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bzmore

file viewinglinux
The bzmore command is one of the most frequently used commands in Linux/Unix-like operating systems. bzmore View bzip2 compressed files using the more pager
See ExamplesView Syntax

Quick Reference

Command Name:

bzmore

Category:

file viewing

Platform:

linux

Basic Usage:

bzmore [options] [arguments]

Common Use Cases

    Syntax

    bzmore [file.bz2 ...]

    Options

    Option Description
    -d Display "Press space to continue, 'q' to quit" prompt
    -f Count logical lines instead of screen lines
    -l Ignore form feed (^L) characters
    -c Display pages by clearing instead of scrolling
    -p Do not scroll, clean screen and display text
    -s Squeeze multiple blank lines into one
    -u Suppress underlining

    Note: bzmore supports options that the more command accepts, as it is a wrapper around bunzip2 and more.

    Examples

    How to Use These Examples

    The examples below show common ways to use the bzmore command. Try them in your terminal to see the results. You can copy any example by clicking on the code block.

    #

    Basic Examples:

    # View a compressed file with paging
bzmore file.txt.bz2
    # Search within a file by pressing '/' bzmore large_log.bz2 # Then type your search pattern
    # View multiple compressed files bzmore file1.bz2 file2.bz2 file3.bz2 # Press :n to move to the next file

    Advanced Examples:

    # Pipe output to another command
bzmore file.bz2 | grep "error"
    # View multiple files from find command find /var/log/ -name "*.log.bz2" -exec bzmore {} \;
    # Examine a compressed log file bzmore /var/log/syslog.1.bz2
    # Save decompressed output to a file bzmore file.bz2 > decompressed_file.txt # Filter with grep then page through results bzcat file.bz2 | grep "search term" | more

    Try It Yourself

    Practice makes perfect! The best way to learn is by trying these examples on your own system with real files.

    Understanding Syntax

    Pay attention to the syntax coloring: commands, options, and file paths are highlighted differently.

    Notes

    Key Features:

    The bzmore command allows viewing bzip2-compressed files with these benefits:

    • View compressed files without explicitly decompressing them first
    • Page through compressed files one screen at a time
    • Search within compressed files using the more pager functionality
    • View multiple compressed files in sequence
    • Saves disk space by not requiring explicit decompression

    Common More Navigation Commands:

    • Space: Display the next page
    • Enter: Display the next line
    • b: Go back one page (may not work in all implementations)
    • /pattern: Search for 'pattern'
    • n: Repeat the previous search
    • =: Show the current line number
    • :f: Show the current file name and line number
    • :n: Go to the next file (when multiple files specified)
    • q or Q: Quit

    Implementation Details:

    bzmore is a shell script that works as a wrapper by:

    • Using bunzip2 to decompress the input file
    • Piping the output to the more pager for display
    • Handling navigation between multiple files

    Usage Tips:

    • Use bzmore for quick viewing of compressed text files
    • For more advanced features like backward scrolling, consider using bzless instead
    • The more pager is simpler than less but may have fewer features depending on your system
    • For very large files, bzmore uses less memory than decompressing the entire file first
    • Press 'h' while viewing to display help in some implementations

    Limitations:

    • Fewer features compared to bzless (which uses the more powerful less pager)
    • Limited backward scrolling capabilities
    • Not suitable for viewing binary or non-text content
    • Requires the bzip2 package to be installed
    • Performance may be slower with very large compressed files

    Related Commands

    These commands are frequently used alongside bzmore or serve similar purposes:

    Explore All Commands

    Use Cases

    Learn By Doing

    The best way to learn Linux commands is by practicing. Try out these examples in your terminal to build muscle memory and understand how the bzmore command works in different scenarios.

    See ExamplesTry Lab Exercises
    $ bzmore
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