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Groff (GNU ditroff) usage on Sun and SGI machines at the Lab

groff is the front end for the groff document formatting system. (GNU ditroff).
groff's default device is ps (PostScript).
(You may need to use "module load groff" to make groff available.)

Sample usage

Write groff output to a PostScript file

me macros: groff -set -me myfile.me > myfile.ps
ms macros: groff -set -mgs myfile.ms > myfile.ps
Note well: "-mgs" uses the groff version of the MS ("gs") macros.

Send groff output to a PostScript printer

me macros: groff -set -me myfile.me | lpr -P someprinter
ms macros: groff -set -mgs myfile.ms | lpr -P someprinter

"someprinter" is some PostScript printer on distributed printing.

Some common flags (from "man groff")

-h    Print a help message.
-e    Preprocess with geqn.
-t    Preprocess with gtbl.
-s    Preprocess with gsoelim.

Hence, the above usage of "-set".

Landscape mode

groff -set -P-l -mgs table.ms > table-rotated.ps
N.B. "-P-l" passes the "-l" (landscape mode) flag to grops, the PostScript driver for groff.

Helvetica fonts

-fH uses Helvetica as the default font family.

Including EPS

Include the EPS file myfile.eps where you want it to appear by

.PSPIC myfile.eps

Compatibility mode

The '-C' means "compatibility" mode. Under "man gtroff", section "Incompatibilities", we read "Also Unix troff will interpret \*[ or \n[ as references to a string or number register called [. In GNU troff, however, this will normally be interpreted as the start of a long name. In compatibility mode GNU troff will interpret these things in the traditional way."

Thus,
groff -set -P-l -me -fH -C abc.me > xyz
will format abc with the me macros, landscape mode, using the Helvetica font, compatibility mode.

man page formatting

module load groff RosettaMan
 
man basename | rman -f roff | groff -man - | lpr -P someprinter

will print the formatted version of basename on the printer someprinter

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Last modified Tue May 27 15:16:29 PDT 2003