Subject: mdoc tables
To: None <netbsd-docs@netbsd.org>
From: James K. Lowden <jklowden@schemamania.org>
List: netbsd-docs
Date: 12/24/2007 01:15:21
What's the trick -- or is there none? -- to make mdoc rows wrap within
their column?  

I'm used to HTML tables, where browser does the work or, worst case, the
rows follow the column width specified at the start of the table.  But my
first-ever mdoc man page is giving me fits.   

.Bl -column ".Sy Property\ \ \ " ".Sy Range\ \ \ \ \ \ \ " ".Sy Default\ \
\ \ \ \ "  ".Sy Meaning"

.It Sy Property Ta Sy Range Ta Sy Default Ta Sy Meaning

.It Li tds version Ta 4.2, 5.0, 7.0, 8.0 Ta --with-tdsver value (5.0 if
unspecified) Ta TDS protocol version to use

I would like "4.2, 5.0, 7.0, 8.0" to wrap with the width indicated by ".Sy
Range\ \ \ \ \ \ \ ".  Instead it intrudes into the third column, the 3rd
into the fourth, and the fourth column wraps in a tiny strand down the
right edge of the page.  

Is this why so many man pages choose an expository style over a tabular
one?  

I've looked for mdoc discussions/examples on the www.  Pretty much all I
find is copies of GROFF_MDOC(7).  

Thanks for any help.  

--jkl