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| author | Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org> | 2024-04-15 19:44:05 +0000 |
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| committer | Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org> | 2024-04-15 19:44:05 +0000 |
| commit | d318611dd6f23fcfedd50e9b9e24620b102ba96a (patch) | |
| tree | 8b9eef82ca40fdd5a8deeabf07572074c236095d /doc/groff.html.node/Basics.html | |
| parent | Initial commit. (diff) | |
| download | groff-d318611dd6f23fcfedd50e9b9e24620b102ba96a.tar.xz groff-d318611dd6f23fcfedd50e9b9e24620b102ba96a.zip | |
Adding upstream version 1.23.0.upstream/1.23.0upstream
Signed-off-by: Daniel Baumann <daniel.baumann@progress-linux.org>
Diffstat (limited to 'doc/groff.html.node/Basics.html')
| -rw-r--r-- | doc/groff.html.node/Basics.html | 232 |
1 files changed, 232 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/doc/groff.html.node/Basics.html b/doc/groff.html.node/Basics.html new file mode 100644 index 0000000..95db07b --- /dev/null +++ b/doc/groff.html.node/Basics.html @@ -0,0 +1,232 @@ +<!DOCTYPE html> +<html> +<!-- Created by GNU Texinfo 7.0.3, https://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/ --> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> +<!-- This manual documents GNU troff version 1.23.0. + +Copyright © 1994-2023 Free Software Foundation, Inc. + +Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document +under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or +any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no +Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A +copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free +Documentation License". --> +<title>Basics (The GNU Troff Manual)</title> + +<meta name="description" content="Basics (The GNU Troff Manual)"> +<meta name="keywords" content="Basics (The GNU Troff Manual)"> +<meta name="resource-type" content="document"> +<meta name="distribution" content="global"> +<meta name="Generator" content="makeinfo"> +<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1"> + +<link href="index.html" rel="start" title="Top"> +<link href="Request-Index.html" rel="index" title="Request Index"> +<link href="index.html#SEC_Contents" rel="contents" title="Table of Contents"> +<link href="Tutorial-for-Macro-Users.html" rel="up" title="Tutorial for Macro Users"> +<link href="Common-Features.html" rel="next" title="Common Features"> +<link href="Tutorial-for-Macro-Users.html" rel="prev" title="Tutorial for Macro Users"> +<style type="text/css"> +<!-- +div.example {margin-left: 3.2em} +span.w-nolinebreak-text {white-space: nowrap} +ul.mark-bullet {list-style-type: disc} +--> +</style> + + +</head> + +<body lang="en"> +<div class="section-level-extent" id="Basics"> +<div class="nav-panel"> +<p> +Next: <a href="Common-Features.html" accesskey="n" rel="next">Common Features</a>, Previous: <a href="Tutorial-for-Macro-Users.html" accesskey="p" rel="prev">Tutorial for Macro Users</a>, Up: <a href="Tutorial-for-Macro-Users.html" accesskey="u" rel="up">Tutorial for Macro Users</a> [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="Request-Index.html" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p> +</div> +<hr> +<h3 class="section" id="Basics-1">3.1 Basics</h3> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-basics-of-macro-package-usage"></a> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-macro-package-usage_002c-basics-of"></a> + +<p>Let us first survey some basic concepts necessary to use a macro package +fruitfully.<a class="footnote" id="DOCF6" href="groff.html_fot.html#FOOT6"><sup>6</sup></a> +References are made throughout to more detailed information. +</p> +<p>GNU <code class="code">troff</code> reads an input file prepared by the user and outputs a +formatted document suitable for publication or framing. The input +consists of text, or words to be printed, and embedded commands +(<i class="slanted">requests</i> and <i class="slanted">escape sequences</i>), which tell GNU +<code class="code">troff</code> how to format the output. See <a class="xref" href="Formatter-Instructions.html">Formatter Instructions</a>. +</p> +<p>The word <i class="slanted">argument</i> is used in this chapter to mean a word or +number that appears on the same line as a request, and which modifies +the meaning of that request. For example, the request +</p> +<div class="example"> +<div class="group"><pre class="example-preformatted">.sp +</pre></div></div> + +<p>spaces one line, but +</p> +<div class="example"> +<div class="group"><pre class="example-preformatted">.sp 4 +</pre></div></div> + +<p>spaces four lines. The number 4 is an argument to the <code class="code">sp</code> +request, which says to space four lines instead of one. Arguments are +separated from the request and from each other by spaces (<em class="emph">not</em> +tabs). See <a class="xref" href="Invoking-Requests.html">Invoking Requests</a>. +</p> +<p>The primary function of GNU <code class="code">troff</code> is to collect words from input +lines, fill output lines with those words, adjust the line to the +right-hand margin by widening spaces, and output the result. For +example, the input: +</p> +<div class="example"> +<div class="group"><pre class="example-preformatted">Now is the time +for all good men +to come to the aid +of their party. +Four score and seven +years ago, etc. +</pre></div></div> + +<p>is read, packed onto output lines, and justified to produce: +</p> +<div class="example"> +<div class="group"><pre class="example-preformatted"> ⇒ Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of + ⇒ their party. Four score and seven years ago, etc. +</pre></div></div> + +<p>Sometimes a new output line should be started even though the current +line is not yet full—for example, at the end of a paragraph. To do +this it is possible to force a <i class="slanted">break</i>, starting a new output +line. Some requests cause a break automatically, as do (normally) blank +input lines and input lines beginning with a space or tab. +</p> +<p>Not all input lines are <i class="slanted">text lines</i>—words to be formatted. +Some are <i class="slanted">control lines</i> that tell a macro package (or GNU +<code class="code">troff</code> directly) how to format the text. Control lines start with +a dot (‘<samp class="samp">.</samp>’) or an apostrophe (‘<samp class="samp">'</samp>’) as the first character, and +can be followed by a <i class="slanted">macro call</i>. +</p> +<p>The formatter also does more complex things, such as automatically +numbering pages, skipping over page boundaries, putting footnotes in the +correct place, and so forth. +</p> +<p>Here are a few hints for preparing text for input to GNU <code class="code">troff</code>. +</p> +<ul class="itemize mark-bullet"> +<li>First, keep the input lines short. Short input lines are easier to +edit, and GNU <code class="code">troff</code> packs words onto longer lines anyhow. + +</li><li>In keeping with this, it is helpful to begin a new line after every +comma or phrase, since common corrections are to add or delete sentences +or phrases. + +</li><li>End each sentence with two spaces—or better, start each sentence on a +new line. GNU <code class="code">troff</code> recognizes characters that usually end a +sentence, and inserts inter-sentence space accordingly. + +</li><li>Do not hyphenate words at the end of lines—GNU <code class="code">troff</code> is smart +enough to hyphenate words as needed, but is not smart enough to take +hyphens out and join a word back together. Also, words such as +“mother-in-law” should not be broken over a line, since then a space +can occur where not wanted, such as “<span class="w-nolinebreak-text">mother-</span> in<!-- /@w -->-law”. +</li></ul> + +<p>We offer further advice in <a class="ref" href="Input-Conventions.html">Input Conventions</a>. +</p> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-vertical-spacing-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-spacing_002c-vertical-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<p>GNU <code class="code">troff</code> permits alteration of the distance between lines of +text. This is termed <i class="slanted">vertical spacing</i> and is expressed in the +same units as the type size—the point. The default is 10-point type +on 12-point spacing. To get <i class="slanted">double-spaced</i> text you would set +the vertical spacing to 24 points. Some, but not all, macro packages +expose a macro or register to configure the vertical spacing. +</p> +<p>A number of requests allow you to change the way the output is arranged +on the page, sometimes called the <i class="slanted">layout</i> of the output page. +Most macro packages don’t supply macros for performing these (at least +not without performing other actions besides), as they are such basic +operations. The macro packages for writing man pages, <samp class="file">man</samp> and +<samp class="file">mdoc</samp>, don’t encourage explicit use of these requests at all. +</p> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-spacing-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<p>The request ‘<samp class="samp">.sp <var class="var">N</var></samp>’<!-- /@w --> leaves <var class="var">N</var> lines of blank +space. <var class="var">N</var> can be omitted (skipping a single line) or can +be of the form <var class="var">N</var>i (for <var class="var">N</var> inches) or <var class="var">N</var>c (for +<var class="var">N</var> centimeters). For example, the input: +</p> +<div class="example"> +<div class="group"><pre class="example-preformatted">.sp 1.5i +My thoughts on the subject +.sp +</pre></div></div> + +<p>leaves one and a half inches of space, followed by the line “My +thoughts on the subject”, followed by a single blank line (more +measurement units are available; see <a class="ref" href="Measurements.html">Measurements</a>). +</p> +<p>If you seek precision in spacing, be advised when using a macro package +that it might not honor <code class="code">sp</code> requests as you expect; it can use a +formatter feature called <i class="slanted">no-space mode</i> to prevent excess space +from accumulating. Macro packages typically offer registers to control +spacing between paragraphs, before section headings, and around displays +(discussed below); use these facilities preferentially. +See <a class="xref" href="Manipulating-Spacing.html">Manipulating Spacing</a>. +</p> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-centering-lines-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-lines_002c-centering-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<p>Text lines can be centered by using the <code class="code">ce</code> request. The line +after <code class="code">ce</code> is centered (horizontally) on the page. To center more +than one line, use ‘<samp class="samp">.ce <var class="var">N</var></samp>’<!-- /@w --> (where <var class="var">N</var> is the number +of lines to center), followed by the <var class="var">N</var> lines. To center many +lines without counting them, type: +</p> +<div class="example"> +<div class="group"><pre class="example-preformatted">.ce 1000 +lines to center +.ce 0 +</pre></div></div> + +<p>The ‘<samp class="samp">.ce 0</samp>’<!-- /@w --> request tells GNU <code class="code">troff</code> to center zero more +lines, in other words, stop centering. +</p> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-right_002daligning-lines-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-lines_002c-right_002daligning-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-right_002djustifying-lines-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-lines_002c-right_002djustifying-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<p>GNU <code class="code">troff</code> also offers the <code class="code">rj</code> request for right-aligning +text. It works analogously to <code class="code">ce</code> and is convenient for setting +epigraphs. +</p> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-page-break-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-break_002c-page-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<p>The <code class="code">bp</code> request starts a new page; this necessarily implies an +ordinary (line) break. +</p> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-break-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<a class="index-entry-id" id="index-line-break-_0028introduction_0029"></a> +<p>All of these requests cause a break; that is, they always start a new +line. To start a new line without performing any other action, use +<code class="code">br</code>. If you invoke them with the apostrophe ‘<samp class="samp">'</samp>’, the +<i class="slanted">no-break control character</i>, the (initial) break they normally +perform is suppressed. ‘<samp class="samp">'br</samp>’ does nothing. +</p> + + +</div> +<hr> +<div class="nav-panel"> +<p> +Next: <a href="Common-Features.html">Common Features</a>, Previous: <a href="Tutorial-for-Macro-Users.html">Tutorial for Macro Users</a>, Up: <a href="Tutorial-for-Macro-Users.html">Tutorial for Macro Users</a> [<a href="index.html#SEC_Contents" title="Table of contents" rel="contents">Contents</a>][<a href="Request-Index.html" title="Index" rel="index">Index</a>]</p> +</div> + + + +</body> +</html> |