git-grep.txt

git-grep(1)
===========

NAME
----
git-grep - Print lines matching a pattern


SYNOPSIS
--------
[verse]
'git grep' [--cached]
 [-a | --text] [-I] [-i | --ignore-case] [-w | --word-regexp]
 [-v | --invert-match] [-h|-H] [--full-name]
 [-E | --extended-regexp] [-G | --basic-regexp]
 [-F | --fixed-strings] [-n]
 [-l | --files-with-matches] [-L | --files-without-match]
 [-z | --null]
 [-c | --count] [--all-match] [-q | --quiet]
 [--max-depth <depth>]
 [--color | --no-color]
 [-A <post-context>] [-B <pre-context>] [-C <context>]
 [-f <file>] [-e] <pattern>
 [--and|--or|--not|(|)|-e <pattern>...] [<tree>...]
 [--] [<pathspec>...]

DESCRIPTION
-----------
Look for specified patterns in the tracked files in the work tree, blobs
registered in the index file, or blobs in given tree objects.


OPTIONS
-------
--cached::
Instead of searching in the working tree files, check
the blobs registered in the index file.

-a::
--text::
Process binary files as if they were text.

-i::
--ignore-case::
Ignore case differences between the patterns and the
files.

-I::
Don't match the pattern in binary files.

--max-depth <depth>::
For each <pathspec> given on command line, descend at most <depth>
levels of directories. A negative value means no limit.

-w::
--word-regexp::
Match the pattern only at word boundary (either begin at the
beginning of a line, or preceded by a non-word character; end at
the end of a line or followed by a non-word character).

-v::
--invert-match::
Select non-matching lines.

-h::
-H::
By default, the command shows the filename for each
match. `-h` option is used to suppress this output.
`-H` is there for completeness and does not do anything
except it overrides `-h` given earlier on the command
line.

--full-name::
When run from a subdirectory, the command usually
outputs paths relative to the current directory. This
option forces paths to be output relative to the project
top directory.

-E::
--extended-regexp::
-G::
--basic-regexp::
Use POSIX extended/basic regexp for patterns. Default
is to use basic regexp.

-F::
--fixed-strings::
Use fixed strings for patterns (don't interpret pattern
as a regex).

-n::
Prefix the line number to matching lines.

-l::
--files-with-matches::
--name-only::
-L::
--files-without-match::
Instead of showing every matched line, show only the
names of files that contain (or do not contain) matches.
For better compatibility with 'git diff', --name-only is a
synonym for --files-with-matches.

-z::
--null::
Output \0 instead of the character that normally follows a
file name.

-c::
--count::
Instead of showing every matched line, show the number of
lines that match.

--color::
Show colored matches.

--no-color::
Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file
gives the default to color output.

-[ABC] <context>::
Show `context` trailing (`A` -- after), or leading (`B`
-- before), or both (`C` -- context) lines, and place a
line containing `--` between contiguous groups of
matches.

-<num>::
A shortcut for specifying -C<num>.

-p::
--show-function::
Show the preceding line that contains the function name of
the match, unless the matching line is a function name itself.
The name is determined in the same way as 'git diff' works out
patch hunk headers (see 'Defining a custom hunk-header' in
linkgit:gitattributes[5]).

-f <file>::
Read patterns from <file>, one per line.

-e::
The next parameter is the pattern. This option has to be
used for patterns starting with - and should be used in
scripts passing user input to grep. Multiple patterns are
combined by 'or'.

--and::
--or::
--not::
( ... )::
Specify how multiple patterns are combined using Boolean
expressions. `--or` is the default operator. `--and` has
higher precedence than `--or`. `-e` has to be used for all
patterns.

--all-match::
When giving multiple pattern expressions combined with `--or`,
this flag is specified to limit the match to files that
have lines to match all of them.

-q::
--quiet::
Do not output matched lines; instead, exit with status 0 when
there is a match and with non-zero status when there isn't.

`<tree>...`::
Search blobs in the trees for specified patterns.

\--::
Signals the end of options; the rest of the parameters
are <pathspec> limiters.

<pathspec>...::
If given, limit the search to paths matching at least one pattern.
Both leading paths match and glob(7) patterns are supported.

Example
-------

git grep 'time_t' -- '*.[ch]'::
Looks for `time_t` in all tracked .c and .h files in the working
directory and its subdirectories.

git grep -e \'#define\' --and \( -e MAX_PATH -e PATH_MAX \)::
Looks for a line that has `#define` and either `MAX_PATH` or
`PATH_MAX`.

git grep --all-match -e NODE -e Unexpected::
Looks for a line that has `NODE` or `Unexpected` in
files that have lines that match both.

Author
------
Originally written by Linus Torvalds <torvalds@osdl.org>, later
revamped by Junio C Hamano.


Documentation
--------------
Documentation by Junio C Hamano and the git-list <git@vger.kernel.org>.

GIT
---
Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite