git-grep.txt

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

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


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


CONFIGURATION
-------------

grep.lineNumber::
If set to true, enable '-n' option by default.

grep.extendedRegexp::
If set to true, enable '--extended-regexp' option by default.


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

--no-index::
Search files in the current directory, not just those tracked by git.

-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.

-P::
--perl-regexp::
Use Perl-compatible regexp for patterns. Requires libpcre to be
compiled in.

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

-n::
--line-number::
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`.

-O [<pager>]::
--open-files-in-pager [<pager>]::
Open the matching files in the pager (not the output of 'grep').
If the pager happens to be "less" or "vi", and the user
specified only one pattern, the first file is positioned at
the first match automatically.

-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[=<when>]::
Show colored matches.
The value must be always (the default), never, or auto.

--no-color::
Turn off match highlighting, even when the configuration file
gives the default to color output.
Same as `--color=never`.

--break::
Print an empty line between matches from different files.

--heading::
Show the filename above the matches in that file instead of
at the start of each shown line.

-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]).

-<num>::
-C <num>::
--context <num>::
Show <num> leading and trailing lines, and place a line
containing `--` between contiguous groups of matches.

-A <num>::
--after-context <num>::
Show <num> trailing lines, and place a line containing
`--` between contiguous groups of matches.

-B <num>::
--before-context <num>::
Show <num> leading lines, and place a line containing
`--` between contiguous groups of matches.

-W::
--function-context::
Show the surrounding text from the previous line containing a
function name up to the one before the next function name,
effectively showing the whole function in which the match was
found.

-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>...::
Instead of searching tracked files in the working tree, search
blobs in the given trees.

\--::
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.

Examples
--------

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

`git grep -e {apostrophe}#define{apostrophe} --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.

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