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utilisateur@hostname:/home$ man ls

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$ man passwd # the man page of the passwd command
$ man 5 passwd # the man page of the / etc / passwd configuration file

SYNOPSIS

Briefly indicates the interface of the command or function. For commands, this paragraph shows its syntax and arguments. Bold characters mark the invariable text, and italics indicate replaceable arguments. The brackets enclose the optional arguments, the vertical bars (pipe character) separate the alternatives, and the ellipses … signal the repetitions. For functions, we find all #include statements and directives, followed by the function declaration.

DESCRIPTION

Provides an explanation of what the command, function, or format represents. Describes interactions with files and standard input, or what is produced on standard output or error. Does not contain internal implementation details unless they are critical to understanding the interface. Describes the main case, for the details on the options, we use the paragraph OPTIONS. If there is some kind of input grammar, or a set of subcommands, we can put them in an extra USE section (and place a brief overview in the DESCRIPTION section).

RETURN VALUE

Gives a list of the values that a library routine will return to the caller and the conditions that cause these returns.

EXIT STATUS

Indicates the return codes of a program and associated conditions.

OPTIONS

Describes the options accepted by the program and their influence on its behavior.

USAGE

Describes the grammar of any implemented sub-language.

EXAMPLES

Give one or more examples of how to use the function, file or command.

FILES

List the files used by the program or function, such as configuration files, startup files, and files directly manipulated by the program. You must give the full path of the files and use the installation mechanism to change the prefix. For most programs, the default installation is in / usr / local, so your basic manual page should use / usr / local as the base.

ENVIRONMENT

Describes all environment variables that affect the program or function, and their effects.

DIAGNOSTICS

Provides an overview of common error messages and how to look at them. It is not necessary to specify system error messages or fatal signals that may appear during program execution unless they are specially processed.

SECURITY

Describes security issues and their implications Must contain warnings about configurations or environments to avoid, commands with security implications, etc. especially if they are not obvious. It is not mandatory to make a specific paragraph on security. If intelligibility is improved, this information can be placed in other sections (such as DESCRIPTION or USAGE). Nevertheless, it is important to place the security information somewhere.

CONFORMING TO

Describes the standards or conventions followed by the implementation.

NOTES

Contains various notes.

BUGS

List the limitations or defects identified, as well as the topics for debate.

AUTHOR

List the authors of the documentation or program so that you can send them the bug reports.

SEE ALSO

Provides a list of the manual pages that have a report, in alphabetical order, followed by any other documents. This is usually the last section.