Online Handbook - search function does not work

[Erichans]

The search funtion in the online Handbook stopped working. Porters Handbook too.
Anyone else experiencing the same?

 

[Cath O'Deray]

It's a filter (for the list of chapters), not a search field (for all content in the book, or any split part).

FreeBSD bug 264295 – Books: filter field: filter (not Search) for the hint; and the word 'Book' is superfluous

 

[drhowarddrfine]

If you want to do search on the Handbook, do search-term site:https://docs.freebsd.org/en/books/handbook/. This works on any specific chapter, too. And any site for that matter.

 

[a6h]

It only searches for elements with '#MenuContents' id, i.e. only chapters (search.min.js). I used to download an ASCII-text format of the Handbook, and grep(1) it. It may sound odd, but when mix different grep option (options: -i -e -C -m ...), magic happens! Evidently/unfortunately, there's no text version anymore: https://download.freebsd.org/doc/en/books/handbook/ .... very disturbing.

 

[T-Daemon]

To search a specific term in the online handbook, open Single HTML and use the browsers "find" function, i.e. Firefox: "Find in page" Ctrl + f or "Quick find" /.

I have the online Single HTML handbook saved as complete web page locally and bookmarked it in the browser for fast and easy access (FAQ, FreeBSD Porter's Handbook (Single HTML) as well).

Evidently/unfortunately, there's no text version anymore:

You can save the Single HTML handbook as text file from inside a browser for example, or try textproc/html2text.

 

[Cath O'Deray]

Non-split versions of the FreeBSD Handbook​

… open Single HTML …

+1

Unfortunately, FreeBSD bug 262661 – FreeBSD documentation: long HTML: references to items within the same document should not switch away (to short/split HTML)

… Someone mentioned this bug as a serious navigation pain point in their survey answers.

– that person might have been me.

misc/freebsd-doc-en conveniently includes the PDF, which is debatably less prone to the 262661 effect.

FreeBSD bug 264109 – misc/freebsd-doc-en FreeBSD Handbook outdated – should be fixed soon.

 

[Cath O'Deray]

Plain text representations of the FreeBSD Handbook​

… You can save the Single HTML handbook as text file from inside a browser for example, or try textproc/html2text.

Thanks. Some discussion, including test results, under <https://forums.freebsd.org/posts/561584>.