goog

goog is a command line tool that lets you perform Google searches from the command line. Along with your query, you can specify the number of pages of results you want and the time range you are interested in.

You can output the result in simple, colored plain text in the shell, or you can browse in interactive mode (with ways to pipe webpage text to other Unix programs) or in Vim mode (where you are supplied with Vim key bindings to quickly open any URL in the results in a web browser).

goog can also install itself as a Vim plugin, giving you the power to run and browse Google searches inside Vim. If you have elinks installed, you can even read the webpages returned by the Google search inside your Vim session.

Personally my favorite way to use goog is the interactive mode (use the -i or --interactive flag).

Pure command line mode:

goog as a Vim plugin, showing search results at the bottom, and a webpage opened inside the Vim session with the goog keybinding <leader>O.

gem install goog

Usage: goog [options] [query]
    -h, --help                       Show this message
    -d, --date-range [DATE RANGE]    Show results for date range. See below for options.
    -n, --num-pages [NUM PAGES]      Show NUM PAGES pages of results
    -c, --color                      Force color output
    -x, --expand                     Expand all results into web page text
    -e, --elinks                     Open results in elinks
    -i, --interactive                Prompt for selection
    -v, --vim                        Open results in Vim and bind <leader>o to open URL on or after cursor
        --install-plugin             Install Goog as a Vim plugin
        --version                    Show version

DATE RANGE options for -d option:
    h   last hour
    d   last day (24 hours)
    w   last week
    m   last month
    y   last year

VIM KEY MAPPINGS
    <leader>o       open URL on or after cursor in default external web browser
    <leader>O       open URL on or after cursor in split Vim window using elinks, links, or lynx

VIM PLUGIN COMMANDS

    :Goog [query]

      where query is any of the flags and arguments you can pass to the command
      line version, except for -v.

goog will run the Google search and print matches with syntax coloring in a
split Vim buffer.

In the GoogSearchResults buffer:

    CTRL-j          jumps to the next URL
    CTRL-k          jumps to the previous URL
    <leader>o       open URL on or after cursor in default external web browser
    <leader>O       open URL on or after cursor in split Vim window using elinks, links, or lynx

I wrote goog for the same reason I wrote vmail, poddb, and vitunes: I believe that the command line, supplemented by a Unix-style plain text editor like Vim, is in general a much more powerful, productive, empowering, and creative environment for using a computer than the web browser or GUI-style app. In short, I follow the Unix philosophy when it comes to the software tools I use.

Copyright (c) 2012 Daniel Choi, http://danielchoi.com/software/

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.