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annotate lispref/searching.texi @ 19897:d9bb216aa23f
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author | Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org> |
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date | Fri, 12 Sep 1997 22:41:34 +0000 |
parents | 9129ede641f3 |
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6552 | 1 @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. | |
3 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994 Free Software Foundation, Inc. | |
4 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. | |
5 @setfilename ../info/searching | |
6 @node Searching and Matching, Syntax Tables, Text, Top | |
7 @chapter Searching and Matching | |
8 @cindex searching | |
9 | |
10 GNU Emacs provides two ways to search through a buffer for specified | |
11 text: exact string searches and regular expression searches. After a | |
12 regular expression search, you can examine the @dfn{match data} to | |
13 determine which text matched the whole regular expression or various | |
14 portions of it. | |
15 | |
16 @menu | |
17 * String Search:: Search for an exact match. | |
18 * Regular Expressions:: Describing classes of strings. | |
19 * Regexp Search:: Searching for a match for a regexp. | |
12067 | 20 * POSIX Regexps:: Searching POSIX-style for the longest match. |
6552 | 21 * Search and Replace:: Internals of @code{query-replace}. |
22 * Match Data:: Finding out which part of the text matched | |
23 various parts of a regexp, after regexp search. | |
24 * Searching and Case:: Case-independent or case-significant searching. | |
25 * Standard Regexps:: Useful regexps for finding sentences, pages,... | |
26 @end menu | |
27 | |
28 The @samp{skip-chars@dots{}} functions also perform a kind of searching. | |
29 @xref{Skipping Characters}. | |
30 | |
31 @node String Search | |
32 @section Searching for Strings | |
33 @cindex string search | |
34 | |
35 These are the primitive functions for searching through the text in a | |
36 buffer. They are meant for use in programs, but you may call them | |
37 interactively. If you do so, they prompt for the search string; | |
38 @var{limit} and @var{noerror} are set to @code{nil}, and @var{repeat} | |
39 is set to 1. | |
40 | |
41 @deffn Command search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
42 This function searches forward from point for an exact match for | |
43 @var{string}. If successful, it sets point to the end of the occurrence | |
44 found, and returns the new value of point. If no match is found, the | |
45 value and side effects depend on @var{noerror} (see below). | |
46 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
47 | |
48 In the following example, point is initially at the beginning of the | |
49 line. Then @code{(search-forward "fox")} moves point after the last | |
50 letter of @samp{fox}: | |
51 | |
52 @example | |
53 @group | |
54 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
55 @point{}The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. | |
56 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
57 @end group | |
58 | |
59 @group | |
60 (search-forward "fox") | |
61 @result{} 20 | |
62 | |
63 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
64 The quick brown fox@point{} jumped over the lazy dog. | |
65 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
66 @end group | |
67 @end example | |
68 | |
69 The argument @var{limit} specifies the upper bound to the search. (It | |
70 must be a position in the current buffer.) No match extending after | |
71 that position is accepted. If @var{limit} is omitted or @code{nil}, it | |
72 defaults to the end of the accessible portion of the buffer. | |
73 | |
74 @kindex search-failed | |
75 What happens when the search fails depends on the value of | |
76 @var{noerror}. If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, a @code{search-failed} | |
77 error is signaled. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, @code{search-forward} | |
78 returns @code{nil} and does nothing. If @var{noerror} is neither | |
79 @code{nil} nor @code{t}, then @code{search-forward} moves point to the | |
80 upper bound and returns @code{nil}. (It would be more consistent now | |
81 to return the new position of point in that case, but some programs | |
82 may depend on a value of @code{nil}.) | |
83 | |
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84 If @var{repeat} is supplied (it must be a positive number), then the |
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85 search is repeated that many times (each time starting at the end of the |
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86 previous time's match). If these successive searches succeed, the |
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87 function succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise |
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88 the search fails. |
6552 | 89 @end deffn |
90 | |
91 @deffn Command search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
92 This function searches backward from point for @var{string}. It is | |
93 just like @code{search-forward} except that it searches backwards and | |
94 leaves point at the beginning of the match. | |
95 @end deffn | |
96 | |
97 @deffn Command word-search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
98 @cindex word search | |
99 This function searches forward from point for a ``word'' match for | |
100 @var{string}. If it finds a match, it sets point to the end of the | |
101 match found, and returns the new value of point. | |
102 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
103 | |
104 Word matching regards @var{string} as a sequence of words, disregarding | |
105 punctuation that separates them. It searches the buffer for the same | |
106 sequence of words. Each word must be distinct in the buffer (searching | |
107 for the word @samp{ball} does not match the word @samp{balls}), but the | |
108 details of punctuation and spacing are ignored (searching for @samp{ball | |
109 boy} does match @samp{ball. Boy!}). | |
110 | |
111 In this example, point is initially at the beginning of the buffer; the | |
112 search leaves it between the @samp{y} and the @samp{!}. | |
113 | |
114 @example | |
115 @group | |
116 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
117 @point{}He said "Please! Find | |
118 the ball boy!" | |
119 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
120 @end group | |
121 | |
122 @group | |
123 (word-search-forward "Please find the ball, boy.") | |
124 @result{} 35 | |
125 | |
126 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
127 He said "Please! Find | |
128 the ball boy@point{}!" | |
129 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
130 @end group | |
131 @end example | |
132 | |
133 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil} (it must be a position in the current | |
134 buffer), then it is the upper bound to the search. The match found must | |
135 not extend after that position. | |
136 | |
137 If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, then @code{word-search-forward} signals | |
138 an error if the search fails. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, then it | |
139 returns @code{nil} instead of signaling an error. If @var{noerror} is | |
140 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, it moves point to @var{limit} (or the | |
141 end of the buffer) and returns @code{nil}. | |
142 | |
143 If @var{repeat} is non-@code{nil}, then the search is repeated that many | |
144 times. Point is positioned at the end of the last match. | |
145 @end deffn | |
146 | |
147 @deffn Command word-search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
148 This function searches backward from point for a word match to | |
149 @var{string}. This function is just like @code{word-search-forward} | |
150 except that it searches backward and normally leaves point at the | |
151 beginning of the match. | |
152 @end deffn | |
153 | |
154 @node Regular Expressions | |
155 @section Regular Expressions | |
156 @cindex regular expression | |
157 @cindex regexp | |
158 | |
159 A @dfn{regular expression} (@dfn{regexp}, for short) is a pattern that | |
160 denotes a (possibly infinite) set of strings. Searching for matches for | |
161 a regexp is a very powerful operation. This section explains how to write | |
162 regexps; the following section says how to search for them. | |
163 | |
164 @menu | |
165 * Syntax of Regexps:: Rules for writing regular expressions. | |
166 * Regexp Example:: Illustrates regular expression syntax. | |
167 @end menu | |
168 | |
169 @node Syntax of Regexps | |
170 @subsection Syntax of Regular Expressions | |
171 | |
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172 Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are |
