De-chunking of text removed from parsers. This is a significant change (and I don...

[mandoc.git] / man.7

diff --git a/man.7 b/man.7
index 5fb7d94d5b80a386c90b3c0c89a6dda42947ebe2..76c63a38f081d4ecf98fc30e6d04567780156770 100644 (file)
--- a/man.7
+++ b/man.7
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-.\"    $Id: man.7,v 1.50 2009/11/12 05:50:12 kristaps Exp $
+.\"    $Id: man.7,v 1.63 2010/05/07 15:49:36 kristaps Exp $

 .\"
 .\"

-.\" Copyright (c) 2009 Kristaps Dzonsons <kristaps@kth.se>
+.\" Copyright (c) 2009 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
 .\"
 .\" Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
 .\" purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above


@@ -14,16 +14,12 @@
 .\" ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF
 .\" OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
 .\"
 .\" ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF
 .\" OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
 .\"

-.Dd $Mdocdate: November 12 2009 $
+.Dd $Mdocdate: May 7 2010 $

 .Dt MAN 7
 .Os
 .Dt MAN 7
 .Os

-.
-.

 .Sh NAME
 .Nm man
 .Nd man language reference
 .Sh NAME
 .Nm man
 .Nd man language reference

-.
-.

 .Sh DESCRIPTION
 The
 .Nm man
 .Sh DESCRIPTION
 The
 .Nm man


@@ -31,7 +27,6 @@ language was historically used to format
 .Ux
 manuals.  This reference document describes its syntax, structure, and
 usage.
 .Ux
 manuals.  This reference document describes its syntax, structure, and
 usage.

-.

 .Pp
 .Bf -emphasis
 Do not use
 .Pp
 .Bf -emphasis
 Do not use


@@ -41,7 +36,6 @@ to write your manuals.
 Use the
 .Xr mdoc 7
 language, instead.
 Use the
 .Xr mdoc 7
 language, instead.

-.

 .Pp
 An
 .Nm
 .Pp
 An
 .Nm


@@ -54,28 +48,15 @@ prior macros:
 \&.SH Macro lines change control state.
 Other lines are interpreted within the current state.
 .Ed
 \&.SH Macro lines change control state.
 Other lines are interpreted within the current state.
 .Ed

-.
-.

 .Sh INPUT ENCODING
 .Nm
 documents may contain only graphable 7-bit ASCII characters, the
 space character, and the tabs character.  All manuals must have
 .Ux
 line termination.
 .Sh INPUT ENCODING
 .Nm
 documents may contain only graphable 7-bit ASCII characters, the
 space character, and the tabs character.  All manuals must have
 .Ux
 line termination.

-.

 .Pp
 Blank lines are acceptable; where found, the output will assert a
 vertical space.
 .Pp
 Blank lines are acceptable; where found, the output will assert a
 vertical space.

-.
-.Pp
-The
-.Sq \ec
-escape is common in historical
-.Nm
-documents; if encountered at the end of a word, it ensures that the
-subsequent word isn't off-set by whitespace.
-.
-.

 .Ss Comments
 Text following a
 .Sq \e\*" ,
 .Ss Comments
 Text following a
 .Sq \e\*" ,


@@ -84,8 +65,6 @@ 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.
 .Sq \&.\e" ,
 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
 .Ss Special Characters
 Special characters may occur in both macro and free-form lines.
 Sequences begin with the escape character


@@ -104,13 +83,11 @@ for a complete list.  Examples include
 and
 .Sq \ee
 .Pq back-slash .
 and
 .Sq \ee
 .Pq back-slash .

-.
-.

 .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
 .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

-(revert to previous mode):  
+(revert to previous mode):

 .Pp
 .D1 \efBbold\efR \efIitalic\efP
 .Pp
 .Pp
 .D1 \efBbold\efR \efIitalic\efP
 .Pp


@@ -118,6 +95,9 @@ 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
 .Pp
 Text may also be sized with the
 .Sq \es


@@ -144,17 +124,12 @@ Both
 .Sq \es
 and
 .Sq \ef
 .Sq \es
 and
 .Sq \ef

-attributes are forgotten when exiting a subsequent (or current) macro
-invocation.
-.
-.
+attributes are forgotten when entering or exiting a macro block.

 .Ss Whitespace
 Unless specifically escaped, consecutive blocks of whitespace are pruned
 from input.  These are later re-added, if applicable, by a front-end
 utility such as
 .Xr mandoc 1 .
 .Ss Whitespace
 Unless specifically escaped, consecutive blocks of whitespace are pruned
 from input.  These are later re-added, if applicable, by a front-end
 utility such as
 .Xr mandoc 1 .

-.
-.

 .Ss Dates
 The
 .Sx \&TH
 .Ss Dates
 The
 .Sx \&TH


@@ -163,22 +138,18 @@ macro is the only
 macro that requires a date.  The form for this date is the ISO-8601
 standard
 .Cm YYYY-MM-DD .
 macro that requires a date.  The form for this date is the ISO-8601
 standard
 .Cm YYYY-MM-DD .

-.
-.

 .Ss Scaling Widths
 Many macros support scaled widths for their arguments, such as
 stipulating a two-inch paragraph indentation with the following:
 .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.HP 2i
 .Ed
 .Ss Scaling Widths
 Many macros support scaled widths for their arguments, such as
 stipulating a two-inch paragraph indentation with the following:
 .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.HP 2i
 .Ed

-.

 .Pp
 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:
 .Pp
 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:

-.

 .Pp
 .Bl -tag -width Ds -offset indent -compact
 .It c
 .Pp
 .Bl -tag -width Ds -offset indent -compact
 .It c


@@ -217,7 +188,6 @@ Using anything other than
 or
 .Sq v
 is necessarily non-portable across output media.
 or
 .Sq v
 is necessarily non-portable across output media.

-.

 .Pp
 If a scaling unit is not provided, the numerical value is interpreted
 under the default rules of
 .Pp
 If a scaling unit is not provided, the numerical value is interpreted
 under the default rules of


@@ -230,8 +200,6 @@ this differs from
 .Xr mdoc 7 ,
 which, if a unit is not provided, will instead interpret the string as
 literal text.
 .Xr mdoc 7 ,
 which, if a unit is not provided, will instead interpret the string as
 literal text.

-.
-.

 .Sh MANUAL STRUCTURE
 Each
 .Nm
 .Sh MANUAL STRUCTURE
 Each
 .Nm


@@ -240,7 +208,6 @@ document must contain contains at least the
 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 ,
 .Pp
 Beyond
 .Sx \&TH ,


@@ -301,7 +268,7 @@ the C library, this may be as follows:
 .D1 Standard C Library (libc, -lc)
 .It Em SYNOPSIS
 Documents the utility invocation syntax, function call syntax, or device
 .D1 Standard C Library (libc, -lc)
 .It Em SYNOPSIS
 Documents the utility invocation syntax, function call syntax, or device

-configuration. 
+configuration.

 .Pp
 For the first, utilities (sections 1, 6, and 8), this is
 generally structured as follows:
 .Pp
 For the first, utilities (sections 1, 6, and 8), this is
 generally structured as follows:


@@ -316,10 +283,10 @@ And for the third, configurations (section 4):
 .Pp
 .D1 \&.B name* at cardbus ? function ?
 .Pp
 .Pp
 .D1 \&.B name* at cardbus ? function ?
 .Pp

-Manuals not in these sections generally don't need a 
+Manuals not in these sections generally don't need a

 .Em SYNOPSIS .
 .It Em DESCRIPTION
 .Em SYNOPSIS .
 .It Em DESCRIPTION

-This expands upon the brief, one-line description in 
+This expands upon the brief, one-line description in

 .Em NAME .
 It usually contains a break-down of the options (if documenting a
 command).
 .Em NAME .
 It usually contains a break-down of the options (if documenting a
 command).


@@ -335,45 +302,37 @@ which is used for functions.  Historically, this information was
 described in
 .Em DIAGNOSTICS ,
 a practise that is now discouraged.
 described in
 .Em DIAGNOSTICS ,
 a practise that is now discouraged.

-.

 .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.
 .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.

-.

 .It Em ENVIRONMENT
 Documents any usages of environment variables, e.g.,
 .Xr environ 7 .
 .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.).
 .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.).

-.

 .It Em EXAMPLES
 Example usages.  This often contains snippets of well-formed,
 well-tested invocations.  Make doubly sure that your examples work
 properly!
 .It Em EXAMPLES
 Example usages.  This often contains snippets of well-formed,
 well-tested invocations.  Make doubly sure that your examples work
 properly!

-.

 .It Em DIAGNOSTICS
 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
 discouraged.
 .It Em DIAGNOSTICS
 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
 discouraged.

-.

 .It Em ERRORS
 Documents error handling in sections 2, 3, and 9.
 .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
 .It Em SEE ALSO
 References other manuals with related topics.  This section should exist

-for most manuals.  
+for most manuals.

 .Pp
 .D1 \&.BR bar \&( 1 \&),
 .Pp
 Cross-references should conventionally be ordered
 first by section, then alphabetically.
 .Pp
 .D1 \&.BR bar \&( 1 \&),
 .Pp
 Cross-references should conventionally be ordered
 first by section, then alphabetically.

-.

 .It Em STANDARDS
 References any standards implemented or used, such as
 .Pp
 .It Em STANDARDS
 References any standards implemented or used, such as
 .Pp


@@ -382,41 +341,34 @@ References any standards implemented or used, such as
 If not adhering to any standards, the
 .Em HISTORY
 section should be used.
 If not adhering to any standards, the
 .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.
 .It Em HISTORY
 The history of any manual without a
 .Em STANDARDS
 section should be described in this section.

-.

 .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.
 .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.

-.

 .It Em CAVEATS
 Explanations of common misuses and misunderstandings should be explained
 in this section.
 .It Em CAVEATS
 Explanations of common misuses and misunderstandings should be explained
 in this section.

-.

 .It Em BUGS
 Extant bugs should be described in this section.
 .It Em BUGS
 Extant bugs should be described in this section.

-.

 .It Em SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
 Documents any security precautions that operators should consider.
 .It Em SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS
 Documents any security precautions that operators should consider.

-.

 .El
 .El

-.
-.

 .Sh MACRO SYNTAX
 Macros are one to three three characters in length and begin with a
 control character ,
 .Sq \&. ,
 .Sh MACRO SYNTAX
 Macros are one to three three characters in length and begin with a
 control character ,
 .Sq \&. ,

-at the beginning of the line.  An arbitrary amount of whitespace may
-sit between the control character and the macro name.  Thus, the
-following are equivalent:
+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:

 .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.PP
 \&.\ \ \ PP
 .Ed
 .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.PP
 \&.\ \ \ PP
 .Ed

-.

 .Pp
 The
 .Nm
 .Pp
 The
 .Nm


@@ -424,84 +376,81 @@ 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 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
 .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 is used instead,
-else the general syntax is used.  Thus:
+line and the line arguments are empty, the next line, which must be
+text, is used instead.  Thus:

 .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.I
 foo
 .Ed
 .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.I
 foo
 .Ed

-.

 .Pp
 is equivalent to
 .Sq \&.I foo .
 .Pp
 is equivalent to
 .Sq \&.I foo .

-If next-line macros are invoked consecutively, only the last is used; in
-other words, if a next-line macro is preceded by a block macro, it is
-ignored.
+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
+.Sx \&br ,
+.Sx \&sp ,
+or
+.Sx \&na ) .
+.Pp
+The syntax is as follows:

 .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.YO \(lBbody...\(rB
 \(lBbody...\(rB
 .Ed
 .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.YO \(lBbody...\(rB
 \(lBbody...\(rB
 .Ed

-.
-.Pp
-.Bl -column -compact -offset indent "MacroX" "ArgumentsX" "ScopeXXXXX"
-.It Em Macro Ta Em Arguments Ta Em Scope
-.It Sx \&B   Ta    n         Ta    next-line
-.It Sx \&BI  Ta    n         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&BR  Ta    n         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&DT  Ta    0         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&I   Ta    n         Ta    next-line
-.It Sx \&IB  Ta    n         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&IR  Ta    n         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&PD  Ta    n         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&R   Ta    n         Ta    next-line
-.It Sx \&RB  Ta    n         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&RI  Ta    n         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&SB  Ta    n         Ta    next-line
-.It Sx \&SM  Ta    n         Ta    next-line
-.It Sx \&TH  Ta    >1, <6    Ta    current
-.It Sx \&UC  Ta    n         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&br  Ta    0         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&fi  Ta    0         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&i   Ta    n         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&na  Ta    0         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&nf  Ta    0         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&r   Ta    0         Ta    current
-.It Sx \&sp  Ta    1         Ta    current
+.Pp
+.Bl -column -compact -offset indent "MacroX" "ArgumentsX" "ScopeXXXXX" "CompatX"
+.It Em Macro Ta Em Arguments Ta Em Scope     Ta Em Notes
+.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 \&DT  Ta    0         Ta    current   Ta    \&
+.It Sx \&I   Ta    n         Ta    next-line Ta    \&
+.It Sx \&IB  Ta    n         Ta    current   Ta    \&
+.It Sx \&IR  Ta    n         Ta    current   Ta    \&
+.\" .It Sx \&PD  Ta    n         Ta    current   Ta    compat
+.It Sx \&R   Ta    n         Ta    next-line Ta    \&
+.It Sx \&RB  Ta    n         Ta    current   Ta    \&
+.It Sx \&RI  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 \&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 \&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 \&Vb  Ta    <1        Ta    current   Ta    compat
+.\" .It Sx \&Ve  Ta    0         Ta    current   Ta    compat

 .El
 .El

-.

 .Pp
 .Pp

-The
-.Sx \&PD ,
-.Sx \&RS ,
-.Sx \&RE ,
-.Sx \&UC ,
-.Sx \&br ,
-.Sx \&fi ,
-.Sx \&i ,
-.Sx \&na ,
-.Sx \&nf ,
-.Sx \&r ,
-and
-.Sx \&sp
-macros should not be used.  They're included for compatibility.
-.
-.
+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
+.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
 .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 body is scoped to subsequent lines and is closed out by a
-subsequent block macro invocation.
+next line (the next-line stipulations as in
+.Sx Line Macros
+apply here as well).
+.Pp
+The syntax is as follows:

 .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.YO \(lBhead...\(rB
 \(lBhead...\(rB
 \(lBbody...\(rB
 .Ed
 .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.YO \(lBhead...\(rB
 \(lBhead...\(rB
 \(lBbody...\(rB
 .Ed

-.

 .Pp
 The closure of body scope may be to the section, where a macro is closed
 by
 .Pp
 The closure of body scope may be to the section, where a macro is closed
 by


@@ -510,7 +459,7 @@ sub-section, closed by a section or
 .Sx \&SS ;
 part, closed by a section, sub-section, or
 .Sx \&RE ;
 .Sx \&SS ;
 part, closed by a section, sub-section, or
 .Sx \&RE ;

-or paragraph, closed by a section, sub-section, part, 
+or paragraph, closed by a section, sub-section, part,

 .Sx \&HP ,
 .Sx \&IP ,
 .Sx \&LP ,
 .Sx \&HP ,
 .Sx \&IP ,
 .Sx \&LP ,


@@ -519,43 +468,36 @@ or paragraph, closed by a section, sub-section, part,
 or
 .Sx \&TP .
 No closure refers to an explicit block closing macro.
 or
 .Sx \&TP .
 No closure refers to an explicit block closing macro.

-.
-.Pp
-.Bl -column "MacroX" "ArgumentsX" "Head ScopeX" "sub-sectionX" -compact -offset indent
-.It Em Macro Ta Em Arguments Ta Em Head Scope Ta Em Body Scope
-.It Sx \&HP  Ta    <2        Ta    current    Ta    paragraph
-.It Sx \&IP  Ta    <3        Ta    current    Ta    paragraph
-.It Sx \&LP  Ta    0         Ta    current    Ta    paragraph
-.It Sx \&P   Ta    0         Ta    current    Ta    paragraph
-.It Sx \&PP  Ta    0         Ta    current    Ta    paragraph
-.It Sx \&RE  Ta    0         Ta    current    Ta    none
-.It Sx \&RS  Ta    1         Ta    current    Ta    part
-.It Sx \&SH  Ta    >0        Ta    next-line  Ta    section
-.It Sx \&SS  Ta    >0        Ta    next-line  Ta    sub-section
-.It Sx \&TP  Ta    n         Ta    next-line  Ta    paragraph
+.Pp
+As a rule, block macros may not be nested; thus, calling a block macro
+while another block macro scope is open, and the open scope is not
+implicitly closed, is syntactically incorrect.
+.Pp
+.Bl -column -compact -offset indent "MacroX" "ArgumentsX" "Head ScopeX" "sub-sectionX" "compatX"
+.It Em Macro Ta Em Arguments Ta Em Head Scope Ta Em Body Scope  Ta Em Notes
+.It Sx \&HP  Ta    <2        Ta    current    Ta    paragraph   Ta    \&
+.It Sx \&IP  Ta    <3        Ta    current    Ta    paragraph   Ta    \&
+.It Sx \&LP  Ta    0         Ta    current    Ta    paragraph   Ta    \&
+.It Sx \&P   Ta    0         Ta    current    Ta    paragraph   Ta    \&
+.It Sx \&PP  Ta    0         Ta    current    Ta    paragraph   Ta    \&
+.It Sx \&RE  Ta    0         Ta    current    Ta    none        Ta    compat
+.It Sx \&RS  Ta    1         Ta    current    Ta    part        Ta    compat
+.It Sx \&SH  Ta    >0        Ta    next-line  Ta    section     Ta    \&
+.It Sx \&SS  Ta    >0        Ta    next-line  Ta    sub-section Ta    \&
+.It Sx \&TP  Ta    n         Ta    next-line  Ta    paragraph   Ta    \&

 .El
 .El

-.
+.Pp
+Macros marked
+.Qq compat
+are as mentioned in
+.Sx Line Macros .

 .Pp
 If a block macro is next-line scoped, it may only be followed by in-line
 .Pp
 If a block macro is next-line scoped, it may only be followed by in-line

-macros (excluding
-.Sx \&DT ,
-.Sx \&PD ,
-.Sx \&TH ,
-.Sx \&UC ,
-.Sx \&br ,
-.Sx \&na ,
-.Sx \&sp ,
-.Sx \&nf ,
-and
-.Sx \&fi ) .
-.
-.
+macros for decorating text.

 .Sh REFERENCE
 This section is a canonical reference to all macros, arranged
 alphabetically.  For the scoping of individual macros, see
 .Sx MACRO SYNTAX .
 .Sh REFERENCE
 This section is a canonical reference to all macros, arranged
 alphabetically.  For the scoping of individual macros, see
 .Sx MACRO SYNTAX .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&B
 Text is rendered in bold face.
 .Pp
 .Ss \&B
 Text is rendered in bold face.
 .Pp


@@ -566,16 +508,14 @@ See also
 .Sx \&i ,
 and
 .Sx \&r .
 .Sx \&i ,
 and
 .Sx \&r .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&BI
 .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
 and
 .Sq and
 .Sq .BI this word and that
 causes
 .Sq this
 and
 .Sq and

-to render in bold face, while 
+to render in bold face, while

 .Sq word
 and
 .Sq that
 .Sq word
 and
 .Sq that


@@ -598,8 +538,6 @@ See also
 .Sx \&RI ,
 and
 .Sx \&IR .
 .Sx \&RI ,
 and
 .Sx \&IR .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&BR
 Text is rendered alternately in bold face and roman (the default font).
 Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output.
 .Ss \&BR
 Text is rendered alternately in bold face and roman (the default font).
 Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output.


@@ -615,12 +553,8 @@ See also
 .Sx \&RI ,
 and
 .Sx \&IR .
 .Sx \&RI ,
 and
 .Sx \&IR .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&DT
 Has no effect.  Included for compatibility.
 .Ss \&DT
 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:
 .Ss \&HP
 Begin a paragraph whose initial output line is left-justified, but
 subsequent output lines are indented, with the following syntax:


@@ -643,8 +577,6 @@ See also
 .Sx \&PP ,
 and
 .Sx \&TP .
 .Sx \&PP ,
 and
 .Sx \&TP .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&I
 Text is rendered in italics.
 .Pp
 .Ss \&I
 Text is rendered in italics.
 .Pp


@@ -655,8 +587,6 @@ See also
 .Sx \&i ,
 and
 .Sx \&r .
 .Sx \&i ,
 and
 .Sx \&r .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&IB
 Text is rendered alternately in italics and bold face.  Whitespace
 between arguments is omitted in output.
 .Ss \&IB
 Text is rendered alternately in italics and bold face.  Whitespace
 between arguments is omitted in output.


@@ -672,8 +602,6 @@ See also
 .Sx \&RI ,
 and
 .Sx \&IR .
 .Sx \&RI ,
 and
 .Sx \&IR .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&IP
 Begin an indented paragraph with the following syntax:
 .Bd -filled -offset indent
 .Ss \&IP
 Begin an indented paragraph with the following syntax:
 .Bd -filled -offset indent


@@ -700,8 +628,6 @@ See also
 .Sx \&PP ,
 and
 .Sx \&TP .
 .Sx \&PP ,
 and
 .Sx \&TP .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&IR
 Text is rendered alternately in italics and roman (the default font).
 Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output.
 .Ss \&IR
 Text is rendered alternately in italics and roman (the default font).
 Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output.


@@ -717,8 +643,6 @@ See also
 .Sx \&RB ,
 and
 .Sx \&RI .
 .Sx \&RB ,
 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
 .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


@@ -731,8 +655,6 @@ See also
 .Sx \&PP ,
 and
 .Sx \&TP .
 .Sx \&PP ,
 and
 .Sx \&TP .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&P
 Synonym for
 .Sx \&LP .
 .Ss \&P
 Synonym for
 .Sx \&LP .


@@ -744,8 +666,6 @@ See also
 .Sx \&PP ,
 and
 .Sx \&TP .
 .Sx \&PP ,
 and
 .Sx \&TP .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&PP
 Synonym for
 .Sx \&LP .
 .Ss \&PP
 Synonym for
 .Sx \&LP .


@@ -757,8 +677,6 @@ See also
 .Sx \&P ,
 and
 .Sx \&TP .
 .Sx \&P ,
 and
 .Sx \&TP .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&R
 Text is rendered in roman (the default font).
 .Pp
 .Ss \&R
 Text is rendered in roman (the default font).
 .Pp


@@ -769,8 +687,6 @@ See also
 .Sx \&i ,
 and
 .Sx \&r .
 .Sx \&i ,
 and
 .Sx \&r .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&RB
 Text is rendered alternately in roman (the default font) and bold face.
 Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output.
 .Ss \&RB
 Text is rendered alternately in roman (the default font) and bold face.
 Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output.


@@ -786,13 +702,9 @@ See also
 .Sx \&RI ,
 and
 .Sx \&IR .
 .Sx \&RI ,
 and
 .Sx \&IR .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&RE
 Explicitly close out the scope of a prior
 .Sx \&RS .
 .Ss \&RE
 Explicitly close out the scope of a prior
 .Sx \&RS .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&RI
 Text is rendered alternately in roman (the default font) and italics.
 Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output.
 .Ss \&RI
 Text is rendered alternately in roman (the default font) and italics.
 Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output.


@@ -808,8 +720,6 @@ See also
 .Sx \&RB ,
 and
 .Sx \&IR .
 .Sx \&RB ,
 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
 .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


@@ -825,31 +735,21 @@ The
 .Cm width
 argument must conform to
 .Sx Scaling Widths .
 .Cm width
 argument must conform to
 .Sx Scaling Widths .

-If not specified, the saved or default width is used. 
-.
-.
+If not specified, the saved or default width is used.

 .Ss \&SB
 Text is rendered in small size (one point smaller than the default font)
 bold face.
 .Ss \&SB
 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.
 .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.

-.
-.

 .Ss \&SM
 Text is rendered in small size (one point smaller than the default
 font).
 .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.
 .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.

-.
-.

 .Ss \&TH
 Sets the title of the manual page with the following syntax:
 .Bd -filled -offset indent
 .Ss \&TH
 Sets the title of the manual page with the following syntax:
 .Bd -filled -offset indent


@@ -876,8 +776,6 @@ manual section.
 Examples:
 .Pp
 .D1 \&.TH CVS 5 "1992-02-12" GNU
 Examples:
 .Pp
 .D1 \&.TH CVS 5 "1992-02-12" GNU

-.
-.

 .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
 .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


@@ -902,31 +800,25 @@ See also
 .Sx \&P ,
 and
 .Sx \&PP .
 .Sx \&P ,
 and
 .Sx \&PP .

-.
-.
-.Ss \&PD
-Has no effect.  Included for compatibility.
-.
-.
-.Ss \&UC
-Has no effect.  Included for compatibility.
-.
-.
+.\" .
+.\" .
+.\" .Ss \&PD
+.\" Has no effect.  Included for compatibility.
+.\" .
+.\" .
+.\" .Ss \&UC
+.\" Has no effect.  Included for compatibility.

 .Ss \&br
 Breaks the current line.  Consecutive invocations have no further effect.
 .Pp
 See also
 .Sx \&sp .
 .Ss \&br
 Breaks the current line.  Consecutive invocations have no further effect.
 .Pp
 See also
 .Sx \&sp .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&fi
 End literal mode begun by
 .Sx \&nf .
 .Ss \&fi
 End literal mode begun by
 .Sx \&nf .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&i
 .Ss \&i

-Italicise arguments.  If no arguments are specified, all subsequent text
-is italicised.
+Italicise arguments.  Synonym for
+.Sx \&I .

 .Pp
 See also
 .Sx \&B ,
 .Pp
 See also
 .Sx \&B ,


@@ -935,18 +827,12 @@ See also
 .Sx \&b ,
 and
 .Sx \&r .
 .Sx \&b ,
 and
 .Sx \&r .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&na
 Don't align to the right margin.
 .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
 .Sx \&fi .
 .Ss \&nf
 Begin literal mode: all subsequent free-form lines have their end of
 line boundaries preserved.  May be ended by
 .Sx \&fi .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&r
 Fonts and styles (bold face, italics) reset to roman (default font).
 .Pp
 .Ss \&r
 Fonts and styles (bold face, italics) reset to roman (default font).
 .Pp


@@ -957,8 +843,6 @@ See also
 .Sx \&b ,
 and
 .Sx \&i .
 .Sx \&b ,
 and
 .Sx \&i .

-.
-.

 .Ss \&sp
 Insert vertical spaces into output with the following syntax:
 .Bd -filled -offset indent
 .Ss \&sp
 Insert vertical spaces into output with the following syntax:
 .Bd -filled -offset indent


@@ -966,7 +850,7 @@ Insert vertical spaces into output with the following syntax:
 .Op Cm height
 .Ed
 .Pp
 .Op Cm height
 .Ed
 .Pp

-Insert 
+Insert

 .Cm height
 spaces, which must conform to
 .Sx Scaling Widths .
 .Cm height
 spaces, which must conform to
 .Sx Scaling Widths .


@@ -976,42 +860,54 @@ macro.  Defaults to 1, if unspecified.
 .Pp
 See also
 .Sx \&br .
 .Pp
 See also
 .Sx \&br .

-.
-.
+.\" .Ss \&Sp
+.\" A synonym for
+.\" .Sx \&sp
+.\" .Cm 0.5v .
+.\" .
+.\" .Ss \&Vb
+.\" A synonym for
+.\" .Sx \&nf .
+.\" Accepts an argument (the height of the formatted space) which is
+.\" disregarded.
+.\" .
+.\" .Ss \&Ve
+.\" A synonym for
+.\" .Sx \&fi .
+.\" .

 .Sh COMPATIBILITY
 .Sh COMPATIBILITY

-This section documents compatibility with other roff implementations, at
-this time limited to
-.Xr groff 1 .
-.Bl -hyphen
+This section documents areas of questionable portability between
+implementations of the
+.Nm
+language.
+.Pp
+.Bl -dash -compact

 .It
 .It

-In quoted literals, groff allowed pair-wise double-quotes to produce a
-standalone double-quote in formatted output.  This idiosyncratic
-behaviour is no longer applicable.
+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.

 .It
 The
 .It
 The

-.Sq sp
-macro does not accept negative numbers.
+.Sx \&sp
+macro does not accept negative values in mandoc.  In GNU troff, this
+would result in strange behaviour.

 .It
 .It

-Blocks of whitespace are stripped from both macro and free-form text
-lines (except when in literal mode), while groff would retain whitespace
-in free-form text lines.
+The
+.Sq \(aq
+macro control character, in GNU troff (and prior troffs) suppresses a
+newline before macro output; in mandoc, it is an alias for the standard
+.Sq \&.
+control character.

 .El
 .El

-.
-.

 .Sh SEE ALSO
 .Xr mandoc 1 ,
 .Xr mandoc_char 7
 .Sh SEE ALSO
 .Xr mandoc 1 ,
 .Xr mandoc_char 7

-.
-.

 .Sh AUTHORS
 The
 .Nm
 reference was written by
 .Sh AUTHORS
 The
 .Nm
 reference was written by

-.An Kristaps Dzonsons Aq kristaps@kth.se .
-.
-.
+.An Kristaps Dzonsons Aq kristaps@bsd.lv .

 .Sh CAVEATS
 Do not use this language.  Use
 .Xr mdoc 7 ,
 instead.
 .Sh CAVEATS
 Do not use this language.  Use
 .Xr mdoc 7 ,
 instead.

-.