16.2 Definition Command Continuation Lines

The heading line of a definition command can get very long. Therefore, Texinfo has a special syntax allowing them to be continued over multiple lines of the source file: a lone `@' at the end of each line to be continued. Here's an example:

     @defun fn-name @
       arg1 arg2 arg3
     This is the basic continued defun.
     @end defun

produces:

As you can see, the continued lines are combined, as if they had been typed on one source line.

Although this example only shows a one-line continuation, continuations may extend over any number of lines; simply put an @ at the end of each line to be continued.

The @ character does not have to be the last character on the physical line: whitespace is allowed (and ignored) afterwards.

In general, any number of spaces or tabs around the @ continuation character, both on the line with the @ and on the continued line, are collapsed into a single space. There is one exception: the Texinfo processors will not fully collapse whitespace around a continuation inside braces. For example:

     @deffn {Category @
       Name} ...

The output (not shown) has excess space between `Category' and `Name'. In this case, simply elide any unwanted whitespace in your input, or put the continuation @ outside braces.

@ does not (currently) function as a continuation character in any other context. Ordinarily, `@' followed by a whitespace character (space, tab, newline) produces a normal interword space (see Multiple Spaces).