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 | <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 linkgit: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::
--batch=<format>::
	Print object information and contents for each object provided
	on stdin.  May not be combined with any other options or arguments.
	See the section `BATCH OUTPUT` below for details.

--batch-check::
--batch-check=<format>::
	Print object information for each object provided on stdin.  May
	not be combined with any other options or arguments.  See the
	section `BATCH OUTPUT` below for details.

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.

If '-p' is specified, the contents of <object> are pretty-printed.

If <type> is specified, the raw (though uncompressed) contents of the <object>
will be returned.

BATCH OUTPUT
------------

If `--batch` or `--batch-check` is given, `cat-file` will read objects
from stdin, one per line, and print information about them.

Each line is considered as a whole object name, and is parsed as if
given to linkgit:git-rev-parse[1].

You can specify the information shown for each object by using a custom
`<format>`. The `<format>` is copied literally to stdout for each
object, with placeholders of the form `%(atom)` expanded, followed by a
newline. The available atoms are:

`objectname`::
	The 40-hex object name of the object.

`objecttype`::
	The type of of the object (the same as `cat-file -t` reports).

`objectsize`::
	The size, in bytes, of the object (the same as `cat-file -s`
	reports).

If no format is specified, the default format is `%(objectname)
%(objecttype) %(objectsize)`.

If `--batch` is specified, the object information is followed by the
object contents (consisting of `%(objectsize)` bytes), followed by a
newline.

For example, `--batch` without a custom format would produce:

------------
<sha1> SP <type> SP <size> LF
<contents> LF
------------

Whereas `--batch-check='%(objectname) %(objecttype)'` would produce:

------------
<sha1> SP <type> LF
------------

If a name is specified on stdin that cannot be resolved to an object in
the repository, then `cat-file` will ignore any custom format and print:

------------
<object> SP missing LF
------------

GIT
---
Part of the linkgit:git[1] suite