---
name: "podgrep"
section: "1p"
platform: "linux"
package: "pmtools"
version: "2.2.0-3"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/podgrep"
---

# podgrep(1p)

grep in pod sections only

## NAME

podgrep - grep in pod sections only

## SYNOPSIS

podgrep \[**-i**\] \[**-p**\] \[**-f**\] \[**-h**\] *pattern* \[ *files* ... \]

## DESCRIPTION

This program searches each paragraph in a pod document and prints each paragraph that matches the supplied pattern.  This pod may be mixed with program code, such as in a module.

Options are:

- \-i

  means case insensitive match

- \-p

  means page output though the user's pager.  The pager will be primed with an argument to search for the string.  This highlights the result.

- \-f

  means format output though the *pod2text* program.

- \-h

  means check for matches in pod `"=head"` and `"=item"` headers alone, and to keep printing podagraphs until the next header is found.

## EXAMPLES

```
    $ podgrep mail `pmpath CGI`
    (prints out podagraphs from the CGI.pm manpage that mention mail)
    $ podgrep -i destructor `sitepods`
    (prints out podagraphs that mention destructors in the
     site-installed pods)
    $ podgrep -i 'type.?glob' `stdpods`
    (prints out podagraphs that mention typeglob in the
     standard pods)
    $ podgrep -hpfi "lock" `faqpods`
    (prints out all podagraphs with "lock" in the headers
    case-insensitively, then formats these with pod2text, then
    shows them in the pager with matches high-lighted)
    $ podgrep -fh seek `podpath perlfunc`
    (prints out and formats podagraphs from the standard perlfunc manpage
    whose headers or items contain "seek".)
```

## SEE ALSO

**faqpods**(1), **pfcat**(1),  **pmpath**(1), [**pod2text**(1)](/pod2text/1.md),  **podpath**(1), **sitepods**(1), **stdpods**(1), and **tcgrep**(1).

## NOTE

For a pager, the author likes these environment settings (in the login startup, of course):

```
    $ENV{PAGER} = "less";
    $ENV{LESS}  = "MQeicsnf";
```

## AUTHORS and COPYRIGHTS

Copyright (C) 1999 Tom Christiansen.

Copyright (C) 2006-2014, 2018 Mark Leighton Fisher.

## LICENSE

This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either: (a) the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 1, or (at your option) any later version, or (b) the Perl "Artistic License". (This is the Perl 5 licensing scheme.)

Please note this is a change from the original pmtools-1.00 (still available on CPAN), as pmtools-1.00 were licensed only under the Perl "Artistic License".