gbranden pushed a commit to branch master
in repository groff.
commit 952f8d1fe88edfaab5baee64acf47acc8f72bbf5
Author: G. Branden Robinson <[email protected]>
AuthorDate: Sun Jan 4 05:57:01 2026 -0600
doc/groff.texi.in: Tweak "Text" section.
Generalize statements that are not GNU troff-specific.
Refer to GNU troff, the program, with Texinfo's "command" command
instead of "code".
Also break input lines in a roff-friendly way.
Also sync language between our Texinfo manual and roff(7) man page.
---
doc/groff.texi.in | 71 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++--------------------
man/roff.7.man | 8 +++----
2 files changed, 49 insertions(+), 30 deletions(-)
diff --git a/doc/groff.texi.in b/doc/groff.texi.in
index e140393bf..74075f5e0 100644
--- a/doc/groff.texi.in
+++ b/doc/groff.texi.in
@@ -5683,11 +5683,12 @@ editing activities. Further advice along these lines
will follow in
@cindex characters, special
Normally, the occurrence of a visible non-end-of-sentence character (as
opposed to a space or tab) immediately after an end-of-sentence
-character cancels detection of the end of a sentence. For example, it
-would be incorrect for GNU @code{troff} to infer the end of a sentence
+character cancels detection of the end of a sentence.
+For example,
+it would be incorrect for the formatter to infer the end of a sentence
after the dot in @samp{3.14159}.
However,
-the formatter treats several characters
+it treats several characters
@emph{transparently}
after the occurrence of an end-of-sentence character---it does not
cancel end-of-sentence status upon encountering them.
@@ -5695,12 +5696,16 @@ Such characters are often used as footnote marks
or to close quotations and parentheticals.
The default set is @samp{"}, @samp{'}, @samp{)},
@samp{]}, @samp{*}, @code{\[dg]}, @code{\[dd]}, @code{\[rq]}, and
-@code{\[cq]}. The last four are examples of @dfn{special characters},
-escape sequences whose purpose is to obtain glyphs that are not easily
-typed at the keyboard, or which have special meaning to GNU @code{troff}
+@code{\[cq]}.
+The last four are examples of
+@dfn{special characters},
+escape sequences whose purpose is to obtain glyphs
+that are not easily typed at the keyboard,
+or which have special meaning to the formatter
(like @code{\} itself).@footnote{The mnemonics for the special
characters shown here are ``dagger'', ``double dagger'', ``right
-(double) quote'', and ``closing (single) quote''. See
+(double) quote'', and ``closing (single) quote''.
+See
@cite{groff_char@r{(7)}}.}
@Example
@@ -5776,30 +5781,46 @@ Once an output line is full,
the formatter places the next word
(or remainder of a hyphenated one)
on a different output line;
-this is called a @dfn{break}.
-In this manual and in @code{roff} discussions generally, a ``break'' if
-not further qualified always refers to the termination of an output
-line. When the formatter is filling text, it introduces breaks
-automatically to keep output lines from exceeding the configured line
-length. After an automatic break, GNU @code{troff} adjusts the line if
-applicable (see below), and then resumes collecting and filling text on
-the next output line.
-
-Sometimes, a line cannot be broken automatically. This usually does
-not happen with natural language text unless the output line length has
-been manipulated to be extremely short, but it can with specialized
-text like program source code. We can use @code{perl} at the shell
-prompt to contrive an example of failure to break the line. We also
-employ the @option{-z} option to suppress normal output.
+this is called a
+@dfn{break}.
+In this manual and in
+@code{roff}
+discussions generally,
+a ``break'' if not further qualified
+always refers to the termination of an output line.
+When the formatter is filling text,
+it introduces breaks automatically to keep output lines from exceeding
+the configured line length.
+After an automatic break,
+the formatter adjusts the line if applicable
+(see below),
+and then resumes collecting and filling text on the next output line.
+
+Sometimes,
+a line cannot be broken automatically.
+This usually does not happen with natural language text
+unless the output line length
+has been manipulated to be extremely short,
+but it can with specialized text like program source code.
+We can use
+@command{perl}
+at the shell prompt to contrive an example of failure to break the line.
+We also employ the
+@option{-z}
+option to suppress normal output.
@Example
$ perl -e 'print "#" x 80, "\n";' | gnroff -z
@error{} cannot adjust line; overset by 15n
@endExample
-The remedy for these cases is to tell GNU @code{troff} where the line
-may be broken without hyphens. This is done with the non-printing break
-point escape sequence @samp{\:}; see @ref{Manipulating Hyphenation}.
+The remedy for these cases is to tell
+GNU
+@command{troff}
+where the line may be broken without hyphens.
+This is done with the non-printing break point escape sequence
+@samp{\:};
+see @ref{Manipulating Hyphenation}.
@cindex blank line
@cindex empty line
diff --git a/man/roff.7.man b/man/roff.7.man
index 889cf9bb4..10d1c7559 100644
--- a/man/roff.7.man
+++ b/man/roff.7.man
@@ -297,17 +297,15 @@ this is called a
In this document and in
.I roff
discussions generally,
-a \[lq]break\[rq] if not further qualified always refers to the
-termination of an output line.
+a \[lq]break\[rq] if not further qualified
+always refers to the termination of an output line.
.
When the formatter is filling text,
it introduces breaks automatically to keep output lines from exceeding
the configured line length.
.
After an automatic break,
-a
-.I roff
-formatter
+the formatter
.I adjusts
the line if applicable
(see below),
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