Documentation / git-grep.txton commit Merge branch 'jk/ref-filter-colors-fix' into maint (e3e3c6a)
   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--parent-basename <basename>::
  99        For internal use only.  In order to produce uniform output with the
 100        --recurse-submodules option, this option can be used to provide the
 101        basename of a parent's <tree> object to a submodule so the submodule
 102        can prefix its output with the parent's name rather than the SHA1 of
 103        the submodule.
 104
 105-a::
 106--text::
 107        Process binary files as if they were text.
 108
 109--textconv::
 110        Honor textconv filter settings.
 111
 112--no-textconv::
 113        Do not honor textconv filter settings.
 114        This is the default.
 115
 116-i::
 117--ignore-case::
 118        Ignore case differences between the patterns and the
 119        files.
 120
 121-I::
 122        Don't match the pattern in binary files.
 123
 124--max-depth <depth>::
 125        For each <pathspec> given on command line, descend at most <depth>
 126        levels of directories. A negative value means no limit.
 127        This option is ignored if <pathspec> contains active wildcards.
 128        In other words if "a*" matches a directory named "a*",
 129        "*" is matched literally so --max-depth is still effective.
 130
 131-w::
 132--word-regexp::
 133        Match the pattern only at word boundary (either begin at the
 134        beginning of a line, or preceded by a non-word character; end at
 135        the end of a line or followed by a non-word character).
 136
 137-v::
 138--invert-match::
 139        Select non-matching lines.
 140
 141-h::
 142-H::
 143        By default, the command shows the filename for each
 144        match.  `-h` option is used to suppress this output.
 145        `-H` is there for completeness and does not do anything
 146        except it overrides `-h` given earlier on the command
 147        line.
 148
 149--full-name::
 150        When run from a subdirectory, the command usually
 151        outputs paths relative to the current directory.  This
 152        option forces paths to be output relative to the project
 153        top directory.
 154
 155-E::
 156--extended-regexp::
 157-G::
 158--basic-regexp::
 159        Use POSIX extended/basic regexp for patterns.  Default
 160        is to use basic regexp.
 161
 162-P::
 163--perl-regexp::
 164        Use Perl-compatible regular expressions for patterns.
 165+
 166Support for these types of regular expressions is an optional
 167compile-time dependency. If Git wasn't compiled with support for them
 168providing this option will cause it to die.
 169
 170-F::
 171--fixed-strings::
 172        Use fixed strings for patterns (don't interpret pattern
 173        as a regex).
 174
 175-n::
 176--line-number::
 177        Prefix the line number to matching lines.
 178
 179-l::
 180--files-with-matches::
 181--name-only::
 182-L::
 183--files-without-match::
 184        Instead of showing every matched line, show only the
 185        names of files that contain (or do not contain) matches.
 186        For better compatibility with 'git diff', `--name-only` is a
 187        synonym for `--files-with-matches`.
 188
 189-O[<pager>]::
 190--open-files-in-pager[=<pager>]::
 191        Open the matching files in the pager (not the output of 'grep').
 192        If the pager happens to be "less" or "vi", and the user
 193        specified only one pattern, the first file is positioned at
 194        the first match automatically. The `pager` argument is
 195        optional; if specified, it must be stuck to the option
 196        without a space. If `pager` is unspecified, the default pager
 197        will be used (see `core.pager` in linkgit:git-config[1]).
 198
 199-z::
 200--null::
 201        Output \0 instead of the character that normally follows a
 202        file name.
 203
 204-c::
 205--count::
 206        Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of
 207        lines that match.
 208
 209--color[=<when>]::
 210        Show colored matches.
 211        The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
 212
 213--no-color::
 214        Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file
 215        gives the default to color output.
 216        Same as `--color=never`.
 217
 218--break::
 219        Print an empty line between matches from different files.
 220
 221--heading::
 222        Show the filename above the matches in that file instead of
 223        at the start of each shown line.
 224
 225-p::
 226--show-function::
 227        Show the preceding line that contains the function name of
 228        the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself.
 229        The name is determined in the same way as 'git diff' works out
 230        patch hunk headers (see 'Defining a custom hunk-header' in
 231        linkgit:gitattributes[5]).
 232
 233-<num>::
 234-C <num>::
 235--context <num>::
 236        Show <num> leading and trailing lines, and place a line
 237        containing `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 238
 239-A <num>::
 240--after-context <num>::
 241        Show <num> trailing lines, and place a line containing
 242        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 243
 244-B <num>::
 245--before-context <num>::
 246        Show <num> leading lines, and place a line containing
 247        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 248
 249-W::
 250--function-context::
 251        Show the surrounding text from the previous line containing a
 252        function name up to the one before the next function name,
 253        effectively showing the whole function in which the match was
 254        found.
 255
 256--threads <num>::
 257        Number of grep worker threads to use.
 258        See `grep.threads` in 'CONFIGURATION' for more information.
 259
 260-f <file>::
 261        Read patterns from <file>, one per line.
 262
 263-e::
 264        The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be
 265        used for patterns starting with `-` and should be used in
 266        scripts passing user input to grep.  Multiple patterns are
 267        combined by 'or'.
 268
 269--and::
 270--or::
 271--not::
 272( ... )::
 273        Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean
 274        expressions.  `--or` is the default operator.  `--and` has
 275        higher precedence than `--or`.  `-e` has to be used for all
 276        patterns.
 277
 278--all-match::
 279        When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with `--or`,
 280        this flag is specified to limit the match to files that
 281        have lines to match all of them.
 282
 283-q::
 284--quiet::
 285        Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when
 286        there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn't.
 287
 288<tree>...::
 289        Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
 290        blobs in the given trees.
 291
 292\--::
 293        Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters
 294        are <pathspec> limiters.
 295
 296<pathspec>...::
 297        If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern.
 298        Both leading paths match and glob(7) patterns are supported.
 299+
 300For more details about the <pathspec> syntax, see the 'pathspec' entry
 301in linkgit:gitglossary[7].
 302
 303Examples
 304--------
 305
 306`git grep 'time_t' -- '*.[ch]'`::
 307        Looks for `time_t` in all tracked .c and .h files in the working
 308        directory and its subdirectories.
 309
 310`git grep -e '#define' --and \( -e MAX_PATH -e PATH_MAX \)`::
 311        Looks for a line that has `#define` and either `MAX_PATH` or
 312        `PATH_MAX`.
 313
 314`git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected`::
 315        Looks for a line that has `NODE` or `Unexpected` in
 316        files that have lines that match both.
 317
 318`git grep solution -- :^Documentation`::
 319        Looks for `solution`, excluding files in `Documentation`.
 320
 321GIT
 322---
 323Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite