WebSearch - a web-searching application demonstrating WWW::Search

WebSearch [-m MaxCount] [-e SearchEngine] [-o option] [-o option...] [-ardvV] query

This program is provides a command-line interface to web search engines, listing all URLs found for a given query. This program also provides a simple demonstration of the WWW::Search Perl library for web searches.

The program supports a number of search engines; use WebSearch --list to see which backends are installed.

A more sophisticated client is AutoSearch which maintains a change list of found objects.

For examples and hints about searches, see AutoSearch.

WebSearch uses Getopt::Long, so you can use double-minus with long option names, or single-minus with one-letter abbreviations.

--engine e_name, -e e_name

The string e_name is the name of (the module for) the desired search engine. Capitalization matters. See `perldoc WWW::Search` to find out what the default is (probably Null). Use --list to get a list of installed backends.

--gui, -g

Perform the search to mimic the default browser-based search. Not implemented for all backends, see the documentation for each backend.

--list

Prints to STDERR a \n-separated list of installed backends.

--max max_count, -m max_count

Specify the maximum number of hits to retrieve.

--option o_string, -o o_string

Specify a search-engine option in the form 'key=value' (or just 'key'). Can be repeated for as many options are needed. Keys can be repeated.

--count, -c

As the first line of output, print the approximate hit count. As the last line of output, print the actual hit count.

--terse, -t

Do not print any URLs. Only useful if you also specify --count. If you specify --terse but not --count, there will be no output no matter how many hits are found!

--all, -a

For each hit result, print all the URLs that the search engine indicated were equivalent to it. (Some URLs may refer to the same object.) Can be combined with --verbose; can not be combined with --raw.

--raw, -r

For each hit result, print the raw HTML. Not implemented for all backends.

--verbose, -v

Verbose mode. Enumerate the returned URLs and show the description, score, date, etc. for each.

--VERSION, -V

Print version information and exit immediately.

--debug <i>, -d <i>

Display back-end debugging information (with debug level <i>)

--host <hostname.sub.domain>

Set the _host option for the WWW::Search object (backend-dependent).

--port <i>

Set the _port option for the WWW::Search object (backend-dependent).

--username <bbunny>

Set the username with which to login to the backend.

--password <c4rr0t5>

Set the password with which to login to the backend.

--lwpdebug, -l

Display low-level libwww-perl debugging information

The environment variable http_proxy (or HTTP_PROXY) specifies a proxy, if any.

For the library, see WWW::Search.

For a more sophisticated client, see AutoSearch.

CWWebSearch was written by John Heidemann, <johnh@isi.edu>. CWWebSearch is maintained by Martin Thurn, <mthurn@cpan.org>.

Copyright (c) 1996-1997 University of Southern California. All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms are permitted provided that the above copyright notice and this paragraph are duplicated in all such forms and that any documentation, advertising materials, and other materials related to such distribution and use acknowledge that the software was developed by the University of Southern California, Information Sciences Institute. The name of the University may not be used to endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED AS IS AND WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.