Node:Introduction, Next:User Guide, Previous:Top, Up:Top

# Introduction

This document describes GNU a2ps version 4.13. The latest versions may be found on the a2ps home page.

We tried to make this document informative and pleasant. It tries to be more than a plain reference guide, and intends to offer information about the concepts or tools etc. that are related to printing PostScript. This is why it is now that big: to offer you all the information you might want, not because a2ps is difficult to use. See Glossary, for technical words or even general information.

Please, send us emailcards `:)`. Whatever the comment is, or if you just like a2ps, write to Miguel Santana and Akim Demaille.

- Description: What a2ps is
- Reporting Bugs: What to do when you face problems
- a2ps Mailing List: Getting news about a2ps
- Helping the Development: How to contribute

Node:Description, Next:Reporting Bugs, Previous:Introduction, Up:Introduction

## Description

a2ps formats files for printing on a PostScript printer.

The format used is nice and compact: normally two pages on each physical page, borders surrounding pages, headers with useful information (page number, printing date, file name or supplied header), line numbering, pretty-printing, symbol substitution etc. This is very useful for making archive listings of programs or just to check your code in the bus. Actually a2ps is kind of bootstrapped: its sources are frequently printed with a2ps `:)`.

While at the origin its names was derived from "ASCII to PostScript", today we like to think of it as "Any to PostScript". Indeed, a2ps supports delegations, i.e., you can safely use a2ps to print DVI, PostScript, LaTeX, JPEG etc., even compressed.

A short list of features of a2ps might look like this:

- Customizable through various configuration files (see Configuration Files)
- Powerful escapes to define the headers, table of contents etc. the way you want (see Escapes);
- Variables to push even further the customizability in a comfortable manner (see Your Variables);
- Open approach of encodings (see Encodings);
- Excellent support of the Latin 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 encodings, thanks to `Ogonkify` (see top), written by Juliusz Chroboczek.
- Fully customizable output style: fonts, background and foreground colors, line numbering style etc. (see Designing PostScript Prologues).
- Possibility to delegate the processing of some files to other filters (see Your Delegations).
- Many contributions, e.g., pretty-print diffs, print reference cards of programs, sanitize broken PostScript files, print Duplex on Simplex printers etc. (see Contributions).
- And finally, the ability to pretty-print sources written in quite a few various languages (see Pretty Printing).

Node:Reporting Bugs, Next:a2ps Mailing List, Previous:Description, Up:Introduction

## Reporting Bugs

We try hard to make a2ps portable on any Unix platform, and bug free. But sometimes there can still be bad surprises, even after having compiled and checked a2ps on several very different platforms.

You may encounter some of these problems yourself. In any case, please never abandon without giving us a chance. We need information from everybody so that mistakes get fixed as fast as possible.

So, if you have a problem (configuration error, compilation error, runtime error, documentation error or unclear), first check in the FAQ (see FAQ), then on the page Known a2ps Bugs if the issue has not been addressed yet. If it is not the case, but it appears that the version of a2ps you have is old, consider upgrading.

If the problem persists, send us a mail (bug-a2ps@gnu.org) which subject is `a2ps version: short-description` and which content mentions the name of your machine and OS, the version of a2ps, every detail you have on your compiler, and as much traces as possible (the error messages you get on the screen, or the output of `make` when it fails etc.).

Be sure to get a quick answer.

Node:a2ps Mailing List, Next:Helping the Development, Previous:Reporting Bugs, Up:Introduction

## a2ps Mailing List

There is a mailing list in which are discussed various topics around a2ps: a2ps@gnu.org. There are also announcements about the version in alpha testing, requests for comments, new sheets, etc.

To subscribe to the list, send a mail to a2ps-request@gnu.org, with `subscribe` in the body.

Please, note that the mailing list is by no means a bug reporting address: use bug-a2ps@gnu.org instead.

Node:Helping the Development, Previous:a2ps Mailing List, Up:Introduction

## Helping the Development

If you like a2ps and if you feel like helping, there are several things you can do.

Testing
  You just can't imagine how hard it is to make sure that the program that works perfectly here will work on your machine. Actually, in general the last weeks before a release are mostly dedicated to (Unix) portability issues.

  So we need beta-testers! To be one is fairly simple: subscribe to the mailing-list where the betas are announced and distributed.

Translation
  The interface of a2ps is under `GNU gettext` which means that all the messages can be translated, without having to look at the code of a2ps: you don't need to be a programmer at all. All the details are available on the a2ps translation page.
Style Sheets
  Since a2ps is evolving and getting more powerful, the style sheets should be checked and improved. There are too many so that the authors work on them. Therefore if you feel your favorite language is not honored as it should be, improve the style sheet! (see Pretty Printing for details.)
Encodings
  a2ps is wide open to any 8-bit encoding. If your language is not covered today by a2ps, you can easily provide the support yourself. Honestly, the trickiest part is to find correct free fonts that support your mother tongue (see Encoding Files, to know more).
Fonts
  There are still some characters missing in Ogonkify. See the list of missing characters and the Ogonkify home page for details.
Documentation
  If you feel something is missing or is unclear, send us your contributions.
Porting
  Porting a program to special architectures (MS-DOS, OS/2 etc.), or building special packages (e.g., RPM) requires having an access to these architectures. If you feel like maintaining such a port, tell us.
Features
  Well, if you feel like doing something else, go ahead! But contact us, because we have quite a big stack of things we want to do or have started to do, and synchronizing might be useful.

Node:User Guide, Next:Invoking a2ps, Previous:Introduction, Up:Top

# User's Guide

This chapter is devoted to people who don't know a2ps yet: we try to give a soft and smooth introduction to the most useful features. For a reference manual, see Invoking a2ps. For the definition of some words, see Glossary, for questions you have, see FAQ.

- Purpose: What a2ps is made for
- How to print: The basis
- Important parameters: What needs to be set
- Localizing: How to have a2ps speaking your language
- Interfacing: Using a2ps from common programs

Node:Purpose, Next:How to print, Previous:User Guide, Up:User Guide

## Purpose

a2ps is a program that takes a text file (i.e., human readable), and makes a PostScript file out of it. Typically output is sent to a printer.

Node:How to print, Next:Important parameters, Previous:Purpose, Up:User Guide

## How to print

To print a file `doc.txt`, just give it to a2ps: the default setting should be the one you'd like:

    gargantua ~ $ a2ps doc.txt
    [doc.txt (plain): 9 pages on 5 sheets]
    [Total: 9 pages on 5 sheets] sent to the default printer

a2ps sent the file `doc.txt` to the default printer, writing two columns of text on a single face of the sheet. Indeed, by default a2ps uses the option `-2`, standing for two virtual pages.

- Basics for Printing: Printing text files
- Special Printers: Some useful fake printers
- Using Delegations: Printing special files (PS, DVI etc.)
- Printing Duplex: Doing Fancy Things
- Checking the Defaults: Is it set the way you want?

Node:Basics for Printing, Next:Special Printers, Previous:How to print, Up:How to print

### Basics for Printing

Say you want to print the C file `bar.c`, and its header `foo.h`, on 4 virtual pages, and save it into the file `foobar.ps`. Just hit:

    gargantua $ a2ps foo.h bar.c -4 -o foobar.ps
    [foo.h (C): 1 page on 1 sheet]
    [bar.c (C): 3 pages on 1 sheet]
    [Total: 4 pages on 2 sheets] saved into the file `foobar.ps'

The option `-4` tells a2ps to make four virtual pages: two rows by two columns. The option `-o foobar.ps` (which is the short version of `--output=foobar.ps`) specifies the output file. Long options must always be separated by spaces, though short options with no arguments may be grouped.

Note too that the options may be specified before or after the files, it does not matter.

If you send `foobar.ps` to a printer, you'll discover that the keywords were highlighted, that the strings and comments have a different face. Indeed, a2ps is a pretty-printer: if it knows the (programming) language in which your file is written, it will try to make it look nice and clear on the paper.

But too bad: `foo.h` is only one virtual page long, and `bar.c` takes three. Moreover, the comments are essential in those files. And even worse: the system's default printer is out of ink. Thanks god, precious options may help you:

    gargantua $ a2ps -4 -Av foo.h bar.c --prologue=gray -P lw
    [foo.h (C): 1 page on 1 sheet]
    [bar.c (C): 3 pages on 1 sheet]
    [Total: 4 pages on 1 sheet] sent to the printer `lw'

Here the option `-A` is a short cut for the option `--file-align` which specifies how different files should be separated. This option allows several symbolic arguments: `virtual`, `rank`, `page`, `sheet` (See Sheet Options, for more details). The value `virtual` means not to start each file on a different virtual pages.

So to fill the page is asked by `--file-align=virtual`, or `-A virtual`. But symbolic arguments can be abbreviated when there are no ambiguity, so here, you can just use `-Av`.

The option `-P lw` means to print on the printer named `lw`, and finally, the long option `--prologue` requires the use one of the alternative printing styles. There are other prologues (See Input Options, option `--prologue`), and you can even design yours (see Designing PostScript Prologues).

Node:Special Printers, Next:Using Delegations, Previous:Basics for Printing, Up:How to print

### Special Printers

There are three special printers pre-defined.

The first one, `void`, sends the output to the trash. Its main use is to see how many pages would have been used.

    gargantua ~ $ a2ps -P void parsessh.c
    [parsessh.c (C): 33 pages on 17 sheets]
    [Total: 33 pages on 17 sheets] sent to the printer `void'

The second, `display` sends the output to `Ghostview`, so that you can check the output without printing. Of course if you don't have `Ghostview`, it won't work... And it is up to you to configure another displaying application (see Your Printers).

The last, `file` saves the output into a file named after the file you printed (e.g., saves into `foo.ps` when you print `foo.c`).

Node:Using Delegations, Next:Printing Duplex, Previous:Special Printers, Up:How to print

### Using Delegations

a2ps can decide that a2ps itself is not the right tool to do what you want. In that case it delegates the task to other programs. What you should retain from this, is, forget that there are delegations. Indeed, the interface with the delegations has been designed so that you don't need to be aware that they exist to use them. Do as usual.

As an example, if you need to print a PostScript file, just hit:

    gargantua ~ $ a2ps article.ps -d
    [article.ps (ps, delegated to PsNup): 7 pages on 4 sheets]
    [Total: 8 pages on 4 sheets] sent to the default printer

While honoring your defaults settings, a2ps delegates the task to put two virtual pages per physical page to `psnup`, a powerful filter part of the famous `psutils` by Angus Duggan.

Suppose now that you want to display a Texinfo file. Then, provided you have all the programs a2ps needs, just hit

    gargantua ~ $ a2ps a2ps.texi -P display
    [a2ps.texi (texinfo, delegated to texi2dvi): 75 pages on 38 sheets]
    [Total: 76 pages on 38 sheets] sent to the printer `display'

Once the read documentation, you know you want to print just pages 10 to 20, plus the cover. Just hit:

    gargantua ~ $ a2ps a2ps.texi --pages=1,10-20 -d
    [a2ps.texi (texinfo, delegated to texi2dvi): 13 pages on 7 sheets]
    [Total: 14 pages on 7 sheets] sent to the default printer

A final word: compressed files can be treated in the very same way:

    gargantua ~ $ a2ps a2ps.texi.gz -a1,10-20 -d
    [a2ps.texi (compressed, delegated to Gzip-a2ps): 13 pages on 7 sheets]
    [Total: 14 pages on 7 sheets] sent to the default printer

You should be aware that:

- the option `-Z` enables the delegations if they are not (see `--list=defaults` for your settings);
- the set of delegations is customizable, to know the delegations your a2ps knows, consult `a2ps --list=delegations`.

Node:Printing Duplex, Next:Checking the Defaults, Previous:Using Delegations, Up:How to print

### Printing Duplex

If you still want to save more paper, and you are amongst the set of happy users of Duplex printers, a2ps will also be able to help you (See Glossary, for definitions). The option to specify Duplex printing is `--sides=mode` (see PostScript Options).

Here is how to print the documentation in Duplex and send it to the Duplex printer `margot`:

    quasimodo ~ a2ps/doc $ a2ps -s2 -Pmargot a2ps.texi
    [a2ps.texi (texinfo, delegated to texi2dvi): 109 pages on 28 sheets]
    [Total: 110 pages on 28 sheets] sent to the printer `margot'

This is also valid for several files.

Actually, you can do something even more tricky: print a small book! This is much more complicated than printing Duplex, because the pages needs to be completely reorganized another way. This is precisely the job of `psbook`, yet another PsUtil from Angus Duggan. But there is a user option which encapsulates the magic sequence of options: `book`. Therefore, just run

    quasimodo a2ps/doc $ a2ps -=book -Pmargot a2ps.texi
    [a2ps.texi (texinfo, delegated to texi2dvi): 109 pages on 109 sheets]
    [Total: 109 pages on 109 sheets] sent to the printer `margot'

and voila` !, a booklet printed on margot!

We strongly discourage you to try with several files at once, because the tools then easily get lost. And, after all, the result will be exactly the same once you collated all the booklets together.

Another limitation is that this does not work if it is not sent to a printer. This kind of weird limitations will be solved in the future.

Node:Checking the Defaults, Previous:Printing Duplex, Up:How to print

### Checking the Defaults

If a2ps did not have the behavior expected, this may be because of the default settings given by your system administrator. Checking those default values is easy:

    ~ % a2ps --list=defaults
                    Configuration status of a2ps 4.12a
                    ==================================
    Sheets:
    -------
      medium          = A4, portrait
      page layout     = 1 x 1, rows first
      borders         = yes
      file alignment  = page
      interior margin = 0
    More stuff deleted here
    Internals:
    ----------
      verbosity level     = 2
      file command        = /usr/bin/file -L
      temporary directory = /tmp
      library path        =
            /home/akim/.a2ps
            /usr/share/a2ps/sheets
            /usr/share/a2ps/ps
            /usr/share/a2ps/encoding
            /usr/share/a2ps/afm
            /usr/share/ogonkify/afm
            /usr/share/a2ps/ppd
            /usr/share/a2ps/fonts
            /usr/share/ogonkify/fonts
            /usr/share/a2ps

Remember that the on-line help is always available. Moreover, if your screen is small, you may pipe it into `more`. Just trust this:

    a2ps --help | more

Node:Important parameters, Next:Localizing, Previous:How to print, Up:User Guide

## Important parameters

Many things are parameterizable in a2ps, but two things are just essential to make sure everything goes right:

The paper
  Make sure that the paper a2ps uses is the same as your printer (See Sheet Options, option `--medium`).
The encoding
  Make sure that the encoding a2ps uses is the same as the standard alphabet in your country (See Input Options, option `--encoding`).

Both values may be checked with `a2ps --list=defaults`.

Node:Localizing, Next:Interfacing, Previous:Important parameters, Up:User Guide

## Localizing

a2ps provides some Native Language Support, that is speaking your mother tongue. It uses three special features for non-English languages:

the tongue
  i.e., the language used by the interface,
the date
  i.e., the format and the words used in the language to specify a date.

To enable these features, properly set your environment variable `LANG` (see the documentation of your system, for instance `man locale`, `man environ` etc.).

The problem with this approach is that a lot more than just messages and time information is affected: especially the way numbers are written changes, what may cause problems with `awk` and such.

So if you just want messages and time format to be localized, then define:

    set LC_MESSAGES=fr ; export LC_MESSAGES
    set LC_TIME=fr     ; export LC_TIME

Node:Interfacing, Previous:Localizing, Up:User Guide

## Interfacing with Other Programs

Here are some tips on how to use a2ps with other programs.

- Interfacing With a Mailer: Printing Mails or News
- Netscape: Interfacing with Netscape

Node:Interfacing With a Mailer, Next:Netscape, Previous:Interfacing, Up:Interfacing

### Interfacing With a Mailer

When you print from a mailer (or a news reader), your mailer calls a tool, say a2ps on a part of the whole mailbox. This makes it difficult for a2ps to guess that the file is of the type `mail`. Therefore, for better results, make sure to tell a2ps the files are mails. The user option `mail` (or `longmail` for longer inputs) encapsulates most typical tuning users want to print mails (for instance, don't print all the headers).

Most specifically, if your mailer is:

`elm`
  Once you are in elm, hit `o` to enter in the options edition menu, hit `p` to edit the printer command, and enter `a2ps -=mail %s -d`. The option `-d` means to print on the default printer.
`pine`
  Jan Chrillesen suggests us how to use a2ps with the Pine mail-reader. Add the following to `.pinerc` (of course you can put it in `pine.conf` as well):

      # Your printer selection
      printer=a2ps -=mail -d

      # Special print command
      personal-print-command=a2ps -=mail -d

Node:Netscape, Previous:Interfacing With a Mailer, Up:Interfacing

### Netscape

This is actually valid for any program that generates PostScript that you want to post-process with a2ps. Use the following command:

    a2ps

Not too hard, isn't it?

Nevertheless, this setting suppose your world is OK, your `file(1)` detects correctly PostScript files, and your a2ps is configured to delegate. In case one one these conditions is not met, use:

    a2ps -ZEps

Do not forget to tell Netscape whether your printer supports colors, and the type of paper it uses.

Node:Invoking a2ps, Next:Configuration Files, Previous:User Guide, Up:Top

# Invoking a2ps

Calling a2ps is fairly simple:

    a2ps Options... Files...

If no Files... are given, a2ps prints its standard input. If `-` appears in the Files..., it designates the standard input too.

- Options: Command line options
- Escapes: Strings ready to use in the headers

Node:Options, Next:Escapes, Previous:Invoking a2ps, Up:Invoking a2ps

## Command line options

To read the options and arguments that you give, a2ps uses GNU `getopt`, hence:

- the options (short with arguments or long) must be separated by spaces.
- the order between options and files does not matter: `a2ps -4m main.c` and `a2ps main.c -4m` are identical.
- the order between options does matter, especially between options that influence the same parameters. For instance `a2ps -1 -l132` is not the same as `a2ps -l132 -1` (the latter being equivalent to `a2ps -1`).
- short options may be grouped together: `a2ps -4mg main.c -P printer`
- when there are no ambiguities, long options can be abbreviated, e.g., `--pro` will be understood as `--prologue`,
- `--` ends the options. Anything behind `--` is considered to be a file: `a2ps -- -2` prints the file `-2` 1.

Here after a boolean is considered as true (i.e. setting the option on), if boolean is `yes`, or `1`; as false if it equals `no` or `0`; and raise an error otherwise. The corresponding short option takes no arguments, but corresponds to a positive answer.

When an argument is presented between square brackets, it means that it is optional. Optional arguments to short option must never be separated from the option.

- Tasks Options: Exclusive options
- Global Options: Settings involving the whole process
- Sheet Options: Specify the layout on the sheet
- Page Options: Specify the virtual pages
- Headings Options: Specify the headers you want
- Input Options: How to process the input files
- Pretty Print Options: Source files support
- Output Options: What should be done of the output
- PostScript Options: PostScript specific options

Node:Tasks Options, Next:Global Options, Previous:Options, Up:Options

### Tasks Options

Task options specify the task a2ps will perform. It will not print, it executes the task and exits successfully.

--version | Option

print version and exit successfully.

--help | Option

Print a short help, and exit successfully.

--copyright | Option

Display Copyright and copying conditions, and exit successfully.

--guess | Option

Act like `file` does: display the (key of the) type of the Files. For instance, on a `C` file, you expect it to answer `c`, and upon a PostScript file, `ps`. This can be very useful on broken systems to understand why a file is printed with a bad style sheet (see Style Sheet Files).

--which | Option

Look in the library for the files which names are given as arguments. For instance:
    ~ % a2ps --which bw.pro gray.pro
    /usr/local/share/a2ps/ps/bw.pro
    /usr/local/share/a2ps/ps/gray.pro
If there are several library files matching the name, only the first one is reported: this allows to check which occurrence of a file is used by a2ps.

--glob | Option

Look in the library for the files which names match the patterns given as arguments. For instance:
    ~ % a2ps --glob 'g*.pro'
    /usr/local/share/a2ps/ps/gray.pro
    /usr/local/share/a2ps/ps/gray2.pro

--list=topic | Option

Display a report on a2ps' status with respect to topic, and exit successfully. topic can be any non-ambiguous abbreviation of: `defaults` `options` Give an extensive report on a2ps configuration and installation. `features` Known media, encodings, languages, prologues, printers, variables, delegations and user options are reported. In a word, anything that you may define. `delegations` Detailed list of the delegations. See Your Delegations. `encodings` Detailed list of known encodings. See Some Encodings. `media` Detailed list of known media. See Your Media. `prologues` Detailed list of PostScript prologues. See Designing PostScript Prologues. `printers` Detailed list of printers and named outputs. See Your Printers. `style-sheets` Detailed list of the known style sheets. See Known Style Sheets. `user-options` Detailed list of the user options. See Your Shortcuts. `variables` Detailed list of the variables. See Your Variables. There are also options meant for the maintainers only, presented for sake of completeness. `texinfo-style-sheets` `ssh-texi` Detailed list of known style sheets in Texinfo format. If the `sheet` verbosity is set, report version numbers, requirements and ancestors. `html-style-sheets` `ssh-html` Detailed list of the style sheets in `HTML` format. `texinfo-encodings` `edf-texi` Detailed list of encodings, in Texinfo format. `texinfo-prologues` `pro-texi` Detailed list of prologues, in Texinfo format.

Node:Global Options, Next:Sheet Options, Previous:Tasks Options, Up:Options

### Global Options

These options are related to the interface between you and a2ps.

-q | Option
--quiet | Option
-@b{-}silent | Option

be really quiet

-v[level] | Option
--verbose[=level] | Option

tell what we are doing. At level = 0, report nothing, level = 1, a2ps just prints the total number of pages printed, level = 2 (default), it reports it for each file, above, it gives internal details. There is also an interface made for the maintainer with finer grained selection of the verbosity level. level is a list of tokens (non ambiguous abbreviations are valid) separated by either `,` or `+`. The tokens may be: `configuration` `options` reading the configurations files and the options, `encodings` the encodings, `expert` more detailed information is provided: PPD listings is exhaustive, `files` inputs and outputs, `fonts` the fonts, `escapes` `variables` `meta-sequences` the expansion of escapes and variables, `parsers` any parsing process (style sheets, PPD files etc.), `pathwalk` `pw` the search for files, `ppd` PPD processing, `sheets` the style sheets, `stats` statistics on some internal data structures, `tools` launched programs or shell commands ; triggers the escape `?V` on (see Available Escapes), `all` all the messages. When a2ps is launched it consults the environment variable `A2PS_VERBOSITY`. If it is set, this defines the verbosity level for the whole session (options `--verbose`, and `-q` etc. have then no influence). The valid values for `A2PS_VERBOSITY` are exactly the valid arguments of the option `--verbose`. This helps tracking down configuration problems that occur before a2ps had even a chance to read the command line.

-=shortcut | Option
--user-option=shortcut | Option

use the shortcut defined by the user. See Your Shortcuts. Shortcuts may be freely mixed with regular options and arguments. There are a few predefined user-options: `lp` emulates a line printer, i.e., turn off most `pretty' features. `mail` `longmail` preferred options to print a mail or a news. `longmail` prints more text on a single sheet. `manual` make the job be printed on the manually fed tray.

--debug | Option

enable debugging features. They are: print the overall BoundingBox in PostScript; down load a PostScript debugger which helps understanding why a printer may reject a file.

-D key[=value] | Option
--define=key[=value] | Option

Without value, unset the variable key. Otherwise, set it to value. See Your Variables, for more details. Note that `-Dfoo=` gives foo an empty value, though `-Dfoo` unsets foo.

Node:Sheet Options, Next:Page Options, Previous:Global Options, Up:Options

### Sheet Options

This options specify the general layout, how the sheet should be used.

-M medium | Option
--medium=medium | Option

use output medium medium. See the output of `a2ps --list=media` for the list of supported media. Typical values are `A3`, `A4`, `A5`, `B4`, `B5`, `Letter`, `Legal`. `A4dj`, `Letterdj` are also defined for Desk Jet owners, since that printer needs bigger margins. The special medium `libpaper` means that you want a2ps to ask the library `libpaper` for the medium to use. This choice is valid only if `libpaper` was available when a2ps was configured. See the man page of `paperconf` for more information.

-r | Option
--landscape | Option

print in landscape mode

-R | Option
--portrait | Option

print in portrait mode

--columns=num | Option

specify the number of columns of virtual pages per physical page.

