URL: <https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?68085>
Summary: [mm] unable to customize AV name and date line
length
Group: GNU roff
Submitter: afh
Submitted: Mon 23 Feb 2026 08:03:42 PM UTC
Category: Macro package mm
Severity: 3 - Normal
Item Group: Incorrect behaviour
Status: None
Privacy: Public
Assigned to: None
Open/Closed: Open
Discussion Lock: Unlocked
Planned Release: None
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Follow-up Comments:
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Date: Mon 23 Feb 2026 08:03:42 PM UTC By: Alexis <afh>
Inspecting the m.tmac source it seems to be possible (possibly not intentional
;) to change the values of the `let*name-line-length` and
`let*date-line-length` registers and change the length of the name and date
lines rendered using the AV macro.
However m.tmac uses \n[…] instead of \\n[…] when defining the strings
`let*name-line` and `let*date-line` which render the actual line, yet the
Letdate string is placed using \\n[…] causing misalignment.
Here's a minimal working example (MWE):
cat mwe-mm-av-line-length.mm
.PH "''''"
.if r nll .nr let*name-line-length \n[nll]
.AV
With the default values the Letdate string is placed nicely in the center
below the date line
nroff -mm mwe-mm-av-line-length.mm | cat -s
APPROVED:
________________________________________ _______________
Date
If the length of the name line is changed however, the actual length of the
name line stays 40n (default in m.tmac) yet the Letdate string is placed at
20n, causing misalignment:
nroff -mm -rnll=20n mwe-mm-av-line-length.mm | cat -s
APPROVED:
________________________________________ _______________
Date
With the attached patch applied the name line length is shorter and the
Letdate string is once again place nicely in the center below the date line:
nroff -M ~src/groff/contrib/mm -mm -rnll=20n mwe-mm-av-line-length.mm | cat
-s
APPROVED:
____________________ _______________
Date
_______________________________________________________
File Attachments:
Name: mm-fix-custom-av-line-lengths.patch Size: 639B
<https://file.savannah.gnu.org/file/mm-fix-custom-av-line-lengths.patch?file_id=58276>
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