install-info

install-info [--dir-file DIRFILE] [--info-file INFOFILE] [--entry MENUENTRY] [--delete] [--section SECTION] [--help] [--version]

--dir-file DIRFILE
    Specify the Info directory file to update. Defaults to /usr/share/info/dir.

--info-file INFOFILE
    Specify the Info file to install or delete. This file contains the documentation to be indexed.

--entry MENUENTRY
    Specify the menu entry to be added to the Info directory file. This is the name that will appear in the Info menu.

--delete
    Delete the specified Info file and its menu entry from the Info directory file.

--section SECTION
    Specify the section to install the info file into.

--help
    Display help information and exit.

--version
    Display version information and exit.

The install-info command updates the index file used by the standalone GNU Info program. It adds or removes entries pointing to Info files, allowing Info to quickly locate and display documentation. Info files typically contain information about GNU software packages.

install-info reads a special file, often named 'dir' (or specified via the --dir-file option), that contains a list of Info file names and menu entries. It then updates the specified Info directory file (often /usr/share/info/dir) by adding or removing entries that link the named Info files to the specified menu items. This allows Info to quickly locate and display the relevant documentation. If the dir file is not specified or present then the command deletes the manual page specified in the info file.

This tool is critical for maintaining a well-organized and easily searchable collection of software documentation accessible through the Info reader.

1. Installing an Info File:
install-info --dir-file /usr/share/info/dir --info-file mypackage.info --entry "My Package"

This command adds an entry named "My Package" to the /usr/share/info/dir file, pointing to the documentation located in mypackage.info.

2. Deleting an Info File:
install-info --dir-file /usr/share/info/dir --info-file mypackage.info --delete

This command removes the entry for mypackage.info from the /usr/share/info/dir file.

3. Installing an Info file with sections
install-info --dir-file /usr/share/info/dir --info-file mypackage.info --section PackageGroup --entry "My Package"

This command adds an entry named "My Package" inside PackageGroup to the /usr/share/info/dir file, pointing to the documentation located in mypackage.info.

info(1), makeinfo(1)