6 Nodes

Nodes are the primary segments of a Texinfo file. They do not in and of themselves impose a hierarchical or any other kind of structure on a file. Nodes contain node pointers that name other nodes, and can contain menus which are lists of nodes. In Info, the movement commands can carry you to a pointed-to node or to a node listed in a menu.

Node pointers and menus provide structure for Info files just as chapters, sections, subsections, and the like, provide structure for printed books.

Because node names are used in cross-references, it is not desirable to casually change them. Such name changes invalidate references from other manuals, from mail archives, and so on.

• Two Paths: Different commands to structure Info output and printed output.
• Node Menu Illustration: A diagram, and sample nodes and menus.
• node: Creating nodes, in detail.
• makeinfo Pointer Creation: Letting makeinfo determine node pointers.
• anchor: Defining arbitrary cross-reference targets.