F.5.1 Running Info-validate
---------------------------

To use Info-validate, visit the Info file you wish to check and
type:

M-x Info-validate

Note that the Info-validate command requires an upper case
`I'.  You may also need to create a tag table before running
Info-validate.  See Tagifying.

If your file is valid, you will receive a message that says "File appears
valid".  However, if you have a pointer that does not point to a node,
error messages will be displayed in a buffer called `*problems in
info file*'.

For example, Info-validate was run on a test file that contained
only the first node of this manual.  One of the messages said:

In node "Overview", invalid Next: Texinfo Mode

This meant that the node called `Overview' had a `Next' pointer that
did not point to anything (which was true in this case, since the test file
had only one node in it).

Now suppose we add a node named `Texinfo Mode' to our test case
but we do not specify a `Previous' for this node.  Then we will get
the following error message:

In node "Texinfo Mode", should have Previous: Overview

This is because every `Next' pointer should be matched by a
`Previous' (in the node where the `Next' points) which points back.

Info-validate also checks that all menu entries and cross references
point to actual nodes.

Info-validate requires a tag table and does not work with files
that have been split.  (The texinfo-format-buffer command
automatically splits large files.)  In order to use Info-validate
on a large file, you must run texinfo-format-buffer with an
argument so that it does not split the Info file; and you must create a
tag table for the unsplit file.

