zealdocs/zeal

★ 12,625C++Audience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((Zeal))
    What it does
      Offline docs browser
      Instant search
      Multi-docset search
    Platforms
      Windows
      Linux and BSD
    Docsets
      Download from app
      Custom Dash format
      Official and community
    Usage
      GUI search
      Command-line trigger
      Prefix filtering
    Build
      C++ and Qt
      CMake
      SQLite

mindmap root((Zeal)) What it does Offline docs browser Instant search Multi-docset search Platforms Windows Linux and BSD Docsets Download from app Custom Dash format Official and community Usage GUI search Command-line trigger Prefix filtering Build C++ and Qt CMake SQLite

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Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Look up Python, Django, or any other framework's API reference instantly while working offline or on a slow connection.

USE CASE 2

Search multiple documentation sets at once (e.g., Python and Django together) with a single colon-prefixed query.

USE CASE 3

Trigger a documentation search directly from the command line without opening a browser.

USE CASE 4

Create and use custom docsets in Dash format for internal tools or libraries not covered by official docsets.

Tech stack

C++QtCMakeSQLite

Getting it running

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min

Pre-built binaries available for Windows and Linux, building from source requires Qt 6.4.2+ with WebEngine module.

You can use, modify, and distribute this software under GPL v3 or later, but any distributed version must also be released under the same license.

In plain English

Zeal is a desktop application that lets you browse API documentation for programming languages, frameworks, and tools while offline. It works by downloading and storing documentation sets (called docsets) on your computer, so you can look up how a function or class works without an internet connection. It is inspired by Dash, an equivalent app for macOS, but Zeal runs on Windows and Linux. To use it, you install the application, go to the Tools menu to open the Docsets section, and download the documentation for the languages and tools you use. The documentation is stored locally and can be searched instantly from within the app. Searching works across all your downloaded docsets at once by default. If you want to narrow your search to a specific language or framework, you type its name followed by a colon before your search term. For example, typing "python:pprint" searches only the Python docs, and "python,django:string" searches both Python and Django docs at the same time. You can also trigger a search directly from the command line by passing a query when launching the application. Zeal is built in C++ using the Qt framework and can be compiled from source on Linux, BSD, and Windows. The build requires CMake, Qt version 6.4.2 or later with the WebEngine module, libarchive, and SQLite. Pre-built binaries for Windows and Linux are available from the project's download page without needing to compile anything. The application supports custom docsets in the Dash format, so you can create and add documentation for projects or tools that do not have an official docset. The project is licensed under the GNU General Public License version 3 or later.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

How do I install Zeal on Linux and add the Python and JavaScript documentation sets so I can search them offline?

Prompt 2

In Zeal, how do I search only the Django docs instead of all installed docsets at the same time?

Prompt 3

How do I build Zeal from source on Ubuntu? What packages do I need to install first, and what CMake flags should I use?

Prompt 4

How do I create a custom Dash-format docset for my internal API so I can add it to Zeal?

Prompt 5

How do I trigger a Zeal search for a specific function name directly from my terminal without opening the GUI first?

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