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annotate lispref/searching.texi @ 37214:b67db6e4ed56
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author | Gerd Moellmann <gerd@gnu.org> |
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date | Thu, 05 Apr 2001 13:13:10 +0000 |
parents | d3872b19023d |
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6552 | 1 @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. | |
27189 | 3 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999 |
4 @c 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. | |
19 * Regular Expressions:: Describing classes of strings. | |
20 * Regexp Search:: Searching for a match for a regexp. | |
12067 | 21 * POSIX Regexps:: Searching POSIX-style for the longest match. |
6552 | 22 * Search and Replace:: Internals of @code{query-replace}. |
23 * Match Data:: Finding out which part of the text matched | |
24 various parts of a regexp, after regexp search. | |
25 * Searching and Case:: Case-independent or case-significant searching. | |
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. |
6552 | 94 @end deffn |
95 | |
96 @deffn Command search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
97 This function searches backward from point for @var{string}. It is | |
98 just like @code{search-forward} except that it searches backwards and | |
99 leaves point at the beginning of the match. | |
100 @end deffn | |
101 | |
102 @deffn Command word-search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
103 @cindex word search | |
104 This function searches forward from point for a ``word'' match for | |
105 @var{string}. If it finds a match, it sets point to the end of the | |
106 match found, and returns the new value of point. | |
107 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
108 | |
109 Word matching regards @var{string} as a sequence of words, disregarding | |
110 punctuation that separates them. It searches the buffer for the same | |
111 sequence of words. Each word must be distinct in the buffer (searching | |
112 for the word @samp{ball} does not match the word @samp{balls}), but the | |
113 details of punctuation and spacing are ignored (searching for @samp{ball | |
114 boy} does match @samp{ball. Boy!}). | |
115 | |
116 In this example, point is initially at the beginning of the buffer; the | |
117 search leaves it between the @samp{y} and the @samp{!}. | |
118 | |
119 @example | |
120 @group | |
121 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
122 @point{}He said "Please! Find | |
123 the ball boy!" | |
124 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
125 @end group | |
126 | |
127 @group | |
128 (word-search-forward "Please find the ball, boy.") | |
129 @result{} 35 | |
130 | |
131 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
132 He said "Please! Find | |
133 the ball boy@point{}!" | |
134 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
135 @end group | |
136 @end example | |
137 | |
138 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil} (it must be a position in the current | |
139 buffer), then it is the upper bound to the search. The match found must | |
140 not extend after that position. | |
141 | |
142 If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, then @code{word-search-forward} signals | |
143 an error if the search fails. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, then it | |
144 returns @code{nil} instead of signaling an error. If @var{noerror} is | |
145 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, it moves point to @var{limit} (or the | |
146 end of the buffer) and returns @code{nil}. | |
147 | |
148 If @var{repeat} is non-@code{nil}, then the search is repeated that many | |
149 times. Point is positioned at the end of the last match. | |
150 @end deffn | |
151 | |
152 @deffn Command word-search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
153 This function searches backward from point for a word match to | |
154 @var{string}. This function is just like @code{word-search-forward} | |
155 except that it searches backward and normally leaves point at the | |
156 beginning of the match. | |
157 @end deffn | |
158 | |
159 @node Regular Expressions | |
160 @section Regular Expressions | |
161 @cindex regular expression | |
162 @cindex regexp | |
163 | |
164 A @dfn{regular expression} (@dfn{regexp}, for short) is a pattern that | |
165 denotes a (possibly infinite) set of strings. Searching for matches for | |
166 a regexp is a very powerful operation. This section explains how to write | |
167 regexps; the following section says how to search for them. | |
168 | |
169 @menu | |
170 * Syntax of Regexps:: Rules for writing regular expressions. | |
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171 * Regexp Functions:: Functions for operating on regular expressions. |
6552 | 172 * Regexp Example:: Illustrates regular expression syntax. |
173 @end menu | |
174 | |
175 @node Syntax of Regexps | |
176 @subsection Syntax of Regular Expressions | |
177 | |
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178 Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are |
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179 special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary |
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180 character is a simple regular expression that matches that character and |
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181 nothing else. The special characters are @samp{.}, @samp{*}, @samp{+}, |
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182 @samp{?}, @samp{[}, @samp{]}, @samp{^}, @samp{$}, and @samp{\}; no new |
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183 special characters will be defined in the future. Any other character |
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184 appearing in a regular expression is ordinary, unless a @samp{\} |
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185 precedes it. |
6552 | 186 |
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187 For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and |
6552 | 188 therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string |
189 @samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string | |
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190 @samp{fg}, but it does match a @emph{part} of that string.) Likewise, |
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191 @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches only @samp{o}.@refill |
6552 | 192 |
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193 Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The |
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194 result is a regular expression that matches a string if @var{a} matches |
6552 | 195 some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of |
196 the string.@refill | |
197 | |
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198 As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f} |
6552 | 199 and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only |
200 the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something more powerful, you | |
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201 need to use one of the special regular expression constructs. |
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202 |
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203 @menu |
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204 * Regexp Special:: Special characters in regular expressions. |
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205 * Char Classes:: Character classes used in regular expressions. |
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206 * Regexp Backslash:: Backslash-sequences in regular expressions. |
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207 @end menu |
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208 |
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209 @node Regexp Special |
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210 @subsubsection Special Characters in Regular Expressions |
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211 |
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212 Here is a list of the characters that are special in a regular |
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213 expression. |
6552 | 214 |
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215 @need 800 |
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216 @table @asis |
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217 @item @samp{.}@: @r{(Period)} |
6552 | 218 @cindex @samp{.} in regexp |
219 is a special character that matches any single character except a newline. | |
220 Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which | |
221 matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with | |
222 @samp{b}.@refill | |
223 | |
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224 @item @samp{*} |
6552 | 225 @cindex @samp{*} in regexp |
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226 is not a construct by itself; it is a postfix operator that means to |
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227 match the preceding regular expression repetitively as many times as |
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228 possible. Thus, @samp{o*} matches any number of @samp{o}s (including no |
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229 @samp{o}s). |
6552 | 230 |
231 @samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding | |
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232 expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a repeating |
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233 @samp{fo}. It matches @samp{f}, @samp{fo}, @samp{foo}, and so on. |
6552 | 234 |
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235 The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately, as |
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236 many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest of |
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237 the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some of the |
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238 matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in the hope that that will |
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239 make it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in |
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240 matching @samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} |
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241 first tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is |
6552 | 242 @samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails. |
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243 The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s. With |
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244 this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully.@refill |
6552 | 245 |
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246 Nested repetition operators can be extremely slow if they specify |
12067 | 247 backtracking loops. For example, it could take hours for the regular |
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248 expression @samp{\(x+y*\)*a} to try to match the sequence |
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249 @samp{xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxz}, before it ultimately fails. |
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250 The slowness is because Emacs must try each imaginable way of grouping |
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251 the 35 @samp{x}s before concluding that none of them can work. To make |
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252 sure your regular expressions run fast, check nested repetitions |
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253 carefully. |
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254 |
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255 @item @samp{+} |
6552 | 256 @cindex @samp{+} in regexp |
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257 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match |
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258 the preceding expression at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r} |
6552 | 259 matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string |
260 @samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings. | |
261 | |
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262 @item @samp{?} |
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264 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match the |
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265 preceding expression either once or not at all. For example, |
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266 @samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}; nothing else. |
6552 | 267 |
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268 @item @samp{*?}, @samp{+?}, @samp{??} |
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269 These are ``non-greedy'' variants of the operators @samp{*}, @samp{+} |
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270 and @samp{?}. Where those operators match the largest possible |
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271 substring (consistent with matching the entire containing expression), |
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272 the non-greedy variants match the smallest possible substring |
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273 (consistent with matching the entire containing expression). |
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274 |
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275 For example, the regular expression @samp{c[ad]*a} when applied to the |
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276 string @samp{cdaaada} matches the whole string; but the regular |
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277 expression @samp{c[ad]*?a}, applied to that same string, matches just |
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278 @samp{cda}. (The smallest possible match here for @samp{[ad]*?} that |
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279 permits the whole expression to match is @samp{d}.) |
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280 |
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281 @item @samp{[ @dots{} ]} |
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282 @cindex character alternative (in regexp) |
6552 | 283 @cindex @samp{[} in regexp |
284 @cindex @samp{]} in regexp | |
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285 is a @dfn{character alternative}, which begins with @samp{[} and is |
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286 terminated by @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between |
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287 the two brackets are what this character alternative can match. |
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289 Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one @samp{d}, and |
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290 @samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s and @samp{d}s |
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291 (including the empty string), from which it follows that @samp{c[ad]*r} |
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292 matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, @samp{caddaar}, etc. |
6552 | 293 |
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294 You can also include character ranges in a character alternative, by |
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295 writing the starting and ending characters with a @samp{-} between them. |
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296 Thus, @samp{[a-z]} matches any lower-case @sc{ascii} letter. Ranges may be |
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297 intermixed freely with individual characters, as in @samp{[a-z$%.]}, |
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298 which matches any lower case @sc{ascii} letter or @samp{$}, @samp{%} or |
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299 period. |
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301 Note that the usual regexp special characters are not special inside a |
24934 | 302 character alternative. A completely different set of characters is |
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303 special inside character alternatives: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}. |
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304 |
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305 To include a @samp{]} in a character alternative, you must make it the |
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306 first character. For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. |
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307 To include a @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first or last character of |
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308 the character alternative, or put it after a range. Thus, @samp{[]-]} |
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309 matches both @samp{]} and @samp{-}. |
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311 To include @samp{^} in a character alternative, put it anywhere but at |
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312 the beginning. |
6552 | 313 |
32464 | 314 The beginning and end of a range of multibyte characters must be in the |
315 same character set (@pxref{Character Sets}). Thus, @samp{[\x8e0-\x97c]} | |
316 is invalid because character 0x8e0 (@samp{a} with grave accent) is in | |
317 the Emacs character set for Latin-1 but the character 0x97c (@samp{u} | |
318 with diaeresis) is in the Emacs character set for Latin-2. | |
319 | |
320 If a range starts with a unibyte character @var{c} and ends with a | |
321 multibyte character @var{c2}, the range is divided into two parts: one | |
322 is @samp{@var{c}..?\377}, the other is @samp{@var{c1}..@var{c2}}, where | |
323 @var{c1} is the first character of the charset to which @var{c2} | |
324 belongs. | |
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325 |
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326 You cannot always match all non-@sc{ascii} characters with the regular |
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327 expression @samp{[\200-\377]}. This works when searching a unibyte |
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328 buffer or string (@pxref{Text Representations}), but not in a multibyte |
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329 buffer or string, because many non-@sc{ascii} characters have codes |
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330 above octal 0377. However, the regular expression @samp{[^\000-\177]} |
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331 does match all non-@sc{ascii} characters (see below regarding @samp{^}), |
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332 in both multibyte and unibyte representations, because only the |
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333 @sc{ascii} characters are excluded. |
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334 |
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335 Starting in Emacs 21, a character alternative can also specify named |
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336 character classes (@pxref{Char Classes}). This is a POSIX feature whose |
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337 syntax is @samp{[:@var{class}:]}. Using a character class is equivalent |
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338 to mentioning each of the characters in that class; but the latter is |
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339 not feasible in practice, since some classes include thousands of |
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340 different characters. |
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341 |
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342 @item @samp{[^ @dots{} ]} |
6552 | 343 @cindex @samp{^} in regexp |
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344 @samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complemented character alternative}, which matches any |
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345 character except the ones specified. Thus, @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} matches |
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346 all characters @emph{except} letters and digits. |
6552 | 347 |
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348 @samp{^} is not special in a character alternative unless it is the first |
6552 | 349 character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it |
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350 were first (in other words, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there). |
6552 | 351 |
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352 A complemented character alternative can match a newline, unless newline is |
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353 mentioned as one of the characters not to match. This is in contrast to |
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354 the handling of regexps in programs such as @code{grep}. |
6552 | 355 |
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356 @item @samp{^} |
6552 | 357 @cindex beginning of line in regexp |
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358 is a special character that matches the empty string, but only at the |
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359 beginning of a line in the text being matched. Otherwise it fails to |
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360 match anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at |
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361 the beginning of a line. |
6552 | 362 |
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363 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{^} matches at the |
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364 beginning of the string or after a newline character @samp{\n}. |
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366 For historical compatibility reasons, @samp{^} can be used only at the |
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367 beginning of the regular expression, or after @samp{\(} or @samp{\|}. |
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368 |
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369 @item @samp{$} |
6552 | 370 @cindex @samp{$} in regexp |
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371 @cindex end of line in regexp |
6552 | 372 is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line. Thus, |
373 @samp{x+$} matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line. | |
374 | |
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375 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{$} matches at the end |
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376 of the string or before a newline character @samp{\n}. |
6552 | 377 |
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378 For historical compatibility reasons, @samp{$} can be used only at the |
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379 end of the regular expression, or before @samp{\)} or @samp{\|}. |
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380 |
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381 @item @samp{\} |
6552 | 382 @cindex @samp{\} in regexp |
383 has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including | |
384 @samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs. | |
385 | |
386 Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular | |
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387 expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular |
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388 expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on. |
6552 | 389 |
390 Note that @samp{\} also has special meaning in the read syntax of Lisp | |
391 strings (@pxref{String Type}), and must be quoted with @samp{\}. For | |
392 example, the regular expression that matches the @samp{\} character is | |
393 @samp{\\}. To write a Lisp string that contains the characters | |
394 @samp{\\}, Lisp syntax requires you to quote each @samp{\} with another | |
395 @samp{\}. Therefore, the read syntax for a regular expression matching | |
396 @samp{\} is @code{"\\\\"}.@refill | |
397 @end table | |
398 | |
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399 @strong{Please note:} For historical compatibility, special characters |
6552 | 400 are treated as ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special |
401 meanings make no sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as | |
402 ordinary since there is no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} | |
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403 can act. It is poor practice to depend on this behavior; quote the |
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404 special character anyway, regardless of where it appears.@refill |
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406 @node Char Classes |
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407 @subsubsection Character Classes |
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408 @cindex character classes in regexp |
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409 |
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410 Here is a table of the classes you can use in a character alternative, |
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411 in Emacs 21, and what they mean: |
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412 |
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413 @table @samp |
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414 @item [:ascii:] |
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415 This matches any @sc{ascii} (unibyte) character. |
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416 @item [:alnum:] |
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417 This matches any letter or digit. (At present, for multibyte |
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418 characters, it matches anything that has word syntax.) |
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419 @item [:alpha:] |
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420 This matches any letter. (At present, for multibyte characters, it |
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421 matches anything that has word syntax.) |
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422 @item [:blank:] |
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423 This matches space and tab only. |
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424 @item [:cntrl:] |
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425 This matches any @sc{ascii} control character. |
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426 @item [:digit:] |
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427 This matches @samp{0} through @samp{9}. Thus, @samp{[-+[:digit:]]} |
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428 matches any digit, as well as @samp{+} and @samp{-}. |
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429 @item [:graph:] |
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430 This matches graphic characters---everything except @sc{ascii} control |
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431 characters, space, and the delete character. |
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432 @item [:lower:] |
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433 This matches any lower-case letter, as determined by |
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434 the current case table (@pxref{Case Tables}). |
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435 @item [:nonascii:] |
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436 This matches any non-@sc{ascii} (multibyte) character. |
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437 @item [:print:] |
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438 This matches printing characters---everything except @sc{ascii} control |
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439 characters and the delete character. |
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440 @item [:punct:] |
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441 This matches any punctuation character. (At present, for multibyte |
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442 characters, it matches anything that has non-word syntax.) |
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443 @item [:space:] |
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444 This matches any character that has whitespace syntax |
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445 (@pxref{Syntax Class Table}). |
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446 @item [:upper:] |
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447 This matches any upper-case letter, as determined by |
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448 the current case table (@pxref{Case Tables}). |
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449 @item [:word:] |
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450 This matches any character that has word syntax (@pxref{Syntax Class |
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451 Table}). |
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452 @item [:xdigit:] |
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453 This matches the hexadecimal digits: @samp{0} through @samp{9}, @samp{a} |
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454 through @samp{f} and @samp{A} through @samp{F}. |
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455 @end table |
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456 |
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457 @node Regexp Backslash |
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458 @subsubsection Backslash Constructs in Regular Expressions |
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459 |
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460 For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only |
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461 that character. However, there are several exceptions: certain |
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462 two-character sequences starting with @samp{\} that have special |
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463 meanings. (The character after the @samp{\} in such a sequence is |
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464 always ordinary when used on its own.) Here is a table of the special |
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465 @samp{\} constructs. |
6552 | 466 |
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467 @table @samp |
6552 | 468 @item \| |
469 @cindex @samp{|} in regexp | |
470 @cindex regexp alternative | |
471 specifies an alternative. | |
472 Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} with @samp{\|} in | |
473 between form an expression that matches anything that either @var{a} or | |
474 @var{b} matches.@refill | |
475 | |
476 Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar} | |
477 but no other string.@refill | |
478 | |
479 @samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a | |
480 surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of | |
481 @samp{\|}.@refill | |
482 | |
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483 Full backtracking capability exists to handle multiple uses of |
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484 @samp{\|}, if you use the POSIX regular expression functions |
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485 (@pxref{POSIX Regexps}). |
6552 | 486 |
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487 @item \@{@var{m}\@} |
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488 is a postfix operator that repeats the previous pattern exactly @var{m} |
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489 times. Thus, @samp{x\@{5\@}} matches the string @samp{xxxxx} |
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490 and nothing else. @samp{c[ad]\@{3\@}r} matches string such as |
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491 @samp{caaar}, @samp{cdddr}, @samp{cadar}, and so on. |
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492 |
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493 @item \@{@var{m},@var{n}\@} |
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494 is more general postfix operator that specifies repetition with a |
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495 minimum of @var{m} repeats and a maximum of @var{n} repeats. If @var{m} |
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496 is omitted, the minimum is 0; if @var{n} is omitted, there is no |
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497 maximum. |
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498 |
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499 For example, @samp{c[ad]\@{1,2\@}r} matches the strings @samp{car}, |
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500 @samp{cdr}, @samp{caar}, @samp{cadr}, @samp{cdar}, and @samp{cddr}, and |
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501 nothing else.@* |
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502 @samp{\@{0,1\@}} or @samp{\@{,1\@}} is equivalent to @samp{?}. @* |
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503 @samp{\@{0,\@}} or @samp{\@{,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{*}. @* |
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504 @samp{\@{1,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{+}. |
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505 |
6552 | 506 @item \( @dots{} \) |
507 @cindex @samp{(} in regexp | |
508 @cindex @samp{)} in regexp | |
509 @cindex regexp grouping | |
510 is a grouping construct that serves three purposes: | |
511 | |
512 @enumerate | |
513 @item | |
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514 To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations. Thus, |
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515 the regular expression @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} |
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516 or @samp{barx}. |
6552 | 517 |
518 @item | |
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519 To enclose a complicated expression for the postfix operators @samp{*}, |
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520 @samp{+} and @samp{?} to operate on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches |
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521 @samp{ba}, @samp{bana}, @samp{banana}, @samp{bananana}, etc., with any |
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522 number (zero or more) of @samp{na} strings. |
6552 | 523 |
524 @item | |
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525 To record a matched substring for future reference with |
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526 @samp{\@var{digit}} (see below). |
6552 | 527 @end enumerate |
528 | |
529 This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a | |
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530 parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that was assigned as a |
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531 second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct because, in |
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532 pratice, there was usually no conflict between the two meanings. But |
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533 occasionally there is a conflict, and that led to the introduction of |
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534 shy groups. |
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535 |
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536 @item \(?: @dots{} \) |
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537 is the @dfn{shy group} construct. A shy group serves the first two |
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538 purposes of an ordinary group (controlling the nesting of other |
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539 operators), but it does not get a number, so you cannot refer back to |
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540 its value with @samp{\@var{digit}}. |
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541 |
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542 Shy groups are particulary useful for mechanically-constructed regular |
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543 expressions because they can be added automatically without altering the |
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544 numbering of any ordinary, non-shy groups. |
6552 | 545 |
546 @item \@var{digit} | |
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547 matches the same text that matched the @var{digit}th occurrence of a |
6552 | 548 @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. |
549 | |
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550 In other words, after the end of a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct, the |
6552 | 551 matcher remembers the beginning and end of the text matched by that |
552 construct. Then, later on in the regular expression, you can use | |
553 @samp{\} followed by @var{digit} to match that same text, whatever it | |
554 may have been. | |
555 | |
556 The strings matching the first nine @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs | |
557 appearing in a regular expression are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in | |
558 the order that the open parentheses appear in the regular expression. | |
559 So you can use @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched | |
560 by the corresponding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs. | |
561 | |
562 For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is | |
563 composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first | |
564 half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match | |
565 the same exact text. | |
566 | |
567 @item \w | |
568 @cindex @samp{\w} in regexp | |
569 matches any word-constituent character. The editor syntax table | |
570 determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax Tables}. | |
571 | |
572 @item \W | |
573 @cindex @samp{\W} in regexp | |
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574 matches any character that is not a word constituent. |
6552 | 575 |
576 @item \s@var{code} | |
577 @cindex @samp{\s} in regexp | |
578 matches any character whose syntax is @var{code}. Here @var{code} is a | |
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579 character that represents a syntax code: thus, @samp{w} for word |
6552 | 580 constituent, @samp{-} for whitespace, @samp{(} for open parenthesis, |
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581 etc. To represent whitespace syntax, use either @samp{-} or a space |
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582 character. @xref{Syntax Class Table}, for a list of syntax codes and |
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583 the characters that stand for them. |
6552 | 584 |
585 @item \S@var{code} | |
586 @cindex @samp{\S} in regexp | |
587 matches any character whose syntax is not @var{code}. | |
35796 | 588 |
589 @item \c@var{c} | |
590 matches any character whose category is @var{c}. Here @var{c} is a | |
591 character that represents a category: thus, @samp{c} for Chinese | |
592 characters or @samp{g} for Greek characters in the standard category | |
593 table. | |
594 | |
595 @item \C@var{c} | |
596 matches any character whose category is not @var{c}. | |
6552 | 597 @end table |
598 | |
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599 The following regular expression constructs match the empty string---that is, |
6552 | 600 they don't use up any characters---but whether they match depends on the |
601 context. | |
602 | |
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603 @table @samp |
6552 | 604 @item \` |
605 @cindex @samp{\`} in regexp | |
606 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning | |
607 of the buffer or string being matched against. | |
608 | |
609 @item \' | |
610 @cindex @samp{\'} in regexp | |
611 matches the empty string, but only at the end of | |
612 the buffer or string being matched against. | |
613 | |
614 @item \= | |
615 @cindex @samp{\=} in regexp | |
616 matches the empty string, but only at point. | |
617 (This construct is not defined when matching against a string.) | |
618 | |
619 @item \b | |
620 @cindex @samp{\b} in regexp | |
621 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or | |
622 end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of | |
623 @samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches | |
624 @samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word.@refill | |
625 | |
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626 @samp{\b} matches at the beginning or end of the buffer |
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627 regardless of what text appears next to it. |
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628 |
6552 | 629 @item \B |
630 @cindex @samp{\B} in regexp | |
631 matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or | |
632 end of a word. | |
633 | |
634 @item \< | |
635 @cindex @samp{\<} in regexp | |
636 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word. | |
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637 @samp{\<} matches at the beginning of the buffer only if a |
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638 word-constituent character follows. |
6552 | 639 |
640 @item \> | |
641 @cindex @samp{\>} in regexp | |
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642 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. @samp{\>} |
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643 matches at the end of the buffer only if the contents end with a |
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644 word-constituent character. |
6552 | 645 @end table |
646 | |
647 @kindex invalid-regexp | |
648 Not every string is a valid regular expression. For example, a string | |
649 with unbalanced square brackets is invalid (with a few exceptions, such | |
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650 as @samp{[]]}), and so is a string that ends with a single @samp{\}. If |
6552 | 651 an invalid regular expression is passed to any of the search functions, |
652 an @code{invalid-regexp} error is signaled. | |
653 | |
654 @node Regexp Example | |
655 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
656 @subsection Complex Regexp Example | |
657 | |
658 Here is a complicated regexp, used by Emacs to recognize the end of a | |
659 sentence together with any whitespace that follows. It is the value of | |
660 the variable @code{sentence-end}. | |
661 | |
662 First, we show the regexp as a string in Lisp syntax to distinguish | |
663 spaces from tab characters. The string constant begins and ends with a | |
664 double-quote. @samp{\"} stands for a double-quote as part of the | |
665 string, @samp{\\} for a backslash as part of the string, @samp{\t} for a | |
666 tab and @samp{\n} for a newline. | |
667 | |
668 @example | |
669 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*" | |
670 @end example | |
671 | |
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672 @noindent |
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673 In contrast, if you evaluate the variable @code{sentence-end}, you |
6552 | 674 will see the following: |
675 | |
676 @example | |
677 @group | |
678 sentence-end | |
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679 @result{} "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\| \\| \\)[ |
6552 | 680 ]*" |
681 @end group | |
682 @end example | |
683 | |
684 @noindent | |
685 In this output, tab and newline appear as themselves. | |
686 | |
687 This regular expression contains four parts in succession and can be | |
688 deciphered as follows: | |
689 | |
690 @table @code | |
691 @item [.?!] | |
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692 The first part of the pattern is a character alternative that matches |
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693 any one of three characters: period, question mark, and exclamation |
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694 mark. The match must begin with one of these three characters. |
6552 | 695 |
696 @item []\"')@}]* | |
697 The second part of the pattern matches any closing braces and quotation | |
698 marks, zero or more of them, that may follow the period, question mark | |
699 or exclamation mark. The @code{\"} is Lisp syntax for a double-quote in | |
700 a string. The @samp{*} at the end indicates that the immediately | |
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701 preceding regular expression (a character alternative, in this case) may be |
6552 | 702 repeated zero or more times. |
703 | |
8469 | 704 @item \\($\\|@ $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\) |
6552 | 705 The third part of the pattern matches the whitespace that follows the |
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706 end of a sentence: the end of a line (optionally with a space), or a |
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707 tab, or two spaces. The double backslashes mark the parentheses and |
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708 vertical bars as regular expression syntax; the parentheses delimit a |
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709 group and the vertical bars separate alternatives. The dollar sign is |
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710 used to match the end of a line. |
6552 | 711 |
712 @item [ \t\n]* | |
713 Finally, the last part of the pattern matches any additional whitespace | |
714 beyond the minimum needed to end a sentence. | |
715 @end table | |
716 | |
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717 @node Regexp Functions |
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718 @subsection Regular Expression Functions |
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719 |
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720 These functions operate on regular expressions. |
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721 |
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722 @defun regexp-quote string |
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723 This function returns a regular expression whose only exact match is |
