ponysay/manuals/ponysay.texinfo

\input texinfo   @c -*-texinfo-*-

@c %**start of header
@setfilename ponysay.info
@settitle Ponysay
@afourpaper
@documentencoding UTF-8
@documentlanguage en
@finalout
@c %**end of header
@set VERSION 1.1

@copying
This manual is for ponysay
(version @value{VERSION}),

Copyright @copyright{} 2012 Mattias Andrée

@quotation
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no
Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts, and with no Back-Cover
Texts.  A copy of the license is included in the section entitled ``GNU
Free Documentation License''.
@end quotation
@end copying

@ifnottex
@node Top
@top Ponysay: ponies for your terminal
@insertcopying
@end ifnottex

@titlepage
@title Ponysay
@subtitle A cowsay wrapper for ponies.
@subtitle Covers ponysay version @value{VERSION}.
@author by Mattias Andrée

@page
@vskip 0pt plus 1filll
@insertcopying
@end titlepage

@contents


@menu
* Overview::                            Brief overview of @command{ponysay}.
* Invoking ponysay::                    How to run @command{ponysay}.
* Environment::                         Environment variables.
@c Extensions
* Limitations::                         Limitations.
* Problems and requests::               Reports and requests.
* GNU Free Documentation License::      Copying and sharing this manual.
* Concept index::                       Concept index.
@end menu


@node Overview
@chapter Overview
@cindex overview

@command{ponysay} displays an image of a My Little Pony pony saying some text provided
by the user in a terminal. It is a wrapper for @command{cowsay}. If message is not
provided, e.g. by piping, it accepts standard input. The pony saying the given message
is printed on standard output.

@command{ponythink} is to @command{ponysay} as @command{cowthink} is to @command{cowsay}.


@node Invoking ponysay
@chapter Invoking @command{ponysay}
@cindex invoking
@cindex options
@cindex arguments
@cindex ponythink

The format for running the @command{ponysay} program is:

@example
ponysay [@var{option}@dots{}] [@var{message}]
ponythink [@var{option}@dots{}] [@var{message}]
@end example

Running @command{ponysay} will print a speech balloon,
@command{ponythink} will print a thought balloon.
Otherwise @command{ponysay} and @command{ponythink} is the same thing.

@command{ponysay} supports the following options:

@table @option

@item -h
Show summary of options.

@item -v
Show version of program.

@item -f PONY
Specify the pony that should printed, this can either be a file name or
a pony name printed by @command{ponysay -l}. If it is a file name with
a relative path and does not include a `@code{/}', it must begin with
`@code{./}', this is a @command{cowsay} issue. This option can be used
multiple times to specify a set of ponies from which one will be selected
randomly. If no pony is specified one will be selected randomly.

@item -q [PONY...]
This option requires the extension @command{ponyquotes4ponysay}. By using
this option, a pony will be printed with quotes from her in My Litte Pony:
Friendship is Magic. The pony will be selected randomly, at least one pony
is added as an argument after @command{-q}.

@item -W COLUMN
Specify the screen column where the message should be wrapped,
this is by default 40, which is inherited from @command{cowsay}.

@item -l
Lists all installed ponies. If the extension @command{ponyquotes4ponysay}
is installed the ponies which have quotes, i.e. can be used with the
@command{-q} option, will be mark by being printed in bold or bright
(depending on the terminal.)

@item -L
Lists all installed ponies. If the extension @command{ponyquotes4ponysay}
is installed the ponies which have quotes, i.e. can be used with the
@command{-q} option, will be mark by being printed in bold or bright
(depending on the terminal.) This options differs from @command{-l} by
printed symonym ponies (symbolic links) inside brackes after their
target ponies.
@end table

If neither @command{-q} is used nor any @var{message} is specified, @command{ponysay}
will read the message from stdin (standard input); however, if no arguments
are used that nothing is piped to stdin, a help message will be printed.
If you want to use @command{ponysay} without arguments and enter the message
by hand, you can run @code{cat | ponysay}.


@node Environment
@chapter Environment variables
@cindex environment variables
@cindex truncation

@command{ponysay} supports the follow environment variables:

@table @option
@item PONYSAY_BOTTOM
@cindex PONYSAY_BOTTOM
Under TTY (Linux VT), if the output is larger the the screen's height, only
the beginning is printed, leaving two blank lines. If you want the buttom
to be printed rather the the beginning you can export @code{PONYSAY_BOTTOM}
with the value @code{yes}, @code{y} or @code{1}.

@item PONYSAY_SHELL_LINES
@cindex PONYSAY_SHELL_LINES
Under TTY (Linux VT), if the output is larger the the screen's height, two
lines are left blank. If you want more, or less, blank lines you can export
@code{PONYSAY_SHELL_LINES} with the value of how many blank lines you want.
Naturally this takes effect if the output is not actually larger than the
screen.
 
@item PONYSAY_FULL_WIDTH
@cindex PONYSAY_FULL_WIDTH
You can export @code{PONYSAY_FULL_WIDTH} with the value @code{no}, @code{n}
or @code{0}, if you do not want the output to be truncated on the width to
fit the terminal.

@item PONYSAY_TRUNCATE_HEIGHT
@cindex PONYSAY_TRUNCATE_HEIGHT
Export @code{PONYSAY_TRUNCATE_HEIGHT} with the value @code{yes}, @code{y}
or @code{1}, if you want to truncate the output on the height even if you
are not running @command{ponysay} under TTY.
@end table



@node Limitations
@chapter Limitations
@cindex limitations

@menu
* Terminals::           Limitations on terminals.
@c Cowsay
@end menu

@node Terminals
@section Terminals


Ponysay works perfectly on @command{xterm}, @command{xterm} like terminals including
@command{putty}, settings may however need to be customised for Unicode Character Set
(UCS) support, but less well, depending on font, on VTE based terminals including
@command{mate-terminal}.

On Linux's native terminal Linux VT (or TTY) it works less well, and not good at all
with Kernal Mode Settings (KMS) support. See @url{https://github.com/erkin/ponysay/issues/1}
for more information.

Due to extreme limitations in @command{9term} @command{ponysay} will never be able
to run on it.



@node Problems and requests
@chapter Problems and requests

@menu
* Problems::           Reporting bugs.
* Requests::           Requestig ponies.
@end menu

@node Problems
@section Reporting bugs
@cindex bugs

If you find a bug in @command{ponysay}, install the last version
from @url{https://github.com/erkin/ponysay}, and if it is still
present, please report it at @url{https://github.com/erkin/ponysay/issues}.
Please be as descriptive as possible, as it will help us verify it
solve it faster.

@node Requests
@section Requestig ponies
@cindex pony requests

If you want I specific pony added, ask us at @url{https://github.com/erkin/ponysay/issues}
and we will add it. To speed the up the process, if possible, supply good
pictures. Full visibly, transparent background, and pixelated are the
properties that makes a picture good.

@node GNU Free Documentation License
@appendix GNU Free Documentation License
@include fdl.texinfo

@node Concept index
@appendix Concept index
@printindex cp

@bye