1 git-grep(1)
2 ===========
4 NAME
5 ----
6 git-grep - Print lines matching a pattern
9 SYNOPSIS
10 --------
11 [verse]
12 'git grep' [-a | --text] [-I] [-i | --ignore-case] [-w | --word-regexp]
13 [-v | --invert-match] [-h|-H] [--full-name]
14 [-E | --extended-regexp] [-G | --basic-regexp]
15 [-F | --fixed-strings] [-n]
16 [-l | --files-with-matches] [-L | --files-without-match]
17 [(-O | --open-files-in-pager) [<pager>]]
18 [-z | --null]
19 [-c | --count] [--all-match] [-q | --quiet]
20 [--max-depth <depth>]
21 [--color[=<when>] | --no-color]
22 [-A <post-context>] [-B <pre-context>] [-C <context>]
23 [-f <file>] [-e] <pattern>
24 [--and|--or|--not|(|)|-e <pattern>...]
25 [--cached | --no-index | <tree>...]
26 [--] [<pathspec>...]
28 DESCRIPTION
29 -----------
30 Look for specified patterns in the tracked files in the work tree, blobs
31 registered in the index file, or blobs in given tree objects.
34 CONFIGURATION
35 -------------
37 grep.lineNumber::
38 If set to true, enable '-n' option by default.
40 grep.extendedRegexp::
41 If set to true, enable '--extended-regexp' option by default.
44 OPTIONS
45 -------
46 --cached::
47 Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
48 blobs registered in the index file.
50 --no-index::
51 Search files in the current directory, not just those tracked by git.
53 -a::
54 --text::
55 Process binary files as if they were text.
57 -i::
58 --ignore-case::
59 Ignore case differences between the patterns and the
60 files.
62 -I::
63 Don't match the pattern in binary files.
65 --max-depth <depth>::
66 For each <pathspec> given on command line, descend at most <depth>
67 levels of directories. A negative value means no limit.
69 -w::
70 --word-regexp::
71 Match the pattern only at word boundary (either begin at the
72 beginning of a line, or preceded by a non-word character; end at
73 the end of a line or followed by a non-word character).
75 -v::
76 --invert-match::
77 Select non-matching lines.
79 -h::
80 -H::
81 By default, the command shows the filename for each
82 match. `-h` option is used to suppress this output.
83 `-H` is there for completeness and does not do anything
84 except it overrides `-h` given earlier on the command
85 line.
87 --full-name::
88 When run from a subdirectory, the command usually
89 outputs paths relative to the current directory. This
90 option forces paths to be output relative to the project
91 top directory.
93 -E::
94 --extended-regexp::
95 -G::
96 --basic-regexp::
97 Use POSIX extended/basic regexp for patterns. Default
98 is to use basic regexp.
100 -F::
101 --fixed-strings::
102 Use fixed strings for patterns (don't interpret pattern
103 as a regex).
105 -n::
106 --line-number::
107 Prefix the line number to matching lines.
109 -l::
110 --files-with-matches::
111 --name-only::
112 -L::
113 --files-without-match::
114 Instead of showing every matched line, show only the
115 names of files that contain (or do not contain) matches.
116 For better compatibility with 'git diff', `--name-only` is a
117 synonym for `--files-with-matches`.
119 -O [<pager>]::
120 --open-files-in-pager [<pager>]::
121 Open the matching files in the pager (not the output of 'grep').
122 If the pager happens to be "less" or "vi", and the user
123 specified only one pattern, the first file is positioned at
124 the first match automatically.
126 -z::
127 --null::
128 Output \0 instead of the character that normally follows a
129 file name.
131 -c::
132 --count::
133 Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of
134 lines that match.
136 --color[=<when>]::
137 Show colored matches.
138 The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.
140 --no-color::
141 Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file
142 gives the default to color output.
143 Same as `--color=never`.
145 -[ABC] <context>::
146 Show `context` trailing (`A` -- after), or leading (`B`
147 -- before), or both (`C` -- context) lines, and place a
148 line containing `--` between contiguous groups of
149 matches.
151 -<num>::
152 A shortcut for specifying `-C<num>`.
154 -p::
155 --show-function::
156 Show the preceding line that contains the function name of
157 the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself.
158 The name is determined in the same way as 'git diff' works out
159 patch hunk headers (see 'Defining a custom hunk-header' in
160 linkgit:gitattributes[5]).
162 -f <file>::
163 Read patterns from <file>, one per line.
165 -e::
166 The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be
167 used for patterns starting with `-` and should be used in
168 scripts passing user input to grep. Multiple patterns are
169 combined by 'or'.
171 --and::
172 --or::
173 --not::
174 ( ... )::
175 Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean
176 expressions. `--or` is the default operator. `--and` has
177 higher precedence than `--or`. `-e` has to be used for all
178 patterns.
180 --all-match::
181 When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with `--or`,
182 this flag is specified to limit the match to files that
183 have lines to match all of them.
185 -q::
186 --quiet::
187 Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when
188 there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn't.
190 <tree>...::
191 Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
192 blobs in the given trees.
194 \--::
195 Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters
196 are <pathspec> limiters.
198 <pathspec>...::
199 If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern.
200 Both leading paths match and glob(7) patterns are supported.
202 Examples
203 --------
205 git grep {apostrophe}time_t{apostrophe} \-- {apostrophe}*.[ch]{apostrophe}::
206 Looks for `time_t` in all tracked .c and .h files in the working
207 directory and its subdirectories.
209 git grep -e {apostrophe}#define{apostrophe} --and \( -e MAX_PATH -e PATH_MAX \)::
210 Looks for a line that has `#define` and either `MAX_PATH` or
211 `PATH_MAX`.
213 git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected::
214 Looks for a line that has `NODE` or `Unexpected` in
215 files that have lines that match both.
217 GIT
218 ---
219 Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite