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