fspec(4)                            CLIX                            fspec(4)



  NAME

    fspec - Text file format

  DESCRIPTION

    It is sometimes convenient to maintain text files on the UNIX system with
    nonstandard tabs, (in other words, tabs that are not set at every eighth
    column).  Such files must generally be converted to a standard format,
    frequently by replacing all tabs with the appropriate number of spaces,
    before they can be processed by UNIX system commands.  A format
    specification occurring in the first line of a text file specifies how
    tabs are to be expanded in the remainder of the file.

    A format specification consists of a sequence of parameters separated by
    blanks and surrounded by the brackets <: and :>.  Each parameter consists
    of a keyletter, possibly followed immediately by a value.  The following
    parameters are recognized:

    ttabs     The t flag specifies the tab settings for the file.  The value
              of tabs must be one of the following:

              ⊕  A list of column numbers separated by commas, indicating tabs
                 set at the specified columns.

              ⊕  A hyphen (-) followed immediately by an integer n, indicating
                 tabs at intervals of n columns.

              ⊕  A hyphen (-) followed by the name of a ``canned'' tab
                 specification.

              Standard tabs are specified by t-8, or equivalently, t1,9,17,25,
              and so forth.  The canned tabs that are recognized are defined
              by the tabs(1) command.

    ssize     The s flag specifies a maximum line size.  The value of size
              must be an integer.  Size checking is performed after tabs have
              been expanded, but before the margin is prepended.

    mmargin   The m parameter specifies a number of spaces to be prepended to
              each line.  The value of margin must be an integer.

    d         The d parameter takes no value.  Its presence indicates that the
              line containing the format specification is to be deleted from
              the converted file.

    e         The e parameter takes no value.  Its presence indicates that the
              current format is to prevail only until another format
              specification is encountered in the file.

    Default values, which are assumed for parameters not supplied, are t-8 and



  2/94 - Intergraph Corporation                                              1

  fspec(4)                            CLIX                            fspec(4)



    m0.  If the s parameter is not specified, no size checking is performed.
    If the first line of a file does not contain a format specification, the
    defaults above are assumed for the entire file.

    If a format specification can be disguised as a comment, it is not
    necessary to code the d parameter.

  EXAMPLES

    The following is an example of a line containing a format specification:

    * <:t5,10,15 s72:> *


  RELATED INFORMATION

    Commands: ed(1), newform(1), tabs(1) in the User's Reference Manual





































  2                                              Intergraph Corporation - 2/94