texinfo: @definfoenclose

Defining New Texinfo Commands

External Macro Processors

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19.5 '@definfoenclose': Customized Highlighting
===============================================

An '@definfoenclose' command may be used to define a highlighting
command for all the non-TeX output formats.  A command defined using
'@definfoenclose' marks text by enclosing it in strings that precede and
follow the text.  You can use this to get closer control of your output.

  Presumably, if you define a command with '@definfoenclose', you will
create a corresponding command for TeX, either in 'texinfo.tex',
'texinfo.cnf', or within an '@iftex' of '@tex' in your document.

  Write an '@definfoenclose' command at the beginning of a line followed
by three comma-separated arguments.  The first argument to
'@definfoenclose' is the @-command name (without the '@'); the second
argument is the start delimiter string; and the third argument is the
end delimiter string.  The latter two arguments enclose the highlighted
text in the output.

  A delimiter string may contain spaces.  Neither the start nor end
delimiter is required.  If you do not want a start delimiter but do want
an end delimiter, you must follow the command name with two commas in a
row; otherwise, the end delimiter string you intended will naturally be
(mis)interpreted as the start delimiter string.

  If you do an '@definfoenclose' on the name of a predefined command
(such as '@emph', '@strong', '@t', or '@i'), the enclosure definition
will override the built-in definition.  We don't recommend this.

  An enclosure command defined this way takes one argument in braces,
since it is intended for new markup commands (Note: Marking Text).

  For example, you can write:

     @definfoenclose phoo,//,\\

near the beginning of a Texinfo file to define '@phoo' as an Info
formatting command that inserts '//' before and '\\' after the argument
to '@phoo'.  You can then write '@phoo{bar}' wherever you want '//bar\\'
highlighted in Info.

  For TeX formatting, you could write

     @iftex
     @global@let@phoo=@i
     @end iftex

to define '@phoo' as a command that causes TeX to typeset the argument
to '@phoo' in italics.

  Each definition applies to its own formatter: one for TeX, the other
for everything else.  The raw TeX commands need to be in '@iftex'.
'@definfoenclose' command need not be within '@ifinfo', unless you want
to use different definitions for different output formats.

  Here is another example: write

     @definfoenclose headword, , :

near the beginning of the file, to define '@headword' as an Info
formatting command that inserts nothing before and a colon after the
argument to '@headword'.

  '@definfoenclose' definitions must not be recursive, directly or
indirectly.