example.txt

#+TITLE: BML 5542

#+AUTHOR: Erik Sjöstrand

#+DESCRIPTION: Short club with transfer responses.

* Introduction

  Welcome to BML! This is a normal paragraph, and above we can see
  the =#+TITLE=, the =#+AUTHOR= and the =#+DESCRIPTION= of the file. =#+TITLE= is
  the name of the system and =#+DESCRIPTION= is a /short summary of/ how
  the system works. =#+AUTHOR= is self explanatory. =Introduction= above,
  "headed by an asterisk", sets a section at the first level (the second
  level would have two asterisks etc).

  In the paragraph above I encapsulated some words between equal
  signs. This means that they will show up as a monospaced font when
  exported to HTML or LaTeX. It is also possible to make words (or
  sentences) *strong or bold* or /in italics/.

  The system presented in this example file is meant to showcase many
  of the current features in BML. Let's start with the basic opening
  structure of the system:
  
  1C  2+!c. Natural or balanced
  1D  4+ suit, unbalanced
  1M  5+ suit
  2C  20--21 bal / Any game force
  2D  6+!h or 6+!s, 5--9 hcp
  2HS 6+ suit, 10--13 hcp
  2N  22--24
  3X  Preemptive
  3N  Gambling
  
  The above is an example of a bidding table; the reason why BML is
  more suited for bridge system notes than other markup languages. You
  start by writing the bid, then a number of whitespaces, and then the
  description of the bid. Simple! C is for clubs, D for diamonds, H
  for hearts, S for spades and N for no trump. There's also some
  special cases which you could use, above we use 1M (1H and 1S), 2HS
  (2H and 2S) and 3X (3C, 3D, 3H and 3S). We'll see more of these
  later.

  The reason why the 1NT opening is left out above is a secret for
  now!

* The 1!c opening

  You might have noticed the !c in the title of this section? This
  will be replaced by a club suit symbol when exported. The same is
  true for !d, !h and !s (but these will be converted to diamonds,
  hearts and spades, ofcourse).

  In this example we use transfer responses to the 1!c opening:

  1C---
  1red Transfer. 4+ major, 0+ hcp
  1S   INV+ with 5+!d / Negative NT
  1N   Game forcing, 5+!c or balanced
  2C   5+!c, 5--9 hcp
  2X   6+ suit, 4--8 hcp
  2N   Invitational

  By writing 1C--- we define that the following bids should be
  continuations to the sequence 1C. We could write 1C- or 1C-- too,
  the number of dashes only matters to the way the output looks. Also
  note the 1red response, this defines both 1D and 1H.

** After a transfer

   This section has two asterisks, meaning it will be at level two
   (so its a subsection). You might also have noticed that the
   paragraphs, the sections and the bidtables are separated by a
   blank line? This is important in BML, as the blankline are used to
   separate elements.

   1C-1D;
   1H Minimum with 2--3!h
     1S 4+!h, 4!s, at most invitational
     1N Sign off
     2C Puppet to 2!d
       2D Forced
         2H Mildly invitational with 5!h
         2S Invitational, 5+!h and 4!s
         2N Strongly invitational with 5!h
         3m Invitational with 4!h and 5+ minor
         3H 6!h, about 11--12 hcp
     2D Artificial game force
     2H 6+!h, about 9--10 hcp
   1S 5+!c, 4+!s, unlimited
   1N 17--19 bal, 2--3!h
   2C 5+!c, unbal, 0--2!h, 0--3!s
   2D Reverse
   2H Minimum, 4!h
   2S 16+ hcp, 5+!c and 4+!h
     3D Retransfer
       3H
         3S Cue bid, slam interest
         4CD Cue bid, slam interest
         4H To play
     3H Invitational
     3S Splinter
     4CD Splinter
     4H To play
   2N 16+ hcp, 6+!c. 18+ if 3!h
     3C Suggestion to play
     3D Relay
       3H 3!h, 18+ hcp
     3H Game forcing with 6+!h
   3C 15--17 hcp, 6+!c and 3!h
     3D Retransfer
     3H Invitational
   3D 17--19 bal, 4!h
     3H To play
   3H 13--15 hcp, good hand, 5+!c and 4!h
     3N Asking for singleton

   This bidding table shows a couple of new features. The most
   prominent is the ability to add continuations directly in the
   table, by using whitespaces. We also see another example of
   appending bids to an existing sequence, by using 1C-1D; in the
   beginning. There's also the use of 3m, meaning both 3C and 3D.

* Defense to 1NT

  Defining bidding when both sides bid is a little bit more tricky,
  since you have to write all the bids (even passes). The opponents'
  bid are indicated by encapsulating them in parentheses. P is used
  for Pass, D for Double and R for Redouble.

  (1N)---
  #COPY nt_defense
  D   Strength, ca 15+
  2C  At least 5-4 majors
    (D)
      P  5+!c, suggestion to play
      R  Asking for better/longer major
      2D 5+!d, suggestion to play
    (P)
      2D Asking for better/longer major
  2D  A weak major or a strong minor
    (P)
      2H Pass/correct
      2S Pass/correct
      2N Asking
  2HS Constructive
  2N  5-5 minors
  3X  Preemptive
  #ENDCOPY

  Note that the above is only for a direct overcall over 1NT. To
  define the above also when balancing. We've used BML's
  copy/cut/paste functionality in order to showcase that you do not
  have to write it all over again. Take a look below (only visible in
  the /example.txt/ file, not in HTML, LaTeX or .pdf):

  #HIDE
  (1N)-P-(P)---
  #PASTE nt_defense

  First we used the =#COPY= command; the text between =#COPY= and =#ENDCOPY=
  got put into a sort of clipboard, with the tag nt_defense which we
  specified. To paste it into the bidding table above we used
  the =#PASTE= command. We also used the =#HIDE= option. When this is
  present in a bidding table the table will be exported to Full
  Disclosure, but not to HTML or LaTeX.

  You could also include other BML-files into your main file by using
  the =#INCLUDE= command. Just type =#INCLUDE <filename>= and the entire
  file will be inserted at the point where you wrote the command. This
  is a useful way to separate your system into modules, or perhaps
  just to make it more manageable.
  
  It is also possible to add continuations when the opponents
  interfere:

  1C-(1D)---
  D  4+!h
  1H 4+!s
  1S INV+ with 5+!d / Negative NT
  1N Game forcing, 5+!c or balanced
  2C 5+!c, 5--9 hcp
  2X 6+ suit, 4--8 hcp
  2N Invitational

* The 1NT opening

  Here's the reason why I left out the 1NT opening earlier: I will
  showcase how to make sequences dependant on vulnerability and
  seat. This will be a bit messy, so hold tight!

  #CUT nt_module
  2C  Stayman
    2D No major
    2N 4-4 majors, minimum
    3C 4-4 majors, maximum
  2red Transfer
  2S  Minor suit stayman
  2N  Invitational
  #ENDCUT

  We start by cutting our NT-module, since this will be used on all
  NT-openings. =#CUT= is similar to the =#COPY= command, but using =#CUT=
  means that it isn't parsed as a bidding table until it is pasted.
  
  #VUL N0

  The =#VUL= command is used to set the vulnerability. It takes an
  argument of two characters, each can be Y, N or 0. The first
  character asks if we are vulnerable and the second asks if our
  opponents are vulnerable. Y is for Yes, N is for No and 0 means that
  it doesn't matter.
  
  #SEAT 12

  The =#SEAT= command sets the seat in which the bid should be valid. 0
  means that the seat doesn't matter (all seats), 12 means first or
  second and 34 means third or fourth. 1--4 could also be used.
  
  #HIDE
  1N 12--14
    #PASTE nt_module

  So when we're not vulnerable we open 1NT 12--14 in 1st and 2nd seat.
  
  #SEAT 34
  
  #HIDE
  1N 14--16
    #PASTE nt_module

  But in third and fourth seat it is 14--16.
  
  #VUL Y0
  
  #SEAT 0
  
  #HIDE
  1N 14--16

  When we're vulnerable we always open 1NT 14--16.

  1N---
  #PASTE nt_module

  We've been using the =#HIDE= command, so we don't have to see our
  NT-system over and over again. This time tough we paste it
  normally, so that we see it at least once.

* Lists

  I'd like to show you how to make lists in BML. It is pretty
  simple:

  - Here's a list!
  - With a couple of
  - Items in it

  You could also make ordered lists:

  1. This is ordered
  2. Just add numbers
  3. To each item