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TBL(1)			    General Commands Manual			TBL(1)

NAME
       tbl - format tables for troff

SYNOPSIS
       tbl [ -Cv ] [ files... ]

DESCRIPTION
       This manual page	describes the GNU version of tbl, which	is part	of the
       groff  document formatting system.  tbl compiles	descriptions of	tables
       embedded	within troff input files into commands that are	understood  by
       troff.	Normally,  it  should be invoked using the -t option of	groff.
       It is highly compatible with Unix tbl.  The output generated by GNU tbl
       cannot be processed with	Unix troff; it	must  be  processed  with  GNU
       troff.	If  no files are given on the command line, the	standard input
       will be read.  A	filename of - will cause  the  standard	 input	to  be
       read.

OPTIONS
       -C     Recognize	 .TS  and  .TE even when followed by a character other
	      than space or newline.

       -v     Print the	version	number.

USAGE
       tbl expects to find table descriptions wrapped in the .TS (table	start)
       and .TE (table end) macros.  The	line  immediately  following  the  .TS
       macro  may  contain  any	 of the	following global options (ignoring the
       case of characters -- Unix tbl only accepts options with	all characters
       lowercase or all	characters uppercase):

       center Centers the table	(default is left-justified).  The  alternative
	      keyword name centre is also recognized (this is a	GNU tbl	exten-
	      sion).

       delim(xy)
	      Use x and	y as start and end delimiters for eqn(1).

       expand Makes the	table as wide as the current line length.

       box    Encloses the table in a box.

       doublebox
	      Encloses the table in a double box.

       allbox Encloses each item of the	table in a box.

       frame  Same as box (GNU tbl only).

       doubleframe
	      Same as doublebox	(GNU tbl only).

       tab(x) Uses  the	 character  x  instead of a tab	to separate items in a
	      line of input data.

       linesize(n)
	      Sets lines or rules (e.g.	from box) in n-point type.

       nokeep Don't use	diversions to prevent  page  breaks  (GNU  tbl	only).
	      Normally tbl attempts to prevent undesirable breaks in the table
	      by  using	 diversions.   This  can sometimes interact badly with
	      macro packages' own use of diversions, when footnotes, for exam-
	      ple, are used.

       decimalpoint(c)
	      Set the character	to be recognized as the	decimal	point  in  nu-
	      meric columns (GNU tbl only).

       nospaces
	      Ignore leading and trailing spaces in data items (GNU tbl	only).

       The  global  options  must end with a semicolon.	 There might be	white-
       space after an option and its argument in parentheses.

       After global options come lines describing the format of	each  line  of
       the  table.   Each such format line describes one line of the table it-
       self, except that the last format line (which you must end with	a  pe-
       riod) describes all remaining lines of the table.  A single key charac-
       ter  describes each column of each line of the table.  You may run for-
       mat specs for multiple lines together on	the same  line	by  separating
       them with commas.

       You  may	 follow	 each key character with specifiers that determine the
       font and	point size of the corresponding	item,  that  determine	column
       width, inter-column spacing, etc.

       The  longest  format  line  defines the number of columns in the	table;
       missing format descriptors at the end of	format lines are assumed to be
       `L'.  Extra columns in the data (which have no corresponding format en-
       try) are	ignored.

       The available key characters are:

       c,C    Centers item within the column.

       r,R    Right-justifies item within the column.

       l,L    Left-justifies item within the column.

       n,N    Numerically justifies item in the	 column:  Units	 positions  of
	      numbers are aligned vertically.

       s,S    Spans previous item on the left into this	column.

       a,A    Centers  longest line in this column and then left-justifies all
	      other lines in this column with respect to that centered line.

       ^      Spans down entry from previous row in this column.

       _,-    Replaces this entry with a horizontal line.

       =      Replaces this entry with a double	horizontal line.

       |      The corresponding	column becomes a  vertical  rule  (if  two  of
	      these are	adjacent, a double vertical rule).

       A  vertical  bar	to the left of the first key-letter or to the right of
       the last	one produces a line at the edge	of the table.

       Here are	the specifiers that can	appear in suffixes to column key  let-
       ters:

       b,B    Short form of fB (make affected entries bold).

       i,I    Short form of fI (make affected entries italic).

       t,T    Start  an	 item vertically spanning rows at the top of its range
	      rather than vertically centering it.

       d,D    Start an item vertically spanning	rows  at  the  bottom  of  its
	      range rather than	vertically centering it	(GNU tbl only).

       v,V    Followed	by  a number, this indicates the vertical line spacing
	      to be used in a multi-line table entry.  If signed, the  current
	      vertical	line  spacing  is  incremented or decremented (using a
	      signed number instead of a signed	digit is a GNU tbl extension).
	      A	vertical line spacing specifier	followed by a  column  separa-
	      tion  number must	be separated by	one or more blanks.  No	effect
	      if the corresponding table entry isn't a text block.

       f,F    Either of	these specifiers may be	followed by a font  name  (ei-
	      ther  one	or two characters long), font number (a	single digit),
	      or long name in parentheses (the last form is a GNU  tbl	exten-
	      sion).   A one-letter font name must be separated	by one or more
	      blanks from whatever follows.

       p,P    Followed by a number, this does a	point size change for the  af-
	      fected fields.  If signed, the current point size	is incremented
	      or  decremented (using a signed number instead of	a signed digit
	      is a GNU tbl extension).	A point	size specifier followed	 by  a
	      column  separation  number  must	be  separated  by  one or more
	      blanks.

       w,W    Minimal column width  value.   Must  be  followed	 either	 by  a
	      troff(1)	width expression in parentheses	or a unitless integer.
	      If no unit is given, en units are	used.  Also used  as  the  de-
	      fault  line  length  for included	text blocks.  If used multiple
	      times, the last entry takes effect.

       e,E    Make equally-spaced columns.

       u,U    Move the corresponding column up one half-line.

       z,Z    Ignore the corresponding column for width-calculation purposes.

       A number	suffix on a key	character is interpreted as a  column  separa-
       tion in ens (multiplied in proportion if	the expand option is on).  De-
       fault separation	is 3n.

       The  format  lines are followed by lines	containing the actual data for
       the table, followed finally by .TE.  Within such	data lines, items  are
       normally	 separated  by tab characters (or the character	specified with
       the tab option).	 Long input lines can be broken	across multiple	 lines
       if the last character on	the line is `\'	(which vanishes	after concate-
       nation).

       A dot starting a	line, followed by anything but a digit is handled as a
       troff  command,	passed through without changes.	 The table position is
       unchanged in this case.

       If a data line consists of only `_' or `=', a single  or	 double	 line,
       respectively, is	drawn across the table at that point; if a single item
       in  a data line consists	of only	`_' or `=', then that item is replaced
       by a single or double line, joining its neighbours.   If	 a  data  item
       consists	 only  of `\_' or `\=',	a single or double line, respectively,
       is drawn	across the field at that point which does not join its	neigh-
       bours.

       A data item consisting only of `\Rx' (`x' any character)	is replaced by
       repetitions  of	character  `x'	as wide	as the column (not joining its
       neighbours).

       A data item consisting only of `\^' indicates that  the	field  immedi-
       ately above spans downward over this row.

       A text block can	be used	to enter data as a single entry	which would be
       too  long as a simple string between tabs.  It is started with `T{' and
       closed with `T}'.  The latter must start	a line,	probably  followed  by
       other data columns (separated with tabs).

       To  change  the data format within a table, use the .T& command (at the
       start of	a line).  It is	followed by format  and	 data  lines  (but  no
       global options) similar to the .TS request.

INTERACTION WITH EQN
       tbl(1)  should  always  be called before	eqn(1) (groff(1) automatically
       takes care of the correct order of preprocessors).

GNU TBL	ENHANCEMENTS
       There is	no limit on the	number of columns in a table, nor any limit on
       the number of text blocks.  All the lines of a table are	considered  in
       deciding	 column	 widths,  not  just the	first 200.  Table continuation
       (.T&) lines are not restricted to the first 200 lines.

       Numeric and alphabetic items may	appear in the same column.

       Numeric and alphabetic items may	span horizontally.

       tbl uses	register, string, macro	and diversion names beginning with the
       digit 3.	 When using tbl	you should avoid  using	 any  names  beginning
       with a 3.

BUGS
       You should use .TS H/.TH	in conjunction with a supporting macro package
       for  all	 multi-page boxed tables.  If there is no header that you wish
       to appear at the	top of each page of the	table, place the .TH line  im-
       mediately  after	the format section.  Do	not enclose a multi-page table
       within keep/release macros, or divert it	in any other way.

       A text block within a table must	be able	to fit on one page.

       The bp request cannot be	used to	force a	page-break in a	multi-page ta-
       ble.  Instead, define BP	as follows

	      .de BP
	      .ie '\\n(.z'' .bp	\\$1
	      .el \!.BP	\\$1
	      ..

       and use BP instead of bp.

       Using \a	directly in a table to get leaders will	 not  work.   This  is
       correct behaviour: \a is	an uninterpreted leader.  To get leaders use a
       real leader, either by using a control A	or like	this:

	      .ds a \a
	      .TS
	      tab(;);
	      lw(1i) l.
	      A\*a;B
	      .TE

REFERENCE
       Lesk, M.E.: "TBL	-- A Program to	Format Tables".	 For copyright reasons
       it  cannot  be  included	 in  the groff distribution, but copies	can be
       found with a title search on the	World Wide Web.

SEE ALSO
       groff(1), troff(1)

Groff Version 1.18.1	       16 September 2002			TBL(1)

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