#512307 texinfo: blank line inconsistency for multitable

Package:
texinfo
Source:
texinfo
Description:
Documentation system for on-line information and printed output
Submitter:
Vincent Lefevre
Date:
2026-02-25 10:23:01 UTC
Severity:
minor
#512307#5
Date:
2009-01-19 14:45:07 UTC
From:
To:
Consider the following multitable.texi file:

\input texinfo    @c -*-texinfo-*-

@ifnottex
@node Top, (dir), (dir), (dir)
@top multitable test
@end ifnottex

@multitable {col 1} {col 2}
@item a @tab 1
@item b @tab 2

@item c @tab 3
@item d @tab 4
@end multitable

@bye

With

  makeinfo --html --no-split multitable.texi

and

  texi2dvi --pdf --batch multitable.texi

the generated HTML and PDF files contain a blank line between
b 2 and c 3 (the HTML file is quite horrible, though). But with

  makeinfo multitable.texi

the info file does not contain such a blank line. With --xml,
the XML file does not contain a blank line either.
#512307#12
Date:
2013-08-01 14:29:54 UTC
From:
To:
I've tested with texinfo 5.1.dfsg.1-4, and the behavior has changed:
the info file now has a blank line, and the HTML file no longer has
one.

Thus there are still inconsistencies:
  * A blank line in the info and PDF files.
  * No blank line in the HTML and XML files.
#512307#19
Date:
2019-08-04 16:27:28 UTC
From:
To:
Am 01.08.2013 um 16:29 teilte Vincent Lefevre mit:

Hi Vincent,
Sorry, I'm not familiar w/ creating files out of texinfo. Which of the
both behaviors would you expect, i.e. which one is the broken?

Hilmar
#512307#26
Date:
2019-08-05 13:42:59 UTC
From:
To:
IMHO, this is a matter of style. But for each format, the output
should be consistent. Different formats should also have similar
styles.

In the texinfo manual:

     Usually, you should put a blank line between items.  This puts a
  blank line in the Info file.  (TeX inserts the proper vertical space in
  any case.)  Except when the entries are very brief, these blank lines
  make the list look better.

This is confusing, can be inconsistent, and does not cover HTML and XML.
#512307#31
Date:
2025-05-20 15:58:19 UTC
From:
To:
This was actually for @itemize only.

But contrary to @itemize, @enumerate and @table, nothing is said
for @multitable. BTW, for @table, the documented output matches
neither the documentation nor the actual behavior.

I've posted
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/bug-texinfo/2025-05/msg00019.html
#512307#36
Date:
2025-05-20 16:00:46 UTC
From:
To:
And I forgot to say that 7.1.1-1 is still affected (my remarks
concerning the documentation were for this version).
#512307#43
Date:
2025-05-20 19:44:26 UTC
From:
To:
On 20.05.25 18:00, Vincent Lefevre wrote:

Hello,

Did you consider to test version 7.2 from experimental?

H.
#512307#48
Date:
2025-05-21 13:46:03 UTC
From:
To:
Hi,

For the generated HTML, XML and PDF files, nothing changed.

For the generated info file, nothing changed concerning this issue.
However, there is a small difference: a blank line after the table
that was present in the file generated with 4.13 and 7.1.1 is no
longer present. This change is actually unrelated to multitable.

For instance, consider a test.texi file with just 3 lines:
--------------------
@node Top
Some text...

--------------------

(with an empty line at the end).

With 7.1, I get an info file with "Some text...", 2 empty lines,
and a ^_. With 7.2, there is only one empty line.

When I use the info command on these info files, this gives

Some text...
--------------------

with the 7.1 info file, and

Some text...
--------------------

with the 7.2 info file. I suppose that this is a bug fix in 7.2.
#512307#55
Date:
2026-02-25 10:20:17 UTC
From:
To:
Control: found -1 7.2.92-1

Nothing has changed in 7.2.92-1 concerning blank lines.