ROFF(1)                                                 ROFF(1)




NAME
       roff  -  format text

SYNOPSIS
       roff [ +n ] [ -n ] [ -s ] [ -h ] file ...

       nroff -mr [ option ] ... file ...
       troff -mr [ option ] ... file ...

DESCRIPTION
       Roff formats text according to control lines embedded in
       the text in the given files.  Encountering a nonexistent
       file  terminates printing.  Incoming inter-terminal mes-
       sages are turned off during printing.  The optional flag
       arguments mean:
       +n   Start printing at the first page with number n.
       -n   Stop  printing  at  the  first page numbered higher
            than n.
       -s   Stop before each  page  (including  the  first)  to
            allow  paper  manipulation; resume on receipt of an
            interrupt signal.
       -h   Insert tabs in the output stream to replace  spaces
            whenever appropriate.

       Input  consists  of intermixed text lines, which contain
       information to be formatted, and  request  lines,  which
       contain  instructions  about  how to format it.  Request
       lines begin with a distinguished control character, nor-
       mally a period.

       Output  lines  may  be filled as nearly as possible with
       words without regard to input  lineation.   Line  breaks
       may  be  caused at specified places by certain commands,
       or by the appearance of an empty input line or an  input
       line beginning with a space.

       The  capabilities  of roff are specified in the attached
       Request Summary.  Numerical values are denoted there  by
       n  or +n, titles by t, and single characters by c.  Num-
       bers denoted +n may be signed + or -, in which case they
       signify  relative  changes to a quantity, otherwise they
       signify an absolute resetting.   Missing  n  fields  are
       ordinarily  taken to be 1, missing t fields to be empty,
       and c fields to shut off the appropriate special  inter-
       pretation.

       Running titles usually appear at top and bottom of every
       page.  They are set by requests like

                 .he 'part1'part2'part3'

       Part1 is left justified, part2 is centered, and part3 is
       right  justified  on the page.  Any % sign in a title is
       replaced by the current page number.  Any  nonblank  may
       serve as a quote.

       ASCII  tab  characters  are  replaced  in the input by a
       replacement character, normally a  space,  according  to
       the  column  settings  given by a .ta command.  (See .tr
       for how to convert this character on output.)

       Automatic hyphenation of filled  output  is  done  under
       control  of  .hy.   When  a  word  contains a designated
       hyphenation character, that  character  disappears  from
       the  output  and hyphens can be introduced into the word
       at the marked places only.

       The -mr option of nroff or troff(1)  simulates  roff  to
       the greatest extent possible.

FILES
       /usr/lib/suftab     suffix hyphenation tables
       /tmp/rtm? temporary

BUGS
       Roff  is  the  simplest of the text formatting programs,
       and is utterly frozen.


























































                        REQUEST SUMMARY

Request    Break Initial Meaning
the current line is stopped.
without filling.
to be invoked by request `.xx' (definition ends on line  begin-
                         ning `..').
and is not done, if n=0.



                                                        ROFF(1)