--rows=num | Option

specify the number of rows of virtual pages per physical page.

--major=direction | Option

specify whether the virtual pages should be first filled in rows (direction = `rows`) or in columns (direction = `columns`).

-1 | Option

1 x 1 portrait, 80 chars/line, major rows (i.e. alias for `--columns=1 --rows=1 --portrait --chars-per-line=80 --major=rows`).

-2 | Option

2 x 1 landscape, 80 chars/line, major rows.

-3 | Option

3 x 1 landscape, 80 chars/line, major rows.

-4 | Option

2 x 2 portrait, 80 chars/line, major rows.

-5 | Option

5 x 1 landscape, 80 chars/line, major rows.

-6 | Option

3 x 2 landscape, 80 chars/line, major rows.

-7 | Option

7 x 1 landscape, 80 chars/line, major rows.

-8 | Option

4 x 2 landscape, 80 chars/line, major rows.

-9 | Option

3 x 3 portrait, 80 chars/line, major rows.

-j | Option
--borders=boolean | Option

print borders around virtual pages.

-A mode | Option
--file-align=mode | Option

Align separate files according to mode. This option allows the printing of more than one file on the same page. mode can be any one of: `virtual` Each file starts on the next available virtual page (i.e., leave no empty virtuals). `rank` Each file starts at the beginning of the next row or column depending on the `--major` setting. `page` Each file starts on a new page. `sheet` Each file starts on a new sheet. In Simplex mode, this is the same as `page`, in Duplex mode, files always start on a front side. an integer num Each file starts on a page which is a multiple of num plus 1. For instance, for `2`, the files must start on odd pages.

--margin[=num] | Option

Specify the size of the margin (num PostScript points, or 12 points without arguments) to leave in the inside (i.e. left for the front side page, and right for the back side). This is intended to ease the binding.

Node:Page Options, Next:Headings Options, Previous:Sheet Options, Up:Options

### Page Options

This options are related to the content of the virtual pages.

Please note that the options `-f`, `-L`, `-l`, `-m`, and `-1` .. `-9` all have an influence on the font size. Only the last one will win (i.e., `a2ps -L66 -l80` is the same as `a2ps -l80`).

--line-numbers[=number] | Option

print the line numbers from number lines to number lines. Default is `1`.

-C | Option

Alias for `--line-numbers=5`.

-f size[unit] | Option
--font-size=size[unit] | Option

scale font to size for body text. size is a float number, and unit can be `cm` for centimeters, `points` for PostScript points, and `in` for inches. Default unit in `points`. To change the fonts used, change the current prologue (see Designing PostScript Prologues.

-l num | Option
--chars-per-line=num | Option

Set the font size so that num columns appear per virtual pages. num is the real number of columns devoted to the body of the text, i.e., no matter whether lines are numbered or not.

-L num | Option
--lines-per-page=num | Option

Set the font size so that num lines appear per virtual pages. This is useful for printing preformatted documents which have a fixed number of lines per page. The minimum number of lines per page is set at 40 and maximum is at 160. If a number less than 40 is supplied, scaling will be turned off.

-m | Option
--catman | Option

Understand UNIX manual output ie: 66 lines per page and possible bolding and underlining sequences. The understanding of bolding and underlining is there by default even if `--catman` is not specified. You may want to use the `ul` prologue (See Input Options, option `--prologue`) if you prefer underlining over italics. If your file is actually a UNIX manual input, i.e., a roff file, then depending whether you left a2ps delegate or not, you will get a readable version of the text described, or a pretty-printed version of the describing file (see Your Delegations).

-T num | Option
--tabsize=num | Option

set tabulator size to num. This option is ignored if `--interpret=no` is given.

--non-printable-format=format | Option

specify how non-printable chars are printed. format can be `caret` Use classical Unix representation: `^A`, `M-^B` etc. `space` A space is written instead of the non-printable character. `question-mark` A `?` is written instead of the non-printable character. `octal` For instance `\001`, `177` etc. `hexa` For instance `\x01`, `\xfe` etc. `emacs` For instance `C-h`, `M-C-c` etc.

Node:Headings Options, Next:Input Options, Previous:Page Options, Up:Options

### Headings Options

These are the options through which you may define the information you want to see all around the pages.

All these options support text as an argument, which is composed of plain strings and escapes. See Escapes, for details.

-B | Option
--no-header | Option

no page headers at all.

-b[text] | Option
--header[=text] | Option

set the page header

--center-title[=text] | Option
--left-title[=text] | Option
--right-title[=text] | Option

Set virtual page center, left and right titles to text.

-u[text] | Option
--underlay[=text] | Option

use text as under lay (or water mark), i.e., in a light gray, and under every page.

--left-footer[=text] | Option
--footer[=text] | Option
--right-footer[=text] | Option

Set sheet footers to text.

Node:Input Options, Next:Pretty Print Options, Previous:Headings Options, Up:Options

### Input Options

-a[Page range] | Option
--pages[=Page range] | Option

With no argument, print all the page, otherwise select the pages to print. Page range is a list of interval, such as `-a1`: print only the first page, `-a-3,4,6,10-`: print the first 3 pages, page 4 and 6, and all the page after 10 (included). Giving `toc` prints the table of content whatever its page number is. The pages referred to are the input pages, not the output pages, that is, in `-2`, printing with `-a1` will print the first virtual page, i.e., you will get half the page filled. Note that page selection does work with the delegations (see Your Delegations).

-c | Option
--truncate-lines=boolean | Option

Cut lines too large to be printed inside the borders. The maximum line size depends on format and font size used and whether line numbering is enabled.

-i | Option
--interpret=boolean | Option

interpret tab and ff chars. This means that `^L` jumps to a new (virtual) pages, `tab` advances to the next tabulation.

--end-of-line=type | Option

Specify what sequence of characters denotes the end of line. type can be: `n` `unix` `\n`. `r` `mac` `\r`. `nr` `\n\r`. As far as we know, this type of end-of-line is not used. `pc` `rn` `\r\n`. This is the type of end-of-line on MS-DOS. `any` `auto` Any of the previous cases. This last case prevents the bad surprises with files from PC (trailing `^M`).

-X key | Option
--encoding=key | Option

Use the input encoding identified by key. See Some Encodings, and the result of `a2ps --list=encodings` to know what encodings are supported. Typical values are `ASCII`, `latin1`... `latin6`, `ison` etc.

--stdin=filename | Option

Give the name filename to the files read through the standard input.

-t name | Option
--title=name | Option

Give the name name to the document. Escapes can be used (see Escapes). This is used for instance in the name given to the document from within the PostScript code (so that `Ghostview` and others can display a file with its real title, instead of just the PostScript file name). It is not the name of the output. It is just a logical title.

--prologue=prologue | Option

Use prologue as the PostScript prologue for a2ps. prologue must be in a file named `prologue.pro`, which must be in a directory of your library path (see Library Files). Available prologues are: `bold` This style is meant to replace the old option `-b` of a2ps 4.3. It is a copy of the black and white prologue, but in which all the fonts are in Bold. `bw` Style is plain: pure black and white, with standard fonts. `color` Colors are used to highlight the keywords. `diff` This style is meant to be used with the `udiff`, `wdiff` style sheets, to underline the differences. New things are in bold on a diff background, while removed sequences are in italic. `fixed` This style uses exclusively fixed size fonts. You should use this style if you want the tabulations to be properly printed. There are no means to use a fixed size Symbol font, therefore you should not use the heavy highlighting style. `gray` Gray background is used for comments and labels. `gray2` Black background is used for comments and labels. `matrix` The layout is the same as `bw`, but alternating gray and white lines. There are two macros defining the behavior: `pro.matrix.cycle` defines the length of the cycle (number of white and gray lines). It defaults to 6. `pro.matrix.gray` defines the number of gray lines. Default is 3. `ul` This style uses bold faces and underlines, but never italics. This is particularly meant for printing formatted man pages.

--print-anyway=boolean | Option

force binary printing. By default, the whole print job is stopped as soon as a binary file is detected. To detect such a file we make use of a very simple heuristic: if the first sheet of the file contains more than 40% of non-printing characters, it's a binary file. a2ps also asks `file(1)` what it thinks of the type of the file. If `file(1)` answers `data`, the file will also be considered as binary, hence not printed.

-Z | Option
--delegate=boolean | Option

Enable delegation of some files to delegated applications. If delegating is on, then a2ps will not process the file by itself, but will call an application which handles the file in another way. If delegation is off, then a2ps will process every file itself. Typically most people don't want to pretty-print a PostScript source file, but want to print what describes that file. Then set the delegations on. See Your Delegations for information on delegating, and option `--list=delegations` for the applications your a2ps knows.

--toc[=format] | Option

Generate a Table of Contents, which format is an escape (see Escapes) processed as a PreScript file (see PreScript). If no format is given (i.e., you wrote `--toc`), use the default table of contents shape (`#{toc}`). If the given format is empty (i.e., you wrote `--toc=`), don't issue the table of contents. Note that it is most useful to define a variable (see Your Variables), for instance, in a configuration file:
    Variable: toc.mine \
    \\Keyword{Table of Content}\n\
    #-1!f\
    |$2# \\keyword{$-.20n} sheets $3s< to $3s> ($2s#) \
    pages $3p<-$3p> $4l# lines\n||\
    \\Keyword{End of toc}\n
and to give that variable as argument to `--toc`: `a2ps *.c --toc=#{toc.mine}`. Note too that you can generate only the table of content using `--pages`:
    a2ps *.c --toc -atoc

Node:Pretty Print Options, Next:Output Options, Previous:Input Options, Up:Options

### Pretty Printing Options

These options are related to the pretty printing features of a2ps.

--highlight-level=level | Option

Specify the level of highlighting. level can be `none` no highlighting `normal` regular highlighting `heavy` even more highlighting. See the documentation of the style sheets (`--list=style-sheets`) for a description of `heavy` highlighting.

-g | Option

Alias for `--highlight-level=heavy`.

-E [language] | Option
--pretty-print[=language] | Option

With no arguments, set automatic style selection on. Otherwise, set style to language. Note that setting language to `plain` turns off pretty-printing. See Known Style Sheets, and the output of `--list=style-sheets` for the available style sheets. If language is `key.ssh`, then don't look in the library path, but use the file `key.ssh`. This is to ease debugging non installed style sheets.

--strip-level=num | Option

Depending on the value of num: `0` everything is printed; `1` regular comments are not printed `2` strong comments are not printed `3` no comment is printed. This option is valuable for instance in `java` in which case strong comments are the so called documentation comments, or in `SDL` for which some graphical editors pollutes the specification with internal data as comments. Note that the current implementation is not satisfactory: some undesired blank lines remain. This is planed to be fixed.

Node:Output Options, Next:PostScript Options, Previous:Pretty Print Options, Up:Options

### Output Options

These are the options to specify what you want to do out of what a2ps produces. Only a single destination is possible at a time, i.e., if ever there are several options `-o`, `-P` or `-d`, the last one is honored.

-o file | Option
--output=file | Option

leave output to file file. If file is `-`, leave output to the standard output.

--version-control=type | Option

to avoid loosing a file, a2ps offers backup services. This is enabled when the output file already exists, is regular (that is, no backup is done on special files such as `/dev/null`), and is writable (in this case, disabling version control makes a2ps fail the very same way as if version control was disabled: permission denied). The type of backups made can be set with the `VERSION_CONTROL` environment variable, which can be overridden by this option. If `VERSION_CONTROL` is not set and this option is not given, the default backup type is `existing'. The value of the `VERSION_CONTROL` environment variable and the argument to this option are like the GNU `Emacs` `version-control` variable; they also recognize synonyms that are more descriptive. The valid values are (unique abbreviations are accepted): `none` `off` Never make backups (override existing files). `t` `numbered` Always make numbered backups. `nil` `existing` Make numbered backups of files that already have them, simple backups of the others. `never` `simple` Always make simple backups.

--suffix=suffix | Option

The suffix used for making simple backup files can be set with the `SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX` environment variable, which can be overridden by this option. If neither of those is given, the default is `~`, as it is in `Emacs`.

-P name | Option
--printer=name | Option

send output to printer name. See item `Printer:` and `Unknown printer:` in Your Printers and results of option `--list=defaults` to see the bindings between printer names and commands. It is possible to pass additional options to `lpr` or `lp` via the variable `lp.options`, for more information see Pass Options to lpr.

-d | Option

send output to the default printer. See item `DefaultPrinter:` in Your Printers.

Node:PostScript Options, Previous:Output Options, Up:Options

### PostScript Options

The following options are related only to variations you want to produce onto a PostScript output.

--ppd[=key] | Option

With no argument, set automatic PPD selection, otherwise set the PPD to key. FIXME: what to read.

-n num | Option
--copies=num | Option

print num copies of each page

-s duplex-mode | Option
--sides=duplex-mode | Option

Specify the number of sheet sides, or, more generally, the Duplex mode (see Glossary). The valid values for duplex-mode are: `1` `simplex` One page per sheet. `2` `duplex` Two pages per sheet, DuplexNoTumble mode. `tumble` Two pages per sheet, DuplexTumble mode. Not only does this option require Duplex from the printer, but it also enables duplex features from a2ps (e.g., the margin changes from front pages to back pages etc.).

-S key[:value] | Option
--setpagedevice=key[:value] | Option

Pass a page device definition to the generated PostScript output. If no value is given, key is removed from the definitions. Note that several `--setpagedevice` can be accumulated. For example, command
    ubu $ a2ps -SDuplex:true -STumble:true NEWS
    [NEWS (plain): 15 pages on 8 sheets]
    [Total: 15 pages on 8 sheets] sent to the default printer
prints file `report.pre` in duplex (two sides) tumble (suitable for landscape documents). This is also valid for delegated files:
    a2ps -SDuplex:true -STumble:true a2ps.texi
Page device operators are implementation dependent but they are standardized. See Page Device Options, for details.

--statusdict=key[:value] | Option
--statusdict=key[::value] | Option

Pass a statusdict definition to the generated PostScript output. `statusdict` operators and variables are implementation dependent; see the documentation of your printer for details. See Statusdict Options, for details. Several `--statusdict` can be accumulated. If no value is given, key is removed from the definitions. With a single colon, pass a call to an operator, for instance:
    a2ps --statusdict=setpapertray:1 quicksort.c
prints file `quicksort.c` by using paper from the paper tray 1 (assuming that printer supports paper tray selection). With two colons, define variable key to equal value. For instance:
    a2ps --statusdict=papertray::1 quicksort.c
produces
      /papertray 1 def
in the PostScript.

-k | Option
--page-prefeed | Option

enable page prefeeding. It consists in positioning the sheet in the printing area while the PostScript is interpreted (instead of waiting the end of the interpretation of the page before pushing the sheet). It can lead to an significant speed up of the printing. a2ps quotes the access to that feature, so that non supporting printers won't fail.

-K | Option
--no-page-prefeed | Option

disable page prefeeding.

Node:Escapes, Previous:Options, Up:Invoking a2ps

## Escapes

The escapes are some sequences of characters that will be replaced by their values. They are very much like variables.

- Use of Escapes: Where they are used
- Structure of the Escapes: Their syntax
- Available Escapes: Detailed list

Node:Use of Escapes, Next:Structure of the Escapes, Previous:Escapes, Up:Escapes

### Use of Escapes

They are used in several places in a2ps:

Page markers
  Headers, footers, titles and the water mark (see Headings Options), in general to print the name of file, page number etc. On a new sheet a2ps first draws the water mark, then the content of the first page, then the frame of the first page, (ditto with the others), and finally the sheet header and footers. This order must be taken into account for some escapes (e.g., `$l.`, `$l^`).
Named output
  To specify the generic name of the file to produce, or how to access a printer (see Your Printers).
Delegation
  To specify the command associated to a delegation (see Your Delegations).
Table of Content
  To specify an index/table of content printed at the end of the job.
Variables in PostScript prologue
  To allow the user to change some parameters to your prologues (see Designing PostScript Prologues).

Node:Structure of the Escapes, Next:Available Escapes, Previous:Use of Escapes, Up:Escapes

### General Structure of the Escapes

All format directives can also be given in format

escape width directive

where

escape
  In general
  `%`
    escapes are related to general information (e.g., the current date, the user's name etc.),
  `#`
    escapes are related to the output (e.g., the output file name) or to the options you gave (e.g., the number of virtual pages etc.), or to special constructions (e.g., enumerations of the files, or tests etc.),
  `$`
    escapes are related to the current input file (e.g., its name, its current page number etc.),
  `\`
    introduces classical escaping, or quoting, sequences (e.g., `\n`, `\f` etc.).
width
  Specifies the width of the column to which the escape is printed. There are three forms for width
  `+paddinginteger`
    the result of the expansion is prefixed by the character padding so that the whole result is as long as integer. For instance `$+.10n` with a file name `$n`=`foo.c` gives `.....foo.c`.

    If no padding is given, `` (white space) is used.

  `-paddinginteger`
    Idem as above, except that completion is done on the left: `$+.10n` gives `foo.c.....`.
  `integer`
    which is a short cut for `+integer`. For example, escape `$5P` will expand to something like `12`.
directive
  See Available Escapes.

Node:Available Escapes, Previous:Structure of the Escapes, Up:Escapes

### Available Escapes

Supported escapes are:

`\\`
  character `\`
`\%`
  character `%`
`\$`
  character `$`
`\#`
  character `#`
`#?cond|if_true|if_false|`
  this may be used for conditional assignment. The separator (presented here as `|`) may be any character. if_true and if_false may be defined exactly the same way as regular headers, included escapes and the `#?` construct.

  The available tests are:

  `#?1`
  `#?2`
  `#?3`
    true if tag 1, 2 or 3 is not empty. See item `$t1` for explanation.
  `#?d`
    true if Duplex printing is requested (`-s2`).
  `#?j`
    true if bordering is asked (`-j`).
  `#?l`
    true if printing in landscape mode.
  `#?o`
    true if only one virtual page per page (i.e., `#v` is 1).
  `#?p`
    a page range has been specified (i.e., `#p` is not empty).
  `#?q`
    true if a2ps is in quiet mode.
  `#?r`
    true if major is rows (`--major=rows`).
  `#?v`
    true if printing on the back side of the sheet (verso).
  `#?V`
    true if verbosity level includes the `tools` flag (See Global Options. option `--verbosity`).
`#!key|in|between|`
  Used for enumerations. The separator (presented here as `|`) may be any character. in and between are escapes.

  The enumerations may be:

  `#!$`
    enumeration of the command line options. In this case in in never used, but is replaced by the arguments.
  `#!f`
    enumeration of the input files in the other they were given.
  `#!F`
    enumeration of the input files in the alphabetical order of their names.
  `#!s`
    enumeration of the files appearing in the current sheet.

  For instance, the escapes `The files printed were: #!f|$n|, |.` evaluated with input `a2ps NEWS main.c -o foo.ps`, gives `The files printed were: NEWS, main.c.`.

  As an exception, `#!` escapes use the width as the maximum number of objects to enumerate if it is positive, e.g., `#10!f|$n|, |` lists only the ten first file names. If width is negative, then it does not enumerate the -width last objects (e.g., `#-1!f|$n|, |` lists all the files but the last).

`${var}`
  value of the environment variable var if defined, nothing otherwise.
`${var:-word}`
  if the environment variable var is defined, then its value, otherwise word.
`${var:+word}`
  if the environment variable var is defined, then word, otherwise nothing.
`$[num]`
  value of the numth argument given on the command line. Note that $[0] is the name under which a2ps has been called.
`#{key}`
  expansion of the value of the variable key if defined, nothing otherwise (see Your Variables)
`#{key:-word}`
  if the variable var is defined, then the expansion of its, otherwise word.
`#{key:+word}`
  if the variable var is defined, then word, otherwise nothing.
`#.`
  the extension corresponding to the current output language (e.g. `ps`).
`%*`
  current time in 24-hour format with seconds `hh:mm:ss`
`$*`
  file modification time in 24-hour format with seconds `hh:mm:ss`
`$#`
  the sequence number of the current input file
`%#`
  the total number of files
`%a`
  the localized equivalent for `Printed by User Name`. User Name is obtained from the variable `user.name` (see Predefined Variables).
`%A`
  the localized equivalent for `Printed by User Name from Host Name`. The variables `user.name` and `user.host` are used (see Predefined Variables).
`%c`
  trailing component of the current working directory
`%C`
  current time in `hh:mm:ss` format
`$C`
  file modification time in `hh:mm:ss` format
`%d`
  current working directory
`$d`
  directory part of the current file (`.` if the directory part is empty).
`%D`
  current date in `yy-mm-dd` format
`$D`
  file modification date in `yy-mm-dd` format
`%D{string}`
  format current date according to string with the `strftime(3)` function.
`$D{string}`
  format file's last modification date according to string with the `strftime(3)` function.
`%e`
  current date in localized short format (e.g., `Jul 4, 76` in English, or `14 Juil 89` in French).
`$e`
  file modification date in localized short format.
`%E`
  current date in localized long format (e.g., `July 4, 76` in English, or `Samedi 14 Juillet 89` in French).
`$E`
  file modification date in localized long format.
`$f`
  full file name (with directory and suffix).
`\f`
  character `\f` (`form feed`).
`#f0`
`#f9`
  ten temporary file names. You can do anything you want with them, a2ps removes them at the end of the job. It is useful for the delegations (see Your Delegations) and for the printer commands (see Your Printers).
`%F`
  current date in `dd.mm.yyyy` format.
`$F`
  file modification date in `dd.mm.yyyy` format.
`#h`
  medium height in PostScript points
`$l^`
  top most line number of the current page
`$l.`
  current line number. To print the page number and the line interval in the right title, use `--right-title="$q:$l^-$l."`.
`$l#`
  number of lines in the current file.
`%m`
  the host name up to the first `.` character
`%M`
  the full host name
`\n`
  the character `\n` (`new line`).
`%n`
  shortcut for the value of the variable `user.login` (see Predefined Variables).
`$n`
  input file name without the directory part.
`%N`
  shortcut for the value of the variable `user.name` (see Predefined Variables).
`$N`
  input file name without the directory, and without its suffix (e.g., on `foo.c`, it will produce `foo`).
`#o`
  name of the output, before substitution (i.e., argument of `-P`, or of `-o`).
`#O`
  name of the output, after substitution. If output goes to a file, then the name of the file. If the output is a symbolic printer (see Your Printers), the result of the evaluation. For instance, if the symbolic printer `file` is defined as `> $n.%.`, then `#O` returns `foo.c.ps` when printing `foo.c` to PostScript. `#o` would have returned `file`.
`#p`
  the range of the page to print from this page. For instance if the user asked `--pages=1-10,15`, and the current page is 8, then `#p` evaluates to `1-3,8`.
`$p^`
  number of the first page of this file appearing on the current sheet. Note that `$p.`, evaluated at the end of sheet, is also the number of the last page of this file appearing on this sheet.
`$p-`
  interval of the page number of the current file appearing on the current sheet. It is the same as `$p^-$p.`, if `$p^` and `$p.` are different, otherwise it is equal to `$p.`.
`%p.`
  current page number
`$p.`
  page number for this file
`%p#`
  total number of pages printed
`$p#`
  number of pages of the current file
`$p<`
  number of the first page of the current file
`$p>`
  number of the last page of the current file
`%q`
  localized equivalent for `Page %p.`
`$q`
  localized equivalent for `Page $p.`
`%Q`
  localized equivalent for `Page %p./%p#`
`$Q`
  localized equivalent for `Page $p./$p#`
`$s<`
  number of the first sheet of the current file
`%s.`
  current sheet number
`$s.`
  sheet number for the current file
`$s>`
  number of the last sheet of the current file
`%s#`
  total number of sheets
`$s#`
  number of sheets of the current file
`%t`
  current time in 12-hour am/pm format
`$t`
  file modification time in 12-hour am/pm format
`$t1`
`$t2`
`$t3`
  Content of tag 1, 2 and 3. Tags are pieces of text a2ps fetches in the files, according to the style. For instance, in `mail-folder` style, tag 1 is the title of the mail, and tag 2 its author.
`%T`
  current time in 24-hour format `hh:mm`
`$T`
  file modification time in 24-hour format `hh:mm`
`#v`
  number of virtual sheets
`%V`
  the version string of a2ps.
`#w`
  medium width in PostScript points
`%W`
  current date in `mm/dd/yy` format
`$W`
  file modification date in `mm/dd/yy` format

Node:Configuration Files, Next:Library Files, Previous:Invoking a2ps, Up:Top

# Configuration Files

a2ps reads several files before the command line options. In the order, they are:

1. the system configuration file (usually `/usr/local/etc/a2ps.cfg`) unless you have defined the environment variable `A2PS_CONFIG`, in which case a2ps reads the file it points to;
2. the user's home configuration file (`$HOME/.a2ps/a2psrc`)
3. the local file (`./.a2psrc`)

Because a2ps needs architecture dependent information (such as the local `lpr` command) and architecture independent information (such as the type of your printers), users have found useful that `a2ps.cfg` be dedicated to architecture dependent information. A sub configuration file, `a2ps-site.cfg` (see Including Configuration Files) is included from `a2ps.cfg`.

The file `a2ps.cfg` is updated when you update a2ps, while `a2ps-site.cfg` is not, to preserve local definitions.

In the configuration files, empty lines and lines starting with `#` are comments.

The other lines have all the following form:

    Topic: Arguments

where Topic: is a keyword related to what you are customizing, and Arguments the customization. Arguments may be spread on several lines, provided that the last character of a line to continue is a `\`.

In the following sections, each Topic: is detailed.

- Including Configuration Files: Isolating site specific values
- Your Library Path: Setting the files search path
- Your Default Options: Default state of a2ps
- Your Media: Sheets dimensions
- Your Printers: How to access the printers
- Your Shortcuts: Your very own command line options
- Your PostScript magic number: Handling very old printers
- Your Page Labels: Page names as in `Ghostview`
- Your Variables: Short cut for long sequences
- Your Delegations: Delegating some files to other filters
- Your Internal Details: Details you might want to tune

Node:Including Configuration Files, Next:Your Library Path, Previous:Configuration Files, Up:Configuration Files

## Including Configuration Files

Include: file | Configuration Setting

Include (read) the configuration file. if file is a relative path (i.e., it does not start with `/`), then it is relatively to the current configuration file.

This is especially useful for the site specific configuration file `etc/a2ps.cfg`: you may tune your printers etc. in a separate file for easy upgrade of a2ps (and hence of its configuration files).

Node:Your Library Path, Next:Your Default Options, Previous:Including Configuration Files, Up:Configuration Files

## Your Library Path

To define the default library path, you can use:

LibraryPath: path | Configuration Setting

Set the library path the path.

AppendLibraryPath: path | Configuration Setting

Add path at the end of the current library path.

PrependLibraryPath: path | Configuration Setting

Add path at the beginning of the current library path.

Note that for users configuration files, it is better not to set the library path, because the system's configuration has certainly been built to cope with your system's peculiarities. Use `AppendLibraryPath:` and `PrependLibraryPath:`.

Node:Your Default Options, Next:Your Media, Previous:Your Library Path, Up:Configuration Files

## Your Default Options

Options: options+ | Configuration Setting

Give a2ps a list of command line options. options+ is any sequence of regular command line options (see Invoking a2ps). It is the correct way to define the default behavior you expect from a2ps. If for instance you want to use `Letter` as medium, then use:
    Options: --medium=Letter
It is exactly the same as always giving a2ps the option `--medium=Letter` at run time.

The quoting mechanism is the same as that of a shell. For instance

    Options: --right-title="Page $p" --center-title="Hello World!"
    Options: --title="arg 'Jack said \\\"hi\\\"' has double quotes"

Node:Your Media, Next:Your Printers, Previous:Your Default Options, Up:Configuration Files

## Your Media

Medium: name dimensions | Configuration Setting

  Define the medium name to have the dimensions (in PostScript points, i.e., 1/72 of inch). There are two formats supported: long in which you must give both the size of the whole sheet, and the size of the printable area:
      # A4 for Desk Jets
      #      name     w      h     llx   lly   urx    ury
      Medium: A4dj    595    842    24    50    571    818
  where wxh are the dimension of the sheet, and the four other stand for lower left x and y, upper right x and y. short in which a surrounding margin of 24 points is used
      # A4
      #      name     w      h
      Medium: A4      595    842
  is the same as
      # A4
      #      name     w      h
      Medium: A4      595    842    24    24    571    818

Node:Your Printers, Next:Your Shortcuts, Previous:Your Media, Up:Configuration Files

## Your Printers

A general scheme is used, so that whatever the way you should address the printers on your system, the interface is still the same. Actually, the interface is so flexible, that you should understand `named destination' when we write `printer'.

Printer: name PPD-key destination | Configuration Setting
Printer: name destination | Configuration Setting
Printer: name PPD-key | Configuration Setting

Specify the destination of the output when the option `-P name` is given. If PPD-key is given, declare the printer name to be described by the PPD file `PPD-key.ppd`. If destination is not given, used that of the `UnknownPrinter:`. The destination must be of one of the following forms: `| command` in which case the output is piped into command. `> file` in which case the output is saved into file.

UnknownPrinter: [PPD-key] destination | Configuration Setting

Specify the destination of the output when when the option `-P name` is given, but there is no `Printer:` entry for name.

DefaultPrinter: [PPD-key] destination | Configuration Setting

Specify the destination of the output when when the option `-d` (send to default output) is given.

Escapes expansion is performed on destination (see Escapes). Recall that `#o` is evaluated to the destination name, i.e., the argument given to `-P`.

For instance

    # My Default Printer is called dominique
    DefaultPrinter: | lp -d dominique

    # `a2ps foo.c -P bar' will pipe into `lp -d bar'
    UnknownPrinter: | lp -d #o

    # `a2ps -P foo' saves into the file `foo'
    Printer: foo > foo.ps
    Printer: wc | wc
    Printer: lw | lp -d printer-with-a-rather-big-name

    # E.g. `a2ps foo.c bar.h -P file' will save into `foo.c.ps'
    Printer: file > $n.#.

    # E.g. `a2ps foo.c bar.h -P home' will save into `foo.ps'
    # in user's home
    Printer: home > ${HOME}/$N.#.

    # Here we address a printer which is not PostScript
    Printer: deskj | gs -q -sDEVICE=ljet3d -sOutputFile=- - \
             | lpr -P laserwriter -h -l

MS-DOS users, and non-PostScript printer owners should take advantage in getting good configuration of these entries.

Node:Your Shortcuts, Next:Your PostScript magic number, Previous:Your Printers, Up:Configuration Files

## Your Shortcuts

You can define some kind of `Macro Options' which stand for a set of options.

UserOption: shortcut options... | Configuration Setting

Define the shortcut to be the list of options.... When a2ps is called with `-=shortcut` (or `--user-option=shortcut`), consider the list of options....

Examples are

    # This emulates a line printer: no features at all
    # call a2ps -=lp to use it
    UserOption: lp -1m --pretty-print=plain -B --borders=no

    # When printing mail, I want to use the right style sheet with strong
    # highlight level, and stripping `useless' headers.
    UserOption: mail -Email -g --strip=1

Node:Your PostScript magic number, Next:Your Page Labels, Previous:Your Shortcuts, Up:Configuration Files

## Your PostScript magic number

a2ps produces full DSC conformant PostScript (see Glossary). Adobe said

> Thou shalt start your PostScript DSC conformant files with

>     %!PS-Adobe-3.0

The bad news is that some printers will reject this header. Then you may change this header without any worry since the PostScript produced by a2ps is also 100% PostScript level 12.

OutputFirstLine: magic-number | Configuration Setting

Specify the header of the produced PostScript file to be magic-number. Typical values include `%!PS-Adobe-2.0`, or just `%!`.

Node:Your Page Labels, Next:Your Variables, Previous:Your PostScript magic number, Up:Configuration Files

## Your Page Labels

In the PostScript file is dropped information on where sheets begin and end, so that post processing tools know where is the physical page 1, 2 etc. With this information can be also stored a label, i.e., a human readable text (typically the logical page numbers), which is for instance what `Ghostview` shows as the list of page numbers. a2ps lets you define what you want in this field.

PageLabelFormat: format | Configuration Setting

Specify the format to use to label the PostScript pages. format can use Escapes (see Escapes). Two variables are predefined for this: `#{pl.short}` and `#{pl.long}`.

Node:Your Variables, Next:Your Delegations, Previous:Your Page Labels, Up:Configuration Files

## Your Variables

There are many places in a2ps where one would like to have uniform way of extending things. It once became clear that variables where needed in a2ps.

- Defining Variables: Syntax and conventions
- Predefined Variables: Builtin variables

Node:Defining Variables, Next:Predefined Variables, Previous:Your Variables, Up:Your Variables

### Defining Variables

Variable: key value | Configuration Setting

Define the escape `#{key}` to be a short cut for value. key must not have any character from `:(){}`.

As as example, here is a variable for `psnup`, which encloses all the option passing one would like. Delegations are then easier to write:

    Variable: psnup psnup -#v -q #?j|-d|| #?r||-c| -w#w -h#h

It is strongly suggested to follow a `.` (dot) separated hierarchy, starting with:

`del`
  for variables that are related to delegations.
`pro`
  for variables used in prologues (see Designing PostScript Prologues). Please, specify the name of the prologue (e.g., `pro.matrix.gray`).
`ps`
  for variables related to PostScript matters, such as the page label (which is associated to `ps.page_label`), the header etc.
`pl`
  for page label formats. See Your Page Labels, the option `--page-label` in Input Options.
`toc`
  for toc formats. See the option `--toc` in Input Options.
`user`
  for user related information. See Predefined Variables.

This naming convention has not fully stabilized. We apologize for the inconvenience this might cause to users.

Node:Predefined Variables, Previous:Defining Variables, Up:Your Variables

### Predefined Variables

There are a few predefined variables. The fact that a2ps builds them at startup changes nothing to their status: they can be modified like any other variable using `--define` (see Global Options).

In what follows, there are numbers (i) like this, or (ii) this. It means that a2ps first tries the solution (i), if a result is obtained (non empty value), this is the value given to the variable. Otherwise it tries solution (ii), etc. The rationale behind the order is usually from user modifiable values (e.g. environment variables) through system's hard coded values (e.g., calls to `getpwuid`) and finally arbitrary values.

`user.comments`
  Comments on the user. Computed by (i) the system's database (the part of `pw_gecos` after the first `,`), (ii) not defined.
`user.home`
  The user's home directory. Determined by (i) the environment variable `HOME`, (ii) the system's database (using `getpwuid`), (iii) the empty string.
`user.host`
  The user's host name. Assigned from (i) the system (`gethostname` or `uname`), (ii) the empty string.
`user.login`
  The user's login (e.g. `bgates`). Computed by (i) the environment variable `LOGNAME`, (ii) the environment variable `USERNAME`, (iii) the system's database (using `getpwuid`), (iv) the translated string `user`.
`user.name`
  The user's name (e.g. `William Gates`). Computed by (i) the system's database (`pw_gecos` up to the first `,`), (ii) capitalized value of the variable `user.login` unless it was the translated string `user`, (iii) the translated string `Unknown User`.

Node:Your Delegations, Next:Your Internal Details, Previous:Your Variables, Up:Configuration Files

## Your Delegations

There are some files you don't really want a2ps to pretty-print, typically page description files (e.g., PostScript files, `roff` files, etc.). You can let a2ps delegate the treatment of these files to other applications. The behavior at run time depends upon the option `--delegate` (see Input Options).

- Defining a Delegation: Syntax of the definitions of the delegations
- Guide Line for Delegations: What should be respected
- Predefined Delegations: Making the best use of these delegations

Node:Defining a Delegation, Next:Guide Line for Delegations, Previous:Your Delegations, Up:Your Delegations

### Defining a Delegation

Delegation: name in:out command | Configuration Setting

Define the delegation name. It is to be applied upon files of type in when output type is out 3 thanks to command. Both in and out are a2ps type keys such as defined in `sheets.map` (see The Entry in sheets.map).

command should produce the file on its standard output. Of course escapes substitution is performed on command (see Escapes). In particular, command should use the input file `$f`.

    # In general, people don't want to pretty-print PostScript files.
    # Pass the PostScript files to psnup
    Delegation: PsNup ps:ps \
            psselect #?V||-q| -p#?p|#p|-| $f | \
            psnup -#v -q #?j|-d|| #?r||-c| -w#w -h#h

Advantage should be taken from the variables, to encapsulate the peculiarities of the various programs.

    # Passes the options to psnup.
    # The files (in and out) are to be given
    Variable: psnup psnup -#v #?V||-q| #?j|-d|| #?r||-c| -w#w -h#h

    # Passes to psselect for PS page selection
    Variable: psselect psselect #?V||-q| -p#?p|#p|-|

    # In general, people don't want to pretty-print PostScript files.
    # Pass the PostScript files to psnup
    Delegation: PsNup ps:ps     #{psselect} $f | #{psnup}

Temporary file names (`#f0` to `#f9`) are available for complex commands.

    # Pass DVI files to dvips.
    # A problem with dvips is that even on failure it dumps its prologue,
    # hence it looks like a success (output is produced).
    # To avoid that, we use an auxiliary file and a conditional call to
    # psnup instead of piping.
    Delegation: dvips dvi:ps    #{dvips} $f -o #f0 && #{psnup} #f0

Node:Guide Line for Delegations, Next:Predefined Delegations, Previous:Defining a Delegation, Up:Your Delegations

### Guide Line for Delegations

First of all, select carefully the applications you will use for the delegations. If a filter is known to cause problems, try to avoid it in delegations4. As a thumb rule, you should check that the PostScript generating applications produce files that start by:

    %!PS-Adobe-3.0

a2ps needs the `%%BeginSetup`-`%%EndSetup` section in order to output correctly the page device definitions. It can happen that your filters don't output this section. In that case, you should insert a call to `fixps` right after the PostScript generation:

    ########## ROFF files
    # Pass the roff files to groff.  Ask grog how groff should be called.
    # Use fixps to ensure there is a %%BeginSetup/%%EndSetup section.
    Delegation: Groff roff:ps	\
       eval `grog -Tps '$f'` | fixps #?V!!-q! | #{d.psselect} | #{d.psnup}

There are some services expected from the delegations. The delegations you may write should honor:

the input file
  available via the escape `$f`. You should be aware that there are people who have great fun having spaces or dollars in their file names, so you probably should always use `'$f'`. Some other variables are affected. Yes, I know, we need a special mechanism for `'` itself. Well, we'll see that later `;-)`.
the medium
  the dimension of the medium selected by the user are available through `#w` and `#h`.
the page layout
  the number of virtual pages is `#v`.
the page range
  the page range (in a form `1-2,4-6,10-` for instance) is available by `#p`.
the verbosity level
  please, do not make your delegations verbose by default. The silent mode should always be requested, unless `#?V` is set (see the above example with `groff`).

If ever you need several commands, do not use `;` to separate them, since it may prevent detection of failure. Use `&&` instead.

The slogan "the sooner, the better" should be applied here: in the processing chain, it is better to ask a service to the first application that supports it. An example will make it clear: when processing a `DVI` file, `dvips` knows better the page numbers than `psselect` would. So a `DVI` to PostScript delegation should ask the page selection (`#p`) to `dvips`, instead of using `psselect` later in the chain. An other obvious reason here is plain efficiency (globally, less data is processed).

Node:Predefined Delegations, Previous:Guide Line for Delegations, Up:Your Delegations

### Predefined Delegations

The purpose of this section is not to document all the predefined delegations, for this you should read the comments in the system configuration file `a2ps.cfg`. We just want to explain some choices, and give hints on how to make the best use of these delegations.

dvips (DVI to PostScript) | Delegation

There is a problem when you use a naive implementation of this delegation: landscape jobs are not recognized, and therefore n-upping generally fails miserably. Therefore, a2ps tries to guess if the file is landscape by looking for the keyword `landscape` in it, using `strings(1)`:
    Delegation: dvips dvi:ps\
     if strings $f | sed 3q | fgrep landscape > /dev/null 2>&1; then \
       #{d.dvips} -T#hpt,#wpt $f -o #f0 && #?o|cat|#{d.psnup} -r| #f0;\
     else \
       #{d.dvips} $f -o #f0 && #{d.psnup} #f0; \
     fi
In order to have that rule work correctly, it is expected from the TeX, or LaTeX file to include something like:
    \renewcommand{\printlandscape}{\special{landscape}}
    \printlandscape
in the preamble. We don't use a pipe because dvips always outputs data (its prologue) even if it fails, what prevents error detection.

LaTeX (LaTeX to DVI) | Delegation

We use a modern version of the shell script `texi2dvi`, from the package `Texinfo`, which runs `makeindex`, `bibtex` and `latex` as many times as needed. You should be aware that if the file includes files from other directories, it may miss some compilation steps. Other cases (most typical) are well handled.

Node:Your Internal Details, Previous:Your Delegations, Up:Configuration Files

## Your Internal Details

There are settings that only meant for a2ps that you can tune by yourself.

FileCommand: command | Configuration Setting

The command to run to call `file(1)` on a file. If possible, make it follow the symbolic links.

Node:Library Files, Next:Encodings, Previous:Configuration Files, Up:Top

# Library Files

To be general and to allow as much customization as possible, a2ps avoids to hard code its knowledge (encodings, PostScript routines, etc.), and tries to split it in various files. Hence it needs a path, i.e., a list of directories, in which it may find the files it needs.

The exact value of this library path is available by `a2ps --list=defaults`. Typically its value is:

    gargantua ~ $ a2ps --list=defaults
    Configuration status of a2ps 4.13
    More stuff deleted here
    Internals:
      verbosity level     = 2
      file command        = /usr/ucb/file -L
      temporary directory =
      library path        =
            /inf/soft/infthes/demaille/.a2ps
            /usr/local/share/a2ps/sheets
            /usr/local/share/a2ps/ps
            /usr/local/share/a2ps/encoding
            /usr/local/share/a2ps/afm
            /usr/local/share/a2ps/printers
            /usr/local/share/a2ps

You may change this default path through the configuration files (see Your Library Path).

If you plan to define yourself some files for a2ps, they should be in one of those directories.

- Documentation Format: Special tags to write a documentation
- Map Files: Their general shape and rationale
- Font Files: Using other fonts
- Style Sheet Files: Defining pretty printing rules

Node:Documentation Format, Next:Map Files, Previous:Library Files, Up:Library Files

## Documentation Format

In various places a documentation can be given. Since some parts of this document and of web pages are extracted from documentations, some tags are needed to provide a better layout. The format is a mixture made out of Texinfo like commands, but built so that quick and easy processing can be made.

These tags are:

`code(`text`)code`
  Typeset text like a piece of code. This should be used for keys, variables, options etc. For instance the documentation of the `bold` prologue mentions the `bw` prologue:

      Documentation
      This style is meant to replace the old option
      code(-b)code of a2ps 4.3.  It is a copy of the
      black and white prologue, but in which all the
      fonts are in Bold.
      EndDocumentation

`href(`link`)href(`text`)href`
  Specifies a hyper text link displayed as text.
`@example`
`@end example`
  They must be alone on the line. The text between these tags is displayed in a code-like fonts. This should be used for including a piece of code. For instance, in the documentation of the `gnuc` style sheet:

      documentation is
       "Declaration of functions are highlighted"
       "emph(only)emph if you start the function name"
       "in the first column, and it is followed by an"
       "opening parenthesis.  In other words, if you"
       "write"
       "@example"
       "int main (void)"
       "@end example"
       "it won't work.  Write:"
       "@example"
       "int"
       "main (void)"
       "@end example"
      end documentation

`@itemize`
`@item` text
`@end itemize`
  Typeset a list of items. The opening and closing tags must be alone on the line.

Node:Map Files, Next:Font Files, Previous:Documentation Format, Up:Library Files

## Map Files

Many things are defined through files. There is a general scheme to associate an object to the files to use: map files. They are typically used to:

- resolve aliases. For instance the ISO-8859-1 encoding is also called ISO Latin 1, or Latin 1 for short. The `encoding.map` file will map these three names to the same Encoding Description File.
- cope with broken files systems. For instance, the-one-you-know-I-don't-need-to-name cannot handle files named `Courier-BoldOblique.afm`: it is the same as `Courier-Bold.afm`. The `fonts.map` file is here to associate a font file name to a font name.

The syntax of these files is:

- any empty line, or any line starting by a `#` is a comment.
- a line with the format

      ***              path

  requests that the file designated by path be included at this point.

- any other line has the format

      key               value

  meaning that when looking for key (e.g., name of a font, an encoding etc.), a2ps should use value (e.g., font file name, encoding description file name etc.).

The map files used in a2ps are:

`encoding.map`
  Resolving encodings aliases.
`fonts.map`
  Mapping font names to font file names.
`sheets.map`
  Rules to decide what style sheet to use.

Node:Font Files, Next:Style Sheet Files, Previous:Map Files, Up:Library Files

## Font Files

Even when a PostScript printer knows the fonts you want to use, using these fonts requires some description files.

- Fonts Map File: Mapping a font name to a file name
- Fonts Description Files: Needed files to use a Font
- Adding More Font Support: Using even more Fonts

Node:Fonts Map File, Next:Fonts Description Files, Previous:Font Files, Up:Font Files

### Fonts Map File

See Map Files, for a description of the map files. This file associates the font-key to a font name. For instance:

    Courier                 pcrr
    Courier-Bold            pcrb
    Courier-BoldOblique     pcrbo
    Courier-Oblique         pcrro

associates to font named `Courier`, the key `pcrr`. To be recognized, the font name must be exact: `courier` and `COURIER` are not admitted.

Node:Fonts Description Files, Next:Adding More Font Support, Previous:Fonts Map File, Up:Font Files

### Fonts Description Files

There are two kinds of data a2ps needs to use a font:

- the AFM file (`font-key.afm`), which describes the metrics information corresponding to font;
- in the case font is not known from the printer, the PFA or PFB file which is down loaded to the printer. These files are actually the PostScript programs which execution produces the characters to be drawn on the page, in this font.

Node:Adding More Font Support, Previous:Fonts Description Files, Up:Font Files

### Adding More Font Support

a2ps can use as many fonts as you want, provided that you teach it the name of the files in which are stored the fonts (see Fonts Map File). To this end, a very primitive but still useful shell script is provided: `make_fonts_map.sh`.

First, you need to find the directories which store the fonts you want to use, and extend the library path so that a2ps sees those directories. For instance, add:

    AppendLibraryPath: /usr/local/share/ghostscript/fonts

Then run `make_fonts_map.sh`. It should be located in the `afm/` directory of the system's a2ps hierarchy. Typically `/usr/local/share/a2ps/afm/make_fonts_map.sh`.

This script asks a2ps for the library path, wanders in this path collecting `AFM` files, and digging information in them.

Once the script has finished, a file `fonts.map.new` was created. Check its integrity, and if it's correct, either replace the old `fonts.map` with it, or rename `fonts.map.new` as `fonts.map` and place it higher in the the library path (for instance in your `~/.a2ps/` directory).

Node:Style Sheet Files, Previous:Font Files, Up:Library Files

## Style Sheet Files

The style sheets are defined in various files. See see Pretty Printing for the structure of these files. As for most other features, there is main file, a road map, which defines in which condition a style sheet should be used (see Map Files). This file is `sheets.map`.

Its format is simple:

    style-key: patterns

or

    include(file)

The patterns need not be on separate lines. There are two kinds of patterns:

/pattern/flags
  if the current file name matches pattern, then select style style-key (i.e. file `style-key.ssh`).
<pattern>flags
  if the result of a call to `file(1)` matches pattern, then select style style-key.

Currently flags can only be `i`, standing for an insentive match. Please note that the matching is not truly case insensitive: rather, a lower case version of the string is compared to the pattern as is, i.e., the pattern should itself be lower case.

The special style-key `binary` tells a2ps to consider that the file should not be printed, and will be ignored, unless option `--print-anyway` is given.

If a style name can't be found, the plain style is used.

The map file is read bottom up, so that the "last" match is honored.

Two things are to retain from this:

1. if the file is presented through `stdin`, then a2ps will run `file(1)`. However, unless you specify a fake file name with `--stdin`, pattern matching upon the name is turn off. In general you can expect correct delegations, but almost never pretty printing.
2. if `file` is wrong on some files, a2ps may use bad style sheets. In this case, do try option `--guess`, compare it with the output of `file`, and if the culprit is `file`, go and complain to your system administrator :-), or fix it by defining your own filename pattern matching rules.

Consider the case of Texinfo files as an example (the language in which this documentation is written). Files are usually named `foo.texi`, `bar.txi`, or even `baz.texinfo`. `file(1)` is able to recognize Texinfo files:

    doc % file a2ps.texi
    a2ps.texi: Texinfo source text

Therefore the sheets.map would look like:

    # Texinfo files
    texinfo:  /*.txi/  /*.texi/  /*.texinfo/
              <Texinfo source*>

Node:Encodings, Next:Pretty Printing, Previous:Library Files, Up:Top

# Encodings

a2ps is trying to support the various usual encodings that its users use. This chapter presents what an encoding is, how the encodings support is handled within a2ps, and some encodings it supports.

- What is an Encoding: The concept of encoding explained
- Encoding Files: How a2ps handles the encodings

Node:What is an Encoding, Next:Encoding Files, Previous:Encodings, Up:Encodings

## What is an Encoding

This section is actually taken from the web pages of Alis Technologies inc.

Document encoding is the most important but also the most sensitive and explosive topic in Internet internationalization. It is an essential factor since most of the information distributed over the Internet is in text format. But the history of the Internet is such that the predominant - and in some cases the only possible - encoding is the very limited ASCII, which can represent only a handful of languages, only three of which are used to any great extent: English, Indonesian and Swahili.

All the other languages, spoken by more than 90% of the world's population, must fall back on other character sets. And there is a plethora of them, created over the years to satisfy writing constraints and constantly changing technological limitations. The ISO international character set registry contains only a small fraction; IBM's character registry is over three centimeters thick; Microsoft and Apple each have a bunch of their own, as do other software manufacturers and editors.

The problem is not that there are too few but rather too many choices, at least whenever Internet standards allow them. And the surplus is a real problem; if every Arabic user made his own choice among the three dozen or so codes available for this language, there is little likelihood that his "neighbor" would do the same and that they would thus be able to understand each other. This example is rather extreme, but it does illustrate the importance of standards in the area of internationalization. For a group of users sharing the same language to be able to communicate,

1. the code used in the shared document must always be identified (labeling)
2. they must agree on a small number of codes - only one, if possible (standards);
3. their software must recognize and process all codes (versatility)

Certain character sets stand out either because of their status as an official national or international standard, or simply because of their widespread use.

First off, there is the ISO 8859 standards series that standardize a dozen character sets that are useful for a large number of languages using the Latin, Cyrillic, Arabic, Greek and Hebrew alphabets. These standards have a limited range of application (8 bits per character, a maximum of 190 characters, no combining) but where they suffice (as they do for 10 of the 20 most widely used languages), they should be used on the Internet in preference to other codes. For all other languages, national standards should preferably be chosen or, if none are available, a well-known and widely-used code should be the second choice.

Even when we limit ourselves to the most widely used standards, the overabundance remains considerable, and this significantly complicates life for truly international software developers and users of several languages, especially when such languages can only be represented by a single code. It was to resolve this problem that both Unicode and the ISO 10646 International standard were created. Two standards? Oh no! Their designers soon realized the problem and were able to cooperate to the extent of making the character set repertoires and coding identical.

ISO 10646 (and Unicode) contain over 30,000 characters capable of representing most of the living languages within a single code. All of these characters, except for the Han (Chinese characters also used in Japanese and Korean), have a name. And there is still room to encode the missing languages as soon as enough of the necessary research is done. Unicode can be used to represent several languages, using different alphabets, within the same electronic document.

Node:Encoding Files, Previous:What is an Encoding, Up:Encodings

## Encoding Files

- Encoding Map File: Mapping an encoding name to a file name
- Encoding Description Files: Specifying an encoding
- Some Encodings: Classical or standard encodings

The support of the encodings in a2ps is completely taken out of the code. That is to say, adding, removing or changing anything in its support for an encoding does not require programming, nor even being a programmer.

See What is an Encoding, if you want to know more about this.

Node:Encoding Map File, Next:Encoding Description Files, Previous:Encoding Files, Up:Encoding Files

### Encoding Map File

See Map Files, for a description of the map files.

The meaningful lines of the `encoding.map` file have the form:

    alias      key
    iso-8859-1 latin1
    latin1     latin1
    l1         latin1

where

alias
  specifies any name under which the encoding may be used. It influences the option `--encoding`, but also the encodings dynamically required, as for instance in the `mail` style sheet (support for MIME).

  When encoding is asked, the lower case version of encoding must be equal to alias.

key
  specifies the prefix of the file describing the encoding (`key.edf`, Encoding Description Files).

Node:Encoding Description Files, Next:Some Encodings, Previous:Encoding Map File, Up:Encoding Files

### Encoding Description Files

The encoding description file describing the encoding key is named `key.edf`. It is subject to the same rules as any other a2ps file:

- please make the name portable: alpha-numerical, at most 8 characters,
- empty lines and lines starting by `#` are ignored.

The entries are

`Name:`
  Specifies the full name of the encoding. Please, try to use the official name if there is one.

      Name: ISO-8859-1

`Documentation/EndDocumentation`
  Introduces the documentation on the encoding (see Documentation Format). Typical informations expected are the other important names this encoding has, and the languages it covers.

      Documentation
      Also known as ISO Latin 1, or Latin 1.  It is a superset
      of ASCII, and covers most West-European languages.
      EndDocumentation

`Substitute:`
  Introduces a font substitution. The most common fonts (e.g., `Courier`, `Times-Roman`...) do not support many encodings (for instance it does not support Latin 2). To avoid that Latin 2 users have to replace everywhere calls to `Courier`, a2ps allows to specify that whenever a font is called in an encoding, then another font should be used.

  For instance in `iso2.edf` one can read:

      # Fonts from Ogonkify offer full support of ISO Latin 2
      Substitute: Courier              Courier-Ogonki
      Substitute: Courier-Bold         Courier-Bold-Ogonki
      Substitute: Courier-BoldOblique  Courier-BoldOblique-Ogonki
      Substitute: Courier-Oblique      Courier-Oblique-Ogonki

`Default:`
  Introduces the name of the font that should be used when a font (not substituted as per the previous item) is called but provides to poor a support of the encoding. The `Courier` equivalent is the best choice.

      Default: Courier-Ogonki

`Vector:`
  Introduces the PostScript encoding vector, that is a list of the 256 PostScript names of the characters. Note that only the printable characters are named in PostScript (e.g., `bell` in ASCII (`^G`) should not be named). The special name `.notdef` is to be used when the character is not printable.

  Warning. Make sure to use real, official, PostScript names. Using names such as `c123` may be the sign you use unusual names. On the other hand PostScript names such as `afii8879` are common.

Node:Some Encodings, Previous:Encoding Description Files, Up:Encoding Files

### Some Encodings

Most of the following information is a courtesy of Alis Technologies inc. and of Roman Czyborra's page about The ISO 8859 Alphabet Soup. See What is an Encoding, is an instructive presentation of the encodings.

The known encodings are:

ASCII (`ascii.edf`) | Encoding

US-ASCII.

HPRoman (`hp.edf`) | Encoding

The 8 bits Roman encoding for HP.

IBM-CP437 (`ibm-cp437.edf`) | Encoding

This encoding is meant to be used for PC files with drawing lines.

IBM-CP850 (`ibm-cp850.edf`) | Encoding

Several characters may be missing, especially Greek letters and some mathematical symbols.

ISO-8859-1 (`iso1.edf`) | Encoding

The ISO-8859-1 character set, often simply referred to as Latin 1, covers most West European languages, such as French, Spanish, Catalan, Basque, Portuguese, Italian, Albanian, Rhaeto-Romanic, Dutch, German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Faroese, Icelandic, Irish, Scottish, and English, incidentally also Afrikaans and Swahili, thus in effect also the entire American continent, Australia and the southern two-thirds of Africa. The lack of the ligatures Dutch IJ, French OE and ,,German" quotation marks is considered tolerable. The lack of the new C=-resembling Euro currency symbol U+20AC has opened the discussion of a new Latin0.

ISO-8859-2 (`iso2.edf`) | Encoding

The Latin 2 character set supports the Slavic languages of Central Europe which use the Latin alphabet. The ISO-8859-2 set is used for the following languages: Czech, Croat, German, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak and Slovenian. Support is provided thanks to Ogonkify.

ISO-8859-3 (`iso3.edf`) | Encoding

This character set is used for Esperanto, Galician, Maltese and Turkish. Support is provided thanks to Ogonkify.

ISO-8859-4 (`iso4.edf`) | Encoding

Some letters were added to the ISO-8859-4 to support languages such as Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian. It is an incomplete precursor of the Latin 6 set. Support is provided thanks to Ogonkify.

ISO-8859-5 (`iso5.edf`) | Encoding

The ISO-8859-5 set is used for various forms of the Cyrillic alphabet. It supports Bulgarian, Byelorussian, Macedonian, Serbian and Ukrainian. The Cyrillic alphabet was created by St. Cyril in the 9th century from the upper case letters of the Greek alphabet. The more ancient Glagolithic (from the ancient Slav glagol, which means "word"), was created for certain dialects from the lower case Greek letters. These characters are still used by Dalmatian Catholics in their liturgical books. The kings of France were sworn in at Reims using a Gospel in Glagolithic characters attributed to St. Jerome. Note that Russians seem to prefer the KOI8-R character set to the ISO set for computer purposes. KOI8-R is composed using the lower half (the first 128 characters) of the corresponding American ASCII character set.

ISO-8859-7 (`iso7.edf`) | Encoding

ISO-8859-7 was formerly known as ELOT-928 or ECMA-118:1986. It is meant for modern Greek.

ISO-8859-9 (`iso9.edf`) | Encoding

The ISO 8859-9 set, or Latin 5, replaces the rarely used Icelandic letters from Latin 1 with Turkish letters. Support is provided thanks to Ogonkify.

ISO-8859-10 (`iso10.edf`) | Encoding

Latin 6 (or ISO-8859-10) adds the last letters from Greenlandic and Lapp which were missing in Latin 4, and thereby covers all Scandinavia. Support is provided thanks to Ogonkify.

ISO-8859-13 (`iso13.edf`) | Encoding

Latin7 (ISO-8859-13) is going to cover the Baltic Rim and re-establish the Latvian (lv) support lost in Latin6 and may introduce the local quotation marks. Support is provided thanks to Ogonkify.

ISO-8859-15 (`iso15.edf`) | Encoding

The new Latin9 nicknamed Latin0 aims to update Latin1 by replacing some less needed symbols (some fractions and accents) with forgotten French and Finnish letters and placing the U+20AC Euro sign in the cell of the former international currency sign. Very few fonts yet offer the possibility to print the Euro sign.

KOI8 (`koi8.edf`) | Encoding

KOI-8 (+Ëë) is a subset of ISO-IR-111 that can be used in Serbia, Belarus etc.

MS-CP1250 (`ms-cp1250.edf`) | Encoding

Microsoft's CP-1250 encoding (aka CeP).

Macintosh (`mac.edf`) | Encoding

For the Macintosh encoding. The support is not sufficient, and a lot of characters may be missing at the end of the job (especially Greek letters).

Node:Pretty Printing, Next:PostScript, Previous:Encodings, Up:Top

# Pretty Printing

The main feature of a2ps is its pretty-printing capabilities. Two different levels of pretty printing can be reached:

- basic (normal highlight level) in which what you print is what you wrote.
- string (heavy highlight level), in which in general, some keywords are replaced by a Symbol character which best represents them. For instance, in most languages `<=` and `>=` will be replaced by the corresponding single character from the font Symbol.

Note that the difference is up to the author of the style sheet.

- Syntactic limits: What can't be done
- Known Style Sheets: Some supported languages
- Type Setting Style Sheets: a2ps as a tiny word processor
- Faces: Encoding the look of pieces of text
- Style sheets semantics: What is to be defined
- Style Sheets Implementation: How they should be defined
- A tutorial on style sheets: Step by step example

Node:Syntactic limits, Next:Known Style Sheets, Previous:Pretty Printing, Up:Pretty Printing

## Syntactic limits

a2ps is not a powerful syntactic pretty-printer: it just handles lexical structures, i.e., if in your favorite language

    IF IF == THEN THEN THEN := ELSE ELSE ELSE := IF

is legal, then a2ps is not the tool you need. Indeed a2ps just looks for some keywords, or some sequences.

Node:Known Style Sheets, Next:Type Setting Style Sheets, Previous:Syntactic limits, Up:Pretty Printing

## Known Style Sheets

68000 (`68000.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Althought designed at the origin for the 68k's assembler, this style sheet seems to handle rather well other dialects.

a2ps configuration file (`a2psrc.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Meant to print files such as `a2ps.cfg`, or `.a2ps/a2psrc`, etc.

a2ps style sheet (`ssh.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Second level of highligthing (option `-g`)) substitutes the LaTeX symbols.

Ada (`ada.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style sheets cover Ada 95. If you feel the need for Ada 83, you'll have to design another style sheet.

ASN.1 (`asn1.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Philippe Coucaud. ASN.1 (Abstract Syntax Notation One) is used to define the protocol data units (PDUs) of all application layer protocols to date.

Autoconf (`autoconf.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Suitable for both `configure.in` and library `m4` files.

AWK (`awk.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Edward Arthur. This style is devoted to the AWK pattern scanning and processing language. It is supposed to support classic awk, nawk and gawk.

B (`b.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Philippe Coucaud. B is a formal specification method mostly used to describe critical systems. It is based on the mathematical sets theory.

BC (`bc.ssh`) | Style Sheet

bc is an arbitrary precision calculator language.

Bourne Shell (`sh.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Some classical program names, or builtin, are highlighted in the second level of pretty-printing.

C (`c.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style does not highlight the function definitions. Another style which highlights them, GNUish C, is provided (gnuc.ssh). It works only if you respect some syntactic conventions.

C Shell (`csh.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Jim Diamond. Some classical program names, and/or builtins, are highlighted in the second level of pretty-printing.

C++ (`cxx.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Should handle all known variations of C++. Most declarations (classes etc.) are not highlighted as they should be. Please, step forward!

CAML (`caml.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style is obsolete: use OCaml instead.

ChangeLog (`chlog.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style covers the usual ChangeLog files.

Claire (`claire.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Claire is a high-level functional and object-oriented language with advanced rule processing capabilities. It is intended to allow the programmer to express complex algorithms with fewer lines and in an elegant and readable manner. To provide a high degree of expressivity, Claire uses: A very rich type system including type intervals and second-order types (with dual static/dynamic typing), Parametric classes and methods, An object-oriented logic with set extensions, Dynamic versioning that supports easy exploration of search spaces. To achieve its goal of readability, Claire uses set-based programming with an intuitive syntax, simple-minded object-oriented programming, truly polymorphic and parametric functional programming, a powerful-yet-readable extension of DATALOG to express logical conditions, an entity-relation approach with explicit relations, inverses, unknown values and relational operations. More information on claire can be found on claire home page.

Common Lisp (`clisp.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Juliusz Chroboczek. It is not very clear what should be considered as a `keyword' in Common Lisp. I like binders, control structures and declarations to be highlighted, but not assignments. Names of defstructs are not highlighted because this would not work with defstruct options.

Coq Vernacular (`coqv.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style is devoted to the Coq v 5.10 vernacular language.

CORBA IDL (`cidl.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Bob Phillips. A first attempt at a style sheet for OMG CORBA IDL. I believe I captured all the keywords for CORBA 2.2 IDL. I also stole code from gnuc.ssh to print the method names in bold face. I'm not sure I quite like my own choices for Keyword_strong and Keyword, so I'm looking for feedback. Note that, as with gnuc.ssh, for a method name to be noted as such, the left parenthesis associated with the argument list for the method must appear on the same line as the method name.

CPP (`cpp.ssh`) | Style Sheet

C traditional preprocessor handling, mostly meant to be inherited.

dc_shell (`dc_shell.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Philippe Le Van. Synopsys Design Compiler is a synthesis tool used by electronic companies for the design of their chips. This sheet is very incomplete, we have a lot of keywords to add, eventually options to highlight... The Label_strong style is used for commands which change the design.

Eiffel (`eiffel.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Eiffel is an object oriented language that also includes a comprehensive approach to software construction: a method. The language itself is not just a programming language but also covers analysis, design and implementation. Heavy highlight uses symbols to represent common math operators.

Emacs Lisp (`elisp.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Didier Verna. This style sheet includes support for some extensions dumped with XEmacs.

Encapsulated PostScript (`eps.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Illegal PostScript operators are highlighted as Errors.

Extended Tcl (`tclx.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Phil Hollenback. Extensions to plain Tcl.

Fortran (`fortran.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Denis Girou, Alexander Mai. There are several Fortran dialects, depending whether, on the one hand, you use Fortran 77 or Fortran 90/95, and, on the other hand, Fixed form comments, or Free form comments. The style sheets `for77kwds` and `for90kwds` implements keywords only, while the style sheets `for-fixed` and `for-free` implements comments only. This style sheet tries to support any of the various flavors (Fortran 77/90/95, fixed or free form). For more specific uses, you should use either: for77-fixed, for Fortran 77 fixed form, for77-free, for Fortran 77 free form, for90-fixed, for Fortran 90/95 fixed form, for90-free, for Fortran 90/95 free form.

Fortran 77 Fixed (`for77-fixed.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Denis Girou, Alexander Mai. Dedicated to Fortran 77 in fixed form, i.e., comments are lines starting with c, C, or *, and only those lines are comments.

Fortran 77 Free (`for77-free.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Denis Girou, Alexander Mai. Dedicated to Fortran 77 in free form, i.e., comments are introduced by ! anywhere on the line, and nothing else is a comment.

Fortran 77 Keywords (`for77kwds.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Denis Girou, Alexander Mai. This sheet implements only Fortran 77 keywords, and avoids implementing comments support. This is to allow for implementation of either fixed or free source form. See the documentation of the style sheet `fortran` for more details.

Fortran 90 Fixed (`for90-fixed.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Denis Girou, Alexander Mai. Dedicated to Fortran 90/95 in fixed form, i.e., comments are lines starting with c, C, or *, and only those lines are comments.

Fortran 90 Free (`for90-free.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Denis Girou, Alexander Mai. Dedicated to Fortran 90/95 in free form, i.e., comments are introduced by ! anywhere on the line, and nothing else is a comment.

Fortran 90 Keywords (`for90kwds.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Denis Girou, Alexander Mai. This sheet implements the superset which Fortran 90 and Fortran 95 provide over Fortran 77. See the documentation of the style sheet `fortran` for more details.

Fortran Fixed (`for-fixed.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Denis Girou, Alexander Mai. Implements comments of Fortran in fixed form, i.e., comments are lines starting with c, C, or *, and only those lines are comments. No other highlighting is done. See the documentation of the style sheet `fortran` for more details.

Fortran Free (`for-free.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Denis Girou, Alexander Mai. Dedicated to Fortran in free form, i.e., comments are introduced by ! anywhere on the line, and nothing else is a comment.

GNUish C (`gnuc.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Declaration of functions are highlighted only if you start the function name in the first column, and it is followed by an opening parenthesis. In other words, if you write
    int main (void)
it won't work. Write:
    int
    main (void)

GNUMakefile (`gmake.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Alexander Mai. Special tokens of GNUmakefiles and non terminal declarations are highlighted.

Haskell (`haskell.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Ilya Beylin. Haskell: non-strict functional programming language http::/www.haskell.org/

HTML (`html.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Wesley J. Chun. This style is meant to pretty print HTML source files, not to simulate its interpretation (i.e., `<bold>foo</bold>` does not print `foo` in bold). If you really meant to print the result of the HTML file interpreted, then you should turn the delegations on, and make sure `a2ps` has HTML delegations.

IDL (`idl.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Robert S. Mallozzi, Manfred Schwarb. Style sheet for IDL 5.2 (Interactive Data Language). Obsolete routines are not supported. http://www.rsinc.com.

InstallShield 5 (`is5rul.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Alex. InstallShield5 _TM_ RUL script.

Java (`java.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Steve Alexander. Documentation comments are mapped to strong comments, and any other comment is plain comment.

JavaScript (`js.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Scott Pakin. Keywords used are everything listed in the Client-Side JavaScript Reference 1.3, plus "undefined" (why isn't that listed?) and "prototype". I omitted the semi-standard a2ps optional operators for equality, because JavaScript's use of both strict- and non-strict equality might ambiguate the output. Finally, regular expressions are formatted like strings.

LACE (`lace.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This is meant for the Eiffel equivalent of the Makefiles.

Lex (`lex.ssh`) | Style Sheet

In addition to the C constructs, it highlights the declaration of states, and some special `%` commands.

Lout (`lout.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Jean-Baptiste Nivoit. This is the style for Lout files.

Mail Folder (`mail.ssh`) | Style Sheet

To use from elm and others, it is better to specify `-g -Email`, since the file sent to printer is no longer truly a mail folder. This style also suits to news. `--strip` options are also useful (they strip "useless" headers). Whenever the changes of encoding are clear, a2ps sets itself the encoding for the parts concerned. Tag 1 is the subject, and Tag 2 the author of the mail/news. Note: This style sheet is _very_ difficult to write. Please don't report behavior you don't like. Just send me improvements, or write a Bison parser for mails.

Makefile (`make.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Special tokens, and non terminal declarations are highlighted.

Management Information Base (`mib.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Kelly Wiles. The MIB file is of ASN.1 syntax.

Maple (`maple.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Richard J Mathar. Some classical program names, and/or builtins, are highlighted in the second level of pretty-printing.

MATLAB 4 (`matlab4.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Marco De la Cruz. Note that comments in the code should have a space after the %.

Modula 2 (`modula2.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Peter Bartke.

Modula 3 (`modula3.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Modula-3 is a member of the Pascal family of languages. Designed in the late 1980s at Digital Equipment Corporation and Olivetti, Modula-3 corrects many of the deficiencies of Pascal and Modula-2 for practical software engineering. In particular, Modula-3 keeps the simplicity of type safety of the earlier languages, while providing new facilities for exception handling, concurrency, object-oriented programming, and automatic garbage collection. Modula-3 is both a practical implementation language for large software projects and an excellent teaching language. This sheet was designed based on Modula 3 home page.

o2c (`o2c.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Oberon (`oberon.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Created by N. Wirth, Oberon is the successor of the Pascal and Modula-2 family of programming languages. It was specifically designed for systems programming, and was used to create the Oberon system in cooperation with J. Gutknecht. A few years later, the Oberon language was extended with additional object-oriented features to result in the programming language Oberon-2. Implementation of the sheet based on The Oberon Reference Site.

Objective C (`objc.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Paul Shum.

OCaml (`ocaml.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Markus Mott. This style should also suit other versions of ML (caml light, SML etc.).

OCaml Yacc (`mly.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Jean-Baptiste Nivoit. Should handle CAML Special Light parser files.

Octave (`octave.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by C.P. Earls.

Oracle parameter file (`initora.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Pierre Mareschal. For init.ora parameter files.

Oracle PL/SQL (`plsql.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Pierre Mareschal. This style is to be checked.

Oracle SQL (`sql.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Pierre Mareschal. a2ps-sql Pretty Printer Version 1.0.0 beta - 18-MAR-97 For comments, support for - /*..*/ and //. This style is to be checked.

Oracle SQL-PL/SQL-SQL*Plus (`oracle.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Pierre Mareschal. 18-MAR-97 For comments, support for - /*..*/ and //. This style is to be checked.

Pascal (`pascal.ssh`) | Style Sheet

The standard Pascal is covered by this style. But some extension have been added too, hence modern Pascal programs should be correctly handled. Heavy highlighting maps mathematical symbols to their typographic equivalents.

Perl (`perl.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Denis Girou. As most interpreted languages, Perl is very free on its syntax, what leads to significant problems for a pretty printer. Please, be kind with our try. Any improvement is most welcome.

PostScript (`ps.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Only some keywords are highlighted, because otherwise listings are quickly becoming a big bold spot.

PostScript Printer Description (`ppd.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Support for Adobe's PPD files.

Pov-Ray (`pov.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Jean-Baptiste Nivoit. Should handle Persistence Of Vision input files.

PreScript (`pre.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style defines commands in the canonic syntax of a2ps. It is meant to be used either as an input language, and to highlight the table of contents etc. It can be a good choice of destination language for people who want to produce text to print (e.g. pretty-printing, automated documentation etc.) but who definitely do not want to learn PostScript, nor to require the use of LaTeX.

PreTeX (`pretex.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style sheets provides LaTeX-like commands to format text. It is an alternative to the PreScript style sheet, in which formating commands are specified in a more a2ps related syntax. It provides by the use of LaTeX like commands, a way to describe the pages that this program should produce.

