Re: An extremely lazy proposal

[Peter Schaffter]

On Fri, Mar 22, 2024, Oliver Corff via wrote:
> Dear All,
> 
> recently I compiled, and re-compiled, and again recompiled a set of
> various documents with different tables, equations etc.. For each of the
> documents, the precise requirements of preprocessors were different, and
> more often than not, I forgot to set the appropriate groff option when
> running the compilation to the effect that I had to redo my edit - check
> cycle. Since there is no groffer script anymore, may I humbly propose a
> new option to groff, namlely "-A" (mnemomic: [A]ll preprocessors) which
> forces all available preprocessors to be used? The penalty of this
> display of laziness is, in my eyes, minor: running a document against a
> preprocessor which is not needed does not do any harm I am aware of (I
> stand to be corrected in case there is such a situation), and since we
> talk only of a handful of preprocessors, not dozens, the overhead in CPU
> time should also be acceptable; all the more since -A would be invoked
> only in case of the presumed presence of any of tables, equations,
> pictures, reference lists.

I preview all my groff files with a mapped key in vim(1).  The key
invokes a script that throws -Kutf8 -e -t -p -R -s -G at groff
regardless of which preprocessors are needed, if any.  I've never
noticed a performance penalty.  The -A option might be a good idea.

-- 
Peter Schaffter
https://www.schaffter.ca