Mercurial > emacs
annotate lispref/searching.texi @ 13796:116a22176b36
(enable-flow-control-on): Try the whole TERM name
before trying to strip off words from the end.
author | Karl Heuer <kwzh@gnu.org> |
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date | Thu, 21 Dec 1995 17:43:20 +0000 |
parents | 6bf9976041ca |
children | 981e116b4ac6 |
rev | line source |
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6552 | 1 @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. | |
3 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Free Software Foundation, Inc. | |
4 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. | |
5 @setfilename ../info/searching | |
6 @node Searching and Matching, Syntax Tables, Text, Top | |
7 @chapter Searching and Matching | |
8 @cindex searching | |
9 | |
10 GNU Emacs provides two ways to search through a buffer for specified | |
11 text: exact string searches and regular expression searches. After a | |
12 regular expression search, you can examine the @dfn{match data} to | |
13 determine which text matched the whole regular expression or various | |
14 portions of it. | |
15 | |
16 @menu | |
17 * String Search:: Search for an exact match. | |
18 * Regular Expressions:: Describing classes of strings. | |
19 * Regexp Search:: Searching for a match for a regexp. | |
12067 | 20 * POSIX Regexps:: Searching POSIX-style for the longest match. |
6552 | 21 * Search and Replace:: Internals of @code{query-replace}. |
22 * Match Data:: Finding out which part of the text matched | |
23 various parts of a regexp, after regexp search. | |
24 * Searching and Case:: Case-independent or case-significant searching. | |
25 * Standard Regexps:: Useful regexps for finding sentences, pages,... | |
26 @end menu | |
27 | |
28 The @samp{skip-chars@dots{}} functions also perform a kind of searching. | |
29 @xref{Skipping Characters}. | |
30 | |
31 @node String Search | |
32 @section Searching for Strings | |
33 @cindex string search | |
34 | |
35 These are the primitive functions for searching through the text in a | |
36 buffer. They are meant for use in programs, but you may call them | |
37 interactively. If you do so, they prompt for the search string; | |
38 @var{limit} and @var{noerror} are set to @code{nil}, and @var{repeat} | |
39 is set to 1. | |
40 | |
41 @deffn Command search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
42 This function searches forward from point for an exact match for | |
43 @var{string}. If successful, it sets point to the end of the occurrence | |
44 found, and returns the new value of point. If no match is found, the | |
45 value and side effects depend on @var{noerror} (see below). | |
46 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
47 | |
48 In the following example, point is initially at the beginning of the | |
49 line. Then @code{(search-forward "fox")} moves point after the last | |
50 letter of @samp{fox}: | |
51 | |
52 @example | |
53 @group | |
54 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
55 @point{}The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. | |
56 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
57 @end group | |
58 | |
59 @group | |
60 (search-forward "fox") | |
61 @result{} 20 | |
62 | |
63 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
64 The quick brown fox@point{} jumped over the lazy dog. | |
65 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
66 @end group | |
67 @end example | |
68 | |
69 The argument @var{limit} specifies the upper bound to the search. (It | |
70 must be a position in the current buffer.) No match extending after | |
71 that position is accepted. If @var{limit} is omitted or @code{nil}, it | |
72 defaults to the end of the accessible portion of the buffer. | |
73 | |
74 @kindex search-failed | |
75 What happens when the search fails depends on the value of | |
76 @var{noerror}. If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, a @code{search-failed} | |
77 error is signaled. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, @code{search-forward} | |
78 returns @code{nil} and does nothing. If @var{noerror} is neither | |
79 @code{nil} nor @code{t}, then @code{search-forward} moves point to the | |
80 upper bound and returns @code{nil}. (It would be more consistent now | |
81 to return the new position of point in that case, but some programs | |
82 may depend on a value of @code{nil}.) | |
83 | |
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84 If @var{repeat} is supplied (it must be a positive number), then the |
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85 search is repeated that many times (each time starting at the end of the |
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86 previous time's match). If these successive searches succeed, the |
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87 function succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise |
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88 the search fails. |
6552 | 89 @end deffn |
90 | |
91 @deffn Command search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
92 This function searches backward from point for @var{string}. It is | |
93 just like @code{search-forward} except that it searches backwards and | |
94 leaves point at the beginning of the match. | |
95 @end deffn | |
96 | |
97 @deffn Command word-search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
98 @cindex word search | |
99 This function searches forward from point for a ``word'' match for | |
100 @var{string}. If it finds a match, it sets point to the end of the | |
101 match found, and returns the new value of point. | |
102 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
103 | |
104 Word matching regards @var{string} as a sequence of words, disregarding | |
105 punctuation that separates them. It searches the buffer for the same | |
106 sequence of words. Each word must be distinct in the buffer (searching | |
107 for the word @samp{ball} does not match the word @samp{balls}), but the | |
108 details of punctuation and spacing are ignored (searching for @samp{ball | |
109 boy} does match @samp{ball. Boy!}). | |
110 | |
111 In this example, point is initially at the beginning of the buffer; the | |
112 search leaves it between the @samp{y} and the @samp{!}. | |
113 | |
114 @example | |
115 @group | |
116 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
117 @point{}He said "Please! Find | |
118 the ball boy!" | |
119 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
120 @end group | |
121 | |
122 @group | |
123 (word-search-forward "Please find the ball, boy.") | |
124 @result{} 35 | |
125 | |
126 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
127 He said "Please! Find | |
128 the ball boy@point{}!" | |
129 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
130 @end group | |
131 @end example | |
132 | |
133 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil} (it must be a position in the current | |
134 buffer), then it is the upper bound to the search. The match found must | |
135 not extend after that position. | |
136 | |
137 If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, then @code{word-search-forward} signals | |
138 an error if the search fails. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, then it | |
139 returns @code{nil} instead of signaling an error. If @var{noerror} is | |
140 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, it moves point to @var{limit} (or the | |
141 end of the buffer) and returns @code{nil}. | |
142 | |
143 If @var{repeat} is non-@code{nil}, then the search is repeated that many | |
144 times. Point is positioned at the end of the last match. | |
145 @end deffn | |
146 | |
147 @deffn Command word-search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
148 This function searches backward from point for a word match to | |
149 @var{string}. This function is just like @code{word-search-forward} | |
150 except that it searches backward and normally leaves point at the | |
151 beginning of the match. | |
152 @end deffn | |
153 | |
154 @node Regular Expressions | |
155 @section Regular Expressions | |
156 @cindex regular expression | |
157 @cindex regexp | |
158 | |
159 A @dfn{regular expression} (@dfn{regexp}, for short) is a pattern that | |
