## Deprecated: See [this comment](https://github.com/rking/ag.vim/issues/124#issuecomment-227038003) for more info. Maybe try [ack.vim](https://github.com/mileszs/ack.vim#can-i-use-ag-the-silver-searcher-with-this) as an alternative. ##
[the_silver_searcher](https://github.com/ggreer/the_silver_searcher). Ag can
be used as a replacement for 153% of the uses of `ack`. This plugin will allow
you to run ag from vim, and shows the results in a split window.
## Installation ##
See [the_silver_searcher's README](https://github.com/ggreer/the_silver_searcher#installing) for its installation instructions (if you haven't installed it already).
You have to first install [ag](https://github.com/ggreer/the_silver_searcher), itself. On Mac+Homebrew, Gentoo Linux, several others, there's package named `the_silver_searcher`, but if your OS/distro don't have one, the GitHub repo installs fine:
Vim has various ways of installing plugins, the standard way is in [the documentation](http://vimdoc.sourceforge.net/htmldoc/usr_05.html#plugin), but most people use a plugin to manage their plugins. If you don't already have a preferred plugin manager plugin, why not try one of the following?
You can configure ag.vim to always start searching from your project root
instead of the cwd
let g:ag_working_path_mode="r"
## Usage ##
:Ag [options] {pattern} [{directory}]
Search recursively in {directory} (which defaults to the current directory) for the {pattern}.
Files containing the search term will be listed in the split window, along with
the line number of the occurrence, once for each occurrence. [Enter] on a line
in this window will open the file, and place the cursor on the matching line.
Just like where you use :grep, :grepadd, :lgrep, and :lgrepadd, you can use `:Ag`, `:AgAdd`, `:LAg`, and `:LAgAdd` respectively. (See `doc/ag.txt`, or install and `:h Ag` for more information.)
### Gotchas ###
Some characters have special meaning, and need to be escaped your search pattern. For instance, '#'. You have to escape it like this `:Ag '\\\#define foo'` to search for `#define foo`. (From [blueyed in issue #5](https://github.com/mileszs/ack.vim/issues/5).)
Sometimes `git grep` is even faster, though in my experience it's not noticeably so.
### Keyboard Shortcuts ###
In the quickfix window, you can use:
e to open file and close the quickfix window
o to open (same as enter)
go to preview file (open but maintain focus on ag.vim results)