{ "mode": "info", "parameter": "grog", "section": "", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/info/grog/json", "generated": "2026-08-02T22:05:19Z", "synopsis": "grog [-C] [-T device] [--run] [--warnings] [--ligatures] [groff-option\n...] [--] [filespec ...]\ngrog -h\ngrog --help\ngrog -v\ngrog --version", "sections": { "NAME": { "content": "grog - guess options for a following groff command\n", "subsections": [] }, "SYNOPSIS": { "content": "grog [-C] [-T device] [--run] [--warnings] [--ligatures] [groff-option\n...] [--] [filespec ...]\n\ngrog -h\ngrog --help\n\ngrog -v\ngrog --version\n", "subsections": [] }, "DESCRIPTION": { "content": "grog reads the input (file names or standard input) and guesses which\nof the groff(1) options are needed to perform the input with the groff\nprogram. A suitable device is now always written as -Tdevice including\nthe groff default as -T ps.\n\nThe corresponding groff command is usually displayed in standard out-\nput. With the option --run, the generated line is output into standard\nerror and the generated groff command is run on the standard output.\ngroffer(1) relies on a perfectly running groff(1).\n", "subsections": [] }, "OPTIONS": { "content": "The option -v or --version prints information on the version number.\nAlso -h or --help prints usage information. Both of these options au-\ntomatically end the grog program. Other options are thenignored, and\nno groff command line is generated. The following 3 options are the\nonly grog options,\n\n-C this option means enabling the groff compatibility mode, which\nis also transfered to the generated groff command line.\n", "subsections": [ { "name": "--ligatures", "content": "this option forces to include the arguments -P-y -PU within the\ngenerated groff command line.\n\n--run with this option, the command line is output at standard error\nand then run on the computer.\n", "long": "--ligatures" }, { "name": "--warnings", "content": "with this option, some more warnings are output to standard er-\nror.\n\nAll other specified short options (words starting with one minus char-\nacter -) are interpreted as groff options or option clusters with or\nwithout argument. No space is allowed between options and their argu-\nment. Except from the -marg options, all options will be passed on,\ni.e. they are included unchanged in the command for the output without\neffecting the work of grog.\n\nA filespec argument can either be the name of an existing file or a\nsingle minus - to mean standard input. If no filespec is specified\nstandard input is read automatically.\n", "long": "--warnings" } ] }, "DETAILS": { "content": "grog reads all filespec parameters as a whole. It tries to guess which\nof the following groff options are required for running the input under\ngroff: -e, -g, -G, -j, -p, -R, -s, -t (preprocessors); and -man, -mdoc,\n-mdoc-old, -me, -mm, -mom, and -ms (macro packages).\n\nThe guessed groff command including those options and the found file-\nspec parameters is put on the standard output.\n\nIt is possible to specify arbitrary groff options on the command line.\nThese are passed on the output without change, except for the -marg op-\ntions.\n\nThe groff program has trouble when the wrong -marg option or several of\nthese options are specified. In these cases, grog will print an error\nmessage and exit with an error code. It is better to specify no -marg\noption. Because such an option is only accepted and passed when grog\ndoes not find any of these options or the same option is found.\n\nIf several different -marg options are found by grog an error message\nis produced and the program is terminated with an error code. But the\noutput is written with the wrong options nevertheless.\n\nRemember that it is not necessary to determine a macro package. A roff\nfile can also be written in the groff language without any macro pack-\nage. grog will produce an output without an -marg option.\n\nAs groff also works with pure text files without any roff requests,\ngrog cannot be used to identify a file to be a roff file.\n\nThe groffer(1) program heavily depends on a working grog.\n", "subsections": [] }, "EXAMPLES": { "content": "Calling\ngrog meintro.me\nresults in\ngroff -me meintro.me\nSo grog recognized that the file meintro.me is written with the -me\nmacro package.\nOn the other hand,\ngrog pic.ms\noutputs\ngroff -p -t -e -ms pic.ms\nBesides determining the macro package -ms, grog recognized that the\nfile pic.ms additionally needs -pte, the combination of -p for pic, -t\nfor tbl, and -e for eqn.\nIf both of the former example files are combined by the command\ngrog meintro.me pic.ms\nan error message is sent to standard error because groff cannot work\nwith two different macro packages:\ngrog: error: there are several macro packages: -me -ms\nAdditionally the corresponding output with the wrong options is printed\nto standard output:\ngroff -pte -me -ms meintro.me pic.ms\nBut the program is terminated with an error code. The call of\ngrog -ksS -Tdvi grnexmpl.g\ncontains several groff options that are just passed on the output with-\nout any interface to grog. These are the option cluster -ksS consist-\ning of -k, -s, and -S; and the option -T with argument dvi. The output\nis\ngroff -k -s -S -Tdvi grnexmpl.g\nso no additional option was added by grog. As no option -marg was\nfound by grog this file does not use a macro package.\n", "subsections": [] }, "AUTHORS": { "content": "grog was originally written by James Clark. The current Perl implemen-\ntation was written by Bernd Warken with\ncontributions from Ralph Corderoy, and is maintained by Werner Lemberg\n.\n", "subsections": [] }, "SEE ALSO": { "content": "groff(1), groffer(1)\n\ngroff 1.22.4 23 March 2022 GROG(1)", "subsections": [] } }, "summary": "grog - guess options for a following groff command", "flags": [ { "flag": "", "long": "--ligatures", "arg": null, "description": "this option forces to include the arguments -P-y -PU within the generated groff command line. --run with this option, the command line is output at standard error and then run on the computer." }, { "flag": "", "long": "--warnings", "arg": null, "description": "with this option, some more warnings are output to standard er- ror. All other specified short options (words starting with one minus char- acter -) are interpreted as groff options or option clusters with or without argument. No space is allowed between options and their argu- ment. Except from the -marg options, all options will be passed on, i.e. they are included unchanged in the command for the output without effecting the work of grog. A filespec argument can either be the name of an existing file or a single minus - to mean standard input. If no filespec is specified standard input is read automatically." } ], "examples": [ "Calling", "grog meintro.me", "results in", "groff -me meintro.me", "So grog recognized that the file meintro.me is written with the -me", "macro package.", "On the other hand,", "grog pic.ms", "outputs", "groff -p -t -e -ms pic.ms", "Besides determining the macro package -ms, grog recognized that the", "file pic.ms additionally needs -pte, the combination of -p for pic, -t", "for tbl, and -e for eqn.", "If both of the former example files are combined by the command", "grog meintro.me pic.ms", "an error message is sent to standard error because groff cannot work", "with two different macro packages:", "grog: error: there are several macro packages: -me -ms", "Additionally the corresponding output with the wrong options is printed", "to standard output:", "groff -pte -me -ms meintro.me pic.ms", "But the program is terminated with an error code. The call of", "grog -ksS -Tdvi grnexmpl.g", "contains several groff options that are just passed on the output with-", "out any interface to grog. These are the option cluster -ksS consist-", "ing of -k, -s, and -S; and the option -T with argument dvi. The output", "is", "groff -k -s -S -Tdvi grnexmpl.g", "so no additional option was added by grog. As no option -marg was", "found by grog this file does not use a macro package." ], "see_also": [ { "name": "groff", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/groff/1/json" }, { "name": "groffer", "section": "1", "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/groffer/1/json" } ] }