fspec(4)                   DG/UX 4.30                    fspec(4)



     NAME
          fspec - format specification in text files

     DESCRIPTION
          You many want to maintain text files on the DG/UX system
          with tabs that are not set at every eighth column.  You must
          usually convert such files to a standard format, frequently
          by replacing all tabs with the appropriate number of spaces,
          before they can be processed by DG/UX system commands.  A
          format specification in the first line of a text file
          specifies how tabs are to be expanded in the rest of the
          file.

          A format specification consists of a sequence of parameters
          separated by blanks and surrounded by the brackets <: and
          :>.  Each parameter consists of a keyletter, possibly
          followed immediately by a value.  The following parameters
          are recognized:

            ttabs    The t parameter specifies the tab settings for
                     the file.  The value of tabs must be one of the
                     following:

                       1. A list of column numbers separated by
                          commas, indicating tabs set at the specified
                          columns;

                       2. A - followed immediately by an integer n,
                          indicating tabs at intervals of n columns;

                       3. A - followed by the name of a canned tab
                          specification.

                     Standard tabs are specified by t-8, or
                     equivalently, t1,9,17,25,etc.  The canned tabs
                     are defined by the tabs(1) command.

            ssize    The s parameter specifies a maximum line size.
                     The value of size must be an integer.  Size is
                     checked after tabs have been expanded, but before
                     the margin is prepended.

            mmargin  The m parameter specifies a number of spaces to
                     be prepended to each line.  The value of margin
                     must be an integer.

            d        The d parameter takes no value.  It indicates
                     that the line containing the format specification
                     is to be deleted from the converted file.

            e        The e parameter takes no value.  It indicates
                     that the current format is to prevail only until



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     fspec(4)                   DG/UX 4.30                    fspec(4)



                     another format specification is encountered in
                     the file.

          Default values, which are assumed for parameters not
          supplied, are t-8 and m0.  If the s parameter is not
          specified, no size checking is performed.  If the first line
          of a file does not contain a format specification, the above
          defaults are assumed for the entire file.  The following is
          an example of a line containing a format specification:

                * <:t5,10,15 s72:> *

          For programming language source files, if you can disguise a
          format specification as a comment, you don't need to code
          the d parameter.

     SEE ALSO
          ed(1), newform(1), tabs(1) in the User's Reference for the
          DG/UX System.




































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