1TBL(1) General Commands Manual TBL(1)
2
6 tbl - format tables for troff
7
9 tbl [-Cv] [files ...]
10
12 This manual page describes the GNU version of tbl, which is part of the
13 groff document formatting system. tbl compiles descriptions of tables
14 embedded within troff input files into commands that are understood by
15 troff. Normally, it should be invoked using the -t option of groff.
16 It is highly compatible with Unix tbl. The output generated by GNU tbl
17 cannot be processed with Unix troff; it must be processed with GNU
18 troff. If no files are given on the command line or a filename of - is
19 given, the standard input is read.
20
22 -C Enable compatibility mode to recognize .TS and .TE even when
23 followed by a character other than space or newline. Leader
24 characters (\a) are handled as interpreted.
25 -v Print the version number.
27
29 tbl expects to find table descriptions wrapped in the .TS (table start)
30 and .TE (table end) macros.
31 Global options
33 The line immediately following the .TS macro may contain any of the
34 following global options (ignoring the case of characters – Unix tbl
35 only accepts options with all characters lowercase or all characters
36 uppercase), separated by spaces, tabs, or commas:
37 allbox Enclose each item of the table in a box.
39 box Enclose the table in a box.
41 center Center the table (default is left-justified). The alternative
43 keyword name centre is also recognized (this is a GNU tbl exten‐
44 sion).
45 decimalpoint(c)
47 Set the character to be recognized as the decimal point in
48 numeric columns (GNU tbl only).
49 delim(xy)
51 Use x and y as start and end delimiters for eqn(1).
52 doublebox
54 Enclose the table in a double box.
55 doubleframe
57 Same as doublebox (GNU tbl only).
58 expand Make the table as wide as the current line length (providing a
60 column separation factor). Ignored if one or more `x' column
61 specifiers are used (see below).
62 In case the sum of the column widths is larger than the current
64 line length, the column separation factor is set to zero; such
65 tables extend into the right margin, and there is no column sep‐
66 aration at all.
67 frame Same as box (GNU tbl only).
69 linesize(n)
71 Set lines or rules (e.g. from box) in n-point type.
72 nokeep Don't use diversions to prevent page breaks (GNU tbl only).
74 Normally tbl attempts to prevent undesirable breaks in boxed
75 tables by using diversions. This can sometimes interact badly
76 with macro packages' own use of diversions, when footnotes, for
77 example, are used.
78 nospaces
80 Ignore leading and trailing spaces in data items (GNU tbl only).
81 nowarn Turn off warnings related to tables exceeding the current line
83 width (GNU tbl only).
84 tab(x) Use the character x instead of a tab to separate items in a line
86 of input data.
87 The global options must end with a semicolon. There might be white‐
89 space between an option and its argument in parentheses.
90 Table format specification
92 After global options come lines describing the format of each line of
93 the table. Each such format line describes one line of the table
94 itself, except that the last format line (which you must end with a
95 period) describes all remaining lines of the table. A single-key char‐
96 acter describes each column of each line of the table. Key characters
97 can be separated by spaces or tabs. You may run format specifications
98 for multiple lines together on the same line by separating them with
99 commas.
100 You may follow each key character with specifiers that determine the
102 font and point size of the corresponding item, that determine column
103 width, inter-column spacing, etc.
104 The longest format line defines the number of columns in the table;
106 missing format descriptors at the end of format lines are assumed to
107 be L. Extra columns in the data (which have no corresponding format
108 entry) are ignored.
109 The available key characters are:
111 a,A Center longest line in this column and then left-justifies all
113 other lines in this column with respect to that centered line.
114 The idea is to use such alphabetic subcolumns (hence the name of
115 the key character) in combination with L; they are called sub‐
116 columns because A items are indented by 1n relative to
117 L entries. Example:
118 .TS
120 tab(;);
121 ln,an.
122 item one;1
123 subitem two;2
124 subitem three;3
125 .T&
126 ln,an.
127 item eleven;11
128 subitem twentytwo;22
129 subitem thirtythree;33
130 .TE
131 Result:
133 item one 1
135 subitem two 2
136 subitem three 3
137 item eleven 11
138 subitem twentytwo 22
139 subitem thirtythree 33
140 c,C Center item within the column.
142 l,L Left-justify item within the column.
144 n,N Numerically justify item in the column: Units positions of num‐
146 bers are aligned vertically. If there is one or more dots adja‐
147 cent to a digit, use the rightmost one for vertical alignment.
148 If there is no dot, use the rightmost digit for vertical align‐
149 ment; otherwise, center the item within the column. Alignment
150 can be forced to a certain position using `\&'; if there is one
151 or more instances of this special (non-printing) character
152 present within the data, use the leftmost one for alignment.
153 Example:
154 .TS
156 n.
157 1
158 1.5
159 1.5.3
160 abcde
161 a\&bcde
162 .TE
163 Result:
165 1
167 1.5
168 1.5.3
169 abcde
170 abcde
171 If numerical entries are combined with L or R entries – this can
173 happen if the table format is changed with .T& –, center the
174 widest number (of the data entered under the N specifier regime)
175 relative to the widest L or R entry, preserving the alignment of
176 all numerical entries. Contrary to A type entries, there is no
177 extra indentation.
178 Using equations (to be processed with eqn) within columns which
180 use the N specifier is problematic in most cases due to tbl's
181 algorithm for finding the vertical alignment, as described
182 above. Using the global delim option, however, it is possible
183 to make tbl ignore the data within eqn delimiters for that pur‐
184 pose.
185 r,R Right-justify item within the column.
187 s,S Span previous item on the left into this column. Not allowed
189 for the first column.
190 ^ Span down entry from previous row in this column. Not allowed
192 for the first row.
193 _,- Replace this entry with a horizontal line. Note that `_' and
195 `-' can be used for table fields only, not for column separator
196 lines.
197 = Replace this entry with a double horizontal line. Note that `='
199 can be used for table fields only, not for column separator
200 lines.
201 | The corresponding column becomes a vertical rule (if two of
203 these are adjacent, a double vertical rule).
204 A vertical bar to the left of the first key letter or to the right of
206 the last one produces a line at the edge of the table.
207 To change the data format within a table, use the .T& command (at the
209 start of a line). It is followed by format and data lines (but no
210 global options) similar to the .TS request.
211 Column specifiers
213 Here are the specifiers that can appear in suffixes to column key let‐
214 ters (in any order):
215 b,B Short form of fB (make affected entries bold).
217 d,D Start an item that vertically spans rows, using the `^' column
219 specifier or `\^' data item, at the bottom of its range rather
220 than vertically centering it (GNU tbl only). Example:
221 .TS
223 tab(;) allbox;
224 l l
225 l ld
226 r ^
227 l rd.
228 0000;foobar
229 T{
230 1111
231 .br
232 2222
233 T};foo
234 r;
235 T{
236 3333
237 .br
238 4444
239 T};bar
240 \^;\^
241 .TE
242 Result:
244 ┌─────┬────────┐
246 │0000 │ foobar │
247 ├─────┼────────┤
248 │1111 │ │
249 │2222 │ │
250 ├─────┤ │
251 │ r │ foo │
252 ├─────┼────────┤
253 │3333 │ │
254 │4444 │ bar │
255 └─────┴────────┘
256 e,E Make equally-spaced columns. All columns marked with this spec‐
257 ifier get the same width; this happens after the affected column
258 widths have been computed (this means that the largest width
259 value rules).
260 f,F Either of these specifiers may be followed by a font name
262 (either one or two characters long), font number (a single
263 digit), or long name in parentheses (the last form is a GNU tbl
264 extension). A one-letter font name must be separated by one or
265 more blanks from whatever follows.
266 i,I Short form of fI (make affected entries italic).
268 m,M This is a GNU tbl extension. Either of these specifiers may be
270 followed by a macro name (either one or two characters long), or
271 long name in parentheses. A one-letter macro name must be sepa‐
272 rated by one or more blanks from whatever follows. The macro
273 which name can be specified here must be defined before creating
274 the table. It is called just before the table's cell text is
275 output. As implemented currently, this macro is only called if
276 block input is used, that is, text between `T{' and `T}'. The
277 macro should contain only simple troff requests to change the
278 text block formatting, like text adjustment, hyphenation, size,
279 or font. The macro is called after other cell modifications
280 like b, f or v are output. Thus the macro can overwrite other
281 modification specifiers.
282 p,P Followed by a number, this does a point size change for the
284 affected fields. If signed, the current point size is incre‐
285 mented or decremented (using a signed number instead of a signed
286 digit is a GNU tbl extension). A point size specifier followed
287 by a column separation number must be separated by one or more
288 blanks.
289 t,T Start an item vertically spanning rows at the top of its range
291 rather than vertically centering it.
292 u,U Move the corresponding column up one half-line.
294 v,V Followed by a number, this indicates the vertical line spacing
296 to be used in a multi-line table entry. If signed, the current
297 vertical line spacing is incremented or decremented (using a
298 signed number instead of a signed digit is a GNU tbl extension).
299 A vertical line spacing specifier followed by a column separa‐
300 tion number must be separated by one or more blanks. No effect
301 if the corresponding table entry isn't a text block.
302 w,W Minimum column width value. Must be followed either by a
304 troff(1) width expression in parentheses or a unitless integer.
305 If no unit is given, en units are used. Also used as the
306 default line length for included text blocks. If used multiple
307 times to specify the width for a particular column, the last
308 entry takes effect.
309 x,X An expanded column. After computing all column widths without
311 an x specifier, use the remaining line width for this column.
312 If there is more than one expanded column, distribute the
313 remaining horizontal space evenly among the affected columns
314 (this is a GNU extension). This feature has the same effect as
315 specifying a minimum column width.
316 z,Z Ignore the corresponding column for width-calculation purposes,
318 this is, don't use the fields but only the specifiers of this
319 column to compute its width.
320 A number suffix on a key character is interpreted as a column separa‐
322 tion in en units (multiplied in proportion if the expand option is on –
323 in case of overfull tables this might be zero). Default separation is
324 3n.
325 The column specifier x is mutually exclusive with e and w (but e is not
327 mutually exclusive with w); if specified multiple times for a particu‐
328 lar column, the last entry takes effect: x unsets both e and w, while
329 either e or w overrides x.
330 Table data
332 The format lines are followed by lines containing the actual data for
333 the table, followed finally by .TE. Within such data lines, items are
334 normally separated by tab characters (or the character specified with
335 the tab option). Long input lines can be broken across multiple lines
336 if the last character on the line is `\' (which vanishes after concate‐
337 nation).
338 Note that tbl computes the column widths line by line, applying \w on
340 each entry which isn't a text block. As a consequence, constructions
341 like
342 .TS
344 c,l.
345 \s[20]MM
346 MMMM
347 .TE
348 fail; you must either say
350 .TS
352 cp20,lp20.
353 MM
354 MMMM
355 .TE
356 or
358 .TS
360 c,l.
361 \s[20]MM
362 \s[20]MMMM
363 .TE
364 A dot starting a line, followed by anything but a digit is handled as a
366 troff command, passed through without changes. The table position is
367 unchanged in this case.
368 If a data line consists of only `_' or `=', a single or double line,
370 respectively, is drawn across the table at that point; if a single item
371 in a data line consists of only `_' or `=', then that item is replaced
372 by a single or double line, joining its neighbours. If a data item
373 consists only of `\_' or `\=', a single or double line, respectively,
374 is drawn across the field at that point which does not join its neigh‐
375 bours.
376 A data item consisting only of `\Rx' (`x' any character) is replaced by
378 repetitions of character `x' as wide as the column (not joining its
379 neighbours).
380 A data item consisting only of `\^' indicates that the field immedi‐
382 ately above spans downward over this row.
383 Text blocks
385 A text block can be used to enter data as a single entry which would be
386 too long as a simple string between tabs. It is started with `T{' and
387 closed with `T}'. The former must end a line, and the latter must
388 start a line, probably followed by other data columns (separated with
389 tabs or the character given with the tab global option).
390 By default, the text block is formatted with the settings which were
392 active before entering the table, possibly overridden by the m, v, and
393 w tbl specifiers. For example, to make all text blocks ragged-right,
394 insert .na right before the starting .TS (and .ad after the table).
395 If either `w' or `x' specifiers are not given for all columns of a text
397 block span, the default length of the text block (to be more precise,
398 the line length used to process the text block diversion) is computed
399 as L×C/(N+1), where `L' is the current line length, `C' the number of
400 columns spanned by the text block, and `N' the total number of columns
401 in the table. Note, however, that the actual diversion width as
402 returned in register \n[dl] is used eventually as the text block width.
403 If necessary, you can also control the text block width with a direct
404 insertion of a .ll request right after `T{'.
405 Miscellaneous
407 The number register \n[TW] holds the table width; it can't be used
408 within the table itself but is defined right before calling .TE so that
409 this macro can make use of it.
410 tbl also defines a macro .T# which produces the bottom and side lines
412 of a boxed table. While tbl does call this macro itself at the end of
413 the table, it can be used by macro packages to create boxes for multi-
414 page tables by calling it within the page footer. An example of this
415 is shown by the -ms macros which provide this functionality if a table
416 starts with .TS H instead of the standard call to the .TS macro.
417
419 tbl(1) should always be called before eqn(1) (groff(1) automatically
420 takes care of the correct order of preprocessors).
421
423 There is no limit on the number of columns in a table, nor any limit on
424 the number of text blocks. All the lines of a table are considered in
425 deciding column widths, not just the first 200. Table continuation
426 (.T&) lines are not restricted to the first 200 lines.
427 Numeric and alphabetic items may appear in the same column.
429 Numeric and alphabetic items may span horizontally.
431 tbl uses register, string, macro and diversion names beginning with the
433 digit 3. When using tbl you should avoid using any names beginning
434 with a 3.
435
437 Since tbl defines its own macros (right before each table) it is neces‐
438 sary to use an `end-of-macro' macro. Additionally, the escape charac‐
439 ter has to be switched off. Here an example.
440 .eo
442 .de ATABLE ..
443 .TS
444 allbox tab(;);
445 cl.
446 \$1;\$2
447 .TE
448 ...
449 .ec
450 .ATABLE A table
451 .ATABLE Another table
452 .ATABLE And "another one"
453 Note, however, that not all features of tbl can be wrapped into a macro
455 because tbl sees the input earlier than troff. For example, number
456 formatting with vertically aligned decimal points fails if those num‐
457 bers are passed on as macro parameters because decimal point alignment
458 is handled by tbl itself: It only sees `\$1', `\$2', etc., and there‐
459 fore can't recognize the decimal point.
460
462 You should use .TS H/.TH in conjunction with a supporting macro package
463 for all multi-page boxed tables. If there is no header that you wish
464 to appear at the top of each page of the table, place the .TH line
465 immediately after the format section. Do not enclose a multi-page ta‐
466 ble within keep/release macros, or divert it in any other way.
467 A text block within a table must be able to fit on one page.
469 The bp request cannot be used to force a page-break in a multi-page ta‐
471 ble. Instead, define BP as follows
472 .de BP
474 . ie '\\n(.z'' .bp \\$1
475 . el \!.BP \\$1
476 ..
477 and use BP instead of bp.
479 Using \a directly in a table to get leaders does not work (except in
481 compatibility mode). This is correct behaviour: \a is an uninterpreted
482 leader. To get leaders use a real leader, either by using a control A
483 or like this:
484 .ds a \a
486 .TS
487 tab(;);
488 lw(1i) l.
489 A\*a;B
490 .TE
491 A leading and/or trailing `|' in a format line, such as
493 |l r|.
495 gives output which has a 1n space between the resulting bordering ver‐
497 tical rule and the content of the adjacent column, as in
498 .TS
500 tab(#);
501 |l r|.
502 left column#right column
503 .TE
504 If it is desired to have zero space (so that the rule touches the con‐
506 tent), this can be achieved by introducing extra “dummy” columns, with
507 no content and zero separation, before and/or after, as in
508 .TS
510 tab(#);
511 r0|l r0|l.
512 #left column#right column#
513 .TE
514 The resulting “dummy” columns are invisible and have zero width; note
516 that such columns usually don't work with TTY devices.
517
519 Lesk, M.E.: "TBL – A Program to Format Tables". For copyright reasons
520 it cannot be included in the groff distribution, but copies can be
521 found with a title search on the World Wide Web.
522
524 groff(1), troff(1)
525Groff Version 1.22.2 7 February 2013 TBL(1)