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Using GitHub Code Search (beta)

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You can use suggestions, completions and saved searches in the upgraded search interface to quickly find what you are looking for across GitHub.com.

Note: The new code search and code view are in public beta.

For more information on the new code search, see "About GitHub Code Search (beta)." For more information on the new code view, see "Navigating files with the new code view (beta)."

About using the new code search (beta)

Upon getting access to the new code search beta, GitHub will index any repositories you own and any repositories in organizations you are a member of, whether public, private, or internal. This means that you can search across all of your repositories, in addition to the public repositories on GitHub.com that have already been indexed. Only users with permission to view your code on GitHub.com will be able to see your code in search results. Forks are indexed and searchable in the same way as other repositories.

Not all code is indexed, and you can currently only search the default branches of repositories. For more information on known limitations, see "About GitHub Code Search (beta)."

The new code search beta is integrated within the new code view beta. For more information on the new code view, see "Navigating files with the new code view (beta)."

On top of the new code search engine, the beta includes an upgraded search interface on GitHub.com. Using suggestions, completions, and saved searches, you can quickly find what you are looking for, often without having to fully type a query or view the search results page.

For more information about the search syntax of the new code search (beta), see "Understanding GitHub Code Search (beta) syntax."

Note that the syntax and qualifiers for searching for non-code content, such as issues, users, and discussions, work the same as before. For more information on non-code search, see "About searching on GitHub" and "Searching on GitHub."

  1. In the top navigation of GitHub.com, click the search bar.

  2. Under the search bar, you will see a list of suggestions organized by category, including recent searches and suggested repositories, teams, and projects that you have access to. You can also see a list of saved searches that you have created. For more information on saved searches, see "Creating and managing saved searches."

    Screenshot of the GitHub search bar. There is a list of search suggestions by category below the search bar.

    If you click on any of the specific suggestions, you will be taken directly to the page for that suggestion (for example, the repository or project page). If you click on a recent or saved search, depending on the type of search, the search query will appear in the search bar or you will be taken to the search results page for the search term.

  3. Once you start typing a search query, you will see a list of completions and suggestions that match your query. You can click on a suggestion to jump to a specific location. As you type more qualifiers, you will see more specific suggestions, such as code files you can jump to directly.

    Screenshot of a search for "repo:octocat/spoon-knife". The code results are outlined in dark orange.

  4. After typing your query, you can also press Enter to go to the full search results view, where you can see each match and a visual interface for applying filters. For more information, see "Using the search results view."

Creating and managing saved searches

  1. In the top navigation of GitHub.com, click the search bar and type saved:.
  2. Under the search bar, the "Saved searches" section should now appear. Click Create saved search.
  3. In the pop-up window, fill out the name you want for your query and the query that you want to save. Click Create saved search.
  4. If you click again on the search bar, you can now see your saved search in the "Saved searches" section under the search bar. Clicking on a saved search entry will add the query to the search bar and filter the suggestions accordingly.
    • To edit a saved search, in the "Saved searches" section, click to the right of the saved search.
    • To delete a saved search, click to the right of the saved search.

Using the search results view

The search results view already exists for the classic search on GitHub, and the functionality for most search types, except code, is the same. With the new code search beta enabled, the search results page has a redesigned UI and includes filters that are supported in the new code search engine, such as path and symbol filters.

To construct a search query, as well as view and filter results, using a visual interface, you can use the search page or advanced search page. If you press Enter after typing a search query in the search bar, you will also be taken to the search results view.

On the search results view, you can navigate between different types of search results, including code, issues, pull request, repositories, and more. You can also view and use filters.