info can not find "Top" node (it_IT.UTF-8 Italian locale)

I still don't know what happened, but running update-info-dir solved the problem, just before I found the "bug" I had installed the autoconf-doc package, but purging and reinstalling it did not reproduce the bug. But this is definitely not a 'texinfo' bug, if it is a bug at all. Maybe it depends on some other install I did between the last time I used info and today, but I'm unable to track it... Sorry for the 'fake' bug

             - TH

I have the same problem on two systems. I don't know exactly what broke /usr/share/info/dir, but for me update-info-dir doesn't fix the problem. Should `^_' be a control character (C-q C-_ in Emacs)? In my dir file it is simply a `^' character followed by underscore `_'.

File: /usr/sbin/update-info-dir, line #16:

        unset LANGUAGE

This actually does not work. It seems to me that LANGUAGE is always unsetted.
I replaced the incorrect line with:

        unset LANG # LANG and LC_* are Posix, now

This work, tested!

--
Claudio

@Claudio Val: your workaround works for me but my /etc/environment file (loaded at line 18 of update-info-dir) sets only PATH variable, not LANG one, so /usr/share/info/dir will be always in English. It's not a big problem, but it's a bug.

In order to set LANG variable Debian update-info-dir script now loads /etc/default/local. I added to my update-info-dir this:

if [ -r /etc/default/locale ]; then
    . /etc/default/locale
fi

after loading /etc/environment, but I still have the same problem:

$ info
info: Cannot find node `Top'.

Could it be a problem with the Italian language?

My /etc/default/locale:
        LANG="it_IT.UTF-8"

This locale does not work. I tried it_IT, it_IT@euro, de_DE.UTF-8, fr_FR.UTF-8, and so on:
they all work fine! It seems to me that only it_IT.utf8 create a problem.
So I only unset LANG (not "LANGUAGE"!) in /usr/sbin/update-info-dir, because:
        1. I don't want to change my default locale, especially this year ;-)
        2. Fifteen years of Linux: I always saw info manuals in English, I never found these in Italian,
            so Posix (as result of unsetting LANG) is enough for me.
--
Claudio

The problem is caused by the Italian translation of /usr/share/info/dir. There are several errors:
* The control character \x1f has been replaced by the string '^_', as noted in comment #3.
* On the line immediately following, there is a '\\t' instead of a '\t'.
* The '* Menu' string on the last line is indented by two spaces.

I don't know where the translation comes from, as it is not included in the source package.

I have the same problem, using the Esperanto (EO) localization.

The file /usr/share/info/dir for EO also has some problems, but I noticed that the big deal is with the line containing the Top node reference.
Instead of a '\t' symbol, there should be a real tab character. So, you may simply edit it and substitute the '\t' for a TAB.

But, as seldom we find some translated info manual, I had to stick with the "LANG" solution indicated before, so that I have all manuals in English.

I can confirm Felipe's solution. I too am using EO locale, but language settings seem to be irrelevant. Changing \t to an actual tab character in /usr/share/info/dir.

Felipe, dankon pro via solvo!

I still had the same problem with Ubuntu 11.10 (x86_64).

My language env variables are the fallowing:
LC_MESSAGES=it_IT.UTF-8
LANG=it_IT.UTF-8
LANGUAGE=it:en

But this time the only way I found to have info working again was to add "unset LANG LC_MESSAGES",
into /usr/sbin/update-info-dir after /etc/.../locale sourcing:

if [ -r /etc/default/locale ] ; then
  . /etc/default/locale
fi
unset LANG LC_MESSAGES

Now at least /usr/share/info/dir is correct (and info working, in English).
Regards

I have suggested a new translation for the message https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/precise/+source/texinfo/+pots/texinfo/it/368/+translate that should fix the bug.

New version (Precise) same little issue (at list for me). Me too I suggested a new translation. After inserting and submitting the code here (https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/precise/+source/texinfo/+pots/texinfo/it/368/+translate) I checked the text (unicode/special characters in primis) and it seems they should be fine.
Regards

It's a bit of shame that after years this problem is still present, even when the origin is clear and the solution is simple!

Same issue in quantal (tab char was fixed in translation, but special ctrl char still wrong).
I have attached a (very simple) patch, for potential maintainer(s). Please apply these changes, if you think they are appropriate.

