--- name: "sr" section: "1" platform: "linux" package: "surfraw" version: "2.3.0-4" release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/surfraw" --- # sr(1) a fast unix command line interface to WWW services Part of [surfraw(1)](/surfraw/1.md). ## NAME surfraw - a fast unix command line interface to WWW services ## SYNOPSIS **surfraw** *elviname \[options\] search words ...*\ **sr** *elviname \[options\] search words ...*\ **sr -elvi**\ **sr** *\[options\] bookmark \[search words\]*\ ## DESCRIPTION Surfraw provides a fast unix command line interface to a variety of popular WWW search engines and other artifacts of power. It reclaims google, altavista, dejanews, freshmeat, research index, slashdot and many others from the false‐prophet, pox‐infested heathen lands of html‐forms, placing these wonders where they belong, deep in unix heartland, as god loving extensions to the shell. Surfraw consists of a collection of **elvi**, each of which knows how to search a specific web site. To see the list of elvi type: surfraw -elvi Note that sr is an alias for surfraw, so that could equally be sr -elvi To search using an elvis use: sr elviname \[options\] search terms.. For example, to search google for information on Debian ports, using the "I'm feeling lucky" option: sr google -l debian ports ### Adding the elvi to your path If you are a regular user of surfraw, you will probably get sick of typing sr or surfraw each time. You can regain the old behaviour of running the elvi directly by adding the elvi directory (/usr/lib/surfraw) to your path, either manually or using **[surfraw-update-path(1)](/surfraw-update-path/1.md)**. ### Bookmarks Surfraw supports bookmarks. To add a bookmark, add it to **/etc/xdg/surfraw/bookmarks** or **$HOME/.config/surfraw/bookmarks** The format of the bookmarks file is simple, each bookmark is on a separate line, with the bookmark and URL separated by whitespace, eg: ntk http://www.ntk.net/ If the url contains the string **%s**, you can specify an optional argument to the bookmark. Without an argument, only the domain will be returned. With arguments, **%s** will be replaced by the arguments. This obviates the need to create elvi for sites with very simple search options. To invoke a bookmark, use "surfraw bookmark" or "sr bookmark", and if an elvis of that name doesn't exist, it searches for a bookmark of that name instead. There are some example bookmarks in /etc/xdg/surfraw/bookmarks ## OPTIONS Use **sr elviname -local-help** for elvi‐specific options. The following options work with all elvi. - **-help** Show summary of options (including elvi‐specific options). - **-local-help** Show elvi‐specific options. - **-version** Show version of program. - **-browser=***EXECUTABLE* Set browser (default: sensible-browser). - **-elvi** Display a list of other Surfraw mechanisms for conquering evil. - **-escape-url-args=yes\|no** Apply url escaping to arguments (default: yes) - **-q\|-quote** Bracket all arguments with " characters (default: no). Note that putting quotes round arguments works now, so you can do, for example: sr google foo "bar baz" bam and the quoting is passed on to the search engine ## EXAMPLES $ sr ask why is jeeves gay?\ $ surfraw google -results=100 RMS, GNU, which is sinner, which is sin?\ $ sr austlii -method=phrase dog like\ $ /usr/lib/surfraw/rhyme -method=perfect Julian ## CONFIGURATION Surfraw uses the XDG basedir spec (http://standards.freedesktop.org/basedir-spec/basedir-spec-0.6.html) to locate config files. The default locations are shown below, but can be modified by setting the environment variables **$XDG\_CONFIG\_HOME** and **$XDG\_CONFIG\_DIRS.