man(5)man(5)NAME
man, man.page - The man macro packages for reference pages
SYNOPSIS
tbl file... | neqn | nroff -h [options] -man | ...
tbl file... | neqn | nroff -h [options] -man.page | ...
OPTIONS
Uses output tabs during horizontal spacing to speed output and reduce
output character count. Tab settings are assumed to be every eight
nominal character widths. Numbers the first generated page as N.
Ignored by the man macros for nroff output. Ignored for *troff
output unless -rpS is also specified. Turns on line double-
spacing mode if N is greater than 0. Numbers the first gener‐
ated page as N. Page numbers always print on the outside end of
the page footer.
Ignored by the man macros for nroff output. Sets the section
number to S. Section numbers appear in output page footers as
S-N (chapter-page-number).
Page numbers always print on the outside end of the page footer.
Starting page number defaults to “1” unless -nN or -rnN is also
specified.
Ignored by the man macros for nroff output. Prints crop marks.
Only for use with *troff formatters.
DESCRIPTION
The man macro package is used to format reference pages for unpaginated
viewing, or for printing on ASCII printers. The man macro package is
the default. The reference pages installed on the base system are for‐
matted by the man and the catman commands, using the man macro package.
The man.page macro package is used to format reference manual pages for
paginated ASCII output.
The file argument is the name of the reference page source file.
The page width is 77 columns when formatted by the nroff command and
the man or man.page macro packages. The output is paginated when for‐
matted by the nroff command and the man.page macro package, with page
numbers appearing at the bottom right of each output page.
Macros
The following describes the macros in the man and man.page macro pack‐
ages.
Note that some of the macro descriptions contain information about
*troff output. This is provided for completeness, only. We do not
supply or support any *troff formatters.
Any text argument can range from zero to six words. Quotation marks
(" ") can be used to include blanks in words. If text is not speci‐
fied, special treatment is applied to the next input line that has text
to be printed. In this way, can be used to italicize a whole line or
followed by to make small bold letters.
A prevailing indent distance is remembered between successive indented
paragraphs, and is reset to a default value upon reaching a nonindented
paragraph. Default units for indents i are ens (an en is 1 nroff char‐
acter or 1/2 em space in the current point size).
Typeface and size are reset to default values before each paragraph,
and after processing font and size setting macros. For *troff output
only. Specifies the text string to be printed as the inside page
footer. No argument, or the argument 3, specifies the text "7th Edi‐
tion." The argument 4 specifies the text "System III." The argument 5
specifies the text "System V." The argument 5 followed by a number
argument specifies the text "System V Release number." Sets text text
in boldface. If no text is specified, only the next source text line
is set in boldface. Sets word1 in boldface, word2 in an italic type‐
face, and then alternates between these two fonts for the remaining
words, up to six words. Blanks between words are stripped unless the
string is enclosed in quotation marks (" "). Sets word1 in boldface,
word2 in a roman typeface, and then alternates between these two fonts
for the remaining words, up to six words. Blanks between words are
stripped unless the string is enclosed in quotation marks (" "). For
*troff output only. Specifies the text string to be printed as the
inside page footer. No argument, or the number 1, specifies the text
"1st Carnegie-Mellon Update." The number 2 specifies the text "2nd
Carnegie-Mellon Update." The number 3 specifies the text "3rd
Carnegie-Mellon Update." Any whole number n above 3 specifies the text
"nth Carnegie-Mellon Update." Prints the keyboard control character
indicator <CTRL/character>. For example, prints as <CTRL/A>. Sets text
in a constant width font until another font change is encountered.
Ends an unfilled display block (started by if it was in effect. Ends
an unfilled display block (started by the previous position. Starts an
unfilled display block. Text between and is printed in a roman type‐
face, with `no fill' mode (no wrapping and blank lines allowed) in
effect. The display block is set flush left. Starts a display block
with `no fill' mode (no wrapping and blank lines allowed) in effect.
The display block is shifted right .5 inch for nroff and four picas for
*troff formatters. Restores default tabs. Default tabs are set to
every 8 ens for nroff and to every .5 inches for *troff text format‐
ters, starting with .5i, 1i, ... . Ends an example and restores basic
text defaults and indents. Starts an example. Text between
and
is printed in a constant width font with `no fill' mode (no wrapping
and blank lines allowed) in effect. The example is set flush left
unless an indent i is specified. Units of i are ens. Sets text in a
sans-serif typeface. If no text is specified, only the next source
text line is set in a sans-serif typeface. Sets text in a sans-serif
bold typeface. If no text is specified, only the next source text line
is set in a sans-serif bold typeface. Sets text in a sans-serif italic
typeface. If no text is specified, only the next source text line is
set in a sans-serif italic typeface. Begins a paragraph with a hanging
indent of i ens. Sets text in an italic typeface. If no text is spec‐
ified, only the next source text line is set in an italic typeface.
Sets a temporary indent to the length of the specified word. Reverses
one line and then sets a temporary indent to the length of the speci‐
fied word. Sets word1 in an italic typeface, word2 in boldface, and
then alternates between these two fonts for the remaining words, up to
six words. Blanks between words are stripped unless the string is
enclosed in quotation marks (" "). Sets the prevailing indent to i.
Then begins the indented paragraph with a hanging tag given by the next
text line. If the tag does not fit, the macro places the next text on
a separate line. Tag x appears in bold typeface. Sets word1 in an
italic typeface, word2 in a roman typeface, and then alternates between
these two fonts for the remaining words, up to six words. Blanks
between words are stripped unless the string is enclosed in quotation
marks (" "). Sets reference_page immediately followed by section_sub‐
section in parentheses followed by optional punctuation, using fonts
that distinguish this reference page reference from ordinary text. For
example, man(5). Ends a note. Also cancels automatic centering if it
was in effect. Starts a note. If no arguments are specified, the
default header for the note is `Note'. If the first argument is the
letter `C', all text in the note is centered, for the next 99 text
lines or until the macro is called, whichever comes first. If the first
argument is not `C', it becomes the header of the note, even if header2
is also specified. The header2 argument becomes the header of the note
if the first argument is `C'. Sets the interparagraph distance to v
vertical spaces. Resets the distance to the default value if v is
omitted. Sets x in an italic or constant width typeface (depending on
the *roff formatter type) and then reverts to the previous typeface.
The optional argument y is appended to x with no space, but printed in
the previous typeface. The x argument is usually a path name; y is usu‐
ally punctuation. Sets x in the current typeface, sets y in an italic
or constant width typeface (depending on the *roff formatter type) and
appends it to x, and finally reverts to the previous typeface. The
optional argument z is appended to y, but printed in the previous type‐
face. Spaces are removed between x, y, and z, unless quotation marks
(" ") are used to enclose strings with spaces. The x argument is usu‐
ally a fixed path name; y is usually a variable path name; and z is
usually punctuation. Starts a block paragraph. Sets the prevailing
indent to .5i for nroff and four picas for *troff text formatters.
Sets the text in a roman typeface until another font change is encoun‐
tered. Also ends nroff underline mode if it was in effect. Sets word1
in a roman typeface, word2 in boldface, and then alternates between
these two fonts for the remaining words, up to six words. Blanks
between words are stripped unless the string is enclosed in quotation
marks (" "). Returns to the kth relative right shift indent level.
(Restores the left margin to the position prior to the kth
call). Specifying k=0 is equivalent to specifying k=1. If k is
omitted,
restores the left margin to the most recent previous position. When k=1
or 0, the default
indent increment is restored. Sets word1 in a roman typeface,
word2 in an italic typeface, and then alternates between these
two fonts for the remaining words, up to six words. Blanks
between words are stripped unless the string is enclosed in quo‐
tation marks (" "). Prints the return character indicator,
<RETURN>. Shifts the left margin to the right (relatively) the
amount of i ens. The
macro calls can be nested up to nine levels. If i is not
specified for the first
call, the relative right shift increases .5 inch
for nroff and four picas for *troff text format‐
ters. Nested
calls increment the relative indent by i
ens, or by .2 inch for nroff, or by 2 picas
for *troff text formatters. Creates a sec‐
tion header. Sets text to be two points
smaller than the current point size. If no
text is specified, only the next source
text line is set in the smaller point size.
Creates a subsection header. Begins a new
reference page and sets the page title.
Also sets up headers and footers for
printed output pages, sets up all defaults
and traps, and calls the and macros. The
title appears as a header on all pages of
the formatted reference page. The n argu‐
ment is the reference page name. The c
argument is the primary section number or
letter. The s argument is the subsection,
if any. The fc argument is optional and
specifies the text for the page foot cen‐
ter. The fl argument is optional and speci‐
fies the text for the page foot left. The
hc argument is optional and specifies the
text for the page head center. The o argu‐
ment is optional and can be used for “ori‐
gin” information; for example, “Free Soft‐
ware Foundation” or “X11R5.” The a argument
is optional and can be used to specify the
machine architecture, for example “RISC.”
Fields n, c, and s appear together
at the top of each output page (see
the top of this page for an exam‐
ple). These fields are displayed at
both the top left and right of the
screen, or printed page. Fields fc
and fl are in effect only with the
man.page macro package, or when
using a *troff formatter. Field hc
appears at the top center of each
output page. Field o, the “origin”
label, appears under the reference
page name and section number, at the
top left and right sides of the
screen, or printed page. Field a
appears under the “origin” label, or
under the reference page name and
section number if there is no “ori‐
gin” label, at the top left and
right sides of the screen, or
printed page.
The last five fields are optional.
To skip a field, specify a pair of
quotation marks ("") in the field to
be skipped. Sets the prevailing
indent to i. Then begins the
indented paragraph with a hanging
tag given by the next text line. If
the tag does not fit, the macro
places the next text on a separate
line. For *troff output only.
Specifies the text string to be
printed as the inside page footer.
No argument, or the number 3, speci‐
fies the text "3rd Berkeley Distri‐
bution." The number 4 specifies the
text "4th Berkeley Distribution."
The number 5 specifies the text "4.2
Berkeley Distribution." The number 6
specifies the text "4.3 Berkeley
Distribution." The number 7 speci‐
fies the text "4.4 Berkeley Distri‐
bution." End a vertical margin bar.
Starts a vertical margin bar, if `4'
is specified; otherwise, the macro
does nothing.
Macros That Cause Line Breaks
The following macros cause line breaks:
De DE Ds DS EE EX
HP IP PP RE SH SS
TH TP
Macros That Need Text Lines
The following macros affect the following line of text if they are
specified in the input without arguments:
B BI BR G GB GL
I IB IR RI RB SH
SS SM
Defaults
Automatic hyphenation is turned on. However, last lines (ones that will
cause a trap) are not hyphenated and the last and first two characters
of a word are not split off.
Characters printed from the Special Font are artificially bolded by
three units whenever the current font is `3'.
The default page width is 77 columns for nroff output and 8.5 inches
for output generated by *troff text formatters. For nroff output, sec‐
tion headers and page headers are output flush left, primary paragraphs
are indented two columns, and the maximum line length is a total of 77
columns for an effective right margin of .3 inches. This allows for
printing on A4 paper. Left and right page margins are 7.5 picas when
*troff text formatters are used.
The default page length is unlimited (unpaginated) for nroff output
with the man macros, and is 66 lines long for nroff with the man.page
macros. The default page length is 11 inches for output generated by
*troff text formatters.
The
() ()
macro sets up the following defaults: Text is set in “noadjust” mode;
the right margin is ragged. The default interparagraph distance is 1v
for nroff and .5v for *troff text formatters. The basic text indent is
two columns for nroff and four picas for *troff text formatters, from
the left margin. The maximum text line length is 7.5 inches for nroff
and 36 picas for *troff text formatters. Sets tab stops every 8 ens
for nroff and every .5 inches for *troff text formatters. The basic
text point size is 11 points, with line spacing set to 12 points. The
basic text font is “R” (a roman typeface). Reference page headers,
section headers, and subsection headers are set in a sans-serif bold
typeface for *troff formatters.
There are no page footers for nroff output with the man macros. Page
footers are printed when using *troff formatters, and when using the
man.page macros with either nroff or *troff.
The default page number, when footers are printed, has the format:
name(c[s])-pg
where: is the
() ()
n argument is the
c[s](argument) c[s](argument)
is the current page number
By default, the page number prints on the right side of the page foot.
When printing multiple pages, the page number is reset to “1” at the
start of each new reference page.
RESTRICTIONS
Predefined Registers
The following registers are predefined by the man macro packages and
should not be changed: Page offset and page margin Left margin indent
relative to the section headers Line length including IN Page length
The register `l' is predefined when you specify the *roff -rl option.
Its default value is 0. The man command does not use this option.
The register `n' is predefined when you specify the *roff -rn option.
Its default value is 0. The man command does not use this option.
The register `p' is predefined when you specify the *roff -rp option.
Its default value is 0. The man command does not use this option.
The register `v' is predefined when you specify the *roff -rv option.
Its default value is 0. The man command does not use this option.
Reserved Registers
The following registers are reserved for internal use by the man and
man.page macro packages:
A1 d DX EX l m
p p# PF pg pn v
y
In addition, registers beginning with the characters `)', `]', and `}'
are also reserved for internal use.
Registers predefined by the nroff, neqn, and tbl commands, and the *eqn
and *troff text preprocessors and formatters should not be redefined.
Predefined Strings
The following strings are predefined by the man macro package and
should not be changed: " if nroff, “ if *troff " if nroff, ” if *troff
Command string to change type size to 10 points.
Reserved Strings and Macros
The following string and macro names are reserved for internal use by
the man and man.page macro packages:
## A1 BD BK CD D
HB HH ID LD NO NX
P TB UF ya yn yl
ys
In addition, names beginning with the characters `)', `]', and `}' are
also reserved for internal use.
Names predefined by the nroff, neqn, and tbl commands, and the *eqn and
*troff text preprocessors and formatters should not be redefined.
.TH Macro Restrictions
Section numbers should only be those listed in the man(1) reference
page as recognized by the man command.
Sections 5, 6, and the single-letter sections listed in the man(1) ref‐
erence page normally do not have subsections, so none should be speci‐
fied.
Subsections “.z” and “.Z” are not valid and should never be used.
For nroff output, keep the size of the reference page name, including
its section and subsection, to a maximum of 38 characters to prevent
overprinting in the reference page header. Similarly, restrict the
size of the o and a fields to a maximum of 38 characters. If the hc
field is used, reduce the size of the name, section, and subsection
fields by the size of the hc field + 1.
The maximum sizes for the reference page name, o and a fields, are much
shorter if the reference page is formatted with a *troff formatter.
The NAME Section
The catman command assumes the NAME section of a reference page has the
following format:
name[, name, name ...] - explanatory text
There should be at least one space after any comma and only one space
following the “hyphen” (-). A “backslash hyphen” (\-) may also be used
to produce a longer dash. Avoid using macros or other markup to code
information in the NAME section. The explanatory text should be brief.
The catman command combines information in the NAME section with param‐
eters of the
() ()
macro to create an entry in a database searched by the apropos, man,
and whatis commands.
PORTABILITY CONSIDERATIONS
The Tru64 UNIX man macro packages contain extensions and enhancements
borrowed from other macro packages. If you need to write portable ref‐
erence pages, you should not use the following macros:
AT CM CT CW De Ds
EE EX G GB GL I1
I2 LP MS NE NT PN
Pn R RN UC UF
The
macro is obsolete, but is provided for backward compatibility with
other vendors.
The
() ()
macro permits the use of the percent (%) character in any of its
fields. The presence of the percent character may cause problems for
other implementations of this macro.
The width of the nroff output is 77 columns, with a 2-column indent,
for an effective maximum line length of 75 columns. On other systems,
the width of the nroff output may be only 65 columns, with a 5-column
indent, for an effective maximum line length of 60 columns. Avoid cre‐
ating tables and no-fill text that require the full 75 columns avail‐
able. Plan for a maximum line length of 60 columns, instead.
FILES
The man macro package interface The primary man macros package Old BSD
V6 man macros for nroff Old BSD V6 man macros for troff The man.page
macro package interface The primary man.page macros package
SEE ALSO
Commands: checkeq(1), man(1), neqn(1), nroff(1), tbl(1), catman(8)
Files: rsml(5)
()