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author | Karl Heuer <kwzh@gnu.org> |
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date | Wed, 01 Feb 1995 02:33:04 +0000 |
parents | 6b8e51b286c6 |
children | f43818d3bbd8 |
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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. | |
20 * Search and Replace:: Internals of @code{query-replace}. | |
21 * Match Data:: Finding out which part of the text matched | |
22 various parts of a regexp, after regexp search. | |
23 * Searching and Case:: Case-independent or case-significant searching. | |
24 * Standard Regexps:: Useful regexps for finding sentences, pages,... | |
25 @end menu | |
26 | |
27 The @samp{skip-chars@dots{}} functions also perform a kind of searching. | |
28 @xref{Skipping Characters}. | |
29 | |
30 @node String Search | |
31 @section Searching for Strings | |
32 @cindex string search | |
33 | |
34 These are the primitive functions for searching through the text in a | |
35 buffer. They are meant for use in programs, but you may call them | |
36 interactively. If you do so, they prompt for the search string; | |
37 @var{limit} and @var{noerror} are set to @code{nil}, and @var{repeat} | |
38 is set to 1. | |
39 | |
40 @deffn Command search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
41 This function searches forward from point for an exact match for | |
42 @var{string}. If successful, it sets point to the end of the occurrence | |
43 found, and returns the new value of point. If no match is found, the | |
44 value and side effects depend on @var{noerror} (see below). | |
45 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
46 | |
47 In the following example, point is initially at the beginning of the | |
48 line. Then @code{(search-forward "fox")} moves point after the last | |
49 letter of @samp{fox}: | |
50 | |
51 @example | |
52 @group | |
53 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
54 @point{}The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. | |
55 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
56 @end group | |
57 | |
58 @group | |
59 (search-forward "fox") | |
60 @result{} 20 | |
61 | |
62 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
63 The quick brown fox@point{} jumped over the lazy dog. | |
64 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
65 @end group | |
66 @end example | |
67 | |
68 The argument @var{limit} specifies the upper bound to the search. (It | |
69 must be a position in the current buffer.) No match extending after | |
70 that position is accepted. If @var{limit} is omitted or @code{nil}, it | |
71 defaults to the end of the accessible portion of the buffer. | |
72 | |
73 @kindex search-failed | |
74 What happens when the search fails depends on the value of | |
75 @var{noerror}. If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, a @code{search-failed} | |
76 error is signaled. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, @code{search-forward} | |
77 returns @code{nil} and does nothing. If @var{noerror} is neither | |
78 @code{nil} nor @code{t}, then @code{search-forward} moves point to the | |
79 upper bound and returns @code{nil}. (It would be more consistent now | |
80 to return the new position of point in that case, but some programs | |
81 may depend on a value of @code{nil}.) | |
82 | |
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83 If @var{repeat} is supplied (it must be a positive number), then the |
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84 search is repeated that many times (each time starting at the end of the |
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85 previous time's match). If these successive searches succeed, the |
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86 function succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise |
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87 the search fails. |
6552 | 88 @end deffn |
89 | |
90 @deffn Command search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
91 This function searches backward from point for @var{string}. It is | |
92 just like @code{search-forward} except that it searches backwards and | |
93 leaves point at the beginning of the match. | |
94 @end deffn | |
95 | |
96 @deffn Command word-search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
97 @cindex word search | |
98 This function searches forward from point for a ``word'' match for | |
99 @var{string}. If it finds a match, it sets point to the end of the | |
100 match found, and returns the new value of point. | |
101 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
102 | |
103 Word matching regards @var{string} as a sequence of words, disregarding | |
104 punctuation that separates them. It searches the buffer for the same | |
105 sequence of words. Each word must be distinct in the buffer (searching | |
106 for the word @samp{ball} does not match the word @samp{balls}), but the | |
107 details of punctuation and spacing are ignored (searching for @samp{ball | |
108 boy} does match @samp{ball. Boy!}). | |
109 | |
110 In this example, point is initially at the beginning of the buffer; the | |
111 search leaves it between the @samp{y} and the @samp{!}. | |
112 | |
113 @example | |
114 @group | |
115 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
116 @point{}He said "Please! Find | |
117 the ball boy!" | |
118 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
119 @end group | |
120 | |
121 @group | |
122 (word-search-forward "Please find the ball, boy.") | |
123 @result{} 35 | |
124 | |
125 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
126 He said "Please! Find | |
127 the ball boy@point{}!" | |
128 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
129 @end group | |
130 @end example | |
131 | |
132 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil} (it must be a position in the current | |
133 buffer), then it is the upper bound to the search. The match found must | |
134 not extend after that position. | |
135 | |
136 If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, then @code{word-search-forward} signals | |
137 an error if the search fails. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, then it | |
138 returns @code{nil} instead of signaling an error. If @var{noerror} is | |
139 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, it moves point to @var{limit} (or the | |
140 end of the buffer) and returns @code{nil}. | |
141 | |
142 If @var{repeat} is non-@code{nil}, then the search is repeated that many | |
143 times. Point is positioned at the end of the last match. | |
144 @end deffn | |
145 | |
146 @deffn Command word-search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
147 This function searches backward from point for a word match to | |
148 @var{string}. This function is just like @code{word-search-forward} | |
149 except that it searches backward and normally leaves point at the | |
150 beginning of the match. | |
151 @end deffn | |
152 | |
153 @node Regular Expressions | |
154 @section Regular Expressions | |
155 @cindex regular expression | |
156 @cindex regexp | |
157 | |
158 A @dfn{regular expression} (@dfn{regexp}, for short) is a pattern that | |
159 denotes a (possibly infinite) set of strings. Searching for matches for | |
160 a regexp is a very powerful operation. This section explains how to write | |
161 regexps; the following section says how to search for them. | |
162 | |
163 @menu | |
164 * Syntax of Regexps:: Rules for writing regular expressions. | |
165 * Regexp Example:: Illustrates regular expression syntax. | |
166 @end menu | |
167 | |
168 @node Syntax of Regexps | |
169 @subsection Syntax of Regular Expressions | |
170 | |
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171 Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are |
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172 special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary |
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173 character is a simple regular expression that matches that character and |
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174 nothing else. The special characters are @samp{.}, @samp{*}, @samp{+}, |
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175 @samp{?}, @samp{[}, @samp{]}, @samp{^}, @samp{$}, and @samp{\}; no new |
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176 special characters will be defined in the future. Any other character |
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177 appearing in a regular expression is ordinary, unless a @samp{\} |
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178 precedes it. |
6552 | 179 |
180 For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and | |
181 therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string | |
182 @samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string | |
183 @samp{ff}.) Likewise, @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches | |
184 only @samp{o}.@refill | |
185 | |
186 Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The | |
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187 result is a regular expression that matches a string if @var{a} matches |
6552 | 188 some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of |
189 the string.@refill | |
190 | |
191 As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f} | |
192 and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only | |
193 the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something more powerful, you | |
194 need to use one of the special characters. Here is a list of them: | |
195 | |
196 @need 1200 | |
197 @table @kbd | |
198 @item .@: @r{(Period)} | |
199 @cindex @samp{.} in regexp | |
200 is a special character that matches any single character except a newline. | |
201 Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which | |
202 matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with | |
203 @samp{b}.@refill | |
204 | |
205 @item * | |
206 @cindex @samp{*} in regexp | |
207 is not a construct by itself; it is a suffix operator that means to | |
208 repeat the preceding regular expression as many times as possible. In | |
209 @samp{fo*}, the @samp{*} applies to the @samp{o}, so @samp{fo*} matches | |
210 one @samp{f} followed by any number of @samp{o}s. The case of zero | |
211 @samp{o}s is allowed: @samp{fo*} does match @samp{f}.@refill | |
212 | |
213 @samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding | |
214 expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a | |
215 repeating @samp{fo}.@refill | |
216 | |
217 The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately, | |
218 as many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest | |
219 of the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some | |
220 of the matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in case that makes | |
221 it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in matching | |
222 @samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} first | |
223 tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is | |
224 @samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails. | |
225 The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s. | |
226 With this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully.@refill | |
227 | |
228 @item + | |
229 @cindex @samp{+} in regexp | |
230 is a suffix operator similar to @samp{*} except that the preceding | |
231 expression must match at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r} | |
232 matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string | |
233 @samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings. | |
234 | |
235 @item ? | |
236 @cindex @samp{?} in regexp | |
237 is a suffix operator similar to @samp{*} except that the preceding | |
238 expression can match either once or not at all. For example, | |
239 @samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}, but does not match anyhing | |
240 else. | |
241 | |
242 @item [ @dots{} ] | |
243 @cindex character set (in regexp) | |
244 @cindex @samp{[} in regexp | |
245 @cindex @samp{]} in regexp | |
246 @samp{[} begins a @dfn{character set}, which is terminated by a | |
247 @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between the two brackets | |
248 form the set. Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one | |
249 @samp{d}, and @samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s | |
250 and @samp{d}s (including the empty string), from which it follows that | |
251 @samp{c[ad]*r} matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, | |
252 @samp{caddaar}, etc.@refill | |
253 | |
254 The usual regular expression special characters are not special inside a | |
255 character set. A completely different set of special characters exists | |
256 inside character sets: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}.@refill | |
257 | |
258 @samp{-} is used for ranges of characters. To write a range, write two | |
259 characters with a @samp{-} between them. Thus, @samp{[a-z]} matches any | |
260 lower case letter. Ranges may be intermixed freely with individual | |
261 characters, as in @samp{[a-z$%.]}, which matches any lower case letter | |
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262 or @samp{$}, @samp{%}, or a period.@refill |
6552 | 263 |
264 To include a @samp{]} in a character set, make it the first character. | |
265 For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. To include a | |
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266 @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first character in the set, or put it |
6552 | 267 immediately after a range. (You can replace one individual character |
268 @var{c} with the range @samp{@var{c}-@var{c}} to make a place to put the | |
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269 @samp{-}.) There is no way to write a set containing just @samp{-} and |
6552 | 270 @samp{]}. |
271 | |
272 To include @samp{^} in a set, put it anywhere but at the beginning of | |
273 the set. | |
274 | |
275 @item [^ @dots{} ] | |
276 @cindex @samp{^} in regexp | |
277 @samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complement character set}, which matches any | |
278 character except the ones specified. Thus, @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} | |
279 matches all characters @emph{except} letters and digits.@refill | |
280 | |
281 @samp{^} is not special in a character set unless it is the first | |
282 character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it | |
283 were first (thus, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there). | |
284 | |
285 Note that a complement character set can match a newline, unless | |
286 newline is mentioned as one of the characters not to match. | |
287 | |
