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Texinfo
*******
Texinfo is a documentation system that uses a single source file to
produce both online information and printed output.
The first part of this master menu lists the major nodes in this Info
document, including the @-command and concept indices. The rest of the
menu lists all the lower level nodes in the document.
This is Edition 4.0 of the Texinfo manual, updated 28 September 1999.
Menu
* Copying Your rights.
* Overview Texinfo in brief.
* Texinfo Mode How to use Texinfo mode.
* Beginning a File What is at the beginning of a Texinfo file?
* Ending a File What is at the end of a Texinfo file?
* Structuring How to create chapters, sections, subsections,
appendices, and other parts.
* Nodes How to write nodes.
* Menus How to write menus.
* Cross References How to write cross references.
* Marking Text How to mark words and phrases as code,
keyboard input, meta-syntactic
variables, and the like.
* Quotations and Examples How to write quotations, examples, etc.
* Lists and Tables How to write lists and tables.
* Indices How to create indices.
* Insertions How to insert @-signs, braces, etc.
* Breaks How to force and prevent line and page breaks.
* Definition Commands How to describe functions and the like
in a uniform manner.
* Conditionals How to specify text for either TeX or Info.
* Internationalization
* Defining New Texinfo Commands
* Hardcopy How to convert a Texinfo file to a file
for printing and how to print that file.
* Creating and Installing Info Files
* Command List All the Texinfo @-commands.
* Tips Hints on how to write a Texinfo document.
* Sample Texinfo File A sample Texinfo file to look at.
* Sample Permissions Tell readers they have the right to copy
and distribute.
* Include Files How to incorporate other Texinfo files.
* Headings How to write page headings and footings.
* Catching Mistakes How to find formatting mistakes.
* Refilling Paragraphs All about paragraph refilling.
* Command Syntax A description of @-Command syntax.
* Obtaining TeX How to Obtain TeX.
* Command and Variable Index A menu containing commands and variables.
* Concept Index A menu covering many topics.
--- The Detailed Node Listing ---
Overview of Texinfo
* Reporting Bugs Submitting effective bug reports.
* Using Texinfo Create printed or online output.
* Info Files What is an Info file?
* Printed Books Characteristics of a printed book or manual.
* Formatting Commands @-commands are used for formatting.
* Conventions General rules for writing a Texinfo file.
* Comments Writing comments and ignored text in general.
* Minimum What a Texinfo file must have.
* Six Parts Usually, a Texinfo file has six parts.
* Short Sample A short sample Texinfo file.
* Acknowledgements and History Contributors and genesis.
Using Texinfo Mode
* Texinfo Mode Overview How Texinfo mode can help you.
* Emacs Editing Texinfo mode adds to GNU Emacs' general
purpose editing features.
* Inserting How to insert frequently used @-commands.
* Showing the Structure How to show the structure of a file.
* Updating Nodes and Menus How to update or create new nodes and menus.
* Info Formatting How to format for Info.
* Printing How to format and print part or all of a file.
* Texinfo Mode Summary Summary of all the Texinfo mode commands.
Updating Nodes and Menus
* Updating Commands Five major updating commands.
* Updating Requirements How to structure a Texinfo file for
using the updating command.
* Other Updating Commands How to indent descriptions, insert
missing nodes lines, and update
nodes in sequence.
Beginning a Texinfo File
* Four Parts Four parts begin a Texinfo file.
* Sample Beginning Here is a sample beginning for a Texinfo file.
* Header The very beginning of a Texinfo file.
* Info Summary and Permissions Summary and copying permissions for Info.
* Titlepage & Copyright Page Creating the title and copyright pages.
* The Top Node Creating the `Top' node and master menu.
* Software Copying Permissions Ensure that you and others continue to
have the right to use and share software.
The Texinfo File Header
* First Line The first line of a Texinfo file.
* Start of Header Formatting a region requires this.
* setfilename Tell Info the name of the Info file.
* settitle Create a title for the printed work.
* setchapternewpage Start chapters on right-hand pages.
* paragraphindent Specify paragraph indentation.
* exampleindent Specify environment indentation.
* End of Header Formatting a region requires this.
The Title and Copyright Pages
* titlepage Create a title for the printed document.
* titlefont center sp The `@titlefont', `@center',
and `@sp' commands.
* title subtitle author The `@title', `@subtitle',
and `@author' commands.
* Copyright & Permissions How to write the copyright notice and
include copying permissions.
* end titlepage Turn on page headings after the title and
copyright pages.
* headings on off An option for turning headings on and off
and double or single sided printing.
The `Top' Node and Master Menu
* Title of Top Node Sketch what the file is about.
