links - lynx-like alternative character mode WWW browser
links is a text mode WWW browser with ncurses interface,
supporting colors, correct table rendering, background downloading, menu
driven configuration interface and slim code.
Frames are supported. You can have different file formats
associated with external viewers. mailto: and telnet: are supported via
external clients.
links can handle local (file://) or remote (http:// or
ftp://) URLs.
Most options can be set in the user interface or config file, so
usually you do not need to care about them.
- -help
- Print a help screen
- -version
- Prints the links version number and exit.
- -lookup
<hostname>
- Does name lookup, like command "host".
- -force-html
- Treat files with unknown type as html rather than text. (can be toggled
with '\' key)
- -source
<url>
- Write unformatted data stream to stdout.
- -dump
<url>
- Write formatted document to stdout.
- -width
<number>
- For dump, document will be formatted to this screen width (but it can
still exceed it if lines can't be broken).
- -codepage
<codepage>
- For dump, convert output to specified character set -- for example
iso-8859-2, windows-1250.
- -anonymous
- Restrict links so that it can run on an anonymous account. No local file
browsing. No downloads. Executing of viewers is allowed, but user can't
add or modify entries in association table.
- -no-connect
- Runs links as a separate instance - instead of connecting to existing
instance.
- -download-dir
<path>
- Default download directory. (default: actual dir)
- -language
<language>
- Set user interface language.
- -max-connections
<max>
- Maximum number of concurrent connections. (default: 10)
- -max-connections-to-host
<max>
- Maximum number of concurrent connection to a given host. (default: 2)
- -retries
<retry>
- Number of retries. (default: 3)
- -receive-timeout
<sec>
- Timeout on receive. (default: 120)
- -unrestartable-receive-timeout
<sec>
- Timeout on non restartable connections. (default: 600)
- -timeout-when-trying-multiple-addresses
<sec>
- Timeout for connection when trying multiple addresses or when resuming a
keepalive connection. (default: 3)
- -bind-address
<ip address>
- Use a specific local IP address.
- -bind-address-ipv6
<ipv6 address>
- Use a specific local IPv6 address.
- -no-libevent
- Don't use libevent library.
- -no-openmp
- Don't use OpenMP.
- -async-dns
<0>/<1>
- Asynchronous DNS resolver on(1)/off(0).
- -download-utime
<0>/<1>
- Set time of downloaded files to last modification time reported by server.
- -format-cache-size
<num>
- Number of formatted document pages cached. (default: 5)
- -memory-cache-size
<bytes>
- Cache memory in bytes. (default: 1048576)
- -image-cache-size
<bytes>
- Cache memory in bytes. (default: 1048576)
- -font-cache-size
<bytes>
- Cache memory in bytes. (default: 2097152)
- -aggressive-cache
<0>/<1>
- Always cache everything regardless of server's caching recomendations.
Many servers deny caching even if their content is not changing just to
get more hits and more money from ads.
- -address-preference
<0>/<1>/<2>/<3>/<4>
- (default 0) 0 - use system default. 1 - prefer IPv4. 2 - prefer IPv6. 3 -
use only IPv4. 4 - use only IPv6.
- -http-proxy
<host:port>
- Host and port number of the HTTP proxy, or blank. (default: blank)
- -ftp-proxy
<host:port>
- Host and port number of the FTP proxy, or blank. (default: blank)
- -https-proxy
<host:port>
- Host and port number of the HTTPS proxy, or blank. (default: blank)
- -socks-proxy
<user@host:port>
- Userid, host and port of Socks4a, or blank. (default: blank)
- -append-text-to-dns-lookups
<text>
- Append text to dns lookups. It is useful for specifying fixed tor exit
node. (default: blank)
- -no-proxy-domains
<domain,domain...>
- No proxy for specified domains. (default: blank)
- -only-proxies
<0>/<1>
- "1" causes that Links won't initiate any non-proxy connection.
It is useful for anonymization with tor or similar networks.
- -ssl.certificates
<0>/<1>/<2>
- (default 1) 0 - ignore invalid certificate. 1 - warn on invalid
certificate. 2 - reject invalid certificate.
- -ssl.builtin-certificates
<0>/<1>
- (default 0; on DOS and OpenVMS default 1) Use built-in certificates
instead of system certificates.
- -ssl.client-cert-key
<filename>
- Name of the PEM encoded file with the user private key for client
certificate authentication.
- -ssl.client-cert-crt
<filename>
- Name of the PEM encoded file with the user certificate for client
certificate authentication.
- -ssl.client-cert-password
<text>
- Password for the user private key.
- -http-bugs.http10
<0>/<1>
- (default 0) "1" forces using only HTTP/1.0 protocol. (useful for
buggy servers that claim to be HTTP/1.1 compliant but are not)
"0" enables using both HTTP/1.0 and HTTP/1.1.
- -http-bugs.allow-blacklist
<0>/<1>
- (default 1) "1" defaults to using list of servers that have
broken HTTP/1.1 support. When links finds such server, it will retry the
request with HTTP/1.0.
- -http-bugs.bug-no-accept-charset
<0>/<1>
- (default 0) Do not send Accept-Charset field of HTTP header. Because it is
too long some servers will deny the request. Other servers will convert
content to plain ascii when Accept-Charset is missing.
- -http-bugs.no-compression
<0>/<1>
- (default 0) "1" causes that links won't advertise HTTP
compression support (but it will still accept compressed data). Use it
when you communicate with server that has broken compression support.
- -http-bugs.retry-internal-errors
<0>/<1>
- (default 0) Retry on internal server errors (50x).
- -http.fake-firefox
<0>/<1>
- (default 0) Fake that the browser is Firefox in the HTTP header.
- -http.do-not-track
<0>/<1>
- (default 0) Send "do not track" request in the HTTP header.
- -http.referer
<0>/<1>/<2>/<3>/<4>
- (default 0) 0 - do not send referer. 1 - send the requested URL as
referer. 2 - send fake referer. 3 - send real referer. 4 - send real
referer only to the same server.
- -http.fake-referer
<string>
- Fake referer value.
- -http.fake-user-agent
<string>
- Fake user agent value.
- Extra string added to HTTP header.
- -ftp.anonymous-password
<string>
- Password for anonymous ftp access.
- -ftp.use-passive
<0>/<1>
- Use ftp PASV command to bypass firewalls.
- -ftp.use-erpt-epsv
<0>/<1>
- Use EPRT and EPSV commands instead of PORT and PASV.
- -ftp.set-iptos
<0>/<1>
- Set IP Type-of-service to high throughput on ftp connections.
- -smb.allow-hyperlinks-to-smb
<0>/<1>
- Allow hyperlinks to SMB protocol. Disabling this improves security,
because internet sites cannot exploit possible bugs in the SMB client.
- Size of font in menu.
- Set menu background color in graphics mode. RRGGBB are hex.
- Set menu foreground color in graphics mode. RRGGBB are hex.
- -scroll-bar-area-color
0xRRGGBB
- Set color of scroll bar area. RRGGBB are hex.
- -scroll-bar-bar-color
0xRRGGBB
- Set color of scroll bar. RRGGBB are hex.
- -scroll-bar-frame-color
0xRRGGBB
- Set color of scroll bar frame. RRGGBB are hex.
- -bookmarks-file
<file>
- File to store bookmarks.
- -bookmarks-codepage
<codepage>
- Character set of bookmarks file.
- -save-url-history
<0>/<1>
- Save URL history on exit.
- -display-red-gamma
<fp-value>
- Red gamma of display. (default 2.2)
- -display-green-gamma
<fp-value>
- Green gamma of display. (default 2.2)
- -display-blue-gamma
<fp-value>
- Blue gamma of display. (default 2.2)
- -user-gamma
<fp-value>
- Additional gamma. (default 1)
- -bfu-aspect
<fp-value>
- Display aspect ration.
- -dither-letters
<0>/<1>
- Do letter dithering.
- -dither-images
<0>/<1>
- Do image dithering.
- -display-optimize
<0>/<1>/<2>
- Optimize for CRT (0), LCD RGB (1), LCD BGR (2).
- -gamma-correction
<0>/<1>/<2>
- Type of gamma correction: (default 2) 0 - 8-bit (fast). 1 - 16-bit (slow).
2 - automatically detect according to speed of FPU.
- -overwrite-instead-of-scroll
<0>/<1>
- Overwrite the screen instead of scrolling it (valid for svgalib and
framebuffer). Overwriting may or may not be faster, depending on hardware.
- -font
<file>
- Font file for normal text.
- -font-bold
<file>
- Font file for bold text.
- -font-monospaced
<file>
- Font file for monospaced text.
- -font-monospaced-bold
<file>
- Font file for monospaced bold text.
- -font-italic
<file>
- Font file for italic text.
- -font-italic-bold
<file>
- Font file for italic bold text.
- -font-monospaced-italic
<file>
- Font file for monospaced italic text.
- -font-monospaced-italic-bold
<file>
- Font file for monospaced italc bold text.
- -html-assume-codepage
<codepage>
- Use the given codepage when the webpage did not specify its codepage.
(default: ISO 8859-1)
- -html-hard-assume
<0>/<1>
- Use always character set from "-html-assume-codepage" no matter
what server sent.
- -html-tables
<0>/<1>
- Render tables. (0) causes tables being rendered like in lynx.
- -html-frames
<0>/<1>
- Render frames. (0) causes frames rendered like in lynx.
- -html-break-long-lines
<0>/<1>
- Break long lines in <pre> sections.
- -html-images
<0>/<1>
- Display links to unnamed images as [IMG]
- -html-image-names
<0>/<1>
- Display filename of an image instead of [IMG].
- -html-display-images
<0>/<1>
- Display images in graphics mode.
- -html-image-scale
<percent>
- Scale images in graphics mode.
- -html-bare-image-autoscale
<0>/<1>
- Autoscale images displayed in full screen.
- -html-numbered-links
<0>/<1>
- Number links in text mode. Allow quick link selection by typing link
number and enter.
- -html-table-order
<0>/<1>
- In text mode, walk through table by rows (0) or columns (1).
- -html-auto-refresh
<0>/<1>
- Process refresh to other page (1), or display link to that page (0).
- -html-target-in-new-window
<0>/<1>
- Allow opening new windows from html.
- -html-margin
<number of spaces>
- Margin in text mode.
- -html-user-font-size
<size>
- Size of font on pages in graphics mode.
- -html-text-color
<0>-<15>
- Text color in text mode.
- -html-link-color
<0>-<15>
- Link color in text mode.
- -html-background-color
<0>-<7>
- Background color in text mode.
- -html-ignore-document-color
<0>/<1>
- Ignore colors specified in html document in text mode.
- -html-g-text-color
0xRRGGBB
- Text color in graphics mode.
- -html-g-link-color
0xRRGGBB
- Link color in graphics mode.
- -html-g-background-color
0xRRGGBB
- Background color in graphics mode.
- -html-g-ignore-document-color
<0>/<1>
- Ignore colors specified in html document in graphics mode.
More options can be seen with links -h
The keys you may use while navigating are
- ESC
- menu/escape
- F9
- menu
- F10
- file menu
- TAB
- next frame
- PGDN
- page down
- Space
- page down
- PGUP
- page up
- b
- page up
- CursorDOWN
- next link/down
- CursorUP
- prev link/up
- INS
- scroll up
- ^P
- scroll up
- DEL
- scroll down
- ^N
- scroll down
- [
- scroll left
- ]
- scroll right
- HOME
- home
- END
- end of page
- CursorRIGHT
- enter link/press button
- ENTER
- enter link/press button
- CursorLEFT
- go back
- d
- download link
- /
- search in the page
- ?
- search back in the page
- n
- find next match
- N
- find next match backwards
- f
- zoom actual frame
- ^R
- reload page
- g
- go to URL
- G
- edit the current URL and goto the result
- ^G
- edit the current link and goto the result
- s
- bookmark manager
- q
- quit, close window if more windows are open
- Q
- quit without asking
- =
- document information
- \
- toggle HTML source/rendered view
The following keys can be used while editing a line/jumping to a
URL:
- CursorRIGHT
- move right
- CursorLEFT
- move left
- HOME
- jump at the beginning
- ^A
- jump at the beginning
- END
- jump at the end
- ^E
- jump at the end
- ^X
- cut to clipboard (text mode only)
- ^B
- copy to clipboard
- ^INS
- copy to clipboard
- ^V
- paste from clipboard (text mode only)
- ENTER
- enter line
- BACKSPACE
- delete back character
- ^H
- delete back character
- DEL
- delete character
- ^D
- delete character
- ^U
- delete from beginning of the line
- ^K
- delete to the end of the line
- ^W
- auto complete line
- ~/.links2/links.cfg
- Per‐user configfile, automatically created by links.
links is known to work on Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, IRIX,
HPUX, Digital Unix, AIX, OS/2, BeOS and Win32.
Can't connect to some FTP servers (Novell, NT). Connection stays
in "Request sent" state.
Frames don't work if there's more frames with same name. Turn them
off in such case.
You can't upload large files; it takes _lots_ of memory.
You shouldn't press '^Z' when you are in a viewer
Please report any other bugs you find to Mikulas Patocka
<mikulas@artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz>
links is free software; you can redistribute it and/or
modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your
option) any later version.
links was written by Mikulas Patocka, Karel 'Clock'
Kulhavy, Petr 'Brain' Kulhavy, and Martin 'PerM' Pergel. See file
AUTHORS for a list of people contributing to this project.
The homepage of links can be found at
http://links.twibright.com/
This manual page was written by Peter Gervai
<grin@tolna.net>, using excerpts from a (yet?) unknown links
fan for the Debian GNU/Linux system (but may be used by others). Updated by
Karel Kulhavy.