Documentation / git-grep.txton commit Git 1.9.0 (5f95c9f)
   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
  56
  57OPTIONS
  58-------
  59--cached::
  60        Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
  61        blobs registered in the index file.
  62
  63--no-index::
  64        Search files in the current directory that is not managed by Git.
  65
  66--untracked::
  67        In addition to searching in the tracked files in the working
  68        tree, search also in untracked files.
  69
  70--no-exclude-standard::
  71        Also search in ignored files by not honoring the `.gitignore`
  72        mechanism. Only useful with `--untracked`.
  73
  74--exclude-standard::
  75        Do not pay attention to ignored files specified via the `.gitignore`
  76        mechanism.  Only useful when searching files in the current directory
  77        with `--no-index`.
  78
  79-a::
  80--text::
  81        Process binary files as if they were text.
  82
  83--textconv::
  84        Honor textconv filter settings.
  85
  86--no-textconv::
  87        Do not honor textconv filter settings.
  88        This is the default.
  89
  90-i::
  91--ignore-case::
  92        Ignore case differences between the patterns and the
  93        files.
  94
  95-I::
  96        Don't match the pattern in binary files.
  97
  98--max-depth <depth>::
  99        For each <pathspec> given on command line, descend at most <depth>
 100        levels of directories. A negative value means no limit.
 101        This option is ignored if <pathspec> contains active wildcards.
 102        In other words if "a*" matches a directory named "a*",
 103        "*" is matched literally so --max-depth is still effective.
 104
 105-w::
 106--word-regexp::
 107        Match the pattern only at word boundary (either begin at the
 108        beginning of a line, or preceded by a non-word character; end at
 109        the end of a line or followed by a non-word character).
 110
 111-v::
 112--invert-match::
 113        Select non-matching lines.
 114
 115-h::
 116-H::
 117        By default, the command shows the filename for each
 118        match.  `-h` option is used to suppress this output.
 119        `-H` is there for completeness and does not do anything
 120        except it overrides `-h` given earlier on the command
 121        line.
 122
 123--full-name::
 124        When run from a subdirectory, the command usually
 125        outputs paths relative to the current directory.  This
 126        option forces paths to be output relative to the project
 127        top directory.
 128
 129-E::
 130--extended-regexp::
 131-G::
 132--basic-regexp::
 133        Use POSIX extended/basic regexp for patterns.  Default
 134        is to use basic regexp.
 135
 136-P::
 137--perl-regexp::
 138        Use Perl-compatible regexp for patterns. Requires libpcre to be
 139        compiled in.
 140
 141-F::
 142--fixed-strings::
 143        Use fixed strings for patterns (don't interpret pattern
 144        as a regex).
 145
 146-n::
 147--line-number::
 148        Prefix the line number to matching lines.
 149
 150-l::
 151--files-with-matches::
 152--name-only::
 153-L::
 154--files-without-match::
 155        Instead of showing every matched line, show only the
 156        names of files that contain (or do not contain) matches.
 157        For better compatibility with 'git diff', `--name-only` is a
 158        synonym for `--files-with-matches`.
 159
 160-O [<pager>]::
 161--open-files-in-pager [<pager>]::
 162        Open the matching files in the pager (not the output of 'grep').
 163        If the pager happens to be "less" or "vi", and the user
 164        specified only one pattern, the first file is positioned at
 165        the first match automatically.
 166
 167-z::
 168--null::
 169        Output \0 instead of the character that normally follows a
 170        file name.
 171
 172-c::
 173--count::
 174        Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of
 175        lines that match.
 176
 177--color[=<when>]::
 178        Show colored matches.
 179        The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
 180
 181--no-color::
 182        Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file
 183        gives the default to color output.
 184        Same as `--color=never`.
 185
 186--break::
 187        Print an empty line between matches from different files.
 188
 189--heading::
 190        Show the filename above the matches in that file instead of
 191        at the start of each shown line.
 192
 193-p::
 194--show-function::
 195        Show the preceding line that contains the function name of
 196        the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself.
 197        The name is determined in the same way as 'git diff' works out
 198        patch hunk headers (see 'Defining a custom hunk-header' in
 199        linkgit:gitattributes[5]).
 200
 201-<num>::
 202-C <num>::
 203--context <num>::
 204        Show <num> leading and trailing lines, and place a line
 205        containing `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 206
 207-A <num>::
 208--after-context <num>::
 209        Show <num> trailing lines, and place a line containing
 210        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 211
 212-B <num>::
 213--before-context <num>::
 214        Show <num> leading lines, and place a line containing
 215        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 216
 217-W::
 218--function-context::
 219        Show the surrounding text from the previous line containing a
 220        function name up to the one before the next function name,
 221        effectively showing the whole function in which the match was
 222        found.
 223
 224-f <file>::
 225        Read patterns from <file>, one per line.
 226
 227-e::
 228        The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be
 229        used for patterns starting with `-` and should be used in
 230        scripts passing user input to grep.  Multiple patterns are
 231        combined by 'or'.
 232
 233--and::
 234--or::
 235--not::
 236( ... )::
 237        Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean
 238        expressions.  `--or` is the default operator.  `--and` has
 239        higher precedence than `--or`.  `-e` has to be used for all
 240        patterns.
 241
 242--all-match::
 243        When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with `--or`,
 244        this flag is specified to limit the match to files that
 245        have lines to match all of them.
 246
 247-q::
 248--quiet::
 249        Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when
 250        there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn't.
 251
 252<tree>...::
 253        Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
 254        blobs in the given trees.
 255
 256\--::
 257        Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters
 258        are <pathspec> limiters.
 259
 260<pathspec>...::
 261        If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern.
 262        Both leading paths match and glob(7) patterns are supported.
 263
 264Examples
 265--------
 266
 267`git grep 'time_t' -- '*.[ch]'`::
 268        Looks for `time_t` in all tracked .c and .h files in the working
 269        directory and its subdirectories.
 270
 271`git grep -e '#define' --and \( -e MAX_PATH -e PATH_MAX \)`::
 272        Looks for a line that has `#define` and either `MAX_PATH` or
 273        `PATH_MAX`.
 274
 275`git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected`::
 276        Looks for a line that has `NODE` or `Unexpected` in
 277        files that have lines that match both.
 278
 279GIT
 280---
 281Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite