Documentation / git-grep.txton commit doc/read-tree: remove obsolete remark (30221a3)
   1git-grep(1)
   2===========
   3
   4NAME
   5----
   6git-grep - Print lines matching a pattern
   7
   8
   9SYNOPSIS
  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
  32DESCRIPTION
  33-----------
  34Look for specified patterns in the tracked files in the work tree, blobs
  35registered in the index file, or blobs in given tree objects.  Patterns
  36are lists of one or more search expressions separated by newline
  37characters.  An empty string as search expression matches all lines.
  38
  39
  40CONFIGURATION
  41-------------
  42
  43grep.lineNumber::
  44        If set to true, enable `-n` option by default.
  45
  46grep.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
  52grep.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
  57grep.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
  61grep.fullName::
  62        If set to true, enable `--full-name` option by default.
  63
  64grep.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
  69OPTIONS
  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
 283Examples
 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
 298GIT
 299---
 300Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite