version 1.27, 2009/06/12 09:18:00 |
version 1.58, 2009/08/20 13:22:48 |
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.\" WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN |
.\" WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN |
.\" ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF |
.\" ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF |
.\" OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE. |
.\" OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE. |
.\" |
.\" |
.Dd $Mdocdate$ |
.Dd $Mdocdate$ |
.Dt MDOC 7 |
.Dt MDOC 7 |
.Os |
.Os |
.\" SECTION |
. |
|
. |
.Sh NAME |
.Sh NAME |
.Nm mdoc |
.Nm mdoc |
.Nd mdoc language reference |
.Nd mdoc language reference |
.\" SECTION |
. |
|
. |
.Sh DESCRIPTION |
.Sh DESCRIPTION |
The |
The |
.Nm mdoc |
.Nm mdoc |
language is used to format |
language is used to format |
.Bx |
.Bx |
.Ux |
.Ux |
manuals. In this reference document, we describe the syntax, ontology |
manuals. In this reference document, we describe its syntax, structure, |
and structure of the |
and usage. Our reference implementation is |
.Nm |
.Xr mandoc 1 . |
language. |
The |
.\" PARAGRAPH |
.Sx COMPATIBILITY |
|
section describes compatibility with |
|
.Xr groff 1 . |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
An |
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. Other lines are interpreted within the scope of |
are parsed for macros. Other lines are interpreted within the scope of |
prior macros: |
prior macros: |
.Bd -literal -offset XXX |
.Bd -literal -offset indent |
\&.Sh Macro lines change control state. |
\&.Sh Macro lines change control state. |
Other lines are interpreted within the current state. |
Other lines are interpreted within the current state. |
.Ed |
.Ed |
.\" SECTION |
. |
.Sh INPUT ENCODING |
. |
|
.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 |
character, and, in certain circumstances, the tab character. All |
.Sq \ , |
manuals must have |
and, in certain circumstances, the tab character |
.Ux |
.Sq \et . |
line terminators. |
All manuals must have |
. |
.Sq \en |
. |
line termination. |
.Ss Comments |
.Pp |
Text following a |
The only time a blank line is acceptable is within |
.Sq \e" , |
the context of |
whether in a macro or free-form text line, is ignored to the end of |
.Sq \&.Bd \-literal |
line. A macro line with only a control character and comment escape, |
or |
.Sq \&.\e" , |
.Sq \&.Bd \-unfilled . |
is also ignored. Macro lines with only a control charater and optionally |
.Pp |
whitespace are stripped from input. |
Tab characters |
. |
.Pq \et |
. |
are only acceptable when delimiting |
|
.Sq \&.Bl \-column |
|
and in |
|
.Sq \&.Bd \-literal |
|
or |
|
.Sq \&.Bd \-unfilled |
|
contexts. |
|
.\" SUB-SECTION |
|
.Ss Reserved Characters |
.Ss Reserved Characters |
Within a macro line, the following characters are reserved: |
Within a macro line, the following characters are reserved: |
.Bl -tag -width 12n -offset XXXX -compact |
.Bl -tag -width Ds -offset indent -compact |
.It \&. |
.It \&. |
.Pq period |
.Pq period |
.It \&, |
.It \&, |
Line 95 Within a macro line, the following characters are rese |
|
Line 93 Within a macro line, the following characters are rese |
|
.It \&? |
.It \&? |
.Pq question |
.Pq question |
.It \&! |
.It \&! |
.Pq exclamation |
.Pq exclamation |
|
.It \&| |
|
.Pq vertical bar |
.El |
.El |
.\" PARAGRAPH |
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
Use of reserved characters is described in |
Use of reserved characters is described in |
.Sx Closure . |
.Sx MACRO SYNTAX . |
For general non-reserved use, characters must either be escaped with a |
For general use in macro lines, these characters must either be escaped |
non-breaking space |
with a non-breaking space |
.Pq Sq \e& |
.Pq Sq \e& |
or, if applicable, an appropriate escape-sequence used. |
or, if applicable, an appropriate escape sequence used. |
.\" SUB-SECTION |
. |
|
. |
.Ss Special Characters |
.Ss Special Characters |
Special character sequences begin with the escape character |
Special characters may occur in both macro and free-form lines. |
|
Sequences begin with the escape character |
.Sq \e |
.Sq \e |
followed by either an open-parenthesis |
followed by either an open-parenthesis |
.Sq \&( |
.Sq \&( |
for two-character sequences; an open-bracket |
for two-character sequences; an open-bracket |
.Sq \&[ |
.Sq \&[ |
for n-character sequences (terminated at a close-bracket |
for n-character sequences (terminated at a close-bracket |
.Sq \&] ) ; |
.Sq \&] ) ; |
or a single one-character sequence. |
or a single one-character sequence. See |
|
.Xr mandoc_char 7 |
|
for a complete list. Examples include |
|
.Sq \e(em |
|
.Pq em-dash |
|
and |
|
.Sq \ee |
|
.Pq back-slash . |
|
. |
|
. |
|
.Ss Text Decoration |
|
Terms may be text-decorated using the |
|
.Sq \ef |
|
escape followed by an indicator: B (bold), I, (italic), or P and R |
|
(Roman, or reset). This form is not recommended for |
|
.Nm , |
|
which encourages semantic, not presentation, annotation. |
|
. |
|
. |
|
.Ss Predefined Strings |
|
Historically, |
|
.Xr groff 1 |
|
also defined a set of package-specific |
|
.Dq predefined strings , |
|
which, like |
|
.Sx Special Characters , |
|
demark special output characters and strings by way of input codes. |
|
Predefined strings are escaped with the slash-asterisk, |
|
.Sq \e* : |
|
single-character |
|
.Sq \e*X , |
|
two-character |
|
.Sq \e*(XX , |
|
and N-character |
|
.Sq \e*[N] . |
|
See |
|
.Xr mandoc_char 7 |
|
for a complete list. Examples include |
|
.Sq \e*(Am |
|
.Pq ampersand |
|
and |
|
.Sq \e*(Ba |
|
.Pq vertical bar . |
|
. |
|
. |
|
.Ss Whitespace |
|
In non-literal free-form lines, consecutive blocks of whitespace are |
|
pruned from input and added later in the output filter, if applicable: |
|
.Bd -literal -offset indent |
|
These spaces are pruned from input. |
|
\&.Bd \-literal |
|
These are not. |
|
\&.Ed |
|
.Ed |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
Characters may alternatively be escaped by a slash-asterisk, |
In macro lines, whitespace delimits arguments and is discarded. If |
.Sq \e* , |
arguments are quoted, whitespace within the quotes is retained. |
with the same combinations as described above. This form is deprecated. |
. |
.\" SECTION |
|
.Sh STRUCTURE |
|
Macros are classified in an ontology described by their scope rules. |
|
Some macros are allowed to deviate from their classifications to |
|
preserve backward-compatibility with old macro combinations still found |
|
in the manual corpus. These are specifically noted on a per-macro |
|
basis. |
|
.\" SUB-SECTION |
|
.Ss Scope |
|
.Bl -inset |
|
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It Em Block |
|
macros enclose other block macros, in-line macros or text, and |
|
may span multiple lines. |
|
.Bl -inset -offset XXXX |
|
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It Em Full-block |
|
macros always span multiple lines. They consist of zero or |
|
more |
|
.Qq heads , |
|
subsequent macros or text on the same line following invocation; an |
|
optional |
|
.Qq body , |
|
which spans subsequent lines of text or macros; and an optional |
|
.Qq tail , |
|
macros or text on the same line following closure. |
|
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It Em Partial-block |
|
macros may span multiple lines. They consists of a optional |
|
.Qq head , |
|
text immediately following invocation; always a |
|
.Qq body , |
|
text or macros following the head on the same and subsequent lines; and |
|
optionally a |
|
.Qq tail , |
|
text immediately following closure. |
|
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It Em In-line |
|
macros may only enclose text and span at most a single line. |
|
.El |
|
.El |
|
.\" SUB-SECTION |
|
.Ss Closure |
|
Closure of a macro's scope depends first on its classification, then |
|
on whether it's parsable. In this table, |
|
.Sq BFE |
|
refers to block full-explicit and so on. |
|
.\" PARAGRAPH |
|
.Pp |
.Pp |
.Bl -tag -width 12n -offset XXXX -compact |
Blank lines are only permitted within literal contexts, as are lines |
.It BPE , BFE |
containing only whitespace. Tab characters are only acceptable when |
corresponding explicit closure macro |
delimiting |
.It BFI |
.Sq \&Bl \-column |
end-of-file or a corresponding implicit closure macro |
or when in a literal context. |
.It BPI |
. |
end-of-line (body may be closed by >0 space-separated |
. |
.Sx Reserved Characters , |
.Ss Quotation |
although block scope will still be open) |
Macro arguments may be quoted with a double-quote to group |
.It INL |
space-delimited terms or to retain blocks of whitespace. A quoted |
end-of-line |
argument begins with a double-quote preceded by whitespace. The next |
.El |
double-quote not pair-wise adjacent to another double-quote terminates |
.\" PARAGRAPH |
the literal, regardless of surrounding whitespace. |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
If a macro (block or in-line) is parsable, it may also be closed out by |
This produces tokens |
one of the following scenarios (unless specifically noted otherwise): |
.Sq a" , |
.\" PARAGRAPH |
.Sq b c , |
|
.Sq de , |
|
and |
|
.Sq fg" . |
|
Note that any quoted term, be it argument or macro, is indiscriminately |
|
considered literal text. Thus, the following produces |
|
.Sq \&Em a : |
|
.Bd -literal -offset indent |
|
\&.Em "Em a" |
|
.Ed |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
.Bl -dash -offset XXXX -compact |
In free-form mode, quotes are regarded as opaque text. |
.It |
. |
a sequence of >0 space-separated |
. |
.Sx Reserved Characters , |
.Sh MANUAL STRUCTURE |
.It |
Each |
another macro, |
.Nm |
.It |
document must begin with a document prologue, containing, in order, |
end-of-line, or |
.Sq \&Dd , |
.It |
.Sq \&Dt , |
completion of a set number of arguments. |
and |
.El |
.Sq \&Os , |
.\" PARAGRAPH |
then the NAME section containing at least one |
|
.Sq \&Nm |
|
followed by |
|
.Sq \&Nd : |
|
.Bd -literal -offset indent |
|
\&.Dd $\&Mdocdate$ |
|
\&.Dt mdoc 7 |
|
\&.Os |
|
\&. |
|
\&.Sh NAME |
|
\&.Nm foo |
|
\&.Nd a description goes here |
|
\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 2 & 3 only. |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh LIBRARY |
|
\&. |
|
\&.Sh SYNOPSIS |
|
\&.Nm foo |
|
\&.Op Fl options |
|
\&.Ar |
|
\&. |
|
\&.Sh DESCRIPTION |
|
The |
|
\&.Nm |
|
utility processes files ... |
|
\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 1 & 8 only. |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh EXIT STATUS |
|
\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 2, 3, & 9 only. |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh RETURN VALUES |
|
\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 1, 6, 7, & 8 only. |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh ENVIRONMENT |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh FILES |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh EXAMPLES |
|
\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 1, 4, 6, 7, & 8 only. |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh DIAGNOSTICS |
|
\&.\e\*q The next is for sections 2, 3, & 9 only. |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh ERRORS |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh SEE ALSO |
|
\&.\e\*q .Xr foobar 1 |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh STANDARDS |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh HISTORY |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh AUTHORS |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh CAVEATS |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh BUGS |
|
\&.\e\*q .Sh SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS |
|
.Ed |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
If >0 space-separated |
Subsequent SYNOPSIS and DESCRIPTION sections are strongly encouraged, |
.Sx Reserved Characters |
but non-compulsory. |
are followed by non-reserved characters, the behaviour differs per |
. |
macro. In general, scope of the macro is closed and re-opened: |
. |
subsequent tokens are interpreted as if the scope had just been opened. |
.Sh MACRO SYNTAX |
In other circumstances, scope is simply closed out. |
Macros are one to three three characters in length and begin with a |
.\" SECTION |
control character , |
.Sh SYNTAX |
.Sq \&. , |
Macros are two or three characters in length. The syntax of macro |
at the beginning of the line. An arbitrary amount of whitespace may |
invocation depends on its classification. |
sit between the control character and the macro name. Thus, |
.Qq \-arg |
.Sq \&.Pp |
refers to the macro arguments (which may contain zero or more values). |
and |
In these illustrations, |
.Sq \&.\ \ \ \&Pp |
.Sq \&.Yo |
are equivalent. Macro names are two or three characters in length. |
opens the scope of a macro, and if specified, |
. |
.Sq \&.Yc |
|
closes it out (closure may be implicit at end-of-line or end-of-file). |
|
.\" PARAGRAPH |
|
.Pp |
.Pp |
Block full-explicit (may contain head, body, tail). |
The syntax of a macro depends on its classification. In this section, |
.Bd -literal -offset XXXX |
.Sq \-arg |
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB \(lBhead...\(rB |
refers to macro arguments, which may be followed by zero or more |
\(lBbody...\(rB |
.Sq parm |
\&.Yc \(lBtail...\(rB |
parameters; |
.Ed |
.Sq \&Yo |
.\" PARAGRAPH |
opens the scope of a macro; and if specified, |
|
.Sq \&Yc |
|
closes it out. |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
Block full-implicit (may contain zero or more heads, body, no tail). |
The |
.Bd -literal -offset XXXX |
.Em Callable |
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB \(lBhead... \(lBTa head...\(rB\(rB |
column indicates that the macro may be called subsequent to the initial |
\(lBbody...\(rB |
line-macro. If a macro is not callable, then its invocation after the |
\&.Yc |
initial line macro is interpreted as opaque text, such that |
.Ed |
.Sq \&.Fl Sh |
.\" PARAGRAPH |
produces |
|
.Sq Fl Sh . |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
Block partial-explicit (may contain head, multi-line body, tail). |
The |
.Bd -literal -offset XXXX |
.Em Parsable |
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB \(lBhead...\(rB |
column indicates whether the macro may be followed by further |
\(lBbody...\(rB |
(ostensibly callable) macros. If a macro is not parsable, subsequent |
\&.Yc \(lBtail...\(rB |
macro invocations on the line will be interpreted as opaque text. |
|
. |
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB \(lBhead...\(rB \ |
|
\(lBbody...\(rB \&Yc \(lBtail...\(rB |
|
.Ed |
|
.\" PARAGRAPH |
|
.Pp |
.Pp |
Block partial-implicit (no head, body, no tail). Note that the body |
The |
section may be followed by zero or more |
.Em Scope |
.Sx Reserved Words . |
column, if applicable, describes closure rules. |
These are in the block scope, but not in the body scope. |
. |
.Bd -literal -offset XXXX |
. |
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB \(lBbody...\(rB \(lBreserved...\(rB |
.Ss Block full-explicit |
|
Multi-line scope closed by an explicit closing macro. All macros |
|
contains bodies; only |
|
.Pq Sq \&Bf |
|
contains a head. |
|
.Bd -literal -offset indent |
|
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBparm...\(rB\(rB \(lBhead...\(rB |
|
\(lBbody...\(rB |
|
\&.Yc |
.Ed |
.Ed |
.\" PARAGRAPH |
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
In-lines have \(>=0 scoped arguments. |
.Bl -column -compact -offset indent "MacroX" "CallableX" "ParsableX" "closed by XXX" |
.Bd -literal -offset XXX |
.It Em Macro Ta Em Callable Ta Em Parsable Ta Em Scope |
\&.Yy \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB \(lBargs...\(rB |
.It \&Bd Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&Ed |
|
.It \&Bf Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&Ef |
\&.Yy \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB arg0 arg1 argN |
.It \&Bk Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&Ek |
.Ed |
.It \&Bl Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&El |
.\" |
.It \&Ed Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta opened by \&Bd |
.Sh MACROS |
.It \&Ef Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta opened by \&Bf |
This section contains a complete list of all |
.It \&Ek Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta opened by \&Bk |
.Nm |
.It \&El Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta opened by \&Bl |
macros, arranged ontologically. A |
.El |
.Qq callable |
. |
macro is invoked subsequent to the initial macro-line macro. A |
. |
.Qq parsable |
|
macro may be followed by further (ostensibly callable) macros. |
|
.\" SUB-SECTION |
|
.Ss Block full-implicit |
.Ss Block full-implicit |
The head of these macros follows invocation; the body is the content of |
Multi-line scope closed by end-of-file or implicitly by another macro. |
subsequent lines prior to closure. None of these macros have tails; |
All macros have bodies; some |
some |
|
.Po |
.Po |
.Sq \&.It \-bullet , |
.Sq \&It \-bullet , |
.Sq \-hyphen , |
.Sq \-hyphen , |
.Sq \-dash , |
.Sq \-dash , |
.Sq \-enum , |
.Sq \-enum , |
.Sq \-item |
.Sq \-item |
.Pc |
.Pc |
don't have heads. |
don't have heads, while |
|
.Sq \&It \-column |
|
may have multiple heads. |
|
.Bd -literal -offset indent |
|
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBparm...\(rB\(rB \(lBhead... \(lBTa head...\(rB\(rB |
|
\(lBbody...\(rB |
|
.Ed |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
.Bl -column "MacroX" "CallableX" "ParsableX" "Closing" -compact -offset XXXX |
.Bl -column -compact -offset indent "MacroX" "CallableX" "ParsableX" "closed by XXXXXXXXXXX" |
.It Em Macro Ta Em Callable Ta Em Parsable Ta Em Closing |
.It Em Macro Ta Em Callable Ta Em Parsable Ta Em Scope |
.It \&.Sh Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta \&.Sh |
.It \&It Ta \&No Ta Yes Ta closed by \&It, \&El |
.It \&.Ss Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta \&.Sh, \&.Ss |
.It \&Nd Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&Sh |
.It \&.It Ta \&No Ta Yes Ta \&.It, \&.El |
.It \&Sh Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&Sh |
|
.It \&Ss Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&Sh, \&Ss |
.El |
.El |
.\" SUB-SECTION |
. |
.Ss Block full-explicit |
. |
None of these macros are callable or parsed. The last column indicates |
.Ss Block partial-explicit |
the explicit scope rules. All contains bodies, some may contain heads |
Like block full-explicit, but also with single-line scope. Each |
.Pq So \&Bf Sc . |
has at least a body and, in limited circumstances, a head |
|
.Pq So \&Fo Sc , So \&Eo Sc |
|
and/or tail |
|
.Pq So \&Ec Sc . |
|
.Bd -literal -offset indent |
|
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBparm...\(rB\(rB \(lBhead...\(rB |
|
\(lBbody...\(rB |
|
\&.Yc \(lBtail...\(rB |
|
|
|
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBparm...\(rB\(rB \(lBhead...\(rB \ |
|
\(lBbody...\(rB \&Yc \(lBtail...\(rB |
|
.Ed |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
.Bl -column "MacroX" "CallableX" "ParsableX" "closed by XXX" -compact -offset XXXX |
.Bl -column "MacroX" "CallableX" "ParsableX" "closed by XXXX" -compact -offset indent |
.It Em Macro Ta Em Callable Ta Em Parsable Ta Em Scope |
.It Em Macro Ta Em Callable Ta Em Parsable Ta Em Scope |
.It \&.Bd Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&.Ed |
.It \&Ac Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&Ao |
.It \&.Ed Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta opened by \&.Bd |
.It \&Ao Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&Ac |
.It \&.Bl Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&.El |
.It \&Bc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&Bo |
.It \&.El Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta opened by \&.Bl |
.It \&Bo Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&Bc |
.It \&.Bf Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&.Ef |
.It \&Brc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&Bro |
.It \&.Ef Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta opened by \&.Bf |
.It \&Bro Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&Brc |
.It \&.Bk Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&.Ek |
.It \&Dc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&Do |
.It \&.Ek Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta opened by \&.Bk |
.It \&Do Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&Dc |
|
.It \&Ec Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&Eo |
|
.It \&Eo Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&Ec |
|
.It \&Fc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&Fo |
|
.It \&Fo Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&Fc |
|
.It \&Oc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&Oo |
|
.It \&Oo Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&Oc |
|
.It \&Pc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&Po |
|
.It \&Po Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&Pc |
|
.It \&Qc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&Oo |
|
.It \&Qo Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&Oc |
|
.It \&Re Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta opened by \&Rs |
|
.It \&Rs Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&Re |
|
.It \&Sc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&So |
|
.It \&So Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&Sc |
|
.It \&Xc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&Xo |
|
.It \&Xo Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&Xc |
.El |
.El |
.\" SUB-SECTION |
. |
|
. |
.Ss Block partial-implicit |
.Ss Block partial-implicit |
All of these are callable and parsed for further macros. Their scopes |
Like block full-implicit, but with single-line scope closed by |
close at the invocation's end-of-line. |
.Sx Reserved Characters |
|
or end of line. |
|
.Bd -literal -offset indent |
|
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB \(lBbody...\(rB \(lBres...\(rB |
|
.Ed |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
.Bl -column "MacroX" "CallableX" "ParsableX" -compact -offset XXXX |
.Bl -column "MacroX" "CallableX" "ParsableX" -compact -offset indent |
.It Em Macro Ta Em Callable Ta Em Parsable |
.It Em Macro Ta Em Callable Ta Em Parsable |
.It \&.Aq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&Aq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&.Op Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&Bq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&.Bq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&Brq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&.Dq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&D1 Ta \&No Ta \&Yes |
.It \&.Pq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&Dl Ta \&No Ta Yes |
.It \&.Qq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&Dq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&.Sq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&Op Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&.Brq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&Pq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&.D1 Ta \&No Ta \&Yes |
.It \&Ql Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&.Dl Ta \&No Ta Yes |
.It \&Qq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&.Ql Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.It \&Sq Ta Yes Ta Yes |
.El |
.El |
.\" PARAGRAPH |
. |
.Pp |
. |
The |
.Ss In-line |
.Sq \&.Op |
Closed by |
may be broken by |
.Sx Reserved Characters , |
.Sq \&.Oc |
end of line, fixed argument lengths, and/or subsequent macros. In-line |
as in the following example: |
macros have only text children. If a number (or inequality) of |
.Bd -literal -offset XXXX |
|
\&.Oo |
|
\&.Op Fl a Oc |
|
.Ed |
|
.Pp |
|
In the above example, the scope of |
|
.Sq \&.Op |
|
is technically broken by |
|
.Sq \&.Oc , |
|
however, due to the overwhelming existence of this sequence, it's |
|
allowed. |
|
.\" SUB-SECTION |
|
.Ss Block partial-explicit |
|
Each of these contains at least a body and, in limited circumstances, a |
|
head |
|
.Pq So \&.Fo Sc , So \&.Eo Sc |
|
and/or tail |
|
.Pq So \&.Ec Sc . |
|
.Pp |
|
.Bl -column "MacroX" "CallableX" "ParsableX" "closed by XXXX" -compact -offset XXXX |
|
.It Em Macro Ta Em Callable Ta Em Parsable Ta Em Scope |
|
.It \&.Ao Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&.Ac |
|
.It \&.Ac Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&.Ao |
|
.It \&.Bc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&.Bo |
|
.It \&.Bo Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&.Bc |
|
.It \&.Pc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&.Po |
|
.It \&.Po Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&.Pc |
|
.It \&.Do Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&.Dc |
|
.It \&.Dc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&.Do |
|
.It \&.Xo Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&.Xc |
|
.It \&.Xc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&.Xo |
|
.It \&.Bro Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&.Brc |
|
.It \&.Brc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&.Bro |
|
.It \&.Oc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&.Oo |
|
.It \&.Oo Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&.Oc |
|
.It \&.So Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&.Sc |
|
.It \&.Sc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&.So |
|
.It \&.Fc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&.Fo |
|
.It \&.Fo Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&.Fc |
|
.It \&.Ec Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&.Eo |
|
.It \&.Eo Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&.Ec |
|
.It \&.Qc Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta opened by \&.Oo |
|
.It \&.Qo Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta closed by \&.Oc |
|
.It \&.Re Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta opened by \&.Rs |
|
.It \&.Rs Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta closed by \&.Re |
|
.El |
|
.\" SUB-SECTION |
|
.Ss In-line |
|
In-line macros have only text children. If a number (or inequality) of |
|
arguments is |
arguments is |
.Pq n , |
.Pq n , |
then the macro accepts an arbitrary number of arguments. |
then the macro accepts an arbitrary number of arguments. |
|
.Bd -literal -offset indent |
|
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB \(lBargs...\(rB \(lbres...\(rb |
|
|
|
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB \(lBargs...\(rB Yc... |
|
|
|
\&.Yo \(lB\-arg \(lBval...\(rB\(rB arg0 arg1 argN |
|
.Ed |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
.Bl -column "MacroX" "CallableX" "ParsableX" "Arguments" -compact -offset XXXX |
.Bl -column "MacroX" "CallableX" "ParsableX" "Arguments" -compact -offset indent |
.It Em Macro Ta Em Callable Ta Em Parsable Ta Em Arguments |
.It Em Macro Ta Em Callable Ta Em Parsable Ta Em Arguments |
.It \&.Dd Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&%A Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.Dt Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&%B Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.Os Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&%C Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.Pp Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&%D Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.Ad Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&%I Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.An Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&%J Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.Ar Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&%N Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.Cd Ta Yes Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&%O Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.Cm Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&%P Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.Dv Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&%R Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.Er Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&%T Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.Ev Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&%V Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.Ex Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&Ad Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Fa Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&An Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Fd Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Ap Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta 0 |
.It \&.Fl Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Ar Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Fn Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&At Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta 1 |
.It \&.Ft Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Bsx Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Ic Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&Bt Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&.In Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&Bx Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Li Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Cd Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&.Nd Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&Cm Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Nm Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Db Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 1 |
.It \&.Ot Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&Dd Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.Pa Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Dt Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&.Rv Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&Dv Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.St Ta \&No Ta Yes Ta 1 |
.It \&Dx Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Va Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Em Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&.Vt Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&En Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&.Xr Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0, <3 |
.It \&Er Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&.%A Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Es Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&.%B Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Ev Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.%C Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Ex Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&.%D Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Fa Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.%I Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Fd Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&.%J Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Fl Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.%N Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Fn Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&.%O Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Fr Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&.%P Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Ft Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.%R Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Fx Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.%T Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Hf Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&.%V Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta >0 |
.It \&Ic Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&.At Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta 1 |
.It \&In Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&.Bsx Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Lb Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 1 |
.It \&.Bx Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Li Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Db Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 1 |
.It \&Lk Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Em Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&Lp Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&.Fx Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Ms Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&.Ms Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&Mt Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&.No Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta 0 |
.It \&Nm Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Ns Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta 0 |
.It \&No Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta 0 |
.It \&.Nx Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Ns Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta 0 |
.It \&.Ox Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Nx Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Pf Ta \&No Ta Yes Ta 1 |
.It \&Os Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&.Sm Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 1 |
.It \&Ot Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&.Sx Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&Ox Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Sy Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&Pa Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Tn Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&Pf Ta \&No Ta Yes Ta 1 |
.It \&.Ux Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Pp Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&.Dx Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Rv Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&.Bt Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&Sm Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 1 |
.It \&.Hf Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&St Ta \&No Ta Yes Ta 1 |
.It \&.Fr Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta n |
.It \&Sx Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&.Ud Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&Sy Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&.Lb Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 1 |
.It \&Tn Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&.Ap Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta 0 |
.It \&Ud Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&.Lp Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&Ux Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Lk Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&Va Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta n |
.It \&.Mt Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&Vt Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0 |
.It \&.Es Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&Xr Ta Yes Ta Yes Ta >0, <3 |
.It \&.En Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.It \&br Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 0 |
.El |
.It \&sp Ta \&No Ta \&No Ta 1 |
.Pp |
.El |
The |
. |
.Sq \&.Ot , |
. |
.Sq \&.Fr , |
|
.Sq \&.Es |
|
and |
|
.Sq \&.En , |
|
macros are obsolete. |
|
.\" SECTION |
|
.Sh COMPATIBILITY |
.Sh COMPATIBILITY |
The mdoc language was traditionally a |
This section documents compatibility with other roff implementations, at |
.Qq roff |
this time limited to |
macro package; most existing manuals were written with mdoc syntax |
.Xr groff 1 . |
dictated by system-dependent roff installations. This section documents |
The term |
compatibility with these systems. |
.Qq historic groff |
|
refers to those versions before the |
|
.Pa doc.tmac |
|
file re-write |
|
.Pq somewhere between 1.15 and 1.19 . |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
.Bl -dash -compact |
.Bl -dash -compact |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
.Sq \&.An , |
The |
.Sq \&.Fo , |
.Sq \-split |
.Sq \&.Lk , |
or |
.Sq \&.Ms , |
.Sq \-nosplit |
.Sq \&.Mt , |
argument to |
and |
.Sq \&An |
.Sq \&.St |
applies to the whole document, not just to the current section as it |
historically weren't callable. |
does in groff. |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
.Sq \&.It \-nested |
In quoted literals, groff allowed pair-wise double-quotes to produce a |
is assumed for all lists: any list may be nested and |
standalone double-quote in formatted output. This idiosyncratic |
|
behaviour is no longer applicable. |
|
.It |
|
The |
|
.Sq \&sp |
|
macro does not accept negative numbers. |
|
.It |
|
Blocks of whitespace are stripped from both macro and free-form text |
|
lines (except when in literal mode), while groff would retain whitespace |
|
in free-form text lines. |
|
.It |
|
Historic groff has many un-callable macros. Most of these (excluding |
|
some block-level macros) are now callable, conforming to the |
|
non-historic groff version. |
|
.It |
|
The vertical bar |
|
.Sq \(ba |
|
made historic groff |
|
.Qq go orbital |
|
but is a proper delimiter in this implementation. |
|
.It |
|
.Sq \&It \-nested |
|
is assumed for all lists (it wasn't in historic groff): any list may be |
|
nested and |
.Sq \-enum |
.Sq \-enum |
lists will restart the sequence only for the sub-list. |
lists will restart the sequence only for the sub-list. |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
.Sq \&.It \-column |
.Sq \&It \-column |
syntax where column widths may be preceded by other arguments (instead |
syntax where column widths may be preceded by other arguments (instead |
of proceeded) is not supported. |
of proceeded) is not supported. |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
The |
The |
.Sq \&.At |
.Sq \&At |
macro only accepts a single parameter. |
macro only accepts a single parameter. |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
The system-name macros ( |
|
.Ns Sq \&.At , |
|
.Sq \&.Bsx , |
|
.Sq \&.Bx , |
|
.Sq \&.Fx , |
|
.Sq \&.Nx , |
|
.Sq \&.Ox , |
|
and |
|
.Sq \&.Ux ) |
|
are callable. |
|
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
|
Some manuals use |
Some manuals use |
.Sq \&.Li |
.Sq \&Li |
incorrectly by following it with a reserved character and expecting the |
incorrectly by following it with a reserved character and expecting the |
delimiter to render. This is not supported. |
delimiter to render. This is not supported. |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
.Sq \&.Cd |
In groff, the |
is callable. |
.Sq \&Fo |
|
macro only produces the first parameter. This is no longer the case. |
.El |
.El |
.\" SECTION |
. |
|
. |
.Sh SEE ALSO |
.Sh SEE ALSO |
.Xr mandoc 1 , |
.Xr mandoc 1 , |
.Xr mandoc_char 7 |
.Xr mandoc_char 7 |
.\" SECTION |
. |
|
. |
.Sh AUTHORS |
.Sh AUTHORS |
The |
The |
.Nm |
.Nm |
utility was written by |
reference was written by |
.An Kristaps Dzonsons Aq kristaps@kth.se . |
.An Kristaps Dzonsons Aq kristaps@kth.se . |
.\" SECTION |
. |
|
. |
.Sh CAVEATS |
.Sh CAVEATS |
There are several ambiguous parts of mdoc. |
There are many ambiguous parts of mdoc. |
|
. |
.Pp |
.Pp |
.Bl -dash -compact |
.Bl -dash -compact |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
.Sq \&.Fa |
.Sq \&Fa |
should be |
should be |
.Sq \&.Va |
.Sq \&Va |
as function arguments are variables. |
as function arguments are variables. |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
.Sq \&.Ft |
.Sq \&Ft |
should be |
should be |
.Sq \&.Vt |
.Sq \&Vt |
as function return types are still types. Furthermore, the |
as function return types are still types. Furthermore, the |
.Sq \&.Ft |
.Sq \&Ft |
should be removed and |
should be removed and |
.Sq \&.Fo , |
.Sq \&Fo , |
which ostensibly follows it, should follow the same convention as |
which ostensibly follows it, should follow the same convention as |
.Sq \&.Va . |
.Sq \&Va . |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
.Sq \&.Va |
.Sq \&Va |
should formalise that only one or two arguments are acceptable: a |
should formalise that only one or two arguments are acceptable: a |
variable name and optional, preceding type. |
variable name and optional, preceding type. |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
.Sq \&.Fd |
.Sq \&Fd |
is ambiguous. It's commonly used to indicate an include file in the |
is ambiguous. It's commonly used to indicate an include file in the |
synopsis section. |
synopsis section. |
.Sq \&.In |
.Sq \&In |
should be used, instead. |
should be used, instead. |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
Only the |
Only the |
.Sq \-literal |
.Sq \-literal |
argument to |
argument to |
.Sq \&.Bd |
.Sq \&Bd |
makes sense. The remaining ones should be removed. |
makes sense. The remaining ones should be removed. |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
The |
The |
.Sq \&.Xo |
.Sq \&Xo |
and |
and |
.Sq \&.Xc |
.Sq \&Xc |
macros should be deprecated. |
macros should be deprecated. |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
The |
The |
.Sq \&.Dt |
.Sq \&Dt |
macro lacks clarity. It should be absolutely clear which title will |
macro lacks clarity. It should be absolutely clear which title will |
render when formatting the manual page. |
render when formatting the manual page. |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
A |
A |
.Sq \&.Lx |
.Sq \&Lx |
should be provided for Linux (\(`a la |
should be provided for Linux (\(`a la |
.Sq \&.Ox , |
.Sq \&Ox , |
.Sq \&.Nx |
.Sq \&Nx |
etc.). |
etc.). |
.\" LIST-ITEM |
|
.It |
.It |
There's no way to refer to references in |
There's no way to refer to references in |
.Sq \&.Rs/.Re |
.Sq \&Rs/Re |
blocks. |
blocks. |
|
.It |
|
The \-split and \-nosplit dictates via |
|
.Sq \&An |
|
are re-set when entering and leaving the AUTHORS section. |
.El |
.El |
|
. |