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| -rw-r--r-- | man.7 | 441 |
1 files changed, 72 insertions, 369 deletions
@@ -24,24 +24,13 @@ .Nm man .Nd legacy formatting language for manual pages .Sh DESCRIPTION -Traditionally, the +The .Nm man -language has been used to write -.Ux -manuals for the -.Xr man 1 -utility. -It supports limited control of presentational details like fonts, -indentation and spacing. -This reference document describes the structure of manual pages -and the syntax and usage of the man language. -.Pp -.Bf -emphasis -Do not use -.Nm -to write your manuals: -.Ef -It lacks support for semantic markup. +language was the standard formatting language for +.At +manual pages from 1979 to 1989. +Do not use it to write new manual pages: it is a purely presentational +language and lacks support for semantic markup. Use the .Xr mdoc 7 language, instead. @@ -54,7 +43,7 @@ are called .Dq macro lines . The first word is the macro name. It usually consists of two capital letters. -For a list of available macros, see +For a list of portable macros, see .Sx MACRO OVERVIEW . The words following the macro name are arguments to the macro. .Pp @@ -79,189 +68,35 @@ sections in the .Xr roff 7 manual for details, in particular regarding comments, escape sequences, whitespace, and quoting. -.Sh MANUAL STRUCTURE +.Pp Each .Nm -document must contain the +document starts with the .Sx \&TH -macro describing the document's section and title. -It may occur anywhere in the document, although conventionally it -appears as the first macro. -.Pp -Beyond -.Sx \&TH , -at least one macro or text line must appear in the document. -.Pp -The following is a well-formed skeleton -.Nm -file for a utility -.Qq progname : +macro specifying the document's name and section, followed by the +.Sx NAME +section formatted as follows: .Bd -literal -offset indent -\&.TH PROGNAME 1 2009-10-10 +\&.TH PROGNAME 1 1979-01-10 \&.SH NAME \efBprogname\efR \e(en one line about what it does -\&.\e\(dq .SH LIBRARY -\&.\e\(dq For sections 2, 3, and 9 only. -\&.\e\(dq Not used in OpenBSD. -\&.SH SYNOPSIS -\efBprogname\efR [\efB\e-options\efR] \efIfile ...\efR -\&.SH DESCRIPTION -The \efBfoo\efR utility processes files ... -\&.\e\(dq .Sh CONTEXT -\&.\e\(dq For section 9 functions only. -\&.\e\(dq .SH IMPLEMENTATION NOTES -\&.\e\(dq Not used in OpenBSD. -\&.\e\(dq .SH RETURN VALUES -\&.\e\(dq For sections 2, 3, and 9 function return values only. -\&.\e\(dq .SH ENVIRONMENT -\&.\e\(dq For sections 1, 6, 7, and 8 only. -\&.\e\(dq .SH FILES -\&.\e\(dq .SH EXIT STATUS -\&.\e\(dq For sections 1, 6, and 8 only. -\&.\e\(dq .SH EXAMPLES -\&.\e\(dq .SH DIAGNOSTICS -\&.\e\(dq For sections 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9 printf/stderr messages only. -\&.\e\(dq .SH ERRORS -\&.\e\(dq For sections 2, 3, 4, and 9 errno settings only. -\&.\e\(dq .SH SEE ALSO -\&.\e\(dq .BR foobar ( 1 ) -\&.\e\(dq .SH STANDARDS -\&.\e\(dq .SH HISTORY -\&.\e\(dq .SH AUTHORS -\&.\e\(dq .SH CAVEATS -\&.\e\(dq .SH BUGS -\&.\e\(dq .SH SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS -\&.\e\(dq Not used in OpenBSD. .Ed -.Pp -The sections in a -.Nm -document are conventionally ordered as they appear above. -Sections should be composed as follows: -.Bl -ohang -offset indent -.It Em NAME -The name(s) and a short description of the documented material. -The syntax for this is generally as follows: -.Pp -.D1 \efBname\efR \e(en description -.It Em LIBRARY -The name of the library containing the documented material, which is -assumed to be a function in a section 2 or 3 manual. -For functions in the C library, this may be as follows: -.Pp -.D1 Standard C Library (libc, -lc) -.It Em SYNOPSIS -Documents the utility invocation syntax, function call syntax, or device -configuration. -.Pp -For the first, utilities (sections 1, 6, and 8), this is -generally structured as follows: -.Pp -.D1 \efBname\efR [-\efBab\efR] [-\efBc\efR\efIarg\efR] \efBpath\efR... -.Pp -For the second, function calls (sections 2, 3, 9): -.Pp -.D1 \&.B char *name(char *\efIarg\efR); -.Pp -And for the third, configurations (section 4): -.Pp -.D1 \&.B name* at cardbus ? function ? -.Pp -Manuals not in these sections generally don't need a -.Em SYNOPSIS . -.It Em DESCRIPTION -This expands upon the brief, one-line description in -.Em NAME . -It usually contains a break-down of the options (if documenting a -command). -.It Em CONTEXT -This section lists the contexts in which functions can be called in section 9. -The contexts are autoconf, process, or interrupt. -.It Em IMPLEMENTATION NOTES -Implementation-specific notes should be kept here. -This is useful when implementing standard functions that may have side -effects or notable algorithmic implications. -.It Em RETURN VALUES -This section documents the return values of functions in sections 2, 3, and 9. -.It Em ENVIRONMENT -Documents any usages of environment variables, e.g., -.Xr environ 7 . -.It Em FILES -Documents files used. -It's helpful to document both the file name and a short description of how -the file is used (created, modified, etc.). -.It Em EXIT STATUS -This section documents the command exit status for -section 1, 6, and 8 utilities. -Historically, this information was described in -.Em DIAGNOSTICS , -a practise that is now discouraged. -.It Em EXAMPLES -Example usages. -This often contains snippets of well-formed, -well-tested invocations. -Make sure that examples work properly! -.It Em DIAGNOSTICS -Documents error conditions. -In section 4 and 9 manuals, these are usually messages -printed by the kernel to the console and to the kernel log. -In section 1, 6, 7, and 8, these are usually messages -printed by userland programs to the standard error output. -.Pp -Historically, this section was used in place of -.Em EXIT STATUS -for manuals in sections 1, 6, and 8; however, this practise is -discouraged. -.It Em ERRORS -Documents -.Xr errno 2 -settings in sections 2, 3, 4, and 9. -.It Em SEE ALSO -References other manuals with related topics. -This section should exist for most manuals. -.Pp -.D1 \&.BR bar \&( 1 \&), -.Pp -Cross-references should conventionally be ordered -first by section, then alphabetically. -.It Em STANDARDS -References any standards implemented or used, such as -.Pp -.D1 IEEE Std 1003.2 (\e(lqPOSIX.2\e(rq) -.Pp -If not adhering to any standards, the -.Em HISTORY -section should be used. -.It Em HISTORY -A brief history of the subject, including where support first appeared. -.It Em AUTHORS -Credits to the person or persons who wrote the code and/or documentation. -Authors should generally be noted by both name and email address. -.It Em CAVEATS -Common misuses and misunderstandings should be explained -in this section. -.It Em BUGS -Known bugs, limitations, and work-arounds should be described -in this section. -.It Em SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS -Documents any security precautions that operators should consider. -.El .Sh MACRO OVERVIEW This overview is sorted such that macros of similar purpose are listed -together, to help find the best macro for any given purpose. -Deprecated macros are not included in the overview, but can be found -in the alphabetical reference below. +together. +Deprecated and non-portable macros are not included in the overview, +but can be found in the alphabetical reference below. .Ss Page header and footer meta-data -.Bl -column "PP, LP, P" description -.It Sx TH Ta set the title: Ar title section date Op Ar source Op Ar