The following command line options are available for `makeinfo'.
`-D VAR'
Cause VAR to be defined. This is equivalent to `@set VAR' in the
Texinfo file.
`--error-limit LIMIT'
Set the maximum number of errors that `makeinfo' will report
before exiting (on the assumption that continuing would be
useless). The default number of errors that can be reported before
`makeinfo' gives up is 100.
`--fill-column WIDTH'
Specify the maximum number of columns in a line; this is the
right-hand edge of a line. Paragraphs that are filled will be
filled to this width. The default value for `fill-column' is 72.
`--footnote-style STYLE'
Set the footnote style to STYLE, either `end' for the end node
style or `separate' for the separate node style. The value set by
this option overrides the value set in a Texinfo file by an
`@footnotestyle' command. When the footnote style is `separate',
`makeinfo' makes a new node containing the footnotes found in the
current node. When the footnote style is `end', `makeinfo' places
the footnote references at the end of the current node.
`-I DIR'
Add `dir' to the directory search list for finding files that are
included using the `@include' command. By default, `makeinfo'
searches only the current directory.
`--no-headers'
Do not include menus or node lines in the output. This results in
an ASCII file that you cannot read in Info since it does not
contain the requisite nodes or menus; but you can print such a
file in a single, typewriter-like font and produce acceptable
output.
`--no-split'
Suppress the splitting stage of `makeinfo'. Normally, large
output files (where the size is greater than 70k bytes) are split
into smaller subfiles, each one approximately 50k bytes. If you
specify `--no-split', `makeinfo' will not split up the output file.
`--no-pointer-validate'
`--no-validate'
Suppress the pointer-validation phase of `makeinfo'. Normally,
after a Texinfo file is processed, some consistency checks are
made to ensure that cross references can be resolved, etc. *Note
Pointer Validation::.
`--no-warn'
Suppress the output of warning messages. This does *not* suppress
the output of error messages, only warnings. You might want this
if the file you are creating has examples of Texinfo cross
references within it, and the nodes that are referenced do not
actually exist.
`--no-number-footnotes'
Supress automatic footnote numbering. By default, `makeinfo'
numbers each footnote sequentially in a single node, resetting the
current footnote number to 1 at the start of each node.
`--output FILE'
`-o FILE'
Specify that the output should be directed to FILE and not to the
file name specified in the `@setfilename' command found in the
Texinfo source. FILE can be the special token `-', which specifies
standard output.
`--paragraph-indent INDENT'
Set the paragraph indentation style to INDENT. The value set by
this option overrides the value set in a Texinfo file by an
`@paragraphindent' command. The value of INDENT is interpreted as
follows:
* If the value of INDENT is `asis', do not change the existing
indentation at the starts of paragraphs.
* If the value of INDENT is zero, delete any existing
indentation.
* If the value of INDENT is greater than zero, indent each
paragraph by that number of spaces.
`--reference-limit LIMIT'
Set the value of the number of references to a node that
`makeinfo' will make without reporting a warning. If a node has
more than this number of references in it, `makeinfo' will make the
references but also report a warning.
`-U VAR'
Cause VAR to be undefined. This is equivalent to `@clear VAR' in
the Texinfo file.
`--verbose'
Cause `makeinfo' to display messages saying what it is doing.
Normally, `makeinfo' only outputs messages if there are errors or
warnings.
`--version'
Report the version number of this copy of `makeinfo'.
`--amiga'
Converts a "TeXinfo" file to "AmigaGuide®" V34 hypertext format.
`--amiga-39'
Converts a "TeXinfo" file to "AmigaGuide®" V39 hypertext format.
`--amiga-40'
Converts a "TeXinfo" file to "AmigaGuide®" V40 hypertext format.
`--index-button-length NUMBER'
An index button will have a minimum length of NUMBER. The default
value for `index-button-length' is 40. (Only used if converting to
an "AmigaGuide®" file).
`--menu-button-length NUMBER'
A menu button will have a minimum length of NUMBER. The default
value for `menu-button-length' is 25. (Only used if converting to
an "AmigaGuide®" file).
`--help'
Show a summary of the commend line arguments to `makeinfo'.
File: makeinfo.info, Node: Pointer Validation, Next: The Macro Facility, Prev: Options, Up: Top
Pointer Validation
==================
If you do not suppress pointer-validation (by using the
`--no-pointer-validation' option), `makeinfo' will check the validity
of the final Info file. Mostly, this means ensuring that nodes you
have referenced really exist. Here is a complete list of what is
checked:
1. If a `Next', `Previous', or `Up' node reference is a reference to a
node in the current file and is not an external reference such as
to `(dir)', then the referenced node must exist.
