Open source grep utility

AstroGrep is an open source grep utility, that you can use to run regular expression searches on multiple text files. It's a good alternative to an advanced grep utility such as PowerGrep (see the Tip of the Night for August 4, 2018) but it has some limitations.

AstroGrep has a simpler layout than PowerGrep, and may be easier to use for beginners. Simply select the search path to the folder containing the files you want to review, and then enter the search or regular expression search in the 'Search Text' box. [Be sure to select the 'Regular Expressions' check box.] I tested this evening, and confirmed that it can run complex regex searches accurately.

Unfortunately, AstroGrep will not run searches through PDFs.

Another drawback of using AstroGrep is that it apparently will not export search results which only include the searched for pattern results. The user only has the option of exporting the full line of text on which the search result appears.