.. _faq: Frequently Asked Questions ========================== Q: How can I copy & paste without decorations? ---------------------------------------------- :Answer: There are a few ways to do this: * Use the :ref:`bookmark` hotkeys to mark lines and then press :kbd:`c` to copy to the local system keyboard. * Press :kbd:`CTRL` + :kbd:`l` to temporarily switch to "lo-fi" mode where the contents of the current view are printed to the terminal. This option is useful when you are logged into a remote host. Q: How can I force a format for a file? --------------------------------------- :Answer: The log format for a file is automatically detected and cannot be forced. :Solution: Add some of the log file lines to the :ref:`sample` array and then startup lnav to get a detailed explanation of where the format patterns are not matching the sample lines. :Details: The first lines of the file are matched against the :ref:`regular expressions defined in the format definitions`. The order of the formats is automatically determined so that more specific formats are tried before more generic ones. Therefore, if the expected format is not being chosen for a file, then it means the regular expressions defined by that format are not matching the first few lines of the file. See :ref:`format_order` for more information. Q: Why isn't my log file highlighted correctly? ----------------------------------------------- TBD Q: Why isn't a file being displayed? ------------------------------------ :Answer: Plaintext files are displayed separately from log files in the TEXT view. :Solution: Press the :kbd:`t` key to switch to the text view. Or, open the files configuration panel by pressing :kbd:`TAB` to cycle through the panels, and then press :kbd:`/` to search for the file you're interested in. If the file is a log, a new :ref:`log format` will need to be created or an existing one modified. :Details: If a file being monitored by lnav does not match a known log file format, it is treated as plaintext and will be displayed in the TEXT view.