Bug#1102098: Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm: Some remarks about this man page
Bjarni Ingi Gislason
bjarniig at simnet.is
Sat Apr 5 02:02:14 BST 2025
Package: libauthen-sasl-perl
Version: 2.1700-1
Severity: minor
Tags: upstream
N.B.
I do not do any pull request and do not subscribe to a new mail account
for a bug report. Forwarding this mail is a possibility.
-.-
* 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
grep -n -e ' $' -e '\\~$' -e ' \\f.$' -e ' \\"' <file>
to find (most) 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?
troff:<stdin>:106: warning: trailing space in the line
troff:<stdin>:110: warning: trailing space in the line
an.tmac:<stdin>:177: style: use of deprecated macro: .PD
an.tmac:<stdin>:180: style: use of deprecated macro: .PD
Bad use of \s0 in a string definition, the string "X" could be resized,
for example with "\s-1\*X\s0".
25:.ds C+ C\v'-.1v'\h'-1p'\s-2+\h'-1p'+\s0\v'.1v'\h'-1p'
* 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 6.12.20-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 libauthen-sasl-perl depends on:
ii perl 5.40.1-2
libauthen-sasl-perl recommends no packages.
Versions of packages libauthen-sasl-perl suggests:
ii libdigest-hmac-perl 1.05+dfsg-1
pn libgssapi-perl <none>
-- no debconf information
-------------- next part --------------
Input file is Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm
Output from "mandoc -T lint Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm": (shortened list)
1 : Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:106:72: STYLE: whitespace at end of input line
1 : Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:110:57: STYLE: whitespace at end of input line
1 : Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:144:86: STYLE: input text line longer than 80 bytes: The \s-1GSSAPI SASL\...
1 : Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:146:92: STYLE: input text line longer than 80 bytes: Application Program ...
1 : Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:163:85: STYLE: input text line longer than 80 bytes: The Plain \s-1SASL\s...
1 : Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:170:109: STYLE: input text line longer than 80 bytes: As for server suppor...
Find trailing space with:
grep -n -e ' $' -e ' \\f.$' -e ' \\"' <man page>
-.-.
Output from
test-nroff -mandoc -t -ww -z Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm: (shortened list)
2 line(s) with a trailing space
Find trailing space with:
grep -n -e ' $' -e ' \\f.$' -e ' \\"' <man page>
-.-.
Show if Pod::Man generated this.
Who is actually creating this man page? Debian or upstream?
Is the generating software out of date?
1:.\" Automatically generated by Pod::Man 4.14 (Pod::Simple 3.43)
-.-.
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
2
-.-.
Change '-' (\-) to '\(en' (en-dash) for a (numeric) range.
GNU gnulib has recently (2023-06-18) updated its
"build_aux/update-copyright" to recognize "\(en" in man pages.
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:202:Copyright (c) 2004\-2006 Peter Marschall.
-.-.
Change (or include a "FIXME" paragraph about) misused SI (metric)
numeric prefixes (or names) to the binary ones, like Ki (kibi), Mi
(mebi), Gi (gibi), or Ti (tebi), if indicated.
If the metric prefixes are correct, add the definitions or an
explanation to avoid misunderstanding.
128:in \s-1IETF\s0 Draft draft\-ietf\-sasl\-rfc2831bis\-XX.txt
-.-.
Test nr. 12:
Reduce space between words.
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:153:draft\-murchison\-sasl\-login\-XX.txt allows the
-.-.
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"
144:The \s-1GSSAPI SASL\s0 mechanism as defined in \s-1RFC 2222\s0 resp. \s-1IETF\s0 Draft
163:The Plain \s-1SASL\s0 Mechanism as defined in \s-1RFC 2595\s0 resp. \s-1IETF\s0 Draft
203:All rights reserved. This document is distributed, and may be redistributed,
-.-.
Split lines longer than 80 characters into two or more lines.
Appropriate break points are the end of a sentence and a subordinate
clause; after punctuation marks.
Add "\:" to split the string for the output, "\<newline>" in the source.
Line 74, length 92
.TH Authen::SASL::Perl 3pm "2023-09-24" "perl v5.36.0" "User Contributed Perl Documentation"
Line 99, length 84
\&\fBAuthen::SASL::Perl\fR is the pure Perl implementation of \s-1SASL\s0 mechanisms
Line 144, length 86
The \s-1GSSAPI SASL\s0 mechanism as defined in \s-1RFC 2222\s0 resp. \s-1IETF\s0 Draft
Line 146, length 92
Application Program Interface [\s-1GSSAPI\s0] \s-1KERBEROS V5\s0 as a \s-1SASL\s0 mechanism.
Line 163, length 85
The Plain \s-1SASL\s0 Mechanism as defined in \s-1RFC 2595\s0 resp. \s-1IETF\s0 Draft
Line 170, length 109
As for server support, only \fI\s-1PLAIN\s0\fR, \fI\s-1LOGIN\s0\fR and \fI\s-1DIGEST\-MD5\s0\fR are supported
Line 173, length 113
\&\f(CW\*(C`server_new\*(C'\fR \s-1OPTIONS\s0 is a hashref that is only relevant for \fI\s-1DIGEST\-MD5\s0\fR for
Longest line is number 173 with 113 characters
-.-.
Do not use "\s0" in a string definition but an absolute number,
as the size of the string could be changed.
Then a situation of "\s+X...\s+Y...\s0...\s0" could emerge.
Type size changes have an effect in "troff", but not in "nroff".
25:.ds C+ C\v'-.1v'\h'-1p'\s-2+\h'-1p'+\s0\v'.1v'\h'-1p'
-.-.
Add a zero (0) in front of a decimal fraction that begins with a period
(.)
6:.if t .sp .5v
-.-.
Use a character "\(->" instead of plain "->" or "\->".
89:\& $sasl = Authen::SASL\->new(
-.-.
Only one space character is after a possible end of sentence
(after a punctuation, that can end a sentence).
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:144:The \s-1GSSAPI SASL\s0 mechanism as defined in \s-1RFC 2222\s0 resp. \s-1IETF\s0 Draft
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:163:The Plain \s-1SASL\s0 Mechanism as defined in \s-1RFC 2595\s0 resp. \s-1IETF\s0 Draft
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:203:All rights reserved. This document is distributed, and may be redistributed,
-.-.
Put a subordinate sentence (after a comma) on a new line.
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:123:to replay and dictionary attacks, so \s-1DIGEST\-MD5\s0 should be used
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:134:Compared to \s-1CRAM\-MD5, DIGEST\-MD5\s0 prevents chosen plaintext
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:135:attacks, and permits the use of third party authentication servers,
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:170:As for server support, only \fI\s-1PLAIN\s0\fR, \fI\s-1LOGIN\s0\fR and \fI\s-1DIGEST\-MD5\s0\fR are supported
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:198:Please report any bugs, or post any suggestions, to the perl-ldap mailing list
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:203:All rights reserved. This document is distributed, and may be redistributed,
-.-.
Test nr. 88:
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.
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:74:.TH Authen::SASL::Perl 3pm "2023-09-24" "perl v5.36.0" "User Contributed Perl Documentation"
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:79:.SH "NAME"
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:81:.SH "VERSION"
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:82:.IX Header "VERSION"
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:84:.SH "SYNOPSIS"
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:97:.SH "DESCRIPTION"
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:98:.IX Header "DESCRIPTION"
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:104:.IP "\s-1ANONYMOUS\s0" 4
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:112:.IP "\s-1CRAM\-MD5\s0" 4
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:123:.IP "\s-1DIGEST\-MD5\s0" 4
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:135:.IP "\s-1EXTERNAL\s0" 4
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:138:.IP "\s-1GSSAPI\s0" 4
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:145:.IP "\s-1LOGIN\s0" 4
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:155:.IP "\s-1PLAIN\s0" 4
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:185:.SH "AUTHOR"
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:186:.IX Header "AUTHOR"
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:191:.SH "COPYRIGHT"
Authen::SASL::Perl.3pm:192:.IX Header "COPYRIGHT"
-.-.
Use ".na" (no adjustment) instead of ".ad l" (and ".ad" to begin the
same adjustment again as before).
77:.if n .ad l
-.-.
Add lines to use the CR font for groff instead of CW.
.if t \{\
. ie \\n(.g .ft CR
. el .ft CW
.\}
10:.ft CW
-.-.
Section headings (.SH and .SS) do not need quoting their arguments.
79:.SH "NAME"
81:.SH "VERSION"
84:.SH "SYNOPSIS"
97:.SH "DESCRIPTION"
184:.SH "SEE ALSO"
194:.SH "AUTHOR"
200:.SH "COPYRIGHT"
-.-.
.\" Define a fallback for font CW with
.if t \{\
. ie \n(.g .ds fC \f(CR
. el .ds fC \f(CW
. ds fP \fP
.\}
.
.if n \{\
. ds fC \fR
. ds fP \fP
.\}
173:\&\f(CW\*(C`server_new\*(C'\fR \s-1OPTIONS\s0 is a hashref that is only relevant for \fI\s-1DIGEST\-MD5\s0\fR for
-.-.
Output from "test-groff -mandoc -t -K utf8 -rF0 -rHY=0 -rCHECKSTYLE=10 -ww -z ":
troff:<stdin>:106: warning: trailing space in the line
troff:<stdin>:110: warning: trailing space in the line
an.tmac:<stdin>:177: style: use of deprecated macro: .PD
an.tmac:<stdin>:180: style: use of deprecated macro: .PD
Bad use of \s0 in a string definition, the string "X" could be resized,
for example with "\s-1\*X\s0".
25:.ds C+ C\v'-.1v'\h'-1p'\s-2+\h'-1p'+\s0\v'.1v'\h'-1p'
-.-.
Generally:
Split (sometimes) lines after a punctuation mark; before a conjunction.
-------------- 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>
To find trailing space use
grep -n -e ' $' -e ' \\f.$' -e ' \\"' <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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