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Miscellaneous Commands

GNU info contains several commands which self-document GNU info as the following discussions help to clarify.

M-x (describe-command)

Reads the name of an info command in the echo area and then displays a brief description of what that command does.

M-x (describe-key)

Reads a key sequence in the echo area, and then displays the name and documentation of the info command which a given key sequence invokes.

M-x (describe-variable)

Reads the name of a variable in the echo area and then displays a brief description of what the variable affects.

M-x (where-is)

Reads the name of an info command in the echo area, and then displays a key sequence which can be typed in order to invoke that command.

C-h (get-help-window)
?

Creates (or moves into) the window displaying *Help*, and places 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)

Tries hard to visit the node, (info)Help. The info file, ‘info.texi,’ distributed with GNU info , contains this node. Of course, the file must first be processed with makeinfo, and then placed into the location of your info directory.

The following are the commands for creating a numeric argument.

C-u (universal-argument)

Starts (or multiplies 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.

M-1 (add-digit-to-numeric-arg)
M-2... M-9

Adds 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 M prefix. For example, you might give C-1 a numeric argument of 32 by using the keystroke sequence, C-u, 3, 2, C-1 or M-3, 2, C-1.

C-g (abort-key)

Cancels current operation. 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.

q (quit)

Exits info.

If the operating system tells info that the screen is 60 lines tall, and it is actually only 40 lines tall, the following is a way to tell info that the operating system is correct.

M-x set-screen-height

Reads a height value in the echo area and sets the height of the displayed screen to that value.

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)

Shows 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 in Manipulating Variables.