volume +.Bl -column "RS, RE" description +.It Sx TH Ta set the title: Ar name section date Op Ar source Op Ar volume .It Sx AT Ta display AT&T UNIX version in the page footer (<= 1 argument) .It Sx UC Ta display BSD version in the page footer (<= 1 argument) .El .Ss Sections and paragraphs -.Bl -column "PP, LP, P" description +.Bl -column "RS, RE" description .It Sx SH Ta section header (one line) .It Sx SS Ta subsection header (one line) -.It Sx PP , LP , P Ta start an undecorated paragraph (no arguments) +.It Sx PP Ta start an undecorated paragraph (no arguments) .It Sx RS , RE Ta reset the left margin: Op Ar width .It Sx IP Ta indented paragraph: Op Ar head Op Ar width .It Sx TP Ta tagged paragraph: Op Ar width @@ -271,7 +106,7 @@ in the alphabetical reference below. .It Sx in Ta additional indent: Op Ar width .El .Ss Physical markup -.Bl -column "PP, LP, P" description +.Bl -column "RS, RE" description .It Sx B Ta boldface font .It Sx I Ta italic font .It Sx SB Ta small boldface font @@ -295,9 +130,6 @@ releases. The optional arguments specify which release it is from. .Ss \&B Text is rendered in bold face. -.Pp -See also -.Sx \&I . .Ss \&BI Text is rendered alternately in bold face and italic. Thus, @@ -313,38 +145,14 @@ and render in italics. Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output. .Pp -Examples: +Example: .Pp .Dl \&.BI bold italic bold italic -.Pp -The output of this example will be emboldened -.Dq bold -and italicised -.Dq italic , -with spaces stripped between arguments. -.Pp -See also -.Sx \&IB , -.Sx \&BR , -.Sx \&RB , -.Sx \&RI , -and -.Sx \&IR . .Ss \&BR Text is rendered alternately in bold face and roman (the default font). Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output. -.Pp -See -.Sx \&BI -for an equivalent example. -.Pp See also -.Sx \&BI , -.Sx \&IB , -.Sx \&RB , -.Sx \&RI , -and -.Sx \&IR . +.Sx \&BI . .Ss \&DT Restore the default tabulator positions. They are at intervals of 0.5 inches. @@ -353,13 +161,13 @@ This has no effect unless the tabulator positions were changed with the .Ic \&ta request. .Ss \&EE -This is a non-standard GNU extension, included only for compatibility. +This is a non-standard GNU extension. In .Xr mandoc 1 , it does the same as .Sx \&fi . .Ss \&EX -This is a non-standard GNU extension, included only for compatibility. +This is a non-standard GNU extension. In .Xr mandoc 1 , it does the same as @@ -379,34 +187,13 @@ argument is a scaling width. If specified, it's saved for later paragraph left-margins; if unspecified, the saved or default width is used. -.Pp -See also -.Sx \&IP , -.Sx \&LP , -.Sx \&P , -.Sx \&PP , -and -.Sx \&TP . .Ss \&I Text is rendered in italics. -.Pp -See also -.Sx \&B . .Ss \&IB Text is rendered alternately in italics and bold face. Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output. -.Pp -See -.Sx \&BI -for an equivalent example. -.Pp See also -.Sx \&BI , -.Sx \&BR , -.Sx \&RB , -.Sx \&RI , -and -.Sx \&IR . +.Sx \&BI . .Ss \&IP Begin an indented paragraph with the following syntax: .Bd -filled -offset indent @@ -426,50 +213,21 @@ The .Ar head argument is used as a leading term, flushed to the left margin. This is useful for bulleted paragraphs and so on. -.Pp -See also -.Sx \&HP , -.Sx \&LP , -.Sx \&P , -.Sx \&PP , -and -.Sx \&TP . .Ss \&IR Text is rendered alternately in italics and roman (the default font). Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output. -.Pp -See -.Sx \&BI -for an equivalent example. -.Pp See also -.Sx \&BI , -.Sx \&IB , -.Sx \&BR , -.Sx \&RB , -and -.Sx \&RI . +.Sx \&BI . .Ss \&LP -Begin an undecorated paragraph. -The scope of a paragraph is closed by a subsequent paragraph, -sub-section, section, or end of file. -The saved paragraph left-margin width is reset to the default. -.Pp -See also -.Sx \&HP , -.Sx \&IP , -.Sx \&P , -.Sx \&PP , -and -.Sx \&TP . +A synonym for +.Sx \&PP . .Ss \&ME -End a mailto block. -This is a non-standard GNU extension, included only for compatibility. -See +End a mailto block started with .Sx \&MT . +This is a non-standard GNU extension. .Ss \&MT Begin a mailto block. -This is a non-standard GNU extension, included only for compatibility. +This is a non-standard GNU extension. It has the following syntax: .Bd -literal -offset indent .Pf \. Sx \&MT Ar address @@ -478,7 +236,7 @@ link description to be shown .Ed .Ss \&OP Optional command-line argument. -This is a non-standard GNU extension, included only for compatibility. +This is a non-standard GNU extension. It has the following syntax: .Bd -filled -offset indent .Pf \. Sx \&OP @@ -491,16 +249,8 @@ is usually a command-line flag and .Ar value its argument. .Ss \&P -Synonym for -.Sx \&LP . -.Pp -See also -.Sx \&HP , -.Sx \&IP , -.Sx \&LP , -.Sx \&PP , -and -.Sx \&TP . +A synonym for +.Sx \&PP . .Ss \&PD Specify the vertical space to be inserted before each new paragraph. .br @@ -529,34 +279,19 @@ This macro affects the spacing before any subsequent instances of .Sx \&PP , .Sx \&SH , .Sx \&SS , +.Sx \&SY , and .Sx \&TP . .Ss \&PP -Synonym for -.Sx \&LP . -.Pp -See also -.Sx \&HP , -.Sx \&IP , -.Sx \&LP , -.Sx \&P , -and -.Sx \&TP . +Begin an undecorated paragraph. +The scope of a paragraph is closed by a subsequent paragraph, +sub-section, section, or end of file. +The saved paragraph left-margin width is reset to the default. .Ss \&RB Text is rendered alternately in roman (the default font) and bold face. Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output. -.Pp -See -.Sx \&BI -for an equivalent example. -.Pp See also -.Sx \&BI , -.Sx \&IB , -.Sx \&BR , -.Sx \&RI , -and -.Sx \&IR . +.Sx \&BI . .Ss \&RE Explicitly close out the scope of a prior .Sx \&RS . @@ -586,18 +321,8 @@ blocks remain open. .Ss \&RI Text is rendered alternately in roman (the default font) and italics. Whitespace between arguments is omitted in output. -.Pp -See -.Sx \&BI -for an equivalent example. -.Pp See also -.Sx \&BI , -.Sx \&IB , -.Sx \&BR , -.Sx \&RB , -and -.Sx \&IR . +.Sx \&BI . .Ss \&RS Temporarily reset the default left margin. This has the following syntax: @@ -644,16 +369,16 @@ and very rarely used even in GNU manual pages. Formatting is similar to .Sx \&IP . .Ss \&TH -Sets the title of the manual page for use in the page header +Set the name of the manual page for use in the page header and footer with the following syntax: .Bd -filled -offset indent .Pf \. Sx \&TH -.Ar title section date +.Ar name section date .Op Ar source Op Ar volume .Ed .Pp Conventionally, the document -.Ar title +.Ar name is given in all caps. The recommended .Ar date @@ -698,33 +423,24 @@ argument is a scaling width. If specified, it's saved for later paragraph left-margins; if unspecified, the saved or default width is used. -.Pp -See also -.Sx \&HP , -.Sx \&IP , -.Sx \&LP , -.Sx \&P , -and -.Sx \&PP . .Ss \&TQ Like .Sx \&TP , except that no vertical spacing is inserted before the paragraph. -This is a non-standard GNU extension and rarely used even by GNU -manual pages. +This is a non-standard GNU extension +and very rarely used even in GNU manual pages. .Ss \&UC Sets the volume for the footer for compatibility with man pages from .Bx releases. The optional first argument specifies which release it is from. .Ss \&UE -End a uniform resource identifier block. -This is a non-standard GNU extension, included only for compatibility. -See -.Sx \&UE . +End a uniform resource identifier block started with +.Sx \&UR . +This is a non-standard GNU extension. .Ss \&UR Begin a uniform resource identifier