GTK+ Forums

Mk27 · GTK+ Guru Joined: 07 Aug 2008 Posts: 100 Location: NYC

SEE is for viewing text files and man pages on linux. You have to start it with a filename on the command-line. I put some screenshots and complete instructions (since there is no "help") up at:

http://www.intergate.com/~halfcountplus/see

(The source code is also there, since I just had to update it due to an error in finding man pages that had a "-" in their name.)

The great thing about see is that it allows you to add bookmarks and highlighting to text files (eg. documentation) without altering the file itself, and load those bookmarks automatically whenever you view the file. Since see also works as a simple man page viewer, this is a pretty great and probably unique feature (I've never heard of the concept applied anywhere else) -- you can keep permanent custom bookmarks and highlights for all those man pages you're always having to refer back to. Etc.

Other great things about see: it can do two-level normal and regular expression searching, it has a minimal desktop footprint without toolbars and pulldowns, it can be customized with a simple config file, and it has a "watch" feature for monitoring a file (eg. a log) while it changes or is appended to.

I've been using see for a while and think it's bug-free, but if you'd like to compile and test it yourself (this works fine for root and "non-root" users) let me know which version of gcc you used and if you have any questions, suggestions, or problems: halfcountplus@intergate.com.

The final destination for see is as part of a little suite of related utilities. When that's done I'll find a permanent place for it and add another post.

Mk27 · GTK+ Guru Joined: 07 Aug 2008 Posts: 100 Location: NYC

Hey See has a future -- after months of development by me, I have a new public release which will be included in some near-future linux distos, so if anyone is willing to compile (complete autotool'd tarball), test it, and let me know the system and (!!) any problems you had, PLEASE DO:

SEE

also available thru freshmeat. The major difference between now and then is that it now runs in "local server mode", meaning you can send it command-line requests. I won't re-post any code since the source files are now over 60k.

The "little suite of related utilities" has been left on the back burner...