tbl(1) General Commands Manual tbl(1)
Name
tbl - prepare tables for groff documents
Synopsis
tbl [-C] [file ...]
tbl --help
tbl -v
tbl --version
Description
The GNU implementation of tbl is part of the ]8;;man:groff(1)\groff(1)]8;;\ document format-
ting system. tbl is a ]8;;man:troff(1)\troff(1)]8;;\ preprocessor that translates descrip-
tions of tables embedded in ]8;;man:roff(7)\roff(7)]8;;\ input files into the language under-
stood by troff. It copies the contents of each file to the standard
output stream, except that lines between .TS and .TE are interpreted as
table descriptions. While GNU tbl's input syntax is highly compatible
with AT&T tbl, the output GNU tbl produces cannot be processed by AT&T
troff; GNU troff (or a troff implementing any GNU extensions employed)
must be used. Normally, tbl is not executed directly by the user, but
invoked by specifying the -t option to ]8;;man:groff(1)\groff(1)]8;;\. If no file operands
are given on the command line, or if file is “-”, tbl reads the standard
input stream.
Overview
tbl expects to find table descriptions between input lines that begin
with .TS (table start) and .TE (table end). Each such table region en-
closes one or more table descriptions. Within a table region, table de-
scriptions beyond the first must each be preceded by an input line be-
ginning with .T&. This mechanism does not start a new table region; all
table descriptions are treated as part of their .TS/.TE enclosure, even
if they are boxed or have column headings that repeat on subsequent
pages (see below).
(Experienced roff users should observe that tbl is not a roff language
interpreter: the default control character must be used, and no spaces
or tabs are permitted between the control character and the macro name.
These tbl input tokens remain as-is in the output, where they become or-
dinary macro calls. Macro packages often define TS, T&, and TE macros
to handle issues of table placement on the page. tbl produces groff
code to define these macros as empty if their definitions do not exist
when the formatter encounters a table region.)
Each table region may begin with region options, and must contain one or
more table definitions; each table definition contains a format specifi-
cation followed by one or more input lines (rows) of entries. These en-
tries comprise the table data.
Region options
The line immediately following the .TS token may specify region options,
keywords that influence the interpretation or rendering of the region as
a whole or all table entries within it indiscriminately. They must be
separated by commas, spaces, or tabs. Those that require a parenthe-
sized argument permit spaces and tabs between the option's name and the
opening parenthesis. Options accumulate and cannot be unset within a
region once declared; if an option that takes a parameter is repeated,
the last occurrence controls. If present, the set of region options
must be terminated with a semicolon (;).
Any of the allbox, box, doublebox, frame, and doubleframe region options
makes a table “boxed” for the purpose of later discussion.
allbox Enclose each table entry in a box; implies box.
box Enclose the entire table region in a box. As a GNU extension,
the alternative option name frame is also recognized.
center Center the table region with respect to the current indentation
and line length; the default is to left-align it. As a GNU ex-
tension, the alternative option name centre is also recognized.
decimalpoint(c)
Recognize character c as the decimal separator in columns using
the N (numeric) classifier (see subsection “Column classifiers”
below). This is a GNU extension.
delim(xy)
Recognize characters x and y as start and end delimiters, respec-
tively, for ]8;;man:eqn(1)\eqn(1)]8;;\ input, and ignore input between them. x and y
need not be distinct.
doublebox
Enclose the entire table region in a double box; implies box. As
a GNU extension, the alternative option name doubleframe is also
recognized.
expand Spread the table horizontally to fill the available space (line
length minus indentation) by increasing column separation. Ordi-
narily, a table is made only as wide as necessary to accommodate
the widths of its entries and its column separations (whether
specified or default). When expand applies to a table that ex-
ceeds the available horizontal space, column separation is re-
duced as far as necessary (even to zero). tbl produces groff in-
put that issues a diagnostic if such compression occurs. The
column modifier x (see below) overrides this option.
linesize(n)
Draw lines or rules (e.g., from box) with a thickness of
n points. The default is the current type size when the region
begins. This option is ignored on terminal devices.
nokeep Don't use roff diversions to manage page breaks. Normally, tbl
employs them to avoid breaking a page within a table row. This
usage can sometimes interact badly with macro packages' own use
of diversions—when footnotes, for example, are employed. This is
a GNU extension.
nospaces
Ignore leading and trailing spaces in table entries. This is a
GNU extension.
nowarn Suppress diagnostic messages produced at document formatting time
when the line or page lengths are inadequate to contain a table
row. This is a GNU extension.
tab(c) Use the character c instead of a tab to separate entries in a row
of table data.
