-.\" $Id: mdoc.7,v 1.108 2010/05/15 16:24:37 kristaps Exp $
+.\" $Id: mdoc.7,v 1.140 2010/07/19 21:59:48 kristaps Exp $
.\"
-.\" Copyright (c) 2009 Kristaps Dzonsons <kristaps@bsd.lv>
+.\" Copyright (c) 2009, 2010 Kristaps Dzonsons <kristaps@bsd.lv>
+.\" Copyright (c) 2010 Ingo Schwarze <schwarze@openbsd.org>
.\"
.\" 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 15 2010 $
+.Dd $Mdocdate: July 19 2010 $
.Dt MDOC 7
.Os
.Sh NAME
language is used to format
.Bx
.Ux
-manuals. In this reference document, we describe its syntax, structure,
-and usage. Our reference implementation is mandoc; the
+manuals.
+In this reference document, we describe its syntax, structure, and
+usage.
+Our reference implementation is mandoc; the
.Sx COMPATIBILITY
section describes compatibility with other troff \-mdoc implementations.
.Pp
An
.Nm
-document follows simple rules: lines beginning with the control
+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 LANGUAGE SYNTAX
.Nm
documents may contain only graphable 7-bit ASCII characters, the space
-character, and, in certain circumstances, the tab character. All
-manuals must have
+character, and, in certain circumstances, the tab character.
+All manuals must have
.Ux
line terminators.
.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 charater 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 Reserved Characters
Within a macro line, the following characters are reserved:
.Pp
A numerical representation 3, 2, or 1 (bold, italic, and Roman,
respectively) may be used instead.
A text decoration is valid within
-the current font scope only: if a macro opens a font scope alongside
+the current font scope only: if a macro opens a font scope alongside
its own scope, such as
.Sx \&Bf
.Cm \&Sy ,
is specified outside of any font scope, such as in unenclosed, free-form
text, it will affect the remainder of the document.
.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
-Note these forms are
+Note this form is
.Em not
recommended for
.Nm ,
.Dq predefined strings ,
which, like
.Sx Special Characters ,
-demark special output characters and strings by way of input codes.
+mark special output characters and strings by way of input codes.
Predefined strings are escaped with the slash-asterisk,
.Sq \e* :
single-character
followed by
.Sx \&Nd .
.Pp
-Following that, convention dictates specifying at least the SYNOPSIS and
-DESCRIPTION sections, although this varies between manual sections.
+Following that, convention dictates specifying at least the
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+and
+.Em DESCRIPTION
+sections, although this varies between manual sections.
.Pp
The following is a well-formed skeleton
.Nm
\&.Dd $\&Mdocdate$
\&.Dt mdoc 7
\&.Os
-\&.
\&.Sh NAME
\&.Nm foo
\&.Nd a description goes here
\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 2, 3, & 9 only.
\&.\e\*q .Sh LIBRARY
-\&.
\&.Sh SYNOPSIS
\&.Nm foo
\&.Op Fl options
\&.Ar
-\&.
\&.Sh DESCRIPTION
The
\&.Nm
Manuals not in these sections generally don't need a
.Em SYNOPSIS .
.Pp
-See
-.Sx \&Op ,
+Some macros are displayed differently in the
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+section, particularly
+.Sx \&Nm ,
.Sx \&Cd ,
+.Sx \&Fd ,
.Sx \&Fn ,
-.Sx \&Ft ,
+.Sx \&Fo ,
+.Sx \&In ,
+.Sx \&Vt ,
and
-.Sx \&Vt .
+.Sx \&Ft .
+All of these macros are output on their own line.
+If two such dissimilar macros are pair-wise invoked (except for
+.Sx \&Ft
+before
+.Sx \&Fo
+or
+.Sx \&Fn ) ,
+they are separated by a vertical space, unless in the case of
+.Sx \&Fo ,
+.Sx \&Fn ,
+and
+.Sx \&Ft ,
+which are always separated by vertical space.
+.Pp
+When text and macros following an
+.Sx \&Nm
+macro starting an input line span multiple output lines,
+all output lines but the first will be indented to align
+with the text immediately following the
+.Sx \&Nm
+macro, up to the next
+.Sx \&Nm ,
+.Sx \&Sx ,
+or
+.Sx \&Ss
+macro or the end of an enclosing block, whichever comes first.
.It Em DESCRIPTION
This expands upon the brief, one-line description in
.Em NAME .
.It Em Macro Ta Em Callable Ta Em Parsable Ta Em Scope
.It Sx \&It Ta \&No Ta Yes Ta closed by Sx \&It , Sx \&El
.It Sx \&Nd Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by Sx \&Sh
+.It Sx \&Nm Ta \&No Ta Yes Ta closed by Sx \&Nm , Sx \&Sh , Sx \&Ss
.It Sx \&Sh Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by Sx \&Sh
.It Sx \&Ss Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by Sx \&Sh , Sx \&Ss
.El
+.Pp
+Note that the
+.Sx \&Nm
+macro is a
+.Sx Block full-implicit
+macro only when invoked as the first macro
+in a
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+section line, else it is
+.Sx In-line .
.Ss Block partial-explicit
Like block full-explicit, but also with single-line scope.
Each has at least a body and, in limited circumstances, a head
macro is a
.Sx Block partial-implicit
only when invoked as the first macro
-in a SYNOPSIS section line, else it is
+in a
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+section line, else it is
.Sx In-line .
.Ss In-line
Closed by
.Ss \&%A
Author name of an
.Sx \&Rs
-block. Multiple authors should each be accorded their own
+block.
+Multiple authors should each be accorded their own
.Sx \%%A
-line. Author names should be ordered with full or abbreviated
-forename(s) first, then full surname.
+line.
+Author names should be ordered with full or abbreviated forename(s)
+first, then full surname.
.Ss \&%B
Book title of an
.Sx \&Rs
-block. This macro may also be used in a non-bibliographic context when
+block.
+This macro may also be used in a non-bibliographic context when
referring to book titles.
.Ss \&%C
Publication city or location of an
.Ss \&%D
Publication date of an
.Sx \&Rs
-block. This should follow the reduced or canonical form syntax
-described in
+block.
+This should follow the reduced or canonical form syntax described in
.Sx Dates .
.Ss \&%I
Publisher or issuer name of an
.Ss \&%Q
Institutional author (school, government, etc.) of an
.Sx \&Rs
-block. Multiple institutional authors should each be accorded their own
+block.
+Multiple institutional authors should each be accorded their own
.Sx \&%Q
line.
.Ss \&%R
.Ss \&%T
Article title of an
.Sx \&Rs
-block. This macro may also be used in a non-bibliographical context
-when referring to article titles.
+block.
+This macro may also be used in a non-bibliographical context when
+referring to article titles.
.Ss \&%U
URI of reference document.
.Ss \&%V
.Ss \&Ac
Closes an
.Sx \&Ao
-block. Does not have any tail arguments.
+block.
+Does not have any tail arguments.
.Ss \&Ad
Address construct: usually in the context of an computational address in
memory, not a physical (post) address.
Author name.
This macro may alternatively accepts the following arguments, although
these may not be specified along with a parameter:
-.Bl -tag -width 12n -offset indent
+.Pp
+.Bl -tag -width "-nosplitX" -offset indent -compact
.It Fl split
Renders a line break before each author listing.
.It Fl nosplit
.Fl split .
.El
.Pp
-In the AUTHORS section, the default is not to split the first author
+In the
+.Em AUTHORS
+section, the default is not to split the first author
listing, but all subsequent author listings, whether or not they're
interspersed by other macros or text, are split.
Thus, specifying
.Fl split
will cause the first listing also to be split.
-If not in the AUTHORS section, the default is not to split.
+If not in the
+.Em AUTHORS
+section, the default is not to split.
.Pp
Examples:
.D1 \&.An -nosplit
.Fl split
or
.Fl nosplit
-are re-set when entering the AUTHORS section, so if one specifies
+are re-set when entering the
+.Em AUTHORS
+section, so if one specifies
.Sx \&An Fl nosplit
-in the general document body, it must be re-specified in the AUTHORS
+in the general document body, it must be re-specified in the
+.Em AUTHORS
section.
.Ss \&Ao
Begins a block enclosed by angled brackets.
See also
.Sx \&Aq .
.Ss \&Ap
-Inserts an apostrophe without any surrounding white-space.
-This is generally used as a grammatic device when referring to the verb
-form of a function:
-.Bd -literal -offset indent
-\&.Fn execve Ap d
-.Ed
+Inserts an apostrophe without any surrounding whitespace.
+This is generally used as a grammatical device when referring to the verb
+form of a function.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Fn execve \&Ap d
.Ss \&Aq
Encloses its arguments in angled brackets.
.Pp
.Ss \&At
Formats an AT&T version.
Accepts at most one parameter:
-.Bl -tag -width 12n -offset indent
+.Pp
+.Bl -tag -width "v[1-7] | 32vX" -offset indent -compact
.It Cm v[1-7] | 32v
A version of
.At .
.Ss \&Bc
Closes a
.Sx \&Bo
-block. Does not have any tail arguments.
+block.
+Does not have any tail arguments.
.Ss \&Bd
Begins a display block.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Bd -ragged -offset indent
+.Pf \. Sx \&Bd
+.Fl type
+.Op Fl offset Ar width
+.Op Fl compact
+.Ed
+.Pp
A display is collection of macros or text which may be collectively
offset or justified in a manner different from that
of the enclosing context.
The type must be provided first.
Secondary arguments are as follows:
.Bl -tag -width 12n -offset indent
-.It Fl offset Ar width
+.It Fl offset Ar val
Offset by the value of
-.Ar width ,
+.Ar val ,
which is interpreted as one of the following, specified in order:
.Bl -item
.It
twice
.Ar indent ;
.Ar left ,
-which has no effect ;
+which has no effect;
.Ar right ,
which justifies to the right margin; and
.Ar center ,
As the calculated string length of the opaque string.
.El
.Pp
-If unset, it will revert to the value of
-.Ar 8n
-as described in
-.Sx Scaling Widths .
+If not provided an argument, it will be ignored.
.It Fl compact
Do not assert a vertical space before the block.
-.It Fl file Ar file
-Prepend the file
-.Ar file
-before any text or macros within the block.
.El
.Pp
Examples:
and
.Sx \&Dl .
