2.10.1 Parts of a Master Menu

A master menu is the main menu. It is customary to include a detailed menu listing all the nodes in the document in this menu. Like any other menu, a master menu is enclosed in @menu and @end menu and does not appear in the printed output nor in DocBook output.

The master menu contains entries for the major nodes in the Texinfo file: the nodes for the chapters, chapter-like sections, and the appendices, followed by nodes for the indices.

You may choose to follow these entries with a detailed menu. This lists other, lower-level nodes, often ordered by chapter. These items may be a convenience for an inquirer who can go directly to a particular node when searching for specific information, rather than going through an intermediate menu. If you use a detailed menu in your master menu, mark it with the @detailmenu … @end detailmenu environment.

Each section in the menu can be introduced by a descriptive line. So long as the line does not begin with an asterisk, it will not be treated as a menu entry. (See Writing a Menu, for more information.)

For example, the master menu for this manual looks like the following (but has many more entries):

@menu
* Copying Conditions::  Your rights.
* Overview::            Texinfo in brief.
...
* Command and Variable Index::
* General Index::

@detailmenu
--- The Detailed Node Listing ---

Overview of Texinfo

* Reporting Bugs:: ...
...

Beginning a Texinfo File

* Sample Beginning:: ...
...
@end detailmenu
@end menu