[PATCH 03/31] docs: drop blank lines from man pages

"G. Branden Robinson" <[email protected]> Thu, 23 Apr 2026 17:57:27 -0500
Newsgroups	gmane.editors.nano.devel
Message-ID	<20260423225727.gldfnowjw7gblgbx@illithid>
...replacing them with empty *roff requests.

groff_man_style(7) has points of advice about blank lines.

Description
...
   Synopsis macros
...
     •  The empty request (.), which does nothing, vertically spaces the
        input file for readability by the document maintainer; see
        subsection “Portability” below regarding blank lines.
...
   Portability
...
     Do not put blank (empty) lines in a man page source document.  They
     can produce excessive space in the output, or less than is
     attempted; some man(1) programs “squeeze” multiple blank output
     lines into one.

Fix style warnings from groff man(7):
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:20: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:23: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:29: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:64: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:91: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:123: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:126: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:440: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:452: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:465: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:476: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:505: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:518: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nano.1:521: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:20: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:23: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:33: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:68: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:71: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:416: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:456: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:566: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:602: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:631: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:668: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:1056: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:1114: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:1128: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/nanorc.5:1140: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/rnano.1:20: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/rnano.1:23: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/rnano.1:27: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/rnano.1:48: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/rnano.1:55: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/rnano.1:59: style: blank line in input
an.tmac:doc/rnano.1:62: style: blank line in input

This change was scripted.

$ groff -rCHECKSTYLE=3 -man -z doc/nano.1 doc/nanorc.5 doc/rnano.1 2>&1 \
  | tr ':' ' ' \
  | while read junk1 file lineno junk2; \
    do \
      printf '%d\ns/.*/./\nw\nq\n' $lineno | ed $file; \
    done

Only one case did this change the paragraph breaking of the document,
that in the description of "titlecolor" in nanorc(5).  The next commit
fixes that.

XXX possibly squash
---
 doc/nano.1   | 28 ++++++++++++++--------------
 doc/nanorc.5 | 32 +++++++++++++++++---------------
 doc/rnano.1  | 14 +++++++-------
 3 files changed, 38 insertions(+), 36 deletions(-)

diff --git a/doc/nano.1 b/doc/nano.1
index 9d74667d..7ebb07fc 100644
--- a/doc/nano.1
+++ b/doc/nano.1
@@ -17,16 +17,16 @@
 .\"   <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 .\"
 .TH NANO 1 "version 9.0" "April 2026"
-
+.
 .SH NAME
 nano \- Nano's ANOther text editor, inspired by Pico
-
+.
 .SH SYNOPSIS
 .B nano
 .RI [ options "] [[\fB+" line [\fB, column "]] " file ]...
 .sp
 .BR nano " [" \fIoptions "] [[" + [ crCR ]{ / | ? } \fIstring "] " \fIfile ]...
-
+.
 .SH NOTICES
 Since version 9.0, all lines are scrolled horizontally together
 (when the cursor approaches the edge), by just the amount needed,
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ .SH NOTICES
 .B bind M\-B linter main
 .RE
 .sp
-
+.
 .SH DESCRIPTION
 \fBnano\fR is a small and friendly text editor.  It copies the look and feel
 of Pico, but is free software, and implements several features that Pico
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ .SH DESCRIPTION
 .sp
 As a special case: if instead of a filename a dash (\fB\-\fR) is given,
 \fBnano\fR will read data from standard input.
-
+.
 .SH EDITING
 Entering text and moving around in a file is straightforward: typing the
 letters and using the normal cursor movement keys.  Commands are entered
@@ -120,10 +120,10 @@ .SH EDITING
 the built-in help (\fB^G\fR) lists all the available ones.
 The default key bindings can be changed via a \fInanorc\fR file \(em see
 .BR nanorc (5).
-
+.
 .\" Never hyphenate these:
 .hw ncurses terminfo
-
+.
 .SH OPTIONS
 .TP
 .BR \-A ", " \-\-smarthome
@@ -437,7 +437,7 @@ .SH OPTIONS
 \fB^P\fR shows the position, \fB^T\fR goes to a line,
 \fB^W\fR writes out a file, and \fB^E\fR executes a command.
 Note that this option overrides option \fB\-p\fR (\fB\-\-preserve\fR).
-
+.
 .SH TOGGLES
 Several of the above options can be switched on and off also while
 \fBnano\fR is running.  For example, \fBM\-L\fR toggles the
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ .SH TOGGLES
 The \fBM\-X\fR toggle is special: it works in all menus except
 the help viewer and the linter.  All other toggles work in
 the main menu only.
-
+.
 .SH FILES
 When \fB\-\-rcfile\fR is given, \fBnano\fR reads just the specified file
 for setting its options and syntaxes and key bindings.  Without that
@@ -462,7 +462,7 @@ .SH FILES
 .sp
 See \fI/usr/share/nano/\fR and \fI/usr/share/nano/extra/\fR
 for available syntax-coloring definitions.
-
+.
 .SH EXIT STATUS
 .TP
 .B 0
@@ -473,7 +473,7 @@ .SH EXIT STATUS
 .TP
 .B 2
 The last open buffer was discarded (with \fB^O^Q\fR or \fB^X^Q\fR).
-
+.
 .SH NOTES
 Suspension is enabled by default, reachable via \fB^T^Z\fR.
 (If you want a plain \fB^Z\fR to suspend nano, add
@@ -502,7 +502,7 @@ .SH NOTES
 .sp
 If you have any question about how to use \fBnano\fR in some specific
 situation, you can ask on \fIhelp\[email protected]\fR.
-
+.
 .SH BUGS
 The recording and playback of keyboard macros works correctly only on a
 terminal emulator, not on a Linux console (VT), because the latter does
@@ -515,10 +515,10 @@ .SH BUGS
 When nano crashes, it saves any modified buffers to emergency .save files.
 If you are able to reproduce the crash and you want to get a backtrace, define
 the environment variable \fBNANO_NOCATCH\fR.
-
+.
 .SH HOMEPAGE
 .I https://nano\-editor.org/
-
+.
 .SH SEE ALSO
 .BR nanorc (5)
 .sp
diff --git a/doc/nanorc.5 b/doc/nanorc.5
index 2a3895fa..66511125 100644
--- a/doc/nanorc.5
+++ b/doc/nanorc.5
@@ -17,10 +17,10 @@
 .\"   <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 .\"
 .TH NANORC 5 "version 9.0" "April 2026"
-
+.
 .SH NAME
 nanorc \- GNU nano's configuration file
-
+.
 .SH DESCRIPTION
 The \fInanorc\fR files contain the default settings for \fBnano\fR,
 a small and friendly text editor.  During startup, if \fB\-\-rcfile\fR
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ .SH DESCRIPTION
 \fI$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/nano/nanorc\fR or from \fI~/.config/nano/nanorc\fR,
 whichever is encountered first.  If \fB\-\-rcfile\fR is given,
 \fBnano\fR reads just the specified settings file.
-
+.
 .SH NOTICES
 Since version 9.0, all lines are scrolled horizontally together
 (when the cursor approaches the edge), by just the amount needed,
@@ -65,10 +65,10 @@ .SH NOTICES
 .B bind M\-B linter main
 .RE
 .sp
-
+.
 .\" Never hyphenate these:
 .hw ncurses terminfo
-
+.
 .SH OPTIONS
 The configuration file accepts a series of \fBset\fR and \fBunset\fR
 commands, which can be used to configure nano on startup without using
@@ -413,7 +413,8 @@ .SH OPTIONS
 number prefixed with \fB#\fR, with the digits representing the amounts of red,
 green, and blue, respectively.  This tells \fBnano\fR to select from the
 available palette the color that approximates the given values.
-
+.
+.IP
 Either "\fIfgcolor\fR" or "\fB,\fIbgcolor\fR" may be left out,
 and the pair may be preceded by \fBbold\fR and/or \fB\%italic\fR
 (separated by commas) to get a bold and/or slanting typeface,
@@ -453,7 +454,7 @@ .SH OPTIONS
 and disappears after 1.5 seconds or upon the next keystroke.
 With \fBM\-Z\fR the title bar plus status bar can be toggled.
 With \fBM\-X\fR the help lines.
-
+.
 .SH SYNTAX HIGHLIGHTING
 Coloring the different syntactic elements of a file
 is done via regular expressions (see the \fBcolor\fR command below).
@@ -563,7 +564,8 @@ .SH SYNTAX HIGHLIGHTING
 number prefixed with \fB#\fR, with the digits representing the amounts of red,
 green, and blue, respectively.  This tells \fBnano\fR to select from the
 available palette the color that approximates the given values.
-
+.
+.IP
 The color pair may be preceded by \fBbold\fR and/or \fB\%italic\fR
 (separated by commas) to get a bold and/or slanting typeface,
 if your terminal can do those.
@@ -599,7 +601,7 @@ .SH SYNTAX HIGHLIGHTING
 command to an already defined syntax \(em useful when you want to
 slightly improve a syntax defined in one of the system-installed
 files (which normally are not writable).
-
+.
 .SH REBINDING KEYS
 Key bindings can be changed via the following three commands:
 .RS 3
@@ -628,7 +630,7 @@ .SH REBINDING KEYS
 but not whether it makes any sense in the current menu.  The user has to take care
 that a function name between braces (or any sequence of them) is appropriate.
 Strange behavior or even a crash can result when the braced name is unfitting.
-
+.
 .TP
 The format of \fIkey\fR should be one of:
 .RS 3
@@ -665,7 +667,7 @@ .SH REBINDING KEYS
 Home, End, PageUp and PageDown) is not possible.
 On some terminals it's not possible to rebind \fB^H\fR (unless \fB\-\-raw\fR
 is used) because its keycode is identical to that of the Backspace key.
-
+.
 .TP
 Valid \fIfunction\fR names to be bound are:
 .RS 3
@@ -1053,7 +1055,7 @@ .SH REBINDING KEYS
 .B mouse
 Toggles mouse support.
 .RE
-
+.
 .TP
 Valid \fImenu\fR sections are:
 .RS 3
@@ -1111,7 +1113,7 @@ .SH REBINDING KEYS
 For \fBbind\fR it means all menus where the specified \fIfunction\fR exists;
 for \fBunbind\fR it means all menus where the specified \fIkey\fR exists.
 .RE
-
+.
 .SH EXAMPLES
 To make \fBCtrl+Z\fR suspend nano:
 .sp
@@ -1125,7 +1127,7 @@ .SH EXAMPLES
 .B bind Sh\-M\-C """{execute}| xsel \-ib {enter}{undo}""" main
 .RE
 .sp
-
+.
 .SH FILES
 .TP
 .I /etc/nanorc
@@ -1137,7 +1139,7 @@ .SH FILES
 .I /usr/share/nano/*
 Syntax definitions for the syntax coloring of common file types
 (and for less common file types in the \fIextra/\fR subdirectory).
-
+.
 .SH SEE ALSO
 .BR nano (1)
 .TP
diff --git a/doc/rnano.1 b/doc/rnano.1
index 12783d85..24dd90f1 100644
--- a/doc/rnano.1
+++ b/doc/rnano.1
@@ -17,16 +17,16 @@
 .\"   <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
 .\"
 .TH RNANO 1 "version 9.0" "April 2026"
-
+.
 .SH NAME
 rnano \- a restricted nano
-
+.
 .SH SYNOPSIS
 .B rnano
 .RI [ options "] [[\fB+" line [\fB, column "]] " file ]...
 .sp
 .BR rnano " [" \fIoptions "] [[" + [ crCR ]{ / | ? } \fIstring "] " \fIfile ]...
-
+.
 .SH DESCRIPTION
 \fBrnano\fR runs the \fBnano\fR editor in restricted mode.  This allows
 editing only the specified file or files, and doesn't allow the user
@@ -47,20 +47,20 @@ .SH DESCRIPTION
 not allow inserting another file or opening a new buffer;
 .IP \[bu]
 not allow appending or prepending to any file.
-
+.
 .SH OPTIONS
 .TP
 .BR \-h ", " \-\-help
 Show the available command-line options and exit.
 .P
 For all existing options, see the \fBnano\fR(1) man page.
-
+.
 .SH BUGS
 Please report bugs via
 .IR https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?group=nano .
-
+.
 .SH HOMEPAGE
 .I https://nano-editor.org/
-
+.
 .SH SEE ALSO
 .BR nano (1)
-- 
2.30.2
signature.asc (application/pgp-signature, 833 B)