Is there a command/program for OS X that allows me to hook to a file and display its changes in realtime without re-opening it, much like "top" monitors system processes in realtime?
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3 Answers
You can use tail to monitor single log file.
If file is deleted, then created again you may want to use tail -F to actively monitor file changes
If same file is being appended too use tail -f to actively monitor file changes
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It does, at least on FreeBSD and linuxes. Should work on Mac OS X too.– gelraenFeb 6, 2011 at 18:41
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Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that the file is in a Dropbox and is updated perhaps a bit differently?– MarkFeb 6, 2011 at 18:48
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tail -F. Consult withman tailfor more details about these options.– gelraenFeb 6, 2011 at 18:51
Another alternative may be doing less the-interesting-file and hitting Shift+F.
If you are doing this on file sync'd by dropbox the chances are it is creating a new file with a different inode so the tail -f command and the less +F command do not work since they are still referencing the old file handle they opened initially.
I suggest trying
watch "tail /path/to/filename"
It feels hackish but at least every X seconds it will re run tail on the filename giving you the updated output regardless of whether or not the inodes change on the file.
