helpztags

helpztags [options] identifier

-f tagfile
    Specifies the tag file to use. If not provided, helpztags will search for a default tag file (usually 'tags' in the current directory or a parent directory).

-a
    Show all matching tags, instead of just the first.

-n
    Display the line number where the tag is found.

identifier
    The identifier or keyword to search for in the tag file.

The helpztags command is used to search through tag files, typically generated by ctags or similar tools, to locate and display help information for identifiers or keywords.

It allows users to quickly find the definition or documentation associated with a particular function, variable, or other element in source code. The primary purpose is to facilitate easy access to contextual help within a command-line environment, enhancing code exploration and understanding. It reads tag file, which contains index information about the symbols and locations of the source code.

The effectiveness of helpztags depends heavily on the quality and completeness of the tag file. An outdated or poorly generated tag file may result in inaccurate or incomplete search results. If no tag file specified, the default tag file location may vary depending on the system configuration.

To find the definition of the function 'foo', run helpztags foo. To use a specific tags file 'my_tags', run helpztags -f my_tags foo.

ctags(1), etags(1), ptags(1)