Re: rethinking @def*

[Werner LEMBERG]

> There have been changes to @def formatting in the past.  There is a
> ChangeLog entry
> 
> 2003-11-23  Karl Berry  <karl@gnu.org>

Almost twenty years ago...

> The comment from 2003 said that the groff manual needed Roman type
> in @def* line output.  Examples from the groff manual would be one
> of the first things I would look at, and this might help to move
> this conversation forward more than discussions of abstract
> principles of backwards compatibility.

Attached is the current git version of `groff.pdf`, together with the
source file.  As an example, have a look at page 128 (image attached),
where you can see

```
.ft [font]                             [Request]
\ff                            [Escape sequence]
\f(fn                          [Escape sequence]
\f[font]                       [Escape sequence]
\n[.sty]                              [Register]
```

The brackets in the first line are typeset in Roman to indicate
metaness, the brackets in the fourth and fifth line are typeset in
typewriter because they are part of the (troff) register syntax.  Note
also the unbalanced opening parenthesis, and that there is no space
between the escape sequences and the following syntax elements.

The corresponding code in `groff.texi` is

```
@DefreqList {ft, [@Var{font}]}
@DefescItemx {\\f, , f, }
@DefescItem {\\f, (, fn, }
@DefescItem {\\f, [, font, ]}
@DefregListEndx {.sty}
```

hiding the nasty formatting details (including proper index entries)
behind macros.  You can find `groff.texi` here:

  https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/groff.git/tree/doc/groff.texi


    Werner

groff.pdf
Description: Adobe PDF document