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groff
File: groff.info, Node: Top, Next: Introduction, Prev: (dir), Up: (dir)
GNU troff
*********
This manual documents GNU `troff' version 1.19.2.
Copyright (C) 1994-2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 Free Software
Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License,
Version 1.1 or any later version published by the Free Software
Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with the Front-Cover texts
being `A GNU Manual," and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a)
below. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled
`GNU Free Documentation License."
(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: `You have freedom to copy and
modify this GNU Manual, like GNU software. Copies published by
the Free Software Foundation raise funds for GNU development."
* Menu:
* Introduction::
* Invoking groff::
* Tutorial for Macro Users::
* Macro Packages::
* gtroff Reference::
* Preprocessors::
* Output Devices::
* File formats::
* Installation::
* Copying This Manual::
* Request Index::
* Escape Index::
* Operator Index::
* Register Index::
* Macro Index::
* String Index::
* Glyph Name Index::
* Font File Keyword Index::
* Program and File Index::
* Concept Index::
File: groff.info, Node: Introduction, Next: Invoking groff, Prev: Top, Up: Top
1 Introduction
**************
GNU `troff' (or `groff') is a system for typesetting documents.
`troff' is very flexible and has been in existence (and use) for about
3 decades. It is quite widespread and firmly entrenched in the UNIX
community.
* Menu:
* What Is groff?::
* History::
* groff Capabilities::
* Macro Package Intro::
* Preprocessor Intro::
* Output device intro::
* Credits::
File: groff.info, Node: What Is groff?, Next: History, Prev: Introduction, Up: Introduction
1.1 What Is `groff'?
====================
`groff' belongs to an older generation of document preparation systems,
which operate more like compilers than the more recent interactive
WYSIWYG(1) (*note What Is groff?-Footnote-1::) systems. `groff' and
its contemporary counterpart, TeX, both work using a "batch" paradigm:
The input (or "source") files are normal text files with embedded
formatting commands. These files can then be processed by `groff' to
produce a typeset document on a variety of devices.
Likewise, `groff' should not be confused with a "word processor",
since that term connotes an integrated system that includes an editor
and a text formatter. Also, many word processors follow the WYSIWYG
paradigm discussed earlier.
Although WYSIWYG systems may be easier to use, they have a number of
disadvantages compared to `troff':
* They must be used on a graphics display to work on a document.
* Most of the WYSIWYG systems are either non-free or are not very
portable.
* `troff' is firmly entrenched in all UNIX systems.
* It is difficult to have a wide range of capabilities available
within the confines of a GUI/window system.
* It is more difficult to make global changes to a document.
"GUIs normally make it simple to accomplish simple actions and
impossible to accomplish complex actions." -Doug Gwyn (22/Jun/91
in `comp.unix.wizards')
File: groff.info, Node: History, Next: groff Capabilities, Prev: What Is groff?, Up: Introduction
1.2 History
===========
`troff' can trace its origins back to a formatting program called
`runoff', written by J. E. Saltzer, which ran on MIT's CTSS operating
system in the mid-sixties. This name came from the common phrase of
the time "I'll run off a document." Bob Morris ported it to the 635
architecture and called the program `roff' (an abbreviation of
`runoff'). It was rewritten as `rf' for the PDP-7 (before having
UNIX), and at the same time (1969), Doug McIllroy rewrote an extended
and simplified version of `roff' in the BCPL programming language.
The first version of UNIX was developed on a PDP-7 which was sitting
around Bell Labs. In 1971 the developers wanted to get a PDP-11 for
further work on the operating system. In order to justify the cost for
this system, they proposed that they would implement a document
formatting system for the AT&T patents division. This first formatting
program was a reimplementation of McIllroy's `roff', written by
J. F. Ossanna.
When they needed a more flexible language, a new version of `roff'
called `nroff' ("Newer `roff'") was written. It had a much more
complicated syntax, but provided the basis for all future versions.
When they got a Graphic Systems CAT Phototypesetter, Ossanna wrote a
version of `nroff' that would drive it. It was dubbed `troff', for
"typesetter `roff'", although many people have speculated that it
actually means "Times `roff'" because of the use of the Times font
family in `troff' by default. As such, the name `troff' is pronounced
`t-roff' rather than `trough'.
With `troff' came `nroff' (they were actually the same program
except for some `#ifdef's), which was for producing output for line
printers and character terminals. It understood everything `troff'
did, and ignored the commands which were not applicable (e.g. font
changes).
Since there are several things which cannot be done easily in
`troff', work on several preprocessors began. These programs would
transform certain parts of a document into `troff', which made a very
natural use of pipes in UNIX.
The `eqn' preprocessor allowed mathematical formulæ to be specified
in a much simpler and more intuitive manner. `tbl' is a preprocessor
for formatting tables. The `refer' preprocessor (and the similar
program, `bib') processes citations in a document according to a
bibliographic database.
Unfortunately, Ossanna's `troff' was written in PDP-11 assembly
language and produced output specifically for the CAT phototypesetter.
He rewrote it in C, although it was now 7000 lines of uncommented code
and still dependent on the CAT. As the CAT became less common, and was
no longer supported by the manufacturer, the need to make it support
other devices became a priority. However, before this could be done,
Ossanna was killed in a car accident.
So, Brian Kernighan took on the task of rewriting `troff'. The
newly rewritten version produced device independent code which was very
easy for postprocessors to read and translate to the appropriate
printer codes. Also, this new version of `troff' (called `ditroff' for
"device independent `troff'") had several extensions, which included
drawing functions.
Due to the additional abilities of the new version of `troff',
several new preprocessors appeared. The `pic' preprocessor provides a
wide range of drawing functions. Likewise the `ideal' preprocessor did
the same, although via a much different paradigm. The `grap'
preprocessor took specifications for graphs, but, unlike other
preprocessors, produced `pic' code.
James Clark began work on a GNU implementation of `ditroff' in
early 1989. The first version, `groff' 0.3.1, was released June 1990.
`groff' included:
* A replacement for `ditroff' with many extensions.
* The `soelim', `pic', `tbl', and `eqn' preprocessors.
* Postprocessors for character devices, POSTSCRIPT, TeX DVI, and
X Windows. GNU `troff' also eliminated the need for a separate
`nroff' program with a postprocessor which would produce ASCII
output.
* A version of the `me' macros and an implementation of the `man'
macros.
Also, a front-end was included which could construct the, sometimes
painfully long, pipelines required for all the post- and preprocessors.
Development of GNU `troff' progressed rapidly, and saw the additions
of a replacement for `refer', an implementation of the `ms' and `mm'
macros, and a program to deduce how to format a document (`grog').
It was declared a stable (i.e. non-beta) package with the release of
version 1.04 around November 1991.
Beginning in 1999, `groff' has new maintainers (the package was an
orphan for a few years). As a result, new features and programs like
`grn', a preprocessor for gremlin images, and an output device to
produce HTML output have been added.
File: groff.info, Node: groff Capabilities, Next: Macro Package Intro, Prev: History, Up: Introduction
1.3 `groff' Capabilities
========================
So what exactly is `groff' capable of doing? `groff' provides a wide
range of low-level text formatting operations. Using these, it is
possible to perform a wide range of formatting tasks, such as
footnotes, table of contents, multiple columns, etc. Here's a list of
the most important operations supported by `groff':
* text filling, adjusting, and centering
* hyphenation
* page control
* font and glyph size control
* vertical spacing (e.g. double-spacing)
* line length and indenting
* macros, strings, diversions, and traps
* number registers
* tabs, leaders, and fields
* input and output conventions and character translation
* overstrike, bracket, line drawing, and zero-width functions
* local horizontal and vertical motions and the width function
* three-part titles
* output line numbering
* conditional acceptance of input
* environment switching
* insertions from the standard input
* input/output file switching
* output and error messages
File: groff.info, Node: Macro Package Intro, Next: Preprocessor Intro, Prev: groff Capabilities, Up: Introduction
1.4 Macro Packages
==================
Since `groff' provides such low-level facilities, it can be quite
difficult to use by itself. However, `groff' provides a "macro"
facility to specify how certain routine operations (e.g. starting
paragraphs, printing headers and footers, etc.) should be done. These
macros can be collected together into a "macro package". There are a
number of macro packages available; the most common (and the ones
described in this manual) are `man', `mdoc', `me', `ms', and `mm'.
File: groff.info, Node: Preprocessor Intro, Next: Output device intro, Prev: Macro Package Intro, Up: Introduction
1.5 Preprocessors
=================
Although `groff' provides most functions needed to format a document,
some operations would be unwieldy (e.g. to draw pictures). Therefore,
programs called "preprocessors" were written which understand their own
language and produce the necessary `groff' operations. These
preprocessors are able to differentiate their own input from the rest
of the document via markers.
To use a preprocessor, UNIX pipes are used to feed the output from
the preprocessor into `groff'. Any number of preprocessors may be used
on a given document; in this case, the preprocessors are linked
together into one pipeline. However, with `groff', the user does not
need to construct the pipe, but only tell `groff' what preprocessors to
use.
`groff' currently has preprocessors for producing tables (`tbl'),
typesetting equations (`eqn'), drawing pictures (`pic' and `grn'), and
for processing bibliographies (`refer'). An associated program which
is useful when dealing with preprocessors is `soelim'.
A free implementation of `grap', a preprocessor for drawing graphs,
can be obtained as an extra package; `groff' can use `grap' also.
There are other preprocessors in existence, but, unfortunately, no
free implementations are available. Among them are preprocessors for
drawing mathematical pictures (`ideal') and chemical structures
(`chem').
File: groff.info, Node: Output device intro, Next: Credits, Prev: Preprocessor Intro, Up: Introduction
1.6 Output Devices
==================
`groff' actually produces device independent code which may be fed into
a postprocessor to produce output for a particular device. Currently,
`groff' has postprocessors for POSTSCRIPT devices, character terminals,
X Windows (for previewing), TeX DVI format, HP LaserJet 4 and Canon LBP
printers (which use CAPSL), and HTML.
File: groff.info, Node: Credits, Prev: Output device intro, Up: Introduction
1.7 Credits
===========
Large portions of this manual were taken from existing documents, most
notably, the manual pages for the `groff' package by James Clark, and
Eric Allman's papers on the `me' macro package.
The section on the `man' macro package is partly based on Susan G.
Kleinmann's `groff_man' manual page written for the Debian GNU/Linux
system.
Larry Kollar contributed the section in the `ms' macro package.
File: groff.info, Node: Invoking groff, Next: Tutorial for Macro Users, Prev: Introduction, Up: Top
2 Invoking `groff'
******************
This section focuses on how to invoke the `groff' front end. This
front end takes care of the details of constructing the pipeline among
the preprocessors, `gtroff' and the postprocessor.
It has become a tradition that GNU programs get the prefix `g' to
distinguish it from its original counterparts provided by the host (see
*Note Environment::, for more details). Thus, for example, `geqn' is
GNU `eqn'. On operating systems like GNU/Linux or the Hurd, which
don't contain proprietary versions of `troff', and on
MS-DOS/MS-Windows, where `troff' and associated programs are not
available at all, this prefix is omitted since GNU `troff' is the only
used incarnation of `troff'. Exception: `groff' is never replaced by
`roff'.
In this document, we consequently say `gtroff' when talking about
the GNU `troff' program. All other implementations of `troff' are
called AT&T `troff' which is the common origin of all `troff' derivates
(with more or less compatible changes). Similarly, we say `gpic',
`geqn', etc.
* Menu:
* Groff Options::
* Environment::
* Macro Directories::
* Font Directories::
* Paper Size::
* Invocation Examples::
File: groff.info, Node: Groff Options, Next: Environment, Prev: Invoking groff, Up: Invoking groff
2.1 Options
===========
`groff' normally runs the `gtroff' program and a postprocessor
appropriate for the selected device. The default device is `ps' (but
it can be changed when `groff' is configured and built). It can
optionally preprocess with any of `gpic', `geqn', `gtbl', `ggrn',
`grap', `grefer', or `gsoelim'.
This section only documents options to the `groff' front end. Many
of the arguments to `groff' are passed on to `gtroff', therefore those
are also included. Arguments to pre- or postprocessors can be found in
*Note Invoking gpic::, *Note Invoking geqn::, *Note Invoking gtbl::,
*Note Invoking ggrn::, *Note Invoking grefer::, *Note Invoking
gsoelim::, *Note Invoking grotty::, *Note Invoking grops::, *Note
Invoking grohtml::, *Note Invoking grodvi::, *Note Invoking grolj4::,
*Note Invoking grolbp::, and *Note Invoking gxditview::.
The command line format for `groff' is:
groff [ -abceghilpstvzCEGNRSUVXZ ] [ -FDIR ] [ -mNAME ]
[ -TDEF ] [ -fFAM ] [ -wNAME ] [ -WNAME ]
[ -MDIR ] [ -dCS ] [ -rCN ] [ -nNUM ]
[ -oLIST ] [ -PARG ] [ -LARG ] [ -IDIR ]
[ FILES... ]
The command line format for `gtroff' is as follows.
gtroff [ -abcivzCERU ] [ -wNAME ] [ -WNAME ] [ -dCS ]
[ -fFAM ] [ -mNAME ] [ -nNUM ]
[ -oLIST ] [ -rCN ] [ -TNAME ]
[ -FDIR ] [ -MDIR ] [ FILES... ]
Obviously, many of the options to `groff' are actually passed on to
`gtroff'.
Options without an argument can be grouped behind a single `-'. A
filename of `-' denotes the standard input. It is possible to have
whitespace between an option and its parameter.
The `grog' command can be used to guess the correct `groff' command
to format a file.
Here's the description of the command-line options:
`-h'
Print a help message.
`-e'
Preprocess with `geqn'.
`-t'
Preprocess with `gtbl'.
`-g'
Preprocess with `ggrn'.
`-G'
Preprocess with `grap'.
`-p'
Preprocess with `gpic'.
`-s'
Preprocess with `gsoelim'.
`-c'
Suppress color output.
`-R'
Preprocess with `grefer'. No mechanism is provided for passing
arguments to `grefer' because most `grefer' options have
equivalent commands which can be included in the file. *Note
grefer::, for more details.
Note that `gtroff' also accepts a `-R' option, which is not
accessible via `groff'. This option prevents the loading of the
`troffrc' and `troffrc-end' files.
`-v'
Make programs run by `groff' print out their version number.
`-V'
Print the pipeline on `stdout' instead of executing it. If
specified more than once, print the pipeline on `stderr' and
execute it.
`-z'
Suppress output from `gtroff'. Only error messages are printed.
`-Z'
Do not postprocess the output of `gtroff'. Normally `groff'
automatically runs the appropriate postprocessor.
`-PARG'
Pass ARG to the postprocessor. Each argument should be passed
with a separate `-P' option. Note that `groff' does not prepend
`-' to ARG before passing it to the postprocessor.
`-l'
Send the output to a spooler for printing. The command used for
this is specified by the `print' command in the device description
file (see *Note Font Files::, for more info). If not present,
`-l' is ignored.
`-LARG'
Pass ARG to the spooler. Each argument should be passed with a
separate `-L' option. Note that `groff' does not prepend a `-' to
ARG before passing it to the postprocessor. If the `print'
keyword in the device description file is missing, `-L' is ignored.
`-TDEV'
Prepare output for device DEV. The default device is `ps', unless
changed when `groff' was configured and built. The following are
the output devices currently available:
`ps'
For POSTSCRIPT printers and previewers.
`dvi'
For TeX DVI format.
`X75'
For a 75dpi X11 previewer.
`X75-12'
For a 75dpi X11 previewer with a 12pt base font in the
document.
`X100'
For a 100dpi X11 previewer.
`X100-12'
For a 100dpi X11 previewer with a 12pt base font in the
document.
`ascii'
For typewriter-like devices using the (7-bit) ASCII character
set.
`latin1'
For typewriter-like devices that support the Latin-1
(ISO 8859-1) character set.
`utf8'
For typewriter-like devices which use the Unicode (ISO 10646)
character set with UTF-8 encoding.
`cp1047'
For typewriter-like devices which use the EBCDIC encoding IBM
cp1047.
`lj4'
For HP LaserJet4-compatible (or other PCL5-compatible)
printers.
`lbp'
For Canon CAPSL printers (LBP-4 and LBP-8 series laser
printers).
`html'
To produce HTML output. Note that the HTML driver consists
of two parts, a preprocessor (`pre-grohtml') and a
postprocessor (`post-grohtml').
The predefined `gtroff' string register `.T' contains the current
output device; the read-only number register `.T' is set to 1 if
this option is used (which is always true if `groff' is used to
call `gtroff'). *Note Built-in Registers::.
The postprocessor to be used for a device is specified by the
`postpro' command in the device description file. (*Note Font
Files::, for more info.) This can be overridden with the `-X'
option.
`-X'
Preview with `gxditview' instead of using the usual postprocessor.
This is unlikely to produce good results except with `-Tps'.
Note that this is not the same as using `-TX75' or `-TX100' to
view a document with `gxditview': The former uses the metrics of
the specified device, whereas the latter uses X-specific fonts and
metrics.
`-N'
Don't allow newlines with `eqn' delimiters. This is the same as
the `-N' option in `geqn'.
`-S'
Safer mode. Pass the `-S' option to `gpic' and disable the
`open', `opena', `pso', `sy', and `pi' requests. For security
reasons, this is enabled by default.
`-U'
Unsafe mode. This enables the `open', `opena', `pso', `sy', and
`pi' requests.
`-a'
Generate an ASCII approximation of the typeset output. The
read-only register `.A' is then set to 1. *Note Built-in
Registers::. A typical example is
groff -a -man -Tdvi troff.man | less
which shows how lines are broken for the DVI device. Note that
this option is rather useless today since graphic output devices
are available virtually everywhere.
`-b'
Print a backtrace with each warning or error message. This
backtrace should help track down the cause of the error. The line
numbers given in the backtrace may not always be correct: `gtroff'
can get confused by `as' or `am' requests while counting line
numbers.
`-i'
Read the standard input after all the named input files have been
processed.
`-wNAME'
Enable warning NAME. Available warnings are described in *Note
Debugging::. Multiple `-w' options are allowed.
`-WNAME'
Inhibit warning NAME. Multiple `-W' options are allowed.
`-E'
Inhibit all error messages.
`-C'
Enable compatibility mode. *Note Implementation Differences::,
for the list of incompatibilities between `groff' and AT&T `troff'.
`-dCS'
`-dNAME=S'
Define C or NAME to be a string S. C must be a one-letter name;
NAME can be of arbitrary length. All string assignments happen
before loading any macro file (including the start-up file).
`-fFAM'
Use FAM as the default font family. *Note Font Families::.
`-mNAME'
Read in the file `NAME.tmac'. Normally `groff' searches for this
in its macro directories. If it isn't found, it tries `tmac.NAME'
(searching in the same directories).
`-nNUM'
Number the first page NUM.
`-oLIST'
Output only pages in LIST, which is a comma-separated list of page
ranges; `N' means print page N, `M-N' means print every page
between M and N, `-N' means print every page up to N, `N-' means
print every page beginning with N. `gtroff' exits after printing
the last page in the list. All the ranges are inclusive on both
ends.
Within `gtroff', this information can be extracted with the `.P'
register. *Note Built-in Registers::.
If your document restarts page numbering at the beginning of each
chapter, then `gtroff' prints the specified page range for each
chapter.
`-rCN'
`-rNAME=N'
Set number register C or NAME to the value N. C must be a
one-letter name; NAME can be of arbitrary length. N can be any
`gtroff' numeric expression. All register assignments happen
before loading any macro file (including the start-up file).
`-FDIR'
Search `DIR' for subdirectories `devNAME' (NAME is the name of the
device), for the `DESC' file, and for font files before looking in
the standard directories (*note Font Directories::). This option
is passed to all pre- and postprocessors using the
`GROFF_FONT_PATH' environment variable.
`-MDIR'
Search directory `DIR' for macro files before the standard
directories (*note Macro Directories::).
`-IDIR'
This option may be used to specify a directory to search for files.
It is passed to the following programs:
* `gsoelim' (see *Note gsoelim:: for more details); it also
implies `groff''s `-s' option.
* `gtroff'; it is used to search files named in the `psbb' and
`so' requests.
* `grops'; it is used to search files named in the
`\X'ps: import' and `\X'ps: file' escapes.
The current directory is always searched first. This option may be
specified more than once; the directories will be searched in the
order specified. No directory search is performed for files
specified using an absolute path.
File: groff.info, Node: Environment, Next: Macro Directories, Prev: Groff Options, Up: Invoking groff
2.2 Environment
===============
There are also several environment variables (of the operating system,
not within `gtroff') which can modify the behavior of `groff'.
`GROFF_COMMAND_PREFIX'
If this is set to X, then `groff' runs `Xtroff' instead of
`gtroff'. This also applies to `tbl', `pic', `eqn', `grn',
`refer', and `soelim'. It does not apply to `grops', `grodvi',
`grotty', `pre-grohtml', `post-grohtml', `grolj4', and `gxditview'.
The default command prefix is determined during the installation
process. If a non-GNU troff system is found, prefix `g' is used,
none otherwise.
`GROFF_TMAC_PATH'
A colon-separated list of directories in which to search for macro
files (before the default directories are tried). *Note Macro
Directories::.
`GROFF_TYPESETTER'
The default output device.
`GROFF_FONT_PATH'
A colon-separated list of directories in which to search for the
`dev'NAME directory (before the default directories are tried).
*Note Font Directories::.
`GROFF_BIN_PATH'
This search path, followed by `PATH', is used for commands executed
by `groff'.
`GROFF_TMPDIR'
The directory in which `groff' creates temporary files. If this is
not set and `TMPDIR' is set, temporary files are created in that
directory. Otherwise temporary files are created in a
system-dependent default directory (on Unix and GNU/Linux systems,
this is usually `/tmp'). `grops', `grefer', `pre-grohtml', and
`post-grohtml' can create temporary files in this directory.
Note that MS-DOS and MS-Windows ports of `groff' use semi-colons,
rather than colons, to separate the directories in the lists described
above.
File: groff.info, Node: Macro Directories, Next: Font Directories, Prev: Environment, Up: Invoking groff
2.3 Macro Directories
=====================
All macro file names must be named `NAME.tmac' or `tmac.NAME' to make
the `-mNAME' command line option work. The `mso' request doesn't have
this restriction; any file name can be used, and `gtroff' won't try to
append or prepend the `tmac' string.
Macro files are kept in the "tmac directories", all of which
constitute the "tmac path". The elements of the search path for macro
files are (in that order):
* The directories specified with `gtroff''s or `groff''s `-M'
command line option.
* The directories given in the `GROFF_TMAC_PATH' environment
variable.
* The current directory (only if in unsafe mode using the `-U'
command line switch).
* The home directory.
* A platform-dependent directory, a site-specific
(platform-independent) directory, and the main tmac directory; the
default locations are
/usr/local/lib/groff/site-tmac
/usr/local/share/groff/site-tmac
/usr/local/share/groff/1.18.2/tmac
assuming that the version of `groff' is 1.18.2, and the
installation prefix was `/usr/local'. It is possible to fine-tune
those directories during the installation process.
File: groff.info, Node: Font Directories, Next: Paper Size, Prev: Macro Directories, Up: Invoking groff
2.4 Font Directories
====================
Basically, there is no restriction how font files for `groff' are named
and how long font names are; however, to make the font family mechanism
work (*note Font Families::), fonts within a family should start with
the family name, followed by the shape. For example, the Times family
uses `T' for the family name and `R', `B', `I', and `BI' to indicate
the shapes `roman', `bold', `italic', and `bold italic', respectively.
Thus the final font names are `TR', `TB', `TI', and `TBI'.
