｢‍｣ Lingenic

Command Reference

Version 2.0

Naming Conventions

Lingenic Compose distinguishes two command types:

• Content containers use .begin-X / .end-X — headers, footers, footnotes, keep, math, templates
• State/settings use .command — alignment, fill, hyphenation, indent, font

File Types

Magic Line

The first line of .compose and .composed files must be:

.* ｢‍｣ Lingenic Compose 1.1

The version number (here 1.1) identifies which specification the document targets. Tools use this to determine feature availability and compatibility. Omitting the version implies the latest stable release.

Processing pipeline: .compose → process → .composed → render → PDF / HTML / terminal.

.composed files have static content (variables, conditionals, includes resolved) but active navigation (URLs, internal references, cross-references preserved). Like PDF: content is fixed, links still work.

Units

Default

Bare numbers without a unit suffix are centipoints — the original Compose fine-positioning unit, 100× finer than standard 72 DPI, allowing detail at holographic levels.

Typographic

Metric

Imperial

Relative

Values can be absolute or relative (+ or - prefix).

Examples:

.indent 7200    1 inch (7200 centipoints)
.indent 1in    1 inch
.indent 72pt    1 inch (72 standard points)
.indent 100    100 centipoints (fine positioning)

Text Alignment

Content Blocks

Breaks

Change Bars

Conditionals

Delimiters

Fill Mode

Fonts

Footnotes

Headers and Footers

Multics had multiple redundant forms. Lingenic simplifies: .begin-header / .end-header (multi-line) and position commands (single-line).

.header-left current_file
.header-right "Page " page_number
.footer-center current_date

Arguments are expressions: identifiers with underscores are variables, quoted strings are literals, space-separated values concatenate.

Multi-Line (Regions)

Single-Line

Position commands accept optional all, even, or odd page selector.

Horizontal Tabs

Hyphenation

Indentation

File Insertion

Labels and Control Flow

Line Spacing

Page Definition

Variables and Counters

Variables contain underscores: my_var, _count, total_

Counter Display Modes

Spacing

Fine Spacing

Tables

Pipe-delimited syntax:

.begin-table 2in 1in 3in
Item   | Qty | Price
---
Widget |   5 | $10
Gadget |   3 | $15
---
Total  |     | $25
.end-table

• Column widths on .begin-table line
• | separates columns
• First row is header (repeats on page breaks)
• --- for horizontal rules

Vertical Alignment

Titles and Captions

Single-line commands. Long text wraps when rendered.

.title Chapter One: Introduction
.caption Figure 1: System Architecture

Character Translation

Character substitution using pattern syntax.

.translate from {a} to {b}           .* global mode — all subsequent text
.translate my_text from {a} to {b}   .* translate variable
.translate-off                       .* turn off global mode

Underscoring

Undenting

Vertical Margins

Widow Control

I/O Commands

Device and Miscellaneous

Index Entries

Rules

Text Wrap

Use position=left wrap or position=right wrap attributes on graphics/pictures.

Lingenic Extensions

New commands not present in Multics Compose:

Lists

Floats

Cross-References

Notes

Bibliography

Citations use @key inline. Style determines format (author-date, footnote, endnote, etc.).

.set-citation-style author-date
According to @smith2020, the results were significant.
See also @jones2019:42-50 for discussion.

.bibliography

Named Blocks

Reusable content chunks. Styles handle formatting, variables handle values, named blocks handle reusable content.

.begin-define signature
Best regards,
John Smith
.end-define

.insert signature

Styles

Modes

Conditional content and styles based on processing mode. Built-in: print, screen. User-defined modes supported.

.mode draft
  TODO: fix this section
.end-mode

.mode print
  See printed appendix for details.
.end-mode

Multiple modes active at once: compose doc.compose --mode print,final

Pattern Matching

Used with .begin-read / .end-read (see I/O Commands).

Inline Functions

Functions use .verb() syntax — the parentheses distinguish them from commands.

Expression Domains

Core Math Domain

The .calculate() function evaluates arithmetic expressions. Unicode operators supported.

Mathematics

Math is pure Unicode, rendered in monospace. Code moved to monospace decades ago; math just did. See Mathematics for the full reference.

Everything else is Unicode:

.begin-math
       ⎧ 𝑥    if 𝑥 > 0
𝑓(𝑥) = ⎨ 0    if 𝑥 = 0
       ⎩ −𝑥   if 𝑥 < 0
.end-math

.begin-math
    𝑎 + 𝑏
   ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
    𝑐 + 𝑑
.end-math

.begin-math
⎡ 1  0  0 ⎤
⎢ 0  1  0 ⎥
⎣ 0  0  1 ⎦
.end-math

Unicode provides: math italic (𝑎𝑏𝑐𝑥𝑦𝑧), Greek (αβγθπω), operators (+ − × ÷ = ≠ ≤ ≥), roots (√∛∜), summation (∑∏), integrals (⌠⎮⌡), sub/superscripts (₀₁₂²³ⁿ), brackets (⎡⎢⎣ ⎧⎨⎩), fraction bar (⎯), vinculum (⎽).

The source is monospace-aligned and readable — exactly as it should be. For antique calligraphic rendering, embed LaTeX.

Typography

Parallel Text

For bilingual editions, synoptic texts, code with commentary.

.begin-parallel 2
Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita
mi ritrovai per una selva oscura,
ché la diritta via era smarrita.
.next-parallel-column
Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself within a forest dark,
For the straightforward pathway had been lost.
.end-parallel

Ruby Text

Accessibility

Built-in Variables

Any identifier containing an underscore is a variable. The underscore can appear anywhere: prefix (_count), infix (page_number), or suffix (total_).

Variable Typography

Typography distinguishes variable types:

Unicode italic for numeric variables avoids collision with domain functions (sin, cos, log, max) which use regular ASCII.

.if page_number > 1
.header-left current_file
.header-right "Page " page_number
.footer-center current_date
This is page page_number of page_count.

Page State

Margins & Spacing

Text State

Typography

Block Context

Device

File & Input

Special

Template Arguments

Additional Variables