Moreover, should someone want to patch texinfo file by him/herself, please do as following:
download file texinfo.po for your release from lauchpad, e.g. for Ubuntu 12.10 http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~ubuntu-branches/ubuntu/quantal/language-pack-it-base/quantal/download/head:/texinfo.po-20110119120642-tdoej8x3jpu7ms0l-2/texinfo.po

download attached texinfo_it.patch in the same directory...

patch the texinfo.po:
$ patch < texinfo_it.patch

compile it:
$ msgfmt -o texinfo.mo texinfo.po

finally install the mo file:
$ sudo install -m 644 texinfo.mo /usr/share/locale-langpack/it/LC_MESSAGES/texinfo.mo

...and update info:
$ sudo update-info-dir

Hope it might be useful, in some way.

The attachment "fix wrong char" of this bug report has been identified as being a patch. The ubuntu-reviewers team has been subscribed to the bug report so that they can review the patch. In the event that this is in fact not a patch you can resolve this situation by removing the tag 'patch' from the bug report and editing the attachment so that it is not flagged as a patch. Additionally, if you are member of the ubuntu-reviewers team please also unsubscribe the team from this bug report.

[This is an automated message performed by a Launchpad user owned by Brian Murray. Please contact him regarding any issues with the action taken in this bug report.]

On Do, 27 Dez 2012, FabioS wrote:
> Same issue in quantal (tab char was fixed in translation, but special ctrl char still wrong).

Instead of reiterating things, can please one of the affected users
grab texinfo from Debian/*experimental* which contains the beta version
for the next release and let me know if the problem is fixed or
what else needs to be done?

Then I could inform upstream and ask them to do some changes, but
not with the current version in Ubuntu.

Thanks

Norbert

------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREINING, Norbert http://www.preining.info
JAIST, Japan TeX Live & Debian Developer
DSA: 0x09C5B094 fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76 A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
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I checked http://packages.debian.org/experimental/texinfo:
the equivalent of Ubuntu's texinfo.po is texinfo-4.13.92.dfsg.1/po/it.po provided by source package http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/t/texinfo/texinfo_4.13.92.dfsg.1.orig.tar.xz (no patch affecting this file is provided by Debian's http://ftp.de.debian.org/debian/pool/main/t/texinfo/texinfo_4.13.92.dfsg.1-1.debian.tar.gz, therefore this file it.po should be from upstream, I would assume).
Comparing this file it.po with texinfo.po from launchpad I noticed these things, pertaining the bug in discussion:
* issue with tab character, reported at comment #8, is fixed in texinfo.po but not in mainstream it.po
* both the files show the same "bug" regarding wrong control character (^_ instead of \x1f see #3, #8 and following).

Looking at the source package from Debian experimental, a quick grep shows which translations do not include the special control character:

grep -c $'\x1f' po/*.po | grep ':1$'

Excluding the de_AT and hu locales, which currently aren't translating the above mentioned message, these locales are still affected from the bug:

po/id.po
po/it.po
po/rw.po
po/tr.po

Since these files are not modified in the Debian patches, this is definitely an upstream issue, still present in 4.13.92.

Hi both of you,

thanks, that is good.

On Fr, 28 Dez 2012, FabioS wrote:
> po/id.po
> po/it.po
> po/rw.po
> po/tr.po
>
> Since these files are not modified in the Debian patches, this is
> definitely an upstream issue, still present in 4.13.92.

Since I am leaving for holiday without computer, can you please:
* go to https://savannah.gnu.org/projects/texinfo/
* select "Bugs"
and add a bug that refers to this?

In any case I will forward your emails to the bug texinfo mailing list, too.

Norbert

------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREINING, Norbert http://www.preining.info
JAIST, Japan TeX Live & Debian Developer
DSA: 0x09C5B094 fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76 A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Karl,

there is a long standing bug hanging around at
 https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/707931
where the generated dir file is broken due to some .po files
being wrong. THe users confirmed that it is also present
int the latest prelrelease (Debian package)

There are many things discussed there, but these two items are
open:
> * issue with tab character, reported at comment #8, is fixed in texinfo.po but
> not in mainstream it.po
> * both the files show the same "bug" regarding wrong control character (^_
> instead of \x1f see #3, #8 and following).

[..] and further explanation ...