All font files are kept in the "font directories" which constitute
the "font path". The file search functions will always append the
directory `dev'NAME, where NAME is the name of the output device.
Assuming, say, DVI output, and `/foo/bar' as a font directory, the font
files for `grodvi' must be in `/foo/bar/devdvi'.
The elements of the search path for font files are (in that order):
* The directories specified with `gtroff''s or `groff''s `-F'
command line option. All device drivers and some preprocessors
also have this option.
* The directories given in the `GROFF_FONT_PATH' environment
variable.
* A site-specific directory and the main font directory; the default
locations are
/usr/local/share/groff/site-font
/usr/local/share/groff/1.18.2/font
assuming that the version of `groff' is 1.18.2, and the
installation prefix was `/usr/local'. It is possible to fine-tune
those directories during the installation process.
File: groff.info, Node: Paper Size, Next: Invocation Examples, Prev: Font Directories, Up: Invoking groff
2.5 Paper Size
==============
In groff, the page size for `gtroff' and for output devices are handled
separately. *Note Page Layout::, for vertical manipulation of the page
size. *Note Line Layout::, for horizontal changes.
A default paper size can be set in the device's `DESC' file. Most
output devices also have a command line option `-p' to override the
default paper size and option `-l' to use landscape orientation. *Note
DESC File Format::, for a description of the `papersize' keyword which
takes the same argument as `-p'.
A convenient shorthand to set a particular paper size for `gtroff'
is command line option `-dpaper=SIZE'. This defines string `paper'
which is processed in file `papersize.tmac' (loaded in the start-up
file `troffrc' by default). Possible values for SIZE are the same as
the predefined values for the `papersize' keyword (but only in
lowercase) except `a7'-`d7'. An appended `l' (ell) character denotes
landscape orientation.
For example, use the following for PS output on A4 paper in landscape
orientation:
groff -Tps -dpaper=a4l -P-pa4 -P-l -ms foo.ms > foo.ps
Note that it is up to the particular macro package to respect default
page dimensions set in this way (most do).
File: groff.info, Node: Invocation Examples, Prev: Paper Size, Up: Invoking groff
2.6 Invocation Examples
=======================
This section lists several common uses of `groff' and the corresponding
command lines.
groff file
This command processes `file' without a macro package or a
preprocessor. The output device is the default, `ps', and the output
is sent to `stdout'.
groff -t -mandoc -Tascii file | less
This is basically what a call to the `man' program does. `gtroff'
processes the manual page `file' with the `mandoc' macro file (which in
turn either calls the `man' or the `mdoc' macro package), using the
`tbl' preprocessor and the ASCII output device. Finally, the `less'
pager displays the result.
groff -X -m me file
Preview `file' with `gxditview', using the `me' macro package. Since
no `-T' option is specified, use the default device (`ps'). Note that
you can either say `-m me' or `-me'; the latter is an anachronism from
the early days of UNIX.(1) (*note Invocation Examples-Footnote-1::)
groff -man -rD1 -z file
Check `file' with the `man' macro package, forcing double-sided
printing - don't produce any output.
* Menu:
* grog::
File: groff.info, Node: grog, Prev: Invocation Examples, Up: Invocation Examples
2.6.1 `grog'
------------
`grog' reads files, guesses which of the `groff' preprocessors and/or
macro packages are required for formatting them, and prints the `groff'
command including those options on the standard output. It generates
one or more of the options `-e', `-man', `-me', `-mm', `-mom', `-ms',
`-mdoc', `-mdoc-old', `-p', `-R', `-g', `-G', `-s', and `-t'.
A special file name `-' refers to the standard input. Specifying no
files also means to read the standard input. Any specified options are
included in the printed command. No space is allowed between options
and their arguments. The only options recognized are `-C' (which is
also passed on) to enable compatibility mode, and `-v' to print the
version number and exit.
For example,
grog -Tdvi paper.ms
guesses the appropriate command to print `paper.ms' and then prints it
to the command line after adding the `-Tdvi' option. For direct
execution, enclose the call to `grog' in backquotes at the UNIX shell
prompt:
`grog -Tdvi paper.ms` > paper.dvi
As seen in the example, it is still necessary to redirect the output to
something meaningful (i.e. either a file or a pager program like
`less').
File: groff.info, Node: Tutorial for Macro Users, Next: Macro Packages, Prev: Invoking groff, Up: Top
3 Tutorial for Macro Users
**************************
Most users tend to use a macro package to format their papers. This
means that the whole breadth of `groff' is not necessary for most
people. This chapter covers the material needed to efficiently use a
macro package.
* Menu:
* Basics::
* Common Features::
File: groff.info, Node: Basics, Next: Common Features, Prev: Tutorial for Macro Users, Up: Tutorial for Macro Users
3.1 Basics
==========
This section covers some of the basic concepts necessary to understand
how to use a macro package.(1) (*note Basics-Footnote-1::) References
are made throughout to more detailed information, if desired.
`gtroff' reads an input file prepared by the user and outputs a
formatted document suitable for publication or framing. The input
consists of text, or words to be printed, and embedded commands
("requests" and "escapes"), which tell `gtroff' how to format the
output. For more detail on this, see *Note Embedded Commands::.
The word "argument" is used in this chapter to mean a word or number
which appears on the same line as a request, and which modifies the
meaning of that request. For example, the request
.sp
spaces one line, but
.sp 4
spaces four lines. The number 4 is an argument to the `sp' request
which says to space four lines instead of one. Arguments are separated
from the request and from each other by spaces (_no_ tabs). More
details on this can be found in *Note Request and Macro Arguments::.
The primary function of `gtroff' is to collect words from input
lines, fill output lines with those words, justify the right-hand margin
by inserting extra spaces in the line, and output the result. For
example, the input:
Now is the time
for all good men
to come to the aid
of their party.
Four score and seven
years ago, etc.
is read, packed onto output lines, and justified to produce:
Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party.
Four score and seven years ago, etc.
Sometimes a new output line should be started even though the current
line is not yet full; for example, at the end of a paragraph. To do
this it is possible to cause a "break", which starts a new output line.
Some requests cause a break automatically, as normally do blank input
lines and input lines beginning with a space.
Not all input lines are text to be formatted. Some input lines are
requests which describe how to format the text. Requests always have a
period (`.') or an apostrophe (`'') as the first character of the input
line.
The text formatter also does more complex things, such as
automatically numbering pages, skipping over page boundaries, putting
footnotes in the correct place, and so forth.
Here are a few hints for preparing text for input to `gtroff'.
* First, keep the input lines short. Short input lines are easier to
edit, and `gtroff' packs words onto longer lines anyhow.
* In keeping with this, it is helpful to begin a new line after every
comma or phrase, since common corrections are to add or delete
sentences or phrases.
* End each sentence with two spaces - or better, start each sentence
on a new line. `gtroff' recognizes characters that usually end a
sentence, and inserts sentence space accordingly.
* Do not hyphenate words at the end of lines - `gtroff' is smart
enough to hyphenate words as needed, but is not smart enough to
take hyphens out and join a word back together. Also, words such
as "mother-in-law" should not be broken over a line, since then a
space can occur where not wanted, such as "mother- in-law".
`gtroff' double-spaces output text automatically if you use the
request `.ls 2'. Reactivate single-spaced mode by typing `.ls 1'.(2)
(*note Basics-Footnote-2::)
A number of requests allow to change the way the output looks,
sometimes called the "layout" of the output page. Most of these
requests adjust the placing of "whitespace" (blank lines or spaces).
The `bp' request starts a new page, causing a line break.
The request `.sp N' leaves N lines of blank space. N can be omitted
(meaning skip a single line) or can be of the form Ni (for N inches) or
Nc (for N centimeters). For example, the input:
.sp 1.5i
My thoughts on the subject
.sp
leaves one and a half inches of space, followed by the line "My
thoughts on the subject", followed by a single blank line (more
measurement units are available, see *Note Measurements::).
Text lines can be centered by using the `ce' request. The line
after `ce' is centered (horizontally) on the page. To center more than
one line, use `.ce N' (where N is the number of lines to center),
followed by the N lines. To center many lines without counting them,
type:
.ce 1000
lines to center
.ce 0
The `.ce 0' request tells `groff' to center zero more lines, in other
words, stop centering.
All of these requests cause a break; that is, they always start a new
line. To start a new line without performing any other action, use
`br'.
File: groff.info, Node: Common Features, Prev: Basics, Up: Tutorial for Macro Users
3.2 Common Features
===================
`gtroff' provides very low-level operations for formatting a document.
There are many common routine operations which are done in all
documents. These common operations are written into "macros" and
collected into a "macro package".
All macro packages provide certain common capabilities which fall
into the following categories.
* Menu:
* Paragraphs::
* Sections and Chapters::
* Headers and Footers::
* Page Layout Adjustment::
* Displays::
* Footnotes and Annotations::
* Table of Contents::
* Indices::
* Paper Formats::
* Multiple Columns::
* Font and Size Changes::
* Predefined Strings::
* Preprocessor Support::
* Configuration and Customization::
File: groff.info, Node: Paragraphs, Next: Sections and Chapters, Prev: Common Features, Up: Common Features
3.2.1 Paragraphs
----------------
One of the most common and most used capability is starting a
paragraph. There are a number of different types of paragraphs, any of
which can be initiated with macros supplied by the macro package.
Normally, paragraphs start with a blank line and the first line
indented, like the text in this manual. There are also block style
paragraphs, which omit the indentation:
Some men look at constitutions with sanctimonious
reverence, and deem them like the ark of the covenant, too
sacred to be touched.
And there are also indented paragraphs which begin with a tag or label
at the margin and the remaining text indented.
one This is the first paragraph. Notice how the first
line of the resulting paragraph lines up with the
other lines in the paragraph.
longlabel
This paragraph had a long label. The first
character of text on the first line does not line up
with the text on second and subsequent lines,
although they line up with each other.
A variation of this is a bulleted list.
. Bulleted lists start with a bullet. It is possible
to use other glyphs instead of the bullet. In nroff
mode using the ASCII character set for output, a dot
is used instead of a real bullet.
File: groff.info, Node: Sections and Chapters, Next: Headers and Footers, Prev: Paragraphs, Up: Common Features
3.2.2 Sections and Chapters
---------------------------
Most macro packages supply some form of section headers. The simplest
kind is simply the heading on a line by itself in bold type. Others
supply automatically numbered section heading or different heading
styles at different levels. Some, more sophisticated, macro packages
supply macros for starting chapters and appendices.
File: groff.info, Node: Headers and Footers, Next: Page Layout Adjustment, Prev: Sections and Chapters, Up: Common Features
3.2.3 Headers and Footers
-------------------------
Every macro package gives some way to manipulate the "headers" and
"footers" (also called "titles") on each page. This is text put at the
top and bottom of each page, respectively, which contain data like the
current page number, the current chapter title, and so on. Its
appearance is not affected by the running text. Some packages allow
for different ones on the even and odd pages (for material printed in a
book form).
The titles are called "three-part titles", that is, there is a
left-justified part, a centered part, and a right-justified part. An
automatically generated page number may be put in any of these fields
with the `%' character (see *Note Page Layout::, for more details).
File: groff.info, Node: Page Layout Adjustment, Next: Displays, Prev: Headers and Footers, Up: Common Features
3.2.4 Page Layout
-----------------
Most macro packages let the user specify top and bottom margins and
other details about the appearance of the printed pages.
File: groff.info, Node: Displays, Next: Footnotes and Annotations, Prev: Page Layout Adjustment, Up: Common Features
3.2.5 Displays
--------------
"Displays" are sections of text to be set off from the body of the
paper. Major quotes, tables, and figures are types of displays, as are
all the examples used in this document.
"Major quotes" are quotes which are several lines long, and hence
are set in from the rest of the text without quote marks around them.
A "list" is an indented, single-spaced, unfilled display. Lists
should be used when the material to be printed should not be filled and
justified like normal text, such as columns of figures or the examples
used in this paper.
A "keep" is a display of lines which are kept on a single page if
possible. An example for a keep might be a diagram. Keeps differ from
lists in that lists may be broken over a page boundary whereas keeps are
not.
"Floating keeps" move relative to the text. Hence, they are good for
things which are referred to by name, such as "See figure 3". A
floating keep appears at the bottom of the current page if it fits;
otherwise, it appears at the top of the next page. Meanwhile, the
surrounding text `flows' around the keep, thus leaving no blank areas.
File: groff.info, Node: Footnotes and Annotations, Next: Table of Contents, Prev: Displays, Up: Common Features
3.2.6 Footnotes and Annotations
-------------------------------
There are a number of requests to save text for later printing.
"Footnotes" are printed at the bottom of the current page.
"Delayed text" is very similar to a footnote except that it is
printed when called for explicitly. This allows a list of references to
appear (for example) at the end of each chapter, as is the convention in
some disciplines.
Most macro packages which supply this functionality also supply a
means of automatically numbering either type of annotation.
File: groff.info, Node: Table of Contents, Next: Indices, Prev: Footnotes and Annotations, Up: Common Features
3.2.7 Table of Contents
-----------------------
"Tables of contents" are a type of delayed text having a tag (usually
the page number) attached to each entry after a row of dots. The table
accumulates throughout the paper until printed, usually after the paper
has ended. Many macro packages provide the ability to have several
tables of contents (e.g. a standard table of contents, a list of
tables, etc).
File: groff.info, Node: Indices, Next: Paper Formats, Prev: Table of Contents, Up: Common Features
3.2.8 Indices
-------------
While some macro packages use the term "index", none actually provide
that functionality. The facilities they call indices are actually more
appropriate for tables of contents.
To produce a real index in a document, external tools like the
`makeindex' program are necessary.
File: groff.info, Node: Paper Formats, Next: Multiple Columns, Prev: Indices, Up: Common Features
3.2.9 Paper Formats
-------------------
Some macro packages provide stock formats for various kinds of
documents. Many of them provide a common format for the title and
opening pages of a technical paper. The `mm' macros in particular
provide formats for letters and memoranda.
File: groff.info, Node: Multiple Columns, Next: Font and Size Changes, Prev: Paper Formats, Up: Common Features
3.2.10 Multiple Columns
-----------------------
Some macro packages (but not `man') provide the ability to have two or
more columns on a page.
File: groff.info, Node: Font and Size Changes, Next: Predefined Strings, Prev: Multiple Columns, Up: Common Features
3.2.11 Font and Size Changes
----------------------------
The built-in font and size functions are not always intuitive, so all
macro packages provide macros to make these operations simpler.
File: groff.info, Node: Predefined Strings, Next: Preprocessor Support, Prev: Font and Size Changes, Up: Common Features
3.2.12 Predefined Strings
-------------------------
Most macro packages provide various predefined strings for a variety of
uses; examples are sub- and superscripts, printable dates, quotes and
various special characters.
File: groff.info, Node: Preprocessor Support, Next: Configuration and Customization, Prev: Predefined Strings, Up: Common Features
3.2.13 Preprocessor Support
---------------------------
All macro packages provide support for various preprocessors and may
extend their functionality.
For example, all macro packages mark tables (which are processed with
`gtbl') by placing them between `TS' and `TE' macros. The `ms' macro
package has an option, `.TS H', that prints a caption at the top of a
new page (when the table is too long to fit on a single page).
File: groff.info, Node: Configuration and Customization, Prev: Preprocessor Support, Up: Common Features
3.2.14 Configuration and Customization
--------------------------------------
Some macro packages provide means of customizing many of the details of
how the package behaves. This ranges from setting the default type size
to changing the appearance of section headers.
File: groff.info, Node: Macro Packages, Next: gtroff Reference, Prev: Tutorial for Macro Users, Up: Top
4 Macro Packages
****************
This chapter documents the main macro packages that come with `groff'.
Different main macro packages can't be used at the same time; for
example
groff -m man foo.man -m ms bar.doc
doesn't work. Note that option arguments are processed before
non-option arguments; the above (failing) sample is thus reordered to
groff -m man -m ms foo.man bar.doc
* Menu:
* man::
* mdoc::
* ms::
* me::
* mm::
File: groff.info, Node: man, Next: mdoc, Prev: Macro Packages, Up: Macro Packages
4.1 `man'
=========
This is the most popular and probably the most important macro package
of `groff'. It is easy to use, and a vast majority of manual pages are
based on it.
* Menu:
* Man options::
* Man usage::
* Man font macros::
* Miscellaneous man macros::
* Predefined man strings::
* Preprocessors in man pages::
* Optional man extensions::
File: groff.info, Node: Man options, Next: Man usage, Prev: man, Up: man
4.1.1 Options
-------------
The command line format for using the `man' macros with `groff' is:
groff -m man [ -rLL=LENGTH ] [ -rLT=LENGTH ] [ -rFT=DIST ]
[ -rcR=1 ] [ -rC1 ] [ -rD1 ] [-rHY=FLAGS ]
[ -rPNNN ] [ -rSXX ] [ -rXNNN ]
[ -rIN=LENGTH ] [ -rSN=LENGTH ] [ FILES... ]
It is possible to use `-man' instead of `-m man'.
`-rcR=1'
This option (the default if a TTY output device is used) creates a
single, very long page instead of multiple pages. Use `-rcR=0' to
disable it.
`-rC1'
If more than one manual page is given on the command line, number
the pages continuously, rather than starting each at 1.
`-rD1'
Double-sided printing. Footers for even and odd pages are
formatted differently.
`-rFT=DIST'
Set the position of the footer text to DIST. If positive, the
distance is measured relative to the top of the page, otherwise it
is relative to the bottom. The default is -0.5i.
`-rHY=FLAGS'
Set hyphenation flags. Possible values are 1 to hyphenate without
restrictions, 2 to not hyphenate the last word on a page, 4 to
not hyphenate the last two characters of a word, and 8 to not
hyphenate the first two characters of a word. These values are
additive; the default is 14.
`-rIN=LENGTH'
Set the body text indentation to LENGTH. If not specified, the
indentation defaults to 7n (7 characters) in nroff mode and 7.2n
otherwise. For nroff, this value should always be an integer
multiple of unit `n' to get consistent indentation.
`-rLL=LENGTH'
Set line length to LENGTH. If not specified, the line length is
set to respect any value set by a prior `ll' request (which _must_
be in effect when the `TH' macro is invoked), if this differs from
the built-in default for the formatter; otherwise it defaults to
78n in nroff mode (this is 78 characters per line) and 6.5i in
troff mode.(1) (*note Man options-Footnote-1::)
`-rLT=LENGTH'
Set title length to LENGTH. If not specified, the title length
defaults to the line length.
`-rPNNN'
Page numbering starts with NNN rather than with 1.
`-rSXX'
Use XX (which can be 10, 11, or 12pt) as the base document font
size instead of the default value of 10pt.
`-rSN=LENGTH'
Set the indentation for sub-subheadings to LENGTH. If not
specified, the indentation defaults to 3n.
`-rXNNN'
After page NNN, number pages as NNNa, NNNb, NNNc, etc. For
example, the option `-rX2' produces the following page numbers: 1,
2, 2a, 2b, 2c, etc.
File: groff.info, Node: Man usage, Next: Man font macros, Prev: Man options, Up: man
4.1.2 Usage
-----------
This section describes the available macros for manual pages. For
further customization, put additional macros and requests into the file
`man.local' which is loaded immediately after the `man' package.
-- Macro: .TH title section [extra1 [extra2 [extra3]]]
Set the title of the man page to TITLE and the section to SECTION,
which must have a value between 1 and 8. The value of SECTION may
also have a string appended, e.g. `.pm', to indicate a specific
subsection of the man pages.
Both TITLE and SECTION are positioned at the left and right in the
header line (with SECTION in parentheses immediately appended to
TITLE. EXTRA1 is positioned in the middle of the footer line.
EXTRA2 is positioned at the left in the footer line (or at the
left on even pages and at the right on odd pages if double-sided
printing is active). EXTRA3 is centered in the header line.
For HTML output, headers and footers are completely suppressed.
Additionally, this macro starts a new page; the new line number
is 1 again (except if the `-rC1' option is given on the command
line) - this feature is intended only for formatting multiple man
pages; a single man page should contain exactly one `TH' macro at
the beginning of the file.
-- Macro: .SH [heading]
Set up an unnumbered section heading sticking out to the left.
Prints out all the text following `SH' up to the end of the line
(or the text in the next line if there is no argument to `SH') in
bold face (or the font specified by the string `HF'), one size
larger than the base document size. Additionally, the left margin
and the indentation for the following text is reset to its default
value.
-- Macro: .SS [heading]
Set up an unnumbered (sub)section heading. Prints out all the text
following `SS' up to the end of the line (or the text in the next
line if there is no argument to `SS') in bold face (or the font
specified by the string `HF'), at the same size as the base
document size. Additionally, the left margin and the indentation
for the following text is reset to its default value.
-- Macro: .TP [nnn]
Set up an indented paragraph with label. The indentation is set to
NNN if that argument is supplied (the default unit is `n' if
omitted), otherwise it is set to the previous indentation value
specified with `TP', `IP', or `HP' (or to the default value if
none of them have been used yet).
The first line of text following this macro is interpreted as a
string to be printed flush-left, as it is appropriate for a label.
It is not interpreted as part of a paragraph, so there is no
attempt to fill the first line with text from the following input
lines. Nevertheless, if the label is not as wide as the
indentation the paragraph starts at the same line (but indented),
continuing on the following lines. If the label is wider than the
indentation the descriptive part of the paragraph begins on the
line following the label, entirely indented. Note that neither
font shape nor font size of the label is set to a default value;
on the other hand, the rest of the text has default font settings.
-- Macro: .LP
-- Macro: .PP
-- Macro: .P
These macros are mutual aliases. Any of them causes a line break
at the current position, followed by a vertical space downwards by
the amount specified by the `PD' macro. The font size and shape
are reset to the default value (10pt roman if no `-rS' option is
given on the command line). Finally, the current left margin and
the indentation is restored.
-- Macro: .IP [designator [nnn]]
Set up an indented paragraph, using DESIGNATOR as a tag to mark
its beginning. The indentation is set to NNN if that argument is
supplied (default unit is `n'), otherwise it is set to the
previous indentation value specified with `TP', `IP', or `HP' (or
the default value if none of them have been used yet). Font size
and face of the paragraph (but not the designator) are reset to
their default values.
To start an indented paragraph with a particular indentation but
without a designator, use `""' (two double quotes) as the first
argument of `IP'.
For example, to start a paragraph with bullets as the designator
and 4 en indentation, write
.IP \(bu 4
-- Macro: .HP [nnn]
Set up a paragraph with hanging left indentation. The indentation
is set to NNN if that argument is supplied (default unit is `n'),
otherwise it is set to the previous indentation value specified
with `TP', `IP', or `HP' (or the default value if non of them have
been used yet). Font size and face are reset to their default
values.
-- Macro: .RS [nnn]
Move the left margin to the right by the value NNN if specified
(default unit is `n'); otherwise it is set to the previous
indentation value specified with `TP', `IP', or `HP' (or to the
default value if none of them have been used yet). The
indentation value is then set to the default.
Calls to the `RS' macro can be nested.
-- Macro: .RE [nnn]
Move the left margin back to level NNN, restoring the previous left
margin. If no argument is given, it moves one level back. The
first level (i.e., no call to `RS' yet) has number 1, and each call
to `RS' increases the level by 1.
To summarize, the following macros cause a line break with the
insertion of vertical space (which amount can be changed with the `PD'
macro): `SH', `SS', `TP', `LP' (`PP', `P'), `IP', and `HP'.
The macros `RS' and `RE' also cause a break but do not insert
vertical space.
Finally, the macros `SH', `SS', `LP' (`PP', `P'), and `RS' reset the
indentation to its default value.
File: groff.info, Node: Man font macros, Next: Miscellaneous man macros, Prev: Man usage, Up: man
4.1.3 Macros to set fonts
-------------------------
The standard font is roman; the default text size is 10 point. If
command line option `-rS=N' is given, use Npt as the default text size.
-- Macro: .SM [text]
Set the text on the same line or the text on the next line in a
font that is one point size smaller than the default font.
-- Macro: .SB [text]
Set the text on the same line or the text on the next line in bold
face font, one point size smaller than the default font.
-- Macro: .BI text
Set its arguments alternately in bold face and italic, without a
space between the arguments. Thus,
.BI this "word and" that
produces "thisword andthat" with "this" and "that" in bold face,
and "word and" in italics.
-- Macro: .IB text
Set its arguments alternately in italic and bold face, without a
space between the arguments.
-- Macro: .RI text
Set its arguments alternately in roman and italic, without a space
between the arguments.
-- Macro: .IR text
Set its arguments alternately in italic and roman, without a space
between the arguments.
-- Macro: .BR text
Set its arguments alternately in bold face and roman, without a
space between the arguments.
-- Macro: .RB text
Set its arguments alternately in roman and bold face, without a
space between the arguments.
-- Macro: .B [text]
Set TEXT in bold face. If no text is present on the line where
the macro is called, then the text of the next line appears in bold
face.
-- Macro: .I [text]
Set TEXT in italic. If no text is present on the line where the
macro is called, then the text of the next line appears in italic.
File: groff.info, Node: Miscellaneous man macros, Next: Predefined man strings, Prev: Man font macros, Up: man
4.1.4 Miscellaneous macros
--------------------------
The default indentation is 7.2n in troff mode and 7n in nroff mode
except for `grohtml' which ignores indentation.
-- Macro: .DT
Set tabs every 0.5 inches. Since this macro is always executed
during a call to the `TH' macro, it makes sense to call it only if
the tab positions have been changed.
-- Macro: .PD [nnn]
Adjust the empty space before a new paragraph (or section). The
optional argument gives the amount of space (default unit is `v');
without parameter, the value is reset to its default value (1 line
in nroff mode, 0.4v otherwise).
This affects the macros `SH', `SS', `TP', `LP' (as well as `PP'
and `P'), `IP', and `HP'.
The following two macros are included for BSD compatibility.
-- Macro: .AT [system [release]]
Alter the footer for use with AT&T manpages. This command exists
only for compatibility; don't use it. The first argument SYSTEM
can be:
`3'
7th Edition (the default)
`4'
System III
`5'
System V
An optional second argument RELEASE to `AT' specifies the release
number (such as "System V Release 3").
-- Macro: .UC [version]
Alters the footer for use with BSD manpages. This command exists
only for compatibility; don't use it. The argument can be:
`3'
3rd Berkeley Distribution (the default)
`4'
4th Berkeley Distribution
`5'
4.2 Berkeley Distribution
`6'
4.3 Berkeley Distribution
`7'
4.4 Berkeley Distribution
File: groff.info, Node: Predefined man strings, Next: Preprocessors in man pages, Prev: Miscellaneous man macros, Up: man
4.1.5 Predefined strings
------------------------
The following strings are defined:
-- String: \*[S]
Switch back to the default font size.
-- String: \*[HF]
The typeface used for headings. The default is `B'.
-- String: \*[R]
The `registered' sign.
-- String: \*[Tm]
The `trademark' sign.
-- String: \*[lq]
-- String: \*[rq]
Left and right quote. This is equal to `\(lq' and `\(rq',
respectively.
File: groff.info, Node: Preprocessors in man pages, Next: Optional man extensions, Prev: Predefined man strings, Up: man
4.1.6 Preprocessors in `man' pages
----------------------------------
If a preprocessor like `gtbl' or `geqn' is needed, it has become common
usage to make the first line of the man page look like this:
'\" WORD
Note the single space character after the double quote. WORD consists
of letters for the needed preprocessors: `e' for `geqn', `r' for
`grefer', `t' for `gtbl'. Modern implementations of the `man' program
read this first line and automatically call the right preprocessor(s).
File: groff.info, Node: Optional man extensions, Prev: Preprocessors in man pages, Up: man
4.1.7 Optional `man' extensions
-------------------------------
Use the file `man.local' for local extensions to the `man' macros or
for style changes.
Custom headers and footers
..........................
In groff versions 1.18.2 and later, you can specify custom headers and
footers by redefining the following macros in `man.local'.
-- Macro: .PT
Control the content of the headers. Normally, the header prints
the command name and section number on either side, and the
optional fifth argument to `TH' in the center.
-- Macro: .BT
Control the content of the footers. Normally, the footer prints
the page number and the third and fourth arguments to `TH'.
Use the `FT' number register to specify the footer position. The
default is -0.5i.
Ultrix-specific man macros
..........................
The `groff' source distribution includes a file named `man.ultrix',
containing macros compatible with the Ultrix variant of `man'. Copy
this file into `man.local' (or use the `mso' request to load it) to
enable the following macros.
-- Macro: .CT key
Print `<CTRL/KEY>'.
-- Macro: .CW
Print subsequent text using the constant width (Courier) typeface.
-- Macro: .Ds
Begin a non-filled display.
-- Macro: .De
End a non-filled display started with `Ds'.
-- Macro: .EX [indent]
Begins a non-filled display using the constant width (Courier)
typeface. Use the optional INDENT argument to indent the display.
-- Macro: .EE
End a non-filled display started with `EX'.
-- Macro: .G [text]
Sets TEXT in Helvetica. If no text is present on the line where
the macro is called, then the text of the next line appears in
Helvetica.
-- Macro: .GL [text]
Sets TEXT in Helvetica Oblique. If no text is present on the line
where the macro is called, then the text of the next line appears
in Helvetica Oblique.
-- Macro: .HB [text]
Sets TEXT in Helvetica Bold. If no text is present on the line
where the macro is called, then all text up to the next `HB'
appears in Helvetica Bold.
-- Macro: .TB [text]
Identical to `HB'.
-- Macro: .MS title sect [punct]
Set a manpage reference in Ultrix format. The TITLE is in Courier
instead of italic. Optional punctuation follows the section
number without an intervening space.
-- Macro: .NT [`C'] [title]
Begin a note. Print the optional title, or the word "Note",
centered on the page. Text following the macro makes up the body
of the note, and is indented on both sides. If the first argument
is `C', the body of the note is printed centered (the second
argument replaces the word "Note" if specified).
-- Macro: .NE
End a note begun with `NT'.
-- Macro: .PN path [punct]
Set the path name in constant width (Courier), followed by
optional punctuation.
-- Macro: .Pn [punct] path [punct]
When called with two arguments, identical to `PN'. When called
with three arguments, set the second argument in constant width
(Courier), bracketed by the first and third arguments in the
current font.
-- Macro: .R
Switch to roman font and turn off any underlining in effect.
-- Macro: .RN
Print the string `<RETURN>'.
-- Macro: .VS [`4']
Start printing a change bar in the margin if the number `4' is
specified. Otherwise, this macro does nothing.
-- Macro: .VE
End printing the change bar begun by `VS'.
Simple example
..............
The following example `man.local' file alters the `SH' macro to add
some extra vertical space before printing the heading. Headings are
printed in Helvetica Bold.
.\" Make the heading fonts Helvetica
.ds HF HB
.
.\" Put more whitespace in front of headings.
.rn SH SH-orig
.de SH
. if t .sp (u;\\n[PD]*2)
. SH-orig \\$*
..
File: groff.info, Node: mdoc, Next: ms, Prev: man, Up: Macro Packages
4.2 `mdoc'
==========
See the `groff_mdoc(7)' man page (type `man groff_mdoc' at the command
line).
File: groff.info, Node: ms, Next: me, Prev: mdoc, Up: Macro Packages
4.3 `ms'
========
The `-ms' macros are suitable for reports, letters, books, user
manuals, and so forth. The package provides macros for cover pages,
section headings, paragraphs, lists, footnotes, pagination, and a table
of contents.
* Menu:
* ms Intro::
* General ms Structure::
* ms Document Control Registers::
* ms Cover Page Macros::
* ms Body Text::
* ms Page Layout::
* Differences from AT&T ms::
* Naming Conventions::
File: groff.info, Node: ms Intro, Next: General ms Structure, Prev: ms, Up: ms
4.3.1 Introduction to `ms'
--------------------------
The original `-ms' macros were included with AT&T `troff' as well as
the `man' macros. While the `man' package is intended for brief
documents that can be read on-line as well as printed, the `ms' macros
are suitable for longer documents that are meant to be printed rather
than read on-line.
The `ms' macro package included with `groff' is a complete,
bottom-up re-implementation. Several macros (specific to AT&T or
Berkeley) are not included, while several new commands are. *Note
Differences from AT&T ms::, for more information.
File: groff.info, Node: General ms Structure, Next: ms Document Control Registers, Prev: ms Intro, Up: ms
4.3.2 General structure of an `ms' document
-------------------------------------------
The `ms' macro package expects a certain amount of structure, but not
as much as packages such as `man' or `mdoc'.
The simplest documents can begin with a paragraph macro (such as
`LP' or `PP'), and consist of text separated by paragraph macros or
even blank lines. Longer documents have a structure as follows:
*Document type*
If you invoke the `RP' (report) macro on the first line of the
document, `groff' prints the cover page information on its own
page; otherwise it prints the information on the first page with
your document text immediately following. Other document formats
found in AT&T `troff' are specific to AT&T or Berkeley, and are
not supported in `groff'.
*Format and layout*
By setting number registers, you can change your document's type
(font and size), margins, spacing, headers and footers, and
footnotes. *Note ms Document Control Registers::, for more
details.
*Cover page*
A cover page consists of a title, the author's name and
institution, an abstract, and the date.(1) (*note General ms
Structure-Footnote-1::) *Note ms Cover Page Macros::, for more
details.
*Body*
Following the cover page is your document. You can use the `ms'
macros to write reports, letters, books, and so forth. The
package is designed for structured documents, consisting of
paragraphs interspersed with headings and augmented by lists,
footnotes, tables, and other common constructs. *Note ms Body
Text::, for more details.
*Table of contents*
Longer documents usually include a table of contents, which you can
invoke by placing the `TC' macro at the end of your document. The
`ms' macros have minimal indexing facilities, consisting of the
`IX' macro, which prints an entry on standard error. Printing the
table of contents at the end is necessary since `groff' is a
single-pass text formatter, thus it cannot determine the page
number of each section until that section has actually been set
and printed. Since `ms' output is intended for hardcopy, you can
manually relocate the pages containing the table of contents
between the cover page and the body text after printing.
File: groff.info, Node: ms Document Control Registers, Next: ms Cover Page Macros, Prev: General ms Structure, Up: ms
4.3.3 Document control registers
--------------------------------
The following is a list of document control number registers. For the
sake of consistency, set registers related to margins at the beginning
of your document, or just after the `RP' macro. You can set other
registers later in your document, but you should keep them together at
the beginning to make them easy to find and edit as necessary.
Margin Settings
...............
-- Register: \n[PO]
Defines the page offset (i.e., the left margin). There is no
explicit right margin setting; the combination of the `PO' and `LL'
registers implicitly define the right margin width.
Effective: next page.
Default value: 1i.
-- Register: \n[LL]
Defines the line length (i.e., the width of the body text).
Effective: next paragraph.
Default: 6i.
-- Register: \n[LT]
Defines the title length (i.e., the header and footer width). This
is usually the same as `LL', but not necessarily.
Effective: next paragraph.
Default: 6i.
-- Register: \n[HM]
Defines the header margin height at the top of the page.
Effective: next page.
Default: 1i.
-- Register: \n[FM]
Defines the footer margin height at the bottom of the page.
Effective: next page.
Default: 1i.
Text Settings
.............
-- Register: \n[PS]
Defines the point size of the body text. If the value is larger
than or equal to 1000, divide it by 1000 to get a fractional point
size. For example, `.nr PS 10250' sets the document's point size
to 10.25p.
Effective: next paragraph.
Default: 10p.
-- Register: \n[VS]
Defines the space between lines (line height plus leading). If the
value is larger than or equal to 1000, divide it by 1000 to get a
fractional point size. Due to backwards compatibility, `VS' must
be smaller than 40000 (this is 40.0p).
Effective: next paragraph.
Default: 12p.
-- Register: \n[PSINCR]
Defines an increment in point size, which will be applied to
section headings at nesting levels below the value specified in
`GROWPS'. The value of `PSINCR' should be specified in points,
with the p scaling factor, and may include a fractional component;
for example, `.nr PSINCR 1.5p' sets a point size increment of 1.5p.
Effective: next section heading.
Default: 1p.
-- Register: \n[GROWPS]
Defines the heading level below which the point size increment set
by `PSINCR' becomes effective. Section headings at and above the
level specified by `GROWPS' will be printed at the point size set
by `PS'; for each level below the value of `GROWPS', the point
size will be increased in steps equal to the value of `PSINCR'.
Setting `GROWPS' to any value less than 2 disables the incremental
heading size feature.
Effective: next section heading.
Default: 0.
-- Register: \n[HY]
Defines the hyphenation level. `HY' sets safely the value of the
low-level `hy' register. Setting the value of `HY' to 0 is
equivalent to using the `nh' request.
Effective: next paragraph.
Default: 14.
-- Register: \n[FAM]
Defines the font family used to typeset the document.
Effective: next paragraph.
Default: as defined in the output device.
Paragraph Settings
..................
-- Register: \n[PI]
Defines the initial indentation of a (`PP' macro) paragraph.
Effective: next paragraph.
Default: 5n.
-- Register: \n[PD]
Defines the space between paragraphs.
Effective: next paragraph.
Default: 0.3v.
-- Register: \n[QI]
Defines the indentation on both sides of a quoted (`QP' macro)
paragraph.
Effective: next paragraph.
Default: 5n.
-- Register: \n[PORPHANS]
Defines the minimum number of initial lines of any paragraph which
should be kept together, to avoid orphan lines at the bottom of a
page. If a new paragraph is started close to the bottom of a page,
and there is insufficient space to accommodate `PORPHANS' lines
before an automatic page break, then the page break will be forced,
before the start of the paragraph.
Effective: next paragraph.
Default: 1.
-- Register: \n[HORPHANS]
Defines the minimum number of lines of the following paragraph
which should be kept together with any section heading introduced
by the `NH' or `SH' macros. If a section heading is placed close
to the bottom of a page, and there is insufficient space to
accommodate both the heading and at least `HORPHANS' lines of the
following paragraph, before an automatic page break, then the page
break will be forced before the heading.
Effective: next paragraph.
Default: 1.
Footnote Settings
.................
-- Register: \n[FL]
Defines the length of a footnote.
Effective: next footnote.
Default: `\n[LL]' * 5 / 6.
-- Register: \n[FI]
Defines the footnote indentation.
Effective: next footnote.
Default: 2n.
-- Register: \n[FF]
The footnote format:
`0'
Print the footnote number as a superscript; indent the
footnote (default).
`1'
Print the number followed by a period (like 1.) and indent the
footnote.
`2'
Like 1, without an indentation.
`3'
Like 1, but print the footnote number as a hanging paragraph.
Effective: next footnote.
Default: 0.
-- Register: \n[FPS]
Defines the footnote point size. If the value is larger than or
equal to 1000, divide it by 1000 to get a fractional point size.
Effective: next footnote.
Default: `\n[PS]' - 2.
-- Register: \n[FVS]
Defines the footnote vertical spacing. If the value is larger
than or equal to 1000, divide it by 1000 to get a fractional point
size.
Effective: next footnote.
Default: `\n[FPS]' + 2.
-- Register: \n[FPD]
Defines the footnote paragraph spacing.
Effective: next footnote.
Default: `\n[PD]' / 2.
Miscellaneous Number Registers
..............................
-- Register: \n[MINGW]
Defines the minimum width between columns in a multi-column
document.
Effective: next page.
Default: 2n.
File: groff.info, Node: ms Cover Page Macros, Next: ms Body Text, Prev: ms Document Control Registers, Up: ms
4.3.4 Cover page macros
-----------------------
Use the following macros to create a cover page for your document in
the order shown.
-- Macro: .RP [`no']
Specifies the report format for your document. The report format
creates a separate cover page. The default action (no `RP' macro)
is to print a subset of the cover page on page 1 of your document.
If you use the word `no' as an optional argument, `groff' prints a
title page but does not repeat any of the title page information
(title, author, abstract, etc.) on page 1 of the document.
-- Macro: .P1
(P-one) Prints the header on page 1. The default is to suppress
the header.
-- Macro: .DA [...]
(optional) Prints the current date, or the arguments to the macro
if any, on the title page (if specified) and in the footers. This
is the default for `nroff'.
-- Macro: .ND [...]
(optional) Prints the current date, or the arguments to the macro
if any, on the title page (if specified) but not in the footers.
This is the default for `troff'.
-- Macro: .TL
Specifies the document title. `groff' collects text following the
`TL' macro into the title, until reaching the author name or
abstract.
-- Macro: .AU
Specifies the author's name, which appears on the line (or lines)
immediately following. You can specify multiple authors as
follows:
.AU
John Doe
.AI
University of West Bumblefuzz
.AU
Martha Buck
.AI
Monolithic Corporation
...
-- Macro: .AI
Specifies the author's institution. You can specify multiple
institutions in the same way that you specify multiple authors.
-- Macro: .AB [`no']
Begins the abstract. The default is to print the word ABSTRACT,
centered and in italics, above the text of the abstract. The word
`no' as an optional argument suppresses this heading.
-- Macro: .AE
Ends the abstract.
The following is example mark-up for a title page.
.RP
.TL
The Inevitability of Code Bloat
in Commercial and Free Software
.AU
J. Random Luser
.AI
University of West Bumblefuzz
.AB
This report examines the long-term growth
of the code bases in two large, popular software
packages; the free Emacs and the commercial
Microsoft Word.
While differences appear in the type or order
of features added, due to the different
methodologies used, the results are the same
in the end.
.PP
The free software approach is shown to be
superior in that while free software can
become as bloated as commercial offerings,
free software tends to have fewer serious
bugs and the added features are in line with
user demand.
.AE
... the rest of the paper follows ...
File: groff.info, Node: ms Body Text, Next: ms Page Layout, Prev: ms Cover Page Macros, Up: ms
4.3.5 Body text
---------------
This section describes macros used to mark up the body of your
document. Examples include paragraphs, sections, and other groups.
* Menu:
* Paragraphs in ms::
* Headings in ms::
* Highlighting in ms::
* Lists in ms::
* Indentation values in ms::
* Tabstops in ms::
* ms Displays and Keeps::
* ms Insertions::
* Example multi-page table::
* ms Footnotes::
File: groff.info, Node: Paragraphs in ms, Next: Headings in ms, Prev: ms Body Text, Up: ms Body Text
4.3.5.1 Paragraphs
..................
The following paragraph types are available.
-- Macro: .PP
-- Macro: .LP
Sets a paragraph with an initial indentation.
-- Macro: .QP
Sets a paragraph that is indented at both left and right margins.
The effect is identical to the HTML `<BLOCKQUOTE>' element. The
next paragraph or heading returns margins to normal.
-- Macro: .XP
Sets a paragraph whose lines are indented, except for the first
line. This is a Berkeley extension.
The following markup uses all four paragraph macros.
.NH 2
Cases used in the study
.LP
The following software and versions were
considered for this report.
.PP
For commercial software, we chose
.B "Microsoft Word for Windows" ,
starting with version 1.0 through the
current version (Word 2000).
.PP
For free software, we chose
.B Emacs ,
from its first appearance as a standalone
editor through the current version (v20).
See [Bloggs 2002] for details.
.QP
Franklin's Law applied to software:
software expands to outgrow both
RAM and disk space over time.
.LP
Bibliography:
.XP
Bloggs, Joseph R.,
.I "Everyone's a Critic" ,
Underground Press, March 2002.
A definitive work that answers all questions
and criticisms about the quality and usability of
free software.
The `PORPHANS' register (*note ms Document Control Registers::)
operates in conjunction with each of these macros, to inhibit the
printing of orphan lines at the bottom of any page.
File: groff.info, Node: Headings in ms, Next: Highlighting in ms, Prev: Paragraphs in ms, Up: ms Body Text
4.3.5.2 Headings
................
Use headings to create a hierarchical structure for your document. The
`ms' macros print headings in *bold*, using the same font family and
point size as the body text.
The following describes the heading macros:
-- Macro: .NH curr-level
-- Macro: .NH S level0 ...
Numbered heading. The argument is either a numeric argument to
indicate the level of the heading, or the letter `S' followed by
numeric arguments to set the heading level explicitly.
If you specify heading levels out of sequence, such as invoking
`.NH 3' after `.NH 1', `groff' prints a warning on standard error.
-- String: \*[SN]
-- String: \*[SN-DOT]
-- String: \*[SN-NO-DOT]
After invocation of `NH', the assigned section number is made
available in the strings `SN-DOT' (exactly as it appears in the
printed section heading) and `SN-NO-DOT' (with the final period
omitted). The string `SN' is also defined, as an alias for
`SN-DOT'; if preferred, you may redefine it as an alias for
`SN-NO-DOT', by including the initialization
.ds SN-NO-DOT
.als SN SN-NO-DOT
*before* your first use of `NH', or simply
.als SN SN-NO-DOT
*after* your first use of `NH'.
-- Macro: .SH [match-level]
Unnumbered subheading.
The optional MATCH-LEVEL argument is a GNU extension. It is a
number indicating the level of the heading, in a manner analogous
to the CURR-LEVEL argument to `.NH'. Its purpose is to match the
point size, at which the heading is printed, to the size of a
numbered heading at the same level, when the `GROWPS' and `PSINCR'
heading size adjustment mechanism is in effect. *Note ms Document
Control Registers::.
The `HORPHANS' register (*note ms Document Control Registers::)
operates in conjunction with the `NH' and `SH' macros, to inhibit the
printing of orphaned section headings at the bottom of any page.
File: groff.info, Node: Highlighting in ms, Next: Lists in ms, Prev: Headings in ms, Up: ms Body Text
4.3.5.3 Highlighting
....................
The `ms' macros provide a variety of methods to highlight or emphasize
text:
-- Macro: .B [txt [post [pre]]]
Sets its first argument in *bold type*. If you specify a second
argument, `groff' prints it in the previous font after the bold
text, with no intervening space (this allows you to set
punctuation after the highlighted text without highlighting the
punctuation). Similarly, it prints the third argument (if any) in
the previous font *before* the first argument. For example,
.B foo ) (
prints (*foo*).
If you give this macro no arguments, `groff' prints all text
following in bold until the next highlighting, paragraph, or
heading macro.
-- Macro: .R [txt [post [pre]]]
Sets its first argument in roman (or regular) type. It operates
similarly to the `B' macro otherwise.
-- Macro: .I [txt [post [pre]]]
Sets its first argument in _italic type_. It operates similarly
to the `B' macro otherwise.
-- Macro: .CW [txt [post [pre]]]
Sets its first argument in a `constant width face'. It operates
similarly to the `B' macro otherwise.
-- Macro: .BI [txt [post [pre]]]
Sets its first argument in bold italic type. It operates
similarly to the `B' macro otherwise.
-- Macro: .BX [txt]
Prints its argument and draws a box around it. If you want to box
a string that contains spaces, use a digit-width space (`\0').
-- Macro: .UL [txt [post]]
Prints its first argument with an underline. If you specify a
second argument, `groff' prints it in the previous font after the
underlined text, with no intervening space.
