| MAN(7) | MAN(7)

NAME

| man – macros to typeset manual

SYNOPSIS

`nroff −man` file ...

`troff −man` file ...

DESCRIPTION

These macros are used to format pages of this manual.

Except in `.LR` and `.RL` requests, any text argument denoted t in the request summary may be zero to six words. Quotes `"` ... `"` may be used to include blanks in a ‘word’. If t is empty, the special treatment is applied to the next text input line (the next line that doesn’t begin with dot). In this way, for example, `.I` may be used to italicize a line of more than 6 words, or `.SM` followed by `.B` to make small letters in ‘bold’ font.

A prevailing indent distance is remembered between successive indented paragraphs, and is reset to default value upon reaching a non-indented paragraph. Default units for indents i are ens.

The fonts are
`R` roman, the main font, preferred for diagnostics
`I` italic, preferred for parameters, short names of commands, names of manual pages, and naked function names
`B` ‘bold’, actually the constant width font, preferred for examples, file names, declarations, keywords, names of `struct` members, and literals (numbers are rarely literals)
`L` also the constant width font. In troff `L`=`B`; in nroff arguments of the macros `.L`, `.LR`, and `.RL` are printed in quotes; preferred only where quotes really help (e.g. lower-case literals and punctuation).

Type font and size are reset to default values before each paragraph, and after processing font- or size-setting macros.

The `−man` macros admit equations and tables in the style of eqn(1) and tbl(1), but do not support arguments on `.EQ` and `.TS` macros.

These strings are predefined by `−man`:
`\*R` ‘®’, ‘(Reg)’ in nroff.
`\*S` Change to default type size. `\*9` The root directory of the Plan 9 installation.

FILES

`/usr/local/plan9/tmac/tmac.an

` `/usr/local/plan9/tmac/tmac.antimes
`

SEE ALSO

| troff(1), man(1)

REQUESTS
Request Cause If no Explanation

| Break Argument

`.B` t no

`̳

̳

̳

̳`t=n.t.l.* Text t is ‘bold’.
`.BI` t no

`̳

̳

̳

̳`t=n.t.l. Join words of t alternating bold and italic.
`.BR` t no

`̳

̳

̳

̳`t=n.t.l. Join words of t alternating bold and Roman.
`.DT` no Restore default tabs.
`.EE` yes End displayed example
`.EX` yes Begin displayed example
`.HP` i yes

`̳

̳

̳`i=p.i.* Set prevailing indent to i. Begin paragraph with hanging indent.
`.I` t no

`̳

̳

̳

̳`t=n.t.l. Text t is italic.
`.IB` t no

`̳

̳

̳

̳`t=n.t.l. Join words of t alternating italic and bold.
`.IP` x i yes

`̳

̳

̳`x="" Same as `.TP` with tag x.
`.IR` t no

`̳

̳

̳

̳`t=n.t.l. Join words of t alternating italic and Roman.
`.L` t no

`̳

̳

̳

̳`t=n.t.l. Text t is literal.
`.LP` yes Same as `.PP`.
`.LR` t no Join 2 words of t alternating literal and Roman.
`.PD` d no

`̳

̳

̳

̳`d=`.4v` Interparagraph distance is d.
`.PP` yes Begin paragraph. Set prevailing indent to default.
`.RE` yes End of relative indent. Set prevailing indent to amount of starting `.RS`.
`.RI` t no

`̳

̳

̳

̳`t=n.t.l. Join words of t alternating Roman and italic.
`.RL` t no Join 2 or 3 words of t alternating Roman and literal.
`.RS` i yes

`̳

̳

̳`i=p.i. Start relative indent, move left margin in distance i. Set prevailing indent to default for nested indents.
`.SH` t yes

`̳

̳

̳`t="" Subhead; reset paragraph distance.
`.SM` t no

`̳

̳

̳

̳`t=n.t.l. Text t is small.
`.SS` t no

`̳

̳

̳

̳`t="" Secondary subhead.
`.TF` s yes Prevailing indent is wide as string s in font `L`; paragraph distance is 0.
`.TH` n c x yes Begin page named n of chapter c; x is extra commentary, e.g. ‘local’, for page head. Set prevailing indent and tabs to default.
`.TP` i yes

`̳

̳

̳`i=p.i. Set prevailing indent to i. Restore default indent if i=0. Begin indented paragraph with hanging tag given by next text line. If tag doesn’t fit, place it on separate line.
`.1C` yes Equalize columns and return to 1-column output
`.2C` yes Start 2-column nofill output

* n.t.l. = next text line; p.i. = prevailing indent

BUGS

There’s no way to fool troff into handling literal double quote marks `"` in font-alternation macros, such as `.BI`.

There is no direct way to suppress column widows in 2-column output; the column lengths may be adjusted by inserting `.sp` requests before the closing `.1C`.