This is texinfo.info, produced by texi2any version 6.0 from
texinfo.texi.

This manual is for GNU Texinfo (version 6.0, 26 June 2015), a
documentation system that can produce both online information and a
printed manual from a single source using semantic markup.

Copyright (C) 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998,
1999, 2001, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011,
2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License,
Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software
Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover Texts
being "A GNU Manual", and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a)
below. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled
"GNU Free Documentation License".

(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: "You have the freedom to copy and
modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF supports it in
developing GNU and promoting software freedom."
INFO-DIR-SECTION Texinfo documentation system
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Texinfo: (texinfo). The GNU documentation format.
* install-info: (texinfo)Invoking install-info. Update info/dir entries.
* makeinfo: (texinfo)Invoking makeinfo. Translate Texinfo source.
* pod2texi: (pod2texi)Invoking pod2texi. Translate Perl POD to Texinfo.
* texi2dvi: (texinfo)Format with texi2dvi. Print Texinfo documents.
* texi2pdf: (texinfo)PDF Output. PDF output for Texinfo.
* pdftexi2dvi: (texinfo)PDF Output. PDF output for Texinfo.
* texindex: (texinfo)Format with tex/texindex. Sort Texinfo index files.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY

File: texinfo.info, Node: Top, Next: Copying Conditions, Up: (dir)

Texinfo
*******

This manual is for GNU Texinfo (version 6.0, 26 June 2015), a
documentation system that can produce both online information and a
printed manual from a single source using semantic markup.

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.

* Menu:

* Copying Conditions:: Your rights.
* Overview:: Texinfo in brief.
* Texinfo Mode:: Using the GNU Emacs 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?
* Chapter Structuring:: Creating chapters, sections, appendices, etc.
* Nodes:: Writing nodes, the basic unit of Texinfo.
* Menus:: Writing menus.
* Cross References:: Writing cross references.
* Marking Text:: Marking words and phrases as code,
keyboard input, meta-syntactic
variables, and the like.
* Quotations and Examples:: Block quotations, examples, etc.
* Lists and Tables:: Itemized or numbered lists, and tables.
* Special Displays:: Floating figures and footnotes.
* Indices:: Creating indices.
* Insertions:: Inserting @-signs, braces, etc.
* Breaks:: Forcing or preventing line and page breaks.
* Definition Commands:: Describing functions and the like uniformly.
* Internationalization:: Supporting languages other than English.
* Conditionals:: Specifying text for only some output cases.
* Defining New Texinfo Commands:: User-defined macros and aliases.
* Include Files:: How to incorporate other Texinfo files.

* Hardcopy:: Output for paper, with TeX.
* Generic Translator texi2any:: 'texi2any', an all-purpose converter.
* Creating and Installing Info Files:: Details on Info output.
* Generating HTML:: Details on HTML output.

* Command List:: All the Texinfo @-commands.
* Tips:: Hints on how to write a Texinfo document.
* Sample Texinfo Files:: Complete examples, including full texts.
* Headings:: How to write page headings and footings.
* Catching Mistakes:: How to find mistakes in formatting.
* Info Format Specification:: Technical details of the Info file format.
* GNU Free Documentation License:: Copying this manual.
* Command and Variable Index:: A menu containing commands and variables.
* General 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.
* Output Formats:: Overview of the supported output formats.
* Adding Output Formats:: Man pages and implementing new formats.
* Texinfo Document Structure:: How Texinfo manuals are usually arranged.
* 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.
* History:: Acknowledgements, 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

* Sample Beginning:: A sample beginning for a Texinfo file.
* Texinfo File Header:: The first lines.
* Document Permissions:: Ensuring your manual is free.
* Titlepage & Copyright Page:: Creating the title and copyright pages.
* Contents:: How to create a table of contents.
* The Top Node:: Creating the 'Top' node and master menu.
* Global Document Commands:: Affecting formatting throughout.

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.
* End of Header:: Formatting a region requires this.

Document Permissions

* @copying:: Declare the document's copying permissions.
* @insertcopying:: Where to insert the permissions.

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:: How to write the copyright notice and
include copying permissions.
* Heading Generation:: Turn on page headings after the title and
copyright pages.

The 'Top' Node and Master Menu

* Top Node Example::
* Master Menu Parts::

Global Document Commands

* @documentdescription:: Document summary for the HTML output.
* @setchapternewpage:: Start chapters on right-hand pages.
* @headings:: An option for turning headings on and off
and double or single sided printing.
* @paragraphindent:: Specify paragraph indentation.
* @firstparagraphindent:: Suppressing first paragraph indentation.
* @exampleindent:: Specify environment indentation.

Ending a Texinfo File

* Printing Indices & Menus:: How to print an index in hardcopy and
generate index menus in Info.
* 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.
* @chapter:: Chapter structuring.
* @unnumbered @appendix::
* @majorheading @chapheading::
* @section::
* @unnumberedsec @appendixsec @heading::
* @subsection::
* @unnumberedsubsec @appendixsubsec @subheading::
* @subsubsection:: Commands for the lowest level sections.
* @part:: Collections of chapters.
* Raise/lower sections:: How to change commands' hierarchical level.

Nodes

* @node:: Creating nodes, in detail.
* makeinfo Pointer Creation:: Letting makeinfo determine node pointers.
* @anchor:: Defining arbitrary cross reference targets.
* Node Menu Illustration:: A diagram, and sample nodes and menus.

The '@node' Command

* Node Names:: How to choose node and pointer names.
* Writing a Node:: How to write an '@node' line.
* Node Line Requirements:: Keep names unique.
* First Node:: How to write a 'Top' node.
* @top Command:: How to use the '@top' command.

Menus

* Menu Location:: Menus go at the ends of nodes.
* 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.
* @url:: How to refer to a uniform resource locator.
* @cite:: How to refer to books not in the Info system.

'@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 Text, 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:: Indicating a literal sequence of characters.
* @verb:: Indicating a verbatim 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.
* @abbr:: Indicating abbreviations.
* @acronym:: Indicating acronyms.
* @indicateurl:: Indicating an example url.
* @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:: Different constructs for different purposes.
* @quotation:: Writing a quotation.
* @indentedblock:: Block of text indented on left.
* @example:: Writing an example in a fixed-width font.
* @verbatim:: Writing a verbatim example.
* @verbatiminclude:: Including a file verbatim.
* @lisp:: Illustrating Lisp code.
* @small...:: Examples in a smaller font.
* @display:: Writing an example in the current font.
* @format:: Writing an example without narrowed margins.
* @exdent:: Undo indentation on a line.
* @flushleft @flushright:: Pushing text flush left or flush right.
* @raggedright:: Avoiding justification on the right.
* @noindent:: Preventing paragraph indentation.
* @indent:: Forcing paragraph indentation.
* @cartouche:: Drawing rounded rectangles around text.

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.

'@multitable': Multi-column Tables

* Multitable Column Widths:: Defining multitable column widths.
* Multitable Rows:: Defining multitable rows, with examples.

Special Displays

* Floats:: Figures, tables, and the like.
* Images:: Including graphics and images.
* Footnotes:: Writing footnotes.

Floats

* @float:: Producing floating material.
* @caption @shortcaption:: Specifying descriptions for floats.
* @listoffloats:: A table of contents for floats.

Inserting Images

* Image Syntax::
* Image Scaling::

Footnotes

* Footnote Commands:: How to write a footnote in Texinfo.
* Footnote Styles:: Controlling how footnotes appear in Info.

Indices

* Index Entries:: Choose different words for index entries.
* Predefined Indices:: Use different indices for different kinds
of entries.
* 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
roman font for the merged-from index.

Special Insertions

* Special Characters:: Inserting @ {} , \ #
* Inserting Quote Characters:: Inserting left and right quotes, in code.
* Inserting Space:: Inserting the right amount of whitespace.
* Inserting Accents:: Inserting accents and special characters.
* Inserting Quotation Marks:: Inserting quotation marks.
* Inserting Subscripts and Superscripts:: Inserting sub/superscripts.
* Inserting Math:: Formatting mathematical expressions.
* Glyphs for Text:: Inserting dots, bullets, currencies, etc.
* Glyphs for Programming:: Indicating results of evaluation,
expansion of macros, errors, etc.
* Inserting Unicode:: Inserting a Unicode character by code point.

Special Characters: Inserting @ {} , \ #

* Inserting an Atsign:: '@@', '@atchar{}'.
* Inserting Braces:: '@{ @}', '@l rbracechar{}'.
* Inserting a Comma:: , and '@comma{}'.
* Inserting a Backslash:: \ and '@backslashchar{}'.
* Inserting a Hashsign:: # and '@hashchar{}'.

Inserting Space

* Multiple Spaces:: Inserting multiple spaces.
* Not Ending a Sentence:: Sometimes a . doesn't end a sentence.
* Ending a Sentence:: Sometimes it does.
* @frenchspacing:: Specifying end-of-sentence spacing.
* @dmn:: Formatting a dimension.

Glyphs for Text

* @TeX @LaTeX:: The TeX logos.
* @copyright:: The copyright symbol (c in a circle).
* @registeredsymbol:: The registered symbol (R in a circle).
* @dots:: How to insert ellipses: ... and ...
* @bullet:: How to insert a bullet: *
* @euro:: How to insert the euro currency symbol.
* @pounds:: How to insert the pounds currency symbol.
* @textdegree:: How to insert the degrees symbol.
* @minus:: How to insert a minus sign.
* @geq @leq:: How to insert greater/less-than-or-equal signs.

Glyphs for Programming

* Glyphs Summary::
* @result:: How to show the result of expression.
* @expansion:: How to indicate an expansion.
* @print:: How to indicate generated output.
* @error:: How to indicate an error message.
* @equiv:: How to indicate equivalence.
* @point:: How to indicate the location of point.
* Click Sequences:: Inserting GUI usage sequences.

Forcing and Preventing Breaks

* Break Commands:: Summary of break-related commands.
* Line Breaks:: Forcing line breaks.
* @- @hyphenation:: Helping TeX with hyphenation points.
* @allowcodebreaks:: Controlling line breaks within @code text.
* @w:: Preventing unwanted line breaks in text.
* @tie:: Inserting an unbreakable but varying space.
* @sp:: Inserting blank lines.
* @page:: Forcing the start of a new page.
* @group:: Preventing unwanted page breaks.
* @need:: Another way to prevent unwanted page breaks.

Definition Commands

* Def Cmd Template:: Writing descriptions using definition commands.
* Def Cmd Continuation Lines:: Continuing the heading over source lines.
* Optional Arguments:: Handling optional and repeated arguments.
* @deffnx:: Group two or more 'first' lines.
* Def Cmds in Detail:: Reference for all the definition commands.
* Def Cmd Conventions:: Conventions for writing definitions.
* Sample Function Definition:: An example.

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.
* Data Types:: The definition command for data types.
* Abstract Objects:: Commands for object-oriented programming.

Object-Oriented Programming

* Variables: Object-Oriented Variables.
* Methods: Object-Oriented Methods.

Internationalization

* @documentlanguage:: Declaring the current language.
* @documentencoding:: Declaring the input encoding.

Conditionally Visible Text

* Conditional Commands:: Text for a given format.
* Conditional Not Commands:: Text for any format other than a given one.
* Raw Formatter Commands:: Using raw formatter commands.
* Inline Conditionals:: Brace-delimited conditional text.
* @set @clear @value:: Variable tests and substitutions.
* Testing for Texinfo Commands:: Testing if a Texinfo command is available.
* Conditional Nesting:: Using conditionals inside conditionals.

'@set', '@clear', and '@value'

* @set @value:: Expand a flag variable to a string.
* @ifset @ifclear:: Format a region if a flag is set.
* @value Example:: An easy way to update edition information.

Defining New Texinfo Commands

* Defining Macros:: Defining and undefining new commands.
* Invoking Macros:: Using a macro, once you've defined it.
* Macro Details:: Limitations of Texinfo macros.
* @alias:: Command aliases.
* @definfoenclose:: Customized highlighting.
* External Macro Processors:: '#line' directives.

External Macro Processors: Line Directives

* #line Directive::
* TeX: #line and TeX.
* Syntax: #line Syntax Details.

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 Files Requirements:: 'texinfo-multiple-files-update' needs.
* 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.

Formatting and Printing Hardcopy

* Use TeX:: Use TeX to format for hardcopy.
* Format with texi2dvi:: The simplest way to format.
* Format with tex/texindex:: Formatting with explicit shell commands.
* Print with lpr:: How to print.
* Within Emacs:: Printing 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 A4 or A5 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.
* Obtaining TeX:: How to obtain TeX.

Format with tex/texindex

* Formatting Partial Documents::
* Details of texindex::

'texi2any': The Generic Translator for Texinfo

* Reference Implementation:: 'texi2any': the reference implementation.
* Invoking texi2any:: Running the translator from a shell.
* texi2any Printed Output:: Calling 'texi2dvi'.
* Pointer Validation:: How to check that pointers point somewhere.
* Customization Variables:: Configuring 'texi2any'.
* Internationalization of Document Strings:: Translating program-inserted text.
* Invoking pod2texi:: Translating Perl pod to Texinfo.
* texi2html:: An ancestor of 'texi2any'.

Customization Variables

* Commands: Customization Variables for @-Commands.
* Options: Customization Variables and Options.
* Other: Other Customization Variables.

Creating and Installing Info Files

* Creating an Info File::
* Installing an Info File::

Creating an Info File

* makeinfo Advantages:: 'makeinfo' provides better error checking.
* 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.

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.

Generating HTML

* HTML Translation:: Details of the HTML output.
* HTML Splitting:: How HTML output is split.
* HTML CSS:: Influencing HTML output with Cascading Style Sheets.
* HTML Xref:: Cross references in HTML output.

HTML Cross References

* Link Basics: HTML Xref Link Basics.
* Node Expansion: HTML Xref Node Name Expansion.
* Command Expansion: HTML Xref Command Expansion.
* 8-bit Expansion: HTML Xref 8-bit Character Expansion.
* Mismatch: HTML Xref Mismatch.
* Configuration: HTML Xref Configuration. htmlxref.cnf.
* Preserving links: HTML Xref Link Preservation. MANUAL-noderename.cnf.

@-Command List

* Command Syntax:: General syntax for varieties of @-commands.
* Command Contexts:: Guidelines for which commands can be used where.

Sample Texinfo Files

* Short Sample Texinfo File::
* GNU Sample Texts::
* Verbatim Copying License::
* All-permissive Copying License::

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.

Catching 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.

Info Format Specification

* General: Info Format General Layout.
* Text: Info Format Text Constructs.

Info Format General Layout

* Whole: Info Format Whole Manual. Split vs. nonsplit manuals.
* Preamble: Info Format Preamble.
* Indirect: Info Format Indirect Table.
* Tag table: Info Format Tag Table.
* Local variables: Info Format Local Variables.
* Regular nodes: Info Format Regular Nodes.

Info Format Text Constructs

* Menu: Info Format Menu.
* Image: Info Format Image.
* Printindex: Info Format Printindex.
* Xref: Info Format Cross Reference.

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

File: texinfo.info, Node: Copying Conditions, Next: Overview, Prev: Top, Up: Top

Texinfo Copying Conditions
**************************

GNU Texinfo is "free software"; this means that everyone is free to use
it and free to redistribute it on certain conditions. Texinfo is not in
the public domain; it is copyrighted and there are restrictions on its
distribution, but these restrictions are designed to permit everything
that a good cooperating citizen would want to do. What is not allowed
is to try to prevent others from further sharing any version of Texinfo
that they might get from you.

Specifically, we want to make sure that you have the right to give
away copies of the programs that relate to Texinfo, that you receive
source code or else can get it if you want it, that you can change these
programs or use pieces of them in new free programs, and that you know
you can do these things.

To make sure that everyone has such rights, we have to forbid you to
deprive anyone else of these rights. For example, if you distribute
copies of the Texinfo related programs, you must give the recipients all
the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or
can get the source code. And you must tell them their rights.

Also, for our own protection, we must make certain that everyone finds
out that there is no warranty for the programs that relate to Texinfo.
If these programs are modified by someone else and passed on, we want
their recipients to know that what they have is not what we distributed,
so that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on our
reputation.

The precise conditions of the licenses for the programs currently
being distributed that relate to Texinfo are found in the General Public
Licenses that accompany them. This manual is covered by the GNU Free
Documentation License (*note GNU Free Documentation License::).

File: texinfo.info, Node: Overview, Next: Texinfo Mode, Prev: Copying Conditions, Up: Top

1 Overview of Texinfo
*********************

"Texinfo" is a documentation system that uses a single source file to
produce both online information and printed output. This means that
instead of writing two different documents, one for the online
information and the other for a printed work, you need write only one
document. Therefore, when the work is revised, you need revise only
that one document.

Texinfo's markup commands are almost entirely "semantic"; that is,
they specify the intended meaning of text in the document, rather than
physical formatting instructions.

Texinfo was devised for the purpose of writing software documentation
and manuals. It is not, and was never intended to be, a general-purpose
formatting program. If you need to lay out a newspaper, devise a glossy
magazine ad, or follow the exact formatting requirements of a publishing
house, Texinfo is not the simplest tool. On the other hand, if you want
to write a good manual for your program, Texinfo has many features that
will make your job easier. Overall, it's intended to let you
concentrate on the content, and thus provides almost no commands for
controlling the final formatting.

The first syllable of "Texinfo" is pronounced like "speck", not "hex".
This odd pronunciation is derived from, but is not the same as, the
pronunciation of TeX. In the word TeX, the 'X' is actually the Greek
letter "chi" rather than the English letter "ex". Pronounce TeX as if
the 'X' were the last sound in the name 'Bach'; but pronounce Texinfo as
if the 'x' were a 'k'. Spell "Texinfo" with a capital "T" and the other
letters in lowercase.

Manuals for most GNU packages are written in Texinfo, and available
online at <http://www.gnu.org/doc>.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: Reporting Bugs, Next: Using Texinfo, Up: Overview

1.1 Reporting Bugs
==================

We welcome bug reports and suggestions for any aspect of the Texinfo
system: programs, documentation, installation, etc. Please email them
to <bug-texinfo@gnu.org>. You can get the latest version of Texinfo via
its home page, <http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo>.

For bug reports, please include enough information for the maintainers
to reproduce the problem. Generally speaking, that means:

* The version number of Texinfo and the program(s) or manual(s)
involved.
* The contents of any input files necessary to reproduce the bug.
* Precisely how you ran any program(s) involved.
* A description of the problem and samples of any erroneous output.
* Hardware and operating system names and versions.
* Anything else that you think would be helpful.

When in doubt whether something is needed or not, include it. It's
better to include too much than to leave out something important.

It is critical to send an actual input file that reproduces the
problem. What's not critical is to "narrow down" the example to the
smallest possible input--the actual input with which you discovered the
bug will suffice. (Of course, if you do do experiments, the smaller the
input file, the better.)

Patches are most welcome; if possible, please make them with 'diff -c'
(*note (diffutils)Top::) and include 'ChangeLog' entries (*note
(emacs)Change Log::), and follow the existing coding style.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Using Texinfo, Next: Output Formats, Prev: Reporting Bugs, Up: Overview

1.2 Using Texinfo
=================

Using Texinfo, you can create a printed document (via the TeX
typesetting system) with the normal features of a book, including
chapters, sections, cross references, and indices. From the same
Texinfo source file, you can create an Info file with special features
to make documentation browsing easy. Also from that same source file,
you can create an HTML output file suitable for use with a web browser,
a Docbook file, or a transliteration in XML format. See the next
section for details and sample commands to generate output from the
source (*note Output Formats::).

TeX works with virtually all printers; Info works with virtually all
computer terminals; the HTML output works with virtually all web
browsers. Thus Texinfo and its output can be used by almost any
computer user.

A Texinfo source file is a plain ASCII file containing text
interspersed with "@-commands" (words preceded by an '@') that tell the
Texinfo processors what to do. You can edit a Texinfo file with any
text editor, but it is especially convenient to use GNU Emacs since that
editor has a special mode, called Texinfo mode, that provides various
Texinfo-related features. (*Note Texinfo Mode::.)

Texinfo is the official documentation format of the GNU project. More
information is available at the GNU documentation web page
(http://www.gnu.org/doc/).

File: texinfo.info, Node: Output Formats, Next: Adding Output Formats, Prev: Using Texinfo, Up: Overview

1.3 Output Formats
==================

Here is a brief overview of the output formats currently supported by
Texinfo.

Info
(Generated via 'makeinfo'.) Info format is mostly a plain text
transliteration of the Texinfo source. It adds a few control
characters to separate nodes and provide navigational information
for menus, cross references, indices, and so on. The Emacs Info
subsystem (*note (info)Top::), and the standalone 'info' program
(*note (info-stnd)Top::), among others, can read these files.
*Note Info Files::, and *note Creating and Installing Info Files::.

Plain text
(Generated via 'makeinfo --plaintext'.) This is almost the same as
Info output with the navigational control characters are omitted.

HTML
(Generated via 'makeinfo --html'.) HTML, standing for Hyper Text
Markup Language, has become the most commonly used language for
writing documents on the World Wide Web. Web browsers, such as
Mozilla, Lynx, and Emacs-W3, can render this language online.
There are many versions of HTML, both different standards and
browser-specific variations. 'makeinfo' tries to use a subset of
the language that can be interpreted by any common browser,
intentionally not using many newer or less widely-supported tags.
Although the native output is thus rather plain, it can be
customized at various levels, if desired. For details of the HTML
language and much related information, see
<http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/>. *Note Generating HTML::.

DVI
(Generated via 'texi2dvi'.) The DeVIce Independent binary format
is output by the TeX typesetting program (<http://tug.org>). This
is then read by a DVI 'driver', which knows the actual
device-specific commands that can be viewed or printed, notably
Dvips for translation to PostScript (*note (dvips)Top::) and Xdvi
for viewing on an X display
(<http://sourceforge.net/projects/xdvi/>). *Note Hardcopy::. (Be
aware that the Texinfo language is very different from and much
stricter than TeX's usual languages: plain TeX, LaTeX, ConTeXt,
etc.)

PostScript
(Generated via 'texi2dvi --ps'.) PostScript is a page description
language that became widely used around 1985 and is still used
today. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PostScript> gives a basic
description and more preferences. By default, Texinfo uses the
'dvips' program to convert TeX's DVI output to PostScript. *Note
(dvips)Top::.

PDF
(Generated via 'texi2dvi --pdf' or 'texi2pdf'.) This format was
developed by Adobe Systems for portable document interchange, based
on their previous PostScript language. It can represent the exact
appearance of a document, including fonts and graphics, and
supporting arbitrary scaling. It is intended to be
platform-independent and easily viewable, among other design goals;
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_Document_Format> and
<http://tug.org/TUGboat/tb22-3/tb72beebe-pdf.pdf> have some
background. By default, Texinfo uses the 'pdftex' program, an
extension of TeX, to output PDF; see
<http://tug.org/applications/pdftex>. *Note PDF Output::.

Docbook
(Generated via 'makeinfo --docbook'.) This is an XML-based format
developed some years ago, primarily for technical documentation.
It therefore bears some resemblance, in broad outline, to Texinfo.
See <http://www.docbook.org>. Various converters from Docbook _to_
Texinfo have also been developed; see the Texinfo web pages.

XML
(Generated via 'makeinfo --xml'.) XML is a generic syntax
specification usable for any sort of content (a reference is at
<http://www.w3.org/XML>). The 'makeinfo' XML output, unlike all
the other output formats, is a transliteration of the Texinfo
source rather than processed output. That is, it translates the
Texinfo markup commands into XML syntax, for further processing by
XML tools. The details of the output are defined in an XML DTD as
usual, which is contained in a file 'texinfo.dtd' included in the
Texinfo source distribution and available via the Texinfo web
pages. The XML contains enough information to recreate the
original content, except for syntactic constructs such as Texinfo
macros and conditionals. The Texinfo source distribution includes
a utility script 'txixml2texi' to do that backward transformation.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Adding Output Formats, Next: Texinfo Document Structure, Prev: Output Formats, Up: Overview

1.4 Adding Output Formats
=========================

The output formats in the previous section handle a wide variety of
usage, but of course there is always room for more.

From time to time, proposals are made to generate traditional Unix man
pages from Texinfo source. However, because man pages have a strict
conventional format, creating a good man page requires a completely
different source than the typical Texinfo applications of writing a good
user tutorial and/or a good reference manual. This makes generating man
pages incompatible with the Texinfo design goal of not having to
document the same information in different ways for different output
formats. You might as well write the man page directly.

As an alternative way to support man pages, you may find the program
'help2man' to be useful. It generates a traditional man page from the
'--help' output of a program. In fact, the man pages for the programs
in the Texinfo distribution are generated with this. It is GNU software
written by Brendan O'Dea, available from
<http://www.gnu.org/software/help2man>.

If you are a programmer and would like to contribute to the GNU
project by implementing additional output formats for Texinfo, that
would be excellent. The way to do this that would be most useful is to
write a new back-end for 'texi2any', our reference implementation of a
Texinfo parser; it creates a tree representation of the Texinfo input
that you can use for the conversion. The documentation in the source
file 'tp/Texinfo/Convert/Converter.pm' is a good place to start. *Note
Generic Translator texi2any::.

Another viable approach is use the Texinfo XML output from 'texi2any'
as your input. This XML is an essentially complete representation of
the input, but without the Texinfo syntax and option peculiarities, as
described above.

If you still cannot resist the temptation of writing a new program
that reads Texinfo source directly, let us give some more caveats:
please do not underestimate the amount of work required. Texinfo is by
no means a simple language to parse correctly, and remains under
development, so you would be committing to an ongoing task. At a
minimum, please check that the extensive tests of the language that come
with 'texi2any' give correct results with your new program.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Texinfo Document Structure, Next: Info Files, Prev: Adding Output Formats, Up: Overview

1.5 Texinfo Document Structure
==============================

Texinfo documents most usefully have a double structure, reflecting the
double purposes of printed and online output. For printed output (DVI,
PDF, ...), with physical pages, there are chapters, sections,
subsections, etc. For online output (Info, HTML, ...), with interactive
navigation and no physical pages, there are so-called "nodes".

Typically, the sectioning structure and the node structure are
completely parallel, with one node for each chapter, section, etc., and
with the nodes following the same hierarchical arrangement as the
sectioning. Thus, if a node is at the logical level of a chapter, its
child nodes are at the level of sections; similarly, the child nodes of
sections are at the level of subsections.

