Customizing Info-mode in Emacs: Text Width and Alignment

Customizing Info-mode in Emacs: Text Width and Alignment

[Bartosz Kaczyński]

Hi all,

I've been using Emacs for a while and recently started delving deeper
into Info-mode. While I find it incredibly useful for reading
documentation, I noticed that there seems to be no built-in
functionality for customizing the text view, such as adjusting text
width or alignment.

Is there any way to modify the text width or align the text within
Info-mode? Are there any packages or configurations that allow for such
customizations? I would appreciate any guidance or suggestions on this
matter.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Re: Customizing Info-mode in Emacs: Text Width and Alignment

[Gregor Zattler]

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Hi Bartosz, Emacs users,
* Bartosz Kaczyński <bkaczynski@posteo.net> [2024-09-24; 13:22 GMT]:
> I've been using Emacs for a while and recently started delving deeper
> into Info-mode. While I find it incredibly useful for reading
> documentation, I noticed that there seems to be no built-in
> functionality for customizing the text view, such as adjusting text
> width or alignment.
>
> Is there any way to modify the text
> width 

I use the attached patch for narrower
info pages while building Emacs from
sources, also to force single file info
documents.

> or align the text within Info-mode?

I have no idea, I'm happy with
left-flushed text alignment of info
documentation.

Ciao; Gregor 


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diff --git a/doc/emacs/Makefile.in b/doc/emacs/Makefile.in
index a24c03ead3..bcab3865ee 100644
--- a/doc/emacs/Makefile.in
+++ b/doc/emacs/Makefile.in
@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ INSTALL_DATA =
 # The makeinfo program is part of the Texinfo distribution.
 # Use --force so that it generates output even if there are errors.
 MAKEINFO = @MAKEINFO@
-MAKEINFO_OPTS = --force --enable-encoding -I $(srcdir)
+MAKEINFO_OPTS = --no-split --fill-column=72 --no-split --fill-column=72 --force --enable-encoding -I $(srcdir)

 TEXI2DVI = texi2dvi
 TEXI2PDF = texi2pdf
diff --git a/doc/lispintro/Makefile.in b/doc/lispintro/Makefile.in
index 42e6d2c1c8..34ec411f8c 100644
--- a/doc/lispintro/Makefile.in
+++ b/doc/lispintro/Makefile.in
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ INSTALL =
 INSTALL_DATA = @INSTALL_DATA@

 MAKEINFO = @MAKEINFO@
-MAKEINFO_OPTS = --force -I $(emacsdir) -I $(srcdir)
+MAKEINFO_OPTS = --no-split --fill-column=72 --no-split --fill-column=72 --force -I $(emacsdir) -I $(srcdir)
 TEXI2DVI = texi2dvi
 TEXI2PDF = texi2pdf
 DVIPS = dvips
diff --git a/doc/lispref/Makefile.in b/doc/lispref/Makefile.in
index 8a61adf232..3f762adfdf 100644
--- a/doc/lispref/Makefile.in
+++ b/doc/lispref/Makefile.in
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ INSTALL =
 INSTALL_DATA = @INSTALL_DATA@

 MAKEINFO = @MAKEINFO@
-MAKEINFO_OPTS = --force --enable-encoding -I $(emacsdir) -I $(srcdir)
+MAKEINFO_OPTS = --no-split --fill-column=72 --no-split --fill-column=72 --force --enable-encoding -I $(emacsdir) -I $(srcdir)
 TEXI2DVI = texi2dvi
 TEXI2PDF = texi2pdf
 DVIPS = dvips
diff --git a/doc/misc/Makefile.in b/doc/misc/Makefile.in
index b6eef7ea79..7b11d972de 100644
--- a/doc/misc/Makefile.in
+++ b/doc/misc/Makefile.in
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ INSTALL_DATA =
 # Use --force so that it generates output even if there are errors.
 # (TODO?  Why is this appropriate?)
 MAKEINFO = @MAKEINFO@
-MAKEINFO_OPTS = --force -I$(emacsdir)
+MAKEINFO_OPTS = --no-split --fill-column=72 --no-split --fill-column=72 --force -I$(emacsdir)

 ## On MS Windows, efaq-w32; otherwise blank.
 DOCMISC_W32 = @DOCMISC_W32@

Re: Customizing Info-mode in Emacs: Text Width and Alignment

[Eli Zaretskii]

> From: Bartosz Kaczyński <bkaczynski@posteo.net>
> Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2024 13:22:38 +0000
> 
> I've been using Emacs for a while and recently started delving deeper
> into Info-mode. While I find it incredibly useful for reading
> documentation, I noticed that there seems to be no built-in
> functionality for customizing the text view, such as adjusting text
> width or alignment.
> 
> Is there any way to modify the text width or align the text within
> Info-mode? Are there any packages or configurations that allow for such
> customizations? I would appreciate any guidance or suggestions on this
> matter.

Info files are produced by the 'makeinfo' program which also fills and
adjusts the text as part of its job.  So realigning and readjusting it
for a different width will not be trivial, since the Texinfo
directives which guide some important parts of that are gone -- they
are processed by 'makeinfo' and then thrown away, not ending up in the
produced Info file.

You may have a better starting point if you work with the HTML output
of 'makeinfo', not with Info output.  Not sure that will make sense in
the context in which you wanted this.