The end of a Texinfo file should include commands to create indices and
(usually) to generate detailed and summary tables of contents. And it
must include the @bye command that marks the last line processed
by TeX.
For example:
@node Concept Index, , Variables Index, Top @c node-name, next, previous, up @unnumbered Concept Index @printindex cp @contents @bye
To print an index means to include it as part of a manual or Info
file. This does not happen automatically just because you use
@cindex or other index-entry generating commands in the
Texinfo file; those just cause the raw data for the index to be
accumulated. To generate an index, you must include the
@printindex command at the place in the document where you
want the index to appear. Also, as part of the process of creating a
printed manual, you must run a program called texindex
(see section 19. Formatting and Printing Hardcopy) to sort the raw data to produce a sorted
index file. The sorted index file is what is actually used to
print the index.
Texinfo offers six different types of predefined index: the concept index, the function index, the variables index, the keystroke index, the program index, and the data type index (see section 12.2 Predefined Indices). Each index type has a two-letter name: `cp', `fn', `vr', `ky', `pg', and `tp'. You may merge indices, or put them into separate sections (see section 12.4 Combining Indices); or you may define your own indices (see section 12.5 Defining New Indices).
The @printindex command takes a two-letter index name, reads
the corresponding sorted index file and formats it appropriately into
an index.
The @printindex command does not generate a chapter heading
for the index. Consequently, you should precede the
@printindex command with a suitable section or chapter command
(usually @unnumbered) to supply the chapter heading and put
the index into the table of contents. Precede the @unnumbered
command with an @node line.
For example:
@node Variable Index, Concept Index, Function Index, Top @comment node-name, next, previous, up @unnumbered Variable Index @printindex vr @node Concept Index, , Variable Index, Top @comment node-name, next, previous, up @unnumbered Concept Index @printindex cp
Readers often prefer that the concept index come last in a book,
since that makes it easiest to find. Having just one index helps
readers also, since then they have only one place to look
(see section 12.4.2 @synindex).
The @chapter, @section, and other structuring commands
supply the information to make up a table of contents, but they do not
cause an actual table to appear in the manual. To do this, you must use
the @contents and/or @summarycontents command(s).
@contents
@heading
series of commands do not appear in the table of contents.)
@shortcontents
@summarycontents
@summarycontents is a synonym for @shortcontents; the
two commands are exactly the same.)
Generate a short or summary table of contents that lists only the
chapters (and appendices and unnumbered chapters). Omit sections, subsections
and subsubsections. Only a long manual needs a short table
of contents in addition to the full table of contents.
Both contents commands should be written on a line by themselves.
The contents commands automatically generate a chapter-like heading at
the top of the first table of contents page, so don't include any
sectioning command such as @unnumbered before them.
Since an Info file uses menus instead of tables of contents, the Info
formatting commands ignore the contents commands. But the contents are
included in plain text output (generated by makeinfo --no-headers).
The contents commands can be placed either at the very end of the file,
after any indices (see the previous section) and just before the
@bye (see the next section), or near the beginning of the file,
after the @end titlepage (see section 3.5.1 @titlepage). The advantage to
the former is that then the contents output is always up to date,
because it reflects the processing just done. The advantage to the
latter is that the contents are printed in the proper place, thus you do
not need to rearrange the DVI file with @command{dviselect} or shuffle
paper. However, contents commands at the beginning of the document are
ignored when outputting to standard output.
As an author, you can put the contents commands wherever you prefer.
But if you are a user simply printing a manual, you may wish to print
the contents after the title page even if the author put the contents
commands at the end of the document (as is the case in most existing
Texinfo documents). You can do this by specifying
@setcontentsaftertitlepage and/or
@setshortcontentsaftertitlepage. The first prints only the main
contents after the @end titlepage; the second prints both the
short contents and the main contents. In either case, any subsequent
@contents or @shortcontents is ignored (unless no
@end titlepage is ever encountered).
You need to include the @set...contentsaftertitlepage
commands early in the document (just after @setfilename, for
example). Or, if you're using @command{texi2dvi} (see section 19.3 Format with @code{texi2dvi}), you can use its @option{--texinfo} option to specify this
without altering the source file at all. For example:
texi2dvi --texinfo=@setshortcontentsaftertitlepage foo.texi
@bye File Ending
An @bye command terminates TeX or Info formatting. None of
the formatting commands see any of the file following @bye.
The @bye command should be on a line by itself.
If you wish, you may follow the @bye line with notes. These notes
will not be formatted and will not appear in either Info or a printed
manual; it is as if text after @bye were within @ignore
... @end ignore. Also, you may follow the @bye line
with a local variables list. See section 19.7 Using the Local Variables List, for more information.
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