\input texinfo @c -*-texinfo-*- @c @c Please convert this manual with `texi2dvi -e groff.texinfo' due to a bug @c in texinfo regarding expansion of user-defined macros. @c @c %**start of header (This is for running Texinfo on a region.) @setfilename groff @settitle The GNU Troff Manual @setchapternewpage odd @footnotestyle separate @c %**end of header (This is for running Texinfo on a region.) @c We use the following indices: @c @c cindex: concepts @c rqindex: requests @c esindex: escapes @c vindex: registers @c kindex: commands in font files @c pindex: programs and files @c tindex: environment variables @c maindex: macros @c stindex: strings @c glindex: glyph names @c opindex: operators @c @c tindex and cindex are merged. @defcodeindex rq @defcodeindex es @defcodeindex ma @defcodeindex st @defcodeindex gl @defcodeindex op @syncodeindex tp cp @c to avoid uppercasing in @deffn while converting to info, we define @c our special @Var{} @c @c due to a (not officially documented) `feature' in makeinfo 4.0, @c macros are not expanded in @deffn (but the macro definition is @c properly removed), so we have to define @Var{} directly in TeX also @macro Var{arg} \arg\ @end macro @tex \gdef\Var#1{\var{#1}} @end tex @c definition of requests @macro Defreq{name, arg} @rqindex \name\ @deffn Request @t{.\name\} \arg\ @end macro @macro Defreqx{name, arg} @rqindex \name\ @deffnx Request @t{.\name\} \arg\ @end macro @macro endDefreq @end deffn @end macro @c definition of escapes @macro Defesc{name, delimI, arg, delimII} @esindex \name\ @deffn Escape @t{\name\\delimI\}@var{\arg\}@t{\delimII\} @end macro @macro Defescx{name, delimI, arg, delimII} @esindex \name\ @deffnx Escape @t{\name\\delimI\}@var{\arg\}@t{\delimII\} @end macro @macro endDefesc @end deffn @end macro @c definition of registers @macro Defreg{name} @vindex \name\ @deffn Register @t{\\n[\name\]} @end macro @macro Defregx{name} @vindex \name\ @deffnx Register @t{\\n[\name\]} @end macro @macro endDefreg @end deffn @end macro @c definition of macros @macro Defmac{name, arg} @maindex \name\ @defmac @t{.\name\} \arg\ @end macro @macro Defmacx{name, arg} @maindex \name\ @defmacx @t{.\name\} \arg\ @end macro @macro endDefmac @end defmac @end macro @c definition of strings @macro Defstr{name, arg} @stindex \name\ @deffn String @t{\name\} \arg\ @end macro @macro Defstrx{name, arg} @stindex \name\ @deffnx String @t{\name\} \arg\ @end macro @macro endDefstr @end deffn @end macro @c our example macro @macro Example @example @group @end macro @macro endExample @end group @end example @end macro @c We need special parentheses and brackets: @c @c . Real parentheses in @deffn produce an error while compiling with @c TeX @c . Real brackets use the wrong font in @deffn, overriding @t{}. @c @c This is true for texinfo 4.0. @ifnottex @macro lparen ( @end macro @macro rparen ) @end macro @macro lbrack [ @end macro @macro rbrack ] @end macro @end ifnottex @iftex @macro lparen @@lparen @end macro @macro rparen @@rparen @end macro @macro lbrack @@lbrack @end macro @macro rbrack @@rbrack @end macro @end iftex @c Note: We say `Roman numerals' but `roman font'. @c XXX comment all examples @dircategory Miscellaneous @direntry * Groff: (groff). The GNU troff document formatting system. @end direntry @smallbook @iftex @finalout @end iftex @ifinfo This Info file documents GNU troff version 1.17. Published by the Free Software Foundation 59 Temple Place, Suite 330 Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA Copyright (C) 1994-2000, 2001 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. @ignore Permission is granted to process this file through TeX and print the results, provided the printed document carries copying permission notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual). @end ignore Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, except that this permission notice may be stated in a translation approved by the Foundation. Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the section entitled ``GNU General Public License'' is included exactly as in the original, and provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, except that the section entitled ``GNU General Public License'' may be included in a translation approved by the Free Software Foundation instead of in the original English. @end ifinfo @titlepage @title groff @subtitle The GNU implementation of @code{troff} @subtitle Edition 1.17 @subtitle Spring 2001 @author by Trent A.@w{ }Fisher @author and Werner Lemberg @c Include the Distribution inside the titlepage environment so @c that headings are turned off. Headings on and off do not work. @page @vskip 0pt plus 1filll Copyright @copyright@w{ }1994-2000, 2001 Free Software Foundation,@w{ }Inc. @sp 2 Version 1.17 of @code{groff}, @* Spring 2001 @sp 2 Published by the Free Software Foundation @* 59 Temple Place, Suite 330 @* Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice are preserved on all copies. Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that the section entitled ``GNU General Public License'' is included exactly as in the original, and provided that the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a permission notice identical to this one. Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions, except that the section entitled ``GNU General Public License'' may be included in a translation approved by the Free Software Foundation instead of in the original English. Cover art by Etienne Suvasa. @end titlepage @page @node Top, Copying, (dir), (dir) @ifinfo This Info file documents groff version 1.17, the GNU implementation of the troff typesetting system. This is an in-progress document; contributions, comments, or contributions are welcome. Send them to bug-groff@@gnu.org. @end ifinfo @menu * Copying:: * Introduction:: * Invoking groff:: * Tutorial for Macro Users:: * Macro Packages:: * gtroff Reference:: * Preprocessors:: * Output Devices:: * File formats:: * Installation:: * 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:: @end menu @node Copying, Introduction, Top, Top @cindex copying @unnumbered GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE @center Version 2, June 1991 @display Copyright @copyright{}@w{ }1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 59@w{ }Temple Place, Suite@w{ }330, Boston, MA@w{ }02111, USA Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies of this license document, but changing it is not allowed. @end display @unnumberedsec Preamble The licenses for most software are designed to take away your freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free software -- to make sure the software is free for all its users. This General Public License applies to most of the Free Software Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by the GNU Library General Public License instead.) You can apply it to your programs, too. When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things. To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights. These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it. For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights. We protect your rights with two steps: (1)@w{ }copyright the software, and (2)@w{ }offer you this license which gives you legal permission to copy, distribute and/or modify the software. Also, for each author's protection and ours, we want to make certain that everyone understands that there is no warranty for this free software. If the software is modified by someone else and passed on, we want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on the original authors' reputations. Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software patents. We wish to avoid the danger that redistributors of a free program will individually obtain patent licenses, in effect making the program proprietary. To prevent this, we have made it clear that any patent must be licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at all. The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification follow. @iftex @unnumberedsec TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION @end iftex @ifinfo @center TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION @end ifinfo @enumerate 0 @item This License applies to any program or other work which contains a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed under the terms of this General Public License. The ``Program'', below, refers to any such program or work, and a ``work based on the Program'' means either the Program or any derivative work under copyright law: that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it, either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another language. (Hereinafter, translation is included without limitation in the term ``modification''.) Each licensee is addressed as ``you''. Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the Program (independent of having been made by running the Program). Whether that is true depends on what the Program does. @item You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any warranty; and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License along with the Program. You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and you may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee. @item You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion of it, thus forming a work based on the Program, and copy and distribute such modifications or work under the terms of Section@w{ }1 above, provided that you also meet all of these conditions: @enumerate a @item You must cause the modified files to carry prominent notices stating that you changed the files and the date of any change. @item You must cause any work that you distribute or publish, that in whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third parties under the terms of this License. @item If the modified program normally reads commands interactively when run, you must cause it, when started running for such interactive use in the most ordinary way, to print or display an announcement including an appropriate copyright notice and a notice that there is no warranty (or else, saying that you provide a warranty) and that users may redistribute the program under these conditions, and telling the user how to view a copy of this License. (Exception: if the Program itself is interactive but does not normally print such an announcement, your work based on the Program is not required to print an announcement.) @end enumerate These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program, and can be reasonably considered independent and separate works in themselves, then this License, and its terms, do not apply to those sections when you distribute them as separate works. But when you distribute the same sections as part of a whole which is a work based on the Program, the distribution of the whole must be on the terms of this License, whose permissions for other licensees extend to the entire whole, and thus to each and every part regardless of who wrote it. Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest your rights to work written entirely by you; rather, the intent is to exercise the right to control the distribution of derivative or collective works based on the Program. In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program with the Program (or with a work based on the Program) on a volume of a storage or distribution medium does not bring the other work under the scope of this License. @item You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it, under Section@w{ }2) in object code or executable form under the terms of Sections@w{ }1 and@w{ }2 above provided that you also do one of the following: @enumerate a @item Accompany it with the complete corresponding machine-readable source code, which must be distributed under the terms of Sections@w{ }1 and@w{ }2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, @item Accompany it with a written offer, valid for at least three years, to give any third party, for a charge no more than your cost of physically performing source distribution, a complete machine-readable copy of the corresponding source code, to be distributed under the terms of Sections@w{ }1 and@w{ }2 above on a medium customarily used for software interchange; or, @item Accompany it with the information you received as to the offer to distribute corresponding source code. (This alternative is allowed only for noncommercial distribution and only if you received the program in object code or executable form with such an offer, in accord with Subsection@w{ }b above.) @end enumerate The source code for a work means the preferred form of the work for making modifications to it. For an executable work, complete source code means all the source code for all modules it contains, plus any associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to control compilation and installation of the executable. However, as a special exception, the source code distributed need not include anything that is normally distributed (in either source or binary form) with the major components (compiler, kernel, and so on) of the operating system on which the executable runs, unless that component itself accompanies the executable. If distribution of executable or object code is made by offering access to copy from a designated place, then offering equivalent access to copy the source code from the same place counts as distribution of the source code, even though third parties are not compelled to copy the source along with the object code. @item You may not copy, modify, sublicense, or distribute the Program except as expressly provided under this License. Any attempt otherwise to copy, modify, sublicense or distribute the Program is void, and will automatically terminate your rights under this License. However, parties who have received copies, or rights, from you under this License will not have their licenses terminated so long as such parties remain in full compliance. @item You are not required to accept this License, since you have not signed it. However, nothing else grants you permission to modify or distribute the Program or its derivative works. These actions are prohibited by law if you do not accept this License. Therefore, by modifying or distributing the Program (or any work based on the Program), you indicate your acceptance of this License to do so, and all its terms and conditions for copying, distributing or modifying the Program or works based on it. @item Each time you redistribute the Program (or any work based on the Program), the recipient automatically receives a license from the original licensor to copy, distribute or modify the Program subject to these terms and conditions. You may not impose any further restrictions on the recipients' exercise of the rights granted herein. You are not responsible for enforcing compliance by third parties to this License. @item If, as a consequence of a court judgment or allegation of patent infringement or for any other reason (not limited to patent issues), conditions are imposed on you (whether by court order, agreement or otherwise) that contradict the conditions of this License, they do not excuse you from the conditions of this License. If you cannot distribute so as to satisfy simultaneously your obligations under this License and any other pertinent obligations, then as a consequence you may not distribute the Program at all. For example, if a patent license would not permit royalty-free redistribution of the Program by all those who receive copies directly or indirectly through you, then the only way you could satisfy both it and this License would be to refrain entirely from distribution of the Program. If any portion of this section is held invalid or unenforceable under any particular circumstance, the balance of the section is intended to apply and the section as a whole is intended to apply in other circumstances. It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any patents or other property right claims or to contest validity of any such claims; this section has the sole purpose of protecting the integrity of the free software distribution system, which is implemented by public license practices. Many people have made generous contributions to the wide range of software distributed through that system in reliance on consistent application of that system; it is up to the author/donor to decide if he or she is willing to distribute software through any other system and a licensee cannot impose that choice. This section is intended to make thoroughly clear what is believed to be a consequence of the rest of this License. @item If the distribution and/or use of the Program is restricted in certain countries either by patents or by copyrighted interfaces, the original copyright holder who places the Program under this License may add an explicit geographical distribution limitation excluding those countries, so that distribution is permitted only in or among countries not thus excluded. In such case, this License incorporates the limitation as if written in the body of this License. @item The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new versions of the General Public License from time to time. Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version, but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns. Each version is given a distinguishing version number. If the Program specifies a version number of this License which applies to it and ``any later version'', you have the option of following the terms and conditions either of that version or of any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. If the Program does not specify a version number of this License, you may choose any version ever published by the Free Software Foundation. @item If you wish to incorporate parts of the Program into other free programs whose distribution conditions are different, write to the author to ask for permission. For software which is copyrighted by the Free Software Foundation, write to the Free Software Foundation; we sometimes make exceptions for this. Our decision will be guided by the two goals of preserving the free status of all derivatives of our free software and of promoting the sharing and reuse of software generally. @iftex @heading NO WARRANTY @end iftex @ifinfo @center NO WARRANTY @end ifinfo @item BECAUSE THE PROGRAM IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO WARRANTY FOR THE PROGRAM, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW@. EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE PROGRAM ``AS IS'' WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE@. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE PROGRAM IS WITH YOU@. SHOULD THE PROGRAM PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION. @item IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE PROGRAM AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE PROGRAM (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A FAILURE OF THE PROGRAM TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER PROGRAMS), EVEN IF SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. @end enumerate @iftex @heading END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS @end iftex @ifinfo @center END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS @end ifinfo @page @unnumberedsec How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest possible use to the public, the best way to achieve this is to make it free software which everyone can redistribute and change under these terms. To do so, attach the following notices to the program. It is safest to attach them to the start of each source file to most effectively convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least the ``copyright'' line and a pointer to where the full notice is found. @smallexample @var{one line to give the program's name and an idea of what it does.} Copyright (C) 19@var{yy} @var{name of author} This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version. This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE@. See the GNU General Public License for more details. You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc., 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111, USA. @end smallexample Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail. If the program is interactive, make it output a short notice like this when it starts in an interactive mode: @smallexample Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) 19@var{yy} @var{name of author} Gnomovision comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type `show w'. This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it under certain conditions; type `show c' for details. @end smallexample The hypothetical commands @samp{show@w{ }w} and @samp{show@w{ }c} should show the appropriate parts of the General Public License. Of course, the commands you use may be called something other than @samp{show@w{ }w} and @samp{show@w{ }c}; they could even be mouse-clicks or menu items -- whatever suits your program. You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your school, if any, to sign a ``copyright disclaimer'' for the program, if necessary. Here is a sample; alter the names: @smallexample @group Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the program `Gnomovision' (which makes passes at compilers) written by James Hacker. @var{signature of Ty Coon}, 1 April 1989 Ty Coon, President of Vice @end group @end smallexample This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into proprietary programs. If your program is a subroutine library, you may consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary applications with the library. If this is what you want to do, use the GNU Library General Public License instead of this License. @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Introduction, Invoking groff, Copying, Top @chapter Introduction @cindex introduction GNU @code{troff} (or @code{groff}) is a system for typesetting documents. @code{troff} is very flexible and has been in existence (and use) for about 3@w{ }decades. It is quite widespread and firmly entrenched in the @acronym{UNIX} community. @menu * What Is groff?:: * History:: * groff Capabilities:: * Macro Package Intro:: * Preprocessor Intro:: * Output device intro:: * Credits:: @end menu @c ===================================================================== @node What Is groff?, History, Introduction, Introduction @section What Is @code{groff}? @cindex what is @code{groff}? @cindex @code{groff} -- what is it? @code{groff} belongs to an older generation of document preparation systems, which operate more like compilers than the more recent interactive @acronym{WYSIWYG}@footnote{What You See Is What You Get} systems. @code{groff} and its contemporary counterpart, @TeX{}, both work using a @dfn{batch} paradigm: The input (or @dfn{source}) files are normal text files with embedded formatting commands. These files can then be processed by @code{groff} to produce a typeset document on a variety of devices. Likewise, @code{groff} should not be confused with a @dfn{word processor}, since that term connotes an integrated system that includes an editor and a text formatter. Also, many word processors follow the @acronym{WYSIWYG} paradigm discussed earlier. Although @acronym{WYSIWYG} systems may be easier to use, they have a number of disadvantages compared to @code{troff}: @itemize @bullet @item They must be used on a graphics display to work on a document. @item Most of the @acronym{WYSIWYG} systems are either non-free or are not very portable. @item @code{troff} is firmly entrenched in all @acronym{UNIX} systems. @item It is difficult to have a wide range of capabilities available within the confines of a GUI/window system. @item It is more difficult to make global changes to a document. @end itemize @quotation ``GUIs normally make it simple to accomplish simple actions and impossible to accomplish complex actions.'' --Doug Gwyn (22/Jun/91 in @code{comp.unix.wizards}) @end quotation @c ===================================================================== @node History, groff Capabilities, What Is groff?, Introduction @section History @cindex history @cindex @code{runoff} @cindex @code{rf} @code{troff} can trace its origins back to a formatting program called @code{runoff}, written by J.@w{ }E.@w{ }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 @code{roff} (an abbreviation of @code{runoff}). It was rewritten as @code{rf} for the @w{PDP-7} (before having @acronym{UNIX}), and at the same time (1969), Doug McIllroy rewrote an extended and simplified version of @code{roff} in the @acronym{BCPL} programming language. @cindex @code{roff} The first version of @acronym{UNIX} was developed on a @w{PDP-7} which was sitting around Bell Labs. In 1971 the developers wanted to get a @w{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 @code{roff}, written by J.@w{ }F.@w{ }Ossanna. @cindex @code{nroff} When they needed a more flexible language, a new version of @code{roff} called @code{nroff} (``Newer @code{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 @code{nroff} that would drive it. It was dubbed @code{troff}, for ``typesetter @code{roff}'', although many people have speculated that it actually means ``Times @code{roff}'' because of the use of the Times font family in @code{troff} by default. As such, the name @code{troff} is pronounced `@w{t-roff}' rather than `trough'. With @code{troff} came @code{nroff} (they were actually the same program except for some @samp{#ifdef}s), which was for producing output for line printers and character terminals. It understood everything @code{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 @code{troff}, work on several preprocessors began. These programs would transform certain parts of a document into @code{troff}, which made a very natural use of pipes in @acronym{UNIX}. The @code{eqn} preprocessor allowed mathematical formul@ae{} to be specified in a much simpler and more intuitive manner. @code{tbl} is a preprocessor for formatting tables. The @code{refer} preprocessor (and the similar program, @code{bib}) processes citations in a document according to a bibliographic database. Unfortunately, Ossanna's @code{troff} was written in @w{PDP-11} assembly language and produced output specifically for the CAT phototypesetter. He rewrote it in C, although it was now 7000@w{ }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 an auto accident. @pindex ditroff @cindex @code{ditroff} So, Brian Kernighan took on the task of rewriting @code{troff}. The newly rewritten version produced a device independent code which was very easy for postprocessors to read and translate to the appropriate printer codes. Also, this new version of @code{troff} (called @code{ditroff} for ``device independent @code{troff}'') had several extensions, which included drawing functions. Due to the additional abilities of the new version of @code{troff}, several new preprocessors appeared. The @code{pic} preprocessor provides a wide range of drawing functions. Likewise the @code{ideal} preprocessor did the same, although via a much different paradigm. The @code{grap} preprocessor took specifications for graphs, but, unlike other preprocessors, produced @code{pic} code. James Clark began work on a GNU implementation of @code{ditroff} in early@w{ }1989. The first version, @code{groff}@w{ }0.3.1, was released June@w{ }1990. @code{groff} included: @itemize @bullet @item A replacement for @code{ditroff} with many extensions. @item The @code{soelim}, @code{pic}, @code{tbl}, and @code{eqn} preprocessors. @item Postprocessors for character devices, @sc{PostScript}, @TeX{} DVI, and X@w{ }windows. GNU @code{troff} also eliminated the need for a separate @code{nroff} program with a postprocessor which would produce @acronym{ASCII} output. @item A version of the @file{me} macros and an implementation of the @file{man} macros. @end itemize Also, a front-end was included which could construct the, sometimes painfully long, pipelines required for all the post- and preprocessors. Development of GNU @code{troff} progressed rapidly, and saw the additions of a replacement for @code{refer}, an implementation of the @file{ms} and @file{mm} macros, and a program to deduce how to format a document (@code{grog}). It was declared a stable (i.e.@: non-beta) package with the release of version@w{ }1.04 around November@w{ }1991. Beginning in@w{ }1999, @code{groff} has new maintainers (the package was an orphan for a few years). As a result, new features and programs like @code{grn}, a preprocessor for gremlin images, and an output device to produce @acronym{HTML} output have been added. @c ===================================================================== @node groff Capabilities, Macro Package Intro, History, Introduction @section @code{groff} Capabilities @cindex @code{groff} capabilities @cindex capabilities of @code{groff} So what exactly is @code{groff} capable of doing? @code{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 @code{groff}: @itemize @bullet @item text filling, adjusting, and centering @item hyphenation @item page control @item font and character size control @item vertical spacing (i.e.@: double spacing) @item line length and indenting @item macros, strings, diversions, and traps @item number registers @item tabs, leaders, and fields @item input and output conventions and character translation @item overstrike, bracket, line drawing, and zero-width functions @item local horizontal and vertical motions and the width function @item three-part titles @item output line numbering @item conditional acceptance of input @item environment switching @item insertions from the standard input @item input/output file switching @item output and error messages @end itemize @c ===================================================================== @node Macro Package Intro, Preprocessor Intro, groff Capabilities, Introduction @section Macro Packages @cindex macro packages Since @code{groff} provides such low-level facilities, it can be quite difficult to use by itself. However, @code{groff} provides a @dfn{macro} facility to specify how certain routine operations (e.g.@w{ }starting paragraphs, printing headers and footers, etc.)@: should be done. These macros can be collected together into a @dfn{macro package}. There are a number of macro packages available; the most common (and the ones described in this manual) are @file{man}, @file{mdoc}, @file{me}, @file{ms}, and @file{mm}. @c ===================================================================== @node Preprocessor Intro, Output device intro, Macro Package Intro, Introduction @section Preprocessors @cindex preprocessors Although @code{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 @code{groff} operations. These preprocessors are able to differentiate their own input from the rest of the document via markers. To use a preprocessor, @acronym{UNIX} pipes are used to feed the output from the preprocessor into @code{groff}. Any number of preprocessors may be used on a given document; in this case, the preprocessors are linked together into one pipeline. However, in @code{groff}, the user does not need to construct the pipe, but only tell @code{groff} what preprocessors to use. @code{groff} currently has preprocessors for producing tables (@code{tbl}), typesetting equations (@code{eqn}), drawing pictures (@code{pic} and @code{grn}), and for processing bibliographies (@code{refer}). An associated program which is useful when dealing with preprocessors is @code{soelim}. A free implementation of @code{grap}, a preprocessor for drawing graphs, can be obtained as an extra package; @code{groff} can use @code{grap} also. There are other preprocessors in existence, but, unfortunately, no free implementations are available. Among them are preprocessors for drawing mathematical pictures (@code{ideal}) and chemical structures (@code{chem}). @c ===================================================================== @node Output device intro, Credits, Preprocessor Intro, Introduction @section Output Devices @cindex postprocessors @cindex output devices @cindex devices for output @code{groff} actually produces device independent code which may be fed into a postprocessor to produce output for a particular device. Currently, @code{groff} has postprocessors for @sc{PostScript} devices, character terminals, X@w{ }Windows (for previewing), @TeX{} DVI format, HP LaserJet@w{ }4 and Canon LBP printers (which use @acronym{CAPSL}), and @acronym{HTML}. @c ===================================================================== @node Credits, , Output device intro, Introduction @section Credits @cindex credits Large portions of this manual were taken from existing documents, most notably, the manual pages for the @code{groff} package by James Clark, and Eric Allman's papers on the @file{me} macro package. The section on the @file{man} macro package is partly based on Susan@w{ }G.@: Kleinmann's @file{groff_man} manual page written for the Debian GNU/Linux system. @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Invoking groff, Tutorial for Macro Users, Introduction, Top @chapter Invoking @code{groff} @cindex invoking @code{groff} @cindex @code{groff} invocation This section focuses on how to invoke the @code{groff} front end. This front end takes care of the details of constructing the pipeline among the preprocessors, @code{gtroff} and the postprocessor. It has become a tradition that GNU programs get the prefix @samp{g} to distinguish it from its original counterparts provided by the host (see @ref{Environment}, for more details). Thus, for example, @code{geqn} is GNU @code{eqn}. On operating systems like Linux or the Hurd, which don't contain proprietary software, and on MS-DOS/MS-Windows, where @code{troff} and associated programs are not available at all, this prefix is omitted since GNU @code{troff} is the only used incarnation of @code{troff}. Exception: @code{groff} is never replaced by @code{roff}. @menu * Groff Options:: * Environment:: * Invocation Examples:: @end menu @c ===================================================================== @node Groff Options, Environment, Invoking groff, Invoking groff @section Options @cindex options @pindex groff @pindex gtroff @pindex gpic @pindex geqn @pindex ggrn @pindex grap @pindex gtbl @pindex grefer @pindex gsoelim @code{groff} normally runs the @code{gtroff} program and a postprocessor appropriate for the selected device. The default device is @samp{ps} (but it can be changed when @code{groff} is configured and built). It can optionally preprocess with any of @code{gpic}, @code{geqn}, @code{gtbl}, @code{ggrn}, @code{grap}, @code{grefer}, or @code{gsoelim}. This section only documents options to the @code{groff} front end. Many of the arguments to @code{groff} are passed on to @code{gtroff}, therefore those are also included. Arguments to pre- or postprocessors can be found in @ref{Invoking gpic}, @ref{Invoking geqn}, @ref{Invoking gtbl}, @ref{Invoking ggrn}, @ref{Invoking grefer}, @ref{Invoking gsoelim}, @ref{Invoking grotty}, @ref{Invoking grops}, @ref{Invoking grohtml}, @ref{Invoking grodvi}, @ref{Invoking grolj4}, @ref{Invoking grolbp}, and @ref{Invoking gxditview}. The command line format for @code{groff} is: @Example groff [ -abeghilpstvzCEGNRSUVXZ ] [ -F@var{dir} ] [ -m@var{name} ] [ -T@var{def} ] [ -f@var{fam} ] [ -w@var{name} ] [ -W@var{name} ] [ -M@var{dir} ] [ -d@var{cs} ] [ -r@var{cn} ] [ -n@var{num} ] [ -o@var{list} ] [ -P@var{arg} ] [ -L@var{arg} ] [ -I@var{dir} ] [ @var{files}@dots{} ] @endExample The command line format for @code{gtroff} is as follows. @Example gtroff [ -abivzCERU ] [ -w@var{name} ] [ -W@var{name} ] [ -d@var{cs} ] [ -f@var{fam} ] [ -m@var{name} ] [ -n@var{num} ] [ -o@var{list} ] [ -r@var{cn} ] [ -T@var{name} ] [ -F@var{dir} ] [ -M@var{dir} ] [ @var{files}@dots{} ] @endExample @noindent Obviously, many of the options to @code{groff} are actually passed on to @code{gtroff}. Options without an argument can be grouped behind a single @option{-}. A filename of @file{-} denotes the standard input. It is possible to have whitespace between an option and its parameter. The @code{grog} command can be used to guess the correct @code{groff} command to format a file. Here's the description of the command-line options: @cindex command-line options @table @samp @item -h Print a help message. @item -e Preprocess with @code{geqn}. @item -t Preprocess with @code{gtbl}. @item -g Preprocess with @code{ggrn}. @item -G Preprocess with @code{grap}. @item -p Preprocess with @code{gpic}. @item -s Preprocess with @code{gsoelim}. @item -R Preprocess with @code{grefer}. No mechanism is provided for passing arguments to @code{grefer} because most @code{grefer} options have equivalent commands which can be included in the file. @xref{grefer}, for more details. @pindex troffrc @pindex troffrc-end Note that @code{gtroff} also accepts a @option{-R} option, which is not accessible via @code{groff}. This option prevents the loading of the @file{troffrc} and @file{troffrc-end} files. @item -v Make programs run by @code{groff} print out their version number. @item -V Print the pipeline on @code{stdout} instead of executing it. @item -z Suppress output from @code{gtroff}. Only error messages are printed. @item -Z Do not postprocess the output of @code{gtroff}. Normally @code{groff} automatically runs the appropriate postprocessor. @item -P@var{arg} Pass @var{arg} to the postprocessor. Each argument should be passed with a separate @option{-P} option. Note that @code{groff} does not prepend @samp{-} to @var{arg} before passing it to the postprocessor. @item -l Send the output to a spooler for printing. The command used for this is specified by the @code{print} command in the device description file (see @ref{Font Files}, for more info). If not present, @option{-l} is ignored. @item -L@var{arg} Pass @var{arg} to the spooler. Each argument should be passed with a separate @option{-L} option. Note that @code{groff} does not prepend a @samp{-} to @var{arg} before passing it to the postprocessor. If the @code{print} keyword in the device description file is missing, @option{-L} is ignored. @item -T@var{dev} Prepare output for device @var{dev}. The default device is @samp{ps}, unless changed when @code{groff} was configured and built. The following are the output devices currently available: @table @code @item ps For @sc{PostScript} printers and previewers. @item dvi For @TeX{} DVI format. @item X75 For a 75@dmn{dpi} X11 previewer. @item X100 For a 100@dmn{dpi} X11 previewer. @item ascii For typewriter-like devices. @item latin1 For typewriter-like devices that support the @w{Latin-1} (@w{ISO 8859-1}) character set. @item utf8 For typewriter-like devices which use the Unicode (@w{ISO 10646}) character set with @w{UTF-8} encoding. @item cp1047 @cindex @acronym{EBCDIC} encoding @cindex cp1047 @cindex IBM cp1047 For typewriter-like devices which use the @acronym{EBCDIC} encoding IBM cp1047. @item lj4 For an HP LaserJet4-compatible (or other PCL5-compatible) printer. @item lbp For Canon @acronym{CAPSL} printers (@w{LBP-4} and @w{LBP-8} series laser printers). @pindex pre-grohtml @pindex post-grohtml @cindex @code{grohtml} @item html To produce @acronym{HTML} output. Note that the @acronym{HTML} driver consists of two parts, a preprocessor (@code{pre-grohtml}) and a postprocessor (@code{post-grohtml}). @end table @vindex .T @stindex .T The predefined @code{gtroff} string register @code{.T} contains the current output device; the read-only number register @code{.T} is set to@w{ }1 if this option is used (which is always true if @code{groff} is used to call @code{gtroff}). @xref{Built-in Registers}. The postprocessor to be used for a device is specified by the @code{postpro} command in the device description file. (@xref{Font Files}, for more info.) This can be overridden with the @option{-X} option. @item -X Preview with @code{gxditview} instead of using the usual postprocessor. This is unlikely to produce good results except with @option{-Tps}. Note that this is not the same as using @option{-TX75} or @option{-TX100} to view a document with @code{gxditview}: The former uses the metrics of the specified device, whereas the latter uses X-specific fonts and metrics. @item -N Don't allow newlines with @code{eqn} delimiters. This is the same as the @option{-N} option in @code{geqn}. @item -S Safer mode. Pass the @option{-S} option to @code{gpic} and disable the @code{open}, @code{opena}, @code{pso}, @code{sy}, and @code{pi} requests. For security reasons, this is enabled by default. @item -U Unsafe mode. Reverts to the old unsafe behaviour. @item -a @vindex .A Generate an @acronym{ASCII} approximation of the typeset output. The read-only register @code{.A} is then set to@w{ }1. @xref{Built-in Registers}. A typical example is @Example groff -a -man -Tdvi troff.man | less @endExample @noindent 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. @item -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: @code{gtroff} can get confused by @code{as} or @code{am} requests while counting line numbers. @item -i Read the standard input after all the named input files have been processed. @item -w@var{name} Enable warning @var{name}. Available warnings are described in @ref{Debugging}. Multiple @option{-w} options are allowed. @item -W@var{name} Inhibit warning @var{name}. Multiple @option{-W} options are allowed. @item -E Inhibit all error messages. @item -C Enable compatibility mode. @xref{Implementation Differences}, for the list of incompatibilities between @code{groff} and traditional Unix @code{troff}. @item -d@var{cs} @itemx -d@var{name}=s Define @var{c} or @var{name} to be a string @var{s}. @var{c} must be a one-letter name; @var{name} can be of arbitrary length. All string assignments happen before loading any macro file (including the start-up file). @item -f@var{fam} Use @var{fam} as the default font family. @xref{Font Families}. @item -m@var{name} Read in the file @file{@var{name}.tmac}. Normally @code{groff} searches for this in its macro directories. If it isn't found, it tries @file{tmac.@var{name}} (and searches in the same directories). @c XXX document local and system macro dirs @item -n@var{num} Number the first page @var{num}. @item -o@var{list} @vindex .P Output only pages in @var{list}, which is a comma-separated list of page ranges; @samp{@var{n}} means print page @var{n}, @samp{@var{m}-@var{n}} means print every page between @var{m} and @var{n}, @samp{-@var{n}} means print every page up to @var{n}, @samp{@var{n}-} means print every page beginning with @var{n}. @code{gtroff} exits after printing the last page in the list. All the ranges are inclusive on both ends. Within @code{gtroff}, this information can be extracted with the @samp{.P} register. @xref{Built-in Registers}. If your document restarts page numbering at the beginning of each chapter, then @code{gtroff} prints the specified page range for each chapter. @item -r@var{cn} @itemx -r@var{name}=@var{n} Set number register @var{c} or @var{name} to the value @var{n}. @var{c} must be a one-letter name; @var{name} can be of arbitrary length. @var{n} can be any @code{gtroff} numeric expression. All register assignments happen before loading any macro file (including the start-up file). @item -F@var{dir} Search @file{@var{dir}} for subdirectories @file{dev@var{name}} (@var{name} is the name of the device), for the @file{DESC} file, and for font files before looking in the standard directories. @item -M@var{dir} Search directory @file{@var{dir}} for macro files before the standard directories. @item -I@var{dir} This option is as described in @ref{gsoelim}. It implies the @option{-s} option. @end table @c ===================================================================== @node Environment, Invocation Examples, Groff Options, Invoking groff @section Environment @cindex environment variables @cindex variables in environment There are also several environment variables (of the operating system, not within @code{gtroff}) which can modify the behavior of @code{groff}. @table @code @item GROFF_COMMAND_PREFIX @tindex GROFF_COMMAND_PREFIX, environment variable If this is set to @var{X}, then @code{groff} runs @code{@var{X}troff} instead of @code{gtroff}. This also applies to @code{tbl}, @code{pic}, @code{eqn}, @code{grn}, @code{refer}, and @code{soelim}. It does not apply to @code{grops}, @code{grodvi}, @code{grotty}, @code{pre-grohtml}, @code{post-grohtml}, @code{grolj4}, and @code{gxditview}. @c XXX document default values @item GROFF_TMAC_PATH @tindex GROFF_TMAC_PATH, environment variable A colon-separated list of directories in which to search for macro files (before the default directories are tried). @c XXX document local and system macro dirs @item GROFF_TYPESETTER @tindex GROFF_TYPESETTER, environment variable The default output device. @item GROFF_FONT_PATH @tindex GROFF_FONT_PATH, environment variable A colon-separated list of directories in which to search for the @code{dev}@var{name} directory (before the default directories are tried). @item GROFF_BIN_PATH @tindex GROFF_BIN_PATH, environment variable This search path, followed by @code{PATH}, is used for commands executed by @code{groff}. @item GROFF_TMPDIR @tindex GROFF_TMPDIR, environment variable @tindex TMPDIR, environment variable The directory in which @code{groff} creates temporary files. If this is not set and @env{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 @file{/tmp}). @code{grops}, @code{grefer}, @code{pre-grohtml}, and @code{post-grohtml} can create temporary files in this directory. @end table Note that MS-DOS and MS-Windows ports of @code{groff} use semi-colons, rather than colons, to separate the directories in the lists described above. @c ===================================================================== @node Invocation Examples, , Environment, Invoking groff @section Invocation Examples @cindex invocation examples @cindex examples of invocation This section lists several common uses of @code{groff} and the corresponding command lines. @Example groff file @endExample @noindent This command processes @file{file} without a macro package or a preprocessor. The output device is the default, @samp{ps}, and the output is sent to @code{stdout}. @Example groff -t -mandoc -Tascii file | less @endExample @noindent This is basically what a call to the @code{man} program does. @code{gtroff} processes the manual page @file{file} with the @file{mandoc} macro file (which in turn either calls the @file{man} or the @file{mdoc} macro package), using the @code{tbl} preprocessor and the @acronym{ASCII} output device. Finally, the @code{less} pager displays the result. @Example groff -X -m me file @endExample @noindent Preview @file{file} with @code{gxditview}, using the @file{me} macro package. Since no @option{-T} option is specified, use the default device (@samp{ps}). Note that you can either say @w{@samp{-m me}} or @w{@samp{-me}}; the latter is an anachronism from the early days of @acronym{UNIX}.@footnote{The same is true for the other main macro packages that come with @code{groff}: @file{man}, @file{mdoc}, @file{ms}, @file{mm}, and @file{mandoc}. This won't work in general; for example, to load @file{trace.tmac}, either @samp{-mtrace} or @w{@samp{-m trace}} must be used.} @Example groff -man -rD1 -z file @endExample @noindent Check @file{file} with the @file{man} macro package, forcing double-sided printing -- don't produce any output. @menu * grog:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node grog, , Invocation Examples, Invocation Examples @subsection @code{grog} @pindex grog @code{grog} reads files, guesses which of the @code{groff} preprocessors and/or macro packages are required for formatting them, and prints the @code{groff} command including those options on the standard output. It generates one or more of the options @option{-e}, @option{-man}, @option{-me}, @option{-mm}, @option{-ms}, @option{-mdoc}, @option{-mdoc-old}, @option{-p}, @option{-R}, @option{-g}, @option{-G}, @option{-s}, and @option{-t}. A special file name @file{-} 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 @option{-C} (which is also passed on) to enable compatibility mode, and @option{-v} (if it is the only parameter) to print the version number. For example, @Example grog -Tdvi paper.ms @endExample @noindent guesses the appropriate command to print @file{paper.ms} and then prints it to the command line after adding the @option{-Tdvi} option. For direct execution, enclose the call to @code{grog} in backquotes at the @acronym{UNIX} shell prompt: @Example `grog -Tdvi paper.ms` > paper.dvi @endExample @noindent 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 @code{less}). @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Tutorial for Macro Users, Macro Packages, Invoking groff, Top @chapter Tutorial for Macro Users @cindex tutorial for macro users @cindex macros, tutorial for users @cindex user's tutorial for macros @cindex user's macro tutorial Most users tend to use a macro package to format their papers. This means that the whole breadth of @code{groff} is not necessary for most people. This chapter covers the material needed to efficiently use a macro package. @menu * Basics:: * Common Features:: @end menu @c ===================================================================== @node Basics, Common Features, Tutorial for Macro Users, Tutorial for Macro Users @section Basics @cindex basics of macros @cindex macro basics This section covers some of the basic concepts necessary to understand how to use a macro package.@footnote{This section is derived from @cite{Writing Papers with nroff using -me} by Eric P.@w{ }Allman.} References are made throughout to more detailed information, if desired. @code{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 (@dfn{requests} and @dfn{escapes}), which tell @code{gtroff} how to format the output. For more detail on this, see @ref{Embedded Commands}. The word @dfn{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 @Example .sp @endExample @noindent spaces one line, but @Example .sp 4 @endExample @noindent spaces four lines. The number@w{ }4 is an argument to the @code{sp} request which says to space four lines instead of one. Arguments are separated from the request and from each other by spaces (@emph{no} tabs). More details on this can be found in @ref{Request Arguments}. The primary function of @code{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: @Example Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party. Four score and seven years ago,... @endExample @noindent is read, packed onto output lines, and justified to produce: @quotation Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party. Four score and seven years ago,... @end quotation @cindex break @cindex line break 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 @dfn{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 (@samp{.}) or an apostrophe (@samp{'}) 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 @code{gtroff}. @itemize @bullet @item First, keep the input lines short. Short input lines are easier to edit, and @code{gtroff} packs words onto longer lines anyhow. @item 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. @item End each sentence with two spaces -- or better, start each sentence on a new line. @code{gtroff} recognizes characters that usually end a sentence, and inserts sentence space accordingly. @item Do not hyphenate words at the end of lines -- @code{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 ``@w{mother- in}-law''. @end itemize @rqindex ls @cindex double spacing @cindex spacing @code{gtroff} double spaces output text automatically if you use the request @w{@samp{.ls 2}}. Reactivate single spaced mode by typing @w{@samp{.ls 1}}. A number of requests allow to change the way the output looks, sometimes called the @dfn{layout} of the output page. Most of these requests adjust the placing of @dfn{white space} (blank lines or spaces). @cindex new page The @samp{.bp} request starts a new page, causing a line break. @cindex blank line @cindex empty line @cindex line, empty The request @w{@samp{.sp @var{N}}} leaves @var{N}@w{ }lines of blank space. @var{N}@w{ }can be omitted (meaning skip a single line) or can be of the form @var{N}i (for @var{N}@w{ }inches) or @var{N}c (for @var{N}@w{ }centimeters). For example, the input: @Example .sp 1.5i My thoughts on the subject .sp @endExample @noindent 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 @ref{Measurements}). @rqindex ce @cindex centering lines @cindex lines, centering Text lines can be centered by using the @code{ce} request. The line after @code{ce} is centered (horizontally) on the page. To center more than one line, use @w{@samp{.ce @var{N}}} (where @var{N} is the number of lines to center), followed by the @var{N}@w{ }lines. To center many lines without counting them, type: @Example .ce 1000 lines to center .ce 0 @endExample @noindent The @w{@samp{.ce 0}} request tells @code{groff} to center zero more lines, in other words, stop centering. @rqindex br @cindex line break @cindex break 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 @code{br}. @c ===================================================================== @node Common Features, , Basics, Tutorial for Macro Users @section Common Features @cindex common features @cindex features, common @code{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 @dfn{macros} and collected into a @dfn{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:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Paragraphs, Sections and Chapters, Common Features, Common Features @subsection Paragraphs @cindex 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: @Example Some men look at constitutions with sanctimonious reverence, and deem them like the ark of the covenant, too sacred to be touched. @endExample @noindent And there are also indented paragraphs which begin with a tag or label at the margin and the remaining text indented. @example @group one This is the first paragraph. Notice how the first line of the resulting paragraph lines up with the other lines in the paragraph. @end group @group 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. @end group @end example A variation of this is a bulleted list. @c XXX description @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Sections and Chapters, Headers and Footers, Paragraphs, Common Features @subsection 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. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Headers and Footers, Page Layout Adjustment, Sections and Chapters, Common Features @subsection Headers and Footers Every macro package gives some way to manipulate the headers and footers (or @dfn{titles}) on each page. 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 @samp{%} character (see @ref{Page Layout}, for more details). @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Page Layout Adjustment, Displays, Headers and Footers, Common Features @subsection Page Layout Most macro packages let the user specify top and bottom margins and other details about the appearance of the printed pages. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Displays, Footnotes and Annotations, Page Layout Adjustment, Common Features @subsection Displays @cindex 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. @cindex quotes, major @cindex major quotes @dfn{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. @cindex list A @dfn{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. @cindex keep A @dfn{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. @cindex keep, floating @cindex floating keep Floating keeps move relative to the text. Hence, they are good for things which are referred to by name, such as ``See figure@w{ }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. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Footnotes and Annotations, Table of Contents, Displays, Common Features @subsection Footnotes and Annotations @cindex footnotes @cindex annotations There are a number of requests to save text for later printing. @dfn{Footnotes} are printed at the bottom of the current page. @cindex delayed text @dfn{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. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Table of Contents, Indices, Footnotes and Annotations, Common Features @subsection Table of Contents @cindex table of contents @cindex contents, table of @dfn{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). @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Indices, Paper Formats, Table of Contents, Common Features @subsection Indices @cindex index, in macro package While some macro packages use the term @dfn{index}, none actually provide that functionality. The facilities they call indices are actually more appropriate for tables of contents. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Paper Formats, Multiple Columns, Indices, Common Features @subsection Paper Formats @cindex 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 @file{mm} macros in particular provide formats for letters and memoranda. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Multiple Columns, Font and Size Changes, Paper Formats, Common Features @subsection Multiple Columns Some macro packages (but not @file{man}) provide the ability to have two or more columns on a page. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Font and Size Changes, Predefined Strings, Multiple Columns, Common Features @subsection 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. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Predefined Strings, Preprocessor Support, Font and Size Changes, Common Features @subsection 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. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Preprocessor Support, Configuration and Customization, Predefined Strings, Common Features @subsection Preprocessor Support All macro packages provide support for the various preprocessors and may extend their functionality. For example, all macro packages mark tables (which are processed with @code{gtbl}) by placing them between @code{.TS} and @code{.TE} macros. The @file{ms} macro package has an option, @code{.TS@w{}H}, that prints a caption at the top of a new page (when the table is too long to fit on a single page). @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Configuration and Customization, , Preprocessor Support, Common Features @subsection 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. @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Macro Packages, gtroff Reference, Tutorial for Macro Users, Top @chapter Macro Packages @cindex macro packages @cindex packages, macros This chapter documents the main macro packages that come with @code{groff}. @menu * man:: * mdoc:: * ms:: * me:: * mm:: @end menu @c ===================================================================== @node man, mdoc, Macro Packages, Macro Packages @section @file{man} @cindex @file{man} @cindex manual pages @pindex an.tmac @pindex man.tmac @pindex man-old.tmac This is the most popular and probably the most important macro package of @code{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:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Man options, Man usage, man, man @subsection Options The command line format for using the @file{man} macros with @code{groff} is: @Example groff -m man [ -rcR=1 ] [ -rC1 ] [ -rD1 ] [ -rP@var{nnn} ] [ -rS@var{xx} ] [ -rX@var{nnn} ] [ @var{files}@dots{} ] @endExample @noindent It is possible to use @samp{-man} instead of @w{@samp{-m man}}. @table @code @item -rcR=1 This option (the default if a tty output device is used) creates a single, very long page instead of multiple pages. Use @code{-rcR=0} to disable it. @item -rC1 If more than one manual page is given on the command line, number the pages continuously, rather than starting each at@w{ }1. @item -rD1 Double-sided printing. Footers for even and odd pages are formatted differently. @item -rP@var{nnn} Page numbering starts with @var{nnn} rather than with@w{ }1. @item -rS@var{xx} Use @var{xx} (which can be 10, 11, or@w{ }12@dmn{pt}) as the base document font size instead of the default value of@w{ }10@dmn{pt}. @item -rX@var{nnn} After page @var{nnn}, number pages as @var{nnn}a, @var{nnn}b, @var{nnn}c, etc. For example, the option @option{-rX2} produces the following page numbers: 1, 2, 2a, 2b, 2c, etc. @end table @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Man usage, Man font macros, Man options, man @subsection Usage @cindex @code{man} macros @cindex macros for manual pages @pindex man.local This section describes the available macros for manual pages. For further customization, put additional macros and requests into the file @file{man.local} which is loaded immediately after the @file{man} package. @Defmac {TH, title section [@Var{extra1}] [@Var{extra2}] [@Var{extra3}]} Set the title of the man page to @var{title} and the section to @var{section}, which must have a value between 1 and@w{ }8. The value of @var{section} may also have a string appended, e.g.@: @samp{.pm}, to indicate a specific subsection of the man pages. Both @var{title} and @var{section} are positioned at the left and right in the header line (with @var{section} in parentheses immediately appended to @var{title}. @var{extra1} is positioned in the middle of the footer line. @var{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). @var{extra3} is centered in the header line. For @acronym{HTML} output, headers and footers are completely suppressed. Additionally, this macro starts a new page; the new line number is@w{ }1 again (except if the @option{-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 @code{TH} macro at the beginning of the file. @endDefmac @Defmac {SH, [@Var{heading}]} Set up an unnumbered section heading sticking out to the left. Prints out all the text following @code{SH} up to the end of the line (or the text in the next line if there is no argument to @code{SH}) in bold face, one size larger than the base document size. Additionally, the left margin for the following text is reset to its default value. @endDefmac @Defmac {SS, [@Var{heading}]} Set up an unnumbered (sub)section heading. Prints out all the text following @code{SS} up to the end of the line (or the text in the next line if there is no argument to @code{SS}) in bold face, at the same size as the base document size. Additionally, the left margin for the following text is reset to its default value. @endDefmac @Defmac {TP, [@Var{nnn}]} Set up an indented paragraph with label. The indentation is set to @var{nnn} if that argument is supplied (the default unit is @samp{n} if omitted), otherwise it is set to the default indentation value. 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, then the paragraph starts at the same line (but indented), continuing on the following lines. If the label is wider than the indentation, then 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. @endDefmac @Defmac {LP} @Defmacx {PP} @Defmacx {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 @code{PD} macro. The font size and shape are reset to the default value (10@dmn{pt} roman). Finally, the current left margin is restored. @endDefmac @Defmac {IP, [@Var{designator}] [@Var{nnn}]} Set up an indented paragraph, using @var{designator} as a tag to mark its beginning. The indentation is set to @var{nnn} if that argument is supplied (default unit is @samp{n}), otherwise the default indentation value is used. 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 @samp{""} (two double quotes) as the first argument of @code{IP}. For example, to start a paragraph with bullets as the designator and 4@dmn{en} indentation, write @Example .IP \(bu 4 @endExample @endDefmac @cindex hanging indentation, in manual pages @Defmac {HP, [@Var{nnn}]} Set up a paragraph with hanging left indentation. The indentation is set to @var{nnn} if that argument is supplied (default unit is @samp{n}), otherwise the default indentation value is used. Font size and face are reset to their default values. @endDefmac @cindex left margin, how to move, in manual pages @Defmac {RS, [@Var{nnn}]} Move the left margin to the right by the value @var{nnn} if specified (default unit is @samp{n}); otherwise the default indentation value is used. Calls to the @code{RS} macro can be nested. @endDefmac @Defmac {RE, [@Var{nnn}]} Move the left margin back to level @var{nnn}; if no argument is given, it moves one level back. The first level (i.e., no call to @code{RS} yet) has number@w{ }1, and each call to @code{RS} increases the level by@w{ }1. @endDefmac @maindex SH @maindex SS @maindex TP @maindex LP @maindex PP @maindex P @maindex IP @maindex HP To summarize, the following macros cause a line break with the insertion of vertical space (which amount can be changed with the @code{PD} macro): @code{SH}, @code{SS}, @code{TP}, @code{LP} (@code{PP}, @code{P}), @code{IP}, and @code{HP}. @maindex RS @maindex RE The macros @code{RS} and @code{RE} also cause a break but do not insert vertical space. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Man font macros, Miscellaneous man macros, Man usage, man @subsection Macros to set fonts @cindex fonts in manual pages @cindex @code{man}, how to set fonts The standard font is roman; the default text size is 10@w{ }point. @Defmac {SM, [@Var{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. @endDefmac @cindex boldface, in manual pages @Defmac {SB, [@Var{text}]} Set the text on the same line or the text on the next line in boldface font, one point size smaller than the default font. @endDefmac @Defmac {BI, text} Set its arguments alternately in bold face and italic. Thus, @Example .BI this "word and" that @endExample @noindent would set ``this'' and ``that'' in bold face, and ``word and'' in italics. @endDefmac @Defmac {IB, text} Set its arguments alternately in italic and bold face. @endDefmac @Defmac {RI, text} Set its arguments alternately in roman and italic. @endDefmac @Defmac {IR, text} Set its arguments alternately in italic and roman. @endDefmac @Defmac {BR, text} Set its arguments alternately in bold face and roman. @endDefmac @Defmac {RB, text} Set its arguments alternately in roman and bold face. @endDefmac @Defmac {R, [@Var{text}]} Set @var{text} in roman font. If no text is present on the line where the macro is called, then the text of the next line appears in roman. This is the default font to which text is returned at the end of processing of the other macros. @endDefmac @Defmac {B, [@Var{text}]} Set @var{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. @endDefmac @cindex italic, in manual pages @Defmac {I, [@Var{text}]} Set @var{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. @endDefmac @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Miscellaneous man macros, Predefined man strings, Man font macros, man @subsection Miscellaneous macros @pindex grohtml @cindex @file{man}, default indentation @cindex default indentation, @file{man} The default indentation is 7.2@dmn{n} for all output devices except for @code{grohtml} which ignores indentation. @maindex TH @cindex tab stops, in manual pages @Defmac {DT} Set tabs every 0.5@w{ }inches. Since this macro is always called during a @code{TH} request, it makes sense to call it only if the tab positions have been changed. @endDefmac @cindex empty space before a paragraph, in manual pages @Defmac {PD, [@Var{nnn}]} Adjust the empty space before a new paragraph (or section). The optional argument gives the amount of space (default unit is @samp{v}); without parameter, the value is reset to its default value (1@w{ }line for tty devices, 0.4@dmn{v}@w{ }otherwise). @endDefmac @maindex SH @maindex SS @maindex TP @maindex LP @maindex PP @maindex P @maindex IP @maindex HP This affects the macros @code{SH}, @code{SS}, @code{TP}, @code{LP} (as well as @code{PP} and @code{P}), @code{IP}, and @code{HP}. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Predefined man strings, Preprocessors in man pages, Miscellaneous man macros, man @subsection Predefined strings The following strings are defined: @Defstr {*S} Switch back to the default font size. @endDefstr @Defstr {*R} The `registered' sign. @endDefstr @Defstr {Tm} The `trademark' sign. @endDefstr @glindex lq @glindex rq @Defstr {lq} @Defstrx {rq} Left and right quote. This is equal to @code{\(lq} and @code{\(rq}, respectively. @endDefstr @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Preprocessors in man pages, , Predefined man strings, man @subsection Preprocessors in @file{man} pages @cindex preprocessor, calling convention @cindex calling convention of preprocessors If a preprocessor like @code{gtbl} or @code{geqn} is needed, it has become common usage to make the first line of the man page look like this: @Example .\" @var{word} @endExample @pindex geqn@r{, invocation in manual pages} @pindex grefer@r{, invocation in manual pages} @pindex gtbl@r{, invocation in manual pages} @pindex man@r{, invocation of preprocessors} @noindent Note the single space character after the double quote. @var{word} consists of letters for the needed preprocessors: @samp{e} for @code{geqn}, @samp{r} for @code{grefer}, @samp{t} for @code{gtbl}. Modern implementations of the @code{man} program read this first line and automatically call the right preprocessor(s). @c ===================================================================== @node mdoc, ms, man, Macro Packages @section @file{mdoc} @cindex @file{mdoc} @c XXX documentation @c ===================================================================== @node ms, me, mdoc, Macro Packages @section @file{ms} @cindex @file{ms} @c XXX documentation @c ===================================================================== @node me, mm, ms, Macro Packages @section @file{me} @cindex @file{me} @c XXX documentation @c ===================================================================== @node mm, , me, Macro Packages @section @file{mm} @cindex @file{mm} @c XXX documentation @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node gtroff Reference, Preprocessors, Macro Packages, Top @chapter @code{gtroff} Reference @cindex reference, @code{gtroff} @cindex @code{gtroff} reference This chapter covers @strong{all} of the facilities of @code{gtroff}. Users of macro packages may skip it if not interested in details. @menu * Text:: * Input Conventions:: * 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:: * Page Layout:: * Page Control:: * Fonts:: * Sizes:: * Strings:: * Conditionals and Loops:: * Writing Macros:: * Page Motions:: * Drawing Requests:: * Traps:: * Diversions:: * Environments:: * Suppressing output:: * I/O:: * Postprocessor Access:: * Miscellaneous:: * Gtroff Internals:: * Debugging:: * Implementation Differences:: * Summary:: @end menu @c ===================================================================== @node Text, Input Conventions, gtroff Reference, gtroff Reference @section Text @cindex text, @code{gtroff} processing @code{gtroff} input files contain text with control commands interspersed throughout. But, even without control codes, @code{gtroff} still does several things with the input text: @itemize @bullet @item filling and adjusting @item adding additional space after sentences @item hyphenating @item inserting implicit line breaks @end itemize @menu * Filling and Adjusting:: * Hyphenation:: * Sentences:: * Tab Stops:: * Implicit Line Breaks:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Filling and Adjusting, Hyphenation, Text, Text @subsection Filling and Adjusting @cindex filling @cindex adjusting When @code{gtroff} reads text, it collects words from the input and fits as many of them together on one output line as it can. This is known as @dfn{filling}. @cindex leading spaces @cindex spaces, leading and trailing @cindex extra spaces @cindex trailing spaces Once @code{gtroff} has a @dfn{filled} line, it tries to @dfn{adjust} it. This means it widens the spacing between words until the text reaches the right margin (in the default adjustment mode). Extra spaces between words are preserved, but spaces at the end of lines are ignored. Spaces at the front of a line cause a @dfn{break} (breaks are explained in @ref{Implicit Line Breaks}) @xref{Manipulating Filling and Adjusting}. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Hyphenation, Sentences, Filling and Adjusting, Text @subsection Hyphenation @cindex hyphenation Since the odds are not great for finding a set of words, for every output line, which fit nicely on a line without inserting excessive amounts of space between words, @code{gtroff} hyphenates words so that it can justify lines without inserting too much space between words. It uses an internal hyphenation algorithm (a simplified version of the algorithm used within @TeX{}) to indicate which words can be hyphenated and how to do so. When a word is hyphenated, the first part of the word is added to the current filled line being output (with an attached hyphen), and the other portion is added to the next line to be filled. @xref{Manipulating Hyphenation}. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Sentences, Tab Stops, Hyphenation, Text @subsection Sentences @cindex sentences Although it is often debated, some typesetting rules say there should be different amounts of space after various punctuation marks. For example, the @cite{Chicago typsetting manual} says that a period at the end of a sentence should have twice as much space following it as would a comma or a period as part of an abbreviation. @c XXX exact citation of Chicago manual @cindex sentence space @cindex space between sentences @cindex french-spacing @code{gtroff} does this by flagging certain characters (normally @samp{!}, @samp{?}, and @samp{.}) as @dfn{end of sentence} characters. When @code{gtroff} encounters one of these characters at the end of a line, it appends a normal space followed by a @dfn{sentence space} in the formatted output. (This justifies one of the conventions mentioned in @ref{Input Conventions}.) @cindex transparent characters @cindex character, transparent @glindex dg @glindex rq @cindex " @cindex ' @cindex ) @cindex ] @cindex * In addition, the following characters or glyphs are treated transparently while handling end of sentence characters: @samp{"}, @samp{'}, @samp{)}, @samp{]}, @samp{*}, @code{dg}, and @code{rq}. See the @code{cflags} request in @ref{Using Symbols}, for more details. @esindex \& To prevent the insertion of extra space after an end of sentence character (at the end of a line), append @code{\&}. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Tab Stops, Implicit Line Breaks, Sentences, Text @subsection Tab Stops @cindex tab stops @cindex stops, tabulator @cindex tab character @cindex character, tabulator @cindex @acronym{EBCDIC} encoding @code{gtroff} translates @dfn{tabulator characters}, also called @dfn{tabs} (normally code point @acronym{ASCII} @code{0x09} or @acronym{EBCDIC} @code{0x05}), in the input into movements to the next tabulator stop. These tab stops are initially located every half inch across the page. Using this, simple tables can be made easily. However, it can often be deceptive as the appearance (and width) of the text on a terminal and the results from @code{gtroff} can vary greatly. Also, a possible sticking point is that lines beginning with tab characters are still filled, again producing unexpected results. For example, the following input @multitable {12345678} {12345678} {12345678} {12345678} @item @tab 1 @tab 2 @tab 3 @item @tab @tab 4 @tab 5 @end multitable @noindent produces @multitable {12345678} {12345678} {12345678} {12345678} {12345678} {12345678} {12345678} @item @tab 1 @tab 2 @tab 3 @tab @tab 4 @tab 5 @end multitable @xref{Tabs and Fields}. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Implicit Line Breaks, , Tab Stops, Text @subsection Implicit Line Breaks @cindex implicit line breaks @cindex implicit breaks of lines @cindex line, implicit breaks @cindex break, implicit @cindex line break An important concept in @code{gtroff} is the @dfn{break}. When a break occurs, @code{gtroff} outputs the partially filled line (unjustified), and resumes collecting and filling text on the next output line. @cindex blank line @cindex empty line @cindex line, blank @cindex blank line macro @rqindex blm There are several ways to cause a break in @code{gtroff}. A blank line not only causes a break, but it also outputs a one line vertical space (effectively a blank line). Note that this behaviour can be modified with the blank line macro request @code{blm}. @c XXX xref for blm @cindex fill mode @cindex mode, fill A line that begins with a space causes a break and the space is output at the beginning of the next line. Note that this space isn't adjusted, even in fill mode. The end of file also causes a break -- otherwise the last line of the document may vanish! Certain requests also cause breaks, implicitly or explicitly. This is discussed in @ref{Manipulating Filling and Adjusting}. @c ===================================================================== @node Input Conventions, Measurements, Text, gtroff Reference @section Input Conventions @cindex input conventions @cindex conventions for input Since @code{gtroff} does filling automatically, it is traditional in @code{groff} not to try and type things in as nicely formatted paragraphs. These are some conventions commonly used when typing @code{gtroff} text: @itemize @bullet @item Break lines after punctuation, particularly at the end of a sentence and in other logical places. Keep separate phrases on lines by themselves, as entire phrases are often added or deleted when editing. @item Try to keep lines less than 40-60@w{ }characters, to allow space for inserting more text. @item Do not try to do any formatting in a @acronym{WYSIWYG} manner (i.e., don't try using spaces to get proper indentation). @end itemize @c ===================================================================== @node Measurements, Expressions, Input Conventions, gtroff Reference @section Measurements @cindex measurements @cindex units of measurement @cindex basic units @cindex machine units @cindex measurement units @cindex @code{u} unit @cindex unit, @code{u} @code{gtroff} (like many other programs) requires numeric parameters to specify various measurements. Most numeric parameters@footnote{those that specify vertical or horizontal motion or a type size} may have a @dfn{measurement unit} attached. These units are specified as a single character which immediately follows the number or expression. Each of these units are understood, by @code{gtroff}, to be a multiple of its @dfn{basic unit}. So, whenever a different measurement unit is specified @code{gtroff} converts this into its @dfn{basic units}. This basic unit, represented by a @samp{u}, is a device dependent measurement which is quite small, ranging from 1/75@dmn{th} to 1/72000@dmn{th} of an inch. The values may be given as fractional numbers; however, fractional basic units are always rounded to integers. Some of the measurement units are completely independent of any of the current settings (e.g.@: type size) of @code{gtroff}. @table @code @item i @cindex inch @cindex @code{i} unit @cindex unit, @code{i} Inches. An antiquated measurement unit still in use in certain backwards countries with incredibly low-cost computer equipment. One inch is equal to@w{ }2.54@dmn{cm}. @item c @cindex centimeter @cindex @code{c} unit @cindex unit, @code{c} Centimeters. One centimeter is equal to@w{ }0.3937@dmn{in}. @item p @cindex points @cindex @code{p} unit @cindex unit, @code{p} Points. This is a typesetter's measurement used for measure type size. It is 72@w{ }points to an inch. @item P @cindex pica @cindex @code{P} unit @cindex unit, @code{P} Pica. Another typesetting measurement. 6@w{ }Picas to an inch (and 12@w{ }points to a pica). @item s @itemx z @cindex @code{s} unit @cindex unit, @code{s} @cindex @code{z} unit @cindex unit, @code{z} @xref{Fractional Type Sizes}, for a discussion of these units. @end table The other measurements understood by @code{gtroff} depend on settings currently in effect in @code{gtroff}. These are very useful for specifying measurements which should look proper with any size of text. @table @code @item m @cindex em unit @cindex @code{m} unit @cindex unit, @code{m} Ems. This unit is equal to the current font size in points. So called because it is @emph{approximately} the width of the letter@w{ }@samp{m} in the current font. @item n @cindex en unit @cindex @code{n} unit @cindex unit, @code{n} Ens. This is half of an em. @item v @cindex vertical space @cindex space, vertical @cindex @code{v} unit @cindex unit, @code{v} Vertical space. This is equivalent to the current line spacing. @xref{Sizes}, for more information about this. @item M @cindex @code{M} unit @cindex unit, @code{M} 100ths of an em. @end table @menu * Default Units:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Default Units, , Measurements, Measurements @subsection Default Units @cindex default units @cindex units, default Many requests take a default unit. While this can be helpful at times, it can cause strange errors in some expressions. For example, the line length request expects em units. Here are several attempts to get a line length of 3.5@w{ }inches and their results: @Example 3.5i @result{} 3.5i 7/2 @result{} 0i 7/2i @result{} 0i 7i/2 @result{} 0.1i 7i/2u @result{} 3.5i @endExample @noindent Everything is converted to basic units first. In the above example it is assumed that 1@dmn{i} equals@w{ }240@dmn{u}, and 1@dmn{m} equals@w{ }10@dmn{p} (thus 1@dmn{m} equals@w{ }33@dmn{u}). The value 7@dmn{i}/2 is first handled as 7@dmn{i}/2@dmn{m}, then converted to 1680@dmn{u}/66@dmn{u} which is 25@dmn{u}, and this is approximately 0.1@dmn{i}. @cindex measurements, specifying safely Thus, the safest way to specify measurements is to always attach a scaling indicator. If you want to multiply or divide by a certain scalar value, use @samp{u} as the unit for that value. @c ===================================================================== @node Expressions, Identifiers, Measurements, gtroff Reference @section Expressions @cindex expressions @code{gtroff} has most arithmetic operators common to other languages: @c XXX more details; examples @itemize @bullet @item @cindex arithmetic operators @cindex operators, arithmetic @opindex + @opindex - @opindex / @opindex * @opindex % Arithmetic: @samp{+} (addition), @samp{-} (subtraction), @samp{/} (division), @samp{*} (multiplication), @samp{%} (modulo). @code{gtroff} only provides integer arithmetic. The internal type used for computing results is @samp{int}, which is usually a 32@dmn{bit} signed integer. @item @cindex comparison operators @cindex operators, comparison @opindex < @opindex > @opindex >= @opindex <= @opindex = @opindex == Comparison: @samp{<} (less than), @samp{>} (greater than), @samp{<=} (less than or equal), @samp{>=} (greater than or equal), @samp{=} (equal), @samp{==} (the same as @samp{=}). @item @cindex logical operators @cindex operators, logical @opindex & @opindex : Logical: @samp{&} (logical and), @samp{:} (logical or). @item @cindex unary operators @cindex operators, unary @opindex - @opindex + @opindex ! @rqindex if @rqindex while @cindex @code{if}, and the @samp{!} operator @cindex @code{while}, and the @samp{!} operator Unary operators: @samp{-} (negating, i.e.@: changing the sign), @samp{+} (just for completeness; does nothing in expressions), @samp{!} (logical not; this works only within @code{if} and @code{while} requests). See below for the use of unary operators in motion requests. @item @cindex extremum operators @cindex operators, extremum @opindex >? @opindex ?} (maximum), @samp{?3} yields@w{ }@samp{5}. @c XXX add examples @item @cindex scaling operator @cindex operator, scaling Scaling: @code{(@var{c};@var{e})}. Evaluate @var{e} using @var{c} as the default scaling indicator. If @var{c} is missing, ignore scaling indicators in the evaluation of @var{e}. @end itemize @cindex parentheses @cindex order of evaluation in expressions @cindex expression, order of evaluation @opindex ( @opindex ) Parentheses may be used as in any other language. However, in @code{gtroff} they are necessary to ensure order of evaluation. @code{gtroff} has no operator precedence; expressions are evaluated left to right. This means that @code{gtroff} evaluates @samp{3+5*4} as if it were parenthesized like @samp{(3+5)*4}, not as @samp{3+(5*4)}, as might be expected. @opindex +@r{, and page motion} @opindex -@r{, and page motion} @opindex |@r{, and page motion} @cindex motion operators @cindex operators, motion For many requests which cause a motion on the page, the unary operators work differently. The @samp{+} and @samp{-} operators then indicate a motion relative to the current position (down or up, respectively), and the @samp{|} operator indicates an absolute position on the page or input line. @c XXX xref @samp{+} and @samp{-} are also treated differently by the following requests and escapes: @code{bp}, @code{in}, @code{ll}, @code{lt}, @code{nm}, @code{nr}, @code{pl}, @code{pn}, @code{po}, @code{ps}, @code{rt}, @code{ti}, @code{\R}, and @code{\s}. Here the plus and minus signs indicate increments and decrements. @c XXX add more xref @xref{Setting Registers}. @cindex space characters in expressions @cindex expressions and space characters Due to the way arguments are parsed, spaces are not allowed in expressions, unless the entire expression is surrounded by parentheses. @xref{Request Arguments}, and @ref{Conditionals and Loops}. @c ===================================================================== @node Identifiers, Embedded Commands, Expressions, gtroff Reference @section Identifiers @cindex identifiers Like any other language, @code{gtroff} has rules for properly formed @dfn{identifiers}. In @code{gtroff}, an identifier can be made up of almost any printable character, with the exception of the following characters: @itemize @bullet @item @cindex whitespace characters @cindex newline character @cindex character, whitespace Whitespace characters (spaces, tabs, and newlines). @item @cindex character, backspace @cindex backspace character @cindex @acronym{EBCDIC} encoding of backspace Backspace (@acronym{ASCII}@w{ }@code{0x08} or @acronym{EBCDIC}@w{ }@code{0x16}) and character code @code{0x01}. @item @cindex invalid input characters @cindex input characters, invalid @cindex characters, invalid input @cindex unicode The following input characters are invalid and are ignored if @code{groff} runs on a machine based on @acronym{ASCII}, causing a warning message of type @samp{input} (see @ref{Debugging}, for more details): @code{0x00}, @code{0x0B}, @code{0x0D}-@code{0x1F}, @code{0x80}-@code{0x9F}. And here are the invalid input characters if @code{groff} runs on an @acronym{EBCDIC} host: @code{0x00}, @code{0x08}, @code{0x09}, @code{0x0B}, @code{0x0D}-@code{0x14}, @code{0x17}-@code{0x1F}, @code{0x30}-@code{0x3F}. Currently, some of these reserved codepoints are used internally, thus making it non-trivial to extend @code{gtroff} to cover Unicode or other character sets and encodings which use characters of these ranges. Note that invalid characters are removed before parsing; an identifier @code{foo}, followed by an invalid character, followed by @code{bar} is treated as @code{foobar}. @end itemize For example, any of the following is valid. @Example br PP (l end-list @@_ @endExample @rqindex ] @noindent Note that identifiers longer than two characters with a closing bracket (@samp{]}) in its name can't be accessed with escape sequences which expect an identifier as a parameter. For example, @samp{\[foo]]} accesses the glyph @samp{foo}, followed by @samp{]}, whereas @samp{\C'foo]'} really asks for glyph @samp{foo]}. @c XXX xref @Defesc {\\A, ', ident, '} Test whether an identifier @var{ident} is valid in @code{gtroff}. It expands to the character@w{ }1 or@w{ }0 according to whether its argument (usually delimited by quotes) is or is not acceptable as the name of a string, macro, diversion, number register, environment, or font. It returns@w{ }0 if no argument is given. This is useful for looking up user input in some sort of associative table. @Example \A'end-list' @result{} 1 @endExample @endDefesc @xref{Escapes}, for details on parameter delimiting characters. @c XXX add xrefs above Identifiers in @code{gtroff} can be any length, but, in some contexts, @code{gtroff} needs to be told where identifiers end and text begins (and in different ways depending on their length): @rqindex ( @rqindex [ @rqindex ] @itemize @bullet @item Single character. @item Two characters. Must be prefixed with @samp{(} in some situations. @item Arbitrary length (@code{gtroff} only). Must be bracketed with @samp{[} and@w{ }@samp{]} in some situations. Any length identifier can be put in brackets. @end itemize @cindex undefined identifiers @cindex indentifiers, undefined Unlike many other programming languages, undefined identifiers are silently ignored or expanded to nothing. When @code{gtroff} finds an undefined identifier, it emits a warning then: @itemize @bullet @item If the identifier is a string, macro, or diversion, @code{gtroff} defines it as empty. @item If the identifier is a number register, @code{gtroff} defines it with a value of@w{ }0. @end itemize @xref{Warnings}. @c XXX info about common identifier pool for strings and macros. @xref{Interpolating Registers}, and @ref{Strings}. @c ===================================================================== @node Embedded Commands, Registers, Identifiers, gtroff Reference @section Embedded Commands @cindex embedded commands @cindex commands, embedded Most documents need more functionality beyond filling, adjusting and implicit line breaking. In order to gain further functionality, @code{gtroff} allows commands to be embedded into the text, in two ways. The first is a @dfn{request} which takes up an entire line, and does some large-scale operation (e.g.@: break lines, start new pages). The other is an @dfn{escape} which can be embedded anywhere in the text, or even as an argument to a request. @c XXX (Not always?) Escapes generally do more minor operations like sub- and superscripts, print a symbol, etc. @menu * Requests:: * Macros:: * Escapes:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Requests, Macros, Embedded Commands, Embedded Commands @subsection Requests @cindex requests @cindex control character @cindex character, control @cindex no-break control character @cindex character, no-break control @cindex control character, no-break @rqindex ' @rqindex . A request line begins with a control character, which is either a single quote (@samp{'}, the @dfn{no-break control character}) or a period (@samp{.}, the normal @dfn{control character}). These can be changed; see @ref{Character Translations}, for details. After this there may be optional tabs or spaces followed by an identifier which is the name of the request. This may be followed by any number of space-separated arguments (@emph{no} tabs here). @cindex structuring source code of documents or macro packages @cindex documents, structuring the source code @cindex macro packages, strucuring the source code Since a control character followed by whitespace only is ignored, it is common practice to use this feature for structuring the source code of documents or macro packages. @Example .de foo . tm This is foo. .. . . .de bar . tm This is bar. .. @endExample @cindex blank line @cindex blank line macro @rqindex blm Another possibility is to use the blank line macro request @code{blm} by assigning an empty macro to it. @Example .de do-nothing .. .blm do-nothing \" activate blank line macro .de foo . tm This is foo. .. .de bar . tm This is bar. .. .blm \" deactivate blank line macro @endExample @c XXX xref to blm @cindex zero width space character @cindex character, zero width space @cindex space character, zero width @esindex \& @cindex @code{\&}, escaping control characters To begin a line with a control character without it being interpreted, precede it with @code{\&}. This represents a zero width space, which means it does not affect the output. In most cases the period is used as a control character. Several requests cause a break implicitly; using the single quote control character prevents this. @menu * Request Arguments:: @end menu @node Request Arguments, , Requests, Requests @subsubsection Request Arguments @cindex request arguments @cindex arguments to requests Arguments to requests (and macros) are processed much like the shell: The line is split into arguments according to spaces. An argument which is intended to contain spaces can either be enclosed in double quotes, or have the spaces @dfn{escaped} with backslashes. Here are a few examples: @Example .uh The Mouse Problem .uh "The Mouse Problem" .uh The\ Mouse\ Problem @endExample @esindex \~ @esindex \@key{SP} @noindent The first line is the @code{uh} macro being called with 3 arguments, @samp{The}, @samp{Mouse}, and @samp{Problem}. The latter two have the same effect of calling the @code{uh} macro with one argument, @samp{The Mouse Problem}.@footnote{The last solution, i.e., using escaped spaces, is ``classical'' in the sense that it can be found in most @code{troff} documents. Nevertheless, it is not optimal in all situations, since @w{@samp{\ }} inserts a fixed-width, non-breaking space character which can't stretch. @code{gtroff} provides a different command @code{\~} to insert a stretchable, non-breaking space.} @cindex @code{"}, as a macro argument @cindex double quote, as a macro argument A double quote which isn't preceded by a space doesn't start a macro argument. If not closing a string, it is printed literally. For example, @Example .xxx a" "b c" "de"fg" @endExample @noindent has the arguments @samp{a"}, @w{@samp{b c}}, @samp{de}, and @samp{fg"}. @rqindex ds Duoble quotes in the @code{ds} request are handled differently. @xref{Strings}, for more details. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Macros, Escapes, Requests, Embedded Commands @subsection Macros @cindex macros @code{gtroff} has a @dfn{macro} facility for defining a series of lines which can be invoked by name. They are called in the same manner as requests -- arguments also may be passed in the same manner. @xref{Writing Macros}, and @ref{Request Arguments}. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Escapes, , Macros, Embedded Commands @subsection Escapes @cindex escapes Escapes may occur anywhere in the input to @code{gtroff}. They usually begin with a backslash and are followed by a single character which indicates the function to be performed. The escape character can be changed; see @ref{Character Translations}. @rqindex ( @rqindex [ @rqindex ] Escape sequences which require an identifier as a parameter accept three possible syntax forms. @itemize @bullet @item The next single character is the identifier. @item If this single character is an opening parenthesis, take the following two characters as the identifier. Note that there is no closing parenthesis after the identifier. @item If this single character is an opening bracket, take all characters until a closing bracket as the identifier. @end itemize @noindent Examples: @Example \fB \n(XX \*[TeX] @endExample @rqindex ' @cindex argument delimiting characters @cindex characters, argument delimiting @cindex delimiting characters for arguments Other escapes may require several arguments and/or some special format. In such cases the argument is traditionally enclosed in single quotes (and quotes are always used in this manual for the definitions of escape sequences). The enclosed text is then processed according to what that escape expects. Example: @Example \l'1.5i\(bu' @endExample @esindex \o @esindex \b @esindex \X Note that the quote character can be replaced with any other character which does not occur in the argument (even a newline or a space character) in the following escapes: @code{\o}, @code{\b}, and @code{\X}. This makes e.g. @Example A caf \o e\' in Paris @result{} A caf@'e in Paris @endExample @noindent possible, but it is better not to use this feature to avoid confusion. @esindex \% @esindex \@key{SP} @esindex \| @esindex \^ @esindex \@{ @esindex \@} @esindex \' @esindex \` @esindex \- @esindex \_ @esindex \! @esindex \? @esindex \@@ @esindex \) @esindex \/ @esindex \, @esindex \& @esindex \~ @esindex \0 @esindex \a @esindex \c @esindex \d @esindex \e @esindex \E @esindex \p @esindex \r @esindex \t @esindex \u The following escapes sequences (which are handled similarly to characters since they don't take a parameter) are also allowed as delimiters: @code{\%}, @w{@samp{\ }}, @code{\|}, @code{\^}, @code{\@{}, @code{\@}}, @code{\'}, @code{\`}, @code{\-}, @code{\_}, @code{\!}, @code{\?}, @code{\@@}, @code{\)}, @code{\/}, @code{\,}, @code{\&}, @code{\~}, @code{\0}, @code{\a}, @code{\c}, @code{\d}, @code{\e}, @code{\E}, @code{\p}, @code{\r}, @code{\t}, and @code{\u}. Again, don't use these if possible. @esindex \A @esindex \Z @esindex \C @esindex \w No newline characters as delimiters are allowed in the following escapes: @code{\A}, @code{\Z}, @code{\C}, and @code{\w}. @esindex \D @esindex \h @esindex \H @esindex \l @esindex \L @esindex \N @esindex \R @esindex \s @esindex \S @esindex \v @esindex \x Finally, the escapes @code{\D}, @code{\h}, @code{\H}, @code{\l}, @code{\L}, @code{\N}, @code{\R}, @code{\s}, @code{\S}, @code{\v}, and @code{\x} can't use the following characters as delimiters: @itemize @bullet @item @cindex numbers @cindex digits The digits @code{0}-@code{9}. @item @cindex operators @opindex + @opindex - @opindex / @opindex * @opindex % @opindex < @opindex > @opindex = @opindex & @opindex : @opindex ( @opindex ) @opindex . The (single-character) operators @samp{+-/*%<>=&:().}. @item @cindex space character @cindex character, space @cindex tab character @cindex character, tab @cindex newline character @cindex character, newline The space, tab, and newline characters. @item @esindex \% @esindex \@{ @esindex \@} @esindex \' @esindex \` @esindex \- @esindex \_ @esindex \! @esindex \@@ @esindex \/ @esindex \c @esindex \e @esindex \p All escape sequences except @code{\%}, @code{\@{}, @code{\@}}, @code{\'}, @code{\`}, @code{\-}, @code{\_}, @code{\!}, @code{\@@}, @code{\/}, @code{\c}, @code{\e}, and @code{\p}. @end itemize @esindex \\ @esindex \e @esindex \E To have a backslash (actually, the current escape character) appear in the output several escapes are defined: @code{\\}, @code{\e} or @code{\E}. These are very similar, and only differ with respect to being used in macros or diversions. @xref{Copy-in Mode}, and @ref{Diversions}, for more information. @c XXX explanation of \E @xref{Identifiers}, and @ref{Character Translations}. @menu * Comments:: @end menu @node Comments, , Escapes, Escapes @subsubsection Comments @cindex comments Probably one of the most@footnote{Unfortunately, this is a lie. But hopefully future @code{gtroff} hackers will believe it @code{:-)}} common forms of escapes is the comment. @Defesc {\\", , , } Start a comment. Everything to the end of the input line is ignored. This may sound simple, but it can be tricky to keep the comments from interfering with the appearance of the final output. @rqindex ds @rqindex as If the escape is to the right of some text or a request, that portion of the line is ignored, but the space leading up to it is noticed by @code{gtroff}. This only affects the @code{.ds} and @code{.as} request. @cindex tabs before comments @cindex comments, lining up with tabs One possibly irritating idiosyncracy is that tabs must not be used to line up comments. Tabs are not treated as white space between the request and macro arguments. @cindex undefined request @cindex request, undefined A comment on a line by itself is treated as a blank line, because after eliminating the comment, that is all that remains: @Example Test \" comment Test @endExample @noindent produces @Example Test Test @endExample To avoid this, it is common to start the line with @code{.\"} which causes the line to be treated as an undefined request and thus ignored completely. @rqindex ' Another commenting scheme seen sometimes is three consecutive single quotes (@code{'''}) at the beginning of a line. This works, but @code{gtroff} gives a warning about an undefined macro (namely @code{''}), which is harmless, but irritating. @endDefesc @Defesc {\\#, , , } To avoid all this, @code{gtroff} has a new comment mechanism using the @code{\#} escape. This escape works the same as @code{\"} except that the newline is also ignored: @Example Test \# comment Test @endExample @noindent produces @Example Test Test @endExample @noindent as expected. @endDefesc @Defreq {ig, yy} Ignore all input until @code{gtroff} encounters the macro named @code{.}@var{yy} on a line by itself (or @code{..} if @var{yy} is not specified). This is useful for commenting out large blocks of text: @Example text text text... .ig This is part of a large block of text that has been temporarily(?) commented out. We can restore it simply by removing the .ig request and the ".." at the end of the block. .. More text text text... @endExample @noindent produces @Example text text text@dots{} More text text text@dots{} @endExample @noindent Note that the commented-out block of text does not cause a break. The input is read in copy-mode; auto-incremented registers @emph{are} affected (@pxref{Auto-increment}). @endDefreq @c ===================================================================== @node Registers, Manipulating Filling and Adjusting, Embedded Commands, gtroff Reference @section Registers @cindex registers Numeric variables in @code{gtroff} are called @dfn{registers}. There are a number of built-in registers, supplying anything from the date to details of formatting parameters. @xref{Identifiers}, for details on register identifiers. @menu * Setting Registers:: * Interpolating Registers:: * Auto-increment:: * Assigning Formats:: * Built-in Registers:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Setting Registers, Interpolating Registers, Registers, Registers @subsection Setting Registers @cindex setting registers @cindex registers, setting Define or set registers using the @code{nr} request or the @code{\R} escape. @Defreq {nr, ident value} @Defescx {\\R, ', ident value, '} Set number register @var{ident} to @var{value}. If @var{ident} doesn't exist, @code{gtroff} creates it. The argument to @code{\R} usually has to be enclosed in quotes. @xref{Escapes}, for details on parameter delimiting characters. @endDefreq For example, the following two lines are equivalent: @Example .nr a 1 \R'a 1' @endExample Both @code{nr} and @code{\R} have two additional special forms to increment or decrement a register. @Defreq {nr, ident @t{+}@Var{value}} @Defreqx {nr, ident @t{-}@Var{value}} @Defescx {\\R, ', ident @t{+}@Var{value}, '} @Defescx {\\R, ', ident @t{-}@Var{value}, '} Increment (decrement) register @var{ident} by @var{value}. @Example .nr a 1 .nr a +1 \na @result{} 2 @endExample @cindex negating register values To assign the negated value of a register to another register, some care must be taken to get the desired result: @Example .nr a 7 .nr b 3 .nr a -\nb \na @result{} 4 .nr a (-\nb) \na @result{} -3 @endExample @noindent The surrounding parentheses prevent the interpretation of the minus sign as a decrementing operator. An alternative is to start the assignment with a @samp{0}: @Example .nr a 7 .nr b -3 .nr a \nb \na @result{} 4 .nr a 0\nb \na @result{} -3 @endExample @endDefreq @Defreq {rr, ident} Remove number register @var{ident}. If @var{ident} doesn't exist, the request is ignored. @endDefreq @Defreq {rnn, ident1 ident2} Rename number register @var{ident1} to @var{ident2}. If either @var{ident1} or @var{ident2} doesn't exist, the request is ignored. @endDefreq @Defreq {aln, ident1 ident2} Create an alias @var{ident1} for a number register @var{ident2}. The new name and the old name are exactly equivalent. If @var{ident1} is undefined, a warning of type @samp{reg} is generated, and the request is ignored. @xref{Debugging}, for information about warnings. @endDefreq @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Interpolating Registers, Auto-increment, Setting Registers, Registers @subsection Interpolating Registers @cindex interpolating registers @cindex registers, interpolating Numeric registers can be accessed via the @code{\n} escape. @cindex nested assignments @cindex assignments, nested @cindex indirect assignments @cindex assignments, indirect @Defesc {\\n, , i, } @Defescx {\\n, @lparen{}, id, } @Defescx {\\n, @lbrack{}, ident, @rbrack} Interpolate number register with name @var{ident} (one-character name @var{i}, two-character name @var{id}). This means that the value of the register is expanded in-place while @code{gtroff} is parsing the input line. Nested assignments (also called indirect assignments) are possible. @Example .nr a 5 .nr as \na+\na \n(as @result{} 10 @endExample @Example .nr a1 5 .nr ab 6 .ds str b .ds num 1 \n[a\n[num]] @result{} 5 \n[a\*[str]] @result{} 6 @endExample @endDefesc @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Auto-increment, Assigning Formats, Interpolating Registers, Registers @subsection Auto-increment @cindex auto-increment @cindex increment, automatic Number registers can also be auto-incremented and auto-decremented. The increment or decrement value can be specified with a third argument to the @code{nr} request or @code{\R} escape. @esindex \R @Defreq {nr, ident value incr} Set number register @var{ident} to @var{value}; the increment for auto-incrementing is set to @var{incr}. Note that the @code{\R} escape doesn't support this notation. @endDefreq To activate auto-incrementing, the escape @code{\n} has a special syntax form. @Defesc {\\n, +, i, } @Defescx {\\n, -, i, } @Defescx {\\n, @lparen{}+, id, } @Defescx {\\n, @lparen{}-, id, } @Defescx {\\n, +@lparen{}, id, } @Defescx {\\n, -@lparen{}, id, } @Defescx {\\n, @lbrack{}+, ident, @rbrack{}} @Defescx {\\n, @lbrack{}-, ident, @rbrack{}} @Defescx {\\n, +@lbrack{}, ident, @rbrack{}} @Defescx {\\n, -@lbrack{}, ident, @rbrack{}} Before interpolating, increment or decrement @var{ident} (one-character name @var{i}, two-character name @var{id}) by the auto-increment value as specified with the @code{nr} request (or the @code{\R} escape). If no auto-increment value has been specified, these syntax forms are identical to @code{\n}. @endDefesc For example, @Example .nr a 0 1 .nr xx 0 5 .nr foo 0 -2 \n+a, \n+a, \n+a, \n+a, \n+a .br \n-(xx, \n-(xx, \n-(xx, \n-(xx, \n-(xx .br \n+[foo], \n+[foo], \n+[foo], \n+[foo], \n+[foo] @endExample @noindent produces @Example 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 -5, -10, -15, -20, -25 -2, -4, -6, -8, -10 @endExample @cindex increment value without changing the register To change the increment value without changing the value of a register (@var{a} in the example), the following can be used: @Example .nr a \na 10 @endExample @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Assigning Formats, Built-in Registers, Auto-increment, Registers @subsection Assigning Formats @cindex assigning formats @cindex formats, assigning When a register is used in the text of an input file (as opposed to part of an expression), it is textually replaced (or interpolated) with a representation of that number. This output format can be changed to a variety of formats (numbers, Roman numerals, etc.). This is done using the @code{af} request. @Defreq {af, ident format} Change the output format of a number register. The first argument @var{ident} is the name of the number register to be changed, and the second argument @var{format} is the output format. The following output formats are available: @table @code @item 1 Decimal arabic numbers. This is the default format: 0, 1, 2, 3,@w{ }@enddots{} @item 0@dots{}0 Decimal numbers with as many digits as specified. So, @samp{00} would result in printing numbers as 01, 02, 03,@w{ }@enddots{} In fact, any digit instead of zero will do; @code{gtroff} only counts how many digits are specified. As a consequence, @code{af}'s default format @samp{1} could be specified as @samp{0} also (and exactly this is returned by the @code{\g} escape, see below). @item I @cindex Roman numerals @cindex numerals, Roman Upper-case Roman numerals: 0, I, II, III, IV,@w{ }@enddots{} @item i Lower-case Roman numerals: 0, i, ii, iii, iv,@w{ }@enddots{} @item A Upper-case letters: 0, A, B, C, @dots{},@w{ }Z, AA, AB,@w{ }@enddots{} @item a Lower-case letters: 0, a, b, c, @dots{},@w{ }z, aa, ab,@w{ }@enddots{} @end table Omitting the number register format causes a warning of type @samp{missing}. @xref{Debugging}, for more details. Specifying a nonexistent format causes an error. The following example produces @samp{10, X, j, 010}: @Example .nr a 10 .af a 1 \" the default format \na, .af a I \na, .af a a \na, .af a 001 \na @endExample @cindex Roman numerals, maximum and minimum @cindex maximum values of Roman numerals @cindex minimum values of Roman numerals The largest number representable for the @samp{i} and @samp{I} formats is 39999 (or @minus{}39999); @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff} uses @samp{z} and @samp{w} to represent 10000 and 5000 in Roman numerals, and so does @code{gtroff}. Currently, the correct glyphs of Roman numeral five thousand and Roman numeral ten thousand (Unicode code points @code{U+2182} and @code{U+2181}, respectively) are not available. If @var{ident} doesn't exist, it is created. @cindex read-only register, changing format @cindex changing format, read-only register Changing the output format of a read-only register causes an error. It is necessary to first copy the register's value to a writeable register, then apply the @code{af} request to this other register. @endDefreq @cindex format of register @cindex register, format @Defesc {\\g, , i, } @Defescx {\\g, @lparen{}, id, } @Defescx {\\g, @lbrack{}, ident, @rbrack{}} Return the current format of the specified register @var{ident} (one-character name @var{i}, two-character name @var{id}). For example, @samp{\ga} after the previous example would produce the string @samp{000}. If the register hasn't been defined yet, nothing is returned. @endDefesc @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Built-in Registers, , Assigning Formats, Registers @subsection Built-in Registers @cindex built-in registers @cindex registers, built-in The following lists some built-in registers which are not described elsewhere in this manual. Any register which begins with a @samp{.} is read-only. A complete listing of all built-in registers can be found in @ref{Register Index}. @table @code @item .H @cindex horizontal resolution register @cindex resolution, horizontal, register @vindex .H Horizontal resolution in basic units. @item .V @cindex vertical resolution register @cindex resolution, vertical, register @vindex .V Vertical resolution in basic units. @item dw @cindex day of the week register @cindex date, day of the week register @vindex dw Day of the week (1-7). @item dy @cindex day of the month register @cindex date, day of the month register @vindex dy Day of the month (1-31). @item mo @cindex month of the year register @cindex date, month of the year register @vindex mo Current month (1-12). @item year @cindex date, year register @cindex year, current, register @vindex year The current year. @item yr @vindex yr The current year minus@w{ }1900. Unfortunately, the documentation of @acronym{UNIX} Version@w{ }7's @code{troff} had a year@w{ }2000 bug: It incorrectly claimed that @code{yr} contains the last two digits of the year. That claim has never been true of either traditional @code{troff} or GNU @code{troff}. Old @code{troff} input that looks like this: @Example '\" The following line stopped working after 1999 This document was formatted in 19\n(yr. @endExample @noindent can be corrected as follows: @Example This document was formatted in \n[year]. @endExample @noindent or, to be portable to older @code{troff} versions, as follows: @Example .nr y4 1900+\n(yr This document was formatted in \n(y4. @endExample @item .c @vindex .c @itemx c. @vindex c. @cindex input line number register @cindex line number, input, register The current @emph{input} line number. Register @samp{.c} is read-only, whereas @samp{c.} (a @code{gtroff} extension) is writable also, affecting both @samp{.c} and @samp{c.}. @item ln @vindex ln @rqindex nm @cindex output line number register @cindex line number, output, register The current @emph{output} line number after a call to the @code{nm} request to activate line numbering. @xref{Miscellaneous}, for more information about line numbering. @item .x @vindex .x @cindex major version number register @cindex version number, major, register The major version number. For example, if the version number is@w{ }1.03 then @code{.x} contains@w{ }@samp{1}. @item .y @vindex .y @cindex minor version number register @cindex version number, minor, register The minor version number. For example, if the version number is@w{ }1.03 then @code{.y} contains@w{ }@samp{03}. @item .Y @vindex .Y @cindex revision number register The revision number of @code{groff}. @item .g @vindex .g @cindex @code{gtroff} identification register @cindex GNU-specific register Always@w{ }1. Macros should use this to determine whether they are running under GNU @code{troff}. @item .A @vindex .A @cindex @acronym{ASCII} approximation output register If the command line option @option{-a} is used to produce an @acronym{ASCII} approximation of the output, this is set to@w{ }1, zero otherwise. @xref{Groff Options}. @item .P @vindex .P This register is set to@w{ }1 (and to@w{ }0 otherwise) if the current page is actually being printed, i.e., if the @option{-o} option is being used to only print selected pages. @xref{Groff Options}, for more information. @item .T @vindex .T If @code{gtroff} is called with the @option{-T} command line option, the number register @code{.T} is set to@w{ }1, and zero otherwise. @xref{Groff Options}. @stindex .T @cindex output device register Additionally, @code{gtroff} predefines a single read-write string register @code{.T} which contains the current output device (for example, @samp{latin1} or @samp{ps}). @end table @c ===================================================================== @node Manipulating Filling and Adjusting, Manipulating Hyphenation, Registers, gtroff Reference @section Manipulating Filling and Adjusting @cindex manipulating filling and adjusting @cindex filling and adjusting, manipulating @cindex adjusting and filling, manipulating @cindex justifying text @cindex text, justifying @cindex break @cindex line break @rqindex bp @rqindex ce @rqindex cf @rqindex fi @rqindex fl @rqindex in @rqindex nf @rqindex rj @rqindex sp @rqindex ti @rqindex trf Various ways of causing @dfn{breaks} were given in @ref{Implicit Line Breaks}. The @code{br} request likewise causes a break. Several other requests also cause breaks, but implicitly. These are @code{bp}, @code{ce}, @code{cf}, @code{fi}, @code{fl}, @code{in}, @code{nf}, @code{rj}, @code{sp}, @code{ti}, and @code{trf}. @Defreq {br, } Break the current line, i.e., the input collected so far is emitted without adjustment. If the no-break control character is used, @code{gtroff} suppresses the break: @Example a 'br b @result{} a b @endExample @endDefreq Initially, @code{gtroff} fills and adjusts text to both margins. Filling can be disabled via the @code{nf} request and re-enabled with the @code{fi} request. @cindex fill mode @cindex mode, fill @Defreq {fi, } @Defregx {.u} Activate fill mode (which is the default). This request implicitly enables adjusting; it also inserts a break in the text currently being filled. The read-only number register @code{.u} is set to@w{ }1. The fill mode status is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @cindex no-fill mode @cindex mode, no-fill @Defreq {nf, } Activate no-fill mode. Input lines are output as-is, retaining line breaks and ignoring the current line length. This command implicitly disables adjusting; it also causes a break. The number register @code{.u} is set to@w{ }0. The fill mode status is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @Defreq {ad, [@Var{mode}]} @Defregx {.j} Set adjusting mode. Activation and deactivation of adjusting is done implicitly with calls to the @code{fi} or @code{nf} requests. @var{mode} can have one of the following values: @table @code @item l @cindex ragged-right Adjust text to the left margin. This produces what is traditionally called ragged-right text. @item r @cindex ragged-left Adjust text to the right margin, producing ragged-left text. @item c @cindex centered text @rqindex ce Center filled text. This is different to the @code{ce} request which only centers text without filling. @item b @itemx n Justify to both margins. This is the default used by @code{gtroff}. @end table With no argument, @code{gtroff} adjusts lines in the same way it did before adjusting was deactivated (with a call to @code{na}, for example). @Example text .ad r text .ad c text .na text .ad \" back to centering text @endExample @cindex current adjustment mode register The current adjustment mode is available in the read-only number register @code{.j}; it can be stored and subsequently used to set adjustment. The adjustment mode status is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @Defreq {na, } Disable adjusting. This request won't change the current adjustment mode: A subsequent call to @code{ad} uses the previous adjustment setting. The adjustment mode status is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @Defesc {\\p, , , } Adjust the current line and cause a break. In most cases this produces very ugly results, since @code{gtroff} doesn't have a sophisticated paragraph building algorithm (as @TeX{} have, for example); instead, @code{gtroff} fills and adjusts a paragraph line by line: @Example This is an uninteresting sentence. This is an uninteresting sentence.\p This is an uninteresting sentence. @endExample @noindent is formatted as @Example This is an uninteresting sentence. This is an uninteresting sentence. This is an uninteresting sentence. @endExample @endDefesc @cindex word space size @cindex size of word space @cindex space between words @cindex sentence space size @cindex size of sentence space @cindex space between sentences @Defreq {ss, word_space_size [@Var{sentence_space_size}]} @Defregx {.ss} @Defregx {.sss} Change the minimum size of a space between filled words. It takes its units as one twelfth of the space width parameter for the current font. Initially both the @var{word_space_size} and @var{sentence_space_size} are@w{ }12. @cindex fill mode @cindex mode, fill If two arguments are given to the @code{ss} request, the second argument sets the sentence space size. If the second argument is not given, sentence space size is set to @var{word_space_size}. The sentence space size is used in two circumstances: If the end of a sentence occurs at the end of a line in fill mode, then both an inter-word space and a sentence space are added; if two spaces follow the end of a sentence in the middle of a line, then the second space is a sentence space. If a second argument is never given to the @code{ss} request, the behaviour of @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff} is the same as that exhibited by GNU @code{troff}. In GNU @code{troff}, as in @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff}, a sentence should always be followed by either a newline or two spaces. The read-only number registers @code{.ss} and @code{.sss} hold the values of the parameters set by the first and second arguments of the @code{ss} request. The word space and sentence space values are associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). Contrary to traditional Unix @code{troff}, this request is @emph{not} ignored if a tty output device is used; the given values are then rounded down to a multiple of@w{ }12. @c XXX xref implementation differences The request is ignored if there is no parameter. @endDefreq @cindex centering lines @cindex lines, centering @Defreq {ce, [@Var{nnn}]} @Defregx {.ce} Center text. While the @w{@samp{.ad c}} request also centers text, it fills the text as well. @code{ce} does not fill the text it affects. This request causes a break. The following example demonstrates the differences. Here the input: @Example .ll 4i .ce 1000 This is a small text fragment which shows the differences between the `.ce' and the `.ad c' request. .ce 0 .ad c This is a small text fragment which shows the differences between the `.ce' and the `.ad c' request. @endExample @noindent And here the result: @Example This is a small text fragment which shows the differences between the `.ce' and the `.ad c' request. This is a small text fragment which shows the differences between the `.ce' and the `.ad c' request. @endExample With no arguments, @code{ce} centers the next line of text. @var{nnn} specifies the number of lines to be centered. If the argument is zero or negative, centering is disabled. @rqindex ll @rqindex in @rqindex ti The basic length for centering text is the line length (as set with the @code{ll} request) minus the indentation (as set with the @code{in} request). Temporary indentation is ignored. As can be seen in the previous example, it is a common idiom to turn on centering for a large number of lines, and to turn off centering after text to be centered. This is useful for any request which takes a number of lines as an argument. The @code{.ce} read-only number register contains the number of lines remaining to be centered, as set by the @code{ce} request. @endDefreq @cindex justifying text @cindex text, justifying @cindex right-justifying @Defreq {rj, [@Var{nnn}]} @Defregx {.rj} Justify unfilled text to the right margin. Arguments are identical to the @code{ce} request. The @code{.rj} read-only number register is the number of lines to be right-justified as set by the @code{rj} request. This request causes a break. @endDefreq @c ===================================================================== @node Manipulating Hyphenation, Manipulating Spacing, Manipulating Filling and Adjusting, gtroff Reference @section Manipulating Hyphenation @cindex manipulating hyphenation @cindex hyphenation, manipulating As discussed in @ref{Hyphenation}, @code{gtroff} hyphenates words. There are a number of ways to influence hyphenation. @Defreq {hy, [@Var{mode}]} @Defregx {.hy} Enable hyphenation. The request has an optional numeric argument, @var{mode}, to restrict hyphenation if necessary: @table @code @item 1 The default argument if @var{mode} is omitted. Hyphenate without restrictions. This is also the start-up value of @code{gtroff}. @item 2 Do not hyphenate the last word on a page or column. @item 4 Do not hyphenate the last two characters of a word. @item 8 Do not hyphenate the first two characters of a word. @end table Values in the previous table are additive. For example, the value@w{ }12 causes @code{gtroff} to neither hyphenate the last two nor the first two characters of a word. @cindex hyphenation restrictions register The current hyphenation restrictions can be found in the read-only number register @samp{.hy}. The hyphenation mode is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @Defreq {nh, } Disable hyphenation (i.e., set the hyphenation mode to zero). Note that the hyphenation mode of the last call to @code{hy} is not remembered. The hyphenation mode is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @esindex \% @cindex explicit hyphens @cindex hyphen, explicit @cindex consecutive hyphenated lines @cindex lines, consecutive hyphenated @cindex hyphenated lines, consecutive @Defreq {hlm, [@Var{nnn}]} @Defregx {.hlm} @Defregx {.hlc} Set the maximum number of consecutive hyphenated lines to @var{nnn}. If this number is negative, there is no maximum. The default value is@w{ }@minus{}1 if @var{nnn} is omitted. This value is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). Only lines output from a given environment count towards the maximum associated with that environment. Hyphens resulting from @code{\%} are counted; explicit hyphens are not. The current setting of @code{hlm} is available in the @code{.hlm} read-only number register. Also the number of immediately preceding consecutive hyphenated lines are available in the read-only number register @samp{.hlc}. @endDefreq @Defreq {hw, word1 word2 @dots{}} Define how @var{word1}, @var{word2}, etc.@: are to be hyphenated. The words must be given with hyphens at the hyphenation points. For example: @Example .hw in-sa-lub-rious @endExample @noindent Besides the space character, any character whose hyphenation code value is zero can be used to separate the arguments of @code{hw} (see the documentation for the @code{hcode} request below for more information). In addition, this request can be used more than once. Hyphenation exceptions specified with the @code{hw} request are associated with the current hyphenation language; it causes an error if there is no current hyphenation language. This request is ignored if there is no parameter. In old versions of @code{troff} there was a limited amount of space to store such information; fortunately, with @code{gtroff}, this is no longer a restriction. @endDefreq @cindex hyphenation character @cindex character, hyphenation @cindex disabling hyphenation @cindex hyphenation, disabling @Defesc {\\%, , , } To tell @code{gtroff} how to hyphenate words on the fly, use the @code{\%} escape, also known as the @dfn{hyphenation character}. Preceding a word with this character prevents it from being hyphenated; putting it inside a word indicates to @code{gtroff} that the word may be hyphenated at that point. Note that this mechanism only affects that one occurrence of the word; to change the hyphenation of a word for the entire document, use the @code{hw} request. @endDefesc @Defreq {hc, [@Var{char}]} Change the hyphenation character to @var{char}. This character then works the same as the @code{\%} escape, and thus, no longer appears in the output. Without an argument, @code{hc} resets the hyphenation character to be @code{\%} (the default) only. The hyphenation character is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @cindex hyphenation patterns @cindex patterns for hyphenation @Defreq {hpf, pattern_file} Read in a file of hyphenation patterns. This file is searched for in the same way as @file{@var{name}.tmac} (or @file{tmac.@var{name}}) is searched for if the @option{-m@var{name}} option is specified. It should have the same format as the argument to the @code{\patterns} primitive in @TeX{} (without using @TeX{}'s macro expansion); the letters appearing in this file are interpreted as hyphenation codes. A @samp{%} character in the patterns file introduces a comment that continues to the end of the line. If no @code{hpf} request is specified (either in the document or in a macro package), @code{gtroff} won't hyphenate at all. @rqindex hla @pindex troffrc @pindex troffrc-end @pindex hyphen.us The set of hyphenation patterns is associated with the current language set by the @code{hla} request. The @code{hpf} request is usually invoked by the @file{troffrc} or @file{troffrc-end} file; by default, @file{troffrc} loads hyphenation patterns for American English (in file @file{hyphen.us}). Invoking @code{hpf} causes an error if there is no current hyphenation language. @endDefreq @cindex hyphenation code @cindex code, hyphenation @Defreq {hcode, c1 code1 c2 code2 @dots{}} Set the hyphenation code of character @var{c1} to @var{code1}, that of @var{c2} to @var{code2}, etc. A hyphenation code must be a single input character (not a special character) other than a digit or a space. Initially each lower-case letter (@samp{a}-@samp{z}) has its hyphenation set to itself, and each upper-case letter (@samp{A}-@samp{Z}) has a hyphenation code which is the lower-case version of itself. This request is ignored if it has no parameter. @endDefreq @cindex hyphenation margin @cindex margin for hyphenation @rqindex ad @Defreq {hym, [@Var{length}]} @Defregx {.hym} Set the (right) hyphenation margin to @var{length}. If the current adjustment mode is not @samp{b} or@w{ }@samp{n}, the line is not hyphenated if it is shorter than @var{length}. Without an argument, the hyphenation margin is reset to its default value, which is@w{ }0. The default scaling indicator for this request is@w{ }@code{m}. The hyphenation margin is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). A negative argument resets the hyphenation margin to zero, emitting a warning of type @samp{range}. @cindex current hyphenation margin register The current hyphenation margin is available in the @code{.hym} read-only number register. @endDefreq @cindex hyphenation space @rqindex ad @Defreq {hys, [@Var{hyphenation_space}]} @Defregx {.hys} Set the hyphenation space to @var{hyphenation_space}. If the current adjustment mode is @samp{b} or@w{ }@samp{n}, don't hyphenate the line if it can be justified by adding no more than @var{hyphenation_space} extra space to each word space. Without argument, the hyphenation space is set to its default value, which is@w{ }0. The default scaling indicator for this request is@w{ }@code{m}. The hyphenation space is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). A negative argument resets the hyphenation space to zero, emitting a warning of type @samp{range}. @cindex current hyphenation space register The current hyphenation space is available in the @code{.hys} read-only number register. @endDefreq @cindex soft hyphen character @cindex character, soft hyphen @glindex hy @rqindex char @rqindex tr @Defreq {shc, [@Var{char}]} Set the soft hyphen character to @var{char}. If the argument is omitted, the soft hyphen character is set to the default character @code{\(hy} (this is the start-up value of @code{gtroff} also). The soft hyphen character is the character that is inserted when a word is hyphenated at a line break. If the soft hyphen character does not exist in the font of the character immediately preceding a potential break point, then the line is not broken at that point. Neither definitions (specified with the @code{char} request) nor translations (specified with the @code{tr} request) are considered when finding the soft hyphen character. @endDefreq @rqindex hpf @rqindex hw @pindex troffrc @pindex troffrc-end @Defreq {hla, language} @Defregx {.hla} Set the current hyphenation language to the string @var{language}. Hyphenation exceptions specified with the @code{hw} request and hyphenation patterns specified with the @code{hpf} request are both associated with the current hyphenation language. The @code{hla} request is usually invoked by the @file{troffrc} or the @file{troffrc-end} files; @file{troffrc} sets the default language to @samp{us}. @cindex current hyphenation language register The current hyphenation language is available as a string in the read-only number register @samp{.hla}. @Example .ds curr_language \n[.hla] \*[curr_language] @result{} us @endExample @endDefreq @c ===================================================================== @node Manipulating Spacing, Tabs and Fields, Manipulating Hyphenation, gtroff Reference @section Manipulating Spacing @cindex manipulating spacing @cindex spacing, manipulating @Defreq {sp, [@Var{distance}]} Space downwards @var{distance}. With no argument it advances 1@w{ }line. A negative argument causes @code{gtroff} to move up the page the specified distance. If the argument is preceded by a @samp{|} then @code{gtroff} moves that distance from the top of the page. This request causes a line break. The default scaling indicator is@w{ }@code{v}. @endDefreq @cindex double-spacing @Defreq {ls, [@Var{nnn}]} @Defregx {.L} Output @w{@var{nnn}@minus{}1} blank lines after each line of text. With no argument, @code{gtroff} uses the previous value before the last @code{ls} call. @Example .ls 2 \" This causes double-spaced output .ls 3 \" This causes triple-spaced output .ls \" Again double spaced @endExample The line spacing is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @cindex current line spacing register The read-only number register @code{.L} contains the current line spacing setting. @endDefreq @c XXX document \n[nl] @c XXX document \n[nl] == -1 if vertical position is zero @Defesc {\\x, ', spacing, '} @Defregx {.a} Sometimes, extra vertical spacing is only needed occasionally, e.g.@: to allow space for a tall construct (like an equation). The @code{\x} escape does this. The escape is given a numerical argument, usually enclosed in quotes (like @samp{\x'3p'}); the default scaling indicator is@w{ }@code{v}. If this number is positive extra vertical space is inserted below the current line. A negative number adds space above. If this escape is used multiple times on the same line, the maximum of the values is used. @xref{Escapes}, for details on parameter delimiting characters. @cindex extra vertical line space register The @code{.a} read-only number register contains the most recent (nonnegative) extra vertical line space. @c XXX @ignore @Example ... example of inline equation ... @endExample @end ignore @endDefesc @rqindex sp @cindex no-space mode @cindex mode, no-space @cindex blank lines, disabling @cindex lines, blank, disabling @Defreq {ns, } @Defregx {.ns} Enable @dfn{no-space mode}. In this mode, spacing (either via @code{sp} or via blank lines) is disabled. The @code{bp} request to advance to the next page is also disabled, except if it is accompanied by a page number (see @ref{Page Control}, for more information). This mode ends when actual text is output or the @code{rs} request is encountered. The read-only number register @code{.ns} is set to@w{ }1. This request is useful for macros which want to avoid that subsequent macros inadvertently insert some vertical space before the text starts (for example, to set up the first paragraph after a section header). @c XXX xref @endDefreq @Defreq {rs, } Disable no-space mode. @c XXX xref @endDefreq @c ===================================================================== @node Tabs and Fields, Character Translations, Manipulating Spacing, gtroff Reference @section Tabs and Fields @cindex tabs and fields @cindex fields and tabs @cindex @acronym{EBCDIC} encoding of a tab A tab character (@acronym{ASCII} char@w{ }9, @acronym{EBCDIC} char@w{ }5) causes a horizontal movement to the next tab stop (much like it did on a typewriter). @Defesc {\\t, , , } This escape is a non-interpreted tab character. In copy mode (@pxref{Copy-in Mode}), @code{\t} is the same as a real tab character. @endDefesc @Defreq {ta, [@Var{n1} @Var{n2} @dots{} @Var{nn} @t{T} @Var{r1} @Var{r2} @dots{} @Var{rn}]} @Defregx {.tabs} Change tab stop positions. This request takes a series of tab specifiers as arguments (optionally divided into two groups with the letter @samp{T}) which indicate where each tab stop is to be (overriding any previous settings). Tab stops can be specified absolutely, i.e., as the distance from the left margin. For example, the following sets 6@w{ }tab stops every one inch. @Example .ta 1i 2i 3i 4i 5i 6i @endExample Tab stops can also be specified using a leading @samp{+} which means that the specified tab stop is set relative to the previous tab stop. For example, the following is equivalent to the previous example. @Example .ta 1i +1i +1i +1i +1i +1i @endExample @code{gtroff} supports an extended syntax to specify repeat values after the @samp{T} mark (these values are always taken as relative) -- this is the usual way to specify tabs set at equal intervals. The following is, yet again, the same as the previous examples. It does even more since it defines an infinite number of tab stops separated by one inch. @Example .ta T 1i @endExample Now we are ready to interpret the full syntax given at the beginning: Set tabs at positions @var{n1}, @var{n2}, @dots{}, @var{nn} and then set tabs at @var{nn}+@var{r1}, @var{nn}+@var{r2}, @dots{}, @var{nn}+@var{rn} and then at @var{nn}+@var{rn}+@var{r1}, @var{nn}+@var{rn}+@var{r2}, @dots{}, @var{nn}+@var{rn}+@var{rn}, and so on. Example: @samp{4c +6c T 3c 5c 2c} is equivalent to @samp{4c 10c 13c 18c 20c 23c 28c 30c @dots{}}. The material in each tab column (i.e., the column between two tab stops) may be justified to the right or left or centered in the column. This is specified by appending @samp{R}, @samp{L}, or @samp{C} to the tab specifier. The default justification is @samp{L}. Example: @Example .ta 1i 2iC 2iR @endExample Some notes: @itemize @bullet @item The default unit of the @code{ta} request is @samp{m}. @item A tab stop is converted into a non-breakable horizontal movement which can be neither stretched nor squeezed. For example, @Example .ds foo a\tb\tc .ta T 5i \*[foo] @endExample @noindent creates a single line which is a bit longer than 10@w{ }inches (a string is used to show exactly where the tab characters are). Now consider the following: @Example .ds bar a\tb b\tc .ta T 5i \*[bar] @endExample @noindent @code{gtroff} first converts the tab stops of the line into unbreakable horizontal movements, then splits the line after the second @samp{b} (assuming a sufficiently short line length). Usually, this isn't what the user wants. @item Superfluous tabs (i.e., tab characters which do not correspond to a tab stop) are ignored except the first one which delimits the characters belonging to the last tab stop for right-justifying or centering. Consider the following example @Example .ds Z foo\tbar\tfoo .ds ZZ foo\tbar\tfoobar .ds ZZZ foo\tbar\tfoo\tbar .ta 2i 4iR \*[Z] .br \*[ZZ] .br \*[ZZZ] .br @endExample @noindent which produces the following output: @Example foo bar foo foo bar foobar foo bar foobar @endExample @noindent The first line right-justifies the second `foo' relative to the tab stop. The second line right-justifies `foobar'. The third line finally right-justifies only `foo' because of the additional tab character which marks the end of the string belonging to the last defined tab stop. @item Tab stops are associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @item Calling @code{ta} without an argument removes all tab stops. @item @cindex tab stops, for tty output devices The start-up value of @code{gtroff} is @w{@samp{T 0.5i}}. This value is used even for tty output devices (contrary to @acronym{UNIX} @code{nroff} which has tab stops preset every 0.8@dmn{i}). @c XXX xref implementation differences @end itemize @cindex current tab settings register The read-only number register @code{.tabs} contains a string representation of the current tab settings suitable for use as an argument to the @code{ta} request. @Example .ds tab-string \n[.tabs] \*[tab-string] @result{} T120u @endExample @endDefreq @cindex tab repetition character @cindex character, tab repetition @Defreq {tc, [@Var{fill-char}]} Normally @code{gtroff} fills the space to the next tab stop with whitespace. This can be changed with the @code{tc} request. With no argument @code{gtroff} reverts to using whitespace, which is the default. The value of this @dfn{tab repetition} character is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @menu * Leaders:: * Fields:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Leaders, Fields, Tabs and Fields, Tabs and Fields @subsection Leaders @cindex leaders Sometimes it may may be desirable to use the @code{tc} request to fill a particular tab stop with a given character (for example dots in a table of contents), but also normal tab stops on the rest of the line. For this @code{gtroff} provides an alternate tab mechanism, called @dfn{leaders} which does just that. @cindex leader character A leader character (character code@w{ }1) behaves similarly to a tab character: It moves to the next tab stop. The only difference is that for this movement, the fill character defaults to a period character and not to space. @Defesc {\\a, , , } This escape is a non-interpreted leader character. In copy mode (@pxref{Copy-in Mode}), @code{\a} is the same as a real leader character. @endDefesc @cindex leader repetition character @cindex character, leader repetition @Defreq {lc, [@Var{fill-char}]} Declare the leader character. Without an argument, leaders act the same as tabs (i.e., using whitespace for filling). @code{gtroff}'s start-up value is @samp{.}. The value of this @dfn{leader repetition} character is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @cindex table of contents @cindex contents, table of For a table of contents, to name an example, tab stops may be defined so that the section number is one tab stop, the title is the second with the remaining space being filled with a line of dots, and then the page number slightly separated from the dots. @Example .ds entry 1.1\tFoo\a\t12 .lc . .ta 1i 5i +.25i \*[entry] @endExample @noindent This produces @Example 1.1 Foo.......................................... 12 @endExample @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Fields, , Leaders, Tabs and Fields @subsection Fields @cindex fields @cindex field delimiting character @cindex delimiting character for fields @cindex character, field delimiting @cindex field padding character @cindex padding character for fields @cindex character, field padding @dfn{Fields} are a more general way of laying out tabular data. A field is defined as the data between a pair of @dfn{delimiting characters}. It contains substrings which are separated by @dfn{padding characters}. The width of a field is the distance on the @emph{input} line from the position where the field starts to the next tab stop. A padding character inserts stretchable space similar to @TeX{}'s @code{\hss} command (thus it can even be negative) to make the sum of all substring lengths plus the stretchable space equal to the field width. If more than one padding character is inserted, the available space is evenly distributed among them. @Defreq {fc, [@Var{delim-char} [@Var{padding-char}]]} Define a delimiting and a padding character for fields. If the latter is missing, the padding character defaults to a space character. If there is no argument at all, the field mechanism is disabled (which is the default). Note that contrary to e.g.@: the tab repetition character, delimiting and padding characters are not associated to the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). Example: @Example .fc # ^ .ta T 3i #foo^bar^smurf# .br #foo^^bar^smurf# @endExample @noindent and here the result: @Example foo bar smurf foo bar smurf @endExample @endDefreq @c ===================================================================== @node Character Translations, Troff and Nroff Mode, Tabs and Fields, gtroff Reference @section Character Translations @cindex character translations @cindex translations of characters @rqindex . @rqindex ' @cindex control character @cindex character, control @cindex no-break control character @cindex character, no-break control @cindex control character, no-break The control character (@samp{.}) and the no-break control character (@samp{'}) can be changed with the @code{cc} and @code{c2} requests, respectively. @Defreq {cc, [@Var{c}]} Set the control character to @var{c}. With no argument the default control character @samp{.} is restored. The value of the control character is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @Defreq {c2, [@Var{c}]} Set the no-break control character to @var{c}. With no argument the default control character @samp{'} is restored. The value of the no-break control character is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @esindex \\ @Defreq {eo, } Disable the escape mechanism completely. After executing this request, the backslash character @samp{\} no longer starts an escape sequence. This request can be very helpful in writing macros since it is not necessary then to double the escape character. Here an example: @Example .\" This is a simplified version of the .\" .BR request from the man macro package .eo .de BR . ds result \& . while (\n[.$] >= 2) \@{\ . as result \fB\$1\fR\$2 . shift 2 . \@} . if \n[.$] .as result \fB\$1 \*[result] . ft R .. .ec @endExample @endDefreq @cindex escape character @cindex character, escape @Defreq {ec, [@Var{c}]} Set the escape character to @var{c}. With no argument the default escape character @samp{\} is restored. It can be also used to re-enable the escape mechanism after an @code{eo} request. Note that changing the escape character globally will likely break macro packages since @code{gtroff} has no mechanism (like @TeX{}) to `intern' macros, i.e., to convert a macro definition into an internal form which is independent of its representation. If a macro is called, it is executed literally. @endDefreq @Defesc {\\e, , , } This escape sequence prints the current escape character (which is the backslash character @samp{\} by default). @endDefesc A @dfn{translation} is a mapping of an input character to an output character. The default mappings are given in the font definition files for the specific output device (@pxref{Font Files}); all mappings (both with @code{tr} and in the font definition files) occur at output time, i.e., the input character gets assigned the metric information of the mapped output character. @Defreq {tr, @Var{a}@Var{b}@Var{c}@Var{d}@dots{}} Translate character @var{a} to @var{b}, character @var{c} to @var{d}, etc. If there is an odd number of arguments, the last one is translated to the space character. Some notes: @itemize @bullet @item @esindex \( @esindex \[ @esindex \' @esindex \` @esindex \- @esindex \_ @esindex \C @esindex \N @rqindex char @cindex special character @cindex character, special @cindex numbered character @cindex character, numbered Special characters (@code{\(@var{xx}}, @code{\[@var{xxx}]}, @code{\C'@var{xxx}'}, @code{\'}, @code{\`}, @code{\-}, @code{\_}), characters defined with the @code{char} request, and numbered characters (@code{\N'@var{xxx}'}) can be translated also. @item @esindex \e The @code{\e} escape can be translated also. @item @esindex \% @esindex \~ Characters can be mapped onto the @code{\%} and @code{\~} escapes (but @code{\%} and @code{\~} can't be mapped onto another character). @item @cindex backspace character @cindex character, backspace @cindex leader character @cindex character, leader @cindex newline character @cindex character, newline @cindex tab character @cindex character, tab @esindex \a @esindex \t The following characters can't be translated: space (with one exception, see below), backspace, newline, leader (and @code{\a}), tab (and @code{\t}). @item @rqindex shc Translations are not considered for finding the soft hyphen character set with the @code{shc} request. @item @esindex \& The character pair @samp{@var{c}\&} (this is an arbitrary character@w{ }@var{c} followed by the zero width space character) maps this character to nothing. @Example .tr a\& foo bar @result{} foo br @endExample @noindent It is even possible to map the space character to nothing: @Example .tr aa \& foo bar @result{} foobar @endExample @noindent As shown in the example, the space character can't be the first character pair as an argument of @code{tr}. Additionally, it is not possible to map the space character to any other character; requests like @w{@samp{.tr aa x}} undo @w{@samp{.tr aa \&}} instead. If justification is active, lines are justified in spite of the `empty' space character (but there is no minimal distance, i.e.@: the space character, between words). @item After an output character has been constructed (this happens at the moment immediately before the character is appended to an output character list, either by direct output, in a macro, diversion, or string), it is no longer affected by @code{tr}. @c XXX xref @item Without an argument, the @code{tr} request is ignored. @end itemize @endDefreq @esindex \! @cindex @code{\!}, and @code{trnt} @Defreq {trnt, @Var{a}@Var{b}@Var{c}@Var{d}@dots{}} @code{trnt} is the same as the @code{tr} request except that the translations do not apply to text that is transparently throughput into a diversion with @code{\!}. @xref{Diversions}, for more information. For example, @Example .tr ab .di x \!.tm a .di .x @endExample @noindent prints @samp{b} to the standard error stream; if @code{trnt} is used instead of @code{tr} it prints @samp{a}. @endDefreq @c ===================================================================== @node Troff and Nroff Mode, Line Layout, Character Translations, gtroff Reference @section Troff and Nroff Mode @cindex troff mode @cindex mode, troff @cindex nroff mode @cindex mode, nroff Originally, @code{nroff} and @code{troff} were two separate programs, the former for tty output, the latter for everything else. With GNU @code{troff}, both programs are merged into one executable, sending its output to a device driver (@code{grotty} for tty devices, @code{grops} for @sc{PostScript}, etc.) which interprets the intermediate output of @code{gtroff}. For @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff} it makes sense to talk about @dfn{Nroff mode} and @dfn{Troff mode} since the differences are hardcoded. For GNU @code{troff}, this distinction is not appropriate because @code{gtroff} simply takes the information given in the font files for a particular device without handling requests specially if a tty output device is used. Usually, a macro package can be used with all output devices. Nevertheless, it is sometimes necessary to make a distinction between tty and non-tty devices: @code{gtroff} provides two built-in conditions @samp{n} and @samp{t} for the @code{if}, @code{ie}, and @code{while} requests to decide whether @code{gtroff} shall behave like @code{nroff} or like @code{troff}. @pindex troffrc @pindex troffrc-end @Defreq {troff, } Make the @samp{t} built-in condition true (and the @samp{n} built-in condition false) for @code{if}, @code{ie}, and @code{while} conditional requests. This is the default if @code{gtroff} (@emph{not} @code{groff}) is started with the @option{-R} switch to avoid loading of the start-up files @file{troffrc} and @file{troffrc-end}. Without @option{-R}, @code{gtroff} stays in troff mode if the output device is not a tty (e.g.@: `ps'). @endDefreq @pindex tty.tmac @Defreq {nroff, } Make the @samp{n} built-in condition true (and the @samp{t} built-in condition false) for @code{if}, @code{ie}, and @code{while} conditional requests. This is the default if @code{gtroff} uses a tty output device; the code for switching to nroff mode is in the file @file{tty.tmac} which is loaded by the start-up file @code{troffrc}. @endDefreq @xref{Conditionals and Loops}, for more details on built-in conditions. @c XXX move the following to grotty section @pindex less @cindex Teletype @cindex ISO 6249 SGR @cindex terminal control sequences @cindex control sequences, for terminals For tty output devices, underlining is done by emitting sequences of @samp{_} and @samp{\b} (the backspace character) before the actual character. Literally, this is printing an underline character, then moving back one character position, and printing the actual character at the same position as the underline character (similar to a typewriter). Usually, a modern terminal can't interpret this (and the original Teletype machines for which this sequence was appropriate are no longer in use). You need a pager program like @code{less} which translates this into ISO 6429 SGR sequences to control terminals. @c ===================================================================== @node Line Layout, Page Layout, Troff and Nroff Mode, gtroff Reference @section Line Layout @cindex line layout @cindex layout, line @cindex dimensions, line @cindex line dimensions The following drawing shows the dimensions which @code{gtroff} uses for placing a line of output onto the page. They are labeled with the request which manipulates each dimension. @Example -->| in |<-- |<-----------ll------------>| +----+----+----------------------+----+ | : : : | +----+----+----------------------+----+ -->| po |<-- |<--------paper width---------------->| @endExample @noindent These dimensions are: @ftable @code @item po @cindex left margin @cindex margin, left @cindex page offset @cindex offset, page @dfn{Page offset} -- this is the leftmost position of text on the final output, defining the @dfn{left margin}. @item in @cindex indentation @cindex line indentation @dfn{Indentation} -- this is the distance from the left margin where text is printed. @item ll @cindex line length @cindex length of line @dfn{Line length} -- this is the distance from the left margin to right margin. @end ftable @c XXX improve example @Example .in +.5i .ll -.5i A bunch of really boring text which should be indented from both margins. Replace me with a better (and more) example! .in -.5i .ll +.5i @endExample @pindex troffrc @Defreq {po, [@Var{offset}]} @Defreqx {po, @t{+}@Var{offset}} @Defreqx {po, @t{-}@Var{offset}} @Defregx {.o} Set horizontal page offset to @var{offset} (or increment or decrement the current value by @var{offset}). Note that this request does not cause a break, so changing the page offset in the middle of text being filled may not yield the expected result. The initial value is 1@dmn{i}. For tty output devices, it is set to 0 in the startup file @file{troffrc}; the default scaling indicator is@w{ }@code{m} (and not@w{ }@code{v} as incorrectly documented in the original @acronym{UNIX} troff manual). The current page offset can be found in the read-only number register @samp{.o}. If @code{po} is called without an argument, the page offset is reset to the previous value before the last call to @code{po}. @Example .po 3i \n[.o] @result{} 720 .po -1i \n[.o] @result{} 480 .po \n[.o] @result{} 720 @endExample @endDefreq @Defreq {in, [@Var{indent}]} @Defreqx {in, @t{+}@Var{indent}} @Defreqx {in, @t{-}@Var{indent}} @Defregx {.i} Set indentation to @var{indent} (or increment or decrement the current value by @var{indent}). This request causes a break. Initially, there is no indentation. If @code{in} is called without an argument, the indentation is reset to the previous value before the last call to @code{in}. The default scaling indicator is@w{ }@code{m}. The indentation is associated with the current environment. If a negative indentation value is specified (which is not allowed), @code{gtroff} emits a warning of type @samp{range} and sets the indentation to zero. The effect of @code{in} is delayed until a partially collected line (if it exists) is output. A temporary indent value is reset to zero also. The current indentation (as set by @code{in}) can be found in the read-only number register @samp{.i}. @endDefreq @Defreq {ti, offset} @Defreqx {ti, @t{+}@Var{offset}} @Defreqx {ti, @t{-}@Var{offset}} @Defregx {.in} Temporarily indent the next output line by @var{offset}. If an increment or decrement value is specified, adjust the temporary indentation relative to the value set by the @code{in} request. This request causes a break; its value is associated with the current environment. The default scaling indicator is@w{ }@code{m}. A call of @code{ti} without an argument is ignored. If the total indentation value is negative (which is not allowed), @code{gtroff} emits a warning of type @samp{range} and sets the temporary indentation to zero. `Total indentation' is either @var{offset} if specified as an absolute value, or the temporary plus normal indentation, if @var{offset} is given as a relative value. The effect of @code{ti} is delayed until a partially collected line (if it exists) is output. The read-only number register @code{.in} is the indentation that applies to the current output line. The difference between @code{.i} and @code{.in} is that the latter takes into account whether a partially collected line still uses the old indentation value or a temporary indentation value is active. @endDefreq @Defreq {ll, [@Var{length}]} @Defreqx {ll, @t{+}@Var{length}} @Defreqx {ll, @t{-}@Var{length}} @Defregx {.l} @Defregx {.ll} Set the line length to @var{length} (or increment or decrement the current value by @var{length}). Initially, the line length is set to 6.5@dmn{i}. The effect of @code{ll} is delayed until a partially collected line (if it exists) is output. The default scaling indicator is@w{ }@code{m}. If @code{ll} is called without an argument, the line length is reset to the previous value before the last call to @code{ll}. If a negative line length is specified (which is not allowed), @code{gtroff} emits a warning of type @samp{range} and sets the line length to zero. The line length is associated with the current environment. @cindex current line length register The current line length (as set by @code{ll}) can be found in the read-only number register @samp{.l}. The read-only number register @code{.ll} is the line length that applies to the current output line. Similar to @code{.i} and @code{.in}, the difference between @code{.l} and @code{.ll} is that the latter takes into account whether a partially collected line still uses the old line length value. @endDefreq @c ===================================================================== @node Page Layout, Page Control, Line Layout, gtroff Reference @section Page Layout @cindex page layout @cindex layout, page @code{gtroff} provides some very primitive operations for controlling page layout. @cindex page length @cindex length of page @Defreq {pl, [@Var{length}]} @Defreqx {pl, @t{+}@Var{length}} @Defreqx {pl, @t{-}@Var{length}} @Defregx {.p} Set the @dfn{page length} to @var{length} (or increment or decrement the current value by @var{length}). This is the length of the physical output page. The default scaling indicator is@w{ }@code{v}. @cindex current page length register The current setting can be found in the read-only number register @samp{.p}. @cindex top margin @cindex margin, top @cindex bottom margin @cindex margin, bottom Note that this only specifies the size of the page, not the top and bottom margins. Those are not set by @code{gtroff} directly. @xref{Traps}, for further information on how to do this. Negative @code{pl} values are possible also, but not very useful: No trap is sprung, and each line is output on a single page (thus suppressing all vertical spacing). If no argument or an invalid argument is given, @code{pl} sets the page length to 11@dmn{i}. @endDefreq @cindex headers @cindex footers @cindex titles @code{gtroff} provides several operations which help in setting up top and bottom titles (or headers and footers). @cindex title line @cindex three-part title @cindex page number character @Defreq {tl, @t{'}@Var{left}@t{'}@Var{center}@t{'}@Var{right}@t{'}} Print a @dfn{title line}. It consists of three parts: a left justified portion, a centered portion, and a right justified portion. The argument separator @samp{'} can be replaced with any character not occurring in the title line. The @samp{%} character is replaced with the current page number. This character can be changed with the @code{pc} request (see below). Without argument, @code{tl} is ignored. Some notes: @itemize @bullet @item A title line is not restricted to the top or bottom of a page. @item @code{tl} prints the title line immediately, ignoring a partially filled line (which stays untouched). @item It is not an error to omit closing delimiters. For example, @w{@samp{.tl /foo}} is equivalent to @w{@samp{.tl /foo///}}: It prints a title line with the left justified word @samp{foo}; the centered and right justfied parts are empty. @item Any modifications to the current environment within @code{tl} (e.g.@: changing the font or font size) are undone after processing @code{tl}. @item @code{tl} accepts the same parameter delimiting characters as the @code{\A} escape; see @ref{Escapes}. @end itemize @endDefreq @cindex length of title line @cindex title line, length @cindex current title line length register @Defreq {lt, [@Var{length}]} @Defreqx {lt, @t{+}@Var{length}} @Defreqx {lt, @t{-}@Var{length}} @Defregx {.lt} The title line is printed using its own line length, which is specified (or incremented or decremented) with the @code{lt} request. Initially, the title line length is set to 6.5@dmn{i}. If a negative line length is specified (which is not allowed), @code{gtroff} emits a warning of type @samp{range} and sets the title line length to zero. The default scaling indicator is@w{ }@code{m}. If @code{lt} is called without an argument, the title length is reset to the previous value before the last call to @code{lt}. The current setting of this is available in the @code{.lt} read-only number register; it is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @cindex page number @cindex number, page @Defreq {pn, page} @Defreqx {pn, @t{+}@Var{page}} @Defreqx {pn, @t{-}@Var{page}} @Defregx {.pn} Change (increase or decrease) the page number of the @emph{next} page. The only argument is the page number; the request is ignored without a parameter. The read-only number register @code{.pn} contains the number of the next page: either the value set by a @code{pn} request, or the number of the current page plus@w{ }1. @endDefreq @cindex current page number register @Defreg {%} A read-write register holding the current page number. @endDefreg @cindex changing the page number character @cindex page number character, changing @vindex % @Defreq {pc, [@Var{char}]} Change the page number character (used by the @code{tl} request) to a different character. With no argument, this mechanism is disabled. Note that this doesn't affect the number register @code{%}. @endDefreq @xref{Traps}. @c ===================================================================== @node Page Control, Fonts, Page Layout, gtroff Reference @section Page Control @cindex page control @cindex control, page @rqindex pn @cindex new page @Defreq {bp, [@Var{page}]} @Defreqx {bp, @t{+}@Var{page}} @Defreqx {bp, @t{-}@Var{page}} Stop processing the current page and move to the next page. This request causes a break. It can also take an argument to set (increase, decrease) the page number of the next page. The only difference between @code{bp} and @code{pn} is that @code{pn} does not cause a break or actually eject a page. @Example .de newpage \" define macro 'bp \" begin page 'sp .5i \" vertical space .tl 'left top'center top'right top' \" title 'sp .3i \" vertical space .. \" end macro @endExample @cindex top-level diversion @cindex diversion, top-level @code{bp} has no effect if not called within the top-level diversion (@pxref{Diversions}). @endDefreq @cindex orphan line @Defreq {ne, [@Var{space}]} It is often necessary to force a certain amount of space before a new page occurs. This is most useful to make sure that there is not a single @dfn{orphan} line left at the bottom of a page. The @code{ne} request ensures that there is a certain distance, specified by the first argument, before the next page is triggered (see @ref{Traps}, for further information). The default unit for @code{ne} is @samp{v}; the default value of @var{space} is@w{ }1@dmn{v} if no argument is given. For example, to make sure that no fewer than 2@w{ }lines get orphaned, do the following before each paragraph: @Example .ne 2 text text text @endExample @endDefreq @rqindex os @rqindex ne @Defreq {sv, [@Var{space}]} @code{sv} is similar to the @code{ne} request; it reserves the specified amount of vertical space. If the desired amount of space exists before the next trap (bottom page boundary), the space is output immediately (ignoring a partial filled line which stays untouched). If there is not enough space, it is stored for later output via the @code{os} request. The default value is@w{ }1@dmn{v} if no argument is given; the default unit is @samp{v}. @endDefreq @c ===================================================================== @node Fonts, Sizes, Page Control, gtroff Reference @section Fonts @cindex fonts @code{gtroff} can switch fonts at any point in the text. The basic set of fonts is @samp{R}, @samp{I}, @samp{B}, and @samp{BI}. These are Times Roman, Italic, Bold, and Bold Italic. For non-tty devices, there is also at least one symbol font which contains various special symbols (Greek, mathematics). @menu * Changing Fonts:: * Font Families:: * Font Positions:: * Using Symbols:: * Special Fonts:: * Artificial Fonts:: * Ligatures and Kerning:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Changing Fonts, Font Families, Fonts, Fonts @subsection Changing Fonts @cindex changing fonts @cindex fonts, changing @rqindex sty @rqindex fam @kindex styles @kindex family @pindex DESC @Defreq {ft, [@Var{font}]} @Defescx {\\f, , f, } @Defescx {\\f, @lparen{}, fn, } @Defescx {\\f, @lbrack{}, font, @rbrack} The @code{ft} request and the @code{\f} escape change the current font to @var{font} (one-character name @var{f}, two-character name @var{fn}). If @var{font} is a style name (as set with the @code{sty} request or with the @code{styles} command in the @file{DESC} file), use it within the current font family (as set with the @code{fam} request or with the @code{family} command in the @file{DESC} file). @cindex previous font @cindex font, previous With no argument or using @samp{P} as an argument, @code{.ft} switches to the previous font. Use @code{\fP} or @code{\f[P]} to do this with the escape. Fonts are generally specified as upper-case strings, which are usually 1@w{ }to 4 characters representing an abbreviation or acronym of the font name. This is no limitation, just a convention. The example below produces two identical lines. @Example eggs, bacon, .ft B spam .ft and sausage. eggs, bacon, \fBspam\fP and sausage. @endExample @xref{Font Positions}, for an alternative syntax. @endDefreq @rqindex ft @rqindex ul @rqindex bd @esindex \f @rqindex cs @rqindex tkf @rqindex special @rqindex fspecial @rqindex fp @rqindex code @Defreq {ftr, f [@Var{g}]} Translate font@w{ }@var{f} to font@w{ }@var{g}. Whenever a font named @var{f} is referred to in a @code{\f} escape sequence, or in the @code{ft}, @code{ul}, @code{bd}, @code{cs}, @code{tkf}, @code{special}, @code{fspecial}, @code{fp}, or @code{code} requests, font@w{ }@var{g} is used. If @var{g} is missing or equal to @var{f} the translation is undone. @endDefreq @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Font Families, Font Positions, Changing Fonts, Fonts @subsection Font Families @cindex font families @cindex families, font @cindex font styles @cindex styles, font Due to the variety of fonts available, @code{gtroff} has added the concept of @dfn{font families} and @dfn{font styles}. The fonts are specified as the concatenation of the font family and style. Specifying a font without the family part causes @code{gtroff} to use that style of the current family. @cindex postscript fonts @cindex fonts, postscript Currently, only @sc{PostScript} fonts are set up to this mechanism. By default, @code{gtroff} uses the Times family with the four styles @samp{R}, @samp{I}, @samp{B}, and @samp{BI}. This way, it is possible to use the basic four fonts and to select a different font family on the command line (@pxref{Groff Options}). @Defreq {fam, [@Var{family}]} @Defregx {.fam} Switch font family to @var{family}. If no argument is given, switch back to the previous font family. The current font family is available in the read-only number register @samp{.fam} (this is a string-valued register); it is associated with the current environment. @Example spam, .fam H \" helvetica family spam, \" used font is family H + style R = HR .ft B \" family H + style B = font HB spam, .fam T \" times family spam, \" used font is family T + style B = TB .ft AR \" font AR (not a style) baked beans, .ft R \" family T + style R = font TR and spam. @endExample @endDefreq @rqindex cs @rqindex bd @rqindex tkf @rqindex uf @rqindex fspecial @Defreq {sty, n style} Associate @var{style} with font position@w{ }@var{n}. A font position can be associated either with a font or with a style. The current font is the index of a font position and so is also either a font or a style. When it is a style, the font that is actually used is the font the name of which is the concatenation of the name of the current family and the name of the current style. For example, if the current font is@w{ }1 and font position@w{ }1 is associated with style@w{ }@samp{R} and the current font family is@w{ }@samp{T}, then font @samp{TR} will be used. If the current font is not a style, then the current family is ignored. When the requests @code{cs}, @code{bd}, @code{tkf}, @code{uf}, or @code{fspecial} are applied to a style, then they will instead be applied to the member of the current family corresponding to that style. @var{n} must be a non-negative integer value. @pindex DESC @kindex styles The default family can be set with the @option{-f} option (@pxref{Groff Options}). The @code{styles} command in the @file{DESC} file controls which font positions (if any) are initially associated with styles rather than fonts. For example, the default setting for @sc{PostScript} fonts @Example styles R I B BI @endExample @noindent is equivalent to @Example .sty 1 R .sty 2 I .sty 3 B .sty 4 BI @endExample @code{.fam} always checks whether the current font position is valid; this can give surprising results if the current font position is associated with a style. In the following example, we want to access the @sc{PostScript} font @code{FooBar} from the font family @code{Foo}: @Example .sty \n[.fp] Bar .fam Foo @result{} warning: can't find font `FooR' @endExample @noindent The default font position at start-up is@w{ }1; for the @sc{PostScript} device, this is associated with style @samp{R}, so @code{gtroff} tries to open @code{FooR}. A solution to this problem is to use a dummy font like the following: @Example .fp 0 dummy TR \" set up dummy font at position 0 .sty \n[.fp] Bar \" register style `Bar' .ft 0 \" switch to font at position 0 .fam Foo \" activate family `Foo' .ft Bar \" switch to font `FooBar' @endExample @xref{Font Positions}. @endDefreq @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Font Positions, Using Symbols, Font Families, Fonts @subsection Font Positions @cindex font positions @cindex positions, font For the sake of old phototypesetters and compatibility with old versions of @code{troff}, @code{gtroff} has the concept of font @dfn{positions}, on which various fonts are mounted. @Defreq {fp, pos font [@Var{external-name}]} @Defregx {.f} @Defregx {.fp} Mount font @var{font} at position @var{pos} (which must be a non-negative integer). This numeric position can then be referred to with font changing commands. When @code{gtroff} starts it is using font position@w{ }1 (which must exist; position@w{ }0 is unused usually at start-up). @cindex current font position register The current font in use, as a font position, is available in the read-only number register @samp{.f}. This can be useful to remember the current font for later recall. It is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @Example .nr save-font \n[.f] .ft B ... text text text ... .ft \n[save-font] @endExample @cindex next free font position register The number of the next free font position is available in the read-only number register @samp{.fp}. This is useful when mounting a new font, like so: @Example .fp \n[.fp] NEATOFONT @endExample @pindex DESC@r{, and font mounting} Fonts not listed in the @file{DESC} file are automatically mounted on the next available font position when they are referenced. If a font is to be mounted explicitly with the @code{fp} request on an unused font position, it should be mounted on the first unused font position, which can be found in the @code{.fp} register. Although @code{gtroff} does not enforce this strictly, it is not allowed to mount a font at a position whose number is much greater (approx.@: 1000 positions) than that of any currently used position. The @code{fp} request has an optional third argument. This argument gives the external name of the font, which is used for finding the font description file. The second argument gives the internal name of the font which is used to refer to the font in @code{gtroff} after it has been mounted. If there is no third argument then the internal name is used as the external name. This feature makes it possible to use fonts with long names in compatibility mode. @endDefreq Both the @code{ft} request and the @code{\f} escape have alternative syntax forms to access font positions. @rqindex sty @rqindex fam @kindex styles @kindex family @pindex DESC @Defreq {ft, nnn} @Defescx {\\f, , n, } @Defescx {\\f, @lparen{}, nn, } @Defescx {\\f, @lbrack{}, nnn, @rbrack} Change the current font position to @var{nnn} (one-digit position @var{n}, two-digit position @var{nn}), which must be a non-negative integer. If @var{nnn} is associated with a style (as set with the @code{sty} request or with the @code{styles} command in the @file{DESC} file), use it within the current font family (as set with the @code{fam} request or with the @code{family} command in the @file{DESC} file). @Example this is font 1 .ft 2 this is font 2 .ft \" switch back to font 1 .ft 3 this is font 3 .ft this is font 1 again @endExample @xref{Changing Fonts}, for the standard syntax form. @endDefreq @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Using Symbols, Special Fonts, Font Positions, Fonts @subsection Using Symbols @cindex using symbols @cindex symbols, using @cindex glyph @cindex character @cindex ligature A @dfn{glyph} is a graphical representation of a @dfn{character}. While a character is an abstract entity containing semantic information, a glyph is something which can be actually seen on screen or paper. It is possible that a character has multiple glyph representation forms (for example, the character `A' can be either written in a roman or an italic font, yielding two different glyphs); sometimes more than one character maps to a single glyph (this is a @dfn{ligature} -- the most common is `fi'). @c XXX Please note that currently the distinction between glyphs and characters in this reference is not clearly carried out. This will be improved eventually in the next revision. @cindex symbol @cindex special fonts @kindex fonts @pindex DESC @rqindex fspecial A @dfn{symbol} is simply a named glyph. Within @code{gtroff}, all glyph names of a particular font are defined in its font file. If the user requests a glyph not available in this font, @code{gtroff} looks up an ordered list of @dfn{special fonts}. By default, the @sc{PostScript} output device supports the two special fonts @samp{SS} (slanted symbols) and @samp{S} (symbols) (the former is looked up before the latter). Other output devices use different names for special fonts. Fonts mounted with the @code{fonts} keyword in the @file{DESC} file are globally available. To install additional special fonts locally (i.e.@: for a particular font), use the @code{fspecial} request. @xref{Font Files}, and @ref{Special Fonts}, for more details. @Defesc {\\, @lparen{}, nm, } @Defescx {\\, @lbrack{}, name, @rbrack} Insert a symbol @var{name} (two-character name @var{nm}). There is no special syntax for one-character names -- the natural form @samp{\@var{n}} would collide with escapes. If @var{name} is undefined, a warning of type @samp{char} is generated, and the escape is ignored. @xref{Debugging}, for information about warnings. The list of available symbols is device dependent; see @ref{Glyph Name Index} for some of them discussed in this reference. @c XXX list of common symbols @endDefesc @Defesc {\\C, ', xxx, '} Typeset the character named @var{xxx}. Normally it is more convenient to use @code{\[@var{xxx}]}, but @code{\C} has the advantage that it is compatible with newer versions of @code{ditroff} and is available in compatibility mode. @endDefesc @rqindex char @cindex unicode @Defesc {\\N, ', n, '} Typeset the character with code@w{ }@var{n} in the current font (this is @strong{not} the input character code). @var{n} can be any integer. Most devices only have characters with codes between 0 and@w{ }255; the Unicode output device uses codes in the range 0--65535. If the current font does not contain a character with that code, special fonts are @emph{not} searched. The @code{\N} escape sequence can be conveniently used in conjunction with the @code{char} request: @Example .char \[phone] \f[ZD]\N'37' @endExample @noindent @pindex DESC @cindex unnamed characters @cindex characters, unnamed The code of each character is given in the fourth column in the font description file after the @code{charset} command. It is possible to include unnamed characters in the font description file by using a name of @samp{---}; the @code{\N} escape sequence is the only way to use these. @endDefesc @c XXX should be `glyph', not `character' @cindex character properties @cindex properties of characters @Defreq {cflags, n c1 c2 @dots{}} Each character has certain properties associated with it. These properties can be modified with the @code{cflags} request. The first argument is the the sum of the desired flags and the remaining arguments are the characters to have those properties. It is possible to omit the spaces between the characters. @table @code @item 1 @cindex end of sentence characters @cindex characters, end of sentence the character ends sentences (initially characters @samp{.?!} have this property) @item 2 @cindex hyphenating characters @cindex characters, hyphenation lines can be broken before the character (initially no characters have this property) @item 4 @glindex hy @glindex em lines can be broken after the character (initially the characters @samp{-\(hy\(em} have this property) @item 8 @cindex overlapping characters @cindex characters, overlapping @glindex ul @glindex rn @glindex ru the character overlaps horizontally (initially the characters @samp{\(ul\(rn\(ru} have this property) @item 16 @glindex br the character overlaps vertically (initially character @samp{\(br} has this property) @item 32 @cindex transparent characters @cindex character, transparent @cindex ' @cindex " @cindex ] @cindex ) @cindex * @glindex dg @glindex rq an end of sentence character followed by any number of characters with this property is treated as the end of a sentence if followed by a newline or two spaces; in other words the character is @dfn{transparent} for the purposes of end of sentence recognition -- this is the same as having a zero space factor in @TeX{} (initially characters @samp{"')]*\(dg\(rq} have this property). @end table @endDefreq @cindex defining characters @cindex characters, defining @cindex creating new characters @cindex escape character @cindex character, escape @rqindex tr @rqindex cp @rqindex rc @rqindex lc @esindex \l @esindex \L @esindex \& @esindex \e @rqindex hcode @Defreq {char, c [@Var{string}]} Define a new character@w{ }@var{c} to be @var{string} (which can be empty). Every time character@w{ }@var{c} needs to be printed, @var{string} is processed in a temporary environment and the result is wrapped up into a single object. Compatibility mode is turned off and the escape character is set to @samp{\} while @var{string} is being processed. Any emboldening, constant spacing or track kerning is applied to this object rather than to individual characters in @var{string}. A character defined by this request can be used just like a normal character provided by the output device. In particular, other characters can be translated to it with the @code{tr} request; it can be made the leader character by the @code{lc} request; repeated patterns can be drawn with the character using the @code{\l} and @code{\L} escape sequences; words containing the character can be hyphenated correctly, if the @code{hcode} request is used to give the character a hyphenation code. There is a special anti-recursion feature: Use of character within the character's definition is handled like normal characters not defined with @code{char}. @endDefreq @cindex removing character definition @cindex character, removing definition @Defreq {rchar, c1 c2 @dots{}} Remove the definitions of characters @var{c1}, @var{c2},@w{ }@enddots{} This undoes the effect of a @code{char} request. It is possible to omit the whitespace between arguments. @endDefreq @xref{Special Characters}. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Special Fonts, Artificial Fonts, Using Symbols, Fonts @subsection Special Fonts @cindex special fonts @cindex fonts, special @c XXX To be written. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Artificial Fonts, Ligatures and Kerning, Special Fonts, Fonts @subsection Artificial Fonts @cindex artificial fonts @cindex fonts, artificial There are a number of requests for artificially creating fonts. These are largely vestiges of the days when output devices did not have a wide variety of fonts, and when @code{nroff} and @code{troff} were separate programs. These are no longer necessary in GNU @code{troff}. Nevertheless, they are supported. @cindex underlining @Defreq {ul, [@Var{lines}]} The @code{ul} request normally underlines subsequent lines if a tty output device is used. Otherwise, the lines are printed in italics (only the term `underlined' is used in the following). The single argument is the number of input lines to be underlined; with no argument, the next line is underlined. If @var{lines} is zero or negative, stop the effects of @code{ul} (if it was active). Requests and empty lines do not count for computing the number of underlined input lines, even if they produce some output like @code{tl}. Lines inserted by macros (e.g.@: invoked by a trap) do count. At the beginning of @code{ul}, the current font is stored and the underline font is activated. Within the span of a @code{ul} request, it is possible to change fonts, but after the last line affected by @code{ul} the saved font is restored. @cindex underline font @cindex font, for underlining @rqindex uf This command is associated with the current environment. The underline font can be changed with the @code{uf} request. @c XXX @xref should be changed to grotty @xref{Troff and Nroff Mode}, for a discussion how underlining is implemented in for tty output devices, and which problems can arise. The @code{ul} request does not underline spaces. @endDefreq @cindex continuous underlining @cindex underlining, continuous @Defreq {cu, [@Var{lines}]} The @code{cu} request is similar to @code{ul} but underlines spaces as well (if a tty output device is used). @endDefreq @cindex underline font @cindex font for underlining @rqindex ul @rqindex cu @Defreq {uf, font} Set the underline font (globally) used by @code{ul} and @code{cu}. By default, this is the font at position@w{ }2. @var{font} can be either a non-negative font position or the name of a font. @endDefreq @cindex imitating bold face @cindex bold face, imitating @Defreq {bd, font [@Var{offset}]} @Defreqx {bd, font1 font2 [@Var{offset}]} @Defregx {.b} Artificially create a bold font by printing each character twice, slightly offset. Two syntax forms are available. @itemize @bullet @item Imitate a bold font unconditionally. The first argument specifies the font to embolden, and the second is the number of basic units, minus one, by which the two characters is offset. If the second argument is missing, emboldening is turned off. @var{font} can be either a non-negative font position or the name of a font. @var{offset} is available in the @code{.b} read-only register if a special font is active; in the @code{bd} request, its default unit is @samp{u}. @rqindex fspecial @kindex special @cindex embolding of special fonts @cindex special fonts, emboldening @item Imitate a bold form conditionally. Embolden @var{font1} by @var{offset} only if font @var{font2} is the current font. This command can be issued repeatedly to set up different emboldening values for different current fonts. If the second argument is missing, emboldening is turned off for this particular current font. This affects special fonts only (either set up with the @code{special} command in font files or with the @code{fspecial} request). @end itemize @endDefreq @cindex constant character space mode @cindex mode for constant character space @cindex character, constant space @rqindex ps @Defreq {cs, font [@Var{width} [@Var{em-size}]]} Switch to and from constant character space mode. If activated, the width of every character is @math{@var{width}/36} ems. The em size is given absolutely by @var{em-size}; if this argument is missing, the em value is taken from the current font size (as set with the @code{ps} request) when the font is effectively in use. Without second and third argument, constant character space mode is deactivated. Default unit for @var{em-size} is @samp{z}; @var{width} is an integer. @endDefreq @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Ligatures and Kerning, , Artificial Fonts, Fonts @subsection Ligatures and Kerning @cindex ligatures and kerning @cindex kerning and ligatures Ligatures are groups of characters that are run together. For example, the letters `f' and `i' can form a ligature `fi' as in the word `file'. This produces a cleaner look (albeit subtle) to the printed output. Usually, ligatures are not available in fonts for tty output devices. Most @sc{PostScript} fonts support the fi and fl ligatures. The C/A/T typesetter that was the target of AT&T @code{troff} also supported `ff', `ffi', and `ffl' ligatures. Advanced typesetters or `expert' fonts may include ligatures for `ft' and `ct', although GNU @code{troff} does not support these (yet). @cindex ligatures enabled register @Defreq {lg, [@Var{flag}]} @Defregx {.lg} The ligature mechanism can be switched on or off with the @code{lg} request; if the parameter is non-zero or missing, ligatures are enabled, otherwise disabled. Default is on. The current ligature mode can be found in the read-only number register @code{.lg} (set to 1 or@w{ }2 if ligatures are enabled, 0@w{ }otherwise). Setting the ligature mode to@w{ }2 enables the two-character ligatures (fi, fl, and ff) and disables the three-character ligatures (ffi and ffl). @endDefreq @dfn{Pairwise kerning} is another subtle typesetting mechanism that modifies the distance between a character pair to improve readability. In most cases (but not always) the distance is decreased. @ifnotinfo For example, compare the combination of the letters `V' and `A'. With kerning, `VA' is printed. Without kerning it appears as `V@w{}A'. @end ifnotinfo Typewriter-like fonts and fonts for terminals where all characters have the same width don't use kerning. @cindex kerning enabled register @Defreq {kern, [@Var{flag}]} @Defregx {.kern} Kerning can be activated with the @code{kern} request. If the parameter is non-zero or missing, enable pairwise kerning, otherwise disable it. The read-only number register @code{.kern} is set to@w{ }1 if pairwise kerning is enabled, 0@w{ }otherwise. @cindex zero width space character @cindex character, zero width space @cindex space character, zero width If the font description file contains pairwise kerning information, characters from that font are kerned. Kerning between two characters can be inhibited by placing @code{\&} between them: @samp{V\&A}. @xref{Font File Format}. @endDefreq @cindex track kerning @cindex kerning, track @dfn{Track kerning} expands or reduces the space between characters. This can be handy, for example, if you need to squeeze a long word onto a single line or spread some text to fill a narrow column. It must be used with great care since it is usually considered bad typography if the reader notices the effect. @Defreq {tkf, f s1 n1 s2 n2} Enable track kerning for font@w{ }@var{f}. If the current font is@w{ }@var{f} the width of every character is increased by an amount between @var{n1} and @var{n2} (@var{n1}, @var{n2} can be negative); if the current point size is less than or equal to @var{s1} the width is increased by @var{n1}; if it is greater than or equal to @var{s2} the width is increased by @var{n2}; if the point size is greater than or equal to @var{s1} and less than or equal to @var{s2} the increase in width is a linear function of the point size. The default unit is @samp{z} for @var{s1} and @var{s2}, @samp{p} for @var{n1} and @var{n2}. @endDefreq Sometimes, when typesetting letters of different fonts, more or less space at such boundaries are needed. There are two escapes to help with this. @cindex italic correction @cindex correction, italic @cindex correction between italic and roman character @cindex roman character, correction after italic character @cindex italic character, correction before roman character @Defesc {\\/, , , } Increase the width of the preceding character so that the spacing between that character and the following character is correct if the following character is a roman character. For example, if an italic@w{ }@code{f} is immediately followed by a roman right parenthesis, then in many fonts the top right portion of the @code{f} overlaps the top left of the right parenthesis. Use this escape sequence whenever an italic character is immediately followed by a roman character without any intervening space. This small amount of space is also called @dfn{italic correction}. @iftex @example @group \f[I]f\f[R]) @result{} {@it f}@r{)} \f[I]f\/\f[R]) @result{} @i{f}@r{)} @end group @end example @end iftex @endDefesc @cindex left italic correction @cindex correction, left italic @cindex roman character, correction before italic character @cindex italic character, correction after roman character @Defesc {\\\,, , , } Modify the spacing of the following character so that the spacing between that character and the preceding character is correct if the preceding character is a roman character. Use this escape sequence whenever a roman character is immediately followed by an italic character without any intervening space. In analogy to above, this space could be called @dfn{left italic correction}, but this term isn't used widely. @iftex @example @group q\f[I]f @result{} @r{q}@i{f} q\,\f[I]f @result{} @r{q}@math{@ptexcomma}@i{f} @end group @end example @end iftex @endDefesc @Defesc {\\&, , , } Insert a zero-width character, which is invisible. Its intended use is to stop interaction of a character with its surrounding. @itemize @bullet @item It prevents the insertion of extra space after an end of sentence character. @Example Test. Test. @result{} Test. Test. Test.\& Test. @result{} Test. Test. @endExample @item It prevents interpretation of a control character at the beginning of an input line. @Example .Test @result{} warning: `Test' not defined \&.Test @result{} .Test @endExample @item It prevents kerning between two characters. @ifnotinfo @example @group VA @result{} @r{VA} V\&A @result{} @r{V@w{}A} @end group @end example @end ifnotinfo @item It is needed to map an arbitrary character to nothing in the @code{tr} request (@pxref{Character Translations}). @end itemize @endDefesc @c ===================================================================== @node Sizes, Strings, Fonts, gtroff Reference @section Sizes @cindex sizes @cindex baseline @cindex type size @cindex size of type @cindex vertical spacing @cindex spacing, vertical @code{gtroff} uses two dimensions with each line of text, type size and vertical spacing. The @dfn{type size} is approximately the height of the tallest character.@footnote{This is usually the parenthesis. Note that in most cases the real dimensions of the glyphs in a font are @emph{not} related to its type size! For example, the standard @sc{PostScript} font families `Times Roman', `Helvetica', and `Courier' can't be used together at 10@dmn{pt}; to get acceptable output, the size of `Helvetica' has to be reduced by one point, and the size of `Courier' must be increased by one point.} @dfn{Vertical spacing} is the amount of space @code{gtroff} allows for a line of text; normally, this is about 20%@w{ }larger than the current type size. Ratios smaller than this can result in hard-to-read text; larger than this, it spreads the text out more vertically (useful for term papers). By default, @code{gtroff} uses 10@w{ }point type on 12@w{ }point spacing. @cindex leading The difference between type size and vertical spacing is known, by typesetters, as @dfn{leading}. @menu * Changing Type Sizes:: * Fractional Type Sizes:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Changing Type Sizes, Fractional Type Sizes, Sizes, Sizes @subsection Changing Type Sizes @cindex changing type sizes @cindex type sizes, changing @Defreq {ps, [@Var{size}]} @Defreqx {ps, @t{+}@Var{size}} @Defreqx {ps, @t{-}@Var{size}} @Defescx {\\s, , size, } @Defregx {.s} Use the @code{ps} request or the @code{\s} escape to change (increase, decrease) the type size (in points). Specify @var{size} as either an absolute point size, or as a relative change from the current size. The size@w{ }0, or no argument, goes back to the previous size. Default unit of @code{size} is @samp{z}. If @code{size} is zero or negative, it is set to 1@dmn{u}. The read-only number register @code{.s} returns the point size in points as a decimal fraction. This is a string. To get the point size in scaled points, use the @code{.ps} register instead. @code{.s} is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @Example snap, snap, .ps +2 grin, grin, .ps +2 wink, wink, \s+2nudge, nudge,\s+8 say no more! .ps 10 @endExample The @code{\s} escape may be called in a variety of ways. Much like other escapes there must be a way to determine where the argument ends and the text begins. Any of the following forms are valid: @table @code @item \s@var{n} Set the point size to @var{n}@w{ }points. @var{n}@w{ }must be either 0 or in the range 4 to@w{ }39. @item \s+@var{n} @itemx \s-@var{n} Increase or decrease the point size by @var{n}@w{ }points. @var{n}@w{ }must be exactly one digit. @item \s(@var{nn} Set the point size to @var{nn}@w{ }points. @var{nn} must be exactly two digits. @item \s+(@var{nn} @itemx \s-(@var{nn} @itemx \s(+@var{nn} @itemx \s(-@var{nn} Increase or decrease the point size by @var{nn}@w{ }points. @var{nn} must be exactly two digits. @end table @xref{Fractional Type Sizes}, for yet another syntactical form of using the @code{\s} escape. Some devices may only have certain permissible sizes, in which case @code{gtroff} rounds to the nearest permissible size. @endDefreq @cindex current type size register @cindex current vertical spacing register @Defreq {vs, [@Var{space}]} @Defreqx {vs, @t{+}@Var{space}} @Defreqx {vs, @t{-}@Var{space}} @Defregx {.v} Change (increase, decrease) the vertical spacing by @var{space}. The default unit is @samp{p}. If @code{vs} is called without an argument, the vertical spacing is reset to the previous value before the last call to @code{vs}. @vindex .V @code{gtroff} creates a warning of type @samp{range} if @var{space} is zero or negative; the vertical spacing is then set to the vertical resolution (as given in the @code{.V} register). The read-only number register @code{.v} contains the current vertical spacing; it is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreq @c XXX example @ignore @Example ... .sz macro example?? ... @endExample @end ignore @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Fractional Type Sizes, , Changing Type Sizes, Sizes @subsection Fractional Type Sizes @cindex fractional type sizes @cindex type sizes, fractional @cindex @code{s} unit @cindex unit, @code{s} @cindex @code{z} unit @cindex unit, @code{z} @rqindex ps @rqindex cs @rqindex tkf @esindex \H @esindex \s A @dfn{scaled point} is equal to @math{1/@var{sizescale}} points, where @var{sizescale} is specified in the @file{DESC} file (1@w{ }by default). There is a new scale indicator @samp{z} which has the effect of multiplying by @var{sizescale}. Requests and escape sequences in @code{gtroff} interpret arguments that represent a point size as being in units of scaled points, but they evaluate each such argument using a default scale indicator of @samp{z}. Arguments treated in this way are the argument to the @code{ps} request, the third argument to the @code{cs} request, the second and fourth arguments to the @code{tkf} request, the argument to the @code{\H} escape sequence, and those variants of the @code{\s} escape sequence that take a numeric expression as their argument (see below). For example, suppose @var{sizescale} is@w{ }1000; then a scaled point is equivalent to a millipoint; the request @w{@samp{.ps 10.25}} is equivalent to @w{@samp{.ps 10.25z}} and thus sets the point size to 10250@w{ }scaled points, which is equal to 10.25@w{ }points. @code{gtroff} disallows the use of the @samp{z} scale indicator in instances where it would make no sense, such as a numeric expression whose default scale indicator was neither @samp{u} nor @samp{z}. Similarly it would make no sense to use a scaling indicator other than @samp{z} or @samp{u} in a numeric expression whose default scale indicator was @samp{z}, and so @code{gtroff} disallows this as well. There is also new scale indicator @samp{s} which multiplies by the number of units in a scaled point. So, for example, @samp{\n[.ps]s} is equal to @samp{1m}. Be sure not to confuse the @samp{s} and @samp{z} scale indicators. @vindex .s @Defreg {.ps} A read-only number register returning the point size in scaled points. @code{.ps} is associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreg @cindex last-requested point size register @cindex point size, last-requested @vindex .ps @vindex .s @Defreg {.psr} @Defregx {.sr} The last-requested point size in scaled points is contained in the @code{.psr} read-only number register. The last requested point size in points as a decimal fraction can be found in @code{.sr}. This is a string-valued read-only number register. Note that the requested point sizes are device-independent, whereas the values returned by the @code{.ps} and @code{.s} registers are not. For example, if a point size of 11@dmn{pt} is requested for a DVI device, 10.95@dmn{pt} are actually used (as specified in the @file{DESC} file). Both registers are associated with the current environment (@pxref{Environments}). @endDefreg The @code{\s} escape has the following syntax for working with fractional type sizes: @table @code @item \s[@var{n}] @itemx \s'@var{n}' Set the point size to @var{n} scaled points; @var{n}@w{ }is a numeric expression with a default scale indicator of @samp{z}. @item \s[+@var{n}] @itemx \s[-@var{n}] @itemx \s+[@var{n}] @itemx \s-[@var{n}] @itemx \s'+@var{n}' @itemx \s'-@var{n}' @itemx \s+'@var{n}' @itemx \s-'@var{n}' Increase or or decrease the point size by @var{n} scaled points; @var{n} is a numeric expression with a default scale indicator of @samp{z}. @end table @xref{Font Files}. @c ===================================================================== @node Strings, Conditionals and Loops, Sizes, gtroff Reference @section Strings @cindex strings @code{gtroff} has string variables, which are entirely for user convenience (i.e.@: there are no built-in strings exept @code{.T}, but even this is a read-write string variable). @cindex string interpolation @cindex string expansion @cindex interpolation of strings @cindex expansion of strings @Defreq {ds, name [@Var{string}]} @Defescx {\\*, , n, } @Defescx {\\*, @lparen{}, nm, } @Defescx {\\*, @lbrack{}, name, @rbrack{}} Define and access a string variable @var{name} (one-character name @var{n}, two-character name @var{nm}). If @var{name} already exists, @code{ds} overwrites the previous definition. Example: @Example .ds UX \s-1UNIX\s0\u\s-3tm\s0\d . The \*(UX Operating System @endExample The @code{\*} escape @dfn{interpolates} (expands in-place) a previously-defined string variable. To be more precise, the stored string is pushed onto the input stack which is then parsed by @code{gtroff}. Similar to number registers, it is possible to nest strings, i.e. a string variables can be called within string variables. If the string named by the @code{\*} does not exist, it is defined as empty, and a warning of type @samp{mac} is emitted (see @ref{Debugging}, for more details). @cindex comments, with @code{ds} @strong{Caution:} Unlike other requests, the second argument to the @code{ds} request takes up the entire line including trailing spaces. This means that comments on a line with such a request can introduce unwanted space into a string. @Example .ds UX \s-1UNIX\s0\u\s-3tm\s0\d \" UNIX trademark @endExample @noindent Instead the comment should be put on another line or have the comment escape adjacent with the end of the string. @Example .ds UX \s-1UNIX\s0\u\s-3tm\s0\d\" UNIX trademark @endExample @cindex trailing quotes @cindex quotes, trailing @cindex leading spaces with @code{ds} @cindex spaces with @code{ds} To produce leading space the string can be started with a double quote. No trailing quote is needed; in fact, any trailing quote is included in your string. @Example .ds sign " Yours in a white wine sauce, @endExample @esindex \@key{RET} @cindex multi-line strings @cindex strings, multi-line @cindex newline character in strings, escaping @cindex escaping newline characters in strings Strings are not limited to a single line of text. A string can span several lines by escaping the newlines with a backslash. The resulting string is stored @emph{without} the newlines. @Example .ds foo lots and lots \ of text are on these \ next several lines @endExample It is not possible to have real newlines in a string. @cindex name space of macros and strings @cindex macros, shared name space with strings @cindex strings, shared name space with macros Strings, macros, and diversions (and boxes) share the same name space. Internally, even the same mechanism is used to store them. This has some interesting consequences. For example, it is possible to call a macro with string syntax and vice versa. @Example .de xxx a funny test. .. This is \*[xxx] @result{} This is a funny test. .ds yyy a funny test This is .yyy @result{} This is a funny test. @endExample Diversions and boxes can be also called with string syntax. It is not possible to pass arguments to a macro if called with @code{\*}. Another consequence is that you can copy one-line diversions or boxes to a string. @Example .di xxx a \fItest\fR .br .di .ds yyy This is \*[xxx]\c \*[yyy]. @result{} @r{This is a }@i{test}. @endExample @noindent As the previous example shows, it is possible to store formatted output in strings. The @code{\c} escape prevents the insertion of an additional blank line in the output. Copying diversions longer than a single output line produces unexpected results. @Example .di xxx a funny .br test .br .di .ds yyy This is \*[xxx]\c \*[yyy]. @result{} test This is a funny. @endExample Usually, it is not predictable whether a diversion contains one or more output lines, so this mechanism should be avoided. With @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff}, this was the only solution to strip off a final newline from a diversion. Another disadvantage is that the spaces in the copied string are already formatted, making them unstretchable. This can cause ugly results. @rqindex chop @rqindex unformat A clean solution to this problem is available in GNU @code{troff}, using the requests @code{chop} to remove the final newline of a diversion, and @code{unformat} to make the horizontal spaces stretchable again. @Example .box xxx a funny .br test .br .box .chop xxx .unformat xxx This is \*[xxx]. @result{} This is a funny test. @endExample @xref{Gtroff Internals}, for more information. @endDefreq @cindex appending to strings @cindex strings, appending @Defreq {as, name [@Var{string}]} The @code{as} request is similar to @code{ds} but appends @var{string} to the string stored as @var{name} instead of redefining it. If @var{name} doesn't exist yet, it is created. @Example .as sign " with shallots, onions and garlic, @endExample @endDefreq Rudimentary string manipulation routines are given with the next two requests. @cindex substring @Defreq {substring, str n1 [@Var{n2}]} Replace the string in register@w{ }@var{str} with the substring defined by the indices @var{n1} and@w{ }@var{n2}. The first character in the string has index one. If @var{n2} is omitted, it is taken to be equal to the string's length. If the index value @var{n1} or @var{n2} is negative or zero, it is counted from the end of the string, going backwards: The last character has index@w{ }0, the character before the last character has index@w{ }@minus{}1, etc. @Example .ds xxx abcdefgh .substring xxx 2 -3 \*[xxx] @result{} bcde @endExample @endDefreq @cindex length of a string @cindex string, length of @Defreq {length, reg str} Compute the length of @var{str} and returns it in the number register@w{ }@var{reg}. If @var{reg} doesn't exist, it is created. @Example .ds xxx abcdefgh .length yyy xxx \n[yyy] @result{} 8 @endExample @endDefreq @cindex rename request @cindex rename macro @cindex rename string @Defreq {rn, xx yy} Rename the request, macro, or string @var{xx} to @var{yy}. @endDefreq @cindex remove request @cindex remove macro @cindex remove string @Defreq {rm, xx} Remove the request, macro, or string @var{xx}. @code{gtroff} treats subsequent invocations as if the object had never been defined. @endDefreq @cindex alias @Defreq {als, new old} Create an alias named @var{new} for the request, string, macro, or diversion object named @var{old}. The new name and the old name are exactly equivalent (it is similar to a hard rather than a soft link). If @var{old} is undefined, @code{gtroff} generates a warning of type @samp{mac} and ignores the request. @endDefreq @Defreq {chop, xx} Remove (chop) the last character from the macro, string, or diversion named @var{xx}. This is useful for removing the newline from the end of diversions that are to be interpolated as strings. This command can be used repeatedly; see @ref{Gtroff Internals}, for details on nodes inserted by @code{gtroff} automatically. @endDefreq @xref{Identifiers}, and @ref{Comments}. @c ===================================================================== @node Conditionals and Loops, Writing Macros, Strings, gtroff Reference @section Conditionals and Loops @cindex conditionals and loops @cindex loops and conditionals @menu * Operators in Conditionals:: * if-else:: * while:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Operators in Conditionals, if-else, Conditionals and Loops, Conditionals and Loops @subsection Operators in Conditionals @rqindex if @rqindex while @cindex @code{if}, operators to use with it @cindex @code{while}, operators to use with it In @code{if} and @code{while} requests, there are several more operators available: @table @code @item e @itemx o True if the current page is even or odd numbered (respectively). @item n @rqindex nroff True if the document is being processed in nroff mode (i.e., the @code{.nroff} command has been issued). @item t @rqindex troff True if the document is being processed in troff mode (i.e., the @code{.troff} command has been issued). @item v Always false. @item '@var{xxx}'@var{yyy}' True if the string @var{xxx} is equal to the string @var{yyy}. Other characters can be used in place of the single quotes; the same set of delimiters as for the @code{\D} escape is used (@pxref{Escapes}). @code{gtroff} formats the strings before being compared: @Example .ie "|"\fR|\fP" \ true .el \ false @result{} true @endExample @noindent The resulting motions, character sizes, and fonts have to match,@footnote{The created output nodes must be identical. @xref{Gtroff Internals}.} and not the individual motion, size, and font requests. In the previous example, @samp{|} and @samp{\fR|\fP} both result in a roman @samp{|} character with the same point size and at the same location on the page, so the strings are equal. If @samp{.ft@w{ }I} had been added before the @samp{.ie}, the result would be ``false'' because (the first) @samp{|} produces an italic @samp{|} rather than a roman one. @item r @var{xxx} True if there is a number register named @var{xxx}. @item d @var{xxx} True if there is a string, macro, diversion, or request named @var{xxx}. @item c @var{ch} @rqindex char True if there is a character @var{ch} available; @var{ch} is either an @acronym{ASCII} character or a special character (@code{\(@var{ch}} or @code{\[@var{ch}]}); the condition is also true if @var{ch} has been defined by the @code{char} request. @end table Note that these operators can't be combined with other operators like @samp{:} or @samp{&}; only a leading @samp{!} (without whitespace between the exclamation mark and the operator) can be used to negate the result. @Example .nr xxx 1 .ie !r xxx \ true .el \ false @result{} false @endExample A whitespace after @samp{!} always evaluates to zero (this bizarre behaviour is due to compatibility with @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff}). @Example .nr xxx 1 .ie ! r xxx \ true .el \ false @result{} r xxx true @endExample It is possible to omit the whitespace before the argument to the @samp{r}, @samp{d}, and @samp{c} operators. @xref{Expressions}. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node if-else, while, Operators in Conditionals, Conditionals and Loops @subsection if-else @cindex if-else @code{gtroff} has if-then-else constructs like other languages, although the formatting can be painful. @Defreq {if, expr anything} Evaluate the expression @var{expr}, and executes @var{anything} (the remainder of the line) if @var{expr} evaluates to non-zero (true). @var{anything} is interpreted as though it was on a line by itself (except that leading spaces are swallowed). @xref{Expressions}, for more info. @Example .nr xxx 1 .nr yyy 2 .if ((\n[xxx] == 1) & (\n[yyy] == 2)) true @result{} true @endExample @endDefreq @c XXX .nop request @Defreq {ie, expr anything} @Defreqx {el, anything} Use the @code{ie} and @code{el} requests to write an if-then-else. The first request is the `if' part and the latter is the `else' part. @Example .ie n .ls 2 \" double spacing in nroff .el .ls 1 \" single spacing in troff @endExample @endDefreq @c this is a bug in makeinfo: you can't have `@{' as an argument @c to deffn @esindex \@{ @esindex \@} @c @Defesc {\\@@@{, , , } @c @Defescx {\\@@@}, , , } In many cases, an if (or if-else) construct needs to execute more than one request. This can be done using the @code{\@{} and @code{\@}} escapes. The following example shows the possible ways to use these escapes (note the position of the opening and closing braces). @Example .ie t \@{\ . ds lq `` . ds rq '' .\@} .el \ .\@{\ . ds lq " . ds rq "\@} @endExample @c @endDefesc @xref{Expressions}. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node while, , if-else, Conditionals and Loops @subsection while @cindex while @code{gtroff} provides a looping construct using the @code{while} request, which is used much like the @code{if} (and related) requests. @Defreq {while, expr anything} Evaluate the expression @var{expr}, and repeatedly execute @var{anything} (the remainder of the line) until @var{expr} evaluates to@w{ }0. @Example .nr a 0 1 .while (\na < 9) \@{\ \n+a, .\@} \n+a @result{} 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 @endExample Some remarks. @rqindex de @itemize @bullet @item The body of a @code{while} request is treated like the body of a @code{de} request: @code{gtroff} temporarily stores it in a macro which is deleted after the loop has been exited. It can considerably slow down a macro if the body of the @code{while} request (within the macro) is large. Each time the macro is executed, the @code{while} body is parsed and stored again as a temporary macro. @Example .de xxx . nr num 10 . while (\\n[num] > 0) \@{\ . \" many lines of code . nr num -1 . \@} .. @endExample @cindex recursive macros @cindex macros, recursive @noindent The traditional and ofter better solution (@acronym{UNIX} @code{troff} doesn't have the @code{while} request) is to use a recursive macro instead which is parsed only once during its definition. @Example .de yyy . if (\\n[num] > 0) \@{\ . \" many lines of code . nr num -1 . yyy . \@} .. . .de xxx . nr num 10 . yyy .. @endExample @noindent Note that the number of available recursion levels is set to@w{ }1000 (this is a compile-time constant value of @code{gtroff}). @item The closing brace of a @code{while} body must end a line. @Example .if 1 \@{\ . nr a 0 1 . while (\n[a] < 10) \@{\ . nop \n+[a] .\@}\@} @result{} unbalanced \@{ \@} @endExample @end itemize @endDefreq @rqindex while @cindex @code{break}, in a @code{while} loop @cindex @code{continue}, in a @code{while} loop @Defreq {break, } Break out of a @code{while} loop. Be sure not to confuse this with the @code{br} request (causing a line break). @endDefreq @Defreq {continue, } Finishes the current iteration of a @code{while} loop, immediately restarting the next iteration. @endDefreq @xref{Expressions}. @c ===================================================================== @node Writing Macros, Page Motions, Conditionals and Loops, gtroff Reference @section Writing Macros @cindex writing macros @cindex macros, writing A @dfn{macro} is a collection of text and embedded commands which can be invoked multiple times. Use macros to define common operations. @Defreq {de, name [@Var{end}]} Define a new macro named @var{name}. @code{gtroff} copies subsequent lines (starting with the next one) into an internal buffer until it encounters the line @samp{..} (two dots). The optional second argument to @code{de} changes this to a macro to @samp{.@var{end}}. Note that no leading whitespace is allowed in the line containing the ending token (either @samp{..} or the macro @samp{.@var{end}}). Here a small example macro called @samp{P} which causes a break and inserts some vertical space. It could be used to separate paragraphs. @Example .de P . br . sp .8v .. @endExample @c XXX add info about macro definitions in macros. @c XXX give example for end macro. @c XXX add info about indirect macro calls: @c @c .de xxx @c from yyy\c @c .. @c @c test \*[xxx] test @c => test from yyy test @c XXX info about common identifier pool for strings, macros, and @c diversions. @endDefreq @cindex appending, to a macro @Defreq {am, xx} Works similarly to @code{de} except it appends onto the macro named @var{xx}. So, to make the previously defined @samp{P} macro actually do indented instead of block paragraphs, add the necessary code to the existing macro like this: @Example .am P .ti +5n .. @endExample @endDefreq @cindex alias @Defreq {als, new old} Create an alias named @var{new} for the request, string, macro, or diversion object named @var{old}. The new name and the old name are exactly equivalent (it is similar to a hard rather than a soft link). If @var{old} is undefined, @code{gtroff} generates a warning of type @samp{mac} and ignores the request. The @code{de}, @code{am}, @code{di}, @code{da}, @code{ds}, and @code{as} requests only create a new object if the name of the macro, diversion or string diversion is currently undefined or if it is defined to be a request; normally they modify the value of an existing object. @endDefreq @menu * Copy-in Mode:: * Parameters:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Copy-in Mode, Parameters, Writing Macros, Writing Macros @subsection Copy-in Mode @cindex copy-in mode @cindex mode, copy-in @esindex \n @esindex \$ @esindex \* @esindex \\ @esindex \@key{RET} @cindex @code{\n}, when reading text for a macro @cindex @code{\$}, when reading text for a macro @cindex @code{\*}, when reading text for a macro @cindex @code{\\}, when reading text for a macro @cindex \@key{RET}, when reading text for a macro When @code{gtroff} reads in the text for a macro or diversion, it copies the text (including request lines, but excluding escapes) into an internal buffer. Escapes are converted into an internal form, except for @code{\n}, @code{\$}, @code{\*}, @code{\\} and @code{\@key{RET}} which are evaluated and inserted into the text where the escape was located. This is known as @dfn{copy-in} mode or @dfn{copy} mode. What this means is that you can specify when these escapes are to be evaluated (either at copy-in time or at the time of use) by insulating the escapes with an extra backslash. Compare this to the @code{\def} and @code{\edef} commands in @TeX{}. The following example prints the numbers 20 and@w{ }10: @Example .nr x 20 .de y .nr x 10 \&\nx \&\\nx .. .y @endExample @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Parameters, , Copy-in Mode, Writing Macros @subsection Parameters @cindex parameters @vindex .$ The arguments to a macro can be examined using a variety of escapes. The number of arguments is available in the @code{.$} number register. Any individual argument can be retrieved with one of the following escapes: @cindex copy-in mode, and macro arguments @Defesc {\\$, n, , } @Defescx {\\$, @lparen{}, nn, } @Defescx {\\$, @lbrack{}, nnn, @rbrack{}} The escapes @code{\$@var{n}}, @code{\$(@var{nn}} and @code{\$[@var{nnn}]} retrieve the @var{n}@dmn{th}, @var{nn}@dmn{th} or @var{nnn}@dmn{th} argument. As usual, the first form only accepts a single number (larger than zero), the second a two-digit number (larger or equal to@w{ }10), and the third any positive integer value (larger than zero). Macros can have an unlimited number of arguments. Note that due to copy-in mode, use two backslashes on these in actual use to prevent interpolation until the macro is actually invoked. @endDefesc @Defreq {shift, [@Var{n}]} Shifts the arguments 1@w{ }position, or as many positions as specified by its argument. After executing this request, argument@w{ }@var{i} becomes argument @var{i}-@var{n}; arguments 1 to@w{ }@var{n} are no longer available. Shifting by negative amounts is currently undefined. @endDefreq @Defesc {\\$*, , , } @Defescx {\\$@@, , , } In some cases it is convenient to use all of the arguments at once (for example, to pass the arguments along to another macro). The @code{\$*} escape concatenates all the arguments separated by spaces. A similar escape is @code{\$@@}, which concatenates all the arguments with each surrounded by double quotes, and separated by spaces. @endDefesc @rqindex als @cindex @code{als}, use with @code{\$0} @Defesc {\\$0, , , } The name used to invoke the current macro. The @code{als} request can make a macro have more than one name. @Example .de vl .ie \\n(.$=1 .ds Vl Pre-Release Version .el .ds Vl Version \\$3, \\$4. .. @endExample @noindent This would be called as @Example .vl $Id: groff.texinfo,v 1.78 2001/07/20 14:36:51 wlemb Exp $ @endExample @endDefesc @xref{Request Arguments}. @c ===================================================================== @node Page Motions, Drawing Requests, Writing Macros, gtroff Reference @section Page Motions @cindex page motions @cindex motions, page @cindex @code{sp}, as vertical page motion @Defreq {sp, [@Var{len}]} Motions up and down the page can be done with the @code{sp} request. However, this causes a break so that the actual effect is to move to the left margin and then to the specified location. @endDefreq @Defreq {mk, [@Var{reg}]} @Defreqx {rt, reg} The request @code{mk} can be used to mark a location on a page, for movement to later. This request takes a register name as an argument in which to store the current page location. With no argument it stores the location in an internal register. The results of this can be used later by the @code{rt} or the @code{sp} request. The @code{rt} request returns @emph{upwards} to the location given in the register name given as an argument; with no argument it returns to the location marked with the @code{mk} request. @c XXX example @ignore @Example ... dual column example ... @endExample @end ignore @endDefreq The following escapes give fine control of movements about the page. @cindex vertical motion @cindex motion, vertical @Defesc {\\v, ', e, '} The @code{\v'@var{e}'} escape enables arbitrary vertical motion from the current location on the page. The argument@w{ }@var{e} specifies the distance to move; positive is downwards and negative upwards. The default unit for this escape @samp{v}. Beware, however, that @code{gtroff} continues text processing at the point where the motion ends, so you should always balance motions to avoid interference with text processing. @endDefesc There are some special case escapes for vertical motion. @ftable @code @item \r move upwards@w{ }1@dmn{v}. @item \u move upwards@w{ }.5@dmn{v}. @item \d move down@w{ }.5@dmn{v}. @end ftable @cindex inserting horizontal space @cindex horizontal space @cindex space, horizontal @Defesc {\\h, ', e, '} The @code{\h'@var{e}'} escape provides horizontal motions. The expression@w{ }@var{e} indicates how far to move: positive is rightwards and negative leftwards. @c XXX Is there a default unit for this? @endDefesc There are a number of special case escapes for horizontal motion: @ftable @code @item \@key{SP} An unbreakable and unpaddable (i.e.@: not expanded during filling) space. (Note: This is a backslash followed by a space.) @item \~ An unbreakable space that stretches like a normal inter-word space when a line is adjusted. @item \| A 1/6@dmn{th} em space. Ignored for tty output devices (rounded to zero). @item \^ A 1/12@dmn{th} em space. Ignored for tty output devices (rounded to zero). @item \0 A space the size of a digit. @item \& @cindex zero width space character @cindex character, zero width space @cindex space character, zero width A zero width space. @item \) Like @code{\&} except that it behaves like a character declared with the @code{cflags} request to be transparent for the purposes of end of sentence recognition. @end ftable The following string sets the @TeX{} logo: @Example .ds TeX T\h'-.1667m'\v'.224m'E\v'-.224m'\h'-.125m'X @endExample @cindex width escape @cindex escape, width @Defesc {\\w, ', text, '} Used as @code{\w'@var{text}'}, returns the width of the specified @var{text} in basic units. This allows horizontal movement based on the width of some arbitrary text (e.g.@: given as an argument to a macro). @c XXX example @ignore @Example ... strlen example ... @endExample @end ignore Font changes may occur in @var{text} which don't affect current settings. After use, @code{\w} sets several registers: @table @code @item st @itemx sb @vindex st @vindex sb The highest and lowest point, respectively, in @var{text}. @item rst @itemx rsb @vindex rst @vindex rsb Like the @code{st} and @code{sb} registers, but takes account of the heights and depths of characters. @item ct @vindex ct Defines the kinds of characters occurring in @var{text}: @table @asis @item 0 only short characters, no descenders or tall characters. @item 1 at least one descender. @item 2 at least one tall character. @item 3 at least one each of a descender and a tall character. @end table @item ssc @vindex ssc The amount of horizontal space (possibly negative) that should be added to the last character before a subscript. @item skw @vindex skw How far to right of the center of the last character in the @code{\w} argument, the center of an accent from a roman font should be placed over that character. @end table @endDefesc @Defesc {\\k, ', x, '} Stores the current horizontal position in register @var{x}. Use this, for example, to return to the beginning of a string for highlighting or other decoration. @endDefesc @Defreg {.k} A read-only number register containing the current horizontal output position. @endDefreg @c XXX documentation @c ===================================================================== @node Drawing Requests, Traps, Page Motions, gtroff Reference @section Drawing Requests @cindex drawing requests @cindex requests for drawing @code{gtroff} provides a number of ways to draw lines and other figures on the page. Used in combination with the page motion commands (see @ref{Page Motions}, for more info), a wide variety of figures can be drawn. However, for complex drawings these operations can be quite cumbersome, and it may be wise to use graphic preprocessors like @code{gpic} or @code{ggrn}. @xref{gpic}, and @ref{ggrn}, for more information. All drawing is done via escapes. @cindex drawing horizontal lines @cindex horizontal line, drawing @cindex line, horizontal, drawing @Defesc {\\l, ', l c, '} Draws a line rightwards from the current location. The full syntax for this escape is: @Example \l'@var{l}@var{c}' @endExample @noindent where @var{l} is the length of the line to be drawn, starting at the current location; positive numbers draw to the right, and negative numbers draw towards the left. This can also be specified absolutely (i.e.@: with a leading @samp{|}) which draws back to the beginning of the line. @cindex underscore character @cindex character, underscore @cindex line drawing character @cindex character for line drawing The optional second parameter @var{c} is a character to draw the line with. If this second argument is not specified, @code{gtroff} uses the underscore character. @cindex zero width space character @cindex character, zero width space @cindex space character, zero width @esindex \& To separate the two arguments (to prevent @code{gtroff} from interpreting a drawing character as a scaling indicator) use @code{\&}. Here a small useful example: @Example .de box \(br\\$*\(br\l'|0\(rn'\l'|0\(ul' .. @endExample @opindex | @noindent Note that this works by outputting a box rule (a vertical line), then the text given as an argument and then another box rule. Then the line drawing escapes both draw from the current location to the beginning of the @emph{input} line. @endDefesc @cindex drawing vertical lines @cindex vertical line drawing @cindex line, vertical, drawing @cindex line drawing character @cindex character for line drawing @cindex box rule character @cindex character, box rule @Defesc {\\L, ', l c, '} Draws vertical lines. Its parameters are similar to the @code{\l} escape. The movement is downwards for positive values, and upwards for negative values. The default character is the box rule character. As with the vertical motion escapes, text processing blindly continues where the line ends. @c XXX example @ignore @Example ...box macro... @endExample @end ignore @endDefesc @Defesc {\\D, ', command arg @dots{}, '} The @code{\D} escape provides a variety of drawing functions. While the previous escapes work on a character device, these escapes do not. @table @code @item \D'l @var{dx} @var{dy}' Draw a line from the current location to the relative point specified by (@var{dx},@var{dy}). @c XXX example @ignore @Example ...revised box macro... @endExample @end ignore @item \D'c @var{d}' @cindex circle drawing @cindex drawing a circle Draw a circle with a diameter of @var{d} with the leftmost point at the current position. @item \D'C @var{d}' Draw a solid circle with the same parameters as an outlined circle. @item \D'e @var{dx} @var{dy}' @cindex drawing an ellipse @cindex ellipse drawing Draw an ellipse with a horizontal diameter of @var{dx} and a vertical diameter of @var{dy} with the leftmost point at the current position. @item \D'E @var{dx} @var{dy}' Draw a solid ellipse with the same parameters as an outlined ellipse. @item \D'a @var{dx1} @var{dy1} @var{dx2} @var{dy2}' @cindex arc drawing @cindex drawing an arc Draw an arc clockwise from the current location through the two specified locations (@var{dx1},@var{dy1}) and (@var{dx2},@var{dy2}). @item \D'~ @var{dx1} @var{dy1} @var{dx2} @var{dy2} ...' @cindex drawing a spline @cindex spline drawing Draw a spline from the current location to (@var{dx1},@var{dy1}) and then to (@var{dx2},@var{dy2}), and so on. @item \D'f @var{n}' @cindex gray shading @cindex shading @cindex shades for filling objects Set the shade of gray to be used for filling solid objects to@w{ }@var{n}; @var{n}@w{ }must be an integer between 0 and@w{ }1000, where 0 corresponds solid white and 1000 to solid black, and values in between correspond to intermediate shades of gray. This applies only to solid circles, solid ellipses and solid polygons. By default, a level of@w{ }1000 is used. @item \D'p @var{dx1} @var{dy1} @var{dx2} @var{dy2} ...' @cindex drawing a polygon @cindex polygon drawing Draw a polygon from the current location to (@var{dx1},@var{dy1}) and then to (@var{dx2},@var{dy2}) and so on. When the specified data points are exhausted, a line is drawn back to the starting point. @c XXX example @ignore @Example ... box example (yes, again)... @endExample @end ignore @item \D'P @var{dx1} @var{dy1} @var{dx2} @var{dy2} ...' Draw a solid polygon with the same parameters as an outlined polygon. @c XXX example @ignore @Example ... shaded box example ... @endExample @end ignore @item \D't @var{n}' @cindex line thickness @cindex thickness of lines Set the current line thickness to @var{n} machine units. A value of zero selects the smallest available line thickness. A negative value makes the line thickness proportional to the current point size (this is the default behaviour of @code{ditroff}). @end table @endDefesc @cindex pile, character @cindex character pile @Defesc {\\b, ', string, '} @dfn{Piles} a sequence of characters vertically, and centers it vertically on the current line. Use it to build large brackets and braces. @Example \b'\(lt\(bv\(lk\(bv\(lb' @endExample @endDefesc @xref{Drawing Functions}. @c ===================================================================== @node Traps, Diversions, Drawing Requests, gtroff Reference @section Traps @cindex traps @dfn{Traps} are locations, which, when reached, call a specified macro. These traps can occur at a given location on the page, at a given location in the current diversion, after a certain number of input lines or at the end of input. @menu * Page Location Traps:: * Diversion Traps:: * Input Line Traps:: * End-of-input Traps:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Page Location Traps, Diversion Traps, Traps, Traps @subsection Page Location Traps @cindex page location traps @cindex traps, page location @dfn{Page location traps} perform an action when @code{gtroff} reaches a certain vertical location on the page. Page location traps have a variety of purposes, including: @itemize @item setting headers and footers @item setting body text in multiple columns @item setting footnotes @end itemize @cindex vertical position trap enable register @Defreq {vpt, flag} @Defregx {.vpt} Enables vertical position traps if @var{flag} is non-zero, or disables them otherwise. Vertical position traps are traps set by the @code{wh} or @code{dt} requests. Traps set by the @code{it} request are not vertical position traps. The parameter that controls whether vertical position traps are enabled is global. Initially vertical position traps are enabled. The current setting of this is available in the @code{.vpt} read-only number register. @endDefreq @Defreq {wh, dist macro} Sets a page location trap. Positive values for @var{dist} set the trap relative to the top of the page; negative values set the trap relative to the bottom of the page. @var{macro} is the name of the macro to execute when the trap is sprung. @cindex page headers @cindex page footers @cindex headers @cindex footers The following is a simple example of how many macro packages set headers and footers. @Example .de hd \" Page header 'sp .5i .tl 'Title''date' 'sp .3i .. .de fo \" Page footer 'sp 1v .tl ''%'' 'bp .. .wh 0 hd \" trap at top of the page .wh -1i fo \" trap one inch from bottom @endExample @endDefreq @cindex distance to next trap @cindex trap, distance @Defreg {.t} A read-only number register holding the distance to the next trap. @endDefreg @cindex changing trap location @cindex trap, changing location @Defreq {ch, dist macro} Changes the location of a trap. The first argument is the name of the macro to be invoked at the trap, and the second argument is the new location for the trap (note that the parameters are specified the opposite of the @code{.wh} request). This is useful for building up footnotes in a diversion to allow more space at the bottom of the page for them. @c XXX @ignore @Example ... (simplified) footnote example ... @endExample @end ignore @endDefreq @Defreg {.ne} The read-only number register @code{.ne} contains the amount of space that was needed in the last @code{ne} request that caused a trap to be sprung. Useful in conjunction with the @code{.trunc} register. @xref{Page Control}, for more information. @endDefreg @rqindex ne @cindex @code{ne}, and the @code{.trunc} register @Defreg {.trunc} A read-only register containing the amount of vertical space truncated by the most recently sprung vertical position trap, or, if the trap was sprung by an @code{ne} request, minus the amount of vertical motion produced by the @code{ne} request. In other words, at the point a trap is sprung, it represents the difference of what the vertical position would have been but for the trap, and what the vertical position actually is. @endDefreg @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Diversion Traps, Input Line Traps, Page Location Traps, Traps @subsection Diversion Traps @cindex diversion traps @cindex traps, diversion @vindex .t @cindex @code{.t}, and diversions @Defreq {dt, dist macro} Sets a trap @emph{within} a diversion. @var{dist} is the first argument is the location of the trap (identical to the @code{.wh} request) and @var{macro} is the name of the macro to be invoked. The number register @code{.t} still works within diversions. @xref{Diversions}, for more information. @endDefreq @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Input Line Traps, End-of-input Traps, Diversion Traps, Traps @subsection Input Line Traps @cindex input line traps @cindex traps, input line @Defreq {it, n macro} Sets an input line trap. @var{n} is the number of lines of input which may be read before @dfn{springing} the trap, @var{macro} is the macro to be invoked. Request lines are not counted as input lines. For example, one possible use is to have a macro which prints the next @var{n}@w{ }lines in a bold font. @Example .de B .it \\$1 B-end .ft B .. .de B-end .ft R .. @endExample @endDefreq @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node End-of-input Traps, , Input Line Traps, Traps @subsection End-of-input Traps @cindex end-of-input traps @cindex traps, end-of-input @Defreq {em, macro} Sets a trap at the end of input. The @var{macro} specified is executed after the last line of the input file has been processed. For example, if the document had to have a section at the bottom of the last page for someone to approve it, the @code{em} request could be used. @Example .de approval .ne 5v .sp |(\\n(.t-6v) .in +4i .lc _ .br Approved:\t\a .sp Date:\t\t\a .. .em approval @endExample @endDefreq @c ===================================================================== @node Diversions, Environments, Traps, gtroff Reference @section Diversions @cindex diversions In @code{gtroff} it is possible to @dfn{divert} text into a named storage area. Due to the similarity to defining macros it is sometimes said to be stored in a macro. This is used for saving text for output at a later time, which is useful for keeping blocks of text on the same page, footnotes, tables of contents and indices. @c XXX describe top-level diversion @c XXX index entry for top-level diversion @Defreq {di, macro} @Defreqx {da, macro} Begins a diversion. Like the @code{de} request, it takes an argument of a macro name to divert subsequent text into. The @code{da} macro appends to an existing diversion. @code{di} or @code{da} without an argument ends the diversion. @c XXX example @ignore @Example ... end-note example ... @endExample @end ignore @endDefreq @vindex nl @vindex .h @cindex nested diversions @cindex diversion, nested @Defreg {.z} @Defregx {.d} Diversions may be nested. The read-only number register @code{.z} contains the name of the current diversion (this is a string-valued register). The read-only number register @code{.d} contains the current vertical place in the diversion. If not in a diversion it is the same as the register @code{nl}. @endDefreg @c XXX more info @Defreg {.h} The @dfn{high-water mark} on the current page. It corresponds to the text baseline of the lowest line on the page. This is a read-only register. @endDefreg @Defreg {dn} @Defregx {dl} After completing a diversion, the read-write number registers @code{dn} and @code{dl} contain the vertical and horizontal size of the diversion. @example @group .\" Center text both horizontally & vertically .de (c .br .nf .di @@c .. @end group @group .de )c .br .di .nr @@s (((\\n(.tu-\\n(dnu)/2u)-1v) .sp \\n(@@su .ce 1000 .nf .@c .br .ce 0 .sp \\n(@@su .br .fi .rr @@s .. @end group @end example @endDefreg @cindex transparent output @cindex output, transparent @Defesc {\\!, , , } @Defescx {\\?, , @Var{anything}, \\?} Prevents requests, macros and escapes from being interpreted when read into a diversion. This takes the given text and @dfn{transparently} embeds it into the diversion. This is useful for macros which shouldn't be invoked until the diverted text is actually output. @c XXX anything is read in copy mode. (what about \! ??) The @code{\!} escape transparently embeds text up to and including the end of the line. The @code{\?} escape transparently embeds text until the next occurrence of the @code{\?} escape. For example: @Example \?@var{anything}\? @endExample @noindent @var{anything} may not contain newlines; use @code{\!} to embed newlines in a diversion. The escape sequence @code{\?} is also recognized in copy mode and turned into a single internal code; it is this code that terminates anything. Thus the following example prints@w{ }4. @Example .nr x 1 .nf .di d \?\\?\\\\?\\\\\\\\nx\\\\?\\?\? .di .nr x 2 .di e .d .di .nr x 3 .di f .e .di .nr x 4 .f @endExample @endDefesc @cindex unformatting diversions @cindex diversion, unformatting @Defreq {asciify, div} @dfn{Unformats} the diversion specified by @var{div} in such a way that @acronym{ASCII} and space characters that were formatted and diverted are treated like ordinary input characters when the diversion is reread. It can be also used for gross hacks; for example, the following sets register @code{n} to@w{ }1. @Example .tr @@. .di x @@nr n 1 .br .di .tr @@@@ .asciify x .x @endExample @xref{Copy-in Mode}. @endDefreq @c ===================================================================== @node Environments, Suppressing output, Diversions, gtroff Reference @section Environments @cindex environments It happens frequently that some text should be printed in a certain format regardless of what may be in effect at the time, for example, in a trap invoked macro to print headers and footers. To solve this @code{gtroff} processes text in @dfn{environments}. An environment contains most of the parameters that control text processing. It is possible to switch amongst these environments; by default @code{gtroff} processes text in environment@w{ }0. The following is the information kept in an environment. @itemize @bullet @item font parameters (size, family, style, character height and slant, space and sentence space size) @item page parameters (line length, title length, vertical spacing, line spacing, indentation, line numbering, hyphenation data) @item fill and adjust mode @item tab stops, tab and leader characters, escape character, no-break and hyphen indicators, margin character data @item partially collected lines @end itemize These environments may be given arbitrary names (see @ref{Identifiers}, for more info). Old versions of @code{troff} only had environments named @samp{0}, @samp{1} and@w{ }@samp{2}. @cindex switch environments @cindex current environment number/name register @Defreq {ev, env} @Defregx {.ev} Switches to another environment. The argument @var{env} is the name of the environment to switch to. With no argument, @code{gtroff} switches back to the previous environment. There is no limit on the number of named environments; they are created the first time that they are referenced. The @code{.ev} read-only register contains the name or number of the current environment. This is a string-valued register. Note that a call to @code{ev} (with argument) pushes the previously active environment onto a stack. If, say, environments @samp{foo}, @samp{bar}, and @samp{zap} are called (in that order), the first @code{ev} request without parameter switches back to environment @samp{bar} (which is popped off the stack), and a second call switches back to environment @samp{foo}. @c XXX example @ignore @Example ... page break macro, revised ... @endExample @end ignore Here is an example: @Example .ev footnote-env .fam N .ps 6 .vs 8 .ll -.5i .ev ... .ev footnote-env \(dg Note the large, friendly letters. .ev @endExample @endDefreq @cindex copy environment @Defreq {evc, env} Copies the environment @var{env} into the current environment. @endDefreq @c ===================================================================== @node Suppressing output, I/O, Environments, gtroff Reference @section Suppressing output @cindex suppressing output @Defesc {\\O, , num, } Disables or enables output depending on the value of @var{num}: @table @samp @item \O0 Disable any ditroff glyphs from being emitted to the device driver. @item \O1 Enable output of glyphs. @end table @vindex opminx @vindex opminy @vindex opmaxx @vindex opmaxy @code{\O0} and @code{\O1} also reset the four registers @samp{opminx}, @samp{opminy}, @samp{opmaxx}, and @samp{opmaxy} to @minus{}1. @xref{Register Index}. These four registers mark the top left and bottom right hand corners of a box which encompasses all written glyphs. The following two forms of @code{\O} are specific to @code{grohtml}. @table @samp @item \O2 Disable any ditroff glyphs from being emitted to the device driver. Also write out to @code{stderr} the page number and four registers encompassing the glyphs previously written since the last call to @code{\O}. @item \O3 Enable output of glyphs (the default). Also write out to @code{stderr} the page number and four registers encompassing the glyphs previously written since the last call to @code{\O}. @end table @endDefesc @c ===================================================================== @node I/O, Postprocessor Access, Suppressing output, gtroff Reference @section I/O @cindex i/o @cindex input and output requests @cindex requests for input and output @cindex output and input requests @code{gtroff} has several requests for including files: @cindex including a file @cindex file inclusion @Defreq {so, file} Reads in the specified @var{file} and includes it in place of the @code{so} request. This is quite useful for large documents, e.g.@: keeping each chapter in a separate file. @xref{gsoelim}, for more information. @endDefreq @Defreq {mso, file} Identical to the @code{so} request except that @code{gtroff} searches for the specified @var{file} in the same directories as macro files for the the @option{-m} command line option. If the file name to be included has the form @file{@var{name}.tmac} and it isn't found, @code{mso} tries to include @file{tmac.@var{name}} and vice versa. @endDefreq @cindex transparent output @cindex output, transparent @Defreq {cf, file} @Defreqx {trf, file} Transparently outputs the contents of @var{file}. Each line is output as it were preceded by @code{\!}; however, the lines are not subject to copy mode interpretation. If the file does not end with a newline, then a newline is added. For example, to define a macro@w{ }@code{x} containing the contents of file@w{ }@file{f}, use @Example .di x .trf f .di @endExample The request @w{@code{.cf @var{filename}}}, when used in a diversion, embeds an object in the diversion which, when reread, causes the contents of @var{filename} to be transparently copied through to the output. In @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff}, the contents of @var{filename} is immediately copied through to the output regardless of whether there is a current diversion; this behaviour is so anomalous that it must be considered a bug. This request causes a line break. @rqindex trf With @code{trf}, unlike @code{cf}, the file cannot contain characters such as NUL that are not valid @code{gtroff} input characters (@pxref{Identifiers}). This request causes a line break. @endDefreq @Defreq {nx, } Forces @code{gtroff} to continue processing of the file specified as an argument. @endDefreq @Defreq {rd, } The @code{rd} request reads from standard input, and includes what is read as though it were part of the input file. Text is read until a blank line is encountered. @endDefreq @cindex form letters @cindex letters, form Using the @code{nx} and @code{rd} requests, it is easy to set up form letters. The form letter template is constructed like this: @Example .ce \*(td .sp 2 .nf .rd .sp .rd .fi Body of letter. .bp .nx repeat.let @endExample @rqindex ex @noindent When this is run, the following file should be redirected in. Note that requests included in this file are executed as though they were part of the form letter. The last block of input is the @code{ex} requests which tells groff to stop processing. If this was not there, groff would not know when to stop. @Example Trent A. Fisher 708 NW 19th Av., #202 Portland, OR 97209 Dear Trent, Len Adollar 4315 Sierra Vista San Diego, CA 92103 Dear Mr. Adollar, .ex @endExample @Defreq {pi, pipe} Pipes the output of @code{gtroff} to the shell command(s) specified by @var{pipe}. This request must occur before @code{gtroff} has a chance to print anything. @endDefreq @Defreq {sy, cmds} @Defregx {systat} In @dfn{unsafe} mode, executes the shell command(s) specified by @var{cmds}. The output is not saved anyplace, so it is up to the user to do so. @c XXX add info about safer and unsafe mode For example, the following example introduces the current time into a document: @cindex time, current @cindex current time @pindex perl @Example .sy perl -e 'printf ".nr H %d\\n.nr M %d\\n.nr S %d\\n",\ (localtime(time))[2,1,0]' > /tmp/x\n[$$] .so /tmp/x\n[$$] .sy rm /tmp/x\n[$$] \nH:\nM:\nS @endExample @noindent Note that this works by having the @code{perl} script (run by @code{sy}) print out the @code{nr} requests which set the number registers @samp{H}, @samp{M} and @samp{S}, and then reads those commands in with the @code{so} request. @cindex @code{system()} return value register The @code{systat} read-write number register contains the return value of the @code{system()} function executed by the last @code{sy} request. @endDefreq @Defreq {open, stream file} @Defreqx {opena, stream file} Opens the specified @var{file} for writing and associates the specified @var{stream} with it. The @code{opena} is like @code{open}, but if the file exists, append to it instead of truncating it. @endDefreq @cindex copy-in mode, and @code{write} requests @cindex mode, copy-in, and @code{write} requests @Defreq {write, stream data} Writes to the file associated with the specified @var{stream}. The stream must previously have been the subject of an open request. The remainder of the line is interpreted as the @code{ds} request reads its second argument: A leading @samp{"} is stripped, and it is read in copy-in mode. @endDefreq @Defreq {close, stream} Closes the specified @var{stream}; the stream is no longer an acceptable argument to the @code{write} request. @c XXX example @ignore @Example ... example of open write &c... @endExample @end ignore @endDefreq @Defesc {\\V, ', xxx, '} Interpolates the contents of the specified environment variable, as returned by the function @code{getenv}. Specify the argument to @code{\V} as an identifier, i.e.@: @samp{\V@var{x}}, @samp{\V(@var{xx}} or @samp{\V[@var{xxx}]}. @code{\V} is interpreted in copy-in mode. @endDefesc @c ===================================================================== @node Postprocessor Access, Miscellaneous, I/O, gtroff Reference @section Postprocessor Access @cindex postprocessor access @cindex access of postprocessor There are two escapes which give information directly to the postprocessor. This is particularly useful for embedding @sc{PostScript} into the final document. @Defesc {\\X, ', xxx, '} Embeds its argument into the @code{gtroff} output preceded with @w{@samp{x X}}. @endDefesc @Defesc {\\Y, ', xxx, '} The @code{\Y} escape is called with an identifier (i.e.@: @code{\Y@var{x}}, @code{\Y(@var{xx}} or @code{\Y[@var{xxx}]}). This is approximately equivalent to @samp{\X'\*[@var{xxx}]'}. However, the contents of the string or macro @var{xxx} are not interpreted; also it is permitted for @var{xxx} to have been defined as a macro and thus contain newlines (it is not permitted for the argument to @code{\X} to contain newlines). The inclusion of newlines requires an extension to the @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff} output format, and confuses drivers that do not know about this extension. @endDefesc @xref{Output Devices}. @c ===================================================================== @node Miscellaneous, Gtroff Internals, Postprocessor Access, gtroff Reference @section Miscellaneous @cindex miscellaneous This section documents parts of @code{gtroff} which cannot (yet) be categorized elsewhere in this manual. @cindex line numbers @cindex numbers, line @Defreq {nm, start inc space indent} Prints line numbers in the left margin. @var{start} is the line number of the @emph{next} output line; this defaults to@w{ }1. @var{inc} indicates on which lines numbers are printed, i.e.@: 5 means put line numbers on every 5@w{ }lines; this defaults to@w{ }1. @var{space} is the space to be left between the number and the text; this defaults to@w{ }1. The fourth argument is the indentation of the line numbers. Without arguments, line numbers are turned off. @endDefreq @c XXX xref ln register @Defreq {nn, [@Var{skip}]} Temporarily turns off line numbering. The argument is the number of lines not to be numbered; this defaults to@w{ }1. @c XXX (does this disable incrementing or display?) @c XXX example @ignore @Example ... line numbering example ... @endExample @end ignore @endDefreq @cindex margin characters @cindex characters for margins @Defreq {mc, char dist} Prints margin characters to the right of the text. The first argument is the character to be printed, and the second argument is the distance away from the main body text. With no arguments the margin characters are turned off. If this occurs before a break, no margin character is printed. @pindex nrchbar @pindex changebar This is quite useful for indicating text that has changed, and, in fact, there are programs available for doing this (they are called @code{nrchbar} and @code{changebar} and can be found in any @samp{comp.sources.unix} archive. @c XXX example @ignore @Example ... margin char example ... @endExample @end ignore @endDefreq @pindex soelim @cindex multi-file documents @cindex documents, multi-file @Defreq {lf, line filename} A debugging aid for documents which are split into many files, then put together with @code{soelim} and other preprocessors. The second argument is the name of the file and the first argument is the input line number in that file. This way @code{gtroff} can produce error messages which are intelligible to the user. @c XXX example @ignore @Example ... example of soelim'ed doc ... @endExample @end ignore @endDefreq @c ===================================================================== @node Gtroff Internals, Debugging, Miscellaneous, gtroff Reference @section @code{gtroff} Internals @cindex input token @cindex token, input @cindex output node @cindex node, output @code{gtroff} processes input in three steps. One or more input characters are converted to an @dfn{input token}. Then, one or more input tokens are converted to an @dfn{output node}. Finally, output nodes are converted to the intermediate output language understood by all output devices. For example, the input string @samp{fi\[:u]} is converted in a character token @samp{f}, a character token @samp{i}, and a special token @samp{:u} (representing u@w{ }umlaut). Later on, the character tokens @samp{f} and @samp{i} are merged to a single output node representing the ligature glyph @samp{fi}; the same happens with @samp{:u}. All output glyph nodes are `processed' which means that they are invariably associated with a given font, font size, advance width, etc. During the formatting process, @code{gtroff} itself adds various nodes to control the data flow. Macros, diversions, and strings collect elements in two chained lists: a list of input tokens which have been passed unprocessed, and a list of output nodes. Consider the following the diversion. @Example .di xxx a \!b c .br .di @endExample @noindent It contains these elements. @multitable {@i{vertical size node}} {token list} {element number} @item node list @tab token list @tab element number @item @i{line start node} @tab --- @tab 1 @item @i{glyph node @code{a}} @tab --- @tab 2 @item @i{word space node} @tab --- @tab 3 @item --- @tab @code{b} @tab 4 @item --- @tab @code{\n} @tab 5 @item @i{glyph node @code{c}} @tab --- @tab 6 @item @i{vertical size node} @tab --- @tab 7 @item @i{vertical size node} @tab --- @tab 8 @item --- @tab @code{\n} @tab 9 @end multitable @esindex \v @rqindex unformat @noindent Elements 1, 7, and@w{ }8 are inserted by @code{gtroff}; the latter two (which are always present) specify the vertical extent of the last line, possibly modified by @code{\v}. The @code{br} request finishes the current partial line, inserting a newline input token which is subsequently converted to a space when the diversion is reread. Note that the word space node has a fixed width which isn't stretchable anymore. To convert horizontal space nodes back to input tokens, use the @code{unformat} request. Macros only contain elements in the token list (and the node list is empty); diversions and strings can contain elements in both lists. @c ===================================================================== @node Debugging, Implementation Differences, Gtroff Internals, gtroff Reference @section Debugging @cindex debugging @code{gtroff} is not easy to debug, but there are some useful features and strategies for debugging. @Defreq {tm, string} Sends the @var{string} to the standard error stream; this is very useful for printing debugging output among other things. @endDefreq @cindex aborting @Defreq {ab, [@Var{string}]} Similar to the @code{tm} request, except that it causes @code{gtroff} to stop processing. With no argument it prints @samp{User Abort}. @endDefreq @cindex @code{ex}, use in debugging @cindex exiting @Defreq {ex, } The @code{ex} request also causes @code{gtroff} to stop processing if encountered at the topmost level; see also @ref{I/O}. @endDefreq When doing something involved it is useful to leave the debugging statements in the code and have them turned on by a command line flag. @Example .if \n(DB .tm debugging output @endExample @noindent To activate these statements say @Example groff -rDB=1 file @endExample @c XXX .tm1, .tmc requests If it is known in advance that there will be many errors and no useful output, @code{gtroff} can be forced to suppress formatted output with the @option{-z} flag. @cindex dumping symbol table @cindex symbol table, dumping @Defreq {pm, } The @code{pm} request prints out the entire symbol table on @code{stderr}. @endDefreq @cindex dumping number registers @cindex number registers, dumping @Defreq {pnr, } Prints the names and contents of all currently defined number registers on @code{stderr}. @endDefreq @cindex dumping traps @cindex traps, dumping @Defreq {ptr, } Prints the names and positions of all traps (not including input line traps and diversion traps) on @code{stderr}. Empty slots in the page trap list are printed as well, because they can affect the priority of subsequently planted traps. @endDefreq @cindex flush output @cindex output, flush @cindex interactive use of @code{gtroff} @cindex @code{gtroff}, interactive use @Defreq {fl, } Instructs @code{gtroff} to flush its output immediately. The intent is for interactive use. @code{gtroff}; there is little other use for it. This request causes a line break. @endDefreq @cindex backtrace of input stack @cindex input stack, backtrace @Defreq {backtrace, } The @code{backtrace} request prints a backtrace of the input stack to the standard error stream. @endDefreq @cindex warnings @code{gtroff} has command line options for printing out more warnings (@option{-w}) and for printing backtraces (@option{-b}) when a warning or an error occurs. The most verbose level of warnings is @option{-ww}. @cindex level of warnings @cindex warnings, level @Defreq {warn, [@Var{flags}]} @Defregx {.warn} Controls the level of warnings checked for. The @var{flags} are the sum of the numbers associated with each warning that is to be enabled; all other warnings are disabled. The number associated with each warning is listed below. For example, @w{@code{.warn 0}} disables all warnings, and @w{@code{.warn 1}} disables all warnings except that about missing characters. If an argument is not given, all warnings are enabled. The read-only number register @code{.warn} contains the current warning level. @endDefreq @menu * Warnings:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Warnings, , Debugging, Debugging @subsection Warnings @cindex warnings The warnings that can be given to @code{gtroff} are divided into the following categories. The name associated with each warning is used by the @option{-w} and @option{-W} options; the number is used by the @code{warn} request and by the @code{.warn} register. @table @samp @item char @itemx 1 Non-existent characters. This is enabled by default. @item number @itemx 2 Invalid numeric expressions. This is enabled by default. @xref{Expressions}. @item break @itemx 4 @cindex fill mode @cindex mode, fill In fill mode, lines which could not be broken so that their length was less than the line length. This is enabled by default. @item delim @itemx 8 Missing or mismatched closing delimiters. @item el @itemx 16 @rqindex ie @rqindex el Use of the @code{el} request with no matching @code{ie} request. @xref{if-else}. @item scale @itemx 32 Meaningless scaling indicators. @item range @itemx 64 Out of range arguments. @item syntax @itemx 128 Dubious syntax in numeric expressions. @item di @itemx 256 @rqindex di @rqindex da @cindex @code{di}, debugging @cindex @code{da}, debugging Use of @code{di} or @code{da} without an argument when there is no current diversion. @item mac @itemx 512 @rqindex de @c XXX more index entries Use of undefined strings, macros and diversions. When an undefined string, macro or diversion is used, that string is automatically defined as empty. So, in most cases, at most one warning is given for each name. @item reg @itemx 1024 @rqindex nr @c XXX more index entries Use of undefined number registers. When an undefined number register is used, that register is automatically defined to have a value of@w{ }0. A definition is automatically made with a value of@w{ }0. So, in most cases, at most one warning is given for use of a particular name. @item tab @itemx 2048 Use of a tab character where a number was expected. @item right-brace @itemx 4096 @esindex \@} @cindex @code{\@}}, debugging Use of @code{\@}} where a number was expected. @item missing @itemx 8192 Requests that are missing non-optional arguments. @item input @itemx 16384 Illegal input characters. @item escape @itemx 32768 Unrecognized escape sequences. When an unrecognized escape sequence is encountered, the escape character is ignored. @item space @itemx 65536 @cindex compatibility mode Missing space between a request or macro and its argument. This warning is given when an undefined name longer than two characters is encountered, and the first two characters of the name make a defined name. The request or macro is not invoked. When this warning is given, no macro is automatically defined. This is enabled by default. This warning never occurs in compatibility mode. @item font @itemx 131072 Non-existent fonts. This is enabled by default. @item all All warnings except @samp{di}, @samp{mac} and @samp{reg}. It is intended that this covers all warnings that are useful with traditional macro packages. @item w All warnings. @end table @c ===================================================================== @node Implementation Differences, Summary, Debugging, gtroff Reference @section Implementation Differences @cindex implementation differences @cindex differences in implementation @cindex incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @cindex compatibility mode @cindex mode, compatibility GNU @code{troff} has a number of features which cause incompatibilities with documents written with old versions of @code{troff}. @cindex long names @cindex names, long Long names cause some incompatibilities. @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff} interprets @Example .dsabcd @endExample @esindex \* @esindex \n @cindex @code{\*}, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @cindex @code{\n}, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @rqindex cp @vindex .C @noindent as defining a string @samp{ab} with contents @samp{cd}. Normally, GNU @code{troff} interprets this as a call of a macro named @code{dsabcd}. Also @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff} interprets @code{\*[} or @code{\n[} as references to a string or number register called @samp{[}. In GNU @code{troff}, however, this is normally interpreted as the start of a long name. In compatibility mode GNU @code{troff} interprets long names in the traditional way (which means that they are not recognized as names). Compatibility mode can be turned on with the @option{-C} command line option, and turned on or off with the @code{cp} request. The number register @code{.C} is@w{ }1 if compatibility mode is on, 0@w{ }otherwise. @esindex \A @esindex \| @esindex \^ @esindex \& @esindex \@{ @esindex \@} @esindex \@key{SP} @esindex \' @esindex \` @esindex \- @esindex \_ @esindex \! @esindex \% @esindex \c GNU @code{troff} does not allow the use of the escape sequences @code{\|}, @code{\^}, @code{\&}, @code{\@{}, @code{\@}}, @code{\@key{SP}}, @code{\'}, @code{\`}, @code{\-}, @code{\_}, @code{\!}, @code{\%}, and @code{\c} in names of strings, macros, diversions, number registers, fonts or environments; @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff} does. The @code{\A} escape sequence (@pxref{Identifiers}) may be helpful in avoiding use of these escape sequences in names. @cindex fractional point sizes @cindex point sizes, fractional @rqindex ps @cindex @code{ps}, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} Fractional point sizes cause one noteworthy incompatibility. In @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff} the @code{ps} request ignores scale indicators and thus @Example .ps 10u @endExample @noindent sets the point size to 10@w{ }points, whereas in GNU @code{troff} it sets the point size to 10@w{ }scaled points. @xref{Fractional Type Sizes}, for more information. @rqindex bd @rqindex cs @rqindex tkf @rqindex tr @rqindex fp @cindex @code{bd}, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @cindex @code{cs}, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @cindex @code{tkf}, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @cindex @code{tr}, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @cindex @code{fp}, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @cindex input and output characters, compatibility with Unix @cindex output characters, compatibility with Unix @cindex characters, input and output, compatibility with Unix In GNU @code{troff} there is a fundamental difference between unformatted, input characters, and formatted, output characters. Everything that affects how an output character is output is stored with the character; once an output character has been constructed it is unaffected by any subsequent requests that are executed, including @code{bd}, @code{cs}, @code{tkf}, @code{tr}, or @code{fp} requests. Normally output characters are constructed from input characters at the moment immediately before the character is added to the current output line. Macros, diversions and strings are all, in fact, the same type of object; they contain lists of input characters and output characters in any combination. An output character does not behave like an input character for the purposes of macro processing; it does not inherit any of the special properties that the input character from which it was constructed might have had. For example, @Example .di x \\\\ .br .di .x @endExample @esindex \e @esindex \! @esindex \? @cindex @code{\e}, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @cindex @code{\!}, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @cindex @code{\?}, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @cindex transparent output, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @cindex output, transparent, incompatibilities with Unix @code{troff} @noindent prints @samp{\\} in GNU @code{troff}; each pair of input backslashes is turned into one output backslash and the resulting output backslashes are not interpreted as escape characters when they are reread. @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff} would interpret them as escape characters when they were reread and would end up printing one @samp{\}. The correct way to obtain a printable backslash is to use the @code{\e} escape sequence: This always prints a single instance of the current escape character, regardless of whether or not it is used in a diversion; it also works in both GNU @code{troff} and @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff}. To store, for some reason, an escape sequence in a diversion that will be interpreted when the diversion is reread, either use the traditional @code{\!} transparent output facility, or, if this is unsuitable, the new @code{\?} escape sequence. @c XXX .tl compatibility mode -> input stack level @c XXX .if compatibility mode -> input stack level @xref{Diversions}, for more information. @c ===================================================================== @node Summary, , Implementation Differences, gtroff Reference @section Summary @cindex summary @c XXX documentation @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Preprocessors, Output Devices, gtroff Reference, Top @chapter Preprocessors @cindex preprocessors This chapter describes all preprocessors that come with @code{groff} or which are freely available. @menu * geqn:: * gtbl:: * gpic:: * ggrn:: * grap:: * grefer:: * gsoelim:: @end menu @c ===================================================================== @node geqn, gtbl, Preprocessors, Preprocessors @section @code{geqn} @cindex @code{eqn} @cindex @code{geqn} @c XXX @menu * Invoking geqn:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking geqn, , geqn, geqn @subsection Invoking @code{geqn} @cindex invoking @code{geqn} @cindex @code{geqn}, invoking @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @node gtbl, gpic, geqn, Preprocessors @section @code{gtbl} @cindex @code{tbl} @cindex @code{gtbl} @c XXX @menu * Invoking gtbl:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking gtbl, , gtbl, gtbl @subsection Invoking @code{gtbl} @cindex invoking @code{gtbl} @cindex @code{gtbl}, invoking @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @node gpic, ggrn, gtbl, Preprocessors @section @code{gpic} @cindex @code{pic} @cindex @code{gpic} @c XXX @menu * Invoking gpic:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking gpic, , gpic, gpic @subsection Invoking @code{gpic} @cindex invoking @code{gpic} @cindex @code{gpic}, invoking @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @node ggrn, grap, gpic, Preprocessors @section @code{ggrn} @cindex @code{grn} @cindex @code{ggrn} @c XXX @menu * Invoking ggrn:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking ggrn, , ggrn, ggrn @subsection Invoking @code{ggrn} @cindex invoking @code{ggrn} @cindex @code{ggrn}, invoking @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @node grap, grefer, ggrn, Preprocessors @section @code{grap} @cindex @code{grap} A free implementation of @code{grap}, written by Ted Faber, is available as an extra package from the following address: @display @url{http://www.lunabase.org/~faber/Vault/software/grap/} @end display @c ===================================================================== @node grefer, gsoelim, grap, Preprocessors @section @code{grefer} @cindex @code{refer} @cindex @code{grefer} @c XXX @menu * Invoking grefer:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking grefer, , grefer, grefer @subsection Invoking @code{grefer} @cindex invoking @code{grefer} @cindex @code{grefer}, invoking @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @node gsoelim, , grefer, Preprocessors @section @code{gsoelim} @cindex @code{soelim} @cindex @code{gsoelim} @c XXX @menu * Invoking gsoelim:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking gsoelim, , gsoelim, gsoelim @subsection Invoking @code{gsoelim} @cindex invoking @code{gsoelim} @cindex @code{gsoelim}, invoking @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Output Devices, File formats, Preprocessors, Top @chapter Output Devices @cindex output devices @cindex devices for output @c XXX @menu * Special Characters:: * grotty:: * grops:: * grodvi:: * grolj4:: * grolbp:: * grohtml:: * gxditview:: @end menu @c ===================================================================== @node Special Characters, grotty, Output Devices, Output Devices @section Special Characters @cindex special characters @cindex characters, special @c XXX @xref{Font Files}. @c ===================================================================== @node grotty, grops, Special Characters, Output Devices @section @code{grotty} @cindex @code{grotty} @c XXX @menu * Invoking grotty:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking grotty, , grotty, grotty @subsection Invoking @code{grotty} @cindex invoking @code{grotty} @cindex @code{grotty}, invoking @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @node grops, grodvi, grotty, Output Devices @section @code{grops} @cindex @code{grops} @c XXX @menu * Invoking grops:: * Embedding PostScript:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking grops, Embedding PostScript, grops, grops @subsection Invoking @code{grops} @cindex invoking @code{grops} @cindex @code{grops}, invoking @c XXX @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Embedding PostScript, , Invoking grops, grops @subsection Embedding @sc{PostScript} @cindex embedding postscript @cindex postscript, embedding @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @node grodvi, grolj4, grops, Output Devices @section @code{grodvi} @cindex @code{grodvi} @c XXX @menu * Invoking grodvi:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking grodvi, , grodvi, grodvi @subsection Invoking @code{grodvi} @cindex invoking @code{grodvi} @cindex @code{grodvi}, invoking @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @node grolj4, grolbp, grodvi, Output Devices @section @code{grolj4} @cindex @code{grolj4} @c XXX @menu * Invoking grolj4:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking grolj4, , grolj4, grolj4 @subsection Invoking @code{grolj4} @cindex invoking @code{grolj4} @cindex @code{grolj4}, invoking @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @node grolbp, grohtml, grolj4, Output Devices @section @code{grolbp} @cindex @code{grolbp} @c XXX @menu * Invoking grolbp:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking grolbp, , grolbp, grolbp @subsection Invoking @code{grolbp} @cindex invoking @code{grolbp} @cindex @code{grolbp}, invoking @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @node grohtml, gxditview, grolbp, Output Devices @section @code{grohtml} @cindex @code{grohtml} @c XXX @menu * Invoking grohtml:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking grohtml, , grohtml, grohtml @subsection Invoking @code{grohtml} @cindex invoking @code{grohtml} @cindex @code{grohtml}, invoking @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @node gxditview, , grohtml, Output Devices @section @code{gxditview} @cindex @code{gxditview} @c XXX @menu * Invoking gxditview:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Invoking gxditview, , gxditview, gxditview @subsection Invoking @code{gxditview} @cindex invoking @code{gxditview} @cindex @code{gxditview}, invoking @c XXX @c X11's xditview @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node File formats, Installation, Output Devices, Top @chapter File formats @cindex file formats @cindex formats, file @c XXX @menu * gtroff Output:: * Font Files:: @end menu @c ===================================================================== @node gtroff Output, Font Files, File formats, File formats @section @code{gtroff} Output @cindex @code{gtroff} output @cindex output, @code{gtroff} This section describes the format output of GNU @code{troff}. The output format used by GNU @code{troff} is very similar -- but not identical -- to that used by @acronym{UNIX} device-independent @code{troff} (@code{ditroff}). @menu * Output Format:: * Device Control:: * Drawing Functions:: * Line Continuation:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Output Format, Device Control, gtroff Output, gtroff Output @subsection Output Format @cindex output format @cindex format of output @cindex 8-bit input @cindex input, 8-bit The output format is text based, as opposed to a binary format (like @TeX{} DVI). The output format is @w{8-bit} clean, thus single characters can have the eighth bit set, as can the names of fonts and special characters. The output format consists of single command characters with attached parameters which are separated from subsequent text by whitespace or a newline. The names of characters and fonts can be of arbitrary length; drivers should not assume that they are only two characters long (as @code{ditroff} does). When a character is to be printed, that character is always in the current font. Unlike @code{ditroff}, it is not necessary for drivers to search special fonts to find a character. @table @code @item H@var{n} @c XXX @item V@var{n} @c XXX @item h@var{n} @c XXX @item v@var{n} @c XXX @item c@var{n} @c XXX @item C@var{n} @c XXX @item @var{nn}@var{c} @c XXX @item t@var{xxx} @var{xxx} is any sequence of characters terminated by a space or a newline; the first character should be printed at the current position, the the current horizontal position should be increased by the width of the first character, and so on for each character. The width of the character is that given in the font file, appropriately scaled for the current point size, and rounded so that it is a multiple of the horizontal resolution. Special characters cannot be printed using this command. @kindex tcommand @pindex DESC@r{, and @code{tcommand}} This command is only allowed if the @samp{tcommand} line is present in the @file{DESC} file. @item u@var{n} @var{xxx} This is same as the @samp{t} command except that after printing each character, the current horizontal position is increased by the sum of the width of that character and@w{ }@var{n}. This command is only allowed if the @samp{tcommand} line is present in the @file{DESC} file. @item n@var{a}@var{b} @c XXX @item p@var{n} @c XXX @item s@var{n} @kindex sizescale @pindex DESC@r{, and @code{sizescale}} The argument to the @samp{s} command is in scaled points (units of points/@var{n}, where @var{n} is the argument to the @samp{sizescale} command in the @file{DESC} file). @item f@var{n} @item x @dots{} \n Device control. @c XXX more info @item D@var{c} @var{x}@dots{}\n @c XXX @end table @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Device Control, Drawing Functions, Output Format, gtroff Output @subsection Device Control @cindex device control @cindex control of devices The @samp{x} command is normally followed by a letter or word indicating the function to perform, followed by white space separated arguments. The first argument can be abbreviated to the first letter. @table @code @item x init @c XXX @item x T @c XXX @item x res @var{n} @var{h} @var{v} @c XXX @item x H @c XXX more info The argument to the @w{@samp{x Height}} command is also in scaled points. @end table The first three output commands are guaranteed to be: @Example x T device x res n h v x init @endExample @noindent For example, the input @Example crunchy \fH\s+2frog\s0\fP!? @endExample @noindent produces @c XXX example @ignore @Example ... sample output here ... @endExample @end ignore @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Drawing Functions, Line Continuation, Device Control, gtroff Output @subsection Drawing Functions @cindex drawing functions @cindex functions for drawing @pindex gpic The @samp{D} drawing command has been extended. These extensions are used by GNU @code{pic} only if the @option{-x} option is given. @xref{Drawing Requests}. @table @code @c XXX ... @item Df @var{n} Set the shade of gray to be used for filling solid objects to@w{ }@var{n}; @var{n}@w{ }must be an integer between 0 and@w{ }1000, where 0 corresponds solid white and 1000 to solid black, and values in between correspond to intermediate shades of gray. This applies only to solid circles, solid ellipses and solid polygons. By default, a level of@w{ }1000 is used. Whatever color a solid object has, it should completely obscure everything beneath it. A value greater than@w{ }1000 or less than@w{ }0 can also be used: this means fill with the shade of gray that is currently being used for lines and text. Normally this is black, but some drivers may provide a way of changing this. @item DC @var{d} Draw a solid circle with a diameter of@w{ }@var{d} with the leftmost point at the current position. @item DE @var{dx} @var{dy} Draw a solid ellipse with a horizontal diameter of@w{ }@var{dx} and a vertical diameter of@w{ }@var{dy} with the leftmost point at the current position. @item Dp @var{dx1} @var{dy1} @var{dx2} @var{dy2} @dots{} @var{dxn} @var{dyn} Draw a polygon with automatic closure. The first vertex is at the current position, the second vertex at an offset (@var{dx1},@var{dy1}) from the current position, the second vertex at an offset (@var{dx2},@var{dy2}) from the first vertex, and so on up to the @var{n}@dmn{th} vertex. At the moment, GNU @code{pic} only uses this command to generate triangles and rectangles. @item DP @var{dx1} @var{dy1} @var{dx2} @var{dy2} @dots{} @var{dxn} @var{dyn} Like @code{Dp} but draw a solid rather than outlined polygon. @item Dt @var{n} @cindex line thickness @cindex thickness of lines Set the current line thickness to @var{n}@w{ }machine units. Traditionally, @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff} drivers use a line thickness proportional to the current point size; drivers should continue to do this if no @code{Dt} command has been given, or if a @code{Dt} command has been given with a negative value of@w{ }@var{n}. A zero value of@w{ }@var{n} selects the smallest available line thickness. @end table @esindex \D A difficulty arises in how the current position should be changed after the execution of these commands. This is not of great importance since the code generated by GNU @code{pic} does not depend on this. Given a drawing command of the form @Example \D'@var{c} @var{x1} @var{y1} @var{x2} @var{y2} @dots{} @var{xn} @var{yn}' @endExample @esindex \w @vindex st @vindex sb @noindent where @var{c} is not one of @samp{c}, @samp{e}, @samp{l}, @samp{a} or @samp{~}, @acronym{UNIX} @code{troff} treats each x@w{ }value as a horizontal quantity, and each y@w{ }value as a vertical quantity; it assumes that the width of the drawn object is the sum of all x@w{ }values, and that the height is the sum of all y@w{ }values. (The assumption about the height can be seen by examining the @code{st} and @code{sb} registers after using such a @code{D}@w{ }command in a @code{\w} escape sequence.) This rule also holds for all the original drawing commands with the exception of @code{De}. For the sake of compatibility GNU @code{troff} also follows this rule, even though it produces an ugly result in the case of the @code{Df}, @code{Dt}, and, to a lesser extent, @code{DE}@w{ }commands. Thus after executing a @code{D}@w{ }command of the form @Example D@var{c} @var{x1} @var{y1} @var{x2} @var{y2} @dots{} @var{xn} @var{yn} @endExample @noindent the current position should be increased horizontally by the sum of all x@w{ }values and vertically by the sum of all y@w{ }values. @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Line Continuation, , Drawing Functions, gtroff Output @subsection Line Continuation @cindex line continuation in output commands @cindex output commands, line continuation There is a continuation convention which permits the argument to the @w{@samp{x X}} command to contain newlines: When outputting the argument to the @w{@samp{x X}} command, GNU @code{troff} follows each newline in the argument with a @samp{+} character (as usual, it terminates the entire argument with a newline); thus if the line after the line containing the @w{@samp{x X}} command starts with @samp{+}, then the newline ending the line containing the @w{@samp{x X}} command should be treated as part of the argument to the @w{@samp{x X}} command, the @samp{+} should be ignored, and the part of the line following the @samp{+} should be treated like the part of the line following the @w{@samp{x X}} command. @c ===================================================================== @node Font Files, , gtroff Output, File formats @section Font Files @cindex font files @cindex files, font The @code{gtroff} font format is roughly a superset of the @code{ditroff} font format. Unlike the @code{ditroff} font format, there is no associated binary format; all files are text files. The font files for device @var{name} are stored in a directory @file{dev@var{name}}. There are two types of file: a device description file called @file{DESC} and for each font@w{ }@var{f} a font file called@w{ }@file{@var{f}}. @menu * DESC File Format:: * Font File Format:: @end menu @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node DESC File Format, Font File Format, Font Files, Font Files @subsection @file{DESC} File Format @cindex @file{DESC} file format @cindex font description file format @cindex format of font description file @pindex DESC@r{ file format} The @file{DESC} file can contain the following types of line: @table @code @item res @var{n} @kindex res There are @var{n} machine units per inch. @item hor @var{n} @kindex hor The horizontal resolution is @var{n} machine units. @item vert @var{n} @kindex vert The vertical resolution is @var{n} machine units. @item sizescale @var{n} @kindex sizescale The scale factor for point sizes. By default this has a value of@w{ }1. One scaled point is equal to one point/@var{n}. The arguments to the @code{unitwidth} and @code{sizes} commands are given in scaled points. @xref{Fractional Type Sizes}, for more information. @item unitwidth @var{n} @kindex unitwidth Quantities in the font files are given in machine units for fonts whose point size is @var{n}@w{ }scaled points. @item tcommand @kindex tcommand This means that the postprocessor can handle the @samp{t} and @samp{u} output commands. @item sizes @var{s1} @var{s2} @dots{} @var{sn} 0 @kindex sizes This means that the device has fonts at @var{s1}, @var{s2}, @dots{} @var{sn} scaled points. The list of sizes must be terminated by a@w{ }0. Each @var{si} can also be a range of sizes @var{m}-@var{n}. The list can extend over more than one line. @item styles @var{S1} @var{S2} @dots{} @var{Sm} @kindex styles The first @var{m}@w{ }font positions are associated with styles @var{S1} @dots{} @var{Sm}. @item fonts @var{n} @var{F1} @var{F2} @var{F3} @dots{} @var{Fn} @kindex fonts Fonts @var{F1} @dots{} @var{Fn} are mounted in the font positions @var{m}+1, @dots{}, @var{m}+@var{n} where @var{m} is the number of styles. This command may extend over more than one line. A font name of@var{ }0 means no font is mounted on the corresponding font position. @item family @var{fam} @kindex family The default font family is @var{fam}. @item charset @kindex charset This line and everything following in the file are ignored. It is allowed for the sake of backwards compatibility. @end table The @code{res}, @code{unitwidth}, @code{fonts} and @code{sizes} lines are mandatory. Other commands are ignored by @code{gtroff} but may be used by postprocessors to store arbitrary information about the device in the @file{DESC} file. @c XXX add other commands resp. xrefs to output devices @c XXX add obsolete commands @c --------------------------------------------------------------------- @node Font File Format, , DESC File Format, Font Files @subsection Font File Format @cindex font file format @cindex format of font files A font file has two sections. The first section is a sequence of lines each containing a sequence of blank delimited words; the first word in the line is a key, and subsequent words give a value for that key. @table @code @item name @var{f} @kindex name The name of the font is@w{ }@var{f}. @item spacewidth @var{n} @kindex spacewidth The normal width of a space is@w{ }@var{n}. @item slant @var{n} @kindex slant The characters of the font have a slant of @var{n}@w{ }degrees. (Positive means forward.) @item ligatures @var{lig1} @var{lig2} @dots{} @var{lign} [0] @kindex ligatures Characters @var{lig1}, @var{lig2}, @dots{}, @var{lign} are ligatures; possible ligatures are @samp{ff}, @samp{fi}, @samp{fl}, @samp{ffi} and @samp{ffl}. For backwards compatibility, the list of ligatures may be terminated with a@w{ }0. The list of ligatures may not extend over more than one line. @item special @kindex special The font is special; this means that when a character is requested that is not present in the current font, it is searched for in any special fonts that are mounted. @end table Other commands are ignored by @code{gtroff} but may be used by postprocessors to store arbitrary information about the font in the font file. @cindex comments in font files @cindex font files, comments @kindex # The first section can contain comments which start with the @samp{#} character and extend to the end of a line. The second section contains one or two subsections. It must contain a @code{charset} subsection and it may also contain a @code{kernpairs} subsection. These subsections can appear in any order. Each subsection starts with a word on a line by itself. @kindex charset The word @code{charset} starts the character set subsection. The @code{charset} line is followed by a sequence of lines. Each line gives information for one character. A line comprises a number of fields separated by blanks or tabs. The format is @c XXX fix it for new HTML additions @Example @var{name} @var{metrics} @var{type} @var{code} @var{comment} @endExample @cindex 8-bit input @cindex input, 8-bit @esindex \N @kindex --- @noindent @var{name} identifies the character: If @var{name} is a single character@w{ }@var{c} then it corresponds to the @code{gtroff} input character @var{c}; if it is of the form @samp{\@var{c}} where @var{c} is a single character, then it corresponds to the @code{gtroff} input character@w{ }\@var{c}; otherwise it corresponds to the groff input character @samp{\[@var{name}]}. (If it is exactly two characters @var{xx} it can be entered as @samp{\(@var{xx}}.) @code{gtroff} supports 8-bit characters; however some utilities have difficulties with eight-bit characters. For this reason, there is a convention that the name @samp{char@var{n}} is equivalent to the single character whose code is@w{ }@var{n}. For example, @samp{char163} would be equivalent to the character with code@w{ }163 which is the pounds sterling sign in @w{ISO Latin-1} character set. The name @samp{---} is special and indicates that the character is unnamed; such characters can only be used by means of the @code{\N} escape sequence in @code{gtroff}. @c XXX input encodings vs. output encodings The @var{type} field gives the character type: @table @code @item 1 the character has an descender, for example, `p'; @item 2 the character has an ascender, for example, `b'; @item 3 the character has both an ascender and a descender, for example, `('. @end table The @var{code} field gives the code which the postprocessor uses to print the character. The character can also be input to @code{gtroff} using this code by means of the @code{\N} escape sequence. The code can be any integer. If it starts with @samp{0} it is interpreted as octal; if it starts with @samp{0x} or @samp{0X} it is interpreted as hexadecimal. Anything on the line after the @var{code} field is ignored. The @var{metrics} field has the form: @Example @var{width}[,@var{height}[,@var{depth}[,@var{italic_correction} [,@var{left_italic_correction}[,@var{subscript_correction}]]]]] @endExample @noindent There must not be any spaces between these subfields (it has been split here into two lines for better legibility only). Missing subfields are assumed to be@w{ }0. The subfields are all decimal integers. Since there is no associated binary format, these values are not required to fit into a variable of type @samp{char} as they are in @code{ditroff}. The @var{width} subfield gives the width of the character. The @var{height} subfield gives the height of the character (upwards is positive); if a character does not extend above the baseline, it should be given a zero height, rather than a negative height. The @var{depth} subfield gives the depth of the character, that is, the distance below the lowest point below the baseline to which the character extends (downwards is positive); if a character does not extend below above the baseline, it should be given a zero depth, rather than a negative depth. The @var{italic_correction} subfield gives the amount of space that should be added after the character when it is immediately to be followed by a character from a roman font. The @var{left_italic_correction} subfield gives the amount of space that should be added before the character when it is immediately to be preceded by a character from a roman font. The @var{subscript_correction} gives the amount of space that should be added after a character before adding a subscript. This should be less than the italic correction. A line in the @code{charset} section can also have the format @Example @var{name} " @endExample @noindent This indicates that @var{name} is just another name for the character mentioned in the preceding line. @kindex kernpairs The word @code{kernpairs} starts the kernpairs section. This contains a sequence of lines of the form: @Example @var{c1} @var{c2} @var{n} @endExample @noindent This means that when character @var{c1} appears next to character @var{c2} the space between them should be increased by@w{ }@var{n}. Most entries in the kernpairs section have a negative value for@w{ }@var{n}. @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Installation, Request Index, File formats, Top @chapter Installation @cindex installation @c XXX @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Request Index, Escape Index, Installation, Top @chapter Request Index Requests appear without the leading control character (normally either @samp{.} or @samp{'}). @printindex rq @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Escape Index, Operator Index, Request Index, Top @chapter Escape Index @printindex es @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Operator Index, Register Index, Escape Index, Top @chapter Operator Index @printindex op @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Register Index, Macro Index, Operator Index, Top @chapter Register Index @printindex vr @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Macro Index, String Index, Register Index, Top @chapter Macro Index @printindex ma @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node String Index, Glyph Name Index, Macro Index, Top @chapter String Index @printindex st @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Glyph Name Index, Font File Keyword Index, String Index, Top @chapter Glyph Name Index A glyph name @code{xx} consisting of exactly two characters can be accessed as @samp{\(xx}. Glyph names @code{xxx} of any length can be accessed as @samp{\[xxx]}. @printindex gl @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Font File Keyword Index, Program and File Index, Glyph Name Index, Top @chapter Font File Keyword Index @printindex ky @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Program and File Index, Concept Index, Font File Keyword Index, Top @chapter Program and File Index @printindex pg @c ===================================================================== @c ===================================================================== @node Concept Index, , Program and File Index, Top @chapter Concept Index @printindex cp @summarycontents @contents @bye