Introduction
<span><span>apropos</span></span> is a fuzzy search tool that can search for input keywords in all <span><span>man</span></span> pages. Compared to <span><span>whatis</span></span>, which can only search command names, <span><span>apropos</span></span> can also search descriptions.
Common Options
-
<span><span>-e, --exact</span></span>: Returns names and descriptions that exactly match the keyword -
<span><span>-d</span></span>: Print debug messages -
<span><span>-w, --wildcard</span></span>: Use wildcard to search for keywords -
<span><span>-a, --and</span></span>: Functions similarly to logical AND. Returns output when all keywords match -
<span><span>-l, --long</span></span>: Output without truncation -
<span><span>-C</span></span>: Use user profile instead of<span><span>$MANPATH</span></span> -
<span><span>-s</span></span>: Search only in specific sections of the manual pages. -
<span><span>-M</span></span>: Set the search path to<span><span>PATH</span></span>instead of the default<span><span>$MANPATH</span></span> -
<span><span>-L</span></span>: Set the locale for the search -
<span><span>-r, --regex</span></span>: Interpret each keyword as a regular expression -
<span><span>-d</span></span>: Print<span><span>debug</span></span>information -
<span><span>-v</span></span>: Print detailed warning messages
Example Usage
Basic Usage
apropos "list"
**Example Output
ls (1) - list directory contents
dir (1) - list directory contents
nmcli (1) - command-line tool for controlling NetworkManager
Search Multiple Words (default is OR relationship)
apropos "list copy"
Search Multiple Words with Logical AND Matching
apropos -a list directory
Exact Match
apropos -e set
Search in Specific Sections
Search in sections 1 and 8
apropos -s 1,8 list
Search Using Regular Expressions
Find all manual pages that start with the word <span><span>list</span></span>.
apropos '^list'
Regular Expression Implementing OR Relationship
apropos "zip(note|cloak|info)"
Combining Multiple Options
apropos -a -s 3,8 "^list" "(implementation|devices|users)"
Avoid Truncation
By default, descriptions in the output are trimmed, ending with ellipses
apropos -l list
whatis vs apropos
| Functionality | whatis | apropos |
|---|---|---|
| Search Command Names | ✅ | ✅ |
| Search Descriptions | ❌ | ✅ |
| Match Fuzzy Content | ❌ | ✅ |
| Exact Match | ✅ | ❌ |
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