# Online Handbook - search function does not work



## Erichans (May 27, 2022)

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


----------



## grahamperrin@ (May 27, 2022)

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 (May 28, 2022)

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 (May 28, 2022)

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 (May 28, 2022)

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).



a6h said:


> 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.


----------



## grahamperrin@ (May 28, 2022)

Non-split versions of the FreeBSD Handbook​


T-Daemon said:


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FreeBSD bug 264109 – misc/freebsd-doc-en FreeBSD Handbook outdated – should be fixed soon.


----------



## grahamperrin@ (May 28, 2022)

Plain text representations of the FreeBSD Handbook​


T-Daemon said:


> … 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>.


----------

