Six Parts of a Texinfo File

Generally, a Texinfo file contains more than the minimal beginning and end described in the previous section--it usually contains the six parts listed below. These are described fully in the following sections.

1. Header

The Header names the file, tells TeX which definitions file to use, and other such housekeeping tasks.

2. Summary and Copyright

The Summary and Copyright segment describes the document and contains the copyright notice and copying permissions. This is done with the @copying command.

3. Title and Copyright

The Title and Copyright segment contains the title and copyright pages for the printed manual. The segment must be enclosed between @titlepage and @end titlepage commands. The title and copyright page appear only in the printed manual.

4. `Top' Node and Master Menu

The `Top' node starts off the online output; it does not appear in the printed manual. We recommend including the copying permissions here as well as the segments above. And it contains at least a top-level menu listing the chapters, and possibly a Master Menu listing all the nodes in the entire document.

5. Body

The Body of the document is typically structured like a traditional book or encyclopedia, but it may be free form.

6. End

The End segment contains commands for printing indices and generating the table of contents, and the @bye command on a line of its own.