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This is Info file ../info/texinfo.info, produced by Makeinfo version 1.68 from the input file texinfo.texi. INFO-DIR-SECTION Texinfo documentation system START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY * Texinfo: (texinfo). The GNU documentation format. * install-info: (texinfo)Invoking install-info. Updating info/dir entries. * texi2dvi: (texinfo)Format with texi2dvi. Printing Texinfo documentation. * texindex: (texinfo)Format with tex/texindex. Sorting Texinfo index files. * makeinfo: (texinfo)makeinfo Preferred. Translate Texinfo source. END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY This file documents Texinfo, a documentation system that can produce both on-line information and a printed manual from a single source file. Copyright (C) 1988, 90, 91, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 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: texinfo.info, Node: Defining Macros, Next: Invoking Macros, Prev: Macros, Up: Macros Defining Macros =============== You use the Texinfo `@macro' command to define a macro. For example: @macro MACRO-NAME{PARAM1, PARAM2, ...} TEXT ... \PARAM1\ ... @end macro The "parameters" PARAM1, PARAM2, ... correspond to arguments supplied when the macro is subsequently used in the document (see the next section). If a macro needs no parameters, you can define it either with an empty list (`@macro foo {}') or with no braces at all (`@macro foo'). The definition or "body" of the macro can contain any Texinfo commands, including previously-defined macros. (It is not possible to have mutually recursive Texinfo macros.) In the body, instances of a parameter name surrounded by backslashes, as in `\PARAM1\' in the example above, are replaced by the corresponding argument from the macro invocation. You can undefine a macro FOO with `@unmacro FOO'. It is not an error to undefine a macro that is already undefined. For example: @unmacro foo File: texinfo.info, Node: Invoking Macros, Prev: Defining Macros, Up: Macros Invoking Macros =============== After a macro is defined (see the previous section), you can use ("invoke") it in your document like this: @MACRO-NAME {ARG1, ARG2, ...} and the result will be just as if you typed the body of MACRO-NAME at that spot. For example: @macro foo {p, q} Together: \p\ & \q\. @end macro @foo{a, b} produces: Together: a & b. Thus, the arguments and parameters are separated by commas and delimited by braces; any whitespace after (but not before) a comma is ignored. To insert a comma, brace, or backslash in an argument, prepend a backslash, as in @MACRO-NAME {\\\{\}\,} which will pass the (almost certainly error-producing) argument `\{},' to MACRO-NAME. If the macro is defined to take a single argument, and is invoked without any braces, the entire rest of the line after the macro name is supplied as the argument. For example: @macro bar {p} Twice: \p\, \p\. @end macro @bar aah produces: Twice: aah, aah. File: texinfo.info, Node: Format/Print Hardcopy, Next: Create an Info File, Prev: Macros, Up: Top Format and Print Hardcopy ************************* There are three major shell commands for making a printed manual from a Texinfo file: one for converting the Texinfo file into a file that will be printed, a second for sorting indices, and a third for printing the formatted document. When you use the shell commands, you can either work directly in the operating system shell or work within a shell inside GNU Emacs. If you are using GNU Emacs, you can use commands provided by Texinfo mode instead of shell commands. In addition to the three commands to format a file, sort the indices, and print the result, Texinfo mode offers key bindings for commands to recenter the output buffer, show the print queue, and delete a job from the print queue. * Menu: * Use TeX:: Use TeX to format for hardcopy. * Format with tex/texindex:: How to format in a shell. * Format with texi2dvi:: A simpler way to use the shell. * Print with lpr:: How to print. * Within Emacs:: How to format and print from an Emacs shell. * Texinfo Mode Printing:: How to format and print in Texinfo mode. * Compile-Command:: How to print using Emacs's compile command. * Requirements Summary:: TeX formatting requirements summary. * Preparing for TeX:: What you need to do to use TeX. * Overfull hboxes:: What are and what to do with overfull hboxes. * smallbook:: How to print small format books and manuals. * A4 Paper:: How to print on European A4 paper. * Cropmarks and Magnification:: How to print marks to indicate the size of pages and how to print scaled up output. File: texinfo.info, Node: Use TeX, Next: Format with tex/texindex, Prev: Format/Print Hardcopy, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy Use TeX ======= The typesetting program called TeX is used for formatting a Texinfo file. TeX is a very powerful typesetting program and, if used right, does an exceptionally good job. (*Note How to Obtain TeX: Obtaining TeX, for information on how to obtain TeX.) The `makeinfo', `texinfo-format-region', and `texinfo-format-buffer' commands read the very same @-commands in the Texinfo file as does TeX, but process them differently to make an Info file; see *Note Create an Info File::. File: texinfo.info, Node: Format with tex/texindex, Next: Format with texi2dvi, Prev: Use TeX, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy Format using `tex' and `texindex' ================================= Format the Texinfo file with the shell command `tex' followed by the name of the Texinfo file. For example: tex foo.texi TeX will produce a "DVI file" as well as several auxiliary files containing information for indices, cross references, etc. The DVI file (for "DeVice Independent" file) can be printed on virtually any printe (see the following sections). The `tex' formatting command itself does not sort the indices; it writes an output file of unsorted index data. (The `texi2dvi' command automatically generates indices; see *Note Format using `texi2dvi': Format with texi2dvi.) To generate a printed index after running the `tex' command, you first need a sorted index to work from. The `texindex' command sorts indices. (The source file `texindex.c' comes as part of the standard Texinfo distribution, among other places.) The `tex' formatting command outputs unsorted index files under names that obey a standard convention: the name of your main input file with any `.tex' (or similar, *note tex invocation: (web2c)tex invocation.) extension removed, followed by the two letter names of indices. For example, the raw index output files for the input file `foo.texinfo' would be `foo.cp', `foo.vr', `foo.fn', `foo.tp', `foo.pg' and `foo.ky'. Those are exactly the arguments to give to `texindex'. Instead of specifying all the unsorted index file names explicitly, you can use `??' as shell wildcards and give the command in this form: texindex foo.?? This command will run `texindex' on all the unsorted index files, including any that you have defined yourself using `@defindex' or `@defcodeindex'. (You may execute `texindex foo.??' even if there are similarly named files with two letter extensions that are not index files, such as `foo.el'. The `texindex' command reports but otherwise ignores such files.) For each file specified, `texindex' generates a sorted index file whose name is made by appending `s' to the input file name. The `@printindex' command knows to look for a file of that name (*note Printing Indices & Menus::.). `texindex' does not alter the raw index output file. After you have sorted the indices, you need to rerun the `tex' formatting command on the Texinfo file. This regenerates the DVI file, this time with up-to-date index entries. Finally, you may need to run `tex' one more time, to get the page numbers in the cross-references correct. To summarize, this is a four step process: 1. Run `tex' on your Texinfo file. This generates a DVI file (with undefined cross-references and no indices), and the raw index files (with two letter extensions). 2. Run `texindex' on the raw index files. This creates the corresponding sorted index files (with three letter extensions). 3. Run `tex' again on your Texinfo file. This regenerates the DVI file, this time with indices and defined cross-references, but with page numbers for the cross-references from last time, generally incorrect. 4. Run `tex' one last time. This time the correct page numbers are written for the cross-references. Alternatively, it's a one-step process: run `texi2dvi'. You need not run `texindex' each time after you run `tex'. If you do not, on the next run, the `tex' formatting command will use whatever sorted index files happen to exist from the previous use of `texindex'. This is usually ok while you are debugging. File: texinfo.info, Node: Format with texi2dvi, Next: Print with lpr, Prev: Format with tex/texindex, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy Format using `texi2dvi' ======================= The `texi2dvi' command is a shell script that automatically runs both `tex' and `texindex' as many times as necessary to produce a DVI file with up-to-date, sorted indices. It simplifies the `tex'--`texindex'--`tex' sequence described in the previous section. The syntax for `texi2dvi' is like this (where `prompt$' is the shell prompt): prompt$ texi2dvi FILENAME... File: texinfo.info, Node: Print with lpr, Next: Within Emacs, Prev: Format with texi2dvi, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy Shell Print Using `lpr -d' ========================== The precise command to print a DVI file depends on your system installation, but `lpr -d' is common. The command may require the DVI file name without any extension or with a `.dvi' extension. (If it is `lpr', you must include the `.dvi'.) The following commands, for example, will (probably) suffice to sort the indices, format, and print the `Bison Manual': tex bison.texinfo texindex bison.?? tex bison.texinfo lpr -d bison.dvi (Remember that the shell commands may be different at your site; but these are commonly used versions.) Using the `texi2dvi' shell script, you simply need type: texi2dvi bison.texinfo lpr -d bison.dvi File: texinfo.info, Node: Within Emacs, Next: Texinfo Mode Printing, Prev: Print with lpr, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy From an Emacs Shell =================== You can give formatting and printing commands from a shell within GNU Emacs. To create a shell within Emacs, type `M-x shell'. In this shell, you can format and print the document. *Note Format and Print Hardcopy: Format/Print Hardcopy, for details. You can switch to and from the shell buffer while `tex' is running and do other editing. If