[bug #64224] [nroff] want feature to auto-size dimensioning registers to the terminal

[G. Branden Robinson]

URL:
  <https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?64224>

                 Summary: [nroff] want feature to auto-size dimensioning
registers to the terminal
                   Group: GNU roff
               Submitter: gbranden
               Submitted: Sun 21 May 2023 12:54:44 AM UTC
                Category: Core
                Severity: 1 - Wish
              Item Group: Feature change
                  Status: None
                 Privacy: Public
             Assigned to: None
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
         Planned Release: None


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Follow-up Comments:


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Date: Sun 21 May 2023 12:54:44 AM UTC By: G. Branden Robinson <gbranden>
A while back I [https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/groff/2022-08/msg00247.html
mused to the mailing list]:

> Registers for setting line length, page offset, page
> length, and vertical spacing trickled into the various macro packages in
> an inconsistent way over the years.
>
> One of the post-1.23 projects I have in mind is to complete the set for
> all macro packages and teach nroff about them so I can do something
> highly satisfying: give nroff an option to auto-size output to the
> terminal dimensions.

I foresee a couple of orthogonal dimensions of configuration here.

1.  Does the user want to simulate an infinite page length?

2.  Should the line length be set to "eat up" the entire terminal width, or
set a large page offset so as to center the document in the terminal window?

We also might have to pretend that the terminal height is one line shorter
than it actually is, to accommodate the prompt line used by pagers.  That
might be a 3rd axis of configuration.











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