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How can i search file name in specific Github repository


With Github's search API, i can search for repository's name or user's name.

How can i search the file name in the specific Github repository?

I mean how can i do that: in repo jquery/jquery, i search for "selector" keyword, i will have selector.js, selector-sizzle.js, selector-native.js and selector-folder

Thank you


Solution

  • 2014: One workaround would be to do a code search, with:

    • q: a word than you know is in the file you are looking for
    • filename: the name of the file you are looking for (see "Search by filename")

    For instance, if you are looking for classes.js in the repo jquery/jquery, which you know has to contain the word 'addClass':

    https://api.github.com/search/code?q=addClass+repo:jquery/jquery+filename:classes.js

    Take the result with a score > 1

    "name": "classes.js",
    "path": "src/attributes/classes.js",
    

    braitsch adds in the comments:

    Instead of "score", inspect the "total_count" property of the object returned by the query as "score" will be absent if the requested file is not found.


    2022: Mikhail Vlasenko points to the current "Searching code", adding:

    On the current version, no workaround is necessary, as the search term can be empty when searching with filename.

    Except with filename searches, you must always include at least one search term when searching source code. For example, searching for language:javascript is not valid, while amazing language:javascript is.