.Ss \&Bf
+Change the font mode for a scoped block of text.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Bd -ragged -offset indent
+.Pf \. Sx \&Bf
+.Oo
+.Fl emphasis | literal | symbolic |
+.Cm \&Em | \&Li | \&Sy
+.Oc
+.Ed
+.Pp
+The
+.Fl emphasis
+and
+.Cm \&Em
+argument are equivalent, as are
+.Fl symbolic
+and
+.Cm \&Sy,
+and
+.Fl literal
+and
+.Cm \&Li .
+Without an argument, this macro does nothing.
+The font mode continues until broken by a new font mode in a nested
+scope or
+.Sx \&Ef
+is encountered.
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Li ,
+.Sx \&Ef ,
+and
+.Sx \&Sy .
.Ss \&Bk
+Begins a collection of macros or text not breaking the line.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Bk Fl words
+.Pp
+Subsequent arguments are ignored.
+The
+.Fl words
+argument is required.
+.Pp
+Each line within a keep block is kept intact, so the following example
+will not break within each
+.Sx \&Op
+macro line:
+.Bd -literal -offset indent
+\&.Bk \-words
+\&.Op Fl f Ar flags
+\&.Op Fl o Ar output
+\&.Ek
+.Ed
+.Pp
+Be careful in using over-long lines within a keep block!
+Doing so will clobber the right margin.
.Ss \&Bl
Begins a list composed of one or more list entries.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Bd -ragged -offset indent
+.Pf \. Sx \&Bl
+.Fl type
+.Op Fl width Ar val
+.Op Fl offset Ar val
+.Op Fl compact
+.Op HEAD ...
+.Ed
+.Pp
A list is associated with a type, which is a required argument.
Other arguments are
.Fl width ,
These dictate the width of columns either as
.Sx Scaling Widths
or literal text.
-List entry bodies must be left empty.
-Column bodies have the following syntax:
-.Pp
-.D1 .It col1 <TAB> ... coln
-.D1 .It col1 Ta ... coln
-.D1 .It col1 <TAB> col2 Ta coln
-.Pp
-where columns may be separated by tabs, the literal string
-.Qq Ta ,
-or a mixture of both.
-These are equivalent except that quoted sections propogate over tabs,
-for example,
-.Pp
-.D1 .It \(dqcol1 ; <TAB> col2 ;\(dq ;
-.Pp
-will preserve the semicolon whitespace except for the last.
+If the initial macro of a
+.Fl column
+list is not an
+.Sx \&It ,
+an
+.Sx \&It
+context spanning each line is implied until an
+.Sx \&It
+line macro is encountered, at which point list bodies are interpreted as
+described in the
+.Sx \&It
+documentation.
.It Fl dash
A list offset by a dash (hyphen).
The head of list entries must be empty.
.Fl width
argument is ignored.
.It Fl tag
-A list offset by list entry heads. List entry bodies are positioned
-after the head as specified by the
+A list offset by list entry heads.
+List entry bodies are positioned after the head as specified by the
.Fl width
argument.
.El
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&It .
.Ss \&Bo
Begins a block enclosed by square brackets.
Does not have any head arguments.
.Pp
Examples:
-.Bd -literal -offset indent
+.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
\&.Bo 1 ,
\&.Dv BUFSIZ \&Bc
.Ed
.Ss \&Brc
Closes a
.Sx \&Bro
-block. Does not have any tail arguments.
+block.
+Does not have any tail arguments.
.Ss \&Bro
Begins a block enclosed by curly braces.
Does not have any head arguments.
.Pp
Examples:
-.Bd -literal -offset indent
+.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
\&.Bro 1 , ... ,
\&.Va n \&Brc
.Ed
.Pp
.Em Remarks :
this macro is commonly abused by using quoted literals to retain
-white-space and align consecutive
+whitespace and align consecutive
.Sx \&Cd
declarations.
This practise is discouraged.
and
.Sx \&Dl .
.Ss \&Db
+Start a debugging context.
+This macro is parsed, but generally ignored.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Db Cm on | off
.Ss \&Dc
Closes a
.Sx \&Do
-block. Does not have any tail arguments.
+block.
+Does not have any tail arguments.
.Ss \&Dd
Document date.
This is the mandatory first macro of any
.Nm
manual.
-Its calling syntax is as follows:
+Its syntax is as follows:
.Pp
-.D1 \. Ns Sx \&Dd Cm date
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Dd Cm date
.Pp
The
.Cm date
It is followed by a newline.
.Pp
Examples:
-.D1 \&.Dl % mandoc mdoc.7 | less
+.D1 \&.Dl % mandoc mdoc.7 \e(ba less
.Pp
See also
.Sx \&Bd
and
.Sx \&D1 .
.Ss \&Do
-Begins a block enclosed by double quotes. Does not have any head
-arguments.
+Begins a block enclosed by double quotes.
+Does not have any head arguments.
.Pp
Examples:
-.D1 \&.D1 \&Do April is the cruellest month \&Dc \e(em T.S. Eliot
+.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
+\&.Do
+April is the cruellest month
+\&.Dc
+\e(em T.S. Eliot
+.Ed
.Pp
See also
.Sx \&Dq .
.Ss \&Dq
-Encloses its arguments in double quotes.
+Encloses its arguments in
+.Dq typographic
+double-quotes.
.Pp
Examples:
.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
.Ed
.Pp
See also
+.Sx \&Qq ,
+.Sx \&Sq ,
+and
.Sx \&Do .
.Ss \&Dt
Document title.
This is the mandatory second macro of any
.Nm
file.
-Its calling syntax is as follows:
-.Pp
-.D1 \. Ns Sx \&Dt Cm title section Op Cm volume | arch
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Bd -ragged -offset indent
+.Pf \. Sx \&Dt
+.Oo
+.Cm title
+.Oo
+.Cm section
+.Op Cm volume | arch
+.Oc
+.Oc
+.Ed
.Pp
Its arguments are as follows:
.Bl -tag -width Ds -offset Ds
.It Cm title
-The document's title (name).
-This should be capitalised and is required.
+The document's title (name), defaulting to
+.Dq UNKNOWN
+if unspecified.
+It should be capitalised.
.It Cm section
The manual section.
This may be one of
or
.Ar paper
.Pq paper .
-It is also required and should correspond to the manual's filename
-suffix.
+It should correspond to the manual's filename suffix and defaults to
+.Dq 1
+if unspecified.
.It Cm volume
This overrides the volume inferred from
.Ar section .
.D1 \&.Dt FOO 1
.D1 \&.Dt FOO 4 KM
.D1 \&.Dt FOO 9 i386
-.D1 \&.Dt FOO 9 KM i386
.Pp
See also
.Sx \&Dd
and
.Sx \&Ux .
.Ss \&Ec
+Close a scope started by
+.Sx \&Eo .
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Ec Op Cm TERM
+.Pp
+The
+.Cm TERM
+argument is used as the enclosure tail, for example, specifying \e(rq
+will emulate
+.Sx \&Dc .
.Ss \&Ed
+End a display context started by
+.Sx \&Bd .
.Ss \&Ef
+Ends a font mode context started by
+.Sx \&Bf .
.Ss \&Ek
+Ends a keep context started by
+.Sx \&Bk .
.Ss \&El
+Ends a list context started by
+.Sx \&Bl .
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Bl
+and
+.Sx \&It .
.Ss \&Em
Denotes text that should be emphasised.
Note that this is a presentation term and should not be used for
Examples:
.D1 \&.Em Warnings!
.D1 \&.Em Remarks :
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Bf ,
+.Sx \&Sy ,
+and
+.Sx \&Li .
.Ss \&En
+This macro is obsolete and not implemented.
.Ss \&Eo
+An arbitrary enclosure.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Eo Op Cm TERM
+.Pp
+The
+.Cm TERM
+argument is used as the enclosure head, for example, specifying \e(lq
+will emulate
+.Sx \&Do .
.Ss \&Er
Display error constants.
.Pp
See also
.Sx \&Dv .
.Ss \&Es
+This macro is obsolete and not implemented.
.Ss \&Ev
Environmental variables such as those specified in
.Xr environ 7 .
.D1 \&.Ev DISPLAY
.D1 \&.Ev PATH
.Ss \&Ex
-Inserts text regarding a utility's exit values.
-This macro must have first the
+Inserts text regarding a utility's exit value.
+This macro must consist of the
.Fl std
-argument specified, then an optional
+argument followed by an optional
.Ar utility .
If
.Ar utility
is not provided, the document's name as stipulated in
.Sx \&Nm
is provided.
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Rv .
.Ss \&Fa
+Function argument.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Bd -ragged -offset indent
+.Pf \. Sx \&Fa
+.Op Cm argtype
+.Cm argname
+.Ed
+.Pp
+This may be invoked for names with or without the corresponding type.
+It is also used to specify the field name of a structure.
+Most often, the
+.Sx \&Fa
+macro is used in the
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+within
+.Sx \&Fo
+section when documenting multi-line function prototypes.
+If invoked with multiple arguments, the arguments are separated by a
+comma.
+Furthermore, if the following macro is another
+.Sx \&Fa ,
+the last argument will also have a trailing comma.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Fa \(dqconst char *p\(dq
+.D1 \&.Fa \(dqint a\(dq \(dqint b\(dq \(dqint c\(dq
+.D1 \&.Fa foo
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Fo .
.Ss \&Fc
+Ends a function context started by
+.Sx \&Fo .
.Ss \&Fd
+Historically used to document include files.
+This usage has been deprecated in favour of
+.Sx \&In .
+Do not use this macro.
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx MANUAL STRUCTURE
+and
+.Sx \&In .
.Ss \&Fl
Command-line flag.
Used when listing arguments to command-line utilities.
See also
.Sx \&Cm .
.Ss \&Fn
+A function name.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Bd -ragged -offset indent
+.Pf \. Ns Sx \&Fn
+.Op Cm functype
+.Cm funcname
+.Op Oo Cm argtype Oc Cm argname
+.Ed
+.Pp
+Function arguments are surrounded in parenthesis and
+are delimited by commas.
+If no arguments are specified, blank parenthesis are output.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Fn "int funcname" "int arg0" "int arg1"
+.D1 \&.Fn funcname "int arg0"
+.D1 \&.Fn funcname arg0
+.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
+\&.Ft functype
+\&.Fn funcname
+.Ed
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx MANUAL STRUCTURE
+and
+.Sx \&Ft .
.Ss \&Fo
-.Ss \&Fr
+Begin a function block.
+This is a multi-line version of
+.Sx \&Fn .
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Fo Cm funcname
+.Pp
+Invocations usually occur in the following context:
+.Bd -ragged -offset indent
+.Pf \. Sx \&Ft Cm functype
+.br
+.Pf \. Sx \&Fo Cm funcname
+.br
+.Pf \. Sx \&Fa Oo Cm argtype Oc Cm argname
+.br
+\.\.\.
+.br
+.Pf \. Sx \&Fc
+.Ed
+.Pp
+A
+.Sx \&Fo
+scope is closed by
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx MANUAL STRUCTURE ,
+.Sx \&Fa ,
+.Sx \&Fc ,
+and
+.Sx \&Ft .
.Ss \&Ft
+A function type.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Ft Cm functype
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Ft int
+.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
+\&.Ft functype
+\&.Fn funcname
+.Ed
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx MANUAL STRUCTURE ,
+.Sx \&Fn ,
+and
+.Sx \&Fo .
.Ss \&Fx
Format the FreeBSD version provided as an argument, or a default value
if no argument is provided.
and
.Sx \&Ux .
.Ss \&Hf
+This macro is obsolete and not implemented.
.Ss \&Ic
+Designate an internal or interactive command.
+This is similar to
+.Sx \&Cm
+but used for instructions rather than values.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Ic hash
+.D1 \&.Ic alias
+.Pp
+Note that using
+.Sx \&Bd No Fl literal
+or
+.Sx \&D1
+is preferred for displaying code; the
+.Sx \&Ic
+macro is used when referring to specific instructions.
.Ss \&In
+An
+.Dq include
+file.
+In the
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+section (only if invoked as the line macro), the first argument is
+preceded by
+.Dq #include ,
+the arguments is enclosed in angled braces.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.In sys/types
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx MANUAL STRUCTURE .
.Ss \&It
+A list item.
+The syntax of this macro depends on the list type.
+.Pp
+Lists
+of type
+.Fl hang ,
+.Fl ohang ,
+.Fl inset ,
+and
+.Fl diag
+have the following syntax:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&It Cm args
+.Pp
+Lists of type
+.Fl bullet ,
+.Fl dash ,
+.Fl enum ,
+.Fl hyphen
+and
+.Fl item
+have the following syntax:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&It
+.Pp
+with subsequent lines interpreted within the scope of the
+.Sx \&It
+until either a closing
+.Sx \&El
+or another
+.Sx \&It .
+.Pp
+The
+.Fl tag
+list has the following syntax:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&It Op Cm args
+.Pp
+Subsequent lines are interpreted as with
+.Fl bullet
+and family.
+The line arguments correspond to the list's left-hand side; body
+arguments correspond to the list's contents.
+.Pp
+The
+.Fl column
+list is the most complicated.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&It Op Cm args
+.Pp
+The
+.Cm args
+are phrases, a mix of macros and text corresponding to a line column,
+delimited by tabs or the special
+.Sq \&Ta
+pseudo-macro.
+Lines subsequent the
+.Sx \&It
+are interpreted within the scope of the last phrase.
+Calling the pseudo-macro
+.Sq \&Ta
+will open a new phrase scope (this must occur on a macro line to be
+interpreted as a macro).
+Note that the tab phrase delimiter may only be used within the
+.Sx \&It
+line itself.
+Subsequent this, only the
+.Sq \&Ta
+pseudo-macro may be used to delimit phrases.
+Furthermore, note that quoted sections propagate over tab-delimited
+phrases on an
+.Sx \&It ,
+for example,
+.Pp
+.D1 .It \(dqcol1 ; <TAB> col2 ;\(dq \&;
+.Pp
+will preserve the semicolon whitespace except for the last.
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Bl .
.Ss \&Lb
+Specify a library.
+The syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Lb Cm library
+.Pp
+The
+.Cm library
+parameter may be a system library, such as
+.Cm libz
+or
+.Cm libpam ,
+in which case a small library description is printed next to the linker
+invocation; or a custom library, in which case the library name is
+printed in quotes.
+This is most commonly used in the
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+section as described in
+.Sx MANUAL STRUCTURE .
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Lb libz
+.D1 \&.Lb mdoc
.Ss \&Li
+Denotes text that should be in a literal font mode.
+Note that this is a presentation term and should not be used for
+stylistically decorating technical terms.
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Bf ,
+.Sx \&Sy ,
+and
+.Sx \&Em .
.Ss \&Lk
Format a hyperlink.
-The calling syntax is as follows:
+Its syntax is as follows:
.Pp
-.D1 \. Ns Sx \&Lk Cm uri Op Cm name
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Lk Cm uri Op Cm name
.Pp
Examples:
.D1 \&.Lk http://bsd.lv "The BSD.lv Project"
See also
.Sx \&Mt .
.Ss \&Lp
+Synonym for
+.Sx \&Pp .
.Ss \&Ms
+Display a mathematical symbol.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Ms Cm symbol
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Ms sigma
+.D1 \&.Ms aleph
.Ss \&Mt
+Format a
+.Dq mailto:
+hyperlink.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Mt Cm address
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Mt discuss@manpages.bsd.lv
.Ss \&Nd
+A one-line description of the manual's content.
+This may only be invoked in the
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+section subsequent the
+.Sx \&Nm
+macro.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Sx \&Nd mdoc language reference
+.D1 \&.Sx \&Nd format and display UNIX manuals
+.Pp
+The
+.Sx \&Nd
+macro technically accepts child macros and terminates with a subsequent
+.Sx \&Sh
+invocation.
+Do not assume this behaviour: some
+.Xr whatis 1
+database generators are not smart enough to parse more than the line
+arguments and will display macros verbatim.
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Nm .
.Ss \&Nm
+The name of the manual page, or \(em in particular in section 1, 6,
+and 8 pages \(em of an additional command or feature documented in
+the manual page.
+When first invoked, the
+.Sx \&Nm
+macro expects a single argument, the name of the manual page.
+Usually, the first invocation happens in the
+.Em NAME
+section of the page.
+The specified name will be remembered and used whenever the macro is
+called again without arguments later in the page.
+The
+.Sx \&Nm
+macro uses
+.Sx Block full-implicit
+semantics when invoked as the first macro on an input line in the
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+section; otherwise, it uses ordinary
+.Sx In-line
+semantics.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.Bd -literal -offset indent
+\&.Sh SYNOPSIS
+\&.Nm cat
+\&.Op Fl benstuv
+\&.Op Ar
+.Ed
+.Pp
+In the
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+of section 2, 3 and 9 manual pages, use the
+.Sx \&Fn
+macro rather than
+.Sx \&Nm
+to mark up the name of the manual page.
.Ss \&No
+A
+.Dq noop
+macro used to terminate prior macro contexts.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Sx \&Fl ab \&No cd \&Fl ef
.Ss \&Ns
+Suppress a space.
+Following invocation, text is interpreted as free-form text until a
+macro is encountered.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Fl o \&Ns \&Ar output
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&No
+and
+.Sx \&Sm .
.Ss \&Nx
Format the NetBSD version provided as an argument, or a default value if
no argument is provided.
and
.Sx \&Ux .
.Ss \&Oc
+Closes multi-line
+.Sx \&Oo
+context.
.Ss \&Oo
+Multi-line version of
+.Sx \&Op .
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
+\&.Oo
+\&.Op Fl flag Ns Ar value
+\&.Oc
+.Ed
.Ss \&Op
+Command-line option.
+Used when listing options to command-line utilities.
+Prints the argument(s) in brackets.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Op \&Fl a \&Ar b
+.D1 \&.Op \&Ar a | b
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Oo .
.Ss \&Os
Document operating system version.
This is the mandatory third macro of
any
.Nm
-file. Its calling syntax is as follows:
+file.
+Its syntax is as follows:
.Pp
-.D1 \. Ns Sx \&Os Op Cm system
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Os Op Cm system
.Pp
The optional
.Cm system
and
.Sx \&Ux .
.Ss \&Pa
+A file-system path.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Pa /usr/bin/mandoc
+.D1 \&.Pa /usr/share/man/man7/mdoc.7
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Lk .
.Ss \&Pc
+Close parenthesised context opened by
+.Sx \&Po .
.Ss \&Pf
+Removes the space
+.Pq Dq prefix
+between its arguments.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. \&Pf Cm prefix suffix
+.Pp
+The
+.Cm suffix
+argument may be a macro.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Pf \e. \&Sx \&Pf \&Cm prefix suffix
.Ss \&Po
+Multi-line version of
+.Sx \&Pq .
.Ss \&Pp
+Break a paragraph.
+This will assert vertical space between prior and subsequent macros
+and/or text.
.Ss \&Pq
+Parenthesised enclosure.
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Po .
.Ss \&Qc
+Close quoted context opened by
+.Sx \&Qo .
.Ss \&Ql
+Format a single-quoted literal.
+See also
+.Sx \&Qq
+and
+.Sx \&Sq .
.Ss \&Qo
+Multi-line version of
+.Sx \&Qq .
.Ss \&Qq
+Encloses its arguments in
+.Dq typewriter
+double-quotes.
+Consider using
+.Sx \&Dq .
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Dq ,
+.Sx \&Sq ,
+and
+.Sx \&Qo .
.Ss \&Re
Closes a
.Sx \&Rs
.Sx \&%Q ,
.Sx \&%R ,
.Sx \&%T ,
+.Sx \&%U ,
and
.Sx \&%V
child macros (at least one must be specified).
before the rendered output, else the block continues on the current
line.
.Ss \&Rv
+Inserts text regarding a function call's return value.
+This macro must consist of the
+.Fl std
+argument followed by an optional
+.Ar function .
+If
+.Ar function
+is not provided, the document's name as stipulated by the first
+.Sx \&Nm
+is provided.
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Ex .
.Ss \&Sc
+Close single-quoted context opened by
+.Sx \&So .
.Ss \&Sh
+Begin a new section.
+For a list of conventional manual sections, see
+.Sx MANUAL STRUCTURE .
+These sections should be used unless it's absolutely necessary that
+custom sections be used.
+.Pp
+Section names should be unique so that they may be keyed by
+.Sx \&Sx .
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Pp ,
+.Sx \&Ss ,
+and
+.Sx \&Sx .
.Ss \&Sm
+Switches the spacing mode for output generated from macros.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Sm Cm on | off
+.Pp
+By default, spacing is
+.Cm on .
+When switched
+.Cm off ,
+no white space is inserted between macro arguments and between the
+output generated from adjacent macros, but free-form text lines
+still get normal spacing between words and sentences.
.Ss \&So
+Multi-line version of
+.Sx \&Sq .
.Ss \&Sq
+Encloses its arguments in
+.Dq typewriter
+single-quotes.
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Dq ,
+.Sx \&Qq ,
+and
+.Sx \&So .
.Ss \&Ss
+Begin a new sub-section.
+Unlike with
+.Sx \&Sh ,
+there's no convention for sub-sections.
+Conventional sections, as described in
+.Sx MANUAL STRUCTURE ,
+rarely have sub-sections.
+.Pp
+Sub-section names should be unique so that they may be keyed by
+.Sx \&Sx .
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Pp ,
+.Sx \&Sh ,
+and
+.Sx \&Sx .
.Ss \&St
+Replace an abbreviation for a standard with the full form.
+The following standards are recognised:
+.Pp
+.Bl -tag -width "-p1003.1g-2000X" -compact
+.It \-p1003.1-88
+.St -p1003.1-88
+.It \-p1003.1-90
+.St -p1003.1-90
+.It \-p1003.1-96
+.St -p1003.1-96
+.It \-p1003.1-2001
+.St -p1003.1-2001
+.It \-p1003.1-2004
+.St -p1003.1-2004
+.It \-p1003.1-2008
+.St -p1003.1-2008
+.It \-p1003.1
+.St -p1003.1
+.It \-p1003.1b
+.St -p1003.1b
+.It \-p1003.1b-93
+.St -p1003.1b-93
+.It \-p1003.1c-95
+.St -p1003.1c-95
+.It \-p1003.1g-2000
+.St -p1003.1g-2000
+.It \-p1003.1i-95
+.St -p1003.1i-95
+.It \-p1003.2-92
+.St -p1003.2-92
+.It \-p1003.2a-92
+.St -p1003.2a-92
+.It \-p1387.2-95
+.St -p1387.2-95
+.It \-p1003.2
+.St -p1003.2
+.It \-p1387.2
+.St -p1387.2
+.It \-isoC
+.St -isoC
+.It \-isoC-90
+.St -isoC-90
+.It \-isoC-amd1
+.St -isoC-amd1
+.It \-isoC-tcor1
+.St -isoC-tcor1
+.It \-isoC-tcor2
+.St -isoC-tcor2
+.It \-isoC-99
+.St -isoC-99
+.It \-iso9945-1-90
+.St -iso9945-1-90
+.It \-iso9945-1-96
+.St -iso9945-1-96
+.It \-iso9945-2-93
+.St -iso9945-2-93
+.It \-ansiC
+.St -ansiC
+.It \-ansiC-89
+.St -ansiC-89
+.It \-ansiC-99
+.St -ansiC-99
+.It \-ieee754
+.St -ieee754
+.It \-iso8802-3
+.St -iso8802-3
+.It \-ieee1275-94
+.St -ieee1275-94
+.It \-xpg3
+.St -xpg3
+.It \-xpg4
+.St -xpg4
+.It \-xpg4.2
+.St -xpg4.2
+.St -xpg4.3
+.It \-xbd5
+.St -xbd5
+.It \-xcu5
+.St -xcu5
+.It \-xsh5
+.St -xsh5
+.It \-xns5
+.St -xns5
+.It \-xns5.2
+.St -xns5.2
+.It \-xns5.2d2.0
+.St -xns5.2d2.0
+.It \-xcurses4.2
+.St -xcurses4.2
+.It \-susv2
+.St -susv2
+.It \-susv3
+.St -susv3
+.It \-svid4
+.St -svid4
+.El
.Ss \&Sx
+Reference a section or sub-section.
+The referenced section or sub-section name must be identical to the
+enclosed argument, including whitespace.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Sx MANUAL STRUCTURE
.Ss \&Sy
+Format enclosed arguments in symbolic
+.Pq Dq boldface .
+Note that this is a presentation term and should not be used for
+stylistically decorating technical terms.
+.Pp
+See also
+.Sx \&Bf ,
+.Sx \&Li ,
+and
+.Sx \&Em .
.Ss \&Tn
+Format a tradename.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Tn IBM
.Ss \&Ud
+Prints out
+.Dq currently under development.
.Ss \&Ux
Format the UNIX name.
Accepts no argument.
and
.Sx \&Ox .
.Ss \&Va
+A variable name.
+.Pp
+Examples:
+.D1 \&.Va foo
+.D1 \&.Va const char *bar ;
.Ss \&Vt
A variable type.
-This is also used for indicating global variables in the SYNOPSIS
+This is also used for indicating global variables in the
+.Em SYNOPSIS
section, in which case a variable name is also specified.
Note that it accepts
.Sx Block partial-implicit
-syntax when invoked as the first macro in the SYNOPSIS section, else it
-accepts ordinary
+syntax when invoked as the first macro in the
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+section, else it accepts ordinary
.Sx In-line
syntax.
.Pp
.Pp
Examples:
.D1 \&.Vt unsigned char
-.D1 \&.Vt extern const char * const sys_signame[] ;
+.D1 \&.Vt extern const char * const sys_signame[] \&;
.Pp
See also
-.Sx \&Ft
+.Sx MANUAL STRUCTURE
and
.Sx \&Va .
.Ss \&Xc
.Ss \&Xr
Link to another manual
.Pq Qq cross-reference .
-Its calling syntax is
+Its syntax is as follows:
.Pp
-.D1 \. Ns Sx \&Xr Cm name section
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&Xr Cm name section
.Pp
The
.Cm name
.Pp
Examples:
.D1 \&.Xr mandoc 1
-.D1 \&.Xr mandoc 1 ;
+.D1 \&.Xr mandoc 1 \&;
.D1 \&.Xr mandoc 1 \&Ns s behaviour
.Ss \&br
+Emits a line-break.
+This macro should not be used; it is implemented for compatibility with
+historical manuals.
+.Pp
+Consider using
+.Sx \&Pp
+in the event of natural paragraph breaks.
.Ss \&sp
+Emits vertical space.
+This macro should not be used; it is implemented for compatibility with
+historical manuals.
+Its syntax is as follows:
+.Pp
+.D1 Pf \. Sx \&sp Op Cm height
+.Pp
+The
+.Cm height
+argument must be formatted as described in
+.Sx Scaling Widths .
+If unspecified,
+.Sx \&sp
+asserts a single vertical space.
.Sh COMPATIBILITY
This section documents compatibility between mandoc and other other
troff implementations, at this time limited to GNU troff
.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
+Old groff fails to assert a newline before
+.Sx \&Bd Fl ragged compact .
+.It
+groff behaves inconsistently when encountering
+.Pf non- Sx \&Fa
+children of
+.Sx \&Fo
+regarding spacing between arguments.
+In mandoc, this is not the case: each argument is consistently followed
+by a single space and the trailing
+.Sq \&)
+suppresses prior spacing.
+.It
+groff behaves inconsistently when encountering
+.Sx \&Ft
+and
+.Sx \&Fn
+in the
+.Em SYNOPSIS :
+at times newline(s) are suppressed depending on whether a prior
+.Sx \&Fn
+has been invoked.
+In mandoc, this is not the case.
+See
+.Sx \&Ft
+and
+.Sx \&Fn
+for the normalised behaviour.
+.It
+Historic groff does not break before an
+.Sx \&Fn
+when not invoked as the line macro in the
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+section.
+.It
+Historic groff formats the
+.Sx \&In
+badly: trailing arguments are trashed and
+.Em SYNOPSIS
+is not specially treated.
+.It
+groff does not accept the
+.Sq \&Ta
+pseudo-macro as a line macro.
+mandoc does.
+.It
The comment syntax
-.Sq \e."
+.Sq \e\."
is no longer accepted.
.It
In groff, the
standalone double-quote in formatted output.
This idiosyncratic behaviour is not applicable in mandoc.
.It
-Display types
+Display offsets
.Sx \&Bd
-.Fl center
+.Fl offset Ar center
and
-.Fl right
-are aliases for
-.Fl left
-in manodc. Furthermore, the
+.Fl offset Ar right
+are disregarded in mandoc.
+Furthermore, troff specifies a
.Fl file Ar file
-argument is ignored.
+argument that is not supported in mandoc.
Lastly, since text is not right-justified in mandoc (or even groff),
.Fl ragged
and
This is not supported in mandoc.
.It
In groff, the
-.Sx \&Fo
-macro only produces the first parameter.
-This is not the case in mandoc.
-.It
-In groff, the
.Sx \&Cd ,
.Sx \&Er ,
.Sx \&Ex ,
.Nm
reference was written by
.An Kristaps Dzonsons Aq kristaps@bsd.lv .
-.\"
-.\" XXX: this really isn't the place for these caveats.
-.\" .
-.\" .
-.\" .Sh CAVEATS
-.\" There are many ambiguous parts of mdoc.
-.\" .
-.\" .Pp
-.\" .Bl -dash -compact
-.\" .It
-.\" .Sq \&Fa
-.\" should be
-.\" .Sq \&Va
-.\" as function arguments are variables.
-.\" .It
-.\" .Sq \&Ft
-.\" should be
-.\" .Sq \&Vt
-.\" as function return types are still types. Furthermore, the
-.\" .Sq \&Ft
-.\" should be removed and
-.\" .Sq \&Fo ,
-.\" which ostensibly follows it, should follow the same convention as
-.\" .Sq \&Va .
-.\" .It
-.\" .Sq \&Va
-.\" should formalise that only one or two arguments are acceptable: a
-.\" variable name and optional, preceding type.
-.\" .It
-.\" .Sq \&Fd
-.\" is ambiguous. It's commonly used to indicate an include file in the
-.\" synopsis section.
-.\" .Sq \&In
-.\" should be used, instead.
-.\" .It
-.\" Only the
-.\" .Sq \-literal
-.\" argument to
-.\" .Sq \&Bd
-.\" makes sense. The remaining ones should be removed.
-.\" .It
-.\" The
-.\" .Sq \&Xo
-.\" and
-.\" .Sq \&Xc
-.\" macros should be deprecated.
-.\" .It
-.\" The
-.\" .Sq \&Dt
-.\" macro lacks clarity. It should be absolutely clear which title will
-.\" render when formatting the manual page.
-.\" .It
-.\" A
-.\" .Sq \&Lx
-.\" should be provided for Linux (\(`a la
-.\" .Sq \&Ox ,
-.\" .Sq \&Nx
-.\" etc.).
-.\" .It
-.\" There's no way to refer to references in
-.\" .Sq \&Rs/Re
-.\" blocks.
-.\" .It
-.\" The \-split and \-nosplit dictates via
-.\" .Sq \&An
-.\" are re-set when entering and leaving the AUTHORS section.
-.\" .El
-.\" .