5. Installing TRAMP into Emacs.

If you use the version that comes with your Emacs, the following information is not necessary. Installing TRAMP into your Emacs is a relatively easy process, at least compared to rebuilding your machine from scratch. ;)

Seriously though, the installation should be a fairly simple matter.

The easiest way to proceed is as follows:

• Choose a directory, say `~/emacs/'. Change into that directory and unpack the tarball. This will give you a directory `~/emacs/tramp/' which contains subdirectories `lisp' for the Lisp code and `texi' for the documentation.

• Optionally byte-compile all files in the Lisp directory, `~/emacs/tramp/lisp/', by issuing a command like the following from the top level directory `~/emacs/tramp/':

  make EMACS=emacs all

• NOTE: If you run into problems running the example make command, don't dispare. You can still byte compile the `*.el' files by opening Emacs in dired (C-x d) mode, at `~/emacs/tramp/lisp'. Mark the lisp files with m, then press B to byte compile your selections.

  Something similar can be done to create the info manual. Just change to directory `~/emacs/tramp/texi' and load the `tramp.texi' file in Emacs. Then press M-x makeinfo-buffer RET to generate `tramp.info'.

• Tell Emacs about the new Lisp directory and the TRAMP package with the following lines in `~/.emacs':

  (add-to-list 'load-path "~/emacs/tramp/lisp/") (require 'tramp)

• To be able to read the Info documentation, create a file `~/emacs/tramp/texi/dir' using the install-info command, and add the directory to the search path for Info.

  NOTE: On systems using the gnu version of install-info, the install-info syntax is very direct and simple. One can change to directory `~/emacs/tramp/texi' and type:

  install-info tramp.info dir

  and a `dir' file will be created with the TRAMP entry. The info reader will know how to interpret it, but must be told where to find it (see below). If you want anything fancier you'll need to look through man install-info.

  Debian gnu/linux doesn't default to gnu install-info and uses its own version. This version does not create a `dir' file for you from scratch. You must provide a skeleton `dir' file it recognizes. One can be found in a default installation of Emacs at `/usr/info/dir'. Copy the top of this file down to the first occurrence of * Menu including that line plus one more blank line, to your working directory `~/emacs/tramp/texi', or use the sample `~/emacs/tramp/texi/dir_sample'.

  Once a `dir' file is in place, this command will make the entry:

  install-info --infodir=. tramp.info

  If you want it in a specific category see man install-info for further details.

  If the environment variable INFOPATH is set, add the directory `~/emacs/tramp/texi/' to it. Else, add the directory to Info-default-directory-list, as follows:

  (add-to-list 'Info-default-directory-list "~/emacs/tramp/texi/")