|
HTML rendering created 2026-05-25 by Michael Kerrisk, author of The Linux Programming Interface. For details of in-depth Linux/UNIX system programming training courses that I teach, look here. Hosting by jambit GmbH. |
|
|
Name | Synopsis | Description | Macros | Strings | Registers | Files | Authors | See also | COLOPHON |
|
|
|
groff_mm(7) Miscellaneous Information Manual groff_mm(7)
groff_mm - memorandum macros for GNU roff
groff -mm [option ...] [file ...]
groff -m mm [option ...] [file ...]
The mm macro package distributed with the groff document
formatting system is suitable for the composition of letters,
memoranda, reports, and books.
Call an mm macro at the beginning of a document to initialize the
package. A simple mm document might use only P for paragraphing.
Set numbered and unnumbered section headings with H and HU,
respectively. Change the style of the typeface with B, I, and R;
you can alternate styles within a word with BI, BR, IB, IR, RB,
and RI. Several nestable list types are available via AL, BL,
BVL, DL, ML, RL, and VL; each of these begins a list, to which LI
adds an item and LE ends the (nested) list. LB begins a list with
customizable layout parameters. DS and DF start static and
floating displays, respectively; DE terminates either.
groff mm is intended to be compatible with the mm implementation
found in the AT&T Documenter's Workbench 3.3 (“DWB”), with the
following limitations and changes.
• Omitted features include the logo and company name strings, }Z
and ]S, respectively; the encoded company site location
addresses recognized as the third argument to the AU macro; the
Pv (“private” heading) register; and the OK (other keywords)
and PM (proprietary markings) macros.
• groff mm implements the CS (output cover page or “sheet”) macro
only for memorandum type 4.
• The grap preprocessor is not explicitly supported; groff mm
defines no G1 or G2 macros.
• Registers A, C, T, and U, set from the troff or nroff command
lines with DWB, are not recognized.
• When setting the registers L or W from the command line, use an
explicit scaling unit to avoid surprises.
• The Le register defaults to 1, consistently with Lf, Lt, and Lx
in DWB; equations captioned with EC appear in tables of
contents produced by TC.
• The Li register configures the text indentation of RL list
items; DWB used a hard-coded value of 6 ens.
• groff mm uses the same adjustment and font style defaults in
nroff and troff modes.
• Cut marks are not supported.
DWB supported only seven heading levels. As a compatible
extension, groff mm supports fourteen, introducing new registers
H8 through H14, and affecting the interpretation of the HF and HP
strings.
groff mm features a citation (or “bookmark”) system, permitting
the document to make (customizable) internal references like “See
chapter 5, page 128.”. Forward references require two-pass
formatting. See the INITR macro description below and mmroff(1).
Macro, register, and string descriptions in this page frequently
mention each other; most references are to macros. Where a
register or string is referenced, its type is explicitly
identified. mm's macro names are usually in full capitals;
registers and strings tend to have mixed-case names.
Except where noted, mm assumes that horizontal measurements are
reckoned in ens (scaling unit n) and vertical ones in vees
(scaling unit v). groff mm permits use of non-integral
typographical points (scaling unit z). Use explicit scaling units
for clarity and predictable behavior.
Document styles
groff mm offers three frameworks for document organization.
COVER/COVEND is a flexible means of preparing any document
requiring a cover page. LT/LO aids preparation of typical
Anglophone correspondence (business letters, for example). The MT
memorandum type mechanism implements a group of formal styles
historically used by AT&T Bell Laboratories. Your document can
select at most one of these approaches; when used, each disables
the others.
Localization
groff mm is designed to be easily localized. For languages other
than English, strings that can appear in output are collected in
the file /usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/xx.tmac, where xx is
an ISO 639 two-letter language identifier. Localization packages
should be loaded after mm; for example, you might format a Swedish
mm document with the command “groff -mm -msv”.
This package can also be localized by site or territory; for
example, /usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/mse.tmac illustrates
how to adapt the output to a national standard using its ISO 3166
territory code. Such a package can define a string that causes a
macro file /usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/mm/territory_locale
to be loaded at package initialization. If this mechanism is not
used, /usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/mm/locale is loaded
instead. No diagnostic is produced if these files do not exist.
Registers and strings
Much mm behavior can be configured by registers and strings. The
nr request assigns a value to a register.
.nr ident [±]n [i]
ident is the name of the register, and n is the value to be
assigned. Prefixing n with a plus or minus sign increments or
decrements (respectively) its existing value. If assignment of a
(possibly) negative n is required, further prefix it with a zero
or enclose it in parentheses. If i is specified, the register's
value automatically changes by i prior to interpolation if a plus
or minus sign is included in the escape sequence as follows.
\n[±][ident]
i can be negative; it combines algebraically with the sign in the
interpolation escape sequence. The brackets around ident are
literal.
Many of the registers mm provides are as Boolean-valued, meaning
that they are considered “true” (on, enabled) when they have a
positive value, and “false” (off, disabled) otherwise.
Define strings with the ds request.
.ds ident contents
contents consumes everything up to the end of the line, including
trailing spaces. It is a good practice to end contents with a
comment escape sequence (\") so that extraneous spaces do not
intrude during document maintenance. To include leading spaces in
contents, prefix it with a double quote. Interpolate strings with
the \* escape sequence.
\*[ident]
Register and string name spaces are distinct, but strings and
macros share a name space. Defining a string with the same name
as an mm macro is not supported and may cause incorrect rendering,
the emission of diagnostic messages, and an error exit status from
troff.
Register format
A register is interpolated using Arabic numerals if no other
format has been assigned to it. Assign a format to a register
with the af request.
.af R c
R is the name of the register, and c is the format. If c is a
sequence of Arabic numerals, their quantity defines a zero-padded
minimum width for the interpolated register value.
Form Sequence
1 0, 1, 2, 3, ..., 10, ...
001 000, 001, 002, 003, ..., 1000, ...
i 0, i, ii, iii, iv, ...
I 0, I, II, III, IV, ...
a 0, a, b, c, ..., z, aa, ab, ...
A 0, A, B, C, ..., Z, AA, AB, ...
Fonts
mm assumes that the font styles R (roman), I (italic), and
B (bold) are mounted at font positions 1, 2, and 3, respectively.
Use the fp request to mount substitute fonts at these positions as
desired. The default font family is “T” (Times). To select a
different one, invoke groff's fam request or use its -f command-
line option.
Double-quote macro arguments that contain space characters. An
explicitly empty argument may be specified with an empty pair of
double quotes; for example, the following macro call has three
arguments.
.XX "foo bar" "" baz
Some macros are documented as causing a page break; this does not
occur if such a macro is called when the drawing position is
already at the top of a page (after a page heading, if any).
Hook macros are undefined by default; mm calls them to enable
customization of its behavior. (DWB termed these “exits”.)
Macro names longer than two characters are extensions; some
shorter names were not part of DWB's published interface but are
documented aspects of groff mm.
1C [1] Format page text in one column (the default layout). The
page is broken. A 1 argument suppresses this break; its
use may cause body text and a pending footnote to
overprint. See 2C, MC, and NCOL.
2C Begin two-column formatting. This is a special case of MC.
See 1C and NCOL.
AE Abstract end; stop collecting abstract text. See AS.
AF [org-name]
Specify a memorandum's organizational affiliation. At most
one can be declared; org-name is used by MT memoranda and
available to cover pages. See COVER.
AFX Define this hook macro to assume responsibility for
formatting the affiliated firm name defined by AF in
memorandum types 0 and 4 and documents using the ms cover
page style. If not defined (the default), internally
defined macros handle this task; see subsection “Internals”
and section “Files” below. Applications include setting
the firm name in a different font family or at a larger
type size, drawing a rule across the page, and including a
logo image using groff's PDFPIC or PSPIC macros. See MT,
COVER, and groff_tmac(5).
AL [number-format [text-indent [1]]]
Begin an auto-incrementing numbered list, where item
numbers start at one and are followed by a dot. number-
format assigns the register format (see above) mm uses for
the list item enumerators. The default is 0. A text-
indent argument overrides register Li. A third argument
suppresses the vertical space that normally precedes each
list item; see register Lsp. Vertical space in the amount
of Lsp precedes the list itself, but does not accumulate
with pre-item space when this list is nested in another.
AL calls LB; use LI to declare list items, and LE to end
the list.
APP [sequence-number [title]]
Begin an appendix. If sequence-number is omitted, it
increments (or is initialized to 1, if necessary). The
register format used for sequence-number is “A”. The page
is broken. The register Aph determines whether an appendix
heading is then formatted. This heading uses the string
App followed by sequence-number. Appendices appear in any
table of contents (see TC). The string Apptxt is set to
title if the latter is present, and made empty otherwise.
APPSK sequence-number n [title]
As APP, but increment the page number by n. Use this macro
to “skip pages” when diagrams or other materials not
formatted by troff are included in appendices.
AS [placement [indentation]]
Abstract start; begin collecting abstract. Input up to the
next AE call is included in the abstract. placement
influences the location of the abstract on the cover page
of a memorandum (see MT). COVER, by contrast, ignores
placement by default, but can be customized to interpret
it.
[1mplacement[24m Effect
0 The abstract appears on page 1 and cover page
if the document is a “released paper”
memorandum (“.MT 4”); otherwise, it appears on
page 1 without a cover page.
1 The abstract appears only on the cover page
(“.MT 4” only).
An abstract does not appear at all in external letters
(“.MT 5”). A placement of 2 was supported by DWB, but is
not by groff mm.
A second argument increases the indentation by indentation
and reduces the line length by twice this amount. The
default is 0.
AT title ...
Specify author's title(s). If present, AT must appear just
after the corresponding author's AU. Each title occupies
an output line beneath the author's name in the signature
block used by LT letters (see SG) and in MT memoranda. The
ms cover page style also formats these data.
AU [name [initials [loc [dept [ext [room [arg1 [arg2 [arg3]]]]]]]]]
Specify author. AU terminates a document title started
with TL, and can be called without arguments for that
purpose. Author information is used by cover pages, MT
memoranda, and SG. Further arguments comprise initials,
location, department, telephone extension, room number or
name, and up to three additional items. Repeat AU to
identify multiple authors.
Use WA/WE instead to identify the author for documents
employing LT.
AV [name [1]]
Format approval lines for a handwritten signature and date.
Two horizontal rules are drawn, with the specified name and
the text of the string Letdate, respectively, beneath them.
Above these rules, mm formats the text in the string
Letapp; a second argument replaces this text with one vee
of vertical space. See LT.
AVL [name]
As AV, but omitting the approval notation (the Letapp
string), the date rule, and the label below the date rule
(the Letdate string).
B [bold-text [previous-font-text]] ...
Join bold-text in boldface with previous-font-text in the
previous font, without space between the arguments. If no
arguments, switch font to bold style.
B1 Begin boxed static display. The text is indented by 1n,
and the line length reduced by 2n. See DS. This is a
groff mm extension.
B2 End boxed static display. See B1. This is a groff mm
extension.
BE End bottom block; see BS.
BI [bold-text [italic-text]] ...
Join bold-text in boldface with italic-text in italics,
without space between the arguments.
BL [text-indent [1]]
Begin bulleted list. mm marks each item with the string
BU. A text-indent argument overrides register Pi. A
second argument suppresses the vertical space that normally
precedes each list item; see register Lsp. Vertical space
in the amount of Lsp precedes the list itself, but does not
accumulate with pre-item space when this list is nested in
another. BL calls LB; use LI to declare list items, and LE
to end the list.
BR [bold-text [roman-text]] ...
Join bold-text in boldface with roman-text in roman style,
without space between the arguments.
BS Begin bottom block. mm collects input into the bottom
block until the document calls BE, and outputs it between
the footnote area and footer of each page.
BVL [text-indent [mark-indent [1]]]
Begin broken variable-item (or “tagged”) list. Each item
should supply its own mark. The line is always broken
after the mark; contrast VL. A text-indent argument
overrides register Pi; mark-indent sets the distance from
the indentation of the current list to the mark. A third
argument suppresses the vertical space that normally
precedes each list item; see register Lsp. Vertical space
in the amount of Lsp precedes the list itself, but does not
accumulate with pre-item space when this list is nested in
another. BVL calls LB; use LI to declare list items, and
LE to end the list.
COVER [style]
Begin a cover page description. COVER must appear before
the body text (or main matter) of a document. The argument
style is used to construct the file name /usr/local/share/
groff/1.24.1/tmac/mm/style.cov and load it with the mso
request. The default style is “ms”; the ms.cov file
prepares a cover page resembling that of the ms package. A
.cov file must define a COVEND macro, which a document must
call at the end of the cover description. Use cover
description macros in the following order; only TL and AU
are required.
.COVER
.AF
.TL
.AU
.AT
.\" Add additional AU and AT calls as needed.
.AS
.AE
.COVEND
COVEND End the cover description.
DE End static or floating display begun with DS or DF.
DF [format [fill [right-indentation]]]
Begin floating display. A floating display is saved in a
queue and output in the order entered. Arguments are
handled as in DS. Floating displays cannot be nested.
Placement of floating displays is controlled by the
registers De and Df.
DL [text-indent [1]]
Begin dashed list. mm marks each item with the string EM.
A text-indent argument overrides register Pi. A second
argument suppresses the vertical space that normally
precedes each list item; see register Lsp. Vertical space
in the amount of Lsp precedes the list itself, but does not
accumulate with pre-item space when this list is nested in
another. DL calls LB; use LI to declare list items, and LE
to end the list.
DS [format [fill [right-indentation]]]
Begin static display. mm collects input into a display
until the document calls DE. The display is output on a
single page unless it is taller than the height of the
page. DS can be nested (contrast with DF).
[1mformat[24m Effect
none Do not indent the display.
L Do not indent the display.
I Indent text by \n[Si].
C Center each line.
CB Center the whole display as a block.
R Right-align each line.
RB Right-align the whole display as a block.
The values “L”, “I”, “C”, and “CB” can also be specified as
“0”, “1”, “2”, and “3”, respectively, for compatibility
with DWB.
[1mfill[24m Effect
none Disable filling.
N Disable filling.
F Enable filling.
“N” and “F” can also be specified as “0” and “1”,
respectively, for compatibility with DWB.
A third argument reduces the line length by right-
indentation.
mm normally places vertical space before and after the
display. Set register Ds to “0” to suppress it.
EC [title [override [flag [ref-name]]]]
Caption an equation. A caption comprises the string Capec
followed by an automatically incrementing counter stored in
the register Ec, punctuation configured by the register Of,
then title (if any). Use the af request to configure Ec's
number format. override and flag alter the equation number
as follows. Omitting flag and specifying 0 in its place
are equivalent.
[1mflag[24m Effect
0 Prefix number with override.
1 Suffix number with override.
2 Replace number with override.
mm centers equation captions irrespective of the alignment
of any enclosing display.
Specifying ref-name stores the equation number as if by
“.SETR ref-name \n[Ec]”. Recognition of this argument is a
groff mm extension.
The package lists captioned equations in a table of
contents (see TC) if the Boolean register Le is true. The
string Le captions this list.
EF ["'left'center'right'"]
Define the even-page footer, which is formatted just above
the normal page footer on even-numbered pages. See PF. EF
defines the string EOPef.
EH ["'left'center'right'"]
Define the even-page header, which is formatted just below
the normal page header on even-numbered pages. See PH. EH
defines the string TPeh.
EN End mathematical expression input preprocessed by eqn(1);
see EQ.
EOP groff mm calls this hook macro in lieu of normal page
footer layout. The package uses a separate environment to
format headers and footers. See TP.
Strings available to EOP
─────────────────────────
EOPf argument to PF
EOPef argument to EF
EOPof argument to OF
EPIC [-L] width height [name]
Draw a box with the given width and height. The text name
(or default text) is formatted inside the box; no attempt
is made to size the box to fit the text. An application of
this macro is to indicate the placement of an image to be
determined later, or externally composited in
postprocessing. -L as the first argument left-aligns the
box; the default is to center it. See PIC.
EQ [label]
Start mathematical expression input preprocessed by eqn(1).
EQ and EN macro calls bracket an equation region. Such
regions must be contained in displays (DS/DE), except when
the region is used only to configure eqn and not to produce
output. If present, label appears aligned to the right and
centered vertically within the display; see register Eq.
If multiple eqn regions occur within a display, only the
last label (if any) is used.
EX [title [override [flag [ref-name]]]]
Caption an exhibit. Arguments are handled analogously to
EC. The register Ex is the exhibit counter. The string
Capex precedes the exhibit number and any title. mm
centers exhibit captions irrespective of the alignment of
any enclosing display.
The package lists captioned exhibits in a table of contents
(see TC) if the Boolean register Lx is true. The string Lx
captions this list.
FC [closing-text]
Output the string Letfc, or the specified closing-text, as
the formal closing of a letter or memorandum. See LT and
MT.
FD [arg [1]]
Configure display of footnotes. The first argument encodes
enablement of automatic hyphenation, adjustment to both
margins, indentation of footnote text, and left- vs. right-
alignment of the footnote label within the space allocated
for it.
[1marg[24m Hyphenate? Adjust? Indent? Label alignment
0 no yes yes left
1 yes yes yes left
2 no no yes left
3 yes no yes left
4 no yes no left
5 yes yes no left
6 no no no left
7 yes no no left
8 no yes yes right
9 yes yes yes right
10 no no yes right
11 yes no yes right
An arg greater than 11 is treated as 0. mm's default is 0.
A second argument resets footnote numbering when a first-
level heading is encountered. See FS.
FE End footnote; see FS.
FG [title [override [flag [ref-name]]]]
Caption a figure. Arguments are handled analogously to EC.
The register Fg is the figure counter. The string Capfg
precedes the figure number and any title. mm centers
figure captions irrespective of the alignment of any
enclosing display.
The package lists captioned figures in a table of contents
(see TC) if the Boolean register Lf is true. The string Lf
captions this list.
FS [mark]
Start footnote. mm collects input into a footnote until
the document calls FE, outputting it when the vertical
drawing position nears the page bottom. By default, mm
automatically numbers footnotes starting at 1; the number
is available in register Ftnum and, with a trailing period,
in string F. If desired, interpolate this string in the
body text to format the footnote mark. mm interpolates
string F prior to the footnote text. Footnotes are
vertically separated by the product of registers Fs and
Lsp. In groff mm, footnotes may be used in displays.
A mark argument, which need not be numeric, replaces the
default footnote mark, leaving the string F unchanged. In
that event, you must explicitly write any footnote mark to
appear in the footnote itself.
GETHN ref-name [string]
Interpolate ref-name's heading mark, or, if string is
specified, store it there. In neither case does GETHN
suffix the interpolation with space. See INITR.
GETPN ref-name [string]
Interpolate ref-name's page number, or, if string is
specified, store it there. In neither case does GETPN
suffix the interpolation with space. See INITR.
GETR ref-name
Retrieve location data for reference ref-name, call GETHN
and GETPN to populate strings Qrfh and Qrfn, respectively,
and interpolate string Qrf as an internal reference to it.
See INITR.
GETST ref-name [string]
Interpolate ref-name's auxiliary reference datum, or, if
string is specified, store it there. In neither case does
GETST suffix the interpolation with space. See INITR.
H level [title [suffix]]
Set a numbered section heading at level. mm calls LC to
clear any lists, then produces numbered heading marks of
the form a.b.c..., with up to fourteen levels of nesting.
Each level's number increments automatically with each H
call and is reset to zero when a more significant level is
specified. “1” is the most significant or coarsest
division of the document. Text after an H call is
formatted as a paragraph; calling P is unnecessary.
The optional title must be double-quoted if it contains
spaces. mm appends suffix to title in the body of the
document, but omits it from any table of contents (see TC).
This facility can be used to annotate the heading title
with a footnote. suffix should not interpolate the F
string; specify a footnote mark explicitly. See FS.
Heading behavior is configurable. Several registers set
thresholds, where heading levels at or below a threshold
value are handled in one way, and those above it another.
For example, mm populates a table of contents (see TC) with
the title of a heading if its level is within the Cl
register threshold.
Heading layout. Register Ej sets a threshold for page
breaking (ejection) prior to a heading. If not preceded by
a page break, a heading level within the threshold in
register Hps is preceded by the amount of vertical space in
register Hps1, and by the amount in Hps2 otherwise. The Hb
register sets a threshold at which a break occurs after the
heading, and register Hs sets a threshold within which
vertical space follows it. If the heading level is above
both of these, and the paragraph is not numbered, mm
produces a run-in heading; paragraph text follows on the
same output line. Otherwise, register Hi configures the
indentation of text after headings. Threshold register Hc
permits centering; mm centers a heading with a level within
both of the Hb and Hc thresholds.
Heading typeface and size. The HF string configures the
fonts used for heading marks and titles at each level. The
string HP likewise assigns a type size to each heading
level. The hook macros HX and/or HZ can control the
vertical spacing used by headings.
Heading number format. Registers named H1 through H14
store counters for each heading level. Their values are
printed using Arabic numerals by default; see HM. The
heading levels are catenated with dots for formatting; to
typeset only the deepest, set the Ht register. Heading
numbers are not suffixed with a trailing dot except when
only the first level is output; to omit a dot in this case
as well, clear the H1dot register.
Customizing heading behavior. H calls HX, HY, and HZ hook
macros to further customize headings. These can change the
heading's mark (the numbered portion before any heading
title), its vertical spacing, and its vertical space
requirements (for instance, to require a minimum quantity
of subsequent output lines on the page, breaking the page
otherwise). Define hook macros in expectation of the
following parameters. The argument declared-level is the
level argument to H, or 0 for unnumbered headings (see HU).
actual-level is the same as declared-level for numbered
headings, and the value of register Hu for unnumbered
headings. title-suffix is the catenation of the
corresponding arguments to H or HU.
HX declared-level actual-level title-suffix
mm calls HX before setting the heading. Your
definition may alter }0, }2, and ;3.
}0 (string)
contains the heading mark plus two spaces if
declared-level is non-zero, and otherwise is
empty.
;0 (register)
encodes a position for the text after the
heading. 0 means that the heading is to be
run in, 1 means that a break is to occur
before the text, and 2 means that vertical
space is to separate heading and text.
}2 (string)
is the suffix that separates a run-in heading
from the text. It contains two spaces if
register ;0 is 0, and otherwise is empty.
;3 (register)
contains the vertical space required for the
heading to be typeset. If that amount is not
available, the page is broken prior to the
heading. The default is 2v.
HY declared-level actual-level title-suffix
mm calls HY after determining the heading typeface
and size. It could be used to change indentation.
HZ declared-level actual-level title-suffix
mm calls HZ after formatting the heading, just
before H or HU returns. It could be used to change
the page header to include a section heading.
HC [hyphenation-character]
Set hyphenation character, selecting the default, “\%”, if
called without argument.
HM [arg1 [arg2 [... [arg14]]]]
Set the heading mark style. Each argument assigns the
specified register format (see above) to the corresponding
heading level. The default is 1 for all levels. An
explicitly empty argument also indicates the default.
HU title [suffix]
Set an unnumbered section heading with title and, as a
groff mm extension, an optional suffix. The heading is
treated as a numbered heading of the level stored in
register Hu, but no heading mark is output; see H.
I [italic-text [previous-font-text]] ...
Join italic-text in italics with previous-font-text in the
previous font, without space between the arguments. If no
arguments, switch font to italic style.
IA [recipient-name [title]]
Specify the inside address in a letter. The arguments give
each recipient a name and title. mm collects input into
the inside address until the document calls IE, then
outputs it. You can specify multiple recipients with empty
IA/IE pairs; mm uses only the last address. See LT.
IB [italic-text [bold-text]] ...
Join italic-text in italics with bold-text in boldface,
without space between the arguments.
IE End the inside address begun with IA.
IND argument ...
If the Boolean register Ref is true, write an index entry
as a specially prepared roff comment to the standard error
stream, with each argument separated from its predecessor
by a tab character. The entry's location information is
arranged as configured by the most recent INITI call.
INDP Output the index set up by INITI and populated by IND
calls. By default, INDP calls SK and writes a centered
caption interpolating the string Index. It then disables
filling and calls 2C; afterward, it restores filling and
calls 1C.
Define macros to customize this behavior. INDP calls TXIND
before the caption, TYIND instead of writing the caption,
and TZIND after formatting the index.
INITI location-type file-name [macro]
Initialize groff mm's indexing system. Argument location-
type selects how the location of each index entry is
reported. file-name populates an internal string used
later by INDP.
[1mlocation-type[24m Entry format
N page number
H heading mark
B page number, tab character, heading mark
If macro is specified, groff mm calls it for each index
entry with the arguments given to IND.
INITR file-name-prefix
Initialize the internal reference macros. Internal
references are written to the standard error stream, which
should be redirected into a file named file-name-
prefix.qrf. mmroff(1) handles this and the two formatting
passes it requires. The first pass identifies internal
references; the second includes them. See SETR, GETHN,
GETPN, and GETST.
IR [italic-text [roman-text]] ...
Join italic-text in italics with roman-text in roman style,
without space between the arguments.
LB text-indent mark-indent pad type [mark-or-format [pre-item-
space [pre-list-space]]]
Begin list. The macros AL, BL, BVL, DL, ML, RL, and VL
call LB in various ways; they are simpler to use and may be
preferred if they suit the desired purpose.
mm tracks the nesting level of lists; the outermost is 0.
It indents each list item (text formatted after an LI call)
by text-indent. The mark is left-aligned at mark-indent,
and padded on the left with pad ens of space. type
determines the mark's format.
[1mtype[24m Output for a mark “x”
0 x
1 x.
2 x)
3 (x)
4 [x]
5 <x>
6 {x}
If type is 0, mark-or-format specifies each item's mark
(which can be overridden by an argument to LI). If mark-
or-format is empty (or the dummy character “\&”) mm sets
items at mark-indent with a hanging indent at text-indent.
If type is greater than zero, mm supplies an automatically
incrementing numeric mark, and interprets mark-or-format as
a register format.
A type of -1 causes groff mm to break the line after the
mark even if it fits within text-indent; this is a groff mm
extension.
The last two arguments manage vertical space. Unless a
list's nesting level is greater than the value of register
Ls, its items are preceded by pre-item-space multiplied by
the register Lsp; the default is 1. LB precedes the list
by pre-list-space multiplied by the register Lsp; the
default is 0.
LC [list-level]
Clear list state. Active lists are terminated as if with
LE, either all (the default) or only those from the current
level down to list-level if specified.
LE [1] End list. The current list is terminated. An argument
of 1 causes vertical space in the amount of register Lsp to
follow the list.
LI [mark [pad-prefix]]
Begin a list item. mm collects input into a list item
until the document terminates the current list or calls LI
again. By default, the item's text is preceded by any mark
configured by the current list. If mark is the only
argument, it replaces the mark configured in the
corresponding LB call. If the width of the mark plus any
pad specified in the LB call exceeds the text indentation,
groff mm warns and uses one en of padding between the mark
and the text. The presence of a second argument prefixes
mark to the LB-configured mark and, as a groff mm
extension, conditionally puts an unbreakable space between
the prefix and mark per the argument's Boolean value.
LO option [value]
Specify letter options; see LT. By default, mm recognizes
the following option values. See IA regarding the inside
address and string DT regarding the date.
[1moption[24m Meaning and Effect
AT Attention; put contents of string LetAT and value
left-aligned after the inside address.
CN Confidential; put value, or contents of string
LetCN, left-aligned after the date.
RN Reference; put contents of string LetRN and value
after the confidential notation (if any) and the
date, aligned with the latter.
SA Salutation; put value, or contents of string
LetSA, left-aligned after the inside address and
the confidential notation (if any).
SJ Subject; put contents of string LetSJ and value
left-aligned after the inside address and the
attention and salutation notations (if any). In
letter type “SP”, LetSJ is ignored and value is
set in full capitals.
LT [style]
Format a letter in the designated style, defaulting to BL
(see below). A letter begins with the writer's address
(WA/WE), followed by the date (ND), the inside address
(IA/IE), the body of the letter (P and other general-
purpose mm macros), the formal closing (FC), the signature
(SG), and notations (NS/NE). Any of these except the body
text may be omitted. Letter options specified with LO add
further annotations, which are extensible; see subsection
“Internals” below.
[1mstyle[24m Description
BL Blocked: the writer's address, date, formal
closing, and signature are indented to the center
of the line. Everything else is left-aligned.
SB Semi-blocked: as BL, but the first line of each
paragraph is indented by \n[Pi] ens.
FB Fully blocked: everything is left-aligned.
SP Simplified: as FB, but a formal closing is omitted,
and the signature is set in full capitals.
MC column-width [gutter-width]
Begin multi-column layout. groff mm creates as many
columns of column-width as the line length will permit.
gutter-width is the interior spacing between columns. It
defaults to column-width/15. NCOL moves to the next
column, and 1C returns to single-column layout. MC is a
groff mm extension, generalizing 2C. See MULB for an
alternative.
ML mark [text-indent [1]]
Start a marked list; the mark argument precedes each item.
text-indent overrides the default indentation of the list
items, which is the width of mark plus one en. A third
argument suppresses the vertical space that normally
precedes each list item; see register Lsp. Vertical space
in the amount of Lsp precedes the list itself, but does not
accumulate with pre-item space when this list is nested in
another. ML calls LB; use LI to declare list items, and LE
to end the list.
MT [type [addressee]]
Select memorandum type. These correspond to formats used
by AT&T Bell Laboratories, where the mm package was
initially developed, affecting the document layout. Some
of these included a cover page with a caption categorizing
the document. groff mm uses type to construct the file
name /usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/mm/type.MT and load
it with the mso request. Memorandum types 0 to 5 are
supported; any other value of type is mapped to type 6.
Omitting type implies 1. addressee sets a string analogous
to one used by AT&T cover page macros not implemented in
groff mm.
[1mtype[24m Description
0 normal memorandum; no caption
1 captioned “TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM”
2 captioned “INTERNAL MEMORANDUM”
3 captioned “ADMINISTRATIVE MEMORANDUM”
4 released paper
5 external letter
string captioned string
See COVER for a more flexible cover page mechanism.
MOVE y-pos [x-pos [line-length]]
Move to a position, setting page offset to x-pos. If line-
length is not given, the difference between current and new
page offset is used. Use PGFORM without arguments to
return to normal.
MULB cw1 sp1 [cw2 sp2] ... cwn
Begin alternative multi-column mode. All column widths cwi
must be specified, as must the amount of space spi between
each column pair. MULB uses a diversion and operates in a
separate environment.
MULE End alternative multi-column mode and emit the columns.
MULN Start next column in alternative column mode.
NCOL Start next column (only when using 2C or MC). Contrast
with MULN.
