texinfo: GNU Sample Texts

Sample Texinfo Files

Verbatim Copying License

Short Sample Texinfo File

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C.2 GNU Sample Texts
====================

Following is a sample Texinfo document with the full texts that should
be used (adapted as necessary) in GNU manuals.

  As well as the legal texts, it also serves as a practical example of
how many elements in a GNU system can affect the manual.  If you're not
familiar with all these different elements, don't worry.  They're not
required and a perfectly good manual can be written without them.
They're included here nonetheless because many manuals do (or could)
benefit from them.

  Note: Short Sample, for a minimal example of a Texinfo file.  Note:
Beginning a File, for a full explanation of that minimal example.

  Here are some notes on the example:

   * The '$Id:' comment is for the CVS (Note: (cvs)Top), RCS (Note:
     (rcs)Top) and other version control systems, which expand it into
     a string such as:

          $Id: texinfo.txi 5232 2013-03-11 18:31:12Z karl $

     (This is potentially useful in all sources that use version
     control, not just manuals.)  You may wish to include the '$Id:'
     comment in the '@copying' text, if you want a completely
     unambiguous reference to the documentation source version.

     If you want to literally write $Id$, use '@w': '@w{$}Id$'.
     Unfortunately, this technique does not work in plain text output,
     where it's not clear what should be done.

   * The 'version.texi' in the '@include' command is maintained
     automatically by Automake (Note: (automake)Top).  It sets the
     'VERSION' and 'UPDATED' values used elsewhere.  If your
     distribution doesn't use Automake, but you do use Emacs, you may
     find the time-stamp.el package helpful (Note: (emacs)Time
     Stamps).

   * The '@syncodeindex' command reflects the recommendation to use only
     one index where possible, to make it easier for readers to look up
     index entries.

   * The '@dircategory' is for constructing the Info directory.  Note:
     Installing Dir Entries, which includes a variety of recommended
     category names.

   * The 'Invoking' node is a GNU standard to help users find the basic
     information about command-line usage of a given program.  Note:
     (standards)Manual Structure Details.

   * It is best to include the entire GNU Free Documentation License in
     a GNU manual, unless the manual is only a few pages long.  Of
     course this sample is even shorter than that, but it includes the
     FDL anyway in order to show one conventional way to do so.  The
     'fdl.texi' file is available on the GNU machines and in the Texinfo
     and other GNU source distributions.

     The FDL provides for omitting itself under certain conditions, but
     in that case the sample texts given here have to be modified.
     Note: GNU Free Documentation License.

   * If the FSF is not the copyright holder, then use the appropriate
     name.

   * If your manual is published on paper by the FSF or is longer than
     400 pages, you should include the standard FSF cover texts (Note:
     (maintain)License Notices for Documentation).

   * For documents that express your personal views, feelings or
     experiences, it is more appropriate to use a license permitting
     only verbatim copying, rather than the FDL.  Note: Verbatim Copying
     License.

  Here is the sample document:

\input texinfo   @c -*-texinfo-*-
@comment $Id@w{$}
@comment %**start of header
@setfilename sample.info
@include version.texi
@settitle GNU Sample @value{VERSION}
@syncodeindex pg cp
@comment %**end of header
@copying
This manual is for GNU Sample (version @value{VERSION}, @value{UPDATED}),
which is an example in the Texinfo documentation.

Copyright @copyright{} 2013 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

@quotation
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover
Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the section entitled
``GNU Free Documentation License''.
@end quotation
@end copying

@dircategory Texinfo documentation system
@direntry
 sample

@end direntry

@titlepage
@title GNU Sample
@subtitle for version @value{VERSION}, @value{UPDATED}
@author A.U. Thor (@email{bug-sample@@gnu.org})
@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying
@end titlepage

@contents

@ifnottex
@node Top
@top GNU Sample

This manual is for GNU Sample (version @value{VERSION}, @value{UPDATED}).
@end ifnottex

@menu
 Invoking sample

 GNU Free Documentation License

 Index

@end menu


@node Invoking sample
@chapter Invoking sample

@pindex sample
@cindex invoking @command{sample}

This is a sample manual.  There is no sample program to
invoke, but if there were, you could see its basic usage
and command line options here.


@node GNU Free Documentation License
@appendix GNU Free Documentation License

@include fdl.texi


@node Index
@unnumbered Index

@printindex cp

@bye