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GROFF_MDOC(7) BSD Miscellaneous Information Manual GROFF_MDOC(7)
NAME
groff_mdoc -- reference for groff's mdoc implementation
SYNOPSIS
groff -mdoc file ...
DESCRIPTION
A complete reference for writing UNIX manual pages with the -mdoc macro package; a content-based and
domain-based formatting package for GNU troff(1). Its predecessor, the -man(7) package, 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, sec-tion section
tion 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 sub-set subset
set of the day to day informal language used to describe commands, routines and related UNIX 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. Hopefully, 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
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
Escaping Special Characters
Other Possible Pitfalls
2. A MANUAL PAGE TEMPLATE
3. CONVENTIONS
4. TITLE MACROS
5. INTRODUCTION OF MANUAL AND GENERAL TEXT DOMAINS
What's in a Name...
General Syntax
6. MANUAL DOMAIN
Addresses
Author Name
Arguments
Configuration Declarations (Section Four Only)
Command Modifiers
Defined Variables
Errno's
Environment Variables
Flags
Function Declarations
Function Types
Functions (Library Routines)
Function Arguments
Return Values
Exit Status
Interactive Commands
Library Names
Literals
Names
Options
Pathnames
Standards
Variable Types
Variables
Manual Page Cross References
7. GENERAL TEXT DOMAIN
AT&T Macro
BSD Macro
NetBSD Macro
FreeBSD Macro
OpenBSD Macro
BSD/OS Macro
UNIX Macro
Emphasis Macro
Font Mode
Enclosure and Quoting Macros
No-Op or Normal Text Macro
No-Space Macro
Section Cross References
Symbolics
Mathematical Symbols
References and Citations
Trade Names (or Acronyms and Type Names)
Extended Arguments
8. PAGE STRUCTURE DOMAIN
Section Headers
Subsection Headers
Paragraphs and Line Spacing
Keeps
Examples and Displays
Lists and Columns
9. MISCELLANEOUS MACROS
10. PREDEFINED STRINGS
11. DIAGNOSTICS
12. FORMATTING WITH GROFF, TROFF, AND NROFF
13. FILES
14. SEE ALSO
15. BUGS
TROFF IDIOSYNCRASIES
The -mdoc package attempts to simplify the process of writing a man page. Theoretically, one should
not have to learn the tricky details of GNU 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 GNU troff(1), a macro is called by placing a `.' (dot character) at the beginning of a line fol-lowed followed
lowed by the two-character (or three-character) name for the macro. There can be space or tab charac-ters characters
ters between the dot and the macro name. Arguments may follow the macro separated by spaces (but no
tabs). It is the dot character at the beginning of the line which causes GNU troff(1) to interpret the
next two (or more) characters as a macro name. A single starting dot followed by nothing is ignored.
To place a `.' (dot character) at the beginning of an input line in some context other than a macro
invocation, precede the `.' (dot) with the `\&' escape sequence which translates literally to a zero-width zerowidth
width space, and is never displayed in the output.
In general, GNU troff(1) macros accept an unlimited number of arguments (contrary to other versions of
troff which can't handle more than nine arguments). In limited cases, arguments may be continued or
extended on the next line (See Extended Arguments below). Almost all 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 gen-eral general
eral text or manual domain macro name (and which is defined 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). This makes it possible to nest macros; 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 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. 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.
In the following, we call an -mdoc macro which starts a line (with a leading dot) a command if this
distinction is necessary.
Passing Space Characters in an Argument
Sometimes it is desirable to give as an argument a string containing one or more blank space charac-ters, characters,
ters, say, to specify arguments to commands which expect particular arrangement of items in the argu-ment argument
ment list. Additionally, it makes -mdoc working faster. For example, the function command `.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. 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. This method is useful for strings which are not expected to overlap a line
boundary. An alternative is to use `\~', a paddable (i.e. stretchable), unbreakable space (this is a
GNU troff(1) extension). The second method is to enclose the string with double quotes.
For example:
fetch(char *str) is created by `.Fn fetch char\ *str'
fetch(char *str) can also be created by `.Fn fetch "char *str"'
If the `\' before the space in the first example or double quotes in the second example were omitted,
`.Fn' would see three arguments, and the result would be:
fetch(char, *str)
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 use 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.
Other Possible Pitfalls
A warning is emitted when an empty input line is found outside of displays (see below). Use `.sp'
instead. (Well, it is even better to use -mdoc macros to avoid the usage of low-level commands.)
Leading spaces will cause a break and are output directly. Avoid this behaviour if possible. Simi-larly, Similarly,
larly, do not use more than one space character between words in an ordinary text line; contrary to
other text formatters, they are not replaced with a single space.
You can't pass `"' directly as an argument. Use `\*[q]' (or `\*q') instead.
By default, troff(1) inserts two space characters after a punctuation mark closing a sentence; charac-ters characters
ters like `)' or `'' are treated transparently, not influencing the sentence-ending behaviour. To
change this, insert `\&' before or after the dot:
The
.Ql .
character.
.Pp
The
.Ql \&.
character.
.Pp
.No test .
test
.Pp
.No test.
test
gives
The `'. character
The `.' character.
test. test
test. test
As can be seen in the first and third line, -mdoc handles punctuation characters specially in macro
arguments. This will be explained in section General Syntax below. In the same way, you have to pro-tect protect
tect trailing full stops of abbreviations with a trailing zero-width space: `e.g.\&'.
A comment in the source file of a man page can be either started with `.\"' on a single line, `\"'
after some input, or `\#' anywhere (the latter is a GNU troff(1) extension); the rest of such a line is
ignored.
A MANUAL PAGE TEMPLATE
The body of a man page is easily constructed from a basic template:
.\" The following commands are required for all man pages.
.Dd Month day, year
.Os [OPERATING_SYSTEM] [version/release]
.Dt DOCUMENT_TITLE [section number] [architecture/volume]
.Sh NAME
.Nm name
.Nd one line description of name
.\" This next command is for sections 2 and 3 only.
.\" .Sh LIBRARY
.Sh SYNOPSIS
.Sh DESCRIPTION
.\" The following commands should be uncommented and
.\" used where appropriate.
.\" .Sh IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
.\" This next command is for sections 2, 3 and 9 function
.\" return values only.
.\" .Sh RETURN VALUES
.\" This next command is for sections 1, 6, 7 and 8 only.
.\" .Sh ENVIRONMENT
.\" .Sh FILES
.\" .Sh EXAMPLES
.\" This next command is for sections 1, 6, 7, 8 and 9 only
.\" (command return values (to shell) and
.\" fprintf/stderr type diagnostics).
.\" .Sh DIAGNOSTICS
.\" .Sh COMPATIBILITY
.\" This next command is for sections 2, 3 and 9 error
.\" and signal handling only.
.\" .Sh ERRORS
.\" .Sh SEE ALSO
.\" .Sh STANDARDS
.\" .Sh HISTORY
.\" .Sh AUTHORS
.\" .Sh BUGS
The first items in the template are the commands `.Dd', `.Os', and `.Dt'; the document date, the oper-ating operating
ating system the man page or subject source is developed or modified for, and the man page title (in
upper case) along with the section of the manual the page belongs in. These commands 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.
CONVENTIONS
In the description of all macros below, optional arguments are put into brackets. An ellipsis (`...')
represents zero or more additional arguments. Alternative values for a parameter are separated with
`|'. If there are alternative values for a mandatory parameter, braces are used (together with `|') to
enclose the value set. Meta-variables are specified within angles.
Example:
.Xx <foo> {bar1 | bar2} [-test1 [-test2 | -test3]] ...
Except stated explicitly, all macros are parsed and callable.
Note that a macro takes effect up to the next nested macro. For example, `.Ic foo Aq bar' doesn't pro-duce produce
duce `foo <bar>' but `foo <bar>'. Consequently, a warning message is emitted for most commands if the
first argument is a macro itself since it cancels the effect of the calling command completely.
Another consequence is that quoting macros never insert literal quotes; `foo <bar>' has been produced
by `.Ic "foo <bar>"'.
Most macros have a default width value which can be used to specify a label width (-width) or offset
(-offset) for the `.Bl' and `.Bd' macros. It is recommended not to use this rather obscure feature to
avoid dependencies on local modifications of the -mdoc package.
TITLE MACROS
The title macros are part of the page structure domain but are presented first and separately for some-one someone
one 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 authorship. These macros are called once
at the very beginning of the document and are used to construct headers and footers only.
.Dt [<document title>] [<section number>] [<volume>]
The document title is the subject of the man page and must be in CAPITALS due to troff limita-tions. limitations.
tions. If omitted, `UNTITLED' is used. The section number may be a number in the range
1, ..., 9 or `unass', `draft', or `paper'. If it is specified, and no volume name is given, a
default volume name is used.
Under BSD, the following sections are defined:
1 BSD General Commands Manual
2 BSD System Calls Manual
3 BSD Library Functions Manual
4 BSD Kernel Interfaces Manual
5 BSD File Formats Manual
6 BSD Games Manual
7 BSD Miscellaneous Information Manual
8 BSD System Manager's Manual
9 BSD Kernel Developer's Manual
A volume name may be arbitrary or one of the following:
USD User's Supplementary Documents
PS1 Programmer's Supplementary Documents
AMD Ancestral Manual Documents
SMM System Manager's Manual
URM User's Reference Manual
PRM Programmer's Manual
KM Kernel Manual
IND Manual Master Index
LOCAL Local Manual
CON Contributed Software Manual
For compatibility, `MMI' can be used for `IND', and `LOC' for `LOCAL'. Values from the previ-ous previous
ous table will specify a new volume name. If the third parameter is a keyword designating a
computer architecture, its value is prepended to the default volume name as specified by the
second parameter. By default, the following architecture keywords are defined:
alpha, acorn26, acorn32, algor, amd64, amiga, arc, arm26, arm32, atari, bebox, cats,
cesfic, cobalt, dreamcast, evbarm, evbmips, evbppc, evbsh3, hp300, hp700, hpcmips, i386,
luna68k, m68k, mac68k, macppc, mips, mmeye, mvme68k, mvmeppc, netwinder, news68k,
newsmips, next68k, ofppc, pc532, pmax, pmppc, powerpc, prep, sandpoint, sgimips, sh3,
shark, sparc, sparc64, sun3, tahoe, vax, x68k, x86_64
If the section number is neither a numeric expression in the range 1 to 9 nor one of the above
described keywords, the third parameter is used verbatim as the volume name.
In the following examples, the left (which is identical to the right) and the middle part of
the manual page header strings are shown. Note how `\&' prevents the digit 7 from being a
valid numeric expression.
.Dt FOO 7 `FOO(7)' `BSD Miscellaneous Information Manual'
.Dt FOO 7 bar `FOO(7)' `BSD Miscellaneous Information Manual'
.Dt FOO \&7 bar
`FOO(7)' `bar'
.Dt FOO 2 i386 `FOO(2)' `BSD/i386 System Calls Manual'
.Dt FOO "" bar `FOO' `bar'
Local, OS-specific additions might be found in the file mdoc.local; look for strings named
`volume-ds-XXX' (for the former type) and `volume-as-XXX' (for the latter type); `XXX' then
denotes the keyword to be used with the `.Dt' macro.
This macro is neither callable nor parsed.
.Os [<operating system>] [<release>]
If the first parameter is empty, the default `BSD' is used. This may be overridden in the
local configuration file, mdoc.local. In general, the name of the operating system should be
the common acronym, e.g. BSD or ATT. The release should be the standard release nomenclature
for the system specified. In the following table, the possible second arguments for some pre-defined predefined
defined operating systems are listed. Similar to `.Dt', local additions might be defined in
mdoc.local; look for strings named `operating-system-XXX-YYY', where `XXX' is the acronym for
the operating system and `YYY' the release ID.
ATT 7th, 7, III, 3, V, V.2, V.3, V.4
BSD 3, 4, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.3t, 4.3T, 4.3r, 4.3R, 4.4
NetBSD 0.8, 0.8a, 0.9, 0.9a, 1.0, 1.0a, 1.1, 1.2, 1.2a, 1.2b, 1.2c, 1.2d, 1.2e, 1.3,
1.3a, 1.4, 1.4.1, 1.4.2, 1.4.3, 1.5, 1.5.1, 1.5.2, 1.5.3, 1.6, 1.6.1, 1.6.2,
2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.1
FreeBSD 1.0, 1.1, 1.1.5, 1.1.5.1, 2.0, 2.0.5, 2.1, 2.1.5, 2.1.6, 2.1.7, 2.2, 2.2.1,
2.2.2, 2.2.5, 2.2.6, 2.2.7, 2.2.8, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 4.0, 4.1,
4.1.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.6.2, 4.7, 4.8, 4.9, 4.10, 5.0, 5.1, 5.2,
5.2.1, 5.3
For ATT, an unknown second parameter will be replaced with the string UNIX; for the other pre-defined predefined
defined acronyms it will be ignored and a warning message emitted. Unrecognized arguments are
displayed as given in the page footer. For instance, a typical footer might be:
.Os BSD 4.3
giving `4.3 Berkeley Distribution', or for a locally produced set
.Os CS Department
which will produce `CS Department'.
