Applications/mh: miscellany/less-177/less.man comparison

comparison miscellany/less-177/less.man @ 0:bce86c4163a3

Initial revision

author	kono
date	Mon, 18 Apr 2005 23:46:02 +0900
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+:bce86c4163a3
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+NNAAMMEE
+less - opposite of more
+SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
+lleessss --??
+lleessss [[--[[++]]aaBBccCCddeeEEffHHiimmMMnnNNqqQQrrssSSuuUUww]]
+[[--bb _b_u_f_s]] [[--hh _l_i_n_e_s]] [[--jj _l_i_n_e]] [[--kk _k_e_y_f_i_l_e]]
+[[--{{ooOO}} _l_o_g_f_i_l_e]] [[--pp _p_a_t_t_e_r_n]] [[--PP _p_r_o_m_p_t]] [[--tt _t_a_g]]
+[[--TT _t_a_g_f_i_l_e]] [[--xx _t_a_b]] [[--yy _l_i_n_e_s]] [[--[[zz]] _l_i_n_e_s]]
+[[++[[++]]_c_m_d]] [[_f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e]]......
+DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
+_L_e_s_s  is  a  program similar to _m_o_r_e (1), but which allows
+backward movement in the file as well as forward movement.
+Also,  _l_e_s_s  does  not  have to read the entire input file
+before starting, so with large input files  it  starts  up
+faster  than  text editors like _v_i (1).  _L_e_s_s uses termcap
+(or terminfo on some systems), so it can run on a  variety
+of  terminals.  There is even limited support for hardcopy
+terminals.  (On a hardcopy terminal, lines which should be
+printed  at the top of the screen are prefixed with an up-
+arrow.)
+Commands are based on both _m_o_r_e and _v_i_.  Commands  may  be
+preceded by a decimal number, called N in the descriptions
+below.  The number is used by some commands, as indicated.
+CCOOMMMMAANNDDSS
+In  the  following  descriptions, ^X means control-X.  ESC
+stands for the ESCAPE key; for example ESC-v means the two
+character sequence "ESCAPE", then "v".
+h or H Help:  display a summary of these commands.  If you
+forget all the other commands, remember this one.
+SPACE or ^V or f or ^F
+Scroll forward N lines,  default  one  window  (see
+option  -z  below).   If  N is more than the screen
+size, only the final screenful is displayed.  Warn-
+ing:  some  systems use ^V as a special literaliza-
+tion character.
+z      Like SPACE, but if N is specified, it  becomes  the
+new window size.
+RETURN or ^N or e or ^E or j or ^J
+Scroll  forward  N  lines, default 1.  The entire N
+lines are displayed, even if N  is  more  than  the
+screen size.
+1
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+d or ^D
+Scroll  forward  N  lines,  default one half of the
+screen size.  If N is specified, it becomes the new
+default for subsequent d and u commands.
+b or ^B or ESC-v
+Scroll  backward  N  lines, default one window (see
+option -z below).  If N is  more  than  the  screen
+size, only the final screenful is displayed.
+w      Like  ESC-v,  but if N is specified, it becomes the
+new window size.
+y or ^Y or ^P or k or ^K
+Scroll backward N lines, default 1.  The  entire  N
+lines  are  displayed,  even  if N is more than the
+screen size.  Warning: some systems  use  ^Y  as  a
+special job control character.
+u or ^U
+Scroll  backward  N  lines, default one half of the
+screen size.  If N is specified, it becomes the new
+default for subsequent d and u commands.
+r or ^R or ^L
+Repaint the screen.
+R      Repaint  the screen, discarding any buffered input.
+Useful if the file is changing while  it  is  being
+viewed.
+F      Scroll  forward,  and  keep trying to read when the
+end of file  is  reached.   Normally  this  command
+would  be used when already at the end of the file.
+It is a way to monitor the tail of a file which  is
+growing while it is being viewed.  (The behavior is
+similar to the "tail -f" command.)
+g or < or ESC-<
+Go to line N in the file, default 1  (beginning  of
+file).   (Warning: this may be slow if N is large.)
+G or > or ESC->
+Go to line N in the file, default the  end  of  the
+file.  (Warning: this may be slow if N is large, or
+2
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+if N is not specified and  standard  input,  rather
+than a file, is being read.)
+p or % Go to a position N percent into the file.  N should
+be between 0 and  100.   (This  works  if  standard
+input  is  being read, but only if _l_e_s_s has already
+read to the end of the file.  It  is  always  fast,
+but not always useful.)
+{      If  a  left  curly  bracket appears in the top line
+displayed on the screen, the { command will  go  to
+the  matching  right  curly  bracket.  The matching
+right curly bracket is  positioned  on  the  bottom
+line of the screen.  If there is more than one left
+curly bracket on the top line, a number  N  may  be
+used to specify the N-th bracket on the line.
+}      If a right curly bracket appears in the bottom line
+displayed on the screen, the } command will  go  to
+the matching left curly bracket.  The matching left
+curly bracket is positioned on the top line of  the
+screen.   If  there  is  more  than one right curly
+bracket on the top line, a number N may be used  to
+specify the N-th bracket on the line.
+(      Like  {,  but  applies  to  parentheses rather than
+curly brackets.
+)      Like }, but  applies  to  parentheses  rather  than
+curly brackets.
+[      Like  {, but applies to square brackets rather than
+curly brackets.
+]      Like }, but applies to square brackets rather  than
+curly brackets.
+ESC-^F Followed  by  two characters, acts like {, but uses
+the two characters  as  open  and  close  brackets,
+respectively.   For  example, "ESC ^F < >" could be
+used to go forward to the > which matches the <  in
+the top displayed line.
+ESC-^B Followed  by  two characters, acts like }, but uses
+the two characters  as  open  and  close  brackets,
+respectively.   For  example, "ESC ^B < >" could be
+3
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+used to go backward to the < which matches the > in
+the bottom displayed line.
+m      Followed by any lowercase letter, marks the current
+position with that letter.
+'      (Single quote.)  Followed by any lowercase  letter,
+returns to the position which was previously marked
+with  that  letter.   Followed  by  another  single
+quote,  returns  to  the position at which the last
+"large" movement command was executed.  Followed by
+a ^ or $, jumps to the beginning or end of the file
+respectively.  Marks are preserved when a new  file
+is examined, so the ' command can be used to switch
+between input files.
+^X^X   Same as single quote.
+/pattern
+Search forward in the file for the N-th  line  con-
+taining the pattern.  N defaults to 1.  The pattern
+is a regular expression, as recognized by _e_d_.   The
+search starts at the second line displayed (but see
+the -a and -j options, which change this).
+Certain characters are special if  entered  at  the
+beginning  of  the pattern; they modify the type of
+search rather than become part of the pattern:
+!      Search for lines which do NOT match the pat-
+tern.
+*      Search  multiple  files.   That  is,  if the
+search reaches the end of the  current  file
+without  finding a match, the search contin-
+ues in the next file  in  the  command  line
+list.
+@      Begin  the  search  at the first line of the
+first file in the command line list, regard-
+less  of  what is currently displayed on the
+screen or the  settings  of  the  -a  or  -j
+options.
+?pattern
+Search  backward in the file for the N-th line con-
+taining the pattern.  The search starts at the line
+immediately before the top line displayed.
+Certain characters are special as in the / command:
+4
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+!      Search for lines which do NOT match the pat-
+tern.
+*      Search  multiple  files.   That  is,  if the
+search reaches the beginning of the  current
+file  without  finding  a  match, the search
+continues in the previous file in  the  com-
+mand line list.
+@      Begin  the  search  at  the last line of the
+last file in the command line list,  regard-
+less  of  what is currently displayed on the
+screen or the  settings  of  the  -a  or  -j
+options.
+ESC-/pattern
+Same as "/*".
+ESC-?pattern
+Same as "?*".
+n      Repeat  previous  search,  for N-th line containing
+the last pattern.  If the previous search was modi-
+fied by !, the search is made for the N-th line NOT
+containing the pattern.  If the previous search was
+modified by *, the search continues in the next (or
+previous) file if  not  satisfied  in  the  current
+file.   There  is  no effect if the previous search
+was modified by @.
+N      Repeat previous search, but in the  reverse  direc-
+tion.
+ESC-n  Repeat  previous  search,  but crossing file bound-
+aries.  The effect is as  if  the  previous  search
+were modified by *.
