How to view documentation for an installed library?

Solution 1:

You don't state the version of Ubuntu you use, but for Trusty, there's a PDF manual in /usr/share/doc/doxygen/doxygen_manual.pdf.

There's also HTML documentation here: /usr/share/doc/doxygen/html/index.html

I can't spot a compressed archive besides the changelog (/usr/share/doc/doxygen-doc/changelog.Debian.gz) that you'd look at using zless.

Solution 2:

Finding Documentation on ubuntu

1. Search using nautilus or browser

You can search as mentioned above in the /usr/share/doc directory, but some packages install it in their /usr/share/package_name directories or even other locations. Here you can find the html and pdf docus, best using nautilus (use the search function of nautilus and open your requested docu in your browser). If you often use the docu don't forget to bookmark your link.

2. Using find command

From your command line you can use the find command to search for your docu:

• html-documentation:

  find /usr/share -type f -name index.html | grep doxy

• pdf-documention:

  find /usr/share/ -type f -name *.pdf | grep doxy

Invoke your result with evince or your browser (in my case google-chrome)

• html:

  google-chrome /usr/share/doc/doxygen/html/index.html

• pdf:

  google-chrome /usr/share/doc/doxygen_manual.pdf

  evince /usr/share/doc/doxygen_manual.pdf

3. Make a list and search and invoke with less

I prefer to automate this task and make a list the following way:

• for html:

  find /usr/share/ -type f -name index.html | sort -k1 | awk '{ print "file://" $0;}' > ~/DocHtml.txt

• for pdf:

  find /usr/share/ -type f -name *.pdf | sort -k1 | awk '{ print "file://" $0;}' > ~/DocPdf.txt

This will create 2 files in your home-directory (DocPdf.txt and DocHtml.txt). Simply open this with less

less ~/DocPdf.txt

or

less ~/DocHtml.txt

and press & followed with your searching string, e.g. doxygen. Now simple move your mouse over the requested document and press ctrl and left-mouse-click will open the file.

You can also make a bash script and invoke it via a chron job. This will automate the task.

Here is a simple bash script which can be modified. Put additional directories as desscribed in the script. Save the below bash script as makeDoc, change chmod +x makeDoc and invoke it with ./makeDoc. Rest as above:

#!/bin/bash
# Author: abu
# Description: script creates two files, DocPdf.txt and DocHtml.txt, 
#   which lists all pdf/html documents found by the find function.
#
#   You can include other search directories, e.g. Anaconda, 

declare -a DocDirs=(
    "/usr/share/"
    "/opt/anaconda3/"       # you can put here additional  directories
#   "/path/to/other/dirs/"  # -""-     -""-    -""-
)

echo "DocHtml automatic generated!" > DocHtml.txt
echo "   File generated with" $0 >> DocHtml.txt
echo -e "   Date: " `date` "\n\n" >> DocHtml.txt

echo "DocPdf automatic generated!" > DocPdf.txt
echo "   File generated with" $0 >> DocPdf.txt
echo -e "   Date: " `date` "\n\n" >> DocPdf.txt

for i in "${DocDirs[@]}"
do
    find $i -type f -name index.html | sort -k1 | awk '{ print "file://" $0;}' >> ~/DocHtml.txt
    find $i -type f -name *.pdf | sort -k1 | awk '{ print "file://" $0;}' >> ~/DocPdf.txt
done

4. APT Package Solution

The package doc-base helps developers to install it in the correct way. To view this I know dhelp and doc-central.

4.1 dhelp: web base documentation reader.

Install it with

sudo apt-get install dhelp

and open in your browser the file:

file:///usr/share/doc/HTML/Programming/Awk/index.html

• documentation are well indexed
• documentation is available through a web browser
• indexes documentation (in the background)
• not so convenient command line interface .

4.2 doc-central: web base documentation reader.

Install it with:

sudo apt-get install doc-central

• documentation are well indexed
• documentation is available through a web browser
• indexes documentation (in the background)
• not so convenient command line interface