[pkg-gnupg-maint] Bug#1100448: gpgcompose.1: Some remarks and a patch with editorial changes for this man page
Bjarni Ingi Gislason
bjarniig at simnet.is
Fri Mar 14 00:52:14 GMT 2025
Package: gnupg-utils
Version: 2.2.46-1+b1
Severity: minor
Tags: patch
* What led up to the situation?
Checking for defects with a new version
test-[g|n]roff -mandoc -t -K utf8 -rF0 -rHY=0 -rCHECKSTYLE=10 -ww -z < "man page"
[Use "groff -e ' $' -e '\\~$' <file>" to find obvious trailing spaces.]
["test-groff" is a script in the repository for "groff"; is not shipped]
(local copy and "troff" slightly changed by me).
[The fate of "test-nroff" was decided in groff bug #55941.]
* What was the outcome of this action?
an.tmac:<stdin>:1: style: .TH missing fourth argument; consider package/project name and version (e.g., "groff 1.23.0")
an.tmac:<stdin>:43: misuse, warning: .BR is for at least 2 arguments, got 1
Use macro '.B' for one argument or split argument.
* What outcome did you expect instead?
No output (no warnings).
-.-
General remarks and further material, if a diff-file exist, are in the
attachments.
-- System Information:
Debian Release: trixie/sid
APT prefers testing
APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Kernel: Linux 6.12.17-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU threads; PREEMPT)
Locale: LANG=is_IS.iso88591, LC_CTYPE=is_IS.iso88591 (charmap=ISO-8859-1), LANGUAGE not set
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: sysvinit (via /sbin/init)
Versions of packages gnupg-utils depends on:
ii libassuan9 3.0.2-2
ii libbz2-1.0 1.0.8-6
ii libc6 2.41-4
ii libgcrypt20 1.11.0-7
ii libgpg-error0 1.51-3
ii libksba8 1.6.7-2+b1
ii libreadline8t64 8.2-6
ii zlib1g 1:1.3.dfsg+really1.3.1-1+b1
Versions of packages gnupg-utils recommends:
ii gpg 2.2.46-1+b1
ii gpg-agent 2.2.46-1+b1
ii gpgconf 2.2.46-1+b1
ii gpgsm 2.2.46-1+b1
gnupg-utils suggests no packages.
-- no debconf information
-------------- next part --------------
Input file is gpgcompose.1
Output from "mandoc -T lint gpgcompose.1": (shortened list)
1 whitespace at end of input line
Remove trailing space with: sed -e 's/ *$//'
-.-.
Output from "test-nroff -mandoc -t -ww -z gpgcompose.1": (shortened list)
1 Use macro '.B' for one argument or split argument.
1 .BR is for at least 2 arguments, got 1
-.-.
Remove space characters (whitespace) at the end of lines.
Use "git apply ... --whitespace=fix" to fix extra space issues, or use
global configuration "core.whitespace".
Number of lines affected is
1
-.-.
Change two HYPHEN-MINUSES (code 0x2D) to an em-dash (\(em),
if one is intended.
" \(em " creates a too big gap in the text (in "troff").
An en-dash is usually surrounded by a space,
while an em-dash is used without spaces.
"man" (1 byte characters in input) transforms an en-dash (\(en) to one
HYPHEN-MINUS,
and an em-dash to two HYPHEN-MINUSES without considering the space
around it.
If "--" are two single "-"
(begin of an option or end of options)
then use "\-\-".
gpgcompose.1:12:.B gpgcompose --help
gpgcompose.1:16:.B --help
-.-.
Wrong distance (not two spaces) between sentences in the input file.
Separate the sentences and subordinate clauses; each begins on a new
line. See man-pages(7) ("Conventions for source file layout") and
"info groff" ("Input Conventions").
The best procedure is to always start a new sentence on a new line,
at least, if you are typing on a computer.
Remember coding: Only one command ("sentence") on each (logical) line.
E-mail: Easier to quote exactly the relevant lines.
Generally: Easier to edit the sentence.
Patches: Less unaffected text.
Search for two adjacent words is easier, when they belong to the same line,
and the same phrase.
The amount of space between sentences in the output can then be
controlled with the ".ss" request.
Mark a final abbreviation point as such by suffixing it with "\&".
Some sentences (etc.) do not begin on a new line.
Split (sometimes) lines after a punctuation mark; before a conjunction.
Lines with only one (or two) space(s) between sentences could be split,
so latter sentences begin on a new line.
Use
#!/usr/bin/sh
sed -e '/^\./n' \
-e 's/\([[:alpha:]]\)\. */\1.\n/g' $1
to split lines after a sentence period.
Check result with the difference between the formatted outputs.
See also the attachment "general.bugs"
10:\&... ]
-.-.
Split a punctuation mark from a single argument for a two-font macro
43:.BR ~/.gnupg/keyring.kbx,
-.-.