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173 special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary |
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174 character is a simple regular expression that matches that character and |
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175 nothing else. The special characters are @samp{.}, @samp{*}, @samp{+}, |
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176 @samp{?}, @samp{[}, @samp{]}, @samp{^}, @samp{$}, and @samp{\}; no new |
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177 special characters will be defined in the future. Any other character |
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178 appearing in a regular expression is ordinary, unless a @samp{\} |
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179 precedes it. |
6552 | 180 |
181 For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and | |
182 therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string | |
183 @samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string | |
184 @samp{ff}.) Likewise, @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches | |
185 only @samp{o}.@refill | |
186 | |
187 Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The | |
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188 result is a regular expression that matches a string if @var{a} matches |
6552 | 189 some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of |
190 the string.@refill | |
191 | |
192 As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f} | |
193 and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only | |
194 the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something more powerful, you | |
195 need to use one of the special characters. Here is a list of them: | |
196 | |
197 @need 1200 | |
198 @table @kbd | |
199 @item .@: @r{(Period)} | |
200 @cindex @samp{.} in regexp | |
201 is a special character that matches any single character except a newline. | |
202 Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which | |
203 matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with | |
204 @samp{b}.@refill | |
205 | |
206 @item * | |
207 @cindex @samp{*} in regexp | |
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208 is not a construct by itself; it is a postfix operator that means to |
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209 match the preceding regular expression repetitively as many times as |
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210 possible. Thus, @samp{o*} matches any number of @samp{o}s (including no |
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211 @samp{o}s). |
6552 | 212 |
213 @samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding | |
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214 expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a repeating |
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215 @samp{fo}. It matches @samp{f}, @samp{fo}, @samp{foo}, and so on. |
6552 | 216 |
217 The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately, | |
218 as many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest | |
219 of the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some | |
220 of the matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in case that makes | |
221 it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in matching | |
222 @samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} first | |
223 tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is | |
224 @samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails. | |
225 The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s. | |
226 With this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully.@refill | |
227 | |
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228 Nested repetition operators can be extremely slow if they specify |
12067 | 229 backtracking loops. For example, it could take hours for the regular |
230 expression @samp{\(x+y*\)*a} to match the sequence | |
231 @samp{xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxz}. The slowness is because | |
232 Emacs must try each imaginable way of grouping the 35 @samp{x}'s before | |
233 concluding that none of them can work. To make sure your regular | |
234 expressions run fast, check nested repetitions carefully. | |
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235 |
6552 | 236 @item + |
237 @cindex @samp{+} in regexp | |
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238 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match |
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239 the preceding expression at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r} |
6552 | 240 matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string |
241 @samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings. | |
242 | |
243 @item ? | |
244 @cindex @samp{?} in regexp | |
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245 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it can match the |
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246 preceding expression either once or not at all. For example, |
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247 @samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}; nothing else. |
6552 | 248 |
249 @item [ @dots{} ] | |
250 @cindex character set (in regexp) | |
251 @cindex @samp{[} in regexp | |
252 @cindex @samp{]} in regexp | |
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253 is a @dfn{character set}, which begins with @samp{[} and is terminated |
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254 by @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between the two |
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255 brackets are what this set can match. |
6552 | 256 |
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257 Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one @samp{d}, and |
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258 @samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s and @samp{d}s |
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259 (including the empty string), from which it follows that @samp{c[ad]*r} |
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260 matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, @samp{caddaar}, etc. |
6552 | 261 |
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262 You can also include character ranges in a character set, by writing the |
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263 starting and ending characters with a @samp{-} between them. Thus, |
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264 @samp{[a-z]} matches any lower-case ASCII letter. Ranges may be |
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265 intermixed freely with individual characters, as in @samp{[a-z$%.]}, |
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266 which matches any lower case ASCII letter or @samp{$}, @samp{%} or |
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267 period. |
6552 | 268 |
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269 Note that the usual regexp special characters are not special inside a |
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270 character set. A completely different set of special characters exists |
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271 inside character sets: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}. |
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272 |
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273 To include a @samp{]} in a character set, you must make it the first |
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274 character. For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. To |
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275 include a @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first or last character of the |
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276 set, or put it after a range. Thus, @samp{[]-]} matches both @samp{]} |
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277 and @samp{-}. |
6552 | 278 |
279 To include @samp{^} in a set, put it anywhere but at the beginning of | |
280 the set. | |
281 | |
282 @item [^ @dots{} ] | |
283 @cindex @samp{^} in regexp | |
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284 @samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complemented character set}, which matches any |
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285 character except the ones specified. Thus, @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} matches |
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286 all characters @emph{except} letters and digits. |
6552 | 287 |
288 @samp{^} is not special in a character set unless it is the first | |
