how to create man page files

SaintDanBert · 02-28-2019, 08:37 PM

How do I create my own man pages on Linux?

Is there a template out there somewhere that I can use instead of creating
a well formatted man-page from scratch?

I'm sure I'm not asking the right questions because the world has turned a few times since I did this last.

I know the whole roff, nroff, groff macro-based history of man-page writing. (My 1979 master's these was "typeset" using groff.) I'd prefer to avoid re-creating that tool chain, writing the content as groff, and so on.

When I try searching, I get all sorts of links to existing man-pages, but I've not found how I'm supposed to create man-pages for my home-grown (groan?) projects or for linux software that I gather from the wild.

Thanks in advance,
~~~ 0;-Dan

Mechanikx · 02-28-2019, 10:03 PM

I did a search and found some resources that might be of some interest.

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/...y-shell-script

One of the answers mentions 'help2man'. Another:

Quote:

What about using pandoc. You can write document in markdown (or even html, latex) and can covert to html, pdf, word,man pages, epub, .... This way you can write documentation in one format and convert/distribute in any format you like

I also found 'txt2man':

https://www.systutorials.com/docs/linux/man/1-txt2man/

Quote:

txt2man - convert flat ASCII text to man page format

From the description:

Quote:

txt2man converts the input text into nroff/troff standard man(7) macros used to format Unix manual pages...

frankbell · 02-28-2019, 10:09 PM

See

Code:

man man

.

hydrurga · 03-01-2019, 04:25 AM

When I was doing some work on a man file for a Linux application, this was the guide I used:

http://www.schweikhardt.net/man_page_howto.html

Turbocapitalist · 03-01-2019, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankbell

See

Code:

man man

.

Or more specifically in regards to the manual pages and not the manual page viewer:

Code:

man 7 man
man 7 man-pages

There have also been some nice developments in regards to manual pages at the OpenBSD project. I hope some of their improvements make it over the various GNU/Linux and systemd/Linux distros. If that is interesting look up "mandoc"

BW-userx · 03-01-2019, 07:10 AM

I searched -> "create man page linux"

http://www.linuxhowtos.org/System/creatingman.htm

https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-...ing-a-manpage/

and more...

I think it was, if I remember correctly, to check your work on your man page in the terminal where it is located just type

Code:

man ./(name of man file)

then it brings it up it is formatted presentation mode.