+ESC-N  Repeat  previous  search, but in the reverse direc-
+tion and crossing file boundaries.
+:e [filename]
+Examine a new file.  If the  filename  is  missing,
+the  "current"  file  (see  the  :n and :p commands
+below) from the list of files in the  command  line
+is re-examined.  A percent sign (%) in the filename
+is replaced by the name of  the  current  file.   A
+pound  sign  (#)  is  replaced  by  the name of the
+5
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+previously examined file.  The filename is inserted
+into  the command line list of files so that it can
+be seen by subsequent :n and :p commands.   If  the
+filename  consists  of  several files, they are all
+inserted into the list of files and the  first  one
+is examined.
+^X^V or E
+Same as :e.  Warning: some systems use ^V as a spe-
+cial literalization character.
+:n     Examine the next file (from the list of files given
+in  the command line).  If a number N is specified,
+the N-th next file is examined.
+:p     Examine the previous file in the command line list.
+If  a number N is specified, the N-th previous file
+is examined.
+:x     Examine the first file in the  command  line  list.
+If  a  number  N is specified, the N-th file in the
+list is examined.
+= or ^G or :f
+Prints  some  information  about  the  file   being
+viewed,  including its name and the line number and
+byte offset of the bottom line being displayed.  If
+possible,  it  also  prints the length of the file,
+the number of lines in the file and the percent  of
+the file above the last displayed line.
+-      Followed  by one of the command line option letters
+(see below), this will change the setting  of  that
+option  and print a message describing the new set-
+ting.  If the option letter  has  a  numeric  value
+(such  as  -b or -h), or a string value (such as -P
+or -t), a new value may be entered after the option
+letter.   If  no  new  value  is entered, a message
+describing the current setting is printed and noth-
+ing is changed.
+-+     Followed  by one of the command line option letters
+(see below), this will  reset  the  option  to  its
+default  setting and print a message describing the
+new setting.  (The  "-+_X"  command  does  the  same
+thing as "-+_X" on the command line.)  This does not
+work for string-valued options.
+6
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+--     Followed by one of the command line option  letters
+(see  below),  this  will  reset  the option to the
+"opposite" of its default setting and print a  mes-
+sage  describing  the new setting.  (The "--_X" com-
+mand does the same thing as  "-_X"  on  the  command
+line.)   This  does not work for numeric or string-
+valued options.
+_      (Underscore.)  Followed by one of the command  line
+option  letters (see below), this will print a mes-
+sage describing the current setting of that option.
+The setting of the option is not changed.
++cmd   Causes the specified cmd to be executed each time a
+new file is examined.  For example, +G causes  _l_e_s_s
+to  initially display each file starting at the end
+rather than the beginning.
+V      Prints the version number of _l_e_s_s being run.
+q or :q or :Q or ZZ or ESC ESC
+Exits _l_e_s_s_.
+The following three commands may  or  may  not  be  valid,
+depending on your particular installation.
+v      Invokes  an  editor  to edit the current file being
+viewed.  The editor is taken from  the  environment
+variable EDITOR, or defaults to "vi".  See also the
+discussion of LESSEDIT under the section on PROMPTS
+below.
+! shell-command
+Invokes  a shell to run the shell-command given.  A
+percent sign (%) in the command is replaced by  the
+name  of  the  current  file.   A pound sign (#) is
+replaced by the name  of  the  previously  examined
+file.   "!!"  repeats  the last shell command.  "!"
+with no shell command simply invokes a  shell.   In
+all  cases, the shell is taken from the environment
+variable SHELL, or defaults to "sh".
+| <m> shell-command
+<m> represents any mark letter.  Pipes a section of
+the  input  file  to  the given shell command.  The
+section of the file to  be  piped  is  between  the
+first  line  on the current screen and the position
+7
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+marked by the letter.  <m> may also be ^  or  $  to
+indicate beginning or end of file respectively.  If
+<m> is . or newline, the current screen is piped.
+OOPPTTIIOONNSS
+Command line options are described  below.   Most  options
+may be changed while _l_e_s_s is running, via the "-" command.
+Options are  also  taken  from  the  environment  variable
+"LESS".   For example, to avoid typing "less -options ..."
+each time _l_e_s_s is invoked, you might tell _c_s_h_:
+setenv LESS "-options"
+or if you use _s_h_:
+LESS="-options"; export LESS
+The environment variable  is  parsed  before  the  command
+line,  so  command line options override the LESS environ-
+ment variable.  If an option appears in the LESS variable,
+it  can  be  reset  to  its default on the command line by
+beginning the command line option with "-+".
+A dollar sign ($) may be used to  signal  the  end  of  an
+option string.  This is important only for options like -P
+which take a following string.
+-?     This option displays  a  summary  of  the  commands
+accepted  by  _l_e_s_s (the same as the h command).  If
+this  option  is  given,  all  other  options   are
+ignored,  and  _l_e_s_s  exits after the help screen is
+viewed.  (Depending on how  your  shell  interprets
+the question mark, it may be necessary to quote the
+question mark, thus: "-\?".)
+-a     Causes searches to start after the last  line  dis-
+played  on the screen, thus skipping all lines dis-
+played on the screen.  By default,  searches  start
+at the second line on the screen (or after the last
+found line; see the -j option).
+-b_n    Causes  _l_e_s_s  to  use  a  non-standard  number   of
+buffers.  Buffers are 1K, and by default 10 buffers
+are used (except if data in  coming  from  standard
+input;  see the -B option).  The number _n specifies
+a different number of buffers to use.
+-B     Disables automatic allocation of buffers,  so  that
+only  the  default  number of buffers are used.  If
+more data is read than will fit in the buffers, the
+oldest data is discarded.  By default, when data is
+coming from standard input, buffers  are  allocated
+8
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+automatically as needed to avoid loss of data.
+-c     Causes  full screen repaints to be painted from the
+top line down.  By default,  full  screen  repaints
+are  done  by  scrolling  from  the  bottom  of the
+screen.
+-C     The -C option is like -c, but the screen is cleared
+before it is repainted.
+-d     The -d option suppresses the error message normally
+displayed if the terminal is dumb; that  is,  lacks
+some  important  capability, such as the ability to
+clear the screen or scroll backward.  The -d option
+does not otherwise change the behavior of _l_e_s_s on a
+dumb terminal).
+-e     Causes _l_e_s_s to automatically exit the  second  time
+it  reaches  end-of-file.  By default, the only way
+to exit _l_e_s_s is via the "q" command.
+-E     Causes _l_e_s_s to automatically exit the first time it
+reaches end-of-file.
+-f     Forces  non-regular  files  to  be opened.  (A non-
+regular file is a directory  or  a  device  special
+file.)   Also suppresses the warning message when a
+binary file  is  opened.   By  default,  _l_e_s_s  will
+refuse to open non-regular files.
+-h_n    Specifies a maximum number of lines to scroll back-
+ward.  If it is necessary to scroll  backward  more
+than  _n lines, the screen is repainted in a forward
+direction instead.  (If the terminal does not  have
+the ability to scroll backward, -h0 is implied.)
+-i     Causes  searches to ignore case; that is, uppercase
+and lowercase are considered identical.  Also, text
+which  is  overstruck or underlined can be searched
+for.  This option is ignored if any uppercase  let-
+ters appear in the search pattern.
+-j_n    Specifies a line on the screen where "target" lines
+are to be positioned.  Target lines are the  object
+of  text  searches,  tag  searches, jumps to a line
+number, jumps to a file percentage, and jumps to  a
+marked position.  The screen line is specified by a
+number: the top line on the screen is 1,  the  next
+is  2,  and  so  on.  The number may be negative to
+specify a  line  relative  to  the  bottom  of  the
+screen:  the  bottom  line on the screen is -1, the
+second to the bottom is -2, and so on.  If  the  -j
+option  is used, searches begin at the line immedi-
+ately after the target line.  For example, if "-j4"
+9
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+is  used, the target line is the fourth line on the
+screen, so searches begin at the fifth line on  the
+screen.
+-k_f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e
+Causes _l_e_s_s to open and interpret the named file as
+a _l_e_s_s_k_e_y (1) file.  Multiple  -k  options  may  be
+specified.   If  a  file called .less exists in the
+user's home directory, this file is also used as  a
+_l_e_s_s_k_e_y file.
+-m     Causes  _l_e_s_s  to prompt verbosely (like _m_o_r_e), with
+the  percent  into  the  file.   By  default,  _l_e_s_s
+prompts with a colon.
+-M     Causes  _l_e_s_s  to  prompt  even  more verbosely than
+_m_o_r_e_.
+-n     Suppresses line numbers.  The default (to use  line
+numbers)  may cause _l_e_s_s to run more slowly in some
+cases, especially with a  very  large  input  file.
+Suppressing  line  numbers  with  the  -n flag will
+avoid this problem.  Using line numbers means:  the
+line number will be displayed in the verbose prompt
+and in the = command, and the v command  will  pass
+the current line number to the editor (see also the
+discussion of LESSEDIT in PROMPTS below).
+-N     Causes a line number to be displayed at the  begin-
+ning of each line in the display.
+-o_f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e
+Causes  _l_e_s_s to copy its input to the named file as
+it is being viewed.  This  applies  only  when  the
+input file is a pipe, not an ordinary file.  If the
+file already exists, _l_e_s_s will ask for confirmation
+before overwriting it.
+-O_f_i_l_e_n_a_m_e
+The  -O option is like -o, but it will overwrite an
+existing file without asking for confirmation.
+If no log file has been specified, the  -o  and  -O
+options  can  be used from within _l_e_s_s to specify a
+log file.  Without a file name,  they  will  simply
+report  the  name of the log file.  The "s" command
+is equivalent to specifying -o from within _l_e_s_s_.
+-p_p_a_t_t_e_r_n
+The -p option on the command line is equivalent  to
+specifying  +/_p_a_t_t_e_r_n;  that  is,  it tells _l_e_s_s to
+start at the first  occurence  of  _p_a_t_t_e_r_n  in  the
+file.
+10
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+-P_p_r_o_m_p_t
+Provides a way to tailor the three prompt styles to
+your own preference.  This option would normally be
+put  in  the LESS environment variable, rather than
+being typed in with each  _l_e_s_s  command.   Such  an
+option  must  either be the last option in the LESS
+variable, or be terminated by a  dollar  sign.   -P
+followed  by  a  string changes the default (short)
+prompt to that string.  -Pm changes the medium (-m)
+prompt to the string, and -PM changes the long (-M)
+prompt.  Also, -P= changes the message  printed  by
+the  =  command  to  the  given string.  All prompt
+strings consist of a sequence of letters  and  spe-
+cial  escape sequences.  See the section on PROMPTS
+for more details.
+-q     Causes moderately "quiet" operation:  the  terminal
+bell  is  not  rung if an attempt is made to scroll
+past the end of the file or before the beginning of
+the  file.  If the terminal has a "visual bell", it
+is used instead.  The bell will be rung on  certain
+other  errors, such as typing an invalid character.
+The default is to ring the  terminal  bell  in  all
+such cases.
+-Q     Causes totally "quiet" operation: the terminal bell
+is never rung.
+-r     Causes "raw" control characters  to  be  displayed.
+The  default is to display control characters using
+the caret notation; for example, a control-A (octal
+001)  is  displayed  as "^A".  Warning: when the -r
+flag is used, _l_e_s_s cannot keep track of the  actual
+appearance of the screen (since this depends on how
+the screen responds to each type of control charac-
+ter).   Thus,  various display problems may result,
+such as long lines being split in the wrong  place.
+-s     Causes  consecutive blank lines to be squeezed into
+a single blank line.  This is useful  when  viewing
+_n_r_o_f_f output.
+-S     Causes  lines  longer  than  the screen width to be
+chopped rather than folded.  That is, the remainder
+of a long line is simply discarded.  The default is
+to fold long lines; that is, display the  remainder
+on the next line.
+-t_t_a_g  The  -t option, followed immediately by a TAG, will
+edit the file containing that  tag.   For  this  to
+work,  there  must  be  a file called "tags" in the
+current directory, which was  previously  built  by
+the  _c_t_a_g_s  (1)  command.   This option may also be
+specified from within _l_e_s_s (using the - command) as
+11
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+a way of examining a new file.  The command ":t" is
+equivalent to specifying -t from within _l_e_s_s_.
+-T_t_a_g_s_f_i_l_e
+Specifies a tags file to be used instead of "tags".
