112 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
112 lines
4.1 KiB
Plaintext
Getting Started with Texinfo
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============================
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"Texinfo" is a documentation system that uses a single source file to
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produce both on-line information and printed output. Using Texinfo,
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you can create a printed document with the normal features of a book,
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including chapters, sections, cross references, and indices. From the
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same Texinfo source file, you can create a menu-driven, on-line Info
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file with nodes, menus, cross references, and indices.
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The name of the Texinfo source documentation file is `texinfo.txi'.
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You can produce both on-line information and printed output from this
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source file. The documentation describes Texinfo in detail, including
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how to write Texinfo files, how to format them for both hard copy and
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Info, and how to install Info files.
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To get started, you need to create either a printed manual or an
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on-line Info file from the `texinfo.txi' file. You do not need to
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create both, although you will probably want both eventually.
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To learn how to use Info, read the info documentation. You can do this in
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one of two ways: using the standalone `info' program, or using Info mode in
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GNU Emacs.
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* If you want to use the `info' program, run
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info -f info-stnd
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* If you want to use Emacs, start up emacs and type `C-h i' [M-x info].
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Follow the instructions to learn how to use Info.
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After learning how to use Info, you can read the Texinfo documentation.
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Using the standalone `info', type the following at the shell prompt:
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info -f texinfo
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To use read this manual in Emacs, you first need to edit the Info-directory
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menu (the file `dir' in the system info directory) to contain the
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appropriate node. To learn how to do this, see node: Add in the Info
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documentation.
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The Texinfo documentation describes Texinfo in detail; among other things,
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it tells how to install Info files in the usual manner. (See node: Install
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an Info File.)
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The `info-stnd.info' file describes the standalone Info reader in detail. To
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read this file, type
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$ info -f info-stnd
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If you are using GNU Emacs, you may want to install the Emacs Lisp files
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permanently. Move them to a directory in the load-path for Emacs;
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otherwise Emacs will not be able to load the autoloaded support files, such
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as `texinfmt.el'.
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The `texinfo.el' file contains the autoload commands; it is the only
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file that needs to be loaded initially. If your Emacs does not
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automatically load `texinfo.el', you can tell it to do so by placing
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the following in `default.el' or in your `.emacs' file:
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(load "texinfo")
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To create a printed manual
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==========================
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You need:
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* The `tex' program, which typesets the manual using TeX.
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* The `texinfo.tex' definition file that tells TeX how to typeset
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a Texinfo file.
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* The `texindex' program, which sorts the unsorted index files
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created by TeX.
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* A printing program such as `lp' or `lpr',
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* A printer.
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This Texinfo distribution package contains `texinfo.tex', the C source
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for `texindex', and the handy shell script `texi2dvi'. The `tex'
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program is not part of this distribution, but is available separately.
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(See `How to Obtain TeX' in the Texinfo documentation.)
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* Install `tex'. (`texindex' is installed automagically by
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`make install' in this distribution.)
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* Move the `texinfo.tex' file to an appropriate directory; the current
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directory will do. (`/usr/local/lib/tex/inputs' might be a good place.
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See ``Preparing to Use TeX'' in the Texinfo manual, for more
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information.)
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After following those instructions, type the following to make the .dvi
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files:
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$ make texinfo.dvi
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$ (cd info; make info.dvi info-stnd.dvi)
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$ (cd makeinfo; make makeinfo.dvi)
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You can then print the resulting .dvi files with the `lpr' command (on BSD
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systems. On SysV systems the command is `lp'. Consult your man pages for
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more information).
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For example, the command to print the texinfo.dvi file might be:
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$ lpr -d texinfo.dvi
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The name of the printing command depends on the system; `lpr -d' is
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common, and is illustrated here. You may use a different name for the
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printing command.
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Please report bugs to bug-texinfo@gnu.org.
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Happy formatting.
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