Prolog (`prolog.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Help is needed on this sheet.

Promela (`promela.ssh`) | Style Sheet

There is no way for this program to highlight send and receive primitives.

Python (`python.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Python is an easy to learn, powerful programming language. It has efficient high-level data structures and a simple but effective approach to object-oriented programming. Python's elegant syntax and dynamic typing, together with its interpreted nature, make it an ideal language for scripting and rapid application development in many areas on most platforms. The Python interpreter and the extensive standard library are freely available in source or binary form for all major platforms from the Python web site, and can be freely distributed. The same site also contains distributions of and pointers to many free third party Python modules, programs and tools, and additional documentation. The Python interpreter is easily extended with new functions and data types implemented in C or C++ (or other languages callable from C). Python is also suitable as an extension language for customizable applications.

Reference Card (`card.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style sheet is meant to process help messages generated by Unix applications. It highlights the options (-short or -long), and their arguments. Normal use of this style sheet is through the shell script card (part of the a2ps package), but a typical hand-driven use is:
    program --help | a2ps -Ecard

REXX (`rexx.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Alexander Mai. This style sheet supports REXX. You can get information about REXX from the REXX Language Association.

Sather (`sather.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Sather is an object oriented language designed to be simple, efficient, safe, flexible and non-proprietary. One way of placing it in the `space of languages' is to say that it aims to be as efficient as C, C++, or Fortran, as elegant as and safer than Eiffel, and support higher-order functions and iteration abstraction as well as Common Lisp, CLU or Scheme. Implementation of the sheet based on the Sather home page. Heavy highlighting uses symbols for common mathematical operators.

Scheme (`scheme.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style sheet is looking for a maintainer and/or comments.

SDL-88 (`sdl88.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Jean-Philippe Cottin. -strip-level=2 is very useful: it cancels the graphical information left by graphic editors. Only the pure specification is then printed.

Sed (`sed.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Comments and labels are highlighted. Other ideas are welcome! A lot of work is still needed.

Shell (`shell.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style sheet is not meant to be used directly, but rather an as ancestor for shell style sheets.

SQL 92 (`sql92.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Pierre Mareschal. 18-MAR-97 This style is to be checked.

Standard ML (`sml.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Franklin Chen, Daniel Wang. This style sheet takes advantage of the Symbol font to replace many ASCII operators with their natural graphical representation. This is enabled only at heavy highlighting.

Symbols (`symbols.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style sheet should be a precursor for any style sheet which uses LaTeX like symbols.

TC Shell (`tcsh.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Jim Diamond. C shell with file name completion and command line editing.

TeX (`tex.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Denis Girou. This is the style for (La)TeX files. It's mainly useful for people who develop (La)TeX packages. With `-g`, common mathematical symbols are represented graphically.

Texinfo (`texinfo.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Heavy highlighting prints the nodes on separate pages which title is the name of the node.

TeXScript (`texscript.ssh`) | Style Sheet

TeXScript is the new name of what used to be called PreScript. New PreScript has pure a2ps names, PreTeX has pure TeX names, and TeXScript mixes both.

Tiger (`tiger.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Tiger is a toy language that serves as example of the book Modern Compiler Implementation by Andrew W. Appel.

tk (`tk.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Larry W. Virden. Since everything, or almost, is a string, what is printed is not always what you would like.

Tool Command Language (`tcl.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Larry W. Virden. Since everything, or almost, is a string, what is printed is not always what you would like.

Unified Diff (`udiff.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style is meant to be used onto the output unidiffs, that is to say output from `diff -u`. Typical use of this style is:
    diff -u old new | a2ps -Eudiff
The prologue `diff` helps to highlight the differences (`a2ps -Ewdiff --prologue=diff`).

Unity (`unity.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Jean-Philippe Cottin. The graphic conversion of the symbols (option `-g`) is nice.

VERILOG (`verilog.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Edward Arthur. This style is devoted to the VERILOG hardware description language.

VHDL (`vhdl.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Thomas Parmelan. Non-textual operators are not highlighted. Some logical operators are printed as graphical symbols in the second level of pretty-printing.

Visual Basic for Applications (`vba.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Dirk Eddelbuettel.

Visual Tcl (`vtcl.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Phil Hollenback. All the Vtcl keywords that aren't in Tcl or TclX.

VRML (`vrml.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Nadine Richard. According to Grammar Definition Version 2.0 ISO/IEC CD 14772.

wdiff (`wdiff.ssh`) | Style Sheet

This style is meant to be used onto the output of Franc,ois Pinard's program `wdiff`. `wdiff` is a utility that underlines the differences of words between to files. Where `diff` make only the difference between lines that have changed, `wdiff` reports words that have changed inside the lines. Typical use of this style is:
    wdiff old new | a2ps -Ewdiff
`wdiff` can be found in usual GNU repositories. The prologue `diff` helps to highlight the differences (`a2ps -Ewdiff --prologue=diff`).

XS (`xs.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Written by Kestutis Kupciunas. This style covers Perl XS language.

Yacc (`yacc.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Special tokens, and non terminal declarations are highlighted.

Z Shell (`zsh.ssh`) | Style Sheet

Zsh is a UNIX command interpreter (shell) usable as an interactive login shell and as a shell script command processor. Of the standard shells, zsh most closely resembles ksh but includes many enhancements. Zsh has comand line editing, builtin spelling correction, programmable command completion, shell functions (with autoloading), a history mechanism, and a host of other features. This style sheet highlights some classical program names and builtins in the second level of pretty-printing.

Node:Type Setting Style Sheets, Next:Faces, Previous:Known Style Sheets, Up:Pretty Printing

## Type Setting Style Sheets

This section presents a few style sheets that define page description languages (compared to most other style sheet meant to pretty print source files).

- Symbol: Access to the glyphs of the Symbol font
- PreScript: Typesetting in an a2ps like syntax
- PreTeX: Typesetting in a LaTeX like syntax
- TeXScript: Typesetting in a mixture of both

Node:Symbol, Next:PreScript, Previous:Type Setting Style Sheets, Up:Type Setting Style Sheets

### Symbol

The style sheet `Symbol` introduces easy to type keywords to obtain the special characters of the PostScript font `Symbol`. The keywords are named to provide a LaTeX taste. These keywords are also the names used when designing a style sheet, hence to get the full list, see A Bit of Syntax.

If you want to know the correspondence, it is suggested to print the style sheet file of `Symbol`:

    a2ps -g symbol.ssh

Node:PreScript, Next:PreTeX, Previous:Symbol, Up:Type Setting Style Sheets

### PreScript

`PreScript` has been designed in conjunction with a2ps. Since bold sequences, special characters etc. were implemented in a2ps, we thought it would be good to allow direct access to those features: `PreScript` became an input language for a2ps, where special font treatments are specified in an `ssh` syntax (see Style Sheets Implementation).

The main advantages for using `PreScript` are:

- it is fairly simple,
- a2ps is small and easy to install, hence it is available on every UNIX platform.

It can be a good candidate for generation of PostScript output (syntactic pretty-printers, generation of various reports etc.).

- Syntax: Lexical specifications
- PreScript Commands:
- PreScript examples:

Node:Syntax, Next:PreScript Commands, Previous:PreScript, Up:PreScript

#### Syntax

Every command name begins with a backslash (`\`). If the command uses an argument, it is given between curly braces with no spaces between the command name and the argument.

The main limit on `PreScript` is that no command can be used inside another command. For instance the following line will be badly interpreted by a2ps:

    \Keyword{Problems using \keyword{recursive \copyright} calls}

The correct way to write this in `PreScript` is

    \Keyword{Problems using} \keyword{recursive} \copyright \Keyword{calls}.

Everything from an unquoted % to the end of line is ignored (comments).

Node:PreScript Commands, Next:PreScript examples, Previous:Syntax, Up:PreScript

#### PreScript Commands

These commands required arguments.

`\keyword{text}`
`\Keyword{text}`
  Highlight lightly/strongly the given text. Should be used only for a couple of adjacent words.
`\comment{text}`
`\Comment{text}`
  The text is given a special face. The text may be removed if option `--strip` is used.
`\label{text}`
`\Label{text}`
  text should be considered as a definition, or an important point in the structure of the whole text.
`\string{text}`
  Write text with string's face (e.g., in font Times).
`\error{text}`
  Write text with error's face (generally a very different face, so that you see immediately).
`\symbol{text}`
  text is written in the PostScript symbol font. This feature is not compatible with LaTeX. It is recommended, when possible, to use the special keywords denoting symbols, which are compatible with LaTeX (see Symbol).
`\header{text}`
`\footer{text}`
  Use text as header (footer) for the current page. If several headers or footers are defined on the same page, the last one is taken into account.
`\encoding{key}`
  Change dynamically the current encoding. After this command, the text is printed using the encoding corresponding to key.

Node:PreScript examples, Previous:PreScript Commands, Up:PreScript

#### Examples

`PreScript` and a2ps can be used for one-the-fly formating. For instance, on the `passwd` file:

    ypcat passwd |
     awk -F: \
       '{print "\Keyword{" $5 "} (" $1 ") \rightarrow\keyword{" $7 "}"}'\
     | a2ps -Epre -P

Node:PreTeX, Next:TeXScript, Previous:PreScript, Up:Type Setting Style Sheets

### PreTeX

The aim of the PreTeX style sheet is to provide something similar to `PreScript`, but with a more LaTeX like syntax.

- Special characters:
- PreTeX Commands:
- Differences with LaTeX:

Node:Special characters, Next:PreTeX Commands, Previous:PreTeX, Up:PreTeX

#### Special characters

`$` is ignored in `PreTeX` for compatibility with LaTeX, and `%` introduces a comment. Hence they are the only symbols which have to be quoted by a `\`. The following characters should also be quoted to produce good LaTeX files, but are accepted by `PreScript`: `_`, `&`, `#`.

Note that inside a command, like `\textbf`, the quotation mechanism does not work in `PreScript` (`\textrm{#$%}` writes `#$%`) though LaTeX still requires quotation. Hence whenever special characters or symbols are introduced, they should be at the outer most level.

Node:PreTeX Commands, Next:Differences with LaTeX, Previous:Special characters, Up:PreTeX

#### PreTeX Commands

These commands required arguments.

`\section{Title}`
`\subsection{Title}`
`\subsubsection{Title}.`
  Used to specify the title of a section, subsection or subsubsection.
`\textbf{text}`
`\textit{text}`
`\textbi{text}`
`\textrm{text}`
  write text in bold, italic, bold-italic, Times. Default font is Courier.
`\textsy{text}`
  text is written in the PostScript symbol font. This feature is not compatible with LaTeX. It is recommended, when possible, to use the special keywords denoting symbols, which are compatible with LaTeX (See the style sheet `Symbol`).
`\header{text}`
`\footer{text}`
  Use text as header (footer) for the current page. If several headers or footers are defined on the same page, the last one is taken into account.
`\verb+text+`
  Quote text so that no special sequence will be interpreted. In `\verb+quoted string+` `+` can be any symbol in `+`, `!`, `|`, `#`, `=`.
`\begin{document}`
`\end{document}`
`\begin{itemize}`
`\end{itemize}`
`\begin{enumerate}`
`\end{enumerate}`
`\begin{description}`
`\end{description}`
  These commands are legal in LaTeX but have no sense in PreTeX. Hence there are simply ignored and not printed (if immediately followed by an end-of-line).

Node:Differences with LaTeX, Previous:PreTeX Commands, Up:PreTeX

#### Differences with LaTeX

The following symbols, inherited from the style sheet `Symbol`, are not supported by LaTeX:

`\Alpha`, `\apple`, `\Beta`, `\carriagereturn`, `\Chi`, `\Epsilon`, `\Eta`, `\florin`, `\Iota`, `\Kappa`, `\Mu`, `\Nu`, `\Omicron`, `\omicron`, `\radicalex`, `\register`, `\Rho`, `\suchthat`, `\Tau`, `\therefore`, `\trademark`, `\varUpsilon`, `\Zeta`.

LaTeX is more demanding about special symbols. Most of them must be in so-called math mode, which means that the command must be inside `$` signs. For instance, though

    If \forall x \in E, x \in F then E \subseteq F.

is perfectly legal in PreTeX, it should be written

    If $\forall x \in E, x \in F$ then $E \subseteq F$.

for LaTeX. Since in PreTeX every `$` is discarded (unless quoted by a `\`), the second form is also admitted.

Node:TeXScript, Previous:PreTeX, Up:Type Setting Style Sheets

### TeXScript

`TeXScript` is a replacement of the old version of `PreScript`: it combines both the a2ps-like and the LaTeX-like syntaxes through inheritance of both `PreScript` and `PreTeX`.

In addition it provides commands meant to ease processing of file for a2ps by LaTeX.

Everything between `%%TeXScript:skip` and `%%TeXScript:piks` will be ignored in `TeXScript`, so that there can be inserted command definitions for LaTeX exclusively.

The commands `\textbi` (for bold-italic) and `\textsy` (for symbol) do not exist in LaTeX. They should be defined in the preamble:

    %%TeXScript:skip
    \newcommand{\textbi}[1]{\textbf{\textit{#1}}}
    \newcommand{\textsy}[1]{#1}
    %%TeXScript:piks

There is no way in TeXScript to get an automatic numbering. There is no equivalent to the LaTeX environment `enumerate`. But every command beginning by `\text` is doubled by a command beginning by `\magic`. a2ps behaves the same way on both families of commands. Hence, if one specifies that arguments of those functions should be ignored in the preamble of the LaTeX document, the numbering is emulated. For instance

    \begin{enumerate}
    \magicbf{1.}\item First line
    \magicbf{2.}\item Second line
    \end{enumerate}

will be treated the same way both in TeXScript and LaTeX.

`\header` and `\footer`, are not understood by LaTeX.

Node:Faces, Next:Style sheets semantics, Previous:Type Setting Style Sheets, Up:Pretty Printing

## Faces

A face is an attribute given to a piece of text, which specifies how it should look like. Since a2ps is devoted to pretty-printing source files, the faces it uses are related to the syntactic entities that can be encountered in a file.

The faces a2ps uses are:

`Plain`
  This corresponds to the text body.
`Keyword`
`Keyword_strong`
  These are related to the keywords that may appear in a text.
`Comment`
`Comment_strong`
  These are related to comments in the text. Remember that comments should be considered as non essential ("Aaaeaaarg" says the programmer); indeed, the user might suppress the comments thanks (?) to the option `--strip-level`. Hence, never use these faces just because you think they look better on, say, strings.
`Label`
`Label_strong`
  These are used when a point of extreme importance, or a sectioning point, is met. Typically, functions declarations etc.
`String`
  Used mainly for string and character literals.
`Error`
  Used to underline the presence of an error. For instance in Encapsulated PostScript, some PostScript operators are forbidden: they are underlined as errors.

Actually, there is also the face `Symbol`, but this one is particular: it is not legal changing its font.

Node:Style sheets semantics, Next:Style Sheets Implementation, Previous:Faces, Up:Pretty Printing

## Style Sheets Semantics

a2ps pretty prints a source file thanks to style sheets, one per language. In the following is described how the style sheets are defined. You may skip this section if you don't care how a2ps does this, and if you don't expect to implement new styles.

- Name and key: Both names of a style sheet
- Comments: Author name, version etc.
- Alphabets: What words are legal
- Case sensitivity: Is BEGIN different of begin
- P-Rules: Pretty Printing Rules
- Sequences: Strings, comments etc.
- Optional entries: Second level of pretty printing

Node:Name and key, Next:Comments, Previous:Style sheets semantics, Up:Style sheets semantics

### Name and key

Every style sheet has both a key, and a name. The name can be clean and beautiful, with any character you might want. The key is in fact the prefix part of the file name, and is alpha-numerical, lower case, and less than 8 characters long.

Anywhere a2ps needs to recognize a style sheet by a name, it uses the key (in the `sheets.map` file, with the option `-E`, etc.).

As an example, C++ is implemented in a file called `cxx.ssh`, in which the name is declared to be `C++`.

The rationale is that not every system accepts any character in the file name (e.g., no `+` in MS-DOS). Moreover, it allows to make symbolic links on the ssh files (e.g., `ln -s cxx.ssh c++.ssh` let's you use `-E c++`).

Node:Comments, Next:Alphabets, Previous:Name and key, Up:Style sheets semantics

### Comments

ssh files can include the name of its author, a version number, a documentation note and a requirement on the version of a2ps. For instance, if a style sheet requires a2ps version 4.9.6, then a2ps version 4.9.5 will reject it.

Node:Alphabets, Next:Case sensitivity, Previous:Comments, Up:Style sheets semantics

### Alphabets

a2ps needs to know the beginning and the end of a word, especially keywords. Hence it needs two alphabets: the first one specifying by which letters an identifier can begin, and the second one for the rest of the word. If you prefer, a keyword starts with a character belonging to the first alphabet, and a character not pertaining to the second is a separator.

Node:Case sensitivity, Next:P-Rules, Previous:Alphabets, Up:Style sheets semantics

### Case sensitivity

If the style is case insensitive, then matching is case insensitive (keywords, operators and sequences).

Node:P-Rules, Next:Sequences, Previous:Case sensitivity, Up:Style sheets semantics

### P-Rules

A P-rule (Pretty printing rule), or rule for short, is a structure which consists of two items:

lhs
left-hand side
  its source string, with which the source file is compared;
rhs
right hand side
  a list of faced strings which will replace the text matched in the pretty-printed output. A faced string is composed of
  - a string, or a reference to a part of the source string (see Back-reference Operator)
  - the face to use to print it

Just a short example: `(foo, bar, Keyword_strong)` as a rule means that every input occurrence of `foo` will be replaced by `bar`, written with the `Keyword_strong` face.

If the destination string is empty, then a2ps will use the source string. This is different from giving the source string as a destination string if the case is different. An example will make it fairly clear.

Let `foobar` be a case insensitive style sheet including the rules `(foo, "", Keyword)` and `(bar, bar, Keyword)`. Then, on the input `FOO BAR`, a2ps will produce `FOO bar` in `Keyword`. a2ps implements two different ways to match a string. The difference comes from that some keywords are sensitive to the delimiters around them (such as `unsigned` and `int` in `C`, which are definitely not the same thing as `unsignedint`), and others not (in `C`, `!=` is "different from" both in `a != b` and `a!=b`).

The first ones are called keywords in a2ps jargon, and the seconds are operators. Operators are matched anywhere they appear, while keywords need to have separators around them (see Alphabets).

Let us give a more complicated example: that of the `Yacc` rules. A rule in `Yacc` is of the form:

    a_rule : part1 part2 ;

Suppose you want to highlight these rules. To recognize them, you will write a regular expression specifying that:

1. it must start at the beginning of the line,
2. then there is string composed of symbols, which is what you want to highlight,
3. and a colon, which can be preceded by blank characters.

The regexp you want is: `/^[a-zA-Z0-9_]*[\t ]*:/`. But with the rule

    /^[a-zA-Z0-9_]*[\t ]*:/, "", Label_strong

the blanks and the colon are highlighted too. Hence you need to specify some parts in the regexp (see Back-reference Operator), and use a longer list of destination strings. The correct rule is

    (/^([a-zA-Z0-9_]*)([\t ]*:)/, \1 Label_strong, \2 Plain)

Since it is a bit painful to read, regexps can be spread upon several lines. It is strongly suggested to break them by groups, and to document the group:

    (/^([a-zA-Z0-9_]*)/    # \1. Name of the rule
     /([\t ]*:)/           # \2. Trailing space and colon
     \1 Label_strong, \2 Plain)

Node:Sequences, Next:Optional entries, Previous:P-Rules, Up:Style sheets semantics

### Sequences

A sequence is a string between two markers, along with a list of exceptions. A marker is a fixed string. Typical examples are comments, string (with usually `"` as opening and closing markers, and `\\` and `\"` as exceptions) etc. Three faces are used: one for the initial marker, one for the core of the sequence, and a last one for the final maker.

Node:Optional entries, Previous:Sequences, Up:Style sheets semantics

### Optional entries

There are two levels of pretty-printing encoded in the style sheets. By default, a2ps uses the first level, called normal, unless the option `-g` is specified, in which case, heavy highlighting is invoked, i.e., optional keywords, operators and sequences are considered.

Node:Style Sheets Implementation, Next:A tutorial on style sheets, Previous:Style sheets semantics, Up:Pretty Printing

## Style Sheets Implementation

In the previous section (see Style sheets semantics) were explained the various items needed to understand the machinery involved in pretty printing. Here, their implementation, i.e., how to write a style sheet file, is explained. The next section (see A tutorial on style sheets), exposes a step by step simple example.

- A Bit of Syntax: Lexical rules of the ssh language
- Style Sheet Header: Declaration of a style
- Syntax of the Words: Classes of the Characters
- Inheriting: Extending existing style sheets
- Syntax for the P-Rules: Atomic Pretty Printing rules
- Declaring keywords and operators: Special Classes of Identifiers
- Declaring sequences: Bordered Lexical Entities
- Checking a Style Sheet: Ask a2ps to Check the Sheet

Node:A Bit of Syntax, Next:Style Sheet Header, Previous:Style Sheets Implementation, Up:Style Sheets Implementation

### A Bit of Syntax

Here are the lexical rules underlying the style sheet language:

- the separators are white space, form feed, new line, and tab.
- `#` introduces a comment, ended at the end of the line.
- special characters are the separators, plus `#`, `"`, `,`, `(`, `)`, `+` and `/`. Any other character is a regular character.
- the list of the structuring keywords is

  > `alphabet`, `alphabets`, `are`, `case`, `documentation`, `end`, `exceptions`, `first`, `in`, `insensitive`, `is`, `keywords`, `operators`, `optional`, `second`, `sensitive`, `sequences`, `style`

- the list of the keywords designating faces is

  > `Comment`, `Comment_strong`, `Encoding`, `Error`, `Index1`, `Index2`, `Index3`, `Index4`, `Invisible`, `Keyword`, `Keyword_strong`, `Label`, `Label_strong`, `Plain`, `String`, `Symbol`, `Tag1`, `Tag2`, `Tag3`, `Tag4`

- the list of keywords designating special sequences is

  > `C-char`, `C-string`

- the list of keywords representing special characters is

  > `---`, `\Alpha`, `\Beta`, `\Chi`, `\Delta`, `\Downarrow`, `\Epsilon`, `\Eta`, `\Gamma`, `\Im`, `\Iota`, `\Kappa`, `\Lambda`, `\Leftarrow`, `\Leftrightarrow`, `\Mu`, `\Nu`, `\Omega`, `\Omicron`, `\Phi`, `\Pi`, `\Psi`, `\Re`, `\Rho`, `\Rightarrow`, `\Sigma`, `\Tau`, `\Theta`, `\Uparrow`, `\Upsilon`, `\Xi`, `\Zeta`, `\aleph`, `\alpha`, `\angle`, `\approx`, `\beta`, `\bullet`, `\cap`, `\carriagereturn`, `\cdot`, `\chi`, `\circ`, `\clubsuit`, `\cong`, `\copyright`, `\cup`, `\delta`, `\diamondsuit`, `\div`, `\downarrow`, `\emptyset`, `\epsilon`, `\equiv`, `\eta`, `\exists`, `\florin`, `\forall`, `\gamma`, `\geq`, `\heartsuit`, `\in`, `\infty`, `\int`, `\iota`, `\kappa`, `\lambda`, `\langle`, `\lceil`, `\ldots`, `\leftarrow`, `\leftrightarrow`, `\leq`, `\lfloor`, `\mu`, `\nabla`, `\neq`, `\not`, `\not\in`, `\not\subset`, `\nu`, `\omega`, `\omicron`, `\oplus`, `\otimes`, `\partial`, `\perp`, `\phi`, `\pi`, `\pm`, `\prime`, `\prod`, `\propto`, `\psi`, `\radicalex`, `\rangle`, `\rceil`, `\register`, `\rfloor`, `\rho`, `\rightarrow`, `\sigma`, `\sim`, `\spadesuit`, `\subset`, `\subseteq`, `\suchthat`, `\sum`, `\supset`, `\supseteq`, `\surd`, `\tau`, `\theta`, `\therefore`, `\times`, `\trademark`, `\uparrow`, `\upsilon`, `\varUpsilon`, `\varcopyright`, `\vardiamondsuit`, `\varphi`, `\varpi`, `\varregister`, `\varsigma`, `\vartheta`, `\vartrademark`, `\vee`, `\wedge`, `\wp`, `\xi`, `\zeta`

  It is a good idea to print the style sheet `symbols.ssh` to see them:

      a2ps symbols.ssh

- a string starts and finishes with `"`, and may contain anything. Regular `C` escaping mechanism is used.
- a regular expression starts and finishes with `/`, and may contain anything. Regular `C` escaping mechanism is used. Regexps can be split in several parts, a` la C strings (i.e., `/part 1/ /part 2/`).
- any sequence of regular characters which is not a keyword, is a string (consider this as a shortcut, avoiding extraneous `"`).

Node:Style Sheet Header, Next:Syntax of the Words, Previous:A Bit of Syntax, Up:Style Sheets Implementation

### Style Sheet Header

The definition of the name of the style sheet is:

    style name is
      # body of the style sheet
    end style

The following constructions are optional:

`version`
  To define the version number of the style sheet

      version is version-number

`written`
  To define the author(s).

      written by authors

  Giving your email is useful for bug reports about style sheets.

      written by "Some Body <Some.Body@some.whe.re>"

`requires`
  To specify the version of a2ps it requires. a2ps won't accept a file which requires a higher version number than its own.

      requires a2ps a2ps-version-number

`documentation`
  To leave extra comments people should read.

      documentation is
         strings
      end documentation

  strings may be a list of strings, without comas, in which case new lines are automatically inserted between each item. See Documentation Format, for details on the format.

  Please, write useful comments, not `This style is devoted to C files`, since the name is here for that, nor `Report errors to mail@me.somewhere`, since `written by` is there for that.

      documentation is
          "Not all the keywords are used, to avoid too much"
          "bolding. Heavy highlighting (code(-g)code), covers"
          "the whole language."
      end documentation

Node:Syntax of the Words, Next:Inheriting, Previous:Style Sheet Header, Up:Style Sheets Implementation

### Syntax of the Words

There are two things a2ps needs to know: what is symbol consistent, and whether the style is case insensitive.

`alphabet`
  To define two different alphabets, use

      first alphabet is string
      second alphabet is string

  If both are identical, you may use the shortcut

      alphabets are string

  The default alphabets are

      first alphabet is
        "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ_"
      second alphabet is
      "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ_\
      0123456789"

  Note that it is on purpose that no characters interval are used.

`case`

      case insensitive        # e.g., C, C++ etc.
      case sensitive          # e.g., Perl, Sather, Java etc.

  The default is `case insensitive`.

Node:Inheriting, Next:Syntax for the P-Rules, Previous:Syntax of the Words, Up:Style Sheets Implementation

### Inheriting from Other Style Sheets

It is possible to extend an existing style. The syntax is:

    ancestors are
       ancestor_1[, ancestor_2...]
    end ancestors

where ancestor1 etc. are style sheet keys.

For semantics, the rules are the following:

- the ancestors are read in order;
- the definition of the current style is read last;
- it is always the last item read which wins (last defined alphabets, case sensitivity, keywords, operators and sequences).

As an example, both `C++` and `Objective C` style sheets extend the `C` style sheet:

    style "Objective C" is
    #[...]
    ancestors are
       c
    end ancestors
    #[...]
    end style

To the biggest surprise of the author, mutually dependent style sheets do work!

Node:Syntax for the P-Rules, Next:Declaring keywords and operators, Previous:Inheriting, Up:Style Sheets Implementation

### Syntax for the P-Rules

See P-Rules, for the definition of P-rule.

Because of various short cuts, there are many ways to declare a rule:

    rules     ::= rule_1 , rule_2...
    rule      ::= ( lhs rhs )
               | lhs srhs ;
    lhs       ::= string | regex ;
    rhs       ::= srhs , ...
    srhs      ::= latex-keyword | expansion face
    expansion ::= string | \num | <nothing>;
    face      ::= face-keyword | <nothing>;

The rules are the following:

- If the left-hand side (lhs) is a regular expression, then it is compiled with the following syntax bits:

      #define RE_SYNTAX_A2PS \
        (/* Allow char classes. */					\
          RE_CHAR_CLASSES						\
        /* Be picky. */						\
        | RE_CONTEXT_INVALID_OPS					\
        /* Allow intervals with `{' and `}', forbid invalid ranges. */\
        | RE_INTERVALS | RE_NO_BK_BRACES | RE_NO_EMPTY_RANGES		\
        /* `(' and `)' are the grouping operators. */			\
        | RE_NO_BK_PARENS						\
        /* `|' is the alternation. */					\
        | RE_NO_BK_VBAR)

  Basically it means that all of the possible operators are used, and that they are in non-backslashed form. For instance `(` and `)` stand for the group operator, while `\\(` stands for the character `(`. See Regular Expression Syntax, for a detailed description of the regular expressions.

- If no expansion is specified, then the matched string is used. For instance `(/fo*/, NULL, Keyword)` applied on the source `fooooo` produces `fooooo` in `Keyword`.
- If no face is given, then
  - if the context defines the default face, then this face is used;
  - if no default face is given, `PLAIN` is used.

Node:Declaring keywords and operators, Next:Declaring sequences, Previous:Syntax for the P-Rules, Up:Style Sheets Implementation

### Declaring the keywords and the operators

Basically, keywords and operators are lists of rules. The syntax is:

    keywords are
      rules
    end keywords

or

    keywords in face-keyword are
      rules
    end keywords

in which case the default face is set to face-keyword.

As an example:

    keywords in Keyword_strong are
      /foo*/,
      "bar" "BAR" Keyword,
      -> \rightarrow
    end keywords

is valid.

The syntax for the operators is the same, and both constructs can be qualified with an `optional` flag, in which case they are taken into account in the heavy highlighting mode (see Pretty Print Options).

This is an extract of the `C` style sheet:

    optional operators are
       -> \rightarrow,
       && \wedge,
       || \vee,
       != \neq,
       == \equiv,
       # We need to protect these, so that <= is not replaced in <<=
       <<=,
       >>=,
       <= \leq,
       >= \geq,
       ! \not
    end operators

Note how `<<=` and `>>=` are protected (there are defined to be written as is when met in the source). This is to prevent the two last characters of `<<=` from being converted into a `less or equal' sign.

The order in which you define the elements of a category (but the sequences) does not matter. But since a2ps sorts them at run time, it may save time if the alphabetical `C`-order is more or less followed.

You should be aware that when declaring a keyword with a regular expression as lhs, then a2ps automatically makes this expression matching only if there are no character of the first alphabet both just before, and just after the string.

In term of implementation, it means that

    keywords are
      /foo|bar/
    end keywords

is exactly the same as

    operators are
      /\\b(foo|bar)\\b/
    end operators

This can cause problems if you use anchors (e.g. `$`, or `^`) in keywords: the matcher will be broken. In this particular case, define your keywords as operators, taking care of the `\\b` by yourself.

See Match-word-boundary Operator, for details on `\b`.

Node:Declaring sequences, Next:Checking a Style Sheet, Previous:Declaring keywords and operators, Up:Style Sheets Implementation

### Declaring the sequences

Sequences admit several declarations too:

    sequences      ::= sequences are
                         sequence_1 , sequence_2...
                       end sequences
    sequence       ::= rule in_face close_opt exceptions_opt
                     | C-string
                     | C-char
                     ;
    close_opt      ::= rule
                     | closers are
                         rules
                       end closers
                     | <nothing>
                     ;
    exceptions_opt ::= exceptions are
                         rules
                       end exceptions
                     | <nothing>
                     ;

The rules are:

- The default face is then in_face.
- If no closing rule is given, `"\n"` (i.e., end-of-line) is used.

As a first example, here is the correct definition for a `C` string:

    sequences are
     "\"" Plain String "\"" Plain
         exceptions are
            "\\\\", "\\\""
         end exceptions
    end sequences

Since a great deal of languages uses this kind of constructs, you may use `C-string` to mean exactly this, and `C-char` for manifest characters defined the `C` way.

The following example comes from `ssh.ssh`, the style sheet for style sheet files, in which there are two kinds of pseudo-strings: the strings (`"example"`), and the regular expressions (`/example/`). We do not want the content of the pseudo-strings in the face `String`.

    sequences are
      # The comments
      "#" Comment,

      # The name of the style sheet
      "style " Keyword_strong (Label + Index1) " is" Keyword_strong,

      # Strings are exactly the C-strings, though we don't want to
      # have them in the "string" face
      "\"" Plain "\""
         exceptions are
            "\\\\", "\\\""
         end exceptions,

      # Regexps
      "/" Plain "/"
         exceptions are
            "\\\\", "\\\/"
         end exceptions

    end sequences

The order between sequences does matter. For instance in Java, `/**` introduces strong comments, and `/*` comments. `/**` must be declared before `/*`, or it will be hidden.

There are actually some sequences that could have been implemented as operators with a specific regular expression (that goes up to the closer). Nevertheless be aware of a big difference: regular expression are applied to a single line of the source file, hence, they cannot match on several lines. For instance, the `C` comments,

    /*
     * a comment
     */

cannot be implemented with operators, though `C++` comments can:

    //
    // a comment
    //

Node:Checking a Style Sheet, Previous:Declaring sequences, Up:Style Sheets Implementation

### Checking a Style Sheet

Once your style sheet is written, you may want to let a2ps perform simple tests on it (e.g., checking there are no rules involving upper case characters in a case insensitive style sheet, etc.). These tests are performed when verbosity includes the style sheets.

you may also want to use the special convention that when a style sheet is required with a suffix, then a2ps will not look at it in its library path, but precisely from when you are.

Suppose for instance you extended the `c.ssh` style sheet, which is in the current directory, and is said case insensitive. Run

    ubu $ a2ps foo.c -Ec.ssh -P void -v sheets
    # Long output deleted
    Checking coherence of "C" (c.ssh)
    a2ps: c.ssh:`FILE' uses upper case characters
    a2ps: c.ssh:`NULL' uses upper case characters
    "C" (c.ssh) is corrupted.
    ---------- End of Finalization of c.ssh

Here, it is clear that `C` is not case insensitive.

Node:A tutorial on style sheets, Previous:Style Sheets Implementation, Up:Pretty Printing

## A Tutorial on Style Sheets

In this section a simple example of style sheet is entirely covered: that of `ChangeLog` files.

`ChangeLog` files are some kind of memory of changes done to files, so that various programmers can understand what happened to the sources. This helps a lot, for instance, in guessing what recent changes may have introduced new bugs.

- Example and syntax: ChangeLog files
- Implementation: Implementation of chlog.ssh
- The Entry in sheets.map: Getting automatic style selection
- More Sophisticated Rules: Complex regular expressions
- Distributed Style Sheets: Additional Constraints

Node:Example and syntax, Next:Implementation, Previous:A tutorial on style sheets, Up:A tutorial on style sheets

### Example and syntax

First of all, here is a sample of a `ChangeLog` file, taken from the `misc/` directory of the original a2ps package:

    Sun Apr 27 14:29:22 1997  Akim Demaille  <demaille@inf.enst.fr>

            * base.ps: Merged in color.ps, since now a lot is
              common [added box and underline features].

    Fri Apr 25 14:05:20 1997  Akim Demaille  <demaille@inf.enst.fr>

            * color.ps: Added box and underline routines.

    Mon Mar 17 20:39:11 1997  Akim Demaille  <demaille@gargantua.enst.fr>

            * base.ps: Got rid of CourierBack and reencoded_backspace_font.
              Now the C has to handle this by itself.

    Sat Mar  1 19:12:22 1997  Akim Demaille  <demaille@gargantua.enst.fr>

            * *.enc: they build their own dictionaries, to ease multi
              lingual documents.

The syntax is really simple: A line specifying the author and the date of the changes, then a list of changes, all of them starting with an star followed by the name of the files concerned, then optionally between parentheses the functions affected, and then some comments.

Node:Implementation, Next:The Entry in sheets.map, Previous:Example and syntax, Up:A tutorial on style sheets

### Implementation

Quite naturally the style will be called `ChangeLog`, hence:

    style ChangeLog is
    written by "Akim Demaille <demaille@inf.enst.fr>"
    version is 1.0
    requires a2ps 4.9.5

    documentation is
       "This is a tutorial style sheet.\n"
    end documentation
      ...
    end style

A first interesting and easy entry is that of function names, between `(` and `)`:

    sequences are
      "(" Plain Label ")" Plain
    end sequences

A small problem that may occur is that there can be several functions mentioned separated by commas, that we don't want to highlight this way. Commas, here, are exceptions. Since regular expressions are not yet implemented in a2ps, there is a simple but stupid way to avoid that white spaces are all considered as part of a function name, namely defining two exceptions: one which captures a single comma, and a second, capturing a comma and its trailing space.

For the file names, the problem is a bit more delicate, since they may end with `:`, or when starts the list of functions. Then, we define two sequences, each one with one of the possible closers, the exceptions being attached to the first one:

    sequences are
      "* " Plain Label_strong ":" Plain
         exceptions are
            ", " Plain, "," Plain
         end exceptions,
      "* " Plain Label_strong " " Plain
    end sequences

Finally, let us say that some words have a higher importance in the core of text: those about removing or adding something.

    keywords in Keyword_strong are
      add, added, remove, removed
    end keywords

Since they may appear in lower or upper, of mixed case, the style will be defined as case insensitive.

Finally, we end up with this style sheet file, in which an optional highlighting of the mail address of the author is done. Saving the file is last step. But do not forget that a style sheet has both a name as nice as you may want (such as `Common Lisp`), and a key on which there are strict rules: the prefix must be alpha-numerical, lower case, with no more than 8 characters. Let's chose `chlog.ssh`.

    # This is a tutorial on a2ps' style sheets
    style ChangeLog is
    written by "Akim Demaille <demaille@inf.enst.fr>"
    version is 1.0
    requires a2ps 4.9.5

    documentation is
       "Second level of high lighting covers emails."
    end documentation

    sequences are
      "(" Plain Label ")" Plain
         exceptions are
            ", " Plain, "," Plain
         end exceptions,
      "* " Plain Label_strong ":" Plain
         exceptions are
            ", " Plain, "," Plain
         end exceptions,
      "* " Plain Label_strong " " Plain
    end sequences

    keywords in Keyword_strong are
      add, added, remove, removed
    end keywords

    optional sequences are
       < Plain Keyword > Plain
    end sequences
    end style

As a last step, you may which to let a2ps check your style sheet, both its syntax, and common errors:

    ubu $ a2ps -vsheet -E/tmp/chlog.ssh ChangeLog -P void
    Long output deleted
    Checking coherence of "ChangeLog" (/tmp/chlog.ssh)
    "ChangeLog" (/tmp/chlog.ssh) is sane.
    ---------- End of Finalization of /tmp/chlog.ssh

It's all set, your style sheet is ready!

Node:The Entry in sheets.map, Next:More Sophisticated Rules, Previous:Implementation, Up:A tutorial on style sheets

### The Entry in `sheets.map`

The last touch is to include the pattern rules about `ChangeLog` files (which could appear as `ChangeLog.old` etc.) in `sheets.map`:

    # ChangeLog files
    chlog:  /ChangeLog*/

This won't work... Well, not always. Not for instance if you print `misc/ChangeLog`. This is not a bug, but truly a feature, since sometimes one gets more information about the type of a file from its path, than from the file name.

Here, to match the preceding path that may appear, just use `*`:

    # ChangeLog files
    chlog:  /*ChangeLog*/

If you want to be more specific (`FooChangeLog` should not match), use:

    # ChangeLog files
    chlog:  /ChangeLog*/ /*\/ChangeLog*/

Node:More Sophisticated Rules, Next:Distributed Style Sheets, Previous:The Entry in sheets.map, Up:A tutorial on style sheets

### More Sophisticated Rules

The example we have presented until now uses only basic features, and does not take advantage of the regexp. In this section we should how to write more evolved pretty printing rules.

The target will be the lines like:

    Sun Apr 27 14:29:22 1997  Akim Demaille  <demaille@inf.enst.fr>

    Fri Apr 25 14:05:20 1997  Akim Demaille  <demaille@inf.enst.fr>

There are three fields: the date, the name, the mail. These lines all start at the beginning of line. The last field is the easier to recognize: is starts with a `<`, and finishes with a `>`. Its rule is then `/<[^>]+>/`. It is now easier to specify the second: it is composed only of words, at least one, separated by blanks, and is followed by the mail: `/[[:alpha:]]+([ \t]+[[:alpha:]]+)*/`. To concatenate the two, we introduce optional blanks, and we put each one into a pair of `(`-`)` to make each one a recognizable part:

    ([[:alpha:]]+([ \t]+[[:alpha:]]+)*)
    (.+)
    (<[^>]+>)

Now the first part is rather easy: it starts at the beginning of the line, finishes with a digit. Once again, it is separated from the following field by blanks. Split by groups (see Grouping Operators), we have:

    ^
    ([^\t ].*[0-9])
    ([ \t]+)
    ([[:alpha:]]+([ \t]+[[:alpha:]]+)*)
    (.+)
    (<[^>]+>)

Now the destination is composed of back references to those groups, together with a face:

    # We want to highlight the date and the maintainer name
    optional operators are
      (/^([^\t ].*[0-9])/                        # \1. The date
       /([ \t]+)/                                # \2. Spaces
       /([[:alpha:]]+([ \t]+[[:alpha:]]+)*)/     # \3. Name
       /(.+)/                                    # \5. space and <
       /(<[^>]+)>/                               # \6. email
       \1 Keyword, \2 Plain, \3 Keyword_strong,
       \5 Plain, \6 Keyword, > Plain)
    end operators

Notice the way regexps are split, to ease reading.

Node:Distributed Style Sheets, Previous:More Sophisticated Rules, Up:A tutorial on style sheets

### Guide Line for Distributed Style Sheets

This section is meant for people who wish to contribute style sheets. There is a couple of additional constraints, explained here.

The Copyright
  Please, do put a copyright in your file, the same as all other distributed files have: it should include your name, but also the three paragraphs stating the sheet is covered by the GPL. I won't distribute files without these paragraphs.
The Version
  Do put a version number, so that people can track evolutions.
The Requirements
  Make sure to include a requirement on the needed version of a2ps. If you don't know what to put, just put the version of the a2ps you run.
The Documentation
  The documentation string is mandatory. Unless the language your style sheet covers is widely known, please document a bit what the style sheet is meant for. If there were choices you made, if there are special behaviors, document them.
The `sheets.map` Entries
  Put in a comment on the `sheets.map` lines that correspond to your style sheet.
A Test File
  It is better to give a test file, as small as possible, that contains the most specific and/or most difficult contructs that your style sheet supports. I need to be able to distribute this file, therefore, do not put anything that is copyrighted.

Finally, make sure your style sheet behaves well! (see Checking a Style Sheet)

Node:PostScript, Next:Contributions, Previous:Pretty Printing, Up:Top

# PostScript

This chapter is devoted to the information which is only relevant to PostScript.

- Good and Bad PostScript: How to lose, how to win
- Page Device Options: Accessing some printers' features
- Statusdict Options: Some other features
- Colors in PostScript: Specifying a color or a gray
- a2ps PostScript Files: Convention for PostScript library files
- Designing PostScript Prologues: Make it look like what you want

Node:Good and Bad PostScript, Next:Page Device Options, Previous:PostScript, Up:PostScript

## Foreword: Good and Bad PostScript

To read this section, the reader must understand what DSC are (see Glossary).

> Why are there good PostScript files, easy to post-process, and bad files that none of my tools seem to understand? They print fine though!

Once you understood that PostScript is not a page description format (like PDF is), you'll have understood most of the problem. Let's imagine for a second that you are a word processor.

The user asks you to print his/her 100 page document in PostScript. Up to page 50, there are few different fonts used. Then, on pages 51 to 80, there are now many different heavy fonts.

When/where will you download the fonts?

The most typical choice, sometimes called Optimize for Speed, is, once you arrived to page 51, to download those fonts once for the rest of the document. The global processing chain will have worked quite quickly: little effort from the software, same from the printer; better yet: you can start sending the file to the printer even before it is finished! The problem is that this is not DSC conformant, and it is easy to understand why: if somebody wants to print only the page 60, then s/he will lack the three fonts which were defined in page 51... This document is not page independent.

Another choice is to download the three fonts in each page ranging from 51 to 80, that is the PostScript file contains 30 times the definition of each font. It is easy for the application to do that, but the file is getting real big, and the printer will have to interpret 30 times the same definitions of fonts. But it is DSC conformant! And you can still send the file while you make it.

Now you understand why

> Non DSC conformant files are not necessarily badly designed files from broken applications.

They are files meant to be sent directly to the printer (they are still perfect PostScript files after all!), they are not meant to be post-processed. And the example clearly shows why they are right.

There is a third possibility, sometimes called Optimize for Portability: downloading the three fonts in the prologue of the document, i.e., the section before the first page where are given all the common definitions of the whole file. This is a bit more complicated to implement (the prologue, which is issued first though, grows at the same time as you process the file), and cannot be sent concurrently with the processing (you have to process the whole file to design the prologue). This file is small (the fonts are downloaded once only), and DSC conformant. Well, there are problems, of course... You need to wait before sending the output, it can be costly for the computer (which cannot transfer as it produces), and for the printer (you've burnt quite a lot of RAM right since the beginning just to hold fonts that won't be used before page 51... This can be a real problem for small printers).

This is what a2ps does.

If should be clear that documents optimized for speed should never escape the way between the computer and the printer: no post-processing is possible.

What you should remember is that some applications offer the possibility to tune the PostScript output, and they can be praised for that. Unfortunately, when these very same applications don't automatically switch to "Optimize for Portability" when you save the PostScript file, and they can be criticized for that.

So please, think of the people after you: if you create a PostScript file meant to be exchanged, read, printed, etc; by other people: give sane DSC conformant, optimized for portability files.

Node:Page Device Options, Next:Statusdict Options, Previous:Good and Bad PostScript, Up:PostScript

## Page Device Options

Page device is a PostScript level 2 feature that offers an uniform interface to control the printer's output device. a2ps protects all page device options inside an if block so they have no effect in level 1 interpreters. Although all level 2 interpreters support page device, they do not have to support all page device options. For example some printers can print in duplex mode and some can not. Refer to the documentation of your printer for supported options.

Here are some usable page device options which can be selected with the `-S` option (`--setpagedevice`). For a complete listing, see PostScript Language Reference Manual (section 4.11 Device Setup in the second edition, or section 6, Device Control in the third edition).

`Collate boolean`
  how output is organized when printing multiple copies
`Duplex boolean`
  duplex (two side) printing
`ManualFeed boolean`
  manual feed paper tray
`OutputFaceUp boolean`
  print output `face up' or `face down'
`Tumble boolean`
  how opposite sides are positioned in duplex printing

Node:Statusdict Options, Next:Colors in PostScript, Previous:Page Device Options, Up:PostScript

## Statusdict Options

The `statusdict` is a special storage entity in PostScript (called a dictionary), in which some variables and operators determine the behavior of the printer. This is an historic horror that existed before page device definitions were defined. They are even more printer dependent, and are provided only for the people who don't have a level printer. In any case, refer to the documentation of your printer for supported options.

Here are some statusdict definitions in which you might be interested:

`manualfeed boolean`
  Variable which determine that the manual fed paper tray will be used. Use is `--statusdict=manualfeed::true`.
`setmanualfeed boolean`
  Idem as the previous point, but use is `--statusdict=setmanualfeed:true`.
`setduplexmode boolean`
  If boolean, then print Duplex. Use if `--statusdict=setduplexmode:true`.

Node:Colors in PostScript, Next:a2ps PostScript Files, Previous:Statusdict Options, Up:PostScript

## Colors in PostScript

Nevertheless, here are some tips on how to design your PostScript styles. It is strongly recommended to use `gray.pro` or `color.pro` as a template.

There are two PostScript instructions you might want to use in your new PostScript prologue:

`setgray`
  this instruction must be preceded by a number between 0 (black) and 1 (white). It defines the gray level used.
`setrgbcolor`
  this instruction must be preceded by three numbers between 0 (0 %) and 1 (100%). Those three numbers are related to red, green and blue proportions used to designate a color.

a2ps uses two higher level procedures, `BG` and `FG`, but both use an argument as in `setrgbcolor`. So if you wanted a gray shade, just give three times the same ratio.

Node:a2ps PostScript Files, Next:Designing PostScript Prologues, Previous:Colors in PostScript, Up:PostScript

## a2ps PostScript Files

a2ps uses several types of PostScript files. Some are standards, such as font files, and others are meant for a2ps only.

All a2ps files have two parts, one being the comments, and the other being the content, separated by the following line:

    % code follows this line

Node:Designing PostScript Prologues, Previous:a2ps PostScript Files, Up:PostScript

## Designing PostScript Prologues

It is pretty known that satisfying the various human tastes is an NEXPTIME-hard problem, so a2ps offers ways to customize its output through the prologue files. But since the authors feel a little small against NEXPTIME, they agreed on the fact that you are the one who will design the look you like.

Hence in this section, you will find what you need to know to be able to customize a2ps output.

Basically, a2ps uses faces which are associated to their "meaning" in the text. a2ps let's you change the way the faces look.

- Definition of the faces: What goes in a characters style
- Prologue File Format: Including documentation
- A prologue example: A step by step example

Node:Definition of the faces, Next:Prologue File Format, Previous:Designing PostScript Prologues, Up:Designing PostScript Prologues

### Definition of the faces

There are three things that define a face:

Its font
  You should never call the font by yourself, because sometimes a2ps may decide that another font would be better. This is what happens for instance if a font does not support the encoding you use.

  Hence, never set the font by yourself, but ask a2ps to do it. This is done through a line:

      %Face: face real-font-name size

  This line tells a2ps that the font of face is real-font-name. It will replace this line by the correct PostScript line to call the needed font, and will do everything needed to set up the font.

  The size of the text body is `bfs`.

Its background color
  There are two cases:
  1. You want a background color, then give the RGB (see Colors in PostScript) ratio and `true` to `BG`:

         0.8 0.8 0 true BG

  2. You don't want a background color, then call `BG` with `false`:

         false BG

Its foreground color
  As `BG`, call `FG` with an RGB ratio:

      0 0.5 0 FG

Its underlining
  `UL` requires a boolean argument, depending whether you want or not the current face to be underlined.

      true UL

Its boxing
  Requiring a boolean, `BX` let's a face have a box drawn around.

Node:Prologue File Format, Next:A prologue example, Previous:Definition of the faces, Up:Designing PostScript Prologues

### Prologue File Format

Prologue files for a2ps must have `pro` as suffix. Documentation (reported with `--list-prologues`) can be included in the comment part:

    Documentation
    This prologue is the same as the prologue code(pb)code, but using
    the bold version of the fonts.
    EndDocumentation
    % code follows this line

See Documentation Format, for more on the format.

Node:A prologue example, Previous:Prologue File Format, Up:Designing PostScript Prologues

### A step by step example

We strongly suggest our readers not to start from scratch, but to copy one of the available styles (see the result of `a2ps --list=prologues`), to drop it in one of a2ps directories (say `$HOME/.a2ps`, and to patch it until you like it.

Here, we will start from `color.pro`, trying to give it a funky look.

Say you want the keywords to be in Helvetica, drawn in a flashy pink on a light green. And strong keywords, in Times Bold Italic in brown on a soft Hawaiian sea green (you are definitely a fine art amateur).

Then you need to look for `k` and `K`:

    /k {
      false BG
      0 0 0.9 FG
    %Face: Keyword Courier bfs
      Show
    } bind def

    /K {
      false BG
      0 0 0.8 FG
    %Face: Keyword_strong Courier-Bold bfs
      Show
    } bind def

and turn it into:

    /k {
      0.2 1 0.2 true BG
      1 0.2 1 FG
    %Face: Keyword Helvetica bfs
      Show
    } bind def

    /K {
      0.4 0.2 0 true BG
      0.5 1 1 FG
    %Face: Keyword_strong Times-BoldItalic bfs
      Show
    } bind def

Waouh! It looks great!

A bit trickier: let change the way the line numbers are printed.

First, let's look for the font definition:

    %%BeginSetup
    % The font for line numbering
    /f# /Helvetica findfont bfs .6 mul scalefont def
    %%EndSetup

Let it be in Times, twice bigger than the body font.

    %%BeginSetup
    % The font for line numbering
    /f# /Times-Roman findfont bfs 2 mul scalefont def
    %%EndSetup

How about its foreground color?

    % Function print line number (<string> # -)
    /# {
      gsave
        sx cw mul 2 div neg 0 rmoveto
        f# setfont
        0.8 0.1 0.1 FG
        c-show
      grestore
    } bind def

Let it be blue. Now you know the process: just put `0 0 1` as `FG` arguments.

Node:Contributions, Next:FAQ, Previous:PostScript, Up:Top

# Contributions

This chapter documents the various shell scripts or other tools that are distributed with the a2ps package, but are not a2ps itself. The reader should also look at the documentation of `Ogonkify` (see top), written by Juliusz Chroboczek.

- card: Printing Reference Cards
- fixps: Fixing Some Ill Designed PostScript Files
- fixnt: Fixing Microsoft NT PostScript Files
- pdiff: Produce Pretty Comparison of Files
- psmandup: Printing Duplex on Simplex Printers
- psset: Inserting calls to setpagedevice

Node:card, Next:fixps, Previous:Contributions, Up:Contributions

## `card`

Many users of a2ps have asked for a reference card, presenting a summary of the options. In fact, something closely related to the output of `a2ps --help`.

The first version of this reference card was a PreScript file (see PreScript) to be printed by a2ps. Very soon a much better scheme was found: using a style sheet to pretty print directly the output of `a2ps --help`! A first advantage is then that the reference cards can be printed in the tongue you choose.

A second was that this treatment could be applied to any application supporting a `--help`-like option.

- Invoking card: Command Line Interface
- Caution when Using card: card runs commands

Node:Invoking card, Next:Caution when Using card, Previous:card, Up:card

### Invoking `card`

    card [options] applications [-- a2ps-options]

`card` is a shell script which tries to guess how to get your applications' help message (typically by the options `--help` or `-h`), and pretty prints it thanks to a2ps (or the content of the environment variable `A2PS` if it is set). a2ps-options are passed to a2ps.

Supported options are:

-h | Option
--help | Option

print a short help message and exit successfully.

-V | Option
--version | Option

report the version and exit successfully.

-q | Option
--quiet | Option
--silent | Option

Run silently.

-D | Option
--debug | Option

enter in debug mode.

-l language | Option
--language=language | Option

specify the language in which the reference card should be printed. language should be the symbol used by `LC_ALL` etc. (such as `fr`, `it` etc.). If the applications don't support internationalization, English will be used.

--command=command | Option

Don't try to guess the applications' way to report their help message, but rather use the call command. A typical example is
    card --command="cc -flags"

It is possible to give options to a2ps (see Options) by specifying them after `--`. For instance

    card gmake gtar --command="cc -flags" -- -Pdisplay

builds the reference card of `GNU make`, `GNU tar` (automatic detection of `--help` support), and `cc` thanks to `-flags`.

Node:Caution when Using card, Previous:Invoking card, Up:card

### Caution when Using `card`

Remember that `card` runs the programs you give it, and the commands you supplied. Hence if there is a silly programs that has a weird behavior given the option `-h` etc., beware of the result.

It is even clearer using `--command`: avoid running `card --command="rm -rf *"`, because the result will be exactly what you think it will be!

Node:fixps, Next:fixnt, Previous:card, Up:Contributions

## `fixps`

The shell script `fixps` tries its best to fix common problems in PostScript files that may prevent post processing. It makes heavy use of the `psutils`. It is a good idea to use `fixps` in the PostScript delegations.

It first tries to make simple fixes, but some really broken files may require a much deeper treatment. If `fixps` feels the need for such a major surgery act, it may give up local changes and ask `Ghostscript` for a global rewriting.

- Invoking fixps: Command Line Interface

Node:Invoking fixps, Previous:fixps, Up:fixps

### Invoking `fixps`

    fixps [options] [file]

sanitize the PostScript file (or of the standard input if no file is given, or if file is `-`).

Supported options are:

-h | Option
--help | Option

Print a short help message and a list of the fixes that are performed. Exit successfully.

-V | Option
--version | Option

report the version and exit successfully.

-D | Option
--debug | Option

enter in debug mode.

-q | Option
--quiet | Option
--silent | Option

Run silently.

-o file | Option
--output=file | Option

specify the file in which is saved the output.

-n | Option
--no-fix | Option

Don't actually fix the file but still honor all of the other options. In particular, `fixps -qn file` is equivalent to `cat file`.

-c | Option
--check | Option
--dry-run | Option

Don't actually fix the file: just report the diagnostics. Contrary to the option `fixps -qc` does absolutely nothing (while it does take some time to do it nicely).

-f | Option
--force | Option

Ask `ghoscript` for a full rewrite of the file. The output file is really sane, but can be much longer than the original. For this reason and others, it is not always a good idea to make a full rewrite. This option should be used only for files that give major problems.

Node:fixnt, Next:pdiff, Previous:fixps, Up:Contributions

## `fixnt`

`fixnt` (see its http://www.itsm.uni-stuttgart.de/~bauer/fixnt.html, home page) is maintained by Holger Bauer and Michael Rath. It is meant to fix the problems of the PostScript files generated by the Microsoft PostScript driver under Windows NT (3.5 and 4.0).

`fixps` is aware of the cases where `fixnt` should be used, hence you should not worry of when to use `fixnt`.

- Invoking fixnt: Command Line Interface

Node:Invoking fixnt, Previous:fixnt, Up:fixnt

### Invoking `fixnt`

    fixnt < file.ps

sanitize the PostScript file file.ps and produce the result on the standard output.

Node:pdiff, Next:psmandup, Previous:fixnt, Up:Contributions

## `pdiff`

The shell script `pdiff` aims to pretty print diffs between files. It basically uses GNU `diff` (see diff) or GNU `wdiff` (see wdiff) to extract the diff, then calls a2ps with the correct settings to get a nice, printed contextual diff.

- Invoking pdiff: Command Line Interface

Node:Invoking pdiff, Previous:pdiff, Up:pdiff

### Invoking `pdiff`

    pdiff [options] file-1 file-2 [-- a2ps-options]

make a pretty comparison between file-1 and file-2. a2ps-options are passed to a2ps.

Supported options are:

-h | Option
--help | Option

print a short help message and exit successfully.

-V | Option
--version | Option

report the version and exit successfully.

-q | Option
--quiet | Option
--silent | Option

Run silently.

-D | Option
--debug | Option

enter in debug mode.

-w | Option
--words | Option

Look for words differences (default). White space differences are not considered.

-l | Option
--lines | Option

Look for lines differences.

It is possible to give options to a2ps (see Options) by specifying them after `--`. For instance

    pdiff COPYING COPYING.LIB -- -1 -P display

Compares the files `COPYING` and `COPYING.LIB`, and prints it on the printer `display` (usually `Ghostview` or `gv`).

Node:psmandup, Next:psset, Previous:pdiff, Up:Contributions

## `psmandup`

I personally hate to print documents of hundreds of pages on a single sided printer. Too bad, here there are no Duplex printers. The idea is then simply first to print the odd pages, then the even in reversed order. To make sure one flips the page in the meanwhile, the second half should be printed from the manual feed tray.

Make a shell script that automates this, and you get `psmandup`.

- Invoking psmandup: Command Line Interface

Node:Invoking psmandup, Previous:psmandup, Up:psmandup

### Invoking `psmandup`

    psmandup [options] [file]

produce a manual duplex version of the PostScript file (or of the standard input if no file is given, or if file is `-`). Once the first half is printed, put the sheet stack in the manual feed tray for the second half5.

Be aware that there is a time out for manually fed jobs, usually short, hence do not miss the moment when the printer asks for the stack. If ever you missed that moment, see option `--back` to recover the second half.

Supported options are:

-h | Option
--help | Option

print a short help message and exit successfully.

-V | Option
--version | Option

report the version and exit successfully.

-q | Option
--quiet | Option
--silent | Option

Run silently.

-D | Option
--debug | Option

enter in debug mode.

-o file | Option
--output=file | Option

specify the file in which is saved the output.

-n | Option
--no-fix | Option

`psmandup` will fail on ill designed PostScript (well, actually the psutils will). To avoid this, by default the PostScript file is sanitized by `fixps`. When given this option, don't run `fixps`. This is meant to be used when `fixps` has already been used higher in the processing chain.

-f | Option
--front | Option

Output only the front pages, with no special PostScript feature request.

-b | Option
--back | Option

Output only the back pages, with a manual feed request. This option is especially useful when the manual feed time out expired before you could insert back the stack in the manual feed tray.

`psmandup` assumes the printer is Level 2, and supports manual feeding. The file should be reasonably sane, otherwise `psmandup` fails miserably.

Typical use is

    psmandup file.ps | lp

or can be put into a2ps' printer commands (see Your Printers).

Node:psset, Previous:psmandup, Up:Contributions

## `psset`

The shell script `psset` inserts calls to `setpagedevice` in a PostScript file. This is useful for instance to add Tumble or Manual feed request. Actually, `psmandup` uses `psset`.

You should know nevertheless that a2ps is able to make the calls to `setpagedevice` by itself, i.e., you can run `a2ps -SManualFeed foo` to print `foo` onto the manually fed tray, or run `a2ps -s2 foo` to print Duplex. There are no need of `psset` from a2ps.

- Invoking psset: Command Line Interface

Node:Invoking psset, Previous:psset, Up:psset

### Invoking `psset`

    psset [options] [file]

produce a version of the PostScript file (or of the standard input if no file is given, or if file is `-`) that makes protected calls to the PostScript operator `setpagedevice`. Typical use is making file print duplex, or on the manual tray etc.

The call is protected so that the resulting file is safe, i.e., will still be portable, even with requests such as `-Sfoo:bar`.

It is safe to run `psset` with no feature requests. Depending upon the option `--no-fix`, it is either equivalent to doing nothing, or to running `fixps` (see fixps).

Supported options are:

-h | Option
--help | Option

Print a short help message and exit successfully.

-V | Option
--version | Option

report the version and exit successfully.

-D | Option
--debug | Option

enter in debug mode.

-q | Option
--quiet | Option
--silent | Option

Run silently.

-o file | Option
--output=file | Option

specify the file in which is saved the output.

-n | Option
--no-fix | Option

`psset` will fail on ill designed PostScript. Actually it is the psutils that fail. To avoid this, by default the PostScript file is sanitized by `fixps`. When given this option, don't run `fixps`. This is meant to be used when `fixps` has already been used higher in the processing chain.

-S key:value | Option
--setpagedevice=key:value | Option

Insert a `setpagedevice` call setting key to value. Multiple values accumulate. Lists of requests separated with `;` are valid (e.g., `-SDuplex:true;Tumble:false`).

-a page | Option
--at=page | Option

Specify the page where the `setpagedevice` call should be done. The page 0, which is the default, corresponds to the `Setup` section of the document. More precisely, the insertion is performed at the end of the `Setup` section, so that if there are multiple calls to `psset` on the same document (which is of course, a bad idea), the last call is winning. In a typical use you should not change the page.

-m | Option
--manualfeed | Option

Alias for `-SManualFeed:true`, i.e., the request to print using the manual feed tray.

-s | Option
--simplex | Option

Alias for `-SDuplex:false`, i.e., force simplex printing.

-d | Option
--duplex | Option

Alias for `-SDuplex:true;Tumble:false`, i.e., the request to print in duplex mode, binding along the long edge of the paper.

-t | Option
--tumble | Option

Alias for `-SDuplex:true;Tumble:true`, i.e., duplex printing such that binding should happen on the short edge of the medium.

Node:FAQ, Next:Glossary, Previous:Contributions, Up:Top

# Frequently asked questions

Please, before sending us mail, make sure the problem you have is not known, and explained. Moreover, avoid using the mailing list for asking question about the options, etc. It has been built for announces and suggestions, not to contact the authors.

- Why Does ...?: Questions on Error
- How Can I ...?: a2ps' How-To
- Please tell me...: Existential Questions on a2ps

Node:Why Does ...?, Next:How Can I ...?, Previous:FAQ, Up:FAQ

## Why Does...?

Error related questions.

- It Prints Nothing: The printer issues nothing
- It Prints in Simplex: While I asked for Duplex
- It Prints in Duplex: While I asked for Simplex
- It Does Not Fit on the Paper: Some parts are missing
- It Prints Junk: Random characters
- It Says my File is Binary: And refuses to print it
- It Refuses to Change the Font Size:

Node:It Prints Nothing, Next:It Prints in Simplex, Previous:Why Does ...?, Up:Why Does ...?

### Why Does it Print Nothing?

> a2ps works OK, but the printer prints nothing.

There are two ways that printing can fail: silently, or with a diagnostic.

First, check that the printer received what you sent. a2ps may correctly do its job, but have the printer queue fail to deliver the job. In case of doubt, please check that the printer's leds blink (or whatever is its way to show that something is being processed).

If the printer does receive the job, but prints nothing at all, check that you did not give exotic options to an old printer (typically, avoid printing on two sides on a printer that does not support it). Avoid using `-S`, `--setpagedevice` (see Page Device Options) and `--statusdict` (see Statusdict Options).

If the trouble persists, please try again but with the option `--debug` (a PostScript error handler is downloaded), and then send us:

1. the input file that gives problems
2. the output file created by a2ps with the option `--debug`
3. the error message that was printed.

Node:It Prints in Simplex, Next:It Prints in Duplex, Previous:It Prints Nothing, Up:Why Does ...?

### Why Does it Print in Simplex?

> Though I ask a2ps to print Duplex via `--sides`, the job is printed Simplex.

If your printer is too old, then a2ps will not be able to send it the code it needs when `-s2` is specified. This is because your printer uses an old and not standardized interface for special features.

So you need to

1. specify that you want Duplex mode: `-s2`,
2. remove by hand the standardized call to the Duplex feature: `-SDuplex`,
3. add the non standard call to Duplex. Try `--statusdict=setduplexmode:true`.

Since this is painful to hit, a User Option (see Your Shortcuts) should help.

Node:It Prints in Duplex, Next:It Does Not Fit on the Paper, Previous:It Prints in Simplex, Up:Why Does ...?

### Why Does it Print in Duplex?

> Though I ask a2ps to print Simplex via `--sides`, the job is printed Duplex.

Actually when you require Simplex, a2ps issues nothing, for portability reasons. Hence, if your printer is defaulted to Duplex, the job will be Duplexed. So you have to force a2ps to issue the Simplex request with `-SDuplex:false`. The user options `-=s1` and `-=simplex` have names easier to remember.

In the next version of a2ps this kind of portability problems will be fixed in a user friendly way.

Node:It Does Not Fit on the Paper, Next:It Prints Junk, Previous:It Prints in Duplex, Up:Why Does ...?

### Why Does it Not Fit on the Paper?

> When I print text files with a2ps, it prints beyond the frame of the paper.

You are most probably printing with a bad medium, for instance using A4 paper within a2ps, while your printer uses Letter paper. Some jet printers have a small printable area, and a2ps may not expect it. In both case, read Sheet Options, option `--medium` for more.

Node:It Prints Junk, Next:It Says my File is Binary, Previous:It Does Not Fit on the Paper, Up:Why Does ...?

### Why Does it Print Junk?

> What I get on the printer is long and incomprehensible. It does not seem to correspond to what I wanted to print.

You are probably printing a PostScript file or equivalent. Try to print with `-Z`: a2ps will try to do his best to find what is the program that can help you (see Your Delegations). In case of doubt, don't hesitate to save into a file, and check the content with `Ghostview`, or equivalent:

    $ a2ps my_weird_file -Z -o mwf.ps
    $ gv mwf.ps

If your a2ps is correctly installed, you can use the `display` fake-printer:

    $ a2ps my_weird_file -Z -P display

If it is incorrect, ask for help around you.

Node:It Says my File is Binary, Next:It Refuses to Change the Font Size, Previous:It Prints Junk, Up:Why Does ...?

### Why Does it Say my File is Binary?

> a2ps complains that my file is binary though it is not.

There are several reasons that can cause a2ps to consider a file is binary:

- there are many non printable characters in the file. Then you need to use the option `--print-anyway`.
- the file is sane, composed of printable characters. Then it is very likely that `file(1)` said the type of the file is `data`, in which case a2ps prefers not to print the file. Then you can either:
  - specify the type of the file, for instance `-Eplain`;
  - specify to print in any case, `--print-anyway`;
  - remove the annoying rule from the system's `sheets.map`:

        binary: <data*>

  - insert in your own `~/.a2ps/sheets.map` a rule that overrides that of the system's `sheets.map`:

        # Load the system's sheets.map
        include(/usr/local/share/a2ps/sheets/sheets.map)

        # Override the rule for files with type `data' according to file(1)
        plain: <data*>

    But this is not very good, since then this rule is always the first tested, which means that any file with type `data` according to `file(1)` will be printed in `plain` style, even if the file is called `foo.c`.

  - if your files can be recognized, insert a new rule in a `sheets.map`, such as

        # file(1) says it's data, but it's pure text
        plain:   /*.txx/

Node:It Refuses to Change the Font Size, Previous:It Says my File is Binary, Up:Why Does ...?

### Why Does it Refuse to Change the Font Size

> a2ps does not seem to honor `--font-size` (or `--lines-per-page`, or `--chars-per-line`).

This is probably because you used `-1`..`-9` after the `--font-size`. This is wrong, because the options `-1`..`-9` set the font size (so that there are 80 characters per lines), and many other things (See Page Options, option `--font-size`).

Hence `a2ps --font-size=12km -4` is exactly the same thing as `a2ps -4`, but is different from `a2ps -4 --font-size=12km`. Note that the `pure' options (no side-effects) to specify the number of virtual pages are `--columns` and `--rows`.

Node:How Can I ...?, Next:Please tell me..., Previous:Why Does ...?, Up:FAQ

## How Can I ...?

A mini how-to on a2ps.

- Leave Room for Binding: Specifying Margins
- Print stdin: Using a2ps in a pipe chain
- Change the Fonts: Tired of Courier?
- The Old Option -b?: Printing in Bold
- Pass Options to lpr: Disable the banner
- Non PostScript Printers: Using GhostScript
- Man Pages with Underlines: Now it Prints With Italics

Node:Leave Room for Binding, Next:Print stdin, Previous:How Can I ...?, Up:How Can I ...?

### How Can I Leave Room for Binding?

The option `--margin[=size]` is meant for this. See Sheet Options.

Node:Print stdin, Next:Change the Fonts, Previous:Leave Room for Binding, Up:How Can I ...?

### How Can I Print `stdin`?

a2ps prints the standard input if you give no file name, or if you gave `-` as file name. Automatic style selection is of course much weaker: without the file name, a2ps can only get `file(1)`'s opinion (see Style Sheet Files). In general it means most delegations are safe, but there will probably be no pretty-printing.

`You` can supply a name to the standard input (`--stdin=name`) with which it could guess the language.

Node:Change the Fonts, Next:The Old Option -b?, Previous:Print stdin, Up:How Can I ...?

### How Can I Change the Fonts?

See Designing PostScript Prologues, for details. Make sure that all the information a2ps needs is available (see Font Files).

Node:The Old Option -b?, Next:Pass Options to lpr, Previous:Change the Fonts, Up:How Can I ...?

### How Can I Simulate the Old Option `-b`?

By the past, a2ps had an option `-b` with which the fonts were bold. Since now the fonts are defined by prologues (see Designing PostScript Prologues) this option no longer makes sense. A replacement prologue is provided: `bold`. To use it, give the option `--prologue=bold`.

Node:Pass Options to lpr, Next:Non PostScript Printers, Previous:The Old Option -b?, Up:How Can I ...?

### How Can I Pass Options to `lpr`

> How can I tell `a2ps` to ask `lpr` no to print the banner?

> How can I pass specific options to `lp`?

If your `Printer:` fields in the configuration files were properly filled (see Your Printers), you can use the variable `lp.options` to pass options to `lpr` (or `lp`, depending on your environment):

    a2ps -Dlp.options="-h -s" -P printer

You can also define `lp.options` once for all, See Defining Variables.

Finally, you can use `Printer:` several times to reach a printer with different `lpr` options.

Node:Non PostScript Printers, Next:Man Pages with Underlines, Previous:Pass Options to lpr, Up:How Can I ...?

### How Can I Print on Non PostScript Printers?

> I use a2ps at work and wish to use it at home, but my printer is not PostScript. How can I do?

`Ghostscript` might be the tool you need (see Glossary). It support conversion to many different non PostScript printers.

Here are some tips on how to use a non PostScript printer. If somebody feels like writing a more precise documentation, she really is welcome.

Please refer to the `Ghostscript` documentation for a precise description of the tuning you need.

Basically, the first step you need is to achieve to call `Ghostscript` in a pipe chain. In other words, try to find out the right arguments `Ghostscript` needs in order to print with a command like this:

    $ cat file.ps | gs more arguments

In general it is the same command as for calling `Ghostscript` with a filename, except that the file name to use is `-`:

    $ cat file.ps \
      | gs -q -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=deskjet -sOutputFile=- - -c quit\
      | lp -dprinter-name

Once it works, it is then easy to settle the right `Printer:` line in your configuration file (see Your Printers). For instance:

    Printer: djet \
      | gs -q -dNOPAUSE -sDEVICE=deskjet -sOutputFile=- - -c quit\
      | lp -d djet

Christian Mondrup uses a2ps under Windows with a non PostScript printer. He uses:

    DefaultPrinter: | //c/gstools/gs5.10/Gswin32c.exe         \
       -Ic:\gstools\gs5.10;c:\gstools\gs5.10\fonts            \
       -sDEVICE=ljet4 -sPAPERSIZE=a4 -dNOPAUSE -r300 -dSAFER  \
       -sOutputFile="\\spool\HP LaserJet 5L (PCL)"            \
       -q - -c quit

Node:Man Pages with Underlines, Previous:Non PostScript Printers, Up:How Can I ...?

### How Can I Print Man Pages with Underlines

> By the past, when I printed a man page with a2ps, it used underlines, but now it uses italics. I want underlines back!

Use `a2ps --pro=ul`.

Node:Please tell me..., Previous:How Can I ...?, Up:FAQ

## Please tell me...

Wondering something?

- Is a2ps Y2K compliant?: Printing dates in short format
- The Options Have Changed: Respect The Users
- Why not using yacc: Why Using Style Sheets

Node:Is a2ps Y2K compliant?, Next:The Options Have Changed, Previous:Please tell me..., Up:Please tell me...

### Is a2ps Y2K compliant?

The famous Y2K6 problem...

Yes, a2ps is Y2K compliant... provided that you have either a version more recent than 4.10.3. The expansions of the following escapes were broken (giving `100` instead of `00`): `%D`, `%W`, `$D`, `$W`.

Nevertheless, please note that if you required a two digit year, expect to have `Jan 1st, 00` someday. You are responsible of the format you want for the date: See Escapes.

Node:The Options Have Changed, Next:Why not using yacc, Previous:Is a2ps Y2K compliant?, Up:Please tell me...

### Why Have the Options Changed?

> The options of this a2ps are not the same as in the previous versions.

True. But the old scheme (up to version 4.6.1) prevented us from offering more options. We had to drop it, and to fully redesign the options handling.

Since that profound change, we try to change as little as possible between versions. Nevertheless, as the time passes, we discover that some never used options should be renamed, or used for something else. In these cases, compatibility code is left for a long time.

Anywhere you put options but the command line (e.g., in a2ps configuration files or in shell scripts), avoid using short options, since short options are much more likely to be changed (there are not so many, so it is a precious resource). Since there are as many long options as one wants, we can leave compatibility code with the long options.

Node:Why not using yacc, Previous:The Options Have Changed, Up:Please tell me...

### Why not having used `yacc` and such

There are several reasons why we decided not to use grammars to parse the files. Firstly it would have made the design of the style sheets much more tricky, and today a2ps would know only 4 or 5 languages.

Secondly, it limits the number of persons who could build a style sheet.

Thirdly, we did not feel the need for such a powerful tool: handling the keywords and the sequences is just what the users expect.

Fourthly, any extension of a2ps would have required to recompile.

And last but not least, using a parser requires that the sources are syntactic bug free, which is too strong a requirement.

Nevertheless, `PreScript` gives the possibility to have on the one hand a syntactic parser which would produce `PreScript` code, and on the other hand, a2ps, which would make it PostScript. This schema seems to us a good compromise. If it is still not enough for you, you can use the library.

Node:Glossary, Next:Genesis, Previous:FAQ, Up:Top

# Glossary

This section settles some terms used through out this document, and provides the definitions of some terms you probably want to know about.

Adobe
  Adobe is the firm who designed and owns the PostScript language. The patent that printer manufacturers must pay to Adobe is the main reason why PostScript printers are so expansive.
AFM file
  AFM stands for Adobe Font Metrics. These files contain everything one needs to know about a font: the width of the characters, the available characters etc.
Charset
Code Set
  Cf. Encoding.
Delegate
  Another filter (application) which a2ps may call to process some files. This feature is especially meant for page description files (see Your Delegations).
DSC
Document Structuring Conventions
  Because PostScript is a language, any file describing a document can have an arbitrary complexity. To ease the post-processing of PostScript files, the document should follow some conventions. Basically there are two kinds of conventions to follow:
  Page Independence
    Special comments state where the pages begin and end. With these comments (and the fact that the code describing a page starts and ends somewhere, which is absolutely not necessary in PostScript), very simple programs (such as `psnup`, `psselect` etc.) can post process PostScript files.
  Requirements
    Special features may be needed to run correctly the file. Some comments specify what services are expected from the printer (e.g., fonts, duplex printing, color etc.), and other what features are provided by the file itself (e.g., fonts, procsets etc.), so that a print manager can decide that a file cannot be printed on that printer, or that it is possible if the file is slightly modified (e.g., adding a required font not known by the printer) etc.

  The DSC are edited by Adobe. A document which respects them is said to be DSC conformant. a2ps follows all the DSC.

Duplex
DuplexTumble
DuplexNoTumble
  To print Duplex is to print double-sided. There are two ways to print Duplex depending whether the second face is printed upside-down or not:
  DuplexTumble
    DuplexTumble is suitable when (if it were to be bound) the document would be bound along the short edge (for instance when you are printing booklets).
  DuplexNoTumble
    DuplexNoTumble corresponds to binding along the long edge of the medium. A typical case is when printing one-up.
Encoding
  Association of human readable characters, and computers' internal numbered representation. In other words, they are the alphabets, which are different according to your country/mother tongue. E.g.: ASCII, Latin 1, corresponding to Western Europe etc.

  To know more about encodings, see What is an Encoding.

`Ghostscript`
`gs`
  `Ghostscript`, `gs` for short, is a full PostScript interpreter running under many various systems (Unices, MS-DOS, Mac etc.). It comes with a large set of output formats allowing many different applications:
  Displaying
    It can be used either to view PostScript files (in general thanks to a graphic interface such as `Ghostview` or `gv` ...).
  Converting
    To may useful languages/formats: PDF, rewriting in portable PostScript or Encapsulated PS etc.
  Translating
    to a printer dedicated language, e.g., PCL. In particular, thanks to `ghostscript`, you may print PostScript files on non PostScript printers.
Face
  A virtual style given to some text. For instance, Keyword, Comment are faces.
Headings
  Everything that goes around the page and is not part of the text body. Typically the title, footer etc.
Key
  Many objects used in a2ps, such as encodings, have both a key and a name. The word name is used for a symbol, a label, which is only meant to be nice to read by a human. For instance `ISO Latin 1` is a name. a2ps never uses a name, but the key.

  A key is the identifier of a unique object. This is information that a2ps processes, hence, whenever you need to specify an object to a2ps, use the key, not its name. For instance `latin1` is the unique identifier of the `ISO Latin 1` encoding.

Logical page
  Cf. Virtual page.
lhs
left hand side
  See P-rule.
Medium
  Official name (by Adobe) given to the output physical support. In other words, it means the description of a sheet, e.g., A4, Letter etc.
Name
  See Key.
Page
  A single side of a sheet.
Page Description Language
  A language that describes some text (which may be enriched with pointers, pictures etc.) and its layout. `HTML`, PostScript, LaTeX, `roff` and others are such languages. A file written in those languages is not made to be read as is by a human, but to be transformed (or compiled) into a readable form.
PCL
  FIXME:
PFA file
  PostScript Font in ASCII format. This file can be directly down loaded to provide support for another font.
PFB file
  PostScript Font in Binary format. In PFA files there are long sequences of hexadecimal digits. Here these digits are represented by their value, hence compressing 2 characters in a PFA into 1 in the PFB. This is the only advantage since a PFB file cannot be directly sent to printer: it must first be decompressed (hence turned into a PFA file) before being used.
PostScript
  PostScript is a page description language designed for Raster output devices. It is even more powerful than that: unlike to `HTML`, or `roff`, but as TeX and LaTeX, it is truly a programming language which main purpose is to draw (on sheets). Most programs are a list of instructions that describes lines, shades of gray, or text to draw on a page. This is the language that most printers understand.

  Note that the fact that PostScript is a programming language is responsible of both its success and its failure. It is a big win for the PostScript programmer who can easily implement a lot of nice visual effects. It is a big loss because the page descriptions can have an arbitrary complexity, hence rendering can be really slow (remember the first Laser you had, or even `Ghostscript`. `PDF` has been invented by Adobe to remedy these problems).

  PostScript is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.

PPD file
PostScript Printer Description file
  These files report everything one needs to know about a printer: the known fonts, the patches that should be down loaded, the available memory, the trays, the way to ask it duplex printing, the supported media, etc.

  PostScript has pretended to be a device independent page description language, and the PPD files are here to prove that device independence was a failure.

ProcSet
  Set of (PostScript) procedures.
Prologue
  PostScript being a language, a typical PostScript program (i.e. a typical PostScript file) consists of two parts. The first part is composed of resources, such as fonts, procsets, etc. and the second part of calls to these procedures. The first part is called the prologue, and the second, the script.
P-rule
  Pretty printing rule. It is composed of a left-hand side, (lhs for short), and a right-hand side, (rhs). The lhs describes when the rule is triggered (i.e., the pattern of text to match), and the rhs specifies the pretty printed output. See P-Rules, for more semantical details, and see Syntax for the P-Rules, for implementation.
`psutils`
  The psutils is a set of tools for PostScript post processing written by Angus Duggan. They let you resize the frame into which the page is drawn, reorder or select pages, put several pages onto a single sheet, etc. To allow the `psutils` to run correctly, the PostScript files must be DSC conformant, and the bad news is that many PostScript drivers produce files which are not. For some common cases (e.g., Micro$oft tools), Angus Duggan included in the package some tools (named `fix...ps`) to fix typical problems. `fixps` is a collection of recipes on when to run what `fix` tool.
Raster Image Processor
RIP
  The hardware and/or software that translates data from a high-level language (e.g., PostScript) into dots or pixels in a printer or image setter.
Raster Output Device
  Behind these words is hidden the general class of devices which have Pixels that can be addressed individually: Laser, Ink or Dot printers, but also regular screens etc. It is typically opposed to the class of devices which plot, i.e., have a pen that they move on the paper.
rhs
right hand side
  See P-rule.
RIP
  See Raster Image Processor.
Script
  See Prologue.
Sheet
  The physical support of the printing: it may support one or two pages, depending on your printing options.
Style sheet
  Set of rules used by a2ps to give a face to the strings of a file. In a2ps, each programming language which is supported is defined via one style-sheet.
Tumble
  See Duplex.
Virtual page
  Area on a physical page in which a2ps draws the content of a file. There may be several virtual pages on a physical page. ("virtual page" is the name recommended by Adobe).

Node:Genesis, Next:Copying, Previous:Glossary, Up:Top

# Genesis

Here are some words on a2ps and its history.

- History: Where does it come from
- Thanks: People who really helped
- Translators: People who brought support of your tongue

Node:History, Next:Thanks, Previous:Genesis, Up:Genesis

## History

The initial version was a shell program written by Evan Kirshenbaum. It was very slow and contained many bugs.

A new version was written in `C` by Miguel Santana to improve execution speed and portability. Many new features and improvements have been added since this first version. Many contributions (changes, fixes, ideas) were done by a2ps users in order to improve it.

From the latest version from Miguel Santana (4.3), Emmanuel Briot implemented bold faces for keywords in `Ada`, `C` and `C++`.

From that version, Akim Demaille generalized the pretty-printing capabilities, implemented more languages support, and other features.

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## Thanks

Patrick Andries, from Alis Technologies inc. and Roman Czyborra (see his home page), provided us with important information on encodings. We strongly recommend that you go and read these pages: there is a lot to learn.

Juliusz Chroboczek worked a lot on the integration of the products of Ogonkify (such as Latin 2 etc. fonts) in a2ps. Without his help, and the time is devoted to both a2ps and `ogonkify`, many non west-European people would still be unable to print easily texts written in their mother tongue.

Denis Girou brought a constant and valuable support through out the genesis of pretty-printing a2ps. His comments on both the program and the documentation are the origin of many pleasant features (such as `--prologue`).

Alexander Mai provided us with invaluable help in the development. He spotted several times subtle bugs in a2ps and the contributions, he keeps a vigilant eye on portability issues, he checks and improves the style sheets, and he maintains a port of a2ps for OS/2.

Graham Jenkins, with an extraordinary regularity, tortures a2ps on weird systems that nobody ever heard of `:)`. Graham is usually the ultimate test: if he says I can release a2ps, I rest reassured that, yes, this time it will compile! If a2ps works today on your system, you should thank Graham too!

Of course this list is not up to date, and never will. We would like to thank everybody that helped us, talked to us, and even criticized us with the intention to help us to improve a2ps. Of course it doesn't sound right, yes it sounds a little childish, but we can tell you: we would never have the strength and the faith of building and maintaining a2ps without the support of all these guys.

While a2ps is finally just a couple of bits on a hard disk, to us it is an adventure we live with other humans, and, boy, that's a darn good pleasure!

Node:Translators, Previous:Thanks, Up:Genesis

## Translators

Some people worked on the translation of a2ps:

- Daniele Ghiotti (Italian)
- Tomek Burdziak (Polish)
- Miguel A. Varo (Maintains Spanish and Catalan)
- Michael Wiedmann (Maintains German)
- Christian Kirsch (German)
- Erwin Dieterich (German)
- Juliusz Chroboczek (Polish) He is also the author of `Ogonkify` (see top).
- Marcel van der Laan (Dutch)
- Lorenzo M. Catucci (Maintains Italian)
- Choi Jun Ho (Korean)
- Turgut Uyar (Turkish)
- Jiri Pavlovsky (Maintains Czech)
- Peter Nilsson (Maintains Swedish)
- Pedro Miguel Marques Morais (Maintains Portugese)
- Vladimir Vodolazkiy (Russian) has a home page.
- Paulo Matos (Portugese)
- Jon Ross (Maintains Norwegian)
- Igor Furlan (Maintains Slovenian)
- Marcin 'Qrczak' Kowalczyk (Polish)
- Tijs van Bakel (Maintains Dutch)
- Dmitry S. Sivachenko (Maintains Russian)

Node:Copying, Next:Concept Index, Previous:Genesis, Up:Top

# Copying

The subroutines and source code in the a2ps package are "free"; this means that everyone is free to use them and free to redistribute them on a free basis. The a2ps-related programs are not in the public domain; they are copyrighted and there are restrictions on their distribution, but these restrictions are designed to permit everything that a good cooperating citizen would want to do. What is not allowed is to try to prevent others from further sharing any version of these programs that they might get from you.

Specifically, we want to make sure that you have the right to give away copies of the programs that relate to a2ps, that you receive source code or else can get it if you want it, that you can change these programs or use pieces of them in new free programs, and that you know you can do these things.

To make sure that everyone has such rights, we have to forbid you to deprive anyone else of these rights. For example, if you distribute copies of the a2ps-related code, you must give the recipients all the rights that you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must tell them their rights.

Also, for our own protection, we must make certain that everyone finds out that there is no warranty for the programs that relate to a2ps. If these programs are modified by someone else and passed on, we want their recipients to know that what they have is not what we distributed, so that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on our reputation.

The precise conditions of the licenses for the programs currently being distributed that relate to a2ps are found in the General Public Licenses that accompany them.

Node:Concept Index, Previous:Copying, Up:Top

# Concept Index

- `%!`: Your PostScript magic number
- `.a2ps`: Configuration Files
- .afm: Fonts Description Files
- .edf: Encoding Description Files
- .map: Map Files
- .pfa: Fonts Description Files
- .pfb: Fonts Description Files
- `:`: Your Shortcuts
- `a2ps-site.cfg`: Configuration Files
- `a2ps.cfg`: Configuration Files
- `A2PS_CONFIG`: Configuration Files
- `A2PS_VERBOSITY`: Global Options
- `a2psrc`: Configuration Files
- Adobe: Glossary
- AFM: Glossary, Fonts Description Files
- Alphabets: Alphabets
- Angus Duggan: Glossary
- `AppendLibraryPath:`: Your Library Path
- banner: Pass Options to lpr
- Bug: Reporting Bugs
- `C-char`: Declaring sequences
- `C-string`: Declaring sequences
- Charset: Glossary
- Code Set: Glossary
- Command line options: Options
- Configuration Files: Configuration Files
- Copying: Copying
- `DefaultPrinter:`: Your Printers
- Delegate: Glossary
- `Delegation:`: Defining a Delegation
- Delegations: Your Delegations
- `display`: Special Printers
- Document Structuring Conventions: Glossary
- DSC: Glossary, Good and Bad PostScript
- Duplex: PostScript Options, Glossary
- DuplexNoTumble: Glossary
- DuplexTumble: Glossary
- EDF: Encoding Description Files
- `elm`: Interfacing With a Mailer
- Encoding: Glossary, Input Options
- Escape: Your Variables
- Escapes: Escapes
- Face: Glossary, Faces
- `file`: Special Printers
- First Page: Introduction
- `Ghostscript`: Glossary
- `gs`: Glossary
- Headers: Headings Options
- Headings: Glossary
- `Include:`: Including Configuration Files
- key: Name and key
- Key: Glossary
- Keyword: P-Rules
- lhs: P-Rules
- `libpaper`: Sheet Options
- Library files: Library Files
- `LibraryPath:`: Your Library Path
- Logical page: Glossary
- `make_fonts_map.sh`: Adding More Font Support
- Map files: Map Files
- Markers: Sequences
- Medium: Glossary
- `Medium:`: Your Media
- Non PostScript printers: Your Printers
- Operator: P-Rules
- Optimize for Portability: Good and Bad PostScript
- Optimize for Speed: Good and Bad PostScript
- Optional entries: Optional entries
- Options: Options
- `Options:`: Your Default Options
- `OutputFirstLine:`: Your PostScript magic number
- P-Rule: P-Rules
- P-rule: Glossary
- Page: Glossary
- Page Description Language: Glossary
- Page device: PostScript Options
- Page prefeed: PostScript Options
- Page Range: Input Options
- `PageLabelFormat:`: Your Page Labels
- `paperconf`: Sheet Options
- PCL: Glossary
- PFA file: Glossary
- PFB file: Glossary
- `pine`: Interfacing With a Mailer
- PostScript: Glossary
- PostScript Quality: Good and Bad PostScript
- PPD file: Glossary
- Predefined Variables: Predefined Variables
- `PrependLibraryPath:`: Your Library Path
- `PreScript`: PreScript
- Pretty printing: Pretty Printing
- `Printer:`: Your Printers
- ProcSet: Glossary
- Prologue: Input Options, Glossary
- `psutils`: Glossary
- Raster Output Device: Glossary
- Regular expression: Syntax for the P-Rules
- rhs: P-Rules
- Rule: P-Rules
- Script: Glossary
- Separator: Alphabets
- Sequences: Sequences
- `setpagedevice`: PostScript Options
- Sheet: Glossary
- `sheets.map`: Name and key, Style Sheet Files
- `statusdict`: PostScript Options
- Style sheet: Glossary, Style sheets semantics
- Symbol conversion: Pretty Printing
- `TemporaryDirectory:`: Your Internal Details
- Tumble: Glossary
- Under lay: Headings Options
- `UnknownPrinter:`: Your Printers
- `UserOption:`: Your Shortcuts
- Variable: Your Variables
- `Variable:`: Defining Variables
- Variables, predefined: Predefined Variables
- Virtual page: Glossary
- `void`: Special Printers
- Water mark: Headings Options

# Table of Contents

- Introduction
  - Description
  - Reporting Bugs
  - a2ps Mailing List
  - Helping the Development
- User's Guide
  - Purpose
  - How to print
    - Basics for Printing
    - Special Printers
    - Using Delegations
    - Printing Duplex
    - Checking the Defaults
  - Important parameters
  - Localizing
  - Interfacing with Other Programs
    - Interfacing With a Mailer
    - Netscape
- Invoking a2ps
  - Command line options
    - Tasks Options
    - Global Options
    - Sheet Options
    - Page Options
    - Headings Options
    - Input Options
    - Pretty Printing Options
    - Output Options
    - PostScript Options
  - Escapes
    - Use of Escapes
    - General Structure of the Escapes
    - Available Escapes
- Configuration Files
  - Including Configuration Files
  - Your Library Path
  - Your Default Options
  - Your Media
  - Your Printers
  - Your Shortcuts
  - Your PostScript magic number
  - Your Page Labels
  - Your Variables
    - Defining Variables
    - Predefined Variables
  - Your Delegations
    - Defining a Delegation
    - Guide Line for Delegations
    - Predefined Delegations
  - Your Internal Details
- Library Files
  - Documentation Format
  - Map Files
  - Font Files
    - Fonts Map File
    - Fonts Description Files
    - Adding More Font Support
  - Style Sheet Files
- Encodings
  - What is an Encoding
  - Encoding Files
    - Encoding Map File
    - Encoding Description Files
    - Some Encodings
- Pretty Printing
  - Syntactic limits
  - Known Style Sheets
  - Type Setting Style Sheets
    - Symbol
    - PreScript
      - Syntax
      - PreScript Commands
      - Examples
    - PreTeX
      - Special characters
      - PreTeX Commands
      - Differences with LaTeX
    - TeXScript
  - Faces
  - Style Sheets Semantics
    - Name and key
    - Comments
    - Alphabets
    - Case sensitivity
    - P-Rules
    - Sequences
    - Optional entries
  - Style Sheets Implementation
    - A Bit of Syntax
    - Style Sheet Header
    - Syntax of the Words
    - Inheriting from Other Style Sheets
    - Syntax for the P-Rules
    - Declaring the keywords and the operators
    - Declaring the sequences
    - Checking a Style Sheet
  - A Tutorial on Style Sheets
    - Example and syntax
    - Implementation
    - The Entry in `sheets.map`
    - More Sophisticated Rules
    - Guide Line for Distributed Style Sheets
- PostScript
  - Foreword: Good and Bad PostScript
  - Page Device Options
  - Statusdict Options
  - Colors in PostScript
  - a2ps PostScript Files
  - Designing PostScript Prologues
    - Definition of the faces
    - Prologue File Format
    - A step by step example
- Contributions
  - `card`
    - Invoking `card`
    - Caution when Using `card`
  - `fixps`
    - Invoking `fixps`
  - `fixnt`
    - Invoking `fixnt`
  - `pdiff`
    - Invoking `pdiff`
  - `psmandup`
    - Invoking `psmandup`
  - `psset`
    - Invoking `psset`
- Frequently asked questions
  - Why Does...?
    - Why Does it Print Nothing?
    - Why Does it Print in Simplex?
    - Why Does it Print in Duplex?
    - Why Does it Not Fit on the Paper?
    - Why Does it Print Junk?
    - Why Does it Say my File is Binary?
    - Why Does it Refuse to Change the Font Size
  - How Can I ...?
    - How Can I Leave Room for Binding?
    - How Can I Print `stdin`?
    - How Can I Change the Fonts?
    - How Can I Simulate the Old Option `-b`?
    - How Can I Pass Options to `lpr`
    - How Can I Print on Non PostScript Printers?
    - How Can I Print Man Pages with Underlines
  - Please tell me...
    - Is a2ps Y2K compliant?
    - Why Have the Options Changed?
    - Why not having used `yacc` and such
- Glossary
- Genesis
  - History
  - Thanks
  - Translators
- Copying
- Concept Index

#### Footnotes

1. A classical Unix trick to make the difference between the option `-2`, and the file `-2` is to type `./-2`.

2. That is to say, there are no PostScript printers that don't understand these files.

3. Current `a2ps` only handles PostScript output, i.e. out=`ps`

4. Because hiding its use into `a2ps` just makes it even more difficult to the users to know why it failed. Let them use it by hand.

5. Many people seem to ignore that you can insert several sheets in the manual feed tray. Try at least once, it will save you from hours spent feeding page per page by hand!

6. Year 2000.