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1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
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2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 97, 2000, 2001
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3 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
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5 @node Search, Fixit, Display, Top
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6 @chapter Searching and Replacement
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7 @cindex searching
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8 @cindex finding strings within text
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9
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10 Like other editors, Emacs has commands for searching for occurrences of
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11 a string. The principal search command is unusual in that it is
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12 @dfn{incremental}; it begins to search before you have finished typing the
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13 search string. There are also nonincremental search commands more like
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14 those of other editors.
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15
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16 Besides the usual @code{replace-string} command that finds all
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17 occurrences of one string and replaces them with another, Emacs has a
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18 more flexible replacement command called @code{query-replace}, which
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19 asks interactively which occurrences to replace.
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20
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21 @menu
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22 * Incremental Search:: Search happens as you type the string.
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23 * Nonincremental Search:: Specify entire string and then search.
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24 * Word Search:: Search for sequence of words.
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25 * Regexp Search:: Search for match for a regexp.
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26 * Regexps:: Syntax of regular expressions.
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27 * Search Case:: To ignore case while searching, or not.
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28 * Replace:: Search, and replace some or all matches.
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29 * Other Repeating Search:: Operating on all matches for some regexp.
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30 @end menu
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31
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32 @node Incremental Search, Nonincremental Search, Search, Search
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33 @section Incremental Search
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34
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35 @cindex incremental search
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36 An incremental search begins searching as soon as you type the first
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37 character of the search string. As you type in the search string, Emacs
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38 shows you where the string (as you have typed it so far) would be
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39 found. When you have typed enough characters to identify the place you
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40 want, you can stop. Depending on what you plan to do next, you may or
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41 may not need to terminate the search explicitly with @key{RET}.
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42
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43 @c WideCommands
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44 @table @kbd
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45 @item C-s
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46 Incremental search forward (@code{isearch-forward}).
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47 @item C-r
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48 Incremental search backward (@code{isearch-backward}).
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49 @end table
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50
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51 @kindex C-s
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52 @findex isearch-forward
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53 @kbd{C-s} starts a forward incremental search. It reads characters
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54 from the keyboard, and moves point past the next occurrence of those
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55 characters. If you type @kbd{C-s} and then @kbd{F}, that puts the
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56 cursor after the first @samp{F} (the first following the starting point, since
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57 this is a forward search). Then if you type an @kbd{O}, you will see
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58 the cursor move just after the first @samp{FO} (the @samp{F} in that
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59 @samp{FO} may or may not be the first @samp{F}). After another
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60 @kbd{O}, the cursor moves after the first @samp{FOO} after the place
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61 where you started the search. At each step, the buffer text that
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62 matches the search string is highlighted, if the terminal can do that;
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63 the current search string is always displayed in the echo area.
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64
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65 If you make a mistake in typing the search string, you can cancel
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66 characters with @key{DEL}. Each @key{DEL} cancels the last character of
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67 search string. This does not happen until Emacs is ready to read another
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68 input character; first it must either find, or fail to find, the character
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69 you want to erase. If you do not want to wait for this to happen, use
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70 @kbd{C-g} as described below.
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71
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72 When you are satisfied with the place you have reached, you can type
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73 @key{RET}, which stops searching, leaving the cursor where the search
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74 brought it. Also, any command not specially meaningful in searches
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75 stops the searching and is then executed. Thus, typing @kbd{C-a}
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76 would exit the search and then move to the beginning of the line.
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77 @key{RET} is necessary only if the next command you want to type is a
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78 printing character, @key{DEL}, @key{RET}, or another character that is
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79 special within searches (@kbd{C-q}, @kbd{C-w}, @kbd{C-r}, @kbd{C-s},
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80 @kbd{C-y}, @kbd{M-y}, @kbd{M-r}, @kbd{M-s}, and some other
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81 meta-characters).
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82
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83 Sometimes you search for @samp{FOO} and find one, but not the one you
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84 expected to find. There was a second @samp{FOO} that you forgot
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85 about, before the one you were aiming for. In this event, type
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86 another @kbd{C-s} to move to the next occurrence of the search string.
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87 You can repeat this any number of times. If you overshoot, you can
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88 cancel some @kbd{C-s} characters with @key{DEL}.
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89
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90 After you exit a search, you can search for the same string again by
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91 typing just @kbd{C-s C-s}: the first @kbd{C-s} is the key that invokes
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92 incremental search, and the second @kbd{C-s} means ``search again.''
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93
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94 To reuse earlier search strings, use the @dfn{search ring}. The
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95 commands @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n} move through the ring to pick a search
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96 string to reuse. These commands leave the selected search ring element
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97 in the minibuffer, where you can edit it. Type @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r}
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98 to terminate editing the string and search for it.
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99
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100 If your string is not found at all, the echo area says @samp{Failing
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101 I-Search}. The cursor is after the place where Emacs found as much of your
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102 string as it could. Thus, if you search for @samp{FOOT}, and there is no
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103 @samp{FOOT}, you might see the cursor after the @samp{FOO} in @samp{FOOL}.
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104 At this point there are several things you can do. If your string was
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105 mistyped, you can rub some of it out and correct it. If you like the place
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106 you have found, you can type @key{RET} or some other Emacs command to
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107 remain there. Or you can type @kbd{C-g}, which
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108 removes from the search string the characters that could not be found (the
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109 @samp{T} in @samp{FOOT}), leaving those that were found (the @samp{FOO} in
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110 @samp{FOOT}). A second @kbd{C-g} at that point cancels the search
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111 entirely, returning point to where it was when the search started.
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112
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113 An upper-case letter in the search string makes the search
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114 case-sensitive. If you delete the upper-case character from the search
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115 string, it ceases to have this effect. @xref{Search Case}.
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116
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117 To search for a newline, type @kbd{C-j}. To search for another
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118 control character, such as control-S or carriage return, you must quote
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119 it by typing @kbd{C-q} first. This function of @kbd{C-q} is analogous
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120 to its use for insertion (@pxref{Inserting Text}): it causes the
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121 following character to be treated the way any ``ordinary'' character is
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122 treated in the same context. You can also specify a character by its
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123 octal code: enter @kbd{C-q} followed by a sequence of octal digits.
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124
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125 @cindex searching for non-ASCII characters
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126 @cindex input method, during incremental search
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127 To search for non-ASCII characters, you must use an input method
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128 (@pxref{Input Methods}). If an input method is enabled in the
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129 current buffer when you start the search, you can use it while you
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130 type the search string also. Emacs indicates that by including the
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131 input method mnemonic in its prompt, like this:
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132
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133 @example
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134 I-search [@var{im}]:
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135 @end example
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136
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137 @noindent
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138 @findex isearch-toggle-input-method
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139 @findex isearch-toggle-specified-input-method
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140 where @var{im} is the mnemonic of the active input method. You can
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141 toggle (enable or disable) the input method while you type the search
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142 string with @kbd{C-\} (@code{isearch-toggle-input-method}). You can
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143 turn on a certain (non-default) input method with @kbd{C-^}
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144 (@code{isearch-toggle-specified-input-method}), which prompts for the
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145 name of the input method. The input method you enable during
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146 incremental search remains enabled in the current buffer afterwards.
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147
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148 If a search is failing and you ask to repeat it by typing another
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149 @kbd{C-s}, it starts again from the beginning of the buffer.
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150 Repeating a failing reverse search with @kbd{C-r} starts again from
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151 the end. This is called @dfn{wrapping around}, and @samp{Wrapped}
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152 appears in the search prompt once this has happened. If you keep on
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153 going past the original starting point of the search, it changes to
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154 @samp{Overwrapped}, which means that you are revisiting matches that
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155 you have already seen.
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156
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157 @cindex quitting (in search)
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158 The @kbd{C-g} ``quit'' character does special things during searches;
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159 just what it does depends on the status of the search. If the search has
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160 found what you specified and is waiting for input, @kbd{C-g} cancels the
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161 entire search. The cursor moves back to where you started the search. If
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162 @kbd{C-g} is typed when there are characters in the search string that have
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163 not been found---because Emacs is still searching for them, or because it
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164 has failed to find them---then the search string characters which have not
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165 been found are discarded from the search string. With them gone, the
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166 search is now successful and waiting for more input, so a second @kbd{C-g}
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167 will cancel the entire search.
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168
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169 You can change to searching backwards with @kbd{C-r}. If a search fails
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170 because the place you started was too late in the file, you should do this.
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171 Repeated @kbd{C-r} keeps looking for more occurrences backwards. A
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172 @kbd{C-s} starts going forwards again. @kbd{C-r} in a search can be canceled
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173 with @key{DEL}.
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174
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175 @kindex C-r
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176 @findex isearch-backward
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177 If you know initially that you want to search backwards, you can use
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178 @kbd{C-r} instead of @kbd{C-s} to start the search, because @kbd{C-r} as
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179 a key runs a command (@code{isearch-backward}) to search backward. A
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180 backward search finds matches that are entirely before the starting
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181 point, just as a forward search finds matches that begin after it.
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182
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183 The characters @kbd{C-y} and @kbd{C-w} can be used in incremental
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184 search to grab text from the buffer into the search string. This makes
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185 it convenient to search for another occurrence of text at point.
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186 @kbd{C-w} copies the word after point as part of the search string,
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187 advancing point over that word. Another @kbd{C-s} to repeat the search
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188 will then search for a string including that word. @kbd{C-y} is similar
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189 to @kbd{C-w} but copies all the rest of the current line into the search
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190 string. Both @kbd{C-y} and @kbd{C-w} convert the text they copy to
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191 lower case if the search is currently not case-sensitive; this is so the
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192 search remains case-insensitive.
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193
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194 The character @kbd{M-y} copies text from the kill ring into the search
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195 string. It uses the same text that @kbd{C-y} as a command would yank.
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196 @kbd{Mouse-2} in the echo area does the same.
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197 @xref{Yanking}.
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198
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199 When you exit the incremental search, it sets the mark to where point
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200 @emph{was}, before the search. That is convenient for moving back
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201 there. In Transient Mark mode, incremental search sets the mark without
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202 activating it, and does so only if the mark is not already active.
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203
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204 @cindex lazy search highlighting
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205 @vindex isearch-lazy-highlight
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206 When you pause for a little while during incremental search, it
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207 highlights all other possible matches for the search string. This
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208 makes it easier to anticipate where you can get to by typing @kbd{C-s}
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209 or @kbd{C-r} to repeat the search. The short delay before highlighting
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210 other matches helps indicate which match is the current one.
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211 If you don't like this feature, you can turn it off by setting
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212 @code{isearch-lazy-highlight} to @code{nil}.
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213
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214 @vindex isearch-lazy-highlight-face
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215 @cindex faces for highlighting search matches
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216 You can control how this highlighting looks by customizing the faces
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217 @code{isearch} (used for the current match) and
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218 @code{isearch-lazy-highlight-face} (for all the other matches).
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219
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220 @vindex isearch-mode-map
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221 To customize the special characters that incremental search understands,
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222 alter their bindings in the keymap @code{isearch-mode-map}. For a list
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223 of bindings, look at the documentation of @code{isearch-mode} with
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224 @kbd{C-h f isearch-mode @key{RET}}.
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225
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226 @subsection Slow Terminal Incremental Search
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227
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228 Incremental search on a slow terminal uses a modified style of display
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229 that is designed to take less time. Instead of redisplaying the buffer at
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230 each place the search gets to, it creates a new single-line window and uses
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231 that to display the line that the search has found. The single-line window
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232 comes into play as soon as point moves outside of the text that is already
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233 on the screen.
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234
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235 When you terminate the search, the single-line window is removed.
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236 Emacs then redisplays the window in which the search was done, to show
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237 its new position of point.
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238
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239 @vindex search-slow-speed
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240 The slow terminal style of display is used when the terminal baud rate is
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241 less than or equal to the value of the variable @code{search-slow-speed},
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242 initially 1200. See @code{baud-rate} in @ref{Display Custom}.
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243
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244 @vindex search-slow-window-lines
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245 The number of lines to use in slow terminal search display is controlled
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246 by the variable @code{search-slow-window-lines}. Its normal value is 1.
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247
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248 @node Nonincremental Search, Word Search, Incremental Search, Search
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249 @section Nonincremental Search
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250 @cindex nonincremental search
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251
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252 Emacs also has conventional nonincremental search commands, which require
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253 you to type the entire search string before searching begins.
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254
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255 @table @kbd
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256 @item C-s @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET}
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257 Search for @var{string}.
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258 @item C-r @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET}
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259 Search backward for @var{string}.
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260 @end table
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261
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262 To do a nonincremental search, first type @kbd{C-s @key{RET}}. This
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263 enters the minibuffer to read the search string; terminate the string
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264 with @key{RET}, and then the search takes place. If the string is not
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265 found, the search command signals an error.
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266
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267 When you type @kbd{C-s @key{RET}}, the @kbd{C-s} invokes incremental
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268 search as usual. That command is specially programmed to invoke
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269 nonincremental search, @code{search-forward}, if the string you
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270 specify is empty. (Such an empty argument would otherwise be
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271 useless.) But it does not call @code{search-forward} right away. First
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272 it checks the next input character to see if is @kbd{C-w},
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273 which specifies a word search.
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274 @ifinfo
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275 @xref{Word Search}.
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276 @end ifinfo
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277 @kbd{C-r @key{RET}} does likewise, for a reverse incremental search.
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278
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279 @findex search-forward
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280 @findex search-backward
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281 Forward and backward nonincremental searches are implemented by the
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282 commands @code{search-forward} and @code{search-backward}. These
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283 commands may be bound to keys in the usual manner. The feature that you
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284 can get to them via the incremental search commands exists for
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285 historical reasons, and to avoid the need to find key sequences
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286 for them.
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287
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288 @node Word Search, Regexp Search, Nonincremental Search, Search
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289 @section Word Search
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290 @cindex word search
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291
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292 Word search searches for a sequence of words without regard to how the
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293 words are separated. More precisely, you type a string of many words,
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294 using single spaces to separate them, and the string can be found even
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295 if there are multiple spaces, newlines, or other punctuation characters
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296 between these words.
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297
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298 Word search is useful for editing a printed document made with a text
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299 formatter. If you edit while looking at the printed, formatted version,
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300 you can't tell where the line breaks are in the source file. With word
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301 search, you can search without having to know them.
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302
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303 @table @kbd
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304 @item C-s @key{RET} C-w @var{words} @key{RET}
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305 Search for @var{words}, ignoring details of punctuation.
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306 @item C-r @key{RET} C-w @var{words} @key{RET}
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307 Search backward for @var{words}, ignoring details of punctuation.
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308 @end table
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309
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310 Word search is a special case of nonincremental search and is invoked
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311 with @kbd{C-s @key{RET} C-w}. This is followed by the search string,
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312 which must always be terminated with @key{RET}. Being nonincremental,
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313 this search does not start until the argument is terminated. It works
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314 by constructing a regular expression and searching for that; see
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315 @ref{Regexp Search}.
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316
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317 Use @kbd{C-r @key{RET} C-w} to do backward word search.
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318
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319 @findex word-search-forward
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320 @findex word-search-backward
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321 Forward and backward word searches are implemented by the commands
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322 @code{word-search-forward} and @code{word-search-backward}. These
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323 commands may be bound to keys in the usual manner. They are available
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324 via the incremental search commands both for historical reasons and
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325 to avoid the need to find suitable key sequences for them.
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326
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327 @node Regexp Search, Regexps, Word Search, Search
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328 @section Regular Expression Search
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329 @cindex regular expression
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330 @cindex regexp
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331
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332 A @dfn{regular expression} (@dfn{regexp}, for short) is a pattern
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333 that denotes a class of alternative strings to match, possibly
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334 infinitely many. GNU Emacs provides both incremental and
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335 nonincremental ways to search for a match for a regexp.
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336
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337 @kindex C-M-s
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338 @findex isearch-forward-regexp
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339 @kindex C-M-r
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340 @findex isearch-backward-regexp
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341 Incremental search for a regexp is done by typing @kbd{C-M-s}
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342 (@code{isearch-forward-regexp}), or by invoking @kbd{C-s} with a
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343 prefix argument (whose value does not matter). This command reads a
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344 search string incrementally just like @kbd{C-s}, but it treats the
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345 search string as a regexp rather than looking for an exact match
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346 against the text in the buffer. Each time you add text to the search
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347 string, you make the regexp longer, and the new regexp is searched
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348 for. To search backward for a regexp, use @kbd{C-M-r}
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349 (@code{isearch-backward-regexp}), or @kbd{C-r} with a prefix argument.
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350
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351 All of the control characters that do special things within an
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352 ordinary incremental search have the same function in incremental regexp
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353 search. Typing @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r} immediately after starting the
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354 search retrieves the last incremental search regexp used; that is to
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355 say, incremental regexp and non-regexp searches have independent
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356 defaults. They also have separate search rings that you can access with
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357 @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n}.
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358
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359 If you type @key{SPC} in incremental regexp search, it matches any
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360 sequence of whitespace characters, including newlines. If you want
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361 to match just a space, type @kbd{C-q @key{SPC}}.
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362
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363 Note that adding characters to the regexp in an incremental regexp
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364 search can make the cursor move back and start again. For example, if
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365 you have searched for @samp{foo} and you add @samp{\|bar}, the cursor
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366 backs up in case the first @samp{bar} precedes the first @samp{foo}.
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367
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368 @findex re-search-forward
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369 @findex re-search-backward
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370 Nonincremental search for a regexp is done by the functions
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371 @code{re-search-forward} and @code{re-search-backward}. You can invoke
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372 these with @kbd{M-x}, or bind them to keys, or invoke them by way of
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373 incremental regexp search with @kbd{C-M-s @key{RET}} and @kbd{C-M-r
|
|
374 @key{RET}}.
|
|
375
|
|
376 If you use the incremental regexp search commands with a prefix
|
|
377 argument, they perform ordinary string search, like
|
|
378 @code{isearch-forward} and @code{isearch-backward}. @xref{Incremental
|
|
379 Search}.
|
|
380
|
|
381 @node Regexps, Search Case, Regexp Search, Search
|
|
382 @section Syntax of Regular Expressions
|
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383 @cindex syntax of regexps
|
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384
|
|
385 Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are
|
|
386 special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary
|
|
387 character is a simple regular expression which matches that same
|
|
388 character and nothing else. The special characters are @samp{$},
|
|
389 @samp{^}, @samp{.}, @samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?}, @samp{[}, @samp{]} and
|
|
390 @samp{\}. Any other character appearing in a regular expression is
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391 ordinary, unless a @samp{\} precedes it. (When you use regular
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392 expressions in a Lisp program, each @samp{\} must be doubled, see the
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Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
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|
393 example near the end of this section.)
|
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394
|
|
395 For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and
|
|
396 therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string
|
|
397 @samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string
|
|
398 @samp{ff}.) Likewise, @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches
|
|
399 only @samp{o}. (When case distinctions are being ignored, these regexps
|
|
400 also match @samp{F} and @samp{O}, but we consider this a generalization
|
|
401 of ``the same string,'' rather than an exception.)
|
|
402
|
|
403 Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The
|
|
404 result is a regular expression which matches a string if @var{a} matches
|
|
405 some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of
|
|
406 the string.@refill
|
|
407
|
|
408 As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f}
|
|
409 and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only
|
|
410 the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something nontrivial, you
|
|
411 need to use one of the special characters. Here is a list of them.
|
|
412
|
|
413 @table @kbd
|
|
414 @item .@: @r{(Period)}
|
|
415 is a special character that matches any single character except a newline.
|
|
416 Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which
|
|
417 matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with
|
|
418 @samp{b}.@refill
|
|
419
|
|
420 @item *
|
|
421 is not a construct by itself; it is a postfix operator that means to
|
|
422 match the preceding regular expression repetitively as many times as
|
|
423 possible. Thus, @samp{o*} matches any number of @samp{o}s (including no
|
|
424 @samp{o}s).
|
|
425
|
|
426 @samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding
|
|
427 expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a repeating
|
|
428 @samp{fo}. It matches @samp{f}, @samp{fo}, @samp{foo}, and so on.
|
|
429
|
|
430 The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately,
|
|
431 as many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest
|
|
432 of the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some
|
|
433 of the matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in case that makes
|
|
434 it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in matching
|
|
435 @samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} first
|
|
436 tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is
|
|
437 @samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails.
|
|
438 The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s.
|
|
439 With this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully.@refill
|
|
440
|
|
441 @item +
|
|
442 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match
|
|
443 the preceding expression at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r}
|
|
444 matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string
|
|
445 @samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings.
|
|
446
|
|
447 @item ?
|
|
448 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it can match the
|
|
449 preceding expression either once or not at all. For example,
|
|
450 @samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}; nothing else.
|
|
451
|
27094
|
452 @item *?, +?, ??
|
27139
|
453 @cindex non-greedy regexp matching
|
27094
|
454 are non-greedy variants of the operators above. The normal operators
|
36177
|
455 @samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?} are @dfn{greedy} in that they match as
|
|
456 much as they can, as long as the overall regexp can still match. With
|
|
457 a following @samp{?}, they are non-greedy: they will match as little
|
|
458 as possible.
|
|
459
|
|
460 Thus, both @samp{ab*} and @samp{ab*?} can match the string @samp{a}
|
|
461 and the string @samp{abbbb}; but if you try to match them both against
|
|
462 the text @samp{abbb}, @samp{ab*} will match it all (the longest valid
|
|
463 match), while @samp{ab*?} will match just @samp{a} (the shortest
|
|
464 valid match).
|
|
465
|
|
466 @item \@{@var{n}\@}
|
|
467 is a postfix operator that specifies repetition @var{n} times---that
|
|
468 is, the preceding regular expression must match exactly @var{n} times
|
|
469 in a row. For example, @samp{x\@{4\@}} matches the string @samp{xxxx}
|
|
470 and nothing else.
|
27094
|
471
|
28063
|
472 @item \@{@var{n},@var{m}\@}
|
36177
|
473 is a postfix operator that specifies repetition between @var{n} and
|
|
474 @var{m} times---that is, the preceding regular expression must match
|
|
475 at least @var{n} times, but no more than @var{m} times. If @var{m} is
|
|
476 omitted, then there is no upper limit, but the preceding regular
|
|
477 expression must match at least @var{n} times.@* @samp{\@{0,1\@}} is
|
|
478 equivalent to @samp{?}. @* @samp{\@{0,\@}} is equivalent to
|
|
479 @samp{*}. @* @samp{\@{1,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{+}.
|
27694
|
480
|
25829
|
481 @item [ @dots{} ]
|
|
482 is a @dfn{character set}, which begins with @samp{[} and is terminated
|
|
483 by @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between the two
|
|
484 brackets are what this set can match.
|
|
485
|
|
486 Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one @samp{d}, and
|
|
487 @samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s and @samp{d}s
|
|
488 (including the empty string), from which it follows that @samp{c[ad]*r}
|
|
489 matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, @samp{caddaar}, etc.
|
|
490
|
|
491 You can also include character ranges in a character set, by writing the
|
|
492 starting and ending characters with a @samp{-} between them. Thus,
|
|
493 @samp{[a-z]} matches any lower-case ASCII letter. Ranges may be
|
|
494 intermixed freely with individual characters, as in @samp{[a-z$%.]},
|
|
495 which matches any lower-case ASCII letter or @samp{$}, @samp{%} or
|
|
496 period.
|
|
497
|
|
498 Note that the usual regexp special characters are not special inside a
|
|
499 character set. A completely different set of special characters exists
|
|
500 inside character sets: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}.
|
|
501
|
|
502 To include a @samp{]} in a character set, you must make it the first
|
|
503 character. For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. To
|
|
504 include a @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first or last character of the
|
|
505 set, or put it after a range. Thus, @samp{[]-]} matches both @samp{]}
|
|
506 and @samp{-}.
|
|
507
|
|
508 To include @samp{^} in a set, put it anywhere but at the beginning of
|
37235
|
509 the set. (At the beginning, it complements the set---see below.)
|
25829
|
510
|
|
511 When you use a range in case-insensitive search, you should write both
|
|
512 ends of the range in upper case, or both in lower case, or both should
|
|
513 be non-letters. The behavior of a mixed-case range such as @samp{A-z}
|
|
514 is somewhat ill-defined, and it may change in future Emacs versions.
|
|
515
|
|
516 @item [^ @dots{} ]
|
|
517 @samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complemented character set}, which matches any
|
|
518 character except the ones specified. Thus, @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} matches
|
37235
|
519 all characters @emph{except} ASCII letters and digits.
|
25829
|
520
|
|
521 @samp{^} is not special in a character set unless it is the first
|
|
522 character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it
|
|
523 were first (in other words, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there).
|
|
524
|
|
525 A complemented character set can match a newline, unless newline is
|
|
526 mentioned as one of the characters not to match. This is in contrast to
|
|
527 the handling of regexps in programs such as @code{grep}.
|
|
528
|
|
529 @item ^
|
|
530 is a special character that matches the empty string, but only at the
|
|
531 beginning of a line in the text being matched. Otherwise it fails to
|
|
532 match anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at
|
|
533 the beginning of a line.
|
|
534
|
|
535 @item $
|
|
536 is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line. Thus,
|
|
537 @samp{x+$} matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line.
|
|
538
|
|
539 @item \
|
|
540 has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including
|
|
541 @samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs.
|
|
542
|
|
543 Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular
|
|
544 expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular
|
|
545 expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on.
|
|
546 @end table
|
|
547
|
|
548 Note: for historical compatibility, special characters are treated as
|
|
549 ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special meanings make no
|
|
550 sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as ordinary since there is
|
|
551 no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} can act. It is poor practice
|
|
552 to depend on this behavior; it is better to quote the special character anyway,
|
|
553 regardless of where it appears.@refill
|
|
554
|
|
555 For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only that
|
|
556 character. However, there are several exceptions: two-character
|
|
557 sequences starting with @samp{\} that have special meanings. The second
|
|
558 character in the sequence is always an ordinary character when used on
|
|
559 its own. Here is a table of @samp{\} constructs.
|
|
560
|
|
561 @table @kbd
|
|
562 @item \|
|
|
563 specifies an alternative. Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b}
|
|
564 with @samp{\|} in between form an expression that matches some text if
|
|
565 either @var{a} matches it or @var{b} matches it. It works by trying to
|
|
566 match @var{a}, and if that fails, by trying to match @var{b}.
|
|
567
|
|
568 Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar}
|
|
569 but no other string.@refill
|
|
570
|
|
571 @samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a
|
|
572 surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of
|
|
573 @samp{\|}.@refill
|
|
574
|
|
575 Full backtracking capability exists to handle multiple uses of @samp{\|}.
|
|
576
|
|
577 @item \( @dots{} \)
|
|
578 is a grouping construct that serves three purposes:
|
|
579
|
|
580 @enumerate
|
|
581 @item
|
|
582 To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations.
|
|
583 Thus, @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} or @samp{barx}.
|
|
584
|
|
585 @item
|
|
586 To enclose a complicated expression for the postfix operators @samp{*},
|
|
587 @samp{+} and @samp{?} to operate on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches
|
|
588 @samp{bananana}, etc., with any (zero or more) number of @samp{na}
|
|
589 strings.@refill
|
|
590
|
|
591 @item
|
|
592 To record a matched substring for future reference.
|
|
593 @end enumerate
|
|
594
|
|
595 This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a
|
|
596 parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that is assigned as a
|
|
597 second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. In practice
|
36177
|
598 there is usually no conflict between the two meanings; when there is
|
|
599 a conflict, you can use a ``shy'' group.
|
28063
|
600
|
|
601 @item \(?: @dots{} \)
|
36177
|
602 @cindex shy group, in regexp
|
|
603 specifies a ``shy'' group that does not record the matched substring;
|
|
604 you can't refer back to it with @samp{\@var{d}}. This is useful
|
|
605 in mechanically combining regular expressions, so that you
|
|
606 can add groups for syntactic purposes without interfering with
|
|
607 the numbering of the groups that were written by the user.
|
25829
|
608
|
|
609 @item \@var{d}
|
|
610 matches the same text that matched the @var{d}th occurrence of a
|
|
611 @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct.
|
|
612
|
|
613 After the end of a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct, the matcher remembers
|
|
614 the beginning and end of the text matched by that construct. Then,
|
|
615 later on in the regular expression, you can use @samp{\} followed by the
|
|
616 digit @var{d} to mean ``match the same text matched the @var{d}th time
|
|
617 by the @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct.''
|
|
618
|
|
619 The strings matching the first nine @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs
|
|
620 appearing in a regular expression are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in
|
|
621 the order that the open-parentheses appear in the regular expression.
|
|
622 So you can use @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched
|
|
623 by the corresponding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs.
|
|
624
|
|
625 For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is
|
|
626 composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first
|
|
627 half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match
|
|
628 the same exact text.
|
|
629
|
|
630 If a particular @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct matches more than once
|
|
631 (which can easily happen if it is followed by @samp{*}), only the last
|
|
632 match is recorded.
|
|
633
|
|
634 @item \`
|
40929
|
635 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of the string or
|
|
636 buffer (or its accessible portion) being matched against.
|
25829
|
637
|
|
638 @item \'
|
40929
|
639 matches the empty string, but only at the end of the string or buffer
|
|
640 (or its accessible portion) being matched against.
|
25829
|
641
|
|
642 @item \=
|
|
643 matches the empty string, but only at point.
|
|
644
|
|
645 @item \b
|
|
646 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or
|
|
647 end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of
|
|
648 @samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches
|
|
649 @samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word.@refill
|
|
650
|
|
651 @samp{\b} matches at the beginning or end of the buffer
|
|
652 regardless of what text appears next to it.
|
|
653
|
|
654 @item \B
|
|
655 matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or
|
|
656 end of a word.
|
|
657
|
|
658 @item \<
|
|
659 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word.
|
|
660 @samp{\<} matches at the beginning of the buffer only if a
|
|
661 word-constituent character follows.
|
|
662
|
|
663 @item \>
|
|
664 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. @samp{\>}
|
|
665 matches at the end of the buffer only if the contents end with a
|
|
666 word-constituent character.
|
|
667
|
|
668 @item \w
|
|
669 matches any word-constituent character. The syntax table
|
|
670 determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax}.
|
|
671
|
|
672 @item \W
|
|
673 matches any character that is not a word-constituent.
|
|
674
|
|
675 @item \s@var{c}
|
|
676 matches any character whose syntax is @var{c}. Here @var{c} is a
|
37235
|
677 character that designates a particular syntax class: thus, @samp{w}
|
|
678 for word constituent, @samp{-} or @samp{ } for whitespace, @samp{.}
|
|
679 for ordinary punctuation, etc. @xref{Syntax}.
|
25829
|
680
|
|
681 @item \S@var{c}
|
|
682 matches any character whose syntax is not @var{c}.
|
35904
|
683
|
|
684 @cindex categories of characters
|
|
685 @cindex characters which belong to a specific language
|
|
686 @findex describe-categories
|
|
687 @item \c@var{c}
|
|
688 matches any character that belongs to the category @var{c}. For
|
|
689 example, @samp{\cc} matches Chinese characters, @samp{\cg} matches
|
|
690 Greek characters, etc. For the description of the known categories,
|
|
691 type @kbd{M-x describe-categories @key{RET}}.
|
|
692
|
|
693 @item \C@var{c}
|
|
694 matches any character that does @emph{not} belong to category
|
|
695 @var{c}.
|
25829
|
696 @end table
|
|
697
|
|
698 The constructs that pertain to words and syntax are controlled by the
|
|
699 setting of the syntax table (@pxref{Syntax}).
|
|
700
|
37235
|
701 Here is a complicated regexp, stored in @code{sentence-end} and used
|
|
702 by Emacs to recognize the end of a sentence together with any
|
37607
|
703 whitespace that follows. We show its Lisp syntax to distinguish the
|
37235
|
704 spaces from the tab characters. In Lisp syntax, the string constant
|
|
705 begins and ends with a double-quote. @samp{\"} stands for a
|
|
706 double-quote as part of the regexp, @samp{\\} for a backslash as part
|
|
707 of the regexp, @samp{\t} for a tab, and @samp{\n} for a newline.
|
25829
|
708
|
|
709 @example
|
37235
|
710 "[.?!][]\"')]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*"
|
25829
|
711 @end example
|
|
712
|
|
713 @noindent
|
37235
|
714 This contains four parts in succession: a character set matching
|
|
715 period, @samp{?}, or @samp{!}; a character set matching
|
|
716 close-brackets, quotes, or parentheses, repeated zero or more times; a
|
|
717 set of alternatives within backslash-parentheses that matches either
|
|
718 end-of-line, a space at the end of a line, a tab, or two spaces; and a
|
|
719 character set matching whitespace characters, repeated any number of
|
|
720 times.
|
25829
|
721
|
40521
549e09fb7907
Clarify how to enter regexps in isearch and in the miniubuffer.
Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
722 To enter the same regexp in incremental search, you would type
|
549e09fb7907
Clarify how to enter regexps in isearch and in the miniubuffer.
Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
723 @key{TAB} to enter a tab, and @kbd{C-j} to enter a newline. You would
|
549e09fb7907
Clarify how to enter regexps in isearch and in the miniubuffer.
Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
724 also type single backslashes as themselves, instead of doubling them
|
549e09fb7907
Clarify how to enter regexps in isearch and in the miniubuffer.
Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
725 for Lisp syntax. In commands that use ordinary minibuffer input to
|
549e09fb7907
Clarify how to enter regexps in isearch and in the miniubuffer.
Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
726 read a regexp, you would quote the @kbd{C-j} by preceding it with a
|
549e09fb7907
Clarify how to enter regexps in isearch and in the miniubuffer.
Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
727 @kbd{C-q} to prevent @kbd{C-j} from exiting the minibuffer.
|
25829
|
728
|
36177
|
729 @ignore
|
|
730 @c I commented this out because it is missing vital information
|
|
731 @c and therefore useless. For instance, what do you do to *use* the
|
|
732 @c regular expression when it is finished? What jobs is this good for?
|
|
733 @c -- rms
|
|
734
|
31072
|
735 @findex re-builder
|
|
736 @cindex authoring regular expressions
|
36177
|
737 For convenient interactive development of regular expressions, you
|
|
738 can use the @kbd{M-x re-builder} command. It provides a convenient
|
|
739 interface for creating regular expressions, by giving immediate visual
|
|
740 feedback. The buffer from which @code{re-builder} was invoked becomes
|
|
741 the target for the regexp editor, which pops in a separate window. At
|
|
742 all times, all the matches in the target buffer for the current
|
|
743 regular expression are highlighted. Each parenthesized sub-expression
|
|
744 of the regexp is shown in a distinct face, which makes it easier to
|
|
745 verify even very complex regexps. (On displays that don't support
|
|
746 colors, Emacs blinks the cursor around the matched text, as it does
|
|
747 for matching parens.)
|
|
748 @end ignore
|
31072
|
749
|
25829
|
750 @node Search Case, Replace, Regexps, Search
|
|
751 @section Searching and Case
|
|
752
|
|
753 Incremental searches in Emacs normally ignore the case of the text
|
|
754 they are searching through, if you specify the text in lower case.
|
|
755 Thus, if you specify searching for @samp{foo}, then @samp{Foo} and
|
|
756 @samp{foo} are also considered a match. Regexps, and in particular
|
|
757 character sets, are included: @samp{[ab]} would match @samp{a} or
|
|
758 @samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}.@refill
|
|
759
|
|
760 An upper-case letter anywhere in the incremental search string makes
|
|
761 the search case-sensitive. Thus, searching for @samp{Foo} does not find
|
|
762 @samp{foo} or @samp{FOO}. This applies to regular expression search as
|
|
763 well as to string search. The effect ceases if you delete the
|
|
764 upper-case letter from the search string.
|
|
765
|
37235
|
766 Typing @kbd{M-c} within an incremental search toggles the case
|
|
767 sensitivity of that search. The effect does not extend beyond the
|
|
768 current incremental search to the next one, but it does override the
|
|
769 effect of including an upper-case letter in the current search.
|
|
770
|
|
771 @vindex case-fold-search
|
25829
|
772 If you set the variable @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}, then
|
|
773 all letters must match exactly, including case. This is a per-buffer
|
|
774 variable; altering the variable affects only the current buffer, but
|
|
775 there is a default value which you can change as well. @xref{Locals}.
|
|
776 This variable applies to nonincremental searches also, including those
|
|
777 performed by the replace commands (@pxref{Replace}) and the minibuffer
|
|
778 history matching commands (@pxref{Minibuffer History}).
|
|
779
|
|
780 @node Replace, Other Repeating Search, Search Case, Search
|
|
781 @section Replacement Commands
|
|
782 @cindex replacement
|
|
783 @cindex search-and-replace commands
|
|
784 @cindex string substitution
|
|
785 @cindex global substitution
|
|
786
|
38127
|
787 Global search-and-replace operations are not needed often in Emacs,
|
|
788 but they are available. In addition to the simple @kbd{M-x
|
|
789 replace-string} command which is like that found in most editors,
|
|
790 there is a @kbd{M-x query-replace} command which finds each occurrence
|
|
791 of the pattern and asks you whether to replace it.
|
25829
|
792
|
|
793 The replace commands normally operate on the text from point to the
|
|
794 end of the buffer; however, in Transient Mark mode, when the mark is
|
|
795 active, they operate on the region. The replace commands all replace
|
|
796 one string (or regexp) with one replacement string. It is possible to
|
|
797 perform several replacements in parallel using the command
|
|
798 @code{expand-region-abbrevs} (@pxref{Expanding Abbrevs}).
|
|
799
|
|
800 @menu
|
|
801 * Unconditional Replace:: Replacing all matches for a string.
|
|
802 * Regexp Replace:: Replacing all matches for a regexp.
|
|
803 * Replacement and Case:: How replacements preserve case of letters.
|
|
804 * Query Replace:: How to use querying.
|
|
805 @end menu
|
|
806
|
|
807 @node Unconditional Replace, Regexp Replace, Replace, Replace
|
|
808 @subsection Unconditional Replacement
|
|
809 @findex replace-string
|
|
810 @findex replace-regexp
|
|
811
|
|
812 @table @kbd
|
|
813 @item M-x replace-string @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
|
|
814 Replace every occurrence of @var{string} with @var{newstring}.
|
|
815 @item M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
|
|
816 Replace every match for @var{regexp} with @var{newstring}.
|
|
817 @end table
|
|
818
|
|
819 To replace every instance of @samp{foo} after point with @samp{bar},
|
|
820 use the command @kbd{M-x replace-string} with the two arguments
|
|
821 @samp{foo} and @samp{bar}. Replacement happens only in the text after
|
|
822 point, so if you want to cover the whole buffer you must go to the
|
|
823 beginning first. All occurrences up to the end of the buffer are
|
|
824 replaced; to limit replacement to part of the buffer, narrow to that
|
|
825 part of the buffer before doing the replacement (@pxref{Narrowing}).
|
|
826 In Transient Mark mode, when the region is active, replacement is
|
|
827 limited to the region (@pxref{Transient Mark}).
|
|
828
|
|
829 When @code{replace-string} exits, it leaves point at the last
|
|
830 occurrence replaced. It sets the mark to the prior position of point
|
|
831 (where the @code{replace-string} command was issued); use @kbd{C-u
|
|
832 C-@key{SPC}} to move back there.
|
|
833
|
|
834 A numeric argument restricts replacement to matches that are surrounded
|
|
835 by word boundaries. The argument's value doesn't matter.
|
|
836
|
|
837 @node Regexp Replace, Replacement and Case, Unconditional Replace, Replace
|
|
838 @subsection Regexp Replacement
|
|
839
|
|
840 The @kbd{M-x replace-string} command replaces exact matches for a
|
|
841 single string. The similar command @kbd{M-x replace-regexp} replaces
|
|
842 any match for a specified pattern.
|
|
843
|
|
844 In @code{replace-regexp}, the @var{newstring} need not be constant: it
|
|
845 can refer to all or part of what is matched by the @var{regexp}.
|
|
846 @samp{\&} in @var{newstring} stands for the entire match being replaced.
|
|
847 @samp{\@var{d}} in @var{newstring}, where @var{d} is a digit, stands for
|
|
848 whatever matched the @var{d}th parenthesized grouping in @var{regexp}.
|
|
849 To include a @samp{\} in the text to replace with, you must enter
|
|
850 @samp{\\}. For example,
|
|
851
|
|
852 @example
|
|
853 M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} c[ad]+r @key{RET} \&-safe @key{RET}
|
|
854 @end example
|
|
855
|
|
856 @noindent
|
|
857 replaces (for example) @samp{cadr} with @samp{cadr-safe} and @samp{cddr}
|
|
858 with @samp{cddr-safe}.
|
|
859
|
|
860 @example
|
|
861 M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} \(c[ad]+r\)-safe @key{RET} \1 @key{RET}
|
|
862 @end example
|
|
863
|
|
864 @noindent
|
|
865 performs the inverse transformation.
|
|
866
|
|
867 @node Replacement and Case, Query Replace, Regexp Replace, Replace
|
|
868 @subsection Replace Commands and Case
|
|
869
|
|
870 If the first argument of a replace command is all lower case, the
|
38016
|
871 command ignores case while searching for occurrences to
|
25829
|
872 replace---provided @code{case-fold-search} is non-@code{nil}. If
|
|
873 @code{case-fold-search} is set to @code{nil}, case is always significant
|
|
874 in all searches.
|
|
875
|
|
876 @vindex case-replace
|
|
877 In addition, when the @var{newstring} argument is all or partly lower
|
|
878 case, replacement commands try to preserve the case pattern of each
|
|
879 occurrence. Thus, the command
|
|
880
|
|
881 @example
|
|
882 M-x replace-string @key{RET} foo @key{RET} bar @key{RET}
|
|
883 @end example
|
|
884
|
|
885 @noindent
|
|
886 replaces a lower case @samp{foo} with a lower case @samp{bar}, an
|
|
887 all-caps @samp{FOO} with @samp{BAR}, and a capitalized @samp{Foo} with
|
|
888 @samp{Bar}. (These three alternatives---lower case, all caps, and
|
|
889 capitalized, are the only ones that @code{replace-string} can
|
|
890 distinguish.)
|
|
891
|
|
892 If upper-case letters are used in the replacement string, they remain
|
|
893 upper case every time that text is inserted. If upper-case letters are
|
|
894 used in the first argument, the second argument is always substituted
|
|
895 exactly as given, with no case conversion. Likewise, if either
|
|
896 @code{case-replace} or @code{case-fold-search} is set to @code{nil},
|
|
897 replacement is done without case conversion.
|
|
898
|
|
899 @node Query Replace,, Replacement and Case, Replace
|
|
900 @subsection Query Replace
|
|
901 @cindex query replace
|
|
902
|
|
903 @table @kbd
|
|
904 @item M-% @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
|
|
905 @itemx M-x query-replace @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
|
|
906 Replace some occurrences of @var{string} with @var{newstring}.
|
|
907 @item C-M-% @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
|
|
908 @itemx M-x query-replace-regexp @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
|
|
909 Replace some matches for @var{regexp} with @var{newstring}.
|
|
910 @end table
|
|
911
|
|
912 @kindex M-%
|
|
913 @findex query-replace
|
|
914 If you want to change only some of the occurrences of @samp{foo} to
|
|
915 @samp{bar}, not all of them, then you cannot use an ordinary
|
|
916 @code{replace-string}. Instead, use @kbd{M-%} (@code{query-replace}).
|
|
917 This command finds occurrences of @samp{foo} one by one, displays each
|
37235
|
918 occurrence and asks you whether to replace it. Aside from querying,
|
|
919 @code{query-replace} works just like @code{replace-string}. It
|
|
920 preserves case, like @code{replace-string}, provided
|
|
921 @code{case-replace} is non-@code{nil}, as it normally is. A numeric
|
|
922 argument means consider only occurrences that are bounded by
|
|
923 word-delimiter characters.
|
25829
|
924
|
|
925 @kindex C-M-%
|
|
926 @findex query-replace-regexp
|
37235
|
927 @kbd{C-M-%} performs regexp search and replace (@code{query-replace-regexp}).
|
25829
|
928
|
37235
|
929 The characters you can type when you are shown a match for the string
|
|
930 or regexp are:
|
25829
|
931
|
|
932 @ignore @c Not worth it.
|
|
933 @kindex SPC @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
934 @kindex DEL @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
935 @kindex , @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
936 @kindex RET @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
937 @kindex . @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
938 @kindex ! @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
939 @kindex ^ @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
940 @kindex C-r @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
941 @kindex C-w @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
942 @kindex C-l @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
943 @end ignore
|
|
944
|
|
945 @c WideCommands
|
|
946 @table @kbd
|
|
947 @item @key{SPC}
|
|
948 to replace the occurrence with @var{newstring}.
|
|
949
|
|
950 @item @key{DEL}
|
|
951 to skip to the next occurrence without replacing this one.
|
|
952
|
|
953 @item , @r{(Comma)}
|
|
954 to replace this occurrence and display the result. You are then asked
|
|
955 for another input character to say what to do next. Since the
|
|
956 replacement has already been made, @key{DEL} and @key{SPC} are
|
|
957 equivalent in this situation; both move to the next occurrence.
|
|
958
|
|
959 You can type @kbd{C-r} at this point (see below) to alter the replaced
|
|
960 text. You can also type @kbd{C-x u} to undo the replacement; this exits
|
|
961 the @code{query-replace}, so if you want to do further replacement you
|
|
962 must use @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC} @key{RET}} to restart
|
|
963 (@pxref{Repetition}).
|
|
964
|
|
965 @item @key{RET}
|
|
966 to exit without doing any more replacements.
|
|
967
|
|
968 @item .@: @r{(Period)}
|
|
969 to replace this occurrence and then exit without searching for more
|
|
970 occurrences.
|
|
971
|
|
972 @item !
|
|
973 to replace all remaining occurrences without asking again.
|
|
974
|
|
975 @item ^
|
|
976 to go back to the position of the previous occurrence (or what used to
|
|
977 be an occurrence), in case you changed it by mistake. This works by
|
|
978 popping the mark ring. Only one @kbd{^} in a row is meaningful, because
|
|
979 only one previous replacement position is kept during @code{query-replace}.
|
|
980
|
|
981 @item C-r
|
|
982 to enter a recursive editing level, in case the occurrence needs to be
|
|
983 edited rather than just replaced with @var{newstring}. When you are
|
|
984 done, exit the recursive editing level with @kbd{C-M-c} to proceed to
|
|
985 the next occurrence. @xref{Recursive Edit}.
|
|
986
|
|
987 @item C-w
|
|
988 to delete the occurrence, and then enter a recursive editing level as in
|
|
989 @kbd{C-r}. Use the recursive edit to insert text to replace the deleted
|
|
990 occurrence of @var{string}. When done, exit the recursive editing level
|
|
991 with @kbd{C-M-c} to proceed to the next occurrence.
|
|
992
|
36177
|
993 @item e
|
|
994 to edit the replacement string in the minibuffer. When you exit the
|
|
995 minibuffer by typing @key{RET}, the minibuffer contents replace the
|
|
996 current occurrence of the pattern. They also become the new
|
|
997 replacement string for any further occurrences.
|
|
998
|
25829
|
999 @item C-l
|
|
1000 to redisplay the screen. Then you must type another character to
|
|
1001 specify what to do with this occurrence.
|
|
1002
|
|
1003 @item C-h
|
|
1004 to display a message summarizing these options. Then you must type
|
|
1005 another character to specify what to do with this occurrence.
|
|
1006 @end table
|
|
1007
|
|
1008 Some other characters are aliases for the ones listed above: @kbd{y},
|
|
1009 @kbd{n} and @kbd{q} are equivalent to @key{SPC}, @key{DEL} and
|
|
1010 @key{RET}.
|
|
1011
|
|
1012 Aside from this, any other character exits the @code{query-replace},
|
|
1013 and is then reread as part of a key sequence. Thus, if you type
|
|
1014 @kbd{C-k}, it exits the @code{query-replace} and then kills to end of
|
|
1015 line.
|
|
1016
|
|
1017 To restart a @code{query-replace} once it is exited, use @kbd{C-x
|
|
1018 @key{ESC} @key{ESC}}, which repeats the @code{query-replace} because it
|
|
1019 used the minibuffer to read its arguments. @xref{Repetition, C-x ESC
|
|
1020 ESC}.
|
|
1021
|
|
1022 See also @ref{Transforming File Names}, for Dired commands to rename,
|
|
1023 copy, or link files by replacing regexp matches in file names.
|
|
1024
|
|
1025 @node Other Repeating Search,, Replace, Search
|
|
1026 @section Other Search-and-Loop Commands
|
|
1027
|
|
1028 Here are some other commands that find matches for a regular
|
36177
|
1029 expression. They all ignore case in matching, if the pattern contains
|
|
1030 no upper-case letters and @code{case-fold-search} is non-@code{nil}.
|
|
1031 Aside from @code{occur}, all operate on the text from point to the end
|
|
1032 of the buffer, or on the active region in Transient Mark mode.
|
25829
|
1033
|
|
1034 @findex list-matching-lines
|
|
1035 @findex occur
|
32035
|
1036 @findex how-many
|
25829
|
1037 @findex delete-non-matching-lines
|
|
1038 @findex delete-matching-lines
|
|
1039 @findex flush-lines
|
|
1040 @findex keep-lines
|
|
1041
|
|
1042 @table @kbd
|
|
1043 @item M-x occur @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
|
36177
|
1044 Display a list showing each line in the buffer that contains a match
|
|
1045 for @var{regexp}. To limit the search to part of the buffer, narrow
|
|
1046 to that part (@pxref{Narrowing}). A numeric argument @var{n}
|
36383
|
1047 specifies that @var{n} lines of context are to be displayed before and
|
|
1048 after each matching line.
|
25829
|
1049
|
|
1050 @kindex RET @r{(Occur mode)}
|
|
1051 The buffer @samp{*Occur*} containing the output serves as a menu for
|
|
1052 finding the occurrences in their original context. Click @kbd{Mouse-2}
|
|
1053 on an occurrence listed in @samp{*Occur*}, or position point there and
|
|
1054 type @key{RET}; this switches to the buffer that was searched and
|
|
1055 moves point to the original of the chosen occurrence.
|
|
1056
|
|
1057 @item M-x list-matching-lines
|
|
1058 Synonym for @kbd{M-x occur}.
|
|
1059
|
32035
|
1060 @item M-x how-many @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
|
36177
|
1061 Print the number of matches for @var{regexp} that exist in the buffer
|
|
1062 after point. In Transient Mark mode, if the region is active, the
|
|
1063 command operates on the region instead.
|
25829
|
1064
|
|
1065 @item M-x flush-lines @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
|
36177
|
1066 Delete each line that contains a match for @var{regexp}, operating on
|
|
1067 the text after point. In Transient Mark mode, if the region is
|
|
1068 active, the command operates on the region instead.
|
25829
|
1069
|
|
1070 @item M-x keep-lines @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
|
36177
|
1071 Delete each line that @emph{does not} contain a match for
|
|
1072 @var{regexp}, operating on the text after point. In Transient Mark
|
|
1073 mode, if the region is active, the command operates on the region
|
|
1074 instead.
|
25829
|
1075 @end table
|
|
1076
|
36177
|
1077 You can also search multiple files under control of a tags table
|
|
1078 (@pxref{Tags Search}) or through Dired @kbd{A} command
|
|
1079 (@pxref{Operating on Files}), or ask the @code{grep} program to do it
|
|
1080 (@pxref{Grep Searching}).
|