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annotate doc/lispref/searching.texi @ 109416:c3ebf31421b2
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84096 | 1 @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. | |
3 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, | |
106815 | 4 @c 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
84096 | 5 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. |
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6 @setfilename ../../info/searching |
84096 | 7 @node Searching and Matching, Syntax Tables, Non-ASCII Characters, Top |
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 * Searching and Case:: Case-independent or case-significant searching. | |
20 * Regular Expressions:: Describing classes of strings. | |
21 * Regexp Search:: Searching for a match for a regexp. | |
22 * POSIX Regexps:: Searching POSIX-style for the longest match. | |
23 * Match Data:: Finding out which part of the text matched, | |
24 after a string or regexp search. | |
25 * Search and Replace:: Commands that loop, searching and replacing. | |
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}. To search for changes in character | |
31 properties, see @ref{Property Search}. | |
32 | |
33 @node String Search | |
34 @section Searching for Strings | |
35 @cindex string search | |
36 | |
37 These are the primitive functions for searching through the text in a | |
38 buffer. They are meant for use in programs, but you may call them | |
39 interactively. If you do so, they prompt for the search string; the | |
40 arguments @var{limit} and @var{noerror} are @code{nil}, and @var{repeat} | |
41 is 1. | |
42 | |
43 These search functions convert the search string to multibyte if the | |
44 buffer is multibyte; they convert the search string to unibyte if the | |
45 buffer is unibyte. @xref{Text Representations}. | |
46 | |
47 @deffn Command search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
48 This function searches forward from point for an exact match for | |
49 @var{string}. If successful, it sets point to the end of the occurrence | |
50 found, and returns the new value of point. If no match is found, the | |
51 value and side effects depend on @var{noerror} (see below). | |
52 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
53 | |
54 In the following example, point is initially at the beginning of the | |
55 line. Then @code{(search-forward "fox")} moves point after the last | |
56 letter of @samp{fox}: | |
57 | |
58 @example | |
59 @group | |
60 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
61 @point{}The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. | |
62 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
63 @end group | |
64 | |
65 @group | |
66 (search-forward "fox") | |
67 @result{} 20 | |
68 | |
69 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
70 The quick brown fox@point{} jumped over the lazy dog. | |
71 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
72 @end group | |
73 @end example | |
74 | |
75 The argument @var{limit} specifies the upper bound to the search. (It | |
76 must be a position in the current buffer.) No match extending after | |
77 that position is accepted. If @var{limit} is omitted or @code{nil}, it | |
78 defaults to the end of the accessible portion of the buffer. | |
79 | |
80 @kindex search-failed | |
81 What happens when the search fails depends on the value of | |
82 @var{noerror}. If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, a @code{search-failed} | |
83 error is signaled. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, @code{search-forward} | |
84 returns @code{nil} and does nothing. If @var{noerror} is neither | |
85 @code{nil} nor @code{t}, then @code{search-forward} moves point to the | |
86 upper bound and returns @code{nil}. (It would be more consistent now to | |
87 return the new position of point in that case, but some existing | |
88 programs may depend on a value of @code{nil}.) | |
89 | |
90 The argument @var{noerror} only affects valid searches which fail to | |
91 find a match. Invalid arguments cause errors regardless of | |
92 @var{noerror}. | |
93 | |
94 If @var{repeat} is supplied (it must be a positive number), then the | |
95 search is repeated that many times (each time starting at the end of the | |
96 previous time's match). If these successive searches succeed, the | |
97 function succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise | |
98 the search fails, with results depending on the value of | |
99 @var{noerror}, as described above. | |
100 @end deffn | |
101 | |
102 @deffn Command search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
103 This function searches backward from point for @var{string}. It is | |
104 just like @code{search-forward} except that it searches backwards and | |
105 leaves point at the beginning of the match. | |
106 @end deffn | |
107 | |
108 @deffn Command word-search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
109 This function searches forward from point for a ``word'' match for | |
110 @var{string}. If it finds a match, it sets point to the end of the | |
111 match found, and returns the new value of point. | |
112 | |
113 Word matching regards @var{string} as a sequence of words, disregarding | |
114 punctuation that separates them. It searches the buffer for the same | |
115 sequence of words. Each word must be distinct in the buffer (searching | |
116 for the word @samp{ball} does not match the word @samp{balls}), but the | |
117 details of punctuation and spacing are ignored (searching for @samp{ball | |
118 boy} does match @samp{ball. Boy!}). | |
119 | |
120 In this example, point is initially at the beginning of the buffer; the | |
121 search leaves it between the @samp{y} and the @samp{!}. | |
122 | |
123 @example | |
124 @group | |
125 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
126 @point{}He said "Please! Find | |
127 the ball boy!" | |
128 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
129 @end group | |
130 | |
131 @group | |
132 (word-search-forward "Please find the ball, boy.") | |
133 @result{} 35 | |
134 | |
135 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
136 He said "Please! Find | |
137 the ball boy@point{}!" | |
138 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
139 @end group | |
140 @end example | |
141 | |
142 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil}, it must be a position in the current | |
143 buffer; it specifies the upper bound to the search. The match found | |
144 must not extend after that position. | |
145 | |
146 If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, then @code{word-search-forward} signals | |
147 an error if the search fails. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, then it | |
148 returns @code{nil} instead of signaling an error. If @var{noerror} is | |
149 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, it moves point to @var{limit} (or the | |
150 end of the accessible portion of the buffer) and returns @code{nil}. | |
151 | |
152 If @var{repeat} is non-@code{nil}, then the search is repeated that many | |
153 times. Point is positioned at the end of the last match. | |
154 @end deffn | |
155 | |
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156 @deffn Command word-search-forward-lax string &optional limit noerror repeat |
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157 This command is identical to @code{word-search-forward}, except that |
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158 the end of @code{string} need not match a word boundary unless it ends |
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159 in whitespace. For instance, searching for @samp{ball boy} matches |
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160 @samp{ball boyee}, but does not match @samp{aball boy}. |
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161 @end deffn |
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162 |
84096 | 163 @deffn Command word-search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat |
164 This function searches backward from point for a word match to | |
165 @var{string}. This function is just like @code{word-search-forward} | |
166 except that it searches backward and normally leaves point at the | |
167 beginning of the match. | |
168 @end deffn | |
169 | |
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170 @deffn Command word-search-backward-lax string &optional limit noerror repeat |
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171 This command is identical to @code{word-search-backward}, except that |
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172 the end of @code{string} need not match a word boundary unless it ends |
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173 in whitespace. |
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174 @end deffn |
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175 |
84096 | 176 @node Searching and Case |
177 @section Searching and Case | |
178 @cindex searching and case | |
179 | |
180 By default, searches in Emacs ignore the case of the text they are | |
181 searching through; if you specify searching for @samp{FOO}, then | |
182 @samp{Foo} or @samp{foo} is also considered a match. This applies to | |
183 regular expressions, too; thus, @samp{[aB]} would match @samp{a} or | |
184 @samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}. | |
185 | |
186 If you do not want this feature, set the variable | |
187 @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}. Then all letters must match | |
188 exactly, including case. This is a buffer-local variable; altering the | |
189 variable affects only the current buffer. (@xref{Intro to | |
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190 Buffer-Local}.) Alternatively, you may change the default value of |
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191 @code{case-fold-search}. |
84096 | 192 |
193 Note that the user-level incremental search feature handles case | |
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194 distinctions differently. When the search string contains only lower |
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195 case letters, the search ignores case, but when the search string |
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196 contains one or more upper case letters, the search becomes |
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197 case-sensitive. But this has nothing to do with the searching |
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198 functions used in Lisp code. |
84096 | 199 |
200 @defopt case-fold-search | |
201 This buffer-local variable determines whether searches should ignore | |
202 case. If the variable is @code{nil} they do not ignore case; otherwise | |
203 they do ignore case. | |
204 @end defopt | |
205 | |
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206 @defopt case-replace |
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207 This variable determines whether the higher level replacement |
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208 functions should preserve case. If the variable is @code{nil}, that |
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209 means to use the replacement text verbatim. A non-@code{nil} value |
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210 means to convert the case of the replacement text according to the |
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211 text being replaced. |
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212 |
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213 This variable is used by passing it as an argument to the function |
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214 @code{replace-match}. @xref{Replacing Match}. |
