Cygwin: Less Command Not Saving Paged Text File

Cygwin: Less Command Not Saving Paged Text File

If you're working with the less command in Cygwin and experiencing issues with saving a paged text file, this article will help you understand the problem and provide a solution.

Introduction to Cygwin and Less Command

Cygwin is a collection of tools that emulate a Linux environment on Windows. The less command is a pager program, which allows users to view large text files one page at a time. It is often used in conjunction with other commands to view their output.

Problem: Less Command Not Saving Paged Text File

When using the less command to view a text file, you might want to save the currently displayed content to a new file. However, the standard method of saving the file (pressing Shift + S) does not work as expected, and the file is not saved. Instead, the prompt goes away, and no error message is displayed.

Question and Answer

Question: According to a Q&A, when using the less command to save a paged text file, pressing Shift + S and being asked for a file path (e.g., ~/tmp/less_blah.txt), the prompt goes away, but the file is not saved. What could be the issue?

Answer: The problem lies in the fact that the less command, by default, does not save the paged text file with the exact content displayed on the screen. It saves the entire file content from the beginning, which might not be what the user expects.

Solution: Using the Redirect Operator

To save the currently displayed content in the pager, use the redirect operator (>) instead of the Shift + S command. This method will save only the content currently visible in the pager to a new file.

less [filename]
# ... view the file content
# Press Shift + G to go to the end of the file
# Press Shift + F to enter copy mode
# Select the content you want to save with arrow keys
# Press Ctrl + C to exit copy mode
# Press > followed by the desired file path (e.g., ~/tmp/less_blah.txt)
# The selected content will be saved to the specified file

• The less command in Cygwin is a pager program used to view large text files one page at a time.
• By default, the Shift + S command in less saves the entire file content, not just the currently displayed content.
• To save the currently displayed content, use the redirect operator (>) followed by the desired file path.

References

• Cygwin Official Website
• Less Command Manual
• Super User Q&A: Less command save doesn't work