2. In every node, if the `Previous' node is different from the `Up'
node, then the `Previous' node must also be pointed to by a `Next'
node.
3. Every node except the `Top' node must have an `Up' pointer.
4. The node referenced by an `Up' pointer must contain a reference to
the current node in some manner other than through a `Next'
reference. This includes menu entries and cross references.
5. If the `Next' reference of a node is not the same as the `Next'
reference of the `Up' reference, then the node referenced by the
`Next' pointer must have a `Previous' pointer that points back to
the current node. This rule allows the last node in a section to
point to the first node of the next chapter.
File: makeinfo.info, Node: The Macro Facility, Next: Index, Prev: Pointer Validation, Up: Top
The Macro Facility
==================
This chapter describes the new macro facility.
A "macro" is a command that you define in terms of other commands. It
doesn't exist as a TeXinfo command until you define it as part of the
input file to `Makeinfo'. Once the command exists, it behaves much as
any other TeXinfo command. Macros are a useful way to ease the details
and tedium of writing a `correct' info file. The following sections
explain how to write and invoke macros.
* Menu:
* How to Use Macros in TeXinfo::
How to use the macro facility.
* Using Macros Recursively::
How to write a macro which does (or doesn't) recurse.
* Using TeXinfo Macros As Arguments::
Passing a macro as an argument.
File: makeinfo.info, Node: How to Use Macros in TeXinfo, Next: Using Macros Recursively, Up: The Macro Facility
How to Use Macros in TeXinfo
----------------------------
Using macros in TeXinfo is easy. First you define the macro. After
that, the macro command is available as a normal TeXinfo command. Here
is what a definition looks like:
@macro NAME{ARG1, ... ARGN}
TEXINFO COMMANDS...
@end macro
The arguments that you specify that the macro takes are expanded with
the actual parameters used when calling the macro if they are seen
surrounded by backslashes. For example, here is a definition of
`@codeitem', a macro which can be used wherever `@item' can be used,
but which surrounds its argument with `@code{...}'.
@macro codeitem{item}
@item @code{\item\}
@end macro
When the macro is expanded, all of the text between the `@macro' and
`@end macro' is inserted into the document at the expansion point, with
the actual parameters substituted for the named parameters. So, a call
to the above macro might look like:
@codeitem{Foo}
and `Makeinfo' would execute the following code:
@item @code{Foo}
A special case is made for macros which only take a single argument, and
which are invoked without any brace characters (i.e., `{'...`}')
surrounding an argument; the rest of the line is supplied as is as the
sole argument to the macro. This special case allows one to redefine
some standard TeXinfo commands without modifying the input file. Along
with the non-recursive action of macro invocation, one can easily
redefine the sectioning commands to also provide index entries:
@macro chapter{name}
@chapter \name\
@findex \name\
@end macro
Thus, the text:
@chapter strlen
will expand to:
@chapter strlen
@findex strlen
File: makeinfo.info, Node: Using Macros Recursively, Next: Using TeXinfo Macros As Arguments, Prev: How to Use Macros in TeXinfo, Up: The Macro Facility
Using Macros Recursively
------------------------
Normally, while a particular macro is executing, any call to that macro
will be seen as a call to a builtin TeXinfo command. This allows one
to redefine a builtin TeXinfo command as a macro, and then use that
command within the definition of the macro itself. For example, one
might wish to make sure that whereever a term was defined with
`@dfn{...}', the location of the definition would appear in the concept
index for the manual. Here is a macro which redefines `@dfn' to do
just that:
@macro dfn{text}
@dfn{\text\}
@cpindex \text\
@end macro
Note that we used the builtin TeXinfo command `@dfn' within our
overriding macro definition.
This behaviour itself can be overridden for macro execution by writing a
special "macro control command" in the definition of the macro. The
command is considered special because it doesn't affect the output text
directly, rather, it affects the way in which the macro is defined. One
such special command is `@allow-recursion'.
@macro silly{arg}
@allow-recursion
\arg\
@end macro
Now `@silly' is a macro that can be used within a call to itself:
This text @silly{@silly{some text}} is ``some text''.
File: makeinfo.info, Node: Using TeXinfo Macros As Arguments, Prev: Using Macros Recursively, Up: The Macro Facility
Using TeXinfo Macros As Arguments
---------------------------------
* Menu:
* macro: The Macro Facility.
* macro control command: Using Macros Recursively.
* Pointer validation with makeinfo: Pointer Validation.
* Validation of pointers: Pointer Validation.
How to use TeXinfo macros as arguments to other TeXinfo macros.
File: makeinfo.info, Node: Index, Prev: The Macro Facility, Up: Top
Index
=====
* Menu:
* macro control command: Using Macros Recursively.
* Pointer validation with makeinfo: Pointer Validation.
