Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Thu, 30 May 2002 18:11:35 +0300
From:      Ruslan Ermilov <ru@FreeBSD.org>
To:        John Baldwin <jhb@FreeBSD.org>
Cc:        cvs-all@FreeBSD.org, cvs-committers@FreeBSD.org, "J. Mallett" <jmallett@FreeBSD.org>
Subject:   Re: cvs commit: src/usr.bin/split split.1
Message-ID:  <20020530151135.GA30858@sunbay.com>
In-Reply-To: <XFMail.20020530110319.jhb@FreeBSD.org>
References:  <20020530062446.GC60627@sunbay.com> <XFMail.20020530110319.jhb@FreeBSD.org>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help

--XsQoSWH+UP9D9v3l
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

On Thu, May 30, 2002 at 11:03:19AM -0400, John Baldwin wrote:
>=20
> On 30-May-2002 Ruslan Ermilov wrote:
> > On Wed, May 29, 2002 at 11:19:25PM -0700, J. Mallett wrote:
> >> * From Ruslan Ermilov <ru@FreeBSD.ORG>
> >> > On Wed, May 29, 2002 at 11:09:45PM -0700, J. Mallett wrote:
> >> > > * From Ruslan Ermilov <ru@FreeBSD.org>
> >> > > > ru          2002/05/29 23:07:29 PDT
> >> > > >=20
> >> > > >   Modified files:
> >> > > >     usr.bin/split        split.1=20
> >> > > >   Log:
> >> > > >   mdoc(7) police: use .Fl to denote stdin.
> >> > >=20
> >> > > Is this really right?  It certainly isn't a flag in the case of:
> >> > >  diff -u foo -
> >> > >=20
> >> > > is it?
> >> > >=20
> >> > > Wouldn't .Pa be more appropriate, or something?
> >> > >=20
> >> > No, using .Pa wouldn't be more appropriate, as ``-'' isn't a real pa=
th.
> >> > Current mdoc(7) practices tell us:
> >> >=20
> >> > :    The `.Fl' macro without any arguments results in a dash represe=
nting
> >> > :    stdin/stdout.
> >>=20
> >> What about .Ar then, as this is an explicit argument that a program mu=
st grok,
> >> it is not handled like a flag, and in fact none of our flag processing=
 stuff
> >> handles it, namely getopt(3).  Seems to me it's just a special .Ar fil=
e ...
> >> possibility.  Just because it is symbolic doesn't mean it should be no=
tated
> >> differently, unless you show all possible usages including where stdin=
 could
> >> be used as a file...  Doesn't seem right to me...  What was the logic =
in the
> >> .Fl macro being used for it?
> >>=20
> > .Ar isn't right either because it denotes argument names, not the actual
> > values.  There isn't currently a macro like ``argument's value'', and I
> > routinely use the .Cm macro for that (for well-known argument names).
> > In this case, the file's argument value is (``-''), i.e. ``.Cm \&-'', b=
ut
> > then again (from mdoc(7)):
> >=20
> >:  Command Modifiers
> >:    The command modifier is identical to the `.Fl' (flag) command with =
the
> >          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> >:    exception that the `.Cm' macro does not assert a dash in front of e=
very
> >:    argument.  Traditionally flags are marked by the preceding dash, ho=
wever,
> >:    some commands or subsets of commands do not use them.  Command modi=
fiers
> >:    may also be specified in conjunction with interactive commands such=
 as
> >:    editor commands.  See Flags.
>=20
> You should not markup based on appearance like HTML does, but based on ac=
tual
> content like DocBook.  The macros should then render the appropriate appe=
arance
> for the content.  How would you mark up this:
>=20
> diff -u foo bar
>=20
=2ENm diff Fl u Pa foo bar

> You should mark up
>=20
> diff -u foo -
>=20
=2ENm diff Fl u Pa foo Fl

> in exactly the same manner as '-' is playing the same role as 'bar' in the
> first one.  Surely you aren't going to say '.Fl bar' are you? :)
>=20
No, `-' is special, it's not the real path, it's a "flag" for a program
that tells it to substitute stdin/stdout.

I'm not against breaking the traditions, we just happen to have this
documented, and have much more .Fl examples to denote stdin/stdout than
with either ``.Ql \&-'' or ``.Pa \&-''.  And I am for consistency.


Cheers,
--=20
Ruslan Ermilov		Sysadmin and DBA,
ru@sunbay.com		Sunbay Software AG,
ru@FreeBSD.org		FreeBSD committer,
+380.652.512.251	Simferopol, Ukraine

http://www.FreeBSD.org	The Power To Serve
http://www.oracle.com	Enabling The Information Age

--XsQoSWH+UP9D9v3l
Content-Type: application/pgp-signature
Content-Disposition: inline

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.0.7 (FreeBSD)

iD8DBQE89kEnUkv4P6juNwoRAnLnAKCFJ/aXljTL8fui1Sz44uNMyvB8SwCcCUje
jhZNEw299RxO76lFtIAS28E=
=6HKo
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

--XsQoSWH+UP9D9v3l--

To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
with "unsubscribe cvs-all" in the body of the message




Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?20020530151135.GA30858>