block. -This is a non-standard GNU extension, included only for compatibility. +This is a non-standard GNU extension. It has the following syntax: .Bd -literal -offset indent .Pf \. Sx \&UR Ar uri @@ -732,11 +448,11 @@ link description to be shown .Pf \. Sx UE .Ed .Ss \&YS -End a synopsis block started by -.Pf \. Sx SY . +End a synopsis block started with +.Sx \&SY . This is a non-standard GNU extension. .Ss \&fi -End literal mode begun by +End literal mode started with .Sx \&nf . .Ss \&in Indent relative to the current indentation: @@ -794,12 +510,12 @@ The syntax is as follows: .It Sx \&BI Ta n Ta current Ta \& .It Sx \&BR Ta n Ta current Ta \& .It Sx \&DT Ta 0 Ta current Ta \& -.It Sx \&EE Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat -.It Sx \&EX Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat +.It Sx \&EE Ta 0 Ta current Ta GNU +.It Sx \&EX Ta 0 Ta current Ta GNU .It Sx \&I Ta n Ta next-line Ta \& .It Sx \&IB Ta n Ta current Ta \& .It Sx \&IR Ta n Ta current Ta \& -.It Sx \&OP Ta 0, 1 Ta current Ta compat +.It Sx \&OP Ta >=1 Ta current Ta GNU .It Sx \&PD Ta 1 Ta current Ta \& .It Sx \&RB Ta n Ta current Ta \& .It Sx \&RI Ta n Ta current Ta \& @@ -807,18 +523,10 @@ The syntax is as follows: .It Sx \&SM Ta n Ta next-line Ta \& .It Sx \&TH Ta >1, <6 Ta current Ta \& .It Sx \&UC Ta <=1 Ta current Ta \& -.It Sx \&fi Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat -.It Sx \&in Ta 1 Ta current Ta compat -.It Sx \&nf Ta 0 Ta current Ta compat +.It Sx \&fi Ta 0 Ta current Ta Xr roff 7 +.It Sx \&in Ta 1 Ta current Ta Xr roff 7 +.It Sx \&nf Ta 0 Ta current Ta Xr roff 7 .El -.Pp -Macros marked as -.Qq compat -are included for compatibility with the significant corpus of existing -manuals that mix dialects of roff. -These macros should not be used for portable -.Nm -manuals. .Ss Block Macros Block macros comprise a head and body. As with in-line macros, the head is scoped to the current line and, in @@ -838,14 +546,14 @@ by .Sx \&SH ; sub-section, closed by a section or .Sx \&SS ; -part, closed by a section, sub-section, or -.Sx \&RE ; -or paragraph, closed by a section, sub-section, part, +or paragraph, closed by a section, sub-section, .Sx \&HP , .Sx \&IP , .Sx \&LP , .Sx \&P , .Sx \&PP , +.Sx \&RE , +.Sx \&SY , or .Sx \&TP . No closure refers to an explicit block closing macro. @@ -858,22 +566,22 @@ implicitly closed, is syntactically incorrect. .It Sx \&HP Ta <2 Ta current Ta paragraph Ta \& .It Sx \&IP Ta <3 Ta current Ta paragraph Ta \& .It Sx \&LP Ta 0 Ta current Ta paragraph Ta \& +.It Sx \&ME Ta 0 Ta none Ta none Ta GNU +.It Sx \&MT Ta 1 Ta current Ta to \&ME Ta GNU .It Sx \&P Ta 0 Ta current Ta paragraph Ta \& .It Sx \&PP Ta 0 Ta current Ta paragraph Ta \& -.It Sx \&RE Ta 0 Ta current Ta none Ta compat -.It Sx \&RS Ta 1 Ta current Ta part Ta compat +.It Sx \&RE Ta <=1 Ta current Ta none Ta \& +.It Sx \&RS Ta 1 Ta current Ta to \&RE Ta \& .It Sx \&SH Ta >0 Ta next-line Ta section Ta \& .It Sx \&SS Ta >0 Ta next-line Ta sub-section Ta \& +.It Sx \&SY Ta 1 Ta current Ta to \&YS Ta GNU .It Sx \&TP Ta n Ta next-line Ta paragraph Ta \& -.It Sx \&UE Ta 0 Ta current Ta none Ta compat -.It Sx \&UR Ta 1 Ta current Ta part Ta compat +.It Sx \&TQ Ta n Ta next-line Ta paragraph Ta GNU +.It Sx \&UE Ta 0 Ta current Ta none Ta GNU +.It Sx \&UR Ta 1 Ta current Ta part Ta GNU +.It Sx \&YS Ta 0 Ta none Ta none Ta GNU .El .Pp -Macros marked -.Qq compat -are as mentioned in -.Sx Line Macros . -.Pp If a block macro is next-line scoped, it may only be followed by in-line macros for decorating text. .Ss Font handling @@ -918,8 +626,3 @@ This .Nm reference was written by .An Kristaps Dzonsons Aq Mt kristaps@bsd.lv . -.Sh CAVEATS -Do not use this language. -Use -.Xr mdoc 7 , -instead. |