-- Macro: .LG
Prints all text following in larger type (two points larger than
the current point size) until the next font size, highlighting,
paragraph, or heading macro. You can specify this macro multiple
times to enlarge the point size as needed.
-- Macro: .SM
Prints all text following in smaller type (two points smaller than
the current point size) until the next type size, highlighting,
paragraph, or heading macro. You can specify this macro multiple
times to reduce the point size as needed.
-- Macro: .NL
Prints all text following in the normal point size (that is, the
value of the `PS' register).
-- String: \*[{]
-- String: \*[}]
Text enclosed with `\*{' and `\*}' is printed as a superscript.
File: groff.info, Node: Lists in ms, Next: Indentation values in ms, Prev: Highlighting in ms, Up: ms Body Text
4.3.5.4 Lists
.............
The `IP' macro handles duties for all lists.
-- Macro: .IP [marker [width]]
The MARKER is usually a bullet glyph (`\[bu]') for unordered
lists, a number (or auto-incrementing number register) for
numbered lists, or a word or phrase for indented (glossary-style)
lists.
The WIDTH specifies the indentation for the body of each list
item; its default unit is `n'. Once specified, the indentation
remains the same for all list items in the document until specified
again.
The `PORPHANS' register (*note ms Document Control Registers::)
operates in conjunction with the `IP' macro, to inhibit the
printing of orphaned list markers at the bottom of any page.
The following is an example of a bulleted list.
A bulleted list:
.IP \[bu] 2
lawyers
.IP \[bu]
guns
.IP \[bu]
money
Produces:
A bulleted list:
o lawyers
o guns
o money
The following is an example of a numbered list.
.nr step 1 1
A numbered list:
.IP \n[step] 3
lawyers
.IP \n+[step]
guns
.IP \n+[step]
money
Produces:
A numbered list:
1. lawyers
2. guns
3. money
Note the use of the auto-incrementing number register in this
example.
The following is an example of a glossary-style list.
A glossary-style list:
.IP lawyers 0.4i
Two or more attorneys.
.IP guns
Firearms, preferably
large-caliber.
.IP money
Gotta pay for those
lawyers and guns!
Produces:
A glossary-style list:
lawyers
Two or more attorneys.
guns Firearms, preferably large-caliber.
money
Gotta pay for those lawyers and guns!
In the last example, the `IP' macro places the definition on the
same line as the term if it has enough space; otherwise, it breaks to
the next line and starts the definition below the term. This may or
may not be the effect you want, especially if some of the definitions
break and some do not. The following examples show two possible ways
to force a break.
The first workaround uses the `br' request to force a break after
printing the term or label.
A glossary-style list:
.IP lawyers 0.4i
Two or more attorneys.
.IP guns
.br
Firearms, preferably large-caliber.
.IP money
Gotta pay for those lawyers and guns!
The second workaround uses the `\p' escape to force the break. Note
the space following the escape; this is important. If you omit the
space, `groff' prints the first word on the same line as the term or
label (if it fits) *then* breaks the line.
A glossary-style list:
.IP lawyers 0.4i
Two or more attorneys.
.IP guns
\p Firearms, preferably large-caliber.
.IP money
Gotta pay for those lawyers and guns!
To set nested lists, use the `RS' and `RE' macros. *Note
Indentation values in ms::, for more information.
For example:
.IP \[bu] 2
Lawyers:
.RS
.IP \[bu]
Dewey,
.IP \[bu]
Cheatham,
.IP \[bu]
and Howe.
.RE
.IP \[bu]
Guns
Produces:
o Lawyers:
o Dewey,
o Cheatham,
o and Howe.
o Guns
File: groff.info, Node: Indentation values in ms, Next: Tabstops in ms, Prev: Lists in ms, Up: ms Body Text
4.3.5.5 Indentation values
..........................
In many situations, you may need to indentation a section of text while
still wrapping and filling. *Note Lists in ms::, for an example of
nested lists.
-- Macro: .RS
-- Macro: .RE
These macros begin and end an indented section. The `PI' register
controls the amount of indentation, allowing the indented text to
line up under hanging and indented paragraphs.
*Note ms Displays and Keeps::, for macros to indentation and turn off
filling.
File: groff.info, Node: Tabstops in ms, Next: ms Displays and Keeps, Prev: Indentation values in ms, Up: ms Body Text
4.3.5.6 Tab Stops
.................
Use the `ta' request to define tab stops as needed. *Note Tabs and
Fields::.
-- Macro: .TA
Use this macro to reset the tab stops to the default for `ms'
(every 5n). You can redefine the `TA' macro to create a different
set of default tab stops.
File: groff.info, Node: ms Displays and Keeps, Next: ms Insertions, Prev: Tabstops in ms, Up: ms Body Text
4.3.5.7 Displays and keeps
..........................
Use displays to show text-based examples or figures (such as code
listings).
Displays turn off filling, so lines of code are displayed as-is
without inserting `br' requests in between each line. Displays can be
"kept" on a single page, or allowed to break across pages.
-- Macro: .DS L
-- Macro: .LD
-- Macro: .DE
Left-justified display. The `.DS L' call generates a page break,
if necessary, to keep the entire display on one page. The `LD'
macro allows the display to break across pages. The `DE' macro
ends the display.
-- Macro: .DS I
-- Macro: .ID
-- Macro: .DE
Indents the display as defined by the `DI' register. The `.DS I'
call generates a page break, if necessary, to keep the entire
display on one page. The `ID' macro allows the display to break
across pages. The `DE' macro ends the display.
-- Macro: .DS B
-- Macro: .BD
-- Macro: .DE
Sets a block-centered display: the entire display is
left-justified, but indented so that the longest line in the
display is centered on the page. The `.DS B' call generates a
page break, if necessary, to keep the entire display on one page.
The `BD' macro allows the display to break across pages. The `DE'
macro ends the display.
-- Macro: .DS C
-- Macro: .CD
-- Macro: .DE
Sets a centered display: each line in the display is centered. The
`.DS C' call generates a page break, if necessary, to keep the
entire display on one page. The `CD' macro allows the display to
break across pages. The `DE' macro ends the display.
-- Macro: .DS R
-- Macro: .RD
-- Macro: .DE
Right-justifies each line in the display. The `.DS R' call
generates a page break, if necessary, to keep the entire display on
one page. The `RD' macro allows the display to break across
pages. The `DE' macro ends the display.
-- Macro: .Ds
-- Macro: .De
These two macros were formerly provided as aliases for `DS' and
`DE', respectively. They have been removed, and should no longer
be used. The original implementations of `DS' and `DE' are
retained, and should be used instead. X11 documents which actually
use `Ds' and `De' always load a specific macro file from the X11
distribution (`macros.t') which provides proper definitions for
the two macros.
On occasion, you may want to "keep" other text together on a page.
For example, you may want to keep two paragraphs together, or a
paragraph that refers to a table (or list, or other item) immediately
following. The `ms' macros provide the `KS' and `KE' macros for this
purpose.
-- Macro: .KS
-- Macro: .KE
The `KS' macro begins a block of text to be kept on a single page,
and the `KE' macro ends the block.
-- Macro: .KF
-- Macro: .KE
Specifies a "floating keep"; if the keep cannot fit on the current
page, `groff' holds the contents of the keep and allows text
following the keep (in the source file) to fill in the remainder of
the current page. When the page breaks, whether by an explicit
`bp' request or by reaching the end of the page, `groff' prints
the floating keep at the top of the new page. This is useful for
printing large graphics or tables that do not need to appear
exactly where specified.
You can also use the `ne' request to force a page break if there is
not enough vertical space remaining on the page.
Use the following macros to draw a box around a section of text (such
as a display).
-- Macro: .B1
-- Macro: .B2
Marks the beginning and ending of text that is to have a box drawn
around it. The `B1' macro begins the box; the `B2' macro ends it.
Text in the box is automatically placed in a diversion (keep).
File: groff.info, Node: ms Insertions, Next: Example multi-page table, Prev: ms Displays and Keeps, Up: ms Body Text
4.3.5.8 Tables, figures, equations, and references
..................................................
The `ms' macros support the standard `groff' preprocessors: `tbl',
`pic', `eqn', and `refer'. You mark text meant for preprocessors by
enclosing it in pairs of tags as follows.
-- Macro: .TS [`H']
-- Macro: .TE
Denotes a table, to be processed by the `tbl' preprocessor. The
optional argument `H' to `TS' instructs `groff' to create a
running header with the information up to the `TH' macro. `groff'
prints the header at the beginning of the table; if the table runs
onto another page, `groff' prints the header on the next page as
well.
-- Macro: .PS
-- Macro: .PE
Denotes a graphic, to be processed by the `pic' preprocessor. You
can create a `pic' file by hand, using the AT&T `pic' manual
available on the Web as a reference, or by using a graphics
program such as `xfig'.
-- Macro: .EQ [align]
-- Macro: .EN
Denotes an equation, to be processed by the `eqn' preprocessor.
The optional ALIGN argument can be `C', `L', or `I' to center (the
default), left-justify, or indent the equation.
-- Macro: .[
-- Macro: .]
Denotes a reference, to be processed by the `refer' preprocessor.
The GNU `refer(1)' man page provides a comprehensive reference to
the preprocessor and the format of the bibliographic database.
* Menu:
* Example multi-page table::
File: groff.info, Node: Example multi-page table, Next: ms Footnotes, Prev: ms Insertions, Up: ms Body Text
4.3.5.9 An example multi-page table
...................................
The following is an example of how to set up a table that may print
across two or more pages.
.TS H
allbox expand;
cb | cb .
Text ...of heading...
_
.TH
.T&
l | l .
... the rest of the table follows...
.CW
.TE
File: groff.info, Node: ms Footnotes, Prev: Example multi-page table, Up: ms Body Text
4.3.5.10 Footnotes
..................
The `ms' macro package has a flexible footnote system. You can specify
either numbered footnotes or symbolic footnotes (that is, using a
marker such as a dagger symbol).
-- String: \*[*]
Specifies the location of a numbered footnote marker in the text.
-- Macro: .FS
-- Macro: .FE
Specifies the text of the footnote. The default action is to
create a numbered footnote; you can create a symbolic footnote by
specifying a "mark" glyph (such as `\[dg]' for the dagger glyph)
in the body text and as an argument to the `FS' macro, followed by
the text of the footnote and the `FE' macro.
You can control how `groff' prints footnote numbers by changing the
value of the `FF' register. *Note ms Document Control Registers::.
Footnotes can be safely used within keeps and displays, but you
should avoid using numbered footnotes within floating keeps. You can
set a second `\**' marker between a `\**' and its corresponding `.FS'
entry; as long as each `FS' macro occurs _after_ the corresponding
`\**' and the occurrences of `.FS' are in the same order as the
corresponding occurrences of `\**'.
File: groff.info, Node: ms Page Layout, Next: Differences from AT&T ms, Prev: ms Body Text, Up: ms
4.3.6 Page layout
-----------------
The default output from the `ms' macros provides a minimalist page
layout: it prints a single column, with the page number centered at the
top of each page. It prints no footers.
You can change the layout by setting the proper number registers and
strings.
* Menu:
* ms Headers and Footers::
* ms Margins::
* ms Multiple Columns::
* ms TOC::
* ms Strings and Special Characters::
File: groff.info, Node: ms Headers and Footers, Next: ms Margins, Prev: ms Page Layout, Up: ms Page Layout
4.3.6.1 Headers and footers
...........................
For documents that do not distinguish between odd and even pages, set
the following strings:
-- String: \*[LH]
-- String: \*[CH]
-- String: \*[RH]
Sets the left, center, and right headers.
-- String: \*[LF]
-- String: \*[CF]
-- String: \*[RF]
Sets the left, center, and right footers.
For documents that need different information printed in the even and
odd pages, use the following macros:
-- Macro: .OH 'left'center'right'
-- Macro: .EH 'left'center'right'
-- Macro: .OF 'left'center'right'
-- Macro: .EF 'left'center'right'
The `OH' and `EH' macros define headers for the odd and even
pages; the `OF' and `EF' macros define footers for the odd and
even pages. This is more flexible than defining the individual
strings.