+-u     Causes   backspaces  and  carriage  returns  to  be
+treated as printable characters; that is, they  are
+sent to the terminal when they appear in the input.
+-U     Causes  backspaces  and  carriage  returns  to   be
+treated  as  control  characters; that is, they are
+handled as specified by the -r option.
+By  default,  if  neither  -u  nor  -U  is   given,
+backspaces  which  appear adjacent to an underscore
+character are  treated  specially:  the  underlined
+text  is  displayed  using  the terminal's hardware
+underlining  capability.   Also,  backspaces  which
+appear between two identical characters are treated
+specially: the overstruck text is printed using the
+terminal's  hardware  boldface  capability.   Other
+backspaces are deleted, along  with  the  preceding
+character.   Carriage  returns immediately followed
+by a newline are deleted.  Other  carriage  returns
+are handled as specified by the -r option.
+-w     Causes  blank  lines  to be used to represent lines
+past the end of the  file.   By  default,  a  tilde
+character is used.
+-x_n    Sets  tab stops every _n positions.  The default for
+_n is 8.
+-y_n    Specifies a maximum number of lines to scroll  for-
+ward.   If  it  is necessary to scroll forward more
+than _n lines, the screen is repainted instead.  The
+-c or -C option may be used to repaint from the top
+of the screen if desired.  By default, any  forward
+movement causes scrolling.
+-[z]_n  Changes  the  default  scrolling  window  size to _n
+lines.  The default is one screenful.  The z and  w
+commands  can  also  be  used  to change the window
+size.  The "z" may be omitted, as in "-_n" for  com-
+patibility with _m_o_r_e_.
++      If a command line option begins with ++, the remain-
+der of that option is taken to be an  initial  com-
+mand  to _l_e_s_s_.  For example, +G tells _l_e_s_s to start
+at the end of the file rather than  the  beginning,
+and +/xyz tells it to start at the first occurrence
+of "xyz" in the file.  As a special case, +<number>
+acts  like  +<number>g;  that  is,  it  starts  the
+12
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+display at the specified line number (however,  see
+the  caveat  under  the "g" command above).  If the
+option starts with ++, the initial command  applies
+to every file being viewed, not just the first one.
+The + command described previously may also be used
+to  set  (or  change)  an initial command for every
+file.
+KKEEYY BBIINNDDIINNGGSS
+You may define your own _l_e_s_s commands by using the program
+_l_e_s_s_k_e_y  (1)  to create a file called ".less" in your home
+directory.  This file specifies a set of command keys  and
+an  action associated with each key.  See the _l_e_s_s_k_e_y man-
+ual page for more details.
+NNAATTIIOONNAALL CCHHAARRAACCTTEERR SSEETTSS
+There are three types of characters in the input file:
+normal characters
+can be displayed directly to the screen.
+control characters
+should not be displayed directly, but are  expected
+to  be  found  in  ordinary  text  files  (such  as
+backspace and tab).
+binary characters
+cannot be displayed directly and are  not  expected
+to be found in text files.
+By  default,  _l_e_s_s  uses  the ASCII character set.  In the
+ASCII character set, characters with  values  between  128
+and  255  are treated as binary.  The LESSCHARSET environ-
+ment variable may be used to select another character set.
+If it is set to the value "latin1", the ISO 8859/1 charac-
+ter set is assumed.  Latin-1 is the same as ASCII,  except
+characters between 128 and 255 are treated as normal char-
+acters.  The only valid values for  LESSCHARSET  currently
+are "ascii" and "latin1".
+In  special cases, it may be desired to tailor _l_e_s_s to use
+a character set other than the  ones  definable  by  LESS-
+CHARSET.   In  this  case,  the environment variable LESS-
+CHARDEF can be used to define a character set.  It  should
+be set to a string where each character in the string rep-
+resents one character in the character set.  The character
+"."  is  used for a normal character, "c" for control, and
+"b" for binary.  A decimal number may be used for  repeti-
+tion.   For  example,  "bccc4b." would mean character 0 is
+binary, 1, 2 and 3 are control, 4, 5, 6 and 7 are  binary,
+and  8 is normal.  All characters after the last are taken
+to be the same as the last, so characters  9  through  255
+13
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+would be normal.  (This is an example, and does not neces-
+sarily represent any real character set.)
+Setting LESSCHARDEF to "8bcccbcc18b95.b" is  the  same  as
+setting  LESSCHARSET  to  "ascii".  Setting LESSCHARDEF to
+"8bcccbcc18b95.33b." is the same as setting LESSCHARSET to
+"latin1".
+Control  and  binary  characters are displayed in blinking
+mode.  Each such character is displayed in caret  notation
+if  possible  (e.g.  ^A for control-A).  Caret notation is
+used only if inverting the 0100 bit results  in  a  normal
+printable  character.   Otherwise,  the  character is dis-
+played as an octal number preceded by a  backslash.   This
+octal  format  can  be  changed  by setting the LESSBINFMT
+environment variable to a printf-style format string;  the
+default  is  '\%o'.   The blinking mode display of control
+and binary characters can be changed or disabled  by  pre-
+ceding  the  LESSBINFMT  format  string with a "*" and one
+character to select the mode: "*k" is  blinking,  "*d"  is
+bold,  "*u"  is underlined, and "*n" is normal (no special
+display  attribute).   For  example,  if   LESSBINFMT   is
+"*u[%x]",  binary  characters  are displayed in underlined
+hexadecimal surrounded by brackets.
+PPRROOMMPPTTSS
+The -P option allows you to  tailor  the  prompt  to  your
+preference.   The  string  given to the -P option replaces
+the specified prompt string.  Certain  characters  in  the
+string are interpreted specially.  The prompt mechanism is
+rather complicated to provide flexibility, but  the  ordi-
+nary  user need not understand the details of constructing
+personalized prompt strings.
+A percent sign followed by a single character is  expanded
+according to what the following character is:
+%b_X    Replaced  by the byte offset into the current input
+file.  The b is  followed  by  a  single  character
+(shown  as  _X above) which specifies the line whose
+byte offset is to be used.  If the character  is  a
+"t", the byte offset of the top line in the display
+is used, an "m" means use the middle  line,  a  "b"
+means use the bottom line, a "B" means use the line
+just after the bottom line, and a "j" means use the
+"target" line, as specified by the -j option.
+%B     Replaced by the size of the current input file.
+%E     Replaced by the name of the editor (from the EDITOR
+environment variable).  See the discussion  of  the
+LESSEDIT feature below.
+14
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+%f     Replaced by the name of the current input file.
+%i     Replaced  by  the  index of the current file in the
+list of input files.
+%l_X    Replaced by the line number of a line in the  input
+file.   The line to be used is determined by the _X,
+as with the %b option.
+%L     Replaced by the line number of the last line in the
+input file.
+%m     Replaced by the total number of input files.
+%p_X    Replaced  by  the  percent  into  the current input
+file.  The line used is determined by the _X as with
+the %b option.
+%s     Same as %B.
+%t     Causes  any trailing spaces to be removed.  Usually
+used at the end of the string, but may appear  any-
+where.
+%x     Replaced  by the name of the next input file in the
+list.
+If any item is unknown (for  example,  the  file  size  if
+input is a pipe), a question mark is printed instead.
+The  format  of the prompt string can be changed depending
+on certain conditions.  A question mark followed by a sin-
+gle  character acts like an "IF": depending on the follow-
+ing character, a condition is evaluated.  If the condition
+is  true,  any  characters following the question mark and
+condition character, up to a period, are included  in  the
+prompt.   If  the  condition is false, such characters are
+not included.  A colon appearing between the question mark
+and  the  period  can  be used to establish an "ELSE": any
+characters between the colon and the period  are  included
+in  the  string  if and only if the IF condition is false.
+Condition characters (which follow a  question  mark)  may
+be:
+?a     True  if  any  characters have been included in the
+prompt so far.
+?b_X    True if the byte offset of the  specified  line  is
+known.
+?B     True if the size of current input file is known.
+?e     True if at end-of-file.
+15
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+?f     True  if  there  is  an input filename (that is, if
+input is not a pipe).
+?l_X    True if the line number of the  specified  line  is
+known.
+?L     True  if  the  line  number of the last line in the
+file is known.
+?m     True if there is more than one input file.
+?n     True if this is the first prompt  in  a  new  input
+file.
+?p_X    True  if the percent into the current input file of
+the specified line is known.
+?s     Same as "?B".
+?x     True if there is a next input file (that is, if the
+current input file is not the last one).
+Any characters other than the special ones (question mark,
+colon, period, percent, and  backslash)  become  literally
+part  of the prompt.  Any of the special characters may be
+included in the prompt literally by preceding  it  with  a
+backslash.
+Some examples:
+?f%f:Standard input.
+This  prompt  prints the filename, if known; otherwise the
+string "Standard input".
+?f%f .?ltLine %lt:?pt%pt\%:?btByte %bt:-...
+This prompt would print the filename, if known.  The file-
+name  is  followed by the line number, if known, otherwise
+the percent if known, otherwise the byte offset if  known.
+Otherwise,  a  dash  is printed.  Notice how each question
+mark has a matching period, and how the % after the %pt is
+included literally by escaping it with a backslash.
+?n?f%f .?m(file %i of %m) ..?e(END) ?x- Next\: %x..%t
+This  prints the filename if this is the first prompt in a
+file, followed by the "file N of N" message  if  there  is
+more than one input file.  Then, if we are at end-of-file,
+the string "(END)" is printed followed by the name of  the
+next  file, if there is one.  Finally, any trailing spaces
+are truncated.  This is the default  prompt.   For  refer-
+ence,  here are the defaults for the other two prompts (-m
+and -M respectively).  Each is broken into two lines  here
+16
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+for readability only.
+?n?f%f .?m(file %i of %m) ..?e(END) ?x- Next\: %x.:
+?pB%pB\%:byte %bB?s/%s...%t
+?f%f .?n?m(file %i of %m) ..?ltline %lt?L/%L. :byte %bB?s/%s. .
+?e(END) ?x- Next\: %x.:?pB%pB\%..%t
+And here is the default message produced by the = command:
+?f%f .?m(file %i of %m) .?ltline %lt?L/%L. .
+byte %bB?s/%s. ?e(END) :?pB%pB\%..%t
+The prompt expansion features are also  used  for  another
+purpose:  if  an environment variable LESSEDIT is defined,
+it is used as the command to be executed when the  v  com-
+mand  is  invoked.  The LESSEDIT string is expanded in the
+same way as the prompt strings.   The  default  value  for
+LESSEDIT is:
+%E ?lm+%lm. %f
+Note that this expands to the editor name, followed by a +
+and the line number, followed by the file name.   If  your
+editor  does  not  accept the "+linenumber" syntax, or has
+other differences in invocation syntax, the LESSEDIT vari-
+able can be changed to modify this default.
+EENNVVIIRROONNMMEENNTT VVAARRIIAABBLLEESS
+COLUMNS
+Sets  the  number  of columns on the screen.  Takes
+precedence over the number of columns specified  by
+the TERM variable.
+EDITOR The name of the editor (used for the v command).
+HOME   Name  of  the user's home directory (used to find a
+.less file).
+LESS   Flags which are passed to _l_e_s_s automatically.
+LESSBINFMT
+Format for  displaying  non-printable,  non-control
+characters.
+LESSCHARDEF
+Defines a character set.
+LESSCHARSET
+Selects a predefined character set.
+LESSEDIT
+Editor  prototype  string (used for the v command).
+17
+LESS(1)                                                   LESS(1)
+See discussion under PROMPTS.
+LESSHELP
+Name of the help file.
+LINES  Sets the number of  lines  on  the  screen.   Takes
+precedence  over  the  number of lines specified by
+the TERM variable.
+SHELL  The shell used to execute the ! command, as well as
+to expand filenames.
+TERM   The type of terminal on which _l_e_s_s is being run.
+SSEEEE AALLSSOO
+lesskey(1)
+WWAARRNNIINNGGSS
+The  =  command  and prompts (unless changed by -P) report
+the line number of the line at the top of the screen,  but
+the  byte  and  percent  of  the line at the bottom of the
+screen.
+If the :e command is used to name more than one file,  and
+one of the named files has been viewed previously, the new
+files may be entered into the list in an unexpected order.
+The  handling of national character sets is nonstandard as
+well as insufficient for multibyte  characters.   It  will
+probably change in a later release.
+18

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