Re: [mom] Extraneous empty line that starts a new page

[Peter Schaffter]

Hi, Branden.

On Mon, Apr 24, 2023, G. Branden Robinson wrote:
> > Regardless, when I process the document with groff 1.23.0.rc1.3711-25fb
> > and mom-2.5_c, passing pdfmom the -b flag (but not the -w flag), I
> > receive a string of errors of the form
> > 
> >   troff: backtrace: '2023-04-24.mom':83: macro '3init'
> >   troff: backtrace: file '2023-04-24.mom':92
> >   troff:2023-04-24.mom:92: error: numeric overflow
> > 
> [rearranging a little here]
> 
> I have a few observations about this, one of which startled me.
> 
> 1.  When I format the document with pdfmom from groff 1.23.0.rc4, but
>     without '-ww', I get _no diagnostics at all_.  But the output also
>     has no (text) content.
> 
> 2.  When I add the '-ww' flag, I get tons of diagnostics.  They start
>     like this.

I'll build/install/test 1.23.0_rc4 and report back with results.

> Good news and bad news, which are the same news.  With groff 1.23.0.rc4,
> none of the spew of diagnostics I get when using '-ww' with this
> document implicates any tbl(1) macro or register names.  The scary
> numeric overflow is gone, too.

Now, this is interesting.  Still running 1.23.0_rc1, I switched out
the tbl executable for the one that shipped with 1.22.4.  No numeric
overflow, everything went through fine.

It might be worth mentioning that the numeric overflow errors begin
with the second table in the OP's document.  The first, by itself,
generates none.
 
> > tbl(1) handling at or near a page transition presents a number of edge
> > cases and I may not have caught them all.
> 
> I get most of the same diagnostics--if I use '-ww'--if I give groff an
> input document consisting solely of this:
> 
> .PRINTSTYLE TYPESET
> 
> ...so much of this output may be a red herring

It is.
 
> For the time being I propose we back off of '-ww' usage with mom(7).
> I'm not sure it is helping illuminate anything.

Agreed.

> Maybe passing the white-gloved barracks inspection can be an objective
> for mom 2.6.  ;-)

<grimace>

Cheers.

-- 
Peter Schaffter
https://www.schaffter.ca