Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!newstop!sun!angel!henry
From: henry%angel@Sun.COM (Henry McGilton -- Software Products)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: TROFF Leaders inside fields.
Keywords: troff, leaders, fields.
Message-ID: <129957@sun.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 6 Jan 90 22:27:12 GMT
Sender: news@sun.Eng.Sun.COM
Lines: 37



Calling all TROFF Wizards.  There seems to be a limitation
with what you can do with the leader character inside a
field.  I have a sequence something like:

	.ta  4.0i		\"  tab at four inches
	.fc  #  @		\"  field char is #, pad is @
	#string one \s6\s0#	\"  want the leader smaller size

I've tried every combination of mucking with font changes and size
changes around the leader character, but it always gives me the
same result -- the changes are ignored.

I can change the size and font of ordinary text inside the fields.

I can change the font and size of leaders in ordinary text, outside
of fields.

I tried putting text either side of the leader, with font and size
changes around the whole shebang, but that doesn't work either.

The problem occurs regardless of whether I use the control-A
sequence or whether I use the \a sequence.  Are fields scanned twice?

I tried looking at the code, but that's one of the
`abandon hope all ye who enter here' parts of the code.
Has anybody poked around in this stuff and can tackle this one?

	Thanks,
		.................. Henry
+-------------------+--------------------------+---------------------------+
| Henry McGilton    | Think of using TROFF as  |                           |
| Sun Microsystems  | writing microcode for a  | arpa: hmcgilton@sun.com   |
| 2550 Garcia       | typesetter, and you have | uucp: ...!sun!angel!henry |
| Mountain View, CA | the idea.                |                           |
+-------------------+--------------------------+---------------------------+