Documentation/git-grep.txt

   1 git-grep(1)
   2 ===========
   3
   4 NAME
   5 ----
   6 git-grep - Print lines matching a pattern
   7
   8
   9 SYNOPSIS
  10 --------
  11 [verse]
  12 'git grep' [-a | --text] [-I] [-i | --ignore-case] [-w | --word-regexp]
  13            [-v | --invert-match] [-h|-H] [--full-name]
  14            [-E | --extended-regexp] [-G | --basic-regexp]
  15            [-P | --perl-regexp]
  16            [-F | --fixed-strings] [-n | --line-number]
  17            [-l | --files-with-matches] [-L | --files-without-match]
  18            [(-O | --open-files-in-pager) [<pager>]]
  19            [-z | --null]
  20            [-c | --count] [--all-match] [-q | --quiet]
  21            [--max-depth <depth>]
  22            [--color[=<when>] | --no-color]
  23            [--break] [--heading] [-p | --show-function]
  24            [-A <post-context>] [-B <pre-context>] [-C <context>]
  25            [-W | --function-context]
  26            [-f <file>] [-e] <pattern>
  27            [--and|--or|--not|(|)|-e <pattern>...]
  28            [ [--exclude-standard] [--cached | --no-index | --untracked] | <tree>...]
  29            [--] [<pathspec>...]
  30
  31 DESCRIPTION
  32 -----------
  33 Look for specified patterns in the tracked files in the work tree, blobs
  34 registered in the index file, or blobs in given tree objects.  Patterns
  35 are lists of one or more search expressions separated by newline
  36 characters.  An empty string as search expression matches all lines.
  37
  38
  39 CONFIGURATION
  40 -------------
  41
  42 grep.lineNumber::
  43         If set to true, enable '-n' option by default.
  44
  45 grep.patternType::
  46         Set the default matching behavior. Using a value of 'basic', 'extended',
  47         'fixed', or 'perl' will enable the '--basic-regexp', '--extended-regexp',
  48         '--fixed-strings', or '--perl-regexp' option accordingly, while the
  49         value 'default' will return to the default matching behavior.
  50
  51 grep.extendedRegexp::
  52         If set to true, enable '--extended-regexp' option by default. This
  53         option is ignored when the 'grep.patternType' option is set to a value
  54         other than 'default'.
  55
  56
  57 OPTIONS
  58 -------
  59 --cached::
  60         Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
  61         blobs registered in the index file.
  62
  63 --no-index::
  64         Search files in the current directory that is not managed by git.
  65
  66 --untracked::
  67         In addition to searching in the tracked files in the working
  68         tree, search also in untracked files.
  69
  70 --no-exclude-standard::
  71         Also search in ignored files by not honoring the `.gitignore`
  72         mechanism. Only useful with `--untracked`.
  73
  74 --exclude-standard::
  75         Do not pay attention to ignored files specified via the `.gitignore`
  76         mechanism.  Only useful when searching files in the current directory
  77         with `--no-index`.
  78
  79 -a::
  80 --text::
  81         Process binary files as if they were text.
  82
  83 -i::
  84 --ignore-case::
  85         Ignore case differences between the patterns and the
  86         files.
  87
  88 -I::
  89         Don't match the pattern in binary files.
  90
  91 --max-depth <depth>::
  92         For each <pathspec> given on command line, descend at most <depth>
  93         levels of directories. A negative value means no limit.
  94         This option is ignored if <pathspec> contains active wildcards.
  95         In other words if "a*" matches a directory named "a*",
  96         "*" is matched literally so --max-depth is still effective.
  97
  98 -w::
  99 --word-regexp::
 100         Match the pattern only at word boundary (either begin at the
 101         beginning of a line, or preceded by a non-word character; end at
 102         the end of a line or followed by a non-word character).
 103
 104 -v::
 105 --invert-match::
 106         Select non-matching lines.
 107
 108 -h::
 109 -H::
 110         By default, the command shows the filename for each
 111         match.  `-h` option is used to suppress this output.
 112         `-H` is there for completeness and does not do anything
 113         except it overrides `-h` given earlier on the command
 114         line.
 115
 116 --full-name::
 117         When run from a subdirectory, the command usually
 118         outputs paths relative to the current directory.  This
 119         option forces paths to be output relative to the project
 120         top directory.