289 character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it | |
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290 were first (in other words, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there). |
6552 | 291 |
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292 A complemented character set can match a newline, unless newline is |
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293 mentioned as one of the characters not to match. This is in contrast to |
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294 the handling of regexps in programs such as @code{grep}. |
6552 | 295 |
296 @item ^ | |
297 @cindex @samp{^} in regexp | |
298 @cindex beginning of line in regexp | |
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299 is a special character that matches the empty string, but only at the |
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300 beginning of a line in the text being matched. Otherwise it fails to |
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301 match anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at |
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302 the beginning of a line. |
6552 | 303 |
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304 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{^} matches at the |
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305 beginning of the string or after a newline character @samp{\n}. |
6552 | 306 |
307 @item $ | |
308 @cindex @samp{$} in regexp | |
309 is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line. Thus, | |
310 @samp{x+$} matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line. | |
311 | |
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312 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{$} matches at the end |
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313 of the string or before a newline character @samp{\n}. |
6552 | 314 |
315 @item \ | |
316 @cindex @samp{\} in regexp | |
317 has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including | |
318 @samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs. | |
319 | |
320 Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular | |
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321 expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular |
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322 expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on. |
6552 | 323 |
324 Note that @samp{\} also has special meaning in the read syntax of Lisp | |
325 strings (@pxref{String Type}), and must be quoted with @samp{\}. For | |
326 example, the regular expression that matches the @samp{\} character is | |
327 @samp{\\}. To write a Lisp string that contains the characters | |
328 @samp{\\}, Lisp syntax requires you to quote each @samp{\} with another | |
329 @samp{\}. Therefore, the read syntax for a regular expression matching | |
330 @samp{\} is @code{"\\\\"}.@refill | |
331 @end table | |
332 | |
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333 @strong{Please note:} For historical compatibility, special characters |
6552 | 334 are treated as ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special |
335 meanings make no sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as | |
336 ordinary since there is no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} | |
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337 can act. It is poor practice to depend on this behavior; quote the |
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338 special character anyway, regardless of where it appears.@refill |
6552 | 339 |
340 For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only | |
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341 that character. However, there are several exceptions: two-character |
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342 sequences starting with @samp{\} which have special meanings. The |
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343 second character in the sequence is always an ordinary character on |
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344 their own. Here is a table of @samp{\} constructs. |
6552 | 345 |
346 @table @kbd | |
347 @item \| | |
348 @cindex @samp{|} in regexp | |
349 @cindex regexp alternative | |
350 specifies an alternative. | |
351 Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} with @samp{\|} in | |
352 between form an expression that matches anything that either @var{a} or | |
353 @var{b} matches.@refill | |
354 | |
355 Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar} | |
356 but no other string.@refill | |
357 | |
358 @samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a | |
359 surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of | |
360 @samp{\|}.@refill | |
361 | |
362 Full backtracking capability exists to handle multiple uses of @samp{\|}. | |
363 | |
364 @item \( @dots{} \) | |
365 @cindex @samp{(} in regexp | |
366 @cindex @samp{)} in regexp | |
367 @cindex regexp grouping | |
368 is a grouping construct that serves three purposes: | |
369 | |
370 @enumerate | |
371 @item | |
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372 To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations. Thus, |
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373 the regular expression @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} |
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374 or @samp{barx}. |
6552 | 375 |
376 @item | |
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377 To enclose a complicated expression for the postfix operators @samp{*}, |
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378 @samp{+} and @samp{?} to operate on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches |
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379 @samp{bananana}, etc., with any (zero or more) number of @samp{na} |
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380 strings.@refill |
6552 | 381 |
382 @item | |
383 To record a matched substring for future reference. | |
384 @end enumerate | |
385 | |
386 This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a | |
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387 parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that happens to be |
6552 | 388 assigned as a second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct |
389 because there is no conflict in practice between the two meanings. | |
390 Here is an explanation of this feature: | |
391 | |
392 @item \@var{digit} | |
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393 matches the same text that matched the @var{digit}th occurrence of a |
6552 | 394 @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. |
395 | |
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396 In other words, after the end of a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct, the |
6552 | 397 matcher remembers the beginning and end of the text matched by that |
398 construct. Then, later on in the regular expression, you can use | |
399 @samp{\} followed by @var{digit} to match that same text, whatever it | |
400 may have been. | |
401 | |
402 The strings matching the first nine @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs | |
403 appearing in a regular expression are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in | |
404 the order that the open parentheses appear in the regular expression. | |
405 So you can use @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched | |
406 by the corresponding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs. | |
407 | |
408 For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is | |
409 composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first | |
410 half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match | |
411 the same exact text. | |
412 | |
413 @item \w | |
414 @cindex @samp{\w} in regexp | |
415 matches any word-constituent character. The editor syntax table | |
416 determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax Tables}. | |
417 | |
418 @item \W | |
419 @cindex @samp{\W} in regexp | |
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420 matches any character that is not a word constituent. |
6552 | 421 |
422 @item \s@var{code} | |
423 @cindex @samp{\s} in regexp | |
424 matches any character whose syntax is @var{code}. Here @var{code} is a | |
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425 character that represents a syntax code: thus, @samp{w} for word |
6552 | 426 constituent, @samp{-} for whitespace, @samp{(} for open parenthesis, |
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427 etc. Represent a character of whitespace (which can be a newline) by |
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428 either @samp{-} or a space character. @xref{Syntax Tables}, for a list |
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429 of syntax codes and the characters that stand for them. |
6552 | 430 |
431 @item \S@var{code} | |
432 @cindex @samp{\S} in regexp | |
433 matches any character whose syntax is not @var{code}. | |
434 @end table | |
435 | |
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436 The following regular expression constructs match the empty string---that is, |
6552 | 437 they don't use up any characters---but whether they match depends on the |
438 context. | |
439 | |
440 @table @kbd | |
441 @item \` | |
442 @cindex @samp{\`} in regexp | |
443 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning | |
444 of the buffer or string being matched against. | |
445 | |
446 @item \' | |
447 @cindex @samp{\'} in regexp | |
448 matches the empty string, but only at the end of | |
449 the buffer or string being matched against. | |
450 | |
451 @item \= | |
452 @cindex @samp{\=} in regexp | |
453 matches the empty string, but only at point. | |
454 (This construct is not defined when matching against a string.) | |
455 | |
456 @item \b | |
457 @cindex @samp{\b} in regexp | |
458 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or | |
459 end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of | |
460 @samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches | |
461 @samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word.@refill | |
462 | |
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463 @samp{\b} matches at the beginning or end of the buffer |
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464 regardless of what text appears next to it. |
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465 |
6552 | 466 @item \B |
467 @cindex @samp{\B} in regexp | |
468 matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or | |
469 end of a word. | |
470 | |
471 @item \< | |
472 @cindex @samp{\<} in regexp | |
473 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word. | |
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474 @samp{\<} matches at the beginning of the buffer only if a |
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475 word-constituent character follows. |
6552 | 476 |
477 @item \> | |
478 @cindex @samp{\>} in regexp | |
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479 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. @samp{\>} |
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480 matches at the end of the buffer only if the contents end with a |
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481 word-constituent character. |
6552 | 482 @end table |
483 | |
484 @kindex invalid-regexp | |
485 Not every string is a valid regular expression. For example, a string | |
486 with unbalanced square brackets is invalid (with a few exceptions, such | |
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487 as @samp{[]]}), and so is a string that ends with a single @samp{\}. If |
6552 | 488 an invalid regular expression is passed to any of the search functions, |
489 an @code{invalid-regexp} error is signaled. | |
490 | |
491 @defun regexp-quote string | |
492 This function returns a regular expression string that matches exactly | |
493 @var{string} and nothing else. This allows you to request an exact | |
494 string match when calling a function that wants a regular expression. | |
495 | |
496 @example | |
497 @group | |
498 (regexp-quote "^The cat$") | |
499 @result{} "\\^The cat\\$" | |
500 @end group | |
501 @end example | |
502 | |
503 One use of @code{regexp-quote} is to combine an exact string match with | |
504 context described as a regular expression. For example, this searches | |
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505 for the string that is the value of @code{string}, surrounded by |
6552 | 506 whitespace: |
507 | |
508 @example | |
509 @group | |
510 (re-search-forward | |
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511 (concat "\\s-" (regexp-quote string) "\\s-")) |
6552 | 512 @end group |
513 @end example | |
514 @end defun | |
515 | |
516 @node Regexp Example | |
517 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
518 @subsection Complex Regexp Example | |
519 | |
520 Here is a complicated regexp, used by Emacs to recognize the end of a | |
521 sentence together with any whitespace that follows. It is the value of | |
522 the variable @code{sentence-end}. | |
523 | |
524 First, we show the regexp as a string in Lisp syntax to distinguish | |
525 spaces from tab characters. The string constant begins and ends with a | |
526 double-quote. @samp{\"} stands for a double-quote as part of the | |
527 string, @samp{\\} for a backslash as part of the string, @samp{\t} for a | |
528 tab and @samp{\n} for a newline. | |
529 | |
530 @example | |
531 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*" | |
532 @end example | |
533 | |
534 In contrast, if you evaluate the variable @code{sentence-end}, you | |
535 will see the following: | |
536 | |
537 @example | |
538 @group | |
539 sentence-end | |
540 @result{} | |
541 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\| \\| \\)[ | |
542 ]*" | |
543 @end group | |
544 @end example | |
545 | |
546 @noindent | |
547 In this output, tab and newline appear as themselves. | |
548 | |
549 This regular expression contains four parts in succession and can be | |
550 deciphered as follows: | |
551 | |
552 @table @code | |
553 @item [.?!] | |
8469 | 554 The first part of the pattern is a character set that matches any one of |
555 three characters: period, question mark, and exclamation mark. The | |
6552 | 556 match must begin with one of these three characters. |
557 | |
558 @item []\"')@}]* | |
559 The second part of the pattern matches any closing braces and quotation | |
560 marks, zero or more of them, that may follow the period, question mark | |
561 or exclamation mark. The @code{\"} is Lisp syntax for a double-quote in | |
562 a string. The @samp{*} at the end indicates that the immediately | |
563 preceding regular expression (a character set, in this case) may be | |
564 repeated zero or more times. | |
565 | |
8469 | 566 @item \\($\\|@ $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\) |
6552 | 567 The third part of the pattern matches the whitespace that follows the |
568 end of a sentence: the end of a line, or a tab, or two spaces. The | |
569 double backslashes mark the parentheses and vertical bars as regular | |
8469 | 570 expression syntax; the parentheses delimit a group and the vertical bars |
6552 | 571 separate alternatives. The dollar sign is used to match the end of a |
572 line. | |
573 | |
574 @item [ \t\n]* | |
575 Finally, the last part of the pattern matches any additional whitespace | |
576 beyond the minimum needed to end a sentence. | |
577 @end table | |
578 | |
579 @node Regexp Search | |
580 @section Regular Expression Searching | |
581 @cindex regular expression searching | |
582 @cindex regexp searching | |
583 @cindex searching for regexp | |
584 | |
585 In GNU Emacs, you can search for the next match for a regexp either | |
586 incrementally or not. For incremental search commands, see @ref{Regexp | |
587 Search, , Regular Expression Search, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. Here | |
588 we describe only the search functions useful in programs. The principal | |
589 one is @code{re-search-forward}. | |
590 | |
591 @deffn Command re-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
592 This function searches forward in the current buffer for a string of | |
593 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}. The | |
594 function skips over any amount of text that is not matched by | |
595 @var{regexp}, and leaves point at the end of the first match found. | |
596 It returns the new value of point. | |
597 | |
598 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil} (it must be a position in the current | |
599 buffer), then it is the upper bound to the search. No match extending | |
600 after that position is accepted. | |
601 | |
602 What happens when the search fails depends on the value of | |
603 @var{noerror}. If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, a @code{search-failed} | |
604 error is signaled. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, | |
605 @code{re-search-forward} does nothing and returns @code{nil}. If | |
606 @var{noerror} is neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, then | |
607 @code{re-search-forward} moves point to @var{limit} (or the end of the | |
608 buffer) and returns @code{nil}. | |
609 | |
610 If @var{repeat} is supplied (it must be a positive number), then the | |
611 search is repeated that many times (each time starting at the end of the | |
612 previous time's match). If these successive searches succeed, the | |
613 function succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise | |
614 the search fails. | |
615 | |
616 In the following example, point is initially before the @samp{T}. | |
617 Evaluating the search call moves point to the end of that line (between | |
618 the @samp{t} of @samp{hat} and the newline). | |
619 | |
620 @example | |
621 @group | |
622 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
623 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
624 comes back" twice. | |
625 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
626 @end group | |
627 | |
628 @group | |
629 (re-search-forward "[a-z]+" nil t 5) | |
630 @result{} 27 | |
631 | |
632 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
633 I read "The cat in the hat@point{} | |
634 comes back" twice. | |
635 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
636 @end group | |
637 @end example | |
638 @end deffn | |
639 | |
640 @deffn Command re-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
641 This function searches backward in the current buffer for a string of | |
642 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}, leaving | |
643 point at the beginning of the first text found. | |
644 | |
8469 | 645 This function is analogous to @code{re-search-forward}, but they are not |
646 simple mirror images. @code{re-search-forward} finds the match whose | |
647 beginning is as close as possible to the starting point. If | |
648 @code{re-search-backward} were a perfect mirror image, it would find the | |
649 match whose end is as close as possible. However, in fact it finds the | |
650 match whose beginning is as close as possible. The reason is that | |
651 matching a regular expression at a given spot always works from | |
652 beginning to end, and starts at a specified beginning position. | |
6552 | 653 |
654 A true mirror-image of @code{re-search-forward} would require a special | |
655 feature for matching regexps from end to beginning. It's not worth the | |
656 trouble of implementing that. | |
657 @end deffn | |
658 | |
659 @defun string-match regexp string &optional start | |
660 This function returns the index of the start of the first match for | |
661 the regular expression @var{regexp} in @var{string}, or @code{nil} if | |
662 there is no match. If @var{start} is non-@code{nil}, the search starts | |
663 at that index in @var{string}. | |
664 | |
665 For example, | |
666 | |
667 @example | |
668 @group | |
669 (string-match | |
670 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly.") | |
671 @result{} 4 | |
672 @end group | |
673 @group | |
674 (string-match | |
675 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
676 @result{} 27 | |
677 @end group | |
678 @end example | |
679 | |
680 @noindent | |
681 The index of the first character of the | |
682 string is 0, the index of the second character is 1, and so on. | |
683 | |
684 After this function returns, the index of the first character beyond | |
685 the match is available as @code{(match-end 0)}. @xref{Match Data}. | |
686 | |
687 @example | |
688 @group | |
689 (string-match | |
690 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
691 @result{} 27 | |
692 @end group | |
693 | |
694 @group | |
695 (match-end 0) | |
696 @result{} 32 | |
697 @end group | |
698 @end example | |
699 @end defun | |
700 | |
701 @defun looking-at regexp | |
702 This function determines whether the text in the current buffer directly | |
703 following point matches the regular expression @var{regexp}. ``Directly | |
704 following'' means precisely that: the search is ``anchored'' and it can | |
705 succeed only starting with the first character following point. The | |
706 result is @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise. | |
707 | |
708 This function does not move point, but it updates the match data, which | |
709 you can access using @code{match-beginning} and @code{match-end}. | |
710 @xref{Match Data}. | |
711 | |
712 In this example, point is located directly before the @samp{T}. If it | |
713 were anywhere else, the result would be @code{nil}. | |
714 | |
715 @example | |
716 @group | |
717 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
718 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
719 comes back" twice. | |
720 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
721 | |
722 (looking-at "The cat in the hat$") | |
723 @result{} t | |
724 @end group | |
725 @end example | |
726 @end defun | |
727 | |
12067 | 728 @node POSIX Regexps |
729 @section POSIX Regular Expression Searching | |
730 | |
731 The usual regular expression functions do backtracking when necessary | |
732 to handle the @samp{\|} and repetition constructs, but they continue | |
733 this only until they find @emph{some} match. Then they succeed and | |
734 report the first match found. | |
735 | |
736 This section describes alternative search functions which perform the | |
737 full backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
738 matching. They continue backtracking until they have tried all | |
739 possibilities and found all matches, so they can report the longest | |
740 match, as required by POSIX. This is much slower, so use these | |
741 functions only when you really need the longest match. | |
742 | |
743 In Emacs versions prior to 19.29, these functions did not exist, and | |
744 the functions described above implemented full POSIX backtracking. | |
745 | |
746 @defun posix-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
747 This is like @code{re-search-forward} except that it performs the full | |
748 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
749 matching. | |
750 @end defun | |
751 | |
752 @defun posix-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
753 This is like @code{re-search-backward} except that it performs the full | |
754 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
755 matching. | |
756 @end defun | |
757 | |
758 @defun posix-looking-at regexp | |
759 This is like @code{looking-at} except that it performs the full | |
760 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
761 matching. | |
762 @end defun | |
763 | |
764 @defun posix-string-match regexp string &optional start | |
765 This is like @code{string-match} except that it performs the full | |
766 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
767 matching. | |
768 @end defun | |
769 | |
6552 | 770 @ignore |
771 @deffn Command delete-matching-lines regexp | |
772 This function is identical to @code{delete-non-matching-lines}, save | |
773 that it deletes what @code{delete-non-matching-lines} keeps. | |
774 | |
775 In the example below, point is located on the first line of text. | |
776 | |
777 @example | |
778 @group | |
779 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
780 We hold these truths | |
781 to be self-evident, | |
782 that all men are created | |
783 equal, and that they are | |
784 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
785 @end group | |
786 | |
787 @group | |
788 (delete-matching-lines "the") | |
789 @result{} nil | |
790 | |
791 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
792 to be self-evident, | |
793 that all men are created | |
794 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
795 @end group | |
796 @end example | |
797 @end deffn | |
798 | |
799 @deffn Command flush-lines regexp | |
800 This function is the same as @code{delete-matching-lines}. | |
801 @end deffn | |
802 | |
803 @defun delete-non-matching-lines regexp | |
804 This function deletes all lines following point which don't | |
805 contain a match for the regular expression @var{regexp}. | |
806 @end defun | |
807 | |
808 @deffn Command keep-lines regexp | |
809 This function is the same as @code{delete-non-matching-lines}. | |
810 @end deffn | |
811 | |
812 @deffn Command how-many regexp | |
813 This function counts the number of matches for @var{regexp} there are in | |
814 the current buffer following point. It prints this number in | |
815 the echo area, returning the string printed. | |
816 @end deffn | |
817 | |
818 @deffn Command count-matches regexp | |
819 This function is a synonym of @code{how-many}. | |
820 @end deffn | |
821 | |
822 @deffn Command list-matching-lines regexp nlines | |
823 This function is a synonym of @code{occur}. | |
824 Show all lines following point containing a match for @var{regexp}. | |
825 Display each line with @var{nlines} lines before and after, | |
826 or @code{-}@var{nlines} before if @var{nlines} is negative. | |
827 @var{nlines} defaults to @code{list-matching-lines-default-context-lines}. | |
828 Interactively it is the prefix arg. | |
829 | |
830 The lines are shown in a buffer named @samp{*Occur*}. | |
831 It serves as a menu to find any of the occurrences in this buffer. | |
832 @kbd{C-h m} (@code{describe-mode} in that buffer gives help. | |
833 @end deffn | |
834 | |
835 @defopt list-matching-lines-default-context-lines | |
836 Default value is 0. | |
