[groff] 43/49: groff(7): Rename, revise request section.

[G. Branden Robinson]

gbranden pushed a commit to branch master
in repository groff.

commit 70cf2f66c41a8cd5ae0f1238872e36a079f185dd
Author: G. Branden Robinson <g.branden.robinson@gmail.com>
AuthorDate: Sun Sep 25 14:14:31 2022 -0500

    groff(7): Rename, revise request section.
    
    Rename it to "Invoking requests" and align it with the node of the same
    name in our Texinfo manual.  Drop much material already covered.
    
    Also stop using page-local `request` macro.
---
 man/groff.7.man | 102 +++++++++++++++++++-------------------------------------
 1 file changed, 34 insertions(+), 68 deletions(-)

diff --git a/man/groff.7.man b/man/groff.7.man
index 4e1229285..4b6792438 100644
--- a/man/groff.7.man
+++ b/man/groff.7.man
@@ -1437,24 +1437,13 @@ which control character was used to call it.
 .
 .
 .\" ====================================================================
-.SH Requests
+.SH "Invoking requests"
 .\" ====================================================================
 .
-.\" XXX: This is more of a groff_diff(7) sort of observation.
-In GNU
-.IR troff , \" GNU
-identifier names,
-including those of requests,
-can be arbitrarily long.
-.
-Unlike register and string interpolations,
-long request names require no specialized syntax.
-.
-.
-.\" BEGIN Keep (roughly) parallel with groff.texi node "Requests".
-.P
-Invoke a request by specifying its name after a control character and
-zero or more spaces or tabs.
+.\" BEGIN Keep (roughly) parallel with groff.texi node "Invoking
+.\" Requests".
+A control character is optionally followed by tabs and/or spaces and
+then an identifier naming a request or macro.
 .
 The invocation of an unrecognized request is interpreted as a macro
 call.
@@ -1462,27 +1451,39 @@ call.
 Defining a macro with the same name as a request replaces the request.
 .
 Deleting a request name with the
-.request .rm
+.B rm
 request makes it unavailable.
 .
-Requests can be aliased with
-.request .als ,
+The
+.B als
+request can alias requests,
 permitting them to be wrapped or non-destructively replaced.
+.\" @xref{Strings}.
 .
 .
 .P
-Most requests take one or more arguments.
+There is no general limit on argument length or quantity.
 .
-Tabs are permitted after a request name and before its first argument
-(if any),
-but arguments themselves must be separated only by space characters.
+Most requests take one or more arguments,
+and ignore any they do not expect.
 .
-(Plan\~9
-.I troff \" Plan 9
-allows tabs to separate arguments.)
+A request may be separated from its arguments by tabs or spaces,
+but only spaces can separate an argument from its successor.
 .
-There is no inherent limit on argument length or quantity.
+Only one between arguments is necessary;
+any excess is ignored.
 .
+GNU
+.I troff \" GNU
+does not allow tabs for argument separation.
+.\" @footnote{In compatibility mode, a space is not necessary after a
+.\" request or macro name of two characters' length.  Also, Plan@tie{}9
+.\" @code{troff} allows tabs to separate arguments.}
+.
+.
+.br
+.ne 3v
+.P
 Generally,
 a space
 .I within
@@ -1490,56 +1491,21 @@ a request argument is not relevant,
 not meaningful,
 or is supported by bespoke provisions,
 as with the
-.request .tl
+.B tl
 request's delimiters.
 .
 Some requests,
 like
-.request .ds ,
+.BR ds ,
 interpret the remainder of the control line as a single argument.
+.\" @xref{Strings}.
 .
 .
 .P
-Since spaces and tabs are ignored after a control character,
-they are commonly used to structure the source of documents or macro
-files with indentation.
-.
-.
-.P
-To prevent interpretation of a control character as such,
-prefix it with
-.RB \[lq] \[rs]& \[rq].
-.
-Since a control character is recognized only at the beginning of an
-input line or the branch of a control structure such as the
-.request .if
-request,
-this dummy character
-(or non-printing input break)
-evades that special context without affecting the output.
-.
-.
-.P
-Test the
-.register .br
-register inside a macro definition to determine which control character
-was used when calling it.
-.
-.
-.P
-There is no way to invoke an undefined request;
-such syntax is interpreted as a macro call instead.
-.
-If a macro of the desired name does not exist,
-it is created,
-assigned an empty definition,
-and a warning in category
-.RB \[lq] mac \[rq]
-is emitted.
+Spaces and tabs immediately after a control character are ignored.
 .
-Calling an undefined macro
-.I does
-end a macro definition naming it as its end macro.
+Commonly,
+authors structure the source of documents or macro files with them.
 .\" END Keep (roughly) parallel with groff.texi node "Requests".
 .
 .