MDOC.SAMPLES(7) OpenBSD Reference Manual MDOC.SAMPLES(7)NAME
mdoc.samples - tutorial sampler for writing OpenBSD manuals with -mdoc
SYNOPSIS
nroff -TName -mandoc file
DESCRIPTION
A tutorial sampler for writing OpenBSD manual pages with the -mdoc macro
package, a content-based and domain-based formatting package for
troff(1). Its predecessor, the -man package (see man(7)) addressed page
layout, leaving the manipulation of fonts and other typesetting details
to the individual author.
In -mdoc, page layout macros make up the page structure domain which
consists of macros for titles, section headers, displays and lists.
Essentially items which affect the physical position of text on a
formatted page. In addition to the page structure domain, there are two
more domains: the manual domain and the general text domain.
The general text domain is defined as macros which perform tasks such as
quoting or emphasizing pieces of text. The manual domain is defined as
macros that are a subset of the day to day informal language used to
describe commands, routines and related OpenBSD files. Macros in the
manual domain handle command names, command line arguments and options,
function names, function parameters, pathnames, variables, cross
references to other manual pages, and so on. These domain items have
value for both the author and the future user of the manual page. It is
hoped the consistency gained across the manual set will provide easier
translation to future documentation tools.
Throughout the UNIX manual pages, a manual entry is simply referred to as
a man page, regardless of actual length and without sexist intention.
GETTING STARTED
Since a tutorial document is normally read when a person desires to use
the material immediately, the assumption has been made that the user of
this document may be impatient. The material presented in the remainder
of this document is outlined as follows:
1. TROFF IDIOSYNCRASIES
Macro Usage.
Passing Space Characters in an Argument.
Trailing Blank Space Characters (a warning).
Escaping Special Characters.
Dashes and Hyphens.
2. THE ANATOMY OF A MAN PAGE
A manual page template.
3. TITLE MACROS
4. INTRODUCTION TO MANUAL AND GENERAL TEXT DOMAINS
What's in a name....
General Syntax.
5. MANUAL DOMAIN
Addresses.
Arguments.
Authors.
Command Modifier.
Configuration Declarations (section four only).
Defined Variables.
Environment Variables.
Errno (section two only).
Exit Values.
Flags.
Functions (library routines).
Function Argument.
Function Declaration.
Function Types.
Interactive Commands.
Includes.
Literals.
Names.
Options.
Pathnames.
Return Values.
Standards.
Variables.
Cross References.
6. GENERAL TEXT DOMAIN
AT&T Macro.
BSD Macro.
BSDI Macro.
OpenBSD/FreeBSD/NetBSD Macros.
UNIX Macro.
Emphasis Macro.
Font mode.
Enclosure and Quoting Macros
Angle Bracket Quote/Enclosure.
Bracket Quote/Enclosure.
Double Quote macro/Enclosure.
Enclose String macro.
Parenthesis Quote/Enclosure.
Quoted Literal macro/Enclosure.
Straight Double Quote macro/Enclosure.
Single Quote macro/Enclosure.
No-Op or Normal Text Macro.
No Space Macro.
Prefix Macro.
Section Cross References.
Space Mode Macro.
Symbolic Macro.
Mathematical Symbols.
References and Citations.
Trade Names (or Acronyms and Type Names).
Extended Arguments.
Miscellaneous Macros.
7. PAGE STRUCTURE DOMAIN
Section Headers.
Paragraphs and Line Spacing.
Keeps.
Displays.
Lists and Columns.
8. PREDEFINED STRINGS
9. DIAGNOSTICS
10. FORMATTING WITH GROFF, TROFF AND NROFF
11. FILES
12. SEE ALSO
13. BUGS
TROFF IDIOSYNCRASIES
The -mdoc package attempts to simplify the process of writing a man page.
Theoretically, one should not have to learn the dirty details of troff(1)
to use -mdoc; however, there are a few limitations which are unavoidable
and best gotten out of the way. And, too, be forewarned, this package is
not fast.
Macro Usage
As in troff(1), a macro is called by placing a `.' (dot character) at the
beginning of a line followed by the two-character name for the macro.
Arguments may follow the macro separated by spaces. It is the dot
character at the beginning of the line which causes troff(1) to interpret
the next two characters as a macro name. To place a `.' (dot character)
at the beginning of a line in some context other than a macro invocation,
precede the `.' (dot) with the `\&' escape sequence. The `\&' translates
literally to a zero-width space, and is never displayed in the output.
In general, troff(1) macros accept up to nine arguments; any extra
arguments are ignored. Most macros in -mdoc accept nine arguments and,
in limited cases, arguments may be continued or extended on the next line
(see Extended Arguments). A few macros handle quoted arguments (see
Passing Space Characters in an Argument below).
Most of the -mdoc general text domain and manual domain macros are
special in that their argument lists are parsed for callable macro names.
This means an argument on the argument list which matches a general text
or manual domain macro name and is determined to be callable will be
executed or called when it is processed. In this case the argument,
although the name of a macro, is not preceded by a `.' (dot). It is in
this manner that many macros are nested; for example the option macro,
`.Op', may call the flag and argument macros, `Fl' and `Ar', to specify
an optional flag with an argument:
[-s bytes] is produced by .Op Fl s Ar bytes
To prevent a two-character string from being interpreted as a macro name,
precede the string with the escape sequence `\&':
[Fl s Ar bytes] is produced by .Op \&Fl s \&Ar bytes
Here the strings `Fl' and `Ar' are not interpreted as macros. Macros
whose argument lists are parsed for callable arguments are referred to as
parsed and macros which may be called from an argument list are referred
to as callable throughout this document and in the companion quick
reference manual mdoc(7). This is a technical faux pas as almost all of
the macros in -mdoc are parsed, but as it was cumbersome to constantly
refer to macros as being callable and being able to call other macros,
the term parsed has been used.
Passing Space Characters in an Argument
Sometimes it is desirable to give as one argument a string containing one
or more blank space characters. This may be necessary to defeat the nine
argument limit or to specify arguments to macros which expect particular
arrangement of items in the argument list. For example, the function
macro `.Fn' expects the first argument to be the name of a function and
any remaining arguments to be function parameters. As ANSI C stipulates
the declaration of function parameters in the parenthesized parameter
list, each parameter is guaranteed to be at minimum a two-word string.
For example, int foo.
There are two possible ways to pass an argument which contains an
embedded space. Implementation note: Unfortunately, the most convenient
way of passing spaces in between quotes by reassigning individual
arguments before parsing was fairly expensive speed wise and space wise
to implement in all the macros for AT&T troff(1). It is not expensive
for groff(1) but for the sake of portability, has been limited to the
following macros which need it the most:
Bl Begin list (for the width specifier).
Cd Configuration declaration (section 4 SYNOPSIS).
Em Emphasized text.
Fn Functions (sections two and four).
It List items.
Li Literal text.
Sy Symbolic text.
%B Book titles.
%J Journal names.
%O Optional notes for a reference.
%R Report title (in a reference).
%T Title of article in a book or journal.
One way of passing a string containing blank spaces is to use the hard or
unpaddable space character `\ ', that is, a blank space preceded by the
escape character `\'. This method may be used with any macro, but has
the side effect of interfering with the adjustment of text over the
length of a line. Troff sees the hard space as if it were any other
printable character and cannot split the string into blank or newline
separated pieces as one would expect. The method is useful for strings
which are not expected to overlap a line boundary.
fetch(char *str) is created by `.Fn fetch char\ *str'
fetch(char *str) can also be created by `.Fn fetch "char *str"'
If the `\' or quotes were omitted, `.Fn' would see three arguments and
the result would be:
fetch(char, *str)
For an example of what happens when the parameter list overlaps a newline
boundary, see the BUGS section.
Trailing Blank Space Characters
Troff can be confused by blank space characters at the end of a line. It
is a wise preventive measure to globally remove all blank spaces from
<blank-space><end-of-line> character sequences. Should the need arise to
force a blank character at the end of a line, it may be forced with an
unpaddable space and the `\&' escape character. For example,
`string\ \&'.
Escaping Special Characters
Special characters like the newline character `\n', are handled by
replacing the `\' with `\e' (e.g., `\en') to preserve the backslash.
Dashes and Hyphens
In typography there are different types of dashes of various width: the
hyphen (-), the minus sign (-), the en-dash (-), and the em-dash (--).
Hyphens are used for adjectives; to separate the two parts of a compound
word; or to separate a word across two successive lines of text. The
hyphen does not need to be escaped:
blue-eyed
lorry-driver
The mathematical minus sign is used for negative numbers or subtraction.
It should be written as `\-':
a = 3 \- 1;
b = \-2;
The en-dash is used to separate the two elements of a range, or can be
used the same way as an em-dash. It should be written as `\(en':
pp. 95\(en97.
Go away \(en or else!
The em-dash can be used to show an interruption or can be used the same
way as colons, semi-colons, or parentheses. It should be written as
`\(em':
Three things \(em apples, oranges, and bananas.
This is not that \(em rather, this is that.
Note: hyphens, minus signs, and en-dashes look identical under normal
ASCII output. Other formats, such as PostScript, render them correctly,
with differing widths.
THE ANATOMY OF A MAN PAGE
The body of a man page is easily constructed from a basic template found
in the file /usr/share/misc/mdoc.template.
.\" The following requests are required for all man pages.
.Dd $Mdocdate$
.Dt NAME SECTION#
.Os
.Sh NAME
.Nm program
.Nd one line about what it does
.Sh SYNOPSIS
.\" For a program: program [-abc] file ...
.Nm program
.Op Fl abc
.Ar
.Sh DESCRIPTION
The
.Nm
utility processes files ...
.\" The following requests should be uncommented
.\" and used where appropriate.
.\" This next request is for sections 2, 3, and 9
.\" function return values only.
.\" .Sh RETURN VALUES
.\" This next request is for sections 1, 6, 7 & 8 only.
.\" .Sh ENVIRONMENT
.\" .Sh FILES
.\" .Sh EXAMPLES
.\" This next request is for sections 1, 4, 6, and 8 only.
.\" .Sh DIAGNOSTICS
.\" The next request is for sections 2, 3, and 9
.\" error and signal handling only.
.\" .Sh ERRORS
.\" .Sh SEE ALSO
.\" .Xr foobar 1
.\" .Sh STANDARDS
.\" .Sh HISTORY
.\" .Sh AUTHORS
.\" .Sh CAVEATS
.\" .Sh BUGS
The first items in the template are the macros (.Dd, .Dt, .Os); the
document date, the man page title (in upper case) along with the section
of the manual the page belongs in, and the operating system the man page
or subject source is developed or modified for. These macros identify
the page, and are discussed below in TITLE MACROS.
The remaining items in the template are section headers (.Sh); of which
NAME, SYNOPSIS and DESCRIPTION are mandatory. The headers are discussed
in PAGE STRUCTURE DOMAIN, after presentation of MANUAL DOMAIN. Several
content macros are used to demonstrate page layout macros; reading about
content macros before page layout macros is recommended.
TITLE MACROS
The title macros are the first portion of the page structure domain, but
are presented first and separate for someone who wishes to start writing
a man page yesterday. Three header macros designate the document title
or manual page title, the operating system, and the date of document
change (or creation). These macros are called once at the very beginning
of the document and are used to construct the headers and footers only.
.Dd $Mdocdate$
The literal string ``$Mdocdate$'', which is expanded by cvs(1) to
the date a document is committed to a source repository.
Alternatively the date may be written by hand. The date should
be written formally:
.Dd January 25, 1989
.Dt DOCUMENT_TITLE section# [volume]
The document title is the subject of the man page and must be in
CAPITALS due to troff limitations. If omitted, `UNTITLED' is
used. The section number may be a number in the range 1-9, or
`unass', `draft', or `paper'. The following section numbers are
defined:
1 General commands (tools and utilities)
2 System calls and error numbers
3 Libraries
3p perl(1) programmer's reference guide
4 Device drivers
5 File formats
6 Games
7 Miscellaneous
8 System maintenance and operation commands
9 Kernel internals
The volume title is optional; if specified, it should be one of
the following:
AMD OpenBSD Ancestral Manual Documents
IND OpenBSD Manual Master Index
KM OpenBSD Kernel Manual
LOCAL OpenBSD Local Manual
PRM OpenBSD Programmer's Manual
PS1 OpenBSD Programmer's Supplementary Documents
SMM OpenBSD System Manager's Manual
URM OpenBSD Reference Manual
USD OpenBSD User's Supplementary Documents
The default volume labeling is URM for sections 1, 6, and 7; SMM
for section 8; PRM for sections 2, 3, 4, and 5; KM for section 9.
If the third argument to `.Dt' is instead a machine architecture,
it will be displayed, surrounded by parentheses, next to the
volume title. This is useful for pages specific only to a
particular architecture. The architectures currently defined
are:
alpha, amd64, amiga, arc, armish, aviion, hp300,
hppa, hppa64, i386, landisk, loongson, luna88k,
mac68k, macppc, mips64, mvme68k, mvme88k, mvmeppc,
pmax, sgi, socppc, sparc, sparc64, sun3, vax, zaurus
.Os operating_system release#
The name of the operating system should be a common acronym,
e.g., OpenBSD or ATT. The release should be the standard release
nomenclature for the system specified, e.g., 4.3, 4.3+Tahoe, V.3,
V.4. Unrecognized arguments are displayed as given in the page
footer. For instance, a typical footer might be:
.Os OpenBSD 3.4
or for a locally produced set
.Os "CS Department"
The OpenBSD default, `.Os' without an argument, is defined as
OpenBSD <latest release#> in the site specific file
/usr/share/tmac/mdoc/doc-common. It really should default to
LOCAL. Note, if the `.Os' macro is not present, the bottom left
corner of the page will be ugly.
INTRODUCTION TO MANUAL AND GENERAL TEXT DOMAINS
What's in a name...
The manual domain macro names are derived from the day to day informal
language used to describe commands, subroutines and related files.
Slightly different variations of this language are used to describe the
three different aspects of writing a man page. First, there is the
description of -mdoc macro request usage. Second is the description of a
UNIX command with -mdoc macros and third, the description of a command to
a user in the verbal sense; that is, discussion of a command in the text
of a man page.
In the first case, troff(1) macros are themselves a type of command; the
general syntax for a troff(1) command is:
.Va argument1 argument2 ... argument9
The `.Va' is a macro command or request, and anything following it is an
argument to be processed. In the second case, the description of a UNIX
command using the content macros is a bit more involved; a typical
SYNOPSIS command line might be displayed as:
filter [-flag] infile outfile
Here, filter is the command name and the bracketed string -flag is a flag
argument designated as optional by the option brackets. In -mdoc terms,
infile and outfile are called arguments. The macros which formatted the
above example:
.Nm filter
.Op Fl flag
.Ar infile outfile
In the third case, discussion of commands and command syntax includes
both examples above, but may add more detail. The arguments infile and
outfile from the example above might be referred to as operands or file
arguments. Some command line argument lists are quite long:
make [-eiknqrstv] [-D variable] [-d flags] [-f makefile]
[-I directory] [-j max_jobs] [variable=value] [target ...]
Here one might talk about the command make and qualify the argument
makefile, as an argument to the flag -f, or discuss the optional file
operand target. In the verbal context, such detail can prevent
confusion; however, the -mdoc package does not have a macro for an
argument to a flag. Instead the `Ar' argument macro is used for an
operand or file argument like target as well as an argument to a flag
like variable. The make command line was produced from:
.Nm make
.Op Fl eiknqrstv
.Op Fl D Ar variable
.Op Fl d Ar flags
.Op Fl f Ar makefile
.Bk -words
.Op Fl I Ar directory
.Ek
.Op Fl j Ar max_jobs
.Op Ar variable=value
.Op Ar target ...
The `.Bk' and `.Ek' macros are explained in Keeps.
General Syntax
The manual domain and general text domain macros share a similar syntax
with a few minor deviations: `.Ar', `.Fl', `.Nm', and `.Pa' differ only
when called without arguments; `.Fn' and `.Xr' impose an order on their
argument lists and the `.Op' and `.Fn' macros have nesting limitations.
All content macros are capable of recognizing and properly handling
punctuation, provided each punctuation character is separated by a
leading space. If a request is given:
.Ar sptr, ptr),
The result is:
sptr, ptr),
The punctuation is not recognized and everything is output in the font
used by `.Ar'. If the punctuation is separated by a leading whitespace:
.Ar sptr , ptr ) ,
The result is:
sptr, ptr),
The punctuation is now recognized and is output in the default font
distinguishing it from the argument strings. To remove the special
meaning from a punctuation character escape it with `\&'. The following
punctuation characters are recognised by -mdoc:
{. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
Troff is limited as a macro language, and has difficulty when presented
with a string containing a member of the mathematical, logical or
quotation set:
{+ - / * % < > <= >= = == & ` ' "}
The problem is that troff(1) may assume it is supposed to actually
perform the operation or evaluation suggested by the characters. To
prevent the accidental evaluation of these characters, escape them with
`\&'. Typical syntax is shown in the first content macro displayed
below, `.Ad'.
MANUAL DOMAIN
Address Macro
The address macro identifies an address construct of the form
addr1[,addr2[,addr3]].
Usage: .Ad address ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Ad addr1 addr1
.Ad addr1 . addr1.
.Ad addr1 , file2 addr1, file2
.Ad f1 , f2 , f3 : f1, f2, f3:
.Ad addr ) ) , addr)),
It is an error to call `.Ad' without arguments. The `.Ad' macro is
parsed and is callable.
Argument Macro
The `.Ar' argument macro may be used whenever a command line argument is
referenced.
Usage: .Ar argument ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Ar file ...
.Ar file1 file1
.Ar file1 . file1.
.Ar file1 file2 file1 file2
.Ar f1 f2 f3 : f1 f2 f3:
.Ar file ) ) , file)),
If `.Ar' is called without arguments, `file ...' is assumed. The `.Ar'
macro is parsed and is callable.
Author Name
The `.An' macro is used to specify the name of the author of the utility,
or the name of the author of the man page.
Usage: .An -nosplit | -split | author ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.An John Smith John Smith
.An John Smith , John Smith,
.An John Smith Aq john@email.address
John Smith <john@email.address>
In the AUTHORS section, `.An' causes a line break to occur before the
author name. The arguments -nosplit and -split can be used to toggle
this behavior. For example:
.Sh AUTHORS
.An -nosplit
The
.Nm
utility was written by
.An John Smith Aq john@email.address
and
.An Jane Doe Aq jane@email.address .
The `.An' macro is parsed, but is not callable.
Command Modifier
The command modifier is identical to the `.Fl' (flag) command with the
exception that the `.Cm' macro does not assert a dash in front of every
argument. Traditionally, flags are marked by the preceding dash; some
commands or subsets of commands do not use them. Command modifiers may
also be specified in conjunction with interactive commands such as editor
commands. See Flags.
Configuration Declaration (section four only)
The `.Cd' macro is used to demonstrate a config(8) declaration for a
device interface in a section four manual. This macro accepts quoted
arguments (double quotes only).
device le0 at scode? produced by: `.Cd device le0 at scode?'.
It is an error to call `.Cd' without arguments. The `.Cd' macro is
neither parsed nor callable.
Defined Variables
A variable which is defined in an include file is specified by the macro
`.Dv'.
Usage: .Dv defined_variable ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Dv MAXHOSTNAMELEN MAXHOSTNAMELEN
.Dv TIOCGPGRP ) TIOCGPGRP)
It is an error to call `.Dv' without arguments. The `.Dv' macro is
parsed and is callable.
Environment Variables
The `.Ev' macro specifies an environment variable.
Usage: .Ev argument ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Ev DISPLAY DISPLAY
.Ev PATH . PATH.
.Ev PRINTER ) ) , PRINTER)),
It is an error to call `.Ev' without arguments. The `.Ev' macro is
parsed and is callable.
Errno (section two only)
The `.Er' errno macro specifies the error return value for section two
library routines. The third example below shows `.Er' used with the
`.Bq' general text domain macro, as it would be used in a section two
manual page.
Usage: .Er ERRNOTYPE ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Er ENOENT ENOENT
.Er ENOENT ) ; ENOENT);
.Bq Er ENOTDIR [ENOTDIR]
It is an error to call `.Er' without arguments. The `.Er' macro is
parsed and is callable.
Exit Values (sections one, six, and eight only)
The `.Ex' macro displays a standardised text concerning the exit values
of applications. The `.Ex' macro is neither parsed nor callable. The
`-std' flag is purely for compatibility purposes, and must be included.
Usage: .Ex [-std] utility
For example, `.Ex -std cat' produces:
The cat utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.
Flags
The `.Fl' macro handles command line flags. It prepends a dash, `-', to
the flag. For interactive command flags, which are not prepended with a
dash, the `.Cm' (command modifier) macro is identical, but without the
dash.
Usage: .Fl argument ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Fl -
.Fl cfv -cfv
.Fl cfv . -cfv.
.Fl s v t -s -v -t
.Fl - , --,
.Fl xyz ) , -xyz),
The `.Fl' macro without any arguments results in a dash representing
stdin/stdout. Note that giving `.Fl' a single dash will result in two
dashes. The `.Fl' macro is parsed and is callable.
Functions (library routines)
The `.Fn' macro is modeled on ANSI C conventions.
Usage: .Fn [type] function [[type] parameters ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}]
.Fn getchar getchar()
.Fn strlen ) , strlen()),
.Fn "int align" "const * char *sptrs", int align(const * char *sptrs),
It is an error to call `.Fn' without any arguments. The `.Fn' macro is
parsed and is callable. Note that any call to another macro signals the
end of the `.Fn' call (it will close-parenthesis at that point).
For functions that have more than eight parameters (and this is rare),
the macros `.Fo' (function open) and `.Fc' (function close) may be used
with `.Fa' (function argument) to get around the limitation. For
example:
.Ft int
.Fo res_mkquery
.Fa "int op"
.Fa "char *dname"
.Fa "int class"
.Fa "int type"
.Fa "char *data"
.Fa "int datalen"
.Fa "struct rrec *newrr"
.Fa "char *buf"
.Fa "int buflen"
.Fc
Produces:
int res_mkquery(int op, char *dname, int class, int type, char
*data, int datalen, struct rrec *newrr, char *buf, int buflen)
The `.Fo' and `.Fc' macros are parsed and are callable. In the SYNOPSIS
section, the function will always begin at the beginning of line. If
there is more than one function presented in the SYNOPSIS section and a
function type has not been given, a line break will occur, leaving a nice
vertical space between the current function name and the one prior. At
the moment, `.Fn' does not check its word boundaries against troff(1)
line lengths and may split across a newline ungracefully. This will be
fixed in the near future.
