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(texinfo)Preparing for TeX

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Preparing for TeX
=================

  TeX needs to know where to find the `texinfo.tex' file that the
`\input texinfo' command on the first line reads.  The `texinfo.tex'
file tells TeX how to handle @-commands; it is included in all standard
GNU distributions.

  Usually, the installer has put the `texinfo.tex' file in the default
directory that contains TeX macros when GNU Texinfo, Emacs or other GNU
software is installed.  In this case, TeX will find the file and you do
not need to do anything special.  If this has not been done, you can
put `texinfo.tex' in the current directory when you run TeX, and TeX
will find it there.

  Also, you should install `epsf.tex', if it is not already installed
from another distribution.  More details are at the end of the
description of the `@image' command (Note: Images).

  Likewise for `pdfcolor.tex', if it is not already installed and you
use pdftex.

  Optionally, you may create an additional `texinfo.cnf', and install
it as well.  This file is read by TeX when the `@setfilename' command
is executed (Note: `@setfilename'.).  You can put any
commands you like there, according to local site-wide conventions.  They
will be read by TeX when processing any Texinfo document.  For example,
if `texinfo.cnf' contains the line `@afourpaper' (Note: A4 Paper),
then all Texinfo documents will be processed with that page size in
effect.  If you have nothing to put in `texinfo.cnf', you do not need
to create it.

  If neither of the above locations for these system files suffice for
you, you can specify the directories explicitly.  For `texinfo.tex',
you can do this by writing the complete path for the file after the
`\input' command.  Another way, that works for both `texinfo.tex' and
`texinfo.cnf' (and any other file TeX might read), is to set the
`TEXINPUTS' environment variable in your `.cshrc' or `.profile' file.

  Which you use of `.cshrc' or `.profile' depends on whether you use a
Bourne shell-compatible (`sh', `bash', `ksh', ...) or C
shell-compatible (`csh', `tcsh') command interpreter.  The latter read
the `.cshrc' file for initialization information, and the former read
`.profile'.

  In a `.cshrc' file, you could use the following `csh' command
sequence:

     setenv TEXINPUTS .:/home/me/mylib:/usr/lib/tex/macros

  In a `.profile' file, you could use the following `sh' command
sequence:

     TEXINPUTS=.:/home/me/mylib:/usr/lib/tex/macros
     export TEXINPUTS

  On MS-DOS/MS-Windows, you would say it like this(1) (Note: Preparing
for TeX-Footnote-1):

     set TEXINPUTS=.;d:/home/me/mylib;c:/usr/lib/tex/macros

It is customary for DOS/Windows users to put such commands in the
`autoexec.bat' file, or in the Windows Registry.

These settings would cause TeX to look for `\input' file first in the
current directory, indicated by the `.', then in a hypothetical user's
`me/mylib' directory, and finally in a system directory
`/usr/lib/tex/macros'.

  Finally, you may wish to dump a `.fmt' file (*note Memory dumps:
(web2c)Memory dumps.) so that TeX can load Texinfo faster.  (The
disadvantage is that then updating `texinfo.tex' requires redumping.)
You can do this by running this command, assuming `epsf.tex' is
findable by TeX:

     initex texinfo @dump

  (`dump' is a TeX primitive.)  Then, move `texinfo.fmt' to wherever
your `.fmt' files are found; typically, this will be in the
subdirectory `web2c' of your TeX installation.