How to use the command 'xman' (with examples)

The ‘xman’ command is a manual page viewer for the X Window System. It allows users to view and navigate through the manual pages for various commands and utilities on a Unix-like operating system.

Use case 1: Start xman in three-button window

Code:

xman

Motivation: Starting ‘xman’ without any arguments will open the manual viewer in a three-button window. This is a convenient way to quickly access and read the manual pages for different commands.

Explanation: The command ‘xman’ with no arguments will launch the manual page viewer in a graphical window. The three-button window provides options to control the display and navigation of the manual pages.

Example output: Opening ‘xman’ without any arguments will display the main interface of the manual page viewer with a search bar, buttons for navigation, and a panel to display the manual pages.

Use case 2: Open the manual page output stored in a given file

Code:

xman -helpfile filename

Motivation: The ‘-helpfile’ option allows users to open the manual page output stored in a specific file. This can be useful when you want to view a specific command’s manual page that is saved locally.

Explanation: The ‘-helpfile’ option followed by the filename parameter specifies the file from which to load the manual page output. This can be a file that was previously saved or obtained from another source.

Example output: Running ‘xman -helpfile myfile.txt’ will open the ‘xman’ viewer and load the manual page output from the ‘myfile.txt’ file. The manual page content will be displayed in the viewer for further reading and navigation.

Use case 3: Show both manual page and directory

Code:

xman -bothshown

Motivation: The ‘-bothshown’ option allows users to view both the manual page and directory at the same time. This can be useful when you want to refer to the directory structure of the manual pages while reading a specific manual page.

Explanation: The ‘-bothshown’ option instructs ‘xman’ to display both the manual page and directory pane simultaneously. This allows users to have a quick overview of the available manual pages and navigate through different sections easily.

Example output: Using ‘xman -bothshown’ will open the ‘xman’ viewer with both the manual page and directory pane visible. The manual page content will be displayed in the viewer, while the directory pane will show the available sections and topics for easy navigation.

Conclusion:

The ‘xman’ command is a useful tool for viewing and navigating through manual pages on Unix-like operating systems. It provides a convenient graphical interface for accessing and reading the documentation for different commands and utilities. With options like starting in a three-button window, opening manual page output from a file, and showing both the manual page and directory, users can customize their experience and make the most out of the ‘xman’ command.