LATEX2MAN
Section: Documentation Tools (1)
Updated: 2010/12/22
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NAME
Latex2man
is a tool to translate UNIX manual pages written with
LaTeXinto a format understood by the UNIX man(1)-command.
Alternatively HTML, TexInfo, or LaTeX code can be produced too.
Output of parts of the text may be suppressed using the conditional text
feature (for this, LaTeX generation may be used).
SYNOPSIS
latex2man
[-ttransfile]
[-cCSSfile]
[-HMTL]
[-h]
[-V]
[-Cname]
[-achar]
infile
outfile
DESCRIPTION
Latex2man
reads the file infile
and writes outfile.
The
input must be a LaTeX document using the latex2man
LaTeXpackage.
Latex2man
translates that document into the troff(1)
format using
the -man
macro package.
Using the -H
option, HTML code can be produced, instead of
troff(1).
With this option you can, optionally, specify a CSSfile
as an argument.
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) allows you to control the appearance of the resulting HTML page.
See below for the names of CSS classes that are included in the HTML tags as attributes.
Using the -T
option, TexInfo code can be produced, instead of
troff(1).
Using the -M
option, troff(1)
input is produced.
Using the -L
option, LaTeX ouput can be produced, instead of
troff(1).
OPTIONS
- -ttransfile
-
Translation for user defined LaTeX macros.
- -cCSSfile
-
If you use the -H
you can also specify a file that contains CSS
style sheets. The link to the CSS file is inserted into the generatedHTML output using the
specified CSSfile
filename.
- -M
-
Produce output suitable for the man(1)
command (default).
- -H
-
Instead of producing output suitable for the man(1)
command, HTML code is produced (despite the name of the command).
- -T
-
Instead of producing output suitable for the man(1)
command, TexInfo code is produced (despite the name of the command). The
generated .texi-file
may be processed with makeinfo(1)
(to produce an .info-file)
which in turn may be installed using
install-info(1).
The Info tags @dircategory and
@direntry are provided.
- -L
-
The LaTeX source is written to the outfile.
This is
useful in conjunction with the -Cname
option.
- -Cname
-
Output the conditional text for name.
If more
than one name should be given use quotes: -C'name1 name2 ...'
The following names are defined automatically:
-
- *
-
-H defines HTML
- *
-
-T defines TEXI
- *
-
-M defines MAN
- *
-
-L defines LATEX
-
- -achar
-
Is used only in conjunction with -T.
Background:
TexInfo ignores all blanks before the first word on a new line. In order
to produce some additional space before that word (using \SP) some
character has to be printed before the additional space. By default this
is a . (dot). The char
specifies an alternative for that first
character. Giving a blank to
-a
supresses the indentation of a line.
Note: only for the first \SP of a series that char
is printed.
- -h
-
Show a help text.
- -V
-
Show version information.
FILES
- latex2man.tex
-
The LaTeX file containing this Man-page.
- latex2man.sty
-
The LaTeX package defining the environments and
commands.
- latex2man.cfg
-
The configuration file for Latex2man
LaTeX-package.
- latex2man.css
-
File containing example CSS definitions.
- latex2man.trans
-
File containing example translations of user
defined LaTeX macros.
- fancyheadings.sty
-
A LaTeX package used to typeset head- and
foot lines.
- fancyhdr.sty
-
A LaTeX package used to typeset head- and foot
lines.
- rcsinfo.sty
-
A LaTeX package used to extract and use RCS version
control information in LaTeX documents.
- latex2man.pdf
-
The PDF version of this document.
SEE ALSO
LaTeX,TexInfo, troff(1),
groff(1),
makeinfo(1).
LaTeX COMMANDS
The LaTeX package latex2man
is used to write the Man-pages with
LaTeX.Since we translate into other text formats, not all LaTeX stuff can
be translated.
PACKAGE OPTIONS
The latex2man
package accepts the following options:
- fancy
-
use the LaTeX package fancyheadings.
