Documentation / git-grep.txton commit Merge branch 'sb/doc-submodule-sync-recursive' (fa41b05)
   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. The `pager` argument is
 169        optional; if specified, it must be stuck to the option
 170        without a space. If `pager` is unspecified, the default pager
 171        will be used (see `core.pager` in linkgit:git-config[1]).
 172
 173-z::
 174--null::
 175        Output \0 instead of the character that normally follows a
 176        file name.
 177
 178-c::
 179--count::
 180        Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of
 181        lines that match.
 182
 183--color[=<when>]::
 184        Show colored matches.
 185        The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
 186
 187--no-color::
 188        Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file
 189        gives the default to color output.
 190        Same as `--color=never`.
 191
 192--break::
 193        Print an empty line between matches from different files.
 194
 195--heading::
 196        Show the filename above the matches in that file instead of
 197        at the start of each shown line.
 198
 199-p::
 200--show-function::
 201        Show the preceding line that contains the function name of
 202        the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself.
 203        The name is determined in the same way as 'git diff' works out
 204        patch hunk headers (see 'Defining a custom hunk-header' in
 205        linkgit:gitattributes[5]).
 206
 207-<num>::
 208-C <num>::
 209--context <num>::
 210        Show <num> leading and trailing lines, and place a line
 211        containing `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 212
 213-A <num>::
 214--after-context <num>::
 215        Show <num> trailing lines, and place a line containing
 216        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 217
 218-B <num>::
 219--before-context <num>::
 220        Show <num> leading lines, and place a line containing
 221        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 222
 223-W::
 224--function-context::
 225        Show the surrounding text from the previous line containing a
 226        function name up to the one before the next function name,
 227        effectively showing the whole function in which the match was
 228        found.
 229
 230-f <file>::
 231        Read patterns from <file>, one per line.
 232
 233-e::
 234        The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be
 235        used for patterns starting with `-` and should be used in
 236        scripts passing user input to grep.  Multiple patterns are
 237        combined by 'or'.
 238
 239--and::
 240--or::
 241--not::
 242( ... )::
 243        Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean
 244        expressions.  `--or` is the default operator.  `--and` has
 245        higher precedence than `--or`.  `-e` has to be used for all
 246        patterns.
 247
 248--all-match::
 249        When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with `--or`,
 250        this flag is specified to limit the match to files that
 251        have lines to match all of them.
 252
 253-q::
 254--quiet::
 255        Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when
 256        there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn't.
 257
 258<tree>...::
 259        Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
 260        blobs in the given trees.
 261
 262\--::
 263        Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters
 264        are <pathspec> limiters.
 265
 266<pathspec>...::
 267        If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern.
 268        Both leading paths match and glob(7) patterns are supported.
 269
 270Examples
 271--------
 272
 273`git grep 'time_t' -- '*.[ch]'`::
 274        Looks for `time_t` in all tracked .c and .h files in the working
 275        directory and its subdirectories.
 276
 277`git grep -e '#define' --and \( -e MAX_PATH -e PATH_MAX \)`::
 278        Looks for a line that has `#define` and either `MAX_PATH` or
 279        `PATH_MAX`.
 280
 281`git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected`::
 282        Looks for a line that has `NODE` or `Unexpected` in
 283        files that have lines that match both.
 284
 285GIT
 286---
 287Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite