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tbl(1)                      General Commands Manual                     tbl(1)


Name

       tbl - prepare tables for groff documents


Synopsis

       tbl [-C] [file ...]

       tbl --help

       tbl -v

       tbl --version


Description

       The GNU implementation of tbl is part of the groff(1) document
       formatting system.  tbl is a troff(1) preprocessor that translates
       descriptions of tables embedded in roff(7) input into the language
       understood by troff.  It copies each file's contents to the standard
       output stream, transforming each table region between lines starting
       with .TS and .TE into instructions to the GNU troff formatter.  While
       GNU tbl's input syntax is highly compatible with AT&T tbl, the output
       GNU tbl produces cannot be processed by AT&T troff; GNU troff (or a
       troff implementing any GNU extensions employed) must be used.
       Normally, tbl is not executed directly by the user, but invoked by
       specifying the -t option to groff(1).  If no file operands are present,
       or if file is "-", tbl reads the standard input stream.

   Overview
       tbl expects to find table descriptions between input lines that begin
       with .TS (table start) and .TE (table end).  Each such table region
       encloses one or more table descriptions.  Within a table region, table
       descriptions beyond the first must each be preceded by an input line
       beginning with .T&.  This mechanism does not start a new table region;
       all table descriptions are treated as part of their .TS/.TE enclosure,
       even if they are boxed or have column headings that repeat on
       subsequent pages (see below).

       (Experienced roff users should observe that tbl is not a roff language
       interpreter: the default control character must be used, and no spaces
       or tabs are permitted between the control character and the macro name.
       These tbl input tokens remain as-is in the output, where they become
       ordinary macro calls.  Macro packages often define TS, T&, and TE
       macros to handle issues of table placement on the page.  tbl produces
       troff requests to define these macros as empty if their definitions do
       not exist when the formatter encounters a table region.)

       Each table region may begin with region options, and must contain one
       or more table definitions; each table definition contains a format
       specification followed by one or more input lines (rows) of entries.
       These entries comprise the table data.

   Region options
       The line immediately following the .TS token may specify region
       options, keywords that influence the interpretation or rendering of the
       region as a whole or all table entries within it indiscriminately.
       Separate multiple region options with commas, spaces, or tabs.  Those
       that require a parenthesized argument permit spaces and tabs between
       the option's name and the opening parenthesis.  Options accumulate and
       cannot be unset within a region once declared; if an option that takes
       a parameter is repeated, the last occurrence controls.  If present, the
       set of region options must be terminated with a semicolon (;).

       Any of the allbox, box, doublebox, frame, and doubleframe region
       options makes a table "boxed" for the purpose of later discussion.

       allbox           Enclose each table entry in a box; implies box.

       box              Enclose the entire table region in a box.  GNU tbl
                        recognizes frame as a synonym.

       center           Center the table region with respect to the line
                        length, reducing the indentation if necessary (with a
                        warning at formatting time) to make the table region
                        fit; the default is to left-align it.  GNU tbl
                        recognizes centre as a synonym.

       decimalpoint(c)  Recognize character c as the decimal separator in
                        columns using the N (numeric) classifier (see
                        subsection "Column classifiers" below).  This is a GNU
                        extension.

       delim(xy)        Recognize characters x and y as start and end
                        delimiters, respectively, for eqn(1) input, and ignore
                        input between them.  x and y need not be distinct.

       doublebox        Enclose the entire table region in a double box;
                        implies box.  GNU tbl recognizes doubleframe as a
                        synonym.

       expand           Spread the table horizontally to fill the available
                        space (line length minus indentation) by increasing
                        column separation.  Ordinarily, a table is made only
                        as wide as necessary to accommodate the widths of its
                        entries and its column separations (whether specified
                        or default).  When expand applies to a table that
                        exceeds the available horizontal space, tbl reduces
                        column separation as far as necessary (even to zero).
                        tbl produces troff input that issues a diagnostic if
                        such compression occurs.  The column modifier x (see
                        below) overrides this option.

       linesize(n)      Draw lines or rules (e.g., from box) with a thickness
                        of n points.  The default is the current type size
                        when the region begins.  This option has no effect on
                        terminal devices.

       nokeep           Don't use roff diversions to manage page breaks.
                        Normally, tbl employs them to avoid breaking a page
                        within a table row.  This usage can sometimes interact
                        badly with macro packages' own use of diversions--when
                        footnotes, for example, are employed.  This is a GNU
                        extension.

       nospaces         Ignore leading and trailing spaces in table entries.
                        This is a GNU extension.

       nowarn           Suppress diagnostic messages produced at document
                        formatting time when the line length and indentation
                        or page length is inadequate to contain a table row.
                        This is a GNU extension.

       tab(c)           Use the character c instead of a tab to separate
                        entries in a row of table data.

   Table format specification
       The table format specification is mandatory: it determines the number
       of columns in the table and directs how the entries within it are to be
       typeset.  The format specification is a series of column descriptors.
       Each descriptor encodes a classifier followed by zero or more
       modifiers.  Classifiers are letters (recognized case-insensitively) or
       punctuation symbols; modifiers consist of or begin with letters or
       numerals.  Spaces, tabs, newlines, and commas separate descriptors.
       Newlines and commas apply the descriptors following them to a
       subsequent row of the table (enabling column headings to be centered or
       emboldened while the table entries for the data are not, for instance).
       We term the resulting group of column descriptors a row definition.
       Within a row definition, separation between column descriptors by
       spaces or tabs is often optional; only some modifiers, described below,
       make separation necessary.

       The classifier selects from one of several arrangements.  Some
       determine the positioning of table entries within a rectangular cell:
       centered, left-aligned, numeric (aligned to a configurable decimal
       separator), and so on.  Others perform special operations like drawing
       lines or spanning entries from adjacent cells in the table.  Except for
       "|", any classifier can be followed by one or more modifiers; some of
       these accept an argument, which in GNU tbl can be parenthesized.
       Modifiers select fonts, set the type size, and perform other tasks
       described below.

       The format specification can occupy multiple input lines, but must
       conclude with a dot "." followed by a newline.  Each row definition
       applies in turn to one row of the table.  tbl applies the last row
       definition to rows of table data in excess of the row definitions.

       For clarity in this document's examples, we write classifiers in
       uppercase and modifiers in lowercase.  Thus, "CbCb,LR." defines two
       rows of two columns.  The first row's entries are centered and
       boldfaced; the second and any further rows' first and second columns
       are left- and right-aligned, respectively.  Any rows of entries
       appended to the table data reuse the row definition "LR".

       The row definition with the most column descriptors determines the
       number of columns in the table; any row definition with fewer, GNU tbl
       implicitly extends on the right-hand side with L descriptors as many
       times as necessary to make the table rectangular.

   Column classifiers
       The L, R, and C classifiers are the easiest to understand and use.

       A, a   Center longest entry in this column, left-align remaining
              entries in the column with respect to the centered entry, then
              indent all entries by one en.  Such "alphabetic" entries (hence
              the name of the classifier) can be used in the same column as
              L-classified entries, as in "LL,AR.".  The A entries are often
              termed "sub-columns" due to their indentation.

       C, c   Center entry within the column.

       L, l   Left-align entry within the column.

       N, n   Numerically align entry in the column.  tbl aligns columns of
              decimal numbers vertically at the units place.  If multiple
              decimal separators are adjacent to a digit, it uses the
              rightmost one for vertical alignment.  If there is no decimal
              separator, tbl uses the rightmost digit for vertical alignment;
              if no digits are present, tbl centers the entry within the
              column.  The roff dummy character \& in an entry marks the glyph
              preceding it (if any) as the units place; if multiple instances
              occur in the data, tbl uses the leftmost for alignment.

              If N-classified entries share a column with L or R entries, tbl
              centers the widest N entry with respect to the widest L or
              R entry, preserving the alignment of N entries with respect to
              each other.

              Decimal separators in eqn equations within N-classified columns
              can conflict with tbl's use of them for alignment.  Specify the
              delim region option to make tbl ignore the data within eqn
              delimiters.

       R, r   Right-align entry within the column.

       S, s   Span previous entry on the left into this column.

       ^      Span entry in the same column from the previous row into this
              row.

       _, -   Replace table entry with a horizontal rule.  tbl expects an
              empty table entry to correspond to this classifier; if data are
              found there, it issues a diagnostic message.  If the entire row
              definition consists of these classifiers (only one is
              necessary), it is treated as a "_" occupying a row of table
              entries, and no corresponding data are expected.

       =      Replace table entry with a double horizontal rule.  tbl expects
              an empty table entry to correspond to this classifier; if data
              are found there, it issues a diagnostic message.  If the entire
              row definition consists of these classifiers (only one is
              necessary), it is treated as a "=" occupying a row of table
              entries, and no corresponding data are expected.

       |      Place a vertical rule (line) on the corresponding row of the
              table (if two of these are adjacent, a double vertical rule).
              This classifier does not contribute to the column count and no
              table entries correspond to it.  A | to the left of the first
              column descriptor or to the right of the last one produces a
              vertical rule at the edge of the table; these are redundant (and
              ignored) in boxed tables.

       To change the table format within a tbl region, use the .T& token at
       the start of a line.  Follow it with a format specification and table
       data, but not region options.  The quantity of columns in a format thus
       introduced cannot increase relative to the previous format; in that
       case, you must end the table region and start another.  If that will
       not serve because the region uses box options or the columns align in
       an undesirable manner, you must design the initial table format
       specification to include the maximum quantity of columns required, and
       use the S horizontal spanning classifier where necessary to achieve the
       desired columnar alignment.

       Spanning horizontally in the first column or vertically on the first
       row is an error.  tbl does not support non-rectangular span areas.

   Column modifiers
       Any number of modifiers can follow a column classifier.  Modifier
       arguments, where accepted, are case-sensitive.  If you apply a given
       modifier to a classifier more than once, or apply conflicting
       modifiers, only the last occurrence has effect.  The modifier x is
       mutually exclusive with e and w, but e is not mutually exclusive
       with w; if these are used in combination, x unsets both e and w, while
       either e or w overrides x.

       b, B   Typeset entry in boldface, abbreviating f(B).

       d, D   Align a vertically spanned table entry to the bottom ("down"),
              instead of the center, of its range.  This is a GNU extension.

       e, E   Equalize the widths of columns with this modifier to that of the
              widest.  This modifier sets the default line length used in a
              text block.

       f, F   Select the typeface for the table entry.  A font or style name
              (one or two characters not starting with a digit), font mounting
              position (a single digit), or a name or mounting position of any
              length in parentheses, must follow.  The last form is a GNU
              extension.  (The parameter corresponds to that accepted by the
              troff ft request.)  A one-character argument not in parentheses
              must end the row description or be separated by one or more
              spaces or tabs from what follows.

       i, I   Typeset entry in an oblique or italic face, abbreviating f(I).

       m, M   Call a groff macro before typesetting a text block (see
              subsection "Text blocks" below).  This is a GNU extension.  A
              macro name of one or two characters, or a name of any length in
              parentheses, must follow.  A one-character macro name not in
              parentheses must be separated by one or more spaces or tabs from
              what follows.  The named macro must be defined before the table
              region containing this column modifier is encountered.  The
              macro should contain only simple groff requests to change text
              formatting, like adjustment or hyphenation.  The macro is called
              after the column modifiers b, f, i, p, and v take effect; it can
              thus override other column modifiers.

       p, P   Set the type size.  An integer n with an optional leading sign
              must follow.  If unsigned, the type size is set to n points.
              Otherwise, the type size is incremented or decremented per the
              sign by n points.  The use of a signed multi-digit number is a
              GNU extension.  (The parameter corresponds to that accepted by
              the troff ps request.)  If a type size modifier is followed by a
              column separation modifier (see below), they must be separated
              by at least one space or tab.

       t, T   Align a vertically spanned table entry to the top, instead of
              the center, of its range.

       u, U   Move the column up one half-line, "staggering" the rows.  This
              is a Documenter's Workbench (DWB) 1.0 and Research Tenth Edition
              Unix extension.

       v, V   Set the vertical spacing of a text block.  An integer n with an
              optional leading sign must follow.  If unsigned, the vertical
              spacing is set to n points.  Otherwise, the vertical spacing is
              incremented or decremented per the sign by n points.  The use of
              a signed multi-digit number is a GNU extension.  (This parameter
              corresponds to that accepted by the troff vs request.)  If a
              vertical spacing modifier is followed by a column separation
              modifier (see below), they must be separated by at least one
              space or tab.

       w, W   Set the column's minimum width.  A number, either a unitless
              integer, or a roff horizontal measurement in parentheses, must
              follow.  Parentheses are required if the width is to be followed
              immediately by an explicit column separation (alternatively,
              follow the width with one or more spaces or tabs).  If no unit
              is specified, ens are assumed.  This modifier sets the default
              line length used in a text block.

       x, X   Expand the column.  After computing the column widths,
              distribute any remaining line length evenly over all columns
              bearing this modifier.  This is a Documenter's Workbench (DWB)
              3.3 extension.  Applying the x modifier to more than one column
              is a GNU extension.  This modifier sets the default line length
              used in a text block.

       z, Z   Ignore the table entries corresponding to this column for width
              calculation purposes; that is, compute the column's width using
              only the information in its descriptor.  This is a Documenter's
              Workbench (DWB) 1.0 and Research Tenth Edition Unix extension.

       n      A numeric suffix on a column descriptor sets the separation
              distance (in ens) from the succeeding column; the default
              separation is 3n.  This separation is proportionally multiplied
              if the expand region option is in effect; in the case of tables
              wider than the output line length, this separation might be
              zero.  A negative separation cannot be specified.  A separation
              amount after the last column in a row is nonsensical and
              provokes a diagnostic from tbl.

   Table data
       Place table data on lines after the format specification.  Each text
       line corresponds to a table row, except that a backslash at the end of
       a line of table data continues an entry on the next input line.  (Text
       blocks, discussed below, also spread table entries across multiple
       input lines.)  Table entries within a row are separated in the input by
       a tab character by default; see the tab region option above.  Excess
       entries in a row of table data (those that have no corresponding column
       descriptor, not even an implicit one arising from rectangularization of
       the table), tbl discards with a diagnostic message.  tbl passes roff
       control lines through unaltered to its output.  If you wish to visibly
       mark an empty table entry in the document source, populate it with the
       \& roff dummy character.  The table data are interrupted by a line
       consisting of the .T& input token, and conclude with the line .TE.

       Ordinarily, a table entry is typeset rigidly.  It is not filled,
       broken, hyphenated, adjusted, or populated with supplemental inter-
       sentence space.  tbl instructs the formatter to measure each table
       entry as it occurs in the input, updating the width required by its
       corresponding column.  If the z modifier applies to the entry, this
       measurement is ignored; if w applies and its argument is larger than
       this width, that argument is used instead.  In contrast to conventional
       roff input (within a paragraph, say), changes to text formatting, such
       as font selection or vertical spacing, do not persist between entries.

       tbl interprets several forms of table entry specially.

       o  If a table row contains only an underscore or equals sign (_ or =),
          tbl draws a a single or double horizontal rule (line), respectively,
          across the table at that point.

       o  If a table entry contains only _ or = on an otherwise populated row,
          tbl populates its cell with a single or double horizontal rule,
          respectively, that joins its neighbors.

       o  If a table entry contains only \_ or \= on an otherwise populated
          row, tbl populates its cell with a single or double horizontal rule,
          respectively, that does not (quite) join its neighbors.

       o  If a table entry contains only \Rx, where x is any roff ordinary,
          special, or indexed character, tbl populates its cell with enough
          repetitions of the glyph corresponding to x to fill the column
          without joining its neighbors.

       o  On any row but the first, a table entry of \^ causes the entry above
          it to span down into the current one.

