xref: /freebsd/contrib/mandoc/eqn.7 (revision 349cc55c9796c4596a5b9904cd3281af295f878f)
1.\"	$Id: eqn.7,v 1.39 2020/01/10 11:55:04 schwarze Exp $
2.\"
3.\" Copyright (c) 2011 Kristaps Dzonsons <kristaps@bsd.lv>
4.\" Copyright (c) 2014 Ingo Schwarze <schwarze@openbsd.org>
5.\"
6.\" Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software for any
7.\" purpose with or without fee is hereby granted, provided that the above
8.\" copyright notice and this permission notice appear in all copies.
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10.\" THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE AUTHOR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES
11.\" WITH REGARD TO THIS SOFTWARE INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
12.\" MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR
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16.\" OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.
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18.Dd $Mdocdate: January 10 2020 $
19.Dt EQN 7
20.Os
21.Sh NAME
22.Nm eqn
23.Nd eqn language reference for mandoc
24.Sh DESCRIPTION
25The
26.Nm eqn
27language is an equation-formatting language.
28It is used within
29.Xr mdoc 7
30and
31.Xr man 7
32.Ux
33manual pages.
34It describes the
35.Em structure
36of an equation, not its mathematical meaning.
37This manual describes the
38.Nm
39language accepted by the
40.Xr mandoc 1
41utility, which corresponds to the Second Edition
42.Nm
43specification (see
44.Sx SEE ALSO
45for references).
46.Pp
47An equation starts with an input line containing exactly the characters
48.Sq \&.EQ ,
49may contain multiple input lines, and ends with an input line
50containing exactly the characters
51.Sq \&.EN .
52Equivalently, an equation can be given in the middle of a single
53text input line by surrounding it with the equation delimiters
54defined with the
55.Cm delim
56statement.
57.Pp
58The equation grammar is as follows, where quoted strings are
59case-sensitive literals in the input:
60.Bd -literal -offset indent
61eqn     : box | eqn box
62box     : text
63        | \(dq{\(dq eqn \(dq}\(dq
64        | \(dqdefine\(dq text text
65        | \(dqndefine\(dq text text
66        | \(dqtdefine\(dq text text
67        | \(dqgfont\(dq text
68        | \(dqgsize\(dq text
69        | \(dqset\(dq text text
70        | \(dqundef\(dq text
71        | \(dqsqrt\(dq box
72        | box pos box
73        | box mark
74        | \(dqmatrix\(dq \(dq{\(dq [col \(dq{\(dq list \(dq}\(dq]* \(dq}\(dq
75        | pile \(dq{\(dq list \(dq}\(dq
76        | font box
77        | \(dqsize\(dq text box
78        | \(dqleft\(dq text eqn [\(dqright\(dq text]
79col     : \(dqlcol\(dq | \(dqrcol\(dq | \(dqccol\(dq | \(dqcol\(dq
80text    : [^space\e\(dq]+ | \e\(dq.*\e\(dq
81pile    : \(dqlpile\(dq | \(dqcpile\(dq | \(dqrpile\(dq | \(dqpile\(dq
82pos     : \(dqover\(dq | \(dqsup\(dq | \(dqsub\(dq | \(dqto\(dq | \(dqfrom\(dq
83mark	: \(dqdot\(dq | \(dqdotdot\(dq | \(dqhat\(dq | \(dqtilde\(dq | \(dqvec\(dq
84        | \(dqdyad\(dq | \(dqbar\(dq | \(dqunder\(dq
85font    : \(dqroman\(dq | \(dqitalic\(dq | \(dqbold\(dq | \(dqfat\(dq
86list    : eqn
87        | list \(dqabove\(dq eqn
88space   : [\e^~ \et]
89.Ed
90.Pp
91White-space consists of the space, tab, circumflex, and tilde
92characters.
93It is required to delimit tokens consisting of alphabetic characters
94and it is ignored at other places.
95Braces and quotes also delimit tokens.
96If within a quoted string, these space characters are retained.