160 denotes a (possibly infinite) set of strings. Searching for matches for | |
161 a regexp is a very powerful operation. This section explains how to write | |
162 regexps; the following section says how to search for them. | |
163 | |
164 @menu | |
165 * Syntax of Regexps:: Rules for writing regular expressions. | |
166 * Regexp Example:: Illustrates regular expression syntax. | |
167 @end menu | |
168 | |
169 @node Syntax of Regexps | |
170 @subsection Syntax of Regular Expressions | |
171 | |
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172 Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are |
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173 special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary |
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174 character is a simple regular expression that matches that character and |
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175 nothing else. The special characters are @samp{.}, @samp{*}, @samp{+}, |
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176 @samp{?}, @samp{[}, @samp{]}, @samp{^}, @samp{$}, and @samp{\}; no new |
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177 special characters will be defined in the future. Any other character |
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178 appearing in a regular expression is ordinary, unless a @samp{\} |
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179 precedes it. |
6552 | 180 |
181 For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and | |
182 therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string | |
183 @samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string | |
184 @samp{ff}.) Likewise, @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches | |
185 only @samp{o}.@refill | |
186 | |
187 Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The | |
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188 result is a regular expression that matches a string if @var{a} matches |
6552 | 189 some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of |
190 the string.@refill | |
191 | |
192 As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f} | |
193 and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only | |
194 the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something more powerful, you | |
195 need to use one of the special characters. Here is a list of them: | |
196 | |
197 @need 1200 | |
198 @table @kbd | |
199 @item .@: @r{(Period)} | |
200 @cindex @samp{.} in regexp | |
201 is a special character that matches any single character except a newline. | |
202 Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which | |
203 matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with | |
204 @samp{b}.@refill | |
205 | |
206 @item * | |
207 @cindex @samp{*} in regexp | |
208 is not a construct by itself; it is a suffix operator that means to | |
209 repeat the preceding regular expression as many times as possible. In | |
210 @samp{fo*}, the @samp{*} applies to the @samp{o}, so @samp{fo*} matches | |
211 one @samp{f} followed by any number of @samp{o}s. The case of zero | |
212 @samp{o}s is allowed: @samp{fo*} does match @samp{f}.@refill | |
213 | |
214 @samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding | |
215 expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a | |
216 repeating @samp{fo}.@refill | |
217 | |
218 The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately, | |
219 as many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest | |
220 of the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some | |
221 of the matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in case that makes | |
222 it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in matching | |
223 @samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} first | |
224 tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is | |
225 @samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails. | |
226 The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s. | |
227 With this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully.@refill | |
228 | |
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229 Nested repetition operators can be extremely slow if they specify |
12067 | 230 backtracking loops. For example, it could take hours for the regular |
231 expression @samp{\(x+y*\)*a} to match the sequence | |
232 @samp{xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxz}. The slowness is because | |
233 Emacs must try each imaginable way of grouping the 35 @samp{x}'s before | |
234 concluding that none of them can work. To make sure your regular | |
235 expressions run fast, check nested repetitions carefully. | |
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236 |
6552 | 237 @item + |
238 @cindex @samp{+} in regexp | |
239 is a suffix operator similar to @samp{*} except that the preceding | |
240 expression must match at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r} | |
241 matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string | |
242 @samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings. | |
243 | |
244 @item ? | |
245 @cindex @samp{?} in regexp | |
246 is a suffix operator similar to @samp{*} except that the preceding | |
247 expression can match either once or not at all. For example, | |
248 @samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}, but does not match anyhing | |
249 else. | |
250 | |
251 @item [ @dots{} ] | |
252 @cindex character set (in regexp) | |
253 @cindex @samp{[} in regexp | |
254 @cindex @samp{]} in regexp | |
255 @samp{[} begins a @dfn{character set}, which is terminated by a | |
256 @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between the two brackets | |
257 form the set. Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one | |
258 @samp{d}, and @samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s | |
259 and @samp{d}s (including the empty string), from which it follows that | |
260 @samp{c[ad]*r} matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, | |
261 @samp{caddaar}, etc.@refill | |
262 | |
263 The usual regular expression special characters are not special inside a | |
264 character set. A completely different set of special characters exists | |
265 inside character sets: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}.@refill | |
266 | |
267 @samp{-} is used for ranges of characters. To write a range, write two | |
268 characters with a @samp{-} between them. Thus, @samp{[a-z]} matches any | |
269 lower case letter. Ranges may be intermixed freely with individual | |
270 characters, as in @samp{[a-z$%.]}, which matches any lower case letter | |
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271 or @samp{$}, @samp{%}, or a period.@refill |
6552 | 272 |
273 To include a @samp{]} in a character set, make it the first character. | |
274 For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. To include a | |
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275 @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first character in the set, or put it |
6552 | 276 immediately after a range. (You can replace one individual character |
277 @var{c} with the range @samp{@var{c}-@var{c}} to make a place to put the | |
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278 @samp{-}.) There is no way to write a set containing just @samp{-} and |
6552 | 279 @samp{]}. |
280 | |
281 To include @samp{^} in a set, put it anywhere but at the beginning of | |
282 the set. | |
283 | |
284 @item [^ @dots{} ] | |
285 @cindex @samp{^} in regexp | |
286 @samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complement character set}, which matches any | |
287 character except the ones specified. Thus, @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} | |
288 matches all characters @emph{except} letters and digits.@refill | |
289 | |
290 @samp{^} is not special in a character set unless it is the first | |
291 character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it | |
292 were first (thus, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there). | |
293 | |
294 Note that a complement character set can match a newline, unless | |
295 newline is mentioned as one of the characters not to match. | |
296 | |
297 @item ^ | |
298 @cindex @samp{^} in regexp | |
299 @cindex beginning of line in regexp | |
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300 is a special character that matches the empty string, but only at the |
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301 beginning of a line in the text being matched. Otherwise it fails to |
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302 match anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at |
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303 the beginning of a line. |
6552 | 304 |
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305 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{^} matches at the |
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306 beginning of the string or after a newline character @samp{\n}. |
6552 | 307 |
308 @item $ | |
309 @cindex @samp{$} in regexp | |
310 is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line. Thus, | |
311 @samp{x+$} matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line. | |
312 | |
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313 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{$} matches at the end |
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314 of the string or before a newline character @samp{\n}. |
6552 | 315 |
316 @item \ | |
317 @cindex @samp{\} in regexp | |
318 has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including | |
319 @samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs. | |
320 | |
321 Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular | |
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322 expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular |
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323 expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on. |
6552 | 324 |
325 Note that @samp{\} also has special meaning in the read syntax of Lisp | |
326 strings (@pxref{String Type}), and must be quoted with @samp{\}. For | |
327 example, the regular expression that matches the @samp{\} character is | |
328 @samp{\\}. To write a Lisp string that contains the characters | |
329 @samp{\\}, Lisp syntax requires you to quote each @samp{\} with another | |
330 @samp{\}. Therefore, the read syntax for a regular expression matching | |
331 @samp{\} is @code{"\\\\"}.@refill | |
332 @end table | |
333 | |
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334 @strong{Please note:} For historical compatibility, special characters |
6552 | 335 are treated as ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special |
336 meanings make no sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as | |
337 ordinary since there is no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} | |
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338 can act. It is poor practice to depend on this behavior; quote the |
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339 special character anyway, regardless of where it appears.@refill |
6552 | 340 |
341 For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only | |
342 that character. However, there are several exceptions: characters | |
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343 that, when preceded by @samp{\}, are special constructs. Such |
6552 | 344 characters are always ordinary when encountered on their own. Here |
345 is a table of @samp{\} constructs: | |
346 | |
347 @table @kbd | |
348 @item \| | |
349 @cindex @samp{|} in regexp | |
350 @cindex regexp alternative | |
351 specifies an alternative. | |
352 Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} with @samp{\|} in | |
353 between form an expression that matches anything that either @var{a} or | |
354 @var{b} matches.@refill | |
355 | |
356 Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar} | |
357 but no other string.@refill | |
358 | |
359 @samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a | |
360 surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of | |
361 @samp{\|}.@refill | |
362 | |
363 Full backtracking capability exists to handle multiple uses of @samp{\|}. | |
364 | |
365 @item \( @dots{} \) | |
366 @cindex @samp{(} in regexp | |
367 @cindex @samp{)} in regexp | |
368 @cindex regexp grouping | |
369 is a grouping construct that serves three purposes: | |
370 | |
371 @enumerate | |
372 @item | |
373 To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations. | |
374 Thus, @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} or @samp{barx}. | |
375 | |
376 @item | |
377 To enclose an expression for a suffix operator such as @samp{*} to act | |
378 on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches @samp{bananana}, etc., with any | |
379 (zero or more) number of @samp{na} strings.@refill | |
380 | |
381 @item | |
382 To record a matched substring for future reference. | |
383 @end enumerate | |
384 | |
385 This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a | |
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386 parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that happens to be |
6552 | 387 assigned as a second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct |
388 because there is no conflict in practice between the two meanings. | |
389 Here is an explanation of this feature: | |
390 | |
391 @item \@var{digit} | |
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392 matches the same text that matched the @var{digit}th occurrence of a |
6552 | 393 @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. |
394 | |
395 In other words, after the end of a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. the | |
396 matcher remembers the beginning and end of the text matched by that | |
397 construct. Then, later on in the regular expression, you can use | |
398 @samp{\} followed by @var{digit} to match that same text, whatever it | |
399 may have been. | |
400 | |
401 The strings matching the first nine @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs | |
402 appearing in a regular expression are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in | |
403 the order that the open parentheses appear in the regular expression. | |
404 So you can use @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched | |
405 by the corresponding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs. | |
406 | |
407 For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is | |
408 composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first | |
409 half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match | |
410 the same exact text. | |
411 | |
412 @item \w | |
413 @cindex @samp{\w} in regexp | |
414 matches any word-constituent character. The editor syntax table | |
415 determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax Tables}. | |
416 | |
417 @item \W | |
418 @cindex @samp{\W} in regexp | |
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419 matches any character that is not a word constituent. |
6552 | 420 |
421 @item \s@var{code} | |
422 @cindex @samp{\s} in regexp | |
423 matches any character whose syntax is @var{code}. Here @var{code} is a | |
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424 character that represents a syntax code: thus, @samp{w} for word |
6552 | 425 constituent, @samp{-} for whitespace, @samp{(} for open parenthesis, |
426 etc. @xref{Syntax Tables}, for a list of syntax codes and the | |
427 characters that stand for them. | |
428 | |
429 @item \S@var{code} | |
430 @cindex @samp{\S} in regexp | |
431 matches any character whose syntax is not @var{code}. | |
432 @end table | |
433 | |
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434 The following regular expression constructs match the empty string---that is, |
6552 | 435 they don't use up any characters---but whether they match depends on the |
436 context. | |
437 | |
438 @table @kbd | |
439 @item \` | |
440 @cindex @samp{\`} in regexp | |
441 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning | |
442 of the buffer or string being matched against. | |
443 | |
444 @item \' | |
445 @cindex @samp{\'} in regexp | |
446 matches the empty string, but only at the end of | |
447 the buffer or string being matched against. | |
448 | |
449 @item \= | |
450 @cindex @samp{\=} in regexp | |
451 matches the empty string, but only at point. | |
452 (This construct is not defined when matching against a string.) | |
453 | |
454 @item \b | |
455 @cindex @samp{\b} in regexp | |
456 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or | |
457 end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of | |
458 @samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches | |
459 @samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word.@refill | |
460 | |
461 @item \B | |
462 @cindex @samp{\B} in regexp | |
463 matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or | |
464 end of a word. | |
465 | |
466 @item \< | |
467 @cindex @samp{\<} in regexp | |
468 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word. | |
469 | |
470 @item \> | |
471 @cindex @samp{\>} in regexp | |
472 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. | |
473 @end table | |
474 | |
475 @kindex invalid-regexp | |
476 Not every string is a valid regular expression. For example, a string | |
477 with unbalanced square brackets is invalid (with a few exceptions, such | |
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478 as @samp{[]]}), and so is a string that ends with a single @samp{\}. If |
6552 | 479 an invalid regular expression is passed to any of the search functions, |
480 an @code{invalid-regexp} error is signaled. | |
481 | |
482 @defun regexp-quote string | |
483 This function returns a regular expression string that matches exactly | |
484 @var{string} and nothing else. This allows you to request an exact | |
485 string match when calling a function that wants a regular expression. | |
486 | |
487 @example | |
488 @group | |
489 (regexp-quote "^The cat$") | |
490 @result{} "\\^The cat\\$" | |
491 @end group | |
492 @end example | |
493 | |
494 One use of @code{regexp-quote} is to combine an exact string match with | |
495 context described as a regular expression. For example, this searches | |
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496 for the string that is the value of @code{string}, surrounded by |
6552 | 497 whitespace: |
498 | |
499 @example | |
500 @group | |
501 (re-search-forward | |
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502 (concat "\\s-" (regexp-quote string) "\\s-")) |
6552 | 503 @end group |
504 @end example | |
505 @end defun | |
506 | |
507 @node Regexp Example | |
508 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
509 @subsection Complex Regexp Example | |
510 | |
511 Here is a complicated regexp, used by Emacs to recognize the end of a | |
512 sentence together with any whitespace that follows. It is the value of | |
513 the variable @code{sentence-end}. | |
514 | |
515 First, we show the regexp as a string in Lisp syntax to distinguish | |
516 spaces from tab characters. The string constant begins and ends with a | |
517 double-quote. @samp{\"} stands for a double-quote as part of the | |
518 string, @samp{\\} for a backslash as part of the string, @samp{\t} for a | |
519 tab and @samp{\n} for a newline. | |
520 | |
521 @example | |
522 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*" | |
523 @end example | |
524 | |
525 In contrast, if you evaluate the variable @code{sentence-end}, you | |
526 will see the following: | |
527 | |
528 @example | |
529 @group | |
530 sentence-end | |
531 @result{} | |
532 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\| \\| \\)[ | |
533 ]*" | |
534 @end group | |
535 @end example | |
536 | |
537 @noindent | |
538 In this output, tab and newline appear as themselves. | |
539 | |
540 This regular expression contains four parts in succession and can be | |
541 deciphered as follows: | |
542 | |
543 @table @code | |
544 @item [.?!] | |
8469 | 545 The first part of the pattern is a character set that matches any one of |
546 three characters: period, question mark, and exclamation mark. The | |
6552 | 547 match must begin with one of these three characters. |
548 | |
549 @item []\"')@}]* | |
550 The second part of the pattern matches any closing braces and quotation | |
551 marks, zero or more of them, that may follow the period, question mark | |
552 or exclamation mark. The @code{\"} is Lisp syntax for a double-quote in | |
553 a string. The @samp{*} at the end indicates that the immediately | |
554 preceding regular expression (a character set, in this case) may be | |
555 repeated zero or more times. | |
556 | |
8469 | 557 @item \\($\\|@ $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\) |
6552 | 558 The third part of the pattern matches the whitespace that follows the |
559 end of a sentence: the end of a line, or a tab, or two spaces. The | |
560 double backslashes mark the parentheses and vertical bars as regular | |
8469 | 561 expression syntax; the parentheses delimit a group and the vertical bars |
6552 | 562 separate alternatives. The dollar sign is used to match the end of a |
563 line. | |
564 | |
565 @item [ \t\n]* | |
566 Finally, the last part of the pattern matches any additional whitespace | |
567 beyond the minimum needed to end a sentence. | |
568 @end table | |
569 | |
570 @node Regexp Search | |
571 @section Regular Expression Searching | |
572 @cindex regular expression searching | |
573 @cindex regexp searching | |
574 @cindex searching for regexp | |
575 | |
576 In GNU Emacs, you can search for the next match for a regexp either | |
577 incrementally or not. For incremental search commands, see @ref{Regexp | |
578 Search, , Regular Expression Search, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. Here | |
579 we describe only the search functions useful in programs. The principal | |
580 one is @code{re-search-forward}. | |
581 | |
582 @deffn Command re-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
583 This function searches forward in the current buffer for a string of | |
584 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}. The | |
585 function skips over any amount of text that is not matched by | |
586 @var{regexp}, and leaves point at the end of the first match found. | |
587 It returns the new value of point. | |
588 | |
589 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil} (it must be a position in the current | |
590 buffer), then it is the upper bound to the search. No match extending | |
591 after that position is accepted. | |
592 | |
593 What happens when the search fails depends on the value of | |
594 @var{noerror}. If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, a @code{search-failed} | |
595 error is signaled. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, | |
596 @code{re-search-forward} does nothing and returns @code{nil}. If | |
597 @var{noerror} is neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, then | |
598 @code{re-search-forward} moves point to @var{limit} (or the end of the | |
599 buffer) and returns @code{nil}. | |
600 | |
601 If @var{repeat} is supplied (it must be a positive number), then the | |
602 search is repeated that many times (each time starting at the end of the | |
603 previous time's match). If these successive searches succeed, the | |
604 function succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise | |
605 the search fails. | |
606 | |
607 In the following example, point is initially before the @samp{T}. | |
608 Evaluating the search call moves point to the end of that line (between | |
609 the @samp{t} of @samp{hat} and the newline). | |
610 | |
611 @example | |
612 @group | |
613 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
614 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
615 comes back" twice. | |
616 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
617 @end group | |
618 | |
619 @group | |
620 (re-search-forward "[a-z]+" nil t 5) | |
621 @result{} 27 | |
622 | |
623 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
624 I read "The cat in the hat@point{} | |
625 comes back" twice. | |
626 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
627 @end group | |
628 @end example | |
629 @end deffn | |
630 | |
631 @deffn Command re-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
632 This function searches backward in the current buffer for a string of | |
633 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}, leaving | |
634 point at the beginning of the first text found. | |
635 | |
8469 | 636 This function is analogous to @code{re-search-forward}, but they are not |
637 simple mirror images. @code{re-search-forward} finds the match whose | |
638 beginning is as close as possible to the starting point. If | |
639 @code{re-search-backward} were a perfect mirror image, it would find the | |
640 match whose end is as close as possible. However, in fact it finds the | |
641 match whose beginning is as close as possible. The reason is that | |
642 matching a regular expression at a given spot always works from | |
643 beginning to end, and starts at a specified beginning position. | |
6552 | 644 |
645 A true mirror-image of @code{re-search-forward} would require a special | |
646 feature for matching regexps from end to beginning. It's not worth the | |
647 trouble of implementing that. | |
648 @end deffn | |
649 | |
650 @defun string-match regexp string &optional start | |
651 This function returns the index of the start of the first match for | |
652 the regular expression @var{regexp} in @var{string}, or @code{nil} if | |
653 there is no match. If @var{start} is non-@code{nil}, the search starts | |
654 at that index in @var{string}. | |
655 | |
656 For example, | |
657 | |
658 @example | |
659 @group | |
660 (string-match | |
661 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly.") | |
662 @result{} 4 | |
663 @end group | |
664 @group | |
665 (string-match | |
666 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
667 @result{} 27 | |
668 @end group | |
669 @end example | |
670 | |
671 @noindent | |
672 The index of the first character of the | |
673 string is 0, the index of the second character is 1, and so on. | |
674 | |
675 After this function returns, the index of the first character beyond | |
676 the match is available as @code{(match-end 0)}. @xref{Match Data}. | |
677 | |
678 @example | |
679 @group | |
680 (string-match | |
681 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
682 @result{} 27 | |
683 @end group | |
684 | |
685 @group | |
686 (match-end 0) | |
687 @result{} 32 | |
688 @end group | |
689 @end example | |
690 @end defun | |
691 | |
692 @defun looking-at regexp | |
693 This function determines whether the text in the current buffer directly | |
694 following point matches the regular expression @var{regexp}. ``Directly | |
695 following'' means precisely that: the search is ``anchored'' and it can | |
696 succeed only starting with the first character following point. The | |
697 result is @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise. | |
698 | |
699 This function does not move point, but it updates the match data, which | |
700 you can access using @code{match-beginning} and @code{match-end}. | |
701 @xref{Match Data}. | |
702 | |
703 In this example, point is located directly before the @samp{T}. If it | |
704 were anywhere else, the result would be @code{nil}. | |
705 | |
706 @example | |
707 @group | |
708 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
709 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
710 comes back" twice. | |
711 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
712 | |
713 (looking-at "The cat in the hat$") | |
714 @result{} t | |
715 @end group | |
716 @end example | |
717 @end defun | |
718 | |
12067 | 719 @node POSIX Regexps |
720 @section POSIX Regular Expression Searching | |
721 | |
722 The usual regular expression functions do backtracking when necessary | |
723 to handle the @samp{\|} and repetition constructs, but they continue | |
724 this only until they find @emph{some} match. Then they succeed and | |
725 report the first match found. | |
726 | |
727 This section describes alternative search functions which perform the | |
728 full backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
729 matching. They continue backtracking until they have tried all | |
730 possibilities and found all matches, so they can report the longest | |
731 match, as required by POSIX. This is much slower, so use these | |
732 functions only when you really need the longest match. | |
733 | |
734 In Emacs versions prior to 19.29, these functions did not exist, and | |
735 the functions described above implemented full POSIX backtracking. | |
736 | |
737 @defun posix-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
738 This is like @code{re-search-forward} except that it performs the full | |
739 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
740 matching. | |
741 @end defun | |
742 | |
743 @defun posix-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
744 This is like @code{re-search-backward} except that it performs the full | |
745 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
746 matching. | |
747 @end defun | |
748 | |
749 @defun posix-looking-at regexp | |
750 This is like @code{looking-at} except that it performs the full | |
751 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
752 matching. | |
753 @end defun | |
754 | |
755 @defun posix-string-match regexp string &optional start | |
756 This is like @code{string-match} except that it performs the full | |
757 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
758 matching. | |
759 @end defun | |
760 | |
6552 | 761 @ignore |
762 @deffn Command delete-matching-lines regexp | |
763 This function is identical to @code{delete-non-matching-lines}, save | |
764 that it deletes what @code{delete-non-matching-lines} keeps. | |
765 | |
766 In the example below, point is located on the first line of text. | |
767 | |
768 @example | |
769 @group | |
770 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
771 We hold these truths | |
772 to be self-evident, | |
773 that all men are created | |
774 equal, and that they are | |
775 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
776 @end group | |
777 | |
778 @group | |
779 (delete-matching-lines "the") | |
780 @result{} nil | |
781 | |
782 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
783 to be self-evident, | |
784 that all men are created | |
785 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
786 @end group | |
787 @end example | |
788 @end deffn | |
789 | |
790 @deffn Command flush-lines regexp | |
791 This function is the same as @code{delete-matching-lines}. | |
792 @end deffn | |
793 | |
794 @defun delete-non-matching-lines regexp | |
795 This function deletes all lines following point which don't | |
796 contain a match for the regular expression @var{regexp}. | |
797 @end defun | |
798 | |
799 @deffn Command keep-lines regexp | |
800 This function is the same as @code{delete-non-matching-lines}. | |
801 @end deffn | |
802 | |
803 @deffn Command how-many regexp | |
804 This function counts the number of matches for @var{regexp} there are in | |
805 the current buffer following point. It prints this number in | |
806 the echo area, returning the string printed. | |
807 @end deffn | |
808 | |
809 @deffn Command count-matches regexp | |
810 This function is a synonym of @code{how-many}. | |
811 @end deffn | |
812 | |
813 @deffn Command list-matching-lines regexp nlines | |
814 This function is a synonym of @code{occur}. | |
815 Show all lines following point containing a match for @var{regexp}. | |
816 Display each line with @var{nlines} lines before and after, | |
817 or @code{-}@var{nlines} before if @var{nlines} is negative. | |
818 @var{nlines} defaults to @code{list-matching-lines-default-context-lines}. | |
819 Interactively it is the prefix arg. | |
820 | |
821 The lines are shown in a buffer named @samp{*Occur*}. | |
822 It serves as a menu to find any of the occurrences in this buffer. | |
823 @kbd{C-h m} (@code{describe-mode} in that buffer gives help. | |
824 @end deffn | |
825 | |
826 @defopt list-matching-lines-default-context-lines | |
827 Default value is 0. | |
828 Default number of context lines to include around a @code{list-matching-lines} | |
829 match. A negative number means to include that many lines before the match. | |
830 A positive number means to include that many lines both before and after. | |
831 @end defopt | |
832 @end ignore | |
833 | |
834 @node Search and Replace | |
835 @section Search and Replace | |
836 @cindex replacement | |
837 | |
838 @defun perform-replace from-string replacements query-flag regexp-flag delimited-flag &optional repeat-count map | |
839 This function is the guts of @code{query-replace} and related commands. | |
840 It searches for occurrences of @var{from-string} and replaces some or | |
841 all of them. If @var{query-flag} is @code{nil}, it replaces all | |
842 occurrences; otherwise, it asks the user what to do about each one. | |
