[comp.unix.questions] possible solutions for tbl problems

kathy@wrcola.UUCP (08/31/87)

This was a reply to a reply to a reply I made to a posting on the net.
The mailer daemons grabbed it and sent it back to me, so I'm posting
and hoping raj@future will see it.

The original question had to do with a long table, in columns with
numerical alignment began to do strange things after a while.

 > From: raj@future
 >
 > Thanks very much.  But your suggestion does not solve my problem, because
 > I am boxing the table.  Is there a way to get the tbl to look beyond the
 > first 200 lines, all the way to .TE?

I don't think so - not without altering the source code.

How about a lateral approach though - another way of boxing the table
besides using "box" in the global instructions?

I seem to remember there is one flukey problem with this, too, but I don't
remember what it is - only that it only happens in one particular instance. 
BUT.  Use the pipe symbols at the beginning and end of your line format
lines to get the side vertical lines, and the underscore and/or equal sign
to get the box horizontal lines.

Viz:

	.TS H
	center, tab(:) ;
	| cw(2i) | cw(2i) | cw(2i) | 
	| lw(2i) | lw(2i) | nw(2i) | .
	_				\" Note line at top, since no "box"
	head:head:head
	=
	.TH
	item:item:number
	_
	item:item:number
	.TE			\" Note no line at bottom since continuing
	.TS H
	center, tab(:) ;
	| cw(2i) | cw(2i) | cw(2i) | 
	| lw(2i) | lw(2i) | nw(2i) | .
	_
	head:head:head
	=
	.TH N
	item:item:number
	_
	item:item:number
	-			\" Note line at bottom since this is
	.TE			\" real end of table

You may have to fiddle with the header lines and formats a bit -
sometimes interjecting a line in there makes tbl think it has
an extra line, or something - but it should work. 

A vague something makes me think that the flukey problem has to do
with trying to use bold type in the *first* column in the line specs:

	| cw(2i) fB | cw(2i) fB | cw(2i) fB |
                  ^

As I remember it, the problem is only in the first column.  I think
that the workaround was to make the typefont change in the header
data within the table itself, rather than in the spec:

	| cw(2i) | cw(2i) | cw(2i) | 
		...
	\fBhead:head:head\fP

or maybe

	| cw(2i) | cw(2i) | cw(2i) | 
		...
	.ft B
	head:head:head
	.ft P

Let me know if it works - or even if it doesn't.  



Kathy Vincent -----> AT&T: {ihnp4|mtune|burl}!wrcola!kathy
              -----> Home: {ihnp4|mtune|ptsfa|codas}!bakerst!kathy