Table format specification
The table format specification is mandatory: it determines the number of
columns in the table and directs how the entries within it are to be
typeset. The format specification is a series of column descriptors.
Each descriptor encodes a classifier followed by zero or more modifiers.
Classifiers are letters (recognized case-insensitively) or punctuation
symbols; modifiers consist of or begin with letters or numerals.
Spaces, tabs, newlines, and commas separate descriptors. Newlines and
commas are special; they apply the descriptors following them to a sub-
sequent row of the table. (This enables column headings to be centered
or emboldened while the table entries for the data are not, for in-
stance.) We term the resulting group of column descriptors a row defin-
ition. Within a row definition, separation between column descriptors
(by spaces or tabs) is often optional; only some modifiers, described
below, make separation necessary.
Each column descriptor begins with a mandatory classifier, a character
that selects from one of several arrangements. Some determine the posi-
tioning of table entries within a rectangular cell: centered, left-
aligned, numeric (aligned to a configurable decimal separator), and so
on. Others perform special operations like drawing lines or spanning
entries from adjacent cells in the table. Except for “|”, any classi-
fier can be followed by one or more modifiers; some of these accept an
argument, which in GNU tbl can be parenthesized. Modifiers select
fonts, set the type size, and perform other tasks described below.
The format specification can occupy multiple input lines, but must con-
clude with a dot “.” followed by a newline. Each row definition is ap-
plied in turn to one row of the table. The last row definition is ap-
plied to rows of table data in excess of the row definitions.
For clarity in this document's examples, we shall write classifiers in
uppercase and modifiers in lowercase. Thus, “CbCb,LR.” defines two rows
of two columns. The first row's entries are centered and boldfaced; the
second and any further rows' first and second columns are left- and
right-aligned, respectively.
The row definition with the most column descriptors determines the num-
ber of columns in the table; any row definition with fewer is implicitly
extended on the right-hand side with L classifiers as many times as nec-
essary to make the table rectangular.
Column classifiers
The L, R, and C classifiers are the easiest to understand and use.
A, a Center longest entry in this column, left-align remaining entries
in the column with respect to the centered entry, then indent all
entries by one en. Such “alphabetic” entries (hence the name of
the classifier) can be used in the same column as L-classified
entries, as in “LL,AR.”. The A entries are often termed “sub-
columns” due to their indentation.
C, c Center entry within the column.
L, l Left-align entry within the column.
N, n Numerically align entry in the column. tbl aligns columns of
numbers vertically at the units place. If multiple decimal sepa-
rators are adjacent to a digit, it uses the rightmost one for
vertical alignment. If there is no decimal separator, the right-
most digit is used for vertical alignment; otherwise, tbl centers
the entry within the column. The roff dummy character \& in an
entry marks the glyph preceding it (if any) as the units place;
if multiple instances occur in the data, the leftmost is used for
alignment.
If N-classified entries share a column with L or R entries, tbl
centers the widest N entry with respect to the widest L or R en-
try, preserving the alignment of N entries with respect to each
other.
The appearance of eqn equations within N-classified columns can
be troublesome due to the foregoing textual scan for a decimal
separator. Use the delim region option to make tbl ignore the
data within eqn delimiters for that purpose.
R, r Right-align entry within the column.
S, s Span previous entry on the left into this column.
^ Span entry in the same column from the previous row into this
row.
_, - Replace table entry with a horizontal rule. An empty table entry
is expected to correspond to this classifier; if data are found
there, tbl issues a diagnostic message.
= Replace table entry with a double horizontal rule. An empty ta-
ble entry is expected to correspond to this classifier; if data
are found there, tbl issues a diagnostic message.
| Place a vertical rule (line) on the corresponding row of the ta-
ble (if two of these are adjacent, a double vertical rule). This
classifier does not contribute to the column count and no table
entries correspond to it. A | to the left of the first column
descriptor or to the right of the last one produces a vertical
rule at the edge of the table; these are redundant (and ignored)
in boxed tables.
To change the table format within a tbl region, use the .T& token at the
start of a line. It is followed by a format specification and table
data, but not region options. The quantity of columns in a new table
format thus introduced cannot increase relative to the previous table
format; in that case, you must end the table region and start another.
If that will not serve because the region uses box options or the
columns align in an undesirable manner, you must design the initial ta-
ble format specification to include the maximum quantity of columns re-
quired, and use the S horizontal spanning classifier where necessary to
achieve the desired columnar alignment.
Attempting to horizontally span in the first column or vertically span
on the first row is an error. Non-rectangular span areas are also not
supported.
Column modifiers
Any number of modifiers can follow a column classifier. Arguments to
modifiers, where accepted, are case-sensitive. If the same modifier is
applied to a column specifier more than once, or if conflicting modi-
fiers are applied, only the last occurrence has effect. The modifier x
is mutually exclusive with e and w, but e is not mutually exclusive
with w; if these are used in combination, x unsets both e and w, while
either e or w overrides x.
b, B Typeset entry in boldface, abbreviating f(B).
d, D Align a vertically spanned table entry to the bottom (“down”),
instead of the center, of its range. This is a GNU extension.
e, E Equalize the widths of columns with this modifier. The column
with the largest width controls. This modifier sets the default
line length used in a text block.
f, F Select the typeface for the table entry. This modifier must be
followed by a font or style name (one or two characters not
starting with a digit), font mounting position (a single digit),
or a name or mounting position of any length in parentheses. The
last form is a GNU extension. (The parameter corresponds to that
accepted by the troff ft request.) A one-character argument not
in parentheses must be separated by one or more spaces or tabs
from what follows.
i, I Typeset entry in an oblique or italic face, abbreviating f(I).
m, M Call a groff macro before typesetting a text block (see subsec-
tion “Text blocks” below). This is a GNU extension. This modi-
fier must be followed by a macro name of one or two characters or
a name of any length in parentheses. A one-character macro name
not in parentheses must be separated by one or more spaces or
tabs from what follows. The named macro must be defined before
the table region containing this column modifier is encountered.
The macro should contain only simple groff requests to change
text formatting, like adjustment or hyphenation. The macro is
called after the column modifiers b, f, i, p, and v take effect;
it can thus override other column modifiers.
p, P Set the type size for the table entry. This modifier must be
followed by an integer n with an optional leading sign. If un-
signed, the type size is set to n scaled points. Otherwise, the
type size is incremented or decremented per the sign by n scaled
points. The use of a signed multi-digit number is a GNU exten-
sion. (The parameter corresponds to that accepted by the troff
ps request.) If a type size modifier is followed by a column
separation modifier (see below), they must be separated by at
least one space or tab.
t, T Align a vertically spanned table entry to the top, instead of the
center, of its range.
u, U Move the column up one half-line, “staggering” the rows. This is
a GNU extension.
v, V Set the vertical spacing to be used in a text block. This modi-
fier must be followed by an integer n with an optional leading
sign. If unsigned, the vertical spacing is set to n points.
Otherwise, the vertical spacing is incremented or decremented per
the sign by n points. The use of a signed multi-digit number is
a GNU extension. (This parameter corresponds to that accepted by
the troff vs request.) If a vertical spacing modifier is fol-
lowed by a column separation modifier (see below), they must be
separated by at least one space or tab.
w, W Set the column's minimum width. This modifier must be followed
by a number, which is either a unitless integer, or a roff hori-
zontal measurement in parentheses. Parentheses are required if
the width is to be followed immediately by an explicit column
separation (alternatively, follow the width with one or more
spaces or tabs). If no unit is specified, ens are assumed. This
modifier sets the default line length used in a text block.
x, X Expand the column. After computing the column widths, distribute
any remaining line length evenly over all columns bearing this
modifier. Applying the x modifier to more than one column is a
GNU extension. This modifier sets the default line length used
in a text block.
z, Z Ignore the table entries corresponding to this column for width
calculation purposes; that is, compute the column's width using
only the information in its descriptor.
n A numeric suffix on a column descriptor sets the separation dis-
tance (in ens) from the succeeding column; the default separation
is 3n. This separation is proportionally multiplied if the ex-
pand region option is in effect; in the case of tables wider than
the output line length, this separation might be zero. A nega-
tive separation cannot be specified. A separation amount after
the last column in a row is nonsensical and provokes a diagnostic
from tbl.
