version 1.9, 2009/03/24 10:59:50 |
version 1.10, 2009/03/26 23:01:26 |
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A system component's documentation describes the utility of that |
A system component's documentation describes the utility of that |
component, whether it's a device driver, an executable or, most |
component, whether it's a device driver, an executable or, most |
importantly, a game. Although there are plenty of documents available |
importantly, a game. |
on how to read |
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documents, or where to find them, few focus on composition. |
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.\" PARAGRAPH |
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This document serves as a tutorial to writing |
This document serves as a tutorial to writing |
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documentation |
documentation |
.Pq Dq manuals . |
.Pq Dq manuals . |
If you add something to your operating system, whether it's a new file |
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format or directory structure or device driver, it needs documentation. |
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.\" SECTION |
.\" SECTION |
.Sh COMPOSITION |
.Sh COMPOSITION |
Prepare your composition environment by copying over the manual template |
Prepare your composition environment by copying over the manual template |
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.\" SUBSECTION |
.\" SUBSECTION |
.Ss Section Numbering |
.Ss Section Numbering |
Find an appropriate section for your manual. There may exist multiple |
Find an appropriate section for your manual. There may exist multiple |
manual names per section, so be specific. A table of all available |
manual names per section, so be specific: |
manual sections follows: |
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.\" LIST |
.\" LIST |
.Bl -tag -width "XXXXXXXXXXXX" -offset indent -compact |
.Bl -tag -width "XXXXXXXXXXXX" -offset indent -compact |
Line 98 myname (3) - library description |
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Line 91 myname (3) - library description |
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.\" SUBSECTION |
.\" SUBSECTION |
.Ss Naming |
.Ss Naming |
Name your component. Be terse, erring on the side of clarity. You may |
Name your component. Be terse, erring on the side of clarity. Look for |
want to look for other manuals by that same name before committing: |
other manuals by that same name before committing: |
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.Dl % apropos myname |
.Dl % apropos myname |
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.Xr man 7 |
.Xr man 7 |
package of |
package of |
.Xr roff 7 ; |
.Xr roff 7 ; |
newer languages such as DocBook, texinfo or schema-driven XML; or even |
newer languages such as DocBook or texinfo; or even ad-hoc conventions |
ad-hoc conventions such as README files. |
such as README files. |
.Em Avoid these formats . |
.Em Avoid these formats . |
Historical formats fail to capture a manual's semantic content, instead |
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only modelling its style. Newer methods requires special, |
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system-specific tools and may change or become obsolete over the |
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life-time of your component. |
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There are two canonical references for writing mdoc. Read them. |
There are two canonical references for writing mdoc. Read them. |
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Line 155 You may spell-check your work as follows: |
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Line 144 You may spell-check your work as follows: |
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Use |
Use |
.Xr cvs 1 |
.Xr cvs 1 |
or, if not available, |
or |
.Xr rcs 1 |
.Xr rcs 1 |
to version-control your work. If you wish the last check-in to effect |
to version-control your work. If you wish the last check-in to effect |
your document's date, use the following RCS tag for the date macro: |
your document's date, use the following RCS tag for the date macro: |
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.Dl \&.Dd $Mdocdate$ |
.Dl \&.Dd $Mdocdate$ |
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If using version control, the first line in your manual should be a |
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comment with the |
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.Li $Id$ |
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rcs tag. |
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.\" SUBSECTION |
.\" SUBSECTION |
.Ss Viewing |
.Ss Viewing |
mdoc documents may be paged to your terminal with traditional |
mdoc documents may be paged to your terminal with |
tools such as |
.Xr mandoc 1 . |
.Xr nroff 1 , |
If you plan on distributing your work to systems without this tool, |
.Xr groff 1 , |
check it against |
or with newer, more powerful tools such as |
.Xr groff 1 : |
.Xr mandoc 1 : |
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.\" DISPLAY |
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.Bd -literal -offset indent |
.Bd -literal -offset indent |
% nroff \-mandoc name.1 | less |
% mandoc \-Wall name.1 2>&1 | less |
% groff \-Tascii \-mandoc name.1 | less |
% groff -mandoc name.1 2>&1 | less |
% mandoc name.1 | less |
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Other output formats are also supported: |
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.\" DISPLAY |
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.Bd -literal -offset indent |
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% groff \-Tps \-mandoc name.1 | less |
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% mandoc \-Thtml name.1 | less |
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.\" SUBSECTION |
.\" SUBSECTION |
.Ss Automation |
.Ss Automation |
Consider adding your mdoc documents to |
Consider adding your mdoc documents to |
.Xr make 1 |
.Xr make 1 |
Makefiles in order to automatically check your input and generate |
Makefiles in order to automatically check your input: |
output: |
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.Bd -literal -offset indent |
.Bd -literal -offset indent |
\&.SUFFIXES: .html .txt .1 .in |
\&.SUFFIXES: .1 .in |
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\&.in.1: |
\&.in.1: |
mandoc -Wall,error -Tlint $< |
mandoc -Wall,error -Tlint $< |
cp -f $< $@ |
cp -f $< $@ |
\&.1.html: |
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mandoc -Thtml $< >$@ |
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\&.1.txt: |
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mandoc -Tascii $< | col -b >$@ |
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.\" SUBSECTION |
.\" SUBSECTION |
.Ss Licensing |
.Ss Licensing |
Line 242 The structure of the mdoc language makes it very hard |
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Line 211 The structure of the mdoc language makes it very hard |
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particular format style. Keep your lines under 72 characters in length. |
particular format style. Keep your lines under 72 characters in length. |
If you must have long option lines, use |
If you must have long option lines, use |
.Sq \&Oo/Oc . |
.Sq \&Oo/Oc . |
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The same goes for function prototypes. |
.Em \&Do not |
.Em \&Do not |
use |
use |
.Sq \&Xo/Xc ; |
.Sq \&Xo/Xc . |
instead, either fine another way to write long lines, or, at the |
Find another way to structure your line. |
absolute worst, use CPP-style newline escapes. |
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.\" SUBSECTION |
.\" SUBSECTION |
.Ss References |
.Ss References |
Other components may be referenced with the |
Other components may be referenced with the |
Line 267 publications, please use the |
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Line 236 publications, please use the |
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block macros. |
block macros. |
.\" SUBSECTION |
.\" SUBSECTION |
.Ss Formatting |
.Ss Formatting |
.Em Don't style your manual. |
.Em Don't style your manual . |
Give it meaningful content. The front-end will worry about formatting |
Give it meaningful content. The front-end will worry about formatting |
and style. |
and style. |
.\" SECTION |
.\" SECTION |