If the `.Os' macro is not present, the bottom left corner of the manual page will be ugly.
This macro is neither callable nor parsed.
.Dd [<month> <day>, <year>]
If `Dd' has no arguments, `Epoch' is used for the date string. If it has exactly three argu-ments, arguments,
ments, they are concatenated, separated with unbreakable space:
.Dd January 25, 2001
The month's name shall not be abbreviated.
With any other number of arguments, the current date is used, ignoring the parameters.
This macro is neither callable nor parsed.
INTRODUCTION OF 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 com-mands, commands,
mands, 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 command 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
command is:
.Xx argument1 argument2 ...
`.Xx' is a macro command, and anything following it are arguments 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 meta arguments; in
this example, the user has to replace the meta expressions given in angle brackets with real file
names. Note that in this document meta arguments are used to describe -mdoc commands; in most man
pages, meta variables are not specifically written with angle brackets. The macros which formatted the
above example:
.Nm filter
.Op Fl flag
.Ao Ar infile Ac Ao Ar outfile Ac
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
.Op Fl I Ar directory
.Op Fl j Ar max_jobs
.Op Ar variable Ns = Ns Ar value
.Bk
.Op Ar target ...
.Ek
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;
most notably, `.Ar', `.Fl', `.Nm', and `.Pa' differ only when called without arguments; and `.Fn' and
`.Xr' impose an order on their argument lists. All content macros are capable of recognizing and prop-erly properly
erly handling punctuation, provided each punctuation character is separated by a leading space. If a
command is given:
.Ar sptr, ptr),
The result is:
sptr, ptr),
The punctuation is not recognized and all is output in the font used by `.Ar'. If the punctuation is
separated by a leading white space:
.Ar sptr , ptr ) ,
The result is:
sptr, ptr),
The punctuation is now recognized and 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 recognized by -mdoc:
. , : ; (
) [ ] ? !
Troff is limited as a macro language, and has difficulty when presented with a string containing a mem-ber member
ber of the mathematical, logical or quotation set:
{+,-,/,*,%,<,>,<=,>=,=,==,&,`,',"}
The problem is that troff 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
Addresses
The address macro identifies an address construct.
Usage: .Ad <address> ...
.Ad addr1 addr1
.Ad addr1 . addr1.
.Ad addr1 , file2 addr1, file2
.Ad f1 , f2 , f3 : f1, f2, f3:
.Ad addr ) ) , addr)),
The default width is 12n.
Author Name
The `.An' macro is used to specify the name of the author of the item being documented, or the name of
the author of the actual manual page.
Usage: .An <author name> ...
.An "Joe Author" Joe Author
.An "Joe Author" , Joe Author,
.An "Joe Author" Aq nobody@FreeBSD.org
Joe Author <nobody@FreeBSD.org>
.An "Joe Author" ) ) , Joe Author)),
The default width is 12n.
In the AUTHORS section, the `.An' command causes a line break allowing each new name to appear on its
own line. If this is not desirable,
.An -nosplit
call will turn this off. To turn splitting back on, write
.An -split
Arguments
The .Ar argument macro may be used whenever an argument is referenced. If called without arguments,
the `file ...' string is output.
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)),
The default width is 12n.
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.
Usage: .Cd <argument> ...
.Cd "device le0 at scode?" device le0 at scode?
In the SYNOPSIS section a `.Cd' command causes a line break before and after its arguments are printed.
The default width is 12n.
Command Modifiers
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, however, 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.
The default width is 10n.
Defined Variables
A variable (or constant) which is defined in an include file is specified by the macro `.Dv'.
Usage: .Dv <defined variable> ...
.Dv MAXHOSTNAMELEN MAXHOSTNAMELEN
.Dv TIOCGPGRP ) TIOCGPGRP)
The default width is 12n.
Errno's
The `.Er' errno macro specifies the error return value for section 2, 3, and 9 library routines. The
second 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 <errno type> ...
.Er ENOENT ENOENT
.Er ENOENT ) ; ENOENT);
.Bq Er ENOTDIR [ENOTDIR]
The default width is 17n.
Environment Variables
The `.Ev' macro specifies an environment variable.
Usage: .Ev <argument> ...
.Ev DISPLAY DISPLAY
.Ev PATH . PATH.
.Ev PRINTER ) ) , PRINTER)),
The default width is 15n.
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 .Fl.Fl
.Fl cfv -cfv
.Fl cfv . -cfv.
.Cm cfv . cfv.
.Fl s v t -s -v -t
.Fl - , --,
.Fl xyz ) , -xyz),
.Fl | - |
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 default width is 12n.
Function Declarations
The `.Fd' macro is used in the SYNOPSIS section with section two or three functions. It is neither
callable nor parsed.
Usage: .Fd <argument> ...
.Fd "#include <sys/types.h>" #include <sys/types.h>
In the SYNOPSIS section a `.Fd' command 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.
The `.In' macro, while in the SYNOPSIS section, represents the #include statement, and is the short
form of the above example. It specifies the C header file as being included in a C program. It also
causes a line break.
While not in the SYNOPSIS section, it represents the header file enclosed in angle brackets.
Usage: .In <header file>
.In stdio.h #include <stdio.h>
.In stdio.h <stdio.h>
Function Types
This macro is intended for the SYNOPSIS section. It may be used anywhere else in the man page without
problems, but its main purpose is to present the function type in kernel normal form for the SYNOPSIS
of sections two and three (it causes a line break, allowing the function name to appear on the next
line).
Usage: .Ft <type> ...
.Ft struct stat struct stat
Functions (Library Routines)
The `.Fn' macro is modeled on ANSI C conventions.
Usage: .Fn <function> [<parameter>] ...
.Fn getchar getchar()
.Fn strlen ) , strlen()),
.Fn align "char *ptr" , align(char *ptr),
Note that any call to another macro signals the end of the `.Fn' call (it will insert a closing paren-thesis parenthesis
thesis at that point).
For functions with many parameters (which is rare), the macros `.Fo' (function open) and `.Fc' (func-tion (function
tion close) may be used with `.Fa' (function argument).
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)
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.
The default width values of `.Fn' and `.Fo' are 12n and 16n, respectively.
Function Arguments
The `.Fa' macro is used to refer to function arguments (parameters) outside of the SYNOPSIS section of
the manual or inside the SYNOPSIS section if the enclosure macros `.Fo' and `.Fc' instead of `.Fn' are
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
The default width is 12n.
Return Values
The `.Rv' macro generates text for use in the RETURN VALUES section.
Usage: .Rv [-std] [<function> ...]
For example, `.Rv -std atexit' produces:
The atexit() function returns the value 0 if successful; otherwise the value -1 is returned and
the global variable errno is set to indicate the error.
The -std option is valid only for manual page sections 2 and 3. Currently, this macro does nothing if
used without the -std flag.
Exit Status
The `.Ex' macro generates text for use in the DIAGNOSTICS section.
Usage: .Ex [-std] [<utility> ...]
For example, `.Ex -std cat' produces:
The cat utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs.
The -std option is valid only for manual page sections 1, 6 and 8. Currently, this macro does nothing
if used without the -std flag.
Interactive Commands
The `.Ic' macro designates an interactive or internal command.
Usage: .Ic <argument> ...
.Ic :wq :wq
.Ic "do while {...}" do while {...}
.Ic setenv , unsetenv setenv, unsetenv
The default width is 12n.
Library Names
The `.Lb' macro is used to specify the library where a particular function is compiled in.
Usage: .Lb <argument> ...
Available arguments to `.Lb' and their results are:
libarm ARM Architecture Library (libarm, -larm)
libarm32 ARM32 Architecture Library (libarm32, -larm32)
libc Standard C Library (libc, -lc)
libcdk Curses Development Kit Library (libcdk, -lcdk)
libcompat Compatibility Library (libcompat, -lcompat)
libcrypt Crypt Library (libcrypt, -lcrypt)
libcurses Curses Library (libcurses, -lcurses)
libedit Command Line Editor Library (libedit, -ledit)
libevent Event Notification Library (libevent, -levent)
libform Curses Form Library (libform, -lform)
libi386 i386 Architecture Library (libi386, -li386)
libintl Internationalized Message Handling Library (libintl, -lintl)
libipsec IPsec Policy Control Library (libipsec, -lipsec)
libkvm Kernel Data Access Library (libkvm, -lkvm)
libm Math Library (libm, -lm)
libm68k m68k Architecture Library (libm68k, -lm68k)
libmagic Magic Number Recognition Library (libmagic, -lmagic)
libmenu Curses Menu Library (libmenu, -lmenu)
libossaudio OSS Audio Emulation Library (libossaudio, -lossaudio)
libpam Pluggable Authentication Module Library (libpam, -lpam)
libpcap Packet Capture Library (libpcap, -lpcap)
libpci PCI Bus Access Library (libpci, -lpci)
libpmc Performance Counters Library (libpmc, -lpmc)
libposix POSIX Compatibility Library (libposix, -lposix)
libpthread POSIX Threads Library (libpthread, -lpthread)
libresolv DNS Resolver Library (libresolv, -lresolv)
librt POSIX Real-time Library (librt, -lrt)
libtermcap Termcap Access Library (libtermcap, -ltermcap)
libusbhid USB Human Interface Devices Library (libusbhid, -lusbhid)
libutil System Utilities Library (libutil, -lutil)
libx86_64 x86_64 Architecture Library (libx86_64, -lx86_64)
libz Compression Library (libz, -lz)
Local, OS-specific additions might be found in the file mdoc.local; look for strings named
`str-Lb-XXX'. `XXX' then denotes the keyword to be used with the `.Lb' macro.
In the LIBRARY section an `.Lb' command causes a line break before and after its arguments are printed.
Literals
The `.Li' literal macro may be used for special characters, variable constants, etc. -- 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 default width is 16n.
Names
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. Note: A section two or three document function name is addressed with the `.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 groff_mdoc groff_mdoc
.Nm \-mdoc -mdoc
.Nm foo ) ) , foo)),
.Nm : groff_mdoc:
The default width is 10n.
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 `.Oo' and `.Oc' (which produce an opening
and a closing option bracket respectively) may be used across one or more lines or to specify the exact
position of the closing parenthesis.
Usage: .Op [<option>] ...
.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]
.Li .Op Oo Ao option Ac Oc ... .Op [<option>] ...
Here a typical example of the `.Oo' and `.Oc' macros:
.Oo
.Op Fl k Ar kilobytes
.Op Fl i Ar interval
.Op Fl c Ar count
.Oc
Produces:
[[-k kilobytes] [-i interval] [-c count]]
The default width values of `.Op' and `.Oo' are 14n and 10n, respectively.
Pathnames
The `.Pa' macro formats path or file names. If called without arguments, the `~' string is output,
which represents the current user's home directory.
Usage: .Pa [<pathname>] ...
.Pa ~
.Pa /usr/share /usr/share
.Pa /tmp/fooXXXXX ) . /tmp/fooXXXXX).
The default width is 32n.
Standards
The `.St' macro replaces standard abbreviations with their formal names.
Usage: .St <abbreviation> ...
