{{tag>info man}}
====== info ======

===== GNU Info System =====
The next source of Linux documentation is the GNU Info System.

This is the GNU project's standard documentation format (//info//) which it prefers as an alternative to //man//. The info system is more free-form and supports linked sub-sections.

Functionally, the GNU Info System resembles //man// in many ways. However, topics are connected using links (even though its design predates the World Wide Web). Information can be viewed through either a command line interface, a graphical help utility, printed or viewed online.


===== Command Line Info Browser =====
Typing //info// with no arguments in a terminal window displays an index of available topics. You can browse through the topic list using the regular movement keys: **arrows**, **Page Up**, and **Page Down**
.
You can view help for a particular topic by typing //info <topic name>//. The  system then searches for the topic in all available info files.
Some useful keys are: **q** to quit, **h** for help, and **Enter** to select a menu item.


===== info Page Structure =====
The topic which you view in the info page is called a node.

Nodes are similar to sections and subsections in written documentation. You can move between nodes or view each node sequentially. Each node may contain **menus** and linked subtopics, or **items**.

Items can be compared to Internet hyperlinks. They are identified by an asterisk <nowiki>(***)</nowiki> at the beginning of the item name. Named items (outside a menu) are identified with double-colons <nowiki>(::**)</nowiki> at the end of the item name. Items can refer to other nodes within the file or to other files. 

The table lists the basic keystrokes for moving between nodes.

| **Key**  | **Function**                   |
| n        | Go to the next node            |
| p        | Go to the previous node        |
| u        | Move one node up in the index  |