[bug #63777] explicitly document transition onto first page

[G. Branden Robinson]

Follow-up Comment #14, bug #63777 (project groff):

Hi Dave,

[comment #13 comment #13:]
> Not worth reopening this bug report over, but I notice this point still
isn't covered by the documentation update:
> 
> [comment #3 comment #3:]
> > A horizontal motion of zero length [...] _is_ output, and
> > I would expect it to cause a page transition if one is in the
> > twilight zone.  And it does.
> 
> Granted, the case that the manual was updated to cover (that of a break,
which might be a side effect of a number of requests) is a plausible situation
where one might cause an inadvertent transition to the first page, while the
one you cite is...a bit contrived--but nonetheless, I think, not obvious.  Is
it thus worth documenting?  Dunno, I'm on the fence about that, but I'm
bringing it up to get (an)other opinion(s).

I did in fact forget about this for a while.  Please do file a new ticket
about this.  I think the manual, as it gets on toward the end of the formatter
reference (currently, chapter 5), needs to start discussing the distinction
between formatter instructions that change the environment, those that produce
output, and those that do neither (register, string, macro definitions and
manipulation).

Eventually this background will better prepare the advanced _groff_ reader to
grapple with the internal "node" concept.


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