format.
*Note Page Headings: Headings, for detailed information about page
headings and footings.
Most documents are formatted with the standard single-sided or
double-sided format, using `@setchapternewpage odd' for double-sided
printing and no `@setchapternewpage' command for single-sided printing.
File: texi.info, Node: headings on off, Prev: end titlepage, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page
The `@headings' Command
-----------------------
The `@headings' command is rarely used. It specifies what kind of
page headings and footings to print on each page. Usually, this is
controlled by the `@setchapternewpage' command. You need the
`@headings' command only if the `@setchapternewpage' command does not
do what you want, or if you want to turn off pre-defined page headings
prior to defining your own. Write an `@headings' command immediately
after the `@end titlepage' command.
There are four ways to use the `@headings' command:
`@headings off'
Turn off printing of page headings.
`@headings single'
Turn on page headings appropriate for single-sided printing.
`@headings double'
`@headings on'
Turn on page headings appropriate for double-sided printing. The
two commands, `@headings on' and `@headings double', are
synonymous.
For example, suppose you write `@setchapternewpage off' before the
`@titlepage' command to tell TeX to start a new chapter on the same
page as the end of the last chapter. This command also causes TeX to
typeset page headers for single-sided printing. To cause TeX to
typeset for double sided printing, write `@headings double' after the
`@end titlepage' command.
You can stop TeX from generating any page headings at all by writing
`@headings off' on a line of its own immediately after the line
containing the `@end titlepage' command, like this:
@end titlepage
@headings off
The `@headings off' command overrides the `@end titlepage' command,
which would otherwise cause TeX to print page headings.
You can also specify your own style of page heading and footing.
*Note Page Headings: Headings, for more information.
File: texi.info, Node: The Top Node, Next: Software Copying Permissions, Prev: Titlepage & Copyright Page, Up: Beginning a File
The `Top' Node and Master Menu
==============================
The `Top' node is the node from which you enter an Info file.
A `Top' node should contain a brief description of the Info file and
an extensive, master menu for the whole Info file. This helps the
reader understand what the Info file is about. Also, you should write
the version number of the program to which the Info file applies; or,
at least, the edition number.
The contents of the `Top' node should appear only in the Info file;
none of it should appear in printed output, so enclose it between
`@ifinfo' and `@end ifinfo' commands. (TeX does not print either an
`@node' line or a menu; they appear only in Info; strictly speaking,
you are not required to enclose these parts between `@ifinfo' and `@end
ifinfo', but it is simplest to do so. *Note Conditionally Visible
Text: Conditionals.)
* Menu:
* Title of Top Node:: Sketch what the file is about.
* Master Menu Parts:: A master menu has three or more parts.
File: texi.info, Node: Title of Top Node, Next: Master Menu Parts, Up: The Top Node
`Top' Node Title
----------------
Sometimes, you will want to place an `@top' sectioning command line
containing the title of the document immediately after the `@node Top'
line (*note The `@top' Sectioning Command: makeinfo top command., for
more information).
For example, the beginning of the Top node of this manual contains an
`@top' sectioning command, a short description, and edition and version
information. It looks like this:
...
@end titlepage
@ifinfo
@node Top, Copying, (dir), (dir)
@top Texinfo
Texinfo is a documentation system...
This is edition...
...
@end ifinfo
@menu
* Copying:: Texinfo is freely
redistributable.
* Overview:: What is Texinfo?
...
@end menu
In a `Top' node, the `Previous', and `Up' nodes usually refer to the
top level directory of the whole Info system, which is called `(dir)'.
The `Next' node refers to the first node that follows the main or master
menu, which is usually the copying permissions, introduction, or first
chapter.
File: texi.info, Node: Master Menu Parts, Prev: Title of Top Node, Up: The Top Node
Parts of a Master Menu
----------------------
A "master menu" is a detailed main menu listing all the nodes in a
file.
A master menu is enclosed in `@menu' and `@end menu' commands and
does not appear in the printed document.