> Looking at the source package from Debian experimental, a quick grep
> shows which translations do not include the special control character:
>
> grep -c $'\x1f' po/*.po | grep ':1$'
>
> Excluding the de_AT and hu locales, which currently aren't translating
> the above mentioned message, these locales are still affected from the
> bug:
>
> po/id.po
> po/it.po
> po/rw.po
> po/tr.po
>
> Since these files are not modified in the Debian patches, this is
> definitely an upstream issue, still present in 4.13.92.

Maybe this can be fixed at some stage ... thanks

Norbert

------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREINING, Norbert http://www.preining.info
JAIST, Japan TeX Live & Debian Developer
DSA: 0x09C5B094 fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76 A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trying to be of some usefulness for mainstream devs, I left here patches for texinfo/{it,id}.po. The patches were created against copies of these files retrieved today with cvs -z3 -d:pserver:<email address hidden>:/sources/texinfo co texinfo/po. They fix:
"^_" issue, affecting both the languages it and id
double backslash issue, affecting only the it language.

Regards.

Ciao Francesco, ciao tutti,

sono il maintainer di texinfo su Debian (Ubuntu) e ne abbiamo un
piccolo ma importante fix per la translazione in italiano.

Una volta c'è
 ^_ (due caracteri)
invece del control character ^_
Per questo sbaglio utenti nel locale di IT non riescono ad usare info.
Vi prego di accetare questo fix il primo possibile:

See Ubuntu bug 707931
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/texinfo/+bug/707931
--- texinfo.orig/po/it.po
+++ texinfo/po/it.po
@@ -2175,8 +2175,8 @@
 "Questo è il file .../info/dir, che contiene il\n"
 "nodo più in alto della gerarchia di Info, chiamata (dir)Top.\n"
 "La prima volta che invochi il programma Info esso parte da questo nodo.\n"
-"^_\n"
-"%s\\tQuesto è il nodo più alto dell'albero INFO\n"
+"\n"
+"%s\tQuesto è il nodo più alto dell'albero INFO\n"
 "\n"
 " Questo (il nodo principale) fornisce un menù che contiene le voci "
 "principali.\n"

Grazie

Norbert

------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREINING, Norbert http://www.preining.info
JAIST, Japan TeX Live & Debian Developer
DSA: 0x09C5B094 fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76 A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Indonesian Translation Team,

I would like to request an important fix for the translation of the
texinfo package. In the translation one time the control character ^_
is appearing as two normal characters, which breaks info.

Please consider fixing the translation with the following patch:
See Ubuntu bug 707931
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/texinfo/+bug/707931
--- texinfo.orig/po/id.po
+++ texinfo/po/id.po
@@ -2168,7 +2168,7 @@
 "Ini adalah berkas .../info/dir, yang berisi\n"
 "titik paling atas dari struktur Info, dipanggil (dir)Top.\n"
 "Pertama kali anda memanggil Info anda berawal dari melihat titik ini.\n"
-"^_\n"
+"\n"
 "%s\tIni adalah tingkat paling atas dari pohon INFO\n"
 "\n"
 " Ini (titik Direktori) memberikan sebuah menu dari topik utama.\n"

Thanks a lot and all the best

Norbert

------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREINING, Norbert http://www.preining.info
JAIST, Japan TeX Live & Debian Developer
DSA: 0x09C5B094 fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76 A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
------------------------------------------------------------------------

I had fixed the problem in Ubuntu 12.08 but it came again in Ubuntu 13.04.

With this
http://elubuntu.blogspot.com/2011/01/info-impossibile-trovare-il-nodo-top.html
solution the problem goes away but with info in English.

To #25: You can also proceed this way: revert previous modifications (if any) you might have done following the link you provided. Then simply fix wrong char "^_" inside /usr/share/locale-langpack/it/LC_MESSAGES/texinfo.mo, with:

sudo sed -i '/\^_/s/\^_/\x1f/' /usr/share/locale-langpack/it/LC_MESSAGES/texinfo.mo

(then re-run sudo update-info-dir ).

Workaround apart, the translation file got fixed and updated upstream (see texinfo version 5.x on savannah or package texinfo in Debian jessie/sid). But Ubuntu is using version 4.x, moreover the translation is not coming from upstream but from here: https://translations.launchpad.net/ubuntu/precise/+source/texinfo/+pots/texinfo/it/368/+translate (see old comments for suggestions made to translators) and is packaged in a cumulative translation package, here: http://packages.ubuntu.com/raring/all/language-pack-it-base/filelist . Therefore, I think you might try to suggest a new translation for id 368 as elrond and others did in the past, then wait for a fix.