       On occasion, these special tokens may be required as literal table
       data.  To use either _ or = literally and alone in an entry, prefix or
       suffix it with the roff dummy character \&.  To express \_, \=, or \R,
       use a roff escape sequence to interpolate the backslash (\e or \[rs]).
       A reliable way to emplace the \^ glyph sequence within a table entry is
       to use a pair of groff special character escape sequences (\[rs]\[ha]).

       Rows of table entries can be interleaved with groff control lines;
       these do not count as table data.  On such lines the default control
       character (.) must be used (and not changed); the no-break control
       character is not recognized.  To start the first table entry in a row
       with a dot, precede it with the roff dummy character \&.

   Text blocks
       An ordinary table entry's contents can make a column, and therefore the
       table, too wide; the table then exceeds the line length of the page,
       and becomes ugly or is exposed to truncation by the output device.
       When a table entry requires more conventional typesetting, breaking
       across more than one output line (and thereby increasing the height of
       its row), it can be placed within a text block.

       tbl interprets a table entry of "T{" at the end of an input line
       specially, as a token starting a text block.  Similarly, an entry "T}"
       at the start of an input line ends a text block.  Text block tokens can
       share an input line with other table data (preceding T{ and following
       T}).  Input lines between these tokens are formatted in a diversion by
       troff.  Text blocks cannot be nested.  Multiple text blocks can occur
       in a table row.

       Text blocks are formatted as was the text prior to the table, modified
       by applicable column descriptors.  Specifically, the classifiers A, C,
       L, N, R, and S determine a text block's alignment within its cell, but
       not its adjustment.  Add na or ad requests to the beginning of a text
       block to alter its adjustment distinctly from other text in the
       document.  As with other table entries, when a text block ends, any
       alterations to formatting parameters are discarded.  They do not affect
       subsequent table entries, not even other text blocks.

       If w or x modifiers are not specified for all columns of a text block's
       span, the default length of the text block (more precisely, the line
       length used to process the text block's diversion) is computed as
       LxC/(N+1), where L is the current line length, C the number of columns
       spanned by the text block, and N the number of columns in the table.
       If necessary, you can also control a text block's width by including an
       ll (line length) request in it prior to any text to be formatted.
       Because tbl uses a diversion to format the text block, its height and
       width are subsequently available in the troff registers dn and dl,
       respectively.

   roff interface
       The register TW stores the width of the table region in basic units; it
       can't be used within the region itself, but is defined before the .TE
       token is output so that a troff macro named TE can make use of it.
       "T." is a Boolean-valued register indicating whether the bottom of the
       table is being processed.  A #T register is used internally.  Avoid
       using these names for any other purpose.

       tbl also defines a macro T# to produce the bottom and side lines of a
       boxed table.  While tbl itself arranges for the output to include a
       call of this macro at the end of such a table, it can also be used by
       macro packages to create boxes for multi-page tables by calling it from
       a page footer macro that is itself called by a trap planted near the
       bottom of the page.  See section "Limitations" below for more on multi-
       page tables.

       GNU tbl internally employs register, string, macro, and diversion names
       beginning with the numeral 3.  A document to be preprocessed with GNU
       tbl should not use any such identifiers.

   Interaction with eqn
       Process a document with tbl before eqn(1).  (groff(1) automatically
       arranges preprocessors in the correct order.)  Don't call the EQ and EN
       macros within tables; instead, set up delimiters in your eqn input and
       use the delim region option so that tbl will recognize them.

   GNU tbl enhancements
       In addition to extensions noted above, GNU tbl removes constraints
       endured by users of AT&T tbl.

       o  Region options can be specified in any lettercase.

       o  There is no limit on the number of columns in a table, regardless of
          their classification, nor any limit on the number of text blocks.

       o  GNU tbl considers all table rows when computing column widths, not
          just those occurring in the first 200 input lines of a region.
          Similarly, it recognizes table continuation tokens (.T&) outside a
          region's first 200 input lines.

       o  Numeric and alphabetic entries may appear in the same column.

       o  Numeric and alphabetic entries may span horizontally.

   Using GNU tbl within macros
       You can embed a table region inside a macro definition.  However, since
       tbl writes its own macro definitions at the beginning of each table
       region, it is necessary to call end macros instead of ending macro
       definitions with "..".  Additionally, the escape character must be
       disabled.

       Not all tbl features can be exercised from such macros because tbl is a
       roff preprocessor: it sees the input earlier than troff does.  For
       example, vertically aligning decimal separators fails if the numbers
       containing them occur as macro or string parameters; the alignment is
       performed by tbl itself, which sees only \$1, \$2, and so on, and
       therefore can't recognize a decimal separator that appears only later
       when troff interpolates a macro or string definition.

       Using tbl macros within conditional input (that is, contingent upon an
       if, ie, el, or while request) can result in misleading line numbers in
       subsequent diagnostics.  tbl unconditionally injects its output into
       the source document, but the conditional branch containing it may not
       be taken, and if it is not, the lf requests that tbl injects to restore
       the source line number cannot take effect.  Consider copying the input
       line counter register "c." and restoring its value at a convenient
       location after applicable arithmetic.


Options

       --help displays a usage message, while -v and --version show version
       information; all exit afterward.

       -C     Enable AT&T compatibility mode: recognize .TS and .TE even when
              followed by a character other than space or newline, and
              interpret the copy-mode leader escape sequence \a as a leader
              character.


Exit status

       tbl exits with status 0 on successful operation, status 2 if the
       program cannot interpret its command-line arguments, and status 1 if it
       encounters an error during operation.


Limitations

       Within a tbl region (except in text blocks or on roff control lines),
       avoid escape sequences that read the rest of the input line, as \" and
       \! do.

       Multi-page tables, if boxed and/or if you want their column headings
       repeated after page breaks, require support at the time the document is
       formatted.  A convention for such support has arisen in macro packages
       such as ms, mm, and me.  To use it, follow the .TS token with a space
       and then "H"; this will be interpreted by the formatter as a TS macro
       call with an H argument.  Then, within the table data, call the TH
       macro; this informs the macro package where the headings end.  If your
       table has no such heading rows, or you do not desire their repetition,
       call TH immediately after the table format specification.  If a multi-
       page table is boxed or has repeating column headings, do not enclose it
       with keep/release macros, or divert it in any other way.  Further, the
       bp request will not cause a page break in a "TS H" table.  Define a
       macro to wrap bp: invoke it normally if there is no current diversion.
       Otherwise, pass the macro call to the enclosing diversion using the
       transparent line escape sequence \!; this will "bubble up" the page
       break to the output device.  See section "Examples" below for a
       demonstration.

       grotty(1) does not support double horizontal rules; it uses single
       rules instead.  It also ignores half-line motions, so the u column
       modifier has no effect.  On terminal devices ("nroff mode"), horizontal
       rules and box borders occupy a full vee of space; doublebox doubles
       that for borders.  Tables using these features thus require more
       vertical space in nroff mode than in troff mode: write ne requests
       accordingly.  Vertical rules between columns are drawn in the space
       between columns in nroff mode; using double vertical rules and/or
       reducing the column separation below the default can make them ugly or
       overstrike them with table data.

       A text block within a table must be able to fit on one page.

       Using \a to put leaders in table entries does not work in GNU tbl,
       except in compatibility mode.  This is correct behavior: \a is an
       uninterpreted leader.  You can still use the roff leader character
       (Control+A) or define a string to use \a as it was designed: to be
       interpreted only in copy mode.

              .ds a \a
              .TS
              box center tab(;);
              Lw(2i)0 L.
              Population\*a;6,327,119
              .TE

                           +------------------------------+
                           |Population?         6,327,119 |
                           +------------------------------+
       A leading or trailing "|" in a format specification, as in "|LCR|.",
       produces an en space between the rules and the content of adjacent
       columns.  If such space is undesired (the rule should abut the
       content), you can introduce "dummy" columns with zero separation and
       empty corresponding table entries before and/or after.

