version 1.7, 2014/12/09 09:19:13 |
version 1.15.2.1, 2017/02/21 16:25:19 |
Line 5 About mdocml, the portable mandoc distribution |
|
Line 5 About mdocml, the portable mandoc distribution |
|
The mandoc manpage compiler toolset is a suite of tools compiling |
The mandoc manpage compiler toolset is a suite of tools compiling |
mdoc(7), the roff(7) macro language of choice for BSD manual pages, |
mdoc(7), the roff(7) macro language of choice for BSD manual pages, |
and man(7), the predominant historical language for UNIX manuals. |
and man(7), the predominant historical language for UNIX manuals. |
Since the present version 1.13.2, it includes a man(1) manual viewer |
It includes a man(1) manual viewer and additional tools. |
in addition to the apropos(1) manual page search tool. |
|
For general information, see <http://mdocml.bsd.lv/>. |
For general information, see <http://mdocml.bsd.lv/>. |
|
|
In this document, we describe the installation and deployment of |
|
mandoc(1), first as a simple, standalone formatter, and then as part of |
|
the man(1) system. |
|
|
|
In case you have questions or want to provide feedback, read |
In case you have questions or want to provide feedback, read |
<http://mdocml.bsd.lv/contact.html>. Consider subscribing to the |
<http://mdocml.bsd.lv/contact.html>. Consider subscribing to the |
discuss@ mailing list mentioned on that page. If you intend to |
discuss@ mailing list mentioned on that page. If you intend to |
Line 21 tech@ mailing list, too. |
|
Line 16 tech@ mailing list, too. |
|
|
|
Enjoy using the mandoc toolset! |
Enjoy using the mandoc toolset! |
|
|
Ingo Schwarze, Karlsruhe, December 2014 |
Ingo Schwarze, Karlsruhe, February 2017 |
|
|
|
|
Installation |
Installation |
Line 32 or available via a binary package or a ports system. |
|
Line 27 or available via a binary package or a ports system. |
|
latest bundled and ported versions of mandoc for various operating |
latest bundled and ported versions of mandoc for various operating |
systems is maintained at <http://mdocml.bsd.lv/ports.html>. |
systems is maintained at <http://mdocml.bsd.lv/ports.html>. |
|
|
If mandoc is installed, you can check the version by running "mandoc -V". |
|
You can find the version contained in this distribution tarball |
|
by running "./configure". |
|
|
|
Regarding how packages and ports are maintained for your operating |
Regarding how packages and ports are maintained for your operating |
system, please consult your operating system documentation. |
system, please consult your operating system documentation. |
To install mandoc manually, the following steps are needed: |
To install mandoc manually, the following steps are needed: |
|
|
1. If you want to build the CGI program, man.cgi(8), too, run the |
1. If you want to build the CGI program, man.cgi(8), too, |
command "echo BUILD_CGI=1 > configure.local". Then run "cp |
run the command "echo BUILD_CGI=1 > configure.local". |
cgi.h.examples cgi.h" and edit cgi.h as desired. |
Then run "cp cgi.h.examples cgi.h" and edit cgi.h as desired. |
|
|
2. Run "./configure". |
2. Run "./configure". |
This script attempts autoconfiguration of mandoc for your system. |
This script attempts autoconfiguration of mandoc for your system. |
Line 51 generates. If anything looks wrong or different from |
|
Line 42 generates. If anything looks wrong or different from |
|
wish, read the file "configure.local.example", create and edit |
wish, read the file "configure.local.example", create and edit |
a file "configure.local", and re-run "./configure" until the |
a file "configure.local", and re-run "./configure" until the |
result seems right to you. |
result seems right to you. |
|
On Solaris 10 and earlier, you may have to run "ksh ./configure" |
|
because the native /bin/sh lacks some POSIX features. |
|
|
3. Run "make". |
3. Run "make". |
Any POSIX-compatible make, in particular both BSD make and GNU make, |
Any POSIX-compatible make, in particular both BSD make and GNU make, |
Line 59 and go back to step 2. |
|
Line 52 and go back to step 2. |
|
|
|
4. Run "make -n install" and check whether everything will be |
4. Run "make -n install" and check whether everything will be |
installed to the intended places. Otherwise, put some *DIR or *NM* |
installed to the intended places. Otherwise, put some *DIR or *NM* |
variables into "configure.local" and go back to step 2. |
variables into "configure.local" and go back to step 2. |
|
|
5. Run "sudo make install". If you intend to build a binary |
5. Run "sudo make install". If you intend to build a binary |
package using some kind of fake root mechanism, you may need a |
package using some kind of fake root mechanism, you may need a |
command like "make DESTDIR=... install". Read the *-install targets |
command like "make DESTDIR=... install". Read the *-install targets |
in the "Makefile" to understand how DESTDIR is used. |
in the "Makefile" to understand how DESTDIR is used. |
|
|
6. To set up a man.cgi(8) server, read its manual page. |
6. If you want to use the integrated man(1) and your system uses |
|
manpath(1), make sure it is configured correctly, in particular, |
|
it returns all directory trees where manual pages are installed. |
|
Otherwise, if your system uses man.conf(5), make sure it contains |
|
a "manpath" line for each directory tree, and the order of these |
|
lines meets your wishes. |
|
|
7. To use mandoc(1) as your man(1) formatter, read the "Deployment" |
7. If you compiled with database support, run the command "sudo |
sections below. |
makewhatis" to build mandoc.db(5) databases in all the directory |
|
trees configured in step 6. Whenever installing new manual pages, |
|
re-run makewhatis(8) to update the databases, or apropos(1) will |
|
not find the new pages. |
|
|
|
8. To set up a man.cgi(8) server, read its manual page. |
|
|
|
Note that some man(7) pages may contain low-level roff(7) markup |
|
that mandoc does not yet understand. On some BSD systems using |
|
mandoc, third-party software is vetted on whether it may be formatted |
|
with mandoc. If not, groff(1) is pulled in as a dependency and |
|
used to install a pre-formatted "catpage" instead of directly as |
|
manual page source. |
|
|
|
|
Understanding mandoc dependencies |
Understanding mandoc dependencies |
--------------------------------- |
--------------------------------- |
The mandoc(1) and demandoc(1) utilities have no external dependencies. |
The mandoc(1), man(1), and demandoc(1) utilities only depend |
However, makewhatis(8), apropos(1), and man(1) depend on the following |
on the zlib library for decompressing gzipped manual pages, |
software: |
but makewhatis(8) and apropos(1) depend on the following |
|
additional software: |
|
|
1. The SQLite database system, see <http://sqlite.org/>. |
1. The SQLite database system, see <http://sqlite.org/>. |
The recommended version of SQLite is 3.8.4.3 or newer. The mandoc |
The recommended version of SQLite is 3.8.4.3 or newer. The mandoc |
Line 99 If you run into that problem, set "HAVE_FTS=0" in conf |
|
Line 110 If you run into that problem, set "HAVE_FTS=0" in conf |
|
If your system does not have it, the bundled compatibility version |
If your system does not have it, the bundled compatibility version |
will be used, so you probably need not worry about it. |
will be used, so you probably need not worry about it. |
|
|
|
One of the chief design goals of the mandoc toolbox is to make |
|
sure that nothing related to documentation requires C++. |
|
Consequently, linking mandoc against any kind of C++ program |
|
would defeat the purpose and is not supported. |
|
|
|
|
Checking autoconfiguration quality |
Checking autoconfiguration quality |
---------------------------------- |
---------------------------------- |
If you want to check whether automatic configuration works well |
If you want to check whether automatic configuration works well |
Line 142 for unexpected failures. Those are most likely to hap |
|
Line 158 for unexpected failures. Those are most likely to hap |
|
or libraries are installed in unusual places or interfaces defined |
or libraries are installed in unusual places or interfaces defined |
in unusual headers. You can also look at the file "config.h" and |
in unusual headers. You can also look at the file "config.h" and |
check that no "#define HAVE_*" differ from your expectations. |
check that no "#define HAVE_*" differ from your expectations. |
|
|
|
|
Deployment using the integrated man(1) viewer |
|
--------------------------------------------- |
|
This mode of deployment requires database support. In case of |
|
doubt, look at the section "user settings related to database |
|
support" in the file configure.local.example. |
|
|
|
Deployment requires the following steps: |
|
|
|
1. Build and install mandoc as described above in steps 2 to 5 |
|
below "Installation". |
|
|
|
2. If you system uses manpath(1), make sure it is configured |
|
correctly, in particular, it returns all directory trees where |
|
manual pages are installed. If your system uses man.conf(5), make |
|
sure it contains a "_whatdb" for each directory tree, and the order |
|
of these lines meets your wishes. |
|
|
|
3. Run the command "sudo makewhatis" to build mandoc.db(5) databases |
|
in all the directory trees configured in step 2. |
|
|
|
At this point, your new man(1), apropos(1), and whatis(1) should work. |
|
Otherwise, please look at <http://mdocml.bsd.lv/contact.html>, both |
|
for help and to have these instructions improved. |
|
|
|
|
|
Deployment using your system's native man(1) viewer |
|
--------------------------------------------------- |
|
This mode of deployment does not require database support, |
|
so it works even if you don't have SQLite3. |
|
|
|
Usually, you can have your default installation and mandoc(1) work right |
|
alongside each other by using user-specific versions of the files |
|
mentioned below. |
|
|
|
0. Back up each file you want to change! |
|
|
|
1. First see whether your system has "/etc/man.conf" or "/etc/manpath.conf" |
|
(if it has neither, but man(1) is functional, then let us know) or, |
|
if running as your own user, a per-user override file. In either |
|
case, find where man(1) is executing nroff(1) or groff(1) to format |
|
manuals. Replace these calls with mandoc(1). |
|
|
|
2. Then make sure that man(1) isn't running preprocessors, so you may |
|
need to replace tbl(1), eqn(1), and similar references with cat(1). |
|
Some man(1) implementations, like that on Mac OSX, let you run "man -d" |
|
to see how the formatter is invoked. Use this to test your changes. On |
|
Mac OS X, for instance, man(1) will prepend all files with ".ll" and |
|
".nr" to set the terminal size, so you need to pass "tail -n+2 | |
|
mandoc(1)" to disregard them. |
|
|
|
3. Finally, make sure that mandoc(1) is actually being invoked instead |
|
of cached pages being pulled up. You can usually do this by commenting |
|
out NOCACHE or similar. |
|
|
|
|
|
mandoc(1) still has a long way to go in understanding non-trivial |
|
low-level roff(7) markup embedded in some man(7) pages. On the BSD |
|
systems using mandoc(1), third-party software is generally vetted |
|
on whether it may be formatted with mandoc(1). If not, groff(1) |
|
is pulled in as a dependency and used to install a pre-formatted |
|
"catpage" instead of directly as manual page source. |
|
|
|
For more background on switching operating systems to use mandoc(1) |
|
instead of groff(1) to format manuals, see the two BSDCan presentations |
|
by Ingo Schwarze: |
|
<http://www.openbsd.org/papers/bsdcan11-mandoc-openbsd.html> |
|
<http://www.openbsd.org/papers/bsdcan14-mandoc.pdf> |
|