[Groff] \n[rst] and \n[rsb] inside a string

[Dave Kemper]

Hi,

I'm having trouble understanding why the values of \n[rst] and \n[rsb],
when used inside a string after a \w, are different depending on where
the string is called from.

In the first case below, I call the string \*[direct] directly, and the
values are as expected.

In the second case, I wrap the call to the string inside macro .indirect,
and the values are 0, although the width is reported correctly.

If I add another call to \*[direct] at the bottom of the file, below
the call to .indirect, this call again displays the correct values for
\n[rst] and \n[rsb].

Thanks for any advice.


.ds direct \
Howdy: \w'Howdy', rst = \\n[rst], rsb = \\n[rsb]
.
.de indirect
\*[direct]
..
.
\*[direct]
.br
.
.indirect