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From: burch@hpcc01.HP.COM (Jeff Burch)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: nroff -mm macro question
Message-ID: <2570002@hpcc01.HP.COM>
Date: 3 Apr 91 17:07:09 GMT
Organization: HP Corp Computing & Services
Lines: 84

I am using the MM macro package for nroff and need to know the trick to
escape a back slash for a ".VL" label. For example:

My nroff source looks like:

   .VL 20

   .LI "/test\.[Ch]"
   This regular expression will search for the string "test.C" or
   "test.h".  Note: the "\" is used to escape the ".", otherwise ...

   .LE

I want this to be formatted like:

   /test\.[Ch]    This regulare expression will search for the "test.C" or
                  "test.h". Note: ...

However, the command "nroff -mm <file>" gives:

   /test.[Ch]     This regulare expression will search for the "test.C" or
                  "test.h". Note: ...

I have tried putting "\\" or "\\\" rather than "\" on the ".LI" line
without any luck.

Any clues?

	Thanks,

	Jeff Burch
	Optical Electronics Division, San Jose, CA.
	jeff@hpoemb.hp.com
	telnet 435-4657

For the nroff macro experts, here are the definitions from
/usr/lib/macros/mmn


.deVL
.if\\n(.$<1 .)D "VL:missing arg"
.ie\\n(.$<3 .LB 0\\$1 0\\$2 0 0
.el.LB 0\\$1 0\\$2 0 0 \& 0 1
..



.deLI 
.if!\\n(:g .)D "LI:no lists active" 
.if(\\n(:g<=\\n(Ls)&(\\n(:f>0) .SP
.in\\n(:bu
.if\\n(:F 'in 0
.if(\\n(:f>0)&(\\n(:D<1) .ne2v
.ds}0 \\*(]g
.if\\n(:e .ds }0 \\n+(:a.
.if\\n(:e-1 .ds }0 \\n(:a)
.if\\n(:e-2 .ds }0 (\\n(:a)
.if\\n(:e-3 .ds }0 [\\n(:a]
.if\\n(:e-4 .ds }0 <\\n(:a>
.if\\n(:e-5 .ds }0 {\\n(:a}
.if\\n(.$-1 .ds }0 \\$1\ \\*(}0
.if\\n(.$=1 .ds }0 \\$1
.nr;0 \w\\*(}0
.nr;1 \\n(:c
.if\\n(:d .nr ;1 \\n(:bu-\\n(:du-\\n(;0u
.if!\\n(;1 .nr ;1 0
.nr;0 \\n(:bu-\\n(;1u-\\n(;0u
.ti\\n(;1u
.if!\\n(;0 .nr ;0 \w u
.if\w\\*(}0 \&\\*(}0\h\\n(;0u\&\c
..


.deLE
.if(\\n(:I>1)&(\\n(nl-\\n(:J) .nr :I 0
.if\\n(:I<2 .nr :I 0
.ie\\n(:g<1 .)D "LE:mismatched"
.el.)B
.if(\\n(:g<=\\n(Ls)&(\\n(.$>0) .SP
.nr:J \\n(nl
..


How in the heck does one learn how to read these macros???