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