HTML Text Appearance Macros

The macros in this selected portion of the sample html_macros.cfg configuration file below are used for HTML formatting of text appearance.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
//
// html_macros.cfg -- macros for html formatting
//
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
...
 
// text appearance
 
b(T)                    <b>(T)</b>                // bold
 
i(T)                    <i>(T)</i>                // italicize
 
u(T)                    <u>(T)</u>                // underline
 
q(T)                    "(T)"                     // quote
 
bi(T)                   =b(=i((T)))               // bold italic
 
bu(T)                   =b(=u((T)))               // bold underline
 
bq(T)                   =b(=q((T)))               // bold quote
 
bui(T)                  =b(=u(=i((T))))           // bold underline italic
 
big(T)                  <big>(T)</big>            // big (+1 font size)
 
small(T)                <small>(T)</small>        // small (-1 font size)
 
em(T)                   <em>(T)</em>              // emphasize
 
strong(T)               <strong>(T)</strong>      // strong
 
strike(T)               <strike>(T)</strike>      // strike-through
 
blink(T)                <blink>(T)</blink>        // flashing
 
sub(T)                  <sub>(T)</sub>            // subscript
 
sup(T)                  <sup>(T)</sup>            // superscript
 
tt(T)                   <tt>(T)</tt>              // teletype text
 
...
 
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Using macros such as these, we can dispense for the most part with ugly, error-prone HTML tags and instead use the much shorter and more readable PIKT macro equivalents.

So, for example, instead of writing this:

this deserves <b>emphasis</b>, this deserves <b><u>even more emphasis</u></b>,
and this deserves <b><u><i>the greatest emphasis</i></u></b>

we would write this:

this deserves =b(emphasis), this deserves =bu(even more emphasis), and this
deserves =bui(the greatest emphasis)

both of which would result in:

this deserves emphasis, this deserves even more emphasis, and this deserves the greatest emphasis

but doing it the second way with PIKT macros is clearer.

Here is some HTML code from the PIKT home page that uses the text appearance macros:

=fn(PIKT) is used primarily for =b(system monitoring), and secondarily for
=b(configuration management), but its versatility and extensibility evoke many
other uses limited only by your imagination.
=br
=br
One reviewer said of =fn(PIKT), =q(=b(this is by far one of the most interesting
/powerful tools I have seen for Linux administration).)=nbsp Another wrote that
=fn(PIKT) =q(excels at handling a diverse collection of machines, =b(saves time
and eliminates repetition), and gives you a global view of your site.)
=br
=br
=fn(PIKT) has been compared favorably to commercial software costing hundreds
of thousands of dollars.=nbsp Yet =fn(PIKT) is =i(free)!

With similar HTML preprocessing, the principal PIKT Maintainer manages more than 650 web pages (at last count) over several different Web sites (including pikt.org, as you might expect).

For more examples, see Samples.