-.\" $Id: man.7,v 1.66 2010/05/08 22:26:39 kristaps Exp $
+.\" $Id: man.7,v 1.81 2010/08/06 17:07:11 schwarze Exp $
.\"
-.\" Copyright (c) 2009 Kristaps Dzonsons <kristaps@bsd.lv>
+.\" Copyright (c) 2009, 2010 Kristaps Dzonsons <kristaps@bsd.lv>
.\"
.\" Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
.\" purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
.\" ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF
.\" OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
.\"
-.Dd $Mdocdate: May 8 2010 $
+.Dd $Mdocdate: August 6 2010 $
.Dt MAN 7
.Os
.Sh NAME
.Nm man
language was historically used to format
.Ux
-manuals. This reference document describes its syntax, structure, and
-usage.
+manuals.
+This reference document describes its syntax, structure, and usage.
.Pp
.Bf -emphasis
Do not use
.Xr mdoc 7
language, instead.
.Pp
-An
+A
.Nm
document follows simple rules: lines beginning with the control
character
.Sq \&.
-are parsed for macros. Other lines are interpreted within the scope of
+are parsed for macros.
+Other lines are interpreted within the scope of
prior macros:
.Bd -literal -offset indent
\&.SH Macro lines change control state.
.Sh INPUT ENCODING
.Nm
documents may contain only graphable 7-bit ASCII characters, the
-space character, and the tabs character. All manuals must have
+space character, and the tab character.
+All manuals must have
.Ux
line termination.
.Pp
vertical space.
.Ss Comments
Text following a
-.Sq \e\*" ,
+.Sq \e\*q ,
whether in a macro or free-form text line, is ignored to the end of
-line. A macro line with only a control character and comment escape,
-.Sq \&.\e" ,
-is also ignored. Macro lines with only a control character and
-optionally whitespace are stripped from input.
+line.
+A macro line with only a control character and comment escape,
+.Sq \&.\e\*q ,
+is also ignored.
+Macro lines with only a control character and optionally whitespace are
+stripped from input.
.Ss Special Characters
Special characters may occur in both macro and free-form lines.
Sequences begin with the escape character
.Sq \&[
for n-character sequences (terminated at a close-bracket
.Sq \&] ) ;
-or a single one-character sequence. See
+or a single one-character sequence.
+See
.Xr mandoc_char 7
-for a complete list. Examples include
+for a complete list.
+Examples include
.Sq \e(em
.Pq em-dash
and
.Ss Text Decoration
Terms may be text-decorated using the
.Sq \ef
-escape followed by an indicator: B (bold), I, (italic), R (Roman), or P
+escape followed by an indicator: B (bold), I (italic), R (Roman), or P
(revert to previous mode):
.Pp
.D1 \efBbold\efR \efIitalic\efP
.Pp
A numerical representation 3, 2, or 1 (bold, italic, and Roman,
-respectively) may be used instead. A text decoration is only valid, if
-specified in free-form text, until the next macro invocation; if
-specified within a macro, it's only valid until the macro closes scope.
+respectively) may be used instead.
+A text decoration is only valid, if specified in free-form text, until
+the next macro invocation; if specified within a macro, it's only valid
+until the macro closes scope.
Note that macros like
.Sx \&BR
open and close a font scope with each argument.
.Pp
-Text may also be sized with the
-.Sq \es
-escape, whose syntax is one of
-.Sq \es+-n
-for one-digit numerals;
-.Sq \es(+-nn
-or
-.Sq \es+-(nn
-for two-digit numerals; and
-.Sq \es[+-N] ,
-.Sq \es+-[N] ,
-.Sq \es'+-N' ,
-or
-.Sq \es+-'N'
-for arbitrary-digit numerals:
-.Pp
-.D1 \es+1bigger\es-1
-.D1 \es[+10]much bigger\es[-10]
-.D1 \es+(10much bigger\es-(10
-.D1 \es+'100'much much bigger\es-'100'
-.Pp
-Both
-.Sq \es
-and
+The
.Sq \ef
-attributes are forgotten when entering or exiting a macro block.
+attribute is forgotten when entering or exiting a macro block.
.Ss Whitespace
Whitespace consists of the space character.
-In free-form lines, whitespace is preserved within a line; un-escaped
+In free-form lines, whitespace is preserved within a line; unescaped
trailing spaces are stripped from input (unless in a literal context).
Blank free-form lines, which may include spaces, are permitted and
rendered as an empty line.
.Pp
-In macro lines, whitespace delimits arguments and is discarded. If
-arguments are quoted, whitespace within the quotes is retained.
+In macro lines, whitespace delimits arguments and is discarded.
+If arguments are quoted, whitespace within the quotes is retained.
.Ss Dates
The
.Sx \&TH
macro is the only
.Nm
-macro that requires a date. The form for this date is the ISO-8601
+macro that requires a date.
+The form for this date is the ISO-8601
standard
.Cm YYYY-MM-DD .
.Ss Scaling Widths
The syntax for scaled widths is
.Sq Li [+-]?[0-9]*.[0-9]*[:unit:]? ,
where a decimal must be preceded or proceeded by at least one digit.
-Negative numbers, while accepted, are truncated to zero. The following
-scaling units are accepted:
+Negative numbers, while accepted, are truncated to zero.
+The following scaling units are accepted:
.Pp
.Bl -tag -width Ds -offset indent -compact
.It c
.Xr mdoc 7 ,
which, if a unit is not provided, will instead interpret the string as
literal text.
+.Ss Sentence Spacing
+When composing a manual, make sure that sentences end at the end of
+a line.
+By doing so, front-ends will be able to apply the proper amount of
+spacing after the end of sentence (unescaped) period, exclamation mark,
+or question mark followed by zero or more non-sentence closing
+delimiters
+.Po
+.Sq \&) ,
+.Sq \&] ,
+.Sq \&' ,
+.Sq \&"
+.Pc .
.Sh MANUAL STRUCTURE
Each
.Nm
-document must contain contains at least the
+document must contain the
.Sx \&TH
-macro describing the document's section and title. It may occur
-anywhere in the document, although conventionally, it appears as the
-first macro.
+macro describing the document's section and title.
+It may occur anywhere in the document, although conventionally it
+appears as the first macro.
.Pp
Beyond
.Sx \&TH ,
-at least one macro or text node must appear in the document. Documents
-are generally structured as follows:
+at least one macro or text node must appear in the document.
+Documents are generally structured as follows:
.Bd -literal -offset indent
\&.TH FOO 1 2009-10-10
-\&.
\&.SH NAME
\efBfoo\efR \e(en a description goes here
\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 2 & 3 only.
\&.\e\*q .SH LIBRARY
-\&.
\&.SH SYNOPSIS
\efBfoo\efR [\efB\e-options\efR] arguments...
-\&.
\&.SH DESCRIPTION
The \efBfoo\efR utility processes files...
-\&.
\&.\e\*q .SH IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
-\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 1 & 8 only.
-\&.\e\*q .SH EXIT STATUS
\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 2, 3, & 9 only.
\&.\e\*q .SH RETURN VALUES
\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 1, 6, 7, & 8 only.
\&.\e\*q .SH ENVIRONMENT
\&.\e\*q .SH FILES
+\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 1 & 8 only.
+\&.\e\*q .SH EXIT STATUS
\&.\e\*q .SH EXAMPLES
\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 1, 4, 6, 7, & 8 only.
\&.\e\*q .SH DIAGNOSTICS
.Pp
The sections in a
.Nm
-document are conventionally ordered as they appear above. Sections
-should be composed as follows:
+document are conventionally ordered as they appear above.
+Sections should be composed as follows:
.Bl -ohang -offset indent
.It Em NAME
-The name(s) and a short description of the documented material. The
-syntax for this is generally as follows:
+The name(s) and a short description of the documented material.
+The syntax for this is generally as follows:
.Pp
.D1 \efBname\efR \e(en description
.It Em LIBRARY
The name of the library containing the documented material, which is
-assumed to be a function in a section 2 or 3 manual. For functions in
-the C library, this may be as follows:
+assumed to be a function in a section 2 or 3 manual.
+For functions in the C library, this may be as follows:
.Pp
.D1 Standard C Library (libc, -lc)
.It Em SYNOPSIS
It usually contains a break-down of the options (if documenting a
command).
.It Em IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
-Implementation-specific notes should be kept here. This is useful when
-implementing standard functions that may have side effects or notable
-algorithmic implications.
-.It Em EXIT STATUS
-Command exit status for section 1, 6, and 8 manuals. This section is
-the dual of
-.Em RETURN VALUES ,
-which is used for functions. Historically, this information was
-described in
-.Em DIAGNOSTICS ,
-a practise that is now discouraged.
+Implementation-specific notes should be kept here.
+This is useful when implementing standard functions that may have side
+effects or notable algorithmic implications.
.It Em RETURN VALUES
-This section is the dual of
-.Em EXIT STATUS ,
-which is used for commands. It documents the return values of functions
-in sections 2, 3, and 9.
