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ctags

CTags is a command line tool used for creating and maintaining a tags file, which is an index of object and function definitions in source code files. The purpose of this tool is to enable quick and accurate navigation within large codebases.

When executed, CTags reads source code files and extracts information about variables, functions, classes, macros, and other programming language constructs. It generates a tags file that contains a list of tags with their associated locations within the code. This tags file can then be used by various text editors and integrated development environments (IDEs) to provide features like code navigation, code completion, and documentation lookup.

CTags supports a wide range of programming languages, including C, C++, Java, Python, Ruby, JavaScript, and many others. It can handle different file types and extract tags from both code and comment lines. CTags also supports an extended format called ETags, which includes additional information about function prototypes, inheritance, and other language-specific details.

The generated tags file can be used by text editors such as Vim, Emacs, and Sublime Text, allowing users to jump directly to the definition of a function or variable by simply placing the cursor over it and invoking the appropriate command. This greatly enhances code exploration and helps developers understand and navigate complex codebases more efficiently.

List of commands for ctags:

- ctags
ctags:tldr:0baff ctags: Generate tags for a single file, and output them with start line number and end line number in JSON format.

$ ctags --fields=+ne --output-format=json ${filename}

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- ctags
ctags:tldr:3e170 ctags: Generate tags for a single file, and output them to a file named "tags" in the current directory, overwriting the file if it exists.

$ ctags ${filename}

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- ctags
ctags:tldr:a8eae ctags: Generate tags for all files in the current directory, and output them to a specific file, overwriting the file if it exists.

$ ctags -f ${filename} *

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- ctags
ctags:tldr:f767b ctags: Generate tags for all files in the current directory and all subdirectories.

$ ctags --recurse

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tool overview