lookfor

Lookfor is a keyword-based search utility used in several computing environments to locate commands, options, or topics in documentation. It is perhaps best known from the Stata statistical software, where lookfor helps users discover functionality when they do not know the exact command name but know the topic.

In Stata, lookfor searches the local help system and installed ado-file documentation for a user-specified string. The search is case-insensitive and matches within command names, options, and descriptions. The command returns a list of entries that mention the search term, each accompanied by a brief one-line description. Users can then run help on a returned entry to read more about its usage and syntax. For multi-word queries, enclosing the phrase in quotation marks is typical.

Limitations include reliance on locally installed documentation; if help files are incomplete or not updated, lookfor may miss relevant items. The tool is designed for discovery rather than deep indexing, so it may surface broad or tangential results.

Related tools in the same ecosystem include findit, which extends lookfor by searching online resources and Stata repositories, connecting users to downloads, vignettes, and community-contributed packages. Beyond Stata, other systems implement similar keyword search commands under different names.

See also: help, findit, apropos, search.