tbl(1) tbl(1)
NAME
tbl - format tables for nroff or troff
SYNOPSIS
tbl [-TX] [files]
DESCRIPTION
tbl is a preprocessor that formats tables for nroff or
troff. The input files are copied to the standard output,
except for lines between .TS and .TE command lines, which
are assumed to describe tables and are re-formatted by tbl.
(The .TS and .TE command lines are not altered by tbl).
.TS is followed by global options. The available global
options are:
center center the table (default is left-adjust);
expand make the table as wide as the current line
length;
box enclose the table in a box;
doublebox enclose the table in a double box;
allbox enclose each item of the table in a box;
tab (x) use the character x instead of a tab to
separate items in a line of input data.
The global options, if any, are terminated with a semi-colon
(;).
Next come lines describing the format of each line of the
table. Each such format line describes one line of the
actual table, except that the last format line (which must
end with a period) describes all remaining lines of the
table. Each column of each line of the table is described
by a single key-letter, optionally followed by specifiers
that determine the font and point size of the corresponding
item, that indicate where vertical bars are to appear
between columns, that determine column width, inter-column
spacing, etc. The available key-letters are:
c center item within the column;
r right-adjust item within the column;
l left-adjust item within the column;
n numerically adjust item in the column: units
positions of numbers are aligned vertically;
s span previous item on the left into this column;
a center longest line in this column and then left-
adjust all other lines in this column with respect
to that centered line;
^ span down previous entry in this column;
replace this entry with a horizontal line;
= replace this entry with a double horizontal line.
Page 1 (last mod. 1/16/87)
tbl(1) tbl(1)
The characters B and I stand for the bold and italic fonts,
respectively; the character | indicates a vertical line
between columns.
The format lines are followed by lines containing the actual
data for the table, followed finally by .TE. Within such
data lines, data items are normally separated by tab
characters.
If a data line consists of only or =, a single or double
line, respectively, is drawn across the table at that point;
if a single item in a data line consists of only or =,
then that item is replaced by a single or double line.
Full details of all these and other features of tbl are
given in the reference manual cited below.
The -TX flag option forces tbl to use only full vertical
line motions, making the output more suitable for devices
that cannot generate partial vertical line motions (e.g.,
line printers).
If no file names are given as arguments (or if - is
specified as the last argument), tbl reads the standard
input, so it may be used as a filter. When it is used with
eqn(1) or neqn, tbl should come first to minimize the volume
of data passed through pipes.
EXAMPLE
In the following input, CONTROL-I represents a tab (which
should be typed as a genuine TAB):
.TS
center box ;
cB s s
cI | cI s
^ | c c
l | n n .
Household Population
_
Town^IHouseholds
^INumber^ISize
=
Bedminster^I789^I3.26
Bernards Twp.^I3087^I3.74
Bernardsville^I2018^I3.30
Bound Brook^I3425^I3.04
Bridgewater^I7897^I3.81
Far Hills^I240^I3.19
.TE
Page 2 (last mod. 1/16/87)
tbl(1) tbl(1)
yields:
_______________________________
| Household Population |
|______________|_______________|
| | Households |
| Town | Number Size|
|______________|_______________|
| Bedminster | 789 3.26|
| Bernards Twp.| 3087 3.74|
| Bernardsville| 2018 3.30|
| Bound Brook | 3425 3.04|
| Bridgewater | 7897 3.81|
| Far Hills | 240 3.19|
|______________|_______________|
FILES
/bin/tbl
SEE ALSO
eqn(1), mm(1), mmt(1), nroff(1), ocw(1), troff(1), mm(5),
mv(5).
``tbl Reference'' in Oreo Text Processing Tools.
BUGS
See BUGS under nroff(1).
Page 3 (last mod. 1/16/87)