Re: [Groff] documentation on macro writing

[Robert D. Goulding]

On Fri, 24 May 2002, Ralph Corderoy wrote:

>
> Hi Bernd,
>
> > > > There *is* a book on `ancient troff' available online:
> > > >
> > > > http://www.oreilly.com/openbook/utp/
> > >
> > > If there isn't, anyone got any ideas about how to start?
> >
> > It would help to provide links to the chapters or pages that deal with
> > groff only.
>
> Is groff old enough to even get a mention?  (I haven't downloaded it
> over this modem yet.)
>
No, this is written well before groff.  For those who are interested and
are unable to download the whole thing, the relevant chapters are:

4 (comprehensive -- and very clearly written -- intro to *roff)
5 (ms macros)
6 (mm macros)
8 (tbl)
9 (eqn)
10 (pic)
14 (troff macro writing)
15 (more advanced macros)
16 (designing or extending a macro package)
17 (extending the ms macros)
18 (tables of contents, indices, makefiles)

Several appendices on raw *roff commands, mm & ms macros etc.

Of the chapters omitted, a couple are on vi, the rest on shell scripting,
sed and awk.  It gets to a pretty advanced level, and would make an
excellent basis for a guide to macro writing, if updated for groff (and if
the openbook license permits that...).

Robert.