Generally, a master menu is divided into parts.
* The first part contains the major nodes in the Texinfo file: the
nodes for the chapters, chapter-like sections, and the appendices.
* The second part contains nodes for the indices.
* The third and subsequent parts contain a listing of the other,
lower level nodes, often ordered by chapter. This way, rather
than go through an intermediary menu, an inquirer can go directly
to a particular node when searching for specific information.
These menu items are not required; add them if you think they are a
convenience.
Each section in the menu can be introduced by a descriptive line. So
long as the line does not begin with an asterisk, it will not be
treated as a menu entry. (*Note Writing a Menu::, for more
information.)
For example, the master menu for this manual looks like the following
(but has many more entries):
@menu
* Copying:: Texinfo is freely
redistributable.
* Overview:: What is Texinfo?
* Texinfo Mode:: Special features in GNU Emacs.
...
...
* Command and Variable Index::
An entry for each @-command.
* Concept Index:: An entry for each concept.
--- The Detailed Node Listing ---
Overview of Texinfo
* Info Files:: What is an Info file?
* Printed Manuals:: Characteristics of
a printed manual.
...
...
Using Texinfo Mode
* Info on a Region:: Formatting part of a file
for Info.
...
...
@end menu
File: texi.info, Node: Software Copying Permissions, Prev: The Top Node, Up: Beginning a File
Software Copying Permissions
============================
If the Texinfo file has a section containing the "General Public
License" and the distribution information and a warranty disclaimer for
the software that is documented, this section usually follows the `Top'
node. The General Public License is very important to Project GNU
software. It ensures that you and others will continue to have a right
to use and share the software.
The copying and distribution information and the disclaimer are
followed by an introduction or else by the first chapter of the manual.
Although an introduction is not a required part of a Texinfo file, it
is very helpful. Ideally, it should state clearly and concisely what
the file is about and who would be interested in reading it. In
general, an introduction would follow the licensing and distribution
information, although sometimes people put it earlier in the document.
Usually, an introduction is put in an `@unnumbered' section. (*Note
The `@unnumbered' and `@appendix' Commands: unnumbered & appendix.)
File: texi.info, Node: Ending a File, Next: Structuring, Prev: Beginning a File, Up: Top
Ending a Texinfo File
*********************
The end of a Texinfo file should include the commands that create
indices and generate detailed and summary tables of contents. And it
must include the `@bye' command that marks the last line processed by
For example:
@node Concept Index, , Variables Index, Top
@c node-name, next, previous, up
@unnumbered Concept Index
@printindex cp
@contents
@bye
* Menu:
* Printing Indices & Menus:: How to print an index in hardcopy and
generate index menus in Info.
* Contents:: How to create a table of contents.
* File End:: How to mark the end of a file.
File: texi.info, Node: Printing Indices & Menus, Next: Contents, Up: Ending a File
Index Menus and Printing an Index
=================================
To print an index means to include it as part of a manual or Info
file. This does not happen automatically just because you use
`@cindex' or other index-entry generating commands in the Texinfo file;
those just cause the raw data for the index to be accumulated. To
generate an index, you must include the `@printindex' command at the
place in the document where you want the index to appear. Also, as
part of the process of creating a printed manual, you must run a
program called `texindex' (*note Format/Print Hardcopy::.) to sort the
raw data to produce a sorted index file. The sorted index file is what
is actually used to print the index.
Texinfo offers six different types of predefined index: the concept
index, the function index, the variables index, the keystroke index, the
program index, and the data type index (*note Predefined Indices::.).
Each index type has a two-letter name: `cp', `fn', `vr', `ky', `pg',
and `tp'. You may merge indices, or put them into separate sections
(*note Combining Indices::.); or you may define your own indices (*note
Defining New Indices: New Indices.).
The `@printindex' command takes a two-letter index name, reads the
corresponding sorted index file and formats it appropriately into an
index.