Available pairs for ``Abbreviation/Formal Name'' are:
ANSI/ISO C
-ansiC ANSI X3.159-1989 (``ANSI C89'')
-ansiC-89 ANSI X3.159-1989 (``ANSI C89'')
-isoC ISO/IEC 9899:1990 (``ISO C90'')
-isoC-90 ISO/IEC 9899:1990 (``ISO C90'')
-isoC-99 ISO/IEC 9899:1999 (``ISO C99'')
POSIX Part 1: System API
-iso9945-1-90 ISO/IEC 9945-1:1990 (``POSIX.1'')
-iso9945-1-96 ISO/IEC 9945-1:1996 (``POSIX.1'')
-p1003.1 IEEE Std 1003.1 (``POSIX.1'')
-p1003.1-88 IEEE Std 1003.1-1988 (``POSIX.1'')
-p1003.1-90 ISO/IEC 9945-1:1990 (``POSIX.1'')
-p1003.1-96 ISO/IEC 9945-1:1996 (``POSIX.1'')
-p1003.1b-93 IEEE Std 1003.1b-1993 (``POSIX.1'')
-p1003.1c-95 IEEE Std 1003.1c-1995 (``POSIX.1'')
-p1003.1g-2000 IEEE Std 1003.1g-2000 (``POSIX.1'')
-p1003.1i-95 IEEE Std 1003.1i-1995 (``POSIX.1'')
-p1003.1-2001 IEEE Std 1003.1-2001 (``POSIX.1'')
-p1003.1-2004 IEEE Std 1003.1-2004 (``POSIX.1'')
POSIX Part 2: Shell and Utilities
-iso9945-2-93 ISO/IEC 9945-2:1993 (``POSIX.2'')
-p1003.2 IEEE Std 1003.2 (``POSIX.2'')
-p1003.2-92 IEEE Std 1003.2-1992 (``POSIX.2'')
-p1003.2a-92 IEEE Std 1003.2a-1992 (``POSIX.2'')
X/Open
-susv2 Version 2 of the Single UNIX Specification (``SUSv2'')
-susv3 Version 3 of the Single UNIX Specification (``SUSv3'')
-svid4 System V Interface Definition, Fourth Edition (``SVID4'')
-xbd5 X/Open System Interface Definitions Issue 5 (``XBD5'')
-xcu5 X/Open Commands and Utilities Issue 5 (``XCU5'')
-xcurses4.2 X/Open Curses Issue 4, Version 2 (``XCURSES4.2'')
-xns5 X/Open Networking Services Issue 5 (``XNS5'')
-xns5.2 X/Open Networking Services Issue 5.2 (``XNS5.2'')
-xpg3 X/Open Portability Guide Issue 3 (``XPG3'')
-xpg4 X/Open Portability Guide Issue 4 (``XPG4'')
-xpg4.2 X/Open Portability Guide Issue 4, Version 2 (``XPG4.2'')
-xsh5 X/Open System Interfaces and Headers Issue 5 (``XSH5'')
Miscellaneous
-ieee754 IEEE Std 754-1985
-iso8802-3 ISO/IEC 8802-3:1989
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 *
Variables
Generic variable reference.
Usage: .Va <variable> ...
.Va count count
.Va settimer , settimer,
.Va "int *prt" ) : int *prt):
.Va "char s" ] ) ) , char s])),
The default width is 12n.
Manual Page Cross References
The `.Xr' macro expects the first argument to be a manual page name. The optional second argument, if
a string (defining the manual section), is put into parentheses.
Usage: .Xr <man page name> [<section>] ...
.Xr mdoc mdoc
.Xr mdoc , mdoc,
.Xr mdoc 7 mdoc(7)
.Xr xinit 1x ; xinit(1x);
The default width is 10n.
GENERAL TEXT DOMAIN
AT&T Macro
Usage: .At [<version>] ...
.At AT&T UNIX
.At v6 . Version 6 AT&T UNIX.
The following values for <version> are possible:
32v, v1, v2, v3, v4, v5, v6, v7, V, V.1, V.2, V.3, V.4
BSD Macro
Usage: .Bx {-alpha | -beta | -devel} ...
.Bx [<version> [<release>]] ...
.Bx BSD
.Bx 4.3 . 4.3BSD.
.Bx -devel BSD (currently under development)
<version> will be prepended to the string `BSD'. The following values for <release> are possible:
Reno, reno, Tahoe, tahoe, Lite, lite, Lite2, lite2
NetBSD Macro
Usage: .Nx [<version>] ...
.Nx NetBSD
.Nx 1.4 . NetBSD 1.4.
For possible values of <version> see the description of the `.Os' command above in section TITLE
MACROS.
FreeBSD Macro
Usage: .Fx [<version>] ...
.Fx FreeBSD
.Fx 2.2 . FreeBSD 2.2.
For possible values of <version> see the description of the `.Os' command above in section TITLE
MACROS.
OpenBSD Macro
Usage: .Ox [<version>] ...
.Ox 1.0 OpenBSD 1.0
BSD/OS Macro
Usage: .Bsx [<version>] ...
.Bsx 1.0 BSD/OS 1.0
UNIX Macro
Usage: .Ux ...
.Ux UNIX
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 1_24.
.Em vide infra ) ) , vide infra)),
The default width is 10n.
Font Mode
The `.Bf' font mode must be ended with the `.Ef' macro (the latter takes no arguments). Font modes may
be nested within other font modes.
`.Bf' has the following syntax:
.Bf <font mode>
<font mode> must be one of the following three types:
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.
Both macros are neither callable nor parsed.
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.
Quote Open Close Function Result
.Aq .Ao .Ac Angle Bracket Enclosure <string>
.Bq .Bo .Bc Bracket Enclosure [string]
.Brq .Bro .Brc Brace Enclosure {string}
.Dq .Do .Dc Double Quote ``string''
.Eq .Eo .Ec Enclose String (in XX) XXstringXX
.Pq .Po .Pc Parenthesis Enclosure (string)
.Ql Quoted Literal `string' or string
.Qq .Qo .Qc Straight Double Quote "string"
.Sq .So .Sc Single Quote `string'
All macros ending with `q' and `o' have a default width value of 12n.
.Eo, .Ec These macros expect the first argument to be the opening and closing strings respectively.
.Es, .En Due to the nine-argument limit in the original troff program two other macros have been
implemented which are now rather obsolete: `.Es' takes the first and second parameter as the
left and right enclosure string, which are then used to enclose the arguments of `.En'. The
default width value is 12n for both macros.
.Eq The first and second arguments of this macro are the opening and closing strings respec-tively, respectively,
tively, followed by the arguments to be enclosed.
.Ql The quoted literal macro behaves differently in troff and nroff mode. If formatted with
nroff, a quoted literal is always quoted. If formatted with troff, 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.
The default width is 16n.
.Pf The prefix macro suppresses the whitespace between its first and second argument:
.Pf ( Fa name2 (name2
The default width is 12n.
The `.Ns' macro (see below) performs the analogous suffix function.
