Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!pyrdc!netsys!ames!elan!kg
From: kg@elan.UUCP (Ken Greer)
Newsgroups: comp.text
Subject: Re: Underlining in Troff
Message-ID: <353@elan.UUCP>
Date: 24 Sep 88 18:52:30 GMT
References: <2610013@hpsal2.HP.COM>
Organization: Elan Computer Group, Inc., Palo Alto, CA
Lines: 27

From article <2610013@hpsal2.HP.COM>, by morrell@hpsal2.HP.COM (Michael Morrell):
> Does anyone have a macro which does proper underlining in troff.  The one
> supplied in the nroff/troff manual works provided the string to be underlined
> does not cross a line.

There is no general mechanism in troff, however one can do what you
want if you know the printer you're using.  Since I know you're an
Eroff and LaserJet user, Mike, here's how you do it in Eroff.
I've posted this for the sake of other Eroff users since this 
is a *very* common question we get!

For the LaserJet with Eroff...

|	.ds U+ \X'code="\e033&dD"'
|	.ds U- \X'code="\e033&d@"'

and just use \*(U+ when you want to start underlining and \*(U- to stop.
Works fine across line boundaries.  If you prefer macros...

|	.de us
|	\\*(U+\\$1\\*(U-
|	..
-- 
Ken Greer
Elan Computer Group, Inc.
{ames,hplabs,uunet}!elan!kg
415-322-2450