ginstall-info

As ginstall-info is not a standard command with its own manual page, there is no universal synopsis. However, if it functions as a wrapper for the standard install-info command, its underlying invocation would typically resemble:

install-info [OPTION]... INFO-FILE [NODE]

--add
    Adds the specified Info file to the Info directory. This is the default action if not specified.

--remove
    Removes the specified Info file from the Info directory and its entry from the `dir` file.

--delete
    An older alias for --remove.

--info-dir=DIR
    Specifies the root directory where Info files are stored (e.g., `/usr/share/info`).

--locale=LOCALE
    Specifies the locale for the Info file being installed or removed, allowing for language-specific documentation.

--section=SECTION
    Assigns the Info file to a specific section within the `dir` file, organizing the documentation.

--entry-description=DESCRIPTION
    Provides a custom description for the Info file's entry in the `dir` file.

--dry-run
    Shows what actions would be performed without actually modifying the system.

--quiet
    Suppresses most output during the operation.

--version
    Displays version information for the `install-info` utility and exits.

--help
    Displays a help message for the `install-info` utility and exits.

The command ginstall-info is not a standard, standalone executable found in most Linux distributions or official documentation. Its name strongly suggests a connection to the GNU Project and specifically the install-info command, which is a standard utility used to add or remove documentation files in the GNU Info format from the system's Info directory and update the `dir` file (the master directory of Info nodes).

The 'g' prefix likely signifies its association with GNU software, such as components of the GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) or other GNU tools. It is commonly encountered within build systems (e.g., Makefiles generated by GNU Autotools) where it acts as a target or an internal script that wraps or calls the standard install-info utility with parameters specific to the documentation being installed for that particular GNU package.

ginstall-info is not a standard, user-executable command found in the system's PATH. Attempting to run it directly or look up a manual page for `ginstall-info` will typically result in an error indicating the command is not found. If encountered, it is almost certainly a part of a software's build or installation script, specifically designed to manage its documentation using the underlying install-info utility. Users should refer to the specific project's documentation or Makefile for details on its exact function and parameters within that context. The parameters listed above are for the standard install-info command, which ginstall-info likely invokes.

In many GNU-style software projects that use Autotools (Autoconf and Automake), targets like `install-info` or custom-named targets (e.g., `ginstall-info`) are often generated in the project's `Makefile`. When a user runs `make install`, these targets ensure that the project's Info documentation is properly installed and registered on the system, making it accessible via the `info` reader. This abstraction allows developers to integrate Info documentation installation seamlessly into their build process without requiring users to manually run `install-info`.

The utility for managing GNU Info documentation, install-info, has been a fundamental part of the GNU Texinfo package (which provides tools for creating, reading, and managing Info files) for many years, dating back to the early days of the GNU Project. The appearance of a name like ginstall-info does not signify a separate utility with its own development history, but rather reflects the integration of install-info into GNU software's build and installation processes. It often serves as an internal or aliased call within Makefiles (e.g., `make install-info` or a custom `make` target) to ensure that the Info documentation for specific GNU components (like GCC, GDB, etc.) is correctly registered with the system's Info directory during installation.

install-info(1), info(1), dir(5), make(1), g++(1), autoconf(1), automake(1)