Re: Reading Texinfo files

[Burton Samograd]

RD <rjjd@localnet.com> writes:

> I downloaded the elisp manual Texinfo files to my Windows XP machine,
> but I don't know how to read them.
>
> They are sitting in their own directory.
>
> 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.
>
> 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? Is there a Texinfo reader somewhere?

Yes, you can copy them into the emacs info directory, but you then
have to add them to a 'dir' file in there, which looks like this:

----------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the file .../info/dir, which contains the
topmost node of the Info hierarchy, called (dir)Top.
The first time you invoke Info you start off looking at this node.

File: dir,      Node: Top       This is the top of the INFO tree

  This (the Directory node) gives a menu of major topics.
  Typing "q" exits, "?" lists all Info commands, "d" returns here,
  "h" gives a primer for first-timers,
  "mEmacs<Return>" visits the Emacs manual, etc.

  In Emacs, you can click mouse button 2 on a menu item or cross reference
  to select it.

* Menu:

Texinfo documentation system
* Info: (info).         How to use the documentation browsing system.
* Texi2HTML: (texi2html).  Texinfo to HTML Converter.
* Texinfo: (texinfo).           The GNU documentation format.
* fftw3: (fftw3).       FFTW User's Manual.
* info standalone: (info-stnd).            Read Info documents without Emacs.
* infokey: (info-stnd)Invoking infokey.    Compile Info customizations.
* install-info: (texinfo)Invoking install-info. Update info/dir entries.
* makeinfo: (texinfo)Invoking makeinfo.         Translate Texinfo source.
* texi2dvi: (texinfo)Format with texi2dvi.      Print Texinfo documents.
* texi2pdf: (texinfo)PDF Output.                PDF output for Texinfo.
* texindex: (texinfo)Format with tex/texindex.  Sort Texinfo index files.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

You put the entries you have copied in in the format like at the
bottom of the example.  Each line is a *, the name of the topic and
then the file name in the parenthesis.  After that, you will be able
to hit C-h i, or M-x info to open up the emacs info viewer and read
the info files.  

There is also a command 'install-info' that might come with texinfo,
but I doubt it would work under windows, but it does the copying and
dir file editing for you if it works.

You can also get a standalone info program with cygwin, but you need
to do the same installation procedure as for emacs.

Hope this helps.

-- 
burton samograd                                 kruhft .at. gmail
kruhft.blogspot.com     www.myspace.com/kruhft  metashell.blogspot.com