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21.2.5 Invoking install-info

install-info inserts menu entries from an Info file into the top-level dir file in the Info system (see the previous sections for an explanation of how the dir file works). It's most often run as part of software installation, or when constructing a dir file for all manuals on a system. Synopsis:

     install-info [option]... [info-file [dir-file]]

If info-file or dir-file are not specified, the options (described below) that define them must be. There are no compile-time defaults, and standard input is never used. install-info can read only one Info file and write only one dir file per invocation.

If dir-file (however specified) does not exist, install-info creates it if possible (with no entries).

If any input file is compressed with gzip (see Invoking gzip), install-info automatically uncompresses it for reading. And if dir-file is compressed, install-info also automatically leaves it compressed after writing any changes. If dir-file itself does not exist, install-info tries to open dir-file.gz.

Options:

--delete
Delete the entries in info-file from dir-file. The file name in the entry in dir-file must be info-file (except for an optional `.info' in either one). Don't insert any new entries.
--dir-file=name
-d name
Specify file name of the Info directory file. This is equivalent to using the dir-file argument.
--entry=text
-e text
Insert text as an Info directory entry; text should have the form of an Info menu item line plus zero or more extra lines starting with whitespace. If you specify more than one entry, they are all added. If you don't specify any entries, they are determined from information in the Info file itself.
--help
-h
Display a usage message listing basic usage and all available options, then exit successfully.
--info-file=file
-i file
Specify Info file to install in the directory. Equivalent to using the info-file argument.
--info-dir=dir
-D dir
Specify the directory where the directory file dir resides. Equivalent to `--dir-file=dir/dir'.
--item=text
Same as `--entry=text'. An Info directory entry is actually a menu item.
--quiet
Suppress warnings.
--remove
-r
Same as `--delete'.
--section=sec
-s sec
Put this file's entries in section sec of the directory. If you specify more than one section, all the entries are added in each of the sections. If you don't specify any sections, they are determined from information in the Info file itself.
--version
-V
Display version information and exit successfully.