* Master Menu Parts A master menu has three or more parts.
Ending a Texinfo File
* 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.
Chapter Structuring
* 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.
* Raise/lower sections How to change commands' hierarchical level.
Nodes
* Two Paths Different commands to structure
Info output and printed output.
* Node Menu Illustration A diagram, and sample nodes and menus.
* node Creating nodes, in detail.
* makeinfo Pointer Creation Letting makeinfo determine node pointers.
* anchor Defining arbitrary cross-reference targets.
The `@node' Command
* 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.
Menus
* Menu Location Put a menu in a short node.
* Writing a Menu What is a menu?
* Menu Parts A menu entry has three parts.
* Less Cluttered Menu Entry Two part menu entry.
* Menu Example Two and three part menu entries.
* Other Info Files How to refer to a different Info file.
Cross References
* References What cross references are for.
* Cross Reference Commands A summary of the different commands.
* Cross Reference Parts A cross reference has several parts.
* xref Begin a reference with `See' ...
* Top Node Naming How to refer to the beginning of another file.
* ref A reference for the last part of a sentence.
* pxref How to write a parenthetical cross reference.
* inforef How to refer to an Info-only file.
* uref How to refer to a uniform resource locator.
`@xref'
* Reference Syntax What a reference looks like and requires.
* One Argument `@xref' with one argument.
* Two Arguments `@xref' with two arguments.
* Three Arguments `@xref' with three arguments.
* Four and Five Arguments `@xref' with four and five arguments.
Marking Words and Phrases
* Indicating How to indicate definitions, files, etc.
* Emphasis How to emphasize text.
Indicating Definitions, Commands, etc.
* Useful Highlighting Highlighting provides useful information.
* code Indicating program code.
* kbd Showing keyboard input.
* key Specifying keys.
* samp Showing a literal sequence of characters.
* var Indicating metasyntactic variables.
* env Indicating environment variables.
* file Indicating file names.
* command Indicating command names.
* option Indicating option names.
* dfn Specifying definitions.
* cite Referring to books not in the Info system.
* acronym Indicating acronyms.
* url Indicating a World Wide Web reference.
* email Indicating an electronic mail address.
Emphasizing Text
* emph & strong How to emphasize text in Texinfo.
* Smallcaps How to use the small caps font.
* Fonts Various font commands for printed output.
Quotations and Examples
* Block Enclosing Commands Use different constructs for
different purposes.
* quotation How to write a quotation.
* example How to write an example in a fixed-width font.
* noindent How to prevent paragraph indentation.
* lisp How to illustrate Lisp code.
* small Forms for `@smallbook'.
* display How to write an example in the current font.
* format How to write an example that does not narrow
the margins.
* exdent How to undo the indentation of a line.
* flushleft & flushright How to push text flushleft or flushright.
* cartouche How to draw cartouches around examples.
Lists and Tables
* Introducing Lists Texinfo formats lists for you.
* itemize How to construct a simple list.
* enumerate How to construct a numbered list.
* Two-column Tables How to construct a two-column table.
* Multi-column Tables How to construct generalized tables.
Making a Two-column Table
* table How to construct a two-column table.
* ftable vtable Automatic indexing for two-column tables.
* itemx How to put more entries in the first column.
Multi-column Tables
* Multitable Column Widths Defining multitable column widths.
* Multitable Rows Defining multitable rows, with examples.
Indices
* Index Entries Choose different words for index entries.
* Predefined Indices Use different indices for different kinds
of entry.
* Indexing Commands How to make an index entry.
* Combining Indices How to combine indices.
* New Indices How to define your own indices.
Combining Indices
* syncodeindex How to merge two indices, using `@code'
font for the merged-from index.
* synindex How to merge two indices, using the
default font of the merged-to index.
Special Insertions
* Braces Atsigns How to insert braces, `@'.
* Inserting Space How to insert the right amount of space
within a sentence.
* Inserting Accents How to insert accents and special characters.
* Dots Bullets How to insert dots and bullets.
* TeX and copyright How to insert the TeX logo
and the copyright symbol.
* pounds How to insert the pounds currency symbol.
* minus How to insert a minus sign.
* math How to format a mathematical expression.
* Glyphs How to indicate results of evaluation,
expansion of macros, errors, etc.
* Footnotes How to include footnotes.
* Images How to include graphics.
Inserting @ and Braces
* Inserting An Atsign How to insert `@'.
* Inserting Braces How to insert `{' and `}'.
Inserting Space
* Not Ending a Sentence Sometimes a . doesn't end a sentence.
* Ending a Sentence Sometimes it does.
* Multiple Spaces Inserting multiple spaces.
* dmn How to format a dimension.
