# Help window in terminal **URL:** \ **Category:** Tools\ **Created:** [February 23, 2020, 1:04pm UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/help-window-in-terminal/1909 "2020-02-23T13:04:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![emacstheviking](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/swi-prolog.discourse.group/emacstheviking/32/228_2.png) [@emacstheviking](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/emacstheviking)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 1:04pm UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/help-window-in-terminal/1909/1 "2020-02-23T13:04:43Z")
I’m using: SWI-Prolog version ??? (threaded, 64 bits, version 8.0.3) on Ubuntu 18.10, today I typed `help(open)` and I saw the output in the console! Then I tried opening the Prolog Help from the PceEmacs window and again the output came out in the console?!?!?! I was expecting the nice X11 window with the tree on the left and content on the right. Has that been removed, have I not configed something? As much as I live in the command line, I find it hard to be paging up and down in the terminal. What did I do wrong ? Thanks Sean ---
**Author:** ![jan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/swi-prolog.discourse.group/jan/32/4_2.png) [@jan](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/jan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 3:49pm UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/help-window-in-terminal/1909/2 "2020-02-23T15:49:27Z")
Nothing. The local online help just dumps to the console, if possible piping through `less`. The old X11 version has been deleted some versions back. I think most people use the online manual at [swi-prolog.org](http://swi-prolog.org). The local one has of the advantage that it really matches the installed system, whereas the online manual always reflects the last development release. You can also start `swipl --pldoc` which opens your browser on the documentation system, providing docs for your application as well as the local manual. The only downside is that there is no autocompletion on search. The HTML docs are in `doc/Manual` in the installation directory. ---
**Author:** ![emacstheviking](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/swi-prolog.discourse.group/emacstheviking/32/228_2.png) [@emacstheviking](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/emacstheviking)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 6:10pm UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/help-window-in-terminal/1909/3 "2020-02-23T18:10:07Z")
At least it’s nice to know, just for once, I didn’t do anything wrong. Yet. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![peter.ludemann](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/swi-prolog.discourse.group/peter.ludemann/32/48_2.png) [@peter.ludemann](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/peter.ludemann)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 6:26pm UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/help-window-in-terminal/1909/4 "2020-02-23T18:26:37Z")
I’m glad that the old X11 version has been deleted … sometimes I use swipl with only a terminal window and it was annoying that help/1 would try (and fail) to pop up an X11 window (there doesn’t seem to be an option for turning off X11 (like `emacs -nw`), despite there being two Linux packages: swi-prolog-x and swi-prolog-nox). ---
**Author:** ![jan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/swi-prolog.discourse.group/jan/32/4_2.png) [@jan](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/jan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2020, 8:03pm UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/help-window-in-terminal/1909/5 "2020-02-23T20:03:00Z")
swi-prolog-nox definitely doesn’t open X11 windows as it has no way to do so. Turning X11 access off while it is installed is done by ensuring DISPLAY is not set or using `swipl --no-pce`. ---
**Author:** ![fguzman07](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4bbf92/32.png) [@fguzman07](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/fguzman07)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 12:34am UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/help-window-in-terminal/1909/6 "2021-09-11T00:34:45Z")
What was the last version that included the X11 help window? I miss it badly. I am willing to go back to an earlier version just to have that X11 help window. ---
**Author:** ![jan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/free1/user_avatar/swi-prolog.discourse.group/jan/32/4_2.png) [@jan](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/jan)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 8:24am UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/help-window-in-terminal/1909/7 "2021-09-11T08:24:52Z")
It is not very likely to happen as it requires quite a bit of work. The old stuff was removed because the underlying software was old and unmaintained. Building the docs was a nightmare so bad that the docs were distributed separately from the sources ☹ There are several alternatives though: - The website ([https://www.swi-prolog.org](https://www.swi-prolog.org)) is what I and many others normally use. - You can install your own copy of the website using [GitHub - SWI-Prolog/plweb: SWI-Prolog web server sources for www.swi-prolog.org](https://github.com/SWI-Prolog/plweb) if you want the docs without access to the internet. - If you load PlDoc, you can use your browser to browse the the systems docs as well as the code you documented yourself. - help/1 and apropos/1 that dumps the docs on the terminal. The last three options provide you with a local version that reflects your installed version. I guess the terminal version would need some way to do interactive jumping to linked pages. ---
**Author:** ![fguzman07](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4bbf92/32.png) [@fguzman07](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/u/fguzman07)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2021, 12:35pm UTC](https://swi-prolog.discourse.group/t/help-window-in-terminal/1909/8 "2021-09-11T12:35:09Z")
Thanks Jan.