MANINTRO(1MAN)          COMMAND REFERENCE          MANINTRO(1MAN)



NAME
     manintro - introduction to the online manual page system

DESCRIPTION
     The online manual page system allows a user to read entries
     in the user's manual and personal manual pages stored on the
     system.

     Manual Page Formats

     Each manual page contains a number of sections providing
     information about the subject, such as how a command or
     subroutine works.  The first section is always the NAME
     section. It gives the name or names of the subject and a
     one-line description.  Subsequent sections discuss the
     subject and give examples and related documents. The most
     commonly-used are:

          SYNOPSIS
          DESCRIPTION
          OPTIONS
          EXAMPLES
          FILES
          DIAGNOSTICS
          VARIABLES
          RETURN VALUE
          CAVEATS
          SEE ALSO

     Initial Installation

     When the system is first installed the directory /usr/man
     contains the subdirectories ``cat[1-8]'', ``man[1-8]'' and
     ``man0''.  The ``cat[1-8]'' directories correspond to the
     manual page sections in the printed user's manual and
     contain the formatted manual pages. The ``man[1-8]''
     directories also correspond to the printed manual, but are
     empty. They are provided for manual pages that do not come
     with the system. ``man0'' contains a single file named xxx
     which is a manual page template for help in creating new
     manual pages.

     The sections contain the following information:

          1  Commands and command set introductions

          2  System calls

          3  Library subroutines

          4  Special system files and hardware support




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          5  System file formats

          6  Games (usually nonexistent)

          7  Document processing macros and special concepts

          8  System administration commands

     If the user has manual page sources not provided with the
     system or creates new source, they must be copied into the
     appropriate ``man[1-8]'' directory.  See the manual page
     man(5man) for more information.

     Once the manual page sources are installed in the `man'
     directories, the program /etc/catman formats them and puts
     the formatted version in the appropriate `cat' directory.
     This program is run automatically every night by an entry in
     the file /usr/lib/crontab (see catman(8man) for details).

     The manual page commands do not require the sources. If the
     user does not plan to change the manual page source, delete
     the contents of the `man' directories after catman has
     formatted them. (Save them up on backup disk or tape in case
     something happens to the formatted pages.) This saves disk
     space and makes the nightly catman procedure faster.

     Commands

     There are a number of commands that make up the online
     manual page system.  Following is a brief description of
     each of the commands.  More information is available in the
     manual pages for the commands.

     /bin/man     The interface to the actual manual pages.  It
                  allows reading of pages on the terminal and
                  other facilities related to the formatted
                  manual pages.

     /bin/apropos An interface to a set of special database files
                  that contain short descriptions of all the
                  manual pages.  It allows searching for manual
                  pages based on keywords.

     /bin/whatis  Another interface to the same files used by
                  apropos(1man). It provides short descriptions
                  of manual pages by giving the subject name.

     /bin/help    An interactive manual page peruser.  The user
                  can read certain sections of manual pages and
                  look at other pages without leaving the
                  peruser.




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     /bin/section A non-interactive version of help(1man). The
                  user can display sections of manual pages
                  separately.

     /etc/catman  Formats the manual pages and executes the next
                  two commands.

     /usr/lib/makewhatis
                  Builds the special database used by apropos and
                  whatis, and creates links to manual pages that
                  describe more than one subject.

     /usr/lib/buildif
                  Builds special format information tables used
                  by help and section.

     Special Features

     The manual page system contains features that allow users to
     decide which sets of pages they want to see by default, and
     set up and maintain personal manual page directories.  Also,
     this system makes information easier to get, since each
     command, subroutine, and special subject described in the
     manual has a manual entry.

SEE ALSO
     apropos(1man), buildif(1man), help(1man), makewhatis(1man),
     man(1man), section(1man), whatis(1man), man(5man),
     manindex(5man), whatis(5man), and catman(8man).


























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