This file describes various problems that have been encountered in
compiling, installing and running groff. Suggestions for additions or
other improvements to this file are welcome.
* I am having problems compiling groff with g++ on a DECstation or
other machine using a MIPS processor (such as SGI machines).
Try getting g++ from foobar.colorado.edu:pub/Gnu-For-Pmax.
* I am having problems compiling groff with g++ on a 386 PC
I recommend using Michael Bloom's GNU COFF patches
(tut.cis.ohio-state.edu:pub/gnu/coff/gnu-coff.tar.Z).
* I get lots of `numeric overflow' error messages whenever I run
groff; I compiled groff with AT&T C++ 2.0 with an ANSI C compiler.
Include -DCFRONT_ANSI_BUG in CPPDEFINES in the top-level Makefile. If
that doesn't solve the problem, define INT_MIN as -INT_MAX in
* Using SunOS 4.1, gtroff aborts in malloc.
Include -DSUNOS_LOCALTIME_BUG in MALLOCFLAGS in the top-level Makefile.
* g++ 1.37.2 alpha gives the following error while compiling groff:
Failed assertion `TREE_CHAIN (list) == NULL_TREE' at line 777 of `cplus-tree.c'
Apply the fix given in the groff INSTALL file. I recommend using g++
1.37.1 in preference to 1.37.2 alpha.
* When I try to compile groff with g++, I get lots of parse errors
from files in /usr/include.
You must install C++ versions of the standard include files; these are
* g++ complains about conflicting declarations of fmod() while
compiling pic.tab.c; I'm using a 68k based machine.
This is a bug in the libg++ header files. Apply the fix given in the
* I get errors when I try to compile groff with Sun C++.
Groff requires ANSI C style header files. The Sun C++ header files
need some changes to meet this requirement: <string.h> must declare
the mem* functions, (just add `#include <memory.h>' to <string.h>);
the first argument to fopen and freopen should be declared as `const
char *'; the first argument to fread should be declared as `void *';
malloc should be declared to return `void *'. You can either change
them in place, or copy them to some other directory and include that
directory with a -I option.
* I get the error `make[2]: execve: /bin/sh: Arg list too long.'.
If you're using GNU make, try using /bin/make instead. Otherwise if
you have the `env' command, try changing occurrences of $(MAKE) in the
env - PATH=/bin:/usr/bin $(MAKE)
* The pic Makefile refers to a program called gperf; I can't find
You don't need gperf unless you want to add new keywords to gpic:
gperf is only used to generate key.c and a suitable key.c is supplied
in the distribution. Gperf is distributed with libg++; it's a perfect
* pic output is not centered horizontally; pictures sometimes run off
The macro package you are using is not supplying appropriate definitions
of PS and PE. Give groff a -mpic option.
* I'm having problems including PostScript illustrations using the PSPIC
A PostScript document must meet three requirements in order to be
included with the PSPIC macro: it must comply with the Adobe Document
Structuring Conventions; it must contain a BoundingBox line; it must
be ``well-behaved''. The BoundingBox line should be of the form:
%%BoundingBox: llx lly urx ury
where llx, lly, urx, ury are the coordinates of the lower left x,
lower left y, upper right x, upper right y of the bounding box of
marks on the page expressed as integers in the default PostScript
coordinate system (72 units per inch, origin at bottom left corner).
A useful tactic is to print out the illustration by itself (you may
need to add a `showpage' at the end), and physically measure the
bounding box. For more detail on these requirements, read the
specification of Encapsulated PostScript format. (This is available
from the Adobe file server; send a message with a body of `help' to
ps-file-server@adobe.com.)
* I am trying to include a PostScript illustration by using:
<lines of PostScript, each preceded by \!>
This mechanism for including PostScript illustrations is a feature
peculiar to Adobe's TranScript software. It is not supported by
groff. You should switch to using the PSPIC macro.
* I've configured groff for A4 paper, but gtroff still seems to think
that the length of a page (as returned by \n(.p) is 11 inches.
This is intentional. The PAGE option is used only by grops. For
compatibility with ditroff, the default page length in gtroff is
always 11 inches. The page length can be changed with the `pl'
* Groff doesn't use the font names I'm used to.
Use the `ftr' request. See gtroff(1).
* I get errors using the Unix -ms macros with groff -e -C.
*** /usr/lib/ms/ms.eqn Tue Apr 25 02:14:28 1989
--- ms.eqn Sun Nov 11 10:33:59 1990
. \" EN - end of a displayed equation
.if \\n(ZN>0 .if \\n(YE=0 .LP
. \" EN - end of a displayed equation
.if \\n(ZN>0 .if \\n(YE=0 .LP
* gpic doesn't accept the syntax `chop N M' for chopping both ends of a
The correct syntax is `chop N chop M'.
