tbl(1)
NAME
tbl − format tables for nroff or troff
SYNTAX
tbl [ files... ]
DESCRIPTION
The tbl command is a preprocessor for formatting 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. Details are given in the reference manual.
EXAMPLES
In this example, the \t represents a tab the input (which should be typed as a genuine tab) and produces the subsequent output.
.TS
c s s
c c s
c c c
l n n.
Household Population
Town\tHouseholds
\tNumber\tSize
.sp
Bedminster\t789\t3.26
Bernards Twp.\t3087\t3.74
Bernardsville\t2018\t3.30
Bound Brook\t3425\t3.04
Branchburg\t1644\t3.49
Bridgewater\t7897\t3.81
Far Hills\t240\t3.19
.TE
Household Population
Town Households
Number Size
Bedminster 789 3.26
Bernards Twp. 3087 3.74
Bernardsville 2018 3.30
Bound Brook 3425 3.04
Branchburg 1644 3.49
Bridgewater 7897 3.81
Far Hills 240 3.19
If no arguments are given, tbl reads the standard input, so it may be used as a filter. When it is used with eqn or neqn the tbl command should be first, to minimize the volume of data passed through pipes.