1fspec(4)                         File Formats                         fspec(4)
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NAME

6       fspec - format specification in text files
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DESCRIPTION

9       It  is  sometimes  convenient to maintain text files on the system with
10       non-standard tabs, (tabs that are not set at every eighth column). Such
11       files  must  generally be converted to a standard format, frequently by
12       replacing all tabs with the appropriate number of spaces,  before  they
13       can  be  processed by system commands. A format specification occurring
14       in the first line of a text file specifies how tabs are to be  expanded
15       in the remainder of the file.
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18       A  format  specification consists of a sequence of parameters separated
19       by blanks and surrounded by the brackets <: and :>. Each parameter con‐
20       sists  of  a  keyletter,  possibly followed immediately by a value. The
21       following parameters are recognized:
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23       ttabs      The t parameter specifies the tab settings for the file. The
24                  value of tabs must be one of the following:
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26                      o      A  list  of  column  numbers separated by commas,
27                             indicating tabs set at the specified columns.
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29                      o      A '−' followed immediately by an integer n, indi‐
30                             cating tabs at intervals of n columns.
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32                      o      A  '−'  followed  by the name of a ``canned'' tab
33                             specification.
34                  Standard  tabs  are  specified  by  t−8,  or   equivalently,
35                  t1,9,17,25,  etc.  The  canned  tabs that are recognized are
36                  defined by the tabs(1) command.
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39       ssize      The s parameter specifies a maximum line size. The value  of
40                  size  must  be  an integer. Size checking is performed after
41                  tabs have been expanded, but before the margin is prepended.
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44       mmargin    The m parameter specifies a number of spaces to be prepended
45                  to each line. The value of margin must be an integer.
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48       d          The  d parameter takes no value. Its presence indicates that
49                  the line  containing  the  format  specification  is  to  be
50                  deleted from the converted file.
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53       e          The  e parameter takes no value. Its presence indicates that
54                  the current format is to prevail only until  another  format
55                  specification is encountered in the file.
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59       Default  values, which are assumed for parameters not supplied, are t−8
60       and m0. If the s parameter is not specified, no size checking  is  per‐
61       formed.  If the first line of a file does not contain a format specifi‐
62       cation, the above defaults are assumed for the entire file. The follow‐
63       ing is an example of a line containing a format specification:
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66       * <:t5,10,15 s72:> *
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69       If a format specification can be disguised as a comment, it is not nec‐
70       essary to code the d parameter.
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SEE ALSO

73       ed(1), newform(1), tabs(1)
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77SunOS 5.11                        3 Jul 1990                          fspec(4)
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