Inserting Ellipsis, Dots, and Bullets
* dots How to insert dots ...
* bullet How to insert a bullet.
Inserting TeX and the Copyright Symbol
* tex How to insert the TeX logo.
* copyright symbol How to use `@copyright'{}.
Glyphs for Examples
* Glyphs Summary
* result How to show the result of expression.
* expansion How to indicate an expansion.
* Print Glyph How to indicate printed output.
* Error Glyph How to indicate an error message.
* Equivalence How to indicate equivalence.
* Point Glyph How to indicate the location of point.
Glyphs Summary
* result
* expansion
* Print Glyph
* Error Glyph
* Equivalence
* Point Glyph
Footnotes
* Footnote Commands How to write a footnote in Texinfo.
* Footnote Styles Controlling how footnotes appear in Info.
Making and Preventing Breaks
* Break Commands Cause and prevent splits.
* Line Breaks How to force a single line to use two lines.
* - and hyphenation How to tell TeX about hyphenation points.
* w How to prevent unwanted line breaks.
* sp How to insert blank lines.
* page How to force the start of a new page.
* group How to prevent unwanted page breaks.
* need Another way to prevent unwanted page breaks.
Definition Commands
* Def Cmd Template How to structure a description using a
definition command.
* Optional Arguments How to handle optional and repeated arguments.
* deffnx How to group two or more `first' lines.
* Def Cmds in Detail All the definition commands.
* Def Cmd Conventions Conventions for writing definitions.
* Sample Function Definition
The Definition Commands
* Functions Commands Commands for functions and similar entities.
* Variables Commands Commands for variables and similar entities.
* Typed Functions Commands for functions in typed languages.
* Typed Variables Commands for variables in typed languages.
* Abstract Objects Commands for object-oriented programming.
* Data Types The definition command for data types.
Conditionally Visible Text
* Conditional Commands Specifying text for HTML, Info, or TeX.
* Conditional Not Commands Specifying text for not HTML, Info, or TeX.
* Raw Formatter Commands Using raw TeX or HTML commands.
* set clear value Designating which text to format (for
all output formats); and how to set a
flag to a string that you can insert.
`@set', `@clear', and `@value'
* ifset ifclear Format a region if a flag is set.
* set value Expand a flag variable to a string.
* value Example An easy way to update edition information.
Internationalization
* documentlanguage Declaring the current language.
* documentencoding Declaring the input encoding.
Defining New Texinfo Commands
* Defining Macros Defining and undefining new commands.
* Invoking Macros Using a macro, once you've defined it.
* Macro Details Beyond basic macro usage.
* alias Command aliases.
* definfoenclose Customized highlighting.
Formatting and Printing Hardcopy
* Use TeX Use TeX to format for hardcopy.
* Format with tex/texindex How to format with explicit shell commands.
* Format with texi2dvi A simpler way to format.
* 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 to do before you 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.
* pagesizes How to print with customized page sizes.
* Cropmarks and Magnification How to print marks to indicate the size
of pages and how to print scaled up output.
* PDF Output Portable Document Format output.
Creating and Installing Info Files
* Creating an Info File
* Install an Info File
Creating an Info File
* 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.
* makeinfo html Generating HTML output.
Installing an Info File
* 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.
Sample Permissions
* Inserting Permissions How to put permissions in your document.
* ifinfo Permissions Sample `ifinfo' copying permissions.
* Titlepage Permissions Sample Titlepage copying permissions.
Include Files
* Using Include Files How to use the `@include' command.
* texinfo-multiple-files-update How to create and update nodes and
menus when using included files.
* Include File Requirements What `texinfo-multiple-files-update' expects.
* Sample Include File A sample outer file with included files
within it; and a sample included file.
* Include Files Evolution How use of the `@include' command
has changed over time.
Page Headings
* Headings Introduced Conventions for using page headings.
* Heading Format Standard page heading formats.
* Heading Choice How to specify the type of page heading.
* Custom Headings How to create your own headings and footings.
Formatting Mistakes
* makeinfo Preferred `makeinfo' finds errors.
* Debugging with Info How to catch errors with Info formatting.
* Debugging with TeX How to catch errors with TeX formatting.
* Using texinfo-show-structure How to use `texinfo-show-structure'.
* Using occur How to list all lines containing a pattern.
* Running Info-Validate How to find badly referenced nodes.
Finding Badly Referenced Nodes
* Using Info-validate How to run `Info-validate'.
* Unsplit How to create an unsplit file.
* Tagifying How to tagify a file.
* Splitting How to split a file manually.
Documentation is like sex: when it is good, it is very, very good;
and when it is bad, it is better than nothing. --Dick Brandon
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