Text Search

Search for a text pattern in files within a directory. Shows matching lines with filenames and line numbers. Use when the user wants to find where a word or phrase appears in their files.

Find a word or phrase in files within a directory with a single command.

Usage

grep -rn <PATTERN> <DIR_PATH>

Arguments:

#	Name	Description
1	PATTERN	Text or pattern to search for
2	DIR_PATH	Directory to search in

Example

grep -rn "TODO" /home/user/project

Output:

/home/user/project/main.py:12:# TODO: fix this
/home/user/project/utils.py:5:# TODO: add tests

Format: FILENAME:LINE_NUMBER:MATCHING_LINE

Success / Failure

• Success: Matching lines printed (exit code 0)
• No matches: No output (exit code 1 — this is normal, not an error)
• Failure: Error message (exit code 2, e.g. directory not found)