** See the spec for more details. Surfraw gets its configuration from three sources, in order: - 1\. Environment variables - 2\. /etc/xdg/surfraw/conf - 3\. $HOME/.config/surfraw/conf /etc/xdg/surfraw.conf and $HOME/.config/surfraw/conf are both fragments of bourne‐shell style shell script. /etc/xdg/surfraw.conf should use def and defyn to define variables. These functions set variables unless they are already set by the environment. defyn is used for boolean configuration variables, def for all others. For instance: def SURFRAW\_text\_browser /usr/bin/lynx\ defyn SURFRAW\_graphical no $HOME/.config/surfraw/conf should use sh‐style entries, eg: SURFRAW\_text\_browser=/usr/bin/lynx\ SURFRAW\_graphical=no This is because you want them to override environment variables unconditionally. ## CONFIGURATION VARIABLES - **SURFRAW\_global\_conf** Location of global configuration file. Default: def SURFRAW\_global\_conf /etc/xdg/surfraw/conf - **SURFRAW\_conf** Location of per‐user configuration file. Default: def SURFRAW\_conf $HOME/.config/surfraw/conf - **SURFRAW\_graphical** Whether to use a graphical browser. Default: defyn SURFRAW\_graphical no - **SURFRAW\_text\_browser** Name/path of text browser executable. e.g. links, lynx, w3m Default: def SURFRAW\_text\_browser sensible-browser - **SURFRAW\_graphical\_browser** Name/path of graphical browser executable. e.g mozilla, netscape etc. Default: def SURFRAW\_graphical\_browser sensible-browser - **SURFRAW\_text\_browser\_args** Text browser arguments, or "none". Default: def SURFRAW\_text\_browser\_args none - **SURFRAW\_graphical\_browser\_args** Graphical browser arguments, or "none". Default: def SURFRAW\_graphical\_browser\_args none - **SURFRAW\_graphical\_remote** Whether to use "**-remote openURL**" for graphical browser. Default: defyn SURFRAW\_graphical\_remote yes - **SURFRAW\_new\_window** When using SURFRAW\_graphical\_remote, open a new window? Default: defyn SURFRAW\_new\_window no - **SURFRAW\_screen** Name of screen command to run. Default: def SURFRAW\_screen screen - **SURFRAW\_new\_screen** If surfraw is running under [screen(1)](/screen/1.md), start a new screen for each text browser invocation? Default: defyn SURFRAW\_new\_screen no - **SURFRAW\_screen\_args** Arguments to pass to the SURFRAW\_screen command Default: def SURFRAW\_screen\_args "" - **SURFRAW\_quote\_args** Whether to "quote" all the arguments. Default: defyn SURFRAW\_quote\_args no - **SURFRAW\_quote\_ifs** Whether to re‐quote arguments if they have spaces in, ie so:\ sr google foo "bar baz" bam\ works as expected. Default: defyn SURFRAW\_quote\_ifs yes - **SURFRAW\_results** Default number of results to return (not supported by all elvi). Default: def SURFRAW\_results 30 - **SURFRAW\_escape\_url\_args** Whether to escape \[% "$%&+,/:;\<=\>?@\[{\|}~'\] characters in command line arguments subsequently used to construct a url. Default: defyn SURFRAW\_escape\_url\_args yes ## FILES - **/usr/lib/surfraw** Location of the elvi. - **${HOME}/.config/surfraw/elvi** Per‐user elvi. - **/etc/xdg/surfraw/conf** Default system wide configuration file. - **$HOME/.config/surfraw/conf** Default per‐user config file - **/etc/xdg/surfraw/bookmarks** System wide bookmarks file. - **$HOME/.config/surfraw/bookmarks** Per‐user bookmarks file. ## BUGS Please report any bugs found (or any web sites in need of surfrawizing) either via the debian bug tracking system (http://bugs.debian.org/) or to the surfraw-devel list (surfraw-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org). ## SEE ALSO http://alioth.debian.org/projects/surfraw/ ## PROPAGANDA Oh Baybe I need some Deep Linking Let us go Surfin' in the raw!\ Read HACKING. Surfrawize the soul of your favourite internet wonder. Join the **S**hell **U**sers' **R**evolutionary **Fr**ont **A**gainst the WW**W** by submitting code. Reclaim heathen lands. Bear witness to the truth. Its love will set you free. Join us on surfraw-devel@lists.alioth.debian.org ## AUTHORS Originally written by Julian Assange. Now maintained by the surfraw-devel team \. See the file AUTHORS for the full list of contributors. Man page by Ian Beckwith, based on the original README and an earlier man page by Christian Surchi. ## COPYRIGHT Copyright (c) 2003-2018 The Surfraw-Devel Team\ \\ Copyright (c) 2000-2001 Julian Assange \\ Copyright (c) 2001 Australian Institute for Collaborative Research\ Copyright (c) 2000 Melbourne Institute for Advanced Study The copyright holders listed above assert no rights on this release of the software \`\`surfraw'' and thereby explicity place this release into the into the public domain. Do what you will.