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author | Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org> |
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date | Mon, 03 Jan 2000 16:52:52 +0000 |
parents | 6500fd0a7d8e |
children | a9508422287d |
rev | line source |
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25829 | 1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual. |
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 1997 Free Software Foundation, Inc. | |
3 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions. | |
4 @node Search, Fixit, Display, Top | |
5 @chapter Searching and Replacement | |
6 @cindex searching | |
7 @cindex finding strings within text | |
8 | |
9 Like other editors, Emacs has commands for searching for occurrences of | |
10 a string. The principal search command is unusual in that it is | |
11 @dfn{incremental}; it begins to search before you have finished typing the | |
12 search string. There are also nonincremental search commands more like | |
13 those of other editors. | |
14 | |
15 Besides the usual @code{replace-string} command that finds all | |
16 occurrences of one string and replaces them with another, Emacs has a fancy | |
17 replacement command called @code{query-replace} which asks interactively | |
18 which occurrences to replace. | |
19 | |
20 @menu | |
21 * Incremental Search:: Search happens as you type the string. | |
22 * Nonincremental Search:: Specify entire string and then search. | |
23 * Word Search:: Search for sequence of words. | |
24 * Regexp Search:: Search for match for a regexp. | |
25 * Regexps:: Syntax of regular expressions. | |
26 * Search Case:: To ignore case while searching, or not. | |
27 * Replace:: Search, and replace some or all matches. | |
28 * Other Repeating Search:: Operating on all matches for some regexp. | |
29 @end menu | |
30 | |
31 @node Incremental Search, Nonincremental Search, Search, Search | |
32 @section Incremental Search | |
33 | |
34 @cindex incremental search | |
35 An incremental search begins searching as soon as you type the first | |
36 character of the search string. As you type in the search string, Emacs | |
37 shows you where the string (as you have typed it so far) would be | |
38 found. When you have typed enough characters to identify the place you | |
39 want, you can stop. Depending on what you plan to do next, you may or | |
40 may not need to terminate the search explicitly with @key{RET}. | |
41 | |
42 @c WideCommands | |
43 @table @kbd | |
44 @item C-s | |
45 Incremental search forward (@code{isearch-forward}). | |
46 @item C-r | |
47 Incremental search backward (@code{isearch-backward}). | |
48 @end table | |
49 | |
50 @kindex C-s | |
51 @findex isearch-forward | |
52 @kbd{C-s} starts an incremental search. @kbd{C-s} reads characters from | |
53 the keyboard and positions the cursor at the first occurrence of the | |
54 characters that you have typed. If you type @kbd{C-s} and then @kbd{F}, | |
55 the cursor moves right after the first @samp{F}. Type an @kbd{O}, and see | |
56 the cursor move to after the first @samp{FO}. After another @kbd{O}, the | |
57 cursor is after the first @samp{FOO} after the place where you started the | |
58 search. At each step, the buffer text that matches the search string is | |
59 highlighted, if the terminal can do that; at each step, the current search | |
60 string is updated in the echo area. | |
61 | |
62 If you make a mistake in typing the search string, you can cancel | |
63 characters with @key{DEL}. Each @key{DEL} cancels the last character of | |
64 search string. This does not happen until Emacs is ready to read another | |
65 input character; first it must either find, or fail to find, the character | |
66 you want to erase. If you do not want to wait for this to happen, use | |
67 @kbd{C-g} as described below. | |
68 | |
69 When you are satisfied with the place you have reached, you can type | |
70 @key{RET}, which stops searching, leaving the cursor where the search | |
71 brought it. Also, any command not specially meaningful in searches | |
72 stops the searching and is then executed. Thus, typing @kbd{C-a} would | |
73 exit the search and then move to the beginning of the line. @key{RET} | |
74 is necessary only if the next command you want to type is a printing | |
75 character, @key{DEL}, @key{RET}, or another control character that is | |
76 special within searches (@kbd{C-q}, @kbd{C-w}, @kbd{C-r}, @kbd{C-s}, | |
77 @kbd{C-y}, @kbd{M-y}, @kbd{M-r}, or @kbd{M-s}). | |
78 | |
79 Sometimes you search for @samp{FOO} and find it, but not the one you | |
80 expected to find. There was a second @samp{FOO} that you forgot about, | |
81 before the one you were aiming for. In this event, type another @kbd{C-s} | |
82 to move to the next occurrence of the search string. This can be done any | |
83 number of times. If you overshoot, you can cancel some @kbd{C-s} | |
84 characters with @key{DEL}. | |
85 | |
86 After you exit a search, you can search for the same string again by | |
87 typing just @kbd{C-s C-s}: the first @kbd{C-s} is the key that invokes | |
88 incremental search, and the second @kbd{C-s} means ``search again.'' | |
89 | |
90 To reuse earlier search strings, use the @dfn{search ring}. The | |
91 commands @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n} move through the ring to pick a search | |
92 string to reuse. These commands leave the selected search ring element | |
93 in the minibuffer, where you can edit it. Type @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r} | |
94 to terminate editing the string and search for it. | |
95 | |
96 If your string is not found at all, the echo area says @samp{Failing | |
97 I-Search}. The cursor is after the place where Emacs found as much of your | |
98 string as it could. Thus, if you search for @samp{FOOT}, and there is no | |
99 @samp{FOOT}, you might see the cursor after the @samp{FOO} in @samp{FOOL}. | |
100 At this point there are several things you can do. If your string was | |
101 mistyped, you can rub some of it out and correct it. If you like the place | |
102 you have found, you can type @key{RET} or some other Emacs command to | |
103 ``accept what the search offered.'' Or you can type @kbd{C-g}, which | |
104 removes from the search string the characters that could not be found (the | |
105 @samp{T} in @samp{FOOT}), leaving those that were found (the @samp{FOO} in | |
106 @samp{FOOT}). A second @kbd{C-g} at that point cancels the search | |
107 entirely, returning point to where it was when the search started. | |
108 | |
109 An upper-case letter in the search string makes the search | |
110 case-sensitive. If you delete the upper-case character from the search | |
111 string, it ceases to have this effect. @xref{Search Case}. | |
112 | |
113 If a search is failing and you ask to repeat it by typing another | |
114 @kbd{C-s}, it starts again from the beginning of the buffer. Repeating | |
115 a failing reverse search with @kbd{C-r} starts again from the end. This | |
116 is called @dfn{wrapping around}. @samp{Wrapped} appears in the search | |
117 prompt once this has happened. If you keep on going past the original | |
118 starting point of the search, it changes to @samp{Overwrapped}, which | |
119 means that you are revisiting matches that you have already seen. | |
120 | |
121 @cindex quitting (in search) | |
122 The @kbd{C-g} ``quit'' character does special things during searches; | |
123 just what it does depends on the status of the search. If the search has | |
124 found what you specified and is waiting for input, @kbd{C-g} cancels the | |
125 entire search. The cursor moves back to where you started the search. If | |
126 @kbd{C-g} is typed when there are characters in the search string that have | |
127 not been found---because Emacs is still searching for them, or because it | |
128 has failed to find them---then the search string characters which have not | |
129 been found are discarded from the search string. With them gone, the | |
130 search is now successful and waiting for more input, so a second @kbd{C-g} | |
131 will cancel the entire search. | |
132 | |
133 To search for a newline, type @kbd{C-j}. To search for another | |
134 control character, such as control-S or carriage return, you must quote | |
135 it by typing @kbd{C-q} first. This function of @kbd{C-q} is analogous | |
136 to its use for insertion (@pxref{Inserting Text}): it causes the | |
137 following character to be treated the way any ``ordinary'' character is | |
138 treated in the same context. You can also specify a character by its | |
139 octal code: enter @kbd{C-q} followed by a sequence of octal digits. | |
140 | |
141 You can change to searching backwards with @kbd{C-r}. If a search fails | |
142 because the place you started was too late in the file, you should do this. | |
143 Repeated @kbd{C-r} keeps looking for more occurrences backwards. A | |
144 @kbd{C-s} starts going forwards again. @kbd{C-r} in a search can be canceled | |
145 with @key{DEL}. | |
146 | |
147 @kindex C-r | |
148 @findex isearch-backward | |
149 If you know initially that you want to search backwards, you can use | |
150 @kbd{C-r} instead of @kbd{C-s} to start the search, because @kbd{C-r} as | |
151 a key runs a command (@code{isearch-backward}) to search backward. A | |
152 backward search finds matches that are entirely before the starting | |
153 point, just as a forward search finds matches that begin after it. | |
154 | |
155 The characters @kbd{C-y} and @kbd{C-w} can be used in incremental | |
156 search to grab text from the buffer into the search string. This makes | |
157 it convenient to search for another occurrence of text at point. | |
158 @kbd{C-w} copies the word after point as part of the search string, | |
159 advancing point over that word. Another @kbd{C-s} to repeat the search | |
160 will then search for a string including that word. @kbd{C-y} is similar | |
161 to @kbd{C-w} but copies all the rest of the current line into the search | |
162 string. Both @kbd{C-y} and @kbd{C-w} convert the text they copy to | |
163 lower case if the search is currently not case-sensitive; this is so the | |
164 search remains case-insensitive. | |
165 | |
166 The character @kbd{M-y} copies text from the kill ring into the search | |
167 string. It uses the same text that @kbd{C-y} as a command would yank. | |
168 @xref{Yanking}. | |
169 | |
170 When you exit the incremental search, it sets the mark to where point | |
171 @emph{was}, before the search. That is convenient for moving back | |
172 there. In Transient Mark mode, incremental search sets the mark without | |
173 activating it, and does so only if the mark is not already active. | |
174 | |
175 @vindex isearch-mode-map | |
176 To customize the special characters that incremental search understands, | |
177 alter their bindings in the keymap @code{isearch-mode-map}. For a list | |
178 of bindings, look at the documentation of @code{isearch-mode} with | |
179 @kbd{C-h f isearch-mode @key{RET}}. | |
180 | |
181 @subsection Slow Terminal Incremental Search | |
182 | |
183 Incremental search on a slow terminal uses a modified style of display | |
184 that is designed to take less time. Instead of redisplaying the buffer at | |
185 each place the search gets to, it creates a new single-line window and uses | |
186 that to display the line that the search has found. The single-line window | |
187 comes into play as soon as point gets outside of the text that is already | |
188 on the screen. | |
189 | |
190 When you terminate the search, the single-line window is removed. | |
191 Then Emacs redisplays the window in which the search was done, to show | |
192 its new position of point. | |
193 | |
194 @ignore | |
195 The three dots at the end of the search string, normally used to indicate | |
196 that searching is going on, are not displayed in slow style display. | |
197 @end ignore | |
198 | |
199 @vindex search-slow-speed | |
200 The slow terminal style of display is used when the terminal baud rate is | |
201 less than or equal to the value of the variable @code{search-slow-speed}, | |
202 initially 1200. | |
203 | |
204 @vindex search-slow-window-lines | |
205 The number of lines to use in slow terminal search display is controlled | |
206 by the variable @code{search-slow-window-lines}. Its normal value is 1. | |
207 | |
208 @node Nonincremental Search, Word Search, Incremental Search, Search | |
209 @section Nonincremental Search | |
210 @cindex nonincremental search | |
211 | |
212 Emacs also has conventional nonincremental search commands, which require | |
213 you to type the entire search string before searching begins. | |
214 | |
215 @table @kbd | |
216 @item C-s @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} | |
217 Search for @var{string}. | |
218 @item C-r @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} | |
219 Search backward for @var{string}. | |
220 @end table | |
221 | |
222 To do a nonincremental search, first type @kbd{C-s @key{RET}}. This | |
223 enters the minibuffer to read the search string; terminate the string | |
224 with @key{RET}, and then the search takes place. If the string is not | |
225 found, the search command gets an error. | |
226 | |
227 The way @kbd{C-s @key{RET}} works is that the @kbd{C-s} invokes | |
228 incremental search, which is specially programmed to invoke nonincremental | |
229 search if the argument you give it is empty. (Such an empty argument would | |
230 otherwise be useless.) @kbd{C-r @key{RET}} also works this way. | |
231 | |
232 However, nonincremental searches performed using @kbd{C-s @key{RET}} do | |
233 not call @code{search-forward} right away. The first thing done is to see | |
234 if the next character is @kbd{C-w}, which requests a word search. | |
235 @ifinfo | |
236 @xref{Word Search}. | |
237 @end ifinfo | |
238 | |
239 @findex search-forward | |
240 @findex search-backward | |
241 Forward and backward nonincremental searches are implemented by the | |
242 commands @code{search-forward} and @code{search-backward}. These | |
243 commands may be bound to keys in the usual manner. The feature that you | |
244 can get to them via the incremental search commands exists for | |
245 historical reasons, and to avoid the need to find suitable key sequences | |
246 for them. | |
247 | |
248 @node Word Search, Regexp Search, Nonincremental Search, Search | |
249 @section Word Search | |
250 @cindex word search | |
251 | |
252 Word search searches for a sequence of words without regard to how the | |
253 words are separated. More precisely, you type a string of many words, | |
254 using single spaces to separate them, and the string can be found even if | |
255 there are multiple spaces, newlines or other punctuation between the words. | |
256 | |
257 Word search is useful for editing a printed document made with a text | |
258 formatter. If you edit while looking at the printed, formatted version, | |
259 you can't tell where the line breaks are in the source file. With word | |
260 search, you can search without having to know them. | |
261 | |
262 @table @kbd | |
263 @item C-s @key{RET} C-w @var{words} @key{RET} | |
264 Search for @var{words}, ignoring details of punctuation. | |
265 @item C-r @key{RET} C-w @var{words} @key{RET} | |
266 Search backward for @var{words}, ignoring details of punctuation. | |
267 @end table | |
268 | |
269 Word search is a special case of nonincremental search and is invoked | |
270 with @kbd{C-s @key{RET} C-w}. This is followed by the search string, | |
271 which must always be terminated with @key{RET}. Being nonincremental, | |
272 this search does not start until the argument is terminated. It works | |
273 by constructing a regular expression and searching for that; see | |
274 @ref{Regexp Search}. | |
275 | |
276 Use @kbd{C-r @key{RET} C-w} to do backward word search. | |
277 | |
278 @findex word-search-forward | |
279 @findex word-search-backward | |
280 Forward and backward word searches are implemented by the commands | |
281 @code{word-search-forward} and @code{word-search-backward}. These | |
282 commands may be bound to keys in the usual manner. The feature that you | |
283 can get to them via the incremental search commands exists for historical | |
284 reasons, and to avoid the need to find suitable key sequences for them. | |
285 | |
286 @node Regexp Search, Regexps, Word Search, Search | |
287 @section Regular Expression Search | |
288 @cindex regular expression | |
289 @cindex regexp | |
290 | |
291 A @dfn{regular expression} (@dfn{regexp}, for short) is a pattern that | |
292 denotes a class of alternative strings to match, possibly infinitely | |
293 many. In GNU Emacs, you can search for the next match for a regexp | |
294 either incrementally or not. | |
295 | |
296 @kindex C-M-s | |
297 @findex isearch-forward-regexp | |
298 @kindex C-M-r | |
299 @findex isearch-backward-regexp | |
300 Incremental search for a regexp is done by typing @kbd{C-M-s} | |
301 (@code{isearch-forward-regexp}). This command reads a search string | |
302 incrementally just like @kbd{C-s}, but it treats the search string as a | |
303 regexp rather than looking for an exact match against the text in the | |
304 buffer. Each time you add text to the search string, you make the | |
305 regexp longer, and the new regexp is searched for. Invoking @kbd{C-s} | |
306 with a prefix argument (its value does not matter) is another way to do | |
307 a forward incremental regexp search. To search backward for a regexp, | |
308 use @kbd{C-M-r} (@code{isearch-backward-regexp}), or @kbd{C-r} with a | |
309 prefix argument. | |
310 | |
311 All of the control characters that do special things within an | |
312 ordinary incremental search have the same function in incremental regexp | |
313 search. Typing @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r} immediately after starting the | |
314 search retrieves the last incremental search regexp used; that is to | |
315 say, incremental regexp and non-regexp searches have independent | |
316 defaults. They also have separate search rings that you can access with | |
317 @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n}. | |
318 | |
319 If you type @key{SPC} in incremental regexp search, it matches any | |
320 sequence of whitespace characters, including newlines. If you want | |
321 to match just a space, type @kbd{C-q @key{SPC}}. | |
322 | |
323 Note that adding characters to the regexp in an incremental regexp | |
324 search can make the cursor move back and start again. For example, if | |
325 you have searched for @samp{foo} and you add @samp{\|bar}, the cursor | |
326 backs up in case the first @samp{bar} precedes the first @samp{foo}. | |
327 | |
328 @findex re-search-forward | |
329 @findex re-search-backward | |
330 Nonincremental search for a regexp is done by the functions | |
331 @code{re-search-forward} and @code{re-search-backward}. You can invoke | |
332 these with @kbd{M-x}, or bind them to keys, or invoke them by way of | |
333 incremental regexp search with @kbd{C-M-s @key{RET}} and @kbd{C-M-r | |
334 @key{RET}}. | |
335 | |
336 If you use the incremental regexp search commands with a prefix | |
337 argument, they perform ordinary string search, like | |
338 @code{isearch-forward} and @code{isearch-backward}. @xref{Incremental | |
339 Search}. | |
340 | |
341 @node Regexps, Search Case, Regexp Search, Search | |
342 @section Syntax of Regular Expressions | |
343 @cindex regexp syntax | |
344 | |
345 Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are | |
346 special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary | |
347 character is a simple regular expression which matches that same | |
348 character and nothing else. The special characters are @samp{$}, | |
349 @samp{^}, @samp{.}, @samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?}, @samp{[}, @samp{]} and | |
350 @samp{\}. Any other character appearing in a regular expression is | |
351 ordinary, unless a @samp{\} precedes it. | |
352 | |
353 For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and | |
354 therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string | |
355 @samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string | |
356 @samp{ff}.) Likewise, @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches | |
357 only @samp{o}. (When case distinctions are being ignored, these regexps | |
358 also match @samp{F} and @samp{O}, but we consider this a generalization | |
359 of ``the same string,'' rather than an exception.) | |
360 | |
361 Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The | |
362 result is a regular expression which matches a string if @var{a} matches | |
363 some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of | |
364 the string.@refill | |
365 | |
366 As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f} | |
367 and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only | |
368 the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something nontrivial, you | |
369 need to use one of the special characters. Here is a list of them. | |
370 | |
371 @table @kbd | |
372 @item .@: @r{(Period)} | |
373 is a special character that matches any single character except a newline. | |
374 Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which | |
375 matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with | |
376 @samp{b}.@refill | |
377 | |
378 @item * | |
379 is not a construct by itself; it is a postfix operator that means to | |
380 match the preceding regular expression repetitively as many times as | |
381 possible. Thus, @samp{o*} matches any number of @samp{o}s (including no | |
382 @samp{o}s). | |
383 | |
384 @samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding | |
385 expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a repeating | |
386 @samp{fo}. It matches @samp{f}, @samp{fo}, @samp{foo}, and so on. | |
387 | |
388 The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately, | |
389 as many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest | |
390 of the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some | |
391 of the matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in case that makes | |
392 it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in matching | |
393 @samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} first | |
394 tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is | |
395 @samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails. | |
396 The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s. | |
397 With this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully.@refill | |
398 | |
399 @item + | |
400 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match | |
401 the preceding expression at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r} | |
402 matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string | |
403 @samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings. | |
404 | |
405 @item ? | |
406 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it can match the | |
407 preceding expression either once or not at all. For example, | |
408 @samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}; nothing else. | |
409 | |
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410 @item *?, +?, ?? |
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411 are non-greedy variants of the operators above. The normal operators |
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412 @samp{*, +, ?} are greedy in that they match as much as they can, |
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413 while if you prepend a @samp{?} after them, it makes them non-greedy |
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414 in that they will match as little as possible. |
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415 |
25829 | 416 @item [ @dots{} ] |
417 is a @dfn{character set}, which begins with @samp{[} and is terminated | |
418 by @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between the two | |
419 brackets are what this set can match. | |
420 | |
421 Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one @samp{d}, and | |
422 @samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s and @samp{d}s | |
423 (including the empty string), from which it follows that @samp{c[ad]*r} | |
424 matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, @samp{caddaar}, etc. | |
425 | |
426 You can also include character ranges in a character set, by writing the | |
427 starting and ending characters with a @samp{-} between them. Thus, | |
428 @samp{[a-z]} matches any lower-case ASCII letter. Ranges may be | |
429 intermixed freely with individual characters, as in @samp{[a-z$%.]}, | |
430 which matches any lower-case ASCII letter or @samp{$}, @samp{%} or | |
431 period. | |
432 | |
433 Note that the usual regexp special characters are not special inside a | |
434 character set. A completely different set of special characters exists | |
435 inside character sets: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}. | |
436 | |
437 To include a @samp{]} in a character set, you must make it the first | |
438 character. For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. To | |
439 include a @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first or last character of the | |
440 set, or put it after a range. Thus, @samp{[]-]} matches both @samp{]} | |
441 and @samp{-}. | |
442 | |
443 To include @samp{^} in a set, put it anywhere but at the beginning of | |
444 the set. | |
445 | |
446 When you use a range in case-insensitive search, you should write both | |
447 ends of the range in upper case, or both in lower case, or both should | |
448 be non-letters. The behavior of a mixed-case range such as @samp{A-z} | |
449 is somewhat ill-defined, and it may change in future Emacs versions. | |
450 | |
451 @item [^ @dots{} ] | |
452 @samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complemented character set}, which matches any | |
453 character except the ones specified. Thus, @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} matches | |
454 all characters @emph{except} letters and digits. | |
455 | |
456 @samp{^} is not special in a character set unless it is the first | |
457 character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it | |
458 were first (in other words, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there). | |
459 | |
460 A complemented character set can match a newline, unless newline is | |
461 mentioned as one of the characters not to match. This is in contrast to | |
462 the handling of regexps in programs such as @code{grep}. | |
463 | |
464 @item ^ | |
465 is a special character that matches the empty string, but only at the | |
466 beginning of a line in the text being matched. Otherwise it fails to | |
467 match anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at | |
468 the beginning of a line. | |
469 | |
470 @item $ | |
471 is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line. Thus, | |
472 @samp{x+$} matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line. | |
473 | |
474 @item \ | |
475 has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including | |
476 @samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs. | |
477 | |
478 Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular | |
479 expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular | |
480 expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on. | |
481 @end table | |
482 | |
483 Note: for historical compatibility, special characters are treated as | |
484 ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special meanings make no | |
485 sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as ordinary since there is | |
486 no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} can act. It is poor practice | |
487 to depend on this behavior; it is better to quote the special character anyway, | |
488 regardless of where it appears.@refill | |
489 | |
490 For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only that | |
491 character. However, there are several exceptions: two-character | |
492 sequences starting with @samp{\} that have special meanings. The second | |
493 character in the sequence is always an ordinary character when used on | |
494 its own. Here is a table of @samp{\} constructs. | |
495 | |
496 @table @kbd | |
497 @item \| | |
498 specifies an alternative. Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} | |
499 with @samp{\|} in between form an expression that matches some text if | |
500 either @var{a} matches it or @var{b} matches it. It works by trying to | |
501 match @var{a}, and if that fails, by trying to match @var{b}. | |
502 | |
503 Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar} | |
504 but no other string.@refill | |
505 | |
506 @samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a | |
507 surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of | |
508 @samp{\|}.@refill | |
509 | |
510 Full backtracking capability exists to handle multiple uses of @samp{\|}. | |
511 | |
512 @item \( @dots{} \) | |
513 is a grouping construct that serves three purposes: | |
514 | |
515 @enumerate | |
516 @item | |
517 To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations. | |
518 Thus, @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} or @samp{barx}. | |
519 | |
520 @item | |
521 To enclose a complicated expression for the postfix operators @samp{*}, | |
522 @samp{+} and @samp{?} to operate on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches | |
523 @samp{bananana}, etc., with any (zero or more) number of @samp{na} | |
524 strings.@refill | |
525 | |
526 @item | |
527 To record a matched substring for future reference. | |
528 @end enumerate | |
529 | |
530 This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a | |
531 parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that is assigned as a | |
532 second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. In practice | |
533 there is no conflict between the two meanings. | |
534 | |
535 @item \@var{d} | |
536 matches the same text that matched the @var{d}th occurrence of a | |
537 @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. | |
538 | |
539 After the end of a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct, the matcher remembers | |
540 the beginning and end of the text matched by that construct. Then, | |
541 later on in the regular expression, you can use @samp{\} followed by the | |
542 digit @var{d} to mean ``match the same text matched the @var{d}th time | |
543 by the @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct.'' | |
544 | |
545 The strings matching the first nine @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs | |
546 appearing in a regular expression are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in | |
547 the order that the open-parentheses appear in the regular expression. | |
548 So you can use @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched | |
549 by the corresponding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs. | |
550 | |
551 For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is | |
552 composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first | |
553 half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match | |
554 the same exact text. | |
555 | |
556 If a particular @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct matches more than once | |
557 (which can easily happen if it is followed by @samp{*}), only the last | |
558 match is recorded. | |
559 | |
560 @item \` | |
561 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning | |
562 of the buffer or string being matched against. | |
563 | |
564 @item \' | |
565 matches the empty string, but only at the end of | |
566 the buffer or string being matched against. | |
567 | |
568 @item \= | |
569 matches the empty string, but only at point. | |
570 | |
571 @item \b | |
572 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or | |
573 end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of | |
574 @samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches | |
575 @samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word.@refill | |
576 | |
577 @samp{\b} matches at the beginning or end of the buffer | |
578 regardless of what text appears next to it. | |
579 | |
580 @item \B | |
581 matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or | |
582 end of a word. | |
583 | |
584 @item \< | |
585 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word. | |
586 @samp{\<} matches at the beginning of the buffer only if a | |
587 word-constituent character follows. | |
588 | |
589 @item \> | |
590 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. @samp{\>} | |
591 matches at the end of the buffer only if the contents end with a | |
592 word-constituent character. | |
593 | |
594 @item \w | |
595 matches any word-constituent character. The syntax table | |
596 determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax}. | |
597 | |
598 @item \W | |
599 matches any character that is not a word-constituent. | |
600 | |
601 @item \s@var{c} | |
602 matches any character whose syntax is @var{c}. Here @var{c} is a | |
603 character that represents a syntax code: thus, @samp{w} for word | |
604 constituent, @samp{-} for whitespace, @samp{(} for open parenthesis, | |
605 etc. Represent a character of whitespace (which can be a newline) by | |
606 either @samp{-} or a space character. | |
607 | |
608 @item \S@var{c} | |
609 matches any character whose syntax is not @var{c}. | |
610 @end table | |
611 | |
612 The constructs that pertain to words and syntax are controlled by the | |
613 setting of the syntax table (@pxref{Syntax}). | |
614 | |
615 Here is a complicated regexp, used by Emacs to recognize the end of a | |
616 sentence together with any whitespace that follows. It is given in Lisp | |
617 syntax to enable you to distinguish the spaces from the tab characters. In | |
618 Lisp syntax, the string constant begins and ends with a double-quote. | |
619 @samp{\"} stands for a double-quote as part of the regexp, @samp{\\} for a | |
620 backslash as part of the regexp, @samp{\t} for a tab and @samp{\n} for a | |
621 newline. | |
622 | |
623 @example | |
624 "[.?!][]\"')]*\\($\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*" | |
625 @end example | |
626 | |
627 @noindent | |
628 This contains four parts in succession: a character set matching period, | |
629 @samp{?}, or @samp{!}; a character set matching close-brackets, quotes, | |
630 or parentheses, repeated any number of times; an alternative in | |
631 backslash-parentheses that matches end-of-line, a tab, or two spaces; | |
632 and a character set matching whitespace characters, repeated any number | |
633 of times. | |
634 | |
635 To enter the same regexp interactively, you would type @key{TAB} to | |
636 enter a tab, and @kbd{C-j} to enter a newline. You would also type | |
637 single backslashes as themselves, instead of doubling them for Lisp syntax. | |
638 | |
639 @node Search Case, Replace, Regexps, Search | |
640 @section Searching and Case | |
641 | |
642 @vindex case-fold-search | |
643 Incremental searches in Emacs normally ignore the case of the text | |
644 they are searching through, if you specify the text in lower case. | |
645 Thus, if you specify searching for @samp{foo}, then @samp{Foo} and | |
646 @samp{foo} are also considered a match. Regexps, and in particular | |
647 character sets, are included: @samp{[ab]} would match @samp{a} or | |
648 @samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}.@refill | |
649 | |
650 An upper-case letter anywhere in the incremental search string makes | |
651 the search case-sensitive. Thus, searching for @samp{Foo} does not find | |
652 @samp{foo} or @samp{FOO}. This applies to regular expression search as | |
653 well as to string search. The effect ceases if you delete the | |
654 upper-case letter from the search string. | |
655 | |
656 If you set the variable @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}, then | |
657 all letters must match exactly, including case. This is a per-buffer | |
658 variable; altering the variable affects only the current buffer, but | |
659 there is a default value which you can change as well. @xref{Locals}. | |
660 This variable applies to nonincremental searches also, including those | |
661 performed by the replace commands (@pxref{Replace}) and the minibuffer | |
662 history matching commands (@pxref{Minibuffer History}). | |
663 | |
664 @node Replace, Other Repeating Search, Search Case, Search | |
665 @section Replacement Commands | |
666 @cindex replacement | |
667 @cindex search-and-replace commands | |
668 @cindex string substitution | |
669 @cindex global substitution | |
670 | |
671 Global search-and-replace operations are not needed as often in Emacs | |
672 as they are in other editors@footnote{In some editors, | |
673 search-and-replace operations are the only convenient way to make a | |
674 single change in the text.}, but they are available. In addition to the | |
675 simple @kbd{M-x replace-string} command which is like that found in most | |
676 editors, there is a @kbd{M-x query-replace} command which asks you, for | |
677 each occurrence of the pattern, whether to replace it. | |
678 | |
679 The replace commands normally operate on the text from point to the | |
680 end of the buffer; however, in Transient Mark mode, when the mark is | |
681 active, they operate on the region. The replace commands all replace | |
682 one string (or regexp) with one replacement string. It is possible to | |
683 perform several replacements in parallel using the command | |
684 @code{expand-region-abbrevs} (@pxref{Expanding Abbrevs}). | |
685 | |
686 @menu | |
687 * Unconditional Replace:: Replacing all matches for a string. | |
688 * Regexp Replace:: Replacing all matches for a regexp. | |
689 * Replacement and Case:: How replacements preserve case of letters. | |
690 * Query Replace:: How to use querying. | |
691 @end menu | |
692 | |
693 @node Unconditional Replace, Regexp Replace, Replace, Replace | |
694 @subsection Unconditional Replacement | |
695 @findex replace-string | |
696 @findex replace-regexp | |
697 | |
698 @table @kbd | |
699 @item M-x replace-string @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET} | |
700 Replace every occurrence of @var{string} with @var{newstring}. | |
701 @item M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET} | |
702 Replace every match for @var{regexp} with @var{newstring}. | |
703 @end table | |
704 | |
705 To replace every instance of @samp{foo} after point with @samp{bar}, | |
706 use the command @kbd{M-x replace-string} with the two arguments | |
707 @samp{foo} and @samp{bar}. Replacement happens only in the text after | |
708 point, so if you want to cover the whole buffer you must go to the | |
709 beginning first. All occurrences up to the end of the buffer are | |
710 replaced; to limit replacement to part of the buffer, narrow to that | |
711 part of the buffer before doing the replacement (@pxref{Narrowing}). | |
712 In Transient Mark mode, when the region is active, replacement is | |
713 limited to the region (@pxref{Transient Mark}). | |
714 | |
715 When @code{replace-string} exits, it leaves point at the last | |
716 occurrence replaced. It sets the mark to the prior position of point | |
717 (where the @code{replace-string} command was issued); use @kbd{C-u | |
718 C-@key{SPC}} to move back there. | |
719 | |
720 A numeric argument restricts replacement to matches that are surrounded | |
721 by word boundaries. The argument's value doesn't matter. | |
722 | |
723 @node Regexp Replace, Replacement and Case, Unconditional Replace, Replace | |
724 @subsection Regexp Replacement | |
725 | |
726 The @kbd{M-x replace-string} command replaces exact matches for a | |
727 single string. The similar command @kbd{M-x replace-regexp} replaces | |
728 any match for a specified pattern. | |
729 | |
730 In @code{replace-regexp}, the @var{newstring} need not be constant: it | |
731 can refer to all or part of what is matched by the @var{regexp}. | |
732 @samp{\&} in @var{newstring} stands for the entire match being replaced. | |
733 @samp{\@var{d}} in @var{newstring}, where @var{d} is a digit, stands for | |
734 whatever matched the @var{d}th parenthesized grouping in @var{regexp}. | |
735 To include a @samp{\} in the text to replace with, you must enter | |
736 @samp{\\}. For example, | |
737 | |
738 @example | |
739 M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} c[ad]+r @key{RET} \&-safe @key{RET} | |
740 @end example | |
741 | |
742 @noindent | |
743 replaces (for example) @samp{cadr} with @samp{cadr-safe} and @samp{cddr} | |
744 with @samp{cddr-safe}. | |
745 | |
746 @example | |
747 M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} \(c[ad]+r\)-safe @key{RET} \1 @key{RET} | |
748 @end example | |
749 | |
750 @noindent | |
751 performs the inverse transformation. | |
752 | |
753 @node Replacement and Case, Query Replace, Regexp Replace, Replace | |
754 @subsection Replace Commands and Case | |
755 | |
756 If the first argument of a replace command is all lower case, the | |
757 commands ignores case while searching for occurrences to | |
758 replace---provided @code{case-fold-search} is non-@code{nil}. If | |
759 @code{case-fold-search} is set to @code{nil}, case is always significant | |
760 in all searches. | |
761 | |
762 @vindex case-replace | |
763 In addition, when the @var{newstring} argument is all or partly lower | |
764 case, replacement commands try to preserve the case pattern of each | |
765 occurrence. Thus, the command | |
766 | |
767 @example | |
768 M-x replace-string @key{RET} foo @key{RET} bar @key{RET} | |
769 @end example | |
770 | |
771 @noindent | |
772 replaces a lower case @samp{foo} with a lower case @samp{bar}, an | |
773 all-caps @samp{FOO} with @samp{BAR}, and a capitalized @samp{Foo} with | |
774 @samp{Bar}. (These three alternatives---lower case, all caps, and | |
775 capitalized, are the only ones that @code{replace-string} can | |
776 distinguish.) | |
777 | |
778 If upper-case letters are used in the replacement string, they remain | |
779 upper case every time that text is inserted. If upper-case letters are | |
780 used in the first argument, the second argument is always substituted | |
781 exactly as given, with no case conversion. Likewise, if either | |
782 @code{case-replace} or @code{case-fold-search} is set to @code{nil}, | |
783 replacement is done without case conversion. | |
784 | |
785 @node Query Replace,, Replacement and Case, Replace | |
786 @subsection Query Replace | |
787 @cindex query replace | |
788 | |
789 @table @kbd | |
790 @item M-% @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET} | |
791 @itemx M-x query-replace @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET} | |
792 Replace some occurrences of @var{string} with @var{newstring}. | |
793 @item C-M-% @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET} | |
794 @itemx M-x query-replace-regexp @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET} | |
795 Replace some matches for @var{regexp} with @var{newstring}. | |
796 @end table | |
797 | |
798 @kindex M-% | |
799 @findex query-replace | |
800 If you want to change only some of the occurrences of @samp{foo} to | |
801 @samp{bar}, not all of them, then you cannot use an ordinary | |
802 @code{replace-string}. Instead, use @kbd{M-%} (@code{query-replace}). | |
803 This command finds occurrences of @samp{foo} one by one, displays each | |
804 occurrence and asks you whether to replace it. A numeric argument to | |
805 @code{query-replace} tells it to consider only occurrences that are | |
806 bounded by word-delimiter characters. This preserves case, just like | |
807 @code{replace-string}, provided @code{case-replace} is non-@code{nil}, | |
808 as it normally is. | |
809 | |
810 @kindex C-M-% | |
811 @findex query-replace-regexp | |
812 Aside from querying, @code{query-replace} works just like | |
813 @code{replace-string}, and @code{query-replace-regexp} works just like | |
814 @code{replace-regexp}. This command is run by @kbd{C-M-%}. | |
815 | |
816 The things you can type when you are shown an occurrence of @var{string} | |
817 or a match for @var{regexp} are: | |
818 | |
819 @ignore @c Not worth it. | |
820 @kindex SPC @r{(query-replace)} | |
821 @kindex DEL @r{(query-replace)} | |
822 @kindex , @r{(query-replace)} | |
823 @kindex RET @r{(query-replace)} | |
824 @kindex . @r{(query-replace)} | |
825 @kindex ! @r{(query-replace)} | |
826 @kindex ^ @r{(query-replace)} | |
827 @kindex C-r @r{(query-replace)} | |
828 @kindex C-w @r{(query-replace)} | |
829 @kindex C-l @r{(query-replace)} | |
830 @end ignore | |
831 | |
832 @c WideCommands | |
833 @table @kbd | |
834 @item @key{SPC} | |
835 to replace the occurrence with @var{newstring}. | |
836 | |
837 @item @key{DEL} | |
838 to skip to the next occurrence without replacing this one. | |
839 | |
840 @item , @r{(Comma)} | |
841 to replace this occurrence and display the result. You are then asked | |
842 for another input character to say what to do next. Since the | |
843 replacement has already been made, @key{DEL} and @key{SPC} are | |
844 equivalent in this situation; both move to the next occurrence. | |
845 | |
846 You can type @kbd{C-r} at this point (see below) to alter the replaced | |
847 text. You can also type @kbd{C-x u} to undo the replacement; this exits | |
848 the @code{query-replace}, so if you want to do further replacement you | |
849 must use @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC} @key{RET}} to restart | |
850 (@pxref{Repetition}). | |
851 | |
852 @item @key{RET} | |
853 to exit without doing any more replacements. | |
854 | |
855 @item .@: @r{(Period)} | |
856 to replace this occurrence and then exit without searching for more | |
857 occurrences. | |
858 | |
859 @item ! | |
860 to replace all remaining occurrences without asking again. | |
861 | |
862 @item ^ | |
863 to go back to the position of the previous occurrence (or what used to | |
864 be an occurrence), in case you changed it by mistake. This works by | |
865 popping the mark ring. Only one @kbd{^} in a row is meaningful, because | |
866 only one previous replacement position is kept during @code{query-replace}. | |
867 | |
868 @item C-r | |
869 to enter a recursive editing level, in case the occurrence needs to be | |
870 edited rather than just replaced with @var{newstring}. When you are | |
871 done, exit the recursive editing level with @kbd{C-M-c} to proceed to | |
872 the next occurrence. @xref{Recursive Edit}. | |
873 | |
874 @item C-w | |
875 to delete the occurrence, and then enter a recursive editing level as in | |
876 @kbd{C-r}. Use the recursive edit to insert text to replace the deleted | |
877 occurrence of @var{string}. When done, exit the recursive editing level | |
878 with @kbd{C-M-c} to proceed to the next occurrence. | |
879 | |
880 @item C-l | |
881 to redisplay the screen. Then you must type another character to | |
882 specify what to do with this occurrence. | |
883 | |
884 @item C-h | |
885 to display a message summarizing these options. Then you must type | |
886 another character to specify what to do with this occurrence. | |
887 @end table | |
888 | |
889 Some other characters are aliases for the ones listed above: @kbd{y}, | |
890 @kbd{n} and @kbd{q} are equivalent to @key{SPC}, @key{DEL} and | |
891 @key{RET}. | |
892 | |
893 Aside from this, any other character exits the @code{query-replace}, | |
894 and is then reread as part of a key sequence. Thus, if you type | |
895 @kbd{C-k}, it exits the @code{query-replace} and then kills to end of | |
896 line. | |
897 | |
898 To restart a @code{query-replace} once it is exited, use @kbd{C-x | |
899 @key{ESC} @key{ESC}}, which repeats the @code{query-replace} because it | |
900 used the minibuffer to read its arguments. @xref{Repetition, C-x ESC | |
901 ESC}. | |
902 | |
903 See also @ref{Transforming File Names}, for Dired commands to rename, | |
904 copy, or link files by replacing regexp matches in file names. | |
905 | |
906 @node Other Repeating Search,, Replace, Search | |
907 @section Other Search-and-Loop Commands | |
908 | |
909 Here are some other commands that find matches for a regular | |
910 expression. They all operate from point to the end of the buffer, and | |
911 all ignore case in matching, if the pattern contains no upper-case | |
912 letters and @code{case-fold-search} is non-@code{nil}. | |
913 | |
914 @findex list-matching-lines | |
915 @findex occur | |
916 @findex count-matches | |
917 @findex delete-non-matching-lines | |
918 @findex delete-matching-lines | |
919 @findex flush-lines | |
920 @findex keep-lines | |
921 | |
922 @table @kbd | |
923 @item M-x occur @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} | |
924 Display a list showing each line in the buffer that contains a match for | |
925 @var{regexp}. A numeric argument specifies the number of context lines | |
926 to print before and after each matching line; the default is none. | |
927 To limit the search to part of the buffer, narrow to that part | |
928 (@pxref{Narrowing}). | |
929 | |
930 @kindex RET @r{(Occur mode)} | |
931 The buffer @samp{*Occur*} containing the output serves as a menu for | |
932 finding the occurrences in their original context. Click @kbd{Mouse-2} | |
933 on an occurrence listed in @samp{*Occur*}, or position point there and | |
934 type @key{RET}; this switches to the buffer that was searched and | |
935 moves point to the original of the chosen occurrence. | |
936 | |
937 @item M-x list-matching-lines | |
938 Synonym for @kbd{M-x occur}. | |
939 | |
940 @item M-x count-matches @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} | |
941 Print the number of matches for @var{regexp} after point. | |
942 | |
943 @item M-x flush-lines @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} | |
944 Delete each line that follows point and contains a match for | |
945 @var{regexp}. | |
946 | |
947 @item M-x keep-lines @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} | |
948 Delete each line that follows point and @emph{does not} contain a match | |
949 for @var{regexp}. | |
950 @end table | |
951 | |
952 In addition, you can use @code{grep} from Emacs to search a collection | |
953 of files for matches for a regular expression, then visit the matches | |
954 either sequentially or in arbitrary order. @xref{Grep Searching}. |