Fileset language - Jujutsu docs

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# Filesets

Jujutsu supports a functional language for selecting a set of files. Expressions in this language are called "filesets" (the idea comes from Mercurial). The language consists of file patterns, operators, and functions.

## Quoting file names

Many `jj` commands accept fileset expressions as positional arguments. File names passed to these commands must be quoted if they contain whitespace or meta characters. However, as a special case, quotes can be omitted if the expression has no operators nor function calls. For example:

- `jj diff 'Foo Bar'` (shell quotes are required, but inner quotes are optional)
- `jj diff '~"Foo Bar"'` (both shell and inner quotes are required)
- `jj diff '"Foo(1)"'` (both shell and inner quotes are required)

Glob characters aren't considered meta characters, but shell quotes are still required:

- `jj diff '~glob:**/*.rs'`

## File patterns

The following patterns are supported. In all cases, we do not mention any shell quoting that might be necessary, and the quotes around `"path"` are optional if the path has no special characters.

By default, `"path"` is parsed as a `prefix-glob:` pattern, which matches cwd-relative path prefix.

- `cwd:"path"`: Matches cwd-relative path prefix (file or files under directory recursively.)
- `file:"path"` or `cwd-file:"path"`: Matches cwd-relative file (or exact) path.
- `glob:"pattern"` or `cwd-glob:"pattern"`: Matches file paths with cwd-relative Unix-style shell wildcard `pattern`. For example, `glob:"*.c"` will match all `.c` files in the current working directory non-recursively.
- `prefix-glob:"pattern"` or `cwd-prefix-glob:"pattern"`: Like `glob:`, but also matches path prefix (file or files under directory recursively.) For example, `prefix-glob:"*.d"` is equivalent to `glob:"*.d" | glob:"*.d/**"`.
- `root:"path"`: Matches workspace-relative path prefix (file or files under directory recursively.)
- `root-file:"path"`: Matches workspace-relative file (or exact) path.
- `root-glob:"pattern"`: Matches file paths with workspace-relative Unix-style shell wildcard `pattern`.
- `root-prefix-glob:"pattern"`: Like `root-glob:`, but also matches path prefix (file or files under directory recursively.)

Glob patterns support case-insensitive matching by appending `-i` to the pattern name. For example, `glob-i:"*.TXT"` will match both `file.txt` and `FILE.TXT`.

## Operators

The following operators are supported. `x` and `y` below can be any fileset expressions.

Operators are listed in order of binding power from strongest to weakest, e.g. `x | y & z` is interpreted as `x | (y & z)` since `&` has stronger binding power than `|`. Infix operators of the same binding power are parsed from left to right, e.g. `x ~ y & z` is interpreted as `(x ~ y) & z` rather than `x ~ (y & z)`.

As seen above, parentheses can be used to control evaluation order, e.g. `(x & y) | z` or `x & (y | z)`.

1. - `f(x)`: Function call.
2. - `p:x`: File pattern or pattern alias named `p`.
3. - `~x`: Matches everything but `x`.
4. - `x & y`: Matches both `x` and `y`.
   - `x ~ y`: Matches `x` but not `y`.
5. - `x | y`: Matches either `x` or `y` (or both).

## Functions

You can also specify patterns by using functions.

- `all()`: Matches everything.
- `none()`: Matches nothing.

## Aliases

New symbols, functions, and `<name>:<value>` patterns can be defined in the config file, by using any combination of the predefined symbols/functions and other aliases.

Alias functions can be overloaded by the number of parameters. However, builtin function will be shadowed by name, and can't co-exist with aliases.

For example:

    [fileset-aliases]
    'LOCK' = '**/Cargo.lock | **/package-lock.json | **/uv.lock'
    'not:x' = '~x'

## Examples

Show diff excluding `Cargo.lock`.

    jj diff '~Cargo.lock'

List files in `src` excluding Rust sources.

    jj file list 'src ~ glob:"**/*.rs"'

Split a revision in two, putting `foo` into the second commit.

    jj split '~foo'