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From: Don Yuniskis <dgy@rtd.com>
Message-Id: <199608081626.JAA18216@seagull.rtd.com>
Subject: Re: problem while writing *roff man page
To: sansig@freenet.hut.fi (Sandro Sigala)
Date: Thu, 8 Aug 1996 09:26:28 -0700 (MST)
Cc: freebsd-hackers@freebsd.org
In-Reply-To: <Pine.LNX.3.94.960808174537.5543A-100000@linux.local.net> from "Sandro Sigala" at Aug 8, 96 05:47:50 pm
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It seems that Sandro Sigala said:
> 
> Hi, i have a little problem writing a man page (Berkeley-style, mandoc)
> for a my program. This is the header.
> 
> .Dd August 7, 1996
> .Os
> .Dt CINFOC 1
> .Sh NAME
> .Nm cinfoc
> .Nd cinfo database compiler
> .Sh SYNOPSIS
> .Nm cinfoc

Just FYI... since you've already defined the "Nm", hereafter, you
can use just "Nm" to insert the name where you want it...

> .Op Fl dV	<------ This is the problem

dV is probably a macro.  Precede it with "\&" (i.e. "\&dV") to
prevent it being expanded as a macro.  In general, you should routinely
shove \& in front of any two letter sequence WITHIN A MACRO INVOCATION
(e.g., within the .Op invocation as above).  Likewise, precede any
".XX" (where X is any charater) with this...

> .Op Ar
> .Sh DESCRIPTION
> [..snip..]
> 
> The problem is that 'dV' is defined as a macro by the mandoc macro package,
> so the *roff formatter doesn't print:
> 
> SYNOPSIS
> 	cinfoc [-dV] [file ...]
> 
> but some crap/garbage/stuff/... :-) like:
> 
> SYNOPSIS
> 	cinfoc [-[]] [file ...]
> 
> How to 'disable' the dV evaluation (need an escape like the '\' in C)?
> I tried those lines but are not the solution.
> 
> .Op Fl \Dv
> .Op Fl 'Dv'
> .Op Fl "Dv'
> ....

--don