Documentation / git-grep.txton commit Merge branch 'dk/reflog-walk-with-non-commit' (ceef512)
   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           [ [--[no-]exclude-standard] [--cached | --no-index | --untracked] | <tree>...]
  30           [--] [<pathspec>...]
  31
  32DESCRIPTION
  33-----------
  34Look for specified patterns in the tracked files in the work tree, blobs
  35registered in the index file, or blobs in given tree objects.  Patterns
  36are lists of one or more search expressions separated by newline
  37characters.  An empty string as search expression matches all lines.
  38
  39
  40CONFIGURATION
  41-------------
  42
  43grep.lineNumber::
  44        If set to true, enable '-n' option by default.
  45
  46grep.patternType::
  47        Set the default matching behavior. Using a value of 'basic', 'extended',
  48        'fixed', or 'perl' will enable the '--basic-regexp', '--extended-regexp',
  49        '--fixed-strings', or '--perl-regexp' option accordingly, while the
  50        value 'default' will return to the default matching behavior.
  51
  52grep.extendedRegexp::
  53        If set to true, enable '--extended-regexp' option by default. This
  54        option is ignored when the 'grep.patternType' option is set to a value
  55        other than 'default'.
  56
  57grep.threads::
  58        Number of grep worker threads to use.  If unset (or set to 0),
  59        8 threads are used by default (for now).
  60
  61grep.fullName::
  62        If set to true, enable '--full-name' option by default.
  63
  64
  65OPTIONS
  66-------
  67--cached::
  68        Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
  69        blobs registered in the index file.
  70
  71--no-index::
  72        Search files in the current directory that is not managed by Git.
  73
  74--untracked::
  75        In addition to searching in the tracked files in the working
  76        tree, search also in untracked files.
  77
  78--no-exclude-standard::
  79        Also search in ignored files by not honoring the `.gitignore`
  80        mechanism. Only useful with `--untracked`.
  81
  82--exclude-standard::
  83        Do not pay attention to ignored files specified via the `.gitignore`
  84        mechanism.  Only useful when searching files in the current directory
  85        with `--no-index`.
  86
  87-a::
  88--text::
  89        Process binary files as if they were text.
  90
  91--textconv::
  92        Honor textconv filter settings.
  93
  94--no-textconv::
  95        Do not honor textconv filter settings.
  96        This is the default.
  97
  98-i::
  99--ignore-case::
 100        Ignore case differences between the patterns and the
 101        files.
 102
 103-I::
 104        Don't match the pattern in binary files.
 105
 106--max-depth <depth>::
 107        For each <pathspec> given on command line, descend at most <depth>
 108        levels of directories. A negative value means no limit.
 109        This option is ignored if <pathspec> contains active wildcards.
 110        In other words if "a*" matches a directory named "a*",
 111        "*" is matched literally so --max-depth is still effective.
 112
 113-w::
 114--word-regexp::
 115        Match the pattern only at word boundary (either begin at the
 116        beginning of a line, or preceded by a non-word character; end at
 117        the end of a line or followed by a non-word character).
 118
 119-v::
 120--invert-match::
 121        Select non-matching lines.
 122
 123-h::
 124-H::
 125        By default, the command shows the filename for each
 126        match.  `-h` option is used to suppress this output.
 127        `-H` is there for completeness and does not do anything
 128        except it overrides `-h` given earlier on the command
 129        line.
 130
 131--full-name::
 132        When run from a subdirectory, the command usually
 133        outputs paths relative to the current directory.  This
 134        option forces paths to be output relative to the project
 135        top directory.
 136
 137-E::
 138--extended-regexp::
 139-G::
 140--basic-regexp::
 141        Use POSIX extended/basic regexp for patterns.  Default
 142        is to use basic regexp.
 143
 144-P::
 145--perl-regexp::
 146        Use Perl-compatible regexp for patterns. Requires libpcre to be
 147        compiled in.
 148
 149-F::
 150--fixed-strings::
 151        Use fixed strings for patterns (don't interpret pattern
 152        as a regex).
 153
 154-n::
 155--line-number::
 156        Prefix the line number to matching lines.
 157
 158-l::
 159--files-with-matches::
 160--name-only::
 161-L::
 162--files-without-match::
 163        Instead of showing every matched line, show only the
 164        names of files that contain (or do not contain) matches.
 165        For better compatibility with 'git diff', `--name-only` is a
 166        synonym for `--files-with-matches`.
 167
 168-O[<pager>]::
 169--open-files-in-pager[=<pager>]::
 170        Open the matching files in the pager (not the output of 'grep').
 171        If the pager happens to be "less" or "vi", and the user
 172        specified only one pattern, the first file is positioned at
 173        the first match automatically. The `pager` argument is
 174        optional; if specified, it must be stuck to the option
 175        without a space. If `pager` is unspecified, the default pager
 176        will be used (see `core.pager` in linkgit:git-config[1]).
 177
 178-z::
 179--null::
 180        Output \0 instead of the character that normally follows a
 181        file name.
 182
 183-c::
 184--count::
 185        Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of
 186        lines that match.
 187
 188--color[=<when>]::
 189        Show colored matches.
 190        The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
 191
 192--no-color::
 193        Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file
 194        gives the default to color output.
 195        Same as `--color=never`.
 196
 197--break::
 198        Print an empty line between matches from different files.
 199
 200--heading::
 201        Show the filename above the matches in that file instead of
 202        at the start of each shown line.
 203
 204-p::
 205--show-function::
 206        Show the preceding line that contains the function name of
 207        the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself.
 208        The name is determined in the same way as 'git diff' works out
 209        patch hunk headers (see 'Defining a custom hunk-header' in
 210        linkgit:gitattributes[5]).
 211
 212-<num>::
 213-C <num>::
 214--context <num>::
 215        Show <num> leading and trailing lines, and place a line
 216        containing `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 217
 218-A <num>::
 219--after-context <num>::
 220        Show <num> trailing lines, and place a line containing
 221        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 222
 223-B <num>::
 224--before-context <num>::
 225        Show <num> leading lines, and place a line containing
 226        `--` between contiguous groups of matches.
 227
 228-W::
 229--function-context::
 230        Show the surrounding text from the previous line containing a
 231        function name up to the one before the next function name,
 232        effectively showing the whole function in which the match was
 233        found.
 234
 235--threads <num>::
 236        Number of grep worker threads to use.
 237        See `grep.threads` in 'CONFIGURATION' for more information.
 238
 239-f <file>::
 240        Read patterns from <file>, one per line.
 241
 242-e::
 243        The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be
 244        used for patterns starting with `-` and should be used in
 245        scripts passing user input to grep.  Multiple patterns are
 246        combined by 'or'.
 247
 248--and::
 249--or::
 250--not::
 251( ... )::
 252        Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean
 253        expressions.  `--or` is the default operator.  `--and` has
 254        higher precedence than `--or`.  `-e` has to be used for all
 255        patterns.
 256
 257--all-match::
 258        When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with `--or`,
 259        this flag is specified to limit the match to files that
 260        have lines to match all of them.
 261
 262-q::
 263--quiet::
 264        Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when
 265        there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn't.
 266
 267<tree>...::
 268        Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
 269        blobs in the given trees.
 270
 271\--::
 272        Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters
 273        are <pathspec> limiters.
 274
 275<pathspec>...::
 276        If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern.
 277        Both leading paths match and glob(7) patterns are supported.
 278
 279Examples
 280--------
 281
 282`git grep 'time_t' -- '*.[ch]'`::
 283        Looks for `time_t` in all tracked .c and .h files in the working
 284        directory and its subdirectories.
 285
 286`git grep -e '#define' --and \( -e MAX_PATH -e PATH_MAX \)`::
 287        Looks for a line that has `#define` and either `MAX_PATH` or
 288        `PATH_MAX`.
 289
 290`git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected`::
 291        Looks for a line that has `NODE` or `Unexpected` in
 292        files that have lines that match both.
 293
 294GIT
 295---
 296Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite