Search

The cem search command lets you search through the custom elements manifest for any element matching the given pattern.

Usage

cem search [pattern] [flags]

Description

The search command allows you to find any element in your custom elements manifest by searching through names, descriptions, summaries, and labels. This includes:

• Custom element tags
• Modules and files
• Attributes
• Slots
• CSS properties, parts, and states
• Events
• Methods and fields
• Functions and variables
• Demos

The search pattern is treated as a regular expression by default, allowing for powerful and flexible searches. If the regex is invalid, it automatically falls back to literal string matching.

All searches are case-insensitive.

Options

• -f, --format string - Output format: table (default) or tree

Examples

Basic Search

Search for anything containing “button”:

cem search button

Regular Expression Search

Find elements starting with “my-” and ending with “button”:

cem search "^my-.*button$"

Find elements containing “click” OR “hover”:

cem search "click|hover"

Format Options

Display results as a tree:

cem search button --format tree

Display results as a table (default):

cem search button --format table

Specific Content Types

Find CSS-related properties:

cem search "css.*property"

Find header-related slots:

cem search "slot.*header"

Find deprecated items:

cem search deprecated --format tree

Output Formats

Table Format (Default)

The table format shows detailed information organized by sections:

# <root>

# module rh-button/rh-button.js

# `<rh-button>`

Triggers actions on the page or in the background

## Demos

URL                                            | Source
-----------------------------------------------|--------
`https://ux.redhat.com/elements/button/demo/` | https://...

## CSS Parts

Name
--------
`button`

Tree Format

The tree format shows a hierarchical view of matching elements:

Search Results for: button
<root>
├─┬ module rh-button/rh-button.js
│ └─┬ <rh-button>
│   └─┬ Parts
│     └── button

Regular Expression Features

Since patterns are treated as regular expressions, you can use:

• ^ - Start of string anchor
• $ - End of string anchor
• .* - Match any characters
• | - OR operator
• [abc] - Character class
• \d, \w, \s - Character shortcuts

If your regex is invalid, the search automatically falls back to literal string matching.

Global Options

The search command also supports all global cem options:

• -p, --package string - Package specifier or path
• --config string - Config file path
• -v, --verbose - Verbose output

See Also

• cem list - List specific types of elements from the manifest
• cem validate - Validate manifest files
• cem generate - Generate manifest files