Getting Help in Linux

USING "man" COMMAND

'man' command displays the syntax, options and examples of a command.

Syntax

          # man  <command name> 

 Example ---------->  "man ls" , "man cd" , "man mkdir".. etc

Cursor movement in 'man'

Enter       -------------------->   To move one line ahead

k              -------------------->   To move one line back

spacebar -------------------->   To move one page ahead

b              -------------------->   To move one page back

G             -------------------->   To move to the bottom of the page

g             -------------------->    To move to the top of the page

Searching text in 'man' page

/text   -------------------->   To search the given text

  n      -------------------->   To search NEXT (Forward Direction)

  N     -------------------->   To search NEXT (Reverse Direction)

Example: /sort

USING 'whatis' COMMAND

This command displays the short introduction about a command.

Syntax:

       # whatis <command name> 

Example:

      # whatis ls

USING 'info' COMMAND

'info' command displays the menu - oriented help.

Syntax:

      # info <command name> 

Example:

      # info ls 

      q --------------------> To quit

    (Cursor blinks on particular menu option) 

   Enter 

USING '--help' OPTION

'--help' option displays quick listing of options of a command.

Syntax:

     # <command name>  --help 

Example:

     # ls --help 

     # useradd --help 

Using Resources / Documentation stored in /usr/share/doc Directory (Built-In)

Location of package specific documentation files. These directories often contain useful information that might not be in the man pages. 

They may also contain templates and configuration files for certain utilities making configuration that much easier.

(Note: Try the command # whoami  and see what you got the output.) 

Thankyou.