You can replace the quote (`'') marks with any character not
appearing in the header or footer text.
File: groff.info, Node: ms Margins, Next: ms Multiple Columns, Prev: ms Headers and Footers, Up: ms Page Layout
4.3.6.2 Margins
...............
You control margins using a set of number registers. *Note ms Document
Control Registers::, for details.
File: groff.info, Node: ms Multiple Columns, Next: ms TOC, Prev: ms Margins, Up: ms Page Layout
4.3.6.3 Multiple columns
........................
The `ms' macros can set text in as many columns as will reasonably fit
on the page. The following macros are available; all of them force a
page break if a multi-column mode is already set. However, if the
current mode is single-column, starting a multi-column mode does _not_
force a page break.
-- Macro: .1C
Single-column mode.
-- Macro: .2C
Two-column mode.
-- Macro: .MC [width [gutter]]
Multi-column mode. If you specify no arguments, it is equivalent
to the `2C' macro. Otherwise, WIDTH is the width of each column
and GUTTER is the space between columns. The `MINGW' number
register controls the default gutter width.
File: groff.info, Node: ms TOC, Next: ms Strings and Special Characters, Prev: ms Multiple Columns, Up: ms Page Layout
4.3.6.4 Creating a table of contents
....................................
The facilities in the `ms' macro package for creating a table of
contents are semi-automated at best. Assuming that you want the table
of contents to consist of the document's headings, you need to repeat
those headings wrapped in `XS' and `XE' macros.
-- Macro: .XS [page]
-- Macro: .XA [page]
-- Macro: .XE
These macros define a table of contents or an individual entry in
the table of contents, depending on their use. The macros are very
simple; they cannot indent a heading based on its level. The
easiest way to work around this is to add tabs to the table of
contents string. The following is an example:
.NH 1
Introduction
.XS
Introduction
.XE
.LP
...
.CW
.NH 2
Methodology
.XS
Methodology
.XE
.LP
...
You can manually create a table of contents by beginning with the
`XS' macro for the first entry, specifying the page number for
that entry as the argument to `XS'. Add subsequent entries using
the `XA' macro, specifying the page number for that entry as the
argument to `XA'. The following is an example:
.XS 1
Introduction
.XA 2
A Brief History of the Universe
.XA 729
Details of Galactic Formation
...
.XE
-- Macro: .TC [`no']
Prints the table of contents on a new page, setting the page number
to *i* (Roman lowercase numeral one). You should usually place
this macro at the end of the file, since `groff' is a single-pass
formatter and can only print what has been collected up to the
point that the `TC' macro appears.
The optional argument `no' suppresses printing the title specified
by the string register `TOC'.
-- Macro: .PX [`no']
Prints the table of contents on a new page, using the current page
numbering sequence. Use this macro to print a manually-generated
table of contents at the beginning of your document.
The optional argument `no' suppresses printing the title specified
by the string register `TOC'.
The `Groff and Friends HOWTO' includes a `sed' script that
automatically inserts `XS' and `XE' macro entries after each heading in
a document.
Altering the `NH' macro to automatically build the table of contents
is perhaps initially more difficult, but would save a great deal of
time in the long run if you use `ms' regularly.
File: groff.info, Node: ms Strings and Special Characters, Prev: ms TOC, Up: ms Page Layout
4.3.6.5 Strings and Special Characters
......................................
The `ms' macros provide the following predefined strings. You can
change the string definitions to help in creating documents in
languages other than English.
-- String: \*[REFERENCES]
Contains the string printed at the beginning of the references
(bibliography) page. The default is `References'.
-- String: \*[ABSTRACT]
Contains the string printed at the beginning of the abstract. The
default is `ABSTRACT'.
-- String: \*[TOC]
Contains the string printed at the beginning of the table of
contents.
-- String: \*[MONTH1]
-- String: \*[MONTH2]
-- String: \*[MONTH3]
-- String: \*[MONTH4]
-- String: \*[MONTH5]
-- String: \*[MONTH6]
-- String: \*[MONTH7]
-- String: \*[MONTH8]
-- String: \*[MONTH9]
-- String: \*[MONTH10]
-- String: \*[MONTH11]
-- String: \*[MONTH12]
Prints the full name of the month in dates. The default is
`January', `February', etc.
The following special characters are available(1) (*note ms Strings
and Special Characters-Footnote-1::):
-- String: \*[-]
Prints an em dash.
-- String: \*[Q]
-- String: \*[U]
Prints typographer's quotes in troff, and plain quotes in nroff.
`\*Q' is the left quote and `\*U' is the right quote.
Improved accent marks are available in the `ms' macros.
-- Macro: .AM
Specify this macro at the beginning of your document to enable
extended accent marks and special characters. This is a Berkeley
extension.
To use the accent marks, place them *after* the character being
accented.
Note that groff's native support for accents is superior to the
following definitions.
The following accent marks are available after invoking the `AM'
macro:
-- String: \*[']
Acute accent.
-- String: \*[`]
Grave accent.
-- String: \*[^]
Circumflex.
-- String: \*[,]
Cedilla.
-- String: \*[~]
Tilde.
-- String: \*[:]
Umlaut.
-- String: \*[v]
Hacek.
-- String: \*[_]
Macron (overbar).
-- String: \*[.]
Underdot.
-- String: \*[o]
Ring above.
The following are standalone characters available after invoking the
`AM' macro:
-- String: \*[?]
Upside-down question mark.
-- String: \*[!]
Upside-down exclamation point.
-- String: \*[8]
German ß ligature.
-- String: \*[3]
Yogh.
-- String: \*[Th]
Uppercase thorn.
-- String: \*[th]
Lowercase thorn.
-- String: \*[D-]
Uppercase eth.
-- String: \*[d-]
Lowercase eth.
-- String: \*[q]
Hooked o.
-- String: \*[ae]
Lowercase æ ligature.
-- String: \*[Ae]
Uppercase Æ ligature.
File: groff.info, Node: Differences from AT&T ms, Next: Naming Conventions, Prev: ms Page Layout, Up: ms
4.3.7 Differences from AT&T `ms'
--------------------------------
This section lists the (minor) differences between the `groff -ms'
macros and AT&T `troff -ms' macros.
* The internals of `groff -ms' differ from the internals of AT&T
`troff -ms'. Documents that depend upon implementation details of
AT&T `troff -ms' may not format properly with `groff -ms'.
* The general error-handling policy of `groff -ms' is to detect and
report errors, rather than silently to ignore them.
* `groff -ms' does not work in compatibility mode (this is, with the
`-C' option).
* There is no special support for typewriter-like devices.
* `groff -ms' does not provide cut marks.
* Multiple line spacing is not supported. Use a larger vertical
spacing instead.
* Some UNIX `ms' documentation says that the `CW' and `GW' number
registers can be used to control the column width and gutter
width, respectively. These number registers are not used in
`groff -ms'.
* Macros that cause a reset (paragraphs, headings, etc.) may change
the indentation. Macros that change the indentation do not
increment or decrement the indentation, but rather set it
absolutely. This can cause problems for documents that define
additional macros of their own. The solution is to use not the
`in' request but instead the `RS' and `RE' macros.
* To make `groff -ms' use the default page offset (which also
specifies the left margin), the `PO' register must stay undefined
until the first `-ms' macro is evaluated. This implies that `PO'
should not be used early in the document, unless it is changed
also: Remember that accessing an undefined register automatically
defines it.
-- Register: \n[GS]
This number register is set to 1 by the `groff -ms' macros, but it
is not used by the `AT&T' `troff -ms' macros. Documents that need
to determine whether they are being formatted with `AT&T' `troff
-ms' or `groff -ms' should use this number register.
* Menu:
* Missing ms Macros::
* Additional ms Macros::
File: groff.info, Node: Missing ms Macros, Next: Additional ms Macros, Prev: Differences from AT&T ms, Up: Differences from AT&T ms
4.3.7.1 `troff' macros not appearing in `groff'
...............................................
Macros missing from `groff -ms' are cover page macros specific to Bell
Labs and Berkeley. The macros known to be missing are:
`.TM'
Technical memorandum; a cover sheet style
`.IM'
Internal memorandum; a cover sheet style
`.MR'
Memo for record; a cover sheet style
`.MF'
Memo for file; a cover sheet style
`.EG'
Engineer's notes; a cover sheet style
`.TR'
Computing Science Tech Report; a cover sheet style
`.OK'
Other keywords
`.CS'
Cover sheet information
`.MH'
A cover sheet macro
File: groff.info, Node: Additional ms Macros, Prev: Missing ms Macros, Up: Differences from AT&T ms
4.3.7.2 `groff' macros not appearing in AT&T `troff'
....................................................
The `groff -ms' macros have a few minor extensions compared to the AT&T
`troff -ms' macros.
-- Macro: .AM
Improved accent marks. *Note ms Strings and Special Characters::,
for details.
-- Macro: .DS I
Indented display. The default behavior of AT&T `troff -ms' was to
indent; the `groff' default prints displays flush left with the
body text.
-- Macro: .CW
Print text in `constant width' (Courier) font.
-- Macro: .IX
Indexing term (printed on standard error). You can write a script
to capture and process an index generated in this manner.
The following additional number registers appear in `groff -ms':
-- Register: \n[MINGW]
Specifies a minimum space between columns (for multi-column
output); this takes the place of the `GW' register that was
documented but apparently not implemented in AT&T `troff'.
Several new string registers are available as well. You can change
these to handle (for example) the local language. *Note ms Strings and
Special Characters::, for details.
File: groff.info, Node: Naming Conventions, Prev: Differences from AT&T ms, Up: ms
4.3.8 Naming Conventions
------------------------
The following conventions are used for names of macros, strings and
number registers. External names available to documents that use the
`groff -ms' macros contain only uppercase letters and digits.
Internally the macros are divided into modules; naming conventions
are as follows:
* Names used only within one module are of the form MODULE`*'NAME.
* Names used outside the module in which they are defined are of the
form MODULE`@'NAME.
* Names associated with a particular environment are of the form
ENVIRONMENT`:'NAME; these are used only within the `par' module.
* NAME does not have a module prefix.
* Constructed names used to implement arrays are of the form
ARRAY`!'INDEX.
Thus the groff ms macros reserve the following names:
* Names containing the characters `*', `@', and `:'.
* Names containing only uppercase letters and digits.
File: groff.info, Node: me, Next: mm, Prev: ms, Up: Macro Packages
4.4 `me'
========
See the `meintro.me' and `meref.me' documents in groff's `doc'
directory.
File: groff.info, Node: mm, Prev: me, Up: Macro Packages
4.5 `mm'
========
See the `groff_mm(7)' man page (type `man groff_mm' at the command
line).
File: groff.info, Node: gtroff Reference, Next: Preprocessors, Prev: Macro Packages, Up: Top
5 `gtroff' Reference
********************
This chapter covers *all* of the facilities of `gtroff'. Users of
macro packages may skip it if not interested in details.
* Menu:
* Text::
* Measurements::
* Expressions::
* Identifiers::
* Embedded Commands::
* Registers::
* Manipulating Filling and Adjusting::
* Manipulating Hyphenation::
* Manipulating Spacing::
* Tabs and Fields::
* Character Translations::
* Troff and Nroff Mode::
* Line Layout::
* Line Control::
* Page Layout::
* Page Control::
* Fonts and Symbols::
* Sizes::
* Strings::
* Conditionals and Loops::
* Writing Macros::
* Page Motions::
* Drawing Requests::
* Traps::
* Diversions::
* Environments::
* Suppressing output::
* Colors::
* I/O::
* Postprocessor Access::
* Miscellaneous::
* Gtroff Internals::
* Debugging::
* Implementation Differences::
File: groff.info, Node: Text, Next: Measurements, Prev: gtroff Reference, Up: gtroff Reference
5.1 Text
========
`gtroff' input files contain text with control commands interspersed
throughout. But, | | |
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