[DRE-maint] Bug#1099695: rdoc3.3.1: Some remarks and a patch with editorial changes for this man page
Bjarni Ingi Gislason
bjarniig at simnet.is
Thu Mar 6 20:51:58 GMT 2025
Package: ruby3.3
Version: 3.3.7-1
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>:2: style: .TH missing fourth argument; consider package/project name and version (e.g., "groff 1.23.0")
troff:<stdin>:207: warning: name '%s',' not defined
* 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 6.12.12-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 ruby3.3 depends on:
ii libc6 2.40-7
ii libcrypt1 1:4.4.38-1
ii libgmp10 2:6.3.0+dfsg-3
ii libruby3.3 3.3.7-1
ii rubygems-integration 1.19
ii zlib1g 1:1.3.dfsg+really1.3.1-1+b1
Versions of packages ruby3.3 recommends:
ii fonts-lato 2.015-1
ii libjs-jquery 3.6.1+dfsg+~3.5.14-1
ruby3.3 suggests no packages.
-- no debconf information
-------------- next part --------------
Input file is rdoc3.3.1
Output from "mandoc -T lint rdoc3.3.1": (shortened list)
32 fill mode already enabled, skipping: fi
3 skipping paragraph macro: PP after SH
1 skipping unknown macro: '%s', the name of the current file will be substituted; if the URL doesn't
-.-.
Output from "test-nroff -mandoc -t -ww -z rdoc3.3.1": (shortened list)
1 name '%s',' not defined
-.-.
Show if generated from rd2
Who is actually generating this man page? Debian or upstream?
Is the generating software out of date?
1:.\" DO NOT MODIFY THIS FILE! it was generated by rd2
-.-.
Reduce space between words.
rdoc3.3.1:8:rdoc3.3 [options] [names...]
rdoc3.3.1:21:\& rdoc \-\-help\-output
rdoc3.3.1:27:\-\-accessor, \-A accessorname[,..]
rdoc3.3.1:40:\-\-charset, \-c charset
rdoc3.3.1:57:\-\-exclude, \-x pattern
rdoc3.3.1:63:\-\-extension, \-E new = old
rdoc3.3.1:77:\-\-fmt, \-f formatname
rdoc3.3.1:92:\-\-image\-format, \-I gif|png|jpg|jpeg
rdoc3.3.1:98:\-\-include, \-i dir[,dir...]
rdoc3.3.1:114:\-\-main, \-m name
rdoc3.3.1:130:\-\-op, \-o dir
rdoc3.3.1:135:\-\-opname, \-n name
rdoc3.3.1:180:\-\-style, \-s stylesheet\-url
rdoc3.3.1:185:\-\-tab\-width, \-w n
rdoc3.3.1:190:\-\-template, \-T template\-name
rdoc3.3.1:195:\-\-title, \-t text
rdoc3.3.1:201:display RDoc's version.
rdoc3.3.1:205:\-\-webcvs, \-W url
-.-.
Wrong distance 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"
[List of affected lines removed.]
-.-
Put a parenthetical sentence, phrase on a separate line,
if not part of a code.
See man-pages(7), item "semantic newline".
rdoc3.3.1:14:specified, all Ruby files in the current directory (and subdirectories) are
rdoc3.3.1:36:include all methods (not just public) in the output.
rdoc3.3.1:78:set the output formatter (see below).
rdoc3.3.1:99:set (or add to) the list of directories to be searched when satisfying
rdoc3.3.1:186:set the width of tab characters (default 8).
-.-.
Put a subordinate sentence (after a comma) on a new line.
[List of affected lines removed.]
-.-.
Output from "test-groff -mandoc -t -K utf8 -rF0 -rHY=0 -rCHECKSTYLE=10 -ww -z ":
an.tmac:<stdin>:2: style: .TH missing fourth argument; consider package/project name and version (e.g., "groff 1.23.0")
troff:<stdin>:207: warning: name '%s',' not defined
-.-.
Generally:
Split (sometimes) lines after a punctuation mark; before a conjunction.
-------------- next part --------------
--- rdoc3.3.1 2025-03-06 20:04:29.939006360 +0000
+++ rdoc3.3.1.new 2025-03-06 20:46:35.130264592 +0000
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ displays lots on internal stuff
\-\-diagram, \-d
generate diagrams showing modules and classes. You need dot V1.8.6 or
later to use the \-\-diagram option correctly. Dot is available from
-<URL:http://www.research.att.com/sw/tools/graphviz/>.
+\%<URL:http://www.research.att.com/sw/tools/graphviz/>.
.TP
.fi
.B
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ explicitly on the command line will neve
.B
\-\-extension, \-E new = old
treat files ending with .new as if they ended with .old. Using '\-E cgi=rb'
-will cause xxx.cgi to be parsed as a Ruby file
+will cause xxx.cgi to be parsed as a Ruby file.
.TP
.fi
.B
@@ -204,6 +204,6 @@ display RDoc's version.
.B
\-\-webcvs, \-W url
specify a URL for linking to a web frontend to CVS. If the URL contains a
-'%s', the name of the current file will be substituted; if the URL doesn't
+\&'%s', the name of the current file will be substituted; if the URL doesn't
contain a '%s', the filename will be appended to it.
-------------- 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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