Re: your mail

[G. Branden Robinson]

Hi Doug,

At 2023-11-11T07:31:31-0500, Douglas McIlroy wrote:
> >> This diagnostic in -ms 1.23.0 breaks a document that works with 1.22.4:
> >>
> >>         error: .AB is not allowed after first .AB, .LP, .PP, .IP, .SH or 
> >> .NH
> >>
> >> This dictum is unreasonably prescriptive. The "error" is the
> >> appearance of .LP in a cover sheet for the document.
> 
> > Where in the cover sheet?  I find I can use it without error or
> > disruption inside an abstract.  See attachment.
> 
> Maybe I should have called it a "title page".

I don't know of a good term for it; it's some kind of heading.

> Anyway, the page carries various metadata needed for a certain
> audience, but not the abstract.  If the page is omitted, what remains
> is a -ms document, complete with .TL, .AU, .AB, etc.

I'm still having trouble figuring out what you think is wrong with groff
1.23.0 relative to 1.22.4.

$ nroff --version | sed 1q
GNU nroff (groff) version 1.23.0
$ /usr/bin/nroff --version | sed 1q
GNU nroff (groff) version 1.22.4

I took the `RP` call out of my document to dispose of the cover page and
tried my experiments again.  With both versions of groff I get all of
the "document description info" (the term used by groff ms
documentation) on page 1 before the main matter, _except_ for the date.

I get diagnostics from both groff 1.22.4 and 1.23.0 ms if I use `LP`
between `AU` and `AB` calls, because `LP` caused the macro package to
decide the front matter/document description info was done.  The
messages differ slightly in punctuation.

$ /usr/bin/nroff -rLL=65n -ms /tmp/LP-in-abstract-BAD.ms >/dev/null
/tmp/LP-in-abstract-BAD.ms:9: macro error: AB is not allowed after first AB, 
LP, PP, IP, SH or NH
/tmp/LP-in-abstract-BAD.ms:21: macro error: AE without AB

$ nroff -z -ms /tmp/LP-in-abstract-BAD.ms
s.tmac:/tmp/LP-in-abstract-BAD.ms:9: error: .AB is not allowed after first .AB, 
.LP, .PP, .IP, .SH or .NH
s.tmac:/tmp/LP-in-abstract-BAD.ms:21: error: .AE without .AB

I may have guessed wrongly at where you were using `LP` or `PP`.

Output differs only in a detail of adjustment.[1]  (I gave 1.22.4 the
"-rLL=65n" parameter to conform to 1.23.0's new default line length.[2])

$ diff -U1 /tmp/BAD-12*
--- /tmp/BAD-1224.out   2023-11-11 12:31:27.754520786 -0600
+++ /tmp/BAD-1230.out   2023-11-11 12:31:47.458425554 -0600
@@ -27,3 +27,3 @@
 dolorem ipsum, quia dolor sit amet consectetur adipiscivelit, sed
-quia non‐numquam eius modi tempora incidunt, ut labore et  dolore
+quia  non‐numquam eius modi tempora incidunt, ut labore et dolore
 magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem.
@@ -32,4 +32,4 @@
 
-Ut  enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam cor‐
-poris suscipitlaboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex  ea  commodi  conse‐
+Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam  cor‐
+poris  suscipitlaboriosam,  nisi  ut aliquid ex ea commodi conse‐
 quatur?

$ diff -U1 /tmp/OK-12*
--- /tmp/OK-1224.out    2023-11-11 12:32:05.534338277 -0600
+++ /tmp/OK-1230.out    2023-11-11 12:32:15.542289993 -0600
@@ -20,9 +20,9 @@
      sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam
-     rem  aperiam  eaque  ipsa, quae ab illo inventore veri‐
-     tatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt,  ex‐
+     rem aperiam eaque ipsa, quae ab  illo  inventore  veri‐
+     tatis  et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt, ex‐
      plicabo.
 
-     Nemo  enim  ipsam voluptatem, quia voluptas sit, asper‐
-     natur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia  consequuntur  magni
-     dolores  eos,  qui  ratione  voluptatem sequi nesciunt,
+     Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem, quia voluptas  sit,  asper‐
+     natur  aut  odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni
+     dolores eos, qui  ratione  voluptatem  sequi  nesciunt,
      neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum, quia dolor
@@ -35,4 +35,4 @@
 
-Ut  enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam cor‐
-poris suscipitlaboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex  ea  commodi  conse‐
+Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam  cor‐
+poris  suscipitlaboriosam,  nisi  ut aliquid ex ea commodi conse‐
 quatur?

What's bad about the "BAD" example is that an `LP` in the "midst" of
`AU` author information causes subsequent material to format
incorrectly.

--snip--
                   The Twin Prime Paradox


                      I. M. Brilliante


T. S. Clown
                     Bumblescum College
Sed ut perspiciatis, unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem
accusantium  doloremque  laudantium, totam rem aperiam eaque
                       ipsa, quae ab
illo inventore veritatis et quasi  architecto  beatae  vitae
                        dicta sunt,
                         explicabo.

Nemo  enim  ipsam  voluptatem, quia voluptas sit, aspernatur
aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos,
qui  ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt, neque porro quisquam
est, qui dolorem ipsum,  quia  dolor  sit  amet  consectetur
adipiscivelit,  sed  quia  non‐numquam eius modi tempora in‐
cidunt, ut labore et dolore magnam  aliquam  quaerat  volup‐
tatem.

1.  Section the First
--end snip--

But it's same wrongness on 1.22.4 and 1.23.0 for me.

Can you share a reproducer?  Sorry to be dense.  :(

I'm attaching the inputs I used to produce the above, in case they are
of some help.

Regards,
Branden

[1] https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?60673
[2] https://git.savannah.gnu.org/cgit/groff.git/tree/NEWS?h=1.23.0#n484

LP-in-abstract-BAD.ms
Description: Troff MS-macros document

LP-in-abstract-OK.ms
Description: Troff MS-macros document

signature.asc
Description: PGP signature