4.6.5.3 Paragraphs

Paragraphing macros break, or terminate, any pending output line so that a new paragraph can begin. Several paragraph types are available, differing in how indentation applies to them: to left, right, or both margins; to the first output line of the paragraph, all output lines, or all but the first. All paragraphing macro calls cause the insertion of vertical space in the amount stored in the PD register, except at page or column breaks. Alternatively, a blank input line breaks the output line and vertically spaces by one vee.

Macro: .LP ¶

Set a paragraph without any (additional) indentation.

Macro: .PP ¶

Set a paragraph with a first-line left indentation in the amount stored in the PI register.

Macro: .IP [marker [width]] ¶

Set a paragraph with a left indentation. The optional marker is not indented and is empty by default. It has several applications; see Lists. width overrides the indentation amount stored in the PI register; its default unit is ‘n’. Once specified, width applies to further IP calls until specified again or a heading or different paragraphing macro is called.

Macro: .QP ¶

Set a paragraph indented from both left and right margins by the amount stored in the QI register.

Macro: .QS ¶

Macro: .QE ¶

Begin (QS) and end (QE) a region where each paragraph is indented from both margins by the amount stored in the QI register. The text between QS and QE can be structured further by use of other paragraphing macros.

Macro: .XP ¶

Set an “exdented” paragraph—one with a left indentation in the amount stored in the PI register on every line except the first (also known as a hanging indent). This is a Berkeley extension.

The following example illustrates the use of paragraphing macros.

.NH 2
Cases used in the 2001 study
.LP
Two software releases were considered for this report.
.PP
The first is commercial software;
the second is free.
.IP \[bu]
Microsoft Word for Windows,
starting with version 1.0 through the current version
(Word 2000).
.IP \[bu]
GNU Emacs,
from its first appearance as a standalone editor through
the current version (v20).
See [Bloggs 2002] for details.
.QP
Franklin's Law applied to software:
software expands to outgrow both RAM and disk space over
time.
.SH
Bibliography
.XP
Bloggs, Joseph R.,
.I "Everyone's a Critic" ,
Underground Press, March 2002.
A definitive work that answers all questions and
criticisms about the quality and usability of free
software.