Documentation / git-grep.txton commit Merge branch 'mg/detached-head-report' (38f6ae9)
   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           [-f <file>] [-e] <pattern>
  27           [--and|--or|--not|(|)|-e <pattern>...]
  28           [ [--[no-]exclude-standard] [--cached | --no-index | --untracked] | <tree>...]
  29           [--] [<pathspec>...]
  30
  31DESCRIPTION
  32-----------
  33Look for specified patterns in the tracked files in the work tree, blobs
  34registered in the index file, or blobs in given tree objects.  Patterns
  35are lists of one or more search expressions separated by newline
  36characters.  An empty string as search expression matches all lines.
  37
  38
  39CONFIGURATION
  40-------------
  41
  42grep.lineNumber::
  43        If set to true, enable '-n' option by default.
  44
  45grep.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
  51grep.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
  56grep.fullName::
  57        If set to true, enable '--full-name' option by default.
  58
  59
  60OPTIONS
  61-------
  62--cached::
  63        Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
  64        blobs registered in the index file.
  65
  66--no-index::
  67        Search files in the current directory that is not managed by Git.
  68
  69--untracked::
  70        In addition to searching in the tracked files in the working
  71        tree, search also in untracked files.
  72
  73--no-exclude-standard::
  74        Also search in ignored files by not honoring the `.gitignore`
  75        mechanism. Only useful with `--untracked`.
  76
  77--exclude-standard::
  78        Do not pay attention to ignored files specified via the `.gitignore`
  79        mechanism.  Only useful when searching files in the current directory
  80        with `--no-index`.
  81
  82-a::
  83--text::
  84        Process binary files as if they were text.
  85
  86--textconv::
  87        Honor textconv filter settings.
  88
  89--no-textconv::
  90        Do not honor textconv filter settings.
  91        This is the default.
  92
  93-i::
  94--ignore-case::
  95        Ignore case differences between the patterns and the
  96        files.
  97
  98-I::
  99        Don't match the pattern in binary files.
 100
 101--max-depth <depth>::
 102        For each <pathspec> given on command line, descend at most <depth>
 103        levels of directories. A negative value means no limit.
 104        This option is ignored if <pathspec> contains active wildcards.
 105        In other words if "a*" matches a directory named "a*",
 106        "*" is matched literally so --max-depth is still effective.
 107
 108-w::
 109--word-regexp::
 110        Match the pattern only at word boundary (either begin at the
 111        beginning of a line, or preceded by a non-word character; end at
 112        the end of a line or followed by a non-word character).
 113
 114-v::
 115--invert-match::
 116        Select non-matching lines.
 117
 118-h::
 119-H::
 120        By default, the command shows the filename for each
 121        match.  `-h` option is used to suppress this output.
 122        `-H` is there for completeness and does not do anything
 123        except it overrides `-h` given earlier on the command
 124        line.
 125
 126--full-name::
 127        When run from a subdirectory, the command usually
 128        outputs paths relative to the current directory.  This
 129        option forces paths to be output relative to the project
 130        top directory.
 131
 132-E::
 133--extended-regexp::
 134-G::
 135--basic-regexp::
 136        Use POSIX extended/basic regexp for patterns.  Default
 137        is to use basic regexp.
 138
 139-P::
 140--perl-regexp::
 141        Use Perl-compatible regexp for patterns. Requires libpcre to be
 142        compiled in.
 143
 144-F::
 145--fixed-strings::
 146        Use fixed strings for patterns (don't interpret pattern
 147        as a regex).
 148
 149-n::
 150--line-number::
 151        Prefix the line number to matching lines.
 152
 153-l::
 154--files-with-matches::
 155--name-only::
 156-L::
 157--files-without-match::
 158        Instead of showing every matched line, show only the
 159        names of files that contain (or do not contain) matches.
 160        For better compatibility with 'git diff', `--name-only` is a
 161        synonym for `--files-with-matches`.
 162
 163-O [<pager>]::
 164--open-files-in-pager [<pager>]::
 165        Open the matching files in the pager (not the output of 'grep').
 166        If the pager happens to be "less" or "vi", and the user
 167        specified only one pattern, the first file is positioned at
 168        the first match automatically.
 169
 170-z::
 171--null::
 172        Output \0 instead of the character that normally follows a
 173        file name.
 174
 175-c::
 176--count::
 177        Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of
 178        lines that match.
 179
 180--color[=<when>]::
 181        Show colored matches.
 182        The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
 183
 184--no-color::
 185        Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file
 186        gives the default to color output.
 187        Same as `--color=never`.
 188
 189--break::
 190        Print an empty line between matches from different files.
 191
 192--heading::
 193        Show the filename above the matches in that file instead of
 194        at the start of each shown line.
 195
 196-p::
 197--show-function::
 198        Show the preceding line that contains the function name of
 199        the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself.
 200        The name is determined in the same way as 'git diff' works out
 201        patch hunk headers (see 'Defining a custom hunk-header' in
 202        linkgit:gitattributes[5]).
 203
 204-<num>::
 205-C <num>::
 206--context <num>::
 207        Show <num> leading and trailing lines, and place a line
 208        containing `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 209
 210-A <num>::
 211--after-context <num>::
 212        Show <num> trailing lines, and place a line containing
 213        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 214
 215-B <num>::
 216--before-context <num>::
 217        Show <num> leading lines, and place a line containing
 218        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 219
 220-W::
 221--function-context::
 222        Show the surrounding text from the previous line containing a
 223        function name up to the one before the next function name,
 224        effectively showing the whole function in which the match was
 225        found.
 226
 227-f <file>::
 228        Read patterns from <file>, one per line.
 229
 230-e::
 231        The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be
 232        used for patterns starting with `-` and should be used in
 233        scripts passing user input to grep.  Multiple patterns are
 234        combined by 'or'.
 235
 236--and::
 237--or::
 238--not::
 239( ... )::
 240        Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean
 241        expressions.  `--or` is the default operator.  `--and` has
 242        higher precedence than `--or`.  `-e` has to be used for all
 243        patterns.
 244
 245--all-match::
 246        When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with `--or`,
 247        this flag is specified to limit the match to files that
 248        have lines to match all of them.
 249
 250-q::
 251--quiet::
 252        Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when
 253        there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn't.
 254
 255<tree>...::
 256        Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
 257        blobs in the given trees.
 258
 259\--::
 260        Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters
 261        are <pathspec> limiters.
 262
 263<pathspec>...::
 264        If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern.
 265        Both leading paths match and glob(7) patterns are supported.
 266
 267Examples
 268--------
 269
 270`git grep 'time_t' -- '*.[ch]'`::
 271        Looks for `time_t` in all tracked .c and .h files in the working
 272        directory and its subdirectories.
 273
 274`git grep -e '#define' --and \( -e MAX_PATH -e PATH_MAX \)`::
 275        Looks for a line that has `#define` and either `MAX_PATH` or
 276        `PATH_MAX`.
 277
 278`git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected`::
 279        Looks for a line that has `NODE` or `Unexpected` in
 280        files that have lines that match both.
 281
 282GIT
 283---
 284Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite