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fspec(4) File Formats fspec(4) NAME fspec - format specification in text files DESCRIPTION It is sometimes convenient to maintain text files on the system with non-standard tabs, (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 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 con- sists of a keyletter, possibly followed immediately by a value. The following parameters are recognized: ttabs The t parameter 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, in- dicating tabs set at the specified columns. • A '-' followed immediately by an integer n, indi- cating tabs at intervals of n columns. • A '-' followed by the name of a ``canned'' tab specification. Standard tabs are specified by t-8, or equivalently, t1,9,17,25, etc. The canned tabs that are recognized are defined by the tabs(1) command. ssize The s parameter specifies a maximum line size. The value of size must be an integer. Size checking is per- formed 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 an- other format specification is encountered in the file. Default values, which are assumed for parameters not supplied, are t-8 and m0. If the s parameter is not specified, no size checking is per- formed. If the first line of a file does not contain a format specifi- cation, the above defaults are assumed for the entire file. The follow- ing is an example of a line containing a format specification: * <:t5,10,15 s72:> * If a format specification can be disguised as a comment, it is not nec- essary to code the d parameter. SEE ALSO ed(1), newform(1), tabs(1) SunOS 5.10 3 Jul 1990 fspec(4)
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