Function Argument
The `.Fa' macro is used to refer to function arguments (parameters)
outside of the SYNOPSIS section of the manual or inside the SYNOPSIS
section should a parameter list be too long for the `.Fn' macro and the
enclosure macros `.Fo' and `.Fc' must be used. `.Fa' may also be used to
refer to structure members.
Usage: .Fa function_argument ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Fa d_namlen ) ) , d_namlen)),
.Fa iov_len iov_len
It is an error to call `.Fa' without arguments. The `.Fa' macro is
parsed and is callable.
Function Declaration
The `.Fd' macro is used in the SYNOPSIS section with section two, three,
and nine functions. The `.Fd' macro is neither parsed nor callable.
Usage: .Fd include_file (or defined variable)
In the SYNOPSIS section a `.Fd' request causes a line break if a function
has already been presented and a break has not occurred. This leaves a
nice vertical space in between the previous function call and the
declaration for the next function.
Function Type
This macro is intended for the SYNOPSIS section. It may be used anywhere
else in the man page without problems, but in the SYNOPSIS section it
causes a line break after its use. Its main purpose is to present the
function type in kernel normal form of a section two or three man page by
forcing the function name to appear on the next line.
Usage: .Ft type ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Ft struct stat struct stat
The `.Ft' macro is neither parsed nor callable.
Interactive Commands
The `.Ic' macro designates an interactive or internal command.
Usage: .Ic command ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Ic :wq :wq
.Ic do while {...} do while {...}
.Ic setenv , unsetenv setenv, unsetenv
It is an error to call `.Ic' without arguments. The `.Ic' macro is
parsed and is callable.
Includes
The `.In' macro is used in the SYNOPSIS section with section two, three,
and nine header files. The `.In' macro is neither parsed nor callable.
Usage: .In include_file
.In stdio.h <stdio.h>
In the SYNOPSIS section a `.In' request causes a line break if a function
has already been presented and a break has not occurred. This leaves a
nice vertical space in between the previous function call and the
declaration for the include file.
Literals
The `.Li' literal macro may be used for special characters, variable
constants, anything which should be displayed as it would be typed.
Usage: .Li argument ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Li \en \n
.Li M1 M2 M3 ; M1 M2 M3;
.Li cntrl-D ) , cntrl-D),
.Li 1024 ... 1024 ...
The `.Li' macro is parsed and is callable.
Name Macro
The `.Nm' macro is used for the document title or subject name. It has
the peculiarity of remembering the first argument it was called with,
which should always be the subject name of the page. When called without
arguments, `.Nm' regurgitates this initial name for the sole purpose of
making less work for the author. However, `.Nm' should always be given
an argument when used in the SYNOPSIS section.
Note: a section two or three document function name is addressed with
`.Nm' in the NAME section, and with `.Fn' in the SYNOPSIS and remaining
sections. For interactive commands, such as the `while' command keyword
in csh(1), the `.Ic' macro should be used. While `.Ic' is nearly
identical to `.Nm', it can not recall the first argument it was invoked
with.
Usage: .Nm argument ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Nm mdoc.samples mdoc.samples
.Nm mdoc.samples
.Nm . mdoc.samples.
.Nm \-mdoc -mdoc
.Nm foo ) ) , foo)),
The `.Nm' macro is parsed and is callable.
Options
The `.Op' macro places option brackets around any remaining arguments on
the command line, and places any trailing punctuation outside the
brackets. The macros `.Oc' and `.Oo' may be used across one or more
lines.
Usage: .Op options ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Op []
.Op Fl k [-k]
.Op Fl k ) . [-k]).
.Op Fl k Ar kookfile [-k kookfile]
.Op Fl k Ar kookfile , [-k kookfile],
.Op Ar objfil Op Ar corfil [objfil [corfil]]
.Op Fl c Ar objfil Op Ar corfil , [-c objfil [corfil]],
.Op word1 word2 [word1 word2]
The `.Oc' and `.Oo' macros:
.Oo
.Op Fl k Ar kilobytes
.Op Fl i Ar interval
.Op Fl c Ar count
.Oc
Produce: [[-k kilobytes] [-i interval] [-c count]]
The macros `.Op', `.Oc' and `.Oo' are parsed and are callable.
Pathnames
The `.Pa' macro formats path or file names.
Usage: .Pa pathname {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Pa /usr/share /usr/share
.Pa /tmp/fooXXXXX ) . /tmp/fooXXXXX).
The `.Pa' macro is parsed and is callable.
Return Values (sections two and three only)
The `.Rv' macro displays a standardised text concerning the return values
of functions. The `.Rv' macro is neither parsed nor callable. The
`-std' flag is purely for compatibility purposes, and must be included.
Usage: .Rv [-std] function
For example, `.Rv -std open' produces:
The open() function returns the value 0 if successful; otherwise the
value -1 is returned and the global variable errno is set to indicate the
error.
Standards
The `.St' macro replaces standard abbreviature with its formal name.
Usage: .St abbreviature
Available pairs for ``Abbreviature/Formal Name'' are:
-p1003.1-88 IEEE Std 1003.1-1988 (``POSIX'')
-p1003.1-90 IEEE Std 1003.1-1990 (``POSIX'')
-p1003.1-96 ISO/IEC 9945-1:1996 (``POSIX'')
-p1003.1-2001 IEEE Std 1003.1-2001 (``POSIX'')
-p1003.1-2004 IEEE Std 1003.1-2004 (``POSIX'')
-p1003.1-2008 IEEE Std 1003.1-2008 (``POSIX'')
-p1003.1 IEEE Std 1003.1 (``POSIX'')
-p1003.1b IEEE Std 1003.1b (``POSIX'')
-p1003.1b-93 IEEE Std 1003.1b-1993 (``POSIX'')
-p1003.1c-95 IEEE Std 1003.1c-1995 (``POSIX'')
-p1003.1g-2000 IEEE Std 1003.1g-2000 (``POSIX'')
-p1003.2-92 IEEE Std 1003.2-1992 (``POSIX.2'')
-p1387.2-95 IEEE Std 1387.2-1995 (``POSIX.7.2'')
-p1003.2 IEEE Std 1003.2 (``POSIX.2'')
-p1387.2 IEEE Std 1387.2 (``POSIX.7.2'')
-isoC-90 ISO/IEC 9899:1990 (``ISO C90'')
-isoC-amd1 ISO/IEC 9899/AMD1:1995 (``ISO C90'')
-isoC-tcor1 ISO/IEC 9899/TCOR1:1994 (``ISO C90'')
-isoC-tcor2 ISO/IEC 9899/TCOR2:1995 (``ISO C90'')
-isoC-99 ISO/IEC 9899:1999 (``ISO C99'')
-ansiC ANSI X3.159-1989 (``ANSI C'')
-ansiC-89 ANSI X3.159-1989 (``ANSI C'')
-ansiC-99 ANSI/ISO/IEC 9899-1999 (``ANSI C99'')
-ieee754 IEEE Std 754-1985
-iso8802-3 ISO 8802-3: 1989
-xpg3 X/Open Portability Guide Issue 3 (``XPG3'')
-xpg4 X/Open Portability Guide Issue 4 (``XPG4'')
-xpg4.2 X/Open Portability Guide Issue 4.2 (``XPG4.2'')
-xpg4.3 X/Open Portability Guide Issue 4.3 (``XPG4.3'')
-xbd5 X/Open System Interface Definitions Issue 5
(``XBD5'')
-xcu5 X/Open Commands and Utilities Issue 5 (``XCU5'')
-xsh5 X/Open System Interfaces and Headers Issue 5
(``XSH5'')
-xns5 X/Open Networking Services Issue 5 (``XNS5'')
-xns5.2d2.0 X/Open Networking Services Issue 5.2 Draft 2.0
(``XNS5.2D2.0'')
-xcurses4.2 X/Open Curses Issue 4 Version 2 (``XCURSES4.2'')
-susv2 Version 2 of the Single UNIX Specification
-susv3 Version 3 of the Single UNIX Specification
-svid4 System V Interface Definition, Fourth Edition
(``SVID4'')
Variable Types
The `.Vt' macro may be used whenever a type is referenced. In the
SYNOPSIS section, it causes a line break (useful for old-style variable
declarations).
