Manual Page for open

     open(1)                  Mac OS X Darwin customization                 open(1)

    NAME
           open - command-line equivalent of double-clicking to open OS X applica-
           tions, files, urls,  x-windows  unix  programs,  preference  panes  and
           directories.   This is an enhanced version (a superset) of Apple's open
           command, and (unlike Apple's version) uses a powerful and nuanced  cus-
           tomizable command completion mechanism for the open command.

    SYNOPSIS
           open [ -aeFfpswxh ] [ application-name ] file ...

    DESCRIPTION
           The  open  function  augments  Apple's  distributed open command with a
           super-set of functionality.  It opens a file (or a  directory,  Prefer-
           ence  Pane,  Application,  Widget  or  URL), just as if you had double-
           clicked the file's icon. The augmented version incorporates a  powerful
           zsh command completion system. If no application name is specified, the
           default application as determined via LaunchServices is  used  to  open
           the  specified  files.  This works with a programmed command completion
           for all OS X Application names.   This  mechanism  in  turn  relies  on
           mdfind in 10.4 and above, or an up-to-date locatedb in 10.3.

           The  distributed function enable_faster_open can be run to aid the user
           in taking full advantage of the open completion mechanism  and  ensures
           that  it  operates  optimally.   In  10.4 this is done with a dedicated
           launchd item, and in 10.3 it is done using the locatedb.

           If the file is in the form of a URL, the file will be opened as a  URL.

           If the name of a PreferencePane is given with the -p flag, System Pref-
           erences will open to that pane.  This works with a  command  completion
           for each installed PreferencePane.

           You can specify one or more file names (or pathnames), which are inter-
           preted relative to the  shell  or  Terminal  window's  current  working
           directory. For example, the following command would open all Word files
           in the current working directory:

           open *.doc

    OPTIONS
           -a foo [bar]
                  Opens application foo [and file bar]

           -d bar Opens file with default application

           -e bar Force the file bar to open with TextEdit

           -f     Reads piped input and opens with TextEdit.

           -F bar Force the file bar to open with edit function.

           -p bar.prefPane
                  Open named System Preferences preference pane.

           -s bar Force the file bar to open with sudo open.

           -w [foobar]
                  Open the Widget named foobar

           -x foo [bar]
                  Force the program foo to open [file bar] with open-X11.

           -h     Obtain program help info.

    FILES
           ~/.zsh/zshapplist
                  An updatable listing cache of Application names to be  used  for
                  completing  the  open  -a  command.  See  comp_appgetter(1)  and
                  enable_faster_open(1) for further details.
           _open _mac_applications  _mac_files_for_application  _retrieve_mac_apps
           _comp_appgetter enable_faster_open
                  are  all  zsh functions that must be in the $fpath array for the
                  elaborate _open completion system to work properly.

    EXAMPLES
           open -a Microsoft\ Word or open -a "Microsoft Word" opens the  applica-
           tion named 'Microsoft Word'

           open  -a  Wor <tabkey> completes the line replacing Wor with Microsoft\
           Word

           open -a Microsoft\ Word foo.doc opens  the  file  'foo.doc'  using  the
           application named 'Microsoft Word'

           open -p Accounts.prefPane opens the Preference Pane 'Accounts' in 'Sys-
           tem Preferences'

           open -p Acco <tabkey> completes with ' open -p Accounts.prefPane '

           open .  opens a finder window in the current directory.

           open /Volumes/Macintosh HD/foo.txt opens the document  in  the  default
           application for its type (as determined by LaunchServices).

           open  /Volumes/Macintosh  HD/Applications/  opens that directory in the
           Finder.

           open -a TextEdit /Volumes/Macintosh HD/foo.txt' opens the  document  in
           the application specified (in this case, TextEdit).

           open -e /Volumes/Macintosh HD/foo.txt opens the document in TextEdit.

           open http://www.apple.com/ opens the URL in the default browser.

           open  file://localhost/Volumes/Macintosh  HD/foo.txt opens the document
           in the default application for its type (as  determined  by  LaunchSer-
           vices).

           open  file://localhost/Volumes/Macintosh  HD/Applications/  opens  that
           directory in the Finder.

    HISTORY
           Apple's open command first appeared in NextStep, and is distributed  in
           OS  X  Darwin.  The open function was written as a shell-script wrapper
           for Apple's open to include  additional  functionality,  and  has  been
           incorporated,  along with an elaborate set of command completions, as a
           zsh function in the zsh-templates package.   The  completions  for  the
           open  command  were written by Motoi Washida (Nov 12, 2004 CVS version)
           and subsequently modified by W. G. Scott, Wataru Kagawa and others.

    AUTHORS
           The open command is Copyright (c) 2001 Apple Computer, Inc. All  Rights
           Reserved.   The  open  shell  script is a wrapper for the original open
           program, which remains unaltered.  The open shell script (and zsh func-
           tion) was written by W. G. Scott and is public domain.

           The  _open  command  completion  function was re-written by W. G. Scott
           based on that of Motoi Washida.  The other functions that _open depends
           on  were  written  entirely by Motoi Washida, except for comp_appgetter
           which was written by W. G. Scott.

    SEE ALSO
           open-x11(1),  comp_appgetter(1),   enable_faster_open(1)   sudo_open(1)
           edit(1)

    Mac OS X                        January 4, 2005                        open(1)