ND [arg]
Set the document's date. mm does not interpret arg; it can
be a revision identifier (or empty). mm calls ND itself
when initializing.
NE End notation begun with NS; filling is enabled.
nP [type]
As P, but set a paragraph number in the form x.yy, where x
is the number of the second heading level, and yy
increments with each nP call; its value is not reset when
the second-level heading number changes. mm uses a
register format of “00” for yy.
NS [code [1]]
Declare notations, typically for letters or memoranda, of
the type specified by code. The text corresponding to code
is output, and filling is disabled until the document calls
NE. Typically, a list of names or attachments lies within
NS/NE. If code is absent or does not match one of the
values listed under the Letns string description below,
each line of notations is formatted as “Copy (line) to”.
If a second argument, conventionally 1, is given, code
becomes the entire notation and NE is not necessary. In
groff mm, you can set up further notations to be recognized
by NS; see the strings Letns and Letnsdef below.
OF ["'left'center'right'"]
Define the odd-page footer, which is formatted just above
the normal page footer on odd-numbered pages. See PF. OF
defines the string EOPof.
OH ["'left'center'right'"]
Define the odd-page header, which is formatted just below
the normal page header on odd-numbered pages. See PH. OH
defines the string TPoh.
OP Ensure that subsequent text is formatted at the top of an
odd-numbered page; no page break is performed if the
drawing position is already there.
P [type]
Begin new paragraph. If type is missing or 0, P sets the
paragraph fully left-aligned. A type of 1 indents the
first line by \[Pi] ens. Set the register Pt to select a
default paragraph indentation style. The register Ps
determines the amount of vertical space between paragraphs.
To set a paragraph with a hanging indent, use VL with the
desired indentation as the argument, LI (with no argument),
and LE.
PE End picture input preprocessed by pic(1); see PS.
PF ["'left'center'right'"]
Define the page footer. The footer is formatted at the
bottom of each page; the argument is otherwise as described
in PH. PF defines the string EOPf. See EF, OF, and EOP.
PGFORM [line-length [page-length [page-offset [1]]]]
Set line length, page length, and/or page offset. This
macro can be used for letterheads and similar. It is
normally the first macro call in a file, though it is not
necessary. PGFORM can be used without arguments to reset
everything after a MOVE call. A line break is done unless
the fourth argument is given. This can be used to avoid
the page number on the first page while setting new width
and length. (It seems as if this macro sometimes doesn't
work too well. Use the command-line arguments to change
line length, page length, and page offset instead.)
PGNH Suppress header on the next page. To suppress a header on
the first page, call this macro prior to formatting any
text in the document. Also see register N.
PH ["'left'center'right'"]
Define the page header, formatted at the top of each page,
as the argument, where left, center, and right are aligned
to the respective locations on the line. A “%” character
in arg is replaced by the page number. If the argument is
absent, no page header is set. The default page header is
"''- % -''"
which centers the page number between hyphens and formats
nothing at the upper left and right. Header macros call PX
(if defined) after formatting the header. PH defines the
string TPh. See EH, OH, and TP.
PIC [-B] [-C|-I n|-L|-R] file [width [height]]
Include PostScript document file. The optional -B argument
draws a box around the picture. The optional -L, -C, -R,
and -I n arguments align the picture or indent it by n. By
default, the picture is left-aligned. Optional width and
height arguments resize the picture. Use of this macro
requires two-pass processing; see INITR and mmroff(1).
PS Start picture input preprocessed by pic(1).
PY As PE, but with “flyback”, returning the drawing position
to where it was prior to the picture. This is a groff mm
extension.
R [roman-text [previous-font-text]] ...
Join roman-text in roman style with previous-font-text in
the previous font, without space between the arguments. If
no arguments, switch font to roman style.
RB [roman-text [bold-text]] ...
Join roman-text in roman style with bold-text in boldface,
without space between the arguments.
RD [prompt [div [str]]]
Write prompt (if specified, a tab and colon “:” to the
standard error stream and read response from standard input
stream, optionally into a diversion div and/or string str.
Interpolate the saved text by calling its name like a
macro. If string is present, the input is also stored in a
string of that name.
RF End a bibliographic reference citiation started with RS.
See RP.
RI [roman-text [italic-text]] ...
Join roman-text in roman style with italic-text in italics,
without space between the arguments.
RL [text-indent [1]]
Begin an auto-incrementing numbered list, where item
numbers start at one and set between square brackets. A
text-indent argument overrides register Li. A second
argument suppresses the vertical space that normally
precedes each list item; see register Lsp. Vertical space
in the amount of Lsp precedes the list itself, but does not
accumulate with pre-item space when this list is nested in
another. RL calls LB; use LI to declare list items, and LE
to end the list. “RL” is a mnemonic for “reference list”,
but this macro has no relationship with mm's bibliographic
reference list facilities.
RP [suppress-counter-reset [page-ejection-policy]]
Format a reference list, listing items accumulated within
RS/RF pairs. The reference counter is reset unless the
first argument is 1. Normally, page breaks occur before
and after the references are output; the register Rpej
configures this behavior, and a second argument overrides
its value. TC calls RP automatically if references have
accumulated.
groff mm calls LB to format the reference list; the Rpfmt
string configures the list's appearance. Setting register
Ls to 0 suppresses spacing after the list. The string Rp
contains the reference list caption.
RPX This hook macro assumes responsibility for formatting the
heading of the reference page that RP produces. If not
defined (the default), mm sets the reference list caption
in the string Rp after two vees of space, centered in
italics, followed by another vee of space.
RS [reference-string]
Begin citation of an automatically numbered bibliographic
reference entry. mm collects input into a reference entry
until the document calls RF. A subsequent RP call emits
the accumulated entries. References are numbered starting
at 1; the register :R stores the most recently assigned
number. Interpolate the string Rf where the reference mark
should be, then place the entry between RS and RF calls on
text lines after the reference mark. The Rfstyle register
determines whether the mark is bracketed, superscripted, or
both. If reference-string is specified, mm also stores the
reference mark in a string of that name.
S [type-size [vertical-spacing]]
Set type size and vertical spacing. Each argument is a
groff measurement, using an appropriate scaling unit and an
optional + or - prefix to increment or decrement the
current value. An argument of P restores the previous
value, C retains the current value, and D requests the
default. mm treats an empty or omitted argument as P.
SA [mode]
Set or restore the default enablement of adjustment.
Specify 0 or 1 as mode to set a document's default
explicitly; groff mm assumes 1. Invoke the na request as
desired to temporarily suspend adjustment. H and HU, and
SA when called without a mode argument, restore the default
adjustment.
SETR ref-name [string]
Create reference ref-name, storing its heading and page
numbers. If string is present, groff mm saves it as an
auxiliary datum for retrieval by GETST. See INITR.
SG [arg [1]]
Output author signature block(s) in LT letters and MT
memoranda. The format of a signature block depends on the
letter or memorandum type. See subsection “Internals”
below.
LT letters emit a signature for one author at most (see
WA). The author's title, if any, is set on the next line,
indented to align with the name, except in letter type
“SP”, where it is set in full capitals (like the name)
after a comma and space.
Memorandum type 4 uses no signature block. In other
memoranda, each of an author's titles is set on a
subsequent line, indented to align with the name. They
furthermore encode a secretarial annotation including the
location, department, and initials specified in each
author's AU call, followed by any arg, writing it at the
left margin preceding the last author's name, or preceding
the first if a second SG argument is present.
SK [n] Skip n pages. If n is 0 or omitted, mm breaks the page if
necessary. Otherwise, mm prints n pages, blank except for
any headers and footers.
SM text [post]
SM pre text post
Format text at a smaller type size, joined with any
specified pre and post at normal size, without space
between the arguments.
SP [distance]
Space downward by distance. Multiple SP calls in sequence
produce only the largest of the specified distances. SP
accepts boundary-relative motions specified with a prefixed
| operator, but not negative ones.
SP has no effect when the drawing position is at the top of
the page. Put the dummy character escape sequence \&
(followed by \c if desired to prevent a break) on a text
line prior to an SP call to overcome this restriction.
TAB Reset tab stops to every 5 ens. The ta request customizes
them.
TB [title [override [flag [ref-name]]]]
Caption a table. Arguments are handled analogously to EC.
The register Tb is the table counter. The string Captb
precedes the table number and any title. mm centers table
captions irrespective of the alignment of any enclosing
display.
The package lists captioned tables in a table of contents
(see TC) if the Boolean register Lt is true. The string Lt
captions this list.
TC [slevel [spacing [tlevel [tab [h1 [h2 [h3 [h4 [h5]]]]]]]]]
Output table of contents. This macro is normally the last
called in the document. It flushes any pending displays
and, if any references are pending (see RS), calls RP. It
then begins a new page with the contents caption, stored in
the string Captc, centered at the top. The entries follow
after three vees of space. Each entry is a saved section
(number and) heading title (see the Cl register), along
with its associated page number. By default, mm indents an
entry by an amount corresponding to its heading level and
the maximum heading length encountered at that heading
level; if defined, the string Ci overrides these
indentations. Entries at heading levels up to and
including slevel are preceded by spacing vees of space.
Entries at heading levels up to and including tlevel are
followed by a leader and a right-aligned page number. If
the Boolean-valued tab argument is true, the leader is
replaced with horizontal motion in the same amount. For
entries above heading level tlevel, the page number follows
the heading text after a word space. Each argument h1...h5
appears in order on its own line, centered, above the
contents caption. Page numbering restarts at 1, in
register format “i”. If the Oc register is true, numbering
of these pages is suppressed.
If the document calls TC with at most four arguments, mm
calls the hook macro TX prior to formatting the contents
caption, and TY (if defined) instead of formatting the
contents caption.
mm then presents lists of figures, tables, equations, and
exhibits, in that order. A list appears only if at least
one such captioned item is present, and if its
corresponding register (Le, Lf, Lt, or Lx) is set. TXxx
and TYxx macros, where xx is “FG”, “TB”, “EC”, or “EX”, and
strings Capfg, Captb, Capec, and Capex analogously
configure the output of each captioned list.
TE End tbl(1) table. See TS.
TH Mark the end of a TS/TE table heading. When a table spans
multiple pages, the heading repeats at the top of each
page. groff mm does not implement the N argument supported
by DWB.
TL [charging-case-number [filing-case-number]]
Begin document title. mm collects input into the title
until a subsequent AU call and formats it as directed by
the MT memorandum type or cover page macros. mm saves
charging-case-number and filing-case-number for use in all
memorandum types except 4.
TM number ...
Declare technical memorandum number(s) used with MT
memoranda.
TP mm calls this hook macro in lieu of normal page header
layout. The package uses a separate environment to format
headers and footers. See EOP.
Strings available to TP
────────────────────────
TPh argument to PH
TPeh argument to EH
TPoh argument to OH
TS [H] Start tbl(1) table. Argument “H” tells mm that the table's
heading should repeat after page breaks. See TE, TH, and
tbl(1).
VERBON [format [type-size [font]]]
Begin display of verbatim content. format controls several
parameters. Add up the values of desired features; the
default is 0. Further arguments configure the type-size in
typographical points (on typesetting devices), and the face
(font). On typesetting devices, the default face is CR
(Courier roman), a monospaced font: all glyphs are equally
wide.
Value Effect
1 Disable the formatter's escape character (\).
2 Vertically space before the display.
4 Vertically space after the display.
8 Number output lines; call formatter's nm request
with arguments in string Verbnm.
16 Indent by the amount stored in register Verbin.
VERBOFF
End verbatim display.
VL [text-indent [mark-indent [1]]]
Begin variable-item (or “tagged”) list. Each item should
supply its own mark, or tag. A text-indent argument
overrides register Pi; mark-indent sets the distance from
the indentation of the current list to the mark. A third
argument suppresses the vertical space that normally
precedes each list item; see register Lsp. Vertical space
in the amount of Lsp precedes the list itself, but does not
accumulate with pre-item space when this list is nested in
another. RL calls LB; use LI to declare list items, and LE
to end the list.
VM [-T] [top [bottom]]
Configure vertical margins.
Without a -T argument, increment the top and bottom margins
by top and bottom, respectively. If absent, set the
corresponding margin to zero.
With the -T argument, set the top and bottom margins to top
and bottom, respectively. If absent, set the respective
margin to the default (top: 7v, bottom: 6v).
We recommend defining the hook macros TP and/or EOP if
using -T and setting top and/or bottom margin to values
less than the default. groff mm exposes this undocumented
DWB macro to enable greater user control of page layout.
WA [writer's-name [title]]
Specify the writer(s) of an LT letter. mm collects input
into the writer's address until the document calls WE, then
outputs it. You can specify multiple writers with empty
WA/WE pairs; only the last address is used. The arguments
give each writer a name and title.
WC [format ...]
Control width of footnotes and displays.
[1mformat[24m Effect
N equivalent to “-WF -FF -WD” (default)
WF set footnotes at full line length, even in two-
column mode
-WF set footnotes using column line length
FF apply width of first footnote to encountered to
subsequent ones
-FF footnote width determined by WF and -WF
WD set displays at full line length, even in two-
column mode
-WD set displays using column line length
WE End the writer's address begun with WA.
Many mm strings interpolate predefined, localizable text. We
present their contents in quotation marks.
Abstract
“ABSTRACT”
App “APPENDIX”
Apptxt stores the title argument to the most recent APP call.
Aumt lists space-separated indices of positional arguments to
the AU macro that should be suppressed from appearance in
the document heading on the first page of MT memorandum
types 0–3 and 6. By default, it is undefined; all
arguments are formatted except the second (author
initials).
BU interpolates a bullet mark, \[bu].
Capec “Equation”
Capex “Exhibit”
Capfg “Figure”
Captb “Table”
Captc “CONTENTS”
Ci assigns indentation amounts used by each heading level
listed in a table of contents, in one-to-one
correspondence, overriding those computed by TC. Each word
must be a horizontal measurement (like “1i”).
DT stores the date or other identifier set by ND, if called,
and otherwise one constructed using the formatter's date
registers; see groff(1). The groff locale determines its
format, but register Isodate may override it.
EM interpolates an em dash, \[em].
F interpolates an automatically numbered footnote mark; the
number is used by the next FS call without an argument. In
troff mode, the mark is superscripted; in nroff mode, it is
surrounded by square brackets.
H1txt stores the text of the current first-level heading; H and
HU update it, as does TC when processing table of contents
entries and captions of displayed figures, tables,
equations, and exhibits.
HF assigns font identifiers, separated by spaces, to heading
levels in one-to-one correspondence. Each identifier may
be a font mounting position, font name, or style name.
Omitted values are assumed to be 1. The default is “2 2 2
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2”, which places all headings in
italics. DWB's default was “3 3 2 2 2 2 2”.
HP assigns type sizes, separated by spaces, to heading levels
in one-to-one correspondence. groff mm interprets each
size in typographical points, translating zero values to
10. Omitted values are assumed to be 0 (and are translated
accordingly). The default is “0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0”.
Index “INDEX”
Le “LIST OF EQUATIONS”
Letfc “Yours very truly,” (see FC)
Letapp “APPROVED:” (see AV)
LetAT “ATTENTION:” (see LO)
LetCN “CONFIDENTIAL” (see LO)
Letdate
“Date” (see AV)
Letns is a group of strings structuring the notations produced by
NS. If the code argument to NS has no corresponding
string, the notation is included between parentheses,
prefixed with Letns!copy, and suffixed with Letns!to.
Observe the spaces after “Copy” and before “to”.
NS code String Contents
0 Letns!0 Copy to
1 Letns!1 Copy (with att.) to
2 Letns!2 Copy (without att.) to
3 Letns!3 Att.
4 Letns!4 Atts.
5 Letns!5 Enc.
6 Letns!6 Encs.
7 Letns!7 Under separate cover
8 Letns!8 Letter to
9 Letns!9 Memorandum to
10 Letns!10 Copy (with atts.) to
11 Letns!11 Copy (without atts.) to
12 Letns!12 Abstract Only to
13 Letns!13 Complete Memorandum to
14 Letns!14 CC
— Letns!copy Copy (with trailing space)
— Letns!to to (note leading space)
Letnsdef
selects the notation format when NS is given no argument.
The default is 0.
LetRN “In reference to:” (see LO)
LetSA “To Whom It May Concern:” (see LO)
LetSJ “SUBJECT:” (see LO)
Lf “LIST OF FIGURES”
Lt “LIST OF TABLES”
Lx “LIST OF EXHIBITS”
MO1
...
MO12 “January” through “December”
Qrf “See chapter \E*[Qrfh], page \En[Qrfp].” If your document
uses multiple heading levels, you might redefine this
string to use the word “section” instead of “chapter”.
Qrfh stores the heading mark corresponding to the most recent
GETR call.
Qrfp stores the page number corresponding to the most recent
GETR call.
Rf interpolates an automatically numbered reference mark; the
number is used by the next RS call.
Rp “REFERENCES”
Rpfmt specifies the LB arguments that groff mm uses to format the
items in an RP reference list. The default is “\\n[Li] 0 1
0 \& 0”.
Rg interpolates the registered (trade) mark sign.
Sm interpolates the service mark sign.
Tcstatus
interpolates an indicator of the TC macro's processing
status. If TC is not operating, it is empty. User-defined
TP or EOP macros might condition page headers or footers on
its contents.
Value Meaning
co Table of contents
fg List of figures
tb List of tables
ec List of equations
ex List of exhibits
ap Appendix
Tm interpolates ™, the trade mark sign.
Verbnm supplies argument(s) to the nm request employed by the
VERBON macro. The default is 1.
Default register values, where meaningful, are shown in
parentheses.
.mgm indicates that groff mm is in use (Boolean-valued; 1).
Aph formats an appendix heading (and title, if supplied); see
APP (Boolean-valued; 1).
Au includes supplemental author information (the third and
subsequent arguments to AU) in memorandum “from”
information; see COVER and MT, and the Aumt string
(Boolean-valued; 1).
Cl sets the threshold for inclusion of headings in a table of
contents. Headings at levels above this value are
excluded; see H and TC. The Cl register controls whether a
heading is saved for output in the table of contents at the
time H or HU is called; if you change Cl's value
immediately prior to calling TC, you are unlikely to get
the result you want (2).
Cp suppresses page breaks before lists of captioned equations,
exhibits, figures, and tables, and before an index; see EC,
EX, FG, TB, and INDP (Boolean-valued; 0).
D produces debugging information for the mm package on the
standard error stream. A value of 0 outputs nothing;
1 reports formatting progress. Higher values communicate
internal state information of increasing verbosity (0).
De causes a page break after a floating display is output; see
DF (Boolean-valued; 0).
Df configures the behavior of DF. The following values are
recognized; 4 and 5 do not override the De register (5).
Value Effect
0 Flush pending displays at the end of each section
when section-page numbering is active, otherwise at
the end of the document.
1 Flush a pending display on the current page or
column if there is enough space, otherwise at the
end of the document.
2 Flush one pending display at the top of each page
or column.
3 Flush a pending display on the current page or
column if there is enough space, otherwise at the
top of the next.
4 Flush as many pending displays as possible in a new
page or column.
5 Fill columns or pages with flushed displays until
none remain.
Ds puts vertical space in the amount of register Dsp (if
defined) or Lsp before and after each static display; see
DS (Boolean-valued; 1).
Dsp configures the amount of vertical space placed before and
after static displays; see DS and register Ds (undefined).
Ec is an auto-incrementing equation counter; see EC.
E determines the font style used by MT memoranda, LT letters,
and the ms.cov cover page style to set the date and certain
other document data; 0 selects roman, and 1 bold (Boolean-
valued; 1).
Ej sets the threshold for page breaks (ejection) prior to the
format of headings. Headings at levels above this value
are set on the same page and column as any preceding text
if possible; see H (0).
Eq aligns an equation label to the left of a display instead
of the right (Boolean-valued; 0).
Ex is an auto-incrementing exhibit counter; see EX.
Fg is an auto-incrementing figure counter; see FG.
Fs is multiplied by register Lsp to vertically separate
footnotes; see FS (1).
Ftnum is an auto-incrementing footnote counter; see FS. groff mm
recognizes :p as an alias of Ftnum for DWB compatibility.
H1
...
H14 are auto-incrementing counters corresponding to each
heading level; see H.
H1dot appends a period to the number of a level one heading; see
H (Boolean-valued; 1).
H1h is a copy of register H1, but it is incremented just before
a page break. This can be useful in hook macros; see H and
HX.
Hb sets the threshold for breaking the line after formatting a
heading. Text after headings at levels above this value is
set on the same output line if possible. Paragraphs
numbered via nP or the Np register cause a break
regardless; see H (2).
Hc sets the threshold for centering a heading. Headings at
levels above this value use the prevailing alignment (that
is, they are not centered); see H (0).
Hi selects an indentation policy for text formatted after
headings. It does not affect “run-in” headings. The
following values are recognized; see H and P (1).
Value Effect
0 no indentation
1 indent per the paragraph type
2 indent to align with heading title
Hps sets the heading level threshold for application of
preceding vertical space; see H. Headings at levels above
the value in register Hps use the amount of space in
register Hps1; otherwise that in Hps2. The value of Hps
should be strictly greater than that of Ej (1).
Hps1 configures the amount of vertical space preceding a heading
above the Hps threshold; see H (troff devices: 0.5v; nroff
devices: 1v).
Hps2 configures the amount of vertical space preceding a heading
within the Hps threshold; see H (troff devices: 1v; nroff
devices: 2v).
Hs sets the heading level threshold for application of
succeeding vertical space. If the heading level is greater
than Hs, the heading is followed by vertical space in the
amount of register Hss; see H (2).
Hss is multiplied by register Lsp to produce vertical space
after headings above the threshold in register Hs; see H
(1).
Ht suppresses output of heading level counters above the
deepest when a heading mark is formatted; see H (Boolean-
valued; 0).
Hu sets the heading level used by unnumbered headings; see HU
(2).
Hy enables automatic hyphenation of words (Boolean-valued; 0).
Isodate
configures the use of ISO 8601 date format; that is, YYYY-
MM-DD instead of the format specified by the localization
file. Call ND without arguments after updating its value
(Boolean-valued; 0).
L defines the page length for the document, and must be set
from the command line. A scaling unit should be appended.
The default is that of the selected groff output device.
Le
Lf
Lt
Lx configure the report of lists of equation, figure, table,
and exhibit captions, respectively, after a table of
contents; see TC (all: Boolean-valued; 1).
Letwam sets the maximum number of input lines permitted in a
writer's address; see WA and WE (14).
Li configures the text indentation (in ens) applied to
enumerated list types; that is, to items in AL and RL
lists, and in LB lists whose type argument is greater than
zero (5).
Ls sets a threshold for placement of vertical space before
list items. If the list nesting level is greater than this
value, no such spacing occurs; see LI (\n[.R]).
Lsp configures the base amount of vertical space used for
separation in the document. mm applies this spacing to
many contexts, sometimes with multipliers; see DS, FS, H,
LI, and P (troff devices: 0.5v; nroff devices: 1v).
N configures the header and footer placements used by PH.
The default footer is empty. If “section-page” numbering
is selected, the default header becomes empty and the
default footer becomes “x-y”, where x is is the section
number (the number of the current first-level heading)
and y the page number within the section. The following
values are recognized; for finer control, see PH, PF, EH,
EF, OH, and OF, and registers Sectf and Sectp. Value 5 is
a groff mm extension (0).
Value Effect
0 Set header on all pages.
1 Move header to footer on page 1.
2 Omit header on page 1.
3 Use “section-page” numbering style on all pages.
4 Omit header on all pages.
5 Use “section-page” and “section-figure” numbering
style on all pages.
Np numbers paragraphs with a leading mark in the format s.p,
where s is is first-level heading number and p is the
paragraph number, starting at 1; see H and P (Boolean-
valued; 0).
O defines the page offset of the document, and must be set
from the command line. A scaling unit should be appended.
The default is .75i on terminal devices. On typesetters,
it is .963i or set to 1i by the papersize.tmac package; see
groff_tmac(5).
Oc suppresses the appearance of page numbers in the table of
contents; see TC (Boolean-valued; 0).
Of selects a separator format within equation, exhibit,
figure, and table captions; see EC, EX, FG, and TB. The
punctuation in the separator is either a dot or the EM
string. The following values are recognized; the spaces
shown are unpaddable (0).
Value Effect
0 ". "
1 " — "
P interpolates the current page number; it is the same as
register % except when “section-page” numbering is enabled.
Pi configures the indentation (in ens) applied to the first
line of an unnumbered paragraph that has such (see P); and
the text indentation of non-enumerated list items; that is,
to items in BL, BVL, DL, and VL lists (but not ML), and in
LB lists whose type argument is zero or less (5).
Pgps causes the type size and vertical spacing set by S to apply
to headers and footers, overriding the HP string. If not
set, S calls affect headers and footers only when followed
by PH, PF, OH, EH, OF, or EF calls (Boolean-valued; 1).
Ps is multiplied by register Lsp to vertically separate
paragraphs; see P (1).
Pt determines when a first-line indentation is applied to a
paragraph; see P (0).
Value Effect
0 never
1 always
2 always, except immediately after H, HU, DE, or LE
Ref is used internally to control mmroff(1)'s two-pass approach
to index and reference management; see IND, INDP, INITI,
INITR, and PIC (Boolean-valued; 0).
Rfnum is an auto-incrementing reference counter; see RS. groff
mm recognizes :R as an alias of Rfnum for DWB
compatibility.
Rfstyle
determines the format of the reference number in the Rf
string. groff mm maps 0 to 1 in nroff mode and 2 in troff
mode (0).
Value Meaning
0 automatic
1 bracketed
2 superscripted
3 bracketed and superscripted
Changes to Rfstyle's value may not take effect until the
next heading or paragraphing macro call.
Rpej configures the default page ejection policy for reference
pages; see RP (0).
Value Effect
0 Break the page before and after the reference list.
1 Suppress page break after the list.
2 Suppress page break before the list.
3 Suppress page breaks before and after the list.
S defines the type size for the document, and must be set
from the command line. A scaling unit should be appended;
p is typical (10p).
Sectf selects the “section-figure” numbering style. Its default
is 0 unless register N is set to 5 at the command line
(Boolean-valued).
Sectp selects the “section-page” numbering style. Its default
is 0 unless register N is set to 3 or 5 at the command line
(Boolean-valued).
Si configures the amount of display indentation in ens; see DS
(5).
Tb is an auto-incrementing table counter; see TB.
V defines the vertical spacing for the document, and must be
set from the command line. A scaling unit should be
appended; p is typical. The default vertical spacing is
120% of the type size. This register is a groff mm
extension.
Verbin configures the amount of indentation for verbatim displays
when indentation is selected; see VERBON (5n).
W defines the “width” of the document (that is, the length of
an output line with no indentation); it must be set from
the command line. A scaling unit should be appended. The
default is 6i or assigned by the papersize.tmac package;
see groff_tmac(5).
Internals
The argument (if any) to a COVER or MT call determines the file
that groff mm loads to configure the document's layout; see
section “Files” below.
LT's behavior depends on the style argument given to it; it calls
macros with names suffixed accordingly. It is therefore possible
to define additional letter types, either in the territory-
specific macro file, or as local additions. LT sets the registers
Pt and Pi to 0 and 5, respectively. (DWB used a value of 3 for
Pi.) It then calls an initialization macro corresponding to the
type. Define the following macros to support a new letter type.
let@init_type
initializes any registers and other data needed by the
letter type.
let@head_type
formats the letterhead; it is called instead of the usual
page header macro. Its definition should remove the alias
let@header unless the letterhead is desired on subsequent
pages.
let@sg_type name title n is-final [SG-arg ...]
is called by SG only for LT letters; MT memoranda implement
their own signature processing. name and title are
specified through WA/WE. n is the index of the nth writer,
and is-final is true for the last writer to be listed.
Further SG arguments are appended to the signature line.
let@fc_type closing
is called by FC, and takes the formal closing as its
argument.
LO implements letter options. It requires that a string named
Lettype be defined, where type is the letter type. LO then
assigns its second argument (value) to the string let*lo-type.
/usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/m.tmac
is the groff implementation of the memorandum macros.
/usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/mm.tmac
is a wrapper enabling the package to be loaded with the
option “-m mm”.
/usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/refer-mm.tmac
implements refer(1) support for mm.
/usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/mm/ms.cov
implements an ms-like cover page.
/usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/mm/0.MT
implements memorandum types 0–3 and 6.
/usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/mm/4.MT
implements memorandum type 4.
/usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/mm/5.MT
implements memorandum type 5.
/usr/local/share/groff/1.24.1/tmac/mm/locale
performs any (further) desired localization if present.
/usr/local/share/doc/groff-1.24.1/examples/letter.mm
illustrates features of the LT letter formats.
/usr/local/share/doc/groff-1.24.1/examples/memorandum.mm
illustrates features of the MT memorandum formats.
/usr/local/share/doc/groff-1.24.1/examples/story.mm
illustrates use of mm for literary purposes.
Jörgen Hägg ⟨jh@axis.se⟩ of Lund, Sweden, wrote the version of the
mm macro package distributed with groff based on an early version
of groff ms by James Clark ⟨jjc@jclark.com⟩. Werner Lemberg ⟨wl@
gnu.org⟩ and G. Branden Robinson ⟨g.branden.robinson@gmail.com⟩
revised and updated it.
MM - A Macro Package for Generating Documents
⟨https://tkurtbond.github.io/troff/mm-all.pdf⟩, the DWB 3.3 mm
manual, introduces the package but does not document groff mm
extensions.
Groff: The GNU Implementation of troff, by Trent A. Fisher and
Werner Lemberg, is the primary groff manual. You can browse it
interactively with “info groff”.
groff(1), troff(1), tbl(1), pic(1), eqn(1), refer(1),
groff_mmse(7)
This page is part of the groff (GNU troff) project. Information
about the project can be found at
⟨http://www.gnu.org/software/groff/⟩. If you have a bug report for
this manual page, see ⟨http://www.gnu.org/software/groff/⟩. This
page was obtained from the tarball groff-1.24.1.tar.gz fetched
from ⟨https://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/groff/⟩ on 2026-05-24. If you
discover any rendering problems in this HTML version of the page,
or you believe there is a better or more up-to-date source for the
page, or you have corrections or improvements to the information
in this COLOPHON (which is not part of the original manual page),
send a mail to man-pages@man7.org
groff 1.24.1 2026-03-14 groff_mm(7)
|
HTML rendering created 2026-05-25 by Michael Kerrisk, author of The Linux Programming Interface. For details of in-depth Linux/UNIX system programming training courses that I teach, look here. Hosting by jambit GmbH. |
|