you are formatting a long document on a slow machine, this can be very convenient. You can also use `texi2dvi' from an Emacs shell. For example, here is how to use `texi2dvi' to format and print `Using and Porting GNU CC' from a shell within Emacs: texi2dvi gcc.texinfo lpr -d gcc.dvi *Note Texinfo Mode Printing::, for more information about formatting and printing in Texinfo mode. File: texinfo.info, Node: Texinfo Mode Printing, Next: Compile-Command, Prev: Within Emacs, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy Formatting and Printing in Texinfo Mode ======================================= Texinfo mode provides several predefined key commands for TeX formatting and printing. These include commands for sorting indices, looking at the printer queue, killing the formatting job, and recentering the display of the buffer in which the operations occur. `C-c C-t C-b' `M-x texinfo-tex-buffer' Run `texi2dvi' on the current buffer. `C-c C-t C-r' `M-x texinfo-tex-region' Run TeX on the current region. `C-c C-t C-i' `M-x texinfo-texindex' Sort the indices of a Texinfo file formatted with `texinfo-tex-region'. `C-c C-t C-p' `M-x texinfo-tex-print' Print a DVI file that was made with `texinfo-tex-region' or `texinfo-tex-buffer'. `C-c C-t C-q' `M-x tex-show-print-queue' Show the print queue. `C-c C-t C-d' `M-x texinfo-delete-from-print-queue' Delete a job from the print queue; you will be prompted for the job number shown by a preceding `C-c C-t C-q' command (`texinfo-show-tex-print-queue'). `C-c C-t C-k' `M-x tex-kill-job' Kill the currently running TeX job started by `texinfo-tex-region' or `texinfo-tex-buffer', or any other process running in the Texinfo shell buffer. `C-c C-t C-x' `M-x texinfo-quit-job' Quit a TeX formatting job that has stopped because of an error by sending an <x> to it. When you do this, TeX preserves a record of what it did in a `.log' file. `C-c C-t C-l' `M-x tex-recenter-output-buffer' Redisplay the shell buffer in which the TeX printing and formatting commands are run to show its most recent output. Thus, the usual sequence of commands for formatting a buffer is as follows (with comments to the right): C-c C-t C-b Run `texi2dvi' on the buffer. C-c C-t C-p Print the DVI file. C-c C-t C-q Display the printer queue. The Texinfo mode TeX formatting commands start a subshell in Emacs called the `*tex-shell*'. The `texinfo-tex-command', `texinfo-texindex-command', and `tex-dvi-print-command' commands are all run in this shell. You can watch the commands operate in the `*tex-shell*' buffer, and you can switch to and from and use the `*tex-shell*' buffer as you would any other shell buffer. The formatting and print commands depend on the values of several variables. The default values are: Variable Default value texinfo-texi2dvi-command "texi2dvi" texinfo-tex-command "tex" texinfo-texindex-command "texindex" texinfo-delete-from-print-queue-command "lprm" texinfo-tex-trailer "@bye" tex-start-of-header "%**start" tex-end-of-header "%**end" tex-dvi-print-command "lpr -d" tex-show-queue-command "lpq" You can change the values of these variables with the `M-x edit-options' command (*note Editing Variable Values: (emacs)Edit Options.), with the `M-x set-variable' command (*note Examining and Setting Variables: (emacs)Examining.), or with your `.emacs' initialization file (*note Init File: (emacs)Init File.). File: texinfo.info, Node: Compile-Command, Next: Requirements Summary, Prev: Texinfo Mode Printing, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy Using the Local Variables List ============================== Yet another way to apply the TeX formatting command to a Texinfo file is to put that command in a "local variables list" at the end of the Texinfo file. You can then specify the `tex' or `texi2dvi' commands as a `compile-command' and have Emacs run it by typing `M-x compile'. This creates a special shell called the `*compilation*' buffer in which Emacs runs the compile command. For example, at the end of the `gdb.texinfo' file, after the `@bye', you could put the following: Local Variables: compile-command: "texi2dvi gdb.texinfo" End: This technique is most often used by programmers who also compile programs this way; see *Note Compilation: (emacs)Compilation. File: texinfo.info, Node: Requirements Summary, Next: Preparing for TeX, Prev: Compile-Command, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy TeX Formatting Requirements Summary =================================== Every Texinfo file that is to be input to TeX must begin with a `\input' command and must contain an `@setfilename' command: \input texinfo @setfilename ARG-NOT-USED-BY-TEX The first command instructs TeX to load the macros it needs to process a Texinfo file and the second command opens auxiliary files. Every Texinfo file must end with a line that terminates TeX's processing and forces out unfinished pages: @bye Strictly speaking, these lines are all a Texinfo file needs to be processed successfully by TeX. Usually, however, the beginning includes an `@settitle' command to define the title of the printed manual, an `@setchapternewpage' command, a title page, a copyright page, and permissions. Besides an `@bye', the end of a file usually includes indices and a table of contents. (And of course most manuals contain a body of text as well.) For more information, see *Note `@settitle': settitle, *Note `@setchapternewpage': setchapternewpage, *Note Page Headings: Headings, *Note Titlepage & Copyright Page::, *Note Printing Indices & Menus::, and *Note Contents::. File: texinfo.info, Node: Preparing for TeX, Next: Overfull hboxes, Prev: Requirements Summary, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy Preparing to Use TeX ==================== TeX needs to know where to find the `texinfo.tex' file that you have told it to input with the `\input texinfo' command at the beginning of the first line. The `texinfo.tex' file tells TeX how to handle @-commands; it is included in all standard GNU distributions. Usually, the `texinfo.tex' file is put under the default directory that contains TeX macros (`/usr/local/share/texmf/tex/texinfo/texinfo.tex' by default) when GNU Emacs or other GNU software is installed. In this case, TeX will find the file and you do not need to do anything special. Alternatively, you can put `texinfo.tex' in the current directory when you run TeX, and TeX will find it there. Also, you should install `epsf.tex' in the same place as `texinfo.tex', if it is not already installed from another distribution. This file is needed to support the `@image' command (*note Images::.). Optionally, you may create an additional `texinfo.cnf', and install it as well. This file is read by TeX at the `@setfilename' command (*note `@setfilename': setfilename.). You can put any commands you like there according to local site-wide conventions, and they will be read by TeX when processing any Texinfo document. For example, if `texinfo.cnf' contains the a single line `@afourpaper' (*note A4 Paper::.), then all Texinfo documents will be processed with that page size in effect. If you have nothing to put in `texinfo.cnf', you do not need to create it. If neither of the above locations for these system files suffice for you, you can specify the directories explicitly. For `texinfo.tex', you can do this by writing the complete path for the file after the `\input' command. Another way, that works for both `texinfo.tex' and `texinfo.cnf' (and any other file TeX might read), is to set the `TEXINPUTS' environment variable in your `.cshrc' or `.profile' file. Which you use of `.cshrc' or `.profile' depends on whether you use a Bourne shell-compatible (`sh', `bash', `ksh', ...) or C shell-compatible (`csh', `tcsh') command interpreter. The latter read the `.cshrc' file for initialization information, and the former read `.profile'. In a `.cshrc' file, you could use the following `csh' command sequence: setenv TEXINPUTS .:/home/me/mylib:/usr/lib/tex/macros In a `.profile' file, you could use the following `sh' command sequence: TEXINPUTS=.:/home/me/mylib:/usr/lib/tex/macros export TEXINPUTS This would cause TeX to look for `\input' file first in the current directory, indicated by the `.', then in a hypothetical user's `me/mylib' directory, and finally in a system directory. File: texinfo.info, Node: Overfull hboxes, Next: smallbook, Prev: Preparing for TeX, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy Overfull "hboxes" ================= TeX is sometimes unable to typeset a line without extending it into the right margin. This can occur when TeX comes upon what it interprets as a long word that it cannot hyphenate, such as an electronic mail network address or a very long title. When this happens, TeX prints an error message like this: Overfull \hbox (20.76302pt too wide) (In TeX, lines are in "horizontal boxes", hence the term, "hbox". The backslash, `\', is the TeX equivalent of `@'.) TeX also provides the line number in the Texinfo source file and the text of the offending line, which is marked at all the places that TeX knows how to hyphenate words. *Note Catching Errors with TeX Formatting: Debugging with TeX, for more information about typesetting errors. If the Texinfo file has an overfull hbox, you can rewrite the sentence so the overfull hbox does not occur, or you can decide to leave it. A small excursion into the right margin often does not matter and may not even be noticeable. However, unless told otherwise, TeX will print a large, ugly, black rectangle beside the line that contains the overfull hbox. This is so you will notice the location of the problem if you are correcting a draft. To prevent such a monstrosity from marring your final printout, write the following in the beginning of the Texinfo file on a line of its own, before the `@titlepage' command: @finalout File: texinfo.info, Node: smallbook, Next: A4 Paper, Prev: Overfull hboxes, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy Printing "Small" Books ====================== By default, TeX typesets pages for printing in an 8.5 by 11 inch format. However, you can direct TeX to typeset a document in a 7 by 9.25 inch format that is suitable for bound books by inserting the following command on a line by itself at the beginning of the Texinfo file, before the title page: @smallbook (Since regular sized books are often about 7 by 9.25 inches, this command might better have been called the `@regularbooksize' command, but it came to be called the `@smallbook' command by comparison to the 8.5 by 11 inch format.) If you write the `@smallbook' command between the start-of-header and end-of-header lines, the Texinfo mode TeX region formatting command, `texinfo-tex-region', will format the