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annotate lispref/searching.texi @ 66867:87c432b77d3e
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author | Jay Belanger <jay.p.belanger@gmail.com> |
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date | Mon, 14 Nov 2005 20:21:40 +0000 |
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6552 | 1 @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. | |
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3 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002, 2003, |
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4 @c 2004, 2005 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
6552 | 5 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. |
6 @setfilename ../info/searching | |
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7 @node Searching and Matching, Syntax Tables, Non-ASCII Characters, Top |
6552 | 8 @chapter Searching and Matching |
9 @cindex searching | |
10 | |
11 GNU Emacs provides two ways to search through a buffer for specified | |
12 text: exact string searches and regular expression searches. After a | |
13 regular expression search, you can examine the @dfn{match data} to | |
14 determine which text matched the whole regular expression or various | |
15 portions of it. | |
16 | |
17 @menu | |
18 * String Search:: Search for an exact match. | |
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19 * Searching and Case:: Case-independent or case-significant searching. |
6552 | 20 * Regular Expressions:: Describing classes of strings. |
21 * Regexp Search:: Searching for a match for a regexp. | |
12067 | 22 * POSIX Regexps:: Searching POSIX-style for the longest match. |
54041 | 23 * Match Data:: Finding out which part of the text matched, |
24 after a string or regexp search. | |
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25 * Search and Replace:: Commands that loop, searching and replacing. |
6552 | 26 * Standard Regexps:: Useful regexps for finding sentences, pages,... |
27 @end menu | |
28 | |
29 The @samp{skip-chars@dots{}} functions also perform a kind of searching. | |
30 @xref{Skipping Characters}. | |
31 | |
32 @node String Search | |
33 @section Searching for Strings | |
34 @cindex string search | |
35 | |
36 These are the primitive functions for searching through the text in a | |
37 buffer. They are meant for use in programs, but you may call them | |
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38 interactively. If you do so, they prompt for the search string; the |
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39 arguments @var{limit} and @var{noerror} are @code{nil}, and @var{repeat} |
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40 is 1. |
6552 | 41 |
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42 These search functions convert the search string to multibyte if the |
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43 buffer is multibyte; they convert the search string to unibyte if the |
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44 buffer is unibyte. @xref{Text Representations}. |
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45 |
6552 | 46 @deffn Command search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat |
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47 This function searches forward from point for an exact match for |
6552 | 48 @var{string}. If successful, it sets point to the end of the occurrence |
49 found, and returns the new value of point. If no match is found, the | |
50 value and side effects depend on @var{noerror} (see below). | |
51 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
52 | |
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53 In the following example, point is initially at the beginning of the |
6552 | 54 line. Then @code{(search-forward "fox")} moves point after the last |
55 letter of @samp{fox}: | |
56 | |
57 @example | |
58 @group | |
59 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
60 @point{}The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. | |
61 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
62 @end group | |
63 | |
64 @group | |
65 (search-forward "fox") | |
66 @result{} 20 | |
67 | |
68 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
69 The quick brown fox@point{} jumped over the lazy dog. | |
70 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
71 @end group | |
72 @end example | |
73 | |
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74 The argument @var{limit} specifies the upper bound to the search. (It |
6552 | 75 must be a position in the current buffer.) No match extending after |
76 that position is accepted. If @var{limit} is omitted or @code{nil}, it | |
77 defaults to the end of the accessible portion of the buffer. | |
78 | |
79 @kindex search-failed | |
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80 What happens when the search fails depends on the value of |
6552 | 81 @var{noerror}. If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, a @code{search-failed} |
82 error is signaled. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, @code{search-forward} | |
83 returns @code{nil} and does nothing. If @var{noerror} is neither | |
84 @code{nil} nor @code{t}, then @code{search-forward} moves point to the | |
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85 upper bound and returns @code{nil}. (It would be more consistent now to |
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86 return the new position of point in that case, but some existing |
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87 programs may depend on a value of @code{nil}.) |
6552 | 88 |
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89 If @var{repeat} is supplied (it must be a positive number), then the |
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90 search is repeated that many times (each time starting at the end of the |
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91 previous time's match). If these successive searches succeed, the |
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92 function succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise |
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93 the search fails, with results depending on the value of |
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94 @var{noerror}, as described above. |
6552 | 95 @end deffn |
96 | |
97 @deffn Command search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
98 This function searches backward from point for @var{string}. It is | |
99 just like @code{search-forward} except that it searches backwards and | |
100 leaves point at the beginning of the match. | |
101 @end deffn | |
102 | |
103 @deffn Command word-search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
104 @cindex word search | |
105 This function searches forward from point for a ``word'' match for | |
106 @var{string}. If it finds a match, it sets point to the end of the | |
107 match found, and returns the new value of point. | |
108 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
109 | |
110 Word matching regards @var{string} as a sequence of words, disregarding | |
111 punctuation that separates them. It searches the buffer for the same | |
112 sequence of words. Each word must be distinct in the buffer (searching | |
113 for the word @samp{ball} does not match the word @samp{balls}), but the | |
114 details of punctuation and spacing are ignored (searching for @samp{ball | |
115 boy} does match @samp{ball. Boy!}). | |
116 | |
117 In this example, point is initially at the beginning of the buffer; the | |
118 search leaves it between the @samp{y} and the @samp{!}. | |
119 | |
120 @example | |
121 @group | |
122 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
123 @point{}He said "Please! Find | |
124 the ball boy!" | |
125 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
126 @end group | |
127 | |
128 @group | |
129 (word-search-forward "Please find the ball, boy.") | |
130 @result{} 35 | |
131 | |
132 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
133 He said "Please! Find | |
134 the ball boy@point{}!" | |
135 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
136 @end group | |
137 @end example | |
138 | |
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139 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil}, it must be a position in the current |
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140 buffer; it specifies the upper bound to the search. The match found |
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141 must not extend after that position. |
6552 | 142 |
143 If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, then @code{word-search-forward} signals | |
144 an error if the search fails. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, then it | |
145 returns @code{nil} instead of signaling an error. If @var{noerror} is | |
146 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, it moves point to @var{limit} (or the | |
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147 end of the accessible portion of the buffer) and returns @code{nil}. |
6552 | 148 |
149 If @var{repeat} is non-@code{nil}, then the search is repeated that many | |
150 times. Point is positioned at the end of the last match. | |
151 @end deffn | |
152 | |
153 @deffn Command word-search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
154 This function searches backward from point for a word match to | |
155 @var{string}. This function is just like @code{word-search-forward} | |
156 except that it searches backward and normally leaves point at the | |
157 beginning of the match. | |
158 @end deffn | |
159 | |
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160 @node Searching and Case |
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161 @section Searching and Case |
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162 @cindex searching and case |
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163 |
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164 By default, searches in Emacs ignore the case of the text they are |
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165 searching through; if you specify searching for @samp{FOO}, then |
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166 @samp{Foo} or @samp{foo} is also considered a match. This applies to |
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167 regular expressions, too; thus, @samp{[aB]} would match @samp{a} or |
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168 @samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}. |
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169 |
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170 If you do not want this feature, set the variable |
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171 @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}. Then all letters must match |
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172 exactly, including case. This is a buffer-local variable; altering the |
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173 variable affects only the current buffer. (@xref{Intro to |
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174 Buffer-Local}.) Alternatively, you may change the value of |
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175 @code{default-case-fold-search}, which is the default value of |
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176 @code{case-fold-search} for buffers that do not override it. |
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177 |
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178 Note that the user-level incremental search feature handles case |
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179 distinctions differently. When given a lower case letter, it looks for |
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180 a match of either case, but when given an upper case letter, it looks |
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181 for an upper case letter only. But this has nothing to do with the |
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182 searching functions used in Lisp code. |
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183 |
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184 @defopt case-replace |
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185 This variable determines whether the higher level replacement |
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186 functions should preserve case. If the variable is @code{nil}, that |
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187 means to use the replacement text verbatim. A non-@code{nil} value |
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188 means to convert the case of the replacement text according to the |
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189 text being replaced. |
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190 |
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191 This variable is used by passing it as an argument to the function |
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192 @code{replace-match}. @xref{Replacing Match}. |
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193 @end defopt |
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194 |
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195 @defopt case-fold-search |
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196 This buffer-local variable determines whether searches should ignore |
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197 case. If the variable is @code{nil} they do not ignore case; otherwise |
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198 they do ignore case. |
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199 @end defopt |
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200 |
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201 @defvar default-case-fold-search |
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202 The value of this variable is the default value for |
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203 @code{case-fold-search} in buffers that do not override it. This is the |
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204 same as @code{(default-value 'case-fold-search)}. |
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205 @end defvar |
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206 |
6552 | 207 @node Regular Expressions |
208 @section Regular Expressions | |
209 @cindex regular expression | |
210 @cindex regexp | |
211 | |
212 A @dfn{regular expression} (@dfn{regexp}, for short) is a pattern that | |
213 denotes a (possibly infinite) set of strings. Searching for matches for | |
214 a regexp is a very powerful operation. This section explains how to write | |
215 regexps; the following section says how to search for them. | |
216 | |
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217 @findex re-builder |
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218 @cindex authoring regular expressions |
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219 For convenient interactive development of regular expressions, you |
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220 can use the @kbd{M-x re-builder} command. It provides a convenient |
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221 interface for creating regular expressions, by giving immediate visual |
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222 feedback in a separate buffer. As you edit the regexp, all its |
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223 matches in the target buffer are highlighted. Each parenthesized |
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224 sub-expression of the regexp is shown in a distinct face, which makes |
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225 it easier to verify even very complex regexps. |