837 Default number of context lines to include around a @code{list-matching-lines} | |
838 match. A negative number means to include that many lines before the match. | |
839 A positive number means to include that many lines both before and after. | |
840 @end defopt | |
841 @end ignore | |
842 | |
843 @node Search and Replace | |
844 @section Search and Replace | |
845 @cindex replacement | |
846 | |
847 @defun perform-replace from-string replacements query-flag regexp-flag delimited-flag &optional repeat-count map | |
848 This function is the guts of @code{query-replace} and related commands. | |
849 It searches for occurrences of @var{from-string} and replaces some or | |
850 all of them. If @var{query-flag} is @code{nil}, it replaces all | |
851 occurrences; otherwise, it asks the user what to do about each one. | |
852 | |
853 If @var{regexp-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{from-string} is | |
854 considered a regular expression; otherwise, it must match literally. If | |
855 @var{delimited-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then only replacements | |
856 surrounded by word boundaries are considered. | |
857 | |
858 The argument @var{replacements} specifies what to replace occurrences | |
859 with. If it is a string, that string is used. It can also be a list of | |
860 strings, to be used in cyclic order. | |
861 | |
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862 If @var{repeat-count} is non-@code{nil}, it should be an integer. Then |
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863 it specifies how many times to use each of the strings in the |
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864 @var{replacements} list before advancing cyclicly to the next one. |
6552 | 865 |
866 Normally, the keymap @code{query-replace-map} defines the possible user | |
8469 | 867 responses for queries. The argument @var{map}, if non-@code{nil}, is a |
868 keymap to use instead of @code{query-replace-map}. | |
6552 | 869 @end defun |
870 | |
871 @defvar query-replace-map | |
872 This variable holds a special keymap that defines the valid user | |
873 responses for @code{query-replace} and related functions, as well as | |
874 @code{y-or-n-p} and @code{map-y-or-n-p}. It is unusual in two ways: | |
875 | |
876 @itemize @bullet | |
877 @item | |
878 The ``key bindings'' are not commands, just symbols that are meaningful | |
879 to the functions that use this map. | |
880 | |
881 @item | |
882 Prefix keys are not supported; each key binding must be for a single event | |
883 key sequence. This is because the functions don't use read key sequence to | |
884 get the input; instead, they read a single event and look it up ``by hand.'' | |
885 @end itemize | |
886 @end defvar | |
887 | |
888 Here are the meaningful ``bindings'' for @code{query-replace-map}. | |
889 Several of them are meaningful only for @code{query-replace} and | |
890 friends. | |
891 | |
892 @table @code | |
893 @item act | |
894 Do take the action being considered---in other words, ``yes.'' | |
895 | |
896 @item skip | |
897 Do not take action for this question---in other words, ``no.'' | |
898 | |
899 @item exit | |
8469 | 900 Answer this question ``no,'' and give up on the entire series of |
901 questions, assuming that the answers will be ``no.'' | |
6552 | 902 |
903 @item act-and-exit | |
8469 | 904 Answer this question ``yes,'' and give up on the entire series of |
905 questions, assuming that subsequent answers will be ``no.'' | |
6552 | 906 |
907 @item act-and-show | |
908 Answer this question ``yes,'' but show the results---don't advance yet | |
909 to the next question. | |
910 | |
911 @item automatic | |
912 Answer this question and all subsequent questions in the series with | |
913 ``yes,'' without further user interaction. | |
914 | |
915 @item backup | |
916 Move back to the previous place that a question was asked about. | |
917 | |
918 @item edit | |
919 Enter a recursive edit to deal with this question---instead of any | |
920 other action that would normally be taken. | |
921 | |
922 @item delete-and-edit | |
923 Delete the text being considered, then enter a recursive edit to replace | |
924 it. | |
925 | |
926 @item recenter | |
927 Redisplay and center the window, then ask the same question again. | |
928 | |
929 @item quit | |
930 Perform a quit right away. Only @code{y-or-n-p} and related functions | |
931 use this answer. | |
932 | |
933 @item help | |
934 Display some help, then ask again. | |
935 @end table | |
936 | |
937 @node Match Data | |
938 @section The Match Data | |
939 @cindex match data | |
940 | |
941 Emacs keeps track of the positions of the start and end of segments of | |
942 text found during a regular expression search. This means, for example, | |
943 that you can search for a complex pattern, such as a date in an Rmail | |
944 message, and then extract parts of the match under control of the | |
945 pattern. | |
946 | |
947 Because the match data normally describe the most recent search only, | |
948 you must be careful not to do another search inadvertently between the | |
949 search you wish to refer back to and the use of the match data. If you | |
950 can't avoid another intervening search, you must save and restore the | |
951 match data around it, to prevent it from being overwritten. | |
952 | |
953 @menu | |
954 * Simple Match Data:: Accessing single items of match data, | |
955 such as where a particular subexpression started. | |
956 * Replacing Match:: Replacing a substring that was matched. | |
957 * Entire Match Data:: Accessing the entire match data at once, as a list. | |
958 * Saving Match Data:: Saving and restoring the match data. | |
959 @end menu | |
960 | |
961 @node Simple Match Data | |
962 @subsection Simple Match Data Access | |
963 | |
12067 | 964 This section explains how to use the match data to find out what was |
965 matched by the last search or match operation. | |
966 | |
967 You can ask about the entire matching text, or about a particular | |
968 parenthetical subexpression of a regular expression. The @var{count} | |
969 argument in the functions below specifies which. If @var{count} is | |
970 zero, you are asking about the entire match. If @var{count} is | |
971 positive, it specifies which subexpression you want. | |
972 | |
973 Recall that the subexpressions of a regular expression are those | |
974 expressions grouped with escaped parentheses, @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. The | |
975 @var{count}th subexpression is found by counting occurrences of | |
976 @samp{\(} from the beginning of the whole regular expression. The first | |
977 subexpression is numbered 1, the second 2, and so on. Only regular | |
978 expressions can have subexpressions---after a simple string search, the | |
979 only information available is about the entire match. | |
980 | |
981 @defun match-string count &optional in-string | |
982 This function returns, as a string, the text matched in the last search | |
983 or match operation. It returns the entire text if @var{count} is zero, | |
984 or just the portion corresponding to the @var{count}th parenthetical | |
985 subexpression, if @var{count} is positive. If @var{count} is out of | |
12098 | 986 range, or if that subexpression didn't match anything, the value is |
987 @code{nil}. | |
12067 | 988 |
989 If the last such operation was done against a string with | |
990 @code{string-match}, then you should pass the same string as the | |
991 argument @var{in-string}. Otherwise, after a buffer search or match, | |
992 you should omit @var{in-string} or pass @code{nil} for it; but you | |
993 should make sure that the current buffer when you call | |
994 @code{match-string} is the one in which you did the searching or | |
995 matching. | |
996 @end defun | |
6552 | 997 |
998 @defun match-beginning count | |
999 This function returns the position of the start of text matched by the | |
1000 last regular expression searched for, or a subexpression of it. | |
1001 | |
8469 | 1002 If @var{count} is zero, then the value is the position of the start of |
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1003 the entire match. Otherwise, @var{count} specifies a subexpression in |
12067 | 1004 the regular expresion, and the value of the function is the starting |
1005 position of the match for that subexpression. | |
6552 | 1006 |
12067 | 1007 The value is @code{nil} for a subexpression inside a @samp{\|} |
1008 alternative that wasn't used in the match. | |
6552 | 1009 @end defun |
1010 | |
1011 @defun match-end count | |
12067 | 1012 This function is like @code{match-beginning} except that it returns the |
1013 position of the end of the match, rather than the position of the | |
1014 beginning. | |
6552 | 1015 @end defun |
1016 | |
1017 Here is an example of using the match data, with a comment showing the | |