 121
 122 -E::
 123 --extended-regexp::
 124 -G::
 125 --basic-regexp::
 126         Use POSIX extended/basic regexp for patterns.  Default
 127         is to use basic regexp.
 128
 129 -P::
 130 --perl-regexp::
 131         Use Perl-compatible regexp for patterns. Requires libpcre to be
 132         compiled in.
 133
 134 -F::
 135 --fixed-strings::
 136         Use fixed strings for patterns (don't interpret pattern
 137         as a regex).
 138
 139 -n::
 140 --line-number::
 141         Prefix the line number to matching lines.
 142
 143 -l::
 144 --files-with-matches::
 145 --name-only::
 146 -L::
 147 --files-without-match::
 148         Instead of showing every matched line, show only the
 149         names of files that contain (or do not contain) matches.
 150         For better compatibility with 'git diff', `--name-only` is a
 151         synonym for `--files-with-matches`.
 152
 153 -O [<pager>]::
 154 --open-files-in-pager [<pager>]::
 155         Open the matching files in the pager (not the output of 'grep').
 156         If the pager happens to be "less" or "vi", and the user
 157         specified only one pattern, the first file is positioned at
 158         the first match automatically.
 159
 160 -z::
 161 --null::
 162         Output \0 instead of the character that normally follows a
 163         file name.
 164
 165 -c::
 166 --count::
 167         Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of
 168         lines that match.
 169
 170 --color[=<when>]::
 171         Show colored matches.
 172         The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
 173
 174 --no-color::
 175         Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file
 176         gives the default to color output.
 177         Same as `--color=never`.
 178
 179 --break::
 180         Print an empty line between matches from different files.
 181
 182 --heading::
 183         Show the filename above the matches in that file instead of
 184         at the start of each shown line.
 185
 186 -p::
 187 --show-function::
 188         Show the preceding line that contains the function name of
 189         the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself.
 190         The name is determined in the same way as 'git diff' works out
 191         patch hunk headers (see 'Defining a custom hunk-header' in
 192         linkgit:gitattributes[5]).
 193
 194 -<num>::
 195 -C <num>::
 196 --context <num>::
 197         Show <num> leading and trailing lines, and place a line
 198         containing `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 199
 200 -A <num>::
 201 --after-context <num>::
 202         Show <num> trailing lines, and place a line containing
 203         `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 204
 205 -B <num>::
 206 --before-context <num>::
 207         Show <num> leading lines, and place a line containing
 208         `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 209
 210 -W::
 211 --function-context::
 212         Show the surrounding text from the previous line containing a
 213         function name up to the one before the next function name,
 214         effectively showing the whole function in which the match was
 215         found.
 216
 217 -f <file>::
 218         Read patterns from <file>, one per line.
 219
 220 -e::
 221         The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be
 222         used for patterns starting with `-` and should be used in
 223         scripts passing user input to grep.  Multiple patterns are
 224         combined by 'or'.
 225
 226 --and::
 227 --or::
 228 --not::
 229 ( ... )::
 230         Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean
 231         expressions.  `--or` is the default operator.  `--and` has
 232         higher precedence than `--or`.  `-e` has to be used for all
 233         patterns.
 234
 235 --all-match::
 236         When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with `--or`,
 237         this flag is specified to limit the match to files that
 238         have lines to match all of them.
 239
 240 -q::
 241 --quiet::
 242         Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when
 243         there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn't.
 244
 245 <tree>...::
 246         Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
 247         blobs in the given trees.
 248
 249 \--::
 250         Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters
 251         are <pathspec> limiters.
 252
 253 <pathspec>...::
 254         If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern.
 255         Both leading paths match and glob(7) patterns are supported.
 256
 257 Examples
 258 --------
 259
 260 `git grep 'time_t' -- '*.[ch]'`::
 261         Looks for `time_t` in all tracked .c and .h files in the working
 262         directory and its subdirectories.
 263
 264 `git grep -e '#define' --and \( -e MAX_PATH -e PATH_MAX \)`::
 265         Looks for a line that has `#define` and either `MAX_PATH` or
 266         `PATH_MAX`.
 267
 268 `git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected`::
 269         Looks for a line that has `NODE` or `Unexpected` in
 270         files that have lines that match both.
 271
 272 GIT
 273 ---
 274 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite