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GIT-CAT-FILE(1)                                       Git Manual                                      GIT-CAT-FILE(1)



NAME
       git-cat-file - Provide content or type and size information for repository objects

SYNOPSIS
       git cat-file (-t | -s | -e | -p | <type> | --textconv ) <object>
       git cat-file (--batch | --batch-check) < <list-of-objects>


DESCRIPTION
       In its first form, the command provides the content or the type of an object in the repository. The type is
       required unless -t or -p is used to find the object type, or -s is used to find the object size, or --textconv
       is used (which implies type "blob").

       In the second form, a list of objects (separated by linefeeds) is provided on stdin, and the SHA-1, type, and
       size of each object is printed on stdout.

OPTIONS
       <object>
           The name of the object to show. For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see the
           "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in gitrevisions(7).

       -t
           Instead of the content, show the object type identified by <object>.

       -s
           Instead of the content, show the object size identified by <object>.

       -e
           Suppress all output; instead exit with zero status if <object> exists and is a valid object.

       -p
           Pretty-print the contents of <object> based on its type.

       <type>
           Typically this matches the real type of <object> but asking for a type that can trivially be dereferenced
           from the given <object> is also permitted. An example is to ask for a "tree" with <object> being a commit
           object that contains it, or to ask for a "blob" with <object> being a tag object that points at it.

       --textconv
           Show the content as transformed by a textconv filter. In this case, <object> has be of the form
           <treeish>:<path>, or :<path> in order to apply the filter to the content recorded in the index at <path>.

       --batch
           Print the SHA-1, type, size, and contents of each object provided on stdin. May not be combined with any
           other options or arguments.

       --batch-check
           Print the SHA-1, type, and size of each object provided on stdin. May not be combined with any other
           options or arguments.

OUTPUT
       If -t is specified, one of the <type>.

       If -s is specified, the size of the <object> in bytes.

       If -e is specified, no output.

           <sha1> SP <type> SP <size> LF


       For both --batch and --batch-check, output of the following form is printed for each object specified on stdin
       that does not exist in the repository:

           <object> SP missing LF


GIT
       Part of the git(1) suite



Git 1.8.3.1                                           03/23/2016                                      GIT-CAT-FILE(1)