ROFF

Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: 19 May 1983
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NAME

roff - format text

SYNOPSIS

/roff [ +n ] [ -n ] [ -s ] [ -h ] file ...

nroff -mr [ option ] ... file ...
troff -mr [ option ] ... file ...

DESCRIPTION

Roff formats text according to control lines embedded in the text in the given files. Encountering a nonexistent file terminates printing. Incoming inter-terminal messages are turned off during printing. The optional flag arguments mean:

+n: Start printing at the first page with number n.
-n: Stop printing at the first page numbered higher than n.
-s: Stop before each page (including the first) to allow paper manipulation; resume on receipt of an interrupt signal.
-h: Insert tabs in the output stream to replace spaces whenever appropriate.

Input consists of intermixed text lines, which contain information to be formatted, and request lines, which contain instructions about how to format it. Request lines begin with a distinguished control character, normally a period.

Output lines may be filled as nearly as possible with words without regard to input lineation. Line breaks may be caused at specified places by certain commands, or by the appearance of an empty input line or an input line beginning with a space.

The capabilities of roff are specified in the attached Request Summary. Numerical values are denoted there by n or +n, titles by t, and single characters by c. Numbers denoted +n may be signed + or -, in which case they signify relative changes to a quantity, otherwise they signify an absolute resetting. Missing n fields are ordinarily taken to be 1, missing t fields to be empty, and c fields to shut off the appropriate special interpretation.

Running titles usually appear at top and bottom of every page. They are set by requests like

.he 'part1'part2'part3'

Part1 is left justified, part2 is centered, and part3 is right justified on the page. Any % sign in a title is replaced by the current page number. Any nonblank may serve as a quote.

ASCII tab characters are replaced in the input by a replacement character, normally a space, according to the column settings given by a .ta command. (See .tr for how to convert this character on output.)

Automatic hyphenation of filled output is done under control of .hy. When a word contains a designated hyphenation character, that character disappears from the output and hyphens can be introduced into the word at the marked places only.

The -mr option of nroff or troff(1) simulates roff to the greatest extent possible.

FILES

/tmp/rtm* temporary

BUGS

Roff is the simplest of the text formatting programs, and is utterly frozen.

This is a home-brewed C version of a V7 assembly-language program. It hyphenates only at hyphenation characters and comes with no guarantees. In particular, ridiculously long source lines will crash it.

AUTHOR

G. L. Sicherman (decvax!sunybcs!colonel) REQUEST SUMMARY

Request   Break Initial Meaning

.ad       yes   yes     Begin adjusting right margins.

.ar       no    arabic  Arabic page numbers.

.br       yes   -       Causes a line break - the filling of
the current line is stopped.
.bl|n     yes   -       Insert of n blank lines, on new page if necessary.

.bp|+n    yes   n=1     Begin new page and number it n; no n means `+1'.

.cc|c     no    c=.     Control character becomes `c'.

.ce|n     yes   -       Center the next n input lines,
without filling.
.de|xx    no    -       Define parameterless macro
to be invoked by request `.xx' (definition ends on line beginning `..').
.ds       yes   no      Double space; same as `.ls 2'.

.ef|t     no    t=      Even foot title becomes t.

.eh|t     no    t=      Even head title becomes t.

.fi       yes   yes     Begin filling output lines.

.fo       no    t=      All foot titles are t.

.hc|c     no    none    Hyphenation character becomes `c'.

.he|t     no    t=      All head titles are t.

.hx       no    -       Title lines are suppressed.

.hy|n     no    n=1     Hyphenation is done, if n=1;
and is not done, if n=0.
.ig       no    -       Ignore input lines through
a line beginning with `..'.
.in|+n    yes   -       Indent n spaces from left margin.

.ix +n    no    -       Same as `.in' but without break.

.li|n     no    -       Literal, treat next n lines as text.

.ll|+n    no    n=65    Line length including indent is n characters.

.ls|+n    yes   n=1     Line spacing set to n lines per output line.

.m1|n     no    n=2     Put n blank lines between the top
of page and head title.
.m2|n     no    n=2     n blank lines put between head title
and beginning of text on page.
.m3|n     no    n=1     n blank lines put between end of
text and foot title.
.m4|n     no    n=3     n blank lines put between the foot title
and the bottom of page.
.na       yes   no      Stop adjusting the right margin.

.ne|n     no    -       Begin new page, if n output lines
cannot fit on present page.
.nn|+n    no    -       The next n output lines are not numbered.

.n1       no    no      Add 5 to page offset;
number lines in margin from 1 on each page.
.n2|n     no    no      Add 5 to page offset;
number lines from n; stop if n=0.
.ni|+n    no    n=0     Line numbers are indented n.

.nf       yes   no      Stop filling output lines.

.nx|file  no    -       Switch input to `file'.

.of|t     no    t=      Odd foot title becomes t.

.oh|t     no    t=      Odd head title becomes t.

.pa|+n    yes   n=1     Same as `.bp'.

.pl|+n    no    n=66    Total paper length taken to be n lines.

.po|+n    no    n=0     Page offset.
All lines are preceded by n spaces.
.ro       no    arabic  Roman page numbers.

.sk|n     no    -       Produce n blank pages starting next page.

.sp|n     yes   -       Insert block of n blank lines,
except at top of page.
.ss       yes   yes     Single space output lines,
equivalent to `.ls 1'.
.ta|n|n..       -       Pseudotab settings.
Initial tab settings are columns 9 17 25 ...
.tc|c     no    space   Tab replacement character becomes `c'.

.ti|+n    yes   -       Temporarily indent next output
line n spaces.
.tr|cdef..      no      -Translate c into d, e into f, etc.

.ul|n     no    -       Underline the letters and numbers
in the next n input lines.

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Time: 06:17:14 GMT, December 12, 2024