%tbl
Section: User Commands (1)
Updated: 202-0-28
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Name
tbl - prepare tables for
groff
documents
.nr d-fallback 1
.nr d-fallback 1
Synopsis
[
-C]
[
file~...]
--help
-v
--version
Description
The GNU implementation of
tbl is part of the
document formatting system.
tbl
is a
preprocessor that translates descriptions of tables embedded in
input into the language understood by
troff.
It copies each
file's
contents to the standard output stream,
transforming each
table region
between lines starting with
.TS
and
.TE
into instructions to the GNU
troff formatter.
While GNU
tbl's
input syntax is highly compatible with AT&T
tbl,
the output GNU
tbl produces cannot be processed by AT&T
troff;
GNU
troff (or a
troff implementing any GNU extensions employed)
must be used.
Normally,
tbl
is not executed directly by the user,
but invoked by specifying the
-t
option to
If no
file
operands are present,
or if
file
is
[lq]
-[rq],
tbl
reads the standard input stream.
Overview
tbl
expects to find table descriptions between input lines that begin with
.TS
(table start)
and
.TE
(table end).
Each such table region encloses one or more table descriptions.
Within a table region,
table descriptions beyond the first must each be preceded
by an input line beginning with
.T&.
This mechanism does not start a new table region;
all table descriptions are treated as part of their
.TS/
.TE
enclosure,
even if they are boxed or have column headings that repeat on subsequent
pages
(see below).
(Experienced
roff
users should observe that
tbl
is not a
roff
language interpreter:
the default control character must be used,
and no spaces or tabs are permitted between the control character and
the macro name.
These
tbl
input tokens remain a-is in the output,
where they become ordinary macro calls.
Macro packages often define
TS,
T&,
and
TE
macros to handle issues of table placement on the page.
tbl
produces
troff requests to define these macros as empty
if their definitions do not exist
when the formatter encounters a table region.)
Each table region may begin with
region options,
and must contain one or more
table definitions;
each table definition contains a
format specification
followed by one or more input lines (rows) of
entries.
These entries comprise the
table data.
Region options
The line immediately following the
.TS
token may specify region options,
keywords that influence the interpretation or rendering of the region as
a whole or all table entries within it indiscriminately.
Separate multiple region options with commas,
spaces,
or tabs.
Those that require a parenthesized argument permit spaces and tabs
between the option's name and the opening parenthesis.
Options accumulate and cannot be unset within a region once declared;
if an option that takes a parameter is repeated,
the last occurrence controls.
If present,
the set of region options must be terminated with a semicolon
(
;).
Any of the
allbox,
box,
doublebox,
frame,
and
doubleframe
region options makes a table [lq]boxed[rq] for the purpose of later
discussion.
- allbox
-
Enclose each table entry in a box;
implies
box.
- box
-
Enclose the entire table region in a box.
GNU
tbl recognizes
frame
as a synonym.
- center
-
Center the table region with respect to the line length,
reducing the indentation if necessary
(with a warning at formatting time)
to make the table region fit;
the default is to lef-align it.
GNU
tbl recognizes
centre
as a synonym.
- decimalpoint(c)
-
Recognize character
c
as the decimal separator in columns using the
N
(numeric) classifier
(see subsection [lq]Column classifiers[rq] below).
This is a GNU extension.
- delim(xy)
-
Recognize characters
x
and~y
as start and end delimiters,
respectively,
for
input,
and ignore input between them.
x
and~y
need not be distinct.
- doublebox
-
Enclose the entire table region in a double box;
implies
box.
GNU
tbl recognizes
doubleframe
as a synonym.
- expand
-
Spread the table horizontally to fill the available space
(line length minus indentation)
by increasing column separation.
Ordinarily,
a table is made only as wide as necessary to accommodate the widths of
its entries and its column separations
(whether specified or default).
When
expand
applies to a table that exceeds the available horizontal space,
tbl reduces column separation as far as necessary
(even to zero).
tbl
produces
troff
input that issues a diagnostic if such compression occurs.
The column modifier
x
(see below)
overrides this option.
- linesize(n)
-
Draw lines or rules
(e.g.,
from
box)
with a thickness of
n~points.
The default is the current type size when the region begins.
This option has no effect on terminal devices.
- nokeep
-
Don't use
roff
diversions to manage page breaks.
Normally,
tbl
employs them to avoid breaking a page within a table row.
This usage can sometimes interact badly with macro packages' own use of
diversions[em]when footnotes,
for example,
are employed.
This is a GNU extension.
- nospaces
-
Ignore leading and trailing spaces in table entries.
This is a GNU extension.
- nowarn
-
Suppress diagnostic messages produced at document formatting time when
the line length and indentation
or page length
is inadequate to contain a table row.
This is a GNU extension.
- tab(c)
-
Use the character
c
instead of a tab to separate entries in a row of table data.
Table format specification
The table format specification is mandatory:
it determines the number of columns in the table and directs how the
entries within it are to be typeset.
The format specification is a series of column
descriptors.
Each descriptor encodes a
classifier
followed by zero or more
modifiers.
Classifiers are letters
(recognized cas-insensitively)
or punctuation symbols;
modifiers consist of or begin with letters or numerals.
Spaces,
tabs,
newlines,
and commas separate descriptors.
Newlines and commas apply the descriptors following them
to a subsequent row of the table
(enabling column headings to be centered or emboldened
while the table entries for the data are not,
for instance).
We term the resulting group of column descriptors a
row definition.
Within a row definition,
separation between column descriptors
by spaces or tabs
is often optional;
only some modifiers,
described below,
make separation necessary.
The classifier selects from one of several arrangements.
Some determine the positioning of table entries within a rectangular
cell:
centered,
lef-aligned,
numeric
(aligned to a configurable decimal separator),
and so on.
Others perform special operations like drawing lines or spanning entries
from adjacent cells in the table.
Except for
[lq]
|[rq],
any classifier can be followed by one or more
modifiers;
some of these accept an argument,
which in GNU
tbl can be parenthesized.
Modifiers select fonts,
set the type size,
and perform other tasks described below.
The format specification can occupy multiple input lines,
but must conclude with a dot
[lq]
.[rq]
followed by a newline.
Each row definition applies in turn to one row of the table.
tbl applies the last row definition to rows of table data
in excess of the row definitions.
For clarity in this document's examples,
we write classifiers in uppercase and modifiers in lowercase.
Thus,
[lq]
CbCb,LR.[rq]
defines two rows of two columns.
The first row's entries are centered and boldfaced;
the second and any further rows' first and second columns are lef- and
righ-aligned,
respectively.
Any rows of entries appended to the table data reuse the row definition
[lq]
LR[rq].
The row definition with the most column descriptors determines the
number of columns in the table;
any row definition with fewer,
GNU
tbl implicitly extends on the righ-hand side with
L
descriptors as many times as necessary to make the table rectangular.
Column classifiers
The
L,
R,
and
C
classifiers are the easiest to understand and use.
- A,~a
-
Center longest entry in this column,
lef-align remaining entries in the column with respect to the centered
entry,
then indent all entries by one en.
Such [lq]alphabetic[rq] entries
(hence the name of the classifier)
can be used in the same column as
L-classified
entries,
as in
[lq]LL,AR.[rq].
The
A
entries are often termed [lq]su-columns[rq] due to their indentation.
- C,~c
-
Center entry within the column.
- L,~l
-
Lef-align entry within the column.
- N,~n
-
Numerically align entry in the column.
tbl
aligns columns of decimal numbers vertically at the units place.
If multiple decimal separators are adjacent to a digit,
it uses the rightmost one for vertical alignment.
If there is no decimal separator,
tbl
uses the rightmost digit for vertical alignment;
if no digits are present,
tbl
centers the entry within the column.
The
roff
dummy character
[rs]&
in an entry marks the glyph preceding it
(if any)
as the units place;
if multiple instances occur in the data,
tbl uses the leftmost for alignment.
-
If
N-classified
entries share a column with
L
or
R~entries,
tbl
centers the widest
N~entry
with respect to the widest
L
or
R~entry,
preserving the alignment of
N~entries
with respect to each other.
-
Decimal separators in
eqn
equations
within
N-classified
columns
can conflict with
tbl's
use of them for alignment.
Specify the
delim
region option to make
tbl
ignore the data within
eqn
delimiters.
- R,~r
-
Righ-align entry within the column.
- S,~s
-
Span previous entry on the left into this column.
- [ha]
-
Span entry in the same column from the previous row into this row.
- _,~-
-
Replace table entry with a horizontal rule.
tbl
expects an empty table entry to correspond to this classifier;
if data are found there,
it issues a diagnostic message.
If the entire row definition consists of these classifiers
(only one is necessary),
it is treated as a
[lq]_[rq]
occupying a row of table entries,
and no corresponding data are expected.
- =
-
Replace table entry with a double horizontal rule.
tbl
expects an empty table entry to correspond to this classifier;
if data are found there,
it issues a diagnostic message.
If the entire row definition consists of these classifiers
(only one is necessary),
it is treated as a
[lq]=[rq]
occupying a row of table entries,
and no corresponding data are expected.
- |
-
Place a vertical rule (line) on the corresponding row of the table
(if two of these are adjacent,
a double vertical rule).
This classifier does not contribute to the column count and no table
entries correspond to it.
A
|
to the left of the first column descriptor or to the right of the last
one produces a vertical rule at the edge of the table;
these are redundant
(and ignored)
in boxed tables.
To change the table format within a
tbl
region,
use the
.T&
token at the start of a line.
Follow it with a format specification and table data,
but
not
region options.
The quantity of columns in a format thus introduced cannot increase
relative to the previous format;
in that case,
you must end the table region and start another.
If that will not serve because the region uses box options or the
columns align in an undesirable manner,
you must design the initial table format specification to include the
maximum quantity of columns required,
and use the
S
horizontal spanning classifier where necessary to achieve the desired
columnar alignment.
Spanning horizontally in the first column or vertically on the first row
is an error.
tbl
does not support no-rectangular span areas.
Column modifiers
Any number of modifiers can follow a column classifier.
Modifier arguments,
where accepted,
are cas-sensitive.
If you apply a given modifier to a classifier more than once,
or apply conflicting modifiers,
only the last occurrence has effect.
The
modifier~
x
is mutually exclusive with
e
and~
w,
but
e
is not mutually exclusive
with~
w;
if these are used in combination,
x~unsets
both
e
and~
w,
while either
e
or
w
overrides~
x.
- b,~B
-
Typeset entry in boldface,
abbreviating
f(B).
- d,~D
-
Align a vertically spanned table entry to the bottom
([lq]down[rq]),
instead of the center,
of its range.
This is a GNU extension.
- e,~E
-
Equalize the widths of columns with this modifier
to that of the widest.
This modifier sets the default line length used in a text block.
- f,~F
-
Select the typeface for the table entry.
A font or style name
(one or two characters not starting with a digit),
font mounting position
(a single digit),
or a name or mounting position of any length in parentheses,
must follow.
The last form is a GNU extension.
(The parameter corresponds to that accepted by the
troff ft
request.)
A on-character argument not in parentheses
must end the row description
or be separated by one or more spaces or tabs from what follows.
- i,~I
-
Typeset entry in an oblique or italic face,
abbreviating
f(I).
- m,~M
-
Call a
groff
macro before typesetting a text block
(see subsection [lq]Text blocks[rq] below).
This is a GNU extension.
A macro name of one or two characters,
or a name of any length in parentheses,
must follow.
A on-character macro name not in parentheses must be separated by one
or more spaces or tabs from what follows.
The named macro must be defined before the table region containing this
column modifier is encountered.
The macro should contain only simple
groff
requests to change text formatting,
like adjustment or hyphenation.
The macro is called
after
the column modifiers
b,
f,
i,
p,
and
v
take effect;
it can thus override other column modifiers.
- p,~P
-
Set the type size.
An
integer~n
with an optional leading sign must follow.
If unsigned,
the type size is set to
n~points.
Otherwise,
the type size is incremented or decremented per the sign by
n~points.
The use of a signed mult-digit number is a GNU extension.
(The parameter corresponds to that accepted by the
troff ps
request.)
If a type size modifier is followed by a column separation modifier
(see below),
they must be separated by at least one space or tab.
- t,~T
-
Align a vertically spanned table entry to the top,
instead of the center,
of its range.
- u,~U
-
Move the column up one hal-line,
[lq]staggering[rq] the rows.
This is a Documenter's Workbench (DWB) 1.0 and Research Tenth Edition
Unix extension.
- v,~V
-
Set the vertical spacing of a text block.
An
integer~n
with an optional leading sign must follow.
If unsigned,
the vertical spacing is set to
n~points.
Otherwise,
the vertical spacing is incremented or decremented per the sign by
n~points.
The use of a signed mult-digit number is a GNU extension.
(This parameter corresponds to that accepted by the
troff vs
request.)
If a vertical spacing modifier is followed by a column separation
modifier
(see below),
they must be separated by at least one space or tab.
- w,~W
-
Set the column's minimum width.
A number,
either a unitless integer,
or a
roff
horizontal measurement in parentheses,
must follow.
Parentheses are required if the width is to be followed immediately by
an explicit column separation
(alternatively,
follow the width with one or more spaces or tabs).
If no unit is specified,
ens are assumed.
This modifier sets the default line length used in a text block.
- x,~X
-
Expand the column.
After computing the column widths,
distribute any remaining line length evenly over all columns bearing
this modifier.
This is a Documenter's Workbench (DWB) 3.3 extension.
Applying the
x~modifier
to more than one column is a GNU extension.
This modifier sets the default line length used in a text block.
- z,~Z
-
Ignore the table entries corresponding to this column for width
calculation purposes;
that is,
compute the column's width using only the information in its descriptor.
This is a Documenter's Workbench (DWB) 1.0 and Research Tenth Edition
Unix extension.
- n
-
A numeric suffix on a column descriptor sets the separation distance
(in ens)
from the succeeding column;
the default separation is
3n.
This separation is
proportionally multiplied if the
expand
region option is in effect;
in the case of tables wider than the output line length,
this separation might be zero.
A negative separation cannot be specified.
A separation amount after the last column in a row is nonsensical and
provokes a diagnostic from
tbl.
Table data
Place table data on lines after the format specification.
Each text line corresponds to a table row,
except that a backslash at the end of a line of table data continues an
entry on the next input line.
(Text blocks,
discussed below,
also spread table entries across multiple input lines.)
Table entries within a row are separated in the input by a tab character
by default;
see the
tab
region option above.
Excess entries in a row of table data
(those that have no corresponding column descriptor,
not even an implicit one arising from rectangularization of the table),
tbl
discards with a diagnostic message.
tbl
passes
roff
control lines through unaltered to its output.
If you wish to visibly mark an empty table entry in the document source,
populate it with the
[rs]&
roff
dummy character.
The table data are interrupted by a line consisting of the
.T&
input token,
and conclude with the line
.TE.
Ordinarily,
a table entry is typeset rigidly.
It is not filled,
broken,
hyphenated,
adjusted,
or populated with supplemental inte-sentence space.
tbl
instructs the formatter to measure each table entry as it occurs in the
input,
updating the width required by its corresponding column.
If the
z
modifier applies to the entry,
this measurement is ignored;
if
w
applies and its argument is larger than this width,
that argument is used instead.
In contrast to conventional
roff
input
(within a paragraph,
say),
changes to text formatting,
such as font selection or vertical spacing,
do not persist between entries.
tbl
interprets several forms of table entry specially.
- [bu]
-
If a table row contains only an underscore or equals sign
(_
or
=),
tbl
draws a a single or double horizontal rule (line),
respectively,
across the table at that point.
- [bu]
-
If a table entry contains only
_
or
=
on an otherwise populated row,
tbl
populates its cell with a single or double horizontal rule,
respectively,
that joins its
neighbors.
- [bu]
-
If a table entry contains only
[rs]_
or
[rs]=
on an otherwise populated row,
tbl
populates its cell with a single or double horizontal rule,
respectively,
that does
not
(quite) join its neighbors.
- [bu]
-
If a table entry contains only
[rs]Rx,
where
x~is
any
roff
ordinary,
special,
or indexed character,
tbl
populates its cell with enough repetitions of the glyph corresponding
to~x
to fill the column
without joining its neighbors.
- [bu]
-
On any row but the first,
a table entry of
[rs][ha]
causes the entry above it to span down into the current one.
On occasion,
these special tokens may be required as literal table data.
To use either
_
or
=
literally and alone in an entry,
prefix or suffix it with the
roff
dummy character
[rs]&.
To express
[rs]_,
[rs]=,
or
[rs]R,
use a
roff
escape sequence to interpolate the backslash
([rs]e
or
[rs][rs]).
A reliable way to emplace the
[rs][ha]
glyph sequence within a table entry is to use a pair of
groff
special character escape sequences
([rs][rs][rs][ha]).
Rows of table entries can be interleaved with
groff
control lines;
these do not count as table data.
On such lines the default control character
(.)
must be used
(and not changed);
the n-break control character is not recognized.
To start the first table entry in a row with a dot,
precede it with the
roff
dummy character
[rs]&.
Text blocks
An ordinary table entry's contents can make a column,
and therefore the table,
too wide;
the table then exceeds the line length of the page,
and becomes ugly or is exposed to truncation by the output device.
When a table entry requires more conventional typesetting,
breaking across more than one output line
(and thereby increasing the height of its row),
it can be placed within a
text block.
tbl
interprets a table entry of
[lq]
T{[rq]
at the end of an input line specially,
as a token starting a text block.
Similarly,
an entry
[lq]
T}[rq]
at the start of an input line ends a text block.
Text block tokens can share an input line with other table data
(preceding
T{
and following
T}).
Input lines between these tokens are formatted in a diversion by
troff.
Text blocks cannot be nested.
Multiple text blocks can occur in a table row.
Text blocks are formatted as was the text prior to the table,
modified by applicable column descriptors.
Specifically,
the classifiers
A,
C,
L,
N,
R,
and
S
determine a text block's
alignment
within its cell,
but not its
adjustment.
Add
na
or
ad
requests to the beginning of a text block to alter its adjustment
distinctly from other text in the document.
As with other table entries,
when a text block ends,
any alterations to formatting parameters are discarded.
They do not affect subsequent table entries,
not even other text blocks.
If
w
or
x
modifiers are not specified for
all
columns of a text block's span,
the default length of the text block
(more precisely,
the line length used to process the text block's diversion)
is computed as
L[tmu]
C/(
N+1),
where
L
is the current line length,
C
the number of columns spanned by the text block,
and
N
the number of columns in the table.
If necessary,
you can also control a text block's width by including an
ll
(line length)
request in it prior to any text to be formatted.
Because
tbl
uses a diversion to format the text block,
its height and width are subsequently available
in the
troff registers
dn
and
dl,
respectively.
I]roff] interface
The register
TW
stores the width of the table region in basic units;
it can't be used within the region itself,
but is defined before the
.TE
token is output so that a
troff macro named
TE
can make use of it.
[lq]
T.[rq]
is a Boolea-valued register indicating whether the bottom of the table
is being processed.
A
#T
register
is used internally.
Avoid using these names for any other purpose.
tbl
also defines a macro
T#
to produce the bottom and side lines of a boxed table.
While
tbl
itself arranges for the output to include a call of this macro at the
end of such a table,
it can also be used by macro packages to create boxes for mult-page
tables by calling it from a page footer macro that is itself called by
a trap planted near the bottom of the page.
See section [lq]Limitations[rq] below for more on mult-page tables.
GNU
tbl
internally employs register,
string,
macro,
and diversion names beginning with the
numeral~
3.
A document to be preprocessed with GNU
tbl should not use any such identifiers.
Interaction with I]eqn]
Process a document with
tbl
before
(
automatically arranges preprocessors in the correct order.)
Don't call the
EQ
and
EN
macros within tables;
instead,
set up delimiters in your
eqn input and use the
delim
region option so that
tbl
will recognize them.
GNU I]tbl] enhancements
In addition to extensions noted above,
GNU
tbl removes constraints endured by users of AT&T
tbl.
- [bu]
-
Region options can be specified in any lettercase.
- [bu]
-
There is no limit on the number of columns in a table,
regardless of their classification,
nor any limit on the number of text blocks.
- [bu]
-
GNU
tbl considers all table rows when computing column widths,
not just those occurring in the first 200 input lines of a region.
Similarly,
it recognizes table continuation tokens
(.T&)
outside a region's first 200 input lines.
- [bu]
-
Numeric and alphabetic entries may appear in the same column.
- [bu]
-
Numeric and alphabetic entries may span horizontally.
Using GNU I]tbl] within macros
You can embed a table region inside a macro definition.
However,
since
tbl
writes its own macro definitions at the beginning of each table region,
it is necessary to call end macros instead of ending macro definitions
with
[lq]
..[rq].
Additionally,
the escape character must be disabled.
Not all
tbl
features can be exercised from such macros because
tbl
is a
roff
preprocessor:
it sees the input earlier than
troff
does.
For example,
vertically aligning decimal separators fails if the numbers containing
them occur as macro or string parameters;
the alignment is performed by
tbl
itself,
which sees only
[rs]$1,
[rs]$2,
and so on,
and therefore can't recognize a decimal separator that appears only
later when
troff
interpolates a macro or string definition.
Using
tbl
macros within conditional input
(that is,
contingent upon an
if,
ie,
el,
or
while
request)
can result in misleading line numbers in subsequent diagnostics.
tbl
unconditionally injects its output into the source document,
but the conditional branch containing it may not be taken,
and if it is not,
the
lf
requests that
tbl
injects to restore the source line number cannot take effect.
Consider copying the input line counter register
[lq]
c.[rq]
and restoring its value at a convenient location after applicable
arithmetic.
Options
--help
displays a usage message,
while
-v
and
--version
show version information;
all exit afterward.
- -C
-
Enable AT&T compatibility mode:
recognize
.TS
and
.TE
even when followed by a character other than space or newline,
and
interpret the cop-mode leader escape sequence
[rs]a
as a leader character.
Exit status
tbl
exits with
status~
0
on successful operation,
status~
2
if the program cannot interpret its comman-line arguments,
and
status~
1
if it encounters an error during operation.
Limitations
Within a
tbl region
(except in text blocks or on
roff
control lines),
avoid escape sequences that read the rest of the input line,
as
[rs][dq]
and
[rs]!
do.
Mult-page tables,
if boxed and/or if you want their column headings repeated after page
breaks,
require support at the time the document is formatted.
A convention for such support has arisen in macro packages such as
ms,
mm,
and
me.
To use it,
follow the
.TS
token with a space and then
[lq]
H[rq];
this will be interpreted by the formatter
as a
TS
macro call with an
H
argument.
Then,
within the table data,
call the
TH
macro;
this informs the macro package where the headings end.
If your table has no such heading rows,
or you do not desire their repetition,
call
TH
immediately after the table format specification.
If a mult-page table is boxed or has repeating column headings,
do not enclose it with keep/release macros,
or divert it in any other way.
Further,
the
bp
request will not cause a page break in a
[lq]
TS H[rq]
table.
Define a macro to wrap
bp:
invoke it normally if there is no current diversion.
Otherwise,
pass the macro call to the enclosing diversion using the transparent
line escape sequence
[rs]!;
this will [lq]bubble up[rq] the page break to the output device.
See section [lq]Examples[rq] below for a demonstration.
does not support
double horizontal rules;
it uses single rules instead.
It also ignores hal-line motions,
so the
u
column modifier has no effect.
On terminal devices
([lq]
nroff~mode[rq]),
horizontal rules and box borders occupy a full vee of space;
doublebox
doubles that for borders.
Tables using these features thus require more vertical space in
nroff
mode than in
troff
mode:
write
ne
requests accordingly.
Vertical rules between columns are drawn in the space between columns in
nroff
mode;
using double vertical rules and/or reducing the column separation below
the default can make them ugly or overstrike them with table data.
A text block within a table must be able to fit on one page.
Using
[rs]a
to put leaders in table entries does not work
in GNU
tbl,
except in compatibility mode.
This is correct behavior:
[rs]a
is an
uninterpreted
leader.
You can still use the
roff
leader character (Control+A) or define a string to use
[rs]a
as it was designed:
to be interpreted only in copy mode.
-
.ds a [rs]a
.TS
box center tab(;);
Lw(2i)0 L.
Population[rs]*a;6,327,119
.TE
A leading or trailing
[lq]
|[rq]
in a format specification,
as in
[lq]
|LCR|.[rq],
produces an en space between the rules and the content of adjacent
columns.
If such space is undesired
(the rule should abut the content),
you can introduce [lq]dummy[rq] columns with zero separation and empty
corresponding table entries before and/or after.
-
.TS
center tab(#);
R0|L C R0|L.
_
#levulose#glucose#dextrose#
_
.TE
These dummy columns have zero width and are therefore invisible;
unfortunately they usually don't work as intended on terminal devices.
Examples
It can be easier to acquire the language of
tbl through examples than formal description,
especially at first.
-
.TS
box center tab(#);
Cb Cb
L L.
Ability#Application
Strength#crushes a tomato
Dexterity#dodges a thrown tomato
Constitution#eats a mont-old tomato without becoming ill
Intelligence#knows that a tomato is a fruit
Wisdom#chooses [rs]f[I]not[rs]f[] to put tomato in a fruit salad
Charisma#sells tomat-based fruit salads to hypercarnivores
.TE
| Ability | Application
|
| Strength | crushes a tomato
|
| Dexterity | dodges a thrown tomato
|
| Constitution | eats a mont-old tomato without becoming ill
|
| Intelligence | knows that a tomato is a fruit
|
| Wisdom | chooses I]not] to put tomato in a fruit salad
|
| Charisma | sells tomat-based fruit salads to hypercarnivores
|
|
The
A
and
N
column classifiers can be easier to grasp in visual rendering than in
description.
-
.TS
center tab(;);
CbS,LN,AN.
Daily energy intake (in MJ)
Macronutrients
.[rs]" assume 3 significant figures of precision
Carbohydrates;4.5
Fats;2.25
Protein;3
.T&
LN,AN.
Mineral
Pu-239;14.6
_
.T&
LN.
Total;[rs][ti]24.4
.TE
-
Daily energy intake (in MJ)
|
| Macronutrients |
|
| Carbohydrates | 4.5
|
| Fats | 2.25
|
| Protein | 3
|
| Mineral |
|
| P-239 | 14.6
|
|
| Total | [ti]24.4
|
Next,
we'll lightly adapt a compact presentation of spanning,
vertical alignment,
and zer-width column modifiers from the
mandoc
reference for its
tbl interpreter.
It rewards close study.
-
.TS
box center tab(:);
Lz S | Rt
Ld| Cb| [ha]
[ha] | Rz S.
left:r
l:center:
:right
.TE
-
Row staggering is not visually achievable on terminal devices,
but a table using it can remain comprehensible nonetheless.
-
.TS
center tab(|);
Cf(BI) Cf(BI) Cf(B), C C Cu.
n|n[rs]f[B][rs][tmu][rs]f[]n|difference
1|1
2|4|3
3|9|5
4|16|7
5|25|9
6|36|11
.TE
-
| n | nB][tmu]]n | difference
|
| 1 | 1 |
|
| 2 | 4 | 3
|
| 3 | 9 | 5
|
| 4 | 16 | 7
|
| 5 | 25 | 9
|
| 6 | 36 | 11
|
Some
tbl
features cannot be illustrated in the limited environment of a portable
man page.
We can define a macro outside of a
tbl region that we can call from within it to cause a page break inside a
mult-page boxed table.
You can choose a different name;
be sure to change both occurrences of [lq]BP[rq].
-
.de BP
. ie [aq][rs][rs]n(.z[aq][aq] .bp [rs][rs]$1
. el [rs]!.BP [rs][rs]$1
..
See also
[lq]Tbl[em]A Program to Format Tables[rq],
by M. E. Lesk,
1976
(revised 16 January 1979),
AT&T Bell Laboratories Computing Science Technical Report No. 49.
The spanning example above was taken from
mandoc's
man page for its
tbl implementation
Index
- Name
-
- Synopsis
-
- Description
-
- Overview
-
- Region options
-
- Table format specification
-
- Column classifiers
-
- Column modifiers
-
- Table data
-
- Text blocks
-
- I]roff] interface
-
- Interaction with I]eqn]
-
- GNU I]tbl] enhancements
-
- Using GNU I]tbl] within macros
-
- Options
-
- Exit status
-
- Limitations
-
- Examples
-
- See also
-
|
|
- Running on 
-
:
