20.7 Using the Local Variables List

Yet another way to apply the TeX formatting command to a Texinfo file is to put that command in a local variables list at the end of the Texinfo file. You can then specify the tex or texi2dvi commands as a compile-command and have Emacs run it by typing M-x compile. This creates a special shell called the ‘*compilation*’ buffer in which Emacs runs the compile command. For example, at the end of the ‘gdb.texinfo’ file, after the @bye, you could put the following:

Local Variables:
compile-command: "texi2dvi gdb.texinfo"
End:

This technique is most often used by programmers who also compile programs this way; see (emacs)Compilation section `Compilation' in The GNU Emacs Manual.