              .TS
              center tab(#);
              R0|L C R0|L.
              _
              #levulose#glucose#dextrose#
              _
              .TE

       These dummy columns have zero width and are therefore invisible;
       unfortunately they usually don't work as intended on terminal devices.


Examples

       It can be easier to acquire the language of tbl through examples than
       formal description, especially at first.

              .TS
              box center tab(#);
              Cb Cb
              L  L.
              Ability#Application
              Strength#crushes a tomato
              Dexterity#dodges a thrown tomato
              Constitution#eats a month-old tomato without becoming ill
              Intelligence#knows that a tomato is a fruit
              Wisdom#chooses \f[I]not\f[] to put tomato in a fruit salad
              Charisma#sells tomato-based fruit salads to hypercarnivores
              .TE

         +------------------------------------------------------------------+
         |  Ability                         Application                     |
         |Strength       crushes a tomato                                   |
         |Dexterity      dodges a thrown tomato                             |
         |Constitution   eats a month-old tomato without becoming ill       |
         |Intelligence   knows that a tomato is a fruit                     |
         |Wisdom         chooses not to put tomato in a fruit salad         |
         |Charisma       sells tomato-based fruit salads to hypercarnivores |
         +------------------------------------------------------------------+
       The A and N column classifiers can be easier to grasp in visual
       rendering than in description.

              .TS
              center tab(;);
              CbS,LN,AN.
              Daily energy intake (in MJ)
              Macronutrients
              .\" assume 3 significant figures of precision
              Carbohydrates;4.5
              Fats;2.25
              Protein;3
              .T&
              LN,AN.
              Mineral
              Pu-239;14.6
              _
              .T&
              LN.
              Total;\[ti]24.4
              .TE

                                Daily energy intake (in MJ)
                                Macronutrients
                                 Carbohydrates        4.5
                                 Fats                 2.25
                                 Protein              3
                                Mineral
                                 Pu-239              14.6
                                ----------------------------
                                Total            ~24.4

       Next, we'll lightly adapt a compact presentation of spanning, vertical
       alignment, and zero-width column modifiers from the mandoc reference
       for its tbl interpreter.  It rewards close study.

              .TS
              box center tab(:);
              Lz  S | Rt
              Ld| Cb| ^
              ^ | Rz  S.
              left:r
              l:center:
              :right
              .TE

                                      +-----------+---+
                                      |left       | r |
                                      |l | center |   |
                                      |  |      right |
                                      +--+------------+
       Row staggering is not visually achievable on terminal devices, but a
       table using it can remain comprehensible nonetheless.

              .TS
              center tab(|);
              Cf(BI) Cf(BI) Cf(B), C C Cu.
              n|n\f[B]\[tmu]\f[]n|difference
              1|1
              2|4|3
              3|9|5
              4|16|7
              5|25|9
              6|36|11
              .TE

                                    n   nxn   difference
                                    1    1
                                    2    4        3
                                    3    9        5
                                    4   16        7
                                    5   25        9
                                    6   36        11

       Some tbl features cannot be illustrated in the limited environment of a
       portable man page.

       We can define a macro outside of a tbl region that we can call from
       within it to cause a page break inside a multi-page boxed table.  You
       can choose a different name; be sure to change both occurrences of
       "BP".

              .de BP
              .  ie '\\n(.z'' .bp \\$1
              .  el \!.BP \\$1
              ..


See also

       "Tbl--A Program to Format Tables", by M. E. Lesk, 1976 (revised 16
       January 1979), AT&T Bell Laboratories Computing Science Technical
       Report No. 49.

       The spanning example above was taken from mandoc's man page for its tbl
       implementation <https://man.openbsd.org/tbl.7>.

       groff(1), troff(1)

groff 1.24.1                      2026-05-15                            tbl(1)

groff 1.24.1 - Generated Mon May 18 15:14:57 CDT 2026
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