RE: [Groff] tbl bug[s]

[Ted Harding]

On 26-Jun-01 Larry McVoy wrote:
> This is in groff-1.15, if someone can tell me it is already fixed I'll
> promptly upgrade.
> 
> Take the following table and groff -t it and you will see two things:
> 
> a) The baseline for the text in the T{ }T is different from the other 
>    baselines.
> 
> b) The T{ }T changes the font.  If I lift the .ft above the table then
>    it does not but that strikes as the wrong thing.
> 
> .ps 16
> .vs 18
> .TS
> expand box;
> cw(.7i)|cw(4.0i)|rw(1.2i)|rw(1.2i)
> c|l|r|r.
> .ft HB
> Qty   Description     Price   Total 
> _
> .ps -2
> .vs -2
> .sp .5
> XX    T{
>  Some text Some text Some
> T}    $1,550  $27,900
> XX    Some text Some text Some        $1,550  $27,900
> .TE
> _______________________________________________
> Groff maillist  -  address@hidden
> http://ffii.org/mailman/listinfo/groff

This, traditionally speaking, is not a bug but a feature. However,
I agree that it is not what you would intuitively expect.

Quote from "Tbl -- A Program to Format Tables" by M.E. Lesk:--

  "Text blocks are pulled out from the table, processed separately
  by troff, and replaced in the table as a solid block. ...
  [Sentence about how line length is obtained].
  The other parameters (point size, font, etc.) used in setting the
  _block_of_text_ are those in effect at the beginning of the table
  (including the effect of the .TS macro) and any table format
  specifications of size, spacing and font, using the p, v and f
  modifiers to the column key-letters. Commands within the text
  block itself are also recognised, of course. However, troff
  commands within the table data but not within the text block
  do not affect that block."

And this, especially the last sentence, is exactly what you
observed!

Ted.

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Date: 26-Jun-01                                       Time: 21:40:13
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