Unix and Linux Stack Exchange
Unix and Linux Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [documentation]

Manuals or other information for system users detailing software features and functionality.

Text or HTML documents that accompany software to explain the features and functionality of the application for the end user. Documentation can take the form of:

  • man (manual) pages
  • info pages for GNU projects
  • README files
  • HMTL pages on the application's website or packaged to be viewed on the user's machine
231 questions
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25 answers

Tricks and tips for finding information in man pages

Does anyone have any tricks and tips for finding information in man pages?
Casebash
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66
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3 answers

Difference between help, info and man command

I know that these command will help to get syntax and options for commands but my question is that how they differ from each other?
Rupesh Pawar
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2 answers

Understand `compgen` builtin command

From help compgen: $ help compgen compgen: compgen [-abcdefgjksuv] [-o option] [-A action] [-G globpat] [-W wordlist] [-F function] [-C command] [-X filterpat] [-P prefix] [-S suffix] [word] Display possible completions depending on the…
Pandya
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62
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4 answers

Where is the `--` (double dash) argument documented?

There are some utilities that accept a -- (double dash) as the signal for "end of options", required when a file name starts with a dash: $ echo "Hello World!" >-file $ cat -- -file Hello World! $ cat -file # cat - -file fails…
user232326
55
votes
6 answers

How can I add man page entries for my own power tools?

I have no idea about how I can make my home-grown specialist scripts (written mostly in Bash and Perl) available through the man pages. What procedure would I have to follow, and is there a particular format that the documentation needs to be…
Zaid
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51
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3 answers

Purpose of “ASCII text, with overstriking” file format

After downloading the source code for Bash, I was browsing through the doc directory and came across the following files: bash.1 is a regular troff file used to build the man page. bash.0 is like a plain text version of the man page – only that it…
Anthony Geoghegan
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44
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3 answers

Where is "showing the output of the 'ls' command vertically" documented?

I found out it's possible to show the output of the ls command vertically using the -1 switch: $ ls -1 But couldn't find it in the manual of ls. Is it a secret option?
B Faley
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43
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4 answers

How do I get the list of exit codes (and/or return codes) and meaning for a command/utility?

Is there a way I can do what stated in the title from the terminal commands, or will I have to look into the codes?
rusty
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31
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2 answers

cp behaves weirdly when . (dot) or .. (dot dot) are the source directory

This answer reveals that one can copy all files - including hidden ones - from directory src into directory dest like so: mkdir dest cp -r src/. dest There is no explanation in the answer or its comments as to why this actually works, and nobody…
iFreilicht
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31
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4 answers

How to search the whole manual pages on Linux?

Sometimes I need to look up certain words through all the manual pages. I am aware of apropos, but if I understand its manual right, it restricts search to the descriptions only. Each manual page has a short description available within it. apropos…
Helmyano
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26
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1 answer

Is there any manual page for colored shell output?

You know, that colorized output made by special char sequences, for example: echo -e "\e[34m Hello\n \e[0m" This will produce word "Hello" colored in blue. To do this I had to search on the web, and it is hard, because different sources may say…
Sergius
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2 answers

Is it safe to empty /usr/share/doc?

I don't need the manpages and documentations on my debian server. Is it save to empty that folder completely to free up some disk-space, by replacing all files in that folder with empty dummy files. Or is there a better way to uninstall all manpages…
rubo77
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1 answer

How updated and relevant is "The Linux Documentation Project"?

I have been advised by many senior Unix/Linux Administrators to go through "The Linux Documentation Project" on the site www.tldp.org. Its undoubtedly a very rich site, but I saw many tutorials (as seen here and here) to be more than 3 to 5 years…
Gautam Somani
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20
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4 answers

How can I get a help message for zsh builtins?

If I want to get a brief usage message for a bash builtin, I can use help at a command prompt, e.g. $ help export export: export [-fn] [name[=value] ...] or export -p Set export attribute for shell variables. Marks each NAME for…
the_velour_fog
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20
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2 answers

Where can I find official POSIX and UNIX documentation?

I am looking for official documents on all POSIX standards and specifications. I would like to be able t read the docs to get a better understanding of UNIX systems and how they work at a low level. I've seen links here and there to opengroup.org,…
n0pe
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