+This section documents the return values of functions in sections 2, 3, and 9.
.It Em ENVIRONMENT
Documents any usages of environment variables, e.g.,
.Xr environ 7 .
.It Em FILES
-Documents files used. It's helpful to document both the file and a
-short description of how the file is used (created, modified, etc.).
+Documents files used.
+It's helpful to document both the file name and a short description of how
+the file is used (created, modified, etc.).
+.It Em EXIT STATUS
+This section documents the command exit status for
+section 1, 6, and 8 utilities.
+Historically, this information was described in
+.Em DIAGNOSTICS ,
+a practise that is now discouraged.
.It Em EXAMPLES
-Example usages. This often contains snippets of well-formed,
-well-tested invocations. Make doubly sure that your examples work
-properly!
+Example usages.
+This often contains snippets of well-formed,
+well-tested invocations.
+Make sure that examples work properly!
.It Em DIAGNOSTICS
-Documents error conditions. This is most useful in section 4 manuals.
+Documents error conditions.
+This is most useful in section 4 manuals.
Historically, this section was used in place of
.Em EXIT STATUS
for manuals in sections 1, 6, and 8; however, this practise is
.It Em ERRORS
Documents error handling in sections 2, 3, and 9.
.It Em SEE ALSO
-References other manuals with related topics. This section should exist
-for most manuals.
+References other manuals with related topics.
+This section should exist for most manuals.
.Pp
.D1 \&.BR bar \&( 1 \&),
.Pp
.Em HISTORY
section should be used.
.It Em HISTORY
-The history of any manual without a
-.Em STANDARDS
-section should be described in this section.
+A brief history of the subject, including where support first appeared.
.It Em AUTHORS
-Credits to authors, if applicable, should appear in this section.
-Authors should generally be noted by both name and an e-mail address.
+Credits to the person or persons who wrote the code and/or documentation.
+Authors should generally be noted by both name and email address.
.It Em CAVEATS
-Explanations of common misuses and misunderstandings should be explained
+Common misuses and misunderstandings should be explained
in this section.
.It Em BUGS
-Extant bugs should be described in this section.
+Known bugs, limitations, and work-arounds should be described
+in this section.
.It Em SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
Documents any security precautions that operators should consider.
.El
.Sh MACRO SYNTAX
-Macros are one to three three characters in length and begin with a
-control character ,
+Macros are one to three characters in length and begin with a
+control character,
.Sq \&. ,
-at the beginning of the line. The
+at the beginning of the line.
+The
.Sq \(aq
-macro control character is also accepted. An arbitrary amount of
-whitespace (spaces or tabs) may sit between the control character and
-the macro name. Thus, the following are equivalent:
+macro control character is also accepted.
+An arbitrary amount of whitespace (spaces or tabs) may sit between the
+control character and the macro name.
+Thus, the following are equivalent:
.Bd -literal -offset indent
\&.PP
\&.\ \ \ PP
.Pp
The
.Nm
-macros are classified by scope: line scope or block scope. Line
-macros are only scoped to the current line (and, in some situations,
-the subsequent line). Block macros are scoped to the current line and
-subsequent lines until closed by another block macro.
+macros are classified by scope: line scope or block scope.
+Line macros are only scoped to the current line (and, in some
+situations, the subsequent line).
+Block macros are scoped to the current line and subsequent lines until
+closed by another block macro.
.Ss Line Macros
Line macros are generally scoped to the current line, with the body
-consisting of zero or more arguments. If a macro is scoped to the next
-line and the line arguments are empty, the next line, which must be
-text, is used instead. Thus:
+consisting of zero or more arguments.
+If a macro is scoped to the next line and the line arguments are empty,
+the next line, which must be text, is used instead.
+Thus:
.Bd -literal -offset indent
\&.I
foo
.Sq \&.I foo .
If next-line macros are invoked consecutively, only the last is used.
If a next-line macro is followed by a non-next-line macro, an error is
-raised (unless in the case of
+raised, except for
.Sx \&br ,
.Sx \&sp ,
-or
-.Sx \&na ) .
+and
+.Sx \&na .
.Pp
The syntax is as follows:
.Bd -literal -offset indent
.Pp
.Bl -column -compact -offset indent "MacroX" "ArgumentsX" "ScopeXXXXX" "CompatX"
.It Em Macro Ta Em Arguments Ta Em Scope Ta Em Notes
+.It Sx \&AT Ta <=1 Ta current Ta \&
.It Sx \&B Ta n Ta next-line Ta \&
.It Sx \&BI Ta n Ta current Ta \&
.It Sx \&BR Ta n Ta current Ta \&
.It Sx \&SB Ta n Ta next-line Ta \&
.It Sx \&SM Ta n Ta next-line Ta \&
.It Sx \&TH Ta >1, <6 Ta current Ta \&
-.\" .It Sx \&UC Ta n Ta current Ta compat
+.It Sx \&UC Ta <=1 Ta current Ta \&
.It Sx \&br Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat
.It Sx \&fi Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat
.It Sx \&i Ta n Ta current Ta compat
+.It Sx \&in Ta 1 Ta current Ta compat
.It Sx \&na Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat
.It Sx \&nf Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat
.It Sx \&r Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat
.It Sx \&sp Ta 1 Ta current Ta compat
-.\" .It Sx \&Sp Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat
+.\" .It Sx \&Sp Ta <1 Ta current Ta compat
.\" .It Sx \&Vb Ta <1 Ta current Ta compat
.\" .It Sx \&Ve Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat
.El
Macros marked as
.Qq compat
are included for compatibility with the significant corpus of existing
-manuals that mix dialects of roff. These macros should not be used for
-portable
+manuals that mix dialects of roff.
+These macros should not be used for portable
.Nm
manuals.
.Ss Block Macros
-Block macros are comprised of a head and body. Like for in-line macros,
-the head is scoped to the current line and, in one circumstance, the
-next line (the next-line stipulations as in
+Block macros comprise a head and body.
+As with in-line macros, the head is scoped to the current line and, in
+one circumstance, the next line (the next-line stipulations as in
.Sx Line Macros
apply here as well).
.Pp
macros for decorating text.
.Sh REFERENCE
This section is a canonical reference to all macros, arranged
-alphabetically. For the scoping of individual macros, see
+alphabetically.
+For the scoping of individual macros, see
.Sx MACRO SYNTAX .
+.Ss \&AT
+Sets the volume for the footer for compatibility with man pages from
+.Tn AT&T UNIX
+releases.
+The optional arguments specify which release it is from.
.Ss \&B
Text is rendered in bold face.
.Pp
and
.Sx \&r .
.Ss \&BI
-Text is rendered alternately in bold face and italic. Thus,
+Text is rendered alternately in bold face and italic.
+Thus,
.Sq .BI this word and that
causes
.Sq this
.Sq word
and
.Sq that
-render in italics. Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output.
+render in italics.
+Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output.
.Pp
Examples:
.Pp
and
.Sx \&IR .
.Ss \&DT
-Has no effect. Included for compatibility.
+Has no effect.
+Included for compatibility.
.Ss \&HP
Begin a paragraph whose initial output line is left-justified, but
subsequent output lines are indented, with the following syntax:
and
.Sx \&r .
.Ss \&IB
-Text is rendered alternately in italics and bold face. Whitespace
-between arguments is omitted in output.
+Text is rendered alternately in italics and bold face.
+Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output.
.Pp
See
.Sx \&BI
The
.Cm width
argument defines the width of the left margin and is defined by
-.Sx Scaling Widths ,
+.Sx Scaling Widths .
It's saved for later paragraph left-margins; if unspecified, the saved or
default width is used.
.Pp
The
.Cm head
-argument is used as a leading term, flushed to the left margin. This is
-useful for bulleted paragraphs and so on.
+argument is used as a leading term, flushed to the left margin.
+This is useful for bulleted paragraphs and so on.
.Pp
See also
.Sx \&HP ,
and
.Sx \&RI .
.Ss \&LP
-Begin an undecorated paragraph. The scope of a paragraph is closed by a
-subsequent paragraph, sub-section, section, or end of file. The saved
-paragraph left-margin width is re-set to the default.
+Begin an undecorated paragraph.
+The scope of a paragraph is closed by a subsequent paragraph,
+sub-section, section, or end of file.
+The saved paragraph left-margin width is reset to the default.
.Pp
See also
.Sx \&HP ,
and
.Sx \&IR .
.Ss \&RS
-Begin a part setting the left margin. The left margin controls the
-offset, following an initial indentation, to un-indented text such as
-that of
+Begin a part setting the left margin.
+The left margin controls the offset, following an initial indentation,
+to un-indented text such as that of
.Sx \&PP .
This has the following syntax:
.Bd -filled -offset indent
Text is rendered in small size (one point smaller than the default font)
bold face.
.Ss \&SH
-Begin a section. The scope of a section is only closed by another
-section or the end of file. The paragraph left-margin width is re-set
-to the default.
+Begin a section.
+The scope of a section is only closed by another section or the end of
+file.
+The paragraph left-margin width is reset to the default.
.Ss \&SM
Text is rendered in small size (one point smaller than the default
font).
.Ss \&SS
-Begin a sub-section. The scope of a sub-section is closed by a
-subsequent sub-section, section, or end of file. The paragraph
-left-margin width is re-set to the default.
+Begin a sub-section.
+The scope of a sub-section is closed by a subsequent sub-section,
+section, or end of file.
+The paragraph left-margin width is reset to the default.
.Ss \&TH
Sets the title of the manual page with the following syntax:
.Bd -filled -offset indent
.Op Cm date Op Cm source Op Cm volume
.Ed
.Pp
-At least the upper-case document title
+At least the upper-case document
.Cm title
-and numeric manual section
+and the manual
.Cm section
-arguments must be provided. The
+arguments must be provided.
+The
.Cm date
argument should be formatted as described in
-.Sx Dates :
-if it does not conform, the current date is used instead. The
+.Sx Dates ,
+but will be printed verbatim if it is not.
+If the date is not specified, the current date is used.
+The
.Cm source
-string specifies the organisation providing the utility. The
+string specifies the organisation providing the utility.
+The
.Cm volume
string replaces the default rendered volume, which is dictated by the
manual section.
.Ss \&TP
Begin a paragraph where the head, if exceeding the indentation width, is
followed by a newline; if not, the body follows on the same line after a
-buffer to the indentation width. Subsequent output lines are indented.
+buffer to the indentation width.
+Subsequent output lines are indented.
The syntax is as follows:
.Bd -filled -offset indent
.Pf \. Sx \&TP
.\" Has no effect. Included for compatibility.
.\" .
.\" .
-.\" .Ss \&UC
-.\" Has no effect. Included for compatibility.
+.Ss \&UC
+Sets the volume for the footer for compatibility with man pages from
+BSD releases.
+The optional first argument specifies which release it is from.
.Ss \&br
-Breaks the current line. Consecutive invocations have no further effect.
+Breaks the current line.
+Consecutive invocations have no further effect.
.Pp
See also
.Sx \&sp .
End literal mode begun by
.Sx \&nf .
.Ss \&i
-Italicise arguments. Synonym for
+Italicise arguments.
+Synonym for
.Sx \&I .
.Pp
See also
.Sx \&b ,
and
.Sx \&r .
+.Ss \&in
+Indent relative to the current indentation:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&in Op Cm width
+.Pp
+If
+.Cm width
+is signed, the new offset is relative.
+Otherwise, it is absolute.
+This value is reset upon the next paragraph, section, or sub-section.
.Ss \&na
Don't align to the right margin.
.Ss \&nf
Begin literal mode: all subsequent free-form lines have their end of
-line boundaries preserved. May be ended by
+line boundaries preserved.
+May be ended by
.Sx \&fi .
.Ss \&r
Fonts and styles (bold face, italics) reset to roman (default font).
.Sx Scaling Widths .
If 0, this is equivalent to the
.Sx \&br
-macro. Defaults to 1, if unspecified.
+macro.
+Defaults to 1, if unspecified.
.Pp
See also
.Sx \&br .
.Pp
.Bl -dash -compact
.It
+The \es (font size), \em (font colour), and \eM (font filling colour)
+font decoration escapes are all discarded in mandoc.
+.It
In quoted literals, GNU troff allowed pair-wise double-quotes to produce
-a standalone double-quote in formatted output. It is not known whether
-this behaviour is exhibited by other formatters.
+a standalone double-quote in formatted output.
+It is not known whether this behaviour is exhibited by other formatters.
.It
The
.Sx \&sp
-macro does not accept negative values in mandoc. In GNU troff, this
-would result in strange behaviour.
+macro does not accept negative values in mandoc.
+In GNU troff, this would result in strange behaviour.
.It
The
.Sq \(aq
.Sh SEE ALSO
.Xr mandoc 1 ,
.Xr mandoc_char 7
-.Sh AUTHORS
+.Sh HISTORY
The
.Nm
+language first appeared as a macro package for the roff typesetting
+system in
+.At v7 .
+It was later rewritten by James Clark as a macro package for groff.
+The stand-alone implementation that is part of the
+.Xr mandoc 1
+utility written by Kristaps Dzonsons appeared in
+.Ox 4.6 .
+.Sh AUTHORS
+This
+.Nm
reference was written by
.An Kristaps Dzonsons Aq kristaps@bsd.lv .
.Sh CAVEATS
-Do not use this language. Use
+Do not use this language.
+Use
.Xr mdoc 7 ,
instead.
git.ckatri.com / mandoc.git / blobdiff