Name

follow - paging through the output of a given command, which is periodically refreshed

Synopsis

follow [-n SECS|--interval SECS] [-s|--shell] [-t|--no-title] command [arguments...]

follow -h | --help

follow -v | --version

Description

follow is similar to watch, but provides paging capabilities. follow periodically executes the provided command and shows its output on the terminal. It is intended for commands producing a large amount of output by providing a subset of the less commands for navigation.

Two versions exist, which only differ in how the command is executed:

• A ready-to-use Python script (follow.py); the command is executed synchronously, so the interface freezes during its execution (particularly noticeable for commands that need some time to run)
• A C program that can be compiled using GNU Autotools: the command is executed in the background, and the interface remains responsive all the time

Options

-h, --help

Display the help message and exit.

-v, --version

Display version information and exit.

-n SECS, --interval SECS

Refresh the command every SECS seconds.

-s, --shell

Execute the command through a shell, rather than directly.

-t, --no-title

Don't show the header line.

Commands

follow understands a subset of the less commands for navigation through the command's output.

LEFT ARROW

Move one column to the left

RIGHT ARROW

Move one column to the right

DOWN ARROW, e, j

Move one row downwards

UP ARROW, k, y

Move one row upwards

E, J

Move one row downwards (allow movement past the bottom of the output)

K, Y

Move one row upwards (allow movement past the top of the output)

SPACE, f

Move one screen height downwards

b

Move one screen height upwards

d

Move one half screen height downwards

u

Move one half screen height upwards

g

Go to top

G

Go to bottom

F

Remain at then bottom, even when the height changes (a repeat switches off that mode)

q, ^c

Exit the program.