mikey@ontek.UUCP (Mike Lee) (06/17/89)
maart@cs.vu.nl (Maarten Litmaath) writes > mikey@ontek.UUCP (Mike Lee) writes: > \... > \# csh script to call up nroff on a paragraph > > ... > 1) You shouldn't use csh for scripts: > > - sh starts up faster > - sh often is more powerful (csh has built-in arithmetic, arrays, > modifiers like `:t', comma-separated lists) > - sh often is easier/clearer > Well, here's a Bourne shell script: > ... I'll use whatever programming language I want!!! Neener neener!!! :-) But seriously... All of your points are pertinent, but I think the larger point would be that using a shell of any origin is less desirable than writing a function in C or some other compiled language. In fact, someone posted just such a thing for adjusting paragraphs quite recently. In any case, the true limitations of the csh script I posted are not imposed by the shell it's written in, but the quick-and-dirty approach I took. In fact, I think I'll confess right now... A) editing and adjusting a paragraph several times will cause the pain and itch of unsightly spaces in between words, due to nroff not being designed to take its output as input. That's a feature in nroff, but a bug in my script. A little sed-ing would fix it. B) It will soak the "B)" in paragraphs like this into the margin along with with the rest of the paragraph. Anyway, the script itself is lame, so it's perfectly correct to write in a lame script language. Perhaps next time I'll use interpreted cobol. %-) IN CONCLUSION: The issue that started this thing, how to adjust a paragraph in vi, has been resolved I believe: Use fmt(1) if you like raggedy-ann right margins, or else use a script to call up nroff which will get you straight margins. So there's no excuse for people to continue posting articles with unadjusted paragraphs anymore!! Mike ("Don't call me Bruce") Lee Ontek Corporation ("Better living through ontology") mikey@ontek.uucp ...uunet!ontek!mikey 1-714-768-0301