- fancyhdr
-
use the LaTeX package fancyhdr.
- nofancy
-
neither the LaTeX package fancyheadings
nor
fancyhdr
are used.
The default option may be specified in the file latex2man.cfg.
PACKAGE SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTS
The following environments are provided by the package:
- \begin{Name}{chapter}{name}{author}{info}{title}
-
The
Name
environment takes five arguments: 1. the Man-page chapter,
2. the name of the Man-page, 3. the author, 4. some short information
about the tool printed in the footline of the Man-page, and 5. a text
which is used as title, for HTML and LaTeX (it's ignored for output of
the Man-page or TeXinfo. The Name
environment must be the first
environment in the document. Processing starts with this environment. Any
text before this is ignored (exception: the setVersion and
setDate commands). (Note: all arguments of \begin{Name} must
be written on one line).
- \begin{Table}[width]{columns}
-
The Table
environment takes two arguments: the first optional one specifies
a width of the last column, the second one gives the number of columns.
For example:
\begin{Table}[2cm]{3}
Here & am & I \\\hline
A 1 & A 2 & A 3 1 2 3 4 5 A 3 1 2 3 4 5 \\
B 1 & B 2 & B 3 \\
\end{Table}
will be typeset as:
Here
|
am
|
I
|
|
A 1
|
A 2
|
A 3 1 2 3 4 5 A 3 1 2 3 4 5
|
B 1
|
B 2
|
B 3
|
If no optional width
argument is given, all entries are
typeset left justified.
The width
is a length measured absolutly in cm.
Processing with LaTeX a p{width} column is typeset
as last column. The translation to troff(1)
commands
results in a lw(width)
column specification. Translating
to HTML and TexInfo ignores the width
parameter.
\hline may be used.
If the Man-page is formatted with troff(1)
and tables are used, the
tbl(1)
preprocessor should be called, usually by giving
a -t
to the call of troff(1).
When viewing the generated
manula page using man(1),
tbl(1)
is called automatically.
- \begin{Description}
-
is the same as \begin{description}
- \begin{Description}[label]
-
is similar to
\begin{description}, but the item labels have at minimum the size
of the (optional) word label.
The difference is visible only
in the DVI and PDF-output, not in the troff, TexInfo or HTML output.
-
- a
-
|a \begin{description}
- ab
-
|ab
- abc
-
|abc
-
-
- a
-
|a \begin{Description}
- ab
-
|ab
- abc
-
|abc
-
-
- a
-
|a \begin{Description}[aa]
- ab
-
|ab
- abc
-
|abc
-
ACCEPTED LaTeX ENVIRONMENTS
The following environments are accepted:
- *
-
description
- *
-
enumerate
- *
-
itemize
- *
-
verbatim
- *
-
center
They may be nested:
- *
-
Itemize and nested center:
A centered line.
Another centered line.
- *
-
Another item an nested enumerate
-
- 1.
-
a
- 2.
-
b
-
PACKAGE SPECIFIC MACROS
The following commands are provided:
- \Opt{option}
-
Option: \Opt{-o} will be typeset as -o.
- \Arg{argument}
-
Argument: \Arg{filename} will be typeset as
filename.
- \OptArg{option}{argument}
-
Option with Argument:
\OptArg{-o}{filename} will be typeset as -ofilename.
- \OptoArg{option}{argument}
-
Option with optional Argument:
\OptoArg{-o}{filename} will be
typeset as -o[filename].
- \oOpt{option}
-
Optional option, e.g. \oOpt{-o} will be
typeset as [-o].
- \oArg{argument}
-
Optional argument, e.g. \oArg{filename}
will be typeset as [filename].
- \oOptArg{option}{argument}
-
Optional option with argument, e.g.
\oOptArg{-o}{filename} will be typeset as [-ofilename].
- \oOptoArg{option}{argument}
-
Optional option with optional
argument, e.g.
\oOptoArg{-o}{filename} will be typeset as [-o[filename]].
- \File{filename}
-
used to typeset filenames, e.g.
\File{filename} will be typeset as filename.
- \Prog{prog}
-
used to typeset program names, e.g.
\Prog{latex2man} will be typeset as latex2man.
- \Cmd{command}{chapter}
-
used to typeset references to other
commands, e.g.
\Cmd{latex2man}{1} will be typeset as latex2man(1).
- \Bar
-
is typeset as |.
- \Bs
-
(BackSlash) is typeset as \.
- \Tilde
-
is typeset as a ~.
- \Dots
-
is typeset as ...
- \Bullet
-
us typeset as *.
- \setVersion{..}
-
set .. as version information.
- \setVersionWord{..}
-
set .. for the word Version:
in
the footline.
The default is \setVersionWord{Version:}.
- \Version
-
returns the version information.
- \setDate{..}
-
sets .. as date information.
- \Date
-
returns the date information.
- \Email{..}
-
use to mark an Email address:
\Email{Juergen.Vollmer@informatik-vollmer.de} is typeset as:
Juergen.Vollmer@informatik-vollmer.de.
- \URL{..}
-
use to mark an URL:
\URL{http://www.foo.de/\Tilde vollmer} is typeset as
http://www.foo.de/~vollmer.
- \LatexManEnd
-
the input file is read and processed until reading
end-of-file or
\LatexManEnd (at the beginning of a line).
LaTeXignores this command.
- \Lbr, \Rbr
-
is typeset as [ and ] (these variants are
needed only somtimes like in
\item[FooBar\LBr xx \Lbr]. Usually [ ] will work.
- \LBr, \RBr
-
is typeset as { and } (these variants are
needed when using { or } as arguments to macros.
- \Circum
-
is typeset as ^.
- \Percent
-
is typeset as %.
- \TEXbr
-
If processed with LaTeX causes a linebreak (i.e. is
equivalent to \\).In the output of latex2man
this macro is
ignored.
- \TEXIbr
-
If TexInfo output is generated, causes a linebreak (i.e. is
equivalent to \\),otherwise ignored.
- \MANbr
-
If Man-Page output is generated, causes a linebreak (i.e. is
equivalent to \\),otherwise ignored.
- \HTMLbr
-
If HTML output is generated, causes a linebreak (i.e. is
equivalent to \\),otherwise ignored.
- \medskip
-
An empty line.
- \SP
-
Produces some extra space, works also at the beginning of lines.
The code of the second line looks like:
\SP abc \SP\SP xx\\:
abc xx
abc xx
abc xx
Note: Due to some ``problems'' with TexInfo, the lines starting with
\SP
have a leading . (dot) in the TexInfo output,
see -achar.
ACCEPTED MACROS FROM THE RCSINFO PACKAGE
- \rcsInfo $Id ...$
-
if the LaTeX package rcsinfo
is used,
this command is used to extract the date of the Man-page.
- \rcsInfoLongDate
-
if the LaTeX package rcsinfo
is used, this
command is used to typeset the date coded in the $Id ..$ string.
ACCEPTED LaTeX MACROS
The following standard LaTeX commands are accepted:
- \section{..}
-
The section
macro takes one argument: the
name of the Man-page section. Each Man-page consists of several sections.
Usually there are the following sections in a Man-page: Name
(special handling as environment, c.f. above), Synopsis,
Description,
Options,
Files,
See Also,
Diagnostics,
Return Values,
Bugs,
Author,
version,
etc.
Synopsis
must be the first section after the Name
environment.
Note: Do not use LaTeX-macrosin section names.
- \subsection{..}
-
works as well as
- \subsubsection{..}
-
those.
- \emph{..}
-
\emph{example} is typeset as example.
- \textbf{..}
-
\textbf{example} is typeset as example.
- \texttt{..}
-
\textt{example} is typeset as example.
- \underline{..}
-