wikiman

Search for a specific topic in all installed sources

$ wikiman [search_term]

$ wikiman -s [source] [search_term]

$ wikiman -s [source1,source2,...] [search_term]

$ wikiman -S

$ wikiman -h

wikiman [OPTIONS] <TOPIC>

<TOPIC>
    The term or phrase to search for on Wikipedia. This is often the primary argument.

-s, --search <TOPIC>
    Explicitly search for a Wikipedia article. This behavior is often implied if no other option is given besides the topic.

-l, --language <LANG_CODE>
    Specify the Wikipedia language to use (e.g., 'en' for English, 'de' for German).

-p, --page <TITLE>
    Directly open a Wikipedia page by its exact title, bypassing the search function.

-r, --random
    Open a random Wikipedia article, useful for discovery or curiosity.

-b, --browser <BROWSER>
    Specify the text-based browser to use for rendering (e.g., 'w3m', 'lynx').

-h, --help
    Display usage information and a list of available options, then exit.

-v, --version
    Display the version of wikiman and exit.

wikiman is a command-line utility designed to search and display Wikipedia articles directly within your terminal emulator. It fetches content from Wikipedia, typically rendering it using text-based web browsers like w3m or lynx, or by outputting plain text. This allows users to quickly look up information without leaving the command line, making it a convenient tool for developers, system administrators, or anyone who prefers a minimalist interface. It supports searching for topics, specifying languages, and directly accessing article titles, providing a fast and efficient way to retrieve knowledge.

wikiman requires an active internet connection to fetch Wikipedia content.
It typically relies on external text-based browsers (like w3m or lynx) which must be installed separately.
Complex page layouts, images, and interactive elements are generally not displayed or are rendered minimally.
Some articles may not be found if the search term is not precise enough, or if the specified language does not contain the article.

Some versions of wikiman allow configuration via environment variables or a configuration file to set default language, preferred browser, and other options, enhancing user customization.

By default, wikiman often performs a 'lucky' search, redirecting directly to the most relevant article if an exact match or highly probable result is found. If no precise match is identified, it may present a list of search results for the user to choose from.

wikiman is not a standard, pre-installed Linux utility but typically refers to community-developed, open-source projects available on platforms like GitHub. These projects emerged to provide a quick, terminal-centric way to access Wikipedia, leveraging its API or simple web scraping. Its development is often driven by individual contributors seeking a command-line alternative to web browsers for information retrieval, emphasizing speed and minimal resource usage.

man(1), info(1), w3m(1), lynx(1), curl(1)