---
name: "wncat"
section: "3"
platform: "linux"
package: "wn"
version: "2.2.9-2"
release: "Debian 3.0 (Woody)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/wncat"
---

# wncat(3)

program for listing (un)compressed files for wn HTTP server

## NAME

wncat - program for listing (un)compressed files for wn HTTP server

## SYNOPSIS

**wncat** *directory* \[ *file*\]

## DESCRIPTION

**wncat** is a Debian specific [**sh**(1)](/sh/1.md) program that is part of the [**wn**(1)](/wn/1.md) HTTP server package.  It looks for a file name in the optional second argument *file* or if not supplied it looks for a file name in the environment variable **WN\_KEY** (see **http:/doc/wn/appendixD.html**). **wncat** then concatenates *file* to the directory name *directory* given in the first argument. **wncat** will then search for either a compressed or uncompressed version and print it to standard output.  The compressed version is assumed to have the suffix *.gz* and can be uncompressed with the [**zcat**(1)](/zcat/1.md) program.

**wncat** is intended to be used with the File Module feature of [**wn**(1)](/wn/1.md) (see **http:/doc/wn/module.html**) or as a CGI program. Use as a File Module requires that the **File-Module** directive be set in the appropriate *index* file (see **http:/doc/wn/appendixB.html**). For example, to serve both compressed and uncompressed files located in the */usr/doc* directory from the */var/www/doc* directory, you would set the following in the */var/www/doc/index* file:

```
        File-Module=/var/www/cgi-bin/wn/wncat /usr/doc
```

Use as a CGI program requires that the **CGI-Handler** directive be set in the appropriate *index* file (see **http:/doc/wn/appendixB.html**). For example, to serve the uncompress version of a the compressed */usr/doc/wn/changelog.gz* file, you would set the following in the */usr/doc/wn/index* file:

```
        CGI-Handler=/var/www/cgi-bin/wn/wncat /var/www/doc/wn changelog
```

## SEE ALSO

[**zcat**(1)](/zcat/1.md), [**wn**(1)](/wn/1.md), [**wn\_mkdigest**(1)](/wn_mkdigest/1.md), [**wn\_uncache**(1)](/wn_uncache/1.md), [**wndex**(1)](/wndex/1.md), [**wnindexmaker**(1)](/wnindexmaker/1.md), [**wnpnuts**(1)](/wnpnuts/1.md), [**wnauth**(3)](/wnauth/3.md), [**wnhtmlify**(3)](/wnhtmlify/3.md), [**wnredir**(3)](/wnredir/3.md), [**wnsectsearch**(3)](/wnsectsearch/3.md), [**wnseven\_m**(3)](/wnseven_m/3.md), [**wn\_md5passwd**(8)](/wn_md5passwd/8.md), [**wn\_mkpasswd**(8)](/wn_mkpasswd/8.md), [**wnconfig**(8)](/wnconfig/8.md), [**wnd**(8)](/wnd/8.md), [**wnsd**(8)](/wnsd/8.md), [**wnupdatewww**(8)](/wnupdatewww/8.md), [**wnv2c**(8)](/wnv2c/8.md)\
 **http:/doc/wn/module.html**\
 **http:/doc/wn/appendixB.html**\
 **http:/doc/wn/appendixD.html**\
 **http:/doc/wn/manual.html**\
 **http://hopf.math.nwu.edu/**

## AUTHOR

**wn** is written by John Franks \<john@math.nwu.edu\>.  Modified by Jean Pierre LeJacq \<jplejacq@quoininc.com\> as part of packaging for the Debian GNU/Linux distribution. Manual page also added by Jean Pierre LeJacq.