Usage: .Vt <type> ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Vt extern char *optarg; extern char *optarg;
.Vt FILE * FILE *
It is an error to call `.Vt' without any arguments. The `.Vt' macro is
parsed and is callable.
Variables
Generic variable reference:
Usage: .Va variable ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Va count count
.Va settimer, settimer,
.Va int *prt ) : int *prt):
.Va char s ] ) ) , char s])),
It is an error to call `.Va' without any arguments. The `.Va' macro is
parsed and is callable.
Manual Page Cross References
The `.Xr' macro expects the first argument to be a manual page name, and
the second argument, if it exists, to be either a section number or
punctuation. Any remaining arguments are assumed to be punctuation.
Usage: .Xr man_page [1,...,9] {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Xr mdoc mdoc
.Xr mdoc , mdoc,
.Xr mdoc 7 mdoc(7)
.Xr mdoc 7 ) ) , mdoc(7))),
The `.Xr' macro is parsed and is callable. It is an error to call `.Xr'
without any arguments.
GENERAL TEXT DOMAIN
AT&T Macro
Usage: .At [v[1-7] | 32v | V[1-4]] ...
.At AT&T UNIX
.At v6 Version 6 AT&T UNIX
The `.At' macro is neither parsed nor callable. It accepts at most two
arguments. It cannot currently handle punctuation.
BSD Macro
Usage: .Bx [Version/release] ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Bx BSD
.Bx 4.3 . 4.3BSD.
The `.Bx' macro is parsed, but is not callable.
BSDI Macro
Usage: .Bsx [Version/release] ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Bsx BSD/OS
.Bsx 3.0 . BSD/OS 3.0.
The `.Bsx' macro is parsed, but is not callable.
OpenBSD/FreeBSD/NetBSD Macros
Usage: .Ox [Version/release] ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Ox OpenBSD
.Ox 2.7 . OpenBSD 2.7.
Usage: .Fx [Version/release] ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Fx FreeBSD
.Fx 4.0 . FreeBSD 4.0.
Usage: .Nx [Version/release] ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Nx NetBSD
.Nx 1.5 . NetBSD 1.5.
The `.Ox', `.Fx', and `.Nx' macros are parsed, but are not callable.
UNIX Macro
Usage: .Ux ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Ux UNIX
The `.Ux' macro is parsed, but is not callable.
Emphasis Macro
Text may be stressed or emphasized with the `.Em' macro. The usual font
for emphasis is italic.
Usage: .Em argument ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Em does not does not
.Em exceed 1024 . exceed 1024.
.Em vide infra ) ) , vide infra)),
The `.Em' macro is parsed and is callable. It is an error to call `.Em'
without arguments.
Font Mode
The `.Bf' font mode must end with the `.Ef' macro (which takes no
arguments). Font modes may be nested within other font modes.
Usage: .Bf font mode
Font mode must be one of the following:
Em | -emphasis Same as if the `.Em' macro was used for the entire
block of text.
Li | -literal Same as if the `.Li' macro was used for the entire
block of text.
Sy | -symbolic Same as if the `.Sy' macro was used for the entire
block of text.
Enclosure and Quoting Macros
The concept of enclosure is similar to quoting. The object being to
enclose one or more strings between a pair of characters like quotes or
parentheses. The terms quoting and enclosure are used interchangeably
throughout this document. Most of the one line enclosure macros end in
small letter `q' to give a hint of quoting, but there are a few
irregularities. For each enclosure macro there is also a pair of open
and close macros which end in small letters `o' and `c' respectively.
These can be used across one or more lines of text and while they have
nesting limitations, the one line quote macros can be used inside of
them.
Quote
Close Open Function Result
.Aq .Ac .Ao Angle Bracket Enclosure <string>
.Bq .Bc .Bo Bracket Enclosure [string]
.Dq .Dc .Do Double Quote ``string''
.Ec .Eo Enclose String (in XX) XXstringXX
.Pq .Pc .Po Parenthesis Enclosure (string)
.Ql Quoted Literal `st' or string
.Qq .Qc .Qo Straight Double Quote string
.Sq .Sc .So Single Quote `string'
Except for the irregular macros noted below, all of the quoting macros
are parsed and callable. All handle punctuation properly, as long as it
is presented one character at a time and separated by spaces. The
quoting macros examine opening and closing punctuation to determine
whether it comes before or after the enclosing string. This makes some
nesting possible.
.Eo, .Ec These macros expect the first argument to be the opening and
closing strings respectively.
.Ql The quoted literal macro behaves differently for troff(1) than
nroff(1). If formatted with nroff(1), a quoted literal is
always quoted. If formatted with troff(1), an item is only
quoted if the width of the item is less than three constant
width characters. This is to make short strings more visible
where the font change to literal (constant width) is less
noticeable.
Examples of quoting:
.Aq <>
.Aq Ar ctype.h ) , <ctype.h>),
.Bq []
.Bq Em Greek , French . [Greek, French].
.Dq ``''
.Dq string abc . ``string abc''.
.Dq '^[A-Z]' ``'^[A-Z]'''
.Ql man mdoc `man mdoc'
.Qq ""
.Qq string ) , "string"),
.Qq string Ns ), "string),"
.Sq `'
.Sq string `string'
For a good example of nested enclosure macros, see the `.Op' option
macro. It was created from the same underlying enclosure macros as those
presented in the list above. The `.Xo' and `.Xc' extended argument list
macros were also built from the same underlying routines and are a good
example of -mdoc macro usage at its worst.
No-Op or Normal Text Macro
The macro `.No' is a hack for words in a macro command line which should
not be formatted and follows the conventional syntax for content macros.
No Space Macro
The `.Ns' macro eliminates unwanted spaces in between macro requests. It
is useful for old style argument lists where there is no space between
the flag and argument:
.Op Fl I Ns Ar directory produces [-Idirectory]
Note: the `.Ns' macro always invokes the `.No' macro after eliminating
the space unless another macro name follows it. The macro `.Ns' is
parsed and is callable.
Prefix Macro
The `.Pf' macro eliminates unwanted spaces between its first and second
arguments.
.Pf ( Fa name2 produces (name2
The prefix macro is parsed, but is not callable.
Section Cross References
The `.Sx' macro designates a reference to a section header within the
same document. The `.Sx' macro is parsed and is callable.
.Sx FILES FILES
Space Mode Macro
The `.Sm' macro turns spacing on or off. It is especially useful in
situations where the `.Ns' macro may be too clumsy to use. An argument
of either on or off must be specified, to turn spacing on or off,
respectively.
Usage: .Sm on | off
See Extended Arguments (below) for example usage.
Symbolic Macro
The symbolic emphasis macro is generally a boldface macro in either the
symbolic sense or the traditional English usage.
Usage: .Sy symbol ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Sy Important Notice Important Notice
The `.Sy' macro is parsed and is callable. Arguments to `.Sy' may be
quoted.
Mathematical Symbols
Use this macro for mathematical symbols.
Usage: .Ms mathematical symbol ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Ms sigma sigma
The `.Ms' macro is parsed, but is not callable.
References and Citations
The following macros make a modest attempt to handle references. At
best, the macros make it convenient to manually drop in a subset of
refer(1) style references.
.Rs Reference Start. Causes a line break and begins collection
of reference information until the reference end macro is
read.
.Re Reference End. The reference is printed.
.%A Reference author name, one name per invocation.
.%B Book title.
.%D Date.
.%I Issuer/Publisher Name.
.%J Journal name.
.%N Issue number.
.%O Optional information.
.%P Page number.
.%Q Corporate or Foreign Author.
.%R Report name.
.%T Title of article.
.%V Volume(s).
The macros beginning with `%' are not callable, and are parsed only for
the trade name macro which returns to its caller. (And not very
predictably at the moment either.) The purpose is to allow trade names
to be pretty printed in troff(1)/ditroff output.
Trade Names (or Acronyms and Type Names)
The trade name macro is generally a small caps macro for all upper case
words longer than two characters.
Usage: .Tn symbol ... {. , ; : ? ! ( ) [ ]}
.Tn DEC DEC
.Tn ASCII ASCII
The `.Tn' macro is parsed and is callable.
Extended Arguments
The `.Xo' and `.Xc' macros allow one to extend an argument list on a
macro boundary. Argument lists cannot be extended within a macro which
expects all of its arguments on one line such as `.Op'.
Here is an example of `.Xo' using the space mode macro to turn spacing
off:
.Sm off
.It Xo Sy I Ar operation
.No \en Ar count No \en
.Xc
.Sm on
Produces
Ioperation\ncount\n
Another one:
.Sm off
.It Cm S No / Ar old_pattern Xo
.No / Ar new_pattern
.No / Op Cm g
.Xc
.Sm on
Produces
S/old_pattern/new_pattern/[g]
Another example of `.Xo' and using enclosure macros: Test the value of an
variable.
.It Xo
.Ic .ifndef
.Oo \&! Oc Ns Ar variable
.Op Ar operator variable ...
.Xc
Produces
.ifndef [!]variable [operator variable ...]
All of the above examples have used the `.Xo' macro on the argument list
of the `.It' (list-item) macro. The extend macros are not used very
often, and when they are it is usually to extend the list-item argument
list. Unfortunately, this is also where the extend macros are the most
finicky. In the first two examples, spacing was turned off; in the
third, spacing was desired in part of the output but not all of it. To
make these macros work in this situation make sure the `.Xo' and `.Xc'
macros are placed as shown in the third example. If the `.Xo' macro is
not alone on the `.It' argument list, spacing will be unpredictable. The
`.Ns' (no space macro) must not occur as the first or last macro on a
line in this situation.
Miscellaneous Macros
These macros are documented for the sake of completeness.
.Bt Prints ``is currently in beta test.''
.Hf Includes a (header) file literally. Prints ``File:'' followed by
the file name, then the contents of the file.
Usage: .Hf file
.Fr Function return value. Obsolete.
Usage: .Fr return value
.Ot Usage unknown. The -mdoc macro package describes it as ``old
function type (fortran)''.
.Ud Prints ``currently under development.''
PAGE STRUCTURE DOMAIN
Section Headers
The first three `.Sh' section header macros listed below are required in
every man page. The remaining section headers are recommended at the
discretion of the author writing the manual page. The `.Sh' macro can
take up to nine arguments. The `.Sh' macro is neither parsed nor
callable.
.Sh NAME The `.Sh NAME' macro is mandatory. If not specified, the
headers, footers and page layout defaults will not be set
and things will be rather unpleasant. The NAME section
consists of at least three items. The first is the `.Nm'
name macro naming the subject of the man page. The second
is the Name Description macro, `.Nd', which separates the
subject name from the third item, which is the description.
The description should be the most terse and lucid
possible, as the space available is small.
.Sh SYNOPSIS The SYNOPSIS section describes the typical usage of the
subject of a man page. The macros required are either
`.Nm', `.Cd', `.Fn', (and possibly `.Fo', `.Fc', `.Fd',
`.Ft' macros). The function name macro `.Fn' is required
for manual page sections 2 and 3; the command and general
name macro `.Nm' is required for sections 1, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Section 4 manuals require a `.Nm', `.Fd', or a `.Cd'
configuration device usage macro. Several other macros may
be necessary to produce the synopsis line as shown below:
cat [-benstuv] [-] file ...
The following macros were used:
.Nm cat
.Op Fl benstuv
.Op Fl
.Ar
Note: The macros `.Op', `.Fl', and `.Ar' recognize the pipe
bar character `|', so a command line such as:
.Op Fl a | b
will not go orbital. Troff normally interprets a | as a
special operator. See PREDEFINED STRINGS for a usable |
character in other situations.
.Sh DESCRIPTION
In most cases the first text in the DESCRIPTION section is
a brief paragraph on the command, function or file,
followed by a lexical list of options and respective
explanations. To create such a list, the `.Bl' begin-list,
`.It' list-item and `.El' end-list macros are used (see
Lists and Columns below).
The following `.Sh' section headers are part of the preferred manual page
layout and must be used appropriately to maintain consistency. They are
listed in the order in which they would be used.
.Sh RETURN VALUES
Sections 2, 3, and 9 function return values.
.Sh ENVIRONMENT
The ENVIRONMENT section should reveal any related environment
variables and clues to their behavior and/or usage.
.Sh FILES
Files which are used or created by the man page subject should
be listed via the `.Pa' macro in the FILES section.
.Sh EXAMPLES
There are several ways to create examples. See the EXAMPLES
section below for details.
.Sh DIAGNOSTICS
Diagnostics from a command should be placed in this section.
.Sh ERRORS
Specific error handling, especially from library functions (man
page sections 2, 3, and 9) should go here. The `.Er' macro is
used to specify an errno.
.Sh SEE ALSO
References to other material on the man page topic and cross
references to other relevant man pages should be placed in the
SEE ALSO section. Cross references are specified using the
`.Xr' macro. Cross references in the SEE ALSO section should
be sorted by section number, and then placed in alphabetical
order and comma separated. For example:
ls(1), ps(1), group(5), passwd(5)
At this time refer(1) style references are not accommodated.
.Sh STANDARDS
If the command, library function or file adheres to a specific
implementation such as IEEE Std 1003.2 (``POSIX.2'') or ANSI
X3.159-1989 (``ANSI C'') this should be noted here. If the
command does not adhere to any standard, its history should be
noted in the HISTORY section.
.Sh HISTORY
Any command which does not adhere to any specific standards
should be outlined historically in this section.
.Sh AUTHORS
Credits, if need be, should be placed here.
.Sh CAVEATS
Explanations of common misuses, e.g. security considerations
for certain library functions.
.Sh BUGS Blatant problems with the topic go here...
User specified `.Sh' sections may be added, for example, this section was
set with:
.Sh PAGE STRUCTURE DOMAIN
Subsection Headers
.Ss The `.Ss' macro begins a subsection header, such as the one used
for this subsection. The `.Ss' macro can take up to nine
arguments. The `.Ss' macro is neither parsed nor callable.
Paragraphs and Line Spacing.
.Pp The `.Pp' paragraph command may be used to specify a line space
where necessary. The macro is not necessary before or after
`.Sh' macros, before or after a `.Ss' macro, or before a `.Bl' or
`.Bd' macro. (The `.Bl' and `.Bd' macros assert a vertical
distance unless the -compact flag is given).
Keeps
The only keep that is implemented at this time is for words. The macros
are `.Bk' (begin-keep) and `.Ek' (end-keep). The only option that `.Bk'
accepts is -words and is useful for preventing line breaks in the middle
of options. In the example for the make command line arguments (see
What's in a name), the keep prevented nroff(1) from placing the flag and
the argument on separate lines. (Actually, the option macro used to
prevent this from occurring, but was dropped when the decision
(religious) was made to force right justified margins in troff(1) as
options in general look atrocious when spread across a sparse line. More
work needs to be done with the keep macros; a -line option needs to be
added.)
Examples and Displays
There are six types of displays: a quickie, one-line indented display
`.D1'; a quickie one-line literal display `.Dl'; and block-ragged, block-
unfilled, block-filled, and block-literal displays, which use the `.Bd'
begin-display and `.Ed' end-display macros.
.D1 (D-one) Display one line of indented text. The `.D1' macro is
parsed, but is not callable.
-ldghfstru
The above was produced by: .Dl Fl ldghfstru.
.Dl (D-ell) Display one line of indented literal text. The `.Dl'
example macro has been used throughout this file. It allows the
indent (display) of one line of text. Its default font is set to
constant width (literal). The `.Dl' macro is parsed, but is not
callable.
% ls -ldg /usr/local/bin
The above was produced by: .Dl % ls -ldg /usr/local/bin.
.Bd Begin-display. The `.Bd' display must end with the `.Ed' macro.
Displays may be nested within lists, but may not contain other
displays; this also prohibits nesting of `.D1' and `.Dl' one-line
displays. `.Bd' has the following syntax:
.Bd display-type [-offset offset_value] [-compact]
The display-type must be one of the following four types and may
have an offset specifier for indentation:
-ragged Fill, but do not adjust the right margin.
-unfilled Do not fill. Display a block of text as typed.
The right (and left) margin edges are left
ragged.
-filled Display a filled (formatted) block. The block
of text is formatted (the edges are filled, not
left unjustified).
-literal Display a literal block, useful for source code
or simple tabbed or spaced text.
-file file_name The file name following the -file flag is read
and displayed. Literal mode is asserted and
tabs are set at 8 constant width character
intervals, however any troff(1)/-mdoc commands
in file will be processed.
-offset string If -offset is specified with one of the
following strings, the string is interpreted to
indicate the level of indentation for the
forthcoming block of text:
left Align block on the current left
margin. This is the default mode of
`.Bd'.
center Supposedly center the block. At
this time, unfortunately, the block
merely gets left aligned about an
imaginary center margin.
indent Indents by one default indent value
or tab. The default indent value is
also used for the `.D1' display so
one is guaranteed the two types of
displays will line up. This indent
is normally set to 6n or about two
thirds of an inch (six constant
width characters).
indent-two Indents two times the default indent
value.
right This left aligns the block about two
inches from the right side of the
page. This macro needs work and
perhaps may never do the right thing
by troff(1).
.Ed End-display.
Tagged Lists and Columns
There are several types of lists which may be initiated with the `.Bl'
begin-list macro. Items within the list are specified with the `.It'
item macro and each list must end with the `.El' macro. Lists other than
-enum may be nested within themselves and within displays. The use of
columns inside of lists or lists inside of columns is unproven.
In addition, several list attributes may be specified such as the width
of a tag, the list offset, and compactness (blank lines between items
allowed or disallowed). Most of this document has been formatted with a
tag style list (-tag). For a change of pace, the list-type used to
present the list-types is an over-hanging list (-ohang). This type of
list is quite popular with TeX users, but might look a bit funny after
having read many pages of tagged lists. The following list types are
accepted by `.Bl':
-bullet, -dash, -enum, -hyphen, -item
These five are the simplest types of lists. Once the `.Bl' macro has
been given, items in the list are merely indicated by a line consisting
solely of the `.It' macro.
Examples of the different types:
-bullet A bullet list.
.Bl -bullet -compact
.It
Bullet one goes here.
.It
Bullet two here.
.El
Produces:
o Bullet one goes here.
o Bullet two here.
-dash A dash (or -hyphen) list.
.Bl -dash -compact
.It
Item one goes here.
.It
Item two here.
.El
Produces:
- Item one goes here.
- Item two here.
-enum An enumerated list.
.Bl -enum -compact
.It
Item one goes here.
.It
And item two here.
.It
Lastly item three goes here.
.El
The results:
1. Item one goes here.
2. And item two here.
3. Lastly item three goes here.
-item An item list.
.Bl -item -compact
.It
Item one goes here.
Item one goes here.
Item one goes here.
.It
Item two goes here.
Item two goes here.
Item two goes here.
.El
Produces:
Item one goes here. Item one goes here. Item one goes here.
Item two goes here. Item two goes here. Item two goes here.
-tag, -diag, -hang, -ohang, -inset
These list types collect arguments specified with the `.It' macro and
create a label which may be inset into the forthcoming text, hanged from
the forthcoming text, overhanged from above and not indented or tagged.
This list was constructed with the `-ohang' list-type. The `.It' macro
is parsed only for the inset, hang and tag list-types and is not
callable. Here is an example of inset labels:
Tag The tagged list (also called a tagged paragraph) is the most
common type of list used in the Berkeley manuals. Use a -width
attribute as described below.
Diag Diag lists create section four diagnostic lists and are
similar to inset lists except callable macros are ignored.
Hang Hanged labels are a matter of taste.
Ohang Overhanging labels are nice when space is constrained.
Inset Inset labels are useful for controlling blocks of paragraphs
and are valuable for converting -mdoc manuals to other formats.
Here is the source text which produced the above example:
.Bl -inset -offset indent
.It Em Tag
The tagged list (also called a tagged paragraph) is the
most common type of list used in the Berkeley manuals.
.It Em Diag
Diag lists create section four diagnostic lists
and are similar to inset lists except callable
macros are ignored.
.It Em Hang
Hanged labels are a matter of taste.
.It Em Ohang
Overhanging labels are nice when space is constrained.
.It Em Inset
Inset labels are useful for controlling blocks of
paragraphs and are valuable for converting
.Nm -mdoc
manuals to other formats.
.El
Here is a hanged list with just two items:
Hanged labels appear similar to tagged lists when the label is
smaller than the label width.
Longer hanged list labels blend in to the paragraph unlike tagged
paragraph labels.
And the unformatted text which created it:
.Bl -hang -offset indent
.It Em Hanged
labels appear similar to tagged lists when the
label is smaller than the label width.
.It Em Longer hanged list labels
blend in to the paragraph unlike
tagged paragraph labels.
.El
Here is an overhanged list:
SL
Sleep time of the process (seconds blocked).
PAGEIN
Number of disk I/O's resulting from references by the process to
pages not loaded in core.
And the unformatted text which created it:
.Bl -ohang
.It Sy SL
Sleep time of the process.
.It Sy PAGEIN
Number of disk I/O's resulting from references by the process
to pages not in core.
.El
Diag lists create section four diagnostic lists and are similar to inset
lists except callable macros are ignored. The -width flag is not
meaningful in this context.
.Bl -diag
.It "xl%d: couldn't map memory"
A fatal initialization error has occurred.
.It "xl%d: couldn't map interrupt"
A fatal initialization error has occurred.
.El
produces:
xl%d: couldn't map memory A fatal initialization error has occurred.
xl%d: couldn't map interrupt A fatal initialization error has occurred.
The tagged list which follows uses a width specifier to control the width
of the tag.
SL sleep time of the process (seconds blocked)
PAGEIN number of disk I/O's resulting from references by the
process to pages not loaded in core.
UID numerical user ID of process owner
PPID numerical ID of parent of process priority (non-positive
when in non-interruptible wait)
The raw text:
.Bl -tag -width "PAGEIN" -compact -offset indent
.It SL
sleep time of the process (seconds blocked)
.It PAGEIN
number of disk
.Tn I/O Ns 's
resulting from references
by the process to pages not loaded in core.
.It UID
numerical user ID of process owner
.It PPID
numerical ID of parent of process priority
(non-positive when in non-interruptible wait)
.El
Acceptable width specifiers:
-width Fl sets the width to the default width for a flag. All
callable macros have a default width value. The
`.Fl', value is presently set to ten constant width
characters or about five-sixths of an inch.
-width 24n sets the width to 24 constant width characters or
about two inches. The `n' is absolutely necessary
for the scaling to work correctly.
-width ENAMETOOLONG
sets width to the constant width length of the string
given.
-width "int mkfifo"
again, the width is set to the constant width of the
string given.
If a width is not specified for the tag list type, the first time `.It'
is invoked, an attempt is made to determine an appropriate width. If the
first argument to `.It' is a callable macro, the default width for that
macro will be used as if the macro name had been supplied as the width.
However, if another item in the list is given with a different callable
macro name, a new and nested list is assumed. This effectively means
that -width is required for the tag list type.
-column
This list type generates multiple columns. The number of columns and the
width of each column is determined by the arguments to the -column list.
Each `.It' argument is parsed to make a row and each column within the
row is a separate argument separated by a tab or the `.Ta' macro.
The table:
String Nroff Troff
<= <= <=
>= >= >=
was produced by:
.Bl -column "String" "Nroff" "Troff" -offset indent
.It Sy "String" Ta Sy "Nroff" Ta Sy "Troff"
.It Li "<=" Ta \&<\&= Ta \*(<=
.It Li ">=" Ta \&>\&= Ta \*(>=
.El
PREDEFINED STRINGS
The following strings are predefined and may be used by preceding them
with the troff(1) string interpreting sequence `\*(xx' where xx is the
name of the defined string or as `\*x' where x is the name of the string.
The interpreting sequence may be used anywhere in the text.
String Nroff Troff
<= <= <=
>= >= >=
Rq '' ''
Lq `` ``
ua ^ ^
aa ' '
ga ` `
q " "
Pi pi pi
Ne != !=
Le <= <=
Ge >= >=
Lt < <
Gt > >
Pm +- +-
If infinity infinity
Na NaN NaN
Ba | |
DIAGNOSTICS
The debugging facilities for -mdoc are limited, but can help detect
subtle errors such as the collision of an argument name with an internal
register or macro name. (A what?) A register is an arithmetic storage
class for troff(1) with a one or two-character name. All registers
internal to -mdoc for troff(1) and ditroff are two characters and of the
form <upper_case><lower_case> such as `Ar', <lower_case><upper_case> as
`aR' or <upper or lower letter><digit> as `C1'. And adding to the
muddle, troff has its own internal registers all of which are either two
lower case characters or a dot plus a letter or meta-character character.
In one of the introduction examples, it was shown how to prevent the
interpretation of a macro name with the escape sequence `\&'. This is
sufficient for the internal register names also.
If a non-escaped register name is given in the argument list of a
request, unpredictable behavior will occur. In general, any time huge
portions of text do not appear where expected in the output, or small
strings such as list tags disappear, chances are there is a
misunderstanding about an argument type in the argument list. Your
mother never intended for you to remember this evil stuff - so here is a
way to find out whether or not your arguments are valid: The `.Db'
(debug) macro displays the interpretation of the argument list for most
macros. Macros such as the `.Pp' (paragraph) macro do not contain
debugging information. All of the callable macros do, and it is strongly
advised whenever in doubt, turn on the `.Db' macro.
Usage: .Db [on | off]
An example of a portion of text with the debug macro placed above and
below an artificially created problem (a flag argument `aC' which should
be `\&aC' in order to work):
.Db on
.Op Fl aC Ar file )
.Db off
The resulting output:
DEBUGGING ON
DEBUG(argv) MACRO: `.Op' Line #: 2
Argc: 1 Argv: `Fl' Length: 2
Space: `' Class: Executable
Argc: 2 Argv: `aC' Length: 2
Space: `' Class: Executable
Argc: 3 Argv: `Ar' Length: 2
Space: `' Class: Executable
Argc: 4 Argv: `file' Length: 4
Space: ` ' Class: String
Argc: 5 Argv: `)' Length: 1
Space: ` ' Class: Closing Punctuation or suffix
MACRO REQUEST: .Op Fl aC Ar file )
DEBUGGING OFF
The first line of information tells the name of the calling macro, here
`.Op', and the line number it appears on. If one or more files are
involved (especially if text from another file is included) the line
number may be bogus. If there is only one file, it should be accurate.
The second line gives the argument count, the argument (Fl) and its
length. If the length of an argument is two characters, the argument is
tested to see if it is executable (unfortunately, any register which
contains a non-zero value appears executable). The third line gives the
space allotted for a class, and the class type. The problem here is the
argument `aC' should not be executable. The four types of classes are
string, executable, closing punctuation and opening punctuation. The
last line shows the entire argument list as it was read. In this next
example, the offending `aC' is escaped:
.Db on
.Em An escaped \&aC
.Db off
DEBUGGING ON
DEBUG(fargv) MACRO: `.Em' Line #: 2
Argc: 1 Argv: `An' Length: 2
Space: ` ' Class: String
Argc: 2 Argv: `escaped' Length: 7
Space: ` ' Class: String
Argc: 3 Argv: `aC' Length: 2
Space: ` ' Class: String
MACRO REQUEST: .Em An escaped &aC
DEBUGGING OFF
The argument `\&aC' shows up with the same length of 2 as the `\&'
sequence produces a zero width, but a register named `\&aC' was not found
and the type classified as string.
Other diagnostics consist of usage statements and are self explanatory.
GROFF, TROFF AND NROFF
The -mdoc package does not need compatibility mode with groff(1).
The package inhibits page breaks, and the headers and footers which
normally occur at those breaks with nroff(1), to make the manual more
efficient for viewing on-line. At the moment, groff(1) with -Tascii does
eject the imaginary remainder of the page at end of file. The inhibiting
of the page breaks makes nroff(1)'d files unsuitable for hardcopy. There
is a register named `cR' which can be set to zero in the site dependent
style file /usr/share/tmac/mdoc/doc-nroff to restore the old style
behavior.
FILES
tmac.doc manual macro package
tmac.doc-common common structural macros and definitions
tmac.doc-ditroff site dependent troff(1) style file
tmac.doc-nroff site dependent nroff(1) style file
tmac.doc-syms special defines
/usr/share/misc/mdoc.template template for writing a man page
SEE ALSOgroff(1), man(1), nroff(1), troff(1), mdoc(7)BUGS
Undesirable hyphenation on the dash of a macro argument is not yet
resolved, and can cause line break on the hyphen.
A `.Pp' before a display causes a double vertical space in PostScript
output.
No macro yet exists to cause a line break without inserting a vertical
space (such as troff's `.br' macro).
`.Dt' does not allow arbitrary arguments, and certainly should.
Arbitrary arguments to `.Os' must be double quoted.
The `.At' macro cannot handle punctuation.
`.Fn' needs to have a check to prevent splitting up if the line length is
too short. Occasionally it separates the last parenthesis, and sometimes
looks ridiculous if a line is in fill mode.
If the outer-most list definition does not have a -width argument, the
`.It' elements of inner lists may not work (producing a list where each
successive element ``walks'' to the right).
The list and display macros do not do any keeps and certainly should be
able to.
Section 3f has not been added to the header routines.
OpenBSD 4.9 September 26, 2010 OpenBSD 4.9