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GIT-GREP(1)                                           Git Manual                                          GIT-GREP(1)



NAME
       git-grep - Print lines matching a pattern

SYNOPSIS
       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]
                  [--break] [--heading] [-p | --show-function]
                  [-A <post-context>] [-B <pre-context>] [-C <context>]
                  [-W | --function-context]
                  [-f <file>] [-e] <pattern>
                  [--and|--or|--not|(|)|-e <pattern>...]
                  [ [--[no-]exclude-standard] [--cached | --no-index | --untracked] | <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. Patterns are lists of one or more search expressions separated by newline
       characters. An empty string as search expression matches all lines.

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

       grep.patternType
           Set the default matching behavior. Using a value of basic, extended, fixed, or perl will enable the
           --basic-regexp, --extended-regexp, --fixed-strings, or --perl-regexp option accordingly, while the value
           default will return to the default matching behavior.

       grep.extendedRegexp
           If set to true, enable --extended-regexp option by default. This option is ignored when the
           grep.patternType option is set to a value other than 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 that is not managed by Git.

       --untracked
           In addition to searching in the tracked files in the working tree, search also in untracked files.

       --no-exclude-standard
           Also search in ignored files by not honoring the .gitignore mechanism. Only useful with --untracked.

       --exclude-standard
       --max-depth <depth>
           For each <pathspec> given on command line, descend at most <depth> levels of directories. A negative value
           means no limit. This option is ignored if <pathspec> contains active wildcards. In other words if "a*"
           matches a directory named "a*", "*" is matched literally so --max-depth is still effective.

       -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.

           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 '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.

GIT
       Part of the git(1) suite