X-Git-Url: https://git.cameronkatri.com/mandoc.git/blobdiff_plain/c8851c4bc15085865d2e6cb7f1434c3ad94b196e..5e8686e403a5b29ab954a18be95e82a077a159f1:/man.7 diff --git a/man.7 b/man.7 index bec44daf..f2f4d1d8 100644 --- a/man.7 +++ b/man.7 @@ -1,6 +1,7 @@ -.\" $Id: man.7,v 1.34 2009/08/20 13:51:55 kristaps Exp $ +.\" $Id: man.7,v 1.120 2013/09/16 22:58:57 schwarze Exp $ .\" -.\" Copyright (c) 2009 Kristaps Dzonsons <kristaps@kth.se> +.\" Copyright (c) 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Kristaps Dzonsons <kristaps@bsd.lv> +.\" Copyright (c) 2011, 2012 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 @@ -14,533 +15,943 @@ .\" ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF .\" OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE. .\" -.Dd $Mdocdate: August 20 2009 $ +.Dd $Mdocdate: September 16 2013 $ .Dt MAN 7 .Os -. -. .Sh NAME .Nm man -.Nd man language reference -. -. +.Nd legacy formatting language for manual pages .Sh DESCRIPTION -The +Traditionally, the .Nm man -language was historically used to format +language has been used to write .Ux -manuals. This reference document describes its syntax, structure, and -usage. -. +manuals for the +.Xr man 1 +utility. +It supports limited control of presentational details like fonts, +indentation and spacing. +This reference document describes the structure of manual pages +and the syntax and usage of the man language. .Pp .Bf -emphasis Do not use .Nm -to write your manuals. +to write your manuals: .Ef +It lacks support for semantic markup. Use the .Xr mdoc 7 language, instead. -. .Pp -An +In a .Nm -document follows simple rules: lines beginning with the control -character +document, lines beginning with the control character .Sq \&. -are parsed for macros. Other lines are interpreted within the scope of -prior macros: +are called +.Dq macro lines . +The first word is the macro name. +It usually consists of two capital letters. +For a list of available macros, see +.Sx MACRO OVERVIEW . +The words following the macro name are arguments to the macro. +.Pp +Lines not beginning with the control character are called +.Dq text lines . +They provide free-form text to be printed; the formatting of the text +depends on the respective processing context: .Bd -literal -offset indent \&.SH Macro lines change control state. -Other lines are interpreted within the current state. +Text 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. -. .Pp -Blank lines are acceptable; where found, the output will assert a -vertical space. -. -.Pp -The -.Sq \ec -escape is common in historical +Many aspects of the basic syntax of the .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\*" , -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. -. -. -.Ss Special Characters -Special characters may occur in both macro and free-form lines. -Sequences begin with the escape character -.Sq \e -followed by either an open-parenthesis -.Sq \&( -for two-character sequences; an open-bracket -.Sq \&[ -for n-character sequences (terminated at a close-bracket -.Sq \&] ) ; -or a single one-character sequence. See -.Xr mandoc_char 7 -for a complete list. Examples include -.Sq \e(em -.Pq em-dash +language are based on the +.Xr roff 7 +language; see the +.Em LANGUAGE SYNTAX 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), or P and R -(Roman, or reset). -. -. -.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 . -. -. +.Em MACRO SYNTAX +sections in the +.Xr roff 7 +manual for details, in particular regarding +comments, escape sequences, whitespace, and quoting. .Sh MANUAL STRUCTURE Each .Nm -document must contain contains at least the -.Sq TH -macro describing the document's section and title. It may occur -anywhere in the document, although conventionally, it appears as the -first macro. -. +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. .Pp Beyond -.Sq TH , -at least one macro or text node must appear in the document. Documents -are generally structured as follows: +.Sx \&TH , +at least one macro or text line must appear in the document. +.Pp +The following is a well-formed skeleton +.Nm +file for a utility +.Qq progname : .Bd -literal -offset indent -\&.TH FOO 1 "13 Aug 2009" -\&. +\&.TH PROGNAME 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 -\&. +\efBprogname\efR \e(en a description goes here +\&.\e\(dq .SH LIBRARY +\&.\e\(dq For sections 2 & 3 only. +\&.\e\(dq Not used in OpenBSD. \&.SH SYNOPSIS -\efBfoo\efR [\efB\e-options\efR] arguments... -\&. +\efBprogname\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 .SH EXAMPLES -\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 1, 4, 6, 7, & 8 only. -\&.\e\*q .SH DIAGNOSTICS -\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 2, 3, & 9 only. -\&.\e\*q .SH ERRORS -\&.\e\*q .SH SEE ALSO -\&.\e\*q \efBbar\efR(1) -\&.\e\*q .SH STANDARDS -\&.\e\*q .SH HISTORY -\&.\e\*q .SH AUTHORS -\&.\e\*q .SH CAVEATS -\&.\e\*q .SH BUGS -\&.\e\*q .SH SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS +\&.\e\(dq .SH IMPLEMENTATION NOTES +\&.\e\(dq Not used in OpenBSD. +\&.\e\(dq .SH RETURN VALUES +\&.\e\(dq For sections 2, 3, & 9 only. +\&.\e\(dq .SH ENVIRONMENT +\&.\e\(dq For sections 1, 6, 7, & 8 only. +\&.\e\(dq .SH FILES +\&.\e\(dq .SH EXIT STATUS +\&.\e\(dq For sections 1, 6, & 8 only. +\&.\e\(dq .SH EXAMPLES +\&.\e\(dq .SH DIAGNOSTICS +\&.\e\(dq For sections 1, 4, 6, 7, & 8 only. +\&.\e\(dq .SH ERRORS +\&.\e\(dq For sections 2, 3, & 9 only. +\&.\e\(dq .SH SEE ALSO +\&.\e\(dq .BR foo ( 1 ) +\&.\e\(dq .SH STANDARDS +\&.\e\(dq .SH HISTORY +\&.\e\(dq .SH AUTHORS +\&.\e\(dq .SH CAVEATS +\&.\e\(dq .SH BUGS +\&.\e\(dq .SH SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS +\&.\e\(dq Not used in OpenBSD. .Ed -. -. -.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, -.Sq .PP -and -.Sq \&.\ \ \ PP -are equivalent. -. .Pp -The +The sections in a .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. -. -. -.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: -.Bd -literal -offset indent -\&.I -foo -.Ed -. +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: .Pp -is equivalent to -.Sq \&.I foo . -.\" PARAGRAPH -Consecutive next-line scope invocations are disallowed. -.Bd -literal -offset indent -\&.YO \(lBbody...\(rB -\(lBbody...\(rB -.Ed -. +.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: .Pp -It is considered an error when next-line scope is open at the end of -file. -. -.Pp -.Bl -column -compact -offset indent "MacroX" "ArgumentsX" "ScopeXXXXX" -.It Em Macro Ta Em Arguments Ta Em Scope -.It B Ta n Ta next-line -.It BI Ta n Ta current -.It BR Ta n Ta current -.It DT Ta 0 Ta current -.It I Ta n Ta next-line -.It IB Ta n Ta current -.It IR Ta n Ta current -.It R Ta n Ta next-line -.It RB Ta n Ta current -.It RI Ta n Ta current -.It SB Ta n Ta next-line -.It SM Ta n Ta next-line -.It TH Ta >1, <6 Ta current -.It br Ta 0 Ta current -.It fi Ta 0 Ta current -.It i Ta n Ta current -.It na Ta 0 Ta current -.It nf Ta 0 Ta current -.It r Ta 0 Ta current -.It sp Ta 1 Ta current -.El -. +.D1 Standard C Library (libc, -lc) +.It Em SYNOPSIS +Documents the utility invocation syntax, function call syntax, or device +configuration. .Pp -The -.Sq RS , -.Sq RE , -.Sq br , -.Sq fi , -.Sq i , -.Sq na , -.Sq nf , -.Sq r , -and -.Sq sp -macros aren't historically part of -.Nm -and should not be used. They're included for compatibility. -. -. -.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. -.Bd -literal -offset indent -\&.YO \(lBhead...\(rB -\(lBhead...\(rB -\(lBbody...\(rB -.Ed -. +For the first, utilities (sections 1, 6, and 8), this is +generally structured as follows: .Pp -The closure of body scope may be to the section, where a macro is closed -by -.Sq SH ; -sub-section, closed by a section or -.Sq SS ; -part, closed by a section, sub-section, or -.Sq RE ; -or paragraph, closed by a section, sub-section, part, -.Sq HP , -.Sq IP , -.Sq LP , -.Sq P , -.Sq PP , -or -.Sq TP . -No closure refers to an explicit block closing macro. -. -.Pp -It is considered an error when part or next-line scope is open at the -end of file. -. -.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 HP Ta <2 Ta current Ta paragraph -.It IP Ta <3 Ta current Ta paragraph -.It LP Ta 0 Ta current Ta paragraph -.It P Ta 0 Ta current Ta paragraph -.It PP Ta 0 Ta current Ta paragraph -.It RE Ta 0 Ta current Ta none -.It RS Ta 1 Ta current Ta part -.It SH Ta >0 Ta next-line Ta section -.It SS Ta >0 Ta next-line Ta sub-section -.It TP Ta n Ta next-line Ta paragraph -.El -. +.D1 \efBname\efR [-\efBab\efR] [-\efBc\efR\efIarg\efR] \efBpath\efR... .Pp -If a block macro is next-line scoped, it may only be followed by in-line -macros (excluding -.Sq DT , -.Sq TH , -.Sq br , -.Sq na , -.Sq sp , -.Sq nf , -and -.Sq fi ) . -. -. -.Sh REFERENCE +For the second, function calls (sections 2, 3, 9): +.Pp +.D1 \&.B char *name(char *\efIarg\efR); +.Pp +And for the third, configurations (section 4): +.Pp +.D1 \&.B name* at cardbus ? function ? +.Pp +Manuals not in these sections generally don't need a +.Em SYNOPSIS . +.It Em DESCRIPTION +This expands upon the brief, one-line description in +.Em NAME . +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 RETURN VALUES +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 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 sure that 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 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. +.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 +.D1 IEEE Std 1003.2 (\e(lqPOSIX.2\e(rq) +.Pp +If not adhering to any standards, the +.Em HISTORY +section should be used. +.It Em HISTORY +A brief history of the subject, including where support first appeared. +.It Em AUTHORS +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 +Common misuses and misunderstandings should be explained +in this section. +.It Em BUGS +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 OVERVIEW +This overview is sorted such that macros of similar purpose are listed +together, to help find the best macro for any given purpose. +Deprecated macros are not included in the overview, but can be found +in the alphabetical reference below. +.Ss Page header and footer meta-data +.Bl -column "PP, LP, P" description +.It Sx TH Ta set the title: Ar title section date Op Ar source Op Ar volume +.It Sx AT Ta display AT&T UNIX version in the page footer (<= 1 argument) +.It Sx UC Ta display BSD version in the page footer (<= 1 argument) +.El +.Ss Sections and paragraphs +.Bl -column "PP, LP, P" description +.It Sx SH Ta section header (one line) +.It Sx SS Ta subsection header (one line) +.It Sx PP , LP , P Ta start an undecorated paragraph (no arguments) +.It Sx RS , RE Ta reset the left margin: Op Ar width +.It Sx IP Ta indented paragraph: Op Ar head Op Ar width +.It Sx TP Ta tagged paragraph: Op Ar width +.It Sx HP Ta hanged paragraph: Op Ar width +.It Sx PD Ta set vertical paragraph distance: Op Ar height +.It Sx \&br Ta force output line break in text mode (no arguments) +.It Sx \&sp Ta force vertical space: Op Ar height +.It Sx fi , nf Ta fill mode and no-fill mode (no arguments) +.It Sx in Ta additional indent: Op Ar width +.El +.Ss Physical markup +.Bl -column "PP, LP, P" description +.It Sx B Ta boldface font +.It Sx I Ta italic font +.It Sx R Ta roman (default) font +.It Sx SB Ta small boldface font +.It Sx SM Ta small roman font +.It Sx BI Ta alternate between boldface and italic fonts +.It Sx BR Ta alternate between boldface and roman fonts +.It Sx IB Ta alternate between italic and boldface fonts +.It Sx IR Ta alternate between italic and roman fonts +.It Sx RB Ta alternate between roman and boldface fonts +.It Sx RI Ta alternate between roman and italic fonts +.El +.Sh MACRO 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 Definitions -In this reference, a numerical width may be either a standalone natural -number (such as 3, 4, 10, etc.) or a natural number followed by a width -multiplier -.Qq n , -corresponding to the width of the formatted letter n, or -.Qq m , -corresponding to the width of the formatted letter m. The latter is the -default, if unspecified. Thus, -.Bd -literal -offset indent -\&.HP 12n -.Ed -. -.Pp -indicates an offset of 12 -.Qq n -.Ns -sized -letters. -. -. -.Ss Macro Reference -.Bl -tag -width Ds -.It B +.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. -.It BI -Text is rendered alternately in bold face and italic. Thus, +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&I +and +.Sx \&R . +.Ss \&BI +Text is rendered alternately in bold face and italic. +Thus, .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 -render in italics. Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output. -.It BR +render in italics. +Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output. +.Pp +Examples: +.Pp +.Dl \&.BI bold italic bold italic +.Pp +The output of this example will be emboldened +.Dq bold +and italicised +.Dq italic , +with spaces stripped between arguments. +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&IB , +.Sx \&BR , +.Sx \&RB , +.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. -.It DT -Re-set the tab spacing to 0.5 inches. -.It HP +.Pp +See +.Sx \&BI +for an equivalent example. +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&BI , +.Sx \&IB , +.Sx \&RB , +.Sx \&RI , +and +.Sx \&IR . +.Ss \&DT +Has no effect. +Included for compatibility. +.Ss \&EE +This is a non-standard GNU extension, included only for compatibility. +In +.Xr mandoc 1 , +it does the same as +.Sx \&fi . +.Ss \&EX +This is a non-standard GNU extension, included only for compatibility. +In +.Xr mandoc 1 , +it does the same as +.Sx \&nf . +.Ss \&HP Begin a paragraph whose initial output line is left-justified, but subsequent output lines are indented, with the following syntax: -.Bd -literal -offset indent -\&.HP [width] +.Bd -filled -offset indent +.Pf \. Sx \&HP +.Op Cm width .Ed -. .Pp -If -.Va width -is specified, it's saved for later paragraph left-margins; if -unspecified, the saved or default width is used. -.It I +The +.Cm width +argument is a +.Xr roff 7 +scaling width. +If specified, it's saved for later paragraph left-margins; if unspecified, the +saved or default width is used. +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&IP , +.Sx \&LP , +.Sx \&P , +.Sx \&PP , +and +.Sx \&TP . +.Ss \&I Text is rendered in italics. -.It IB -Text is rendered alternately in italics and bold face. Whitespace -between arguments is omitted in output. -.It IP -Begin a paragraph with the following syntax: -.Bd -literal -offset indent -\&.IP [head [width]] +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&B +and +.Sx \&R . +.Ss \&IB +Text is rendered alternately in italics and bold face. +Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output. +.Pp +See +.Sx \&BI +for an equivalent example. +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&BI , +.Sx \&BR , +.Sx \&RB , +.Sx \&RI , +and +.Sx \&IR . +.Ss \&IP +Begin an indented paragraph with the following syntax: +.Bd -filled -offset indent +.Pf \. Sx \&IP +.Op Cm head Op Cm width .Ed -. -.Pp -This follows the behaviour of the -.Sq TP -except for the macro syntax (all arguments on the line, instead of -having next-line scope). If -.Va width -is specified, it's saved for later paragraph left-margins; if -unspecified, the saved or default width is used. -.It IR +.Pp +The +.Cm width +argument is a +.Xr roff 7 +scaling width defining the left margin. +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. +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&HP , +.Sx \&LP , +.Sx \&P , +.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. -.It LP, P, PP -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. -.It R +.Pp +See +.Sx \&BI +for an equivalent example. +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&BI , +.Sx \&IB , +.Sx \&BR , +.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 paragraph left-margin width is reset to the default. +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&HP , +.Sx \&IP , +.Sx \&P , +.Sx \&PP , +and +.Sx \&TP . +.Ss \&OP +Optional command-line argument. +This is a non-standard GNU extension, included only for compatibility. +It has the following syntax: +.Bd -filled -offset indent +.Pf \. Sx \&OP +.Cm key Op Cm value +.Ed +.Pp +The +.Cm key +is usually a command-line flag and +.Cm value +its argument. +.Ss \&P +Synonym for +.Sx \&LP . +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&HP , +.Sx \&IP , +.Sx \&LP , +.Sx \&PP , +and +.Sx \&TP . +.Ss \&PD +Specify the vertical space to be inserted before each new paragraph. +.br +The syntax is as follows: +.Bd -filled -offset indent +.Pf \. Sx \&PD +.Op Cm height +.Ed +.Pp +The +.Cm height +argument is a +.Xr roff 7 +scaling width. +It defaults to +.Cm 1v . +If the unit is omitted, +.Cm v +is assumed. +.Pp +This macro affects the spacing before any subsequent instances of +.Sx \&HP , +.Sx \&IP , +.Sx \&LP , +.Sx \&P , +.Sx \&PP , +.Sx \&SH , +.Sx \&SS , +and +.Sx \&TP . +.Ss \&PP +Synonym for +.Sx \&LP . +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&HP , +.Sx \&IP , +.Sx \&LP , +.Sx \&P , +and +.Sx \&TP . +.Ss \&R Text is rendered in roman (the default font). -.It RB +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&I +and +.Sx \&B . +.Ss \&RB Text is rendered alternately in roman (the default font) and bold face. Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output. -.It RE +.Pp +See +.Sx \&BI +for an equivalent example. +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&BI , +.Sx \&IB , +.Sx \&BR , +.Sx \&RI , +and +.Sx \&IR . +.Ss \&RE Explicitly close out the scope of a prior -.Sq RS . -.It RI +.Sx \&RS . +The default left margin is restored to the state of the original +.Sx \&RS +invocation. +.Ss \&RI Text is rendered alternately in roman (the default font) and italics. Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output. -.It 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 -.Sq PP . -The width may be specified as following: -.Bd -literal -offset indent -\&.RS [width] +.Pp +See +.Sx \&BI +for an equivalent example. +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&BI , +.Sx \&IB , +.Sx \&BR , +.Sx \&RB , +and +.Sx \&IR . +.Ss \&RS +Temporarily reset the default left margin. +This has the following syntax: +.Bd -filled -offset indent +.Pf \. Sx \&RS +.Op Cm width .Ed -. .Pp -If -.Va width -is not specified, the saved or default width is used. -.It SB +The +.Cm width +argument is a +.Xr roff 7 +scaling width. +If not specified, the saved or default width is used. +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&RE . +.Ss \&SB Text is rendered in small size (one point smaller than the default font) bold face. -.It 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. -.It SM +.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 reset to the default. +.Ss \&SM Text is rendered in small size (one point smaller than the default font). -.It 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. -.It TH +.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 reset to the default. +.Ss \&TH Sets the title of the manual page with the following syntax: -.Bd -literal -offset indent -\&.TH title section [date [source [volume]]] +.Bd -filled -offset indent +.Pf \. Sx \&TH +.Ar title section date +.Op Ar source Op Ar volume .Ed -. .Pp -At least the -.Va title -and -.Va section -arguments must be provided. The -.Va date -argument should be formatted as -.Qq %b [%d] %Y -format, described in -.Xr strptime 3 . +Conventionally, the document +.Ar title +is given in all caps. +The recommended +.Ar date +format is +.Sy YYYY-MM-DD +as specified in the ISO-8601 standard; +if the argument does not conform, it is printed verbatim. +If the +.Ar date +is empty or not specified, the current date is used. +The optional +.Ar source +string specifies the organisation providing the utility. The -.Va source -string specifies the organisation providing the utility. The -.Va volume -replaces the default rendered volume as dictated by the manual section. -.It TP +.Ar volume +string replaces the default rendered volume, which is dictated by the +manual section. +.Pp +Examples: +.Pp +.Dl \&.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 -buffer to the indentation width. Subsequent output lines are indented. -. -.Pp -The indentation width may be set as follows: -.Bd -literal -offset indent -\&.TP [width] +buffer to the indentation width. +Subsequent output lines are indented. +The syntax is as follows: +.Bd -filled -offset indent +.Pf \. Sx \&TP +.Op Cm width .Ed -. .Pp -Where -.Va width -must be a properly-formed numeric width. If -.Va width -is specified, it's saved for later paragraph left-margins; if +The +.Cm width +argument is a +.Xr roff 7 +scaling width. +If specified, it's saved for later paragraph left-margins; if unspecified, the saved or default width is used. -.It br -Breaks the current line. Consecutive invocations have no further effect. -.It fi +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&HP , +.Sx \&IP , +.Sx \&LP , +.Sx \&P , +and +.Sx \&PP . +.Ss \&UC +Sets the volume for the footer for compatibility with man pages from +.Bx +releases. +The optional first argument specifies which release it is from. +.Ss \&br +Breaks the current line. +Consecutive invocations have no further effect. +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&sp . +.Ss \&fi End literal mode begun by -.Sq nf . -.It i -Italicise arguments. If no arguments are specified, all subsequent text -is italicised. -.It na -Don't alignment the right margin. -.It nf +.Sx \&nf . +.Ss \&ft +Change the current font mode. +See +.Sx Text Decoration +for a listing of available font modes. +.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 -.Sq fi . -.It r -Fonts and styles (bold face, italics) reset to roman (default font). -.It sp -Insert n spaces, where n is the macro's positive numeric argument. If -0, this is equivalent to the -.Sq br +line boundaries preserved. +May be ended by +.Sx \&fi . +Literal mode is implicitly ended by +.Sx \&SH +or +.Sx \&SS . +.Ss \&sp +Insert vertical spaces into output with the following syntax: +.Bd -filled -offset indent +.Pf \. Sx \&sp +.Op Cm height +.Ed +.Pp +The +.Cm height +argument is a scaling width as described in +.Xr roff 7 . +If 0, this is equivalent to the +.Sx \&br macro. +Defaults to 1, if unspecified. +.Pp +See also +.Sx \&br . +.Sh MACRO SYNTAX +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. +.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: +.Bd -literal -offset indent +\&.I +foo +.Ed +.Pp +is equivalent to +.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, except for +.Sx \&br , +.Sx \&sp , +and +.Sx \&na . +.Pp +The syntax is as follows: +.Bd -literal -offset indent +\&.YO \(lBbody...\(rB +\(lBbody...\(rB +.Ed +.Bl -column "MacroX" "ArgumentsX" "ScopeXXXXX" "CompatX" -offset indent +.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 \&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 \&OP Ta 0, 1 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 <=1 Ta current Ta \& +.It Sx \&br Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat +.It Sx \&fi Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat +.It Sx \&ft Ta 1 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 \&sp Ta 1 Ta current Ta compat +.El +.Pp +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 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 +The syntax is as follows: +.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 +.Sx \&SH ; +sub-section, closed by a section or +.Sx \&SS ; +part, closed by a section, sub-section, or +.Sx \&RE ; +or paragraph, closed by a section, sub-section, part, +.Sx \&HP , +.Sx \&IP , +.Sx \&LP , +.Sx \&P , +.Sx \&PP , +or +.Sx \&TP . +No closure refers to an explicit block closing macro. +.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. +.Bl -column "MacroX" "ArgumentsX" "Head ScopeX" "sub-sectionX" "compatX" -offset indent +.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 -. -. +.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 +macros for decorating text. +.Ss Font handling +In +.Nm +documents, both +.Sx Physical markup +macros and +.Xr roff 7 +.Ql \ef +font escape sequences can be used to choose fonts. +In text lines, the effect of manual font selection by escape sequences +only lasts until the next macro invocation; in macro lines, it only lasts +until the end of the macro scope. +Note that macros like +.Sx \&BR +open and close a font scope for each argument. .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 +Do not depend on +.Sx \&SH +or +.Sx \&SS +to close out a literal context opened with +.Sx \&nf . +This behaviour may not be portable. +.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. +.It +troff suppresses a newline before +.Sq \(aq +macro output; in mandoc, it is an alias for the standard +.Sq \&. +control character. +.It +The +.Sq \eh +.Pq horizontal position , +.Sq \ev +.Pq vertical position , +.Sq \em +.Pq text colour , +.Sq \eM +.Pq text filling colour , +.Sq \ez +.Pq zero-length character , +.Sq \ew +.Pq string length , +.Sq \ek +.Pq horizontal position marker , +.Sq \eo +.Pq text overstrike , +and +.Sq \es +.Pq text size +escape sequences are all discarded in mandoc. .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. +The +.Sq \ef +scaling unit is accepted by mandoc, but rendered as the default unit. .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 -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. +In page header lines, GNU troff versions up to and including 1.21 +only print +.Ar volume +names explicitly specified in the +.Sx \&TH +macro; mandoc and newer groff print the default volume name +corresponding to the +.Ar section +number when no +.Ar volume +is given, like in +.Xr mdoc 7 . .El -. -. +.Pp +The +.Sx OP +macro is part of the extended +.Nm +macro set, and may not be portable to non-GNU troff implementations. .Sh SEE ALSO +.Xr man 1 , .Xr mandoc 1 , -.Xr mandoc_char 7 -. -. -.Sh AUTHORS +.Xr eqn 7 , +.Xr mandoc_char 7 , +.Xr mdoc 7 , +.Xr roff 7 , +.Xr tbl 7 +.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. +Eric S. Raymond wrote the extended +.Nm +macros for groff in 2007. +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@kth.se . -. -. +.An Kristaps Dzonsons Aq Mt kristaps@bsd.lv . .Sh CAVEATS -Do not use this language. Use +Do not use this language. +Use .Xr mdoc 7 , instead. -.