Re: groff 1.17: line length register not set w/ -man macros

[Werner LEMBERG]

> > The GNU troff implementation of man (in file an-old.tmac) doesn't use
> > the LL register.  Is `LL' documented in the original AT&T
> > implementation?
> > 
> >    Werner
> > 
> > PS: Is the original AT&T man documentation available online?
> 
> Hmmm.  This worked in groff 1.11.  I also looked in the groff 1.17
> tmac.an, which looks like is does set LL.  (why does -man use
> an-old.tmac rather than tmac.an; I would understand if groff were
> invoked with -man-old ...?)

groff 1.17 doesn't have tmac.an -- it is called an.tmac instead.

And no, you shouldn't say `-man-old' but just `-man'.  an.tmac is a
small wrapper script which calls andoc.tmac, which in turn either
calls an-old.tmac or doc.tmac.  This ensures that even if you say
`-man', but the man page is written in the mdoc format, the right
macro package is used.

> Re. documentation: LL is documented in the MAN(5) man page in
> the "AT&T UNIX(R) System V Documentor's Workbench User's Guide",
> ISBN 0-13-943598-0.  It says (in part):
> 
> ``The following number registers are given default values by .TH:
> [...]
> LL    Line length including IN.
> ''

OK, I'll reintroduce it.  It seems that I've removed it unconsciously.

Thanks for the info.


    Werner