Getting Help

Getting Help 4 Objectives Upon completion of this module, you should be able to: • Display on-line manual pages, including different sections of the manual • Search the on-line manual pages by keyword, by section  In order for the man -k command to work, the MANPATH variable must be set to: /usr/local/man:/usr/share/man:/usr/openwin/share/man:/usr/dt/man and the catman utility must be run by root. Depending on the processor, running this utility may take up to one hour and should be done before teaching this section. Discussion – How do you typically get information about how to complete computer tasks? What types of information do you usually need? Displaying Man Pages The UNIX Programmer’s Manual (also called man pages) describes what you need to know about the system’s on-line commands, system calls, file formats, and system maintenance. The on-line man pages are part of the Linux computing environment. Using the manCommand Use the man command to display on-line man pages for commands. Command Format man name man -k keyword man section section name Using the man Command Without Options $ man cd Reformatting page. Wait . done CD(1) Linux User’s Manual CD(1) NAME cd, chdir, pushd, popd, dirs - change working directory SYNOPSIS /usr/bin/cd [ directory ] sh cd [ argument ] chdir [ argument ] DESCRIPTION /usr/bin/cd The cd utility will change the working directory of the current shell execution environment. When invoked with no operands, and the HOME environment variable is set to a non-empty value, the directory named in the HOME environment variable will become the new working directory. <Output Omitted> OPERANDS The following operands are supported: directory An absolute or relative pathname of the directory that becomes the new working directory. The interpretation of a relative pathname by cd depends on the CDPATH environment variable. SEE ALSO csh(1), ksh(1), pwd(1), sh(1), chdir(2), attributes(5), environ(5) (END) Scrolling in Man Pages Use the following keys to control the scrolling capabilities while using the man command: Spacebar Scroll through a manual page one screen at a time Return Scroll through a manual page one line at a time b Move back one screen f Move forward one screen q Quit the man command / string Search forward for information n Find the next occurrence of string h Give a description of all scrolling capabilities Searching Man Pages by Section There are multiple sections in the man pages. The SEE ALSO part at the bottom of a man page lists alternate references that pertain to the topic addressed. When these references are followed by a number other than 1 in parentheses, it indicates a section of the man pages which can be accessed using the -S option with the man command. For example, executing $ man passwd will display information on the passwd command and give instructions on how to change a password. The SEE ALSO section of this man page reads in part as follows: SEE ALSO finger(1), login(1), nispasswd(1), crypt(3C), passwd(4) Executing $ man -S 4 passwd will display information on the /etc/passwd file and $ man –S 3C crypt will display information on password encryption. Searching Man Pages by Keyword If you are not sure of the command name, use the -k option to specify a keyword as a subject. $ man -k insert insque (3) – insert/remove an item from queue remque [insque](3) - insert/remove an item from queue wrjpgcom (1) – insert text coments into JPG file Note – Using $ whatis command will display the header line from the manual section. The man page itself can then be displayed with by using the man command. Exercise: Getting Help Exercise objective – In this lab you will practice using the help functions available with CDE and the command-line man pages. Tasks Complete the following steps: 1. Display the on-line manual (man) page for the ls command. 2. Display the on-line manual pages for the passwd command and the passwd file. 3. Find the on-line manual page that describes how to clear the terminal screen (use the keyword “clear”). Workshop Labs Use what you have learned so far in this course to work through the following: 1. Using the Calendar Manager, add an appointment for lunchtime on every Wednesday for the next month. Have the system send you an email message 30 minutes before the appointment and place a reminder on your desktop 10 minutes before the appointment. Use any version of help you need to perform this task. 2. What meaning would an ampersand “&” in the gcos field of a password file entry carry for the system? Exercise Summary Discussion – Take a few minutes to discuss what experiences, issues, or discoveries you had during the lab exercises.  Manage the discussion here based on the time allowed for this module, which was given in the “About This Course” module. If you find you do not have time to spend on discussion, then just highlight the key concepts students should have learned from the lab exercise. • Experiences  Ask students what their overall experiences with this exercise have been. You might want to go over any trouble spots or especially confusing areas at this time. • Interpretations  Ask students to interpret what they observed during any aspects of this exercise. • Conclusions  Have students articulate any conclusions they reached as a result of this exercise experience. • Applications  Explore with students how they might apply what they learned in this exercise to situations at their workplace. Exercise Solutions 1. Display the on-line manual (man) page for the ls command. man ls 2. Display the on-line manual pages for the passwd command and the passwd file. man passwd man -s 4 passwd 3. Find the on-line manual page that describes how to clear the terminal screen (use the keyword “clear”). man -k clear Check Your Progress Before continuing on to the next module, check that you are able to accomplish or answer the following:  Describe how to obtain help from the Front Panel  Describe how to obtain application-specific help  Invoke the Help Viewer from the Front Panel  Invoke help from an application window  Display on-line manual pages, including different sections of the manual  Search the on-line manual pages by keyword Think Beyond Which type of help would you be most likely to use? Would this change depend on what you needed help on? . to obtain help from the Front Panel  Describe how to obtain application-specific help  Invoke the Help Viewer from the Front Panel  Invoke help from. with by using the man command. Exercise: Getting Help Exercise objective – In this lab you will practice using the help functions available with CDE and the