Package: dpkg-dev
Version: 1.22.14
Severity: minor
Tags: upstream
* 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?
troff:<stdin>:67: warning: trailing space in the line
an.tmac:<stdin>:83: style: use of deprecated macro: .PD
an.tmac:<stdin>:88: style: use of deprecated macro: .PD
an.tmac:<stdin>:105: style: use of deprecated macro: .PD
an.tmac:<stdin>:110: style: use of deprecated macro: .PD
* 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 6.12.11-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 dpkg-dev depends on:
ii binutils 2.43.90.20250127-1
ii bzip2 1.0.8-6
ii libdpkg-perl 1.22.14
ii make 4.4.1-1
ii patch 2.7.6-7
ii perl 5.40.0-8
ii tar 1.35+dfsg-3.1
ii xz-utils 5.6.3-1+b1
Versions of packages dpkg-dev recommends:
pn build-essential <none>
ii clang-18 [c-compiler] 1:18.1.8-16
ii clang-19 [c-compiler] 1:19.1.7-1+b1
ii fakeroot 1.37-1
ii gcc [c-compiler] 4:14.2.0-1
ii gcc-13 [c-compiler] 13.3.0-12
ii gcc-14 [c-compiler] 14.2.0-12
ii gnupg 2.2.46-1
ii gpgv 2.2.46-1+b1
pn libalgorithm-merge-perl <none>
Versions of packages dpkg-dev suggests:
pn debian-keyring <none>
-- no debconf information
Input file is deb-triggers.5
Output from "mandoc -T lint deb-triggers.5": (shortened list)
1 input text line longer than 80 bytes: any activation will ...
1 input text line longer than 80 bytes: awaiting mode reques...
1 whitespace at end of input line
-.-.
Output from "test-groff -mandoc -t -ww -z deb-triggers.5": (shortened list)
1 trailing space in the line
-.-.
Show if Pod::Man generated this.
Who is actually creating this man page? Debian or upstream?
Is the generating software out of date?
2:.\" Automatically generated by Pod::Man 5.0102 (Pod::Simple 3.45)
-.-.
Remove space characters (whitespace) at the end of lines.
Use "git apply ... --whitespace=fix" to fix extra space issues, or use
global configuration "core.whitespace".
Number of lines affected is
1
-.-.
Add a comma (or \&) after "e.g." and "i.e.", or use English words
(man-pages(7)).
Abbreviation points should be protected against being interpreted as
an end of sentence, if they are not, and that independent of the
current place on the line.
72:a \fItriggers\fR file in its control archive (i.e. \fIDEBIAN/triggers\fR
-.-.
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 do not begin on a new line.
-.-.
Split lines longer than 80 characters into two or more lines.
Appropriate break points are the end of a sentence and a subordinate
clause; after punctuation marks.
Line 150, length 84
awaiting mode requested by the activation (either \(lqawait\(rq or
\(lqnoawait\(rq).
Line 152, length 84
any activation will set the triggering package into \(lqawait\(rq or
\(lqnoawait\(lq
-.-.
Add a zero (0) in front of a decimal fraction that begins with a period
(.)
7:.if t .sp .5v
-.-.
Put a parenthetical sentence, phrase on a separate line,
if not part of a code.
See man-pages(7), item "semantic newline".
deb-triggers.5:150:awaiting mode requested by the activation (either
\(lqawait\(rq or \(lqnoawait\(rq).
-.-.
Use ".na" (no adjustment) instead of ".ad l" (and then ".ad" to begin the
same adjustment again as before).
61:.if n .ad l
-.-.
Add lines to use the CR font for groff instead of CW.
.ie \n(.g .ft CR
.el .ft CW
11:.ft CW
-.-.
Section headings (.SH and .SS) do not need quoting.
154:.SH "SEE ALSO"
-.-.
Output from "test-groff -mandoc -t -K utf8 -rF0 -rHY=0 -rCHECKSTYLE=10 -ww -z
":
troff:<stdin>:67: warning: trailing space in the line
an.tmac:<stdin>:83: style: use of deprecated macro: .PD
an.tmac:<stdin>:88: style: use of deprecated macro: .PD
an.tmac:<stdin>:105: style: use of deprecated macro: .PD
an.tmac:<stdin>:110: style: use of deprecated macro: .PD
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.
Not beginning each input sentence on a new line.
Line length 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)
-.-