Table data
The table data come after the format specification. Each input line
corresponds to a table row, except that a backslash at the end of a line
of table data continues an entry on the next input line. (Text blocks,
discussed below, also spread table entries across multiple input lines.)
Table entries within a row are separated in the input by a tab character
by default; see the tab region option above. Excess entries in a row of
table data (those that have no corresponding column descriptor, not even
an implicit one arising from rectangularization of the table) are dis-
carded with a diagnostic message. roff control lines are accepted be-
tween rows of table data and within text blocks. If you wish to visibly
mark an empty table entry in the document source, populate it with the
\& roff dummy character. The table data are interrupted by a line con-
sisting of the .T& input token, and conclude with the line .TE.
Ordinarily, a table entry is typeset rigidly. It is not filled, broken,
hyphenated, adjusted, or populated with additional inter-sentence space.
tbl instructs the formatter to measure each table entry as it occurs in
the input, updating the width required by its corresponding column. If
the z modifier applies to the column, this measurement is ignored; if w
applies and its argument is larger than this width, that argument is
used instead. In contrast to conventional roff input (within a para-
graph, say), changes to text formatting, such as font selection or ver-
tical spacing, do not persist between entries.
Several forms of table entry are interpreted specially.
• If a table row contains only an underscore or equals sign (_ or =), a
single or double horizontal rule (line), respectively, is drawn across
the table at that point.
• A table entry containing only _ or = on an otherwise populated row is
replaced by a single or double horizontal rule, respectively, joining
its neighbors.
• Prefixing a lone underscore or equals sign with a backslash also has
meaning. If a table entry consists only of \_ or \= on an otherwise
populated row, it is replaced by a single or double horizontal rule,
respectively, that does not (quite) join its neighbors.
• A table entry consisting of \Rx, where x is any roff ordinary or spe-
cial character, is replaced by enough repetitions of the glyph corre-
sponding to x to fill the column, albeit without joining its neigh-
bors.
• On any row but the first, a table entry of \^ causes the entry above
it to span down into the current one.
On occasion, these special tokens may be required as literal table data.
To use either _ or = literally and alone in an entry, prefix or suffix
it with the roff dummy character \&. To express \_, \=, or \R, use a
roff escape sequence to interpolate the backslash (\e or \[rs]). A re-
liable way to emplace the \^ glyph sequence within a table entry is to
use a pair of groff special character escape sequences (\[rs]\[ha]).
Rows of table entries can be interleaved with groff control lines; these
do not count as table data. On such lines the default control character
(.) must be used (and not changed); the no-break control character is
not recognized. To start the first table entry in a row with a dot,
precede it with the roff dummy character \&.
Text blocks
An ordinary table entry's contents can make a column, and therefore the
table, excessively wide; the table then exceeds the line length of the
page, and becomes ugly or is exposed to truncation by the output device.
When a table entry requires more conventional typesetting, breaking
across more than one output line (and thereby increasing the height of
its row), it can be placed within a text block.
tbl interprets a table entry beginning with “T{” at the end of an input
line not as table data, but as a token starting a text block. Simi-
larly, “T}” at the start of an input line ends a text block; it must
also end the table entry. Text block tokens can share an input line
with other table data (preceding T{ and following T}). Input lines be-
tween these tokens are formatted in a diversion by troff. Text blocks
cannot be nested. Multiple text blocks can occur in a table row.
Text blocks are formatted as was the text prior to the table, modified
by applicable column descriptors. Specifically, the classifiers A, C,
L, N, R, and S determine a text block's alignment within its cell, but
not its adjustment. Add na or ad requests to the beginning of a text
block to alter its adjustment distinctly from other text in the docu-
ment. As with other table entries, when a text block ends, any alter-
ations to formatting parameters are discarded. They do not affect sub-
sequent table entries, not even other text blocks.
If w or x modifiers are not specified for all columns of a text block's
span, the default length of the text block (more precisely, the line
length used to process the text block diversion) is computed as
L×C/(N+1), where L is the current line length, C the number of columns
spanned by the text block, and N the number of columns in the table. If
necessary, you can also control a text block's width by including an ll
(line length) request in it prior to any text to be formatted. Because
a diversion is used to format the text block, its height and width are
subsequently available in the registers dn and dl, respectively.
roff interface
The register TW stores the width of the table region in basic units; it
can't be used within the region itself, but is defined before the .TE
token is output so that a groff macro named TE can make use of it. T.
is a Boolean-valued register indicating whether the bottom of the table
is being processed. The #T register marks the top of the table. Avoid
using these names for any other purpose.
tbl also defines a macro T# to produce the bottom and side lines of a
boxed table. While tbl itself arranges for the output to include a call
of this macro at the end of such a table, it can also be used by macro
packages to create boxes for multi-page tables by calling it from a page
footer macro that is itself called by a trap planted near the bottom of
the page. See section “Limitations” below for more on multi-page ta-
bles.
GNU tbl internally employs register, string, macro, and diversion names
beginning with the numeral 3. A document to be preprocessed with GNU
tbl should not use any such identifiers.
Interaction with eqn
tbl should always be called before ]8;;man:eqn(1)\eqn(1)]8;;\. (]8;;man:groff(1)\groff(1)]8;;\ automatically
arranges preprocessors in the correct order.) Don't call the EQ and EN
macros within tables; instead, set up delimiters in your eqn input and
use the delim region option so that tbl will recognize them.
GNU tbl enhancements
In addition to extensions noted above, GNU tbl removes constraints en-
dured by users of AT&T tbl.
• Region options can be specified in any lettercase.
• There is no limit on the number of columns in a table, regardless of
their classification, nor any limit on the number of text blocks.
• All table rows are considered when deciding column widths, not just
those occurring in the first 200 input lines of a region. Similarly,
table continuation (.T&) tokens are recognized outside a region's
first 200 input lines.
• Numeric and alphabetic entries may appear in the same column.
• Numeric and alphabetic entries may span horizontally.
Using GNU tbl within macros
You can embed a table region inside a macro definition. However, since
tbl writes its own macro definitions at the beginning of each table re-
gion, it is necessary to call end macros instead of ending macro defini-
tions with “..”. Additionally, the escape character must be disabled.
Not all tbl features can be exercised from such macros because tbl is a
roff preprocessor: it sees the input earlier than troff does. For exam-
ple, vertically aligning decimal separators fails if the numbers con-
taining them occur as macro or string parameters; the alignment is per-
formed by tbl itself, which sees only \$1, \$2, and so on, and therefore
can't recognize a decimal separator that only appears later when troff
interpolates a macro or string definition.
Using tbl macros within conditional input (that is, contingent upon an
if, ie, el, or while request) can result in misleading line numbers in
subsequent diagnostics. tbl unconditionally injects its output into the
source document, but the conditional branch containing it may not be
taken, and if it is not, the lf requests that tbl injects to restore the
source line number cannot take effect. Consider copying the input line
counter register c. and restoring its value at a convenient location af-
ter applicable arithmetic.
Options
--help displays a usage message, while -v and --version show version in-
formation; all exit afterward.
-C Enable AT&T compatibility mode: recognize .TS and .TE even when
followed by a character other than space or newline. Further-
more, interpret the uninterpreted leader escape sequence \a.
Limitations
Multi-page tables, if boxed and/or if you want their column headings re-
peated after page breaks, require support at the time the document is
formatted. A convention for such support has arisen in macro packages
such as ms, mm, and me. To use it, follow the .TS token with a space
and then “H”; this will be interpreted by the formatter as a TS macro
call with an H argument. Then, within the table data, call the TH
macro; this informs the macro package where the headings end. If your
table has no such heading rows, or you do not desire their repetition,
call TH immediately after the table format specification. If a multi-
page table is boxed or has repeating column headings, do not enclose it
with keep/release macros, or divert it in any other way. Further, the
bp request will not cause a page break in a “TS H” table. Define a
macro to wrap bp: invoke it normally if there is no current diversion.
Otherwise, pass the macro call to the enclosing diversion using the
transparent line escape sequence \!; this will “bubble up” the page
break to the output device. See section “Examples” below for a demon-
stration.
Double horizontal rules are not supported by ]8;;man:grotty(1)\grotty(1)]8;;\; single rules are
used instead. grotty also ignores half-line motions, so the u column
modifier has no effect. On terminal devices (“nroff mode”), horizontal
rules and box borders occupy a full vee of space; this amount is doubled
for doublebox tables. Tables using these features thus require more
vertical space in nroff mode than in troff mode: write ne requests ac-
cordingly. Vertical rules between columns are drawn in the space be-
tween columns in nroff mode; using double vertical rules and/or reducing
the column separation below the default can make them ugly or overstrike
them with table data.
A text block within a table must be able to fit on one page.
Using \a to put leaders in table entries does not work in GNU tbl, ex-
cept in compatibility mode. This is correct behavior: \a is an uninter-
preted leader. You can still use the roff leader character (Control+A)
or define a string to use \a as it was designed: to be interpreted only
in copy mode.
.ds a \a
.TS
box center tab(;);
Lw(2i)0 L.
Population\*a;6,327,119
.TE
┌───────────────────────────────┐
│ Population..........6,327,119 │
└───────────────────────────────┘
A leading and/or trailing | in a format specification, such as “|LCR|.”,
produces an en space between the vertical rules and the content of the
adjacent columns. If no such space is desired (so that the rule abuts
the content), you can introduce “dummy” columns with zero separation and
empty corresponding table entries before and/or after.
.TS
center tab(#);
R0|L C R0|L.
_
#levulose#glucose#dextrose#
_
.TE
These dummy columns have zero width and are therefore invisible; unfor-
tunately they usually don't work as intended on terminal devices.
Examples
It can be easier to acquire the language of tbl through examples than
formal description, especially at first.
.TS
box center tab(#);
Cb Cb
L L.
Ability#Application
Strength#crushes a tomato
Dexterity#dodges a thrown tomato
Constitution#eats a month-old tomato without becoming ill
Intelligence#knows that a tomato is a fruit
Wisdom#chooses \f[I]not\f[] to put tomato in a fruit salad
Charisma#sells obligate carnivores tomato-based fruit salads
.TE
┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Ability Application │
│ Strength crushes a tomato │
│ Dexterity dodges a thrown tomato │
│ Constitution eats a month-old tomato without becoming ill │
│ Intelligence knows that a tomato is a fruit │
│ Wisdom chooses not to put tomato in a fruit salad │
│ Charisma sells obligate carnivores tomato-based fruit salads │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
The A and N column classifiers can be easier to grasp in visual render-
ing than in description.
.TS
center tab(;);
CbS,LN,AN.
Daily energy intake (in MJ)
Macronutrients
.\" assume 3 significant figures of precision
Carbohydrates;4.5
Fats;2.25
Protein;3
.T&
LN,AN.
Mineral
Pu-239;14.6
_
.T&
LN.
Total;\[ti]24.4
.TE
Daily energy intake (in MJ)
Macronutrients
Carbohydrates 4.5
Fats 2.25
Protein 3
Mineral
Pu-239 14.6
────────────────────────────
Total ~24.4
Next, we'll lightly adapt a compact presentation of spanning, vertical
alignment, and zero-width column modifiers from the mandoc reference for
its tbl interpreter. It rewards close study.
.TS
box center tab(:);
Lz S | Rt
Ld| Cb| ^
^ | Rz S.
left:r
l:center:
:right
.TE
┌────────────┬───┐
│ left │ r │
│ │ center │ │
│ l │ right │
└───┴────────────┘
Row staggering is not visually achievable on terminal devices, but a ta-
ble using it can remain comprehensible nonetheless.
.TS
center tab(|);
Cf(BI) Cf(BI) Cf(B), C C Cu.
n|n\f[B]\[tmu]\f[]n|difference
1|1
2|4|3
3|9|5
4|16|7
5|25|9
6|36|11
.TE
n n×n difference
1 1
2 4 3
3 9 5
4 16 7
5 25 9
6 36 11
Some tbl features cannot be illustrated in the limited environment of a
portable man page.
We can define a macro outside of a tbl region that we can call from
within it to cause a page break inside a multi-page boxed table. You
can choose a different name; be sure to change both occurrences of “BP”.
.de BP
. ie '\\n(.z'' .bp \\$1
. el \!.BP \\$1
..
See also
“Tbl—A Program to Format Tables”, by M. E. Lesk, 1976 (revised 16 Janu-
ary 1979), AT&T Bell Laboratories Computing Science Technical Report No.
49.
The spanning example above was taken from ]8;;https://man.openbsd.org/tbl.7\mandoc's man page for its tbl
implementation]8;;\.
]8;;man:groff(1)\groff(1)]8;;\, ]8;;man:troff(1)\troff(1)]8;;\
groff 1.23.0 3 June 2025 tbl(1)
Generated by dwww version 1.16 on Tue Dec 16 04:39:22 CET 2025.