Documentation / git-grep.txton commit always check return value of close_tempfile (45c6b1e)
   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           [--recurse-submodules] [--parent-basename <basename>]
  30           [ [--[no-]exclude-standard] [--cached | --no-index | --untracked] | <tree>...]
  31           [--] [<pathspec>...]
  32
  33DESCRIPTION
  34-----------
  35Look for specified patterns in the tracked files in the work tree, blobs
  36registered in the index file, or blobs in given tree objects.  Patterns
  37are lists of one or more search expressions separated by newline
  38characters.  An empty string as search expression matches all lines.
  39
  40
  41CONFIGURATION
  42-------------
  43
  44grep.lineNumber::
  45        If set to true, enable `-n` option by default.
  46
  47grep.patternType::
  48        Set the default matching behavior. Using a value of 'basic', 'extended',
  49        'fixed', or 'perl' will enable the `--basic-regexp`, `--extended-regexp`,
  50        `--fixed-strings`, or `--perl-regexp` option accordingly, while the
  51        value 'default' will return to the default matching behavior.
  52
  53grep.extendedRegexp::
  54        If set to true, enable `--extended-regexp` option by default. This
  55        option is ignored when the `grep.patternType` option is set to a value
  56        other than 'default'.
  57
  58grep.threads::
  59        Number of grep worker threads to use.  If unset (or set to 0),
  60        8 threads are used by default (for now).
  61
  62grep.fullName::
  63        If set to true, enable `--full-name` option by default.
  64
  65grep.fallbackToNoIndex::
  66        If set to true, fall back to git grep --no-index if git grep
  67        is executed outside of a git repository.  Defaults to false.
  68
  69
  70OPTIONS
  71-------
  72--cached::
  73        Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
  74        blobs registered in the index file.
  75
  76--no-index::
  77        Search files in the current directory that is not managed by Git.
  78
  79--untracked::
  80        In addition to searching in the tracked files in the working
  81        tree, search also in untracked files.
  82
  83--no-exclude-standard::
  84        Also search in ignored files by not honoring the `.gitignore`
  85        mechanism. Only useful with `--untracked`.
  86
  87--exclude-standard::
  88        Do not pay attention to ignored files specified via the `.gitignore`
  89        mechanism.  Only useful when searching files in the current directory
  90        with `--no-index`.
  91
  92--recurse-submodules::
  93        Recursively search in each submodule that has been initialized and
  94        checked out in the repository.  When used in combination with the
  95        <tree> option the prefix of all submodule output will be the name of
  96        the parent project's <tree> object.
  97
  98-a::
  99--text::
 100        Process binary files as if they were text.
 101
 102--textconv::
 103        Honor textconv filter settings.
 104
 105--no-textconv::
 106        Do not honor textconv filter settings.
 107        This is the default.
 108
 109-i::
 110--ignore-case::
 111        Ignore case differences between the patterns and the
 112        files.
 113
 114-I::
 115        Don't match the pattern in binary files.
 116
 117--max-depth <depth>::
 118        For each <pathspec> given on command line, descend at most <depth>
 119        levels of directories. A negative value means no limit.
 120        This option is ignored if <pathspec> contains active wildcards.
 121        In other words if "a*" matches a directory named "a*",
 122        "*" is matched literally so --max-depth is still effective.
 123
 124-w::
 125--word-regexp::
 126        Match the pattern only at word boundary (either begin at the
 127        beginning of a line, or preceded by a non-word character; end at
 128        the end of a line or followed by a non-word character).
 129
 130-v::
 131--invert-match::
 132        Select non-matching lines.
 133
 134-h::
 135-H::
 136        By default, the command shows the filename for each
 137        match.  `-h` option is used to suppress this output.
 138        `-H` is there for completeness and does not do anything
 139        except it overrides `-h` given earlier on the command
 140        line.
 141
 142--full-name::
 143        When run from a subdirectory, the command usually
 144        outputs paths relative to the current directory.  This
 145        option forces paths to be output relative to the project
 146        top directory.
 147
 148-E::
 149--extended-regexp::
 150-G::
 151--basic-regexp::
 152        Use POSIX extended/basic regexp for patterns.  Default
 153        is to use basic regexp.
