groff 1.17 release

[Brian Youmans]

======================================================================


                              Announcing

                          GROFF version 1.17


A new version of the GNU troff document formatting system is
available.

Below you can find the relevant portions of the NEWS file, documenting
all user-visible changes.

As usual, the full source archive can be found as

    ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/groff/groff-1.17.tar.gz

A compressed diff file relative to the last version is available as

    ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/groff/groff-1.16.1-1.17.diff.gz

Finally, an xdelta file is available as

    ftp://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/groff/groff-1.16.1-1.17.tar.gz.xdelta


Have fun!


    Ted HARDING <address@hidden>
    Werner LEMBERG <address@hidden>

----------------------------------------------------------------------

User-visible changes since groff version 1.16.1

Groff
-----

o `-mFOO' will now search first for `FOO.tmac' and then for
  `tmac.FOO'.  The old behaviour has been changed to overcome problems
  with platforms which have an 8+3 file name limit, and platforms
  which have other versions of troff installed also.  Additionally,
  all macro files have been renamed using the latter scheme to avoid
  8+3 name clashes.

o The new environment variable GROFF_BIN_PATH will be checked for
  programs groff is calling (preprocessors, troff, and output devices)
  before PATH.  If not set, it defaults to the directory where the
  groff binary is located.  Previously, it was PATH only.  The nroff
  script will only use GROFF_BIN_PATH to find the groff binary but
  passes both the GROFF_BIN_PATH and PATH environment variable to
  groff.

Troff
-----

o The mdoc package has been completely rewritten, using the full power
  of GNU troff to remove limitations of Unix troff (which is no longer
  supported).  Most important changes are:

  . no argument limit
  . almost all macros are parsed and callable (if it makes sense)
  . `.Lb': prints library names
  . `.Nm <punctuation>' now works as expected; `.Nm "" <punctuation>'
    has been withdrawn
  . updated `.St' command
  . `.Fx': prints FreeBSD
  . `.Ox': prints OpenBSD
  . `.Bsx': prints BSD/OS
  . `.Brq', `.Bro', `.Brc': brace enclosure macros
  . `.Bd -centered': center lines
  . `.Bl -xwidth <string>': interpret <string> and use the resulting
    width
  . support for double-sided printing (-rD1 command line switch)
  . support for 11pt and 12pt document sizes (-rS11, -rS12 command
    line switches)

  `groff_mdoc.man' replaces `groff_mdoc.samples.man'; it now
  completely documents the mdoc package.

  Great care has been taken to assure backwards compatibility.  If you
  encounter any abnormal results, please report them to
  address@hidden

o A new command line option for the `man' macros (similar to the
  `mdoc' package has been implemented: `-rcR=1' (now the default in
  nroff mode) will produce one single, very long page instead of
  multiple pages.  `-rcR=0' will deactivate it.

o The `return' request has been added to return immediately from a
  macro.

o A new request `nop' (no operation) has been added which is similar
  to `if 1'.  For example,

    .if t \{\
    Hallo!
    .\}

  can now be written as

    .if t \{\
    .  nop Hallo!
    .\}

o `box' and `boxa' are two new requests which behave similarly to `di'
  and `da' but don't include a partially filled line (which is
  restored after ending the diversion).

o The `asciify' request has been extended to `unformat' space
  characters and some other escape sequences also.

  `\ ' will no longer be unformatted as a space but remains an
  unpaddable, unbreakable space character.

o The new `unformat' request is similar to `asciify' but only handles
  space characters and tabs specially if the diversion is reread,
  retaining font information.  This makes it possible to reformat
  diversions; for example the following

    .ll 3i
    .
    a01 a02 a03 a04 a05 a06 a07 a08 a09 a10.
    .
    .box box1
    .ev 1
    .nf
    \f[B]b01 b02 b03 b04 b05 b06 b07 b08 b09 b10.\f[P]
    .br
    .ev
    .box
    .
    c01 c02 c03 c04 c05 c06 c07 c08 c09 c10.
    .
    .unformat box1
    .box1

  gives

    a01  a02  a03  a04 a05 a06 a07
    a08 a09 a10.  c01 c02 c03  c04
    c05  c06 c07 c08 c09 c10.  b01
    b02 b03 b04 b05  b06  b07  b08
    b09 b10.

  Without the `unformat' request, space characters are converted to
  word space nodes which are no longer stretchable, and the result
  would be

    a01  a02  a03  a04 a05 a06 a07
    a08 a09 a10.  c01 c02 c03  c04
    c05  c06 c07 c08 c09 c10.  b01
    b02 b03 b04 b05 b06 b07 b08
    b09 b10.

o The new request `linetabs' controls the `line-tabs' mode.  In
  line-tabs mode, tab distances are computed relative to the (current)
  output line.  Otherwise they are taken relative to the input line.
  For example, the following

    .ds x a\t\c
    .ds y b\t\c
    .ds z c
    .ta 1i 3i
    \*x
    \*y
    \*z

  yields

    a         b         c

  In line-tabs mode, the same code gives

    a         b                   c

  The new read-only number register `.linetabs' returns 1 if in
  line-tabs mode, and 0 otherwise.

o Two new requests `tm1' and `tmc' have been added to improve writing
  messages to the terminal.  `tm1' is similar to `tm' but allows
  leading whitespace.  `tmc' is similar to `tm1' but doesn't emit a
  final newline.

o A new request `dei' (define indirect) has been added.  The first and
  second parameter of `dei' are taken from string registers rather
  than directly; this very special request is needed to make
  `trace.tmac' independent from the escape character (which might even
  be disabled).

o It is now possible to save and restore the escape character with two
  new requests `ecs' and `ecr'.

o The new escape sequence \B'...' is an analogon to `\A': If the
  string within the delimiters is a valid numeric expression, return
  character `1', and `0' otherwise.

o The new escape sequence `\:' inserts a zero-width break point.  This
  is similar to `\%' but without a soft hyphen character.

o The `tr' request can now map characters onto `\~'.

o Calling the `fam' request without an argument switches back to the
  previous font family.

o The new read-only register `.int' is set to a positive value if the
  last output line is interrupted (i.e., if the input line contains
  `\c').

o The `writem' request is not new, but hasn't been documented before.
  This is similar to `write' but instead of a string the contents of a
  given macro or string is written to a stream.

o The read/write number register `hp' to get/set the current
  horizontal position relative to the input line isn't new but hasn't
  been documented properly before.

o `\X' and `\Y' are now transparent for end-of-sentence recognition.

o The `cu' request in nroff mode now works as documented (i.e., it
  underlines spaces also).

Grog
----

o The grog script will now work in non-compatibility mode also (which
  is the default).  As usual, use the `-C' option to activate
  compatibility mode.

Grops
-----

A new option `-P' resp. a new environment variable `GROPS_PROLOGUE'
has been added to select a different prologue file.

The effect of the former `-mpsnew' option to access more Type 1
characters is now the default and no longer available.  To get the old
behaviour (i.e., emulation of some glyphs by composition) use
`-mpsold'.

Miscellaneous
-------------

o For security reasons the following changes have been done:

  . The tmac.safer file has been replaced with a built-in solution;
    .open, .opena, .pso, .sy, and .pi are completely disabled in safer
    mode (which is the default); to enable these requests the `-U'
    command line flag must be used.

  . Files specified with the .mso request or given with the `-m'
    command line option, and hyphenation patterns loaded with `.hpf'
    are no longer searched in the current directory by default
    (besides the usual tmac path). Instead, the home directory is
    used. To add the current directory, either use the `-U' or `-M'
    command line option or set the GROFF_TMAC_PATH environment
    variable to an appropriate value.

  . troffrc, troffrc-end, and eqnrc are neither searched in the
    current nor in the home directory (even if -U is given).  Use -M
    or GROFF_TMAC_PATH to change that.

  . Similarly, the current directory is no longer part of the font
    path.  Use the `-F' command line option or the GROFF_FONT_PATH
    environment variable if you really need the current directory.

o groff will now install its data files into
  /usr/local/share/groff/<version> by default, following the GNU
  standard.  Additionally, a local tmac directory (by default
  /usr/local/share/groff/site-tmac) will be scanned before the
  standard tmac directory.  Wrapper files for system-specific macro
  packages (if necessary) are put into /usr/local/lib/groff/site-tmac;
  this directory will be searched before the local tmac directory.

o All programs now have option `-v' to show the version number; they
  will exit immediately afterwards, following the GNU standards.
  Additionally, `--version' and `--help' have been added, doing the
  obvious actions.