Ubuntu Manpage: yodl - main Yodl converter

NAME

       yodl - main Yodl converter

SYNOPSIS

       yodl [OPTION]... [FILE]...

DESCRIPTION

       Yodl  is  a  package that implements a pre-document language and tools to process it.  The
       idea of Yodl is that you write up a document in a pre-language, then use the  tools  (e.g.
       yodl2html(1))  to  convert it to some final document language.  Current converters are for
       HTML, man, LaTeX, text and  an  experimental  xml  converter.   Main  document  types  are
       "article",  "report",  "book"  "manpage"  and  "letter".   The  Yodl  document language is
       designed to be easy to use and extensible.

       NOTE: Starting with Yodl  version  3.00.0  Yodl’s  default  file  inclusion  behavior  has
       changed.  The  current working directory no longer remains fixed at the directory in which
       Yodl is called, but is volatile, changing  to  the  directory  in  which  a  yodl-file  is
       located.  This  has  the advantage that Yodl’s file inclusion behavior now matches the way
       C’s #include directive operates; it has the disadvantage that it may  break  some  current
       documents.  Conversion,  however  is  simple  but  can  be  avoided  altogether  if the -L
       (--legacy-include) option is used (see below).

OPTIONS

o -D, --define=NAME[=VALUE]: Defines name as a symbol. This option is acts like
DEFINESYMBOL(NAME)(). If =VALUE is added, NAME is initialized to VALUE (identically
to DEFINESYMBOL(NAME)(VALUE)).

o -d, --definemacro=NAME=EXPANSION: Defines NAME as macro expanding to EXPANSION

o -h, --help: usage information is written to the standard error stream, describing
all of Yodl’s options.

o -i, --index[=file]: `file’ is the name of the index file. By default
<outputbase>.idx is used. No default when output is written to stdout. The index
file is processed by Yodl’s post-processor, yodlpost.

o -I, --include=DIR: This defines the system-wide include directory where YODL
searches for its input files. E.g. a statement to include a given file, like:
INCLUDEFILE(latex)
will cause Yodl to search for the file latex in the current directory, and when
that fails, in the system-wide include directory. The system-wide include directory
is typically the place where the maintainer of a system stores macro-files for
Yodl. This searching process applies to files that are included inside a document
but also applies to filenames on the command line when invoking the YODL program.

The name of the included file (latex in the above example) is the bare name, the
YODL program will supply a default extension (.yo), if necessary.

The -I option overrules Yodl’s built-in name for the system-wide include directory.
The built-in name is defined when compiling Yodl, and is, e.g., /usr/share/yodl.
Furthermore, the definition may contain $HOME, which will be replaced by the user’s
home directory if the `home’ or `HOME’ environment variable is defined. It may also
contain $STD_INCLUDE, which will be replaced by the compilation defined standard
include path. The standard includepath may be overruled by either (in that order)
the command line switch -I or the YODL_INCLUDE_PATH environment variable. By
default, the current directory is added to the standard include path. Hewver, when
-I or YODL_INCLUDE_PATH is used, the current directory must be mentioned
explicitly. The individual directories need not be terminated by a /-character.
In distributed .deb archives, the standard directory is defined as /usr/share/yodl
(prefixed by the current working directory).

o -k, --keep-ws: Since YODL version 2.00 blanks at the begin and end of lines are
ignored, even without a trailing \, when the `white space level’ is non-zero.
Earlier versions kept these blanks. The legacy handling of white space at end of
lines can by obtained using the -k flag. Note that white space are always kept when
using verbatim copying, and when the white-space level is zero.

o -l, --live-data=HOW: This option controls the policy for executing SYSTEM or
PIPETHROUGH commands; HOW being none (0) by default. The HOW argument can have the
following values:

o none or 0: (the default): No macros calling system programs are allowed.

o confirm or 1: The macros can be executed, but only after user confirmation is
obtained. The macros in question are shown while the Yodl document is processed,
and the user must either accept or reject the call.

o report or 2: The macros are executed, but what is called is shown during the Yodl
run (if the WARNING message level is active).

o ok or 3: The macros are executed, and not shown during the run. Be careful when
using --live-data ok. It should be used only when a document is clearly
`unharmful’.

o -m, --messages=SET: Set the so-called `message level’ to a combination of the SET
acdeinw. The letters of this set have the following meanings:

o a: alert. When an alert-error occurs, Yodl terminates. Here Yodl requests something
of the system (like a get_cwd()), but the system fails.

o c: critical. When a critical error occurs, Yodl terminates. The message itself can
be suppressed, but exiting can’t. A critical condition is, e.g., the omission of an
open parenthesis at a location where a parameter list should appear, or a
non-existing file in an INCLUDEFILE specification (as this file should be parsed).
A non-existing file with a NOEXPANDINCLUDE specification is a plain (non-critical)
error.

o d: debug. Probably too much info, like getting information about each character
that was read by Yodl.

o e: error. An error (like doubly defined symbols). Error messages will not stop the
parsing of the input (up to a maximum number of errors), but no output is
generated.

o i: info. Not as detailed as `debug’, but still very much info, like information
about media switches.

o n: notice. Information about, e.g., calls to the builtin function calls.

o w: warning. Something you should know about, but probably not affecting Yodl’s
proper functioning Non-configurable is the handling of an emergency message. These
messages can’t be suppressed, but shouldn’t happen, as they point to some internal
error. It would be appreciated to receive information about these messages if they
ever occur.

o -n, --max-nested-files=NR: This option causes Yodl to abort when the number of
nested input files exceeds NR, which is 20 by default. Exceeding this number
usually means a circular definition somewhere in the document. This is the case
when, a file a.yo includes b.yo, while b.yo includes a.yo etc.. It does not prevent
recursive macro- or subst-replacements. For that the -r (--max-replacements) option
is available.

o -o, --output=FILE: This option causes Yodl to write its output to FILE. By default,
the output goes to the standard output stream. E.g., you can use YODL to read a
file input and to write to output with the following two commands:

yodl input > output
yodl -ooutput input

The difference being that in the latter case an index file is generated, but not in
the former case. Notice that writing an index file can be forced when the --index
option is specified.

o -p, --preload=CMD: This option `pre-loads’ the string cmd. It acts as though cmd
was the first command in the first input file that is processed by YODL.

More than one --preload=CMD options may be present on the command line. Each of
the commands is then processed in turn, before reading any file.

o -r, --max-replacements=NR: This option causes Yodl to abort when the number of
macro calls or subst-replacements exceeds NR * 10,000. By default, NR equals 1.
Setting --max-replacements=0 implies that no macro- or subst-replacement checks are
performed.

o -t, --trace: This option enables tracing: while parsing, Yodl writes its output to
the standard error stream. As is the case with the -k option, this option is
defined for debugging purposes only.

o -V, --version. This option will show YODL’s actual version.

o -v, --verbose: This option increases Yodl’s `verbosity level’ and may occur more
than once. By default yodl will show alerting, critical, emergency and error
messages. Each --verbose option will add a next message level. In order, warning,
notice, info and debug messages will be added to this set. It is also possible to
suppress messages. The VERBOSITY builtin can be used for that.

o -W, --warranty. This option will show a warranty disclaimer and a copyright notice.

o -w, --warn: The presence of this option caused Yodl to warn when, e.g., symbols are
redefined.

FILES

       The  yodl program requires no files, but `normal’ usage of the Yodl package requires macro
       files, by default installed in tmp/wip/macros. The files in this directory are included by
       the converters yodl2txt(1) etc..

BUGS

AUTHOR

       Frank B. Brokken (f.b.brokken@rug.nl),