Pman -- Create, Print, Save, View PDF Man Pages

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        pman  --  create, print, save, view PDF man pages

Author:  ntk
License:    <a href="http://www.opensource.org/licenses/mit-license.php">The MIT License</a>, Copyright (c) 2007 ntk
Description:    (batch) convert <a href="http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Darwin/Reference/ManPages/">man pages</a> into PDF documents and save them to a specified directory; (batch) print or view PDF man pages from the command line
Platform:    Mac OS X 10.4.10; man bash
Installation:    put pman() into ~/.bash_login (or alternatives)        

# Usage:
   
pman ls; pman getopts                                 # convert a singel man page to a PDF file, save and open it
pman 8 sticky                                         # same with manual section number
pman m toe                                     
pman -b ls 'open(2)' dd "chmod(2)" curl 'open(n)'     # batch convert man pages into PDF files
pman -p rm srm open\(2\) 'toe(m)' 'ncurses(3)'        # print man pages using the default printer



pman() {

section="$1"    
manpage="$2"    

mandir="/Users/Shared/manpages"    #  save the created PDF man pages to the specified directory


# batch process man pages to PDF files with the "-b" switch and save them to $mandir
# example: pman -b ls 'open(2)' dd 'chmod(2)' 'open(n)' 'sticky(8)'
# cf. man -aW open for "man n open"

if [[ "$1" = "-b" ]]; then         

if [[ ! -d $mandir ]]; then        
   mkdir -p $mandir
   chmod 1777 $mandir
fi

shift   # remove "-b" from "$@"

for manfile in "$@"; do 

# example for $manfile: open(2)
manpage="`echo $manfile | grep -Eos '^[^\(]+'`"                              # extract name of man page
section="`echo $manfile | grep -Eos '\([^\)]+\)' | grep -Eos '[^\(\)]+'`"    # extract section of man page

if [[ ! "$section" ]]; then
   section="1"
fi

if [[ ! -f "`man ${section} -W ${manpage} 2>/dev/null`" ]]; then
#if [[ ! -f "`man -W ${section} ${manpage} 2>/dev/null `" ]]; then
   echo "No such man page: man ${section} ${manpage}"
   continue
fi

manfile="${mandir}/${manpage}(${section}).pdf"
echo "$manfile"

if [[ ! -f "$manfile" ]]; then
   man $section -t $manpage 2>/dev/null | pstopdf -i -o "$manfile" 2>/dev/null
   chmod 1755 "$manfile"
   # hide file extension .pdf
   if [[ -f /Developer/Tools/SetFile ]]; then /Developer/Tools/SetFile -a E "$manfile"; fi
fi

done

return 0
   
fi          # END of batch processing man pages to PDF files



# print PDF man pages using the default printer (see man lpr and man lpoptions)
# if necessary, create the specified PDF man pages and save them to $mandir
# example: pman -p rm srm

if [[ "$1" = "-p" ]]; then         

if [[ ! -d $mandir ]]; then        
   mkdir -p $mandir
   chmod 1777 $mandir
fi

shift   # remove "-p" from "$@"

for manfile in "$@"; do 

# example for $manfile: open(2)
manpage="`echo $manfile | grep -Eos '^[^\(]+'`"                              # extract name of man page
section="`echo $manfile | grep -Eos '\([^\)]+\)' | grep -Eos '[^\(\)]+'`"    # extract section of man page

if [[ ! "$section" ]]; then
   section="1"
fi

if [[ ! -f "`man ${section} -W ${manpage} 2>/dev/null`" ]]; then
   echo "No such man page: man ${section} ${manpage}"
   continue
fi

manfile="${mandir}/${manpage}(${section}).pdf"
echo "$manfile"

if [[ ! -f "$manfile" ]]; then
   man -t $section $manpage 2>/dev/null | pstopdf -i -o "$manfile" 2>/dev/null
   chmod 1755 "$manfile"
   # hide file extension .pdf
   if [[ -f /Developer/Tools/SetFile ]]; then /Developer/Tools/SetFile -a E "$manfile"; fi
   lpr "$manfile"
else
   lpr "$manfile"
fi

done

return 0
   
fi          # END of printing man pages using the default printer



# convert a single man page to a PDF file, save it to $mandir and then open it in a PDF viewer

if [[ -z "$1" ]] || [[ $# -gt 2 ]]; then       # check number of arguments
#if [[ -z "$1" || $# -gt 2 ]]; then  
#if [ -z "$1" -o $# -gt 2 ]; then
  echo "Wrong number of arguments!" 
  return 1
fi 

if [[ ! "$manpage" ]]; then     # turn "pman ls" into "pman 1 ls"
   manpage="$section"         # if $manpage is an empty string because there has been no "$2" then $manpage is set to "$section" and ...
   section="1"                # ... $section is set to "1"
fi                            

if [[ ! -f "`man ${section} -W ${manpage} 2>/dev/null`" ]]; then
   echo "No such man page: man ${section} ${manpage}"
   return 1
fi

if [[ ! -d $mandir ]]; then
   mkdir -p $mandir
   chmod 1777 $mandir
fi

manfile="${mandir}/${manpage}(${section}).pdf"

if [[ -f "$manfile" ]]; then
   open "$manfile"
else
   man $section -t $manpage 2>/dev/null | pstopdf -i -o "$manfile" 2>/dev/null
   chmod 1755 "$manfile"
   # hide file extension .pdf
   if [[ -f /Developer/Tools/SetFile ]]; then /Developer/Tools/SetFile -a E "$manfile"; fi
   open "$manfile"
fi

return 0

}

Tags:
• bash
• MacOSX
• manpage
• OSX
• pdf
• shell
• Unix