.Ap The `.Ap' macro inserts an apostrophe and exits any special text modes, continuing in `.No'
mode.
Examples of quoting:
.Aq <>
.Aq Pa 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'
.Em or Ap ing or'ing
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 are discussed below.
No-Op or Normal Text Macro
The `.No' macro can be used in a macro command line for parameters which should not be formatted. Be
careful to add `\&' to the word `No' if you really want that English word (and not the macro) as a
parameter.
Usage: .No <argument> ...
.No test Ta with Ta tabs test with tabs
The default width is 12n.
No-Space Macro
The `.Ns' macro suppresses insertion of a space between the current position and its first parameter.
For example, it is useful for old style argument lists where there is no space between the flag and
argument:
Usage: ... <argument> Ns [<argument>] ...
.Ns <argument> ...
.Op Fl I Ns Ar directory [-Idirectory]
Note: The `.Ns' macro always invokes the `.No' macro after eliminating the space unless another macro
name follows it. If used as a command (i.e., the second form above in the `Usage' line), `.Ns' is
identical to `.No'.
Section Cross References
The `.Sx' macro designates a reference to a section header within the same document.
Usage: .Sx <section reference> ...
.Sx FILES FILES
The default width is 16n.
Symbolics
The symbolic emphasis macro is generally a boldface macro in either the symbolic sense or the tradi-tional traditional
tional English usage.
Usage: .Sy <symbol> ...
.Sy Important Notice Important Notice
The default width is 6n.
Mathematical Symbols
Use this macro for mathematical symbols and similar things.
Usage: .Ms <math symbol> ...
.Ms sigma sigma
The default width is 6n.
References and Citations
The following macros make a modest attempt to handle references. At best, the macros make it conve-nient convenient
nient to manually drop in a subset of refer(1) style references.
.Rs Reference start (does not take arguments). Causes a line break in the SEE ALSO section
and begins collection of reference information until the reference end macro is read.
.Re Reference end (does not take arguments). The reference is printed.
.%A Reference author name; one name per invocation.
.%B Book title.
.%C City/place (not implemented yet).
.%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.
Macros beginning with `%' are not callable but accept multiple arguments in the usual way. Only the
`.Tn' macro is handled properly as a parameter; other macros will cause strange output. `.%B' and
`.%T' can be used outside of the `.Rs/.Re' environment.
Example:
.Rs
.%A "Matthew Bar"
.%A "John Foo"
.%T "Implementation Notes on foobar(1)"
.%R "Technical Report ABC-DE-12-345"
.%Q "Drofnats College, Nowhere"
.%D "April 1991"
.Re
produces
Matthew Bar and John Foo, Implementation Notes on foobar(1), Technical Report ABC-DE-12-345,
Drofnats College, Nowhere, April 1991.
Trade Names (or Acronyms and Type Names)
The trade name macro prints its arguments in a smaller font. Its intended use is to imitate a small
caps fonts for uppercase acronyms.
Usage: .Tn <symbol> ...
.Tn DEC DEC
.Tn ASCII ASCII
The default width is 10n.
Extended Arguments
The .Xo and .Xc macros allow one to extend an argument list on a macro boundary for the `.It' macro
(see below). Note that .Xo and .Xc are implemented similarly to all other macros opening and closing
an enclosure (without inserting characters, of course). This means that the following is true for
those macros also.
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 enclosure macros: Test the value of a variable.
.It Xo
.Ic .ifndef
.Oo \&! Oc Ns Ar variable Oo
.Ar operator variable ...
.Oc Xc
produces
.ifndef [!]variable [operator variable ...]
PAGE STRUCTURE DOMAIN
Section Headers
The following `.Sh' section header macros are required in every man page. The remaining section head-ers headers
ers are recommended at the discretion of the author writing the manual page. The `.Sh' macro is parsed
but not generally callable. It can be used as an argument in a call to `.Sh' only; it then reactivates
the default font for `.Sh'.
The default width is 8n.
.Sh NAME The `.Sh NAME' macro is mandatory. If not specified, headers, footers and page lay-out layout
out 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 sub-ject subject
ject of the man page. The second is the name description macro, `.Nd', which sepa-rates separates
rates the subject name from the third item, which is the description. The descrip-tion description
tion should be the most terse and lucid possible, as the space available is small.
`.Nd' first prints `-', then all its arguments.
.Sh LIBRARY This section is for section two and three function calls. It should consist of a
single `.Lb' macro call; see Library Names.
.Sh SYNOPSIS The SYNOPSIS section describes the typical usage of the subject of a man page. The
macros required are either `.Nm', `.Cd', or `.Fn' (and possibly `.Fo', `.Fc', `.Fd',
and `.Ft'). 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,
and 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
.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).
.Sh IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
Implementation specific information should be placed here.
.Sh RETURN VALUES Sections 2, 3 and 9 function return values should go here. The `.Rv' macro may be
used to generate text for use in the RETURN VALUES section for most section 2 and 3
library functions; see Return Values.
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 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 Diagnostic messages from a command should be placed in this section. The `.Ex'
macro may be used to generate text for use in the DIAGNOSTICS section for most sec-tion section
tion 1, 6 and 8 commands; see Exit Status.
.Sh COMPATIBILITY Known compatibility issues (e.g. deprecated options or parameters) should be listed
here.
.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 error (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. Currently refer(1) style references are not accom-modated. accommodated.
modated.
It is recommended that the cross references are sorted on the section number, then
alphabetically on the names within a section, and placed in that order and comma
separated. Example:
ls(1), ps(1), group(5), passwd(5)
.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 C89'') 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 his-torically historically
torically in this section.
.Sh AUTHORS Credits should be placed here. Use the `.An' macro for names and the `.Aq' macro
for e-mail addresses within optional contact information. Explicitly indicate
whether the person authored the initial manual page or the software or whatever the
person is being credited for.
.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
Subsection headers have exactly the same syntax as section headers: `.Ss' is parsed but not generally
callable. It can be used as an argument in a call to `.Ss' only; it then reactivates the default font
for `.Ss'.
The default width is 8n.
Paragraphs and Line Spacing
.Pp The `.Pp' paragraph command may be used to specify a line space where necessary. The macro is not
necessary after a `.Sh' or `.Ss' macro or before a `.Bl' or `.Bd' macro (which both assert a ver-tical vertical
tical distance unless the -compact flag is given).