* With gpic -t, when I print `line ->; box' using a dvi to ps
program, the arrow head sticks through into the inside of the box.
The dvi to ps program should be modified to set the line cap and
line join parameters to 1 while printing tpic specials.
* When I print the output groff -Tps, the output is always shifted up
by about 0.7 inches; I'm using 8.5x11 inch paper.
Make sure that PAGE is defined to be `letter' in the top-level
Makefile. If you failed to do this, you can fix the problem by doing:
cp ps/devps/DESC-letter /usr/local/lib/groff/font/devps/DESC
* When I try to print the output of groff -Tps, I get no output at all
from the printer, and the log file shows the error
%%[ error: undefined; offendingcommand: BP ]%%
I using TranScript spooling software.
This is a bug in the page reversal filter in early versions of
TranScript. Include -DBROKEN_SPOOLER in CPPDEFINES in the top-level
Makefile, and rebuild grops.
* When I preview groff -Tps output using the Sun OpenWindows 2.0 pageview
program, all the pages are displayed on top of each other.
This is a defect in pageview. Include -DBROKEN_SPOOLER in CPPDEFINES
in the top-level Makefile, and rebuild grops.
* When I try to preview the output of groff -Tps using ralpage, I get
This is a bug in ralpage. You may be able to work around the bug by
defining MF and SF in ps/devps/prologue using `def' instead of `bind
* With groff -TX75 or -TX100, I can only view the first page.
The left mouse button brings up a menu that allows you to view other
* Documents that use mainly 12-point text exhibit poor letter spacing
when previewed with groff -TX75 or -TX100.
Use groff -TX75-12 or groff -TX100-12.
* When I print the output of groff -Tdvi, I just get a black dot in
Some dvi drivers (notably early versions of xtex) do not correct
handle dvi files that use a resolution different from that used by dvi
files produced by TeX. Try getting a more up to date driver.
* I get lots of errors when I use groff with -mm.
-mm needs a few changes to work with groff; `make install.mm' will
copy your -mm macros to groff's macro directory and make the necessary
changes. You may need to edit the commands for the install.mm target
* gtroff doesn't understand lines like `.ce99' with no space between
the name of the request or macro and the arguments.
Gtroff requires a space between macro or request and its arguments
because it allows the use of long names for macros and requests. You
can use the -C option or the `cp' request to put gtroff into a
compatibility mode in which it is not possible to use long names for
macros but in which no space is required between macros and their
arguments. The use of compatibility mode is strongly discouraged.
* gtroff gives warnings about lines like
(with a tab after the .ev).
A tab character cannot be used as a substitute for a space character
(except in one case: between a control character at the beginning of a
line and the name of a macro or request). For example, in Unix troff
.ps \" restore the previous point size
(with a tab after the .ps) will NOT restore the previous point-size;
instead it will be silently ignored. Since this is very likely to be
an error, gtroff can give a warning about it. If you want to align
comments, you can do it like this:
* I don't like the page headers and footers produced by groff -man.
There seem to be many different styles of page header and footer
produced by different versions of the -man macros. You will need to
modify macros/tmac.an to suit your personal taste. For example, if
you want the center of the page header to say
you will need to change the line
.el .ds an-extra3 \"UNIX Programmer's Manual
.el .ds an-extra3 UNIX Programmer's Manual
* Where is the document ``Groff Character Names'' that is mentioned in various
It is in doc/chars.tr. You can print it out with each device to see
what characters are available for that device.
* While formatting a manual page, groff complains about not being able to
break lines. The problem seems to be caused by a line like:
The -man documentation says that the default scale indicator for TP
macro is `n'. The groff -man macros implement this correctly, so that
the argument will be evaluated as if it were
The Unix -man macros don't implement this correctly (probably because
it's hard to do in Unix troff); they just append `n' to the entire
argument, so that it will be evaluated as if it were
The solution is to fix the manual page:
* When I preview documents using -TX75 or -TX100, the layout is not the same
as when I print the document with -Tps or -Tdvi: the line and page
breaks come in different places.
This is the way xditview works: the widths of characters in the X
fonts don't match the widths of characters in the PostScript fonts, so
the layout usually comes out differently. The idea of xditview is
just to give you a readable representation of your document on screen,
rather than to give you a simulation of how it will look when printed.
If you want that, then you could use a PostScript previewer or a dvi
previewer according as you're using -Tps or -Tdvi. Alternatively you
* In gpic expressions don't work at all. I'm using g++ 1.39 on a sparc.
This is a bug in gcc/g++ 1.39. Apply the fix given in the INSTALL file.
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