288 @item ^ | |
289 @cindex @samp{^} in regexp | |
290 @cindex beginning of line in regexp | |
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291 is a special character that matches the empty string, but only at the |
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292 beginning of a line in the text being matched. Otherwise it fails to |
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293 match anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at |
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294 the beginning of a line. |
6552 | 295 |
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296 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{^} matches at the |
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297 beginning of the string or after a newline character @samp{\n}. |
6552 | 298 |
299 @item $ | |
300 @cindex @samp{$} in regexp | |
301 is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line. Thus, | |
302 @samp{x+$} matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line. | |
303 | |
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304 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{$} matches at the end |
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305 of the string or before a newline character @samp{\n}. |
6552 | 306 |
307 @item \ | |
308 @cindex @samp{\} in regexp | |
309 has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including | |
310 @samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs. | |
311 | |
312 Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular | |
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313 expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular |
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314 expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on. |
6552 | 315 |
316 Note that @samp{\} also has special meaning in the read syntax of Lisp | |
317 strings (@pxref{String Type}), and must be quoted with @samp{\}. For | |
318 example, the regular expression that matches the @samp{\} character is | |
319 @samp{\\}. To write a Lisp string that contains the characters | |
320 @samp{\\}, Lisp syntax requires you to quote each @samp{\} with another | |
321 @samp{\}. Therefore, the read syntax for a regular expression matching | |
322 @samp{\} is @code{"\\\\"}.@refill | |
323 @end table | |
324 | |
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325 @strong{Please note:} For historical compatibility, special characters |
6552 | 326 are treated as ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special |
327 meanings make no sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as | |
328 ordinary since there is no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} | |
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329 can act. It is poor practice to depend on this behavior; quote the |
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330 special character anyway, regardless of where it appears.@refill |
6552 | 331 |
332 For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only | |
333 that character. However, there are several exceptions: characters | |
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334 that, when preceded by @samp{\}, are special constructs. Such |
6552 | 335 characters are always ordinary when encountered on their own. Here |
336 is a table of @samp{\} constructs: | |
337 | |
338 @table @kbd | |
339 @item \| | |
340 @cindex @samp{|} in regexp | |
341 @cindex regexp alternative | |
342 specifies an alternative. | |
343 Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} with @samp{\|} in | |
344 between form an expression that matches anything that either @var{a} or | |
345 @var{b} matches.@refill | |
346 | |
347 Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar} | |
348 but no other string.@refill | |
349 | |
350 @samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a | |
351 surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of | |
352 @samp{\|}.@refill | |
353 | |
354 Full backtracking capability exists to handle multiple uses of @samp{\|}. | |
355 | |
356 @item \( @dots{} \) | |
357 @cindex @samp{(} in regexp | |
358 @cindex @samp{)} in regexp | |
359 @cindex regexp grouping | |
360 is a grouping construct that serves three purposes: | |
361 | |
362 @enumerate | |
363 @item | |
364 To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations. | |
365 Thus, @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} or @samp{barx}. | |
366 | |
367 @item | |
368 To enclose an expression for a suffix operator such as @samp{*} to act | |
369 on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches @samp{bananana}, etc., with any | |
370 (zero or more) number of @samp{na} strings.@refill | |
371 | |
372 @item | |
373 To record a matched substring for future reference. | |
374 @end enumerate | |
375 | |
376 This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a | |
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377 parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that happens to be |
6552 | 378 assigned as a second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct |
379 because there is no conflict in practice between the two meanings. | |
380 Here is an explanation of this feature: | |
381 | |
382 @item \@var{digit} | |
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383 matches the same text that matched the @var{digit}th occurrence of a |
6552 | 384 @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. |
385 | |
386 In other words, after the end of a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. the | |
387 matcher remembers the beginning and end of the text matched by that | |
388 construct. Then, later on in the regular expression, you can use | |
389 @samp{\} followed by @var{digit} to match that same text, whatever it | |
390 may have been. | |
391 | |
392 The strings matching the first nine @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs | |
393 appearing in a regular expression are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in | |
394 the order that the open parentheses appear in the regular expression. | |
395 So you can use @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched | |
396 by the corresponding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs. | |
397 | |
398 For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is | |
399 composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first | |
400 half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match | |
401 the same exact text. | |
402 | |
403 @item \w | |
404 @cindex @samp{\w} in regexp | |
405 matches any word-constituent character. The editor syntax table | |
406 determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax Tables}. | |
407 | |
408 @item \W | |
409 @cindex @samp{\W} in regexp | |
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410 matches any character that is not a word constituent. |
6552 | 411 |
412 @item \s@var{code} | |
413 @cindex @samp{\s} in regexp | |
414 matches any character whose syntax is @var{code}. Here @var{code} is a | |
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415 character that represents a syntax code: thus, @samp{w} for word |
6552 | 416 constituent, @samp{-} for whitespace, @samp{(} for open parenthesis, |
417 etc. @xref{Syntax Tables}, for a list of syntax codes and the | |
418 characters that stand for them. | |
419 | |
420 @item \S@var{code} | |
421 @cindex @samp{\S} in regexp | |
422 matches any character whose syntax is not @var{code}. | |
423 @end table | |
424 | |
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425 The following regular expression constructs match the empty string---that is, |
6552 | 426 they don't use up any characters---but whether they match depends on the |
427 context. | |
428 | |
429 @table @kbd | |
430 @item \` | |
431 @cindex @samp{\`} in regexp | |
432 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning | |
433 of the buffer or string being matched against. | |
434 | |
435 @item \' | |
436 @cindex @samp{\'} in regexp | |
437 matches the empty string, but only at the end of | |
438 the buffer or string being matched against. | |
439 | |
440 @item \= | |
441 @cindex @samp{\=} in regexp | |
442 matches the empty string, but only at point. | |
443 (This construct is not defined when matching against a string.) | |
444 | |
445 @item \b | |
446 @cindex @samp{\b} in regexp | |
447 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or | |
448 end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of | |
449 @samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches | |
450 @samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word.@refill | |
451 | |
452 @item \B | |
453 @cindex @samp{\B} in regexp | |
454 matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or | |
455 end of a word. | |
456 | |
457 @item \< | |
458 @cindex @samp{\<} in regexp | |
459 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word. | |
460 | |
461 @item \> | |
462 @cindex @samp{\>} in regexp | |
463 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. | |
464 @end table | |
465 | |
466 @kindex invalid-regexp | |
467 Not every string is a valid regular expression. For example, a string | |
468 with unbalanced square brackets is invalid (with a few exceptions, such | |
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469 as @samp{[]]}), and so is a string that ends with a single @samp{\}. If |
6552 | 470 an invalid regular expression is passed to any of the search functions, |
471 an @code{invalid-regexp} error is signaled. | |
472 | |
473 @defun regexp-quote string | |
474 This function returns a regular expression string that matches exactly | |
475 @var{string} and nothing else. This allows you to request an exact | |
476 string match when calling a function that wants a regular expression. | |
477 | |
478 @example | |
479 @group | |
480 (regexp-quote "^The cat$") | |
481 @result{} "\\^The cat\\$" | |
482 @end group | |
483 @end example | |
484 | |
485 One use of @code{regexp-quote} is to combine an exact string match with | |
486 context described as a regular expression. For example, this searches | |
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487 for the string that is the value of @code{string}, surrounded by |
6552 | 488 whitespace: |
489 | |
490 @example | |
491 @group | |
492 (re-search-forward | |
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493 (concat "\\s-" (regexp-quote string) "\\s-")) |
6552 | 494 @end group |
495 @end example | |
496 @end defun | |
497 | |
498 @node Regexp Example | |
499 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
500 @subsection Complex Regexp Example | |
501 | |
502 Here is a complicated regexp, used by Emacs to recognize the end of a | |
503 sentence together with any whitespace that follows. It is the value of | |
504 the variable @code{sentence-end}. | |
505 | |
506 First, we show the regexp as a string in Lisp syntax to distinguish | |
507 spaces from tab characters. The string constant begins and ends with a | |
508 double-quote. @samp{\"} stands for a double-quote as part of the | |
509 string, @samp{\\} for a backslash as part of the string, @samp{\t} for a | |
510 tab and @samp{\n} for a newline. | |
511 | |
512 @example | |
513 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*" | |
514 @end example | |
515 | |
516 In contrast, if you evaluate the variable @code{sentence-end}, you | |
517 will see the following: | |
518 | |
519 @example | |
520 @group | |
521 sentence-end | |
522 @result{} | |
523 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\| \\| \\)[ | |
524 ]*" | |
525 @end group | |
526 @end example | |
527 | |
528 @noindent | |
529 In this output, tab and newline appear as themselves. | |
530 | |
531 This regular expression contains four parts in succession and can be | |
532 deciphered as follows: | |
533 | |
534 @table @code | |
535 @item [.?!] | |
8469 | 536 The first part of the pattern is a character set that matches any one of |
537 three characters: period, question mark, and exclamation mark. The | |
6552 | 538 match must begin with one of these three characters. |
539 | |
540 @item []\"')@}]* | |
541 The second part of the pattern matches any closing braces and quotation | |
542 marks, zero or more of them, that may follow the period, question mark | |
543 or exclamation mark. The @code{\"} is Lisp syntax for a double-quote in | |
544 a string. The @samp{*} at the end indicates that the immediately | |
545 preceding regular expression (a character set, in this case) may be | |
546 repeated zero or more times. | |
547 | |
8469 | 548 @item \\($\\|@ $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\) |
6552 | 549 The third part of the pattern matches the whitespace that follows the |
550 end of a sentence: the end of a line, or a tab, or two spaces. The | |
551 double backslashes mark the parentheses and vertical bars as regular | |
8469 | 552 expression syntax; the parentheses delimit a group and the vertical bars |
6552 | 553 separate alternatives. The dollar sign is used to match the end of a |
554 line. | |
555 | |
556 @item [ \t\n]* | |
557 Finally, the last part of the pattern matches any additional whitespace | |
558 beyond the minimum needed to end a sentence. | |
559 @end table | |
560 | |
561 @node Regexp Search | |
562 @section Regular Expression Searching | |
563 @cindex regular expression searching | |
564 @cindex regexp searching | |
565 @cindex searching for regexp | |
566 | |
567 In GNU Emacs, you can search for the next match for a regexp either | |
568 incrementally or not. For incremental search commands, see @ref{Regexp | |
569 Search, , Regular Expression Search, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. Here | |
570 we describe only the search functions useful in programs. The principal | |
571 one is @code{re-search-forward}. | |
572 | |
573 @deffn Command re-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
574 This function searches forward in the current buffer for a string of | |
575 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}. The | |
576 function skips over any amount of text that is not matched by | |
577 @var{regexp}, and leaves point at the end of the first match found. | |
578 It returns the new value of point. | |
579 | |
580 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil} (it must be a position in the current | |
581 buffer), then it is the upper bound to the search. No match extending | |
582 after that position is accepted. | |
583 | |
584 What happens when the search fails depends on the value of | |
585 @var{noerror}. If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, a @code{search-failed} | |
586 error is signaled. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, | |
587 @code{re-search-forward} does nothing and returns @code{nil}. If | |
588 @var{noerror} is neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, then | |
589 @code{re-search-forward} moves point to @var{limit} (or the end of the | |
590 buffer) and returns @code{nil}. | |
591 | |
592 If @var{repeat} is supplied (it must be a positive number), then the | |
593 search is repeated that many times (each time starting at the end of the | |
594 previous time's match). If these successive searches succeed, the | |
595 function succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise | |
596 the search fails. | |
597 | |
598 In the following example, point is initially before the @samp{T}. | |
599 Evaluating the search call moves point to the end of that line (between | |
600 the @samp{t} of @samp{hat} and the newline). | |
601 | |
602 @example | |
603 @group | |
604 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
605 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
606 comes back" twice. | |
607 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
608 @end group | |
609 | |
610 @group | |
611 (re-search-forward "[a-z]+" nil t 5) | |
612 @result{} 27 | |
613 | |
614 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
615 I read "The cat in the hat@point{} | |
616 comes back" twice. | |
617 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
618 @end group | |
619 @end example | |
620 @end deffn | |
621 | |
622 @deffn Command re-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
623 This function searches backward in the current buffer for a string of | |
624 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}, leaving | |
625 point at the beginning of the first text found. | |
626 | |
8469 | 627 This function is analogous to @code{re-search-forward}, but they are not |
628 simple mirror images. @code{re-search-forward} finds the match whose | |
629 beginning is as close as possible to the starting point. If | |
630 @code{re-search-backward} were a perfect mirror image, it would find the | |
631 match whose end is as close as possible. However, in fact it finds the | |
632 match whose beginning is as close as possible. The reason is that | |
633 matching a regular expression at a given spot always works from | |
634 beginning to end, and starts at a specified beginning position. | |
6552 | 635 |
636 A true mirror-image of @code{re-search-forward} would require a special | |
637 feature for matching regexps from end to beginning. It's not worth the | |
638 trouble of implementing that. | |
639 @end deffn | |
640 | |
641 @defun string-match regexp string &optional start | |
642 This function returns the index of the start of the first match for | |
643 the regular expression @var{regexp} in @var{string}, or @code{nil} if | |
644 there is no match. If @var{start} is non-@code{nil}, the search starts | |
645 at that index in @var{string}. | |
646 | |
647 For example, | |
648 | |
649 @example | |
650 @group | |
651 (string-match | |
652 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly.") | |
653 @result{} 4 | |
654 @end group | |
655 @group | |
656 (string-match | |
657 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
658 @result{} 27 | |
659 @end group | |
660 @end example | |
661 | |
662 @noindent | |
663 The index of the first character of the | |
664 string is 0, the index of the second character is 1, and so on. | |
665 | |
666 After this function returns, the index of the first character beyond | |
667 the match is available as @code{(match-end 0)}. @xref{Match Data}. | |
668 | |
669 @example | |
670 @group | |
671 (string-match | |
672 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
673 @result{} 27 | |
674 @end group | |
675 | |
676 @group | |
677 (match-end 0) | |
678 @result{} 32 | |
679 @end group | |
680 @end example | |
681 @end defun | |
682 | |
683 @defun looking-at regexp | |
684 This function determines whether the text in the current buffer directly | |
685 following point matches the regular expression @var{regexp}. ``Directly | |
686 following'' means precisely that: the search is ``anchored'' and it can | |
687 succeed only starting with the first character following point. The | |
688 result is @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise. | |
689 | |
690 This function does not move point, but it updates the match data, which | |
691 you can access using @code{match-beginning} and @code{match-end}. | |
692 @xref{Match Data}. | |
693 | |
694 In this example, point is located directly before the @samp{T}. If it | |
695 were anywhere else, the result would be @code{nil}. | |
696 | |
697 @example | |
698 @group | |
699 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
700 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
701 comes back" twice. | |
702 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
703 | |
704 (looking-at "The cat in the hat$") | |
705 @result{} t | |
706 @end group | |
707 @end example | |
708 @end defun | |
709 | |
710 @ignore | |
711 @deffn Command delete-matching-lines regexp | |
712 This function is identical to @code{delete-non-matching-lines}, save | |
713 that it deletes what @code{delete-non-matching-lines} keeps. | |
714 | |
715 In the example below, point is located on the first line of text. | |
716 | |
717 @example | |
718 @group | |
719 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
720 We hold these truths | |
721 to be self-evident, | |
722 that all men are created | |
723 equal, and that they are | |
724 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
725 @end group | |
726 | |
727 @group | |
728 (delete-matching-lines "the") | |
729 @result{} nil | |
730 | |
731 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
732 to be self-evident, | |
733 that all men are created | |
734 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
735 @end group | |
736 @end example | |
737 @end deffn | |
738 | |
739 @deffn Command flush-lines regexp | |
740 This function is the same as @code{delete-matching-lines}. | |
741 @end deffn | |
742 | |
743 @defun delete-non-matching-lines regexp | |
744 This function deletes all lines following point which don't | |
745 contain a match for the regular expression @var{regexp}. | |
746 @end defun | |
747 | |
748 @deffn Command keep-lines regexp | |
749 This function is the same as @code{delete-non-matching-lines}. | |
750 @end deffn | |
751 | |
752 @deffn Command how-many regexp | |
753 This function counts the number of matches for @var{regexp} there are in | |
754 the current buffer following point. It prints this number in | |
755 the echo area, returning the string printed. | |
756 @end deffn | |
757 | |
758 @deffn Command count-matches regexp | |
759 This function is a synonym of @code{how-many}. | |
760 @end deffn | |
761 | |
762 @deffn Command list-matching-lines regexp nlines | |
763 This function is a synonym of @code{occur}. | |
764 Show all lines following point containing a match for @var{regexp}. | |
765 Display each line with @var{nlines} lines before and after, | |
766 or @code{-}@var{nlines} before if @var{nlines} is negative. | |
767 @var{nlines} defaults to @code{list-matching-lines-default-context-lines}. | |
768 Interactively it is the prefix arg. | |
769 | |
770 The lines are shown in a buffer named @samp{*Occur*}. | |
771 It serves as a menu to find any of the occurrences in this buffer. | |
772 @kbd{C-h m} (@code{describe-mode} in that buffer gives help. | |
773 @end deffn | |
774 | |
775 @defopt list-matching-lines-default-context-lines | |
776 Default value is 0. | |
777 Default number of context lines to include around a @code{list-matching-lines} | |
778 match. A negative number means to include that many lines before the match. | |
779 A positive number means to include that many lines both before and after. | |
780 @end defopt | |
781 @end ignore | |
782 | |
783 @node Search and Replace | |
784 @section Search and Replace | |
785 @cindex replacement | |
786 | |
787 @defun perform-replace from-string replacements query-flag regexp-flag delimited-flag &optional repeat-count map | |
788 This function is the guts of @code{query-replace} and related commands. | |
789 It searches for occurrences of @var{from-string} and replaces some or | |
790 all of them. If @var{query-flag} is @code{nil}, it replaces all | |
791 occurrences; otherwise, it asks the user what to do about each one. | |
792 | |
793 If @var{regexp-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{from-string} is | |
794 considered a regular expression; otherwise, it must match literally. If | |
795 @var{delimited-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then only replacements | |
796 surrounded by word boundaries are considered. | |
797 | |
798 The argument @var{replacements} specifies what to replace occurrences | |
799 with. If it is a string, that string is used. It can also be a list of | |
800 strings, to be used in cyclic order. | |
801 | |
802 If @var{repeat-count} is non-@code{nil}, it should be an integer, the | |
803 number of occurrences to consider. In this case, @code{perform-replace} | |
804 returns after considering that many occurrences. | |
805 | |
806 Normally, the keymap @code{query-replace-map} defines the possible user | |
8469 | 807 responses for queries. The argument @var{map}, if non-@code{nil}, is a |
808 keymap to use instead of @code{query-replace-map}. | |
6552 | 809 @end defun |
810 | |
811 @defvar query-replace-map | |
812 This variable holds a special keymap that defines the valid user | |
813 responses for @code{query-replace} and related functions, as well as | |
814 @code{y-or-n-p} and @code{map-y-or-n-p}. It is unusual in two ways: | |
815 | |
816 @itemize @bullet | |
817 @item | |
818 The ``key bindings'' are not commands, just symbols that are meaningful | |
819 to the functions that use this map. | |
820 | |
821 @item | |
822 Prefix keys are not supported; each key binding must be for a single event | |
823 key sequence. This is because the functions don't use read key sequence to | |
824 get the input; instead, they read a single event and look it up ``by hand.'' | |
825 @end itemize | |
826 @end defvar | |
827 | |
828 Here are the meaningful ``bindings'' for @code{query-replace-map}. | |
829 Several of them are meaningful only for @code{query-replace} and | |
830 friends. | |
831 | |
832 @table @code | |
833 @item act | |
834 Do take the action being considered---in other words, ``yes.'' | |
835 | |
836 @item skip | |
837 Do not take action for this question---in other words, ``no.'' | |
838 | |
839 @item exit | |
8469 | 840 Answer this question ``no,'' and give up on the entire series of |
841 questions, assuming that the answers will be ``no.'' | |
6552 | 842 |
843 @item act-and-exit | |
8469 | 844 Answer this question ``yes,'' and give up on the entire series of |
845 questions, assuming that subsequent answers will be ``no.'' | |
6552 | 846 |
847 @item act-and-show | |
848 Answer this question ``yes,'' but show the results---don't advance yet | |
849 to the next question. | |
850 | |
851 @item automatic | |
852 Answer this question and all subsequent questions in the series with | |
853 ``yes,'' without further user interaction. | |
854 | |
855 @item backup | |
856 Move back to the previous place that a question was asked about. | |
857 | |
858 @item edit | |
859 Enter a recursive edit to deal with this question---instead of any | |
860 other action that would normally be taken. | |
861 | |
862 @item delete-and-edit | |
863 Delete the text being considered, then enter a recursive edit to replace | |
864 it. | |
865 | |
866 @item recenter | |
867 Redisplay and center the window, then ask the same question again. | |
868 | |
869 @item quit | |
870 Perform a quit right away. Only @code{y-or-n-p} and related functions | |
871 use this answer. | |
872 | |
873 @item help | |
874 Display some help, then ask again. | |
875 @end table | |
876 | |
877 @node Match Data | |
878 @section The Match Data | |
879 @cindex match data | |
880 | |
881 Emacs keeps track of the positions of the start and end of segments of | |
882 text found during a regular expression search. This means, for example, | |
883 that you can search for a complex pattern, such as a date in an Rmail | |
884 message, and then extract parts of the match under control of the | |
885 pattern. | |
886 | |
887 Because the match data normally describe the most recent search only, | |
888 you must be careful not to do another search inadvertently between the | |
889 search you wish to refer back to and the use of the match data. If you | |
890 can't avoid another intervening search, you must save and restore the | |
891 match data around it, to prevent it from being overwritten. | |
892 | |
893 @menu | |
894 * Simple Match Data:: Accessing single items of match data, | |
895 such as where a particular subexpression started. | |
896 * Replacing Match:: Replacing a substring that was matched. | |
897 * Entire Match Data:: Accessing the entire match data at once, as a list. | |
898 * Saving Match Data:: Saving and restoring the match data. | |
899 @end menu | |
900 | |
901 @node Simple Match Data | |
902 @subsection Simple Match Data Access | |
903 | |
904 This section explains how to use the match data to find the starting | |
905 point or ending point of the text that was matched by a particular | |
906 search, or by a particular parenthetical subexpression of a regular | |
907 expression. | |
908 | |
909 @defun match-beginning count | |
910 This function returns the position of the start of text matched by the | |
911 last regular expression searched for, or a subexpression of it. | |
912 | |
8469 | 913 If @var{count} is zero, then the value is the position of the start of |
914 the text matched by the whole regexp. Otherwise, @var{count}, specifies | |
915 a subexpression in the regular expresion. The value of the function is | |
916 the starting position of the match for that subexpression. | |
6552 | 917 |
918 Subexpressions of a regular expression are those expressions grouped | |
8469 | 919 with escaped parentheses, @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. The @var{count}th |
6552 | 920 subexpression is found by counting occurrences of @samp{\(} from the |
921 beginning of the whole regular expression. The first subexpression is | |
922 numbered 1, the second 2, and so on. | |
923 | |
8469 | 924 The value is @code{nil} for a subexpression inside a |
6552 | 925 @samp{\|} alternative that wasn't used in the match. |
926 @end defun | |
927 | |
928 @defun match-end count | |
929 This function returns the position of the end of the text that matched | |
930 the last regular expression searched for, or a subexpression of it. | |
931 This function is otherwise similar to @code{match-beginning}. | |
932 @end defun | |
933 | |
934 Here is an example of using the match data, with a comment showing the | |
935 positions within the text: | |