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724 @var{string}. Using this regular expression in @code{looking-at} will |
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725 succeed only if the next characters in the buffer are @var{string}; |
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726 using it in a search function will succeed if the text being searched |
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727 contains @var{string}. |
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728 |
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729 This allows you to request an exact string match or search when calling |
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730 a function that wants a regular expression. |
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731 |
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732 @example |
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733 @group |
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734 (regexp-quote "^The cat$") |
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735 @result{} "\\^The cat\\$" |
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736 @end group |
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737 @end example |
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738 |
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739 One use of @code{regexp-quote} is to combine an exact string match with |
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740 context described as a regular expression. For example, this searches |
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741 for the string that is the value of @var{string}, surrounded by |
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742 whitespace: |
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743 |
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744 @example |
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745 @group |
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746 (re-search-forward |
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747 (concat "\\s-" (regexp-quote string) "\\s-")) |
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748 @end group |
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749 @end example |
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750 @end defun |
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751 |
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752 @defun regexp-opt strings &optional paren |
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753 This function returns an efficient regular expression that will match |
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754 any of the strings @var{strings}. This is useful when you need to make |
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755 matching or searching as fast as possible---for example, for Font Lock |
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756 mode. |
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757 |
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758 If the optional argument @var{paren} is non-@code{nil}, then the |
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759 returned regular expression is always enclosed by at least one |
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760 parentheses-grouping construct. |
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761 |
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762 This simplified definition of @code{regexp-opt} produces a |
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763 regular expression which is equivalent to the actual value |
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764 (but not as efficient): |
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765 |
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766 @example |
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767 (defun regexp-opt (strings paren) |
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768 (let ((open-paren (if paren "\\(" "")) |
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769 (close-paren (if paren "\\)" ""))) |
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770 (concat open-paren |
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771 (mapconcat 'regexp-quote strings "\\|") |
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772 close-paren))) |
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773 @end example |
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774 @end defun |
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775 |
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776 @defun regexp-opt-depth regexp |
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777 This function returns the total number of grouping constructs |
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778 (parenthesized expressions) in @var{regexp}. |
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779 @end defun |
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780 |
6552 | 781 @node Regexp Search |
782 @section Regular Expression Searching | |
783 @cindex regular expression searching | |
784 @cindex regexp searching | |
785 @cindex searching for regexp | |
786 | |
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787 In GNU Emacs, you can search for the next match for a regular |
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788 expression either incrementally or not. For incremental search |
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789 commands, see @ref{Regexp Search, , Regular Expression Search, emacs, |
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790 The GNU Emacs Manual}. Here we describe only the search functions |
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791 useful in programs. The principal one is @code{re-search-forward}. |
6552 | 792 |
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793 These search functions convert the regular expression to multibyte if |
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794 the buffer is multibyte; they convert the regular expression to unibyte |
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795 if the buffer is unibyte. @xref{Text Representations}. |
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796 |
6552 | 797 @deffn Command re-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat |
798 This function searches forward in the current buffer for a string of | |
799 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}. The | |
800 function skips over any amount of text that is not matched by | |
801 @var{regexp}, and leaves point at the end of the first match found. | |
802 It returns the new value of point. | |
803 | |
804 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil} (it must be a position in the current | |
805 buffer), then it is the upper bound to the search. No match extending | |
806 after that position is accepted. | |
807 | |
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808 If @var{repeat} is supplied (it must be a positive number), then the |
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809 search is repeated that many times (each time starting at the end of the |
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810 previous time's match). If all these successive searches succeed, the |
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811 function succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise |
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812 the function fails. |
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813 |
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814 What happens when the function fails depends on the value of |
6552 | 815 @var{noerror}. If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, a @code{search-failed} |
816 error is signaled. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, | |
817 @code{re-search-forward} does nothing and returns @code{nil}. If | |
818 @var{noerror} is neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, then | |
819 @code{re-search-forward} moves point to @var{limit} (or the end of the | |
820 buffer) and returns @code{nil}. | |
821 | |
822 In the following example, point is initially before the @samp{T}. | |
823 Evaluating the search call moves point to the end of that line (between | |
824 the @samp{t} of @samp{hat} and the newline). | |
825 | |
826 @example | |
827 @group | |
828 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
829 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
830 comes back" twice. | |
831 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
832 @end group | |
833 | |
834 @group | |
835 (re-search-forward "[a-z]+" nil t 5) | |
836 @result{} 27 | |
837 | |
838 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
839 I read "The cat in the hat@point{} | |
840 comes back" twice. | |
841 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
842 @end group | |
843 @end example | |
844 @end deffn | |
845 | |
846 @deffn Command re-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
847 This function searches backward in the current buffer for a string of | |
848 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}, leaving | |
849 point at the beginning of the first text found. | |
850 | |
8469 | 851 This function is analogous to @code{re-search-forward}, but they are not |
852 simple mirror images. @code{re-search-forward} finds the match whose | |
853 beginning is as close as possible to the starting point. If | |
854 @code{re-search-backward} were a perfect mirror image, it would find the | |
855 match whose end is as close as possible. However, in fact it finds the | |
25089 | 856 match whose beginning is as close as possible. The reason for this is that |
8469 | 857 matching a regular expression at a given spot always works from |
858 beginning to end, and starts at a specified beginning position. | |
6552 | 859 |
860 A true mirror-image of @code{re-search-forward} would require a special | |
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861 feature for matching regular expressions from end to beginning. It's |
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862 not worth the trouble of implementing that. |
6552 | 863 @end deffn |
864 | |
865 @defun string-match regexp string &optional start | |
866 This function returns the index of the start of the first match for | |
867 the regular expression @var{regexp} in @var{string}, or @code{nil} if | |
868 there is no match. If @var{start} is non-@code{nil}, the search starts | |
869 at that index in @var{string}. | |
870 | |
871 For example, | |
872 | |
873 @example | |
874 @group | |
875 (string-match | |
876 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly.") | |
877 @result{} 4 | |
878 @end group | |
879 @group | |
880 (string-match | |
881 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
882 @result{} 27 | |
883 @end group | |
884 @end example | |
885 | |
886 @noindent | |
887 The index of the first character of the | |
888 string is 0, the index of the second character is 1, and so on. | |
889 | |
890 After this function returns, the index of the first character beyond | |
891 the match is available as @code{(match-end 0)}. @xref{Match Data}. | |
892 | |
893 @example | |
894 @group | |
895 (string-match | |
896 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
897 @result{} 27 | |
898 @end group | |
899 | |
900 @group | |
901 (match-end 0) | |
902 @result{} 32 | |
903 @end group | |
904 @end example | |
905 @end defun | |
906 | |
907 @defun looking-at regexp | |
908 This function determines whether the text in the current buffer directly | |