 154
 155-P::
 156--perl-regexp::
 157        Use Perl-compatible regular expressions for patterns.
 158+
 159Support for these types of regular expressions is an optional
 160compile-time dependency. If Git wasn't compiled with support for them
 161providing this option will cause it to die.
 162
 163-F::
 164--fixed-strings::
 165        Use fixed strings for patterns (don't interpret pattern
 166        as a regex).
 167
 168-n::
 169--line-number::
 170        Prefix the line number to matching lines.
 171
 172-l::
 173--files-with-matches::
 174--name-only::
 175-L::
 176--files-without-match::
 177        Instead of showing every matched line, show only the
 178        names of files that contain (or do not contain) matches.
 179        For better compatibility with 'git diff', `--name-only` is a
 180        synonym for `--files-with-matches`.
 181
 182-O[<pager>]::
 183--open-files-in-pager[=<pager>]::
 184        Open the matching files in the pager (not the output of 'grep').
 185        If the pager happens to be "less" or "vi", and the user
 186        specified only one pattern, the first file is positioned at
 187        the first match automatically. The `pager` argument is
 188        optional; if specified, it must be stuck to the option
 189        without a space. If `pager` is unspecified, the default pager
 190        will be used (see `core.pager` in linkgit:git-config[1]).
 191
 192-z::
 193--null::
 194        Output \0 instead of the character that normally follows a
 195        file name.
 196
 197-c::
 198--count::
 199        Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of
 200        lines that match.
 201
 202--color[=<when>]::
 203        Show colored matches.
 204        The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
 205
 206--no-color::
 207        Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file
 208        gives the default to color output.
 209        Same as `--color=never`.
 210
 211--break::
 212        Print an empty line between matches from different files.
 213
 214--heading::
 215        Show the filename above the matches in that file instead of
 216        at the start of each shown line.
 217
 218-p::
 219--show-function::
 220        Show the preceding line that contains the function name of
 221        the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself.
 222        The name is determined in the same way as 'git diff' works out
 223        patch hunk headers (see 'Defining a custom hunk-header' in
 224        linkgit:gitattributes[5]).
 225
 226-<num>::
 227-C <num>::
 228--context <num>::
 229        Show <num> leading and trailing lines, and place a line
 230        containing `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 231
 232-A <num>::
 233--after-context <num>::
 234        Show <num> trailing lines, and place a line containing
 235        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 236
 237-B <num>::
 238--before-context <num>::
 239        Show <num> leading lines, and place a line containing
 240        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 241
 242-W::
 243--function-context::
 244        Show the surrounding text from the previous line containing a
 245        function name up to the one before the next function name,
 246        effectively showing the whole function in which the match was
 247        found.
 248
 249--threads <num>::
 250        Number of grep worker threads to use.
 251        See `grep.threads` in 'CONFIGURATION' for more information.
 252
 253-f <file>::
 254        Read patterns from <file>, one per line.
 255
 256-e::
 257        The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be
 258        used for patterns starting with `-` and should be used in
 259        scripts passing user input to grep.  Multiple patterns are
 260        combined by 'or'.
 261
 262--and::
 263--or::
 264--not::
 265( ... )::
 266        Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean
 267        expressions.  `--or` is the default operator.  `--and` has
 268        higher precedence than `--or`.  `-e` has to be used for all
 269        patterns.
 270
 271--all-match::
 272        When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with `--or`,
 273        this flag is specified to limit the match to files that
 274        have lines to match all of them.
 275
 276-q::
 277--quiet::
 278        Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when
 279        there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn't.
 280
 281<tree>...::
 282        Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
 283        blobs in the given trees.
 284
 285\--::
 286        Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters
 287        are <pathspec> limiters.
 288
 289<pathspec>...::
 290        If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern.
 291        Both leading paths match and glob(7) patterns are supported.
 292
 293Examples
 294--------
 295
 296`git grep 'time_t' -- '*.[ch]'`::
 297        Looks for `time_t` in all tracked .c and .h files in the working
 298        directory and its subdirectories.
 299
 300`git grep -e '#define' --and \( -e MAX_PATH -e PATH_MAX \)`::
 301        Looks for a line that has `#define` and either `MAX_PATH` or
 302        `PATH_MAX`.
 303
 304`git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected`::
 305        Looks for a line that has `NODE` or `Unexpected` in
 306        files that have lines that match both.
 307
 308GIT
 309---
 310Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite