-.\" $Id: mdoc.7,v 1.260 2017/01/09 14:10:53 schwarze Exp $
+.\" $Id: mdoc.7,v 1.262 2017/02/16 14:38:12 schwarze Exp $
.\"
.\" Copyright (c) 2009, 2010, 2011 Kristaps Dzonsons <kristaps@bsd.lv>
.\" Copyright (c) 2010, 2011, 2013-2017 Ingo Schwarze <schwarze@openbsd.org>
.\" ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF
.\" OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
.\"
-.Dd $Mdocdate: January 9 2017 $
+.Dd $Mdocdate: February 16 2017 $
.Dt MDOC 7
.Os
.Sh NAME
A columnated list.
The
.Fl width
-argument has no effect; instead, each argument specifies the width
-of one column, using either the scaling width syntax described in
-.Xr roff 7
-or the string length of the argument.
+argument has no effect; instead, the string length of each argument
+specifies the width of one column.
If the first line of the body of a
.Fl column
list is not an
these delimiters are put before the macro scope,
and when the trailing arguments are closing delimiters,
these delimiters are put after the macro scope.
+Spacing is suppressed after opening delimiters
+and before closing delimiters.
For example,
.Pp
.D1 Pf \. \&Aq "( [ word ] ) ."
.D1 Fl a ( b | c \*(Ba d ) e
.Pp
This applies to both opening and closing delimiters,
-and also to the middle delimiter:
+and also to the middle delimiter, which does not suppress spacing:
.Pp
.Bl -tag -width Ds -offset indent -compact
.It \&|