Re: Reading Texinfo files

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: RD <rjjd@localnet.com>
> Date: Sun, 14 May 2006 21:28:54 -0400
> 
> I downloaded the elisp manual Texinfo files to my Windows XP machine, 
> but I don't know how to read them.

You need to convert them to Info files first.

Btw, where did you find the Texinfo sources of the ELisp manual?
Usually, the same place has the manual already converted to Info.
These Info files are called `elisp', `elisp-1', `elisp-2', etc.

> I downloaded the Texinfo "Complete package, except sources" from 
> http://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/texinfo.htm, but that produces 
> only a bunch of documents, no executable.

In that case, you downloaded a wrong zip.  You need
texinfo-4.8-bin.zip, which does include executables.  The executable
you are looking for is makeinfo.exe.

> How do I read the manuals?  Do I copy them to the emacs "info" 
> subdirectory, and then "Browse manuals with info" from the "Help" menu? 

No.  If indeed you don't have the elisp-* Info files, then, after
installing texinfo-4.8-bin.zip, go to the directory where you unzipped
the ELisp Texinfo sources, and type this command from the Command
Prompt window:

    makeinfo elisp.texi

This should run for a few seconds and produce the elisp-* files.  Copy
those files to the Emacs's `info' directory, and then they will be
available from within Emacs.