The name of a man page is typeset in bold and the section in roman
(see man-pages(7)).
50:RFC 4880, gpg(1), gpg-agent(1), gpg-connect-agent(1)
-.-.
Put a subordinate sentence (after a comma) on a new line.
gpgcompose.1:20:generates a stream of OpenPGP packets, including some which can
gpgcompose.1:22:on the command line isn't stable enough to document currently, but
gpgcompose.1:50:RFC 4880, gpg(1), gpg-agent(1), gpg-connect-agent(1)
gpgcompose.1:53:gpgcompose is copyright (C) 2016, g10 Code GmbH.
-.-.
Remove quotes when there is a printable
but no space character between them
and the quotes are not for emphasis (markup),
for example as an argument to a macro.
gpgcompose.1:1:.TH "gpgcompose" 1 "June 2017"
-.-
Space character after a macro call.
1:.TH "gpgcompose" 1 "June 2017"
-.-.
Output from "test-groff -mandoc -t -K utf8 -rF0 -rHY=0 -rCHECKSTYLE=10 -ww -z ":
an.tmac:<stdin>:1: style: .TH missing fourth argument; consider package/project name and version (e.g., "groff 1.23.0")
an.tmac:<stdin>:43: misuse, warning: .BR is for at least 2 arguments, got 1
Use macro '.B' for one argument or split argument.
-.-.
Generally:
Split (sometimes) lines after a punctuation mark; before a conjunction.
-------------- next part --------------
--- gpgcompose.1 2025-03-13 22:30:06.725568549 +0000
+++ gpgcompose.1.new 2025-03-13 22:39:20.697551387 +0000
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.TH "gpgcompose" 1 "June 2017"
+.TH gpgcompose 1 "June 2017"
.SH NAME
gpgcompose \- Generate a stream of OpenPGP packets
@@ -7,13 +7,13 @@ gpgcompose \- Generate a stream of OpenP
.B gpgcompose
.RI [[ OPTION
.RI [ ARGS ]]
-\&... ]
+\&...\& ]
-.B gpgcompose --help
+.B gpgcompose \-\-help
.B gpgcompose
.I OPTION
-.B --help
+.B \-\-help
.SH DESCRIPTION
.B gpgcompose
@@ -40,14 +40,14 @@ Occasionally,
will need to look up existing public keys for reference (e.g.,
.BR \-\-public-key ).
It will do so in
-.BR ~/.gnupg/keyring.kbx,
+.BR ~/.gnupg/keyring.kbx ,
or in
.B $GNUPGHOME/keyring.kbx
if that variable is set.
.SH SEE ALSO
-RFC 4880, gpg(1), gpg-agent(1), gpg-connect-agent(1)
+.BR "RFC 4880" ", " gpg "(1), " gpg-agent "(1), " gpg-connect-agent (1)
.SH AUTHOR
gpgcompose is copyright (C) 2016, g10 Code GmbH.
-------------- next part --------------
Any program (person), that produces man pages, should check the output
for defects by using (both groff and nroff)
[gn]roff -mandoc -t -ww -b -z -K utf8 <man page>
The same goes for man pages that are used as an input.
For a style guide use
mandoc -T lint
-.-
Any "autogenerator" should check its products with the above mentioned
'groff', 'mandoc', and additionally with 'nroff ...'.
It should also check its input files for too long (> 80) lines.
This is just a simple quality control measure.
The "autogenerator" may have to be corrected to get a better man page,
the source file may, and any additional file may.
Common defects:
Not removing trailing spaces (in in- and output).
The reason for these trailing spaces should be found and eliminated.
"git" has a "tool" to point out whitespace,
see for example "git-apply(1)" and git-config(1)")
Not beginning each input sentence on a new line.
Line length and patch size should thus be reduced.
The script "reportbug" uses 'quoted-printable' encoding when a line is
longer than 1024 characters in an 'ascii' file.
See man-pages(7), item "semantic newline".
-.-
The difference between the formatted output of the original and patched file
can be seen with:
nroff -mandoc <file1> > <out1>
nroff -mandoc <file2> > <out2>
diff -d -u <out1> <out2>
and for groff, using
\"printf '%s\n%s\n' '.kern 0' '.ss 12 0' | groff -mandoc -Z - \"
instead of 'nroff -mandoc'
Add the option '-t', if the file contains a table.
Read the output from 'diff -d -u ...' with 'less -R' or similar.
-.-.
If 'man' (man-db) is used to check the manual for warnings,
the following must be set:
The option \"-warnings=w\"
The environmental variable:
export MAN_KEEP_STDERR=yes (or any non-empty value)
or
(produce only warnings):
export MANROFFOPT=\"-ww -b -z\"
export MAN_KEEP_STDERR=yes (or any non-empty value)
-.-
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