909 following point matches the regular expression @var{regexp}. ``Directly | |
910 following'' means precisely that: the search is ``anchored'' and it can | |
911 succeed only starting with the first character following point. The | |
912 result is @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise. | |
913 | |
914 This function does not move point, but it updates the match data, which | |
915 you can access using @code{match-beginning} and @code{match-end}. | |
916 @xref{Match Data}. | |
917 | |
918 In this example, point is located directly before the @samp{T}. If it | |
919 were anywhere else, the result would be @code{nil}. | |
920 | |
921 @example | |
922 @group | |
923 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
924 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
925 comes back" twice. | |
926 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
927 | |
928 (looking-at "The cat in the hat$") | |
929 @result{} t | |
930 @end group | |
931 @end example | |
932 @end defun | |
933 | |
12067 | 934 @node POSIX Regexps |
935 @section POSIX Regular Expression Searching | |
936 | |
937 The usual regular expression functions do backtracking when necessary | |
938 to handle the @samp{\|} and repetition constructs, but they continue | |
939 this only until they find @emph{some} match. Then they succeed and | |
940 report the first match found. | |
941 | |
942 This section describes alternative search functions which perform the | |
943 full backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
944 matching. They continue backtracking until they have tried all | |
945 possibilities and found all matches, so they can report the longest | |
946 match, as required by POSIX. This is much slower, so use these | |
947 functions only when you really need the longest match. | |
948 | |
949 @defun posix-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
950 This is like @code{re-search-forward} except that it performs the full | |
951 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
952 matching. | |
953 @end defun | |
954 | |
955 @defun posix-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
956 This is like @code{re-search-backward} except that it performs the full | |
957 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
958 matching. | |
959 @end defun | |
960 | |
961 @defun posix-looking-at regexp | |
962 This is like @code{looking-at} except that it performs the full | |
963 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
964 matching. | |
965 @end defun | |
966 | |
967 @defun posix-string-match regexp string &optional start | |
968 This is like @code{string-match} except that it performs the full | |
969 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
970 matching. | |
971 @end defun | |
972 | |
6552 | 973 @ignore |
974 @deffn Command delete-matching-lines regexp | |
975 This function is identical to @code{delete-non-matching-lines}, save | |
976 that it deletes what @code{delete-non-matching-lines} keeps. | |
977 | |
978 In the example below, point is located on the first line of text. | |
979 | |
980 @example | |
981 @group | |
982 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
983 We hold these truths | |
984 to be self-evident, | |
985 that all men are created | |
986 equal, and that they are | |
987 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
988 @end group | |
989 | |
990 @group | |
991 (delete-matching-lines "the") | |
992 @result{} nil | |
993 | |
994 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
995 to be self-evident, | |
996 that all men are created | |
997 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
998 @end group | |
999 @end example | |
1000 @end deffn | |
1001 | |
1002 @deffn Command flush-lines regexp | |
1003 This function is the same as @code{delete-matching-lines}. | |
1004 @end deffn | |
1005 | |
1006 @defun delete-non-matching-lines regexp | |
1007 This function deletes all lines following point which don't | |
1008 contain a match for the regular expression @var{regexp}. | |
1009 @end defun | |
1010 | |
1011 @deffn Command keep-lines regexp | |
1012 This function is the same as @code{delete-non-matching-lines}. | |
1013 @end deffn | |
1014 | |
1015 @deffn Command how-many regexp | |
1016 This function counts the number of matches for @var{regexp} there are in | |
1017 the current buffer following point. It prints this number in | |
1018 the echo area, returning the string printed. | |
1019 @end deffn | |
1020 | |
1021 @deffn Command count-matches regexp | |
1022 This function is a synonym of @code{how-many}. | |
1023 @end deffn | |
1024 | |
26288 | 1025 @deffn Command list-matching-lines regexp &optional nlines |
6552 | 1026 This function is a synonym of @code{occur}. |
1027 Show all lines following point containing a match for @var{regexp}. | |
1028 Display each line with @var{nlines} lines before and after, | |
1029 or @code{-}@var{nlines} before if @var{nlines} is negative. | |
1030 @var{nlines} defaults to @code{list-matching-lines-default-context-lines}. | |
1031 Interactively it is the prefix arg. | |
1032 | |
1033 The lines are shown in a buffer named @samp{*Occur*}. | |
1034 It serves as a menu to find any of the occurrences in this buffer. | |
24934 | 1035 @kbd{C-h m} (@code{describe-mode}) in that buffer gives help. |
6552 | 1036 @end deffn |
1037 | |
1038 @defopt list-matching-lines-default-context-lines | |
1039 Default value is 0. | |
1040 Default number of context lines to include around a @code{list-matching-lines} | |
1041 match. A negative number means to include that many lines before the match. | |
1042 A positive number means to include that many lines both before and after. | |
1043 @end defopt | |
1044 @end ignore | |
1045 | |
1046 @node Search and Replace | |
1047 @section Search and Replace | |
1048 @cindex replacement | |
1049 | |
1050 @defun perform-replace from-string replacements query-flag regexp-flag delimited-flag &optional repeat-count map | |
1051 This function is the guts of @code{query-replace} and related commands. | |
1052 It searches for occurrences of @var{from-string} and replaces some or | |
1053 all of them. If @var{query-flag} is @code{nil}, it replaces all | |
1054 occurrences; otherwise, it asks the user what to do about each one. | |
1055 | |
1056 If @var{regexp-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{from-string} is | |
1057 considered a regular expression; otherwise, it must match literally. If | |
1058 @var{delimited-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then only replacements | |
1059 surrounded by word boundaries are considered. | |
1060 | |
1061 The argument @var{replacements} specifies what to replace occurrences | |
1062 with. If it is a string, that string is used. It can also be a list of | |
1063 strings, to be used in cyclic order. | |
1064 | |
26783 | 1065 If @var{replacements} is a cons cell, @code{(@var{function} |
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1066 . @var{data})}, this means to call @var{function} after each match to |
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1067 get the replacement text. This function is called with two arguments: |
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1068 @var{data}, and the number of replacements already made. |
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1069 |
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1070 If @var{repeat-count} is non-@code{nil}, it should be an integer. Then |
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1071 it specifies how many times to use each of the strings in the |
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1072 @var{replacements} list before advancing cyclicly to the next one. |
6552 | 1073 |
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1074 If @var{from-string} contains upper-case letters, then |
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1075 @code{perform-replace} binds @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}, and |
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1076 it uses the @code{replacements} without altering the case of them. |
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1077 |
6552 | 1078 Normally, the keymap @code{query-replace-map} defines the possible user |
8469 | 1079 responses for queries. The argument @var{map}, if non-@code{nil}, is a |
1080 keymap to use instead of @code{query-replace-map}. | |
6552 | 1081 @end defun |
1082 | |
1083 @defvar query-replace-map | |
1084 This variable holds a special keymap that defines the valid user | |
1085 responses for @code{query-replace} and related functions, as well as | |
1086 @code{y-or-n-p} and @code{map-y-or-n-p}. It is unusual in two ways: | |
1087 | |
1088 @itemize @bullet | |
1089 @item | |
1090 The ``key bindings'' are not commands, just symbols that are meaningful | |
1091 to the functions that use this map. | |
1092 | |
1093 @item | |
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1094 Prefix keys are not supported; each key binding must be for a |
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1095 single-event key sequence. This is because the functions don't use |
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1096 @code{read-key-sequence} to get the input; instead, they read a single |
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1097 event and look it up ``by hand.'' |
6552 | 1098 @end itemize |
1099 @end defvar | |
1100 | |
1101 Here are the meaningful ``bindings'' for @code{query-replace-map}. | |
1102 Several of them are meaningful only for @code{query-replace} and | |
1103 friends. | |
1104 | |
1105 @table @code | |
1106 @item act | |
1107 Do take the action being considered---in other words, ``yes.'' | |
1108 | |
1109 @item skip | |
1110 Do not take action for this question---in other words, ``no.'' | |
1111 | |
1112 @item exit | |
8469 | 1113 Answer this question ``no,'' and give up on the entire series of |
1114 questions, assuming that the answers will be ``no.'' | |
6552 | 1115 |
1116 @item act-and-exit | |
8469 | 1117 Answer this question ``yes,'' and give up on the entire series of |
1118 questions, assuming that subsequent answers will be ``no.'' | |
6552 | 1119 |
1120 @item act-and-show | |
1121 Answer this question ``yes,'' but show the results---don't advance yet | |
1122 to the next question. | |
1123 | |
1124 @item automatic | |
1125 Answer this question and all subsequent questions in the series with | |
1126 ``yes,'' without further user interaction. | |
1127 | |
1128 @item backup | |
1129 Move back to the previous place that a question was asked about. | |
1130 | |
1131 @item edit | |
1132 Enter a recursive edit to deal with this question---instead of any | |
1133 other action that would normally be taken. | |
1134 | |
1135 @item delete-and-edit | |
1136 Delete the text being considered, then enter a recursive edit to replace | |
1137 it. | |
1138 | |
1139 @item recenter | |
1140 Redisplay and center the window, then ask the same question again. | |
1141 | |
1142 @item quit | |
1143 Perform a quit right away. Only @code{y-or-n-p} and related functions | |
1144 use this answer. | |
1145 | |
1146 @item help | |
1147 Display some help, then ask again. | |
1148 @end table | |
1149 | |
1150 @node Match Data | |
1151 @section The Match Data | |
1152 @cindex match data | |
1153 | |
25089 | 1154 Emacs keeps track of the start and end positions of the segments of |
6552 | 1155 text found during a regular expression search. This means, for example, |
1156 that you can search for a complex pattern, such as a date in an Rmail | |
1157 message, and then extract parts of the match under control of the | |
1158 pattern. | |
1159 | |
1160 Because the match data normally describe the most recent search only, | |
1161 you must be careful not to do another search inadvertently between the | |
