RE: [Groff] \t in .tm

[Ted Harding]

On 10-Sep-00 Werner LEMBERG wrote:
> 
> Is there a way to start a line with whitespace using the .tm request?
> 
> groff has no possibility (currently) to do that which is not ideal.
> What about original troff?  What does the following produce?
> 
> .tm \tHallo
> 
> Any idea how to start a line with spaces?  I would like to implement
> that.  What syntax do you suggest?  Note that `\&' etc. is output
> literally (i.e., `\' followed by `&').

I think that, strictly speaking, you are stuck. The official line is:

  .tm _string_
  After skipping initial blanks, _string_ (rest of the line) is read
  in copy mode and written on the standard error.

However, if you don't mind hearing a beep, you can use

  .tm ^G<white space>_string_

(where ^G means ctrl-G or ASCII 7) and it will work. (So also will some
other control characters such as ^A, ^B, ^C, ^E, ^F but these will also
output a symbol at the beginning of the line; and these apart from ^G,
^H, ^I and ^J are the only strictly legal input characters -- all other
are ignored or are liable to generate warnings [also on stderr] from
other components like eqn).

Ted.

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Date: 10-Sep-00                                       Time: 21:48:08
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