11 Miscellaneous Commands
GNU Info contains several commands which self-document GNU Info:
- M-x describe-command ¶
-
Read the name of an Info command in the echo area and then display a
brief description of what that command does.
- M-x describe-key ¶
-
Read a key sequence in the echo area, and then display the name and
documentation of the Info command that the key sequence invokes.
- M-x describe-variable
Read the name of a variable in the echo area and then display a brief
description of what the variable affects.
- M-x where-is ¶
Read the name of an Info command in the echo area, and then display
a key sequence which can be typed in order to invoke that command.
- H (
get-help-window) ¶
- F1 (on DOS/Windows only)
-
Create (or Move into) the window displaying *Help*, and place
a node containing a quick reference card into it. This window displays
the most concise information about GNU Info available.
- h (
get-info-help-node) ¶
-
Try hard to visit the node (info)Help. The Info file
info.texi distributed with GNU Emacs contains
this node. Of course, the file must first be processed with
makeinfo, and then placed into the location of your Info directory.
- = (
display-file-info) ¶
-
Show information about what’s currently being viewed in the echo area:
the Info file name, and current line number and percentage within the
current node.
- M-x info-version ¶
Display the name and version of the currently running Info program.
Here are the commands for creating a numeric argument:
- C-u (
universal-argument) ¶
-
Start (or multiply by 4) the current numeric argument. ‘C-u’ is
a good way to give a small numeric argument to cursor movement or
scrolling commands; ‘C-u C-v’ scrolls the screen 4 lines, while
‘C-u C-u C-n’ moves the cursor down 16 lines. ‘C-u’ followed
by digit keys sets the numeric argument to the number thus typed:
C-u 1 2 0 sets the argument to 120.
- M-1 (
add-digit-to-numeric-arg) ¶
- 1, vi-like operation
- M-2 … M-9
- 2 … 9, vi-like operation
- M-0
- 0, vi-like operation
-
Add the digit value of the invoking key to the current numeric
argument. Once Info is reading a numeric argument, you may just type
the digits of the argument, without the Meta prefix. For example, you
might give ‘C-l’ a numeric argument of 32 by typing:
or
- M-- (
add-digit-to-numeric-arg) ¶
- -
-
To make a negative argument, type -. Typing - alone makes
a negative argument with a value of -1. If you continue to
type digit or Meta-digit keys after -, the result is a negative
number produced by those digits.
- doesn’t work when you type in the echo area, because you need to
be able to insert the ‘-’ character itself; use M-- instead,
if you need to specify negative arguments in the echo area.
C-g is used to abort the reading of a multi-character key
sequence, to cancel lengthy operations (such as multi-file searches) and
to cancel reading input in the echo area.
- C-g (
abort-key) ¶
-
Cancel current operation.
The ‘q’ command of Info simply quits running Info.
- q (
quit) ¶
- C-x C-c
-
Exit GNU Info.
If the operating system tells GNU Info that the screen is 60 lines tall,
and it is actually only 40 lines tall, here is a way to tell Info that
the operating system is correct.
- M-x set-screen-height ¶
-
Read a height value in the echo area and set the height of the
displayed screen to that value.
On MS-DOS/MS-Windows, this command actually tries to change the
dimensions of the visible screen to the value you type in the echo
area.
Finally, Info provides a convenient way to display footnotes which might
be associated with the current node that you are viewing:
- ESC C-f (
show-footnotes) ¶
-
Show the footnotes (if any) associated with the current node in
another window. You can have Info automatically display the footnotes
associated with a node when the node is selected by setting the
variable automatic-footnotes. See automatic-footnotes.