[bug #44235] UPGRADE: provide a way to redefine an existing symbol in a specific font

[Dave]

URL:
  <http://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?44235>

                 Summary: UPGRADE: provide a way to redefine an existing
symbol in a specific font
                 Project: GNU troff
            Submitted by: barx
            Submitted on: Fri 13 Feb 2015 12:36:00 AM CST
                Severity: 3 - Normal
              Item Group: None
                  Status: None
                 Privacy: Public
             Assigned to: None
             Open/Closed: Open
         Discussion Lock: Any
         Planned Release: None

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Details:

When searching for a symbol, groff first checks whether the symbol has been
defined with the .char request.  If not, it checks the current font.  Only if
it is not in the current font does groff check other user-defined symbols.

Thus, while .char can override an existing symbol across all fonts, there is
no way to override an existing symbol only in a specific font, because all
other symbol rules are of lower precedence than checking the current font.

The mailing list thread beginning with
http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/groff/2015-02/msg00029.html contains
examples of situations where this lack of functionality makes performing
certain tasks ponderous.




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