97Quoted strings are also not scanned for keywords, glyph names,
98and expansion of definitions.
99To print a literal quote character, it can be prepended with a
100backslash or expressed with the \e(dq escape sequence.
101.Pp
102Subequations can be enclosed in braces to pass them as arguments
103to operation keywords, overriding standard operation precedence.
104Braces can be nested.
105To set a brace verbatim, it needs to be enclosed in quotes.
106.Pp
107The following text terms are translated into a rendered glyph, if
108available: alpha, beta, chi, delta, epsilon, eta, gamma, iota, kappa,
109lambda, mu, nu, omega, omicron, phi, pi, psi, rho, sigma, tau, theta,
110upsilon, xi, zeta, DELTA, GAMMA, LAMBDA, OMEGA, PHI, PI, PSI, SIGMA,
111THETA, UPSILON, XI, inter (intersection), union (union), prod (product),
112int (integral), sum (summation), grad (gradient), del (vector
113differential), times (multiply), cdot (center-dot), nothing (zero-width
114space), approx (approximately equals), prime (prime), half (one-half),
115partial (partial differential), inf (infinity), >> (much greater), <<
116(much less), <\- (left arrow), \-> (right arrow), +\- (plus-minus), !=
117(not equal), == (equivalence), <= (less-than-equal), and >=
118(more-than-equal).
119The character escape sequences documented in
120.Xr mandoc_char 7
121can be used, too.
122.Pp
123The following control statements are available:
124.Bl -tag -width Ds
125.It Cm define
126Replace all occurrences of a key with a value.
127Its syntax is as follows:
128.Pp
129.D1 Cm define Ar key cvalc
130.Pp
131The first character of the value string,
132.Ar c ,
133is used as the delimiter for the value
134.Ar val .
135This allows for arbitrary enclosure of terms (not just quotes), such as
136.Pp
137.D1 Cm define Ar foo \(aqbar baz\(aq
138.D1 Cm define Ar foo cbar bazc
139.Pp
140It is an error to have an empty
141.Ar key
142or
143.Ar val .
144Note that a quoted
145.Ar key
146causes errors in some
147.Nm
148implementations and should not be considered portable.
149It is not expanded for replacements.
150Definitions may refer to other definitions; these are evaluated
151recursively when text replacement occurs and not when the definition is
152created.
153.Pp
154Definitions can create arbitrary strings, for example, the following is
155a legal construction.
156.Bd -literal -offset indent
157define foo \(aqdefine\(aq
158foo bar \(aqbaz\(aq
159.Ed
160.Pp
161Self-referencing definitions will raise an error.
162The
163.Cm ndefine
164statement is a synonym for
165.Cm define ,
166while
167.Cm tdefine
168is discarded.
169.It Cm delim
170This statement takes a string argument consisting of two bytes,
171to be used as the opening and closing delimiters for equations
172in the middle of text input lines.
173Conventionally, the dollar sign is used for both delimiters,
174as follows:
175.Bd -literal -offset indent
176\&.EQ
177delim $$
178\&.EN
179An equation like $sin pi = 0$ can now be entered
180in the middle of a text input line.
181.Ed
182.Pp
183The special statement
184.Cm delim off
185temporarily disables previously declared delimiters and
186.Cm delim on
187reenables them.
188.It Cm gfont
189Set the default font of subsequent output.
190Its syntax is as follows:
191.Pp
192.D1 Cm gfont Ar font
193.Pp
194In mandoc, this value is discarded.
195.It Cm gsize
196Set the default size of subsequent output.
197Its syntax is as follows:
198.Pp
199.D1 Cm gsize Oo +|\- Oc Ns Ar size
200.Pp
201The
202.Ar size
203value should be an integer.
204If prepended by a sign,
205the font size is changed relative to the current size.
206.It Cm set
207Set an equation mode.
208In mandoc, both arguments are thrown away.
209Its syntax is as follows:
210.Pp
211.D1 Cm set Ar key val
212.Pp
213The
214.Ar key
215and
216.Ar val
217are not expanded for replacements.
218This statement is a GNU extension.
219.It Cm undef
220Unset a previously-defined key.
221Its syntax is as follows:
222.Pp
223.D1 Cm define Ar key
224.Pp
225Once invoked, the definition for
226.Ar key
227is discarded.
228The
229.Ar key
230is not expanded for replacements.
231This statement is a GNU extension.
232.El
233.Pp
234Operation keywords have the following semantics:
235.Bl -tag -width Ds
236.It Cm above
237See
238.Cm pile .
239.It Cm bar
240Draw a line over the preceding box.
241.It Cm bold
242Set the following box using bold font.
243.It Cm ccol
244Like
245.Cm cpile ,
246but for use in
247.Cm matrix .
248.It Cm cpile
249Like
250.Cm pile ,
251but with slightly increased vertical spacing.
252.It Cm dot
253Set a single dot over the preceding box.
254.It Cm dotdot
255Set two dots (dieresis) over the preceding box.
256.It Cm dyad
257Set a dyad symbol (left-right arrow) over the preceding box.
258.It Cm fat
259A synonym for
260.Cm bold .
261.It Cm font
262Set the second argument using the font specified by the first argument;
263currently not recognized by the
264.Xr mandoc 1
265.Nm
266parser.
267.It Cm from
268Set the following box below the preceding box,
269using a slightly smaller font.
270Used for sums, integrals, limits, and the like.
271.It Cm hat
272Set a hat (circumflex) over the preceding box.
273.It Cm italic
274Set the following box using italic font.
275.It Cm lcol
276Like
277.Cm lpile ,
278but for use in
279.Cm matrix .
280.It Cm left
281Set the first argument as a big left delimiter before the second argument.
282As an optional third argument,
283.Cm right
284can follow.
285In that case, the fourth argument is set as a big right delimiter after
286the second argument.
287.It Cm lpile
288Like
289.Cm cpile ,
290but subequations are left-justified.
291.It Cm matrix
292Followed by a list of columns enclosed in braces.
293All columns need to have the same number of subequations.
294The columns are set as a matrix.
295The difference compared to multiple subsequent
296.Cm pile
297operators is that in a
298.Cm matrix ,
299corresponding subequations in all columns line up horizontally,
300while each
301.Cm pile
302does vertical spacing independently.
303.It Cm over
304Set a fraction.
305The preceding box is the numerator, the following box is the denominator.
306.It Cm pile
307Followed by a list of subequations enclosed in braces,
308the subequations being separated by
309.Cm above
310keywords.
311Sets the subequations one above the other, each of them centered.
312Typically used to represent vectors in coordinate representation.
313.It Cm rcol
314Like
315.Cm rpile ,
316but for use in
317.Cm matrix .
318.It Cm right
319See
320.Cm left ;
321.Cm right
322cannot be used without
323.Cm left .
324To set a big right delimiter without a big left delimiter, the following
325construction can be used:
326.Pp
327.D1 Cm left No \(dq\(dq Ar box Cm right Ar delimiter
328.It Cm roman
329Set the following box using the default font.
330.It Cm rpile
331Like
332.Cm cpile ,
333but subequations are right-justified.
334.It Cm size
335Set the second argument with the font size specified by the first
336argument; currently ignored by
337.Xr mandoc 1 .
338By prepending a plus or minus sign to the first argument,
339the font size can be selected relative to the current size.
340.It Cm sqrt
341Set the square root of the following box.
342.It Cm sub
343Set the following box as a subscript to the preceding box.
344.It Cm sup
345Set the following box as a superscript to the preceding box.
346As a special case, if a
347.Cm sup
348clause immediately follows a
349.Cm sub
350clause as in
351.Pp
352.D1 Ar mainbox Cm sub Ar subbox Cm sup Ar supbox
353.Pp
354both are set with respect to the same
355.Ar mainbox ,
356that is,
357.Ar supbox
358is set above
359.Ar subbox .
360.It Cm tilde
361Set a tilde over the preceding box.
362.It Cm to
363Set the following box above the preceding box,
364using a slightly smaller font.
365Used for sums and integrals and the like.
366As a special case, if a
367.Cm to
368clause immediately follows a
369.Cm from
370clause as in
371.Pp
372.D1 Ar mainbox Cm from Ar frombox Cm to Ar tobox
373.Pp
374both are set below and above the same
375.Ar mainbox .
376.It Cm under
377Underline the preceding box.
378.It Cm vec
379Set a vector symbol (right arrow) over the preceding box.
380.El
381.Pp
382The binary operations
383.Cm from ,
384.Cm to ,
385.Cm sub ,
386and
387.Cm sup
388group to the right, that is,
389.Pp
390.D1 Ar mainbox Cm sup Ar supbox Cm sub Ar subbox
391.Pp
392is the same as
393.Pp
394.D1 Ar mainbox Cm sup Brq Ar supbox Cm sub Ar subbox
395.Pp
396and different from
397.Pp
398.D1 Bro Ar mainbox Cm sup Ar supbox Brc Cm sub Ar subbox .
399.Pp
400By contrast,
401.Cm over
402groups to the left.
403.Pp
404In the following list, earlier operations bind more tightly than
405later operations:
406.Pp
407.Bl -enum -compact
408.It
409.Cm dyad ,
410.Cm vec ,
411.Cm under ,
412.Cm bar ,
413.Cm tilde ,
414.Cm hat ,
415.Cm dot ,
416.Cm dotdot
417.It
418.Cm fat ,
419.Cm roman ,
420.Cm italic ,
421.Cm bold ,
422.Cm size
423.It
424.Cm sub ,
425.Cm sup
426.It
427.Cm sqrt
428.It
429.Cm over
430.It
431.Cm from ,
432.Cm to
433.El
434.Sh COMPATIBILITY
435This section documents the compatibility of mandoc
436.Nm
437and the troff
438.Nm
439implementation (including GNU troff).
440.Pp
441.Bl -dash -compact
442.It
443The text string
444.Sq \e\(dq
445is interpreted as a literal quote in troff.
446In mandoc, this is interpreted as a comment.
447.It
448In troff, The circumflex and tilde white-space symbols map to
449fixed-width spaces.
450In mandoc, these characters are synonyms for the space character.
451.It
452The troff implementation of
453.Nm
454allows for equation alignment with the
455.Cm mark
456and
457.Cm lineup
458tokens.
459mandoc discards these tokens.
460The
461.Cm back Ar n ,
462.Cm fwd Ar n ,
463.Cm up Ar n ,
464and
465.Cm down Ar n
466commands are also ignored.
467.El
468.Sh SEE ALSO
469.Xr mandoc 1 ,
470.Xr man 7 ,
471.Xr mandoc_char 7 ,
472.Xr mdoc 7 ,
473.Xr roff 7
474.Rs
475.%A Brian W. Kernighan
476.%A Lorinda L. Cherry
477.%T System for Typesetting Mathematics
478.%J Communications of the ACM
479.%V 18
480.%P pp. 151\(en157
481.%D March, 1975
482.Re
483.Rs
484.%A Brian W. Kernighan
485.%A Lorinda L. Cherry
486.%T Typesetting Mathematics, User's Guide
487.%D 1976
488.Re
489.Rs
490.%A Brian W. Kernighan
491.%A Lorinda L. Cherry
492.%T Typesetting Mathematics, User's Guide (Second Edition)
493.%D 1978
494.Re
495.Sh HISTORY
496The eqn utility, a preprocessor for troff, was originally written by
497Brian W. Kernighan and Lorinda L. Cherry in 1975.
498The GNU reimplementation of eqn, part of the GNU troff package, was
499released in 1989 by James Clark.
500The eqn component of
501.Xr mandoc 1
502was added in 2011.
503.Sh AUTHORS
504This
505.Nm
506reference was written by
507.An Kristaps Dzonsons Aq Mt kristaps@bsd.lv .
508