On Unix systems interactive Ferret help is available from the Unix command line with the commands Fapropos, Fhelp, and Ftoc. If multiple windows are not available on your system the ^Z key can be used to suspend the current Ferret session and access the help; the Unix command "fg" will then restore the suspended session.

See the introductory chapter, section "Unix on-line help" for more information.

The Ferret command GO/HELP echos the start of the script to the terminal, showing the documentation at the start of the script including its arguments

yes? GO/HELP land.jnl
 Full path name: /home/tmap/ferret/linux/go/land.jnl
\cancel mode verify     ! ... now overlaying coastal outline ...

! Description: Plot outlines of continents, countries, and/or states

!                       arg 1         arg 2        arg 3        arg 4
! usage:   GO land [continent_pen] ["basemap"] [country_pen] [state_pen]

! pens  may be "0"(background), "1"(foreground), "thick"(same as pen 7),
!       "black", "red", "green", "blue", or 2-18.
! arg 2 may be "basemap", "overlay", "fast" (fast, 20e:20e overlay) or omitted

!       Note 1: A pen color of "black" will actually pen number 1
!               -- normally white if the window background is black
!       Note 2: An "N" for the continent pen means no continents
!               -- use this for the special case of geo-political
!                  overlay without continents.

! examples:
!   GO land red           - overlay continents using red pen (2)
!   GO land  10           - overlay continents using pen number 10
!   GO land 1 basemap     - basemap of continents outline in foreground color
!   GO land 1 fast        - overlay continents in region 20e to 380, only
!   GO land 1 " " red     - overlay continents with countries in red
!   GO land thick basemap black black - continents, countries, and states
!   GO land N " " 1 1     - overlay: no continents; yes political boundaries

! Notes:
!  1) If a pen value is given for the country_pen or state_pen then the
!       corresponding geopolitical boundaries will be drawn - else
!       they will be omitted
!  2) use  GO line_samples    to view the first 6 pen numbers
!       Higher pen numbers cycle with thicker lines (max 18)
!  3) For more control over basemaps use "GO basemap"
!