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215 @end defopt |
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216 |
84096 | 217 @node Regular Expressions |
218 @section Regular Expressions | |
219 @cindex regular expression | |
220 @cindex regexp | |
221 | |
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222 A @dfn{regular expression}, or @dfn{regexp} for short, is a pattern that |
84096 | 223 denotes a (possibly infinite) set of strings. Searching for matches for |
224 a regexp is a very powerful operation. This section explains how to write | |
225 regexps; the following section says how to search for them. | |
226 | |
227 @findex re-builder | |
228 @cindex regular expressions, developing | |
229 For convenient interactive development of regular expressions, you | |
230 can use the @kbd{M-x re-builder} command. It provides a convenient | |
231 interface for creating regular expressions, by giving immediate visual | |
232 feedback in a separate buffer. As you edit the regexp, all its | |
233 matches in the target buffer are highlighted. Each parenthesized | |
234 sub-expression of the regexp is shown in a distinct face, which makes | |
235 it easier to verify even very complex regexps. | |
236 | |
237 @menu | |
238 * Syntax of Regexps:: Rules for writing regular expressions. | |
239 * Regexp Example:: Illustrates regular expression syntax. | |
240 * Regexp Functions:: Functions for operating on regular expressions. | |
241 @end menu | |
242 | |
243 @node Syntax of Regexps | |
244 @subsection Syntax of Regular Expressions | |
245 | |
246 Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are | |
247 special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary | |
248 character is a simple regular expression that matches that character | |
249 and nothing else. The special characters are @samp{.}, @samp{*}, | |
250 @samp{+}, @samp{?}, @samp{[}, @samp{^}, @samp{$}, and @samp{\}; no new | |
251 special characters will be defined in the future. The character | |
252 @samp{]} is special if it ends a character alternative (see later). | |
253 The character @samp{-} is special inside a character alternative. A | |
254 @samp{[:} and balancing @samp{:]} enclose a character class inside a | |
255 character alternative. Any other character appearing in a regular | |
256 expression is ordinary, unless a @samp{\} precedes it. | |
257 | |
258 For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and | |
259 therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string | |
260 @samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string | |
261 @samp{fg}, but it does match a @emph{part} of that string.) Likewise, | |
262 @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches only @samp{o}.@refill | |
263 | |
264 Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The | |
265 result is a regular expression that matches a string if @var{a} matches | |
266 some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of | |
267 the string.@refill | |
268 | |
269 As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f} | |
270 and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only | |
271 the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something more powerful, you | |
272 need to use one of the special regular expression constructs. | |
273 | |
274 @menu | |
275 * Regexp Special:: Special characters in regular expressions. | |
276 * Char Classes:: Character classes used in regular expressions. | |
277 * Regexp Backslash:: Backslash-sequences in regular expressions. | |
278 @end menu | |
279 | |
280 @node Regexp Special | |
281 @subsubsection Special Characters in Regular Expressions | |
282 | |
283 Here is a list of the characters that are special in a regular | |
284 expression. | |
285 | |
286 @need 800 | |
287 @table @asis | |
288 @item @samp{.}@: @r{(Period)} | |
289 @cindex @samp{.} in regexp | |
290 is a special character that matches any single character except a newline. | |
291 Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which | |
292 matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with | |
293 @samp{b}.@refill | |
294 | |
295 @item @samp{*} | |
296 @cindex @samp{*} in regexp | |
297 is not a construct by itself; it is a postfix operator that means to | |
298 match the preceding regular expression repetitively as many times as | |
299 possible. Thus, @samp{o*} matches any number of @samp{o}s (including no | |
300 @samp{o}s). | |
301 | |
302 @samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding | |
303 expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a repeating | |
304 @samp{fo}. It matches @samp{f}, @samp{fo}, @samp{foo}, and so on. | |
305 | |
306 The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately, as | |
307 many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest of | |
308 the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some of the | |
309 matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in the hope that that will | |
310 make it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in | |
311 matching @samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} | |
312 first tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is | |
313 @samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails. | |
314 The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s. With | |
315 this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully. | |
316 | |
317 @strong{Warning:} Nested repetition operators can run for an | |
318 indefinitely long time, if they lead to ambiguous matching. For | |
319 example, trying to match the regular expression @samp{\(x+y*\)*a} | |
320 against the string @samp{xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxz} could | |
321 take hours before it ultimately fails. Emacs must try each way of | |
322 grouping the @samp{x}s before concluding that none of them can work. | |
323 Even worse, @samp{\(x*\)*} can match the null string in infinitely | |
324 many ways, so it causes an infinite loop. To avoid these problems, | |
325 check nested repetitions carefully, to make sure that they do not | |
326 cause combinatorial explosions in backtracking. | |
327 | |
328 @item @samp{+} | |
329 @cindex @samp{+} in regexp | |
330 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match | |
331 the preceding expression at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r} | |
332 matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string | |
333 @samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings. | |
334 | |
335 @item @samp{?} | |
336 @cindex @samp{?} in regexp | |
337 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match the | |
338 preceding expression either once or not at all. For example, | |
339 @samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}; nothing else. | |
340 | |
341 @item @samp{*?}, @samp{+?}, @samp{??} | |
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342 @cindex non-greedy repetition characters in regexp |
84096 | 343 These are ``non-greedy'' variants of the operators @samp{*}, @samp{+} |
344 and @samp{?}. Where those operators match the largest possible | |
345 substring (consistent with matching the entire containing expression), | |
346 the non-greedy variants match the smallest possible substring | |
347 (consistent with matching the entire containing expression). | |
348 | |
349 For example, the regular expression @samp{c[ad]*a} when applied to the | |
350 string @samp{cdaaada} matches the whole string; but the regular | |
351 expression @samp{c[ad]*?a}, applied to that same string, matches just | |
352 @samp{cda}. (The smallest possible match here for @samp{[ad]*?} that | |
353 permits the whole expression to match is @samp{d}.) | |
354 | |
355 @item @samp{[ @dots{} ]} | |
356 @cindex character alternative (in regexp) | |
357 @cindex @samp{[} in regexp | |
358 @cindex @samp{]} in regexp | |
359 is a @dfn{character alternative}, which begins with @samp{[} and is | |
360 terminated by @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between | |
361 the two brackets are what this character alternative can match. | |
362 | |
363 Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one @samp{d}, and | |
364 @samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s and @samp{d}s | |
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365 (including the empty string). It follows that @samp{c[ad]*r} |
84096 | 366 matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, @samp{caddaar}, etc. |
367 | |
368 You can also include character ranges in a character alternative, by | |
369 writing the starting and ending characters with a @samp{-} between them. | |
370 Thus, @samp{[a-z]} matches any lower-case @acronym{ASCII} letter. | |
371 Ranges may be intermixed freely with individual characters, as in | |
372 @samp{[a-z$%.]}, which matches any lower case @acronym{ASCII} letter | |
373 or @samp{$}, @samp{%} or period. | |
374 | |
375 Note that the usual regexp special characters are not special inside a | |
376 character alternative. A completely different set of characters is | |
377 special inside character alternatives: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}. | |
378 | |
379 To include a @samp{]} in a character alternative, you must make it the | |
380 first character. For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. | |
381 To include a @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first or last character of | |
382 the character alternative, or put it after a range. Thus, @samp{[]-]} | |
383 matches both @samp{]} and @samp{-}. | |
384 | |
385 To include @samp{^} in a character alternative, put it anywhere but at | |
386 the beginning. | |
387 | |
388 The beginning and end of a range of multibyte characters must be in | |
389 the same character set (@pxref{Character Sets}). Thus, | |
390 @code{"[\x8e0-\x97c]"} is invalid because character 0x8e0 (@samp{a} | |
391 with grave accent) is in the Emacs character set for Latin-1 but the | |
392 character 0x97c (@samp{u} with diaeresis) is in the Emacs character | |
393 set for Latin-2. (We use Lisp string syntax to write that example, | |
394 and a few others in the next few paragraphs, in order to include hex | |
395 escape sequences in them.) | |
396 | |
397 If a range starts with a unibyte character @var{c} and ends with a | |
398 multibyte character @var{c2}, the range is divided into two parts: one | |
399 is @samp{@var{c}..?\377}, the other is @samp{@var{c1}..@var{c2}}, where | |
400 @var{c1} is the first character of the charset to which @var{c2} | |
401 belongs. | |
402 | |
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403 A character alternative can also specify named character classes |
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404 (@pxref{Char Classes}). This is a POSIX feature whose syntax is |
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405 @samp{[:@var{class}:]}. Using a character class is equivalent to |
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406 mentioning each of the characters in that class; but the latter is not |
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407 feasible in practice, since some classes include thousands of |
84096 | 408 different characters. |
409 | |
410 @item @samp{[^ @dots{} ]} | |
411 @cindex @samp{^} in regexp | |
412 @samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complemented character alternative}. This | |
413 matches any character except the ones specified. Thus, | |
414 @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} matches all characters @emph{except} letters and | |
415 digits. | |
416 | |
417 @samp{^} is not special in a character alternative unless it is the first | |
418 character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it | |
419 were first (in other words, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there). | |
420 | |
421 A complemented character alternative can match a newline, unless newline is | |
422 mentioned as one of the characters not to match. This is in contrast to | |
423 the handling of regexps in programs such as @code{grep}. | |
424 | |
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425 You can specify named character classes, just like in character |
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426 alternatives. For instance, @samp{[^[:ascii:]]} matches any |
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427 non-@acronym{ASCII} character. @xref{Char Classes}. |
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428 |
84096 | 429 @item @samp{^} |
430 @cindex beginning of line in regexp | |
431 When matching a buffer, @samp{^} matches the empty string, but only at the | |
432 beginning of a line in the text being matched (or the beginning of the | |
433 accessible portion of the buffer). Otherwise it fails to match | |
434 anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at the | |
435 beginning of a line. | |
436 | |
437 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{^} matches at the | |
438 beginning of the string or after a newline character. | |
439 | |
440 For historical compatibility reasons, @samp{^} can be used only at the | |
441 beginning of the regular expression, or after @samp{\(}, @samp{\(?:} | |
442 or @samp{\|}. | |
443 | |
444 @item @samp{$} | |
445 @cindex @samp{$} in regexp | |
446 @cindex end of line in regexp | |
447 is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line (or the | |
448 end of the accessible portion of the buffer). Thus, @samp{x+$} | |
449 matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line. | |
450 | |
451 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{$} matches at the end | |
452 of the string or before a newline character. | |
453 | |
454 For historical compatibility reasons, @samp{$} can be used only at the | |
455 end of the regular expression, or before @samp{\)} or @samp{\|}. | |
456 | |
457 @item @samp{\} | |
458 @cindex @samp{\} in regexp | |
459 has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including | |
460 @samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs. | |
461 | |
462 Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular | |
463 expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular | |
464 expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on. | |
465 | |
466 Note that @samp{\} also has special meaning in the read syntax of Lisp | |
467 strings (@pxref{String Type}), and must be quoted with @samp{\}. For | |
468 example, the regular expression that matches the @samp{\} character is | |
469 @samp{\\}. To write a Lisp string that contains the characters | |
470 @samp{\\}, Lisp syntax requires you to quote each @samp{\} with another | |
471 @samp{\}. Therefore, the read syntax for a regular expression matching | |
472 @samp{\} is @code{"\\\\"}.@refill | |
473 @end table | |
474 | |
475 @strong{Please note:} For historical compatibility, special characters | |
476 are treated as ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special | |
477 meanings make no sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as | |
478 ordinary since there is no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} | |
479 can act. It is poor practice to depend on this behavior; quote the | |
480 special character anyway, regardless of where it appears.@refill | |
481 | |
482 As a @samp{\} is not special inside a character alternative, it can | |
483 never remove the special meaning of @samp{-} or @samp{]}. So you | |
484 should not quote these characters when they have no special meaning | |
485 either. This would not clarify anything, since backslashes can | |
486 legitimately precede these characters where they @emph{have} special | |
487 meaning, as in @samp{[^\]} (@code{"[^\\]"} for Lisp string syntax), | |
488 which matches any single character except a backslash. | |
489 | |
490 In practice, most @samp{]} that occur in regular expressions close a | |
491 character alternative and hence are special. However, occasionally a | |
492 regular expression may try to match a complex pattern of literal | |
493 @samp{[} and @samp{]}. In such situations, it sometimes may be | |
494 necessary to carefully parse the regexp from the start to determine | |
495 which square brackets enclose a character alternative. For example, | |
496 @samp{[^][]]} consists of the complemented character alternative | |
497 @samp{[^][]} (which matches any single character that is not a square | |
498 bracket), followed by a literal @samp{]}. | |
499 | |
500 The exact rules are that at the beginning of a regexp, @samp{[} is | |
501 special and @samp{]} not. This lasts until the first unquoted | |
502 @samp{[}, after which we are in a character alternative; @samp{[} is | |
503 no longer special (except when it starts a character class) but @samp{]} | |
504 is special, unless it immediately follows the special @samp{[} or that | |
505 @samp{[} followed by a @samp{^}. This lasts until the next special | |
506 @samp{]} that does not end a character class. This ends the character | |
507 alternative and restores the ordinary syntax of regular expressions; | |
508 an unquoted @samp{[} is special again and a @samp{]} not. | |
509 | |
510 @node Char Classes | |
511 @subsubsection Character Classes | |
512 @cindex character classes in regexp | |
513 | |
514 Here is a table of the classes you can use in a character alternative, | |
515 and what they mean: | |
516 | |
517 @table @samp | |
518 @item [:ascii:] | |
519 This matches any @acronym{ASCII} character (codes 0--127). | |
520 @item [:alnum:] | |
521 This matches any letter or digit. (At present, for multibyte | |
522 characters, it matches anything that has word syntax.) | |
523 @item [:alpha:] | |
524 This matches any letter. (At present, for multibyte characters, it | |
525 matches anything that has word syntax.) | |
526 @item [:blank:] | |
527 This matches space and tab only. | |
528 @item [:cntrl:] | |
529 This matches any @acronym{ASCII} control character. | |
530 @item [:digit:] | |
531 This matches @samp{0} through @samp{9}. Thus, @samp{[-+[:digit:]]} | |
532 matches any digit, as well as @samp{+} and @samp{-}. | |
533 @item [:graph:] | |
534 This matches graphic characters---everything except @acronym{ASCII} control | |
535 characters, space, and the delete character. | |
536 @item [:lower:] | |
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537 This matches any lower-case letter, as determined by the current case |
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538 table (@pxref{Case Tables}). If @code{case-fold-search} is |
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539 non-@code{nil}, this also matches any upper-case letter. |
84096 | 540 @item [:multibyte:] |
541 This matches any multibyte character (@pxref{Text Representations}). | |
542 @item [:nonascii:] | |
543 This matches any non-@acronym{ASCII} character. | |
544 @item [:print:] | |
545 This matches printing characters---everything except @acronym{ASCII} control | |
546 characters and the delete character. | |
547 @item [:punct:] | |
548 This matches any punctuation character. (At present, for multibyte | |
549 characters, it matches anything that has non-word syntax.) | |
550 @item [:space:] | |
551 This matches any character that has whitespace syntax | |
552 (@pxref{Syntax Class Table}). | |
553 @item [:unibyte:] | |
554 This matches any unibyte character (@pxref{Text Representations}). | |
555 @item [:upper:] | |
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556 This matches any upper-case letter, as determined by the current case |
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557 table (@pxref{Case Tables}). If @code{case-fold-search} is |
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558 non-@code{nil}, this also matches any lower-case letter. |
84096 | 559 @item [:word:] |
560 This matches any character that has word syntax (@pxref{Syntax Class | |
561 Table}). | |
562 @item [:xdigit:] | |
563 This matches the hexadecimal digits: @samp{0} through @samp{9}, @samp{a} | |
564 through @samp{f} and @samp{A} through @samp{F}. | |
565 @end table | |
566 | |
567 @node Regexp Backslash | |
568 @subsubsection Backslash Constructs in Regular Expressions | |
569 | |
570 For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only | |
571 that character. However, there are several exceptions: certain | |
572 two-character sequences starting with @samp{\} that have special | |
573 meanings. (The character after the @samp{\} in such a sequence is | |
574 always ordinary when used on its own.) Here is a table of the special | |
575 @samp{\} constructs. | |
576 | |
577 @table @samp | |
578 @item \| | |
579 @cindex @samp{|} in regexp | |
580 @cindex regexp alternative | |
581 specifies an alternative. | |
582 Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} with @samp{\|} in | |
583 between form an expression that matches anything that either @var{a} or | |
584 @var{b} matches.@refill | |
585 | |
586 Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar} | |
587 but no other string.@refill | |
588 | |
589 @samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a | |
590 surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of | |
591 @samp{\|}.@refill | |
592 | |
593 If you need full backtracking capability to handle multiple uses of | |
594 @samp{\|}, use the POSIX regular expression functions (@pxref{POSIX | |
595 Regexps}). | |
596 | |
597 @item \@{@var{m}\@} | |
598 is a postfix operator that repeats the previous pattern exactly @var{m} | |
599 times. Thus, @samp{x\@{5\@}} matches the string @samp{xxxxx} | |
600 and nothing else. @samp{c[ad]\@{3\@}r} matches string such as | |
601 @samp{caaar}, @samp{cdddr}, @samp{cadar}, and so on. | |
602 | |
603 @item \@{@var{m},@var{n}\@} | |
604 is a more general postfix operator that specifies repetition with a | |
605 minimum of @var{m} repeats and a maximum of @var{n} repeats. If @var{m} | |
606 is omitted, the minimum is 0; if @var{n} is omitted, there is no | |
607 maximum. | |
608 | |
609 For example, @samp{c[ad]\@{1,2\@}r} matches the strings @samp{car}, | |
610 @samp{cdr}, @samp{caar}, @samp{cadr}, @samp{cdar}, and @samp{cddr}, and | |
611 nothing else.@* | |
612 @samp{\@{0,1\@}} or @samp{\@{,1\@}} is equivalent to @samp{?}. @* | |
613 @samp{\@{0,\@}} or @samp{\@{,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{*}. @* | |
614 @samp{\@{1,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{+}. | |
615 | |
616 @item \( @dots{} \) | |
617 @cindex @samp{(} in regexp | |
618 @cindex @samp{)} in regexp | |
619 @cindex regexp grouping | |
620 is a grouping construct that serves three purposes: | |
621 | |
622 @enumerate | |
623 @item | |
624 To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations. Thus, | |
625 the regular expression @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} | |
626 or @samp{barx}. | |
627 | |
628 @item | |
629 To enclose a complicated expression for the postfix operators @samp{*}, | |
630 @samp{+} and @samp{?} to operate on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches | |
631 @samp{ba}, @samp{bana}, @samp{banana}, @samp{bananana}, etc., with any | |
632 number (zero or more) of @samp{na} strings. | |
633 | |
634 @item | |
635 To record a matched substring for future reference with | |
636 @samp{\@var{digit}} (see below). | |
637 @end enumerate | |
638 | |
639 This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a | |
640 parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that was assigned as a | |
641 second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct because, in | |
642 practice, there was usually no conflict between the two meanings. But | |
643 occasionally there is a conflict, and that led to the introduction of | |
644 shy groups. | |
645 | |
646 @item \(?: @dots{} \) | |
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647 @cindex shy groups |
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648 @cindex non-capturing group |
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649 @cindex unnumbered group |
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650 @cindex @samp{(?:} in regexp |
84096 | 651 is the @dfn{shy group} construct. A shy group serves the first two |
652 purposes of an ordinary group (controlling the nesting of other | |
653 operators), but it does not get a number, so you cannot refer back to | |
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654 its value with @samp{\@var{digit}}. Shy groups are particularly |
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655 useful for mechanically-constructed regular expressions, because they |
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656 can be added automatically without altering the numbering of ordinary, |
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657 non-shy groups. |
84096 | 658 |
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659 Shy groups are also called @dfn{non-capturing} or @dfn{unnumbered |
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660 groups}. |
84096 | 661 |
662 @item \(?@var{num}: @dots{} \) | |
663 is the @dfn{explicitly numbered group} construct. Normal groups get | |
664 their number implicitly, based on their position, which can be | |
665 inconvenient. This construct allows you to force a particular group | |
666 number. There is no particular restriction on the numbering, | |
667 e.g.@: you can have several groups with the same number in which case | |
668 the last one to match (i.e.@: the rightmost match) will win. | |
669 Implicitly numbered groups always get the smallest integer larger than | |
670 the one of any previous group. | |
671 | |
672 @item \@var{digit} | |
673 matches the same text that matched the @var{digit}th occurrence of a | |
674 grouping (@samp{\( @dots{} \)}) construct. | |
675 | |
676 In other words, after the end of a group, the matcher remembers the | |
677 beginning and end of the text matched by that group. Later on in the | |
678 regular expression you can use @samp{\} followed by @var{digit} to | |
679 match that same text, whatever it may have been. | |
680 | |
681 The strings matching the first nine grouping constructs appearing in | |
682 the entire regular expression passed to a search or matching function | |
683 are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in the order that the open | |
684 parentheses appear in the regular expression. So you can use | |
685 @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched by the | |
686 corresponding grouping constructs. | |
687 | |
688 For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is | |
689 composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first | |
690 half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match | |
691 the same exact text. | |
692 | |
693 If a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct matches more than once (which can | |
694 happen, for instance, if it is followed by @samp{*}), only the last | |
695 match is recorded. | |
696 | |
697 If a particular grouping construct in the regular expression was never | |
698 matched---for instance, if it appears inside of an alternative that | |
699 wasn't used, or inside of a repetition that repeated zero times---then | |
700 the corresponding @samp{\@var{digit}} construct never matches | |
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701 anything. To use an artificial example, @samp{\(foo\(b*\)\|lose\)\2} |
84096 | 702 cannot match @samp{lose}: the second alternative inside the larger |
703 group matches it, but then @samp{\2} is undefined and can't match | |
704 anything. But it can match @samp{foobb}, because the first | |
705 alternative matches @samp{foob} and @samp{\2} matches @samp{b}. | |
706 | |
707 @item \w | |
708 @cindex @samp{\w} in regexp | |
709 matches any word-constituent character. The editor syntax table | |
710 determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax Tables}. | |
711 | |
712 @item \W | |
713 @cindex @samp{\W} in regexp | |
714 matches any character that is not a word constituent. | |
715 | |
716 @item \s@var{code} | |
717 @cindex @samp{\s} in regexp | |
718 matches any character whose syntax is @var{code}. Here @var{code} is a | |
719 character that represents a syntax code: thus, @samp{w} for word | |
720 constituent, @samp{-} for whitespace, @samp{(} for open parenthesis, | |
721 etc. To represent whitespace syntax, use either @samp{-} or a space | |
722 character. @xref{Syntax Class Table}, for a list of syntax codes and | |
723 the characters that stand for them. | |
724 | |
725 @item \S@var{code} | |
726 @cindex @samp{\S} in regexp | |
727 matches any character whose syntax is not @var{code}. | |
728 | |
729 @item \c@var{c} | |
730 matches any character whose category is @var{c}. Here @var{c} is a | |
731 character that represents a category: thus, @samp{c} for Chinese | |
732 characters or @samp{g} for Greek characters in the standard category | |
733 table. | |
734 | |
735 @item \C@var{c} | |
736 matches any character whose category is not @var{c}. | |
737 @end table | |
738 | |
739 The following regular expression constructs match the empty string---that is, | |
740 they don't use up any characters---but whether they match depends on the | |
741 context. For all, the beginning and end of the accessible portion of | |
742 the buffer are treated as if they were the actual beginning and end of | |
743 the buffer. | |
744 | |
745 @table @samp | |
746 @item \` | |
747 @cindex @samp{\`} in regexp | |
748 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning | |
749 of the buffer or string being matched against. | |
750 | |
751 @item \' | |
752 @cindex @samp{\'} in regexp | |
753 matches the empty string, but only at the end of | |
754 the buffer or string being matched against. | |
755 | |
756 @item \= | |
757 @cindex @samp{\=} in regexp | |
758 matches the empty string, but only at point. | |
759 (This construct is not defined when matching against a string.) | |
760 | |
761 @item \b | |
762 @cindex @samp{\b} in regexp | |
763 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or | |
764 end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of | |
765 @samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches | |
766 @samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word.@refill | |
767 | |
768 @samp{\b} matches at the beginning or end of the buffer (or string) | |
769 regardless of what text appears next to it. | |
770 | |
771 @item \B | |
772 @cindex @samp{\B} in regexp | |
773 matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or | |
774 end of a word, nor at the beginning or end of the buffer (or string). | |
775 | |
776 @item \< | |
777 @cindex @samp{\<} in regexp | |
778 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word. | |
779 @samp{\<} matches at the beginning of the buffer (or string) only if a | |
780 word-constituent character follows. | |
781 | |
782 @item \> | |
783 @cindex @samp{\>} in regexp | |
784 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. @samp{\>} | |
785 matches at the end of the buffer (or string) only if the contents end | |
786 with a word-constituent character. | |
787 | |
788 @item \_< | |
789 @cindex @samp{\_<} in regexp | |
790 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a symbol. A | |
791 symbol is a sequence of one or more word or symbol constituent | |
792 characters. @samp{\_<} matches at the beginning of the buffer (or | |
793 string) only if a symbol-constituent character follows. | |
794 | |
795 @item \_> | |
796 @cindex @samp{\_>} in regexp | |
797 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a symbol. @samp{\_>} | |
798 matches at the end of the buffer (or string) only if the contents end | |
799 with a symbol-constituent character. | |
800 @end table | |
801 | |
802 @kindex invalid-regexp | |
803 Not every string is a valid regular expression. For example, a string | |
804 that ends inside a character alternative without terminating @samp{]} | |
805 is invalid, and so is a string that ends with a single @samp{\}. If | |
806 an invalid regular expression is passed to any of the search functions, | |
807 an @code{invalid-regexp} error is signaled. | |
808 | |
809 @node Regexp Example | |
810 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
811 @subsection Complex Regexp Example | |
812 | |
813 Here is a complicated regexp which was formerly used by Emacs to | |
814 recognize the end of a sentence together with any whitespace that | |
815 follows. (Nowadays Emacs uses a similar but more complex default | |
816 regexp constructed by the function @code{sentence-end}. | |
817 @xref{Standard Regexps}.) | |
818 | |
819 First, we show the regexp as a string in Lisp syntax to distinguish | |
820 spaces from tab characters. The string constant begins and ends with a | |
821 double-quote. @samp{\"} stands for a double-quote as part of the | |
822 string, @samp{\\} for a backslash as part of the string, @samp{\t} for a | |
823 tab and @samp{\n} for a newline. | |
824 | |
825 @example | |
826 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\)[ \t\n]*" | |
827 @end example | |
828 | |
829 @noindent | |
830 In contrast, if you evaluate this string, you will see the following: | |
831 | |
832 @example | |
833 @group | |
834 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\)[ \t\n]*" | |
835 @result{} "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\| \\|@ @ \\)[ | |
836 ]*" | |
837 @end group | |
838 @end example | |
839 | |
840 @noindent | |
841 In this output, tab and newline appear as themselves. | |
842 | |
843 This regular expression contains four parts in succession and can be | |
844 deciphered as follows: | |
845 | |
846 @table @code | |
847 @item [.?!] | |
848 The first part of the pattern is a character alternative that matches | |
849 any one of three characters: period, question mark, and exclamation | |
850 mark. The match must begin with one of these three characters. (This | |
851 is one point where the new default regexp used by Emacs differs from | |
852 the old. The new value also allows some non-@acronym{ASCII} | |
853 characters that end a sentence without any following whitespace.) | |
854 | |
855 @item []\"')@}]* | |
856 The second part of the pattern matches any closing braces and quotation | |
857 marks, zero or more of them, that may follow the period, question mark | |
858 or exclamation mark. The @code{\"} is Lisp syntax for a double-quote in | |
859 a string. The @samp{*} at the end indicates that the immediately | |
860 preceding regular expression (a character alternative, in this case) may be | |
861 repeated zero or more times. | |
862 | |
863 @item \\($\\|@ $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\) | |
864 The third part of the pattern matches the whitespace that follows the | |
865 end of a sentence: the end of a line (optionally with a space), or a | |
866 tab, or two spaces. The double backslashes mark the parentheses and | |
867 vertical bars as regular expression syntax; the parentheses delimit a | |
868 group and the vertical bars separate alternatives. The dollar sign is | |
869 used to match the end of a line. | |
870 | |
871 @item [ \t\n]* | |
872 Finally, the last part of the pattern matches any additional whitespace | |
873 beyond the minimum needed to end a sentence. | |
874 @end table | |
875 | |
876 @node Regexp Functions | |
877 @subsection Regular Expression Functions | |
878 | |
879 These functions operate on regular expressions. | |
880 | |
881 @defun regexp-quote string | |
882 This function returns a regular expression whose only exact match is | |
883 @var{string}. Using this regular expression in @code{looking-at} will | |
884 succeed only if the next characters in the buffer are @var{string}; | |
885 using it in a search function will succeed if the text being searched | |
886 contains @var{string}. | |
887 | |
888 This allows you to request an exact string match or search when calling | |
889 a function that wants a regular expression. | |
890 | |
891 @example | |
892 @group | |
893 (regexp-quote "^The cat$") | |
894 @result{} "\\^The cat\\$" | |
895 @end group | |
896 @end example | |
897 | |
898 One use of @code{regexp-quote} is to combine an exact string match with | |
899 context described as a regular expression. For example, this searches | |
900 for the string that is the value of @var{string}, surrounded by | |
901 whitespace: | |
902 | |
903 @example | |
904 @group | |
905 (re-search-forward | |
906 (concat "\\s-" (regexp-quote string) "\\s-")) | |
907 @end group | |
908 @end example | |
909 @end defun | |
910 | |
911 @defun regexp-opt strings &optional paren | |
912 This function returns an efficient regular expression that will match | |
913 any of the strings in the list @var{strings}. This is useful when you | |
914 need to make matching or searching as fast as possible---for example, | |
915 for Font Lock mode. | |
916 | |
917 If the optional argument @var{paren} is non-@code{nil}, then the | |
918 returned regular expression is always enclosed by at least one | |
919 parentheses-grouping construct. If @var{paren} is @code{words}, then | |
920 that construct is additionally surrounded by @samp{\<} and @samp{\>}. | |
921 | |
922 This simplified definition of @code{regexp-opt} produces a | |
923 regular expression which is equivalent to the actual value | |
924 (but not as efficient): | |
925 | |
926 @example | |
927 (defun regexp-opt (strings paren) | |
928 (let ((open-paren (if paren "\\(" "")) | |
929 (close-paren (if paren "\\)" ""))) | |
930 (concat open-paren | |
931 (mapconcat 'regexp-quote strings "\\|") | |
932 close-paren))) | |
933 @end example | |
934 @end defun | |
935 | |
936 @defun regexp-opt-depth regexp | |
937 This function returns the total number of grouping constructs | |
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938 (parenthesized expressions) in @var{regexp}. This does not include |
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939 shy groups (@pxref{Regexp Backslash}). |
84096 | 940 @end defun |
941 | |
942 @node Regexp Search | |
943 @section Regular Expression Searching | |
944 @cindex regular expression searching | |
945 @cindex regexp searching | |
946 @cindex searching for regexp | |
947 | |
948 In GNU Emacs, you can search for the next match for a regular | |
949 expression either incrementally or not. For incremental search | |
950 commands, see @ref{Regexp Search, , Regular Expression Search, emacs, | |
951 The GNU Emacs Manual}. Here we describe only the search functions | |
952 useful in programs. The principal one is @code{re-search-forward}. | |
953 | |
954 These search functions convert the regular expression to multibyte if | |
955 the buffer is multibyte; they convert the regular expression to unibyte | |
956 if the buffer is unibyte. @xref{Text Representations}. | |
957 | |
958 @deffn Command re-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
959 This function searches forward in the current buffer for a string of | |
960 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}. The | |
961 function skips over any amount of text that is not matched by | |
962 @var{regexp}, and leaves point at the end of the first match found. | |
963 It returns the new value of point. | |
964 | |
965 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil}, it must be a position in the current | |
966 buffer. It specifies the upper bound to the search. No match | |
967 extending after that position is accepted. | |
968 | |
969 If @var{repeat} is supplied, it must be a positive number; the search | |
970 is repeated that many times; each repetition starts at the end of the | |
971 previous match. If all these successive searches succeed, the search | |
972 succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise the | |
973 search fails. What @code{re-search-forward} does when the search | |
974 fails depends on the value of @var{noerror}: | |
975 | |
976 @table @asis | |
977 @item @code{nil} | |
978 Signal a @code{search-failed} error. | |
979 @item @code{t} | |
980 Do nothing and return @code{nil}. | |
981 @item anything else | |
982 Move point to @var{limit} (or the end of the accessible portion of the | |
983 buffer) and return @code{nil}. | |
984 @end table | |
985 | |
986 In the following example, point is initially before the @samp{T}. | |
987 Evaluating the search call moves point to the end of that line (between | |
988 the @samp{t} of @samp{hat} and the newline). | |
989 | |
990 @example | |
991 @group | |
992 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
993 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
994 comes back" twice. | |
995 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
996 @end group | |
997 | |
998 @group | |
999 (re-search-forward "[a-z]+" nil t 5) | |
1000 @result{} 27 | |
1001 | |
1002 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1003 I read "The cat in the hat@point{} | |
1004 comes back" twice. | |
1005 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1006 @end group | |
1007 @end example | |
1008 @end deffn | |
1009 | |
1010 @deffn Command re-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
1011 This function searches backward in the current buffer for a string of | |
1012 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}, leaving | |
1013 point at the beginning of the first text found. | |
1014 | |
1015 This function is analogous to @code{re-search-forward}, but they are not | |
1016 simple mirror images. @code{re-search-forward} finds the match whose | |
1017 beginning is as close as possible to the starting point. If | |
1018 @code{re-search-backward} were a perfect mirror image, it would find the | |
1019 match whose end is as close as possible. However, in fact it finds the | |
1020 match whose beginning is as close as possible (and yet ends before the | |
1021 starting point). The reason for this is that matching a regular | |
1022 expression at a given spot always works from beginning to end, and | |
1023 starts at a specified beginning position. | |
1024 | |
1025 A true mirror-image of @code{re-search-forward} would require a special | |
1026 feature for matching regular expressions from end to beginning. It's | |
1027 not worth the trouble of implementing that. | |
1028 @end deffn | |
1029 | |
1030 @defun string-match regexp string &optional start | |
1031 This function returns the index of the start of the first match for | |
1032 the regular expression @var{regexp} in @var{string}, or @code{nil} if | |
1033 there is no match. If @var{start} is non-@code{nil}, the search starts | |
1034 at that index in @var{string}. | |
1035 | |
1036 For example, | |
1037 | |
1038 @example | |
1039 @group | |
1040 (string-match | |
1041 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly.") | |
1042 @result{} 4 | |
1043 @end group | |
1044 @group | |
1045 (string-match | |
1046 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
1047 @result{} 27 | |
1048 @end group | |
1049 @end example | |
1050 | |
1051 @noindent | |
1052 The index of the first character of the | |
1053 string is 0, the index of the second character is 1, and so on. | |
1054 | |
1055 After this function returns, the index of the first character beyond | |
1056 the match is available as @code{(match-end 0)}. @xref{Match Data}. | |
1057 | |
1058 @example | |
1059 @group | |
1060 (string-match | |
1061 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
1062 @result{} 27 | |
1063 @end group | |
1064 | |
1065 @group | |
1066 (match-end 0) | |
1067 @result{} 32 | |
1068 @end group | |
1069 @end example | |
1070 @end defun | |
1071 | |
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1072 @defun string-match-p regexp string &optional start |
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1073 This predicate function does what @code{string-match} does, but it |
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1074 avoids modifying the match data. |
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1075 @end defun |
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1076 |
84096 | 1077 @defun looking-at regexp |
1078 This function determines whether the text in the current buffer directly | |
1079 following point matches the regular expression @var{regexp}. ``Directly | |
1080 following'' means precisely that: the search is ``anchored'' and it can | |
1081 succeed only starting with the first character following point. The | |
1082 result is @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise. | |
1083 | |
1084 This function does not move point, but it updates the match data, which | |
1085 you can access using @code{match-beginning} and @code{match-end}. | |
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1086 @xref{Match Data}. If you need to test for a match without modifying |
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1087 the match data, use @code{looking-at-p}, described below. |
84096 | 1088 |
1089 In this example, point is located directly before the @samp{T}. If it | |
1090 were anywhere else, the result would be @code{nil}. | |
1091 | |
1092 @example | |
1093 @group | |
1094 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1095 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
1096 comes back" twice. | |
1097 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1098 | |
1099 (looking-at "The cat in the hat$") | |
1100 @result{} t | |
1101 @end group | |
1102 @end example | |
1103 @end defun | |
1104 | |
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1105 @defun looking-back regexp &optional limit greedy |
84096 | 1106 This function returns @code{t} if @var{regexp} matches text before |
1107 point, ending at point, and @code{nil} otherwise. | |
1108 | |
1109 Because regular expression matching works only going forward, this is | |
1110 implemented by searching backwards from point for a match that ends at | |
1111 point. That can be quite slow if it has to search a long distance. | |
1112 You can bound the time required by specifying @var{limit}, which says | |
1113 not to search before @var{limit}. In this case, the match that is | |
1114 found must begin at or after @var{limit}. | |
1115 | |
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1116 If @var{greedy} is non-@code{nil}, this function extends the match |
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1117 backwards as far as possible, stopping when a single additional |
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1118 previous character cannot be part of a match for regexp. When the |
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1119 match is extended, its starting position is allowed to occur before |
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1120 @var{limit}. |
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1121 |
84096 | 1122 @example |
1123 @group | |
1124 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1125 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
1126 comes back" twice. | |
1127 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1128 | |
1129 (looking-back "read \"" 3) | |
1130 @result{} t | |
1131 (looking-back "read \"" 4) | |
1132 @result{} nil | |
1133 @end group | |
1134 @end example | |
1135 @end defun | |
1136 | |
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1137 @defun looking-at-p regexp |
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1138 This predicate function works like @code{looking-at}, but without |
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1139 updating the match data. |
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1140 @end defun |
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1141 |
84096 | 1142 @defvar search-spaces-regexp |
1143 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression | |
1144 that says how to search for whitespace. In that case, any group of | |
1145 spaces in a regular expression being searched for stands for use of | |
1146 this regular expression. However, spaces inside of constructs such as | |
1147 @samp{[@dots{}]} and @samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?} are not affected by | |
1148 @code{search-spaces-regexp}. | |
1149 | |
1150 Since this variable affects all regular expression search and match | |
1151 constructs, you should bind it temporarily for as small as possible | |
1152 a part of the code. | |
1153 @end defvar | |
1154 | |
1155 @node POSIX Regexps | |
1156 @section POSIX Regular Expression Searching | |
1157 | |
1158 The usual regular expression functions do backtracking when necessary | |
1159 to handle the @samp{\|} and repetition constructs, but they continue | |
1160 this only until they find @emph{some} match. Then they succeed and | |
1161 report the first match found. | |
1162 | |
1163 This section describes alternative search functions which perform the | |
1164 full backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1165 matching. They continue backtracking until they have tried all | |
1166 possibilities and found all matches, so they can report the longest | |
1167 match, as required by POSIX. This is much slower, so use these | |
1168 functions only when you really need the longest match. | |
1169 | |
1170 The POSIX search and match functions do not properly support the | |
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1171 non-greedy repetition operators (@pxref{Regexp Special, non-greedy}). |
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1172 This is because POSIX backtracking conflicts with the semantics of |
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1173 non-greedy repetition. |
84096 | 1174 |
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1175 @deffn Command posix-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat |
84096 | 1176 This is like @code{re-search-forward} except that it performs the full |
1177 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1178 matching. | |
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1179 @end deffn |
84096 | 1180 |
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1181 @deffn Command posix-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat |
84096 | 1182 This is like @code{re-search-backward} except that it performs the full |
1183 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1184 matching. | |
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1185 @end deffn |
84096 | 1186 |
1187 @defun posix-looking-at regexp | |
1188 This is like @code{looking-at} except that it performs the full | |
1189 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1190 matching. | |
1191 @end defun | |
1192 | |
1193 @defun posix-string-match regexp string &optional start | |
1194 This is like @code{string-match} except that it performs the full | |
1195 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1196 matching. | |
1197 @end defun | |
1198 | |
1199 @node Match Data | |
1200 @section The Match Data | |
1201 @cindex match data | |
1202 | |
1203 Emacs keeps track of the start and end positions of the segments of | |
1204 text found during a search; this is called the @dfn{match data}. | |
1205 Thanks to the match data, you can search for a complex pattern, such | |
1206 as a date in a mail message, and then extract parts of the match under | |
1207 control of the pattern. | |
1208 | |
1209 Because the match data normally describe the most recent search only, | |
1210 you must be careful not to do another search inadvertently between the | |
1211 search you wish to refer back to and the use of the match data. If you | |
1212 can't avoid another intervening search, you must save and restore the | |
1213 match data around it, to prevent it from being overwritten. | |
1214 | |
1215 @menu | |
1216 * Replacing Match:: Replacing a substring that was matched. | |
1217 * Simple Match Data:: Accessing single items of match data, | |
1218 such as where a particular subexpression started. | |
1219 * Entire Match Data:: Accessing the entire match data at once, as a list. | |
1220 * Saving Match Data:: Saving and restoring the match data. | |
1221 @end menu | |
1222 | |
1223 @node Replacing Match | |
1224 @subsection Replacing the Text that Matched | |
1225 @cindex replace matched text | |
1226 | |
1227 This function replaces all or part of the text matched by the last | |
1228 search. It works by means of the match data. | |
1229 | |
1230 @cindex case in replacements | |
1231 @defun replace-match replacement &optional fixedcase literal string subexp | |
1232 This function replaces the text in the buffer (or in @var{string}) that | |
1233 was matched by the last search. It replaces that text with | |
1234 @var{replacement}. | |
1235 | |
1236 If you did the last search in a buffer, you should specify @code{nil} | |
1237 for @var{string} and make sure that the current buffer when you call | |
1238 @code{replace-match} is the one in which you did the searching or | |
1239 matching. Then @code{replace-match} does the replacement by editing | |
1240 the buffer; it leaves point at the end of the replacement text, and | |
1241 returns @code{t}. | |
1242 | |
1243 If you did the search in a string, pass the same string as @var{string}. | |
1244 Then @code{replace-match} does the replacement by constructing and | |
1245 returning a new string. | |
1246 | |
1247 If @var{fixedcase} is non-@code{nil}, then @code{replace-match} uses | |
1248 the replacement text without case conversion; otherwise, it converts | |
1249 the replacement text depending upon the capitalization of the text to | |
1250 be replaced. If the original text is all upper case, this converts | |
1251 the replacement text to upper case. If all words of the original text | |
1252 are capitalized, this capitalizes all the words of the replacement | |
1253 text. If all the words are one-letter and they are all upper case, | |
1254 they are treated as capitalized words rather than all-upper-case | |
1255 words. | |
1256 | |
1257 If @var{literal} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{replacement} is inserted | |
1258 exactly as it is, the only alterations being case changes as needed. | |
1259 If it is @code{nil} (the default), then the character @samp{\} is treated | |
1260 specially. If a @samp{\} appears in @var{replacement}, then it must be | |
1261 part of one of the following sequences: | |
1262 | |
1263 @table @asis | |
1264 @item @samp{\&} | |
1265 @cindex @samp{&} in replacement | |
1266 @samp{\&} stands for the entire text being replaced. | |
1267 | |
1268 @item @samp{\@var{n}} | |
1269 @cindex @samp{\@var{n}} in replacement | |
1270 @samp{\@var{n}}, where @var{n} is a digit, stands for the text that | |
1271 matched the @var{n}th subexpression in the original regexp. | |
1272 Subexpressions are those expressions grouped inside @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. | |
1273 If the @var{n}th subexpression never matched, an empty string is substituted. | |
1274 | |
1275 @item @samp{\\} | |
1276 @cindex @samp{\} in replacement | |
1277 @samp{\\} stands for a single @samp{\} in the replacement text. | |
1278 @end table | |
1279 | |
1280 These substitutions occur after case conversion, if any, | |
1281 so the strings they substitute are never case-converted. | |
1282 | |
1283 If @var{subexp} is non-@code{nil}, that says to replace just | |
1284 subexpression number @var{subexp} of the regexp that was matched, not | |
1285 the entire match. For example, after matching @samp{foo \(ba*r\)}, | |
1286 calling @code{replace-match} with 1 as @var{subexp} means to replace | |
1287 just the text that matched @samp{\(ba*r\)}. | |
1288 @end defun | |
1289 | |
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1290 @defun match-substitute-replacement replacement &optional fixedcase literal string subexp |
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1291 This function returns the text that would be inserted into the buffer |
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1292 by @code{replace-match}, but without modifying the buffer. It is |
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1293 useful if you want to present the user with actual replacement result, |
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1294 with constructs like @samp{\@var{n}} or @samp{\&} substituted with |
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1295 matched groups. Arguments @var{replacement} and optional |
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1296 @var{fixedcase}, @var{literal}, @var{string} and @var{subexp} have the |
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1297 same meaning as for @code{replace-match}. |
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1298 @end defun |
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1299 |
84096 | 1300 @node Simple Match Data |
1301 @subsection Simple Match Data Access | |
1302 | |
1303 This section explains how to use the match data to find out what was | |
1304 matched by the last search or match operation, if it succeeded. | |
1305 | |
1306 You can ask about the entire matching text, or about a particular | |
1307 parenthetical subexpression of a regular expression. The @var{count} | |
1308 argument in the functions below specifies which. If @var{count} is | |
1309 zero, you are asking about the entire match. If @var{count} is | |
1310 positive, it specifies which subexpression you want. | |
1311 | |
1312 Recall that the subexpressions of a regular expression are those | |
1313 expressions grouped with escaped parentheses, @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. The | |
1314 @var{count}th subexpression is found by counting occurrences of | |
1315 @samp{\(} from the beginning of the whole regular expression. The first | |
1316 subexpression is numbered 1, the second 2, and so on. Only regular | |
1317 expressions can have subexpressions---after a simple string search, the | |
1318 only information available is about the entire match. | |
1319 | |
1320 Every successful search sets the match data. Therefore, you should | |
1321 query the match data immediately after searching, before calling any | |
1322 other function that might perform another search. Alternatively, you | |
1323 may save and restore the match data (@pxref{Saving Match Data}) around | |
1324 the call to functions that could perform another search. | |
1325 | |
1326 A search which fails may or may not alter the match data. In the | |
1327 past, a failing search did not do this, but we may change it in the | |
1328 future. So don't try to rely on the value of the match data after | |
1329 a failing search. | |
1330 | |
1331 @defun match-string count &optional in-string | |
1332 This function returns, as a string, the text matched in the last search | |
1333 or match operation. It returns the entire text if @var{count} is zero, | |
1334 or just the portion corresponding to the @var{count}th parenthetical | |
1335 subexpression, if @var{count} is positive. | |
1336 | |
1337 If the last such operation was done against a string with | |
1338 @code{string-match}, then you should pass the same string as the | |
1339 argument @var{in-string}. After a buffer search or match, | |
1340 you should omit @var{in-string} or pass @code{nil} for it; but you | |
1341 should make sure that the current buffer when you call | |
1342 @code{match-string} is the one in which you did the searching or | |
1343 matching. | |
1344 | |
1345 The value is @code{nil} if @var{count} is out of range, or for a | |
1346 subexpression inside a @samp{\|} alternative that wasn't used or a | |
1347 repetition that repeated zero times. | |
1348 @end defun | |
1349 | |
1350 @defun match-string-no-properties count &optional in-string | |
1351 This function is like @code{match-string} except that the result | |
1352 has no text properties. | |
1353 @end defun | |
1354 | |
1355 @defun match-beginning count | |
1356 This function returns the position of the start of text matched by the | |
1357 last regular expression searched for, or a subexpression of it. | |
1358 | |
1359 If @var{count} is zero, then the value is the position of the start of | |
1360 the entire match. Otherwise, @var{count} specifies a subexpression in | |
1361 the regular expression, and the value of the function is the starting | |
1362 position of the match for that subexpression. | |
1363 | |
1364 The value is @code{nil} for a subexpression inside a @samp{\|} | |
1365 alternative that wasn't used or a repetition that repeated zero times. | |
1366 @end defun | |
1367 | |
1368 @defun match-end count | |
1369 This function is like @code{match-beginning} except that it returns the | |
1370 position of the end of the match, rather than the position of the | |
1371 beginning. | |
1372 @end defun | |
1373 | |
1374 Here is an example of using the match data, with a comment showing the | |
1375 positions within the text: | |
1376 | |
1377 @example | |
1378 @group | |
1379 (string-match "\\(qu\\)\\(ick\\)" | |
1380 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1381 ;0123456789 | |
1382 @result{} 4 | |
1383 @end group | |
1384 | |
1385 @group | |
1386 (match-string 0 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1387 @result{} "quick" | |
1388 (match-string 1 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1389 @result{} "qu" | |
1390 (match-string 2 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1391 @result{} "ick" | |
1392 @end group | |
1393 | |
1394 @group | |
1395 (match-beginning 1) ; @r{The beginning of the match} | |
1396 @result{} 4 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 4.} | |
1397 @end group | |
1398 | |
1399 @group | |
1400 (match-beginning 2) ; @r{The beginning of the match} | |
1401 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 6.} | |
1402 @end group | |
1403 | |
1404 @group | |
1405 (match-end 1) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1406 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 6.} | |
1407 | |
1408 (match-end 2) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1409 @result{} 9 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 9.} | |
1410 @end group | |
1411 @end example | |
1412 | |
1413 Here is another example. Point is initially located at the beginning | |
1414 of the line. Searching moves point to between the space and the word | |
1415 @samp{in}. The beginning of the entire match is at the 9th character of | |
1416 the buffer (@samp{T}), and the beginning of the match for the first | |
1417 subexpression is at the 13th character (@samp{c}). | |
1418 | |
1419 @example | |
1420 @group | |
1421 (list | |
1422 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1423 (match-beginning 0) | |
1424 (match-beginning 1)) | |
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1425 @result{} (17 9 13) |
84096 | 1426 @end group |
1427 | |
1428 @group | |
1429 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1430 I read "The cat @point{}in the hat comes back" twice. | |
1431 ^ ^ | |
1432 9 13 | |
1433 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1434 @end group | |
1435 @end example | |
1436 | |
1437 @noindent | |
1438 (In this case, the index returned is a buffer position; the first | |
1439 character of the buffer counts as 1.) | |
1440 | |
1441 @node Entire Match Data | |
1442 @subsection Accessing the Entire Match Data | |
1443 | |
1444 The functions @code{match-data} and @code{set-match-data} read or | |
1445 write the entire match data, all at once. | |
1446 | |
1447 @defun match-data &optional integers reuse reseat | |
1448 This function returns a list of positions (markers or integers) that | |
1449 record all the information on what text the last search matched. | |
1450 Element zero is the position of the beginning of the match for the | |
1451 whole expression; element one is the position of the end of the match | |
1452 for the expression. The next two elements are the positions of the | |
1453 beginning and end of the match for the first subexpression, and so on. | |
1454 In general, element | |
1455 @ifnottex | |
1456 number 2@var{n} | |
1457 @end ifnottex | |
1458 @tex | |
1459 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n$} | |
1460 @end tex | |
1461 corresponds to @code{(match-beginning @var{n})}; and | |
1462 element | |
1463 @ifnottex | |
1464 number 2@var{n} + 1 | |
1465 @end ifnottex | |
1466 @tex | |
1467 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n+1$} | |
1468 @end tex | |
1469 corresponds to @code{(match-end @var{n})}. | |
1470 | |
1471 Normally all the elements are markers or @code{nil}, but if | |
1472 @var{integers} is non-@code{nil}, that means to use integers instead | |
1473 of markers. (In that case, the buffer itself is appended as an | |
1474 additional element at the end of the list, to facilitate complete | |
1475 restoration of the match data.) If the last match was done on a | |
1476 string with @code{string-match}, then integers are always used, | |
1477 since markers can't point into a string. | |
1478 | |
1479 If @var{reuse} is non-@code{nil}, it should be a list. In that case, | |
1480 @code{match-data} stores the match data in @var{reuse}. That is, | |
1481 @var{reuse} is destructively modified. @var{reuse} does not need to | |
1482 have the right length. If it is not long enough to contain the match | |
1483 data, it is extended. If it is too long, the length of @var{reuse} | |
1484 stays the same, but the elements that were not used are set to | |
1485 @code{nil}. The purpose of this feature is to reduce the need for | |
1486 garbage collection. | |
1487 | |
1488 If @var{reseat} is non-@code{nil}, all markers on the @var{reuse} list | |
1489 are reseated to point to nowhere. | |
1490 | |
1491 As always, there must be no possibility of intervening searches between | |
1492 the call to a search function and the call to @code{match-data} that is | |
1493 intended to access the match data for that search. | |
1494 | |
1495 @example | |
1496 @group | |
1497 (match-data) | |
1498 @result{} (#<marker at 9 in foo> | |
1499 #<marker at 17 in foo> | |
1500 #<marker at 13 in foo> | |
1501 #<marker at 17 in foo>) | |
1502 @end group | |
1503 @end example | |
1504 @end defun | |
1505 | |
1506 @defun set-match-data match-list &optional reseat | |
1507 This function sets the match data from the elements of @var{match-list}, | |
1508 which should be a list that was the value of a previous call to | |
1509 @code{match-data}. (More precisely, anything that has the same format | |
1510 will work.) | |
1511 | |
1512 If @var{match-list} refers to a buffer that doesn't exist, you don't get | |
1513 an error; that sets the match data in a meaningless but harmless way. | |
1514 | |
1515 If @var{reseat} is non-@code{nil}, all markers on the @var{match-list} list | |
1516 are reseated to point to nowhere. | |
1517 | |
1518 @findex store-match-data | |
1519 @code{store-match-data} is a semi-obsolete alias for @code{set-match-data}. | |
1520 @end defun | |
1521 | |
1522 @node Saving Match Data | |
1523 @subsection Saving and Restoring the Match Data | |
1524 | |
1525 When you call a function that may do a search, you may need to save | |
1526 and restore the match data around that call, if you want to preserve the | |
1527 match data from an earlier search for later use. Here is an example | |
1528 that shows the problem that arises if you fail to save the match data: | |
1529 | |
1530 @example | |
1531 @group | |
1532 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1533 @result{} 48 | |
1534 (foo) ; @r{Perhaps @code{foo} does} | |
1535 ; @r{more searching.} | |
1536 (match-end 0) | |
1537 @result{} 61 ; @r{Unexpected result---not 48!} | |
1538 @end group | |
1539 @end example | |
1540 | |
1541 You can save and restore the match data with @code{save-match-data}: | |
1542 | |
1543 @defmac save-match-data body@dots{} | |
1544 This macro executes @var{body}, saving and restoring the match | |
1545 data around it. The return value is the value of the last form in | |
1546 @var{body}. | |
1547 @end defmac | |
1548 | |
1549 You could use @code{set-match-data} together with @code{match-data} to | |
1550 imitate the effect of the special form @code{save-match-data}. Here is | |
1551 how: | |
1552 | |
1553 @example | |
1554 @group | |
1555 (let ((data (match-data))) | |
1556 (unwind-protect | |
1557 @dots{} ; @r{Ok to change the original match data.} | |
1558 (set-match-data data))) | |
1559 @end group | |
1560 @end example | |
1561 | |
1562 Emacs automatically saves and restores the match data when it runs | |
1563 process filter functions (@pxref{Filter Functions}) and process | |
1564 sentinels (@pxref{Sentinels}). | |
1565 | |
1566 @ignore | |
1567 Here is a function which restores the match data provided the buffer | |
1568 associated with it still exists. | |
1569 | |
1570 @smallexample | |
1571 @group | |
1572 (defun restore-match-data (data) | |
1573 @c It is incorrect to split the first line of a doc string. | |
1574 @c If there's a problem here, it should be solved in some other way. | |
1575 "Restore the match data DATA unless the buffer is missing." | |
1576 (catch 'foo | |
1577 (let ((d data)) | |
1578 @end group | |
1579 (while d | |
1580 (and (car d) | |
1581 (null (marker-buffer (car d))) | |
1582 @group | |
1583 ;; @file{match-data} @r{buffer is deleted.} | |
1584 (throw 'foo nil)) | |
1585 (setq d (cdr d))) | |
1586 (set-match-data data)))) | |
1587 @end group | |
1588 @end smallexample | |
1589 @end ignore | |
1590 | |
1591 @node Search and Replace | |
1592 @section Search and Replace | |
1593 @cindex replacement after search | |
1594 @cindex searching and replacing | |
1595 | |
1596 If you want to find all matches for a regexp in part of the buffer, | |
1597 and replace them, the best way is to write an explicit loop using | |
1598 @code{re-search-forward} and @code{replace-match}, like this: | |
1599 | |
1600 @example | |
1601 (while (re-search-forward "foo[ \t]+bar" nil t) | |
1602 (replace-match "foobar")) | |
1603 @end example | |
1604 | |
1605 @noindent | |
1606 @xref{Replacing Match,, Replacing the Text that Matched}, for a | |
1607 description of @code{replace-match}. | |
1608 | |
1609 However, replacing matches in a string is more complex, especially | |
1610 if you want to do it efficiently. So Emacs provides a function to do | |
1611 this. | |
1612 | |
1613 @defun replace-regexp-in-string regexp rep string &optional fixedcase literal subexp start | |
1614 This function copies @var{string} and searches it for matches for | |
1615 @var{regexp}, and replaces them with @var{rep}. It returns the | |
1616 modified copy. If @var{start} is non-@code{nil}, the search for | |
1617 matches starts at that index in @var{string}, so matches starting | |
1618 before that index are not changed. | |
1619 | |
1620 This function uses @code{replace-match} to do the replacement, and it | |
1621 passes the optional arguments @var{fixedcase}, @var{literal} and | |
1622 @var{subexp} along to @code{replace-match}. | |
1623 | |
1624 Instead of a string, @var{rep} can be a function. In that case, | |
1625 @code{replace-regexp-in-string} calls @var{rep} for each match, | |
1626 passing the text of the match as its sole argument. It collects the | |
1627 value @var{rep} returns and passes that to @code{replace-match} as the | |
1628 replacement string. The match-data at this point are the result | |
1629 of matching @var{regexp} against a substring of @var{string}. | |
1630 @end defun | |
1631 | |
1632 If you want to write a command along the lines of @code{query-replace}, | |
1633 you can use @code{perform-replace} to do the work. | |
1634 | |
1635 @defun perform-replace from-string replacements query-flag regexp-flag delimited-flag &optional repeat-count map start end | |
1636 This function is the guts of @code{query-replace} and related | |
1637 commands. It searches for occurrences of @var{from-string} in the | |
1638 text between positions @var{start} and @var{end} and replaces some or | |
1639 all of them. If @var{start} is @code{nil} (or omitted), point is used | |
1640 instead, and the end of the buffer's accessible portion is used for | |
1641 @var{end}. | |
1642 | |
1643 If @var{query-flag} is @code{nil}, it replaces all | |
1644 occurrences; otherwise, it asks the user what to do about each one. | |
1645 | |
1646 If @var{regexp-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{from-string} is | |
1647 considered a regular expression; otherwise, it must match literally. If | |
1648 @var{delimited-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then only replacements | |
1649 surrounded by word boundaries are considered. | |
1650 | |
1651 The argument @var{replacements} specifies what to replace occurrences | |
1652 with. If it is a string, that string is used. It can also be a list of | |
1653 strings, to be used in cyclic order. | |
1654 | |
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1655 If @var{replacements} is a cons cell, @w{@code{(@var{function} |
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1656 . @var{data})}}, this means to call @var{function} after each match to |
84096 | 1657 get the replacement text. This function is called with two arguments: |
1658 @var{data}, and the number of replacements already made. | |
1659 | |
1660 If @var{repeat-count} is non-@code{nil}, it should be an integer. Then | |
1661 it specifies how many times to use each of the strings in the | |
1662 @var{replacements} list before advancing cyclically to the next one. | |
1663 | |
1664 If @var{from-string} contains upper-case letters, then | |
1665 @code{perform-replace} binds @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}, and | |
1666 it uses the @code{replacements} without altering the case of them. | |
1667 | |
1668 Normally, the keymap @code{query-replace-map} defines the possible | |
1669 user responses for queries. The argument @var{map}, if | |
1670 non-@code{nil}, specifies a keymap to use instead of | |
1671 @code{query-replace-map}. | |
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1672 |
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1673 This function uses one of two functions to search for the next |
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1674 occurrence of @var{from-string}. These functions are specified by the |
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1675 values of two variables: @code{replace-re-search-function} and |
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1676 @code{replace-search-function}. The former is called when the |
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1677 argument @var{regexp-flag} is non-@code{nil}, the latter when it is |
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1678 @code{nil}. |
84096 | 1679 @end defun |
1680 | |
1681 @defvar query-replace-map | |
1682 This variable holds a special keymap that defines the valid user | |
1683 responses for @code{perform-replace} and the commands that use it, as | |
1684 well as @code{y-or-n-p} and @code{map-y-or-n-p}. This map is unusual | |
1685 in two ways: | |
1686 | |
1687 @itemize @bullet | |
1688 @item | |
1689 The ``key bindings'' are not commands, just symbols that are meaningful | |
1690 to the functions that use this map. | |
1691 | |
1692 @item | |
1693 Prefix keys are not supported; each key binding must be for a | |
1694 single-event key sequence. This is because the functions don't use | |
1695 @code{read-key-sequence} to get the input; instead, they read a single | |
1696 event and look it up ``by hand.'' | |
1697 @end itemize | |
1698 @end defvar | |
1699 | |
1700 Here are the meaningful ``bindings'' for @code{query-replace-map}. | |
1701 Several of them are meaningful only for @code{query-replace} and | |
1702 friends. | |
1703 | |
1704 @table @code | |
1705 @item act | |
1706 Do take the action being considered---in other words, ``yes.'' | |
1707 | |
1708 @item skip | |
1709 Do not take action for this question---in other words, ``no.'' | |
1710 | |
1711 @item exit | |
1712 Answer this question ``no,'' and give up on the entire series of | |
1713 questions, assuming that the answers will be ``no.'' | |
1714 | |
1715 @item act-and-exit | |
1716 Answer this question ``yes,'' and give up on the entire series of | |
1717 questions, assuming that subsequent answers will be ``no.'' | |
1718 | |
1719 @item act-and-show | |
1720 Answer this question ``yes,'' but show the results---don't advance yet | |
1721 to the next question. | |
1722 | |
1723 @item automatic | |
1724 Answer this question and all subsequent questions in the series with | |
1725 ``yes,'' without further user interaction. | |
1726 | |
1727 @item backup | |
1728 Move back to the previous place that a question was asked about. | |
1729 | |
1730 @item edit | |
1731 Enter a recursive edit to deal with this question---instead of any | |
1732 other action that would normally be taken. | |
1733 | |
1734 @item delete-and-edit | |
1735 Delete the text being considered, then enter a recursive edit to replace | |
1736 it. | |
1737 | |
1738 @item recenter | |
1739 Redisplay and center the window, then ask the same question again. | |
1740 | |
1741 @item quit | |
1742 Perform a quit right away. Only @code{y-or-n-p} and related functions | |
1743 use this answer. | |
1744 | |
1745 @item help | |
1746 Display some help, then ask again. | |
1747 @end table | |
1748 | |
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1749 @defvar multi-query-replace-map |
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1750 This variable holds a keymap that extends @code{query-replace-map} by |
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1751 providing additional keybindings that are useful in multi-buffer |
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1752 replacements. |
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1753 @end defvar |
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1754 |
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1755 @defvar replace-search-function |
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1756 This variable specifies a function that @code{perform-replace} calls |
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1757 to search for the next string to replace. Its default value is |
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1758 @code{search-forward}. Any other value should name a function of 3 |
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1759 arguments: the first 3 arguments of @code{search-forward} |
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1760 (@pxref{String Search}). |
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1761 @end defvar |
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1762 |
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1763 @defvar replace-re-search-function |
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1764 This variable specifies a function that @code{perform-replace} calls |
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1765 to search for the next regexp to replace. Its default value is |
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1766 @code{re-search-forward}. Any other value should name a function of 3 |
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1767 arguments: the first 3 arguments of @code{re-search-forward} |
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1768 (@pxref{Regexp Search}). |
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1769 @end defvar |
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1770 |
84096 | 1771 @node Standard Regexps |
1772 @section Standard Regular Expressions Used in Editing | |
1773 @cindex regexps used standardly in editing | |
1774 @cindex standard regexps used in editing | |
1775 | |
1776 This section describes some variables that hold regular expressions | |
1777 used for certain purposes in editing: | |
1778 | |
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1779 @defopt page-delimiter |
84096 | 1780 This is the regular expression describing line-beginnings that separate |
1781 pages. The default value is @code{"^\014"} (i.e., @code{"^^L"} or | |
1782 @code{"^\C-l"}); this matches a line that starts with a formfeed | |
1783 character. | |
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1784 @end defopt |
84096 | 1785 |
1786 The following two regular expressions should @emph{not} assume the | |
1787 match always starts at the beginning of a line; they should not use | |
1788 @samp{^} to anchor the match. Most often, the paragraph commands do | |
1789 check for a match only at the beginning of a line, which means that | |
1790 @samp{^} would be superfluous. When there is a nonzero left margin, | |
1791 they accept matches that start after the left margin. In that case, a | |
1792 @samp{^} would be incorrect. However, a @samp{^} is harmless in modes | |
1793 where a left margin is never used. | |
1794 | |
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1795 @defopt paragraph-separate |
84096 | 1796 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line |
1797 that separates paragraphs. (If you change this, you may have to | |
1798 change @code{paragraph-start} also.) The default value is | |
1799 @w{@code{"[@ \t\f]*$"}}, which matches a line that consists entirely of | |
1800 spaces, tabs, and form feeds (after its left margin). | |
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1801 @end defopt |
84096 | 1802 |
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1803 @defopt paragraph-start |
84096 | 1804 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line |
1805 that starts @emph{or} separates paragraphs. The default value is | |
1806 @w{@code{"\f\\|[ \t]*$"}}, which matches a line containing only | |
1807 whitespace or starting with a form feed (after its left margin). | |
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1808 @end defopt |
84096 | 1809 |
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1810 @defopt sentence-end |
84096 | 1811 If non-@code{nil}, the value should be a regular expression describing |
1812 the end of a sentence, including the whitespace following the | |
1813 sentence. (All paragraph boundaries also end sentences, regardless.) | |
1814 | |
1815 If the value is @code{nil}, the default, then the function | |
1816 @code{sentence-end} has to construct the regexp. That is why you | |
1817 should always call the function @code{sentence-end} to obtain the | |
1818 regexp to be used to recognize the end of a sentence. | |
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1819 @end defopt |
84096 | 1820 |
1821 @defun sentence-end | |
1822 This function returns the value of the variable @code{sentence-end}, | |
1823 if non-@code{nil}. Otherwise it returns a default value based on the | |
1824 values of the variables @code{sentence-end-double-space} | |
1825 (@pxref{Definition of sentence-end-double-space}), | |
1826 @code{sentence-end-without-period} and | |
1827 @code{sentence-end-without-space}. | |
1828 @end defun | |
1829 | |
1830 @ignore | |
1831 arch-tag: c2573ca2-18aa-4839-93b8-924043ef831f | |
1832 @end ignore |