Name

troff − text formatting and typesetting

Syntax

troff [ option ] ...  [ file ] ... 

Description

Troff formats text in the named files for printing on a Graphic Systems C/A/T phototypesetter; nroff is used for for typewriter-like devices.  Their capabilities are described in the Nroff/Troff user’s manual. 

If no file argument is present, the standard input is read.  An argument consisting of a single minus (−) is taken to be a file name corresponding to the standard input.  The options, which may appear in any order so long as they appear before the files, are:

−olist Print only pages whose page numbers appear in the comma-separated list of numbers and ranges.  A range N−M means pages N through M; an initial −N means from the beginning to page N; and a final N− means from N to the end. 

−nN Number first generated page N.

−sN Stop every N pages.  Nroff will halt prior to every N pages (default N=1) to allow paper loading or changing, and will resume upon receipt of a newline. Troff will stop the phototypesetter every N pages, produce a trailer to allow changing cassettes, and resume when the typesetter’s start button is pressed. 

−mname
Prepend the macro file /usr/lib/tmac/tmac.name to the input files.

−raN Set register a (one-character) to N.

−i Read standard input after the input files are exhausted. 

−q Invoke the simultaneous input-output mode of the rd request. 

Troff only

−t Direct output to the standard output instead of the phototypesetter. 

−f Refrain from feeding out paper and stopping phototypesetter at the end of the run. 

−w Wait until phototypesetter is available, if currently busy. 

−b Report whether the phototypesetter is busy or available.  No text processing is done. 

−a Send a printable ASCII approximation of the results to the standard output. 

−pN Print all characters in point size N while retaining all prescribed spacings and motions, to reduce phototypesetter elapsed time. 

−Ffontdir
The directory fontdir contains the font width tables /usr/lib/font. This option can be used to produce output for devices besides the phototypesetter. 

If the file /usr/adm/tracct is writable, troff keeps phototypesetter accounting records there.  The integrity of that file may be secured by making troff a ’set user-id’ program. 

Files

/tmp/ta*temporary file
/usr/lib/tmac/tmac.*standard macro files
/usr/lib/term/*terminal driving tables for nroff
/usr/lib/font/*font width tables for troff
/dev/catphototypesetter
/usr/adm/tracctaccounting statistics for /dev/cat

See Also

J. F. Ossanna, Nroff/Troff user’s manual
B. W. Kernighan, A TROFF Tutorial
eqn(1), tbl(1), ms(7), me(7), man(7), col(1)