git-cat-file(1) =============== NAME ---- git-cat-file - Provide content or type and size information for repository objects SYNOPSIS -------- [verse] 'git cat-file' (-t | -s | -e | -p | | --textconv ) 'git cat-file' (--batch | --batch-check) < 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 SHA1, type, and size of each object is printed on stdout. OPTIONS ------- :: The name of the object to show. For a more complete list of ways to spell object names, see the "SPECIFYING REVISIONS" section in linkgit:gitrevisions[1]. -t:: Instead of the content, show the object type identified by . -s:: Instead of the content, show the object size identified by . -e:: Suppress all output; instead exit with zero status if exists and is a valid object. -p:: Pretty-print the contents of based on its type. :: Typically this matches the real type of but asking for a type that can trivially be dereferenced from the given is also permitted. An example is to ask for a "tree" with being a commit object that contains it, or to ask for a "blob" with being a tag object that points at it. --textconv:: Show the content as transformed by a textconv filter. In this case, has be of the form :, or : in order to apply the filter to the content recorded in the index at . --batch:: Print the SHA1, type, size, and contents of each object provided on stdin. May not be combined with any other options or arguments. --batch-check:: Print the SHA1, 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 . If '-s' is specified, the size of the in bytes. If '-e' is specified, no output. If '-p' is specified, the contents of are pretty-printed. If is specified, the raw (though uncompressed) contents of the will be returned. If '--batch' is specified, output of the following form is printed for each object specified on stdin: ------------ SP SP LF LF ------------ If '--batch-check' is specified, output of the following form is printed for each object specified on stdin: ------------ SP SP 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: ------------ SP missing LF ------------ Author ------ Written by Linus Torvalds Documentation -------------- Documentation by David Greaves, Junio C Hamano and the git-list . GIT --- Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite