GNU Info

(info-stnd.info)Searching Commands

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Searching an Info File
**********************

   GNU Info allows you to search for a sequence of characters
throughout an entire Info file, search through the indices of an Info
file, or find areas within an Info file which discuss a particular
topic.

<s> (`search')
</>
     Read a string in the echo area and search for it.  If the string
     includes upper-case characters, the Info file is searched
     case-sensitively; otherwise Info ignores the letter case.  With a
     numeric argument of N, search for Nth occurrence of the string.
     Negative arguments search backwards.

<?> (`search-backward', vi-like operation)
     Read a string in the echo area and search backward through the
     Info file for that string.  If the string includes upper-case
     characters, the Info file is searched case-sensitively; otherwise
     Info ignores the letter case.  With a numeric argument of N,
     search for Nth occurrence of the string.  Negative arguments
     search forward.

<S> (`search-case-sensitively'
     Read a string in the echo area and search for it case-sensitively,
     even if the string includes only lower-case letters.  With a
     numeric argument of N, search for Nth occurrence of the string.
     Negative arguments search backwards.

`C-x <n>' (`search-next')
<n>, vi-like operation
     Search for the same string used in the last search command, in the
     same direction, and with the same case-sensitivity option.  With a
     numeric argument of N, search for Nth next occurrence.

`C-x <N>' (`search-previous')
<N>, vi-like operation
     Search for the same string used in the last search command, and
     with the same case-sensitivity option, but in the reverse
     direction.  With a numeric argument of N, search for Nth previous
     occurrence.

<C-s> (`isearch-forward')
     Interactively search forward through the Info file for a string as
     you type it.  If the string includes upper-case characters, the
     search is case-sensitive; otherwise Info ignores the letter case.

<C-r> (`isearch-backward')
     Interactively search backward through the Info file for a string as
     you type it.  If the string includes upper-case characters, the
     search is case-sensitive; otherwise Info ignores the letter case.

<i> (`index-search')
     Look up a string in the indices for this Info file, and select a
     node where the found index entry points to.

<,> (`next-index-match')
     Move to the node containing the next matching index item from the
     last `i' command.

`M-x index-apropos'
     Grovel the indices of all the known Info files on your system for a
     string, and build a menu of the possible matches.

   The most basic searching command is `s' or `/' (`search').  The `s'
command prompts you for a string in the echo area, and then searches
the remainder of the Info file for an occurrence of that string.  If
the string is found, the node containing it is selected, and the cursor
is left positioned at the start of the found string.  Subsequent `s'
commands show you the default search string within `[' and `]';
pressing <RET> instead of typing a new string will use the default
search string.  Under `--vi-keys' (Note: --vi-keys), using the `n' or
`N' commands is a faster way of searching for the same string.

   "Incremental searching" is similar to basic searching, but the
string is looked up while you are typing it, instead of waiting until
the entire search string has been specified.

   Both incremental and non-incremental search by default ignore the
case of letters when comparing the Info file text with the search
string.  However, an uppercase letter in the search string makes the
search case-sensitive.  You can force a case-sensitive non-incremental
search, even for a string that includes only lower-case letters, by
using the `S' command (`search-case-sensitively').  The `n' and `N'
commands operate case-sensitively if the last search command was `S'.

   The most efficient means of finding something quickly in a manual is
the `i' command (`index-search').  This command prompts for a string,
and then looks for that string in all the indices of the current Info
manual.  If it finds a matching index entry, it displays the node to
which that entry refers and prints the full text of the entry in the
echo area.  You can press `,' (`next-index-match') to find more
matches.  A good Info manual has all of its important concepts indexed,
so the `i' command lets you use a manual as a reference.

   If you don't know what manual documents something, try the `M-x
index-apropos'.  It prompts for a string and then looks up that string
in all the indices of all the Info documents installed on your system.
It can also be invoked from the command line; see Note: --apropos.