936 | |
937 @example | |
938 @group | |
939 (string-match "\\(qu\\)\\(ick\\)" | |
940 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
941 ;0123456789 | |
942 @result{} 4 | |
943 @end group | |
944 | |
945 @group | |
946 (match-beginning 1) ; @r{The beginning of the match} | |
947 @result{} 4 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 4.} | |
948 @end group | |
949 | |
950 @group | |
951 (match-beginning 2) ; @r{The beginning of the match} | |
952 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 6.} | |
953 @end group | |
954 | |
955 @group | |
956 (match-end 1) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
957 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 6.} | |
958 | |
959 (match-end 2) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
960 @result{} 9 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 9.} | |
961 @end group | |
962 @end example | |
963 | |
964 Here is another example. Point is initially located at the beginning | |
965 of the line. Searching moves point to between the space and the word | |
966 @samp{in}. The beginning of the entire match is at the 9th character of | |
967 the buffer (@samp{T}), and the beginning of the match for the first | |
968 subexpression is at the 13th character (@samp{c}). | |
969 | |
970 @example | |
971 @group | |
972 (list | |
973 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
974 (match-beginning 0) | |
975 (match-beginning 1)) | |
8469 | 976 @result{} (9 9 13) |
6552 | 977 @end group |
978 | |
979 @group | |
980 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
981 I read "The cat @point{}in the hat comes back" twice. | |
982 ^ ^ | |
983 9 13 | |
984 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
985 @end group | |
986 @end example | |
987 | |
988 @noindent | |
989 (In this case, the index returned is a buffer position; the first | |
990 character of the buffer counts as 1.) | |
991 | |
992 @node Replacing Match | |
993 @subsection Replacing the Text That Matched | |
994 | |
995 This function replaces the text matched by the last search with | |
996 @var{replacement}. | |
997 | |
998 @cindex case in replacements | |
999 @defun replace-match replacement &optional fixedcase literal | |
1000 This function replaces the buffer text matched by the last search, with | |
1001 @var{replacement}. It applies only to buffers; you can't use | |
1002 @code{replace-match} to replace a substring found with | |
1003 @code{string-match}. | |
1004 | |
1005 If @var{fixedcase} is non-@code{nil}, then the case of the replacement | |
1006 text is not changed; otherwise, the replacement text is converted to a | |
1007 different case depending upon the capitalization of the text to be | |
1008 replaced. If the original text is all upper case, the replacement text | |
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1009 is converted to upper case. If the first word of the original text is |
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1010 capitalized, then the first word of the replacement text is capitalized. |
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1011 If the original text contains just one word, and that word is a capital |
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1012 letter, @code{replace-match} considers this a capitalized first word |
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1013 rather than all upper case. |
6552 | 1014 |
8469 | 1015 If @code{case-replace} is @code{nil}, then case conversion is not done, |
1016 regardless of the value of @var{fixed-case}. @xref{Searching and Case}. | |
1017 | |
6552 | 1018 If @var{literal} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{replacement} is inserted |
1019 exactly as it is, the only alterations being case changes as needed. | |
1020 If it is @code{nil} (the default), then the character @samp{\} is treated | |
1021 specially. If a @samp{\} appears in @var{replacement}, then it must be | |
1022 part of one of the following sequences: | |
1023 | |
1024 @table @asis | |
1025 @item @samp{\&} | |
1026 @cindex @samp{&} in replacement | |
1027 @samp{\&} stands for the entire text being replaced. | |
1028 | |
1029 @item @samp{\@var{n}} | |
1030 @cindex @samp{\@var{n}} in replacement | |
8469 | 1031 @samp{\@var{n}}, where @var{n} is a digit, stands for the text that |
1032 matched the @var{n}th subexpression in the original regexp. | |
1033 Subexpressions are those expressions grouped inside @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. | |
6552 | 1034 |
1035 @item @samp{\\} | |
1036 @cindex @samp{\} in replacement | |
1037 @samp{\\} stands for a single @samp{\} in the replacement text. | |
1038 @end table | |
1039 | |
1040 @code{replace-match} leaves point at the end of the replacement text, | |
1041 and returns @code{t}. | |
1042 @end defun | |
1043 | |
1044 @node Entire Match Data | |
1045 @subsection Accessing the Entire Match Data | |
1046 | |
1047 The functions @code{match-data} and @code{set-match-data} read or | |
1048 write the entire match data, all at once. | |
1049 | |
1050 @defun match-data | |
1051 This function returns a newly constructed list containing all the | |
1052 information on what text the last search matched. Element zero is the | |
1053 position of the beginning of the match for the whole expression; element | |
1054 one is the position of the end of the match for the expression. The | |
1055 next two elements are the positions of the beginning and end of the | |
1056 match for the first subexpression, and so on. In general, element | |
1057 @ifinfo | |
1058 number 2@var{n} | |
1059 @end ifinfo | |
1060 @tex | |
1061 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n$} | |
1062 @end tex | |
1063 corresponds to @code{(match-beginning @var{n})}; and | |
1064 element | |
1065 @ifinfo | |
1066 number 2@var{n} + 1 | |
1067 @end ifinfo | |
1068 @tex | |
1069 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n+1$} | |
1070 @end tex | |
1071 corresponds to @code{(match-end @var{n})}. | |
1072 | |
1073 All the elements are markers or @code{nil} if matching was done on a | |
1074 buffer, and all are integers or @code{nil} if matching was done on a | |
1075 string with @code{string-match}. (In Emacs 18 and earlier versions, | |
1076 markers were used even for matching on a string, except in the case | |
1077 of the integer 0.) | |
1078 | |
1079 As always, there must be no possibility of intervening searches between | |
1080 the call to a search function and the call to @code{match-data} that is | |
1081 intended to access the match data for that search. | |
1082 | |
1083 @example | |
1084 @group | |
1085 (match-data) | |
1086 @result{} (#<marker at 9 in foo> | |
1087 #<marker at 17 in foo> | |
1088 #<marker at 13 in foo> | |
1089 #<marker at 17 in foo>) | |
1090 @end group | |
1091 @end example | |
1092 @end defun | |
1093 | |
1094 @defun set-match-data match-list | |
1095 This function sets the match data from the elements of @var{match-list}, | |
1096 which should be a list that was the value of a previous call to | |
1097 @code{match-data}. | |
1098 | |
1099 If @var{match-list} refers to a buffer that doesn't exist, you don't get | |
1100 an error; that sets the match data in a meaningless but harmless way. | |
1101 | |
1102 @findex store-match-data | |
1103 @code{store-match-data} is an alias for @code{set-match-data}. | |
1104 @end defun | |
1105 | |
1106 @node Saving Match Data | |
1107 @subsection Saving and Restoring the Match Data | |
1108 | |
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1109 When you call a function that may do a search, you may need to save |
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1110 and restore the match data around that call, if you want to preserve the |
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1111 match data from an earlier search for later use. Here is an example |
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1112 that shows the problem that arises if you fail to save the match data: |
6552 | 1113 |
1114 @example | |
1115 @group | |
1116 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1117 @result{} 48 | |
1118 (foo) ; @r{Perhaps @code{foo} does} | |
1119 ; @r{more searching.} | |
1120 (match-end 0) | |
1121 @result{} 61 ; @r{Unexpected result---not 48!} | |
1122 @end group | |
1123 @end example | |
1124 | |
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1125 You can save and restore the match data with @code{save-match-data}: |
6552 | 1126 |
1127 @defspec save-match-data body@dots{} | |
1128 This special form executes @var{body}, saving and restoring the match | |
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1129 data around it. |
6552 | 1130 @end defspec |
1131 | |
1132 You can use @code{set-match-data} together with @code{match-data} to | |
1133 imitate the effect of the special form @code{save-match-data}. This is | |
1134 useful for writing code that can run in Emacs 18. Here is how: | |
1135 | |
1136 @example | |
1137 @group | |
1138 (let ((data (match-data))) | |
1139 (unwind-protect | |
1140 @dots{} ; @r{May change the original match data.} | |
1141 (set-match-data data))) | |
1142 @end group | |
1143 @end example | |
1144 | |
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1145 Emacs automatically saves and restores the match data when it runs |
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1146 process filter functions (@pxref{Filter Functions}) and process |
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1147 sentinels (@pxref{Sentinels}). |
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1148 |
6552 | 1149 @ignore |
1150 Here is a function which restores the match data provided the buffer | |
1151 associated with it still exists. | |
1152 | |
1153 @smallexample | |
1154 @group | |
1155 (defun restore-match-data (data) | |
1156 @c It is incorrect to split the first line of a doc string. | |
1157 @c If there's a problem here, it should be solved in some other way. | |
1158 "Restore the match data DATA unless the buffer is missing." | |
1159 (catch 'foo | |
1160 (let ((d data)) | |
1161 @end group | |
1162 (while d | |
1163 (and (car d) | |
1164 (null (marker-buffer (car d))) | |
1165 @group | |
1166 ;; @file{match-data} @r{buffer is deleted.} | |
1167 (throw 'foo nil)) | |
1168 (setq d (cdr d))) | |
1169 (set-match-data data)))) | |
1170 @end group | |
1171 @end smallexample | |
1172 @end ignore | |
1173 | |
1174 @node Searching and Case | |
1175 @section Searching and Case | |
1176 @cindex searching and case | |
1177 | |
1178 By default, searches in Emacs ignore the case of the text they are | |
1179 searching through; if you specify searching for @samp{FOO}, then | |
1180 @samp{Foo} or @samp{foo} is also considered a match. Regexps, and in | |
1181 particular character sets, are included: thus, @samp{[aB]} would match | |
1182 @samp{a} or @samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}. | |
1183 | |
1184 If you do not want this feature, set the variable | |
1185 @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}. Then all letters must match | |
8469 | 1186 exactly, including case. This is a buffer-local variable; altering the |
1187 variable affects only the current buffer. (@xref{Intro to | |
6552 | 1188 Buffer-Local}.) Alternatively, you may change the value of |
1189 @code{default-case-fold-search}, which is the default value of | |
1190 @code{case-fold-search} for buffers that do not override it. | |
1191 | |
1192 Note that the user-level incremental search feature handles case | |
1193 distinctions differently. When given a lower case letter, it looks for | |
1194 a match of either case, but when given an upper case letter, it looks | |
1195 for an upper case letter only. But this has nothing to do with the | |
1196 searching functions Lisp functions use. | |
1197 | |
1198 @defopt case-replace | |
8469 | 1199 This variable determines whether the replacement functions should |
1200 preserve case. If the variable is @code{nil}, that means to use the | |
1201 replacement text verbatim. A non-@code{nil} value means to convert the | |
1202 case of the replacement text according to the text being replaced. | |
1203 | |
1204 The function @code{replace-match} is where this variable actually has | |
1205 its effect. @xref{Replacing Match}. | |
6552 | 1206 @end defopt |
1207 | |
1208 @defopt case-fold-search | |
1209 This buffer-local variable determines whether searches should ignore | |
1210 case. If the variable is @code{nil} they do not ignore case; otherwise | |
1211 they do ignore case. | |
1212 @end defopt | |
1213 | |
1214 @defvar default-case-fold-search | |
1215 The value of this variable is the default value for | |
1216 @code{case-fold-search} in buffers that do not override it. This is the | |
1217 same as @code{(default-value 'case-fold-search)}. | |
1218 @end defvar | |
1219 | |
1220 @node Standard Regexps | |
1221 @section Standard Regular Expressions Used in Editing | |
1222 @cindex regexps used standardly in editing | |
1223 @cindex standard regexps used in editing | |
1224 | |
1225 This section describes some variables that hold regular expressions | |
1226 used for certain purposes in editing: | |
1227 | |
1228 @defvar page-delimiter | |
1229 This is the regexp describing line-beginnings that separate pages. The | |
8469 | 1230 default value is @code{"^\014"} (i.e., @code{"^^L"} or @code{"^\C-l"}); |
1231 this matches a line that starts with a formfeed character. | |
6552 | 1232 @end defvar |
1233 | |
1234 @defvar paragraph-separate | |
1235 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line | |
1236 that separates paragraphs. (If you change this, you may have to | |
8469 | 1237 change @code{paragraph-start} also.) The default value is |
1238 @w{@code{"^[@ \t\f]*$"}}, which matches a line that consists entirely of | |
1239 spaces, tabs, and form feeds. | |
6552 | 1240 @end defvar |
1241 | |
1242 @defvar paragraph-start | |
1243 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line | |
1244 that starts @emph{or} separates paragraphs. The default value is | |
8469 | 1245 @w{@code{"^[@ \t\n\f]"}}, which matches a line starting with a space, tab, |
6552 | 1246 newline, or form feed. |
1247 @end defvar | |
1248 | |
1249 @defvar sentence-end | |
1250 This is the regular expression describing the end of a sentence. (All | |
1251 paragraph boundaries also end sentences, regardless.) The default value | |
1252 is: | |
1253 | |
1254 @example | |
8469 | 1255 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*" |
6552 | 1256 @end example |
1257 | |
8469 | 1258 This means a period, question mark or exclamation mark, followed |
1259 optionally by a closing parenthetical character, followed by tabs, | |
1260 spaces or new lines. | |
6552 | 1261 |
1262 For a detailed explanation of this regular expression, see @ref{Regexp | |
1263 Example}. | |
1264 @end defvar |