path: root/usr/src/man/man1/grep.1

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.TH GREP 1 "Feb 26, 2008"
.SH NAME
grep \- search a file for a pattern
.SH SYNOPSIS
.LP
.nf
\fB/usr/bin/grep\fR [\fB-c\fR | \fB-l\fR |\fB-q\fR] [\fB-r\fR | \fB-R\fR] [\fB-bhinsvw\fR]
    \fIlimited-regular-expression\fR [\fIfilename\fR]...
.fi

.LP
.nf
\fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep\fR [\fB-E\fR | \fB-F\fR] [\fB-c\fR | \fB-l\fR | \fB-q\fR] [\fB-r\fR | \fB-R\fR]
    [\fB-bhinsvwx\fR] \fB-e\fR \fIpattern_list\fR... [\fB-f\fR \fIpattern_file\fR]...
    [\fIfile\fR]...
.fi

.LP
.nf
\fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep\fR [\fB-E\fR | \fB-F\fR] [\fB-c\fR | \fB-l\fR | \fB-q\fR] [\fB-r\fR | \fB-R\fR]
    [\fB-bhinsvwx\fR] [\fB-e\fR \fIpattern_list\fR]... \fB-f\fR \fIpattern_file\fR...
    [\fIfile\fR]...
.fi

.LP
.nf
\fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep\fR [\fB-E\fR | \fB-F\fR] [\fB-c\fR | \fB-l\fR | \fB-q\fR] [\fB-r\fR | \fB-R\fR]
    [\fB-bhinsvwx\fR] \fIpattern\fR [\fIfile\fR]...
.fi

.SH DESCRIPTION
.sp
.LP
The \fBgrep\fR utility searches text files for a pattern and prints all lines
that contain that pattern.  It uses a compact non-deterministic algorithm.
.sp
.LP
Be careful using the characters \fB$\fR, \fB*\fR, \fB[\fR, \fB^\fR, \fB|\fR,
\fB(\fR, \fB)\fR, and \fB\e\fR in the \fIpattern_list\fR because they are also
meaningful to the shell. It is safest to enclose the entire \fIpattern_list\fR
in single quotes \fBa\'\fR\&...\fBa\'\fR\&.
.sp
.LP
If no files are specified, \fBgrep\fR assumes standard input. Normally, each
line found is copied to standard output. The file name is printed before each
line found if there is more than one input file.
.SS "/usr/bin/grep"
.sp
.LP
The \fB/usr/bin/grep\fR utility uses limited regular expressions like those
described on the \fBregexp\fR(5) manual page to match the patterns.
.SS "/usr/xpg4/bin/grep"
.sp
.LP
The options \fB-E\fR and \fB-F\fR affect the way \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep\fR
interprets \fIpattern_list\fR. If \fB-E\fR is specified,
\fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep\fR interprets \fIpattern_list\fR as a full regular
expression (see \fB-E\fR for description).  If \fB-F\fR is specified,
\fBgrep\fR interprets \fIpattern_list\fR as a fixed string. If neither are
specified, \fBgrep\fR interprets \fIpattern_list\fR as a basic regular
expression as described on \fBregex\fR(5) manual page.
.SH OPTIONS
.sp
.LP
The following options are supported for both \fB/usr/bin/grep\fR and
\fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep\fR:
.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-b\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 6n
Precedes each line by the block number on which it was found. This can be
useful in locating block numbers by context (first block is 0).
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-c\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 6n
Prints only a count of the lines that contain the pattern.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-h\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 6n
Prevents the name of the file containing the matching line from being prepended
to that line.  Used when searching multiple files.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-i\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 6n
Ignores upper/lower case distinction during comparisons.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-l\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 6n
Prints only the names of files with matching lines, separated by NEWLINE
characters.  Does not repeat the names of files when the pattern is found more
than once.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-n\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 6n
Precedes each line by its line number in the file (first line is 1).
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-r\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 6n
Read all files under each directory, recursively. Follow symbolic links on
the command line, but skip symlinks that are encountered recursively. If file
is a device, FIFO, or socket, skip it.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-R\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 6n
Read all files under each directory, recursively, following all symbolic links.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-q\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 6n
Quiet. Does not write anything to the standard output, regardless of matching
lines. Exits with zero status if an input line is selected.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-s\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 6n
Suppresses error messages about nonexistent or unreadable files.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-v\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 6n
Prints all lines except those that contain the pattern.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-w\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 6n
Searches for the expression as a word as if surrounded by \fB\e<\fR and
\fB\e>\fR\&.
.RE

