INTRODUCTION revision 93139
1Copyright (C) 1992, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 2000, 01 2Free Software Foundation. 3 4Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document 5under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.1 or 6any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no 7Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover Texts. 8 9 10Getting Started with Texinfo 11============================ 12 13"Texinfo" is a documentation system that uses a single source file to 14produce both on-line information and printed output. Using Texinfo, 15you can create a printed document with the normal features of a book, 16including chapters, sections, cross references, and indices. From the 17same Texinfo source file, you can create a menu-driven, on-line Info 18file with nodes, menus, cross references, and indices. 19 20The name of the Texinfo source documentation file is `texinfo.txi'. 21You can produce both on-line information and printed output from this 22source file. The documentation describes Texinfo in detail, including 23how to write Texinfo files, how to format them for both hard copy and 24Info, and how to install Info files. 25 26To get started, you need to create either a printed manual or an 27on-line Info file from the `texinfo.txi' file. You do not need to 28create both, although you will probably want both eventually. 29 30To learn how to use Info, read the info documentation. You can do this in 31one of two ways: using the standalone `info' program, or using Info mode in 32GNU Emacs. 33 34 * If you want to use the `info' program, run 35 36 info -f info-stnd 37 38 * If you want to use Emacs, start up emacs and type `C-h i' [M-x info]. 39 Follow the instructions to learn how to use Info. 40 41After learning how to use Info, you can read the Texinfo documentation. 42Using the standalone `info', type the following at the shell prompt: 43 44 info -f texinfo 45 46To use read this manual in Emacs, you first need to edit the Info-directory 47menu (the file `dir' in the system info directory) to contain the 48appropriate node. To learn how to do this, see node: Add in the Info 49documentation. 50 51The Texinfo documentation describes Texinfo in detail; among other things, 52it tells how to install Info files in the usual manner. (See node: Install 53an Info File.) 54 55The `info-stnd.info' file describes the standalone Info reader in detail. To 56read this file, type 57 58 $ info -f info-stnd 59 60 61To create a printed manual 62========================== 63 64You need: 65 66 * The `tex' program, which typesets the manual using TeX. 67 * The `texinfo.tex' definition file that tells TeX how to typeset 68 a Texinfo file. 69 * The `texindex' program, which sorts the unsorted index files 70 created by TeX. 71 * A printing program such as `lp' or `lpr', 72 * A printer. 73 74This Texinfo distribution package contains `texinfo.tex', the C source 75for `texindex', and the handy shell script `texi2dvi'. The `tex' 76program is not part of this distribution, but is available separately. 77(See `How to Obtain TeX' in the Texinfo documentation.) 78 79 * Install `tex'. (`texindex' is installed automagically by 80 `make install' in this distribution.) 81 82 * Move the `texinfo.tex' file to an appropriate directory; the current 83 directory will do. (`/usr/local/lib/tex/inputs' might be a good place. 84 See ``Preparing to Use TeX'' in the Texinfo manual, for more 85 information.) 86 87After following those instructions, type the following to make the .dvi 88files: 89 90 $ (cd doc; make dvi) 91 92You can then print the resulting .dvi files with the `lpr' or `lp' 93commands, or maybe `dvips'. 94 95For example, the command to print the texinfo.dvi file might be: 96 97 $ lpr -d texinfo.dvi 98 99The name of the printing command depends on the system; `lpr -d' is 100common, and is illustrated here. You may use a different name for the 101printing command. 102 103Please report bugs to bug-texinfo@gnu.org. 104 105Happy formatting. 106