The macro is neither callable nor parsed and takes no arguments; an alternative name is `.Lp'.
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 currently is -words (this is also the default if
no option is given) which is useful for preventing line breaks in the middle of options. In the exam-ple example
ple for the make command line arguments (see What's in a Name), the keep prevented nroff from placing
up the flag and the argument on separate lines.
Both macros are neither callable nor parsed.
More work needs to be done with the keep macros; specifically, a -line option should be added.
Examples and Displays
There are seven types of displays.
.D1 (This is D-one.) Display one line of indented text. This macro is parsed but not callable.
-ldghfstru
The above was produced by: .D1 Fl ldghfstru.
.Dl (This is D-ell.) Display one line of indented literal text. The `.Dl' example macro has been
used throughout this file. It allows the indentation (display) of one line of text. Its default
font is set to constant width (literal). `.Dl' is parsed but 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 be ended with the `.Ed' macro. It has the following syn-tax: syntax:
tax:
.Bd {-literal | -filled | -unfilled | -ragged | -centered} [-offset <string>] [-file <file
name>] [-compact]
-ragged Fill, but do not adjust the right margin (only left-justify).
-centered Center lines between the current left and right margin. Note that each single
line is centered.
-unfilled Do not fill; display a block of text as typed, using line breaks as specified
by the user. This can produce overlong lines without warning messages.
-filled Display a filled block. The block of text is formatted (i.e., the text is jus-tified justified
tified on both the left and right side).
-literal Display block with literal font (usually fixed-width). Useful for source code
or simple tabbed or spaced text.
-file <file name> The file whose name follows the -file flag is read and displayed before any
data enclosed with `.Bd' and `.Ed', using the selected display type. Any
troff/-mdoc commands in the file will be processed.
-offset <string> If -offset is specified with one of the following strings, the string is inter-preted interpreted
preted 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 Indent by one default indent value or tab. The default indent
value is also used for the `.D1' and `.Dl' macros, so one is guar-anteed guaranteed
anteed the two types of displays will line up. The indentation
value is normally set to 6n or about two thirds of an inch (six
constant width characters).
indent-two Indent 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 within troff.
If <string> is a valid numeric expression instead (with a scale indicator other
than `u'), use that value for indentation. The most useful scale indicators
are `m' and `n', specifying the so-called Em and En square. This is approxi-mately approximately
mately the width of the letters `m' and `n' respectively of the current font
(for nroff output, both scale indicators give the same values). If <string>
isn't a numeric expression, it is tested whether it is an -mdoc macro name, and
the default offset value associated with this macro is used. Finally, if all
tests fail, the width of <string> (typeset with a fixed-width font) is taken as
the offset.
-compact Suppress insertion of vertical space before begin of display.
.Ed End display (takes no arguments).
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
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 format-ted formatted
ted with a tag style list (-tag).
It has the following syntax forms:
.Bl {-hang | -ohang | -tag | -diag | -inset} [-width <string>] [-offset <string>] [-compact]
.Bl -column [-offset <string>] <string1> <string2> ...
.Bl {-item | -enum [-nested] | -bullet | -hyphen | -dash} [-offset <string>] [-compact]
And now a detailed description of the list types.
-bullet A bullet list.
.Bl -bullet -offset indent -compact
.It
Bullet one goes here.
.It
Bullet two here.
.El
Produces:
• Bullet one goes here.
• Bullet two here.
-dash (or -hyphen)
A dash list.
.Bl -dash -offset indent -compact
.It
Dash one goes here.
.It
Dash two here.
.El
Produces:
- Dash one goes here.
- Dash two here.
-enum An enumerated list.
.Bl -enum -offset indent -compact
.It
Item one goes here.
.It
And item two here.
.El
The result:
1. Item one goes here.
2. And item two here.
If you want to nest enumerated lists, use the -nested flag (starting with the second-level
list):
.Bl -enum -offset indent -compact
.It
Item one goes here
.Bl -enum -nested -compact
.It
Item two goes here.
.It
And item three here.
.El
.It
And item four here.
.El
Result:
1. Item one goes here.
1.1. Item two goes here.
1.2. And item three here.
2. And item four here.
-item A list of type -item without list markers.
.Bl -item -offset indent
.It
Item one goes here.
Item one goes here.
Item one goes here.
.It
Item two here.
Item two here.
Item two here.
.El
Produces:
Item one goes here. Item one goes here. Item one goes here.
Item two here. Item two here. Item two here.
-tag A list with tags. Use -width to specify the tag width.
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 "PPID" -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
-diag 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.
Example:
.Bl -diag
.It You can't use Sy here.
The message says all.
.El
produces
You can't use Sy here. The message says all.
-hang A list with hanging tags.
Hanged labels appear similar to tagged lists when the label is smaller than the label
width.
Longer hanged list labels blend into 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 into the paragraph unlike
tagged paragraph labels.
.El
-ohang Lists with overhanging tags do not use indentation for the items; tags are written to a sepa-rate separate
rate line.
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 -ohang -offset indent
.It Sy SL
sleep time of the process (seconds blocked)
.It Sy PAGEIN
number of disk
.Tn I/O Ns 's
resulting from references by the process
to pages not loaded in core.
.It Sy UID
numerical user-id of process owner
.It Sy PPID
numerical id of parent of process priority
(non-positive when in non-interruptible wait)
.El
-inset 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
-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, <string1>, <string2>, etc. If <stringN>
starts with a `.' (dot) immediately followed by a valid -mdoc macro name, interpret <stringN>
and use the width of the result. Otherwise, the width of <stringN> (typeset with a fixed-width fixedwidth
width font) is taken as the Nth column width.
Each `.It' argument is parsed to make a row, 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 -offset indent ".Sy String" ".Sy Nroff" ".Sy Troff"
.It Sy String Ta Sy Nroff Ta Sy Troff
.It Li <= Ta <= Ta \*(<=
.It Li >= Ta >= Ta \*(>=
.El
Other keywords:
-width <string> If <string> starts with a `.' (dot) immediately followed by a valid -mdoc macro name,
interpret <string> and use the width of the result. Almost all lists in this docu-ment document
ment use this option.
Example:
.Bl -tag -width ".Fl test Ao Ar string Ac"
.It Fl test Ao Ar string Ac
This is a longer sentence to show how the
.Fl width
flag works in combination with a tag list.
.El
gives:
-test <string> This is a longer sentence to show how the -width flag works in combi-nation combination
nation with a tag list.
(Note that the current state of -mdoc is saved before <string> is interpreted; after-wards, afterwards,
wards, all variables are restored again. However, boxes (used for enclosures) can't
be saved in GNU troff(1); as a consequence, arguments must always be balanced to
avoid nasty errors. For example, do not write `.Ao Ar string' but `.Ao Ar string Xc'
instead if you really need only an opening angle bracket.)
Otherwise, if <string> is a valid numeric expression (with a scale indicator other
than `u'), use that value for indentation. The most useful scale indicators are `m'
and `n', specifying the so-called Em and En square. This is approximately the width
of the letters `m' and `n' respectively of the current font (for nroff output, both
scale indicators give the same values). If <string> isn't a numeric expression, it
is tested whether it is an -mdoc macro name, and the default width value associated
with this macro is used. Finally, if all tests fail, the width of <string> (typeset
with a fixed-width font) is taken as the width.
If a width is not specified for the tag list type, every 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; otherwise, the
default width of `.No' is used.
-offset <string> If <string> is indent, a default indent value (normally set to 6n, similar to the
value used in `.Dl' or `.Bd') is used. If <string> is a valid numeric expression
instead (with a scale indicator other than `u'), use that value for indentation. The
most useful scale indicators are `m' and `n', specifying the so-called Em and En
square. This is approximately the width of the letters `m' and `n' respectively of
the current font (for nroff output, both scale indicators give the same values). If
<string> isn't a numeric expression, it is tested whether it is an -mdoc macro name,
and the default offset value associated with this macro is used. Finally, if all
tests fail, the width of <string> (typeset with a fixed-width font) is taken as the
offset.
-compact Suppress insertion of vertical space before the list and between list items.
MISCELLANEOUS MACROS
Here a list of the remaining macros which do not fit well into one of the above sections. We couldn't
find real examples for the following macros: `.Me' and `.Ot'. They are documented here for complete-ness completeness
ness - if you know how to use them properly please send a mail to bug-groff@gnu.org (including an exam-ple). example).
ple).
.Bt prints
is currently in beta test.
It is neither callable nor parsed and takes no arguments.
.Fr
Usage: .Fr <function return value> ...
Don't use this macro. It allows a break right before the return value (usually a single digit)
which is bad typographical behaviour. Use `\~' to tie the return value to the previous word.
.Hf Use this macro to include a (header) file literally. It first prints `File:' followed by the file
name, then the contents of <file>.
Usage: .Hf <file>
It is neither callable nor parsed.
.Lk To be written.
.Me Exact usage unknown. The documentation in the -mdoc source file describes it as a macro for
``menu entries''.
Its default width is 6n.
.Mt To be written.
.Ot Exact usage unknown. The documentation in the -mdoc source file describes it as ``old function
type (fortran)''.
.Sm Activate (toggle) space mode.
Usage: .Sm [on | off] ...
If space mode is off, no spaces between macro arguments are inserted. If called without a parame-ter parameter
ter (or if the next parameter is neither `on' nor `off', `.Sm' toggles space mode.
.Ud prints
currently under development.
It is neither callable nor parsed and takes no arguments.
PREDEFINED STRINGS
The following strings are predefined:
String Nroff Troff Meaning
<= <= <= less equal
>= >= >= greater equal
Rq '' '' right double quote
Lq `` `` left double quote
ua ^ ^ upwards arrow
aa ' ' acute accent
ga ` ` grave accent
q " " straight double quote
Pi pi pi greek pi
Ne != != not equal
Le <= <= less equal
Ge >= >= greater equal
Lt < < less than
Gt > > greater than
Pm +- +- plus minus
If infinity infinity infinity
Am & & ampersand
Na NaN NaN not a number
Ba | | vertical bar
The names of the columns Nroff and Troff are a bit misleading; Nroff shows the ASCII representation,
while Troff gives the best glyph form available. For example, a Unicode enabled TTY-device will have
proper glyph representations for all strings, whereas the enhancement for a Latin1 TTY-device is only
the plus-minus sign.
String names which consist of two characters can be written as `\*(xx'; string names which consist of
one character can be written as `\*x'. A generic syntax for a string name of any length is `\*[xxx]'
(this is a GNU troff(1) extension).
DIAGNOSTICS
The debugging macro `.Db' available in previous versions of -mdoc has been removed since GNU troff(1)
provides better facilities to check parameters; additionally, many error and warning messages have been
added to this macro package, making it both more robust and verbose.
The only remaining debugging macro is `.Rd' which yields a register dump of all global registers and
strings. A normal user will never need it.
FORMATTING WITH GROFF, TROFF, AND NROFF
By default, the package inhibits page breaks, headers, and footers if displayed with a TTY device like
`latin1' or `unicode', to make the manual more efficient for viewing on-line. This behaviour can be
changed (e.g. to create a hardcopy of the TTY output) by setting the register `cR' to zero while call-ing calling
ing groff(1), resulting in multiple pages instead of a single, very long page:
groff -Tlatin1 -rcR=0 -mdoc foo.man > foo.txt
For double-sided printing, set register `D' to 1:
groff -Tps -rD1 -mdoc foo.man > foo.ps
To change the document font size to 11pt or 12pt, set register `S' accordingly:
groff -Tdvi -rS11 -mdoc foo.man > foo.dvi
Register `S' is ignored for TTY devices.
The line and title length can be changed by setting the registers `LL' and `LT', respectively:
groff -Tutf8 -rLL=100n -rLT=100n -mdoc foo.man | less
If not set, both registers default to 78n for TTY devices and 6.5i otherwise.
FILES
doc.tmac The main manual macro package.
mdoc.tmac A wrapper file to call doc.tmac.
mdoc/doc-common Common strings, definitions, stuff related typographic output.
mdoc/doc-nroff Definitions used for a TTY output device.
mdoc/doc-ditroff Definitions used for all other devices.
mdoc.local Local additions and customizations.
andoc.tmac This file checks whether the -mdoc or the -man package should be used.
SEE ALSO
groff(1), man(1), troff(1), groff_man(7)
BUGS
Section 3f has not been added to the header routines.
`.Nm' font should be changed in NAME section.
`.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.
The list and display macros do not do any keeps and certainly should be able to.
BSD August 28, 2005 BSD
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