{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "groff_me",
    "section": "7",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/groff_me/7/json",
    "generated": "2026-10-10T04:44:07Z",
    "sections": {
        "Name": {
            "content": "groffme - “me” macro package for formatting roff documents\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "Synopsis": {
            "content": "groff -me [option ...] [file ...]\ngroff -m me [option ...] [file ...]\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "Description": {
            "content": "The  GNU implementation of the me macro package is part of the groff document formatting sys‐\ntem.  The me package of macro definitions for the roff language provides a convenient  facil‐\nity  for preparing technical papers in various formats.  This version is based on the me dis‐\ntributed with 4.4BSD and can be used with the GNU troff formatter as well as those  descended\nfrom AT&T troff.\n\nSome  formatter  requests affect page layout unpredictably when used in conjunction with this\npackage; however, the following may be used with impunity after the first  call  to  a  para‐\ngraphing macro like lp or pp.  Some arguments are optional; see groff(7) for details, partic‐\nularly  of  requests whose argument list is designated with an ellipsis.  An asterisk * marks\ngroff extensions.\n\nad c       set text adjustment mode to c\naf r f     assign format f to register r\nam m e     append to macro m until e called\nas s t     append rest of line t to string s\nbp n       begin new page numbered n\nbr         break output line\nce n       center next n output lines\ncp n       en-/disable AT&T troff compatibility mode*\nde m e     define macro m until e called\ndo t       interpret input t with compatibility mode off*\nds s t     define rest of line t as string s\nel t       interpret t if corresponding ie false\nfc c d     set field delimiter c and padding glyph d\nfi         enable filling\nhc c       set hyphenation character to c\nhy m       set automatic hyphenation mode to m\nie p t     as if, but enable interpretation of later el\nif p t     if condition p, interpret rest of line t\nin h       set indentation to distance h\nlc c       set leader repetition glyph to c\nls n       set line spacing to n\nmc c h     set (right) margin glyph to c at distance h\nmk r       mark vertical position in register r\nna         disable adjustment of text\nne v       need vertical space of distance v\nnf         disable filling\nnh         disable automatic hyphenation\nnr r n i   assign register r value n with auto-increment i\nns         begin no-space mode\npl v       set page length to v\npn n       set next page number to n\npo h       set page offset to h\nrj n       right-align next n output lines*\nrm m       remove macro, string, or request m\nrn m n     rename macro, string, or request m to n\nrr r       remove register r\nrs         resume spacing (end no-space mode)\nrt v       return to vertical position set by mk, or v\nso f       source (interpolate) input file f\nsp n       insert n lines of vertical space\nta ...     set tab stops\ntc c       set tab repetition glyph to c\nti h       set temporary indentation (next line only) to h\ntl ...     output three-part title\ntr ...     translate characters\nul n       underline next n output lines\n\nExcept on title pages (produced by calling tp), me suppresses the output of vertical space at\nthe tops of pages (after the output of any page header); the sp request will  thus  not  work\nthere.   You  can  instead call bl or enclose the desired spacing request in a diversion, for\ninstance by calling (b and )b.  me also intercepts the ll request; see the “me Reference Man‐\nual” for details.\n",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "Name space",
                    "content": "Objects in me follow a rigid naming convention.  To avoid conflict, any  user-defined  regis‐\nter, string, or macro names should be single numerals or uppercase letters, or any longer se‐\nquence  of letters and numerals with at least one uppercase letter.  (For portability between\nBSD and groff me, limit names to two characters, and avoid the name [ (left square bracket).)\nThe names employed by any preprocessors in use should also not be repurposed.\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "Macros",
                    "content": "$0   post-section heading hook\n$1   pre-section depth 1 hook\n$2   pre-section depth 2 hook\n$3   pre-section depth 3 hook\n$4   pre-section depth 4 hook\n$5   pre-section depth 5 hook\n$6   pre-section depth 6 hook\n$C   post-chapter title hook\n$H   page/column heading hook\n$c   output chapter number and title\n$f   output footer\n$h   output header\n$p   output section heading\n$s   output footnote area separator\n(b   begin block\n(c   begin centered block\n(d   begin delayed text\n(f   begin footnote\n(l   begin list\n(q   begin long quotation\n(x   begin index entry\n(z   begin floating keep\n)b   end block\n)c   end centered block\n)d   end delayed text\n)f   end footnote\n)l   end list\n)q   end long quotation\n)x   end index entry\n)z   end floating keep\n++   set document segment type\n+c   begin chapter\n1c   end multi-column layout\n2c   begin multi-column layout\nEN   end eqn equation\nEQ   begin eqn equation\nGE   end grn picture with drawing position at bottom\nGF   end grn picture with drawing position at top\nGS   start grn picture\nIE   end ideal picture with drawing position at bottom\nIF   end ideal picture with drawing position at top\nIS   start ideal picture\nPE   end pic picture with drawing position at bottom\nPF   end pic picture with drawing position at top\nPS   start pic picture\nTE   end tbl table\nTH   end heading for multi-page tbl table\nTS   start tbl table\nb    embolden argument\nba   set base indentation\nbc   begin new column\nbi   embolden and italicize argument\nbx   box argument\nef   set even-numbered page footer\neh   set even-numbered page header\nep   end page\nfo   set footer\nhe   set header\nhl   draw horizontal line\nhx   suppress next page's headers/footers\ni    italicize argument\nip   begin indented paragraph\nld   reset localization and date registers and strings*\nll   set line length\nlp   begin fully left-aligned paragraph\nnp   begin numbered paragraph\nof   set odd-numbered page footer\noh   set odd-numbered page header\npd   output delayed text\npp   begin first-line indented paragraph\nq    quote argument\nr    set argument in roman\nre   reset tab stops\nsh   begin numbered section\nsm   set argument at smaller type size\nsx   change section depth\nsz   set type size and vertical spacing\ntp   begin title page\nu    underline argument\nuh   begin unnumbered section\nxl   set line length (local)\nxp   output index\n\nSome macros are provided for “old” roff(1) compatibility.   The  “me  Reference  Manual”  de‐\nscribes alternatives for modern documents.\n\nar   use Arabic numerals for page numbers\nbl   insert space (even at page top; cf. sp)\nix   set indentation without break\nm1   set page top to header distance\nm2   set header to text distance\nm3   set text to footer distance\nm4   set footer to page bottom distance\nn1   begin output line numbering\nn2   end or alter output line numbering\npa   begin page\nro   use Roman numerals for page numbers\nsk   skip next page\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "Registers",
                    "content": "$0   section depth\n$1   first section number component\n$2   second section number component\n$3   third section number component\n$4   fourth section number component\n$5   fifth section number component\n$6   sixth section number component\n$c   current column number\n$d   delayed text number\n$f   footnote number\n$i   paragraph base indentation\n$l   column width\n$m   number of available columns\n$p   numbered paragraph number\n$s   column spacing (indentation)\nbi   display (block) indentation\nbm   distance from text area to page bottom\nbs   display (block) pre/post space\nbt   block threshold for keeps\nch   current chapter number\ndf   display font\ndv   vertical spacing of displayed text (as percentage)*\nes   equation pre/post space\nff   footnote font\nfi   footnote indentation (first line only)\nfm   footer margin\nfp   footnote type size in points\nfs   footnote prespace\nfu   footnote undent (right indentation)\nhm   header margin\nii   indented paragraph indentation\nno   line numbering offset*\npf   paragraph font\npi   paragraph indentation\npo   page offset\npp   paragraph type size in points\nps   paragraph prespace\nqi   long quotation left/right indentation\nqp   long quotation type size in points\nqs   long quotation pre/post space\nsf   section title font\nsi   section indentation per level of depth\nso   additional section title offset\nsp   section title type size in points\nss   section prespace\nsx   super/subscript line height increase*\ntf   title font\ntm   distance from page top to text area\ntp   title type size in points\ntv   vertical spacing of text (as percentage)*\nxs   index entry prespace\nxu   index undent (right indentation)\ny2   year of the century*\ny4   year*\nyr   year minus 1900\nzs   floating keep pre/post space\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "Strings",
                    "content": "#    delayed text marker\n$n   concatenated section number\n*    footnote marker\n-    em dash\n<    begin subscripting\n>    end subscripting\ndw   weekday name\nlq   left double quotation mark\nmo   month name\nrq   right double quotation mark\ntd   date\nwa   term for “appendix” used by .$c*\nwc   term for “chapter” used by .$c*\n{    begin superscripting\n}    end superscripting\n"
                }
            ]
        },
        "Files": {
            "content": "/usr/share/groff/1.23.0/tmac/e.tmac\nimplements the package.\n\n/usr/share/groff/1.23.0/tmac/refer-me.tmac\nimplements refer(1) support for me.\n\n/usr/share/groff/1.23.0/tmac/me.tmac\nis a wrapper enabling the package to be loaded with “groff -m me”.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "Notes": {
            "content": "Early  roff  macro  packages often limited their names to a single letter, which followed the\nformatter's m flag letter, resulting in mm, ms, mv, mn, and so on.  The “e”  in  “me”  stands\nfor “Eric P. Allman”, who wrote the macro package and the original technical papers document‐\ning it while an undergraduate at the University of California.\n\nSee also\nTwo  manuals  are  available  in  source and rendered form.  On your system, they may be com‐\npressed and/or available in additional formats.\n\n/usr/share/doc/groff-base/meintro.me\n/usr/share/doc/groff-base/meintro.ps\nis “Writing Papers with Groff Using -me”, by Eric P.  Allman,  adapted  for  groff  by\nJames Clark.\n\n/usr/share/doc/groff-base/meref.me\n/usr/share/doc/groff-base/meref.ps\nis  the “me Reference Manual”, by Eric P. Allman, adapted for groff by James Clark and\nG. Branden Robinson.\n\nGroff: The GNU Implementation of troff, by Trent A. Fisher and Werner Lemberg, is the primary\ngroff manual.  You can browse it interactively with “info groff”.\n\nFor preprocessors supported by me, see eqn(1), grn(1), pic(1), refer(1), and tbl(1).\n\ngroff(1), troff(1), groff(7)\n\ngroff 1.23.0                                31 March 2024                                groffme(7)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "flags": [],
    "examples": [],
    "see_also": []
}