The `@printindex' command does not generate a chapter heading for
the index. Consequently, you should precede the `@printindex' command
with a suitable section or chapter command (usually `@unnumbered') to
supply the chapter heading and put the index into the table of
contents. Precede the `@unnumbered' command with an `@node' line.
For example:
@node Variable Index, Concept Index, Function Index, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@unnumbered Variable Index
@printindex vr
@node Concept Index, , Variable Index, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@unnumbered Concept Index
@printindex cp
@summarycontents
@contents
@bye
(Readers often prefer that the concept index come last in a book, since
that makes it easiest to find.)
File: texi.info, Node: Contents, Next: File End, Prev: Printing Indices & Menus, Up: Ending a File
Generating a Table of Contents
==============================
The `@chapter', `@section', and other structuring commands supply
the information to make up a table of contents, but they do not cause
an actual table to appear in the manual. To do this, you must use the
`@contents' and `@summarycontents' commands:
`@contents'
Generate a table of contents in a printed manual, including all
chapters, sections, subsections, etc., as well as appendices and
unnumbered chapters. (Headings generated by the `@heading' series
of commands do not appear in the table of contents.) The
`@contents' command should be written on a line by itself.
`@shortcontents'
`@summarycontents'
(`@summarycontents' is a synonym for `@shortcontents'; the two
commands are exactly the same.)
Generate a short or summary table of contents that lists only the
chapters (and appendices and unnumbered chapters). Omit sections,
subsections and subsubsections. Only a long manual needs a short
table of contents in addition to the full table of contents.
Write the `@shortcontents' command on a line by itself right
*before* the `@contents' command.
The table of contents commands automatically generate a chapter-like
heading at the top of the first table of contents page. Write the table
of contents commands at the very end of a Texinfo file, just before the
`@bye' command, following any index sections--anything in the Texinfo
file after the table of contents commands will be omitted from the
table of contents.
When you print a manual with a table of contents, the table of
contents are printed last and numbered with roman numerals. You need
to place those pages in their proper place, after the title page,
yourself. (This is the only collating you need to do for a printed
manual. The table of contents is printed last because it is generated
after the rest of the manual is typeset.)
Here is an example of where to write table of contents commands:
INDICES...
@shortcontents
@contents
@bye
Since an Info file uses menus instead of tables of contents, the Info
formatting commands ignore the `@contents' and `@shortcontents'
commands.
File: texi.info, Node: File End, Prev: Contents, Up: Ending a File
`@bye' File Ending
==================
An `@bye' command terminates TeX or Info formatting. None of the
formatting commands see any of the file following `@bye'. The `@bye'
command should be on a line by itself.
If you wish, you may follow the `@bye' line with notes. These notes
will not be formatted and will not appear in either Info or a printed
manual; it is as if text after `@bye' were within `@ignore' ... `@end
ignore'. Also, you may follow the `@bye' line with a local variables
list. *Note Using Local Variables and the Compile Command:
Compile-Command, for more information.
File: texi.info, Node: Structuring, Next: Nodes, Prev: Ending a File, Up: Top
Chapter Structuring
*******************
The "chapter structuring" commands divide a document into a
hierarchy of chapters, sections, subsections, and subsubsections.
These commands generate large headings; they also provide information
for the table of contents of a printed manual (*note Generating a Table
of Contents: Contents.).
The chapter structuring commands do not create an Info node
structure, so normally you should put an `@node' command immediately
before each chapter structuring command (*note Nodes::.). The only
time you are likely to use the chapter structuring commands without
using the node structuring commands is if you are writing a document
that contains no cross references and will never be transformed into
Info format.
It is unlikely that you will ever write a Texinfo file that is
intended only as an Info file and not as a printable document. If you
do, you might still use chapter structuring commands to create a
heading at the top of each node--but you don't need to.
* Menu:
* Tree Structuring:: A manual is like an upside down tree ...
* Structuring Command Types:: How to divide a manual into parts.
* makeinfo top:: The `@top' command, part of the `Top' node.
* chapter::
* unnumbered & appendix::
* majorheading & chapheading::
* section::
* unnumberedsec appendixsec heading::
* subsection::
* unnumberedsubsec appendixsubsec subheading::
* subsubsection:: Commands for the lowest level sections.
File: texi.info, Node: Tree Structuring, Next: Structuring Command Types, Up: Structuring
Tree Structure of Sections
==========================
A Texinfo file is usually structured like a book with chapters,
sections, subsections, and the like. This structure can be visualized
as a tree (or rather as an upside-down tree) with the root at the top
and the levels corresponding to chapters, sections, subsection, and
subsubsections.
Here is a diagram that shows a Texinfo file with three chapters,
each of which has two sections.
Top
|
-------------------------------------
| | |
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3
| | |
-------- -------- --------
| | | | | |
Section Section Section Section Section Section
1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2
In a Texinfo file that has this structure, the beginning of Chapter 2
looks like this:
@node Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 1, top
@chapter Chapter 2
The chapter structuring commands are described in the sections that
follow; the `@node' and `@menu' commands are described in following
chapters. (*Note Nodes::, and see *Note Menus::.)
File: texi.info, Node: Structuring Command Types, Next: makeinfo top, Prev: Tree Structuring, Up: Structuring
Types of Structuring Command
============================
The chapter structuring commands fall into four groups or series,
each of which contains structuring commands corresponding to the
hierarchical levels of chapters, sections, subsections, and
subsubsections.
The four groups are the `@chapter' series, the `@unnumbered' series,
the `@appendix' series, and the `@heading' series.
Each command produces titles that have a different appearance on the
printed page or Info file; only some of the commands produce titles
that are listed in the table of contents of a printed book or manual.
* The `@chapter' and `@appendix' series of commands produce numbered
or lettered entries both in the body of a printed work and in its
table of contents.
* The `@unnumbered' series of commands produce unnumbered entries
both in the body of a printed work and in its table of contents.
The `@top' command, which has a special use, is a member of this
series (*note `@top': makeinfo top.).
* The `@heading' series of commands produce unnumbered headings that
do not appear in a table of contents. The heading commands never
start a new page.
* The `@majorheading' command produces results similar to using the
`@chapheading' command but generates a larger vertical whitespace
before the heading.
* When an `@setchapternewpage' command says to do so, the
`@chapter', `@unnumbered', and `@appendix' commands start new
pages in the printed manual; the `@heading' commands do not.
Here are the four groups of chapter structuring commands:
No new pages
Numbered Unnumbered Lettered and numbered Unnumbered
In contents In contents In contents Not in contents
@top @majorheading
@chapter @unnumbered @appendix @chapheading
@section @unnumberedsec @appendixsec @heading
@subsection @unnumberedsubsec @appendixsubsec @subheading
@subsubsection @unnumberedsubsubsec @appendixsubsubsec @subsubheading
File: texi.info, Node: makeinfo top, Next: chapter, Prev: Structuring Command Types, Up: Structuring
`@top'
======
The `@top' command is a special sectioning command that you use only
after an `@node Top' line at the beginning of a Texinfo file. The
`@top' command tells the `makeinfo' formatter which node is the `Top'
node. It has the same typesetting effect as `@unnumbered' (*note
`@unnumbered': (`@appendix')unnumbered & appendix.). For detailed
information, see *Note The `@top' Command: makeinfo top command.
File: texi.info, Node: chapter, Next: unnumbered & appendix, Prev: makeinfo top, Up: Structuring
`@chapter'
==========
`@chapter' identifies a chapter in the document. Write the command
at the beginning of a line and follow it on the same line by the title
of the chapter.
For example, this chapter in this manual is entitled "Chapter
Structuring"; the `@chapter' line looks like this:
@chapter Chapter Structuring
In TeX, the `@chapter' command creates a chapter in the document,
specifying the chapter title. The chapter is numbered automatically.
In Info, the `@chapter' command causes the title to appear on a line
by itself, with a line of asterisks inserted underneath. Thus, in
Info, the above example produces the following output:
Chapter Structuring
*******************
File: texi.info, Node: unnumbered & appendix, Next: majorheading & chapheading, Prev: chapter, Up: Structuring
`@unnumbered', `@appendix'
==========================
Use the `@unnumbered' command to create a chapter that appears in a
printed manual without chapter numbers of any kind. Use the
`@appendix' command to create an appendix in a printed manual that is
labelled by letter instead of by number.
For Info file output, the `@unnumbered' and `@appendix' commands are
equivalent to `@chapter': the title is printed on a line by itself with
a line of asterisks underneath. (*Note `@chapter': chapter.)
To create an appendix or an unnumbered chapter, write an `@appendix'
or `@unnumbered' command at the beginning of a line and follow it on
the same line by the title, as you would if you were creating a chapter.
File: texi.info, Node: majorheading & chapheading, Next: section, Prev: unnumbered & appendix, Up: Structuring
`@majorheading', `@chapheading'
===============================
The `@majorheading' and `@chapheading' commands put chapter-like
headings in the body of a document.
However, neither command causes TeX to produce a numbered heading or
an entry in the table of contents; and neither command causes TeX to
start a new page in a printed manual.
In TeX, an `@majorheading' command generates a larger vertical
whitespace before the heading than an `@chapheading' command but is
otherwise the same.
In Info, the `@majorheading' and `@chapheading' commands are
equivalent to `@chapter': the title is printed on a line by itself with
a line of asterisks underneath. (*Note `@chapter': chapter.)
File: texi.info, Node: section, Next: unnumberedsec appendixsec heading, Prev: majorheading & chapheading, Up: Structuring
`@section'
==========
In a printed manual, an `@section' command identifies a numbered
section within a chapter. The section title appears in the table of
contents. In Info, an `@section' command provides a title for a
segment of text, underlined with `='.
This section is headed with an `@section' command and looks like
this in the Texinfo file:
@section @code{@@section}
To create a section, write the `@section' command at the beginning
of a line and follow it on the same line by the section title.
Thus,
@section This is a section
produces
This is a section
=================
in Info.
File: texi.info, Node: unnumberedsec appendixsec heading, Next: subsection, Prev: section, Up: Structuring
`@unnumberedsec', `@appendixsec', `@heading'
============================================
The `@unnumberedsec', `@appendixsec', and `@heading' commands are,
respectively, the unnumbered, appendix-like, and heading-like
equivalents of the `@section' command. (*Note `@section': section.)
`@unnumberedsec'
The `@unnumberedsec' command may be used within an unnumbered
chapter or within a regular chapter or appendix to provide an
unnumbered section.
`@appendixsec'
`@appendixsection'
`@appendixsection' is a longer spelling of the `@appendixsec'
command; the two are synonymous.
Conventionally, the `@appendixsec' or `@appendixsection' command
is used only within appendices.
`@heading'
You may use the `@heading' command anywhere you wish for a
section-style heading that will not appear in the table of
contents.
File: texi.info, Node: subsection, Next: unnumberedsubsec appendixsubsec subheading, Prev: unnumberedsec appendixsec heading, Up: Structuring
The `@subsection' Command
=========================
Subsections are to sections as sections are to chapters. (*Note
`@section': section.) In Info, subsection titles are underlined with
`-'. For example,
@subsection This is a subsection
produces
This is a subsection
--------------------
In a printed manual, subsections are listed in the table of contents
and are numbered three levels deep.
File: texi.info, Node: unnumberedsubsec appendixsubsec subheading, Next: subsubsection, Prev: subsection, Up: Structuring
The `@subsection'-like Commands
===============================
The `@unnumberedsubsec', `@appendixsubsec', and `@subheading'
commands are, respectively, the unnumbered, appendix-like, and
heading-like equivalents of the `@subsection' command. (*Note
`@subsection': subsection.)
In Info, the `@subsection'-like commands generate a title underlined
with hyphens. In a printed manual, an `@subheading' command produces a
heading like that of a subsection except that it is not numbered and
does not appear in the table of contents. Similarly, an
`@unnumberedsubsec' command produces an unnumbered heading like that of
a subsection and an `@appendixsubsec' command produces a
subsection-like heading labelled with a letter and numbers; both of
these commands produce headings that appear in the table of contents.
File: texi.info, Node: subsubsection, Prev: unnumberedsubsec appendixsubsec subheading, Up: Structuring
The `subsub' Commands
=====================
The fourth and lowest level sectioning commands in Texinfo are the
`subsub' commands. They are:
`@subsubsection'
Subsubsections are to subsections as subsections are to sections.
(*Note `@subsection': subsection.) In a printed manual,
subsubsection titles appear in the table of contents and are
numbered four levels deep.
`@unnumberedsubsubsec'
Unnumbered subsubsection titles appear in the table of contents of
a printed manual, but lack numbers. Otherwise, unnumbered
subsubsections are the same as subsubsections. In Info, unnumbered
subsubsections look exactly like ordinary subsubsections.
`@appendixsubsubsec'
Conventionally, appendix commands are used only for appendices and
are lettered and numbered appropriately in a printed manual. They
also appear in the table of contents. In Info, appendix
subsubsections look exactly like ordinary subsubsections.
`@subsubheading'
The `@subsubheading' command may be used anywhere that you need a
small heading that will not appear in the table of contents. In
Info, subsubheadings look exactly like ordinary subsubsection
headings.
In Info, `subsub' titles are underlined with periods. For example,
@subsubsection This is a subsubsection
produces
This is a subsubsection
.......................
File: texi.info, Node: Nodes, Next: Menus, Prev: Structuring, Up: Top
Nodes
*****
"Nodes" are the primary segments of a Texinfo file. They do not
themselves impose a hierarchic or any other kind of structure on a file.
Nodes contain "node pointers" that name other nodes, and can contain
"menus" which are lists of nodes. In Info, the movement commands can
carry you to a pointed-to node or to a node listed in a menu. Node
pointers and menus provide structure for Info files just as chapters,
sections, subsections, and the like, provide structure for printed
books.
* Menu:
* Two Paths:: Different commands to structure
Info output and printed output.
* Node Menu Illustration:: A diagram, and sample nodes and menus.
* node:: How to write a node, in detail.
* makeinfo Pointer Creation:: How to create node pointers with `makeinfo'.
File: texi.info, Node: Two Paths, Next: Node Menu Illustration, Up: Nodes
Two Paths
=========
The node and menu commands and the chapter structuring commands are
independent of each other:
* In Info, node and menu commands provide structure. The chapter
structuring commands generate headings with different kinds of
underlining--asterisks for chapters, hyphens for sections, and so
on; they do nothing else.
* In TeX, the chapter structuring commands generate chapter and
section numbers and tables of contents. The node and menu
commands provide information for cross references; they do nothing
else.
You can use node pointers and menus to structure an Info file any way
you want; and you can write a Texinfo file so that its Info output has a
different structure than its printed output. However, most Texinfo
files are written such that the structure for the Info output
corresponds to the structure for the printed output. It is not
convenient to do otherwise.
Generally, printed output is structured in a tree-like hierarchy in
which the chapters are the major limbs from which the sections branch
out. Similarly, node pointers and menus are organized to create a
matching structure in the Info output.
File: texi.info, Node: Node Menu Illustration, Next: node, Prev: Two Paths, Up: Nodes
Node and Menu Illustration
==========================
Here is a copy of the diagram shown earlier that illustrates a
Texinfo file with three chapters, each of which contains two sections.
Note that the "root" is at the top of the diagram and the "leaves"
are at the bottom. This is how such a diagram is drawn conventionally;
it illustrates an upside-down tree. For this reason, the root node is
called the `Top' node, and `Up' node pointers carry you closer to the
root.
Top
|
-------------------------------------
| | |
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3
| | |
-------- -------- --------
| | | | | |
Section Section Section Section Section Section
1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2
Write the beginning of the node for Chapter 2 like this:
@node Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 1, top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
This `@node' line says that the name of this node is "Chapter 2", the
name of the `Next' node is "Chapter 3", the name of the `Previous' node
is "Chapter 1", and the name of the `Up' node is "Top".
*Please Note:* `Next' refers to the next node at the same
hierarchical level in the manual, not necessarily to the next node
within the Texinfo file. In the Texinfo file, the subsequent node
may be at a lower level--a section-level node may follow a
chapter-level node, and a subsection-level node may follow a
section-level node. `Next' and `Previous' refer to nodes at the
*same* hierarchical level. (The `Top' node contains the exception
to this rule. Since the `Top' node is the only node at that
level, `Next' refers to the first following node, which is almost
always a chapter or chapter-level node.)
To go to Sections 2.1 and 2.2 using Info, you need a menu inside
Chapter 2. (*Note Menus::.) You would write the menu just before the
beginning of Section 2.1, like this:
@menu
* Sect. 2.1:: Description of this section.
* Sect. 2.2::
@end menu
Write the node for Sect. 2.1 like this:
@node Sect. 2.1, Sect. 2.2, Chapter 2, Chapter 2
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
In Info format, the `Next' and `Previous' pointers of a node usually
lead to other nodes at the same level--from chapter to chapter or from
section to section (sometimes, as shown, the `Previous' pointer points
up); an `Up' pointer usually leads to a node at the level above (closer
to the `Top' node); and a `Menu' leads to nodes at a level below (closer
to `leaves'). (A cross reference can point to a node at any level; see
*Note Cross References::.)
Usually, an `@node' command and a chapter structuring command are
used in sequence, along with indexing commands. (You may follow the
`@node' line with a comment line that reminds you which pointer is
which.)
Here is the beginning of the chapter in this manual called "Ending a
Texinfo File". This shows an `@node' line followed by a comment line,
an `@chapter' line, and then by indexing lines.
@node Ending a File, Structuring, Beginning a File, Top
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@chapter Ending a Texinfo File
@cindex Ending a Texinfo file
@cindex Texinfo file ending
@cindex File ending
File: texi.info, Node: node, Next: makeinfo Pointer Creation, Prev: Node Menu Illustration, Up: Nodes
The `@node' Command
===================
A "node" is a segment of text that begins at an `@node' command and
continues until the next `@node' command. The definition of node is
different from that for chapter or section. A chapter may contain
sections and a section may contain subsections; but a node cannot
contain subnodes; the text of a node continues only until the next
`@node' command in the file. A node usually contains only one chapter
structuring command, the one that follows the `@node' line. On the
other hand, in printed output nodes are used only for cross references,
so a chapter or section may contain any number of nodes. Indeed, a
chapter usually contains several nodes, one for each section,
subsection, and subsubsection.
To create a node, write an `@node' command at the beginning of a
line, and follow it with four arguments, separated by commas, on the
rest of the same line. These arguments are the name of the node, and
the names of the `Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers, in that order.
You may insert spaces before each pointer if you wish; the spaces are
ignored. You must write the name of the node, and the names of the
`Next', `Previous', and `Up' pointers, all on the same line. Otherwise,
the formatters fail. (*note info: (info)Top, for more information
about nodes in Info.)
Usually, you write one of the chapter-structuring command lines
immediately after an `@node' line--for example, an `@section' or
`@subsection' line. (*Note Types of Structuring Command: Structuring
Command Types.)
*Please note:* The GNU Emacs Texinfo mode updating commands work
only with Texinfo files in which `@node' lines are followed by
chapter structuring lines. *Note Updating Requirements::.
TeX uses `@node' lines to identify the names to use for cross
references. For this reason, you must write `@node' lines in a Texinfo
file that you intend to format for printing, even if you do not intend
to format it for Info. (Cross references, such as the one at the end
of this sentence, are made with `@xref' and its related commands; see
*Note Cross References::.)
* Menu:
* Node Names:: How to choose node and pointer names.
* Writing a Node:: How to write an `@node' line.
* Node Line Tips:: Keep names short.
* Node Line Requirements:: Keep names unique, without @-commands.
* First Node:: How to write a `Top' node.
* makeinfo top command:: How to use the `@top' command.
* Top Node Summary:: Write a brief description for readers.
File: texi.info, Node: Node Names, Next: Writing a Node, Up: node
Choosing Node and Pointer Names
-------------------------------
The name of a node identifies the node. The pointers enable you to
reach other nodes and consist of the names of those nodes.
Normally, a node's `Up' pointer contains the name of the node whose
menu mentions that node. The node's `Next' pointer contains the name
of the node that follows that node in that menu and its `Previous'
pointer contains the name of the node that precedes it in that menu.
When a node's `Previous' node is the same as its `Up' node, both node
pointers name the same node.
Usually, the first node of a Texinfo file is the `Top' node, and its
`Up' and `Previous' pointers point to the `dir' file, which contains
the main menu for all of Info.
The `Top' node itself contains the main or master menu for the
manual. Also, it is helpful to include a brief description of the
manual in the `Top' node. *Note First Node::, for information on how
to write the first node of a Texinfo file.
File: texi.info, Node: Writing a Node, Next: Node Line Tips, Prev: Node Names, Up: node
How to Write an `@node' Line
----------------------------
The easiest way to write an `@node' line is to write `@node' at the
beginning of a line and then the name of the node, like this:
@node NODE-NAME
If you are using GNU Emacs, you can use the update node commands
provided by Texinfo mode to insert the names of the pointers; or you
can leave the pointers out of the Texinfo file and let `makeinfo'
insert node pointers into the Info file it creates. (*Note Texinfo
Mode::, and *Note makeinfo Pointer Creation::.)
Alternatively, you can insert the `Next', `Previous', and `Up'
pointers yourself. If you do this, you may find it helpful to use the
Texinfo mode keyboard command `C-c C-c n'. This command inserts
`@node' and a comment line listing the names of the pointers in their
proper order. The comment line helps you keep track of which arguments
are for which pointers. This comment line is especially useful if you
are not familiar with Texinfo.
The template for a node line with `Next', `Previous', and `Up'
pointers looks like this:
@node NODE-NAME, NEXT, PREVIOUS, UP
If you wish, you can ignore `@node' lines altogether in your first
draft and then use the `texinfo-insert-node-lines' command to create
`@node' lines for you. However, we do not recommend this practice. It
is better to name the node itself at the same time that you write a
segment so you can easily make cross references. A large number of
cross references are an especially important feature of a good Info
file.
After you have inserted an `@node' line, you should immediately
write an @-command for the chapter or section and insert its name.
Next (and this is important!), put in several index entries. Usually,
you will find at least two and often as many as four or five ways of
referring to the node in the index. Use them all. This will make it
much easier for people to find the node.
File: texi.info, Node: Node Line Tips, Next: Node Line Requirements, Prev: Writing a Node, Up: node
`@node' Line Tips
-----------------
Here are three suggestions:
* Try to pick node names that are informative but short.
In the Info file, the file name, node name, and pointer names are
all inserted on one line, which may run into the right edge of the
window. (This does not cause a problem with Info, but is ugly.)
* Try to pick node names that differ from each other near the
beginnings of their names. This way, it is easy to use automatic
name completion in Info.
* By convention, node names are capitalized just as they would be for
section or chapter titles--initial and significant words are
capitalized; others are not.
(.txt)
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