1162 search you wish to refer back to and the use of the match data. If you | |
1163 can't avoid another intervening search, you must save and restore the | |
1164 match data around it, to prevent it from being overwritten. | |
1165 | |
1166 @menu | |
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1167 * Replacing Match:: Replacing a substring that was matched. |
6552 | 1168 * Simple Match Data:: Accessing single items of match data, |
1169 such as where a particular subexpression started. | |
1170 * Entire Match Data:: Accessing the entire match data at once, as a list. | |
1171 * Saving Match Data:: Saving and restoring the match data. | |
1172 @end menu | |
1173 | |
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1174 @node Replacing Match |
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1175 @subsection Replacing the Text that Matched |
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1176 |
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1177 This function replaces the text matched by the last search with |
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1178 @var{replacement}. |
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1179 |
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1180 @cindex case in replacements |
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1181 @defun replace-match replacement &optional fixedcase literal string subexp |
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1182 This function replaces the text in the buffer (or in @var{string}) that |
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1183 was matched by the last search. It replaces that text with |
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1184 @var{replacement}. |
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1185 |
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1186 If you did the last search in a buffer, you should specify @code{nil} |
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1187 for @var{string}. Then @code{replace-match} does the replacement by |
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1188 editing the buffer; it leaves point at the end of the replacement text, |
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1189 and returns @code{t}. |
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1190 |
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1191 If you did the search in a string, pass the same string as @var{string}. |
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1192 Then @code{replace-match} does the replacement by constructing and |
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1193 returning a new string. |
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1194 |
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1195 If @var{fixedcase} is non-@code{nil}, then the case of the replacement |
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1196 text is not changed; otherwise, the replacement text is converted to a |
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1197 different case depending upon the capitalization of the text to be |
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1198 replaced. If the original text is all upper case, the replacement text |
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1199 is converted to upper case. If the first word of the original text is |
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1200 capitalized, then the first word of the replacement text is capitalized. |
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1201 If the original text contains just one word, and that word is a capital |
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1202 letter, @code{replace-match} considers this a capitalized first word |
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1203 rather than all upper case. |
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1204 |
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1205 If @var{literal} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{replacement} is inserted |
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1206 exactly as it is, the only alterations being case changes as needed. |
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1207 If it is @code{nil} (the default), then the character @samp{\} is treated |
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1208 specially. If a @samp{\} appears in @var{replacement}, then it must be |
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1209 part of one of the following sequences: |
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1210 |
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1211 @table @asis |
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1212 @item @samp{\&} |
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1213 @cindex @samp{&} in replacement |
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1214 @samp{\&} stands for the entire text being replaced. |
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1215 |
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1216 @item @samp{\@var{n}} |
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1217 @cindex @samp{\@var{n}} in replacement |
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1218 @samp{\@var{n}}, where @var{n} is a digit, stands for the text that |
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1219 matched the @var{n}th subexpression in the original regexp. |
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1220 Subexpressions are those expressions grouped inside @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. |
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1221 |
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1222 @item @samp{\\} |
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1223 @cindex @samp{\} in replacement |
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1224 @samp{\\} stands for a single @samp{\} in the replacement text. |
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1225 @end table |
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1226 |
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1227 If @var{subexp} is non-@code{nil}, that says to replace just |
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1228 subexpression number @var{subexp} of the regexp that was matched, not |
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1229 the entire match. For example, after matching @samp{foo \(ba*r\)}, |
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1230 calling @code{replace-match} with 1 as @var{subexp} means to replace |
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1231 just the text that matched @samp{\(ba*r\)}. |
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1232 @end defun |
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1233 |
6552 | 1234 @node Simple Match Data |
1235 @subsection Simple Match Data Access | |
1236 | |
12067 | 1237 This section explains how to use the match data to find out what was |
1238 matched by the last search or match operation. | |
1239 | |
1240 You can ask about the entire matching text, or about a particular | |
1241 parenthetical subexpression of a regular expression. The @var{count} | |
1242 argument in the functions below specifies which. If @var{count} is | |
1243 zero, you are asking about the entire match. If @var{count} is | |
1244 positive, it specifies which subexpression you want. | |
1245 | |
1246 Recall that the subexpressions of a regular expression are those | |
1247 expressions grouped with escaped parentheses, @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. The | |
1248 @var{count}th subexpression is found by counting occurrences of | |
1249 @samp{\(} from the beginning of the whole regular expression. The first | |
1250 subexpression is numbered 1, the second 2, and so on. Only regular | |
1251 expressions can have subexpressions---after a simple string search, the | |
1252 only information available is about the entire match. | |
1253 | |
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1254 A search which fails may or may not alter the match data. In the |
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1255 past, a failing search did not do this, but we may change it in the |
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1256 future. |
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1257 |
12067 | 1258 @defun match-string count &optional in-string |
1259 This function returns, as a string, the text matched in the last search | |
1260 or match operation. It returns the entire text if @var{count} is zero, | |
1261 or just the portion corresponding to the @var{count}th parenthetical | |
1262 subexpression, if @var{count} is positive. If @var{count} is out of | |
12098 | 1263 range, or if that subexpression didn't match anything, the value is |
1264 @code{nil}. | |
12067 | 1265 |
1266 If the last such operation was done against a string with | |
1267 @code{string-match}, then you should pass the same string as the | |
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1268 argument @var{in-string}. After a buffer search or match, |
12067 | 1269 you should omit @var{in-string} or pass @code{nil} for it; but you |
1270 should make sure that the current buffer when you call | |
1271 @code{match-string} is the one in which you did the searching or | |
1272 matching. | |
1273 @end defun | |
6552 | 1274 |
26288 | 1275 @defun match-string-no-properties count &optional in-string |
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1276 This function is like @code{match-string} except that the result |
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1277 has no text properties. |
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1278 @end defun |
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1279 |
6552 | 1280 @defun match-beginning count |
1281 This function returns the position of the start of text matched by the | |
1282 last regular expression searched for, or a subexpression of it. | |
1283 | |
8469 | 1284 If @var{count} is zero, then the value is the position of the start of |
12125
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1285 the entire match. Otherwise, @var{count} specifies a subexpression in |
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1286 the regular expression, and the value of the function is the starting |
12067 | 1287 position of the match for that subexpression. |
6552 | 1288 |
12067 | 1289 The value is @code{nil} for a subexpression inside a @samp{\|} |
1290 alternative that wasn't used in the match. | |
6552 | 1291 @end defun |
1292 | |
1293 @defun match-end count | |
12067 | 1294 This function is like @code{match-beginning} except that it returns the |
1295 position of the end of the match, rather than the position of the | |
1296 beginning. | |
6552 | 1297 @end defun |
1298 | |
1299 Here is an example of using the match data, with a comment showing the | |
1300 positions within the text: | |
1301 | |
1302 @example | |
1303 @group | |
1304 (string-match "\\(qu\\)\\(ick\\)" | |
1305 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1306 ;0123456789 | |
1307 @result{} 4 | |
1308 @end group | |
1309 | |
1310 @group | |
12067 | 1311 (match-string 0 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") |
1312 @result{} "quick" | |
1313 (match-string 1 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1314 @result{} "qu" | |
1315 (match-string 2 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1316 @result{} "ick" | |
1317 @end group | |
1318 | |
1319 @group | |
6552 | 1320 (match-beginning 1) ; @r{The beginning of the match} |
1321 @result{} 4 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 4.} | |
1322 @end group | |