.SS "/usr/xpg4/bin/grep"
.sp
.LP
The following options are supported for \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep\fR only:
.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-e\fR \fIpattern_list\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 19n
Specifies one or more patterns to be used during the search for input. Patterns
in \fIpattern_list\fR must be separated by a NEWLINE character. A null pattern
can be specified by two adjacent newline characters in \fIpattern_list\fR.
Unless the \fB-E\fR or \fB-F\fR option is also specified, each pattern is
treated as a basic regular expression.  Multiple \fB-e\fR and \fB-f\fR options
are accepted by \fBgrep\fR. All of the specified patterns are used when
matching lines, but the order of evaluation is unspecified.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-E\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 19n
Matches using full regular expressions. Treats each pattern specified as a full
regular expression. If any entire full regular expression pattern matches an
input line, the line is matched. A null full regular expression matches every
line. Each pattern is interpreted as a full regular expression as described on
the \fBregex\fR(5) manual page, except for \fB\e(\fR and \fB\e)\fR, and
including:
.RS +4
.TP
1.
A full regular expression followed by \fB+\fR that matches one or more
occurrences of the full regular expression.
.RE
.RS +4
.TP
2.
A full regular expression followed by \fB?\fR that matches 0 or 1
occurrences of the full regular expression.
.RE
.RS +4
.TP
3.
Full regular expressions separated by | or by a new-line that match strings
that are matched by any of the expressions.
.RE
.RS +4
.TP
4.
A full regular expression that is enclosed in parentheses \fB()\fR for
grouping.
.RE
The order of precedence of operators is \fB[\|]\fR, then \fB*\|?\|+\fR, then
concatenation, then | and new-line.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-f\fR \fIpattern_file\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 19n
Reads one or more patterns from the file named by the path name
\fIpattern_file\fR. Patterns in \fIpattern_file\fR are terminated by a NEWLINE
character. A null pattern can be specified by an empty line in
\fIpattern_file\fR. Unless the \fB-E\fR or \fB-F\fR option is also specified,
each pattern is treated as a basic regular expression.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-F\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 19n
Matches using fixed strings. Treats each pattern specified as a string instead
of a regular expression. If an input line contains any of the patterns as a
contiguous sequence of bytes, the line is matched. A null string matches every
line. See \fBfgrep\fR(1) for more information.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB-x\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 19n
Considers only input lines that use all characters in the line to match an
entire fixed string or regular expression to be matching lines.
.RE

.SH OPERANDS
.sp
.LP
The following operands are supported:
.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fIfile\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 8n
A path name of a file to be searched for the patterns. If no \fIfile\fR
operands are specified, the standard input is used.
.RE

.SS "/usr/bin/grep"
.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fIpattern\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 11n
Specifies a pattern to be used during the search for input.
.RE

.SS "/usr/xpg4/bin/grep"
.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fIpattern\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 11n
Specifies one or more patterns to be used during the search for input. This
operand is treated as if it were specified as \fB-e\fR \fIpattern_list\fR.
.RE

.SH USAGE
.sp
.LP
The \fB-e\fR \fIpattern_list\fR option has the same effect as the
\fIpattern_list\fR operand, but is useful when \fIpattern_list\fR begins with
the hyphen delimiter. It is also useful when it is more convenient to provide
multiple patterns as separate arguments.
.sp
.LP
Multiple \fB-e\fR and \fB-f\fR options are accepted and \fBgrep\fR uses all of
the patterns it is given while matching input text lines. Notice that the order
of evaluation is not specified. If an implementation finds a null string as a
pattern, it is allowed to use that pattern first, matching every line, and
effectively ignore any other patterns.
.sp
.LP
The \fB-q\fR option provides a means of easily determining whether or not a
pattern (or string) exists in a group of files. When searching several files,
it provides a performance improvement (because it can quit as soon as it finds
the first match) and requires less care by the user in choosing the set of
files to supply as arguments (because it exits zero if it finds a match even if
\fBgrep\fR detected an access or read error on earlier file operands).
.SS "Large File Behavior"
.sp
.LP
See \fBlargefile\fR(5) for the description of the behavior of \fBgrep\fR when
encountering files greater than or equal to 2 Gbyte ( 2^31 bytes).
.SH EXAMPLES
.LP
\fBExample 1 \fRFinding All Uses of a Word
.sp
.LP
To find all uses of the word "\fBPosix\fR" (in any case) in the file
\fBtext.mm\fR, and write with line numbers:

.sp
.in +2
.nf
example% \fB/usr/bin/grep -i -n posix text.mm\fR
.fi
.in -2
.sp

.LP
\fBExample 2 \fRFinding All Empty Lines
.sp
.LP
To find all empty lines in the standard input:

.sp
.in +2
.nf
example% \fB/usr/bin/grep ^$\fR
.fi
.in -2
.sp

.sp
.LP
or

.sp
.in +2
.nf
example% \fB/usr/bin/grep -v .\fR
.fi
.in -2
.sp

.LP
\fBExample 3 \fRFinding Lines Containing Strings
.sp
.LP
All of the following commands print all lines containing strings \fBabc\fR or
\fBdef\fR or both:

.sp
.in +2
.nf
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep 'abc
def'\fR
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep -e 'abc
def'\fR
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep -e 'abc' -e 'def'\fR
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep -E 'abc|def'\fR
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep -E -e 'abc|def'\fR
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep -E -e 'abc' -e 'def'\fR
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep -E 'abc
def'\fR
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep -E -e 'abc
def'\fR
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep -F -e 'abc' -e 'def'\fR
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep -F 'abc
def'\fR
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep -F -e 'abc
def'\fR
.fi
.in -2
.sp

.LP
\fBExample 4 \fRFinding Lines with Matching Strings
.sp
.LP
Both of the following commands print all lines matching exactly \fBabc\fR or
\fBdef\fR:

.sp
.in +2
.nf
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep -E '^abc$ ^def$'\fR
example% \fB/usr/xpg4/bin/grep -F -x 'abc def'\fR
.fi
.in -2
.sp

.SH ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES
.sp
.LP
See \fBenviron\fR(5) for descriptions of the following environment variables
that affect the execution of \fBgrep\fR: \fBLANG\fR, \fBLC_ALL\fR,
\fBLC_COLLATE\fR, \fBLC_CTYPE\fR, \fBLC_MESSAGES\fR, and \fBNLSPATH\fR.
.SH EXIT STATUS
.sp
.LP
The following exit values are returned:
.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB0\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 5n
One or more matches were found.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB1\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 5n
No matches were found.
.RE

.sp
.ne 2
.na
\fB\fB2\fR\fR
.ad
.RS 5n
Syntax errors or inaccessible files (even if matches were found).
.RE

.SH ATTRIBUTES
.sp
.LP
See \fBattributes\fR(5) for descriptions of the following attributes:
.SS "/usr/bin/grep"
.sp

.sp
.TS
box;
c | c
l | l .
ATTRIBUTE TYPE	ATTRIBUTE VALUE
_
CSI	Not Enabled
.TE

.SS "/usr/xpg4/bin/grep"
.sp

.sp
.TS
box;
c | c
l | l .
ATTRIBUTE TYPE	ATTRIBUTE VALUE
_
CSI	Enabled
_
Interface Stability	Committed
_
Standard	See \fBstandards\fR(5).
.TE

.SH SEE ALSO
.sp
.LP
\fBegrep\fR(1), \fBfgrep\fR(1), \fBsed\fR(1), \fBsh\fR(1), \fBattributes\fR(5),
\fBenviron\fR(5), \fBlargefile\fR(5), \fBregex\fR(5), \fBregexp\fR(5),
\fBstandards\fR(5)
.SH NOTES
.SS "/usr/bin/grep"
.sp
.LP
Lines are limited only by the size of the available virtual memory. If there is
a line with embedded nulls, \fBgrep\fR only matches up to the first null. If
the line matches, the entire line is printed.
.SS "/usr/xpg4/bin/grep"
.sp
.LP
The results are unspecified if input files contain lines longer than
\fBLINE_MAX\fR bytes or contain binary data. \fBLINE_MAX\fR is defined in
\fB/usr/include/limits.h\fR.