Re: ELisp Intro manual added

[Robert J. Chassell]

"Richard M. Heiberger" <address@hidden> writes:

> I downloaded both
> ftp://alpha.gnu.org/gnu/emacs-lisp-intro-2.00.tar.gz
> ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/emacs/elisp-manual-21-2.7a.tar.gz
> and am preparing to use them with a class.  The first thing I discovered
> is that neither includes the dir file. ....

In most circumstances, your system will already possess a `dir' file,
and maybe several.  This means that you will have to edit your Info
`dir' file manually to include the new manual.  (Nowadays, people
often choose the `dir' file that is in the `/usr/local/info/'
directory.)

    Without the dir file, and without specifically adding the
    pathnames to Info-default-directory-list, C-h i won't find them.

I have never heard of anyone creating a `dir' file for a single entry,
and then consing that directory onto the list.  I can see what you are
doing; it would work.  I guess some people do set up Info like this;
but it is new to me.  I have always thought in terms of one, or a few,
Info directories, and adding a dir entry to the `dir' file in the
appropriate directory.  

When you edit the `dir' file manually, please look at the other
entries as models.  Also, you can use the `INFO-DIR-ENTRY' section in
the Texinfo source as a model.  (The actual process should take less
time than writing this paragraph -- just copy the lines from the
Texinfo source to the `dir' file.)

The Texinfo source is now in the GNU Emacs CVS respository; it will be
in the 21.2 distribution.  When you install from GNU Emacs, the
`INFO-DIR-ENTRY' section in the Texinfo source will attempt to tell
the installer how to install the dir entry automatically.  Indeed, it
all works when everything is in the standard places.

Of course, if you are like me, you may hardly know what is `standard',
and may have to adjust your dir entry manually to match your
circumstances.

-- 
    Robert J. Chassell                  address@hidden
    Rattlesnake Enterprises             http://www.rattlesnake.com