ctags(1)

NAME

     ctags - Generates "tags" and (optionally) "refs" files

SYNOPSIS

     ctags [-stvra] filesnames...

DESCRIPTION

     ctags generates the "tags" and "refs" files from  a  group  of  C  source
     files.   The  "tags"  file  is  used  by Elvis' ":tag" command, control-]
     command, and -t option.  The "refs" file is sometimes used by the  ref(1)
     program.

     Each C source file is scanned for #define statements and global  function
     definitions.   The  name  of  the macro or function becomes the name of a
     tag.  For each tag, a line is added to the "tags" file which contains:
                 - the name of the tag
                 - a tab character
                 - the name of the file containing the tag
                 - a tab character
                 - a way to find the particular line within the file.

     The filenames list will typically be the names of all C source  files  in
     the current directory, like this:
          $ ctags -stv *.[ch]

OPTIONS

     -t   Include typedefs.  A tag will be  generated  for  each  user-defined
          type.  Also tags will be generated for struct and enum names.  Types
          are considered to be global if they are defined in  a  header  file,
          and static if they are defined in a C source file.

     -v   Include variable declarations.  A tag will  be  generated  for  each
          variable,  except  for  those that are declared inside the body of a
          function.

     -s   Include static tags.  Ctags will normally put  global  tags  in  the
          "tags"  file, and silently ignore the static tags.  This flag causes
          both global and static tags to be added.  The name of a  static  tag
          is  generated  by  prefixing  the name of the declared item with the
          name of the file where it is defined, with a colon in between.   For
          example,  "static  foo(){}"  in  "bar.c"  results  in  a  tag  named
          "bar.c:foo".

     -r   This causes ctags to generate both "tags" and "refs".   Without  -r,
          it would only generate "tags".

     -a   Append to "tags", and  maybe  "refs".   Normally,  ctags  overwrites
          these  files  each time it is invoked.  This flag is useful when you
          have to many files in the current directory for you to list them  on
          a single command-line; it allows you to split  the  arguments  among
          several invocations.

FILES

     tags A cross-reference that lists each tag name, the name of  the  source
          file  that contains it, and a way to locate a particular line in the
          source file.

     refs The "refs" file contains the definitions for each tag in the  "tags"
          file,  and  very little else.  This file can be useful, for example,
          when licensing restrictions prevent you from making the source  code
          to  the  standard  C  library  readable  by everybody, but you still
          everybody to know what arguments the library functions need.

BUGS

     ctags is sensitive to indenting and line breaks.  Consequently, it  might
     not  discover  all  of the tags in a file that is formatted in an unusual
     way.

SEE ALSO

     elvis(1), refs(1)

AUTHOR

     Steve Kirkendall
     kirkenda@cs.pdx.edu