Each "node" has a name, and contains the discussion of one topic.
Along with the text for the user to read, each node also has pointers to
other nodes, identified in turn by their own names. Info readers
display one node at a time, and provide commands for the user to move to
related nodes. The HTML output can be similarly navigated.

The names of child nodes are listed in a "menu" within the parent
node; for example, a node corresponding to a chapter would have a menu
of the sections in that chapter. The menus allow the user to move to
the child nodes in a natural way in the online output.

In addition, nodes at the same level are formed into a chain with
'Next' and 'Previous' pointers. As you might imagine, the 'Next'
pointer links to the next node (section), and the 'Previous' pointer
links to the previous node (section). Thus, for example, all the nodes
that are at the level of sections within a chapter are linked together,
and the order in this chain is the same as the order of the children in
the menu of parent chapter. Each child node records the parent node
name as its 'Up' pointer. The last child has no 'Next' pointer, and the
first child has the parent both as its 'Previous' and as its 'Up'
pointer.

In addition to menus and 'Next', 'Previous', and 'Up' pointers,
Texinfo provides pointers of another kind for cross references, that can
be sprinkled throughout the text. This is usually the best way to
represent links that do not fit a hierarchical structure.

Although it is technically possible to create Texinfo documents with
only one structure or the other, or for the two structures not to be
parallel, or for either the sectioning or node structure to be
abnormally formed, etc., this is _not at all recommended_. To the best
of our knowledge, all the Texinfo manuals currently in general use do
follow the conventional parallel structure.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Info Files, Next: Printed Books, Prev: Texinfo Document Structure, Up: Overview

1.6 Info Files
==============

As mentioned above, Info format is mostly a plain text transliteration
of the Texinfo source, with the addition of a few control characters to
separate nodes and provide navigational information, so that
Info-reading programs can operate on it.

Info files are nearly always created by processing a Texinfo source
document. 'makeinfo', also known as 'texi2any', is the principal
command that converts a Texinfo file into an Info file; *note Generic
Translator texi2any::.

Generally, you enter an Info file through a node that by convention is
named 'Top'. This node normally contains just a brief summary of the
file's purpose, and a large menu through which the rest of the file is
reached. From this node, you can either traverse the file
systematically by going from node to node, or you can go to a specific
node listed in the main menu, or you can search the index menus and then
go directly to the node that has the information you want.
Alternatively, with the standalone Info program, you can specify
specific menu items on the command line (*note (info)Top::).

If you want to read through an Info file in sequence, as if it were a
printed manual, you can hit <SPC> repeatedly, or you get the whole file
with the advanced Info command 'g *'. (*Note Advanced Info commands:
(info)Advanced.)

The 'dir' file in the 'info' directory serves as the departure point
for the whole Info system. From it, you can reach the 'Top' nodes of
each of the documents in a complete Info system.

If you wish to refer to an Info file via a URI, you can use the
(unofficial) syntax exemplified by the following. This works with
Emacs/W3, for example:
info:emacs#Dissociated%20Press
info:///usr/info/emacs#Dissociated%20Press
info://localhost/usr/info/emacs#Dissociated%20Press

The 'info' program itself does not follow URIs of any kind.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Printed Books, Next: Formatting Commands, Prev: Info Files, Up: Overview

1.7 Printed Books
=================

A Texinfo file can be formatted and typeset as a printed book or manual.
To do this, you need TeX, a sophisticated typesetting program written by
Donald Knuth of Stanford University.

A Texinfo-based book is similar to any other typeset, printed work: it
can have a title page, copyright page, table of contents, and preface,
as well as chapters, numbered or unnumbered sections and subsections,
page headers, cross references, footnotes, and indices.

TeX is a general purpose typesetting program. Texinfo provides a file
'texinfo.tex' that contains information (definitions or "macros") that
TeX uses when it typesets a Texinfo file. ('texinfo.tex' tells TeX how
to convert the Texinfo @-commands to TeX commands, which TeX can then
process to create the typeset document.) 'texinfo.tex' contains the
specifications for printing a document. You can get the latest version
of 'texinfo.tex' from the Texinfo home page,
<http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/>.

In the United States, documents are most often printed on 8.5 inch by
11 inch pages (216mm by 280mm); this is the default size. But you can
also print for 7 inch by 9.25 inch pages (178mm by 235mm, the
'@smallbook' size; or on A4 or A5 size paper ('@afourpaper',
'@afivepaper'). *Note @smallbook::, and *note A4 Paper::.

TeX is freely distributable. It is written in a superset of Pascal
for literate programming called WEB and can be compiled either in Pascal
or (by using a conversion program that comes with the TeX distribution)
in C.

TeX is very powerful and has a great many features. Because a Texinfo
file must be able to present information both on a character-only
terminal in Info form and in a typeset book, the formatting commands
that Texinfo supports are necessarily limited.

*Note Obtaining TeX::, for information on acquiring TeX. It is not
part of the Texinfo distribution.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Formatting Commands, Next: Conventions, Prev: Printed Books, Up: Overview

1.8 @-commands
==============

In a Texinfo file, the commands you write to describe the contents of
the manual are preceded by an '@' character; they are called
"@-commands". For example, '@node' is the command to indicate a node
and '@chapter' is the command to indicate the start of a chapter.
Almost all @ command names are entirely lowercase.

Texinfo's @-commands are a strictly limited set of constructs. The
strict limits are primarily intended to "force" you, the author, to
concentrate on the writing and the content of your manual, rather than
the details of the formatting.

Depending on what they do or what arguments(1) they take, you need to
write @-commands on lines of their own or as part of sentences:

* Some commands are written at the start of a line and the rest of
the line comprises the argument text, such as '@chapter' (which
creates chapter titles).

* Some commands can appear anywhere, generally within a sentence, and
are followed by empty braces, such as '@dots{}' (which creates an
ellipsis ...).

* Some commands can appear anywhere, generally within a sentence, and
are followed by the argument text in braces, such as '@code{a+1}'
(which marks text as being code, 'a+1' being the argument in this
case).

* Some commands are written at the start of a line, with general text
on following lines, terminated by a matching '@end' command on a
line of its own. For example, '@example', then the lines of a
coding example, then '@end example'.

As a general rule, a command requires braces if it mingles among other
text; but it does not need braces if it is on a line of its own. The
non-alphabetic commands, such as '@:', are exceptions to the rule; they
do not need braces.

As you gain experience with Texinfo, you will rapidly learn how to
write the different commands: the different ways to write commands
actually make it easier to write and read Texinfo files than if all
commands followed exactly the same syntax. *Note @-Command Syntax:
Command Syntax, for all the details.

---------- Footnotes ----------

(1) The word "argument" comes from the way it is used in mathematics
and does not refer to a dispute between two people; it refers to the
information presented to the command. According to the 'Oxford English
Dictionary', the word derives from the Latin for "to make clear, prove";
thus it came to mean 'the evidence offered as proof', which is to say,
'the information offered', which led to its mathematical meaning. In
its other thread of derivation, the word came to mean 'to assert in a
manner against which others may make counter assertions', which led to
the meaning of 'argument' as a dispute.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Conventions, Next: Comments, Prev: Formatting Commands, Up: Overview

1.9 General Syntactic Conventions
=================================

This section describes the general conventions used in all Texinfo
documents.

* All printable ASCII characters except '@', '{' and '}' can appear
in a Texinfo file and stand for themselves. '@' is the escape
character which introduces commands, while '{' and '}' are used to
surround arguments to certain commands. To put one of these
special characters into the document, put an '@' character in front
of it, like this: '@@', '@{', and '@}'.

* Texinfo supports the usual quotation marks used in English and in
other languages; see *note Inserting Quotation Marks::.

* Use three hyphens in a row, '---', to produce a long dash--like
this (called an "em dash"), used for punctuation in sentences. Use
two hyphens, '--', to produce a medium dash (called an "en dash"),
used primarily for numeric ranges, as in "June 25-26". Use a
single hyphen, '-', to produce a standard hyphen used in compound
words. For display on the screen, Info reduces three hyphens to
two and two hyphens to one (not transitively!). Of course, any
number of hyphens in the source remain as they are in literal
contexts, such as '@code' and '@example'.

* Form feed ('CTRL-l') characters in the input are handled as
follows:

PDF/DVI
In normal text, treated as ending any open paragraph;
essentially ignored between paragraphs.

Info
Output as-is between paragraphs (their most common use); in
other contexts, they may be treated as regular spaces (and
thus consolidated with surrounding whitespace).

HTML
Written as a numeric entity except contexts where spaces are
ignored; for example, in '@footnote{ ^L foo}', the form feed
is ignored.

XML
Keep them everywhere; in attributes, escaped as '\f'; also,
'\' is escaped as '\\' and newline as '\n'.

Docbook
Completely removed, as they are not allowed.

As you can see, because of these differing requirements of the
output formats, it's not possible to use form feeds completely
portably.

* *Caution:* Last, do not use tab characters in a Texinfo file!
(Except perhaps in verbatim modes.) TeX uses variable-width fonts,
which means that it is impractical at best to define a tab to work
in all circumstances. Consequently, TeX treats tabs like single
spaces, and that is not what they look like in the source.
Furthermore, 'makeinfo' does nothing special with tabs, and thus a
tab character in your input file will usually have a different
appearance in the output.

To avoid this problem, Texinfo mode in GNU Emacs inserts multiple
spaces when you press the <TAB> key. Also, you can run 'untabify'
in Emacs to convert tabs in a region to multiple spaces, or use the
'unexpand' command from the shell.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Comments, Next: Minimum, Prev: Conventions, Up: Overview

1.10 Comments
=============

You can write comments in a Texinfo file by using the '@comment'
command, which may be abbreviated to '@c'. Such comments are for a
person looking at the Texinfo source file. All the text on a line that
follows either '@comment' or '@c' is a comment; the rest of the line
does not appear in the visible output. (To be precise, the character
after the '@c' or '@comment' must be something other than a dash or
alphanumeric, or it will be taken as part of the command.)

Often, you can write the '@comment' or '@c' in the middle of a line,
and only the text that follows after the '@comment' or '@c' command does
not appear; but some commands, such as '@settitle' and '@setfilename',
work on a whole line. You cannot use '@comment' or '@c' within a line
beginning with such a command.

In cases of nested command invocations, complicated macro definitions,
etc., '@c' and '@comment' may provoke an error when processing with TeX.
Therefore, you can also use the 'DEL' character (ASCII 127 decimal, 0x7f
hex, 0177 octal) as a true TeX comment character (catcode 14, in TeX
internals). Everything on the line after the 'DEL' will be ignored.

You can also have long stretches of text ignored by the Texinfo
processors with the '@ignore' and '@end ignore' commands. Write each of
these commands on a line of its own, starting each command at the
beginning of the line. Text between these two commands does not appear
in the processed output. You can use '@ignore' and '@end ignore' for
writing comments. (For some caveats regarding nesting of such commands,
*note Conditional Nesting::.)

File: texinfo.info, Node: Minimum, Next: Six Parts, Prev: Comments, Up: Overview

1.11 What a Texinfo File Must Have
==================================

By convention, the name of a Texinfo file ends with (in order of
preference) one of the extensions '.texinfo', '.texi', '.txi', or
'.tex'. The longer extensions are preferred since they describe more
clearly to a human reader the nature of the file. The shorter
extensions are for operating systems that cannot handle long file names.

In order to be made into a good printed manual and other output
formats, a Texinfo file _must_ begin with lines like this:

\input texinfo
@setfilename INFO-FILE-NAME
@settitle NAME-OF-MANUAL

The contents of the file follow this beginning, and then you _must_ end
the Texinfo source with a line like this:

@bye

Here's an explanation:

* The '\input texinfo' line tells TeX to use the 'texinfo.tex' file,
which tells TeX how to translate the Texinfo @-commands into TeX
typesetting commands. (Note the use of the backslash, '\'; this is
correct for TeX.)

* The '@setfilename' line provides a name for the Info file and tells
TeX to open auxiliary files. *All text before '@setfilename' is
ignored!*

* The '@settitle' line specifies a title for the page headers (or
footers) of the printed manual, and the default title and document
description for the '<head>' in HTML. Strictly speaking,
'@settitle' is optional--if you don't mind your document being
titled 'Untitled'.

* The '@bye' line at the end of the file on a line of its own tells
the formatters that the file is ended and to stop formatting.

If you use Emacs, it is also useful to include mode setting and
start-of-header and end-of-header lines at the beginning of a Texinfo
file, like this:

\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
@c %**start of header
@setfilename INFO-FILE-NAME
@settitle NAME-OF-MANUAL
@c %**end of header

In the first line, '-*-texinfo-*-' causes Emacs to switch into Texinfo
mode when you edit the file.

The '@c ...header' lines above which surround the '@setfilename' and
'@settitle' lines allow you to process, within Emacs, just part of the
Texinfo source. (*Note Start of Header::.)

Furthermore, you will usually provide a Texinfo file with a title
page, indices, and the like, all of which are explained in this manual.
But the minimum, which can be useful for short documents, is just the
three lines at the beginning and the one line at the end.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Six Parts, Next: Short Sample, Prev: Minimum, Up: Overview

1.12 Six Parts of a Texinfo File
================================

Generally, a Texinfo file contains more than the minimal beginning and
end described in the previous section--it usually contains the six parts
listed below. These are described fully in the following sections.

1. Header
The "Header" names the file, tells TeX which definitions file to
use, and other such housekeeping tasks.

2. Summary and Copyright
The "Summary and Copyright" segment describes the document and
contains the copyright notice and copying permissions. This is
done with the '@copying' command.

3. Title and Copyright
The "Title and Copyright" segment contains the title and copyright
pages for the printed manual. The segment must be enclosed between
'@titlepage' and '@end titlepage' commands. The title and
copyright page appear only in the printed manual.

4. 'Top' Node and Master Menu
The 'Top' node starts off the online output; it does not appear in
the printed manual. We recommend including the copying permissions
here as well as the segments above. And it contains at least a
top-level menu listing the chapters, and possibly a "Master Menu"
listing all the nodes in the entire document.

5. Body
The "Body" of the document is typically structured like a
traditional book or encyclopedia, but it may be free form.

6. End
The "End" segment may contain commands for printing indices, and
closes with the '@bye' command on a line of its own.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Short Sample, Next: History, Prev: Six Parts, Up: Overview

1.13 A Short Sample Texinfo File
================================

Here is a very short but complete Texinfo file, in the six conventional
parts enumerated in the previous section, so you can see how Texinfo
source appears in practice. The first three parts of the file, from
'\input texinfo' through to '@end titlepage', look more intimidating
than they are: most of the material is standard boilerplate; when
writing a manual, you simply change the names as appropriate.

*Note Beginning a File::, for full documentation on the commands
listed here. *Note GNU Sample Texts::, for the full texts to be used in
GNU manuals.

In the following, the sample text is _indented_; comments on it are
not. The complete file, without interspersed comments, is shown in
*note Short Sample Texinfo File::.

Part 1: Header
--------------

The header does not appear in either the Info file or the printed
output. It sets various parameters, including the name of the Info file
and the title used in the header.

\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
@c %**start of header
@setfilename sample.info
@settitle Sample Manual 1.0
@c %**end of header

Part 2: Summary Description and Copyright
-----------------------------------------

A real manual includes more text here, according to the license under
which it is distributed. *Note GNU Sample Texts::.

@copying
This is a short example of a complete Texinfo file, version 1.0.

Part 3: Titlepage, Contents, Copyright
--------------------------------------

The titlepage segment does not appear in the online output, only in the
printed manual. We use the '@insertcopying' command to include the
permission text from the previous section, instead of writing it out
again; it is output on the back of the title page. The '@contents'
command generates a table of contents.

@titlepage
@title Sample Title

@c The following two commands start the copyright page.
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying
@end titlepage

@c Output the table of contents at the beginning.
@contents

Part 4: 'Top' Node and Master Menu
----------------------------------

The 'Top' node contains the master menu for the Info file. Since the
printed manual uses a table of contents rather than a menu, it excludes
the 'Top' node. We repeat the short description from the beginning of
the '@copying' text, but there's no need to repeat the copyright
information, so we don't use '@insertcopying' here. The '@top' command
itself helps 'makeinfo' determine the relationships between nodes.

@ifnottex
@node Top
@top Short Sample

This is a short sample Texinfo file.
@end ifnottex

@menu
* First Chapter:: The first chapter is the
only chapter in this sample.
* Index:: Complete index.
@end menu

Part 5: The Body of the Document
--------------------------------

The body segment contains all the text of the document, but not the
indices or table of contents. This example illustrates a node and a
chapter containing an enumerated list.

@node First Chapter
@chapter First Chapter

@cindex chapter, first

This is the first chapter.
@cindex index entry, another

Here is a numbered list.

@enumerate
@item
This is the first item.

@item
This is the second item.
@end enumerate

Part 6: The End of the Document
-------------------------------

The end segment contains commands for generating an index in a node and
unnumbered chapter of its own, and the '@bye' command that marks the end
of the document.

@node Index
@unnumbered Index

@printindex cp

@bye

Some Results
------------

Here is what the contents of the first chapter of the sample look like:

This is the first chapter.

Here is a numbered list.

1. This is the first item.

2. This is the second item.

File: texinfo.info, Node: History, Prev: Short Sample, Up: Overview

1.14 History
============

Richard M. Stallman invented the Texinfo format, wrote the initial
processors, and created Edition 1.0 of this manual. Robert J. Chassell
greatly revised and extended the manual, starting with Edition 1.1.
Brian Fox was responsible for the standalone Texinfo distribution until
version 3.8, and originally wrote the standalone 'makeinfo' and 'info'
programs. Karl Berry has continued maintenance since Texinfo 3.8
(manual edition 2.22).

Our thanks go out to all who helped improve this work, particularly
the indefatigable Eli Zaretskii and Andreas Schwab, who have provided
patches beyond counting. Franc,ois Pinard and David D. Zuhn, tirelessly
recorded and reported mistakes and obscurities. Zack Weinberg did the
impossible by implementing the macro syntax in 'texinfo.tex'. Thanks to
Melissa Weisshaus for her frequent reviews of nearly similar editions.
Dozens of others have contributed patches and suggestions, they are
gratefully acknowledged in the 'ChangeLog' file. Our mistakes are our
own.

Beginnings
----------

In the 1970's at CMU, Brian Reid developed a program and format named
Scribe to mark up documents for printing. It used the '@' character to
introduce commands, as Texinfo does. Much more consequentially, it
strove to describe document contents rather than formatting, an idea
wholeheartedly adopted by Texinfo.

Meanwhile, people at MIT developed another, not too dissimilar format
called Bolio. This then was converted to using TeX as its typesetting
language: BoTeX. The earliest BoTeX version seems to have been 0.02 on
October 31, 1984.

BoTeX could only be used as a markup language for documents to be
printed, not for online documents. Richard Stallman (RMS) worked on
both Bolio and BoTeX. He also developed a nifty on-line help format
called Info, and then combined BoTeX and Info to create Texinfo, a mark
up language for text that is intended to be read both online and as
printed hard copy.

Moving forward, the original translator to create Info was written
(primarily by RMS and Bob Chassell) in Emacs Lisp, namely the
'texinfo-format-buffer' and other functions. In the early 1990s, Brian
Fox reimplemented the conversion program in C, now called 'makeinfo'.

Reimplementing in Perl
----------------------

In 2012, the C 'makeinfo' was itself replaced by a Perl implementation
generically called 'texi2any'. This version supports the same level of
output customization as 'texi2html', an independent program originally
written by Lionel Cons, later with substantial work by many others. The
many additional features needed to make 'texi2html' a replacement for
'makeinfo' were implemented by Patrice Dumas. The first never-released
version of 'texi2any' was based on the 'texi2html' code. That
implementation, however, was abandoned in favor of the current program,
which parses the Texinfo input into a tree for processing. It still
supports nearly all the features of 'texi2html'.

The new Perl program is much slower than the old C program. We hope
the speed gap will close in the future, but it may not ever be entirely
comparable. So why did we switch? In short, we intend and hope that
the present program will be much easier than the previous C
implementation of 'makeinfo' to extend to different output styles,
back-end output formats, and all other customizations. In more detail:

* HTML customization. Many GNU and other free software packages had
been happily using the HTML customization features in 'texi2html'
for years. Thus, in effect two independent implementations of the
Texinfo language had developed, and keeping them in sync was not
simple. Adding the HTML customization possible in 'texi2html' to a
C program would have been an enormous effort.

* Unicode, and multilingual support generally, especially of east
Asian languages. Although of course it's perfectly plausible to
write such support in C, in the particular case of 'makeinfo', it
would have been tantamount to rewriting the entire program. In
Perl, much of that comes essentially for free.

* Additional back-ends. The 'makeinfo' code had become convoluted to
the point where adding a new back-end was quite complex, requiring
complex interactions with existing back-ends. In contrast, our
Perl implementation provides a clean tree-based representation for
all back-ends to work from. People have requested numerous
different back-ends (LaTeX, the latest (X)HTML, ...), and they will
now be much more feasible to implement. Which leads to the last
item:

* Making contributions easier. In general, due to the cleaner
structure, the Perl program should be considerably easier than the
C for anyone to read and contribute to, with the resulting obvious
benefits.

*Note Reference Implementation::, for more on the rationale for and
role of 'texi2any'.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Texinfo Mode, Next: Beginning a File, Prev: Overview, Up: Top

2 Using Texinfo Mode
********************

You may edit a Texinfo file with any text editor you choose. A Texinfo
file is no different from any other ASCII file. However, GNU Emacs
comes with a special mode, called Texinfo mode, that provides Emacs
commands and tools to help ease your work.

This chapter describes features of GNU Emacs' Texinfo mode but not any
features of the Texinfo formatting language. So if you are reading this
manual straight through from the beginning, you may want to skim through
this chapter briefly and come back to it after reading succeeding
chapters which describe the Texinfo formatting language in detail.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: Texinfo Mode Overview, Next: Emacs Editing, Up: Texinfo Mode

2.1 Texinfo Mode Overview
=========================

Texinfo mode provides special features for working with Texinfo files.
You can:

* Insert frequently used @-commands.

* Automatically create '@node' lines.

* Show the structure of a Texinfo source file.

* Automatically create or update the 'Next', 'Previous', and 'Up'
pointers of a node.

* Automatically create or update menus.

* Automatically create a master menu.

* Format a part or all of a file for Info.

* Typeset and print part or all of a file.

Perhaps the two most helpful features are those for inserting
frequently used @-commands and for creating node pointers and menus.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Emacs Editing, Next: Inserting, Prev: Texinfo Mode Overview, Up: Texinfo Mode

2.2 The Usual GNU Emacs Editing Commands
========================================

In most cases, the usual Text mode commands work the same in Texinfo
mode as they do in Text mode. Texinfo mode adds new editing commands
and tools to GNU Emacs' general purpose editing features. The major
difference concerns filling. In Texinfo mode, the paragraph separation
variable and syntax table are redefined so that Texinfo commands that
should be on lines of their own are not inadvertently included in
paragraphs. Thus, the 'M-q' ('fill-paragraph') command will refill a
paragraph but not mix an indexing command on a line adjacent to it into
the paragraph.

In addition, Texinfo mode sets the 'page-delimiter' variable to the
value of 'texinfo-chapter-level-regexp'; by default, this is a regular
expression matching the commands for chapters and their equivalents,
such as appendices. With this value for the page delimiter, you can
jump from chapter title to chapter title with the 'C-x ]'
('forward-page') and 'C-x [' ('backward-page') commands and narrow to a
chapter with the 'C-x n p' ('narrow-to-page') command. (*Note
(emacs)Pages::, for details about the page commands.)

You may name a Texinfo file however you wish, but the convention is to
end a Texinfo file name with one of the extensions '.texinfo', '.texi',
'.txi', or '.tex'. A longer extension is preferred, since it is
explicit, but a shorter extension may be necessary for operating systems
that limit the length of file names. GNU Emacs automatically enters
Texinfo mode when you visit a file with a '.texinfo', '.texi' or '.txi'
extension. Also, Emacs switches to Texinfo mode when you visit a file
that has '-*-texinfo-*-' in its first line. If ever you are in another
mode and wish to switch to Texinfo mode, type 'M-x texinfo-mode'.

Like all other Emacs features, you can customize or enhance Texinfo
mode as you wish. In particular, the keybindings are very easy to
change. The keybindings described here are the default or standard
ones.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Inserting, Next: Showing the Structure, Prev: Emacs Editing, Up: Texinfo Mode

2.3 Inserting Frequently Used Commands
======================================

Texinfo mode provides commands to insert various frequently used
@-commands into the buffer. You can use these commands to save
keystrokes.

The insert commands are invoked by typing 'C-c' twice and then the
first letter of the @-command:

'C-c C-c c'
'M-x texinfo-insert-@code'
Insert '@code{}' and put the cursor between the braces.

'C-c C-c d'
'M-x texinfo-insert-@dfn'
Insert '@dfn{}' and put the cursor between the braces.

'C-c C-c e'
'M-x texinfo-insert-@end'
Insert '@end' and attempt to insert the correct following word,
such as 'example' or 'table'. (This command does not handle nested
lists correctly, but inserts the word appropriate to the
immediately preceding list.)

'C-c C-c i'
'M-x texinfo-insert-@item'
Insert '@item' and put the cursor at the beginning of the next
line.

'C-c C-c k'
'M-x texinfo-insert-@kbd'
Insert '@kbd{}' and put the cursor between the braces.

'C-c C-c n'
'M-x texinfo-insert-@node'
Insert '@node' and a comment line listing the sequence for the
'Next', 'Previous', and 'Up' nodes. Leave point after the '@node'.

'C-c C-c o'
'M-x texinfo-insert-@noindent'
Insert '@noindent' and put the cursor at the beginning of the next
line.

'C-c C-c s'
'M-x texinfo-insert-@samp'
Insert '@samp{}' and put the cursor between the braces.

'C-c C-c t'
'M-x texinfo-insert-@table'
Insert '@table' followed by a <SPC> and leave the cursor after the
<SPC>.

'C-c C-c v'
'M-x texinfo-insert-@var'
Insert '@var{}' and put the cursor between the braces.

'C-c C-c x'
'M-x texinfo-insert-@example'
Insert '@example' and put the cursor at the beginning of the next
line.

'C-c C-c {'
'M-x texinfo-insert-braces'
Insert '{}' and put the cursor between the braces.

'C-c }'
'C-c ]'
'M-x up-list'
Move from between a pair of braces forward past the closing brace.
Typing 'C-c ]' is easier than typing 'C-c }', which is, however,
more mnemonic; hence the two keybindings. (Also, you can move out
from between braces by typing 'C-f'.)

To put a command such as '@code{...}' around an _existing_ word,
position the cursor in front of the word and type 'C-u 1 C-c C-c c'.
This makes it easy to edit existing plain text. The value of the prefix
argument tells Emacs how many words following point to include between
braces--'1' for one word, '2' for two words, and so on. Use a negative
argument to enclose the previous word or words. If you do not specify a
prefix argument, Emacs inserts the @-command string and positions the
cursor between the braces. This feature works only for those @-commands
that operate on a word or words within one line, such as '@kbd' and
'@var'.

This set of insert commands was created after analyzing the frequency
with which different @-commands are used in the 'GNU Emacs Manual' and
the 'GDB Manual'. If you wish to add your own insert commands, you can
bind a keyboard macro to a key, use abbreviations, or extend the code in
'texinfo.el'.

'C-c C-c C-d' ('texinfo-start-menu-description') is an insert command
that works differently from the other insert commands. It inserts a
node's section or chapter title in the space for the description in a
menu entry line. (A menu entry has three parts, the entry name, the
node name, and the description. Only the node name is required, but a
description helps explain what the node is about. *Note The Parts of a
Menu: Menu Parts.)

To use 'texinfo-start-menu-description', position point in a menu
entry line and type 'C-c C-c C-d'. The command looks for and copies the
title that goes with the node name, and inserts the title as a
description; it positions point at beginning of the inserted text so you
can edit it. The function does not insert the title if the menu entry
line already contains a description.

This command is only an aid to writing descriptions; it does not do
the whole job. You must edit the inserted text since a title tends to
use the same words as a node name but a useful description uses
different words.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Showing the Structure, Next: Updating Nodes and Menus, Prev: Inserting, Up: Texinfo Mode

2.4 Showing the Sectioning Structure of a File
==============================================

You can show the sectioning structure of a Texinfo file by using the
'C-c C-s' command ('texinfo-show-structure'). This command lists the
lines that begin with the @-commands for '@chapter', '@section', and the
like. It constructs what amounts to a table of contents. These lines
are displayed in another buffer called the '*Occur*' buffer. In that
buffer, you can position the cursor over one of the lines and use the
'C-c C-c' command ('occur-mode-goto-occurrence'), to jump to the
corresponding spot in the Texinfo file.

'C-c C-s'
'M-x texinfo-show-structure'
Show the '@chapter', '@section', and such lines of a Texinfo file.

'C-c C-c'
'M-x occur-mode-goto-occurrence'
Go to the line in the Texinfo file corresponding to the line under
the cursor in the '*Occur*' buffer.

If you call 'texinfo-show-structure' with a prefix argument by typing
'C-u C-c C-s', it will list not only those lines with the @-commands for
'@chapter', '@section', and the like, but also the '@node' lines. You
can use 'texinfo-show-structure' with a prefix argument to check whether
the 'Next', 'Previous', and 'Up' pointers of an '@node' line are
correct.

Often, when you are working on a manual, you will be interested only
in the structure of the current chapter. In this case, you can mark off
the region of the buffer that you are interested in by using the 'C-x n
n' ('narrow-to-region') command and 'texinfo-show-structure' will work
on only that region. To see the whole buffer again, use 'C-x n w'
('widen'). (*Note (emacs)Narrowing::, for more information about the
narrowing commands.)

In addition to providing the 'texinfo-show-structure' command, Texinfo
mode sets the value of the page delimiter variable to match the
chapter-level @-commands. This enables you to use the 'C-x ]'
('forward-page') and 'C-x [' ('backward-page') commands to move forward
and backward by chapter, and to use the 'C-x n p' ('narrow-to-page')
command to narrow to a chapter. *Note (emacs)Pages::, for more
information about the page commands.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Updating Nodes and Menus, Next: Info Formatting, Prev: Showing the Structure, Up: Texinfo Mode

2.5 Updating Nodes and Menus
============================

Texinfo mode provides commands for automatically creating or updating
menus and node pointers. The commands are called "update" commands
because their most frequent use is for updating a Texinfo file after you
have worked on it; but you can use them to insert the 'Next',
'Previous', and 'Up' pointers into an '@node' line that has none and to
create menus in a file that has none.

If you do not use any updating commands, you need to write menus and
node pointers by hand, which is a tedious task.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: Updating Commands, Next: Updating Requirements, Up: Updating Nodes and Menus

2.5.1 The Updating Commands
---------------------------

You can use the updating commands to:

* insert or update the 'Next', 'Previous', and 'Up' pointers of a
node,

* insert or update the menu for a section, and

* create a master menu for a Texinfo source file.

You can also use the commands to update all the nodes and menus in a
region or in a whole Texinfo file.

The updating commands work only with conventional Texinfo files, which
are structured hierarchically like books. In such files, a structuring
command line must follow closely after each '@node' line, except for the
'Top' '@node' line. (A "structuring command line" is a line beginning
with '@chapter', '@section', or other similar command.)

You can write the structuring command line on the line that follows
immediately after an '@node' line or else on the line that follows after
a single '@comment' line or a single '@ifinfo' line. You cannot
interpose more than one line between the '@node' line and the
structuring command line; and you may interpose only an '@comment' line
or an '@ifinfo' line.

Commands which work on a whole buffer require that the 'Top' node be
followed by a node with an '@chapter' or equivalent-level command. The
menu updating commands will not create a main or master menu for a
Texinfo file that has only '@chapter'-level nodes! The menu updating
commands only create menus _within_ nodes for lower level nodes. To
create a menu of chapters, you must provide a 'Top' node.

The menu updating commands remove menu entries that refer to other
Info files since they do not refer to nodes within the current buffer.
This is a deficiency. Rather than use menu entries, you can use cross
references to refer to other Info files. None of the updating commands
affect cross references.

Texinfo mode has five updating commands that are used most often: two
are for updating the node pointers or menu of a single node (or a
region); two are for updating every node pointer and menu in a file; and
one, the 'texinfo-master-menu' command, is for creating a master menu
for a complete file, and optionally, for updating every node and menu in
the whole Texinfo file.

The 'texinfo-master-menu' command is the primary command:

'C-c C-u m'
'M-x texinfo-master-menu'
Create or update a master menu that includes all the other menus
(incorporating the descriptions from pre-existing menus, if any).

With an argument (prefix argument, 'C-u,' if interactive), first
create or update all the nodes and all the regular menus in the
buffer before constructing the master menu. (*Note The Top Node
and Master Menu: The Top Node, for more about a master menu.)

For 'texinfo-master-menu' to work, the Texinfo file must have a
'Top' node and at least one subsequent node.

After extensively editing a Texinfo file, you can type the
following:

C-u M-x texinfo-master-menu
or
C-u C-c C-u m

This updates all the nodes and menus completely and all at once.

The other major updating commands do smaller jobs and are designed for
the person who updates nodes and menus as he or she writes a Texinfo
file.

The commands are:

'C-c C-u C-n'
'M-x texinfo-update-node'
Insert the 'Next', 'Previous', and 'Up' pointers for the node that
point is within (i.e., for the '@node' line preceding point). If
the '@node' line has pre-existing 'Next', 'Previous', or 'Up'
pointers in it, the old pointers are removed and new ones inserted.
With an argument (prefix argument, 'C-u', if interactive), this
command updates all '@node' lines in the region (which is the text
between point and mark).

'C-c C-u C-m'
'M-x texinfo-make-menu'
Create or update the menu in the node that point is within. With
an argument ('C-u' as prefix argument, if interactive), the command
makes or updates menus for the nodes which are either within or a
part of the region.

Whenever 'texinfo-make-menu' updates an existing menu, the
descriptions from that menu are incorporated into the new menu.
This is done by copying descriptions from the existing menu to the
entries in the new menu that have the same node names. If the node
names are different, the descriptions are not copied to the new
menu.

'C-c C-u C-e'
'M-x texinfo-every-node-update'
Insert or update the 'Next', 'Previous', and 'Up' pointers for
every node in the buffer.

'C-c C-u C-a'
'M-x texinfo-all-menus-update'
Create or update all the menus in the buffer. With an argument
('C-u' as prefix argument, if interactive), first insert or update
all the node pointers before working on the menus.

If a master menu exists, the 'texinfo-all-menus-update' command
updates it; but the command does not create a new master menu if
none already exists. (Use the 'texinfo-master-menu' command for
that.)

When working on a document that does not merit a master menu, you
can type the following:

C-u C-c C-u C-a
or
C-u M-x texinfo-all-menus-update

This updates all the nodes and menus.

The 'texinfo-column-for-description' variable specifies the column to
which menu descriptions are indented. By default, the value is 32
although it can be useful to reduce it to as low as 24. You can set the
variable via customization (*note (emacs)Customization::) or with the
'M-x set-variable' command (*note Examining and Setting Variables:
(emacs)Examining.).

Also, the 'texinfo-indent-menu-description' command may be used to
indent existing menu descriptions to a specified column. Finally, if
you wish, you can use the 'texinfo-insert-node-lines' command to insert
missing '@node' lines into a file. (*Note Other Updating Commands::,
for more information.)

File: texinfo.info, Node: Updating Requirements, Next: Other Updating Commands, Prev: Updating Commands, Up: Updating Nodes and Menus

2.5.2 Updating Requirements
---------------------------

To use the updating commands, you must organize the Texinfo file
hierarchically with chapters, sections, subsections, and the like. When
you construct the hierarchy of the manual, do not 'jump down' more than
one level at a time: you can follow the 'Top' node with a chapter, but
not with a section; you can follow a chapter with a section, but not
with a subsection. However, you may 'jump up' any number of levels at
one time--for example, from a subsection to a chapter.

Each '@node' line, with the exception of the line for the 'Top' node,
must be followed by a line with a structuring command such as
'@chapter', '@section', or '@unnumberedsubsec'.

Each '@node' line/structuring-command line combination must look
either like this:

@node Comments, Minimum, Conventions, Overview
@comment node-name, next, previous, up
@section Comments

or like this (without the '@comment' line):

@node Comments, Minimum, Conventions, Overview
@section Comments

or like this (without the explicit node pointers):

@node Comments
@section Comments

In this example, 'Comments' is the name of both the node and the
section. The next node is called 'Minimum' and the previous node is
called 'Conventions'. The 'Comments' section is within the 'Overview'
node, which is specified by the 'Up' pointer. (Instead of an '@comment'
line, you may also write an '@ifinfo' line.)

If a file has a 'Top' node, it must be called 'top' or 'Top' and be
the first node in the file.

The menu updating commands create a menu of sections within a chapter,
a menu of subsections within a section, and so on. This means that you
must have a 'Top' node if you want a menu of chapters.

Incidentally, the 'makeinfo' command will create an Info file for a
hierarchically organized Texinfo file that lacks 'Next', 'Previous' and
'Up' pointers. Thus, if you can be sure that your Texinfo file will be
formatted with 'makeinfo', you have no need for the update node
commands. (*Note Creating an Info File::, for more information about
'makeinfo'.) However, both 'makeinfo' and the 'texinfo-format-...'
commands require that you insert menus in the file.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Other Updating Commands, Prev: Updating Requirements, Up: Updating Nodes and Menus

2.5.3 Other Updating Commands
-----------------------------

In addition to the five major updating commands, Texinfo mode possesses
several less frequently used updating commands:

'M-x texinfo-insert-node-lines'
Insert '@node' lines before the '@chapter', '@section', and other
sectioning commands wherever they are missing throughout a region
in a Texinfo file.

With an argument ('C-u' as prefix argument, if interactive), the
command 'texinfo-insert-node-lines' not only inserts '@node' lines
but also inserts the chapter or section titles as the names of the
corresponding nodes. In addition, it inserts the titles as node
names in pre-existing '@node' lines that lack names. Since node
names should be more concise than section or chapter titles, you
must manually edit node names so inserted.

For example, the following marks a whole buffer as a region and
inserts '@node' lines and titles throughout:

C-x h C-u M-x texinfo-insert-node-lines

This command inserts titles as node names in '@node' lines; the
'texinfo-start-menu-description' command (*note Inserting
Frequently Used Commands: Inserting.) inserts titles as
descriptions in menu entries, a different action. However, in both
cases, you need to edit the inserted text.

'M-x texinfo-multiple-files-update'
Update nodes and menus in a document built from several separate
files. With 'C-u' as a prefix argument, create and insert a master
menu in the outer file. With a numeric prefix argument, such as
'C-u 2', first update all the menus and all the 'Next', 'Previous',
and 'Up' pointers of all the included files before creating and
inserting a master menu in the outer file. The
'texinfo-multiple-files-update' command is described in the
appendix on '@include' files. *Note
texinfo-multiple-files-update::.

'M-x texinfo-indent-menu-description'
Indent every description in the menu following point to the
specified column. You can use this command to give yourself more
space for descriptions. With an argument ('C-u' as prefix
argument, if interactive), the 'texinfo-indent-menu-description'
command indents every description in every menu in the region.
However, this command does not indent the second and subsequent
lines of a multi-line description.

'M-x texinfo-sequential-node-update'
Insert the names of the nodes immediately following and preceding
the current node as the 'Next' or 'Previous' pointers regardless of
those nodes' hierarchical level. This means that the 'Next' node
of a subsection may well be the next chapter. Sequentially ordered
nodes are useful for novels and other documents that you read
through sequentially. (However, in Info, the 'g *' command lets
you look through the file sequentially, so sequentially ordered
nodes are not strictly necessary.) With an argument (prefix
argument, if interactive), the 'texinfo-sequential-node-update'
command sequentially updates all the nodes in the region.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Info Formatting, Next: Printing, Prev: Updating Nodes and Menus, Up: Texinfo Mode

2.6 Formatting for Info
=======================

Texinfo mode provides several commands for formatting part or all of a
Texinfo file for Info. Often, when you are writing a document, you want
to format only part of a file--that is, a region.

You can use either the 'texinfo-format-region' or the
'makeinfo-region' command to format a region:

'C-c C-e C-r'
'M-x texinfo-format-region'
'C-c C-m C-r'
'M-x makeinfo-region'
Format the current region for Info.

You can use either the 'texinfo-format-buffer' or the
'makeinfo-buffer' command to format a whole buffer:

'C-c C-e C-b'
'M-x texinfo-format-buffer'
'C-c C-m C-b'
'M-x makeinfo-buffer'
Format the current buffer for Info.

For example, after writing a Texinfo file, you can type the following:

C-u C-c C-u m
or
C-u M-x texinfo-master-menu

This updates all the nodes and menus. Then type the following to create
an Info file:

C-c C-m C-b
or
M-x makeinfo-buffer

For TeX or the Info formatting commands to work, the file _must_
include a line that has '@setfilename' in its header.

*Note Creating an Info File::, for details about Info formatting.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Printing, Next: Texinfo Mode Summary, Prev: Info Formatting, Up: Texinfo Mode

2.7 Printing
============

Typesetting and printing a Texinfo file is a multi-step process in which
you first create a file for printing (called a DVI file), and then print
the file. Optionally, you may also create indices. To do this, you
must run the 'texindex' command after first running the 'tex'
typesetting command; and then you must run the 'tex' command again. Or
else run the 'texi2dvi' command which automatically creates indices as
needed (*note Format with texi2dvi::).

Often, when you are writing a document, you want to typeset and print
only part of a file to see what it will look like. You can use the
'texinfo-tex-region' and related commands for this purpose. Use the
'texinfo-tex-buffer' command to format all of a buffer.

'C-c C-t C-b'
'M-x texinfo-tex-buffer'
Run 'texi2dvi' on the buffer. In addition to running TeX on the
buffer, this command automatically creates or updates indices as
needed.

'C-c C-t C-r'
'M-x texinfo-tex-region'
Run TeX on the region.

'C-c C-t C-i'
'M-x texinfo-texindex'
Run 'texindex' to sort the indices of a Texinfo file formatted with
'texinfo-tex-region'. The 'texinfo-tex-region' command does not
run 'texindex' automatically; it only runs the 'tex' typesetting
command. You must run the 'texinfo-tex-region' command a second
time after sorting the raw index files with the 'texindex' command.
(Usually, you do not format an index when you format a region, only
when you format a buffer. Now that the 'texi2dvi' command exists,
there is little or no need for this command.)

'C-c C-t C-p'
'M-x texinfo-tex-print'
Print the file (or the part of the file) previously formatted with
'texinfo-tex-buffer' or 'texinfo-tex-region'.

For 'texinfo-tex-region' or 'texinfo-tex-buffer' to work, the file
_must_ start with a '\input texinfo' line and must include an
'@settitle' line. The file must end with '@bye' on a line by itself.
(When you use 'texinfo-tex-region', you must surround the '@settitle'
line with start-of-header and end-of-header lines.)

*Note Hardcopy::, for a description of the other TeX related commands,
such as 'tex-show-print-queue'.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Texinfo Mode Summary, Prev: Printing, Up: Texinfo Mode

2.8 Texinfo Mode Summary
========================

In Texinfo mode, each set of commands has default keybindings that begin
with the same keys. All the commands that are custom-created for
Texinfo mode begin with 'C-c'. The keys are somewhat mnemonic.

Insert Commands
---------------

The insert commands are invoked by typing 'C-c' twice and then the first
letter of the @-command to be inserted. (It might make more sense
mnemonically to use 'C-c C-i', for 'custom insert', but 'C-c C-c' is
quick to type.)

C-c C-c c Insert '@code'.
C-c C-c d Insert '@dfn'.
C-c C-c e Insert '@end'.
C-c C-c i Insert '@item'.
C-c C-c n Insert '@node'.
C-c C-c s Insert '@samp'.
C-c C-c v Insert '@var'.
C-c { Insert braces.
C-c ]
C-c } Move out of enclosing braces.

C-c C-c C-d Insert a node's section title
in the space for the description
in a menu entry line.

Show Structure
--------------

The 'texinfo-show-structure' command is often used within a narrowed
region.

C-c C-s List all the headings.

The Master Update Command
-------------------------

The 'texinfo-master-menu' command creates a master menu; and can be used
to update every node and menu in a file as well.

C-c C-u m
M-x texinfo-master-menu
Create or update a master menu.

C-u C-c C-u m With 'C-u' as a prefix argument, first
create or update all nodes and regular
menus, and then create a master menu.

Update Pointers
---------------

The update pointer commands are invoked by typing 'C-c C-u' and then
either 'C-n' for 'texinfo-update-node' or 'C-e' for
'texinfo-every-node-update'.

C-c C-u C-n Update a node.
C-c C-u C-e Update every node in the buffer.

Update Menus
------------

Invoke the update menu commands by typing 'C-c C-u' and then either
'C-m' for 'texinfo-make-menu' or 'C-a' for 'texinfo-all-menus-update'.
To update both nodes and menus at the same time, precede 'C-c C-u C-a'
with 'C-u'.

C-c C-u C-m Make or update a menu.

C-c C-u C-a Make or update all
menus in a buffer.

C-u C-c C-u C-a With 'C-u' as a prefix argument,
first create or update all nodes and
then create or update all menus.

Format for Info
---------------

The Info formatting commands that are written in Emacs Lisp are invoked
by typing 'C-c C-e' and then either 'C-r' for a region or 'C-b' for the
whole buffer.

The Info formatting commands that are written in C and based on the
'makeinfo' program are invoked by typing 'C-c C-m' and then either 'C-r'
for a region or 'C-b' for the whole buffer.

Use the 'texinfo-format...' commands:

C-c C-e C-r Format the region.
C-c C-e C-b Format the buffer.

Use 'makeinfo':

C-c C-m C-r Format the region.
C-c C-m C-b Format the buffer.
C-c C-m C-l Recenter the 'makeinfo' output buffer.
C-c C-m C-k Kill the 'makeinfo' formatting job.

Typeset and Print
-----------------

The TeX typesetting and printing commands are invoked by typing 'C-c
C-t' and then another control command: 'C-r' for 'texinfo-tex-region',
'C-b' for 'texinfo-tex-buffer', and so on.

C-c C-t C-r Run TeX on the region.
C-c C-t C-b Run texi2dvi on the buffer.
C-c C-t C-i Run texindex.
C-c C-t C-p Print the DVI file.
C-c C-t C-q Show the print queue.
C-c C-t C-d Delete a job from the print queue.
C-c C-t C-k Kill the current TeX formatting job.
C-c C-t C-x Quit a currently stopped TeX formatting job.
C-c C-t C-l Recenter the output buffer.

Other Updating Commands
-----------------------

The remaining updating commands do not have standard keybindings because
they are rarely used.

M-x texinfo-insert-node-lines
Insert missing '@node' lines in region.
With 'C-u' as a prefix argument,
use section titles as node names.

M-x texinfo-multiple-files-update
Update a multi-file document.
With 'C-u 2' as a prefix argument,
create or update all nodes and menus
in all included files first.

M-x texinfo-indent-menu-description
Indent descriptions.

M-x texinfo-sequential-node-update
Insert node pointers in strict sequence.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Beginning a File, Next: Ending a File, Prev: Texinfo Mode, Up: Top

3 Beginning a Texinfo File
**************************

Certain pieces of information must be provided at the beginning of a
Texinfo file, such as the name for the output file(s), the title of the
document, and the Top node. A table of contents is also generally
produced here.

This chapter expands on the minimal complete Texinfo source file
previously given (*note Six Parts::). It describes the numerous
commands for handling the traditional frontmatter items in Texinfo.

Straight text outside of any command before the Top node should be
avoided. Such text is treated differently in the different output
formats: at the time of writing, it is visible in TeX and HTML, by
default not shown in Info readers, and so on.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: Sample Beginning, Next: Texinfo File Header, Up: Beginning a File

3.1 Sample Texinfo File Beginning
=================================

The following sample shows what is needed. The elements given here are
explained in more detail in the following sections. Other commands are
often included at the beginning of Texinfo files, but the ones here are
the most critical.

*Note GNU Sample Texts::, for the full texts to be used in GNU
manuals.

\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
@c %**start of header
@setfilename INFONAME.info
@settitle NAME-OF-MANUAL VERSION
@c %**end of header

@copying
This manual is for PROGRAM, version VERSION.

@quotation
Permission is granted to ...
@end quotation
@end copying

@titlepage
@title NAME-OF-MANUAL-WHEN-PRINTED
@subtitle SUBTITLE-IF-ANY
@subtitle SECOND-SUBTITLE
@author AUTHOR

@c The following two commands
@c start the copyright page.
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying

Published by ...
@end titlepage

@c So the toc is printed at the start.
@contents

@ifnottex
@node Top
@top TITLE

This manual is for PROGRAM, version VERSION.
@end ifnottex

@menu
* First Chapter:: Getting started ...
* Second Chapter:: ...
...
* Copying:: Your rights and freedoms.
@end menu

@node First Chapter
@chapter First Chapter

@cindex first chapter
@cindex chapter, first
...

File: texinfo.info, Node: Texinfo File Header, Next: Document Permissions, Prev: Sample Beginning, Up: Beginning a File

3.2 Texinfo File Header
=======================

Texinfo files start with at least three lines that provide Texinfo
translators with necessary information. These are the '\input texinfo'
line, the '@settitle' line, and the '@setfilename' line.

Also, if you want to format just part of the Texinfo file in Emacs,
you must write the '@settitle' and '@setfilename' lines between
start-of-header and end-of-header lines. These start- and end-of-header
lines are optional, but they do no harm, so you might as well always
include them.

Any command that affects document formatting as a whole makes sense to
include in the header. '@synindex' (*note @synindex::), for instance,
is another command often included in the header.

Thus, the beginning of a Texinfo file generally looks approximately
like this:

\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-
@c %**start of header
@setfilename sample.info
@settitle Sample Manual 1.0
@c %**end of header

(*Note GNU Sample Texts::, for complete sample texts.)

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: First Line, Next: Start of Header, Up: Texinfo File Header

3.2.1 The First Line of a Texinfo File
--------------------------------------

Every Texinfo file that is to be the top-level input to TeX must begin
with a line that looks like this:

\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*-

This line serves two functions:

1. When the file is processed by TeX, the '\input texinfo' command
tells TeX to load the macros needed for processing a Texinfo file.
These are in a file called 'texinfo.tex', which should have been
installed on your system along with either the TeX or Texinfo
software. TeX uses the backslash, '\', to mark the beginning of a
command, exactly as Texinfo uses '@'. The 'texinfo.tex' file
causes the switch from '\' to '@'; before the switch occurs, TeX
requires '\', which is why it appears at the beginning of the file.

2. When the file is edited in GNU Emacs, the '-*-texinfo-*-' mode
specification tells Emacs to use Texinfo mode.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Start of Header, Next: @setfilename, Prev: First Line, Up: Texinfo File Header

3.2.2 Start of Header
---------------------

A start-of-header line is a Texinfo comment that looks like this:

@c %**start of header

Write the start-of-header line on the second line of a Texinfo file.
Follow the start-of-header line with '@setfilename' and '@settitle'
lines and, optionally, with other commands that globally affect the
document formatting, such as '@synindex' or '@footnotestyle'; and then
by an end-of-header line (*note End of Header::).

The start- and end-of-header lines allow you to format only part of a
Texinfo file for Info or printing. *Note texinfo-format commands::.

The odd string of characters, '%**', is to ensure that no other
comment is accidentally taken for a start-of-header line. You can
change it if you wish by setting the 'tex-start-of-header' and/or
'tex-end-of-header' Emacs variables. *Note Texinfo Mode Printing::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @setfilename, Next: @settitle, Prev: Start of Header, Up: Texinfo File Header

3.2.3 '@setfilename': Set the Output File Name
----------------------------------------------

The first Texinfo command (that is, after the '\input texinfo') in a
document is generally '@setfilename':

@setfilename INFO-FILE-NAME

This command is required for TeX, and very strongly recommended for
'makeinfo'.

Write the '@setfilename' command at the beginning of a line and follow
it on the same line by the Info file name. Do not write anything else
on the line.

When an '@setfilename' line is present, the Texinfo processors ignore
everything written before the '@setfilename' line. This is why the very
first line of the file (the '\input' line) does not show up in the
output.

The '@setfilename' line specifies the name of the output file to be
generated. This name must be different from the name of the Texinfo
file. There are two conventions for choosing the name: you can either
remove the extension (such as '.texi') entirely from the input file
name, or (recommended) replace it with the '.info' extension.

Although an explicit '.info' extension is preferable, some operating
systems cannot handle long file names. You can run into a problem even
when the file name you specify is itself short enough. This occurs
because the Info formatters split a long Info file into short indirect
subfiles, and name them by appending '-1', '-2', ..., '-10', '-11', and
so on, to the original file name. (*Note Tag and Split Files::.) The
subfile name 'texinfo.info-10', for example, is too long for old systems
with a 14-character limit on filenames; so the Info file name for this
document is 'texinfo' rather than 'texinfo.info'. When 'makeinfo' is
running on operating systems such as MS-DOS which impose severe limits
on file names, it may remove some characters from the original file name
to leave enough space for the subfile suffix, thus producing files named
'texin-10', 'gcc.i12', etc.

When producing another output format, 'makeinfo' will replace any
final extension with the output format-specific extension ('html' when
generating HTML, for example), or add a dot followed by the extension
('.html' for HTML) if the given name has no extension.

The '@setfilename' line produces no output when you typeset a manual
with TeX, but it is nevertheless essential: it opens the index and other
auxiliary files used by Texinfo, and also reads 'texinfo.cnf' if that
file is present on your system (*note Preparing for TeX::).

If there is no '@setfilename' line, 'makeinfo' uses the input file
name to determine the output name: first, any of the extensions '.texi',
'.tex', '.txi' or '.texinfo' is removed from the input file name; then,
the output format specific extension is added--'.html' when generating
HTML, '.info' when generating Info, etc. The '\input' line is still
ignored in this processing, as well as leading blank lines.

See also the '--output' option in *note Invoking texi2any::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @settitle, Next: End of Header, Prev: @setfilename, Up: Texinfo File Header

3.2.4 '@settitle': Set the Document Title
-----------------------------------------

A Texinfo file should contain a line that looks like this:

@settitle TITLE

Write the '@settitle' command at the beginning of a line and follow it
on the same line by the title. Do not write anything else on the line.
The '@settitle' command should precede everything that generates actual
output. The best place for it is right after the '@setfilename' command
(described in the previous section).

This command tells TeX the title to use in a header or footer for
double-sided output, in case such headings are output. For more on
headings for TeX, see *note Heading Generation::.

In the HTML file produced by 'makeinfo', TITLE serves as the document
'<title>'. It also becomes the default document description in the
'<head>' part (*note @documentdescription::).

When the title page is used in the output, the title in the
'@settitle' command does not affect the title as it appears on the title
page. Thus, the two do not need not to match exactly. A practice we
recommend is to include the version or edition number of the manual in
the '@settitle' title; on the title page, the version number generally
appears as an '@subtitle' so it would be omitted from the '@title'.
*Note @titlepage::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: End of Header, Prev: @settitle, Up: Texinfo File Header

3.2.5 End of Header
-------------------

Follow the header lines with an end-of-header line, which is a Texinfo
comment that looks like this:

@c %**end of header

*Note Start of Header::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Document Permissions, Next: Titlepage & Copyright Page, Prev: Texinfo File Header, Up: Beginning a File

3.3 Document Permissions
========================

The copyright notice and copying permissions for a document need to
appear in several places in the various Texinfo output formats.
Therefore, Texinfo provides a command ('@copying') to declare this text
once, and another command ('@insertcopying') to insert the text at
appropriate points.

This section is about the license of the Texinfo document. If the
document is a software manual, the software is typically under a
different license--for GNU and many other free software packages,
software is usually released under the GNU GPL, and manuals are released
under the GNU FDL. It is helpful to state the license of the software
of the manual, but giving the complete text of the software license is
not necessarily required.

* Menu:

* @copying:: Declare the document's copying permissions.
* @insertcopying:: Where to insert the permissions.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @copying, Next: @insertcopying, Up: Document Permissions

3.3.1 '@copying': Declare Copying Permissions
---------------------------------------------

The '@copying' command should be given very early in the document; the
recommended location is right after the header material (*note Texinfo
File Header::). It conventionally consists of a sentence or two about
what the program is, identification of the documentation itself, the
legal copyright line, and the copying permissions. Here is a skeletal
example:

@copying
This manual is for PROGRAM (version VERSION, updated
DATE), which ...

@quotation
Permission is granted to ...
@end quotation
@end copying

The '@quotation' has no legal significance; it's there to improve
readability in some contexts.

The text of '@copying' is output as a comment at the beginning of
Info, HTML, XML, and Docbook output files. It is _not_ output
implicitly in plain text or TeX; it's up to you to use '@insertcopying'
to emit the copying information. See the next section for details.

The '@copyright{}' command generates a 'c' inside a circle when the
output format supports this glyph (print and HTML always do, for
instance). When the glyph is not supported in the output, it generates
the three-character sequence '(C)'.

The copyright notice itself has the following legally-prescribed form:

The word 'Copyright' must always be written in English, even if the
document is otherwise written in another language. This is due to
international law.

The list of years should include all years in which a version was
completed (even if it was released in a subsequent year). It is
simplest for each year to be written out individually and in full,
separated by commas.

The copyright owner (or owners) is whoever holds legal copyright on
the work. In the case of works assigned to the FSF, the owner is 'Free
Software Foundation, Inc.'.

The copyright 'line' may actually be split across multiple lines, both
in the source document and in the output. This often happens for
documents with a long history, having many different years of
publication. If you do use several lines, do not indent any of them (or
anything else in the '@copying' block) in the source file.

*Note (maintain)Copyright Notices::, for additional information.
*Note GNU Sample Texts::, for the full text to be used in GNU manuals.
*Note GNU Free Documentation License::, for the license itself under
which GNU and other free manuals are distributed.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @insertcopying, Prev: @copying, Up: Document Permissions

3.3.2 '@insertcopying': Include Permissions Text
------------------------------------------------

The '@insertcopying' command is simply written on a line by itself, like
this:

@insertcopying

This inserts the text previously defined by '@copying'. To meet legal
requirements, it must be used on the copyright page in the printed
manual (*note Copyright::).

The '@copying' command itself causes the permissions text to appear in
an Info file _before_ the first node. The text is also copied into the
beginning of each split Info output file, as is legally necessary. This
location implies a human reading the manual using Info does _not_ see
this text (except when using the advanced Info command 'g *'), but this
does not matter for legal purposes, because the text is present.

Similarly, the '@copying' text is automatically included at the
beginning of each HTML output file, as an HTML comment. Again, this
text is not visible (unless the reader views the HTML source).

The permissions text defined by '@copying' also appears automatically
at the beginning of the XML and Docbook output files.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Titlepage & Copyright Page, Next: Contents, Prev: Document Permissions, Up: Beginning a File

3.4 Title and Copyright Pages
=============================

In hard copy output, the manual's name and author are usually printed on
a title page. Copyright information is usually printed on the back of
the title page.

The title and copyright pages appear in printed manuals, but not in
most other output formats. Because of this, it is possible to use
several slightly obscure typesetting commands that are not to be used in
the main text. In addition, this part of the beginning of a Texinfo
file contains the text of the copying permissions that appears in the
printed manual.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: @titlepage, Next: @titlefont @center @sp, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page

3.4.1 '@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 Heading Generation::). All the material that you want
to appear on unnumbered pages should be put between the '@titlepage' and
'@end titlepage' commands. You can force the table of contents to
appear there with the '@setcontentsaftertitlepage' command (*note
Contents::).

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 The Top Node::.)

Texinfo provides two main 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, or you may combine them; see the examples
in the sections below.

For sufficiently simple documents, and for the bastard title page in
traditional book frontmatter, Texinfo also provides a command
'@shorttitlepage' which takes the rest of the line as the title. The
argument is typeset on a page by itself and followed by a blank page.

---------- Footnotes ----------

(1) We have found that it is helpful to refer to versions of
independent 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: texinfo.info, Node: @titlefont @center @sp, Next: @title @subtitle @author, Prev: @titlepage, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page

3.4.2 '@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. You can use '@titlefont' more than once if you have an
especially long title.

For HTML output, each '@titlefont' command produces an '<h1>' heading,
but the HTML document '<title>' is not affected. For that, you must put
an '@settitle' command before the '@titlefont' command (*note
@settitle::).

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::, 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 8.5 by 11 inch manual.

You can in fact use these commands anywhere, not just on a title page,
but since they are not logical markup commands, we don't recommend them.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @title @subtitle @author, Next: Copyright, Prev: @titlefont @center @sp, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page

3.4.3 '@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
'@author' command may be used for a quotation in an '@quotation' block
(*note @quotation::); except for that, it is an error to use any of
these commands outside of '@titlepage'.

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 title must be given on a
single line in the source file; it will be broken into multiple lines of
output is needed.

For long titles, the '@*' command may be used to specify the line
breaks in long titles if the automatic breaks do not suit. Such
explicit line breaks are generally reflected in all output formats; if
you only want to specify them for the printed output, use a conditional
(*note Conditionals::). For example:

@title This Long Title@inlinefmt{tex,@*} Is Broken in @TeX{}

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 followed by a black rule
that is thinner than the rule that underlines the title.

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 multiple
'@author' commands:

@author Jane Smith
@author John Doe

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

File: texinfo.info, Node: Copyright, Next: Heading Generation, Prev: @title @subtitle @author, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page

3.4.4 Copyright Page
--------------------

By international treaty, the copyright notice for a book must be either
on the title page or on the back of the title page. 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, use the following incantation after '@page':

@vskip 0pt plus 1filll

The '@vskip' command inserts whitespace in the TeX output; it is ignored
in all other output formats. 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 correct.

To insert the copyright text itself, write '@insertcopying' next
(*note Document Permissions::):

@insertcopying

Follow the copying text by the publisher, ISBN numbers, cover art
credits, and other such information.

Here is an example putting all this together:

@titlepage
...
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying

Published by ...

Cover art by ...
@end titlepage

We have one more special case to consider: for plain text output, you
must insert the copyright information explicitly if you want it to
appear. For instance, you could have the following after the copyright
page:

@ifplaintext
@insertcopying
@end ifplaintext

You could include other title-like information for the plain text
output in the same place.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Heading Generation, Prev: Copyright, Up: Titlepage & Copyright Page

3.4.5 Heading Generation
------------------------

Like all '@end' commands (*note Quotations and Examples::), the '@end
titlepage' command must be written at the beginning of a line by itself,
with only one space between the '@end' and the 'titlepage'. It not only
marks the end of the title and copyright pages, but also causes TeX to
start generating page headings and page numbers.

Texinfo has two standard page heading formats, one for documents
printed on one side of each sheet of paper (single-sided printing), and
the other for documents printed on both sides of each sheet
(double-sided printing).

In full generality, you can control the headings in different ways:

* The conventional way is to write an '@setchapternewpage' command
before the title page commands, if required, and then have the
'@end titlepage' command start generating page headings in the
manner desired.

Most documents are formatted with the standard single-sided or
double-sided headings, (sometimes) using '@setchapternewpage odd'
for double-sided printing and (almost always) no
'@setchapternewpage' command for single-sided printing (*note
@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. To turn off headings, write
'@headings off'. *Note @headings::.

* Or, you may specify your own page heading and footing format.
*Note Headings::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Contents, Next: The Top Node, Prev: Titlepage & Copyright Page, Up: Beginning a File

3.5 Generating a Table of Contents
==================================

The '@chapter', '@section', and other structuring commands (*note
Chapter Structuring::) 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/or '@summarycontents'
command(s).

'@contents'
Generates a table of contents in a printed manual, including all
chapters, sections, subsections, etc., as well as appendices and
unnumbered chapters. Headings generated by '@majorheading',
'@chapheading', and the other '@...heading' commands do not appear
in the table of contents (*note Structuring Command Types::).

'@shortcontents'
'@summarycontents'
('@summarycontents' is a synonym for '@shortcontents'.)

Generates a short or summary table of contents that lists only the
chapters, appendices, and unnumbered chapters. Sections,
subsections and subsubsections are omitted. Only a long manual
needs a short table of contents in addition to the full table of
contents.

Both contents commands should be written on a line by themselves, and
placed near the beginning of the file, after the '@end titlepage' (*note
@titlepage::), before any sectioning command. The contents commands
automatically generate a chapter-like heading at the top of the first
table of contents page, so don't include any sectioning command such as
'@unnumbered' before them.

Since an Info file uses menus instead of tables of contents, the Info
formatting commands ignore the contents commands. But the contents are
included in plain text output (generated by 'makeinfo --plaintext') and
in other output formats, such as HTML.

When 'makeinfo' writes a short table of contents while producing HTML
output, the links in the short table of contents point to corresponding
entries in the full table of contents rather than the text of the
document. The links in the full table of contents point to the main
text of the document.

In the past, the contents commands were sometimes placed at the end of
the file, after any indices and just before the '@bye', but we no longer
recommend this.

However, since many existing Texinfo documents still do have the
'@contents' at the end of the manual, if you are a user printing a
manual, you may wish to force the contents to be printed after the title
page. You can do this by specifying '@setcontentsaftertitlepage' and/or
'@setshortcontentsaftertitlepage'. The first prints only the main
contents after the '@end titlepage'; the second prints both the short
contents and the main contents. In either case, any subsequent
'@contents' or '@shortcontents' is ignored.

You need to include the '@set...contentsaftertitlepage' commands early
in the document (just after '@setfilename', for example). We recommend
using 'texi2dvi' (*note Format with texi2dvi::) to specify this without
altering the source file at all. For example:

texi2dvi --texinfo=@setcontentsaftertitlepage foo.texi

An alternative invocation, using 'texi2any':

texi2any --dvi --Xopt --texinfo=@setcontentsaftertitlepage foo.texi

File: texinfo.info, Node: The Top Node, Next: Global Document Commands, Prev: Contents, Up: Beginning a File

3.6 The 'Top' Node and Master Menu
==================================

The 'Top' node is the node in which a reader enters an Info manual. As
such, it should begin with a brief description of the manual (including
the version number), and end with a master menu for the whole manual.
Of course you should include any other general information you feel a
reader would find helpful.

It is conventional and desirable to write an '@top' sectioning command
line containing the title of the document immediately after the '@node
Top' line (*note @top Command::).

The contents of the 'Top' node should appear only in the online
output; none of it should appear in printed output, so enclose it
between '@ifnottex' and '@end ifnottex' 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
'@ifnottex' and '@end ifnottex', but it is simplest to do so. *Note
Conditionally Visible Text: Conditionals.)

* Menu:

* Top Node Example::
* Master Menu Parts::

File: texinfo.info, Node: Top Node Example, Next: Master Menu Parts, Up: The Top Node

3.6.1 Top Node Example
----------------------

Here is an example of a Top node.

@ifnottex
@node Top
@top Sample Title

This is the text of the top node.
@end ifnottex

Additional general information.

@menu
* First Chapter::
* Second Chapter::
...
* Index::
@end menu

File: texinfo.info, Node: Master Menu Parts, Prev: Top Node Example, Up: The Top Node

3.6.2 Parts of a Master Menu
----------------------------

A "master menu" is the main menu. It is customary to include a detailed
menu listing all the nodes in the document in this menu.

Like any other menu, a master menu is enclosed in '@menu' and '@end
menu' and does not appear in the printed output.

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. If you do use them, put '@detailmenu' before the
first one, and '@end detailmenu' after the last; otherwise,
'makeinfo' will get confused.

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 Conditions:: Your rights.
* Overview:: Texinfo in brief.
...
* Command and Variable Index::
* General Index::

@detailmenu
--- The Detailed Node Listing ---

Overview of Texinfo

* Reporting Bugs:: ...
...

Beginning a Texinfo File

* Sample Beginning:: ...
...
@end detailmenu
@end menu

File: texinfo.info, Node: Global Document Commands, Prev: The Top Node, Up: Beginning a File

3.7 Global Document Commands
============================

Besides the basic commands mentioned in the previous sections, here are
additional commands which affect the document as a whole. They are
generally all given before the Top node, if they are given at all.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: @documentdescription, Next: @setchapternewpage, Up: Global Document Commands

3.7.1 '@documentdescription': Summary Text
------------------------------------------

When producing HTML output for a document, 'makeinfo' writes a '<meta>'
element in the '<head>' to give some idea of the content of the
document. By default, this "description" is the title of the document,
taken from the '@settitle' command (*note @settitle::). To change this,
use the '@documentdescription' environment, as in:

@documentdescription
descriptive text.
@end documentdescription

This will produce the following output in the '<head>' of the HTML:

'@documentdescription' must be specified before the first node of the
document.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @setchapternewpage, Next: @headings, Prev: @documentdescription, Up: Global Document Commands

3.7.2 '@setchapternewpage': Blank Pages Before Chapters
-------------------------------------------------------

In an officially bound book, text is usually printed on both sides of
the paper, chapters start on right-hand pages, and right-hand pages have
odd numbers. But in short reports, text often is printed only on one
side of the paper. Also in short reports, chapters sometimes do not
start on new pages, but are printed on the same page as the end of the
preceding chapter, after a small amount of vertical whitespace.

You can use the '@setchapternewpage' command with various arguments to
specify how TeX should start chapters and whether it should format
headers for printing on one or both sides of the paper (single-sided or
double-sided printing).

Write the '@setchapternewpage' command at the beginning of a line
followed by its argument.

For example, you would write the following to cause each chapter to
start on a fresh odd-numbered page:

@setchapternewpage odd

You can specify one of three alternatives with the
'@setchapternewpage' command:

'@setchapternewpage off'
Cause TeX to typeset a new chapter on the same page as the last
chapter, after skipping some vertical whitespace. Also, cause TeX
to format page headers for single-sided printing.

'@setchapternewpage on'
Cause TeX to start new chapters on new pages and to format page
headers for single-sided printing. This is the form most often
used for short reports or personal printing. This is the default.

'@setchapternewpage odd'
Cause TeX to start new chapters on new, odd-numbered pages
(right-handed pages) and to typeset for double-sided printing.
This is the form most often used for books and manuals.

Texinfo does not have an '@setchapternewpage even' command, because
there is no printing tradition of starting chapters or books on an
even-numbered page.

If you don't like the default headers that '@setchapternewpage' sets,
you can explicit control them with the '@headings' command. *Note
@headings::.

At the beginning of a manual or book, pages are not numbered--for
example, the title and copyright pages of a book are not numbered. By
convention, table of contents and frontmatter pages are numbered with
roman numerals and not in sequence with the rest of the document.

The '@setchapternewpage' has no effect in output formats that do not
have pages, such as Info and HTML.

We recommend not including any '@setchapternewpage' command in your
document source at all, since such desired pagination is not intrinsic
to the document. For a particular hard copy run, if you don't want the
default output (no blank pages, same headers on all pages) use the
'--texinfo' option to 'texi2dvi' to specify the output you want.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @headings, Next: @paragraphindent, Prev: @setchapternewpage, Up: Global Document Commands

3.7.3 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 predefined page headings prior
to defining your own. Write an '@headings' command immediately after
the '@end titlepage' command.

You can use '@headings' as follows:

'@headings off'
Turn off printing of page headings.

'@headings single'
Turn on page headings appropriate for single-sided printing.

'@headings double'
Turn on page headings appropriate for double-sided printing.

'@headings singleafter'
'@headings doubleafter'
Turn on 'single' or 'double' headings, respectively, after the
current page is output.

'@headings on'
Turn on page headings: 'single' if '@setchapternewpage on',
'double' otherwise.

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: texinfo.info, Node: @paragraphindent, Next: @firstparagraphindent, Prev: @headings, Up: Global Document Commands

3.7.4 '@paragraphindent': Controlling Paragraph Indentation
-----------------------------------------------------------

The Texinfo processors may insert whitespace at the beginning of the
first line of each paragraph, thereby indenting that paragraph. You can
use the '@paragraphindent' command to specify this indentation. Write
an '@paragraphindent' command at the beginning of a line followed by
either 'asis' or a number:

@paragraphindent INDENT

The indentation is according to the value of INDENT:

'asis'
Do not change the existing indentation (not implemented in TeX).

'none'
0
Omit all indentation.

N
Indent by N space characters in Info output, by N ems in TeX.

The default value of INDENT is 3. '@paragraphindent' is ignored for
HTML output.

It is best to write the '@paragraphindent' command before the
end-of-header line at the beginning of a Texinfo file, so the region
formatting commands indent paragraphs as specified. *Note Start of
Header::.

A peculiarity of the 'texinfo-format-buffer' and
'texinfo-format-region' commands is that they do not indent (nor fill)
paragraphs that contain '@w' or '@*' commands.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @firstparagraphindent, Next: @exampleindent, Prev: @paragraphindent, Up: Global Document Commands

3.7.5 '@firstparagraphindent': Indenting After Headings
-------------------------------------------------------

As you can see in the present manual, the first paragraph in any section
is not indented by default. Typographically, indentation is a paragraph
separator, which means that it is unnecessary when a new section begins.
This indentation is controlled with the '@firstparagraphindent' command:

@firstparagraphindent WORD

The first paragraph after a heading is indented according to the value
of WORD:

'none'
Prevents the first paragraph from being indented (default). This
option is ignored by 'makeinfo' if '@paragraphindent asis' is in
effect.

'insert'
Include normal paragraph indentation. This respects the paragraph
indentation set by an '@paragraphindent' command (*note
@paragraphindent::).

'@firstparagraphindent' is ignored for HTML and Docbook output.

It is best to write the '@firstparagraphindent' command before the
end-of-header line at the beginning of a Texinfo file, so the region
formatting commands indent paragraphs as specified. *Note Start of
Header::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @exampleindent, Prev: @firstparagraphindent, Up: Global Document Commands

3.7.6 '@exampleindent': Environment Indenting
---------------------------------------------

The Texinfo processors indent each line of '@example' and similar
environments. You can use the '@exampleindent' command to specify this
indentation. Write an '@exampleindent' command at the beginning of a
line followed by either 'asis' or a number:

@exampleindent INDENT

The indentation is according to the value of INDENT:

'asis'
Do not change the existing indentation (not implemented in TeX).

0
Omit all indentation.

N
Indent environments by N space characters in Info output, by N ems
in TeX.

The default value of INDENT is 5 spaces in Info, and 0.4in in TeX,
which is somewhat less. (The reduction is to help TeX fit more
characters onto physical lines.)

It is best to write the '@exampleindent' command before the
end-of-header line at the beginning of a Texinfo file, so the region
formatting commands indent paragraphs as specified. *Note Start of
Header::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Ending a File, Next: Chapter Structuring, Prev: Beginning a File, Up: Top

4 Ending a Texinfo File
***********************

The end of a Texinfo file should include commands to create indices, and
the '@bye' command to mark the last line to be processed. For example:

@node Index
@unnumbered Index

@printindex cp

@bye

* Menu:

* Printing Indices & Menus:: How to print an index in hardcopy and
generate index menus in Info.
* File End:: How to mark the end of a file.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Printing Indices & Menus, Next: File End, Up: Ending a File

4.1 Printing Indices and Menus
==============================

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 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 separate types of predefined index, which suffice
in most cases. *Note Indices::, for information on this, as well
defining your own new indices, combining indices, and, most importantly
advice on writing the actual index entries. This section focuses on
printing indices, which is done with the '@printindex' command.

'@printindex' takes one argument, a two-letter index abbreviation. It
reads the corresponding sorted index file (for printed output), and
formats it appropriately into an index.

The '@printindex' command does not generate a chapter heading for the
index, since different manuals have different needs. Consequently, you
should precede the '@printindex' command with a suitable section or
chapter command (usually '@appendix' or '@unnumbered') to supply the
chapter heading and put the index into the table of contents. Precede
the chapter heading with an '@node' line as usual.

For example:

@node Variable Index
@unnumbered Variable Index

@printindex vr

@node Concept Index
@unnumbered Concept Index

@printindex cp

If you have more than one index, we recommend placing the concept
index last.

* In printed output, '@printindex' produces a traditional two-column
index, with dot leaders between the index terms and page numbers.

* In Info output, '@printindex' produces a special menu containing
the line number of the entry, relative to the start of the node.
Info readers can use this to go to the exact line of an entry, not
just the containing node. (Older Info readers will just go to the
node.) Here's an example:

* First index entry: Top. (line 7)

The actual number of spaces is variable, to right-justify the line
number; it's been reduced here to make the line fit in the printed
manual.

* In plain text output, '@printindex' produces the same menu, but the
line numbers are relative to the start of the file, since that's
more convenient for that format.

* In HTML output, '@printindex' produces links to the index entries.

* In XML and Docbook output, it simply records the index to be
printed.

File: texinfo.info, Node: File End, Prev: Printing Indices & Menus, Up: Ending a File

4.2 '@bye' File Ending
======================

An '@bye' command terminates Texinfo processing. None of the formatters
process anything following '@bye'; any such text is completely ignored.
The '@bye' command should be on a line by itself.

Thus, if you wish, you may follow the '@bye' line with arbitrary
notes. Also, you may follow the '@bye' line with a local variables list
for Emacs, most typically a 'compile-command' (*note Using the Local
Variables List: Compile-Command.).

File: texinfo.info, Node: Chapter Structuring, Next: Nodes, Prev: Ending a File, Up: Top

5 Chapter Structuring
*********************

Texinfo's "chapter structuring" commands (could more generally be called
"sectioning structuring", but that is awkward) divide a document into a
hierarchy of chapters, sections, subsections, and subsubsections. These
commands generate large headings in the text, like the one above. They
also provide information for generating the table of contents (*note
Generating a Table of Contents: Contents.), and for implicitly
determining node pointers, as is recommended (*note makeinfo Pointer
Creation::).

The chapter structuring commands do not create a node structure, so
normally you 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 also using nodes is if you
are writing a document that contains no cross references and will only
be printed, not transformed into Info, HTML, or other formats.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: Tree Structuring, Next: Structuring Command Types, Up: Chapter Structuring

5.1 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
with 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
would normally (with implicitly-determined node pointers) be written
like this:

@node Chapter 2
@chapter Chapter 2

But for purposes of example, here is how it would be written with
explicit node pointers:

@node Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 1, Top
@chapter Chapter 2

The chapter structuring commands are described in the sections that
follow; the '@node' command is described in the following chapter (*note
Nodes::).

File: texinfo.info, Node: Structuring Command Types, Next: @chapter, Prev: Tree Structuring, Up: Chapter Structuring

5.2 Structuring Command Types
=============================

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 of commands are the '@chapter' series, the
'@unnumbered' series, the '@appendix' series, and the '@heading' series.
Each command produces a title with a different appearance in the body of
the document. Some of the commands list their titles in the tables of
contents, while others do not. Here are the details:

* The '@chapter' and '@appendix' series of commands produce numbered
or lettered entries both in the body of a document and in its table
of contents.

* The '@unnumbered' series of commands produce unnumbered entries
both in the body of a document and in its table of contents. The
'@top' command, which has a special use, is a member of this series
(*note @top Command::). An '@unnumbered' section is a normal part
of the document structure.

* The '@heading' series of commands produce simple unnumbered
headings that do not appear in a table of contents, are not
associated with nodes, and cannot be cross-referenced. These
heading commands never start a new page.

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. *Note @setchapternewpage::.

Here is a summary:

No new page
Numbered Unnumbered Lettered/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: texinfo.info, Node: @chapter, Next: @unnumbered @appendix, Prev: Structuring Command Types, Up: Chapter Structuring

5.3 '@chapter': Chapter Structuring
===================================

'@chapter' identifies a chapter in the document-the highest level of the
normal document structuring hierarchy. Write the command at the
beginning of a line and follow it on the same line by the title of the
chapter. The chapter is numbered automatically, starting from 1.

For example, the present chapter in this manual is entitled
"'@chapter': Chapter Structuring"; the '@chapter' line looks like this:

@chapter @code{@@chapter}: Chapter Structuring

In TeX, the '@chapter' command produces a chapter heading in the
document.

In Info and plain text output, the '@chapter' command causes the title
to appear on a line by itself, with a line of asterisks inserted
underneath. So, the above example produces the following output:

5 Chapter Structuring
*********************

In HTML, the '@chapter' command produces an '<h2>'-level header by
default (controlled by the 'CHAPTER_HEADER_LEVEL' customization
variable, *note Other Customization Variables::).

In the XML and Docbook output, a '<chapter>' element is produced that
includes all the following sections, up to the next chapter.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @unnumbered @appendix, Next: @majorheading @chapheading, Prev: @chapter, Up: Chapter Structuring

5.4 '@unnumbered', '@appendix': Chapters with Other Labeling
============================================================

Use the '@unnumbered' command to start a chapter-level element that
appears without chapter numbers of any kind. Use the '@appendix'
command to start an appendix that is labeled by letter ('A', 'B', ...)
instead of by number; appendices are also at the chapter level of
structuring.

Write an '@appendix' or '@unnumbered' command at the beginning of a
line and follow it on the same line by the title, just as with
'@chapter'.

Texinfo also provides a command '@centerchap', which is analogous to
'@unnumbered', but centers its argument in the printed and HTML outputs.
This kind of stylistic choice is not usually offered by Texinfo. It may
be suitable for short documents.

With '@unnumbered', if the name of the associated node is one of these
English words (case-insensitive):

Acknowledgements Colophon Dedication Preface

then the Docbook output uses corresponding special tags ('<preface>',
etc.) instead of the default '<chapter>'. The argument to '@unnumbered'
itself can be anything, and is output as the following '<title>' text as
usual.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @majorheading @chapheading, Next: @section, Prev: @unnumbered @appendix, Up: Chapter Structuring

5.5 '@majorheading', '@chapheading': Chapter-level Headings
===========================================================

The '@majorheading' and '@chapheading' commands produce chapter-like
headings in the body of a document.

However, neither command produces 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 and plain text, the '@majorheading' and '@chapheading'
commands produce the same output as '@chapter': the title is printed on
a line by itself with a line of asterisks underneath. Similarly for
HTML. The only difference is the lack of numbering and the lack of any
association with nodes. *Note @chapter::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @section, Next: @unnumberedsec @appendixsec @heading, Prev: @majorheading @chapheading, Up: Chapter Structuring

5.6 '@section': Sections Below Chapters
=======================================

An '@section' command identifies a section within a chapter unit,
whether created with '@chapter', '@unnumbered', or '@appendix',
following the numbering scheme of the chapter-level command. Thus,
within an '@chapter' chapter numbered '1', the sections are numbered
'1.1', '1.2', etc.; within an '@appendix' "chapter" labeled 'A', the
sections are numbered 'A.1', 'A.2', etc.; within an '@unnumbered'
chapter, the section gets no number. The output is underlined with '='
in Info and plain text.

To make a section, write the '@section' command at the beginning of a
line and follow it on the same line by the section title. For example,

@section This is a section

might produce the following in Info:

5.7 This is a section
=====================

Section titles are listed in the table of contents.

The TeX, HTML, Docbook, and XML output is all analogous to the
chapter-level output, just "one level down"; *note @chapter::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @unnumberedsec @appendixsec @heading, Next: @subsection, Prev: @section, Up: Chapter Structuring

5.7 '@unnumberedsec', '@appendixsec', '@heading'
================================================

The '@unnumberedsec', '@appendixsec', and '@heading' commands are,
respectively, the unnumbered, appendix-like, and heading-like
equivalents of the '@section' command (see the previous section).

'@unnumberedsec' and '@appendixsec' do not need to be used in ordinary
circumstances, because '@section' may also be used within '@unnumbered'
and '@appendix' chapters; again, see the previous section.

'@unnumberedsec'
The '@unnumberedsec' command may be used within an unnumbered
chapter or within a regular chapter or appendix to produce 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 (almost) anywhere for a
section-style heading that will not appear in the table of
contents. The '@heading'-series commands can appear inside most
environments, for example, though pathological and useless
locations such as inside '@titlepage', as an argument to another
command, etc., are not allowed.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @subsection, Next: @unnumberedsubsec @appendixsubsec @subheading, Prev: @unnumberedsec @appendixsec @heading, Up: Chapter Structuring

5.8 '@subsection': Subsections Below Sections
=============================================

Subsections are to sections as sections are to chapters; *note
@section::. In Info and plain text, subsection titles are underlined
with '-'. For example,

@subsection This is a subsection

might produce

1.2.3 This is a subsection
--------------------------

Subsection titles are listed in the table of contents.

The TeX, HTML, Docbook, and XML output is all analogous to the
chapter-level output, just "two levels down"; *note @chapter::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @unnumberedsubsec @appendixsubsec @subheading, Next: @subsubsection, Prev: @subsection, Up: Chapter Structuring

5.9 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::.)

'@unnumberedsubsec' and '@appendixsubsec' do not need to be used in
ordinary circumstances, because '@subsection' may also be used within
sections of '@unnumbered' and '@appendix' chapters (*note @section::).

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 labeled with a letter and
numbers; both of these commands produce headings that appear in the
table of contents. In Info and plain text, the '@subsection'-like
commands generate a title underlined with hyphens.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @subsubsection, Next: @part, Prev: @unnumberedsubsec @appendixsubsec @subheading, Up: Chapter Structuring

5.10 '@subsection' and Other 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::.) Subsubsection titles appear in the table of
contents.

'@unnumberedsubsubsec'
Unnumbered subsubsection titles appear in the table of contents,
but lack numbers. Otherwise, unnumbered subsubsections are the
same as subsubsections.

'@appendixsubsubsec'
Conventionally, appendix commands are used only for appendices and
are lettered and numbered appropriately. They also appear in the
table of contents.

'@subsubheading'
The '@subsubheading' command may be used anywhere that you want a
small heading that will not appear in the table of contents.

As with subsections, '@unnumberedsubsubsec' and '@appendixsubsubsec'
do not need to be used in ordinary circumstances, because
'@subsubsection' may also be used within subsections of '@unnumbered'
and '@appendix' chapters (*note @section::).

In Info, 'subsub' titles are underlined with periods. For example,

@subsubsection This is a subsubsection

might produce

1.2.3.4 This is a subsubsection
...............................

The TeX, HTML, Docbook, and XML output is all analogous to the
chapter-level output, just "three levels down"; *note @chapter::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @part, Next: Raise/lower sections, Prev: @subsubsection, Up: Chapter Structuring

5.11 '@part': Groups of Chapters
================================

The final sectioning command is '@part', to mark a "part" of a manual,
that is, a group of chapters or (rarely) appendices. This behaves quite
differently from the other sectioning commands, to fit with the way such
"parts" are conventionally used in books.

No '@node' command is associated with '@part'. Just write the command
on a line by itself, including the part title, at the place in the
document you want to mark off as starting that part. For example:

@part Part I:@* The beginning

As can be inferred from this example, no automatic numbering or
labeling of the '@part' text is done. The text is taken as-is.

Because parts are not associated with nodes, no general text can
follow the '@part' line. To produce the intended output, it must be
followed by a chapter-level command (including its node). Thus, to
continue the example:

@part Part I:@* The beginning

@node Introduction
@chapter Introduction
...

In the TeX output, the '@part' text is included in both the normal and
short tables of contents (*note Contents::), without a page number
(since that is the normal convention). In addition, a "part page" is
output in the body of the document, with just the '@part' text. In the
example above, the '@*' causes a line break on the part page (but is
replaced with a space in the tables of contents). This part page is
always forced to be on an odd (right-hand) page, regardless of the
chapter pagination (*note @setchapternewpage::).

In the HTML output, the '@part' text is similarly included in the
tables of contents, and a heading is included in the main document text,
as part of the following chapter or appendix node.

In the XML and Docbook output, the '<part>' element includes all the
following chapters, up to the next '<part>'. A '<part>' containing
chapters is also closed at an appendix.

In the Info and plain text output, '@part' has no effect.

'@part' is ignored when raising or lowering sections (see next
section). That is, it is never lowered and nothing can be raised to it.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Raise/lower sections, Prev: @part, Up: Chapter Structuring

5.12 Raise/lower Sections: '@raisesections' and '@lowersections'
================================================================

The '@raisesections' and '@lowersections' commands implicitly raise and
lower the hierarchical level of following chapters, sections and the
other sectioning commands (excluding parts).

That is, the '@raisesections' command changes sections to chapters,
subsections to sections, and so on. Conversely, the '@lowersections'
command changes chapters to sections, sections to subsections, and so
on. Thus, an '@lowersections' command cancels an '@raisesections'
command, and vice versa.

You can use '@lowersections' to include text written as an outer or
standalone Texinfo file in another Texinfo file as an inner, included
file (*note Include Files::). Typical usage looks like this:

@lowersections
@include somefile.texi
@raisesections

(Without the '@raisesections', all the subsequent sections in the main
file would also be lowered.)

If the included file being lowered has an '@top' node, you'll need to
conditionalize its inclusion with a flag (*note @set @value::).

Another difficulty can arise with documents that use the (recommended)
feature of 'makeinfo' for implicitly determining node pointers. Since
'makeinfo' must assume a hierarchically organized document to determine
the pointers, you cannot just arbitrarily sprinkle '@raisesections' and
'@lowersections' commands throughout the document. The final result has
to have menus that take the raising and lowering into account. So, as a
practical matter, you generally only want to raise or lower large
chunks, usually in external files as shown above.

Repeated use of the commands continues to raise or lower the
hierarchical level a step at a time. An attempt to raise above
'chapter' reproduces chapter commands; an attempt to lower below
'subsubsection' reproduces subsubsection commands. Also, lowered
subsubsections and raised chapters will not work with 'makeinfo''s
feature of implicitly determining node pointers, since the menu
structure cannot be represented correctly.

Write each '@raisesections' and '@lowersections' command on a line of
its own.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Nodes, Next: Menus, Prev: Chapter Structuring, Up: Top

6 Nodes
*******

"Nodes" are the primary segments of a Texinfo file. They do not in and
of themselves impose a hierarchical 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. The two structures are theoretically distinct. In
practice, however, the tree structure of printed books is essentially
always used for the node and menu structure also, as this leads to a
document which is easiest to follow. *Note Texinfo Document
Structure::.

Because node names are used in cross references, it is not desirable
to casually change them once published. Such name changes invalidate
references from other manuals, from mail archives, and so on. *Note
HTML Xref Link Preservation::.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: @node, Next: makeinfo Pointer Creation, Up: Nodes

6.1 The '@node' Command
=======================

A "node" is a stretch 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, immediately following the '@node' line.

To specify a node, write an '@node' command at the beginning of a
line, and follow it with up to four arguments, separated by commas, on
the rest of the same line. The first argument is required; it is the
name of this node (for details of node names, *note Node Line
Requirements::). The subsequent arguments are optional--they are the
names of the 'Next', 'Previous', and 'Up' pointers, in that order. We
strongly recommend omitting them if your Texinfo document is
hierarchically organized, as virtually all are (*note makeinfo Pointer
Creation::). You may insert spaces before or after each name on the
'@node' line if you wish; such spaces are ignored.

Whether the node pointers are specified implicitly or explicitly, the
Info and HTML output from 'makeinfo' for each node includes links to the
'Next', 'Previous', and 'Up' nodes. The HTML also uses the 'accesskey'
attribute with the values 'n', 'p', and 'u' respectively. This allows
people using web browsers to follow the navigation using (typically)
'M-LETTER', e.g., 'M-n' for the 'Next' node, from anywhere within the
node.

Usually, you write one of the chapter-structuring command lines
immediately after an '@node' line--for example, an '@section' or
'@subsection' line. *Note Structuring Command Types::.

TeX uses both '@node' names and chapter-structuring names in the
output 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; and you must include a
chapter-structuring command after a node for it to be a valid cross
reference target (to TeX). You can use '@anchor' (*note @anchor::) to
make cross references to an arbitrary position in a document.

Cross references, such as the one at the end of this sentence, are
made with '@xref' and related commands; see *note Cross References::.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: Node Names, Next: Writing a Node, Up: @node

6.1.1 Choosing Node and Pointer Names
-------------------------------------

The name of a node identifies the node. For all the details of node
names, *note Node Line Requirements::).

Here are some suggestions for node names:

* 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.

* Conventionally, node names are capitalized in the same way as
section and chapter titles. In this manual, initial and
significant words are capitalized; others are not. In other
manuals, just initial words and proper nouns are capitalized.
Either way is fine; we recommend just being consistent.

The pointers from a given node enable you to reach other nodes and
consist simply of the names of those nodes. The pointers are usually
not specified explicitly, as 'makeinfo' can determine them (*note
makeinfo Pointer Creation::).

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 the present 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
pointers name the same node.

Usually, the first node of a Texinfo file is the 'Top' node, and its
'Up' pointer points to the 'dir' file, which contains the main menu for
all of Info.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Writing a Node, Next: Node Line Requirements, Prev: Node Names, Up: @node

6.1.2 Writing an '@node' Line
-----------------------------

The easiest and preferred 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
(recommended), 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 fully-written-out node line with 'Next',
'Previous', and 'Up' pointers looks like this:

@node NODE-NAME, NEXT, PREVIOUS, UP

The NODE-NAME argument must be present, but the others are optional.
If you wish to specify some but not others, just insert commas as
needed, as in: '@node mynode,,,uppernode'. However, we recommend
leaving off all the pointers and letting 'makeinfo' determine them, as
described above.

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. Useful cross
references are an especially important feature of a good Texinfo manual.

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.

Even when you explicitly specify all pointers, you cannot write the
nodes in the Texinfo source file in an arbitrary order! Because
formatters must process the file sequentially, irrespective of node
pointers, you must write the nodes in the order you wish them to appear
in the output. For Info format one can imagine that the order may not
matter, but it matters for the other formats.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Node Line Requirements, Next: First Node, Prev: Writing a Node, Up: @node

6.1.3 '@node' Line Requirements
-------------------------------

Names used with '@node' have several requirements:

* All the node names in a single Texinfo file must be unique.

This means, for example, that if you end every chapter with a
summary, you must name each summary node differently. You cannot
just call them all "Summary". You may, however, duplicate the
titles of chapters, sections, and the like. Thus you can end each
chapter with a section called "Summary", so long as the node names
for those sections are all different.

* The next/previous/up pointers on '@node' lines must be the names of
nodes. (It's recommended to leave out these explicit node pointer
names, which automatically avoids any problem here; *note makeinfo
Pointer Creation::.)

* Node names can contain @-commands. The output is generally the
natural result of the command; for example, using '@TeX{}' in a
node name results in the TeX logo being output, as it would be in
normal text. Cross references should use '@TeX{}' just as the node
name does.

For Info and HTML output, especially, it is necessary to expand
commands to some sequence of plain characters; for instance,
'@TeX{}' expands to the three letters 'TeX' in the Info node name.
However, cross references to the node should not take the
"shortcut" of using 'TeX'; stick to the actual node name, commands
and all.

Some commands do not make sense in node names; for instance,
environments (e.g., '@quotation'), commands that read a whole line
as their argument (e.g., '@sp'), and plenty of others.

For the complete list of commands that are allowed, and their
expansion for HTML identifiers and file names, *note HTML Xref
Command Expansion::. The expansions for Info are generally given
with main the description of the command.

Prior to the Texinfo 5 release in 2013, this feature was supported
in an ad hoc way (the '--commands-in-node-names' option to
'makeinfo'). Now it is part of the language.

* Unfortunately, you cannot reliably use periods, commas, or colons
within a node name; these can confuse the Info reader. Also, a
node name may not start with a left parenthesis preceding a right
parenthesis, as in '(not)allowed', since this syntax is used to
specify an external manual. (Perhaps these limitations will be
removed some day.)

'makeinfo' warns about such problematic usage in node names, menu
items, and cross references. If you don't want to see the
warnings, you can set the customization variable
'INFO_SPECIAL_CHARS_WARNING' to '0' (*note Other Customization
Variables::).

Also, if you insist on using these characters in node names
(accepting the resulting substandard Info output), in order not to
confuse the Texinfo processors you must still escape those
characters, by using either special insertions (*note Inserting a
Comma::) or '@asis' (*note @asis::). For example:

@node foo@asis{::}bar

As an example of avoiding the special characters, the following is
a section title in this manual:

@section @code{@@unnumbered}, @code{@@appendix}: ...

But the corresponding node name lacks the commas and the subtitle:

@node @unnumbered @appendix

* Case is significant in node names.

* Spaces before and after names on the '@node' line are ignored.
Multiple whitespace characters "inside" a name are collapsed to a
single space. For example:

@node foo bar
@node foo bar,
@node foo bar ,
@node foo bar,
@node foo bar ,

all define the same node, namely 'foo bar'. In menu entries, this
is the name that should be used: no leading or trailing spaces, and
a single internal space. (For cross-references, the node name used
in the Texinfo sources is automatically normalized in this way.)

File: texinfo.info, Node: First Node, Next: @top Command, Prev: Node Line Requirements, Up: @node

6.1.4 The First Node
--------------------

The first node of a Texinfo file is the "Top" node, except in an
included file (*note Include Files::). The Top node should contain a
short summary, copying permissions, and a master menu. *Note The Top
Node::, for more information on the Top node contents and examples.

Here is a description of the node pointers to be used in the Top node:

* The Top node (which must be named 'top' or 'Top') should have as
its 'Up' node the name of a node in another file, where there is a
menu that leads to this file. Specify the file name in
parentheses.

Usually, all Info files are available through a single virtual Info
tree, constructed from multiple directories. In this case, use
'(dir)' as the parent of the Top node; this specifies the top-level
node in the 'dir' file, which contains the main menu for the Info
system as a whole. (Each directory with Info files is intended to
contain a file named 'dir'.)

That's fine for Info, but for HTML output, one might well want the
Up link from the Top node to go somewhere other than 'dir.html'.
For example, for GNU the natural place would be
<http://www.gnu.org/manual/> (a web page collecting links to most
GNU manuals), better specified as just '/manual/' if the manual
will be installed on 'www.gnu.org'. This can be specified with the
'TOP_NODE_UP_URL' customization variable (*note HTML Customization
Variables::), as in

$ makeinfo --html -c TOP_NODE_UP_URL=/manual/ ...

All links to '(dir)' will be replaced by the given url.

* The 'Prev' node of the Top node is usually either omitted or also
set to '(dir)'. Either is fine.

* The 'Next' node of the Top node should be the first chapter in your
document.

*Note Installing an Info File::, for more information about installing
an Info file in the 'info' directory.

It is usually best to leave the pointers off entirely and let the
tools implicitly define them, with this simple result:

@node Top

File: texinfo.info, Node: @top Command, Prev: First Node, Up: @node

6.1.5 The '@top' Sectioning Command
-----------------------------------

The '@top' command is a special sectioning command that you should only
use after an '@node Top' line at the beginning of a Texinfo file. The
'@top' command tells the 'makeinfo' formatter which node is to be used
as the root of the node tree (needed if your manual uses implicit node
pointers).

It produces the same sort of output as '@unnumbered' (*note
@unnumbered @appendix::).

The '@top' node is conventionally wrapped in an '@ifnottex'
conditional so that it will not appear in TeX output (*note
Conditionals::). Thus, in practice, a Top node usually looks like this:

@ifnottex
@node Top
@top YOUR-MANUAL-TITLE

VERY-HIGH-LEVEL-SUMMARY
@end ifnottex

'@top' is ignored when raising or lowering sections. That is, it is
never lowered and nothing can be raised to it (*note Raise/lower
sections::).

File: texinfo.info, Node: makeinfo Pointer Creation, Next: @anchor, Prev: @node, Up: Nodes

6.2 'makeinfo' Pointer Creation
===============================

The 'makeinfo' program can automatically determine node pointers for a
hierarchically organized document. This implicit node pointer creation
feature in 'makeinfo' relieves you from the need to update menus and
pointers manually or with Texinfo mode commands. (*Note Updating Nodes
and Menus::.) We highly recommend taking advantage of this.

To do so, write your '@node' lines with just the name of the node:

@node My Node

You do not need to write out the 'Next', 'Previous', and 'Up' pointers.

Then, you must write a sectioning command, such as '@chapter' or
'@section', on the line immediately following each truncated '@node'
line (except that comment lines may intervene). This is where it
normally goes.

Also, you must write the name of each node (except for the 'Top' node)
in a menu that is one or more hierarchical levels above the node's
level.

Finally, you must follow the 'Top' '@node' line with a line beginning
with '@top' to mark the top-level node in the file. *Note @top
Command::.

If you use a detailed menu in your master menu (*note Master Menu
Parts::), mark it with the '@detailmenu ... @end detailmenu'
environment, or 'makeinfo' will get confused, typically about the last
and/or first node in the document.

In most cases, you will want to take advantage of this feature and not
redundantly specify node pointers that the programs can determine.
However, Texinfo documents are not required to be organized
hierarchically or in fact to contain sectioning commands at all (for
example, if you never intend the document to be printed), so node
pointers may still be specified explicitly, in full generality.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @anchor, Next: Node Menu Illustration, Prev: makeinfo Pointer Creation, Up: Nodes

6.3 '@anchor': Defining Arbitrary Cross Reference Targets
=========================================================

An "anchor" is a position in your document, labeled so that cross
references can refer to it, just as they can to nodes. You create an
anchor with the '@anchor' command, and give the label as a normal
brace-delimited argument. For example:

This marks the @anchor{x-spot}spot.
...
@xref{x-spot,,the spot}.

produces:

This marks the spot.
...
See [the spot], page 1.

As you can see, the '@anchor' command itself produces no output. This
example defines an anchor 'x-spot' just before the word 'spot'. You can
refer to it later with an '@xref' or other cross reference command, as
shown (*note Cross References::).

It is best to put '@anchor' commands just before the position you wish
to refer to; that way, the reader's eye is led on to the correct text
when they jump to the anchor. You can put the '@anchor' command on a
line by itself if that helps readability of the source. Whitespace
(including newlines) is ignored after '@anchor'.

Anchor names and node names may not conflict. Anchors and nodes are
given similar treatment in some ways; for example, the 'goto-node'
command takes either an anchor name or a node name as an argument.
(*Note (info)Go to node::.)

Also like node names, anchor names cannot include some characters
(*note Node Line Requirements::).

Because of this duality, when you delete or rename a node, it is
usually a good idea to define an '@anchor' with the old name. That way,
any links to the old node, whether from other Texinfo manuals or general
web pages, keep working. You can also do this with the
'RENAMED_NODES_FILE' feature of 'makeinfo' (*note HTML Xref Link
Preservation::). Both methods keep links on the web working; the only
substantive difference is that defining anchors also makes the old node
names available when reading the document in Info.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Node Menu Illustration, Prev: @anchor, Up: Nodes

6.4 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.

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

Using explicit pointers (not recommended, but for shown for purposes
of the example), the fully-written command to start Chapter 2 would be
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". You can (and
should) omit writing out these node names if your document is
hierarchically organized (*note makeinfo Pointer Creation::), but the
pointer relationships still obtain.

Note: 'Next' and 'Previous' refer to nodes 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 most often follows a
chapter-level node, for example. (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:: Description.
@end menu

Using explicit pointers, the node for Sect. 2.1 is written 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
conventionally used together, in that order, often followed by indexing
commands. (As shown in the example above, you may follow the '@node'
line with a comment line, e.g., to show which pointer is which if
explicit pointers are used.) The Texinfo processors use this construct
to determine the relationships between nodes and sectioning commands.

Here is the beginning of the chapter in this manual called "Ending a
Texinfo File". This shows an '@node' line followed by an '@chapter'
line, and then by indexing lines. The manual uses implictly determined
node pointers; therefore, nothing else is needed on the '@node' line.

@node Ending a File
@chapter Ending a Texinfo File
@cindex Ending a Texinfo file
@cindex Texinfo file ending
@cindex File ending

An earlier version of the manual used explicit node pointers. Here is
the beginning of the same chapter for that case. 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
...

File: texinfo.info, Node: Menus, Next: Cross References, Prev: Nodes, Up: Top

7 Menus
*******

"Menus" contain pointers to subordinate nodes. In online output, you
use menus to go to such nodes. Menus have no effect in printed manuals
and do not appear in them.

It's usually best if a node with a menu does not contain much text.
If you find yourself with a lot of text before a menu, we generally
recommend moving all but a couple of paragraphs into a new subnode.
Otherwise, it is easy for readers to miss the menu.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: Menu Location, Next: Writing a Menu, Up: Menus

7.1 Menu Location
=================

There may be at most one menu in a node. A menu is conventionally
located at the end of a node, without any regular text or additional
commands between the '@end menu' and the beginning of the next node.

This convention is useful, since a reader who uses the menu could
easily miss any such text. Also, any such post-menu text will be
considered part of the menu in Info output (which has no marker for the
end of a menu). Thus, a line beginning with '* ' will likely be
incorrectly handled.

Technically, menus can carry you to any node, regardless of the
structure of the document; even to nodes in a different Info file.
However, we do not recommend making use of this, because it is hard for
readers to follow. Also, the 'makeinfo' implicit pointer creation
feature (*note makeinfo Pointer Creation::) and GNU Emacs Texinfo mode
updating commands work only to create menus of subordinate nodes in a
hierarchically structured document. It is much better to use cross
references to refer to arbitrary nodes.

Years ago, we recommended using an '@heading' command within an
'@ifinfo' conditional instead of the normal sectioning commands after a
very short node with a menu. This had the advantage of making the
printed output look better, because there was no very short text between
two headings on the page. But it does not work with 'makeinfo''s
implicit pointer creation, and it also makes the XML output incorrect,
since it does not reflect the true document structure. So, we no longer
recommend this.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Writing a Menu, Next: Menu Parts, Prev: Menu Location, Up: Menus

7.2 Writing a Menu
==================

A menu consists of an '@menu' command on a line by itself followed by
menu entry lines or menu comment lines and then by an '@end menu'
command on a line by itself.

A menu looks like this:

@menu
Larger Units of Text

* Files:: All about handling files.
* Multiples: Buffers. Multiple buffers; editing
several files at once.
@end menu

In a menu, every line that begins with an '* ' is a "menu entry".
(Note the space after the asterisk.) A line that does not start with an
'* ' may also appear in a menu. Such a line is not a menu entry but
rather a "menu comment" line that appears in the Info file. In the
example above, the line 'Larger Units of Text' is such a menu comment
line; the two lines starting with '* ' are menu entries. Space
characters in a menu are preserved as-is in the Info output; this allows
you to format the menu as you wish. Unfortunately you must type node
names without any extra spaces or some versions of some Info readers
will not find the node (*note Node Line Requirements::).

In the HTML output from 'makeinfo', the 'accesskey' attribute is used
with the values '1'...'9' for the first nine entries. This allows
people using web browsers to follow the first menu entries using
(typically) 'M-DIGIT', e.g., 'M-1' for the first entry.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Menu Parts, Next: Less Cluttered Menu Entry, Prev: Writing a Menu, Up: Menus

7.3 The Parts of a Menu
=======================

A menu entry has three parts, only the second of which is required:

1. The menu entry name (optional).

2. The name of the node (required).

3. A description of the item (optional).

The template for a generic menu entry looks like this (but see the
next section for one more possibility):

* MENU-ENTRY-NAME: NODE-NAME. DESCRIPTION

Follow the menu entry name with a single colon and follow the node
name with tab, comma, newline, or the two characters period and space
('. ').

'makeinfo' warns when the text of a menu item (and node names and
cross references) contains a problematic construct that will interfere
with its parsing in Info. If you don't want to see the warnings, you
can set the customization variable 'INFO_SPECIAL_CHARS_WARNING' to '0'
(*note Other Customization Variables::).

In Info, a user selects a node with the 'm' ('Info-menu') command.
The menu entry name is what the user types after the 'm' command.

The third part of a menu entry is a descriptive phrase or sentence.
Menu entry names and node names are often short; the description
explains to the reader what the node is about. A useful description
complements the node name rather than repeats it. The description,
which is optional, can spread over multiple lines; if it does, some
authors prefer to indent the second line while others prefer to align it
with the first (and all others). It's up to you. An empty line, or the
next menu entry, ends a description.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Less Cluttered Menu Entry, Next: Menu Example, Prev: Menu Parts, Up: Menus

7.4 Less Cluttered Menu Entry
=============================

When the menu entry name and node name are the same, you can write the
name immediately after the asterisk and space at the beginning of the
line and follow the name with two colons.

For example, write

* Name:: DESCRIPTION

instead of

* Name: Name. DESCRIPTION

We recommend using the node name for the menu entry name whenever
possible, since it reduces visual clutter in the menu.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Menu Example, Next: Other Info Files, Prev: Less Cluttered Menu Entry, Up: Menus

7.5 A Menu Example
==================

A menu looks like this in Texinfo:

@menu
* menu entry name: Node name. A short description.
* Node name:: This form is preferred.
@end menu

This produces:

* menu:

* menu entry name: Node name. A short description.
* Node name:: This form is preferred.

Here is an example as you might see it in a Texinfo file:

@menu
Larger Units of Text

* Files:: All about handling files.
* Multiples: Buffers. Multiple buffers; editing
several files at once.
@end menu

This produces:

* menu:
Larger Units of Text

* Files:: All about handling files.
* Multiples: Buffers. Multiple buffers; editing
several files at once.

In this example, the menu has two entries. 'Files' is both a menu
entry name and the name of the node referred to by that name.
'Multiples' is the menu entry name; it refers to the node named
'Buffers'. The line 'Larger Units of Text' is a comment; it appears in
the menu, but is not an entry.

Since no file name is specified with either 'Files' or 'Buffers', they
must be the names of nodes in the same Info file (*note Referring to
Other Info Files: Other Info Files.).

File: texinfo.info, Node: Other Info Files, Prev: Menu Example, Up: Menus

7.6 Referring to Other Info Files
=================================

You can create a menu entry that enables a reader in Info to go to a
node in another Info file by writing the file name in parentheses just
before the node name. Some examples:

@menu
* FIRST-ENTRY-NAME:(FILENAME)NODENAME. DESCRIPTION
* (FILENAME)SECOND-NODE:: DESCRIPTION
@end menu

For example, to refer directly to the 'Outlining' and 'Rebinding'
nodes in the 'Emacs Manual', you could write a menu like this:

@menu
* Outlining: (emacs)Outline Mode. The major mode for
editing outlines.
* (emacs)Rebinding:: How to redefine the
meaning of a key.
@end menu

If you do not list the node name, but only name the file, then Info
presumes that you are referring to the 'Top' node. Examples:

* Info: (info). Documentation browsing system.
* (emacs):: The extensible, self-documenting
text editor.

The GNU Emacs Texinfo mode menu updating commands only work with nodes
within the current buffer, so you cannot use them to create menus that
refer to other files. You must write such menus by hand.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Cross References, Next: Marking Text, Prev: Menus, Up: Top

8 Cross References
******************

"Cross references" are used to refer the reader to other parts of the
same or different Texinfo files. In Texinfo, nodes and anchors are the
places to which cross references can refer.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: References, Next: Cross Reference Commands, Up: Cross References

8.1 What References Are For
===========================

Often, but not always, a printed document should be designed so that it
can be read sequentially. People tire of flipping back and forth to
find information that should be presented to them as they need it.

However, in any document, some information will be too detailed for
the current context, or incidental to it; use cross references to
provide access to such information. Also, an online help system or a
reference manual is not like a novel; few read such documents in
sequence from beginning to end. Instead, people look up what they need.
For this reason, such creations should contain many cross references to
help readers find other information that they may not have read.

In a printed manual, a cross reference results in a page reference,
unless it is to another manual altogether, in which case the cross
reference names that manual.

In Info, a cross reference results in an entry that you can follow
using the Info 'f' command. (*Note Following cross-references:
(info)Help-Xref.)

In HTML, a cross reference results in an hyperlink.

The various cross reference commands use nodes (or anchors, *note
@anchor::) to define cross reference locations. This is evident in Info
and HTML, in which a cross reference takes you to the specified
location.

TeX also needs nodes to define cross reference locations, but the
action is less obvious. When TeX generates a DVI file, it records each
node's page number and uses the page numbers in making references.
Thus, even if you are writing a manual that will only be printed, and
not used online, you must nonetheless write '@node' lines in order to
name the places to which you make cross references.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Cross Reference Commands, Next: Cross Reference Parts, Prev: References, Up: Cross References

8.2 Different Cross Reference Commands
======================================

There are four different cross reference commands:

'@xref'
Used to start a sentence in the printed manual and in HTML with
'See ...' or an Info cross reference saying '*Note NAME: NODE.'.

'@ref'
Used within or, more often, at the end of a sentence; produces just
the reference in the printed manual and in HTML without the
preceding 'See' (same as '@xref' for Info).

'@pxref'
Used within parentheses, at the end of a sentence, or otherwise
before punctuation, to make a reference. Its output starts with a
lowercase 'see' in the printed manual and in HTML, and a lowercase
'*note' in Info. ('p' is for 'parenthesis'.)

'@inforef'
Used to make a reference to an Info file for which there is no
printed manual.

The '@cite' command is used to make references to books and manuals for
which there is no corresponding Info file and, therefore, no node to
which to point. *Note @cite::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Cross Reference Parts, Next: @xref, Prev: Cross Reference Commands, Up: Cross References

8.3 Parts of a Cross Reference
==============================

A cross reference command to a node requires only one argument, which is
the name of the node to which it refers. But a cross reference command
may contain up to four additional arguments. By using these arguments,
you can provide a cross reference name, a topic description or section
title for the printed output, the name of a different manual file, and
the name of a different printed manual. To refer to another manual as a
whole, the manual file and/or the name of the printed manual are the
only required arguments (*note Top Node Naming::).

Here is a simple cross reference example:

@xref{Node name}.

which produces

*Note Node name::.

in Info and

See Section NNN [Node name], page PPP.

in a printed manual.

Here is an example of a full five-part cross reference:

@xref{Node name, Cross Reference Name, Particular Topic,
info-file-name, A Printed Manual}, for details.

which produces

*Note Cross Reference Name: (info-file-name)Node name,
for details.

in Info and

See section "Particular Topic" in A Printed Manual, for details.

in a printed book.

The five possible arguments for a cross reference are:

1. The node or anchor name (required, except for reference to whole
manuals). This is the location to which the cross reference takes
you. In a printed document, the location of the node provides the
page reference only for references within the same document.

2. The cross reference name. If you include this argument, it becomes
the first part of the cross reference. It is usually omitted; then
the topic description (third argument) is used if it was specified;
if that was omitted as well, the node name is used.

3. A topic description or section name. Often, this is the title of
the section. This is used as the name of the reference in the
printed manual. If omitted, the node name is used.

4. The name of the manual file in which the reference is located, if
it is different from the current file. This name is used both for
Info and HTML.

5. The name of a printed manual from a different Texinfo file.

The template for a full five argument cross reference looks like this:

@xref{NODE-NAME, CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME, TITLE-OR-TOPIC,
INFO-FILE-NAME, PRINTED-MANUAL-TITLE}.

Cross references with one, two, three, four, and five arguments are
described separately following the description of '@xref'.

Write a node name in a cross reference in exactly the same way as in
the '@node' line, including the same capitalization; otherwise, the
formatters may not find the reference.

'makeinfo' warns when the text of a cross reference (and node names
and menu items) contains a problematic construct that will interfere
with its parsing in Info. If you don't want to see the warnings, you
can set the customization variable 'INFO_SPECIAL_CHARS_WARNING' to '0'
(*note Other Customization Variables::).

File: texinfo.info, Node: @xref, Next: Top Node Naming, Prev: Cross Reference Parts, Up: Cross References

8.4 '@xref'
===========

The '@xref' command generates a cross reference for the beginning of a
sentence. The Info formatting commands convert it into an Info cross
reference, which the Info 'f' command can use to bring you directly to
another node. The TeX typesetting commands convert it into a page
reference, or a reference to another book or manual. In the HTML output
format the cross reference is output as a hyperlink.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: Reference Syntax, Next: One Argument, Up: @xref

8.4.1 What a Reference Looks Like and Requires
----------------------------------------------

Most often, an Info cross reference looks like this:

*Note NODE-NAME::.

or like this

*Note CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME: NODE-NAME.

In TeX, a cross reference looks like this:

See Section SECTION-NUMBER [NODE-NAME], page PAGE.

or like this

See Section SECTION-NUMBER [TITLE-OR-TOPIC], page PAGE.

The '@xref' command does not generate a period or comma to end the
cross reference automatically. You must write that period or comma
yourself; otherwise, Info will not recognize the end of the reference.
(The '@pxref' command works differently; *note @pxref::.)

Caution: A period or comma _must_ follow the closing brace of an
'@xref'. It is required to terminate the cross reference. This
period or comma will appear in the output.

'@xref' must refer to a node by name. Use '@node' to define the node
(*note Writing a Node::), or '@anchor' (*note @anchor::).

'@xref' is followed by several arguments inside braces, separated by
commas. Whitespace before and after these commas is ignored.

A cross reference to a node within the current file requires only the
name of a node; but it may contain up to four additional arguments.
Each of these variations produces a cross reference that looks somewhat
different. A cross reference to another manual as a whole only requires
the fourth or fifth argument.

Note: Commas separate arguments in a cross reference, so you must
not include a comma in the title or any other part lest the
formatters mistake them for separators. '@comma{}' may be used to
protect such commas (*note Inserting a Comma::).

File: texinfo.info, Node: One Argument, Next: Two Arguments, Prev: Reference Syntax, Up: @xref

8.4.2 '@xref' with One Argument
-------------------------------

The simplest form of '@xref' takes one argument, the name of another
node in the same Texinfo file. The Info formatters produce output that
the Info readers can use to jump to the reference; TeX produces output
that specifies the page and section number for you; the HTML output is a
normal hyperlink.

For example,

@xref{Tropical Storms}.

produces

*Note Tropical Storms::.

in Info and

See Section 3.1 [Tropical Storms], page 24.

in a printed manual. (Note that in the preceding example the closing
brace to '@xref''s argument is followed by a period.)

You can write a clause after the cross reference, like this:

@xref{Tropical Storms}, for more info.

which produces

*Note Tropical Storms::, for more info.

in Info and

See Section 3.1 [Tropical Storms], page 24, for more info.

in a printed manual. Note that in the preceding example the closing
brace to '@xref' is followed by a comma, then the additional text. It's
a common mistake to follow an '@xref' command with a space, but this is
never correct.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Two Arguments, Next: Three Arguments, Prev: One Argument, Up: @xref

8.4.3 '@xref' with Two Arguments
--------------------------------

With two arguments, the second is used as the name of the cross
reference, while the first is still the name of the node to which the
cross reference points.

The template is like this:

@xref{NODE-NAME, CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME}.

For example,

@xref{Electrical Effects, Lightning}.

produces:

*Note Lightning: Electrical Effects.

in Info and

See Section 5.2 [Electrical Effects], page 57.

in a printed manual. (Note that in the preceding example the closing
brace is followed by a period; and that the node name is printed, not
the cross reference name.)

You can write a clause after the cross reference, like this:

@xref{Electrical Effects, Lightning}, for more info.

which produces

*Note Lightning: Electrical Effects, for more info.

in Info and

See Section 5.2 [Electrical Effects], page 57, for more info.

in a printed manual. (Note that in the preceding example the closing
brace is followed by a comma, and then by the clause, which is followed
by a period.)

The second argument to cross references must observe some of the
restrictions for node names (*note Node Line Requirements::). The most
common issue is that colons cannot be used, since that interferes with
the parsing of the Info file.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Three Arguments, Next: Four and Five Arguments, Prev: Two Arguments, Up: @xref

8.4.4 '@xref' with Three Arguments
----------------------------------

A third argument replaces the node name in the TeX output. The third
argument should be the name of the section in the printed output, or
else state the topic discussed by that section. Often, you will want to
use initial uppercase letters so it will be easier to read when the
reference is printed. Use a third argument when the node name is
unsuitable because of syntax or meaning.

Remember to write a comma or period after the closing brace of an
'@xref' to terminate the cross reference. In the following examples, a
clause follows a terminating comma.

The template is like this:

@xref{NODE-NAME, CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME, TITLE-OR-TOPIC}.

For example,

@xref{Electrical Effects, Lightning, Thunder and Lightning},
for details.

produces

*Note Lightning: Electrical Effects, for details.

in Info and

See Section 5.2 [Thunder and Lightning], page 57, for details.

in a printed manual.

If a third argument is given and the second one is empty, then the
third argument serves for both. (Note how two commas, side by side,
mark the empty second argument.)

@xref{Electrical Effects, , Thunder and Lightning},
for details.

produces

*Note Thunder and Lightning: Electrical Effects, for details.

in Info and

See Section 5.2 [Thunder and Lightning], page 57, for details.

in a printed manual.

The third argument to cross references must observe some of the
restrictions for node names (*note Node Line Requirements::). The most
common issue is that colons cannot be used, since that interferes with
the parsing of the Info file.

As a practical matter, it is often best to write cross references with
just the first argument if the node name and the section title are the
same (or nearly so), and with the first and third arguments only if the
node name and title are different.

Texinfo offers a setting to use the section title instead of node
names by default in cross references (an explicitly specified third
argument still takes precedence):

@xrefautomaticsectiontitle on

Typically this line would be given near the beginning of the document
and used for the whole manual. But you can turn it off if you want
('@xrefautomaticsectiontitle off'), for example, if you're including
some other sub-document that doesn't have suitable section names.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Four and Five Arguments, Prev: Three Arguments, Up: @xref

8.4.5 '@xref' with Four and Five Arguments
------------------------------------------

In a cross reference, a fourth argument specifies the name of another
Info file, different from the file in which the reference appears, and a
fifth argument specifies its title as a printed manual.

Remember that a comma or period must follow the closing brace of an
'@xref' command to terminate the cross reference.

The full template is:

@xref{NODE-NAME, CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME, TITLE-OR-TOPIC,
INFO-FILE-NAME, PRINTED-MANUAL-TITLE}.

For example,

@xref{Electrical Effects, Lightning, Thunder and Lightning,
weather, An Introduction to Meteorology}.

produces this output in Info:

*Note Lightning: (weather)Electrical Effects.

As you can see, the name of the Info file is enclosed in parentheses and
precedes the name of the node.

In a printed manual, the reference looks like this:

See section "Thunder and Lightning" in 'An Introduction to
Meteorology'.

The title of the printed manual is typeset like '@cite'; and the
reference lacks a page number since TeX cannot know to which page a
reference refers when that reference is to another manual.

Next case: often, you will leave out the second argument when you use
the long version of '@xref'. In this case, the third argument, the
topic description, will be used as the cross reference name in Info.
For example,

@xref{Electrical Effects, , Thunder and Lightning,
weather, An Introduction to Meteorology}.

produces

*Note Thunder and Lightning: (weather)Electrical Effects.

in Info and

See section "Thunder and Lightning" in 'An Introduction to
Meteorology'.

in a printed manual.

Next case: If the node name and the section title are the same in the
other manual, you may also leave out the section title. In this case,
the node name is used in both instances. For example,

@xref{Electrical Effects,,,
weather, An Introduction to Meteorology}.

produces

*Note (weather)Electrical Effects::.

in Info and

See section "Electrical Effects" in 'An Introduction to
Meteorology'.

in a printed manual.

A very unusual case: you may want to refer to another manual file that
is within a single printed manual--when multiple Texinfo files are
incorporated into the same TeX run but can create separate Info or HTML
output files. In this case, you need to specify only the fourth
argument, and not the fifth.

Finally, it's also allowed to leave out all the arguments _except_ the
fourth and fifth, to refer to another manual as a whole. See the next
section.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Top Node Naming, Next: @ref, Prev: @xref, Up: Cross References

8.5 Naming a 'Top' Node
=======================

Ordinarily, you must always name a node in a cross reference. However,
it's not unusual to want to refer to another manual as a whole, rather
than a particular section within it. In this case, giving any section
name is an unnecessary distraction.

So, with cross references to other manuals (*note Four and Five
Arguments::), if the first argument is either 'Top' (capitalized just
that way) or omitted entirely, and the third argument is omitted, the
printed output includes no node or section name. (The Info output
includes 'Top' if it was given.) For example,

@xref{Top,,, make, The GNU Make Manual}.

produces

*Note (make)Top::.

and

See 'The GNU Make Manual'.

Info readers will go to the Top node of the manual whether or not the
'Top' node is explicitly specified.

It's also possible (and is historical practice) to refer to a whole
manual by specifying the 'Top' node and an appropriate entry for the
third argument to the '@xref' command. Using this idiom, to make a
cross reference to 'The GNU Make Manual', you would write:

@xref{Top,, Overview, make, The GNU Make Manual}.

which produces

*Note Overview: (make)Top.

in Info and

See section "Overview" in 'The GNU Make Manual'.

in a printed manual.

In this example, 'Top' is the name of the first node, and 'Overview'
is the name of the first section of the manual. There is no widely-used
convention for naming the first section in a printed manual, this is
just what the Make manual happens to use. This arbitrariness of the
first name is a principal reason why omitting the third argument in
whole-manual cross references is preferable.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @ref, Next: @pxref, Prev: Top Node Naming, Up: Cross References

8.6 '@ref'
==========

'@ref' is nearly the same as '@xref' except that it does not generate a
'See' in the printed output, just the reference itself. This makes it
useful as the last part of a sentence.

For example,

For more information, @pxref{This}, and @ref{That}.

produces in Info:

For more information, *note This::, and *note That::.

and in printed output:

For more information, see Section 1.1 [This], page 1, and Section
1.2 [That], page 2.

The '@ref' command can tempt writers to express themselves in a manner
that is suitable for a printed manual but looks awkward in the Info
format. Bear in mind that your audience could be using both the printed
and the Info format. For example:

Sea surges are described in @ref{Hurricanes}.

looks ok in the printed output:

Sea surges are described in Section 6.7 [Hurricanes], page 72.

but is awkward to read in Info, "note" being a verb:

Sea surges are described in *note Hurricanes::.

You should write a period or comma immediately after an '@ref' command
with two or more arguments. If there is no such following punctuation,
'makeinfo' will generate a (grammatically incorrect) period in the Info
output; otherwise, the cross reference would fail completely, due to the
current syntax of Info format.

In general, it is best to use '@ref' only when you need some word
other than "see" to precede the reference. When "see" (or "See") is ok,
'@xref' and '@pxref' are preferable.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @pxref, Next: @inforef, Prev: @ref, Up: Cross References

8.7 '@pxref'
============

The parenthetical reference command, '@pxref', is nearly the same as
'@xref', but it is best used at the end of a sentence or before a
closing parenthesis. The command differs from '@xref' in two ways:

1. TeX typesets the reference for the printed manual with a lowercase
'see' rather than an uppercase 'See'.

2. The Info formatting commands automatically end the reference with a
closing colon or period, if necessary.

'@pxref' is designed so that the output looks right and works right at
the end of a sentence or parenthetical phrase, both in printed output
and in an Info file. In a printed manual, a closing comma or period
should not follow a cross reference within parentheses; such punctuation
is wrong. But in an Info file, suitable closing punctuation must follow
the cross reference so Info can recognize its end. '@pxref' spares you
the need to use complicated methods to put a terminator into one form of
the output and not the other.

With one argument, a parenthetical cross reference looks like this:

... storms cause flooding (@pxref{Hurricanes}) ...

which produces

... storms cause flooding (*note Hurricanes::) ...

in Info and

... storms cause flooding (see Section 6.7 [Hurricanes], page 72)
...

in a printed manual.

With two arguments, a parenthetical cross reference has this template:

... (@pxref{NODE-NAME, CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME}) ...

which produces

... (*note CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME: NODE-NAME.) ...

in Info and

... (see Section NNN [NODE-NAME], page PPP) ...

in a printed manual.

'@pxref' can be used with up to five arguments, just like '@xref'
(*note @xref::).

In past versions of Texinfo, it was not allowed to write punctuation
after an '@pxref', so it could be used _only_ before a right
parenthesis. This is no longer the case, so now it can be used (for
example) at the end of a sentence, where a lowercase "see" works best.
For instance:

... For more information, @pxref{More}.

which outputs (in Info):

... For more information, *note More::.

In general, '@pxref' should only be followed by a comma, period, or
right parenthesis; in other cases, 'makeinfo' has to insert a period to
make the cross reference work correctly in Info, and that period looks
wrong.

As a matter of style, '@pxref' is best used at the ends of sentences.
Although it technically works in the middle of a sentence, that location
breaks up the flow of reading.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @inforef, Next: @url, Prev: @pxref, Up: Cross References

8.8 '@inforef': Cross References to Info-only Material
======================================================

'@inforef' is used for making cross references to Info documents--even
from a printed manual. This might be because you want to refer to
conditional '@ifinfo' text (*note Conditionals::), or because printed
output is not available (perhaps because there is no Texinfo source),
among other possibilities.

The command takes either two or three arguments, in the following
order:

1. The node name.

2. The cross reference name (optional).

3. The Info file name.

Separate the arguments with commas, as with '@xref'. Also, you must
terminate the reference with a comma or period after the '}', as you do
with '@xref'.

The template is:

@inforef{NODE-NAME, CROSS-REFERENCE-NAME, INFO-FILE-NAME},

For example,

@inforef{Advanced, Advanced Info commands, info},
for more information.

produces (in Info):

*Note Advanced Info commands: (info)Advanced,
for more information.

and (in the printed output):

See Info file 'info', node 'Advanced', for more information.

(This particular example is not realistic, since the Info manual is
written in Texinfo, so all formats are available. In fact, we don't
know of any extant Info-only manuals.)

The converse of '@inforef' is '@cite', which is used to refer to
printed works for which no Info form exists. *Note @cite::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @url, Next: @cite, Prev: @inforef, Up: Cross References

8.9 '@url', '@uref{URL[, TEXT][, REPLACEMENT]}'
===============================================

'@uref' produces a reference to a uniform resource locator (url). It
takes one mandatory argument, the url, and two optional arguments which
control the text that is displayed. In HTML and PDF output, '@uref'
produces a link you can follow. (To merely indicate a url without
creating a link people can follow, use '@indicateurl', *note
@indicateurl::.)

'@url' is a synonym for '@uref'. (Originally, '@url' had the meaning
of '@indicateurl', but in practice it was almost always misused. So
we've changed the meaning.)

The second argument, if specified, is the text to display (the default
is the url itself); in Info, DVI, and PDF output, but not in HTML
output, the url is output in addition to this text.

The third argument, if specified, is the text to display, but in this
case the url is not output in any format. This is useful when the text
is already sufficiently referential, as in a man page. Also, if the
third argument is given, the second argument is ignored.

* Menu:

* @url Examples:: Examples of using all the forms of '@url'.
* URL Line Breaking:: How lines are broken within '@url' text.
* @url PDF Output Format:: A special option to hide links in PDF output.
* PDF Colors:: Colorizing urls and other links in PDF output.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @url Examples, Next: URL Line Breaking, Up: @url

8.9.1 @url Examples
-------------------

First, here is an example of the simplest form of '@url', with just one
argument. The given url is both the target and the visible text of the
link:

The official GNU ftp site is @uref{http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu}.

produces:
The official GNU ftp site is <http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu>.

Two-argument form of '@url'
...........................

Here is an example of the two-argument form:
The official @uref{http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu, GNU ftp site}
holds programs and texts.

which produces:
The official GNU ftp site (http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu)
holds programs and texts.

that is, the Info (and TeX, etc.) output is this:
The official GNU ftp site (http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu)
holds programs and texts.

while the HTML output is this:
The official <a href="http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu">GNU ftp site</a>
holds programs and texts.

Three-argument form of '@url'
.............................

Finally, an example of the three-argument form:
The @uref{/man.cgi/1/ls,,ls} program ...

which, except for HTML, produces:
The ls program ...

but with HTML:
The <a href="/man.cgi/1/ls">ls</a> program ...

By the way, some people prefer to display urls in the unambiguous
format:

<URL:http://HOST/PATH>

You can use this form in the input file if you wish. We feel it's not
necessary to include the '<URL:' and '>' in the output, since to be
useful any software that tries to detect urls in text already has to
detect them without the '<URL:'.

File: texinfo.info, Node: URL Line Breaking, Next: @url PDF Output Format, Prev: @url Examples, Up: @url

8.9.2 URL Line Breaking
-----------------------

TeX allows line breaking within urls at only a few characters (which are
special in urls): '&', '.', '#', '?', and '/' (but not between two '/'
characters). A tiny amount of stretchable space is also inserted around
these characters to help with line breaking.

For HTML output, modern browsers will also do line breaking within
displayed urls. If you need to allow breaks at other characters you can
insert '@/' as needed (*note Line Breaks::).

By default, in TeX any such breaks at special characters will occur
after the character. Some people prefer such breaks to happen after the
special character. This can be controlled with the '@urefbreakstyle'
command (this command has effect only in TeX):

@urefbreakstyle HOW

where the argument HOW is one of these words:

'after'
(the default) Potentially break after the special characters.
'before'
Potentially break before the special characters.
'none'
Do not consider breaking at the special characters at all; any
potential breaks must be manually inserted.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @url PDF Output Format, Next: PDF Colors, Prev: URL Line Breaking, Up: @url

8.9.3 @url PDF Output Format
----------------------------

If the ultimate purpose of a PDF is only to be viewed online, perhaps
similar to HTML in some inchoate way, you may not want the urls to be
included in the visible text (just as urls are not visible to readers of
web pages). Texinfo provides a PDF-specific option for this, which must
be used inside '@tex':

@tex
\global\urefurlonlylinktrue
@end tex

The result is that '@url{http://www.gnu.org, GNU}' has the visible
output of just 'GNU', with a link target of <http://www.gnu.org>.
Ordinarily, the visible output would include both the label and the url:
'GNU (<http://www.gnu.org>)'.

This option only has effect when the PDF output is produced with the
pdfTeX program, not with other ways of getting from Texinfo to PDF
(e.g., TeX to DVI to PDF). Consequently, it is ok to specify this
option unconditionally within '@tex', as shown above. It is ignored
when DVI is being produced.

File: texinfo.info, Node: PDF Colors, Prev: @url PDF Output Format, Up: @url

8.9.4 PDF Colors
----------------

By default, urls and cross-reference links are printed in black in PDF
output. Very occasionally, however, you may want to highlight such
"live" links with a different color, as is commonly done on web pages.
Texinfo provides a PDF-specific option for specifying these colors,
which must be used inside '@tex':

@tex
\global\def\linkcolor{1 0 0} % red
\global\def\urlcolor{0 1 0} % green
@end tex

'\urlcolor' changes the color of '@url' output (both the actual url
and any textual label), while '\linkcolor' changes the color for
cross-references to nodes, etc. They are independent.

The three given values must be numbers between 0 and 1, specifying the
amount of red, green, and blue respectively.

These definitions only have an effect when the PDF output is produced
with the pdfTeX program, not with other ways of getting from Texinfo to
PDF (e.g., TeX to DVI to PDF). Consequently, it is ok to specify this
option unconditionally within '@tex', as shown above. It is ignored
when DVI is being produced.

We do not recommend colorizing just for fun; unless you have a
specific reason to use colors, best to skip it.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @cite, Prev: @url, Up: Cross References

8.10 '@cite'{REFERENCE}
=======================

Use the '@cite' command for the name of a book that lacks a companion
Info file. The command produces italics in the printed manual, and
quotation marks in the Info file.

If a book is written in Texinfo, it is better to use a cross reference
command since a reader can easily follow such a reference in Info.
*Note @xref::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Marking Text, Next: Quotations and Examples, Prev: Cross References, Up: Top

9 Marking Text, Words and Phrases
*********************************

In Texinfo, you can mark words and phrases in a variety of ways. The
Texinfo formatters use this information to determine how to highlight
the text. You can specify, for example, whether a word or phrase is a
defining occurrence, a metasyntactic variable, or a symbol used in a
program. Also, you can emphasize text, in several different ways.

* Menu:

* Indicating:: How to indicate definitions, files, etc.
* Emphasis:: How to emphasize text.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Indicating, Next: Emphasis, Up: Marking Text

9.1 Indicating Definitions, Commands, etc.
==========================================

Texinfo has commands for indicating just what kind of object a piece of
text refers to. For example, email addresses are marked by '@email';
that way, the result can be a live link to send email when the output
format supports it. If the email address was simply marked as "print in
a typewriter font", that would not be possible.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: Useful Highlighting, Next: @code, Up: Indicating

9.1.1 Highlighting Commands are Useful
--------------------------------------

The commands serve a variety of purposes:

'@code{SAMPLE-CODE}'
Indicate text that is a literal example of a piece of a program.
*Note @code::.

'@kbd{KEYBOARD-CHARACTERS}'
Indicate keyboard input. *Note @kbd::.

'@key{KEY-NAME}'
Indicate the conventional name for a key on a keyboard. *Note
@key::.

'@samp{TEXT}'
Indicate text that is a literal example of a sequence of
characters. *Note @samp::.

'@verb{TEXT}'
Write a verbatim sequence of characters. *Note @verb::.

'@var{METASYNTACTIC-VARIABLE}'
Indicate a metasyntactic variable. *Note @var::.

'@env{ENVIRONMENT-VARIABLE}'
Indicate an environment variable. *Note @env::.

'@file{FILE-NAME}'
Indicate the name of a file. *Note @file::.

'@command{COMMAND-NAME}'
Indicate the name of a command. *Note @command::.

'@option{OPTION}'
Indicate a command-line option. *Note @option::.

'@dfn{TERM}'
Indicate the introductory or defining use of a term. *Note @dfn::.

'@cite{REFERENCE}'
Indicate the name of a book. *Note @cite::.

'@abbr{ABBREVIATION}'
Indicate an abbreviation, such as 'Comput.'.

'@acronym{ACRONYM}'
Indicate an acronym. *Note @acronym::.

'@indicateurl{UNIFORM-RESOURCE-LOCATOR}'
Indicate an example (that is, nonfunctional) uniform resource
locator. *Note @indicateurl::. (Use '@url' (*note @url::) for
live urls.)

'@email{EMAIL-ADDRESS[, DISPLAYED-TEXT]}'
Indicate an electronic mail address. *Note @email::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @code, Next: @kbd, Prev: Useful Highlighting, Up: Indicating

9.1.2 '@code'{SAMPLE-CODE}
--------------------------

Use the '@code' command to indicate text that is a piece of a program
and which consists of entire syntactic tokens. Enclose the text in
braces.

Thus, you should use '@code' for an expression in a program, for the
name of a variable or function used in a program, or for a keyword in a
programming language.

Use '@code' for command names in languages that resemble programming
languages, such as Texinfo. For example, '@code' and '@samp' are
produced by writing '@code{@@code}' and '@code{@@samp}' in the Texinfo
source, respectively.

It is incorrect to alter the case of a word inside an '@code' command
when it appears at the beginning of a sentence. Most computer languages
are case sensitive. In C, for example, 'Printf' is different from the
identifier 'printf', and most likely is a misspelling of it. Even in
languages which are not case sensitive, it is confusing to a human
reader to see identifiers spelled in different ways. Pick one spelling
and always use that. If you do not want to start a sentence with a
command name written all in lowercase, you should rearrange the
sentence.

In the Info output, '@code' results in single quotation marks around
the text. In other formats, '@code' argument is typeset in a typewriter
(monospace) font. For example,

The function returns @code{nil}.

produces this:

The function returns 'nil'.

Here are some cases for which it is preferable _not_ to use '@code':

* For shell command names such as 'ls' (use '@command').

* For environment variable such as 'TEXINPUTS' (use '@env').

* For shell options such as '-c' when such options stand alone (use
'@option').

* An entire shell command often looks better if written using '@samp'
rather than '@code'. In this case, the rule is to choose the more
pleasing format.

* For a string of characters shorter than a syntactic token. For
example, if you are writing about 'goto-ch', which is just a part
of the name for the 'goto-char' Emacs Lisp function, you should use
'@samp'.

* In general, when writing about the characters used in a token; for
example, do not use '@code' when you are explaining what letters or
printable symbols can be used in the names of functions. (Use
'@samp'.) Also, you should not use '@code' to mark text that is
considered input to programs unless the input is written in a
language that is like a programming language. For example, you
should not use '@code' for the keystroke commands of GNU Emacs (use
'@kbd' instead) although you may use '@code' for the names of the
Emacs Lisp functions that the keystroke commands invoke.

By default, TeX will consider breaking lines at '-' and '_' characters
within '@code' and related commands. This can be controlled with
'@allowcodebreaks' (*note @allowcodebreaks::). The HTML output attempts
to respect this for '-', but ultimately it is up to the browser's
behavior. For Info, it seems better never to make such breaks.

For Info, the quotes are omitted in the output of the '@code' command
and related commands (e.g., '@kbd', '@command'), in typewriter-like
contexts such as the '@example' environment (*note @example::) and
'@code' itself, etc.

To control which quoting characters are implicitly inserted by Texinfo
processors in the output of '@code', etc., see the 'OPEN_QUOTE_SYMBOL'
and 'CLOSE_QUOTE_SYMBOL' customization variables (*note Other
Customization Variables::). This is separate from how actual quotation
characters in the input document are handled (*note Inserting Quote
Characters::).

File: texinfo.info, Node: @kbd, Next: @key, Prev: @code, Up: Indicating

9.1.3 '@kbd'{KEYBOARD-CHARACTERS}
---------------------------------

Use the '@kbd' command for characters of input to be typed by users.
For example, to refer to the characters 'M-a', write:

@kbd{M-a}

and to refer to the characters 'M-x shell', write:

@kbd{M-x shell}

By default, the '@kbd' command produces a different font (slanted
typewriter instead of normal typewriter), so users can distinguish the
characters that they are supposed to type from those that the computer
outputs.

Since the usage of '@kbd' varies from manual to manual, you can
control the font switching with the '@kbdinputstyle' command. This
command has no effect on Info output. Write this command at the
beginning of a line with a single word as an argument, one of the
following:

'code'
Always use the same font for '@kbd' as '@code'.
'example'
Use the distinguishing font for '@kbd' only in '@example' and
similar environments.
'distinct'
(the default) Always use the distinguishing font for '@kbd'.

You can embed another @-command inside the braces of an '@kbd'
command. Here, for example, is the way to describe a command that would
be described more verbosely as "press the 'r' key and then press the
<RETURN> key":

@kbd{r @key{RET}}

This produces: 'r <RET>'. (The present manual uses the default for
'@kbdinputstyle'.)

You also use the '@kbd' command if you are spelling out the letters
you type; for example:

To give the @code{logout} command,
type the characters @kbd{l o g o u t @key{RET}}.

This produces:

To give the 'logout' command, type the characters 'l o g o u t
<RET>'.

(Also, this example shows that you can add spaces for clarity. If you
explicitly want to mention a space character as one of the characters of
input, write '@key{SPC}' for it.)

File: texinfo.info, Node: @key, Next: @samp, Prev: @kbd, Up: Indicating

9.1.4 '@key'{KEY-NAME}
----------------------

Use the '@key' command for the conventional name for a key on a
keyboard, as in:

@key{RET}

You can use the '@key' command within the argument of an '@kbd'
command when the sequence of characters to be typed includes one or more
keys that are described by name.

For example, to produce 'C-x <ESC>' and 'M-<TAB>' you would type:

@kbd{C-x @key{ESC}}
@kbd{M-@key{TAB}}

Here is a list of the recommended names for keys:

SPC
Space
RET
Return
LFD
Linefeed (however, since most keyboards nowadays do not have a
Linefeed key, it might be better to call this character 'C-j')
TAB
Tab
BS
Backspace
ESC
Escape
DELETE
Delete
SHIFT
Shift
CTRL
Control
META
Meta

There are subtleties to handling words like 'meta' or 'ctrl' that are
names of modifier keys. When mentioning a character in which the
modifier key is used, such as 'Meta-a', use the '@kbd' command alone; do
not use the '@key' command; but when you are referring to the modifier
key in isolation, use the '@key' command. For example, write
'@kbd{Meta-a}' to produce 'Meta-a' and '@key{META}' to produce <META>.

As a convention in GNU manuals, '@key' should not be used in index
entries.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @samp, Next: @verb, Prev: @key, Up: Indicating

9.1.5 '@samp'{TEXT}
-------------------

Use the '@samp' command to indicate text that is a literal example or
'sample' of a sequence of characters in a file, string, pattern, etc.
Enclose the text in braces. The argument appears within single
quotation marks in both the Info file and the printed manual; in
addition, it is printed in a fixed-width font.

To match @samp{foo} at the end of the line,
use the regexp @samp{foo$}.

produces

To match 'foo' at the end of the line, use the regexp 'foo$'.

Any time you are referring to single characters, you should use
'@samp' unless '@kbd' or '@key' is more appropriate. Also, you may use
'@samp' for entire statements in C and for entire shell commands--in
this case, '@samp' often looks better than '@code'. Basically, '@samp'
is a catchall for whatever is not covered by '@code', '@kbd', '@key',
'@command', etc.

Only include punctuation marks within braces if they are part of the
string you are specifying. Write punctuation marks outside the braces
if those punctuation marks are part of the English text that surrounds
the string. In the following sentence, for example, the commas and
period are outside of the braces:

In English, the vowels are @samp{a}, @samp{e},
@samp{i}, @samp{o}, @samp{u}, and sometimes
@samp{y}.

This produces:

In English, the vowels are 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u', and sometimes
'y'.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @verb, Next: @var, Prev: @samp, Up: Indicating

9.1.6 '@verb'{CHARTEXTCHAR}
---------------------------

Use the '@verb' command to print a verbatim sequence of characters.

Like LaTeX's '\verb' command, the verbatim text can be quoted using
any unique delimiter character. Enclose the verbatim text, including
the delimiters, in braces. Text is printed in a fixed-width font:

How many @verb{|@|}-escapes does one need to print this
@verb{.@a @b.@c.} string or @verb{+@'e?`{}!`\+} this?

produces

How many @-escapes does one need to print this
@a @b.@c string or @'e?`{}!`\ this?

This is in contrast to '@samp' (see the previous section), '@code',
and similar commands; in those cases, the argument is normal Texinfo
text, where the three characters '@{}' are special, as usual. With
'@verb', nothing is special except the delimiter character you choose.

The delimiter character itself may appear inside the verbatim text, as
shown above. As another example, '@verb{...}' prints a single
(fixed-width) period.

It is not reliable to use '@verb' inside other Texinfo constructs. In
particular, it does not work to use '@verb' in anything related to cross
referencing, such as section titles or figure captions.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @var, Next: @env, Prev: @verb, Up: Indicating

9.1.7 '@var'{METASYNTACTIC-VARIABLE}
------------------------------------

Use the '@var' command to indicate metasyntactic variables. A
"metasyntactic variable" is something that stands for another piece of
text. For example, you should use a metasyntactic variable in the
documentation of a function to describe the arguments that are passed to
that function.

Do not use '@var' for the names of normal variables in computer
programs. These are specific names, so '@code' is correct for them
(@code). For example, the Emacs Lisp variable 'texinfo-tex-command' is
not a metasyntactic variable; it is properly formatted using '@code'.

Do not use '@var' for environment variables either; '@env' is correct
for them (see the next section).

The effect of '@var' in the Info file is to change the case of the
argument to all uppercase. In the printed manual and HTML output, the
argument is output in slanted type.

For example,

To delete file @var{filename},
type @samp{rm @var{filename}}.

produces

To delete file FILENAME, type 'rm FILENAME'.

(Note that '@var' may appear inside '@code', '@samp', '@file', etc.)

Write a metasyntactic variable all in lowercase without spaces, and
use hyphens to make it more readable. Thus, the Texinfo source for the
illustration of how to begin a Texinfo manual looks like this:

\input texinfo
@@setfilename @var{info-file-name}
@@settitle @var{name-of-manual}

This produces:

\input texinfo
@setfilename INFO-FILE-NAME
@settitle NAME-OF-MANUAL

In some documentation styles, metasyntactic variables are shown with
angle brackets, for example:

..., type rm <filename>

However, that is not the style that Texinfo uses.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @env, Next: @file, Prev: @var, Up: Indicating

9.1.8 '@env'{ENVIRONMENT-VARIABLE}
----------------------------------

Use the '@env' command to indicate environment variables, as used by
many operating systems, including GNU. Do not use it for
_meta_syntactic variables; use '@var' for those (see the previous
section).

'@env' is equivalent to '@code' in its effects. For example:

The @env{PATH} environment variable ...
produces
The 'PATH' environment variable ...

File: texinfo.info, Node: @file, Next: @command, Prev: @env, Up: Indicating

9.1.9 '@file'{FILE-NAME}
------------------------

Use the '@file' command to indicate text that is the name of a file,
buffer, or directory, or is the name of a node in Info. You can also
use the command for file name suffixes. Do not use '@file' for symbols
in a programming language; use '@code'.

'@file' is equivalent to 'code' in its effects. For example,

The @file{.el} files are in
the @file{/usr/local/emacs/lisp} directory.

produces

The '.el' files are in the '/usr/local/emacs/lisp' directory.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @command, Next: @option, Prev: @file, Up: Indicating

9.1.10 '@command'{COMMAND-NAME}
-------------------------------

Use the '@command' command to indicate command names, such as 'ls' or
'cc'.

'@command' is equivalent to '@code' in its effects. For example:

The command @command{ls} lists directory contents.
produces
The command 'ls' lists directory contents.

You should write the name of a program in the ordinary text font,
rather than using '@command', if you regard it as a new English word,
such as 'Emacs' or 'Bison'.

When writing an entire shell command invocation, as in 'ls -l', you
should use either '@samp' or '@code' at your discretion.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @option, Next: @dfn, Prev: @command, Up: Indicating

9.1.11 '@option'{OPTION-NAME}
-----------------------------

Use the '@option' command to indicate a command-line option; for
example, '-l' or '--version' or '--output=FILENAME'.

'@option' is equivalent to '@code' in its effects. For example:

The option @option{-l} produces a long listing.
produces
The option '-l' produces a long listing.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @dfn, Next: @abbr, Prev: @option, Up: Indicating

9.1.12 '@dfn'{TERM}
-------------------

Use the '@dfn' command to identify the introductory or defining use of a
technical term. Use the command only in passages whose purpose is to
introduce a term which will be used again or which the reader ought to
know. Mere passing mention of a term for the first time does not
deserve '@dfn'. The command generates italics in the printed manual,
and double quotation marks in the Info file. For example:

Getting rid of a file is called @dfn{deleting} it.

produces

Getting rid of a file is called "deleting" it.

As a general rule, a sentence containing the defining occurrence of a
term should be a definition of the term. The sentence does not need to
say explicitly that it is a definition, but it should contain the
information of a definition--it should make the meaning clear.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @abbr, Next: @acronym, Prev: @dfn, Up: Indicating

9.1.13 '@abbr'{ABBREVIATION[, MEANING]}
---------------------------------------

You can use the '@abbr' command for general abbreviations. The
abbreviation is given as the single argument in braces, as in
'@abbr{Comput.}'. As a matter of style, or for particular
abbreviations, you may prefer to omit periods, as in '@abbr{Mr}
Stallman'.

'@abbr' accepts an optional second argument, intended to be used for
the meaning of the abbreviation.

If the abbreviation ends with a lowercase letter and a period, and is
not at the end of a sentence, and has no second argument, remember to
use the '@.' command (*note Ending a Sentence::) to get the correct
spacing. However, you do not have to use '@.' within the abbreviation
itself; Texinfo automatically assumes periods within the abbreviation do
not end a sentence.

In TeX and in the Info output, the first argument is printed as-is; if
the second argument is present, it is printed in parentheses after the
abbreviation. In HTML the '<abbr>' tag is used; in Docbook, the
'<abbrev>' tag is used. For instance:

@abbr{Comput. J., Computer Journal}

produces:

Comput. J. (Computer Journal)

For abbreviations consisting of all capital letters, you may prefer to
use the '@acronym' command instead. See the next section for more on
the usage of these two commands.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @acronym, Next: @indicateurl, Prev: @abbr, Up: Indicating

9.1.14 '@acronym'{ACRONYM[, MEANING]}
-------------------------------------

You can use the '@acronym' command for abbreviations written in all
capital letters, such as 'NASA'. The abbreviation is given as the
single argument in braces, as in '@acronym{NASA}'. As a matter of
style, or for particular acronyms, you may prefer to use periods, as in
'@acronym{N.A.S.A.}'.

'@acronym' accepts an optional second argument, intended to be used
for the meaning of the acronym.

If the acronym is at the end of a sentence, and if there is no second
argument, remember to use the '@.' or similar command (*note Ending a
Sentence::) to get the correct spacing.

In TeX, the acronym is printed in slightly smaller font. In the Info
output, the argument is printed as-is. In either format, if the second
argument is present, it is printed in parentheses after the acronym. In
HTML and Docbook the '<acronym>' tag is used.

For instance (since GNU is a recursive acronym, we use '@acronym'
recursively):

@acronym{GNU, @acronym{GNU}'s Not Unix}

produces:

GNU (GNU's Not Unix)

In some circumstances, it is conventional to print family names in all
capitals. Don't use '@acronym' for this, since a name is not an
acronym. Use '@sc' instead (*note Smallcaps::).

'@abbr' and '@acronym' are closely related commands: they both signal
to the reader that a shortened form is being used, and possibly give a
meaning. When choosing whether to use these two commands, please bear
the following in mind.

- In common English usage, acronyms are a subset of abbreviations:
they include pronounceable words like 'NATO', 'radar', and 'snafu';
some sources also include syllable acronyms like 'Usenet', hybrids
like 'SIGGRAPH', and unpronounceable initialisms like 'FBI'.

- In Texinfo, an acronym (but not an abbreviation) should consist
only of capital letters and periods, no lowercase.

- In TeX, an acronym (but not an abbreviation) is printed in a
slightly smaller font.

- Some browsers place a dotted bottom border under abbreviations but
not acronyms.

- It usually turns out to be quite difficult and/or time-consuming to
consistently use '@acronym' for all sequences of uppercase letters.
Furthermore, it looks strange for some acronyms to be in the normal
font size and others to be smaller. Thus, a simpler approach you
may wish to consider is to avoid '@acronym' and just typeset
everything as normal text in all capitals: 'GNU', producing the
output 'GNU'.

- In general, it's not essential to use either of these commands for
all abbreviations; use your judgment. Text is perfectly readable
without them.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @indicateurl, Next: @email, Prev: @acronym, Up: Indicating

9.1.15 '@indicateurl'{UNIFORM-RESOURCE-LOCATOR}
-----------------------------------------------

Use the '@indicateurl' command to indicate a uniform resource locator on
the World Wide Web. This is purely for markup purposes and does not
produce a link you can follow (use the '@url' or '@uref' command for
that, *note @url::). '@indicateurl' is useful for urls which do not
actually exist. For example:

For example, the url might be @indicateurl{http://example.org/path}.

which produces:

For example, the url might be 'http://example.org/path'.

The output from '@indicateurl' is more or less like that of '@samp'
(*note @samp::).

File: texinfo.info, Node: @email, Prev: @indicateurl, Up: Indicating

9.1.16 '@email'{EMAIL-ADDRESS[, DISPLAYED-TEXT]}
------------------------------------------------

Use the '@email' command to indicate an electronic mail address. It
takes one mandatory argument, the address, and one optional argument,
the text to display (the default is the address itself).

In Info, the address is shown in angle brackets, preceded by the text
to display if any. In TeX, the angle brackets are omitted. In HTML
output, '@email' produces a 'mailto' link that usually brings up a mail
composition window. For example:

Send bug reports to @email{bug-texinfo@@gnu.org},
suggestions to the @email{bug-texinfo@@gnu.org, same place}.

produces

Send bug reports to <bug-texinfo@gnu.org>,
suggestions to the same place <bug-texinfo@gnu.org>.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Emphasis, Prev: Indicating, Up: Marking Text

9.2 Emphasizing Text
====================

Usually, Texinfo changes the font to mark words in the text according to
the category the words belong to; an example is the '@code' command.
Most often, this is the best way to mark words. However, sometimes you
will want to emphasize text without indicating a category. Texinfo has
two commands to do this. Also, Texinfo has several commands that
specify the font in which text will be output. These commands have no
effect in Info and only one of them, the '@r' command, has any regular
use.

* Menu:

* @emph @strong:: How to emphasize text in Texinfo.
* Smallcaps:: How to use the small caps font.
* Fonts:: Various font commands for printed output.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @emph @strong, Next: Smallcaps, Up: Emphasis

9.2.1 '@emph'{TEXT} and '@strong'{TEXT}
---------------------------------------

The '@emph' and '@strong' commands are for emphasis; '@strong' is
stronger. In printed output, '@emph' produces _italics_ and '@strong'
produces *bold*. In the Info output, '@emph' surrounds the text with
underscores ('_'), and '@strong' puts asterisks around the text.

For example,

@strong{Caution:} @samp{rm *}
removes @emph{all} normal files.

produces the following:

*Caution*: 'rm * .[^.]*' removes _all_ normal files.

The '@strong' command is seldom used except to mark what is, in
effect, a typographical element, such as the word 'Caution' in the
preceding example.

Caution: Do not use '@strong' with the word 'Note' followed by a
space; Info will mistake the combination for a cross reference.
Use a phrase such as *Please notice* or *Caution* instead, or the
optional argument to '@quotation'--'Note' is allowable there.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Smallcaps, Next: Fonts, Prev: @emph @strong, Up: Emphasis

9.2.2 '@sc'{TEXT}: The Small Caps Font
--------------------------------------

Use the '@sc' command to set text in A SMALL CAPS FONT (where possible).
Write the text you want to be in small caps between braces in lowercase,
like this:

Richard @sc{Stallman} commence' GNU.

This produces:

Richard STALLMAN commence' GNU.

As shown here, we recommend reserving '@sc' for special cases where
you want typographic small caps; family names are one such, especially
in languages other than English, though there are no hard-and-fast rules
about such things.

TeX typesets any uppercase letters between the braces of an '@sc'
command in full-size capitals; only lowercase letters are printed in the
small caps font. In the Info output, the argument to '@sc' is printed
in all uppercase. In HTML, the argument is uppercased and the output
marked with the '<small>' tag to reduce the font size, since HTML cannot
easily represent true small caps.

Overall, we recommend using standard upper- and lowercase letters
wherever possible.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Fonts, Prev: Smallcaps, Up: Emphasis

9.2.3 Fonts for Printing
------------------------

Texinfo provides one command to change the size of the main body font in
the TeX output for a document: '@fonttextsize'. It has no effect in
other output. It takes a single argument on the remainder of the line,
which must be either '10' or '11'. For example:

@fonttextsize 10

The effect is to reduce the body font to a 10pt size (the default is
11pt). Fonts for other elements, such as sections and chapters, are
reduced accordingly. This should only be used in conjunction with
'@smallbook' (*note @smallbook::) or similar, since 10pt fonts on
standard paper (8.5x11 or A4) are too small. One reason to use this
command is to save pages, and hence printing cost, for physical books.

Texinfo does not at present have commands to switch the font family to
use, or more general size-changing commands.

Texinfo also provides a number of font commands that specify font
changes in the printed manual and (where possible) in the HTML output.
They have no effect in Info. All the commands apply to a following
argument surrounded by braces.

'@b'
selects bold face;

'@i'
selects an italic font;

'@r'
selects a roman font, which is the usual font in which text is
printed. It may or may not be seriffed.

'@sansserif'
selects a sans serif font;

'@slanted'
selects a slanted font;

'@t'
selects the fixed-width, typewriter-style font used by '@code';

(The commands with longer names were invented much later than the
others, at which time it did not seem desirable to use very short names
for such infrequently needed features.)

The '@r' command can be useful in example-like environments, to write
comments in the standard roman font instead of the fixed-width font.
This looks better in printed output, and produces a '<lineannotation>'
tag in Docbook output.

For example,

@lisp
(+ 2 2) ; @r{Add two plus two.}
@end lisp

produces

(+ 2 2) ; Add two plus two.

The '@t' command can occasionally be useful to produce output in a
typewriter font where that is supported (e.g., HTML and PDF), but no
distinction is needed in Info or plain text: '@t{foo}' produces foo, cf.
'@code{foo}' producing 'foo'.

For example, we use '@t' in the '@node' commands for this manual to
specify the Texinfo command names, because the quotes which '@code'
outputs look extraneous in that particular context.

In general, the other font commands are unlikely to be useful; they
exist primarily to make it possible to document the functionality of
specific font effects, such as in TeX and related packages.

File: texinfo.info, Node: Quotations and Examples, Next: Lists and Tables, Prev: Marking Text, Up: Top

10 Quotations and Examples
**************************

Quotations and examples are blocks of text consisting of one or more
whole paragraphs that are set off from the bulk of the text and treated
differently. They are usually indented in the output.

In Texinfo, you always begin a quotation or example by writing an
@-command at the beginning of a line by itself, and end it by writing an
'@end' command that is also at the beginning of a line by itself. For
instance, you begin an example by writing '@example' by itself at the
beginning of a line and end the example by writing '@end example' on a
line by itself, at the beginning of that line, and with only one space
between the '@end' and the 'example'.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: Block Enclosing Commands, Next: @quotation, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.1 Block Enclosing Commands
=============================

Here is a summary of commands that enclose blocks of text, also known as
"environments". They're explained further in the following sections.

'@quotation'
Indicate text that is quoted. The text is filled, indented (from
both margins), and printed in a roman font by default.

'@indentedblock'
Like '@quotation', but the text is indented only on the left.

'@example'
Illustrate code, commands, and the like. The text is printed in a
fixed-width font, and indented but not filled.

'@lisp'
Like '@example', but specifically for illustrating Lisp code. The
text is printed in a fixed-width font, and indented but not filled.

'@verbatim'
Mark a piece of text that is to be printed verbatim; no character
substitutions are made and all commands are ignored, until the next
'@end verbatim'. The text is printed in a fixed-width font, and
not indented or filled. Extra spaces and blank lines are
significant, and tabs are expanded.

'@display'
Display illustrative text. The text is indented but not filled,
and no font is selected (so, by default, the font is roman).

'@format'
Like '@display' (the text is not filled and no font is selected),
but the text is not indented.

'@smallquotation'
'@smallindentedblock'
'@smallexample'
'@smalllisp'
'@smalldisplay'
'@smallformat'
These '@small...' commands are just like their non-small
counterparts, except that they output text in a smaller font size,
where possible.

'@flushleft'
'@flushright'
Text is not filled, but is set flush with the left or right margin,
respectively.

'@raggedright'
Text is filled, but only justified on the left, leaving the right
margin ragged.

'@cartouche'
Highlight text, often an example or quotation, by drawing a box
with rounded corners around it.

The '@exdent' command is used within the above constructs to undo the
indentation of a line.

The '@noindent' command may be used after one of the above constructs
(or at the beginning of any paragraph) to prevent the following text
from being indented as a new paragraph.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @quotation, Next: @indentedblock, Prev: Block Enclosing Commands, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.2 '@quotation': Block Quotations
===================================

The text of a quotation is processed like normal text (regular font,
text is filled) except that:

* both the left and right margins are closer to the center of the
page, so the whole of the quotation is indented;

* the first lines of paragraphs are indented no more than other
lines; and

* an '@author' command may be given to specify the author of the
quotation.

This is an example of text written between an '@quotation' command
and an '@end quotation' command. An '@quotation' command is most
often used to indicate text that is excerpted from another (real or
hypothetical) printed work.

Write an '@quotation' command as text on a line by itself. This line
will disappear from the output. Mark the end of the quotation with a
line beginning with and containing only '@end quotation'. The '@end
quotation' line will likewise disappear from the output.

'@quotation' takes one optional argument, given on the remainder of
the line. This text, if present, is included at the beginning of the
quotation in bold or otherwise emphasized, and followed with a ':'. For
example:

@quotation Note
This is
a foo.
@end quotation

produces

Note: This is a foo.

If the '@quotation' argument is one of these English words
(case-insensitive):

Caution Important Note Tip Warning

then the Docbook output uses corresponding special tags ('<note>', etc.)
instead of the default '<blockquote>'. HTML output always uses
'<blockquote>'.

If the author of the quotation is specified in the '@quotation' block
with the '@author' command, a line with the author name is displayed
after the quotation:

@quotation
People sometimes ask me if it is a sin in the Church of Emacs to use
vi. Using a free version of vi is not a sin; it is a penance. So happy
hacking.

@author Richard Stallman
@end quotation

produces

People sometimes ask me if it is a sin in the Church of Emacs to
use vi. Using a free version of vi is not a sin; it is a penance.
So happy hacking.

-- _Richard Stallman_

Texinfo also provides a command '@smallquotation', which is just like
'@quotation' but uses a smaller font size where possible. *Note
@small...::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @indentedblock, Next: @example, Prev: @quotation, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.3 '@indentedblock': Indented text blocks
===========================================

The '@indentedblock' environment is similar to '@quotation', except that
text is only indented on the left (and there is no optional argument for
an author). Thus, the text font remains unchanged, and text is gathered
and filled as usual, but the left margin is increased. For example:

This is an example of text written between an '@indentedblock'
command and an '@end indentedblock' command. The '@indentedblock'
environment can contain any text or other commands desired.

This is written in the Texinfo source as:

@indentedblock
This is an example ...
@end indentedblock

Texinfo also provides a command '@smallindentedblock', which is just
like '@indentedblock' but uses a smaller font size where possible.
*Note @small...::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @example, Next: @verbatim, Prev: @indentedblock, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.4 '@example': Example Text
=============================

The '@example' environment is used to indicate an example that is not
part of the running text, such as computer input or output. Write an
'@example' command at the beginning of a line by itself. Mark the end
of the example with an '@end example' command, also written at the
beginning of a line by itself.

An '@example' environment has the following characteristics:

* Each line in the input file is a line in the output; that is, the
source text is not filled as it normally is.
* Extra spaces and blank lines are significant.
* The output is indented.
* The output uses a fixed-width font.
* Texinfo commands _are_ expanded; if you want the output to be the
input verbatim, use the '@verbatim' environment instead (*note
@verbatim::).

For example,

@example
cp foo @var{dest1}; \
cp foo @var{dest2}
@end example

produces

cp foo DEST1; \
cp foo DEST2

The lines containing '@example' and '@end example' will disappear from
the output. To make the output look good, you should put a blank line
before the '@example' and another blank line after the '@end example'.
Blank lines inside the beginning '@example' and the ending '@end
example', on the other hand, do appear in the output.

Caution: Do not use tabs in the lines of an example! (Or anywhere
else in Texinfo, except in verbatim environments.) TeX treats tabs
as single spaces, and that is not what they look like. In Emacs,
you can use 'M-x untabify' to convert tabs in a region to multiple
spaces.

Examples are often, logically speaking, "in the middle" of a
paragraph, and the text that continues afterwards should not be
indented, as in the example above. The '@noindent' command prevents a
piece of text from being indented as if it were a new paragraph (*note
@noindent::.

If you want to embed code fragments within sentences, instead of
displaying them, use the '@code' command or its relatives (*note
@code::).

If you wish to write a "comment" on a line of an example in the normal
roman font, you can use the '@r' command (*note Fonts::).

File: texinfo.info, Node: @verbatim, Next: @verbatiminclude, Prev: @example, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.5 '@verbatim': Literal Text
==============================

Use the '@verbatim' environment for printing of text that may contain
special characters or commands that should not be interpreted, such as
computer input or output ('@example' interprets its text as regular
Texinfo commands). This is especially useful for including
automatically generated files in a Texinfo manual.

In general, the output will be just the same as the input. No
character substitutions are made, e.g., all spaces and blank lines are
significant, including tabs. In the printed manual, the text is typeset
in a fixed-width font, and not indented or filled.

Write an '@verbatim' command at the beginning of a line by itself.
This line will disappear from the output. Mark the end of the verbatim
block with an '@end verbatim' command, also written at the beginning of
a line by itself. The '@end verbatim' will also disappear from the
output.

For example:

@verbatim
{
<TAB>@command with strange characters: @'e
expand<TAB>me
}
@end verbatim

This produces:

{
@command with strange characters: @'e
expand me
}

Since the lines containing '@verbatim' and '@end verbatim' produce no
output, typically you should put a blank line before the '@verbatim' and
another blank line after the '@end verbatim'. Blank lines between the
beginning '@verbatim' and the ending '@end verbatim' will appear in the
output.

You can get a "small" verbatim by enclosing the '@verbatim' in an
'@smallformat' environment, as shown here:

@smallformat
@verbatim
... still verbatim, but in a smaller font ...
@end verbatim
@end smallformat

Finally, a word of warning: it is not reliable to use '@verbatim'
inside other Texinfo constructs.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @verbatiminclude, Next: @lisp, Prev: @verbatim, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.6 '@verbatiminclude' FILE: Include a File Verbatim
=====================================================

You can include the exact contents of a file in the document with the
'@verbatiminclude' command:

@verbatiminclude FILENAME

The contents of FILENAME is printed in a verbatim environment (*note
@verbatim::). Generally, the file is printed exactly as it is, with all
special characters and white space retained. No indentation is added;
if you want indentation, enclose the '@verbatiminclude' within
'@example' (*note @example::).

The name of the file is taken literally, with a single exception:
'@value{VAR}' references are expanded. This makes it possible to
include files in other directories within a distribution, for instance:

@verbatiminclude @value{top_srcdir}/NEWS

(You still have to get 'top_srcdir' defined in the first place.)

For a method on printing the file contents in a smaller font size, see
the end of the previous section on '@verbatim'.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @lisp, Next: @small..., Prev: @verbatiminclude, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.7 '@lisp': Marking a Lisp Example
====================================

The '@lisp' command is used for Lisp code. It is synonymous with the
'@example' command.

This is an example of text written between an
@lisp command and an @end lisp command.

Use '@lisp' instead of '@example' to preserve information regarding
the nature of the example. This is useful, for example, if you write a
function that evaluates only and all the Lisp code in a Texinfo file.
Then you can use the Texinfo file as a Lisp library.(1)

Mark the end of '@lisp' with '@end lisp' on a line by itself.

---------- Footnotes ----------

(1) It would be straightforward to extend Texinfo to work in a
similar fashion for C, Fortran, or other languages.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @small..., Next: @display, Prev: @lisp, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.8 '@small...' Block Commands
===============================

In addition to the regular '@example' and similar commands, Texinfo has
"small" example-style commands. These are '@smallquotation',
'@smallindentedblock', '@smalldisplay', '@smallexample', '@smallformat',
and '@smalllisp'.

In Info output, the '@small...' commands are equivalent to their
non-small companion commands.

In TeX, however, the '@small...' commands typeset text in a smaller
font than the non-small example commands. Thus, for instance, code
examples can contain longer lines and still fit on a page without
needing to be rewritten.

A smaller font size is also requested in HTML output, and (as usual)
retained in the Texinfo XML transliteration.

Mark the end of an '@small...' block with a corresponding '@end
small...'. For example, pair '@smallexample' with '@end smallexample'.

Here is an example of the font used by the '@smallexample' command (in
Info, the output will be the same as usual):

... to make sure that you have the freedom to
distribute copies of free software (and charge for
this service if you wish), that you receive source
code or can get it if you want it, that you can
change the software or use pieces of it in new free
programs; and that you know you can do these things.

The '@small...' commands use the same font style as their normal
counterparts: '@smallexample' and '@smalllisp' use a fixed-width font,
and everything else uses the regular font. They also have the same
behavior in other respects--whether filling is done and whether margins
are narrowed.

As a general rule, a printed document looks better if you use only one
of (for instance) '@example' or '@smallexample' consistently within a
chapter.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @display, Next: @format, Prev: @small..., Up: Quotations and Examples

10.9 '@display': Examples Using the Text Font
=============================================

The '@display' command begins another kind of environment, where the
font is left unchanged, not switched to typewriter as with '@example'.
Each line of input still produces a line of output, and the output is
still indented.

This is an example of text written between an '@display' command
and an '@end display' command. The '@display' command
indents the text, but does not fill it.

Texinfo also provides the environment '@smalldisplay', which is like
'@display' but uses a smaller font size. *Note @small...::.

The '@table' command (*note @table::) is not supported inside
'@display'. Since '@display' is line-oriented, it doesn't make sense to
use them together. If you want to indent a table, try '@quotation'
(*note @quotation::) or '@indentedblock' (*note @indentedblock::).

File: texinfo.info, Node: @format, Next: @exdent, Prev: @display, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.10 '@format': Examples Using the Full Line Width
===================================================

The '@format' command is similar to '@display', except it leaves the
text unindented. Like '@display', it does not select the fixed-width
font.

This is an example of text written between an '@format' command
and an '@end format' command. As you can see
from this example,
the '@format' command does not fill the text.

Texinfo also provides the environment '@smallformat', which is like
'@format' but uses a smaller font size. *Note @small...::.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @exdent, Next: @flushleft @flushright, Prev: @format, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.11 '@exdent': Undoing a Line's Indentation
=============================================

The '@exdent' command removes any indentation a line might have. The
command is written at the beginning of a line and applies only to the
text that follows the command that is on the same line. Do not use
braces around the text. In a printed manual, the text on an '@exdent'
line is printed in the roman font.

'@exdent' is usually used within examples. Thus,

@example
This line follows an @@example command.
@exdent This line is exdented.
This line follows the exdented line.
The @@end example comes on the next line.
@end example

produces

This line follows an @example command.
This line is exdented.
This line follows the exdented line.
The @end example comes on the next line.

In practice, the '@exdent' command is rarely used. Usually, you
un-indent text by ending the example and returning the page to its
normal width.

'@exdent' has no effect in HTML output.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @flushleft @flushright, Next: @raggedright, Prev: @exdent, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.12 '@flushleft' and '@flushright'
====================================

The '@flushleft' and '@flushright' commands line up the ends of lines on
the left and right margins of a page, but do not fill the text. The
commands are written on lines of their own, without braces. The
'@flushleft' and '@flushright' commands are ended by '@end flushleft'
and '@end flushright' commands on lines of their own.

For example,

@flushleft
This text is
written flushleft.
@end flushleft

produces

This text is
written flushleft.

'@flushright' produces the type of indentation often used in the
return address of letters. For example,

@flushright
Here is an example of text written
flushright. The @code{@flushright} command
right justifies every line but leaves the
left end ragged.
@end flushright

produces

Here is an example of text written
flushright. The '@flushright' command
right justifies every line but leaves the
left end ragged.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @raggedright, Next: @noindent, Prev: @flushleft @flushright, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.13 '@raggedright': Ragged Right Text
=======================================

The '@raggedright' fills text as usual, but the text is only justified
on the left; the right margin is ragged. The command is written on a
line of its own, without braces. The '@raggedright' command is ended by
'@end raggedright' on a line of its own. This command has no effect in
Info and HTML output, where text is always set ragged right.

The '@raggedright' command can be useful with paragraphs containing
lists of commands with long names, when it is known in advance that
justifying the text on both margins will make the paragraph look bad.

An example (from elsewhere in this manual):

@raggedright
Commands for double and single angle quotation marks:
@code{@@guillemetleft@{@}}, @code{@@guillemetright@{@}},
@code{@@guillemotleft@{@}}, @code{@@guillemotright@{@}},
@code{@@guilsinglleft@{@}}, @code{@@guilsinglright@{@}}.
@end raggedright

produces

Commands for double and single angle quotation marks:
'@guillemetleft{}', '@guillemetright{}', '@guillemotleft{}',
'@guillemotright{}', '@guilsinglleft{}', '@guilsinglright{}'.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @noindent, Next: @indent, Prev: @raggedright, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.14 '@noindent': Omitting Indentation
=======================================

An example or other inclusion can break a paragraph into segments.
Ordinarily, the formatters indent text that follows an example as a new
paragraph. You can prevent this on a case-by-case basis by writing
'@noindent' at the beginning of a line, preceding the continuation text.
You can also disable indentation for all paragraphs globally with
'@paragraphindent' (*note @paragraphindent::).

Here is an example showing how to eliminate the normal indentation of
the text after an '@example', a common situation:

@example
This is an example
@end example

@noindent
This line is not indented. As you can see, the
beginning of the line is fully flush left with the
line that follows after it.

produces:

This is an example

This line is not indented. As you can see, the
beginning of the line is fully flush left with the
line that follows after it.

The standard usage of '@indent' is just as above: at the beginning of
what would otherwise be a paragraph, to eliminate the indentation that
normally happens there. It can either be followed by text or be on a
line by itself. There is no reason to use it in other contexts, such as
in the middle of a paragraph or inside an environment (*note Quotations
and Examples::).

You can control the number of blank lines in the Info file output by
adjusting the input as desired: a line containing just '@noindent' does
not generate a blank line, and neither does an '@end' line for an
environment.

Do not put braces after an '@noindent' command; they are not used,
since '@noindent' is a command used outside of paragraphs (*note Command
Syntax::).

File: texinfo.info, Node: @indent, Next: @cartouche, Prev: @noindent, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.15 '@indent': Forcing Indentation
====================================

To complement the '@noindent' command (see the previous section),
Texinfo provides the '@indent' command to force a paragraph to be
indented. For instance, this paragraph (the first in this section) is
indented using an '@indent' command.

And indeed, the first paragraph of a section is the most likely place
to use '@indent', to override the normal behavior of no indentation
there (*note @paragraphindent::). It can either be followed by text or
be on a line by itself.

As a special case, when '@indent' is used in an environment where text
is not filled, it produces a paragraph indentation space in the TeX
output. (These environments are where a line of input produces a line
of output, such as '@example' and '@display'; for a summary of all
environments, *note Block Enclosing Commands::.)

Do not put braces after an '@indent' command; they are not used, since
'@indent' is a command used outside of paragraphs (*note Command
Syntax::).

File: texinfo.info, Node: @cartouche, Prev: @indent, Up: Quotations and Examples

10.16 '@cartouche': Rounded Rectangles
======================================

In a printed manual, the '@cartouche' command draws a box with rounded
corners around its contents. In HTML, a normal rectangle is drawn.
'@cartouche' has no effect in Info output.

You can use this command to further highlight an example or quotation.
For instance, you could write a manual in which one type of example is
surrounded by a cartouche for emphasis.

For example,

@cartouche
@example
% pwd
/usr/local/share/emacs
@end example
@end cartouche

surrounds the two-line example with a box with rounded corners, in the
printed manual.

The output from the example looks like this (if you're reading this in
Info, you'll see the '@cartouche' had no effect):

% pwd
/usr/local/info

'@cartouche' also implies '@group' (*note @group::).

File: texinfo.info, Node: Lists and Tables, Next: Special Displays, Prev: Quotations and Examples, Up: Top

11 Lists and Tables
*******************

Texinfo has several ways of making lists and tables. Lists can be
bulleted or numbered; two-column tables can highlight the items in the
first column; multi-column tables are also supported.

* Menu:

File: texinfo.info, Node: Introducing Lists, Next: @itemize, Up: Lists and Tables

11.1 Introducing Lists
======================

Texinfo automatically indents the text in lists or tables, and numbers
an enumerated list. This last feature is useful if you modify the list,
since you do not need to renumber it yourself.

Numbered lists and tables begin with the appropriate @-command at the
beginning of a line, and end with the corresponding '@end' command on a
line by itself. The table and itemized-list commands also require that
you write formatting information on the same line as the beginning
@-command.

Begin an enumerated list, for example, with an '@enumerate' command
and end the list with an '@end enumerate' command. Begin an itemized
list with an '@itemize' command, followed on the same line by a
formatting command such as '@bullet', and end the list with an '@end
itemize' command.

Precede each element of a list with an '@item' or '@itemx' command.

Here is an itemized list of the different kinds of table and lists:

* Itemized lists with and without bullets.

* Enumerated lists, using numbers or letters.

* Two-column tables with highlighting.

Here is an enumerated list with the same items:

1. Itemized lists with and without bullets.

2. Enumerated lists, using numbers or letters.

3. Two-column tables with highlighting.

And here is a two-column table with the same items and their @-commands:

'@itemize'
Itemized lists with and without bullets.

'@enumerate'
Enumerated lists, using numbers or letters.

'@table'
'@ftable'
'@vtable'
Two-column tables, optionally with indexing.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @itemize, Next: @enumerate, Prev: Introducing Lists, Up: Lists and Tables

11.2 '@itemize': Making an Itemized List
========================================

The '@itemize' command produces a sequence of "items", each starting
with a bullet or other mark inside the left margin, and generally
indented.

Begin an itemized list by writing '@itemize' at the beginning of a
line. Follow the command, on the same line, with a character or a
Texinfo command that generates a mark. Usually, you will use '@bullet'
after '@itemize', but you can use '@minus', or any command or character
that results in a single character in the Info file. (When you write
the mark command such as '@bullet' after an '@itemize' command, you may
omit the '{}'.) If you don't specify a mark command, the default is
'@bullet'. If you don't want any mark at all, but still want logical
items, use '@w{}' (in this case the braces are required).

After the '@itemize', write your items, each starting with '@item'.
Text can follow on the same line as the '@item'. The text of an item
can continue for more than one paragraph.

There should be at least one '@item' inside the '@itemize'
environment. If none are present, 'makeinfo' gives a warning. If you
just want indented text and not a list of items, use '@indentedblock';
*note @indentedblock::.

Index entries and comments that are given before an '@item' including
the first, are automatically moved (internally) to after the '@item', so
the output is as expected. Historically this has been a common
practice.

Usually, you should put a blank line between items. This puts a blank
line in the Info file. (TeX inserts the proper vertical space in any
case.) Except when the entries are very brief, these blank lines make
the list look better.

Here is an example of the use of '@itemize', followed by the output it
produces. '@bullet' produces an '*' in Info and a round dot in other
output formats.

@itemize @bullet
@item
Some text for foo.

@item
Some text
for bar.
@end itemize

This produces:

* Some text for foo.

* Some text for bar.

Itemized lists may be embedded within other itemized lists. Here is a
list marked with dashes embedded in a list marked with bullets:

@itemize @bullet
@item
First item.

@itemize @minus
@item
Inner item.

@item
Second inner item.
@end itemize

@item
Second outer item.
@end itemize

This produces:

* First item.

- Inner item.

- Second inner item.

* Second outer item.

File: texinfo.info, Node: @enumerate, Next: Two-column Tables, Prev: @itemize, Up: Lists and Tables

11.3 '@enumerate': Making a Numbered or Lettered List
=====================================================

'@enumerate' is like '@itemize' (*note @itemize::), except that the
labels on the items are successive integers or letters instead of
bullets.

Write the '@enumerate' command at the beginning of a line. The
command does not require an argument, but accepts either a number or a
letter as an option. Without an argument, '@enumerate' starts the list
with the number '1'. With a numeric argument, such as '3', the command
starts the list with that number. With an upper- or lowercase letter,
such as 'a' or 'A', the command starts the list with that letter.

Write the text of the enumerated list in the same way as an itemized
list: write a line starting with '@item' at the beginning of each item
in the enumeration. It is ok to have text following the '@item', and
the text for an item can continue for several paragraphs.

You should put a blank line between entries in the list. This
generally makes it easier to read the Info file.

Here is an example of '@enumerate' without an argument:

@enumerate
@item
Underlying causes.

@item
Proximate causes.
@end enumerate

This produces:

1. Underlying causes.

2. Proximate causes.

Here is an example with an argument of '3':

@enumerate 3
@item
Predisposing causes.

@item
Precipitating causes.

@item
Perpetuating causes.
@end enumerate

This produces:

3. Predisposing causes.

4. Precipitating causes.

5. Perpetuating causes.

Here is a brief summary of the alternatives. The summary is
constructed using '@enumerate' with an argument of 'a'.

a. '@enumerate'

Without an argument, produce a numbered list, starting with the
number 1.

b. '@enumerate POSITIVE-INTEGER'

With a (positive) numeric argument, start a numbered list with that
number. You can use this to continue a list that you interrupted
with other text.

c. '@enumerate UPPER-CASE-LETTER'

With an uppercase letter as argument, start a list in which each
item is marked by a letter, beginning with that uppercase letter.

d. '@enumerate LOWER-CASE-LETTER'

With a lowercase letter as argument, start a list in which each
item is marked by a letter, beginning with that lowercase letter.

You can also nest enumerated lists, as in an outline.