local info files and top info directory

local info files and top info directory

[Eric Abrahamsen]

I use a lot of development versions of emacs packages (gnus, org, magit,
auctex, emms, etc), and keep them all under ~/.emacs.d. I've also got
~/.emacs.d/info, where I symlink those packages' info files, then I add
it to the info directories like so:

(add-to-list 'Info-default-directory-list "~/.emacs.d/info")

This works, except that when I run `info' and it composes the main Info
directory, the info files of some of the packages (gnus, org) show up in
the directory listing, while others (magit, auctex, emms) don't.

I'm able to reach all of the symlinked info files via
`info-display-manual', so I know it's not a problem with the files
themselves, or the info reader. I've looked at the info files and, with
my limited understanding of info, can't see why one would make a
directory entry and another wouldn't.

I'm suspecting the `make' process: for all these packages I generally do
configure/make, but no "make install", and then add the lisp dirs, if
any, to my load path. My best guess is that something in the make
process adds a listing to the directory, and for some of the packages
that happens on "make", and for others on "make install". Should the
`install-info' command line command come into play at all?

Anyway, any hints very much appreciated!

Eric

-- 
GNU Emacs 24.0.92.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.24.8)
 of 2011-12-29 on pellet

Re: local info files and top info directory

[Andreas Röhler]

Am 03.01.2012 04:58, schrieb Eric Abrahamsen:
> I use a lot of development versions of emacs packages (gnus, org, magit,
> auctex, emms, etc), and keep them all under ~/.emacs.d. I've also got
> ~/.emacs.d/info, where I symlink those packages' info files, then I add
> it to the info directories like so:
>
> (add-to-list 'Info-default-directory-list "~/.emacs.d/info")
>
> This works, except that when I run `info' and it composes the main Info
> directory, the info files of some of the packages (gnus, org) show up in
> the directory listing, while others (magit, auctex, emms) don't.
>
> I'm able to reach all of the symlinked info files via
> `info-display-manual', so I know it's not a problem with the files
> themselves, or the info reader. I've looked at the info files and, with
> my limited understanding of info, can't see why one would make a
> directory entry and another wouldn't.
>
> I'm suspecting the `make' process: for all these packages I generally do
> configure/make, but no "make install", and then add the lisp dirs, if
> any, to my load path. My best guess is that something in the make
> process adds a listing to the directory, and for some of the packages
> that happens on "make", and for others on "make install". Should the
> `install-info' command line command come into play at all?
>
> Anyway, any hints very much appreciated!
>
> Eric
>

maybe $INFOPATH helps here?

Re: local info files and top info directory

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Eric Abrahamsen <eric@ericabrahamsen.net>
> Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:58:08 +0800
> 
> I use a lot of development versions of emacs packages (gnus, org, magit,
> auctex, emms, etc), and keep them all under ~/.emacs.d. I've also got
> ~/.emacs.d/info, where I symlink those packages' info files, then I add
> it to the info directories like so:
> 
> (add-to-list 'Info-default-directory-list "~/.emacs.d/info")
> 
> This works, except that when I run `info' and it composes the main Info
> directory, the info files of some of the packages (gnus, org) show up in
> the directory listing, while others (magit, auctex, emms) don't.
> 
> I'm able to reach all of the symlinked info files via
> `info-display-manual', so I know it's not a problem with the files
> themselves, or the info reader. I've looked at the info files and, with
> my limited understanding of info, can't see why one would make a
> directory entry and another wouldn't.

In your ~/.emacs.d/info directory, there should be a file named `dir'
or `DIR'.  Its contents, and only its contents, are added to the main
Info directory when Emacs composes it.  Emacs does not look at the
info files themselves, just in the DIR files it finds in every
directory that is in Info-default-directory-list.

> I'm suspecting the `make' process: for all these packages I generally do
> configure/make, but no "make install", and then add the lisp dirs, if
> any, to my load path. My best guess is that something in the make
> process adds a listing to the directory, and for some of the packages
> that happens on "make", and for others on "make install". Should the
> `install-info' command line command come into play at all?

Yes, you should run install-info on every info file you add to your
~/.emacs.d/info directory (only the main info files count; e.g., if
you have foo.info, foo.info-1, and foo.info-2, then only run
install-info on foo.info).

Re: local info files and top info directory

[Eric Abrahamsen]

On Tue, Jan 03 2012, Eli Zaretskii wrote:

>> From: Eric Abrahamsen <eric@ericabrahamsen.net>
>> Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2012 11:58:08 +0800
>> 
>> I use a lot of development versions of emacs packages (gnus, org, magit,
>> auctex, emms, etc), and keep them all under ~/.emacs.d. I've also got
>> ~/.emacs.d/info, where I symlink those packages' info files, then I add
>> it to the info directories like so:
>> 
>> (add-to-list 'Info-default-directory-list "~/.emacs.d/info")
>> 
>> This works, except that when I run `info' and it composes the main Info
>> directory, the info files of some of the packages (gnus, org) show up in
>> the directory listing, while others (magit, auctex, emms) don't.
>> 
>> I'm able to reach all of the symlinked info files via
>> `info-display-manual', so I know it's not a problem with the files
>> themselves, or the info reader. I've looked at the info files and, with
>> my limited understanding of info, can't see why one would make a
>> directory entry and another wouldn't.
>
> In your ~/.emacs.d/info directory, there should be a file named `dir'
> or `DIR'.  Its contents, and only its contents, are added to the main
> Info directory when Emacs composes it.  Emacs does not look at the
> info files themselves, just in the DIR files it finds in every
> directory that is in Info-default-directory-list.

Nope, there's nothing in there but the symlinked info files. Info is
definitely able to find them, though, so it doesn't seem like this is
the main problem.

>> I'm suspecting the `make' process: for all these packages I generally do
>> configure/make, but no "make install", and then add the lisp dirs, if
>> any, to my load path. My best guess is that something in the make
>> process adds a listing to the directory, and for some of the packages
>> that happens on "make", and for others on "make install". Should the
>> `install-info' command line command come into play at all?
>
> Yes, you should run install-info on every info file you add to your
> ~/.emacs.d/info directory (only the main info files count; e.g., if
> you have foo.info, foo.info-1, and foo.info-2, then only run
> install-info on foo.info).

Huh, that worked! I made my own DIR file and pointed install-info at it,
and everything worked okay except for bbdb.info, which apparently
contains "no info dir entry". I still wonder how the other packages were
able to list their info files, but no matter, this will do!

Thanks,
Eric

-- 
GNU Emacs 24.0.92.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.24.8)
 of 2011-12-29 on pellet

Re: local info files and top info directory

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 03.01.2012 um 11:34 schrieb Eric Abrahamsen:

> Huh, that worked! I made my own DIR file and pointed install-info at it,
> and everything worked okay except for bbdb.info, which apparently
> contains "no info dir entry". I still wonder how the other packages were
> able to list their info files, but no matter, this will do!

Because these files are recorded in some dir file(s) in other info directories?

You can add manually a BBDB line to the dir file.

--
Greetings

  Pete

Cabbage, n. A familiar kitchen-garden vegetable about as large and wise as a man's head.

Re: local info files and top info directory

[Jambunathan K]

Once you have compiled an org.texi file to org, you can visit it in info
using

C-u C-h i ~/src/org-mode/doc/org

The only pain here is: you need to know the path to the file upfront.
-- 

Re: local info files and top info directory

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Eric Abrahamsen <eric@ericabrahamsen.net>
> Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:34:35 +0800
> 
> > In your ~/.emacs.d/info directory, there should be a file named `dir'
> > or `DIR'.  Its contents, and only its contents, are added to the main
> > Info directory when Emacs composes it.  Emacs does not look at the
> > info files themselves, just in the DIR files it finds in every
> > directory that is in Info-default-directory-list.
> 
> Nope, there's nothing in there but the symlinked info files. Info is
> definitely able to find them, though, so it doesn't seem like this is
> the main problem.

Yes, it _is_ the main problem: since there was no DIR file there,
Emacs didn't have any place to collect the top-level menu entries
from, for those files whose symlinks you had in ~/.emacs.d/info.

Creating that DIR file solved the issue.

Re: local info files and top info directory

[Eric Abrahamsen]

On Tue, Jan 03 2012, Eli Zaretskii wrote:

>> From: Eric Abrahamsen <eric@ericabrahamsen.net>
>> Date: Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:34:35 +0800
>> 
>> > In your ~/.emacs.d/info directory, there should be a file named `dir'
>> > or `DIR'.  Its contents, and only its contents, are added to the main
>> > Info directory when Emacs composes it.  Emacs does not look at the
>> > info files themselves, just in the DIR files it finds in every
>> > directory that is in Info-default-directory-list.
>> 
>> Nope, there's nothing in there but the symlinked info files. Info is
>> definitely able to find them, though, so it doesn't seem like this is
>> the main problem.
>
> Yes, it _is_ the main problem: since there was no DIR file there,
> Emacs didn't have any place to collect the top-level menu entries
> from, for those files whose symlinks you had in ~/.emacs.d/info.
>
> Creating that DIR file solved the issue.

Got it, thanks. I also realized that, in a long-ago customization, I'd
added the gnus and org documentation directories to
Info-additional-directory-list, which apparently circumvents the need
for a DIR file (?); anyway, that's that mystery solved.

Thanks again,
E

-- 
GNU Emacs 24.0.92.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.24.8)
 of 2011-12-29 on pellet

Re: local info files and top info directory

[Peter Dyballa]

Am 03.01.2012 um 04:58 schrieb Eric Abrahamsen:

> This works, except that when I run `info' and it composes the main Info
> directory, the info files of some of the packages (gnus, org) show up in
> the directory listing, while others (magit, auctex, emms) don't.

You need to "register" the INFO files with the command install-info. Then the docs are recorded in a file named "dir" which the info-mode in GNU Emacs reads. What's not recorded is not visible, is not shown.

--
Greetings

  Pete

The light at the end of the tunnel has been turned off due to budget cuts.