infokey

infokey [-v] [-o FILE] [-d] [-h] [-V] infokeyfile

-d, --dump
    Dump internal translation tables to stdout for debugging.

-h, --help
    Display usage summary and exit.

-o, --output=FILE
    Write output to FILE instead of default infokey.

-V, --version
    Print version information and exit.

-v
    Enable verbose output (repeat for more detail).

infokey is a utility from the GNU Texinfo suite that converts a plain-text file of key bindings into a binary format loadable by the standalone info program. This enables customized keyboard shortcuts for navigating Info documentation without altering Info's source code.

The input file uses a simple Lisp-inspired syntax. Each line defines a binding, such as:
"\C-x \C-c" => "Info-exit"
or
info-mode: ?h => "Info-goto-node".
Keys are specified with escape sequences like \C- for Ctrl, \< for meta, or ?? for function keys. infokey parses these, resolving names to Info commands, and outputs a compact binary file (default: infokey in current directory).

Info loads these files from directories in INFOPATH or $prefix/share/info. It's ideal for site-wide customizations, like redefining keys for Emacs-like navigation. Errors in syntax produce no output and stderr warnings. Primarily used on Unix-like systems with GNU tools.

Input file syntax is strict; invalid lines are ignored with warnings. No output produced on fatal parse errors. Binary files are not portable across architectures.

Basic: "\C-c" => "Info-top-node"
Mode-specific: info-mode: ?f => "Info-menu"
Quoted args: "\<ESC> o" => "Info-index"
Comments start with ;.

Typically in /usr/bin/infokey; requires Texinfo package. Output files go in Info dir path for auto-loading.

Introduced in GNU Texinfo 3.12 (1998) as part of efforts to support customizable standalone Info readers, separate from Emacs Info-mode. Evolved with Texinfo to version 7.x, emphasizing binary efficiency over text parsing at runtime.

info(1), texinfo(1), dir(5)