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Diff for /mandoc/mdoc.7 between version 1.173 and 1.195

version 1.173, 2010/12/29 16:16:50 version 1.195, 2011/08/02 01:07:26
Line 1 
Line 1 
 .\"     $Id$  .\"     $Id$
 .\"  .\"
 .\" Copyright (c) 2009, 2010 Kristaps Dzonsons <kristaps@bsd.lv>  .\" Copyright (c) 2009, 2010, 2011 Kristaps Dzonsons <kristaps@bsd.lv>
 .\" Copyright (c) 2010 Ingo Schwarze <schwarze@openbsd.org>  .\" Copyright (c) 2010 Ingo Schwarze <schwarze@openbsd.org>
 .\"  .\"
 .\" Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any  .\" Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
Line 40  An
Line 40  An
 .Nm  .Nm
 document follows simple rules: lines beginning with the control  document follows simple rules: lines beginning with the control
 character  character
 .Sq \.  .Sq \&.
 are parsed for macros.  are parsed for macros.
 Other lines are interpreted within the scope of  Text lines, those not beginning with the control character, are
 prior macros:  interpreted within the scope of prior macros:
 .Bd -literal -offset indent  .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.Sh Macro lines change control state.  \&.Sh Macro lines change control state.
 Other lines are interpreted within the current state.  Text lines are interpreted within the current state.
 .Ed  .Ed
 .Sh LANGUAGE SYNTAX  .Sh LANGUAGE SYNTAX
 .Nm  .Nm
 documents may contain only graphable 7-bit ASCII characters, the space  documents may contain only graphable 7-bit ASCII characters, the space
 character, and, in certain circumstances, the tab character.  character, and, in certain circumstances, the tab character.
 All manuals must have  .Pp
 .Ux  If the first character of a text line is a space, that line is printed
 line terminators.  with a leading newline.
 .Ss Comments  .Ss Comments
 Text following a  Text following a
 .Sq \e\*q ,  .Sq \e\*q ,
 whether in a macro or free-form text line, is ignored to the end of  whether in a macro or text line, is ignored to the end of
 line.  line.
 A macro line with only a control character and comment escape,  A macro line with only a control character and comment escape,
 .Sq \&.\e\*q ,  .Sq \&.\e\*q ,
 is also ignored.  is also ignored.
 Macro lines with only a control character and optional whitespace are  Macro lines with only a control character and optional whitespace are
 stripped from input.  stripped from input.
 .Ss Reserved Characters  
 Within a macro line, the following characters are reserved:  
 .Pp  
 .Bl -tag -width Ds -offset indent -compact  
 .It \&.  
 .Pq period  
 .It \&,  
 .Pq comma  
 .It \&:  
 .Pq colon  
 .It \&;  
 .Pq semicolon  
 .It \&(  
 .Pq left-parenthesis  
 .It \&)  
 .Pq right-parenthesis  
 .It \&[  
 .Pq left-bracket  
 .It \&]  
 .Pq right-bracket  
 .It \&?  
 .Pq question  
 .It \&!  
 .Pq exclamation  
 .It \&|  
 .Pq vertical bar  
 .El  
 .Pp  
 Use of reserved characters is described in  
 .Sx MACRO SYNTAX .  
 For general use in macro lines, these characters can either be escaped  
 with a non-breaking space  
 .Pq Sq \e&  
 or, if applicable, an appropriate escape sequence can be used.  
 .Ss Special Characters  .Ss Special Characters
 Special characters may occur in both macro and free-form lines.  Special characters may occur in both macro and text lines.
 Sequences begin with the escape character  Sequences begin with the escape character
 .Sq \e  .Sq \e
 followed by either an open-parenthesis  followed by either an open-parenthesis
Line 129  escape followed by an indicator: B (bold), I (italic),
Line 95  escape followed by an indicator: B (bold), I (italic),
 .Pp  .Pp
 A numerical representation 3, 2, or 1 (bold, italic, and Roman,  A numerical representation 3, 2, or 1 (bold, italic, and Roman,
 respectively) may be used instead.  respectively) may be used instead.
 A text decoration is valid within  If a macro opens a font scope after calling
 the current font scope only: if a macro opens a font scope alongside  .Sq \ef ,
 its own scope, such as  such as with
 .Sx \&Bf  .Sx \&Bf ,
 .Cm \&Sy ,  the
 in-scope invocations of  
 .Sq \ef  .Sq \ef
 are only valid within the font scope of the macro.  mode will be restored upon exiting the
 If  .Sx \&Bf
 .Sq \ef  scope.
 is specified outside of any font scope, such as in unenclosed, free-form  
 text, it will affect the remainder of the document.  
 .Pp  .Pp
 Note this form is  Note this form is
 .Em not  .Em not
Line 174  and
Line 137  and
 .Pq vertical bar .  .Pq vertical bar .
 .Ss Whitespace  .Ss Whitespace
 Whitespace consists of the space character.  Whitespace consists of the space character.
 In free-form lines, whitespace is preserved within a line; unescaped  In text lines, whitespace is preserved within a line; unescaped
 trailing spaces are stripped from input (unless in a literal context).  trailing spaces are stripped from input (unless in a literal context).
 Blank free-form lines, which may include whitespace, are only permitted  Blank text lines, which may include whitespace, are only permitted
 within literal contexts.  within literal contexts.
 .Pp  .Pp
   In general, trailing whitespace on input lines is discouraged
   for reasons of clarity and portability.
   In the rare case that a blank character is needed at the end of an
   input line, it may be forced by
   .Sq \e\ \e& .
   .Pp
 In macro lines, whitespace delimits arguments and is discarded.  In macro lines, whitespace delimits arguments and is discarded.
 If arguments are quoted, whitespace within the quotes is retained.  
 .Ss Quotation  .Ss Quotation
 Macro arguments may be quoted with double-quotes to group  Macro arguments may be quoted with double-quotes; in this case,
 space-delimited terms or to retain blocks of whitespace.  whitespace within the quotes is retained as part of the argument.
   For example,
   .Pp
   .D1 Pf \. \&Fn strlen "\(dqconst char *s\(dq"
   .Pp
   renders as
   .Sq Fn strlen "const char *s" ,
   while
   .Pp
   .D1 Pf \. \&Fn strlen "const char *s"
   .Pp
   would produce
   .Sq Fn strlen const char *s .
   .Pp
 A quoted argument begins with a double-quote preceded by whitespace.  A quoted argument begins with a double-quote preceded by whitespace.
 The next double-quote not pairwise adjacent to another double-quote  The next double-quote not pairwise adjacent to another double-quote
 terminates the literal, regardless of surrounding whitespace.  terminates the literal, regardless of surrounding whitespace.
 .Pp  .Pp
   In unquoted arguments, space characters can alternatively be included
   by preceding them with a backslash
   .Pq Sq \e\~ ,
   but quoting is usually better for clarity.
   .Pp
 Note that any quoted text, even if it would cause a macro invocation  Note that any quoted text, even if it would cause a macro invocation
 when unquoted, is considered literal text.  when unquoted, is considered literal text.
 Thus, the following produces  Thus, the following produces
Line 196  Thus, the following produces
Line 182  Thus, the following produces
 \&.Op "Fl a"  \&.Op "Fl a"
 .Ed  .Ed
 .Pp  .Pp
 In free-form mode, quotes are regarded as opaque text.  In text lines, quotes are regarded as opaque text.
 .Ss Dates  
 There are several macros in  
 .Nm  
 that require a date argument.  
 The canonical form for dates is the American format:  
 .Pp  
 .D1 Cm Month Day , Year  
 .Pp  
 The  
 .Cm Day  
 value is an optionally zero-padded numeral.  
 The  
 .Cm Month  
 value is the full month name.  
 The  
 .Cm Year  
 value is the full four-digit year.  
 .Pp  
 Reduced form dates are broken-down canonical form dates:  
 .Pp  
 .D1 Cm Month , Year  
 .D1 Cm Year  
 .Pp  
 Some examples of valid dates follow:  
 .Pp  
 .D1 "May, 2009" Pq reduced form  
 .D1 "2009" Pq reduced form  
 .D1 "May 20, 2009" Pq canonical form  
 .Ss Scaling Widths  .Ss Scaling Widths
 Many macros support scaled widths for their arguments, such as  Many macros support scaled widths for their arguments, such as
 stipulating a two-inch list indentation with the following:  stipulating a two-inch list indentation with the following:
Line 283  a line.
Line 241  a line.
 By doing so, front-ends will be able to apply the proper amount of  By doing so, front-ends will be able to apply the proper amount of
 spacing after the end of sentence (unescaped) period, exclamation mark,  spacing after the end of sentence (unescaped) period, exclamation mark,
 or question mark followed by zero or more non-sentence closing  or question mark followed by zero or more non-sentence closing
 delimiters (  delimiters
 .Ns Sq \&) ,  .Po
   .Sq \&) ,
 .Sq \&] ,  .Sq \&] ,
 .Sq \&' ,  .Sq \&' ,
 .Sq \&" ) .  .Sq \&"
   .Pc .
 .Pp  .Pp
 The proper spacing is also intelligently preserved if a sentence ends at  The proper spacing is also intelligently preserved if a sentence ends at
 the boundary of a macro line.  the boundary of a macro line.
 For example:  For example:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .Dl \&Xr mandoc 1 \.  .Dl \&.Xr mandoc 1 \&.
 .Dl \&Fl T \&Ns \&Cm ascii \.  .Dl \&.Fl T \&Ns \&Cm ascii \&.
 .Sh MANUAL STRUCTURE  .Sh MANUAL STRUCTURE
 A well-formed  A well-formed
 .Nm  .Nm
Line 323  sections, although this varies between manual sections
Line 283  sections, although this varies between manual sections
 .Pp  .Pp
 The following is a well-formed skeleton  The following is a well-formed skeleton
 .Nm  .Nm
 file:  file for a utility
   .Qq progname :
 .Bd -literal -offset indent  .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.Dd $\&Mdocdate$  \&.Dd $\&Mdocdate$
 \&.Dt mdoc 7  \&.Dt PROGNAME section
 \&.Os  \&.Os
 \&.Sh NAME  \&.Sh NAME
 \&.Nm foo  \&.Nm progname
 \&.Nd a description goes here  \&.Nd one line about what it does
 \&.\e\*q .Sh LIBRARY  \&.\e\*q .Sh LIBRARY
 \&.\e\*q For sections 2, 3, & 9 only.  \&.\e\*q For sections 2, 3, & 9 only.
 \&.\e\*q Not used in OpenBSD.  \&.\e\*q Not used in OpenBSD.
 \&.Sh SYNOPSIS  \&.Sh SYNOPSIS
 \&.Nm foo  \&.Nm progname
 \&.Op Fl options  \&.Op Fl options
 \&.Ar  \&.Ar
 \&.Sh DESCRIPTION  \&.Sh DESCRIPTION
Line 382  The syntax for this as follows:
Line 343  The syntax for this as follows:
 \&.Nd a one line description  \&.Nd a one line description
 .Ed  .Ed
 .Pp  .Pp
   Multiple
   .Sq \&Nm
   names should be separated by commas.
   .Pp
 The  The
 .Sx \&Nm  .Sx \&Nm
 macro(s) must precede the  macro(s) must precede the
Line 409  configuration.
Line 374  configuration.
 For the first, utilities (sections 1, 6, and 8), this is  For the first, utilities (sections 1, 6, and 8), this is
 generally structured as follows:  generally structured as follows:
 .Bd -literal -offset indent  .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.Nm foo  \&.Nm bar
 \&.Op Fl v  \&.Op Fl v
 \&.Op Fl o Ar file  \&.Op Fl o Ar file
 \&.Op Ar  \&.Op Ar
 \&.Nm bar  \&.Nm foo
 \&.Op Fl v  \&.Op Fl v
 \&.Op Fl o Ar file  \&.Op Fl o Ar file
 \&.Op Ar  \&.Op Ar
 .Ed  .Ed
 .Pp  .Pp
   Commands should be ordered alphabetically.
   .Pp
 For the second, function calls (sections 2, 3, 9):  For the second, function calls (sections 2, 3, 9):
 .Bd -literal -offset indent  .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.In header.h  \&.In header.h
Line 429  For the second, function calls (sections 2, 3, 9):
Line 396  For the second, function calls (sections 2, 3, 9):
 \&.Fn bar "const char *src"  \&.Fn bar "const char *src"
 .Ed  .Ed
 .Pp  .Pp
   Ordering of
   .Sx \&In ,
   .Sx \&Vt ,
   .Sx \&Fn ,
   and
   .Sx \&Fo
   macros should follow C header-file conventions.
   .Pp
 And for the third, configurations (section 4):  And for the third, configurations (section 4):
 .Bd -literal -offset indent  .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.Cd \*qit* at isa? port 0x2e\*q  \&.Cd \*qit* at isa? port 0x2e\*q
Line 477  or
Line 452  or
 .Sx \&Ss  .Sx \&Ss
 macro or the end of an enclosing block, whichever comes first.  macro or the end of an enclosing block, whichever comes first.
 .It Em DESCRIPTION  .It Em DESCRIPTION
 This expands upon the brief, one line description in  This begins with an expansion of the brief, one line description in
 .Em NAME .  .Em NAME :
 It usually contains a breakdown of the options (if documenting a  .Bd -literal -offset indent
   The
   \&.Nm
   utility does this, that, and the other.
   .Ed
   .Pp
   It usually follows with a breakdown of the options (if documenting a
 command), such as:  command), such as:
 .Bd -literal -offset indent  .Bd -literal -offset indent
 The arguments are as follows:  The arguments are as follows:
Line 606  The
Line 587  The
 .Em Callable  .Em Callable
 column indicates that the macro may also be called by passing its name  column indicates that the macro may also be called by passing its name
 as an argument to another macro.  as an argument to another macro.
   For example,
   .Sq \&.Op \&Fl O \&Ar file
   produces
   .Sq Op Fl O Ar file .
   To prevent a macro call and render the macro name literally,
   escape it by prepending a zero-width space,
   .Sq \e& .
   For example,
   .Sq \&Op \e&Fl O
   produces
   .Sq Op \&Fl O .
 If a macro is not callable but its name appears as an argument  If a macro is not callable but its name appears as an argument
 to another macro, it is interpreted as opaque text.  to another macro, it is interpreted as opaque text.
 For example,  For example,
Line 627  column, if applicable, describes closure rules.
Line 619  column, if applicable, describes closure rules.
 Multi-line scope closed by an explicit closing macro.  Multi-line scope closed by an explicit closing macro.
 All macros contains bodies; only  All macros contains bodies; only
 .Sx \&Bf  .Sx \&Bf
 contains a head.  and
   .Pq optionally
   .Sx \&Bl
   contain a head.
 .Bd -literal -offset indent  .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBparm...\(rB\(rB \(lBhead...\(rB  \&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBparm...\(rB\(rB \(lBhead...\(rB
 \(lBbody...\(rB  \(lBbody...\(rB
Line 731  and/or tail
Line 726  and/or tail
 .It Sx \&Xo  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    closed by Sx \&Xc  .It Sx \&Xo  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    closed by Sx \&Xc
 .El  .El
 .Ss Block partial-implicit  .Ss Block partial-implicit
 Like block full-implicit, but with single-line scope closed by  Like block full-implicit, but with single-line scope closed by the
 .Sx Reserved Characters  end of the line.
 or end of line.  
 .Bd -literal -offset indent  .Bd -literal -offset indent
 \&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB \(lBbody...\(rB \(lBres...\(rB  \&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB \(lBbody...\(rB \(lBres...\(rB
 .Ed  .Ed
Line 763  in a
Line 757  in a
 .Em SYNOPSIS  .Em SYNOPSIS
 section line, else it is  section line, else it is
 .Sx In-line .  .Sx In-line .
   .Ss Special block macro
   The
   .Sx \&Ta
   macro can only be used below
   .Sx \&It
   in
   .Sx \&Bl Fl column
   lists.
   It delimits blocks representing table cells;
   these blocks have bodies, but no heads.
   .Pp
   .Bl -column "MacroX" "CallableX" "ParsedX" "closed by XXXX" -compact -offset indent
   .It Em Macro Ta Em Callable Ta Em Parsed Ta Em Scope
   .It Sx \&Ta  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes    Ta closed by Sx \&Ta , Sx \&It
   .El
 .Ss In-line  .Ss In-line
 Closed by  Closed by the end of the line, fixed argument lengths,
 .Sx Reserved Characters ,  and/or subsequent macros.
 end of line, fixed argument lengths, and/or subsequent macros.  
 In-line macros have only text children.  In-line macros have only text children.
 If a number (or inequality) of arguments is  If a number (or inequality) of arguments is
 .Pq n ,  .Pq n ,
Line 795  then the macro accepts an arbitrary number of argument
Line 803  then the macro accepts an arbitrary number of argument
 .It Sx \&%T  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    >0  .It Sx \&%T  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&%U  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    >0  .It Sx \&%U  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&%V  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    >0  .It Sx \&%V  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Ad  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Ad  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&An  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&An  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Ap  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    0  .It Sx \&Ap  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    0
 .It Sx \&Ar  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Ar  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n
 .It Sx \&At  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    1  .It Sx \&At  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    1
Line 804  then the macro accepts an arbitrary number of argument
Line 812  then the macro accepts an arbitrary number of argument
 .It Sx \&Bt  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    0  .It Sx \&Bt  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    0
 .It Sx \&Bx  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Bx  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n
 .It Sx \&Cd  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0  .It Sx \&Cd  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Cm  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Cm  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Db  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    1  .It Sx \&Db  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    1
 .It Sx \&Dd  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    n  .It Sx \&Dd  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    n
 .It Sx \&Dt  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    n  .It Sx \&Dt  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    n
 .It Sx \&Dv  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Dv  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Dx  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Dx  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n
 .It Sx \&Em  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0  .It Sx \&Em  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&En  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    0  .It Sx \&En  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    0
 .It Sx \&Er  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0  .It Sx \&Er  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Es  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    0  .It Sx \&Es  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    0
 .It Sx \&Ev  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Ev  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Ex  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    n  .It Sx \&Ex  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    n
 .It Sx \&Fa  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Fa  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Fd  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    >0  .It Sx \&Fd  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Fl  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Fl  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n
 .It Sx \&Fn  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0  .It Sx \&Fn  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Fr  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    n  .It Sx \&Fr  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    n
 .It Sx \&Ft  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Ft  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Fx  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Fx  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n
 .It Sx \&Hf  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    n  .It Sx \&Hf  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    n
 .It Sx \&Ic  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0  .It Sx \&Ic  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&In  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    n  .It Sx \&In  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    1
 .It Sx \&Lb  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    1  .It Sx \&Lb  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    1
 .It Sx \&Li  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Li  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Lk  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    n  .It Sx \&Lk  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Lp  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    0  .It Sx \&Lp  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    0
 .It Sx \&Ms  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0  .It Sx \&Ms  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
 .It Sx \&Mt  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0  .It Sx \&Mt  Ta    Yes      Ta    Yes      Ta    >0
Line 856  then the macro accepts an arbitrary number of argument
Line 864  then the macro accepts an arbitrary number of argument
 .It Sx \&br  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    0  .It Sx \&br  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    0
 .It Sx \&sp  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    1  .It Sx \&sp  Ta    \&No     Ta    \&No     Ta    1
 .El  .El
   .Ss Delimiters
   When a macro argument consists of one single input character
   considered as a delimiter, the argument gets special handling.
   This does not apply when delimiters appear in arguments containing
   more than one character.
   Consequently, to prevent special handling and just handle it
   like any other argument, a delimiter can be escaped by prepending
   a zero-width space
   .Pq Sq \e& .
   In text lines, delimiters never need escaping, but may be used
   as normal punctuation.
   .Pp
   For many macros, when the leading arguments are opening delimiters,
   these delimiters are put before the macro scope,
   and when the trailing arguments are closing delimiters,
   these delimiters are put after the macro scope.
   For example,
   .Pp
   .D1 Pf \. \&Aq "( [ word ] ) ."
   .Pp
   renders as:
   .Pp
   .D1 Aq ( [ word ] ) .
   .Pp
   Opening delimiters are:
   .Pp
   .Bl -tag -width Ds -offset indent -compact
   .It \&(
   left parenthesis
   .It \&[
   left bracket
   .El
   .Pp
   Closing delimiters are:
   .Pp
   .Bl -tag -width Ds -offset indent -compact
   .It \&.
   period
   .It \&,
   comma
   .It \&:
   colon
   .It \&;
   semicolon
   .It \&)
   right parenthesis
   .It \&]
   right bracket
   .It \&?
   question mark
   .It \&!
   exclamation mark
   .El
   .Pp
   Note that even a period preceded by a backslash
   .Pq Sq \e.\&
   gets this special handling; use
   .Sq \e&.
   to prevent that.
   .Pp
   Many in-line macros interrupt their scope when they encounter
   delimiters, and resume their scope when more arguments follow that
   are not delimiters.
   For example,
   .Pp
   .D1 Pf \. \&Fl "a ( b | c \e*(Ba d ) e"
   .Pp
   renders as:
   .Pp
   .D1 Fl a ( b | c \*(Ba d ) e
   .Pp
   This applies to both opening and closing delimiters,
   and also to the middle delimiter:
   .Pp
   .Bl -tag -width Ds -offset indent -compact
   .It \&|
   vertical bar
   .El
   .Pp
   As a special case, the predefined string \e*(Ba is handled and rendered
   in the same way as a plain
   .Sq \&|
   character.
   Using this predefined string is not recommended in new manuals.
 .Sh REFERENCE  .Sh REFERENCE
 This section is a canonical reference of all macros, arranged  This section is a canonical reference of all macros, arranged
 alphabetically.  alphabetically.
Line 884  block.
Line 976  block.
 Publication date of an  Publication date of an
 .Sx \&Rs  .Sx \&Rs
 block.  block.
 This should follow the reduced or canonical form syntax described in  Recommended formats of arguments are
 .Sx Dates .  .Ar month day , year
   or just
   .Ar year .
 .Ss \&%I  .Ss \&%I
 Publisher or issuer name of an  Publisher or issuer name of an
 .Sx \&Rs  .Sx \&Rs
Line 1024  Accepts one optional argument:
Line 1118  Accepts one optional argument:
 .It Cm v[1-7] | 32v  .It Cm v[1-7] | 32v
 A version of  A version of
 .At .  .At .
   .It Cm III
   .At III .
 .It Cm V[.[1-4]]?  .It Cm V[.[1-4]]?
 A version of  A version of
 .At V .  .At V .
Line 1033  Note that these arguments do not begin with a hyphen.
Line 1129  Note that these arguments do not begin with a hyphen.
 .Pp  .Pp
 Examples:  Examples:
 .Dl \&.At  .Dl \&.At
   .Dl \&.At III
 .Dl \&.At V.1  .Dl \&.At V.1
 .Pp  .Pp
 See also  See also
Line 1061  Its syntax is as follows:
Line 1158  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 Display blocks are used to select a different indentation and  Display blocks are used to select a different indentation and
 justification than the one used by the surrounding text.  justification than the one used by the surrounding text.
 They may contain both macro lines and free-form text lines.  They may contain both macro lines and text lines.
 By default, a display block is preceded by a vertical space.  By default, a display block is preceded by a vertical space.
 .Pp  .Pp
 The  The
Line 1176  See also
Line 1273  See also
 and  and
 .Sx \&Sy .  .Sx \&Sy .
 .Ss \&Bk  .Ss \&Bk
 Keep the output generated from each macro input line together  For each macro, keep its output together on the same output line,
 on one single output line.  until the end of the macro or the end of the input line is reached,
 Line breaks in free-form text lines are unaffected.  whichever comes first.
   Line breaks in text lines are unaffected.
 The syntax is as follows:  The syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Bk Fl words  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Bk Fl words
Line 1467  This is the mandatory first macro of any
Line 1565  This is the mandatory first macro of any
 manual.  manual.
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Dd Op Ar date  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Dd Ar month day , year
 .Pp  .Pp
 The  The
 .Ar date  .Ar month
 may be either  is the full English month name, the
 .Ar $\&Mdocdate$ ,  .Ar day
 which signifies the current manual revision date dictated by  is an optionally zero-padded numeral, and the
   .Ar year
   is the full four-digit year.
   .Pp
   Other arguments are not portable; the
   .Xr mandoc 1
   utility handles them as follows:
   .Bl -dash -offset 3n -compact
   .It
   To have the date automatically filled in by the
   .Ox
   version of
 .Xr cvs 1 ,  .Xr cvs 1 ,
 or instead a valid canonical date as specified by  the special string
 .Sx Dates .  .Dq $\&Mdocdate$
 If a date does not conform or is empty, the current date is used.  can be given as an argument.
   .It
   A few alternative date formats are accepted as well
   and converted to the standard form.
   .It
   If a date string cannot be parsed, it is used verbatim.
   .It
   If no date string is given, the current date is used.
   .El
 .Pp  .Pp
 Examples:  Examples:
 .Dl \&.Dd $\&Mdocdate$  .Dl \&.Dd $\&Mdocdate$
Line 1672  See also
Line 1789  See also
 and  and
 .Sx \&Os .  .Sx \&Os .
 .Ss \&Dv  .Ss \&Dv
 Defined variables such as preprocessor constants.  Defined variables such as preprocessor constants, constant symbols,
   enumeration values, and so on.
 .Pp  .Pp
 Examples:  Examples:
   .Dl \&.Dv NULL
 .Dl \&.Dv BUFSIZ  .Dl \&.Dv BUFSIZ
 .Dl \&.Dv STDOUT_FILENO  .Dl \&.Dv STDOUT_FILENO
 .Pp  .Pp
 See also  See also
 .Sx \&Er .  .Sx \&Er
   and
   .Sx \&Ev
   for special-purpose constants and
   .Sx \&Va
   for variable symbols.
 .Ss \&Dx  .Ss \&Dx
 Format the DragonFly BSD version provided as an argument, or a default  Format the DragonFly BSD version provided as an argument, or a default
 value if no argument is provided.  value if no argument is provided.
Line 1755  argument is used as the enclosure head, for example, s
Line 1879  argument is used as the enclosure head, for example, s
 will emulate  will emulate
 .Sx \&Do .  .Sx \&Do .
 .Ss \&Er  .Ss \&Er
 Display error constants.  Error constants for definitions of the
   .Va errno
   libc global variable.
 .Pp  .Pp
 Examples:  Examples:
 .Dl \&.Er EPERM  .Dl \&.Er EPERM
 .Dl \&.Er ENOENT  .Dl \&.Er ENOENT
 .Pp  .Pp
 See also  See also
 .Sx \&Dv .  .Sx \&Dv
   for general constants.
 .Ss \&Es  .Ss \&Es
 This macro is obsolete and not implemented.  This macro is obsolete and not implemented.
 .Ss \&Ev  .Ss \&Ev
Line 1772  Environmental variables such as those specified in
Line 1899  Environmental variables such as those specified in
 Examples:  Examples:
 .Dl \&.Ev DISPLAY  .Dl \&.Ev DISPLAY
 .Dl \&.Ev PATH  .Dl \&.Ev PATH
   .Pp
   See also
   .Sx \&Dv
   for general constants.
 .Ss \&Ex  .Ss \&Ex
 Insert a standard sentence regarding exit values.  Insert a standard sentence regarding command exit values of 0 on success
   and >0 on failure.
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Ex Fl std Op Ar utility  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Ex Fl std Op Ar utility ...
 .Pp  .Pp
 When  If
 .Ar utility  .Ar utility
 is not specified, the document's name set by  is not specified, the document's name set by
 .Sx \&Nm  .Sx \&Nm
 is used.  is used.
   Multiple
   .Ar utility
   arguments are treated as separate utilities.
 .Pp  .Pp
 See also  See also
 .Sx \&Rv .  .Sx \&Rv .
Line 1853  A function name.
Line 1988  A function name.
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Bd -ragged -offset indent  .Bd -ragged -offset indent
 .Pf \. Ns Sx \&Fn  .Pf \. Ns Sx \&Fn
 .Op Cm functype  .Op Ar functype
 .Cm funcname  .Ar funcname
 .Op Oo Cm argtype Oc Cm argname  .Op Oo Ar argtype Oc Ar argname
 .Ed  .Ed
 .Pp  .Pp
 Function arguments are surrounded in parenthesis and  Function arguments are surrounded in parenthesis and
Line 1863  are delimited by commas.
Line 1998  are delimited by commas.
 If no arguments are specified, blank parenthesis are output.  If no arguments are specified, blank parenthesis are output.
 .Pp  .Pp
 Examples:  Examples:
 .Dl \&.Fn "int funcname" "int arg0" "int arg1"  .Dl \&.Fn \*qint funcname\*q \*qint arg0\*q \*qint arg1\*q
 .Dl \&.Fn funcname "int arg0"  .Dl \&.Fn funcname \*qint arg0\*q
 .Dl \&.Fn funcname arg0  .Dl \&.Fn funcname arg0
 .Bd -literal -offset indent -compact  .Bd -literal -offset indent -compact
 \&.Ft functype  \&.Ft functype
Line 1884  This is a multi-line version of
Line 2019  This is a multi-line version of
 .Sx \&Fn .  .Sx \&Fn .
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Fo Cm funcname  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Fo Ar funcname
 .Pp  .Pp
 Invocations usually occur in the following context:  Invocations usually occur in the following context:
 .Bd -ragged -offset indent  .Bd -ragged -offset indent
 .Pf \. Sx \&Ft Cm functype  .Pf \. Sx \&Ft Ar functype
 .br  .br
 .Pf \. Sx \&Fo Cm funcname  .Pf \. Sx \&Fo Ar funcname
 .br  .br
 .Pf \. Sx \&Fa Oo Cm argtype Oc Cm argname  .Pf \. Sx \&Fa Oo Ar argtype Oc Ar argname
 .br  .br
 \.\.\.  \&.\.\.
 .br  .br
 .Pf \. Sx \&Fc  .Pf \. Sx \&Fc
 .Ed  .Ed
Line 1909  See also
Line 2044  See also
 .Sx \&Fc ,  .Sx \&Fc ,
 and  and
 .Sx \&Ft .  .Sx \&Ft .
   .Ss \&Fr
   This macro is obsolete and not implemented.
 .Ss \&Ft  .Ss \&Ft
 A function type.  A function type.
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Ft Cm functype  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Ft Ar functype
 .Pp  .Pp
 Examples:  Examples:
 .Dl \&.Ft int  .Dl \&.Ft int
Line 1994  and
Line 2131  and
 .Fl diag  .Fl diag
 have the following syntax:  have the following syntax:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&It Cm args  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&It Ar args
 .Pp  .Pp
 Lists of type  Lists of type
 .Fl bullet ,  .Fl bullet ,
Line 2031  The
Line 2168  The
 list is the most complicated.  list is the most complicated.
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&It Op Cm args  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&It Ar cell Op <TAB> Ar cell ...
   .D1 Pf \. Sx \&It Ar cell Op Sx \&Ta Ar cell ...
 .Pp  .Pp
 The  The arguments consist of one or more lines of text and macros
 .Cm args  representing a complete table line.
 are phrases, a mix of macros and text corresponding to a line column,  Cells within the line are delimited by tabs or by the special
 delimited by tabs or the special  .Sx \&Ta
 .Sq \&Ta  block macro.
 pseudo-macro.  The tab cell delimiter may only be used within the
 Lines subsequent the  
 .Sx \&It  .Sx \&It
 are interpreted within the scope of the last phrase.  line itself; on following lines, only the
 Calling the pseudo-macro  .Sx \&Ta
 .Sq \&Ta  macro can be used to delimit cells, and
 will open a new phrase scope (this must occur on a macro line to be  .Sx \&Ta
 interpreted as a macro).  is only recognized as a macro when called by other macros,
 Note that the tab phrase delimiter may only be used within the  not as the first macro on a line.
   .Pp
   Note that quoted strings may span tab-delimited cells on an
 .Sx \&It  .Sx \&It
 line itself.  line.
 Subsequent this, only the  For example,
 .Sq \&Ta  
 pseudo-macro may be used to delimit phrases.  
 Furthermore, note that quoted sections propagate over tab-delimited  
 phrases on an  
 .Sx \&It ,  
 for example,  
 .Pp  .Pp
 .Dl .It \(dqcol1 ; <TAB> col2 ;\(dq \&;  .Dl .It \(dqcol1 ; <TAB> col2 ;\(dq \&;
 .Pp  .Pp
Line 2067  See also
Line 2200  See also
 Specify a library.  Specify a library.
 The syntax is as follows:  The syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Lb Cm library  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Lb Ar library
 .Pp  .Pp
 The  The
 .Cm library  .Ar library
 parameter may be a system library, such as  parameter may be a system library, such as
 .Cm libz  .Cm libz
 or  or
Line 2100  and
Line 2233  and
 Format a hyperlink.  Format a hyperlink.
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Lk Cm uri Op Cm name  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Lk Ar uri Op Ar name
 .Pp  .Pp
 Examples:  Examples:
 .Dl \&.Lk http://bsd.lv \*qThe BSD.lv Project\*q  .Dl \&.Lk http://bsd.lv \*qThe BSD.lv Project\*q
Line 2115  Synonym for
Line 2248  Synonym for
 Display a mathematical symbol.  Display a mathematical symbol.
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Ms Cm symbol  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Ms Ar symbol
 .Pp  .Pp
 Examples:  Examples:
 .Dl \&.Ms sigma  .Dl \&.Ms sigma
Line 2126  Format a
Line 2259  Format a
 hyperlink.  hyperlink.
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Mt Cm address  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Mt Ar address
 .Pp  .Pp
 Examples:  Examples:
 .Dl \&.Mt discuss@manpages.bsd.lv  .Dl \&.Mt discuss@manpages.bsd.lv
Line 2203  Suppress a space.
Line 2336  Suppress a space.
 Following invocation, text is interpreted as free-form text until a  Following invocation, text is interpreted as free-form text until a
 macro is encountered.  macro is encountered.
 .Pp  .Pp
   This has no effect when invoked at the start of a macro line.
   .Pp
 Examples:  Examples:
 .Dl \&.Fl o \&Ns \&Ar output  .Dl \&.Fl o \&Ns \&Ar output
 .Pp  .Pp
Line 2262  any
Line 2397  any
 file.  file.
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Os Op Cm system Op Cm version  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Os Op Ar system Op Ar version
 .Pp  .Pp
 The optional  The optional
 .Cm system  .Ar system
 parameter specifies the relevant operating system or environment.  parameter specifies the relevant operating system or environment.
 Left unspecified, it defaults to the local operating system version.  Left unspecified, it defaults to the local operating system version.
 This is the suggested form.  This is the suggested form.
Line 2324  Removes the space
Line 2459  Removes the space
 between its arguments.  between its arguments.
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. \&Pf Cm prefix suffix  .D1 Pf \. \&Pf Ar prefix suffix
 .Pp  .Pp
 The  The
 .Cm suffix  .Ar suffix
 argument may be a macro.  argument may be a macro.
 .Pp  .Pp
 Examples:  Examples:
 .Dl \&.Pf \e. \&Sx \&Pf \&Cm prefix suffix  .Dl \&.Pf \e. \&Sx \&Pf \&Ar prefix suffix
 .Ss \&Po  .Ss \&Po
 Multi-line version of  Multi-line version of
 .Sx \&Pq .  .Sx \&Pq .
Line 2414  block is used within a SEE ALSO section, a vertical sp
Line 2549  block is used within a SEE ALSO section, a vertical sp
 before the rendered output, else the block continues on the current  before the rendered output, else the block continues on the current
 line.  line.
 .Ss \&Rv  .Ss \&Rv
 Inserts text regarding a function call's return value.  Insert a standard sentence regarding a function call's return value of 0
 This macro must consist of the  on success and \-1 on error, with the
 .Fl std  .Va errno
 argument followed by an optional  libc global variable set on error.
 .Ar function .  Its syntax is as follows:
   .Pp
   .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Rv Fl std Op Ar function ...
   .Pp
 If  If
 .Ar function  .Ar function
 is not provided, the document's name as stipulated by the first  is not specified, the document's name set by
 .Sx \&Nm  .Sx \&Nm
 is provided.  is used.
   Multiple
   .Ar function
   arguments are treated as separate functions.
 .Pp  .Pp
 See also  See also
 .Sx \&Ex .  .Sx \&Ex .
Line 2456  By default, spacing is
Line 2597  By default, spacing is
 When switched  When switched
 .Cm off ,  .Cm off ,
 no white space is inserted between macro arguments and between the  no white space is inserted between macro arguments and between the
 output generated from adjacent macros, but free-form text lines  output generated from adjacent macros, but text lines
 still get normal spacing between words and sentences.  still get normal spacing between words and sentences.
 .Ss \&So  .Ss \&So
 Multi-line version of  Multi-line version of
Line 2608  See also
Line 2749  See also
 .Sx \&Li ,  .Sx \&Li ,
 and  and
 .Sx \&Em .  .Sx \&Em .
   .Ss \&Ta
   Table cell separator in
   .Sx \&Bl Fl column
   lists; can only be used below
   .Sx \&It .
 .Ss \&Tn  .Ss \&Tn
 Format a tradename.  Format a tradename.
 .Pp  .Pp
Line 2679  Link to another manual
Line 2825  Link to another manual
 .Pq Qq cross-reference .  .Pq Qq cross-reference .
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Xr Cm name section  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&Xr Ar name section
 .Pp  .Pp
 The  The
 .Cm name  .Ar name
 and  and
 .Cm section  .Ar section
 are the name and section of the linked manual.  are the name and section of the linked manual.
 If  If
 .Cm section  .Ar section
 is followed by non-punctuation, an  is followed by non-punctuation, an
 .Sx \&Ns  .Sx \&Ns
 is inserted into the token stream.  is inserted into the token stream.
Line 2712  This macro should not be used; it is implemented for c
Line 2858  This macro should not be used; it is implemented for c
 historical manuals.  historical manuals.
 Its syntax is as follows:  Its syntax is as follows:
 .Pp  .Pp
 .D1 Pf \. Sx \&sp Op Cm height  .D1 Pf \. Sx \&sp Op Ar height
 .Pp  .Pp
 The  The
 .Cm height  .Ar height
 argument must be formatted as described in  argument must be formatted as described in
 .Sx Scaling Widths .  .Sx Scaling Widths .
 If unspecified,  If unspecified,
Line 2757  Newer groff and mandoc print
Line 2903  Newer groff and mandoc print
 .Qq AT&T UNIX  .Qq AT&T UNIX
 and the arguments.  and the arguments.
 .It  .It
 .Sx \&Bd Fl column  .Sx \&Bl Fl column
 does not recognize trailing punctuation characters when they immediately  does not recognize trailing punctuation characters when they immediately
 precede tabulator characters, but treats them as normal text and  precede tabulator characters, but treats them as normal text and
 outputs a space before them.  outputs a space before them.
Line 2767  does not start a new line.
Line 2913  does not start a new line.
 \*[hist]  \*[hist]
 .It  .It
 .Sx \&Dd  .Sx \&Dd
 without an argument prints  with non-standard arguments behaves very strangely.
 .Dq Epoch .  When there are three arguments, they are printed verbatim.
 In mandoc, it resolves to the current date.  Any other number of arguments is replaced by the current date,
   but without any arguments the string
   .Dq Epoch
   is printed.
 .It  .It
 .Sx \&Fl  .Sx \&Fl
 does not print a dash for an empty argument.  does not print a dash for an empty argument.
Line 2814  In new groff and mandoc, any list may be nested by def
Line 2963  In new groff and mandoc, any list may be nested by def
 lists will restart the sequence only for the sub-list.  lists will restart the sequence only for the sub-list.
 .It  .It
 .Sx \&Li  .Sx \&Li
 followed by a reserved character is incorrectly used in some manuals  followed by a delimiter is incorrectly used in some manuals
 instead of properly quoting that character, which sometimes works with  instead of properly quoting that character, which sometimes works with
 historic groff.  historic groff.
 .It  .It
Line 2903  This is not supported by mandoc.
Line 3052  This is not supported by mandoc.
 .Sh SEE ALSO  .Sh SEE ALSO
 .Xr man 1 ,  .Xr man 1 ,
 .Xr mandoc 1 ,  .Xr mandoc 1 ,
   .Xr eqn 7 ,
   .Xr man 7 ,
 .Xr mandoc_char 7  .Xr mandoc_char 7
   .Xr roff 7 ,
   .Xr tbl 7
 .Sh HISTORY  .Sh HISTORY
 The  The
 .Nm  .Nm

Legend:
Removed from v.1.173  
changed lines
  Added in v.1.195

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