1018 positions within the text: | |
1019 | |
1020 @example | |
1021 @group | |
1022 (string-match "\\(qu\\)\\(ick\\)" | |
1023 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1024 ;0123456789 | |
1025 @result{} 4 | |
1026 @end group | |
1027 | |
1028 @group | |
12067 | 1029 (match-string 0 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") |
1030 @result{} "quick" | |
1031 (match-string 1 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1032 @result{} "qu" | |
1033 (match-string 2 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1034 @result{} "ick" | |
1035 @end group | |
1036 | |
1037 @group | |
6552 | 1038 (match-beginning 1) ; @r{The beginning of the match} |
1039 @result{} 4 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 4.} | |
1040 @end group | |
1041 | |
1042 @group | |
1043 (match-beginning 2) ; @r{The beginning of the match} | |
1044 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 6.} | |
1045 @end group | |
1046 | |
1047 @group | |
1048 (match-end 1) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1049 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 6.} | |
1050 | |
1051 (match-end 2) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1052 @result{} 9 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 9.} | |
1053 @end group | |
1054 @end example | |
1055 | |
1056 Here is another example. Point is initially located at the beginning | |
1057 of the line. Searching moves point to between the space and the word | |
1058 @samp{in}. The beginning of the entire match is at the 9th character of | |
1059 the buffer (@samp{T}), and the beginning of the match for the first | |
1060 subexpression is at the 13th character (@samp{c}). | |
1061 | |
1062 @example | |
1063 @group | |
1064 (list | |
1065 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1066 (match-beginning 0) | |
1067 (match-beginning 1)) | |
8469 | 1068 @result{} (9 9 13) |
6552 | 1069 @end group |
1070 | |
1071 @group | |
1072 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1073 I read "The cat @point{}in the hat comes back" twice. | |
1074 ^ ^ | |
1075 9 13 | |
1076 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1077 @end group | |
1078 @end example | |
1079 | |
1080 @noindent | |
1081 (In this case, the index returned is a buffer position; the first | |
1082 character of the buffer counts as 1.) | |
1083 | |
1084 @node Replacing Match | |
1085 @subsection Replacing the Text That Matched | |
1086 | |
1087 This function replaces the text matched by the last search with | |
1088 @var{replacement}. | |
1089 | |
1090 @cindex case in replacements | |
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1091 @defun replace-match replacement &optional fixedcase literal string subexp |
12067 | 1092 This function replaces the text in the buffer (or in @var{string}) that |
1093 was matched by the last search. It replaces that text with | |
1094 @var{replacement}. | |
1095 | |
12098 | 1096 If you did the last search in a buffer, you should specify @code{nil} |
1097 for @var{string}. Then @code{replace-match} does the replacement by | |
1098 editing the buffer; it leaves point at the end of the replacement text, | |
1099 and returns @code{t}. | |
1100 | |
1101 If you did the search in a string, pass the same string as @var{string}. | |
1102 Then @code{replace-match} does the replacement by constructing and | |
1103 returning a new string. | |
6552 | 1104 |
1105 If @var{fixedcase} is non-@code{nil}, then the case of the replacement | |
1106 text is not changed; otherwise, the replacement text is converted to a | |
1107 different case depending upon the capitalization of the text to be | |
1108 replaced. If the original text is all upper case, the replacement text | |
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1109 is converted to upper case. If the first word of the original text is |
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1110 capitalized, then the first word of the replacement text is capitalized. |
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1111 If the original text contains just one word, and that word is a capital |
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1112 letter, @code{replace-match} considers this a capitalized first word |
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1113 rather than all upper case. |
6552 | 1114 |
8469 | 1115 If @code{case-replace} is @code{nil}, then case conversion is not done, |
1116 regardless of the value of @var{fixed-case}. @xref{Searching and Case}. | |
1117 | |
6552 | 1118 If @var{literal} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{replacement} is inserted |
1119 exactly as it is, the only alterations being case changes as needed. | |
1120 If it is @code{nil} (the default), then the character @samp{\} is treated | |
1121 specially. If a @samp{\} appears in @var{replacement}, then it must be | |
1122 part of one of the following sequences: | |
1123 | |
1124 @table @asis | |
1125 @item @samp{\&} | |
1126 @cindex @samp{&} in replacement | |
1127 @samp{\&} stands for the entire text being replaced. | |
1128 | |
1129 @item @samp{\@var{n}} | |
1130 @cindex @samp{\@var{n}} in replacement | |
8469 | 1131 @samp{\@var{n}}, where @var{n} is a digit, stands for the text that |
1132 matched the @var{n}th subexpression in the original regexp. | |
1133 Subexpressions are those expressions grouped inside @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. | |
6552 | 1134 |
1135 @item @samp{\\} | |
1136 @cindex @samp{\} in replacement | |
1137 @samp{\\} stands for a single @samp{\} in the replacement text. | |
1138 @end table | |
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1139 |
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1140 If @var{subexp} is non-@code{nil}, that says to replace just |
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1141 subexpression number @var{subexp} of the regexp that was matched, not |
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1142 the entire match. For example, after matching @samp{foo \(ba*r\)}, |
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1143 calling @code{replace-match} with 1 as @var{subexp} means to replace |
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1144 just the text that matched @samp{\(ba*r\)}. |
6552 | 1145 @end defun |
1146 | |
1147 @node Entire Match Data | |
1148 @subsection Accessing the Entire Match Data | |
1149 | |
1150 The functions @code{match-data} and @code{set-match-data} read or | |
1151 write the entire match data, all at once. | |
1152 | |
1153 @defun match-data | |
1154 This function returns a newly constructed list containing all the | |
1155 information on what text the last search matched. Element zero is the | |
1156 position of the beginning of the match for the whole expression; element | |
1157 one is the position of the end of the match for the expression. The | |
1158 next two elements are the positions of the beginning and end of the | |
1159 match for the first subexpression, and so on. In general, element | |
1160 @ifinfo | |
1161 number 2@var{n} | |
1162 @end ifinfo | |
1163 @tex | |
1164 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n$} | |
1165 @end tex | |
1166 corresponds to @code{(match-beginning @var{n})}; and | |
1167 element | |
1168 @ifinfo | |
1169 number 2@var{n} + 1 | |
1170 @end ifinfo | |
1171 @tex | |
1172 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n+1$} | |
1173 @end tex | |
1174 corresponds to @code{(match-end @var{n})}. | |
1175 | |
1176 All the elements are markers or @code{nil} if matching was done on a | |
1177 buffer, and all are integers or @code{nil} if matching was done on a | |
1178 string with @code{string-match}. (In Emacs 18 and earlier versions, | |
1179 markers were used even for matching on a string, except in the case | |
1180 of the integer 0.) | |
1181 | |
1182 As always, there must be no possibility of intervening searches between | |
1183 the call to a search function and the call to @code{match-data} that is | |
1184 intended to access the match data for that search. | |
1185 | |
1186 @example | |
1187 @group | |
1188 (match-data) | |
1189 @result{} (#<marker at 9 in foo> | |
1190 #<marker at 17 in foo> | |
1191 #<marker at 13 in foo> | |
1192 #<marker at 17 in foo>) | |
1193 @end group | |
1194 @end example | |
1195 @end defun | |
1196 | |
1197 @defun set-match-data match-list | |
1198 This function sets the match data from the elements of @var{match-list}, | |
1199 which should be a list that was the value of a previous call to | |
1200 @code{match-data}. | |
1201 | |
1202 If @var{match-list} refers to a buffer that doesn't exist, you don't get | |
1203 an error; that sets the match data in a meaningless but harmless way. | |
1204 | |
1205 @findex store-match-data | |
1206 @code{store-match-data} is an alias for @code{set-match-data}. | |
