tbl.man revision 104862
1.ig 2Copyright (C) 1989-1995, 2001, 2002 Free Software Foundation, Inc. 3 4Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of 5this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice 6are preserved on all copies. 7 8Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this 9manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided that the 10entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a 11permission notice identical to this one. 12 13Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this 14manual into another language, under the above conditions for modified 15versions, except that this permission notice may be included in 16translations approved by the Free Software Foundation instead of in 17the original English. 18.. 19.TH @G@TBL @MAN1EXT@ "@MDATE@" "Groff Version @VERSION@" 20.SH NAME 21@g@tbl \- format tables for troff 22. 23. 24.SH SYNOPSIS 25.B @g@tbl 26[ 27.B \-Cv 28] 29[ 30.IR files \|.\|.\|.\& 31] 32. 33. 34.SH DESCRIPTION 35This manual page describes the GNU version of 36.BR tbl , 37which is part of the groff document formatting system. 38.B tbl 39compiles descriptions of tables embedded within 40.B troff 41input files into commands that are understood by 42.BR troff . 43Normally, it should be invoked using the 44.B \-t 45option of 46.B groff. 47It is highly compatible with Unix 48.BR tbl . 49The output generated by GNU 50.B tbl 51cannot be processed with Unix 52.BR troff ; 53it must be processed with GNU 54.BR troff . 55If no files are given on the command line, the standard input 56will be read. 57A filename of 58.B \- 59will cause the standard input to be read. 60. 61. 62.SH OPTIONS 63.TP 64.B \-C 65Recognize 66.B .TS 67and 68.B .TE 69even when followed by a character other than space or newline. 70.TP 71.B \-v 72Print the version number. 73. 74. 75.SH USAGE 76.B tbl 77expects to find table descriptions wrapped in the 78.B .TS 79(table start) and 80.B .TE 81(table end) macros. 82The line immediately following the 83.B .TS 84macro may contain any of the following global options (ignoring the case 85of characters -- Unix tbl only accepts options with all characters lowercase 86or all characters uppercase): 87. 88.TP 89.B center 90Centers the table (default is left-justified). 91The alternative keyword name 92.B centre 93is also recognized (this is a GNU tbl extension). 94. 95.TP 96.BI delim( xy ) 97Use 98.I x 99and 100.I y 101as start and end delimiters for 102.BR @g@eqn (@MAN1EXT@). 103. 104.TP 105.B expand 106Makes the table as wide as the current line length. 107. 108.TP 109.B box 110Encloses the table in a box. 111. 112.TP 113.B doublebox 114Encloses the table in a double box. 115. 116.TP 117.B allbox 118Encloses each item of the table in a box. 119. 120.TP 121.B frame 122Same as box (GNU tbl only). 123. 124.TP 125.B doubleframe 126Same as doublebox (GNU tbl only). 127. 128.TP 129.BI tab( x ) 130Uses the character 131.I x 132instead of a tab to separate items in a line of input data. 133. 134.TP 135.BI linesize( n ) 136Sets lines or rules (e.g. from 137.BR box ) 138in 139.IR n -point 140type. 141. 142.TP 143.B nokeep 144Don't use diversions to prevent page breaks (GNU tbl only). 145Normally 146.B tbl 147attempts to prevent undesirable breaks in the table by using diversions. 148This can sometimes interact badly with macro packages' own use of 149diversions, when footnotes, for example, are used. 150. 151.TP 152.BI decimalpoint( c ) 153Set the character to be recognized as the decimal point in numeric 154columns (GNU tbl only). 155. 156.TP 157.B nospaces 158Ignore leading and trailing spaces in data items (GNU tbl only). 159. 160.LP 161The global options must end with a semicolon. 162There might be whitespace after an option and its argument in parentheses. 163.LP 164After global options come lines describing the format of each line of 165the table. 166Each such format line describes one line of the table itself, except that 167the last format line (which you must end with a period) describes all 168remaining lines of the table. 169A single key character describes each column of each line of the table. 170You may run format specs for multiple lines together on the same line by 171separating them with commas. 172.LP 173You may follow each key character with specifiers that determine the font 174and point size of the corresponding item, that determine column width, 175inter-column spacing, etc. 176.LP 177The longest format line defines the number of columns in the table; missing 178format descriptors at the end of format lines are assumed to be `L'. 179Extra columns in the data (which have no corresponding format entry) are 180ignored. 181.LP 182The available key characters are: 183. 184.TP 185c,C 186Centers item within the column. 187. 188.TP 189r,R 190Right-justifies item within the column. 191. 192.TP 193l,L 194Left-justifies item within the column. 195. 196.TP 197n,N 198Numerically justifies item in the column: Units positions of numbers are 199aligned vertically. 200. 201.TP 202s,S 203Spans previous item on the left into this column. 204. 205.TP 206a,A 207Centers longest line in this column and then left-justifies all other lines 208in this column with respect to that centered line. 209. 210.TP 211^ 212Spans down entry from previous row in this column. 213. 214.TP 215_,- 216Replaces this entry with a horizontal line. 217. 218.TP 219= 220. 221Replaces this entry with a double horizontal line. 222. 223.TP 224| 225The corresponding column becomes a vertical rule (if two of these are 226adjacent, a double vertical rule). 227. 228.LP 229A vertical bar to the left of the first key-letter or to the right of the 230last one produces a line at the edge of the table. 231.LP 232Here are the specifiers that can appear in suffixes to column key letters: 233. 234.TP 235b,B 236Short form of fB (make affected entries bold). 237. 238.TP 239i,I 240Short form of fI (make affected entries italic). 241. 242.TP 243t,T 244Start an item vertically spanning rows at the top of its range rather than 245vertically centering it. 246. 247.TP 248d,D 249Start an item vertically spanning rows at the bottom of its range rather 250than vertically centering it (GNU tbl only). 251. 252.TP 253v,V 254Followed by a number, this indicates the vertical line spacing to be used in 255a multi-line table entry. 256If signed, the current vertical line spacing is incremented or decremented 257(using a signed number instead of a signed digit is a GNU tbl extension). 258A vertical line spacing specifier followed by a column separation number 259must be separated by one or more blanks. 260No effect if the corresponding table entry isn't a text block. 261. 262.TP 263f,F 264Either of these specifiers may be followed by a font name (either one or two 265characters long), font number (a single digit), or long name in parentheses 266(the last form is a GNU tbl extension). 267A one-letter font name must be separated by one or more blanks from whatever 268follows. 269. 270.TP 271p,P 272Followed by a number, this does a point size change for the affected fields. 273If signed, the current point size is incremented or decremented (using a 274signed number instead of a signed digit is a GNU tbl extension). 275A point size specifier followed by a column separation number must be 276separated by one or more blanks. 277. 278.TP 279w,W 280Minimal column width value. 281Must be followed either by a 282.BR @g@troff (@MAN1EXT@) 283width expression in parentheses or a unitless integer. 284If no unit is given, en units are used. 285Also used as the default line length for included text blocks. 286If used multiple times, the last entry takes effect. 287. 288.TP 289e,E 290Make equally-spaced columns. 291. 292.TP 293u,U 294Move the corresponding column up one half-line. 295. 296.TP 297z,Z 298Ignore the corresponding column for width-calculation purposes. 299. 300.LP 301A number suffix on a key character is interpreted as a column 302separation in ens (multiplied in proportion if the 303.B expand 304option is on). 305Default separation is 3n. 306.LP 307The format lines are followed by lines containing the actual data for the 308table, followed finally by 309.BR .TE . 310Within such data lines, items are normally separated by tab characters (or 311the character specified with the 312.B tab 313option). 314Long input lines can be broken across multiple lines if the last character 315on the line is `\e' (which vanishes after concatenation). 316.LP 317A dot starting a line, followed by anything but a digit is handled as a 318troff command, passed through without changes. 319The table position is unchanged in this case. 320.LP 321If a data line consists of only `_' or `=', a single or double line, 322respectively, is drawn across the table at that point; if a single item in a 323data line consists of only `_' or `=', then that item is replaced by a 324single or double line, joining its neighbours. 325If a data item consists only of `\e_' or `\e=', a single or double line, 326respectively, is drawn across the field at that point which does not join 327its neighbours. 328.LP 329A data item consisting only of `\eRx' (`x' any character) is replaced by 330repetitions of character `x' as wide as the column (not joining its 331neighbours). 332.LP 333A data item consisting only of `\e^' indicates that the field immediately 334above spans downward over this row. 335.LP 336A text block can be used to enter data as a single entry which would be 337too long as a simple string between tabs. 338It is started with `T{' and closed with `T}'. 339The latter must start a line, probably followed by other data columns 340(separated with tabs). 341.LP 342To change the data format within a table, use the 343.B .T& 344command (at the start of a line). 345It is followed by format and data lines (but no global options) similar to 346the 347.B .TS 348request. 349. 350. 351.SH "INTERACTION WITH @G@EQN" 352.BR @g@tbl (@MAN1EXT@) 353should always be called before 354.BR @g@eqn (@MAN1EXT@) 355.RB ( groff (@MAN1EXT@) 356automatically takes care of the correct order of preprocessors). 357. 358. 359.SH "GNU TBL ENHANCEMENTS" 360There is no limit on the number of columns in a table, nor any limit on the 361number of text blocks. 362All the lines of a table are considered in deciding column widths, not just 363the first 200. 364Table continuation 365.RB ( .T& ) 366lines are not restricted to the first 200 lines. 367.LP 368Numeric and alphabetic items may appear in the same column. 369.LP 370Numeric and alphabetic items may span horizontally. 371.LP 372.B @g@tbl 373uses register, string, macro and diversion names beginning with the digit\~\c 374.BR 3 . 375When using 376.B @g@tbl 377you should avoid using any names beginning with a\~\c 378.BR 3 . 379. 380. 381.SH BUGS 382You should use 383.BR .TS\ H / .TH 384in conjunction with a supporting macro package for 385.I all 386multi-page boxed tables. 387If there is no header that you wish to appear at the top of each page 388of the table, place the 389.B .TH 390line immediately after the format section. 391Do not enclose a multi-page table within keep/release macros, 392or divert it in any other way. 393.LP 394A text block within a table must be able to fit on one page. 395.LP 396The 397.B bp 398request cannot be used to force a page-break in a multi-page table. 399Instead, define 400.B BP 401as follows 402.IP 403.B .de BP 404.br 405.B .ie '\e\en(.z'' .bp \e\e$1 406.br 407.B .el \e!.BP \e\e$1 408.br 409.B .. 410.br 411.LP 412and use 413.B BP 414instead of 415.BR bp . 416.LP 417Using \ea directly in a table to get leaders will not work. 418This is correct behaviour: \ea is an 419.B uninterpreted 420leader. 421To get leaders use a real leader, either by using a control A or like 422this: 423.IP 424.nf 425.ft B 426\&.ds a \ea 427\&.TS 428tab(;); 429lw(1i) l. 430A\e*a;B 431\&.TE 432.ft 433.fi 434. 435. 436.SH REFERENCE 437Lesk, M.E.: "TBL -- A Program to Format Tables". 438For copyright reasons it cannot be included in the groff distribution, 439but copies can be found with a title search on the World Wide Web. 440. 441. 442.SH "SEE ALSO" 443.BR groff (@MAN1EXT@), 444.BR @g@troff (@MAN1EXT@) 445. 446.\" Local Variables: 447.\" mode: nroff 448.\" End: 449