GNU/Linux Command-Line Tools Summary

   GNU/Linux Command-Line Tools Summary
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Chapter 5. Help

The help chapter provides information on how you may access the documentation of the GNU/Linux system. There is normally a document describing every single tool you have installed, even if its only brief...

• man
   

This command displays summary information on a program from an online manual. For example typing man man will bring up the manual page for man (the manual page viewer). Note: q is the quit key.

Command syntax:


   

man program_name


       Also try
        

Specifying the section of the manual page, sometimes the man page is different for the same tool in different sections, note sections are numbered 1 to 9. Use apropos to find which section number to look in.

The syntax to look at a different section is:


   

man section_number tool_name

For example:


   

man 2 time

This will show you the man page called time in section 2, the equivalent page in section 1 is completely different



• man -K keyword
   

Search the manual pages for a string, as in it will search all manual pages for a particular string within each individual man page, it will then prompt whether you would like to view each page it will find. Use double quotes “ and ” if there are spaces in the string you are typing.


       Speed issue
        

Please be warned that this method is going to be really, really slow. You are searching *all* man pages for a string



• man -f command
   

This will list details associated with the command. The root user must run makewhatis (see below) before this command will work.


       Equivalent to whatis
        

This command is the same as running whatis



• info
   

Provides a more detailed hyper-text manual on a particular command, this only works for some commands.

Command syntax:


   

info program_name




• whatis
   

Displays a one-line description of what a program does. The string needs to be an exact match, otherwise whatis won't output anything. Relies on the whatis database (see below).

Command syntax:


   

whatis program_name




• makewhatis
   

Make the whatis database for apropos , whatis and man -f.


       Root Privileges
        

This takes some time and you require root privileges to do this.



• apropos
   

Searches the whatis database for strings, similar to whatis except it finds and prints anything matching the string (or any part of the string). Also relies on the whatis database (see above).

Command syntax:


   

apropos string


       Equivalent to...
        

apropos is the same as doing man -k (lowercase k).

       Please note
        

You need to run makewhatis (as root) so whatis , man -f and apropos will work.

       Also

* License

* GNU/Linux Command-Line Tools Summary Index