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226 |
6552 | 227 @menu |
228 * Syntax of Regexps:: Rules for writing regular expressions. | |
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229 * Regexp Example:: Illustrates regular expression syntax. |
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230 * Regexp Functions:: Functions for operating on regular expressions. |
6552 | 231 @end menu |
232 | |
233 @node Syntax of Regexps | |
234 @subsection Syntax of Regular Expressions | |
235 | |
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236 Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are |
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237 special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary |
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238 character is a simple regular expression that matches that character and |
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239 nothing else. The special characters are @samp{.}, @samp{*}, @samp{+}, |
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240 @samp{?}, @samp{[}, @samp{]}, @samp{^}, @samp{$}, and @samp{\}; no new |
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241 special characters will be defined in the future. Any other character |
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242 appearing in a regular expression is ordinary, unless a @samp{\} |
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243 precedes it. |
6552 | 244 |
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245 For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and |
6552 | 246 therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string |
247 @samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string | |
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248 @samp{fg}, but it does match a @emph{part} of that string.) Likewise, |
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249 @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches only @samp{o}.@refill |
6552 | 250 |
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251 Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The |
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252 result is a regular expression that matches a string if @var{a} matches |
6552 | 253 some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of |
254 the string.@refill | |
255 | |
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256 As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f} |
6552 | 257 and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only |
258 the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something more powerful, you | |
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259 need to use one of the special regular expression constructs. |
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260 |
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261 @menu |
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262 * Regexp Special:: Special characters in regular expressions. |
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263 * Char Classes:: Character classes used in regular expressions. |
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264 * Regexp Backslash:: Backslash-sequences in regular expressions. |
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265 @end menu |
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266 |
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267 @node Regexp Special |
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268 @subsubsection Special Characters in Regular Expressions |
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269 |
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270 Here is a list of the characters that are special in a regular |
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271 expression. |
6552 | 272 |
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273 @need 800 |
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274 @table @asis |
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275 @item @samp{.}@: @r{(Period)} |
6552 | 276 @cindex @samp{.} in regexp |
277 is a special character that matches any single character except a newline. | |
278 Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which | |
279 matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with | |
280 @samp{b}.@refill | |
281 | |
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282 @item @samp{*} |
6552 | 283 @cindex @samp{*} in regexp |
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284 is not a construct by itself; it is a postfix operator that means to |
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285 match the preceding regular expression repetitively as many times as |
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286 possible. Thus, @samp{o*} matches any number of @samp{o}s (including no |
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287 @samp{o}s). |
6552 | 288 |
289 @samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding | |
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290 expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a repeating |
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291 @samp{fo}. It matches @samp{f}, @samp{fo}, @samp{foo}, and so on. |
6552 | 292 |
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293 The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately, as |
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294 many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest of |
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295 the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some of the |
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296 matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in the hope that that will |
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297 make it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in |
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298 matching @samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} |
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299 first tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is |
6552 | 300 @samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails. |
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301 The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s. With |
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302 this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully.@refill |
6552 | 303 |
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304 Nested repetition operators take a long time, or even forever, if they |
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305 lead to ambiguous matching. For example, trying to match the regular |
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306 expression @samp{\(x+y*\)*a} against the string |
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307 @samp{xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxz} could take hours before it |
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308 ultimately fails. Emacs must try each way of grouping the 35 |
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309 @samp{x}s before concluding that none of them can work. Even worse, |
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310 @samp{\(x*\)*} can match the null string in infinitely many ways, so |
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311 it causes an infinite loop. To avoid these problems, check nested |
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312 repetitions carefully. |
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313 |
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314 @item @samp{+} |
6552 | 315 @cindex @samp{+} in regexp |
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316 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match |
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317 the preceding expression at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r} |
6552 | 318 matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string |
319 @samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings. | |
320 | |
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321 @item @samp{?} |
6552 | 322 @cindex @samp{?} in regexp |
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323 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match the |
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324 preceding expression either once or not at all. For example, |
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325 @samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}; nothing else. |
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327 @item @samp{*?}, @samp{+?}, @samp{??} |
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328 These are ``non-greedy'' variants of the operators @samp{*}, @samp{+} |
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329 and @samp{?}. Where those operators match the largest possible |
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330 substring (consistent with matching the entire containing expression), |
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331 the non-greedy variants match the smallest possible substring |
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332 (consistent with matching the entire containing expression). |
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333 |
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334 For example, the regular expression @samp{c[ad]*a} when applied to the |
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335 string @samp{cdaaada} matches the whole string; but the regular |
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336 expression @samp{c[ad]*?a}, applied to that same string, matches just |
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337 @samp{cda}. (The smallest possible match here for @samp{[ad]*?} that |
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338 permits the whole expression to match is @samp{d}.) |
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339 |
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340 @item @samp{[ @dots{} ]} |
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341 @cindex character alternative (in regexp) |
6552 | 342 @cindex @samp{[} in regexp |
343 @cindex @samp{]} in regexp | |
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344 is a @dfn{character alternative}, which begins with @samp{[} and is |
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345 terminated by @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between |
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346 the two brackets are what this character alternative can match. |
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348 Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one @samp{d}, and |
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349 @samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s and @samp{d}s |
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350 (including the empty string), from which it follows that @samp{c[ad]*r} |
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351 matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, @samp{caddaar}, etc. |
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353 You can also include character ranges in a character alternative, by |
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354 writing the starting and ending characters with a @samp{-} between them. |
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355 Thus, @samp{[a-z]} matches any lower-case @acronym{ASCII} letter. |
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356 Ranges may be intermixed freely with individual characters, as in |
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357 @samp{[a-z$%.]}, which matches any lower case @acronym{ASCII} letter |
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358 or @samp{$}, @samp{%} or period. |
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360 Note that the usual regexp special characters are not special inside a |
24934 | 361 character alternative. A completely different set of characters is |
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362 special inside character alternatives: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}. |
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363 |
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364 To include a @samp{]} in a character alternative, you must make it the |
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365 first character. For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. |
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366 To include a @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first or last character of |
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367 the character alternative, or put it after a range. Thus, @samp{[]-]} |
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368 matches both @samp{]} and @samp{-}. |
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370 To include @samp{^} in a character alternative, put it anywhere but at |
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371 the beginning. |
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373 The beginning and end of a range of multibyte characters must be in |
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374 the same character set (@pxref{Character Sets}). Thus, |
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375 @code{"[\x8e0-\x97c]"} is invalid because character 0x8e0 (@samp{a} |
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376 with grave accent) is in the Emacs character set for Latin-1 but the |
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377 character 0x97c (@samp{u} with diaeresis) is in the Emacs character |
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378 set for Latin-2. (We use Lisp string syntax to write that example, |
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379 and a few others in the next few paragraphs, in order to include hex |
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380 escape sequences in them.) |
32464 | 381 |
382 If a range starts with a unibyte character @var{c} and ends with a | |
383 multibyte character @var{c2}, the range is divided into two parts: one | |
384 is @samp{@var{c}..?\377}, the other is @samp{@var{c1}..@var{c2}}, where | |
385 @var{c1} is the first character of the charset to which @var{c2} | |
386 belongs. | |
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387 |
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388 You cannot always match all non-@acronym{ASCII} characters with the regular |
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389 expression @code{"[\200-\377]"}. This works when searching a unibyte |
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390 buffer or string (@pxref{Text Representations}), but not in a multibyte |
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391 buffer or string, because many non-@acronym{ASCII} characters have codes |
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392 above octal 0377. However, the regular expression @code{"[^\000-\177]"} |
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393 does match all non-@acronym{ASCII} characters (see below regarding @samp{^}), |
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394 in both multibyte and unibyte representations, because only the |
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395 @acronym{ASCII} characters are excluded. |
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396 |
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397 A character alternative can also specify named |
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398 character classes (@pxref{Char Classes}). This is a POSIX feature whose |
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399 syntax is @samp{[:@var{class}:]}. Using a character class is equivalent |
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400 to mentioning each of the characters in that class; but the latter is |
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401 not feasible in practice, since some classes include thousands of |
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402 different characters. |
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403 |
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404 @item @samp{[^ @dots{} ]} |
6552 | 405 @cindex @samp{^} in regexp |
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406 @samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complemented character alternative}. This |
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407 matches any character except the ones specified. Thus, |
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408 @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} matches all characters @emph{except} letters and |
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409 digits. |
6552 | 410 |
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411 @samp{^} is not special in a character alternative unless it is the first |
6552 | 412 character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it |
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413 were first (in other words, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there). |
6552 | 414 |
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415 A complemented character alternative can match a newline, unless newline is |
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416 mentioned as one of the characters not to match. This is in contrast to |
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417 the handling of regexps in programs such as @code{grep}. |
6552 | 418 |
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419 @item @samp{^} |
6552 | 420 @cindex beginning of line in regexp |
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421 When matching a buffer, @samp{^} matches the empty string, but only at the |
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422 beginning of a line in the text being matched (or the beginning of the |
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423 accessible portion of the buffer). Otherwise it fails to match |
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424 anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at the |
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425 beginning of a line. |
6552 | 426 |
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427 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{^} matches at the |
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428 beginning of the string or after a newline character. |
6552 | 429 |
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430 For historical compatibility reasons, @samp{^} can be used only at the |
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431 beginning of the regular expression, or after @samp{\(} or @samp{\|}. |
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432 |
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433 @item @samp{$} |
6552 | 434 @cindex @samp{$} in regexp |
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435 @cindex end of line in regexp |
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436 is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line (or the |
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437 end of the accessible portion of the buffer). Thus, @samp{x+$} |
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438 matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line. |
6552 | 439 |
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440 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{$} matches at the end |
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441 of the string or before a newline character. |
6552 | 442 |
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443 For historical compatibility reasons, @samp{$} can be used only at the |
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444 end of the regular expression, or before @samp{\)} or @samp{\|}. |
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445 |
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446 @item @samp{\} |
6552 | 447 @cindex @samp{\} in regexp |
448 has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including | |
449 @samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs. | |
450 | |
451 Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular | |
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452 expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular |
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453 expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on. |
6552 | 454 |
455 Note that @samp{\} also has special meaning in the read syntax of Lisp | |
456 strings (@pxref{String Type}), and must be quoted with @samp{\}. For | |
457 example, the regular expression that matches the @samp{\} character is | |
458 @samp{\\}. To write a Lisp string that contains the characters | |
459 @samp{\\}, Lisp syntax requires you to quote each @samp{\} with another | |
460 @samp{\}. Therefore, the read syntax for a regular expression matching | |
461 @samp{\} is @code{"\\\\"}.@refill | |
462 @end table | |
463 | |
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464 @strong{Please note:} For historical compatibility, special characters |
6552 | 465 are treated as ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special |
466 meanings make no sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as | |
467 ordinary since there is no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} | |
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468 can act. It is poor practice to depend on this behavior; quote the |
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469 special character anyway, regardless of where it appears.@refill |
6552 | 470 |
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471 @node Char Classes |
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472 @subsubsection Character Classes |
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473 @cindex character classes in regexp |
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474 |
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475 Here is a table of the classes you can use in a character alternative, |
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476 and what they mean: |
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477 |
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478 @table @samp |
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479 @item [:ascii:] |
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480 This matches any @acronym{ASCII} (unibyte) character. |
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481 @item [:alnum:] |
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482 This matches any letter or digit. (At present, for multibyte |
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483 characters, it matches anything that has word syntax.) |
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484 @item [:alpha:] |
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485 This matches any letter. (At present, for multibyte characters, it |
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486 matches anything that has word syntax.) |
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487 @item [:blank:] |
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488 This matches space and tab only. |
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489 @item [:cntrl:] |
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490 This matches any @acronym{ASCII} control character. |
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491 @item [:digit:] |
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492 This matches @samp{0} through @samp{9}. Thus, @samp{[-+[:digit:]]} |
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493 matches any digit, as well as @samp{+} and @samp{-}. |
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494 @item [:graph:] |
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495 This matches graphic characters---everything except @acronym{ASCII} control |
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496 characters, space, and the delete character. |
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497 @item [:lower:] |
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498 This matches any lower-case letter, as determined by |
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499 the current case table (@pxref{Case Tables}). |
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500 @item [:nonascii:] |
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501 This matches any non-@acronym{ASCII} (multibyte) character. |
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502 @item [:print:] |
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503 This matches printing characters---everything except @acronym{ASCII} control |
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504 characters and the delete character. |
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505 @item [:punct:] |
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506 This matches any punctuation character. (At present, for multibyte |
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507 characters, it matches anything that has non-word syntax.) |
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508 @item [:space:] |
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509 This matches any character that has whitespace syntax |
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510 (@pxref{Syntax Class Table}). |
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511 @item [:upper:] |
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512 This matches any upper-case letter, as determined by |
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513 the current case table (@pxref{Case Tables}). |
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514 @item [:word:] |
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515 This matches any character that has word syntax (@pxref{Syntax Class |
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516 Table}). |
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517 @item [:xdigit:] |
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518 This matches the hexadecimal digits: @samp{0} through @samp{9}, @samp{a} |
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519 through @samp{f} and @samp{A} through @samp{F}. |
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520 @end table |
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521 |
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522 @node Regexp Backslash |
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523 @subsubsection Backslash Constructs in Regular Expressions |
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524 |
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525 For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only |
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526 that character. However, there are several exceptions: certain |
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527 two-character sequences starting with @samp{\} that have special |
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528 meanings. (The character after the @samp{\} in such a sequence is |
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529 always ordinary when used on its own.) Here is a table of the special |
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530 @samp{\} constructs. |
6552 | 531 |
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532 @table @samp |
6552 | 533 @item \| |
534 @cindex @samp{|} in regexp | |
535 @cindex regexp alternative | |
536 specifies an alternative. | |
537 Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} with @samp{\|} in | |
538 between form an expression that matches anything that either @var{a} or | |
539 @var{b} matches.@refill | |
540 | |
541 Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar} | |
542 but no other string.@refill | |
543 | |
544 @samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a | |
545 surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of | |
546 @samp{\|}.@refill | |
547 | |
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548 If you need full backtracking capability to handle multiple uses of |
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549 @samp{\|}, use the POSIX regular expression functions (@pxref{POSIX |
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550 Regexps}). |
6552 | 551 |
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552 @item \@{@var{m}\@} |
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553 is a postfix operator that repeats the previous pattern exactly @var{m} |
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554 times. Thus, @samp{x\@{5\@}} matches the string @samp{xxxxx} |
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555 and nothing else. @samp{c[ad]\@{3\@}r} matches string such as |
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556 @samp{caaar}, @samp{cdddr}, @samp{cadar}, and so on. |
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557 |
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558 @item \@{@var{m},@var{n}\@} |
54041 | 559 is a more general postfix operator that specifies repetition with a |
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560 minimum of @var{m} repeats and a maximum of @var{n} repeats. If @var{m} |
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561 is omitted, the minimum is 0; if @var{n} is omitted, there is no |
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562 maximum. |
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563 |
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564 For example, @samp{c[ad]\@{1,2\@}r} matches the strings @samp{car}, |
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565 @samp{cdr}, @samp{caar}, @samp{cadr}, @samp{cdar}, and @samp{cddr}, and |
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566 nothing else.@* |
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567 @samp{\@{0,1\@}} or @samp{\@{,1\@}} is equivalent to @samp{?}. @* |
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568 @samp{\@{0,\@}} or @samp{\@{,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{*}. @* |
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569 @samp{\@{1,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{+}. |
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570 |
6552 | 571 @item \( @dots{} \) |
572 @cindex @samp{(} in regexp | |
573 @cindex @samp{)} in regexp | |
574 @cindex regexp grouping | |
575 is a grouping construct that serves three purposes: | |
576 | |
577 @enumerate | |
578 @item | |
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579 To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations. Thus, |
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580 the regular expression @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} |
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581 or @samp{barx}. |
6552 | 582 |
583 @item | |
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584 To enclose a complicated expression for the postfix operators @samp{*}, |
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585 @samp{+} and @samp{?} to operate on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches |
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586 @samp{ba}, @samp{bana}, @samp{banana}, @samp{bananana}, etc., with any |
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587 number (zero or more) of @samp{na} strings. |
6552 | 588 |
589 @item | |
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590 To record a matched substring for future reference with |
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591 @samp{\@var{digit}} (see below). |
6552 | 592 @end enumerate |
593 | |
594 This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a | |
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595 parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that was assigned as a |
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596 second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct because, in |
48701 | 597 practice, there was usually no conflict between the two meanings. But |
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598 occasionally there is a conflict, and that led to the introduction of |
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599 shy groups. |
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600 |
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601 @item \(?: @dots{} \) |
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602 is the @dfn{shy group} construct. A shy group serves the first two |
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603 purposes of an ordinary group (controlling the nesting of other |
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604 operators), but it does not get a number, so you cannot refer back to |
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605 its value with @samp{\@var{digit}}. |
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606 |
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607 Shy groups are particularly useful for mechanically-constructed regular |
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608 expressions because they can be added automatically without altering the |
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609 numbering of any ordinary, non-shy groups. |
6552 | 610 |
611 @item \@var{digit} | |
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612 matches the same text that matched the @var{digit}th occurrence of a |
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613 grouping (@samp{\( @dots{} \)}) construct. |
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614 |
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615 In other words, after the end of a group, the matcher remembers the |
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616 beginning and end of the text matched by that group. Later on in the |
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617 regular expression you can use @samp{\} followed by @var{digit} to |
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618 match that same text, whatever it may have been. |
6552 | 619 |
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620 The strings matching the first nine grouping constructs appearing in |
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621 the entire regular expression passed to a search or matching function |
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622 are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in the order that the open |
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623 parentheses appear in the regular expression. So you can use |
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624 @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched by the |
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625 corresponding grouping constructs. |
6552 | 626 |
627 For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is | |
628 composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first | |
629 half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match | |
630 the same exact text. | |
631 | |
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632 If a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct matches more than once (which can |
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633 happen, for instance, if it is followed by @samp{*}), only the last |
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634 match is recorded. |
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635 |
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636 If a particular grouping construct in the regular expression was never |
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637 matched---for instance, if it appears inside of an alternative that |
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638 wasn't used, or inside of a repetition that repeated zero times---then |
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639 the corresponding @samp{\@var{digit}} construct never matches |
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640 anything. To use an artificial example,, @samp{\(foo\(b*\)\|lose\)\2} |
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641 cannot match @samp{lose}: the second alternative inside the larger |
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642 group matches it, but then @samp{\2} is undefined and can't match |
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643 anything. But it can match @samp{foobb}, because the first |
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644 alternative matches @samp{foob} and @samp{\2} matches @samp{b}. |
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645 |
6552 | 646 @item \w |
647 @cindex @samp{\w} in regexp | |
648 matches any word-constituent character. The editor syntax table | |
649 determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax Tables}. | |
650 | |
651 @item \W | |
652 @cindex @samp{\W} in regexp | |
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653 matches any character that is not a word constituent. |
6552 | 654 |
655 @item \s@var{code} | |
656 @cindex @samp{\s} in regexp | |
657 matches any character whose syntax is @var{code}. Here @var{code} is a | |
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658 character that represents a syntax code: thus, @samp{w} for word |
6552 | 659 constituent, @samp{-} for whitespace, @samp{(} for open parenthesis, |
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660 etc. To represent whitespace syntax, use either @samp{-} or a space |
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661 character. @xref{Syntax Class Table}, for a list of syntax codes and |
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662 the characters that stand for them. |
6552 | 663 |
664 @item \S@var{code} | |
665 @cindex @samp{\S} in regexp | |
666 matches any character whose syntax is not @var{code}. | |
35796 | 667 |
668 @item \c@var{c} | |
669 matches any character whose category is @var{c}. Here @var{c} is a | |
670 character that represents a category: thus, @samp{c} for Chinese | |
671 characters or @samp{g} for Greek characters in the standard category | |
672 table. | |
673 | |
674 @item \C@var{c} | |
675 matches any character whose category is not @var{c}. | |
6552 | 676 @end table |
677 | |
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678 The following regular expression constructs match the empty string---that is, |
6552 | 679 they don't use up any characters---but whether they match depends on the |
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680 context. For all, the beginning and end of the accessible portion of |
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681 the buffer are treated as if they were the actual beginning and end of |
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682 the buffer. |
6552 | 683 |
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684 @table @samp |
6552 | 685 @item \` |
686 @cindex @samp{\`} in regexp | |
687 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning | |
688 of the buffer or string being matched against. | |
689 | |
690 @item \' | |
691 @cindex @samp{\'} in regexp | |
692 matches the empty string, but only at the end of | |
693 the buffer or string being matched against. | |
694 | |
695 @item \= | |
696 @cindex @samp{\=} in regexp | |
697 matches the empty string, but only at point. | |
698 (This construct is not defined when matching against a string.) | |
699 | |
700 @item \b | |
701 @cindex @samp{\b} in regexp | |
702 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or | |
703 end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of | |
704 @samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches | |
705 @samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word.@refill | |
706 | |
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707 @samp{\b} matches at the beginning or end of the buffer (or string) |
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708 regardless of what text appears next to it. |
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709 |
6552 | 710 @item \B |
711 @cindex @samp{\B} in regexp | |
712 matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or | |
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713 end of a word, nor at the beginning or end of the buffer (or string). |
6552 | 714 |
715 @item \< | |
716 @cindex @samp{\<} in regexp | |
717 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word. | |
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718 @samp{\<} matches at the beginning of the buffer (or string) only if a |
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719 word-constituent character follows. |
6552 | 720 |
721 @item \> | |
722 @cindex @samp{\>} in regexp | |
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723 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. @samp{\>} |
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724 matches at the end of the buffer (or string) only if the contents end |
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725 with a word-constituent character. |
56439
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726 |
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727 @item \_< |
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728 @cindex @samp{\_<} in regexp |
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729 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a symbol. A |
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730 symbol is a sequence of one or more word or symbol constituent |
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731 characters. @samp{\_<} matches at the beginning of the buffer (or |
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732 string) only if a symbol-constituent character follows. |
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733 |
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734 @item \_> |
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735 @cindex @samp{\_>} in regexp |
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736 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a symbol. @samp{\_>} |
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737 matches at the end of the buffer (or string) only if the contents end |
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738 with a symbol-constituent character. |
6552 | 739 @end table |
740 | |
741 @kindex invalid-regexp | |
742 Not every string is a valid regular expression. For example, a string | |
743 with unbalanced square brackets is invalid (with a few exceptions, such | |
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744 as @samp{[]]}), and so is a string that ends with a single @samp{\}. If |
6552 | 745 an invalid regular expression is passed to any of the search functions, |
746 an @code{invalid-regexp} error is signaled. | |
747 | |
748 @node Regexp Example | |
749 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
750 @subsection Complex Regexp Example | |
751 | |
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752 Here is a complicated regexp which was formerly used by Emacs to |
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753 recognize the end of a sentence together with any whitespace that |
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754 follows. (Nowadays Emacs uses a similar but more complex default |
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755 regexp constructed by the function @code{sentence-end}. |
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756 @xref{Standard Regexps}.) |
6552 | 757 |
758 First, we show the regexp as a string in Lisp syntax to distinguish | |
759 spaces from tab characters. The string constant begins and ends with a | |
760 double-quote. @samp{\"} stands for a double-quote as part of the | |
761 string, @samp{\\} for a backslash as part of the string, @samp{\t} for a | |
762 tab and @samp{\n} for a newline. | |
763 | |
764 @example | |
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765 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\)[ \t\n]*" |
6552 | 766 @end example |
767 | |
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768 @noindent |
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769 In contrast, if you evaluate this string, you will see the following: |
6552 | 770 |
771 @example | |
772 @group | |
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773 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\)[ \t\n]*" |
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774 @result{} "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\| \\|@ @ \\)[ |
6552 | 775 ]*" |
776 @end group | |
777 @end example | |
778 | |
779 @noindent | |
780 In this output, tab and newline appear as themselves. | |
781 | |
782 This regular expression contains four parts in succession and can be | |
783 deciphered as follows: | |
784 | |
785 @table @code | |
786 @item [.?!] | |
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787 The first part of the pattern is a character alternative that matches |
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788 any one of three characters: period, question mark, and exclamation |
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789 mark. The match must begin with one of these three characters. (This |
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790 is one point where the new default regexp used by Emacs differs from |
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791 the old. The new value also allows some non-@acronym{ASCII} |
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792 characters that end a sentence without any following whitespace.) |
6552 | 793 |
794 @item []\"')@}]* | |
795 The second part of the pattern matches any closing braces and quotation | |
796 marks, zero or more of them, that may follow the period, question mark | |
797 or exclamation mark. The @code{\"} is Lisp syntax for a double-quote in | |
798 a string. The @samp{*} at the end indicates that the immediately | |
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799 preceding regular expression (a character alternative, in this case) may be |
6552 | 800 repeated zero or more times. |
801 | |
8469 | 802 @item \\($\\|@ $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\) |
6552 | 803 The third part of the pattern matches the whitespace that follows the |
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804 end of a sentence: the end of a line (optionally with a space), or a |
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805 tab, or two spaces. The double backslashes mark the parentheses and |
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806 vertical bars as regular expression syntax; the parentheses delimit a |
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807 group and the vertical bars separate alternatives. The dollar sign is |
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808 used to match the end of a line. |
6552 | 809 |
810 @item [ \t\n]* | |
811 Finally, the last part of the pattern matches any additional whitespace | |
812 beyond the minimum needed to end a sentence. | |
813 @end table | |
814 | |
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815 @node Regexp Functions |
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816 @subsection Regular Expression Functions |
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817 |
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818 These functions operate on regular expressions. |
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819 |
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820 @defun regexp-quote string |
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821 This function returns a regular expression whose only exact match is |
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822 @var{string}. Using this regular expression in @code{looking-at} will |
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823 succeed only if the next characters in the buffer are @var{string}; |
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824 using it in a search function will succeed if the text being searched |
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825 contains @var{string}. |
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826 |
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827 This allows you to request an exact string match or search when calling |
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828 a function that wants a regular expression. |
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829 |
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830 @example |
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831 @group |
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832 (regexp-quote "^The cat$") |
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833 @result{} "\\^The cat\\$" |
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834 @end group |
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835 @end example |
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836 |
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837 One use of @code{regexp-quote} is to combine an exact string match with |
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838 context described as a regular expression. For example, this searches |
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839 for the string that is the value of @var{string}, surrounded by |
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840 whitespace: |
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841 |
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842 @example |
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843 @group |
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844 (re-search-forward |
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845 (concat "\\s-" (regexp-quote string) "\\s-")) |
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846 @end group |
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847 @end example |
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848 @end defun |
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849 |
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850 @defun regexp-opt strings &optional paren |
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851 This function returns an efficient regular expression that will match |
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852 any of the strings in the list @var{strings}. This is useful when you |
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853 need to make matching or searching as fast as possible---for example, |
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854 for Font Lock mode. |
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855 |
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856 If the optional argument @var{paren} is non-@code{nil}, then the |
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857 returned regular expression is always enclosed by at least one |
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858 parentheses-grouping construct. If @var{paren} is @code{words}, then |
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859 that construct is additionally surrounded by @samp{\<} and @samp{\>}. |
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860 |
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861 This simplified definition of @code{regexp-opt} produces a |
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862 regular expression which is equivalent to the actual value |
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863 (but not as efficient): |
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864 |
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865 @example |
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866 (defun regexp-opt (strings paren) |
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867 (let ((open-paren (if paren "\\(" "")) |
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868 (close-paren (if paren "\\)" ""))) |
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869 (concat open-paren |
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870 (mapconcat 'regexp-quote strings "\\|") |
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871 close-paren))) |
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872 @end example |
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873 @end defun |
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874 |
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875 @defun regexp-opt-depth regexp |
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876 This function returns the total number of grouping constructs |
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877 (parenthesized expressions) in @var{regexp}. (This does not include |
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878 shy groups.) |
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879 @end defun |
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880 |
6552 | 881 @node Regexp Search |
882 @section Regular Expression Searching | |
883 @cindex regular expression searching | |
884 @cindex regexp searching | |
885 @cindex searching for regexp | |
886 | |
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887 In GNU Emacs, you can search for the next match for a regular |
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888 expression either incrementally or not. For incremental search |
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889 commands, see @ref{Regexp Search, , Regular Expression Search, emacs, |
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890 The GNU Emacs Manual}. Here we describe only the search functions |
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891 useful in programs. The principal one is @code{re-search-forward}. |
6552 | 892 |
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893 These search functions convert the regular expression to multibyte if |
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894 the buffer is multibyte; they convert the regular expression to unibyte |
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895 if the buffer is unibyte. @xref{Text Representations}. |
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896 |
6552 | 897 @deffn Command re-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat |
898 This function searches forward in the current buffer for a string of | |
899 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}. The | |
900 function skips over any amount of text that is not matched by | |
901 @var{regexp}, and leaves point at the end of the first match found. | |
902 It returns the new value of point. | |
903 | |
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904 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil}, it must be a position in the current |
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905 buffer. It specifies the upper bound to the search. No match |
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906 extending after that position is accepted. |
6552 | 907 |
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908 If @var{repeat} is supplied, it must be a positive number; the search |
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909 is repeated that many times; each repetition starts at the end of the |
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910 previous match. If all these successive searches succeed, the search |
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911 succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise the |
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912 search fails. What @code{re-search-forward} does when the search |
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913 fails depends on the value of @var{noerror}: |
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914 |
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915 @table @asis |
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916 @item @code{nil} |
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917 Signal a @code{search-failed} error. |
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918 @item @code{t} |
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919 Do nothing and return @code{nil}. |
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920 @item anything else |
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921 Move point to @var{limit} (or the end of the accessible portion of the |
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922 buffer) and return @code{nil}. |
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923 @end table |
6552 | 924 |
925 In the following example, point is initially before the @samp{T}. | |
926 Evaluating the search call moves point to the end of that line (between | |
927 the @samp{t} of @samp{hat} and the newline). | |
928 | |
929 @example | |
930 @group | |
931 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
932 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
933 comes back" twice. | |
934 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
935 @end group | |
936 | |
937 @group | |
938 (re-search-forward "[a-z]+" nil t 5) | |
939 @result{} 27 | |
940 | |
941 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
942 I read "The cat in the hat@point{} | |
943 comes back" twice. | |
944 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
945 @end group | |
946 @end example | |
947 @end deffn | |
948 | |
949 @deffn Command re-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
950 This function searches backward in the current buffer for a string of | |
951 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}, leaving | |
952 point at the beginning of the first text found. | |
953 | |
8469 | 954 This function is analogous to @code{re-search-forward}, but they are not |
955 simple mirror images. @code{re-search-forward} finds the match whose | |
956 beginning is as close as possible to the starting point. If | |
957 @code{re-search-backward} were a perfect mirror image, it would find the | |
958 match whose end is as close as possible. However, in fact it finds the | |
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959 match whose beginning is as close as possible (and yet ends before the |
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960 starting point). The reason for this is that matching a regular |
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961 expression at a given spot always works from beginning to end, and |
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962 starts at a specified beginning position. |
6552 | 963 |
964 A true mirror-image of @code{re-search-forward} would require a special | |
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965 feature for matching regular expressions from end to beginning. It's |
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966 not worth the trouble of implementing that. |
6552 | 967 @end deffn |
968 | |
969 @defun string-match regexp string &optional start | |
970 This function returns the index of the start of the first match for | |
971 the regular expression @var{regexp} in @var{string}, or @code{nil} if | |
972 there is no match. If @var{start} is non-@code{nil}, the search starts | |
973 at that index in @var{string}. | |
974 | |
975 For example, | |
976 | |
977 @example | |
978 @group | |
979 (string-match | |
980 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly.") | |
981 @result{} 4 | |
982 @end group | |
983 @group | |
984 (string-match | |
985 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
986 @result{} 27 | |
987 @end group | |
988 @end example | |
989 | |
990 @noindent | |
991 The index of the first character of the | |
992 string is 0, the index of the second character is 1, and so on. | |
993 | |
994 After this function returns, the index of the first character beyond | |
995 the match is available as @code{(match-end 0)}. @xref{Match Data}. | |
996 | |
997 @example | |
998 @group | |
999 (string-match | |
1000 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
1001 @result{} 27 | |
1002 @end group | |
1003 | |
1004 @group | |
1005 (match-end 0) | |
1006 @result{} 32 | |
1007 @end group | |
1008 @end example | |
1009 @end defun | |
1010 | |
1011 @defun looking-at regexp | |
1012 This function determines whether the text in the current buffer directly | |
1013 following point matches the regular expression @var{regexp}. ``Directly | |
1014 following'' means precisely that: the search is ``anchored'' and it can | |
1015 succeed only starting with the first character following point. The | |
1016 result is @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise. | |
1017 | |
1018 This function does not move point, but it updates the match data, which | |
1019 you can access using @code{match-beginning} and @code{match-end}. | |
1020 @xref{Match Data}. | |
1021 | |
1022 In this example, point is located directly before the @samp{T}. If it | |
1023 were anywhere else, the result would be @code{nil}. | |
1024 | |
1025 @example | |
1026 @group | |
1027 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1028 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
1029 comes back" twice. | |
1030 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1031 | |
1032 (looking-at "The cat in the hat$") | |
1033 @result{} t | |
1034 @end group | |
1035 @end example | |
1036 @end defun | |
1037 | |
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1038 @defun looking-back regexp &optional limit |
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1039 This function returns @code{t} if @var{regexp} matches text before |
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1040 point, ending at point, and @code{nil} otherwise. |
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1041 |
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1042 Because regular expression matching works only going forward, this is |
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1043 implemented by searching backwards from point for a match that ends at |
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1044 point. That can be quite slow if it has to search a long distance. |
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1045 You can bound the time required by specifying @var{limit}, which says |
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1046 not to search before @var{limit}. In this case, the match that is |
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1047 found must begin at or after @var{limit}. |
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1048 |
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1049 @example |
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1050 @group |
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1051 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- |
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1052 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat |
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1053 comes back" twice. |
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1054 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- |
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1055 |
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1056 (looking-back "read \"" 3) |
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1057 @result{} t |
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1058 (looking-back "read \"" 4) |
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1059 @result{} nil |
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1060 @end group |
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1061 @end example |
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1062 @end defun |
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1063 |
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1064 @defvar search-spaces-regexp |
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1065 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression |
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1066 that says how to search for whitespace. In that case, any group of |
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1067 spaces in a regular expression being searched for stands for use of |
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1068 this regular expression. However, spaces inside of constructs such as |
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1069 @samp{[@dots{}]} and @samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?} are not affected by |
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1070 @code{search-spaces-regexp}. |
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1071 |
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1072 Since this variable affects all regular expression search and match |
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1073 constructs, you should bind it temporarily for as small as possible |
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1074 a part of the code. |
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1075 @end defvar |
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1076 |
12067 | 1077 @node POSIX Regexps |
1078 @section POSIX Regular Expression Searching | |
1079 | |
1080 The usual regular expression functions do backtracking when necessary | |
1081 to handle the @samp{\|} and repetition constructs, but they continue | |
1082 this only until they find @emph{some} match. Then they succeed and | |
1083 report the first match found. | |
1084 | |
1085 This section describes alternative search functions which perform the | |
1086 full backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1087 matching. They continue backtracking until they have tried all | |
1088 possibilities and found all matches, so they can report the longest | |
1089 match, as required by POSIX. This is much slower, so use these | |
1090 functions only when you really need the longest match. | |
1091 | |
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1092 The POSIX search and match functions do not properly support the |
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1093 non-greedy repetition operators. This is because POSIX backtracking |
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1094 conflicts with the semantics of non-greedy repetition. |
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1095 |
12067 | 1096 @defun posix-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat |
1097 This is like @code{re-search-forward} except that it performs the full | |
1098 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1099 matching. | |
1100 @end defun | |
1101 | |
1102 @defun posix-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
1103 This is like @code{re-search-backward} except that it performs the full | |
1104 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1105 matching. | |
1106 @end defun | |
1107 | |
1108 @defun posix-looking-at regexp | |
1109 This is like @code{looking-at} except that it performs the full | |
1110 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1111 matching. | |
1112 @end defun | |
1113 | |
1114 @defun posix-string-match regexp string &optional start | |
1115 This is like @code{string-match} except that it performs the full | |
1116 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1117 matching. | |
1118 @end defun | |
1119 | |
6552 | 1120 @node Match Data |
1121 @section The Match Data | |
1122 @cindex match data | |
1123 | |
25089 | 1124 Emacs keeps track of the start and end positions of the segments of |
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1125 text found during a search; this is called the @dfn{match data}. |
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1126 Thanks to the match data, you can search for a complex pattern, such |
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1127 as a date in a mail message, and then extract parts of the match under |
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1128 control of the pattern. |
6552 | 1129 |
1130 Because the match data normally describe the most recent search only, | |
1131 you must be careful not to do another search inadvertently between the | |
1132 search you wish to refer back to and the use of the match data. If you | |
1133 can't avoid another intervening search, you must save and restore the | |
1134 match data around it, to prevent it from being overwritten. | |
1135 | |
1136 @menu | |
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1137 * Replacing Match:: Replacing a substring that was matched. |
6552 | 1138 * Simple Match Data:: Accessing single items of match data, |
1139 such as where a particular subexpression started. | |
1140 * Entire Match Data:: Accessing the entire match data at once, as a list. | |
1141 * Saving Match Data:: Saving and restoring the match data. | |
1142 @end menu | |
1143 | |
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1144 @node Replacing Match |
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1145 @subsection Replacing the Text that Matched |
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1146 |
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1147 This function replaces all or part of the text matched by the last |
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1148 search. It works by means of the match data. |
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1149 |
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1150 @cindex case in replacements |
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1151 @defun replace-match replacement &optional fixedcase literal string subexp |
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1152 This function replaces the text in the buffer (or in @var{string}) that |
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1153 was matched by the last search. It replaces that text with |
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1154 @var{replacement}. |
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1155 |
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1156 If you did the last search in a buffer, you should specify @code{nil} |
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1157 for @var{string} and make sure that the current buffer when you call |
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1158 @code{replace-match} is the one in which you did the searching or |
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1159 matching. Then @code{replace-match} does the replacement by editing |
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1160 the buffer; it leaves point at the end of the replacement text, and |
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1161 returns @code{t}. |
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1162 |
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1163 If you did the search in a string, pass the same string as @var{string}. |
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1164 Then @code{replace-match} does the replacement by constructing and |
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1165 returning a new string. |
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1166 |
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1167 If @var{fixedcase} is non-@code{nil}, then @code{replace-match} uses |
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1168 the replacement text without case conversion; otherwise, it converts |
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1169 the replacement text depending upon the capitalization of the text to |
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1170 be replaced. If the original text is all upper case, this converts |
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1171 the replacement text to upper case. If all words of the original text |
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1172 are capitalized, this capitalizes all the words of the replacement |
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1173 text. If all the words are one-letter and they are all upper case, |
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1174 they are treated as capitalized words rather than all-upper-case |
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1175 words. |
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1176 |
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1177 If @var{literal} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{replacement} is inserted |
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1178 exactly as it is, the only alterations being case changes as needed. |
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1179 If it is @code{nil} (the default), then the character @samp{\} is treated |
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1180 specially. If a @samp{\} appears in @var{replacement}, then it must be |
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1181 part of one of the following sequences: |
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1182 |
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1183 @table @asis |
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1184 @item @samp{\&} |
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1185 @cindex @samp{&} in replacement |
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1186 @samp{\&} stands for the entire text being replaced. |
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1187 |
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1188 @item @samp{\@var{n}} |
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1189 @cindex @samp{\@var{n}} in replacement |
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1190 @samp{\@var{n}}, where @var{n} is a digit, stands for the text that |
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1191 matched the @var{n}th subexpression in the original regexp. |
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1192 Subexpressions are those expressions grouped inside @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. |
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1193 If the @var{n}th subexpression never matched, an empty string is substituted. |
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1194 |
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1195 @item @samp{\\} |
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1196 @cindex @samp{\} in replacement |
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1197 @samp{\\} stands for a single @samp{\} in the replacement text. |
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1198 @end table |
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1199 |
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1200 These substitutions occur after case conversion, if any, |
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1201 so the strings they substitute are never case-converted. |
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1202 |
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1203 If @var{subexp} is non-@code{nil}, that says to replace just |
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1204 subexpression number @var{subexp} of the regexp that was matched, not |
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1205 the entire match. For example, after matching @samp{foo \(ba*r\)}, |
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1206 calling @code{replace-match} with 1 as @var{subexp} means to replace |
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1207 just the text that matched @samp{\(ba*r\)}. |
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1208 @end defun |
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1209 |
6552 | 1210 @node Simple Match Data |
1211 @subsection Simple Match Data Access | |
1212 | |
12067 | 1213 This section explains how to use the match data to find out what was |
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1214 matched by the last search or match operation, if it succeeded. |
12067 | 1215 |
1216 You can ask about the entire matching text, or about a particular | |
1217 parenthetical subexpression of a regular expression. The @var{count} | |
1218 argument in the functions below specifies which. If @var{count} is | |
1219 zero, you are asking about the entire match. If @var{count} is | |
1220 positive, it specifies which subexpression you want. | |
1221 | |
1222 Recall that the subexpressions of a regular expression are those | |
1223 expressions grouped with escaped parentheses, @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. The | |
1224 @var{count}th subexpression is found by counting occurrences of | |
1225 @samp{\(} from the beginning of the whole regular expression. The first | |
1226 subexpression is numbered 1, the second 2, and so on. Only regular | |
1227 expressions can have subexpressions---after a simple string search, the | |
1228 only information available is about the entire match. | |
1229 | |
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1230 A search which fails may or may not alter the match data. In the |
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1231 past, a failing search did not do this, but we may change it in the |
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1232 future. So don't try to rely on the value of the match data after |
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1233 a failing search. |
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1234 |
12067 | 1235 @defun match-string count &optional in-string |
1236 This function returns, as a string, the text matched in the last search | |
1237 or match operation. It returns the entire text if @var{count} is zero, | |
1238 or just the portion corresponding to the @var{count}th parenthetical | |
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1239 subexpression, if @var{count} is positive. |
12067 | 1240 |
1241 If the last such operation was done against a string with | |
1242 @code{string-match}, then you should pass the same string as the | |
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1243 argument @var{in-string}. After a buffer search or match, |
12067 | 1244 you should omit @var{in-string} or pass @code{nil} for it; but you |
1245 should make sure that the current buffer when you call | |
1246 @code{match-string} is the one in which you did the searching or | |
1247 matching. | |
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1248 |
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1249 The value is @code{nil} if @var{count} is out of range, or for a |
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1250 subexpression inside a @samp{\|} alternative that wasn't used or a |
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1251 repetition that repeated zero times. |
12067 | 1252 @end defun |
6552 | 1253 |
26288 | 1254 @defun match-string-no-properties count &optional in-string |
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1255 This function is like @code{match-string} except that the result |
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1256 has no text properties. |
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1257 @end defun |
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1258 |
6552 | 1259 @defun match-beginning count |
1260 This function returns the position of the start of text matched by the | |
1261 last regular expression searched for, or a subexpression of it. | |
1262 | |
8469 | 1263 If @var{count} is zero, then the value is the position of the start of |
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1264 the entire match. Otherwise, @var{count} specifies a subexpression in |
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1265 the regular expression, and the value of the function is the starting |
12067 | 1266 position of the match for that subexpression. |
6552 | 1267 |
12067 | 1268 The value is @code{nil} for a subexpression inside a @samp{\|} |
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1269 alternative that wasn't used or a repetition that repeated zero times. |
6552 | 1270 @end defun |
1271 | |
1272 @defun match-end count | |
12067 | 1273 This function is like @code{match-beginning} except that it returns the |
1274 position of the end of the match, rather than the position of the | |
1275 beginning. | |
6552 | 1276 @end defun |
1277 | |
1278 Here is an example of using the match data, with a comment showing the | |
1279 positions within the text: | |
1280 | |
1281 @example | |
1282 @group | |
1283 (string-match "\\(qu\\)\\(ick\\)" | |
1284 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
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1285 ;0123456789 |
6552 | 1286 @result{} 4 |
1287 @end group | |
1288 | |
1289 @group | |
12067 | 1290 (match-string 0 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") |
1291 @result{} "quick" | |
1292 (match-string 1 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1293 @result{} "qu" | |
1294 (match-string 2 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1295 @result{} "ick" | |
1296 @end group | |
1297 | |
1298 @group | |
6552 | 1299 (match-beginning 1) ; @r{The beginning of the match} |
1300 @result{} 4 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 4.} | |
1301 @end group | |
1302 | |
1303 @group | |
1304 (match-beginning 2) ; @r{The beginning of the match} | |
1305 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 6.} | |
1306 @end group | |
1307 | |
1308 @group | |
1309 (match-end 1) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1310 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 6.} | |
1311 | |
1312 (match-end 2) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1313 @result{} 9 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 9.} | |
1314 @end group | |
1315 @end example | |
1316 | |
1317 Here is another example. Point is initially located at the beginning | |
1318 of the line. Searching moves point to between the space and the word | |
1319 @samp{in}. The beginning of the entire match is at the 9th character of | |
1320 the buffer (@samp{T}), and the beginning of the match for the first | |
1321 subexpression is at the 13th character (@samp{c}). | |
1322 | |
1323 @example | |
1324 @group | |
1325 (list | |
1326 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1327 (match-beginning 0) | |
1328 (match-beginning 1)) | |
8469 | 1329 @result{} (9 9 13) |
6552 | 1330 @end group |
1331 | |
1332 @group | |
1333 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1334 I read "The cat @point{}in the hat comes back" twice. | |
1335 ^ ^ | |
1336 9 13 | |
1337 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1338 @end group | |
1339 @end example | |
1340 | |
1341 @noindent | |
1342 (In this case, the index returned is a buffer position; the first | |
1343 character of the buffer counts as 1.) | |
1344 | |
1345 @node Entire Match Data | |
1346 @subsection Accessing the Entire Match Data | |
1347 | |
1348 The functions @code{match-data} and @code{set-match-data} read or | |
1349 write the entire match data, all at once. | |
1350 | |
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1351 @defun match-data &optional integers reuse reseat |
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1352 This function returns a list of positions (markers or integers) that |
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1353 record all the information on what text the last search matched. |
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1354 Element zero is the position of the beginning of the match for the |
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1355 whole expression; element one is the position of the end of the match |
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|
1356 for the expression. The next two elements are the positions of the |
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1357 beginning and end of the match for the first subexpression, and so on. |
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|
1358 In general, element |
27193 | 1359 @ifnottex |
6552 | 1360 number 2@var{n} |
27193 | 1361 @end ifnottex |
6552 | 1362 @tex |
1363 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n$} | |
1364 @end tex | |
1365 corresponds to @code{(match-beginning @var{n})}; and | |
1366 element | |
27193 | 1367 @ifnottex |
6552 | 1368 number 2@var{n} + 1 |
27193 | 1369 @end ifnottex |
6552 | 1370 @tex |
1371 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n+1$} | |
1372 @end tex | |
1373 corresponds to @code{(match-end @var{n})}. | |
1374 | |
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1375 Normally all the elements are markers or @code{nil}, but if |
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1376 @var{integers} is non-@code{nil}, that means to use integers instead |
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|
1377 of markers. (In that case, the buffer itself is appended as an |
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1378 additional element at the end of the list, to facilitate complete |
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|
1379 restoration of the match data.) If the last match was done on a |
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|
1380 string with @code{string-match}, then integers are always used, |
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|
1381 since markers can't point into a string. |
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1382 |
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1383 If @var{reuse} is non-@code{nil}, it should be a list. In that case, |
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1384 @code{match-data} stores the match data in @var{reuse}. That is, |
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1385 @var{reuse} is destructively modified. @var{reuse} does not need to |
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1386 have the right length. If it is not long enough to contain the match |
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1387 data, it is extended. If it is too long, the length of @var{reuse} |
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1388 stays the same, but the elements that were not used are set to |
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1389 @code{nil}. The purpose of this feature is to reduce the need for |
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1390 garbage collection. |
6552 | 1391 |
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1392 If @var{reseat} is non-@code{nil}, all markers on the @var{reuse} list |
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1393 are reseated to point to nowhere. |
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1394 |
6552 | 1395 As always, there must be no possibility of intervening searches between |
1396 the call to a search function and the call to @code{match-data} that is | |
1397 intended to access the match data for that search. | |
1398 | |
1399 @example | |
1400 @group | |
1401 (match-data) | |
1402 @result{} (#<marker at 9 in foo> | |
1403 #<marker at 17 in foo> | |
1404 #<marker at 13 in foo> | |
1405 #<marker at 17 in foo>) | |
1406 @end group | |
1407 @end example | |
1408 @end defun | |
1409 | |
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1410 @defun set-match-data match-list &optional reseat |
6552 | 1411 This function sets the match data from the elements of @var{match-list}, |
1412 which should be a list that was the value of a previous call to | |
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1413 @code{match-data}. (More precisely, anything that has the same format |
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1414 will work.) |
6552 | 1415 |
1416 If @var{match-list} refers to a buffer that doesn't exist, you don't get | |
1417 an error; that sets the match data in a meaningless but harmless way. | |
1418 | |
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1419 If @var{reseat} is non-@code{nil}, all markers on the @var{match-list} list |
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1420 are reseated to point to nowhere. |
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1421 |
6552 | 1422 @findex store-match-data |
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1423 @code{store-match-data} is a semi-obsolete alias for @code{set-match-data}. |
6552 | 1424 @end defun |
1425 | |
1426 @node Saving Match Data | |
1427 @subsection Saving and Restoring the Match Data | |
1428 | |
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1429 When you call a function that may do a search, you may need to save |
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|
1430 and restore the match data around that call, if you want to preserve the |
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1431 match data from an earlier search for later use. Here is an example |
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|
1432 that shows the problem that arises if you fail to save the match data: |
6552 | 1433 |
1434 @example | |
1435 @group | |
1436 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1437 @result{} 48 | |
1438 (foo) ; @r{Perhaps @code{foo} does} | |
1439 ; @r{more searching.} | |
1440 (match-end 0) | |
1441 @result{} 61 ; @r{Unexpected result---not 48!} | |
1442 @end group | |
1443 @end example | |
1444 | |
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1445 You can save and restore the match data with @code{save-match-data}: |
6552 | 1446 |
12098 | 1447 @defmac save-match-data body@dots{} |
22252
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1448 This macro executes @var{body}, saving and restoring the match |
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|
1449 data around it. The return value is the value of the last form in |
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1450 @var{body}. |
12098 | 1451 @end defmac |
6552 | 1452 |
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1453 You could use @code{set-match-data} together with @code{match-data} to |
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1454 imitate the effect of the special form @code{save-match-data}. Here is |
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1455 how: |
6552 | 1456 |
1457 @example | |
1458 @group | |
1459 (let ((data (match-data))) | |
1460 (unwind-protect | |
21007
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1461 @dots{} ; @r{Ok to change the original match data.} |
6552 | 1462 (set-match-data data))) |
1463 @end group | |
1464 @end example | |
1465 | |
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|
1466 Emacs automatically saves and restores the match data when it runs |
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|
1467 process filter functions (@pxref{Filter Functions}) and process |
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|
1468 sentinels (@pxref{Sentinels}). |
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|
1469 |
6552 | 1470 @ignore |
1471 Here is a function which restores the match data provided the buffer | |
1472 associated with it still exists. | |
1473 | |
1474 @smallexample | |
1475 @group | |
1476 (defun restore-match-data (data) | |
1477 @c It is incorrect to split the first line of a doc string. | |
1478 @c If there's a problem here, it should be solved in some other way. | |
1479 "Restore the match data DATA unless the buffer is missing." | |
1480 (catch 'foo | |
1481 (let ((d data)) | |
1482 @end group | |
1483 (while d | |
1484 (and (car d) | |
1485 (null (marker-buffer (car d))) | |
1486 @group | |
1487 ;; @file{match-data} @r{buffer is deleted.} | |
1488 (throw 'foo nil)) | |
1489 (setq d (cdr d))) | |
1490 (set-match-data data)))) | |
1491 @end group | |
1492 @end smallexample | |
1493 @end ignore | |
1494 | |
65182
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1495 @node Search and Replace |
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1496 @section Search and Replace |
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1497 @cindex replacement |
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1498 |
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1499 If you want to find all matches for a regexp in part of the buffer, |
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1500 and replace them, the best way is to write an explicit loop using |
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1501 @code{re-search-forward} and @code{replace-match}, like this: |
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|
1502 |
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|
1503 @example |
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1504 (while (re-search-forward "foo[ \t]+bar" nil t) |
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1505 (replace-match "foobar")) |
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1506 @end example |
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1507 |
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1508 @noindent |
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1509 @xref{Replacing Match,, Replacing the Text that Matched}, for a |
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1510 description of @code{replace-match}. |
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1511 |
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1512 However, replacing matches in a string is more complex, especially |
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1513 if you want to do it efficiently. So Emacs provides a function to do |
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1514 this. |
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1515 |
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1516 @defun replace-regexp-in-string regexp rep string &optional fixedcase literal subexp start |
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1517 This function copies @var{string} and searches it for matches for |
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1518 @var{regexp}, and replaces them with @var{rep}. It returns the |
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1519 modified copy. If @var{start} is non-@code{nil}, the search for |
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1520 matches starts at that index in @var{string}, so matches starting |
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1521 before that index are not changed. |
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1522 |
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1523 This function uses @code{replace-match} to do the replacement, and it |
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1524 passes the optional arguments @var{fixedcase}, @var{literal} and |
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1525 @var{subexp} along to @code{replace-match}. |
6552 | 1526 |
65182
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1527 Instead of a string, @var{rep} can be a function. In that case, |
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1528 @code{replace-regexp-in-string} calls @var{rep} for each match, |
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1529 passing the text of the match as its sole argument. It collects the |
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1530 value @var{rep} returns and passes that to @code{replace-match} as the |
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1531 replacement string. The match-data at this point are the result |
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1532 of matching @var{regexp} against a substring of @var{string}. |
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1533 @end defun |
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1534 |
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1535 If you want to write a command along the lines of @code{query-replace}, |
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1536 you can use @code{perform-replace} to do the work. |
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1537 |
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1538 @defun perform-replace from-string replacements query-flag regexp-flag delimited-flag &optional repeat-count map start end |
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1539 This function is the guts of @code{query-replace} and related |
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1540 commands. It searches for occurrences of @var{from-string} in the |
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1541 text between positions @var{start} and @var{end} and replaces some or |
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1542 all of them. If @var{start} is @code{nil} (or omitted), point is used |
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1543 instead, and the end of the buffer's accessible portion is used for |
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1544 @var{end}. |
6552 | 1545 |
65182
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1546 If @var{query-flag} is @code{nil}, it replaces all |
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1547 occurrences; otherwise, it asks the user what to do about each one. |
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1548 |
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1549 If @var{regexp-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{from-string} is |
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1550 considered a regular expression; otherwise, it must match literally. If |
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1551 @var{delimited-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then only replacements |
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1552 surrounded by word boundaries are considered. |
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1553 |
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1554 The argument @var{replacements} specifies what to replace occurrences |
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1555 with. If it is a string, that string is used. It can also be a list of |
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1556 strings, to be used in cyclic order. |
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1557 |
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1558 If @var{replacements} is a cons cell, @code{(@var{function} |
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1559 . @var{data})}, this means to call @var{function} after each match to |
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1560 get the replacement text. This function is called with two arguments: |
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1561 @var{data}, and the number of replacements already made. |
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1562 |
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1563 If @var{repeat-count} is non-@code{nil}, it should be an integer. Then |
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1564 it specifies how many times to use each of the strings in the |
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1565 @var{replacements} list before advancing cyclically to the next one. |
6552 | 1566 |
65182
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1567 If @var{from-string} contains upper-case letters, then |
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1568 @code{perform-replace} binds @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}, and |
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1569 it uses the @code{replacements} without altering the case of them. |
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1570 |
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1571 Normally, the keymap @code{query-replace-map} defines the possible |
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1572 user responses for queries. The argument @var{map}, if |
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1573 non-@code{nil}, specifies a keymap to use instead of |
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1574 @code{query-replace-map}. |
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1575 @end defun |
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|
1576 |
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|
1577 @defvar query-replace-map |
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1578 This variable holds a special keymap that defines the valid user |
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1579 responses for @code{perform-replace} and the commands that use it, as |
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1580 well as @code{y-or-n-p} and @code{map-y-or-n-p}. This map is unusual |
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1581 in two ways: |
6552 | 1582 |
65182
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1583 @itemize @bullet |
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1584 @item |
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|
1585 The ``key bindings'' are not commands, just symbols that are meaningful |
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1586 to the functions that use this map. |
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|
1587 |
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|
1588 @item |
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|
1589 Prefix keys are not supported; each key binding must be for a |
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1590 single-event key sequence. This is because the functions don't use |
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1591 @code{read-key-sequence} to get the input; instead, they read a single |
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1592 event and look it up ``by hand.'' |
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1593 @end itemize |
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1594 @end defvar |
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|
1595 |
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1596 Here are the meaningful ``bindings'' for @code{query-replace-map}. |
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1597 Several of them are meaningful only for @code{query-replace} and |
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|
1598 friends. |
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|
1599 |
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|
1600 @table @code |
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|
1601 @item act |
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1602 Do take the action being considered---in other words, ``yes.'' |
8469 | 1603 |
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1604 @item skip |
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1605 Do not take action for this question---in other words, ``no.'' |
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|
1606 |
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|
1607 @item exit |
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1608 Answer this question ``no,'' and give up on the entire series of |
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1609 questions, assuming that the answers will be ``no.'' |
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|
1610 |
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|
1611 @item act-and-exit |
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1612 Answer this question ``yes,'' and give up on the entire series of |
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|
1613 questions, assuming that subsequent answers will be ``no.'' |
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|
1614 |
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|
1615 @item act-and-show |
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1616 Answer this question ``yes,'' but show the results---don't advance yet |
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1617 to the next question. |
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|
1618 |
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|
1619 @item automatic |
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|
1620 Answer this question and all subsequent questions in the series with |
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1621 ``yes,'' without further user interaction. |
6552 | 1622 |
65182
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1623 @item backup |
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1624 Move back to the previous place that a question was asked about. |
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|
1625 |
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|
1626 @item edit |
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1627 Enter a recursive edit to deal with this question---instead of any |
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1628 other action that would normally be taken. |
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|
1629 |
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|
1630 @item delete-and-edit |
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1631 Delete the text being considered, then enter a recursive edit to replace |
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1632 it. |
6552 | 1633 |
65182
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1634 @item recenter |
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1635 Redisplay and center the window, then ask the same question again. |
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1636 |
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|
1637 @item quit |
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1638 Perform a quit right away. Only @code{y-or-n-p} and related functions |
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1639 use this answer. |
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|
1640 |
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|
1641 @item help |
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1642 Display some help, then ask again. |
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1643 @end table |
6552 | 1644 |
1645 @node Standard Regexps | |
1646 @section Standard Regular Expressions Used in Editing | |
1647 @cindex regexps used standardly in editing | |
1648 @cindex standard regexps used in editing | |
1649 | |
1650 This section describes some variables that hold regular expressions | |
1651 used for certain purposes in editing: | |
1652 | |
1653 @defvar page-delimiter | |
21682
90da2489c498
*** empty log message ***
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1654 This is the regular expression describing line-beginnings that separate |
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*** empty log message ***
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1655 pages. The default value is @code{"^\014"} (i.e., @code{"^^L"} or |
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*** empty log message ***
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1656 @code{"^\C-l"}); this matches a line that starts with a formfeed |
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*** empty log message ***
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1657 character. |
6552 | 1658 @end defvar |
1659 | |
12067 | 1660 The following two regular expressions should @emph{not} assume the |
1661 match always starts at the beginning of a line; they should not use | |
1662 @samp{^} to anchor the match. Most often, the paragraph commands do | |
1663 check for a match only at the beginning of a line, which means that | |
12098 | 1664 @samp{^} would be superfluous. When there is a nonzero left margin, |
1665 they accept matches that start after the left margin. In that case, a | |
1666 @samp{^} would be incorrect. However, a @samp{^} is harmless in modes | |
1667 where a left margin is never used. | |
12067 | 1668 |
6552 | 1669 @defvar paragraph-separate |
1670 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line | |
1671 that separates paragraphs. (If you change this, you may have to | |
8469 | 1672 change @code{paragraph-start} also.) The default value is |
12067 | 1673 @w{@code{"[@ \t\f]*$"}}, which matches a line that consists entirely of |
1674 spaces, tabs, and form feeds (after its left margin). | |
6552 | 1675 @end defvar |
1676 | |
1677 @defvar paragraph-start | |
1678 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line | |
1679 that starts @emph{or} separates paragraphs. The default value is | |
53568
a93ed629b104
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1680 @w{@code{"\f\\|[ \t]*$"}}, which matches a line containing only |
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|
1681 whitespace or starting with a form feed (after its left margin). |
6552 | 1682 @end defvar |
1683 | |
1684 @defvar sentence-end | |
57403
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(Regexp Example): Update description of how Emacs currently recognizes
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|
1685 If non-@code{nil}, the value should be a regular expression describing |
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1686 the end of a sentence, including the whitespace following the |
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|
1687 sentence. (All paragraph boundaries also end sentences, regardless.) |
6552 | 1688 |
57403
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1689 If the value is @code{nil}, the default, then the function |
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1690 @code{sentence-end} has to construct the regexp. That is why you |
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1691 should always call the function @code{sentence-end} to obtain the |
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1692 regexp to be used to recognize the end of a sentence. |
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1693 @end defvar |
6552 | 1694 |
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1695 @defun sentence-end |
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1696 This function returns the value of the variable @code{sentence-end}, |
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1697 if non-@code{nil}. Otherwise it returns a default value based on the |
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1698 values of the variables @code{sentence-end-double-space} |
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1699 (@pxref{Definition of sentence-end-double-space}), |
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1700 @code{sentence-end-without-period} and |
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1701 @code{sentence-end-without-space}. |
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1702 @end defun |
52401 | 1703 |
1704 @ignore | |
1705 arch-tag: c2573ca2-18aa-4839-93b8-924043ef831f | |
1706 @end ignore |