1207 @end defun | |
1208 | |
1209 @node Saving Match Data | |
1210 @subsection Saving and Restoring the Match Data | |
1211 | |
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1212 When you call a function that may do a search, you may need to save |
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1213 and restore the match data around that call, if you want to preserve the |
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1214 match data from an earlier search for later use. Here is an example |
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1215 that shows the problem that arises if you fail to save the match data: |
6552 | 1216 |
1217 @example | |
1218 @group | |
1219 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1220 @result{} 48 | |
1221 (foo) ; @r{Perhaps @code{foo} does} | |
1222 ; @r{more searching.} | |
1223 (match-end 0) | |
1224 @result{} 61 ; @r{Unexpected result---not 48!} | |
1225 @end group | |
1226 @end example | |
1227 | |
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Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
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diff
changeset
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1228 You can save and restore the match data with @code{save-match-data}: |
6552 | 1229 |
12098 | 1230 @defmac save-match-data body@dots{} |
6552 | 1231 This special form executes @var{body}, saving and restoring the match |
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Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
parents:
8469
diff
changeset
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1232 data around it. |
12098 | 1233 @end defmac |
6552 | 1234 |
1235 You can use @code{set-match-data} together with @code{match-data} to | |
1236 imitate the effect of the special form @code{save-match-data}. This is | |
1237 useful for writing code that can run in Emacs 18. Here is how: | |
1238 | |
1239 @example | |
1240 @group | |
1241 (let ((data (match-data))) | |
1242 (unwind-protect | |
1243 @dots{} ; @r{May change the original match data.} | |
1244 (set-match-data data))) | |
1245 @end group | |
1246 @end example | |
1247 | |
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Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
parents:
8469
diff
changeset
|
1248 Emacs automatically saves and restores the match data when it runs |
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Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
parents:
8469
diff
changeset
|
1249 process filter functions (@pxref{Filter Functions}) and process |
6b8e51b286c6
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Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
parents:
8469
diff
changeset
|
1250 sentinels (@pxref{Sentinels}). |
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Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
parents:
8469
diff
changeset
|
1251 |
6552 | 1252 @ignore |
1253 Here is a function which restores the match data provided the buffer | |
1254 associated with it still exists. | |
1255 | |
1256 @smallexample | |
1257 @group | |
1258 (defun restore-match-data (data) | |
1259 @c It is incorrect to split the first line of a doc string. | |
1260 @c If there's a problem here, it should be solved in some other way. | |
1261 "Restore the match data DATA unless the buffer is missing." | |
1262 (catch 'foo | |
1263 (let ((d data)) | |
1264 @end group | |
1265 (while d | |
1266 (and (car d) | |
1267 (null (marker-buffer (car d))) | |
1268 @group | |
1269 ;; @file{match-data} @r{buffer is deleted.} | |
1270 (throw 'foo nil)) | |
1271 (setq d (cdr d))) | |
1272 (set-match-data data)))) | |
1273 @end group | |
1274 @end smallexample | |
1275 @end ignore | |
1276 | |
1277 @node Searching and Case | |
1278 @section Searching and Case | |
1279 @cindex searching and case | |
1280 | |
1281 By default, searches in Emacs ignore the case of the text they are | |
1282 searching through; if you specify searching for @samp{FOO}, then | |
1283 @samp{Foo} or @samp{foo} is also considered a match. Regexps, and in | |
1284 particular character sets, are included: thus, @samp{[aB]} would match | |
1285 @samp{a} or @samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}. | |
1286 | |
1287 If you do not want this feature, set the variable | |
1288 @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}. Then all letters must match | |
8469 | 1289 exactly, including case. This is a buffer-local variable; altering the |
1290 variable affects only the current buffer. (@xref{Intro to | |
6552 | 1291 Buffer-Local}.) Alternatively, you may change the value of |
1292 @code{default-case-fold-search}, which is the default value of | |
1293 @code{case-fold-search} for buffers that do not override it. | |
1294 | |
1295 Note that the user-level incremental search feature handles case | |
1296 distinctions differently. When given a lower case letter, it looks for | |
1297 a match of either case, but when given an upper case letter, it looks | |
1298 for an upper case letter only. But this has nothing to do with the | |
1299 searching functions Lisp functions use. | |
1300 | |
1301 @defopt case-replace | |
8469 | 1302 This variable determines whether the replacement functions should |
1303 preserve case. If the variable is @code{nil}, that means to use the | |
1304 replacement text verbatim. A non-@code{nil} value means to convert the | |
1305 case of the replacement text according to the text being replaced. | |
1306 | |
1307 The function @code{replace-match} is where this variable actually has | |
1308 its effect. @xref{Replacing Match}. | |
6552 | 1309 @end defopt |
1310 | |
1311 @defopt case-fold-search | |
1312 This buffer-local variable determines whether searches should ignore | |
1313 case. If the variable is @code{nil} they do not ignore case; otherwise | |
1314 they do ignore case. | |
1315 @end defopt | |
1316 | |
1317 @defvar default-case-fold-search | |
1318 The value of this variable is the default value for | |
1319 @code{case-fold-search} in buffers that do not override it. This is the | |
1320 same as @code{(default-value 'case-fold-search)}. | |
1321 @end defvar | |
1322 | |
1323 @node Standard Regexps | |
1324 @section Standard Regular Expressions Used in Editing | |
1325 @cindex regexps used standardly in editing | |
1326 @cindex standard regexps used in editing | |
1327 | |
1328 This section describes some variables that hold regular expressions | |
1329 used for certain purposes in editing: | |
1330 | |
1331 @defvar page-delimiter | |
1332 This is the regexp describing line-beginnings that separate pages. The | |
8469 | 1333 default value is @code{"^\014"} (i.e., @code{"^^L"} or @code{"^\C-l"}); |
1334 this matches a line that starts with a formfeed character. | |
6552 | 1335 @end defvar |
1336 | |
12067 | 1337 The following two regular expressions should @emph{not} assume the |
1338 match always starts at the beginning of a line; they should not use | |
1339 @samp{^} to anchor the match. Most often, the paragraph commands do | |
1340 check for a match only at the beginning of a line, which means that | |
12098 | 1341 @samp{^} would be superfluous. When there is a nonzero left margin, |
1342 they accept matches that start after the left margin. In that case, a | |
1343 @samp{^} would be incorrect. However, a @samp{^} is harmless in modes | |
1344 where a left margin is never used. | |
12067 | 1345 |
6552 | 1346 @defvar paragraph-separate |
1347 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line | |
1348 that separates paragraphs. (If you change this, you may have to | |
8469 | 1349 change @code{paragraph-start} also.) The default value is |
12067 | 1350 @w{@code{"[@ \t\f]*$"}}, which matches a line that consists entirely of |
1351 spaces, tabs, and form feeds (after its left margin). | |
6552 | 1352 @end defvar |
1353 | |
1354 @defvar paragraph-start | |
1355 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line | |
1356 that starts @emph{or} separates paragraphs. The default value is | |
12067 | 1357 @w{@code{"[@ \t\n\f]"}}, which matches a line starting with a space, tab, |
1358 newline, or form feed (after its left margin). | |
6552 | 1359 @end defvar |
1360 | |
1361 @defvar sentence-end | |
1362 This is the regular expression describing the end of a sentence. (All | |
1363 paragraph boundaries also end sentences, regardless.) The default value | |
1364 is: | |
1365 | |
1366 @example | |
8469 | 1367 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*" |
6552 | 1368 @end example |
1369 | |
8469 | 1370 This means a period, question mark or exclamation mark, followed |
1371 optionally by a closing parenthetical character, followed by tabs, | |
1372 spaces or new lines. | |
6552 | 1373 |
1374 For a detailed explanation of this regular expression, see @ref{Regexp | |
1375 Example}. | |
1376 @end defvar |