1323 | |
1324 @group | |
1325 (match-beginning 2) ; @r{The beginning of the match} | |
1326 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 6.} | |
1327 @end group | |
1328 | |
1329 @group | |
1330 (match-end 1) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1331 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 6.} | |
1332 | |
1333 (match-end 2) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1334 @result{} 9 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 9.} | |
1335 @end group | |
1336 @end example | |
1337 | |
1338 Here is another example. Point is initially located at the beginning | |
1339 of the line. Searching moves point to between the space and the word | |
1340 @samp{in}. The beginning of the entire match is at the 9th character of | |
1341 the buffer (@samp{T}), and the beginning of the match for the first | |
1342 subexpression is at the 13th character (@samp{c}). | |
1343 | |
1344 @example | |
1345 @group | |
1346 (list | |
1347 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1348 (match-beginning 0) | |
1349 (match-beginning 1)) | |
8469 | 1350 @result{} (9 9 13) |
6552 | 1351 @end group |
1352 | |
1353 @group | |
1354 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1355 I read "The cat @point{}in the hat comes back" twice. | |
1356 ^ ^ | |
1357 9 13 | |
1358 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1359 @end group | |
1360 @end example | |
1361 | |
1362 @noindent | |
1363 (In this case, the index returned is a buffer position; the first | |
1364 character of the buffer counts as 1.) | |
1365 | |
1366 @node Entire Match Data | |
1367 @subsection Accessing the Entire Match Data | |
1368 | |
1369 The functions @code{match-data} and @code{set-match-data} read or | |
1370 write the entire match data, all at once. | |
1371 | |
1372 @defun match-data | |
1373 This function returns a newly constructed list containing all the | |
1374 information on what text the last search matched. Element zero is the | |
1375 position of the beginning of the match for the whole expression; element | |
1376 one is the position of the end of the match for the expression. The | |
1377 next two elements are the positions of the beginning and end of the | |
1378 match for the first subexpression, and so on. In general, element | |
27193 | 1379 @ifnottex |
6552 | 1380 number 2@var{n} |
27193 | 1381 @end ifnottex |
6552 | 1382 @tex |
1383 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n$} | |
1384 @end tex | |
1385 corresponds to @code{(match-beginning @var{n})}; and | |
1386 element | |
27193 | 1387 @ifnottex |
6552 | 1388 number 2@var{n} + 1 |
27193 | 1389 @end ifnottex |
6552 | 1390 @tex |
1391 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n+1$} | |
1392 @end tex | |
1393 corresponds to @code{(match-end @var{n})}. | |
1394 | |
1395 All the elements are markers or @code{nil} if matching was done on a | |
1396 buffer, and all are integers or @code{nil} if matching was done on a | |
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1397 string with @code{string-match}. |
6552 | 1398 |
1399 As always, there must be no possibility of intervening searches between | |
1400 the call to a search function and the call to @code{match-data} that is | |
1401 intended to access the match data for that search. | |
1402 | |
1403 @example | |
1404 @group | |
1405 (match-data) | |
1406 @result{} (#<marker at 9 in foo> | |
1407 #<marker at 17 in foo> | |
1408 #<marker at 13 in foo> | |
1409 #<marker at 17 in foo>) | |
1410 @end group | |
1411 @end example | |
1412 @end defun | |
1413 | |
1414 @defun set-match-data match-list | |
1415 This function sets the match data from the elements of @var{match-list}, | |
1416 which should be a list that was the value of a previous call to | |
1417 @code{match-data}. | |
1418 | |
1419 If @var{match-list} refers to a buffer that doesn't exist, you don't get | |
1420 an error; that sets the match data in a meaningless but harmless way. | |
1421 | |
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{} |
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1448 This macro executes @var{body}, saving and restoring the match |
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1449 data around it. |
12098 | 1450 @end defmac |
6552 | 1451 |
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1452 You could use @code{set-match-data} together with @code{match-data} to |
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1453 imitate the effect of the special form @code{save-match-data}. Here is |
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1454 how: |
6552 | 1455 |
1456 @example | |
1457 @group | |
1458 (let ((data (match-data))) | |
1459 (unwind-protect | |
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1460 @dots{} ; @r{Ok to change the original match data.} |
6552 | 1461 (set-match-data data))) |
1462 @end group | |
1463 @end example | |
1464 | |
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1465 Emacs automatically saves and restores the match data when it runs |
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1466 process filter functions (@pxref{Filter Functions}) and process |
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1467 sentinels (@pxref{Sentinels}). |
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1468 |
6552 | 1469 @ignore |
1470 Here is a function which restores the match data provided the buffer | |
1471 associated with it still exists. | |
1472 | |
1473 @smallexample | |
1474 @group | |
1475 (defun restore-match-data (data) | |
1476 @c It is incorrect to split the first line of a doc string. | |
1477 @c If there's a problem here, it should be solved in some other way. | |
1478 "Restore the match data DATA unless the buffer is missing." | |
1479 (catch 'foo | |
1480 (let ((d data)) | |
1481 @end group | |
1482 (while d | |
1483 (and (car d) | |
1484 (null (marker-buffer (car d))) | |
1485 @group | |
1486 ;; @file{match-data} @r{buffer is deleted.} | |
1487 (throw 'foo nil)) | |
1488 (setq d (cdr d))) | |
1489 (set-match-data data)))) | |
1490 @end group | |
1491 @end smallexample | |
1492 @end ignore | |
1493 | |
1494 @node Searching and Case | |
1495 @section Searching and Case | |
1496 @cindex searching and case | |
1497 | |
1498 By default, searches in Emacs ignore the case of the text they are | |
1499 searching through; if you specify searching for @samp{FOO}, then | |
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1500 @samp{Foo} or @samp{foo} is also considered a match. This applies to |
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1501 regular expressions, too; thus, @samp{[aB]} would match @samp{a} or |
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1502 @samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}. |
6552 | 1503 |
1504 If you do not want this feature, set the variable | |
1505 @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}. Then all letters must match | |
8469 | 1506 exactly, including case. This is a buffer-local variable; altering the |
1507 variable affects only the current buffer. (@xref{Intro to | |
6552 | 1508 Buffer-Local}.) Alternatively, you may change the value of |
1509 @code{default-case-fold-search}, which is the default value of | |
1510 @code{case-fold-search} for buffers that do not override it. | |
1511 | |
1512 Note that the user-level incremental search feature handles case | |
1513 distinctions differently. When given a lower case letter, it looks for | |
1514 a match of either case, but when given an upper case letter, it looks | |
1515 for an upper case letter only. But this has nothing to do with the | |
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1516 searching functions used in Lisp code. |
6552 | 1517 |
1518 @defopt case-replace | |
8469 | 1519 This variable determines whether the replacement functions should |
1520 preserve case. If the variable is @code{nil}, that means to use the | |
1521 replacement text verbatim. A non-@code{nil} value means to convert the | |
1522 case of the replacement text according to the text being replaced. | |
1523 | |
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1524 This variable is used by passing it as an argument to the function |
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1525 @code{replace-match}. @xref{Replacing Match}. |
6552 | 1526 @end defopt |
1527 | |
1528 @defopt case-fold-search | |
1529 This buffer-local variable determines whether searches should ignore | |
1530 case. If the variable is @code{nil} they do not ignore case; otherwise | |
1531 they do ignore case. | |
1532 @end defopt | |
1533 | |
1534 @defvar default-case-fold-search | |
1535 The value of this variable is the default value for | |
1536 @code{case-fold-search} in buffers that do not override it. This is the | |
1537 same as @code{(default-value 'case-fold-search)}. | |
1538 @end defvar | |
1539 | |
1540 @node Standard Regexps | |
1541 @section Standard Regular Expressions Used in Editing | |
1542 @cindex regexps used standardly in editing | |
1543 @cindex standard regexps used in editing | |
1544 | |
1545 This section describes some variables that hold regular expressions | |
1546 used for certain purposes in editing: | |
1547 | |
1548 @defvar page-delimiter | |
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1549 This is the regular expression describing line-beginnings that separate |
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1550 pages. The default value is @code{"^\014"} (i.e., @code{"^^L"} or |
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1551 @code{"^\C-l"}); this matches a line that starts with a formfeed |
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1552 character. |
6552 | 1553 @end defvar |
1554 | |
12067 | 1555 The following two regular expressions should @emph{not} assume the |
1556 match always starts at the beginning of a line; they should not use | |
1557 @samp{^} to anchor the match. Most often, the paragraph commands do | |
1558 check for a match only at the beginning of a line, which means that | |
12098 | 1559 @samp{^} would be superfluous. When there is a nonzero left margin, |
1560 they accept matches that start after the left margin. In that case, a | |
1561 @samp{^} would be incorrect. However, a @samp{^} is harmless in modes | |
1562 where a left margin is never used. | |
12067 | 1563 |
6552 | 1564 @defvar paragraph-separate |
1565 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line | |
1566 that separates paragraphs. (If you change this, you may have to | |
8469 | 1567 change @code{paragraph-start} also.) The default value is |
12067 | 1568 @w{@code{"[@ \t\f]*$"}}, which matches a line that consists entirely of |
1569 spaces, tabs, and form feeds (after its left margin). | |
6552 | 1570 @end defvar |
1571 | |
1572 @defvar paragraph-start | |
1573 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line | |
1574 that starts @emph{or} separates paragraphs. The default value is | |
12067 | 1575 @w{@code{"[@ \t\n\f]"}}, which matches a line starting with a space, tab, |
1576 newline, or form feed (after its left margin). | |
6552 | 1577 @end defvar |
1578 | |
1579 @defvar sentence-end | |
1580 This is the regular expression describing the end of a sentence. (All | |
1581 paragraph boundaries also end sentences, regardless.) The default value | |
1582 is: | |
1583 | |
1584 @example | |
8469 | 1585 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*" |
6552 | 1586 @end example |
1587 | |
8469 | 1588 This means a period, question mark or exclamation mark, followed |
1589 optionally by a closing parenthetical character, followed by tabs, | |
1590 spaces or new lines. | |
6552 | 1591 |
1592 For a detailed explanation of this regular expression, see @ref{Regexp | |
1593 Example}. | |
1594 @end defvar |