843 | |
844 If @var{regexp-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{from-string} is | |
845 considered a regular expression; otherwise, it must match literally. If | |
846 @var{delimited-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then only replacements | |
847 surrounded by word boundaries are considered. | |
848 | |
849 The argument @var{replacements} specifies what to replace occurrences | |
850 with. If it is a string, that string is used. It can also be a list of | |
851 strings, to be used in cyclic order. | |
852 | |
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853 If @var{repeat-count} is non-@code{nil}, it should be an integer. Then |
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855 @var{replacements} list before advancing cyclicly to the next one. |
6552 | 856 |
857 Normally, the keymap @code{query-replace-map} defines the possible user | |
8469 | 858 responses for queries. The argument @var{map}, if non-@code{nil}, is a |
859 keymap to use instead of @code{query-replace-map}. | |
6552 | 860 @end defun |
861 | |
862 @defvar query-replace-map | |
863 This variable holds a special keymap that defines the valid user | |
864 responses for @code{query-replace} and related functions, as well as | |
865 @code{y-or-n-p} and @code{map-y-or-n-p}. It is unusual in two ways: | |
866 | |
867 @itemize @bullet | |
868 @item | |
869 The ``key bindings'' are not commands, just symbols that are meaningful | |
870 to the functions that use this map. | |
871 | |
872 @item | |
873 Prefix keys are not supported; each key binding must be for a single event | |
874 key sequence. This is because the functions don't use read key sequence to | |
875 get the input; instead, they read a single event and look it up ``by hand.'' | |
876 @end itemize | |
877 @end defvar | |
878 | |
879 Here are the meaningful ``bindings'' for @code{query-replace-map}. | |
880 Several of them are meaningful only for @code{query-replace} and | |
881 friends. | |
882 | |
883 @table @code | |
884 @item act | |
885 Do take the action being considered---in other words, ``yes.'' | |
886 | |
887 @item skip | |
888 Do not take action for this question---in other words, ``no.'' | |
889 | |
890 @item exit | |
8469 | 891 Answer this question ``no,'' and give up on the entire series of |
892 questions, assuming that the answers will be ``no.'' | |
6552 | 893 |
894 @item act-and-exit | |
8469 | 895 Answer this question ``yes,'' and give up on the entire series of |
896 questions, assuming that subsequent answers will be ``no.'' | |
6552 | 897 |
898 @item act-and-show | |
899 Answer this question ``yes,'' but show the results---don't advance yet | |
900 to the next question. | |
901 | |
902 @item automatic | |
903 Answer this question and all subsequent questions in the series with | |
904 ``yes,'' without further user interaction. | |
905 | |
906 @item backup | |
907 Move back to the previous place that a question was asked about. | |
908 | |
909 @item edit | |
910 Enter a recursive edit to deal with this question---instead of any | |
911 other action that would normally be taken. | |
912 | |
913 @item delete-and-edit | |
914 Delete the text being considered, then enter a recursive edit to replace | |
915 it. | |
916 | |
917 @item recenter | |
918 Redisplay and center the window, then ask the same question again. | |
919 | |
920 @item quit | |
921 Perform a quit right away. Only @code{y-or-n-p} and related functions | |
922 use this answer. | |
923 | |
924 @item help | |
925 Display some help, then ask again. | |
926 @end table | |
927 | |
928 @node Match Data | |
929 @section The Match Data | |
930 @cindex match data | |
931 | |
932 Emacs keeps track of the positions of the start and end of segments of | |
933 text found during a regular expression search. This means, for example, | |
934 that you can search for a complex pattern, such as a date in an Rmail | |
935 message, and then extract parts of the match under control of the | |
936 pattern. | |
937 | |
938 Because the match data normally describe the most recent search only, | |
939 you must be careful not to do another search inadvertently between the | |
940 search you wish to refer back to and the use of the match data. If you | |
941 can't avoid another intervening search, you must save and restore the | |
942 match data around it, to prevent it from being overwritten. | |
943 | |
944 @menu | |
945 * Simple Match Data:: Accessing single items of match data, | |
946 such as where a particular subexpression started. | |
947 * Replacing Match:: Replacing a substring that was matched. | |
948 * Entire Match Data:: Accessing the entire match data at once, as a list. | |
949 * Saving Match Data:: Saving and restoring the match data. | |
950 @end menu | |
951 | |
952 @node Simple Match Data | |
953 @subsection Simple Match Data Access | |
954 | |
12067 | 955 This section explains how to use the match data to find out what was |
956 matched by the last search or match operation. | |
957 | |
958 You can ask about the entire matching text, or about a particular | |
959 parenthetical subexpression of a regular expression. The @var{count} | |
960 argument in the functions below specifies which. If @var{count} is | |
961 zero, you are asking about the entire match. If @var{count} is | |
962 positive, it specifies which subexpression you want. | |
963 | |
964 Recall that the subexpressions of a regular expression are those | |
965 expressions grouped with escaped parentheses, @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. The | |
966 @var{count}th subexpression is found by counting occurrences of | |
967 @samp{\(} from the beginning of the whole regular expression. The first | |
968 subexpression is numbered 1, the second 2, and so on. Only regular | |
969 expressions can have subexpressions---after a simple string search, the | |
970 only information available is about the entire match. | |
971 | |
972 @defun match-string count &optional in-string | |
973 This function returns, as a string, the text matched in the last search | |
974 or match operation. It returns the entire text if @var{count} is zero, | |
975 or just the portion corresponding to the @var{count}th parenthetical | |
976 subexpression, if @var{count} is positive. If @var{count} is out of | |
12098 | 977 range, or if that subexpression didn't match anything, the value is |
978 @code{nil}. | |
12067 | 979 |
980 If the last such operation was done against a string with | |
981 @code{string-match}, then you should pass the same string as the | |
982 argument @var{in-string}. Otherwise, after a buffer search or match, | |
983 you should omit @var{in-string} or pass @code{nil} for it; but you | |
984 should make sure that the current buffer when you call | |
985 @code{match-string} is the one in which you did the searching or | |
986 matching. | |
987 @end defun | |
6552 | 988 |
989 @defun match-beginning count | |
990 This function returns the position of the start of text matched by the | |
991 last regular expression searched for, or a subexpression of it. | |
992 | |
8469 | 993 If @var{count} is zero, then the value is the position of the start of |
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994 the entire match. Otherwise, @var{count} specifies a subexpression in |
12067 | 995 the regular expresion, and the value of the function is the starting |
996 position of the match for that subexpression. | |
6552 | 997 |
12067 | 998 The value is @code{nil} for a subexpression inside a @samp{\|} |
999 alternative that wasn't used in the match. | |
6552 | 1000 @end defun |
1001 | |
1002 @defun match-end count | |
12067 | 1003 This function is like @code{match-beginning} except that it returns the |
1004 position of the end of the match, rather than the position of the | |
1005 beginning. | |
6552 | 1006 @end defun |
1007 | |
1008 Here is an example of using the match data, with a comment showing the | |
1009 positions within the text: | |
1010 | |
1011 @example | |
1012 @group | |
1013 (string-match "\\(qu\\)\\(ick\\)" | |
1014 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1015 ;0123456789 | |
1016 @result{} 4 | |
1017 @end group | |
1018 | |
1019 @group | |
12067 | 1020 (match-string 0 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") |
1021 @result{} "quick" | |
1022 (match-string 1 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1023 @result{} "qu" | |
1024 (match-string 2 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1025 @result{} "ick" | |
1026 @end group | |
1027 | |
1028 @group | |
6552 | 1029 (match-beginning 1) ; @r{The beginning of the match} |
1030 @result{} 4 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 4.} | |
1031 @end group | |
1032 | |
1033 @group | |
1034 (match-beginning 2) ; @r{The beginning of the match} | |
1035 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 6.} | |
1036 @end group | |
1037 | |
1038 @group | |
1039 (match-end 1) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1040 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 6.} | |
1041 | |
1042 (match-end 2) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1043 @result{} 9 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 9.} | |
1044 @end group | |
1045 @end example | |
1046 | |
1047 Here is another example. Point is initially located at the beginning | |
1048 of the line. Searching moves point to between the space and the word | |
1049 @samp{in}. The beginning of the entire match is at the 9th character of | |
1050 the buffer (@samp{T}), and the beginning of the match for the first | |
1051 subexpression is at the 13th character (@samp{c}). | |
1052 | |
1053 @example | |
1054 @group | |
1055 (list | |
1056 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1057 (match-beginning 0) | |
1058 (match-beginning 1)) | |
8469 | 1059 @result{} (9 9 13) |
6552 | 1060 @end group |
1061 | |
1062 @group | |
1063 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1064 I read "The cat @point{}in the hat comes back" twice. | |
1065 ^ ^ | |
1066 9 13 | |
1067 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1068 @end group | |
1069 @end example | |
1070 | |
1071 @noindent | |
1072 (In this case, the index returned is a buffer position; the first | |
1073 character of the buffer counts as 1.) | |
1074 | |
1075 @node Replacing Match | |
1076 @subsection Replacing the Text That Matched | |
1077 | |
1078 This function replaces the text matched by the last search with | |
1079 @var{replacement}. | |
1080 | |
1081 @cindex case in replacements | |
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1082 @defun replace-match replacement &optional fixedcase literal string subexp |
12067 | 1083 This function replaces the text in the buffer (or in @var{string}) that |
1084 was matched by the last search. It replaces that text with | |
1085 @var{replacement}. | |
1086 | |
12098 | 1087 If you did the last search in a buffer, you should specify @code{nil} |
1088 for @var{string}. Then @code{replace-match} does the replacement by | |
1089 editing the buffer; it leaves point at the end of the replacement text, | |
1090 and returns @code{t}. | |
1091 | |
1092 If you did the search in a string, pass the same string as @var{string}. | |
1093 Then @code{replace-match} does the replacement by constructing and | |
1094 returning a new string. | |
6552 | 1095 |
1096 If @var{fixedcase} is non-@code{nil}, then the case of the replacement | |
1097 text is not changed; otherwise, the replacement text is converted to a | |
1098 different case depending upon the capitalization of the text to be | |
1099 replaced. If the original text is all upper case, the replacement text | |
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1100 is converted to upper case. If the first word of the original text is |
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1101 capitalized, then the first word of the replacement text is capitalized. |
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1102 If the original text contains just one word, and that word is a capital |
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1103 letter, @code{replace-match} considers this a capitalized first word |
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1104 rather than all upper case. |
6552 | 1105 |
8469 | 1106 If @code{case-replace} is @code{nil}, then case conversion is not done, |
1107 regardless of the value of @var{fixed-case}. @xref{Searching and Case}. | |
1108 | |
6552 | 1109 If @var{literal} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{replacement} is inserted |
1110 exactly as it is, the only alterations being case changes as needed. | |
1111 If it is @code{nil} (the default), then the character @samp{\} is treated | |
1112 specially. If a @samp{\} appears in @var{replacement}, then it must be | |
1113 part of one of the following sequences: | |
1114 | |
1115 @table @asis | |
1116 @item @samp{\&} | |
1117 @cindex @samp{&} in replacement | |
1118 @samp{\&} stands for the entire text being replaced. | |
1119 | |
1120 @item @samp{\@var{n}} | |
1121 @cindex @samp{\@var{n}} in replacement | |
8469 | 1122 @samp{\@var{n}}, where @var{n} is a digit, stands for the text that |
1123 matched the @var{n}th subexpression in the original regexp. | |
1124 Subexpressions are those expressions grouped inside @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. | |
6552 | 1125 |
1126 @item @samp{\\} | |
1127 @cindex @samp{\} in replacement | |
1128 @samp{\\} stands for a single @samp{\} in the replacement text. | |
1129 @end table | |
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1130 |
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1131 If @var{subexp} is non-@code{nil}, that says to replace just |
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1132 subexpression number @var{subexp} of the regexp that was matched, not |
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1133 the entire match. For example, after matching @samp{foo \(ba*r\)}, |
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1134 calling @code{replace-match} with 1 as @var{subexp} means to replace |
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1135 just the text that matched @samp{\(ba*r\)}. |
6552 | 1136 @end defun |
1137 | |
1138 @node Entire Match Data | |
1139 @subsection Accessing the Entire Match Data | |
1140 | |
1141 The functions @code{match-data} and @code{set-match-data} read or | |
1142 write the entire match data, all at once. | |
1143 | |
1144 @defun match-data | |
1145 This function returns a newly constructed list containing all the | |
1146 information on what text the last search matched. Element zero is the | |
1147 position of the beginning of the match for the whole expression; element | |
1148 one is the position of the end of the match for the expression. The | |
1149 next two elements are the positions of the beginning and end of the | |
1150 match for the first subexpression, and so on. In general, element | |
1151 @ifinfo | |
1152 number 2@var{n} | |
1153 @end ifinfo | |
1154 @tex | |
1155 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n$} | |
1156 @end tex | |
1157 corresponds to @code{(match-beginning @var{n})}; and | |
1158 element | |
1159 @ifinfo | |
1160 number 2@var{n} + 1 | |
1161 @end ifinfo | |
1162 @tex | |
1163 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n+1$} | |
1164 @end tex | |
1165 corresponds to @code{(match-end @var{n})}. | |
1166 | |
1167 All the elements are markers or @code{nil} if matching was done on a | |
1168 buffer, and all are integers or @code{nil} if matching was done on a | |
1169 string with @code{string-match}. (In Emacs 18 and earlier versions, | |
1170 markers were used even for matching on a string, except in the case | |
1171 of the integer 0.) | |
1172 | |
1173 As always, there must be no possibility of intervening searches between | |
1174 the call to a search function and the call to @code{match-data} that is | |
1175 intended to access the match data for that search. | |
1176 | |
1177 @example | |
1178 @group | |
1179 (match-data) | |
1180 @result{} (#<marker at 9 in foo> | |
1181 #<marker at 17 in foo> | |
1182 #<marker at 13 in foo> | |
1183 #<marker at 17 in foo>) | |
1184 @end group | |
1185 @end example | |
1186 @end defun | |
1187 | |
1188 @defun set-match-data match-list | |
1189 This function sets the match data from the elements of @var{match-list}, | |
1190 which should be a list that was the value of a previous call to | |
1191 @code{match-data}. | |
1192 | |
1193 If @var{match-list} refers to a buffer that doesn't exist, you don't get | |
1194 an error; that sets the match data in a meaningless but harmless way. | |
1195 | |
1196 @findex store-match-data | |
1197 @code{store-match-data} is an alias for @code{set-match-data}. | |
1198 @end defun | |
1199 | |
1200 @node Saving Match Data | |
1201 @subsection Saving and Restoring the Match Data | |
1202 | |
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1203 When you call a function that may do a search, you may need to save |
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1204 and restore the match data around that call, if you want to preserve the |
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1205 match data from an earlier search for later use. Here is an example |
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1206 that shows the problem that arises if you fail to save the match data: |
6552 | 1207 |
1208 @example | |
1209 @group | |
1210 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1211 @result{} 48 | |
1212 (foo) ; @r{Perhaps @code{foo} does} | |
1213 ; @r{more searching.} | |
1214 (match-end 0) | |
1215 @result{} 61 ; @r{Unexpected result---not 48!} | |
1216 @end group | |
1217 @end example | |
1218 | |
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1219 You can save and restore the match data with @code{save-match-data}: |
6552 | 1220 |
12098 | 1221 @defmac save-match-data body@dots{} |
6552 | 1222 This special form executes @var{body}, saving and restoring the match |
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1223 data around it. |
12098 | 1224 @end defmac |
6552 | 1225 |
1226 You can use @code{set-match-data} together with @code{match-data} to | |
1227 imitate the effect of the special form @code{save-match-data}. This is | |
1228 useful for writing code that can run in Emacs 18. Here is how: | |
1229 | |
1230 @example | |
1231 @group | |
1232 (let ((data (match-data))) | |
1233 (unwind-protect | |
1234 @dots{} ; @r{May change the original match data.} | |
1235 (set-match-data data))) | |
1236 @end group | |
1237 @end example | |
1238 | |
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1239 Emacs automatically saves and restores the match data when it runs |
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1240 process filter functions (@pxref{Filter Functions}) and process |
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1241 sentinels (@pxref{Sentinels}). |
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1242 |
6552 | 1243 @ignore |
1244 Here is a function which restores the match data provided the buffer | |
1245 associated with it still exists. | |
1246 | |
1247 @smallexample | |
1248 @group | |
1249 (defun restore-match-data (data) | |
1250 @c It is incorrect to split the first line of a doc string. | |
1251 @c If there's a problem here, it should be solved in some other way. | |
1252 "Restore the match data DATA unless the buffer is missing." | |
1253 (catch 'foo | |
1254 (let ((d data)) | |
1255 @end group | |
1256 (while d | |
1257 (and (car d) | |
1258 (null (marker-buffer (car d))) | |
1259 @group | |
1260 ;; @file{match-data} @r{buffer is deleted.} | |
1261 (throw 'foo nil)) | |
1262 (setq d (cdr d))) | |
1263 (set-match-data data)))) | |
1264 @end group | |
1265 @end smallexample | |
1266 @end ignore | |
1267 | |
1268 @node Searching and Case | |
1269 @section Searching and Case | |
1270 @cindex searching and case | |
1271 | |
1272 By default, searches in Emacs ignore the case of the text they are | |
1273 searching through; if you specify searching for @samp{FOO}, then | |
1274 @samp{Foo} or @samp{foo} is also considered a match. Regexps, and in | |
1275 particular character sets, are included: thus, @samp{[aB]} would match | |
1276 @samp{a} or @samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}. | |
1277 | |
1278 If you do not want this feature, set the variable | |
1279 @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}. Then all letters must match | |
8469 | 1280 exactly, including case. This is a buffer-local variable; altering the |
1281 variable affects only the current buffer. (@xref{Intro to | |
6552 | 1282 Buffer-Local}.) Alternatively, you may change the value of |
1283 @code{default-case-fold-search}, which is the default value of | |
1284 @code{case-fold-search} for buffers that do not override it. | |
1285 | |
1286 Note that the user-level incremental search feature handles case | |
1287 distinctions differently. When given a lower case letter, it looks for | |
1288 a match of either case, but when given an upper case letter, it looks | |
1289 for an upper case letter only. But this has nothing to do with the | |
1290 searching functions Lisp functions use. | |
1291 | |
1292 @defopt case-replace | |
8469 | 1293 This variable determines whether the replacement functions should |
1294 preserve case. If the variable is @code{nil}, that means to use the | |
1295 replacement text verbatim. A non-@code{nil} value means to convert the | |
1296 case of the replacement text according to the text being replaced. | |
1297 | |
1298 The function @code{replace-match} is where this variable actually has | |
1299 its effect. @xref{Replacing Match}. | |
6552 | 1300 @end defopt |
1301 | |
1302 @defopt case-fold-search | |
1303 This buffer-local variable determines whether searches should ignore | |
1304 case. If the variable is @code{nil} they do not ignore case; otherwise | |
1305 they do ignore case. | |
1306 @end defopt | |
1307 | |
1308 @defvar default-case-fold-search | |
1309 The value of this variable is the default value for | |
1310 @code{case-fold-search} in buffers that do not override it. This is the | |
1311 same as @code{(default-value 'case-fold-search)}. | |
1312 @end defvar | |
1313 | |
1314 @node Standard Regexps | |
1315 @section Standard Regular Expressions Used in Editing | |
1316 @cindex regexps used standardly in editing | |
1317 @cindex standard regexps used in editing | |
1318 | |
1319 This section describes some variables that hold regular expressions | |
1320 used for certain purposes in editing: | |
1321 | |
1322 @defvar page-delimiter | |
1323 This is the regexp describing line-beginnings that separate pages. The | |
8469 | 1324 default value is @code{"^\014"} (i.e., @code{"^^L"} or @code{"^\C-l"}); |
1325 this matches a line that starts with a formfeed character. | |
6552 | 1326 @end defvar |
1327 | |
12067 | 1328 The following two regular expressions should @emph{not} assume the |
1329 match always starts at the beginning of a line; they should not use | |
1330 @samp{^} to anchor the match. Most often, the paragraph commands do | |
1331 check for a match only at the beginning of a line, which means that | |
12098 | 1332 @samp{^} would be superfluous. When there is a nonzero left margin, |
1333 they accept matches that start after the left margin. In that case, a | |
1334 @samp{^} would be incorrect. However, a @samp{^} is harmless in modes | |
1335 where a left margin is never used. | |
12067 | 1336 |
6552 | 1337 @defvar paragraph-separate |
1338 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line | |
1339 that separates paragraphs. (If you change this, you may have to | |
8469 | 1340 change @code{paragraph-start} also.) The default value is |
12067 | 1341 @w{@code{"[@ \t\f]*$"}}, which matches a line that consists entirely of |
1342 spaces, tabs, and form feeds (after its left margin). | |
6552 | 1343 @end defvar |
1344 | |
1345 @defvar paragraph-start | |
1346 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line | |
1347 that starts @emph{or} separates paragraphs. The default value is | |
12067 | 1348 @w{@code{"[@ \t\n\f]"}}, which matches a line starting with a space, tab, |
1349 newline, or form feed (after its left margin). | |
6552 | 1350 @end defvar |
1351 | |
1352 @defvar sentence-end | |
1353 This is the regular expression describing the end of a sentence. (All | |
1354 paragraph boundaries also end sentences, regardless.) The default value | |
1355 is: | |
1356 | |
1357 @example | |
8469 | 1358 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*" |
6552 | 1359 @end example |
1360 | |
8469 | 1361 This means a period, question mark or exclamation mark, followed |
1362 optionally by a closing parenthetical character, followed by tabs, | |
1363 spaces or new lines. | |
6552 | 1364 |
1365 For a detailed explanation of this regular expression, see @ref{Regexp | |
1366 Example}. | |
1367 @end defvar |