region in "small" book size (*note Start of Header::.). The Free Software Foundation distributes printed copies of `The GNU Emacs Manual' and other manuals in the "small" book size. *Note `@smallexample' and `@smalllisp': smallexample & smalllisp, for information about commands that make it easier to produce examples for a smaller manual. Alternatively, to avoid embedding this physical paper size in your document, use `texi2dvi' to format your document (*note Format with texi2dvi::.), and supply `-t @smallbook' as an argument. Then other people do not have to change the document source file to format it differently. File: texinfo.info, Node: A4 Paper, Next: Cropmarks and Magnification, Prev: smallbook, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy Printing on A4 Paper ==================== You can tell TeX to typeset a document for printing on European size A4 paper with the `@afourpaper' command. Write the command on a line by itself between `@iftex' and `@end iftex' lines near the beginning of the Texinfo file, before the title page: For example, this is how you would write the header for this manual: \input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- @c %**start of header @setfilename texinfo @settitle Texinfo @syncodeindex vr fn @iftex @afourpaper @end iftex @c %**end of header Alternatively, to avoid embedding this physical paper size in your document, use `texi2dvi' to format your document (*note Format with texi2dvi::.), and supply `-t @afourpaper' as an argument. Then other people do not have to change the document source file to format it differently. Another alternative: put the `@afourpaper' command in the file `texinfo.cnf' that TeX will read. (No need for `@iftex' there.) This will automatically typeset all the Texinfo documents at your site with that paper size in effect. File: texinfo.info, Node: Cropmarks and Magnification, Prev: A4 Paper, Up: Format/Print Hardcopy Cropmarks and Magnification =========================== You can attempt to direct TeX to print cropmarks at the corners of pages with the `@cropmarks' command. Write the `@cropmarks' command on a line by itself between `@iftex' and `@end iftex' lines near the beginning of the Texinfo file, before the title page, like this: @iftex @cropmarks @end iftex This command is mainly for printers that typeset several pages on one sheet of film; but you can attempt to use it to mark the corners of a book set to 7 by 9.25 inches with the `@smallbook' command. (Printers will not produce cropmarks for regular sized output that is printed on regular sized paper.) Since different printing machines work in different ways, you should explore the use of this command with a spirit of adventure. You may have to redefine the command in the `texinfo.tex' definitions file. You can attempt to direct TeX to typeset pages larger or smaller than usual with the `\mag' TeX command. Everything that is typeset is scaled proportionally larger or smaller. (`\mag' stands for "magnification".) This is *not* a Texinfo @-command, but is a plain TeX command that is prefixed with a backslash. You have to write this command between `@tex' and `@end tex' (*note Raw Formatter Commands::.). Follow the `\mag' command with an `=' and then a number that is 1000 times the magnification you desire. For example, to print pages at 1.2 normal size, write the following near the beginning of the Texinfo file, before the title page: @tex \mag=1200 @end tex With some printing technologies, you can print normal-sized copies that look better than usual by using a larger-than-normal master. Depending on your system, `\mag' may not work or may work only at certain magnifications. Be prepared to experiment. File: texinfo.info, Node: Create an Info File, Next: Install an Info File, Prev: Format/Print Hardcopy, Up: Top Creating an Info File ********************* `makeinfo' is a utility that converts a Texinfo file into an Info file; `texinfo-format-region' and `texinfo-format-buffer' are GNU Emacs functions that do the same. A Texinfo file must contain an `@setfilename' line near its beginning, otherwise the Info formatting commands will fail. For information on installing the Info file in the Info system, see *Note Install an Info File::. * Menu: * makeinfo advantages:: `makeinfo' provides better error checking. * Invoking makeinfo:: How to run `makeinfo' from a shell. * makeinfo options:: Specify fill-column and other options. * Pointer Validation:: How to check that pointers point somewhere. * makeinfo in Emacs:: How to run `makeinfo' from Emacs. * texinfo-format commands:: Two Info formatting commands written in Emacs Lisp are an alternative to `makeinfo'. * Batch Formatting:: How to format for Info in Emacs Batch mode. * Tag and Split Files:: How tagged and split files help Info to run better. File: texinfo.info, Node: makeinfo advantages, Next: Invoking makeinfo, Prev: Create an Info File, Up: Create an Info File `makeinfo' Preferred ==================== The `makeinfo' utility creates an Info file from a Texinfo source file more quickly than either of the Emacs formatting commands and provides better error messages. We recommend it. `makeinfo' is a C program that is independent of Emacs. You do not need to run Emacs to use `makeinfo', which means you can use `makeinfo' on machines that are too small to run Emacs. You can run `makeinfo' in any one of three ways: from an operating system shell, from a shell inside Emacs, or by typing a key command in Texinfo mode in Emacs. The `texinfo-format-region' and the `texinfo-format-buffer' commands are useful if you cannot run `makeinfo'. Also, in some circumstances, they format short regions or buffers more quickly than `makeinfo'. File: texinfo.info, Node: Invoking makeinfo, Next: makeinfo options, Prev: makeinfo advantages, Up: Create an Info File Running `makeinfo' from a Shell =============================== To create an Info file from a Texinfo file, type `makeinfo' followed by the name of the Texinfo file. Thus, to create the Info file for Bison, type the following to the shell: is the prompt): makeinfo bison.texinfo (You can run a shell inside Emacs by typing `M-x shell'.) Sometimes you will want to specify options. For example, if you wish to discover which version of `makeinfo' you are using, type: makeinfo --version *Note makeinfo options::, for more information. File: texinfo.info, Node: makeinfo options, Next: Pointer Validation, Prev: Invoking makeinfo, Up: Create an Info File Options for `makeinfo' ====================== The `makeinfo' command takes a number of options. Most often, options are used to set the value of the fill column and specify the footnote style. Each command line option is a word preceded by `--' or a letter preceded by `-'. You can use abbreviations for the long option names as long as they are unique. For example, you could use the following shell command to create an Info file for `bison.texinfo' in which each line is filled to only 68 columns: makeinfo --fill-column=68 bison.texinfo You can write two or more options in sequence, like this: makeinfo --no-split --fill-column=70 ... This would keep the Info file together as one possibly very long file and would also set the fill column to 70. The options are: `-D VAR' Cause the variable VAR to be defined. This is equivalent to `@set VAR' in the Texinfo file (*note set clear value::.). `--error-limit=LIMIT' Set the maximum number of errors that `makeinfo' will report before exiting (on the assumption that continuing would be useless); default 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. (Filling is the process of breaking up and connecting lines so that lines are the same length as or shorter than the number specified as the fill column. Lines are broken between words.) The default value is 72. `--footnote-style=STYLE' Set the footnote style to STYLE, either `end' for the end node style (the default) 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 (*note Footnotes::.). 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. `--force' Ordinarily, if the input file has errors, the output files are not created. With this option, they are preserved. `--help' Print a usage message listing all available options, then exit successfully. `-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. It is primarily useful to extract certain pieces of a manual into separate files to be included in a distribution, such as `INSTALL' files. `--no-split' Suppress the splitting stage of `makeinfo'. By default, large output files (where the size is greater than 70k bytes) are split into smaller subfiles, each one approximately 50k bytes. `--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 warning messages (but *not* error messages). 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' Suppress 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 (*note setfilename::.). If FILE is `-', output goes to standard output and `--no-split' is implied. `-P DIR' Prepend `dir' to the directory search list for `@include'. See `-I' for more details. `--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 (*note paragraphindent::.). The value of INDENT is interpreted as follows: `asis' Preserve any existing indentation at the starts of paragraphs. `0' or `none' Delete any existing indentation. NUM 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. The default is 1000. `-U VAR' Cause VAR to be undefined. This is equivalent to `@clear VAR' in the Texinfo file (*note set clear value::.). `--verbose' Cause `makeinfo' to display messages saying what it is doing. Normally, `makeinfo' only outputs messages if there are errors or warnings. `--version' Print the version number, then exit successfully. File: texinfo.info, Node: Pointer Validation, Next: makeinfo in Emacs, Prev: makeinfo options, Up: Create an Info File Pointer Validation ================== If you do not suppress pointer-validation, `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: texinfo.info, Node: makeinfo in Emacs, Next: texinfo-format commands, Prev: Pointer Validation, Up: Create an Info File Running `makeinfo' inside Emacs =============================== You can run `makeinfo' in GNU Emacs Texinfo mode by using either the `makeinfo-region' or the `makeinfo-buffer' commands. In Texinfo mode, the commands are bound to `C-c C-m C-r' and `C-c C-m C-b' by default. `C-c C-m C-r' `M-x makeinfo-region' Format the current region for Info. `C-c C-m C-b' `M-x makeinfo-buffer' Format the current buffer for Info. When you invoke either `makeinfo-region' or `makeinfo-buffer', Emacs prompts for a file name, offering the name of the visited file as the default. You can edit the default file name in the minibuffer if you wish, before pressing <RET> to start the `makeinfo' process. The Emacs `makeinfo-region' and `makeinfo-buffer' commands run the `makeinfo' program in a temporary shell buffer. If `makeinfo' finds any errors, Emacs displays the error messages in the temporary buffer. You can parse the error messages by typing `C-x `' (`next-error'). This causes Emacs to go to and position the cursor on the line in the Texinfo source that `makeinfo' thinks caused the error. *Note Running `make' or Compilers Generally: (emacs)Compilation, for more information about using the `next-error' command. In addition, you can kill the shell in which the `makeinfo' command is running or make the shell buffer display its most recent output. `C-c C-m C-k' `M-x makeinfo-kill-job' Kill the current running `makeinfo' job created by `makeinfo-region' or `makeinfo-buffer'. `C-c C-m C-l' `M-x makeinfo-recenter-output-buffer' Redisplay the `makeinfo' shell buffer to display its most recent output. (Note that the parallel commands for killing and recentering a TeX job are `C-c C-t C-k' and `C-c C-t C-l'. *Note Texinfo Mode Printing::.) You can specify options for `makeinfo' by setting the `makeinfo-options' variable with either the `M-x edit-options' or the `M-x set-variable' command, or by setting the variable in your `.emacs' initialization file. For example, you could write the following in your `.emacs' file: (setq makeinfo-options "--paragraph-indent=0 --no-split --fill-column=70 --verbose") For more information, see *Note Editing Variable Values: (emacs)Edit Options, *Note Examining and Setting Variables: (emacs)Examining, *Note Init File: (emacs)Init File, and *Note Options for `makeinfo': makeinfo options. File: texinfo.info, Node: texinfo-format commands, Next: Batch Formatting, Prev: makeinfo in Emacs, Up: Create an Info File The `texinfo-format...' Commands ================================ In GNU Emacs in Texinfo mode, you can format part or all of a Texinfo file with the `texinfo-format-region' command. This formats the current region and displays the formatted text in a temporary buffer called `*Info Region*'. Similarly, you can format a buffer with the `texinfo-format-buffer' command. This command creates a new buffer and generates the Info file in it. Typing `C-x C-s' will save the Info file under the name specified by the `@setfilename' line which must be near the beginning of the Texinfo file. `C-c C-e C-r' ``texinfo-format-region'' Format the current region for Info. `C-c C-e C-b' ``texinfo-format-buffer'' Format the current buffer for Info. The `texinfo-format-region' and `texinfo-format-buffer' commands provide you with some error checking, and other functions can provide you with further help in finding formatting errors. These procedures are described in an appendix; see *Note Catching Mistakes::. However, the `makeinfo' program is often faster and provides better error checking (*note makeinfo in Emacs::.). File: texinfo.info, Node: Batch Formatting, Next: Tag and Split Files, Prev: texinfo-format commands, Up: Create an Info File Batch Formatting ================ You can format Texinfo files for Info using `batch-texinfo-format' and Emacs Batch mode. You can run Emacs in Batch mode from any shell, including a shell inside of Emacs. (*Note Command Line Switches and Arguments: (emacs)Command Switches.) Here is a shell command to format all the files that end in `.texinfo' in the current directory: emacs -batch -funcall batch-texinfo-format *.texinfo Emacs processes all the files listed on the command line, even if an error occurs while attempting to format some of them. Run `batch-texinfo-format' only with Emacs in Batch mode as shown; it is not interactive. It kills the Batch mode Emacs on completion. `batch-texinfo-format' is convenient if you lack `makeinfo' and want to format several Texinfo files at once. When you use Batch mode, you create a new Emacs process. This frees your current Emacs, so you can continue working in it. (When you run `texinfo-format-region' or `texinfo-format-buffer', you cannot use that Emacs for anything else until the command finishes.) File: texinfo.info, Node: Tag and Split Files, Prev: Batch Formatting, Up: Create an Info File Tag Files and Split Files ========================= If a Texinfo file has more than 30,000 bytes, `texinfo-format-buffer' automatically creates a tag table for its Info file; `makeinfo' always creates a tag table. With a "tag table", Info can jump to new nodes more quickly than it can otherwise. In addition, if the Texinfo file contains more than about 70,000 bytes, `texinfo-format-buffer' and `makeinfo' split the large Info file into shorter "indirect" subfiles of about 50,000 bytes each. Big files are split into smaller files so that Emacs does not need to make a large buffer to hold the whole of a large Info file; instead, Emacs allocates just enough memory for the small, split off file that is needed at the time. This way, Emacs avoids wasting memory when you run Info. (Before splitting was implemented, Info files were always kept short and "include files" were designed as a way to create a single, large printed manual out of the smaller Info files. *Note Include Files::, for more information. Include files are still used for very large documents, such as `The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual', in which each chapter is a separate file.) When a file is split, Info itself makes use of a shortened version of the original file that contains just the tag table and references to the files that were split off. The split off files are called "indirect" files. The split off files have names that are created by appending `-1', `-2', `-3' and so on to the file name specified by the `@setfilename' command. The shortened version of the original file continues to have the name specified by `@setfilename'. At one stage in writing this document, for example, the Info file was saved as `test-texinfo' and that file looked like this: Info file: test-texinfo, -*-Text-*- produced by texinfo-format-buffer from file: new-texinfo-manual.texinfo ^_ Indirect: test-texinfo-1: 102 test-texinfo-2: 50422 test-texinfo-3: 101300 ^_^L Tag table: (Indirect) Node: overview^?104 Node: info file^?1271 Node: printed manual^?4853 Node: conventions^?6855 ... (But `test-texinfo' had far more nodes than are shown here.) Each of the split off, indirect files, `test-texinfo-1', `test-texinfo-2', and `test-texinfo-3', is listed in this file after the line that says `Indirect:'. The tag table is listed after the line that says `Tag table:'. In the list of indirect files, the number following the file name records the cumulative number of bytes in the preceding indirect files, not counting the file list itself, the tag table, or the permissions text in each file. In the tag table, the number following the node name records the location of the beginning of the node, in bytes from the beginning. If you are using `texinfo-format-buffer' to create Info files, you may want to run the `Info-validate' command. (The `makeinfo' command does such a good job on its own, you do not need `Info-validate'.) However, you cannot run the `M-x Info-validate' node-checking command on indirect files. For information on how to prevent files from being split and how to validate the structure of the nodes, see *Note Using Info-validate::. File: texinfo.info, Node: Install an Info File, Next: Command List, Prev: Create an Info File, Up: Top Installing an Info File *********************** Info files are usually kept in the `info' directory. You can read Info files using the standalone Info program or the Info reader built into Emacs. (*note info: (info)Top, for an introduction to Info.) * Menu: * Directory file:: The top level menu for all Info files. * New Info File:: Listing a new info file. * Other Info Directories:: How to specify Info files that are located in other directories. * Installing Dir Entries:: How to specify what menu entry to add to the Info directory. * Invoking install-info:: `install-info' options. File: texinfo.info, Node: Directory file, Next: New Info File, Prev: Install an Info File, Up: Install an Info File The `dir' File ============== For Info to work, the `info' directory must contain a file that serves as a top level directory for the Info system. By convention, this file is called `dir'. (You can find the location of this file within Emacs by typing `C-h i' to enter Info and then typing `C-x C-f' to see the pathname to the `info' directory.) The `dir' file is itself an Info file. It contains the top level menu for all the Info files in the system. The menu looks like this: * Menu: * Info: (info). Documentation browsing system. * Emacs: (emacs). The extensible, self-documenting text editor. * Texinfo: (texinfo). With one source file, make either a printed manual using TeX or an Info file. ... Each of these menu entries points to the `Top' node of the Info file that is named in parentheses. (The menu entry does not need to specify the `Top' node, since Info goes to the `Top' node if no node name is mentioned. *Note Nodes in Other Info Files: Other Info Files.) Thus, the `Info' entry points to the `Top' node of the `info' file and the `Emacs' entry points to the `Top' node of the `emacs' file. In each of the Info files, the `Up' pointer of the `Top' node refers back to the `dir' file. For example, the line for the `Top' node of the Emacs manual looks like this in Info: File: emacs Node: Top, Up: (DIR), Next: Distrib (Note that in this case, the `dir' file name is written in upper case letters--it can be written in either upper or lower case. Info has a feature that it will change the case of the file name to lower case if it cannot find the name as written.) File: texinfo.info, Node: New Info File, Next: Other Info Directories, Prev: Directory file, Up: Install an Info File Listing a New Info File ======================= To add a new Info file to your system, you must write a menu entry to add to the menu in the `dir' file in the `info' directory. For example, if you were adding documentation for GDB, you would write the following new entry: * GDB: (gdb). The source-level C debugger. The first part of the menu entry is the menu entry name, followed by a colon. The second part is the name of the Info file, in parentheses, followed by a period. The third part is the description. The name of an Info file often has a `.info' extension. Thus, the Info file for GDB might be called either `gdb' or `gdb.info'. The Info reader programs automatically try the file name both with and without `.info'; so it is better to avoid clutter and not to write `.info' explicitly in the menu entry. For example, the GDB menu entry should use just `gdb' for the file name, not `gdb.info'.