# .section command (Runoff)

The .section command handles automatic
chapter section numbering and formatting, in conjunction with the .chapter command.

## Syntax

```
.section sect.number text
```

## Parameter(s)

| sect.number | Increments automatically in the range of 1-5. |
| --- | --- |
| text | Follows the section number, causing a skip to occur. |

## Description

The .section command automatically
starts the next section at depth *sect.number*, where *sect.number* is the range 1-5. The text is printed following
the section number and a .skip occurs. The text
is recorded as the section heading in the Table of Contents. If no
text displays on the .section command, no .skip occurs and the section is not recorded in the Table
of Contents. Section numbers are incremented automatically and the
section number is printed in the form 1.2.3.4.5, with n digits printed.

Conventionally, the .section command is followed
by a blank line before the next paragraph starts. Since the .section command causes a paragraph break, which terminates
the preceding paragraph, and since the text following the .section command is placed immediately into an output line
and output prior to a consideration of the next line, the blank line
after the .section command can be avoided by not
indenting the first line of the next paragraph. That is, if the processor
does not know that the next line starts a paragraph, it will not skip
a line. It may be necessary to use an .indent margin if paragraph indentation is desired.

## See also

- [.break command (Runoff)](https://d3codex.com/runoff/dot-break-command-runoff/)
- [.chapter command (Runoff)](https://d3codex.com/runoff/dot-chapter-command-runoff/)
- [.contents command](https://d3codex.com/runoff/dot-contents-command/)
- [.indent margin command (Output processor)](https://d3codex.com/output-processor/dot-indent-margin-command-output-processor/)
- [Runoff commands](https://d3codex.com/runoff/runoff-commands/)

---
Source: https://d3codex.com/runoff/dot-section-command-runoff/ - part of the D3Codex reference.