tnc - TDF notation compiler

tnc [ options ] input-file [ output-file ]

tnc translates TDF capsules to and from text. It has two input modes, read and decode. In the first, which is default, input-file is a file containing TDF text. In the second input-file is a TDF capsule. There are also two output mode, encode and write. In the first, which is default, a TDF capsule is written to output-file In the second, TDF text is written to output-file. If the output-file argument is absent, the standard output is used instead.

Combination of these modes give four actions: text to TDF (which is default), TDF to text, text to text, and TDF to TDF. The last two actions are not precise identities, but they do give equivalent files. The TDF pretty-printer, disp(1), provides a more sophisticated TDF to text translator, although its output cannot be used as the input to tnc.

The form of the TDF text format and more information about tnc can be found in the document The TDF Notation Compiler.

-c or -cv or -check

Specifies that tnc should apply extra checks to input-file. For example, simple shape checking is applied. These checks are more efficient in read mode than in decode mode. If the -cv option is used in write mode, all the information gleaned from the shape checking appears in output-file.

-d or -decode

Specifies that tnc should be in decode mode. That is, that input-file is a TDF capsule.

-e or -encode

Specifies that tnc should be in encode mode. That is, that output-file is a TDF capsule.

-eval

Specifies that tnc should simplify its input by evaluating constant expressions as far as possible.

-expand

Specifies that tnc should expand its input by replacing all applications of defined tokens by the token definition.

-f or -func

Causes tnc to use its alternative, functional, form for both input and output. The options -func_in and -func_out may be used to change the input and the output independently.

-help subject ...

Makes tnc print its help message on the given subject(s). If no subject is given, or the subject is all, all the help messages are printed.

-Idir

Adds the directory dir to the search path used by tnc to find included files in read mode.

-l or -lib

In decode mode, specifies that input-file is not a TDF capsule, but a TDF library. All the capsules comprising the library are decoded.

-Lprefix

Causes tnc to treat any external identifiers starting with prefix to be treated as if they were declare local.

-o output-file

Gives an alternative method of specifying the output file.

-p or -print

Specifies that tnc should be in decode and write modes. That is, that input-file is a TDF capsule and output-file should consist of TDF text. This option makes tnc into a TDF pretty-printer.

-q

Causes tnc not to check the consistency of multiple tag or token definitions.

-r or -read

Specifies that tnc should be in read mode. That is, that input-file should consist of TDF text.

-t or -tsimp

Specifies that tnc should expand its input by replacing all applications of defined tokens by the token definition and by evaluating constant expressions as far as possible. This is equivalent to -expand -eval.

-V

In write mode, specifies that the output should be in the "verbose" form, with no shorthand forms.

-version

Makes tnc print its version number and the version of the TDF specification it supports.

-w or -write

Specifies that tnc should be in write mode. That is, that output-file should consist of TDF text.

disp(1), tcc(1).