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] [--textconv] [-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] [--column]
  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            [--threads <num>]
  27            [-f <file>] [-e] <pattern>
  28            [--and|--or|--not|(|)|-e <pattern>...]
  29            [--recurse-submodules] [--parent-basename <basename>]
  30            [ [--[no-]exclude-standard] [--cached | --no-index | --untracked] | <tree>...]
  31            [--] [<pathspec>...]
  32
  33 DESCRIPTION
  34 -----------
  35 Look for specified patterns in the tracked files in the work tree, blobs
  36 registered in the index file, or blobs in given tree objects.  Patterns
  37 are lists of one or more search expressions separated by newline
  38 characters.  An empty string as search expression matches all lines.
  39
  40
  41 CONFIGURATION
  42 -------------
  43
  44 grep.lineNumber::
  45         If set to true, enable `-n` option by default.
  46
  47 grep.column::
  48         If set to true, enable the `--column` option by default.
  49
  50 grep.patternType::
  51         Set the default matching behavior. Using a value of 'basic', 'extended',
  52         'fixed', or 'perl' will enable the `--basic-regexp`, `--extended-regexp`,
  53         `--fixed-strings`, or `--perl-regexp` option accordingly, while the
  54         value 'default' will return to the default matching behavior.
  55
  56 grep.extendedRegexp::
  57         If set to true, enable `--extended-regexp` option by default. This
  58         option is ignored when the `grep.patternType` option is set to a value
  59         other than 'default'.
  60
  61 grep.threads::
  62         Number of grep worker threads to use.  If unset (or set to 0),
  63         8 threads are used by default (for now).
  64
  65 grep.fullName::
  66         If set to true, enable `--full-name` option by default.
  67
  68 grep.fallbackToNoIndex::
  69         If set to true, fall back to git grep --no-index if git grep
  70         is executed outside of a git repository.  Defaults to false.
  71
  72
  73 OPTIONS
  74 -------
  75 --cached::
  76         Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
  77         blobs registered in the index file.
  78
  79 --no-index::
  80         Search files in the current directory that is not managed by Git.
  81
  82 --untracked::
  83         In addition to searching in the tracked files in the working
  84         tree, search also in untracked files.
  85
  86 --no-exclude-standard::
  87         Also search in ignored files by not honoring the `.gitignore`
  88         mechanism. Only useful with `--untracked`.
  89
  90 --exclude-standard::
  91         Do not pay attention to ignored files specified via the `.gitignore`
  92         mechanism.  Only useful when searching files in the current directory
  93         with `--no-index`.
  94
  95 --recurse-submodules::
  96         Recursively search in each submodule that has been initialized and
  97         checked out in the repository.  When used in combination with the
  98         <tree> option the prefix of all submodule output will be the name of
  99         the parent project's <tree> object.
 100
 101 -a::
 102 --text::
 103         Process binary files as if they were text.
 104
 105 --textconv::
 106         Honor textconv filter settings.
 107
 108 --no-textconv::
 109         Do not honor textconv filter settings.
 110         This is the default.
 111
 112 -i::
 113 --ignore-case::
 114         Ignore case differences between the patterns and the
 115         files.
 116
 117 -I::
 118         Don't match the pattern in binary files.
 119
 120 --max-depth <depth>::
 121         For each <pathspec> given on command line, descend at most <depth>
 122         levels of directories. A negative value means no limit.
 123         This option is ignored if <pathspec> contains active wildcards.
 124         In other words if "a*" matches a directory named "a*",
 125         "*" is matched literally so --max-depth is still effective.
 126
 127 -w::
 128 --word-regexp::
 129         Match the pattern only at word boundary (either begin at the
 130         beginning of a line, or preceded by a non-word character; end at
 131         the end of a line or followed by a non-word character).
 132
 133 -v::
 134 --invert-match::
 135         Select non-matching lines.
 136
 137 -h::
 138 -H::
 139         By default, the command shows the filename for each
 140         match.  `-h` option is used to suppress this output.
 141         `-H` is there for completeness and does not do anything
 142         except it overrides `-h` given earlier on the command
 143         line.
 144
 145 --full-name::
 146         When run from a subdirectory, the command usually
 147         outputs paths relative to the current directory.  This
 148         option forces paths to be output relative to the project
 149         top directory.
 150
 151 -E::
 152 --extended-regexp::
 153 -G::
 154 --basic-regexp::
 155         Use POSIX extended/basic regexp for patterns.  Default
 156         is to use basic regexp.
 157
 158 -P::
 159 --perl-regexp::
 160         Use Perl-compatible regular expressions for patterns.
 161 +
 162 Support for these types of regular expressions is an optional
 163 compile-time dependency. If Git wasn't compiled with support for them
 164 providing this option will cause it to die.
 165
 166 -F::
 167 --fixed-strings::
 168         Use fixed strings for patterns (don't interpret pattern
 169         as a regex).
 170
 171 -n::
 172 --line-number::
 173         Prefix the line number to matching lines.
 174
 175 --column::
 176         Prefix the 1-indexed byte-offset of the first match from the start of the
 177         matching line.
 178
 179 -l::
 180 --files-with-matches::
 181 --name-only::
 182 -L::
 183 --files-without-match::
 184         Instead of showing every matched line, show only the
 185         names of files that contain (or do not contain) matches.
 186         For better compatibility with 'git diff', `--name-only` is a
 187         synonym for `--files-with-matches`.
 188
 189 -O[<pager>]::
 190 --open-files-in-pager[=<pager>]::
 191         Open the matching files in the pager (not the output of 'grep').
 192         If the pager happens to be "less" or "vi", and the user
 193         specified only one pattern, the first file is positioned at
 194         the first match automatically. The `pager` argument is
 195         optional; if specified, it must be stuck to the option
 196         without a space. If `pager` is unspecified, the default pager
 197         will be used (see `core.pager` in linkgit:git-config[1]).
 198
 199 -z::
 200 --null::
 201         Output \0 instead of the character that normally follows a
 202         file name.
 203
 204 -c::
 205 --count::
 206         Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of
 207         lines that match.
 208
 209 --color[=<when>]::
 210         Show colored matches.
 211         The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
 212
 213 --no-color::
 214         Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file
 215         gives the default to color output.
 216         Same as `--color=never`.
 217
 218 --break::
 219         Print an empty line between matches from different files.
 220
 221 --heading::
 222         Show the filename above the matches in that file instead of
 223         at the start of each shown line.
 224
 225 -p::
 226 --show-function::
 227         Show the preceding line that contains the function name of
 228         the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself.
 229         The name is determined in the same way as 'git diff' works out
 230         patch hunk headers (see 'Defining a custom hunk-header' in
 231         linkgit:gitattributes[5]).
 232
 233 -<num>::
 234 -C <num>::
 235 --context <num>::
 236         Show <num> leading and trailing lines, and place a line
 237         containing `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 238
 239 -A <num>::
 240 --after-context <num>::
 241         Show <num> trailing lines, and place a line containing
 242         `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 243
 244 -B <num>::
 245 --before-context <num>::
 246         Show <num> leading lines, and place a line containing
 247         `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 248
 249 -W::
 250 --function-context::
 251         Show the surrounding text from the previous line containing a
 252         function name up to the one before the next function name,
 253         effectively showing the whole function in which the match was
 254         found.
 255
 256 --threads <num>::
 257         Number of grep worker threads to use.
 258         See `grep.threads` in 'CONFIGURATION' for more information.
 259
 260 -f <file>::
 261         Read patterns from <file>, one per line.
 262
 263 -e::
 264         The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be
 265         used for patterns starting with `-` and should be used in
 266         scripts passing user input to grep.  Multiple patterns are
 267         combined by 'or'.
 268
 269 --and::
 270 --or::
 271 --not::
 272 ( ... )::
 273         Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean
 274         expressions.  `--or` is the default operator.  `--and` has
 275         higher precedence than `--or`.  `-e` has to be used for all
 276         patterns.
 277
 278 --all-match::
 279         When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with `--or`,
 280         this flag is specified to limit the match to files that
 281         have lines to match all of them.
 282
 283 -q::
 284 --quiet::
 285         Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when
 286         there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn't.
 287
 288 <tree>...::
 289         Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
 290         blobs in the given trees.
 291
 292 \--::
 293         Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters
 294         are <pathspec> limiters.
 295
 296 <pathspec>...::
 297         If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern.
 298         Both leading paths match and glob(7) patterns are supported.
 299 +
 300 For more details about the <pathspec> syntax, see the 'pathspec' entry
 301 in linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 302
 303 EXAMPLES
 304 --------
 305
 306 `git grep 'time_t' -- '*.[ch]'`::
 307         Looks for `time_t` in all tracked .c and .h files in the working
 308         directory and its subdirectories.
 309
 310 `git grep -e '#define' --and \( -e MAX_PATH -e PATH_MAX \)`::
 311         Looks for a line that has `#define` and either `MAX_PATH` or
 312         `PATH_MAX`.
 313
 314 `git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected`::
 315         Looks for a line that has `NODE` or `Unexpected` in
 316         files that have lines that match both.
 317
 318 `git grep solution -- :^Documentation`::
 319         Looks for `solution`, excluding files in `Documentation`.
 320
 321 GIT
 322 ---
 323 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite