25829
|
1 @c This is part of the Emacs manual.
|
36058
|
2 @c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 97, 2000, 2001
|
28126
|
3 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
|
25829
|
4 @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
|
|
5 @node Search, Fixit, Display, Top
|
|
6 @chapter Searching and Replacement
|
|
7 @cindex searching
|
|
8 @cindex finding strings within text
|
|
9
|
|
10 Like other editors, Emacs has commands for searching for occurrences of
|
|
11 a string. The principal search command is unusual in that it is
|
|
12 @dfn{incremental}; it begins to search before you have finished typing the
|
|
13 search string. There are also nonincremental search commands more like
|
|
14 those of other editors.
|
|
15
|
|
16 Besides the usual @code{replace-string} command that finds all
|
38127
|
17 occurrences of one string and replaces them with another, Emacs has a
|
|
18 more flexible replacement command called @code{query-replace}, which
|
|
19 asks interactively which occurrences to replace.
|
25829
|
20
|
|
21 @menu
|
|
22 * Incremental Search:: Search happens as you type the string.
|
|
23 * Nonincremental Search:: Specify entire string and then search.
|
|
24 * Word Search:: Search for sequence of words.
|
|
25 * Regexp Search:: Search for match for a regexp.
|
|
26 * Regexps:: Syntax of regular expressions.
|
|
27 * Search Case:: To ignore case while searching, or not.
|
|
28 * Replace:: Search, and replace some or all matches.
|
|
29 * Other Repeating Search:: Operating on all matches for some regexp.
|
|
30 @end menu
|
|
31
|
|
32 @node Incremental Search, Nonincremental Search, Search, Search
|
|
33 @section Incremental Search
|
|
34
|
|
35 @cindex incremental search
|
|
36 An incremental search begins searching as soon as you type the first
|
|
37 character of the search string. As you type in the search string, Emacs
|
|
38 shows you where the string (as you have typed it so far) would be
|
|
39 found. When you have typed enough characters to identify the place you
|
|
40 want, you can stop. Depending on what you plan to do next, you may or
|
|
41 may not need to terminate the search explicitly with @key{RET}.
|
|
42
|
|
43 @c WideCommands
|
|
44 @table @kbd
|
|
45 @item C-s
|
|
46 Incremental search forward (@code{isearch-forward}).
|
|
47 @item C-r
|
|
48 Incremental search backward (@code{isearch-backward}).
|
|
49 @end table
|
|
50
|
|
51 @kindex C-s
|
|
52 @findex isearch-forward
|
38127
|
53 @kbd{C-s} starts a forward incremental search. It reads characters
|
|
54 from the keyboard, and moves point past the next occurrence of those
|
|
55 characters. If you type @kbd{C-s} and then @kbd{F}, that puts the
|
38880
|
56 cursor after the first @samp{F} (the first following the starting point, since
|
38127
|
57 this is a forward search). Then if you type an @kbd{O}, you will see
|
|
58 the cursor move just after the first @samp{FO} (the @samp{F} in that
|
|
59 @samp{FO} may or may not be the first @samp{F}). After another
|
|
60 @kbd{O}, the cursor moves after the first @samp{FOO} after the place
|
|
61 where you started the search. At each step, the buffer text that
|
|
62 matches the search string is highlighted, if the terminal can do that;
|
|
63 the current search string is always displayed in the echo area.
|
25829
|
64
|
|
65 If you make a mistake in typing the search string, you can cancel
|
|
66 characters with @key{DEL}. Each @key{DEL} cancels the last character of
|
|
67 search string. This does not happen until Emacs is ready to read another
|
|
68 input character; first it must either find, or fail to find, the character
|
|
69 you want to erase. If you do not want to wait for this to happen, use
|
|
70 @kbd{C-g} as described below.
|
|
71
|
|
72 When you are satisfied with the place you have reached, you can type
|
|
73 @key{RET}, which stops searching, leaving the cursor where the search
|
|
74 brought it. Also, any command not specially meaningful in searches
|
37235
|
75 stops the searching and is then executed. Thus, typing @kbd{C-a}
|
|
76 would exit the search and then move to the beginning of the line.
|
|
77 @key{RET} is necessary only if the next command you want to type is a
|
|
78 printing character, @key{DEL}, @key{RET}, or another character that is
|
25829
|
79 special within searches (@kbd{C-q}, @kbd{C-w}, @kbd{C-r}, @kbd{C-s},
|
37235
|
80 @kbd{C-y}, @kbd{M-y}, @kbd{M-r}, @kbd{M-s}, and some other
|
|
81 meta-characters).
|
25829
|
82
|
38127
|
83 Sometimes you search for @samp{FOO} and find one, but not the one you
|
36177
|
84 expected to find. There was a second @samp{FOO} that you forgot
|
|
85 about, before the one you were aiming for. In this event, type
|
|
86 another @kbd{C-s} to move to the next occurrence of the search string.
|
|
87 You can repeat this any number of times. If you overshoot, you can
|
|
88 cancel some @kbd{C-s} characters with @key{DEL}.
|
25829
|
89
|
|
90 After you exit a search, you can search for the same string again by
|
|
91 typing just @kbd{C-s C-s}: the first @kbd{C-s} is the key that invokes
|
|
92 incremental search, and the second @kbd{C-s} means ``search again.''
|
|
93
|
|
94 To reuse earlier search strings, use the @dfn{search ring}. The
|
|
95 commands @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n} move through the ring to pick a search
|
|
96 string to reuse. These commands leave the selected search ring element
|
|
97 in the minibuffer, where you can edit it. Type @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r}
|
|
98 to terminate editing the string and search for it.
|
|
99
|
|
100 If your string is not found at all, the echo area says @samp{Failing
|
|
101 I-Search}. The cursor is after the place where Emacs found as much of your
|
|
102 string as it could. Thus, if you search for @samp{FOOT}, and there is no
|
|
103 @samp{FOOT}, you might see the cursor after the @samp{FOO} in @samp{FOOL}.
|
|
104 At this point there are several things you can do. If your string was
|
|
105 mistyped, you can rub some of it out and correct it. If you like the place
|
|
106 you have found, you can type @key{RET} or some other Emacs command to
|
38127
|
107 remain there. Or you can type @kbd{C-g}, which
|
25829
|
108 removes from the search string the characters that could not be found (the
|
|
109 @samp{T} in @samp{FOOT}), leaving those that were found (the @samp{FOO} in
|
|
110 @samp{FOOT}). A second @kbd{C-g} at that point cancels the search
|
|
111 entirely, returning point to where it was when the search started.
|
|
112
|
|
113 An upper-case letter in the search string makes the search
|
|
114 case-sensitive. If you delete the upper-case character from the search
|
|
115 string, it ceases to have this effect. @xref{Search Case}.
|
|
116
|
36177
|
117 To search for a newline, type @kbd{C-j}. To search for another
|
|
118 control character, such as control-S or carriage return, you must quote
|
|
119 it by typing @kbd{C-q} first. This function of @kbd{C-q} is analogous
|
|
120 to its use for insertion (@pxref{Inserting Text}): it causes the
|
|
121 following character to be treated the way any ``ordinary'' character is
|
|
122 treated in the same context. You can also specify a character by its
|
|
123 octal code: enter @kbd{C-q} followed by a sequence of octal digits.
|
|
124
|
35904
|
125 @cindex searching for non-ASCII characters
|
|
126 @cindex input method, during incremental search
|
36177
|
127 To search for non-ASCII characters, you must use an input method
|
38880
|
128 (@pxref{Input Methods}). If an input method is enabled in the
|
36177
|
129 current buffer when you start the search, you can use it while you
|
|
130 type the search string also. Emacs indicates that by including the
|
|
131 input method mnemonic in its prompt, like this:
|
35904
|
132
|
|
133 @example
|
36177
|
134 I-search [@var{im}]:
|
35904
|
135 @end example
|
|
136
|
|
137 @noindent
|
|
138 @findex isearch-toggle-input-method
|
|
139 @findex isearch-toggle-specified-input-method
|
|
140 where @var{im} is the mnemonic of the active input method. You can
|
|
141 toggle (enable or disable) the input method while you type the search
|
|
142 string with @kbd{C-\} (@code{isearch-toggle-input-method}). You can
|
|
143 turn on a certain (non-default) input method with @kbd{C-^}
|
|
144 (@code{isearch-toggle-specified-input-method}), which prompts for the
|
38880
|
145 name of the input method. The input method you enable during
|
|
146 incremental search remains enabled in the current buffer afterwards.
|
35904
|
147
|
25829
|
148 If a search is failing and you ask to repeat it by typing another
|
36177
|
149 @kbd{C-s}, it starts again from the beginning of the buffer.
|
|
150 Repeating a failing reverse search with @kbd{C-r} starts again from
|
|
151 the end. This is called @dfn{wrapping around}, and @samp{Wrapped}
|
|
152 appears in the search prompt once this has happened. If you keep on
|
|
153 going past the original starting point of the search, it changes to
|
|
154 @samp{Overwrapped}, which means that you are revisiting matches that
|
|
155 you have already seen.
|
25829
|
156
|
|
157 @cindex quitting (in search)
|
|
158 The @kbd{C-g} ``quit'' character does special things during searches;
|
|
159 just what it does depends on the status of the search. If the search has
|
|
160 found what you specified and is waiting for input, @kbd{C-g} cancels the
|
|
161 entire search. The cursor moves back to where you started the search. If
|
|
162 @kbd{C-g} is typed when there are characters in the search string that have
|
|
163 not been found---because Emacs is still searching for them, or because it
|
|
164 has failed to find them---then the search string characters which have not
|
|
165 been found are discarded from the search string. With them gone, the
|
|
166 search is now successful and waiting for more input, so a second @kbd{C-g}
|
|
167 will cancel the entire search.
|
|
168
|
|
169 You can change to searching backwards with @kbd{C-r}. If a search fails
|
|
170 because the place you started was too late in the file, you should do this.
|
|
171 Repeated @kbd{C-r} keeps looking for more occurrences backwards. A
|
|
172 @kbd{C-s} starts going forwards again. @kbd{C-r} in a search can be canceled
|
|
173 with @key{DEL}.
|
|
174
|
|
175 @kindex C-r
|
|
176 @findex isearch-backward
|
|
177 If you know initially that you want to search backwards, you can use
|
|
178 @kbd{C-r} instead of @kbd{C-s} to start the search, because @kbd{C-r} as
|
|
179 a key runs a command (@code{isearch-backward}) to search backward. A
|
|
180 backward search finds matches that are entirely before the starting
|
|
181 point, just as a forward search finds matches that begin after it.
|
|
182
|
|
183 The characters @kbd{C-y} and @kbd{C-w} can be used in incremental
|
46242
|
184 search to grab text from the buffer into the search string. This
|
|
185 makes it convenient to search for another occurrence of text at point.
|
|
186 @kbd{C-w} copies the character or word after point as part of the
|
|
187 search string, advancing point over it. (The decision, whether to
|
|
188 copy a character or a word, is heuristic.) Another @kbd{C-s} to
|
|
189 repeat the search will then search for a string including that
|
|
190 character or word.
|
|
191
|
|
192 @kbd{C-y} is similar to @kbd{C-w} but copies all the rest of the
|
|
193 current line into the search string. Both @kbd{C-y} and @kbd{C-w}
|
|
194 convert the text they copy to lower case if the search is currently
|
|
195 not case-sensitive; this is so the search remains case-insensitive.
|
25829
|
196
|
|
197 The character @kbd{M-y} copies text from the kill ring into the search
|
|
198 string. It uses the same text that @kbd{C-y} as a command would yank.
|
36177
|
199 @kbd{Mouse-2} in the echo area does the same.
|
25829
|
200 @xref{Yanking}.
|
|
201
|
|
202 When you exit the incremental search, it sets the mark to where point
|
|
203 @emph{was}, before the search. That is convenient for moving back
|
|
204 there. In Transient Mark mode, incremental search sets the mark without
|
|
205 activating it, and does so only if the mark is not already active.
|
|
206
|
27217
|
207 @cindex lazy search highlighting
|
|
208 @vindex isearch-lazy-highlight
|
36177
|
209 When you pause for a little while during incremental search, it
|
|
210 highlights all other possible matches for the search string. This
|
|
211 makes it easier to anticipate where you can get to by typing @kbd{C-s}
|
|
212 or @kbd{C-r} to repeat the search. The short delay before highlighting
|
|
213 other matches helps indicate which match is the current one.
|
|
214 If you don't like this feature, you can turn it off by setting
|
|
215 @code{isearch-lazy-highlight} to @code{nil}.
|
27217
|
216
|
31062
|
217 @vindex isearch-lazy-highlight-face
|
|
218 @cindex faces for highlighting search matches
|
38049
|
219 You can control how this highlighting looks by customizing the faces
|
|
220 @code{isearch} (used for the current match) and
|
|
221 @code{isearch-lazy-highlight-face} (for all the other matches).
|
31062
|
222
|
25829
|
223 @vindex isearch-mode-map
|
|
224 To customize the special characters that incremental search understands,
|
|
225 alter their bindings in the keymap @code{isearch-mode-map}. For a list
|
|
226 of bindings, look at the documentation of @code{isearch-mode} with
|
|
227 @kbd{C-h f isearch-mode @key{RET}}.
|
|
228
|
|
229 @subsection Slow Terminal Incremental Search
|
|
230
|
|
231 Incremental search on a slow terminal uses a modified style of display
|
|
232 that is designed to take less time. Instead of redisplaying the buffer at
|
|
233 each place the search gets to, it creates a new single-line window and uses
|
|
234 that to display the line that the search has found. The single-line window
|
38049
|
235 comes into play as soon as point moves outside of the text that is already
|
25829
|
236 on the screen.
|
|
237
|
|
238 When you terminate the search, the single-line window is removed.
|
38049
|
239 Emacs then redisplays the window in which the search was done, to show
|
25829
|
240 its new position of point.
|
|
241
|
|
242 @vindex search-slow-speed
|
|
243 The slow terminal style of display is used when the terminal baud rate is
|
|
244 less than or equal to the value of the variable @code{search-slow-speed},
|
37235
|
245 initially 1200. See @code{baud-rate} in @ref{Display Custom}.
|
25829
|
246
|
|
247 @vindex search-slow-window-lines
|
|
248 The number of lines to use in slow terminal search display is controlled
|
|
249 by the variable @code{search-slow-window-lines}. Its normal value is 1.
|
|
250
|
|
251 @node Nonincremental Search, Word Search, Incremental Search, Search
|
|
252 @section Nonincremental Search
|
|
253 @cindex nonincremental search
|
|
254
|
|
255 Emacs also has conventional nonincremental search commands, which require
|
|
256 you to type the entire search string before searching begins.
|
|
257
|
|
258 @table @kbd
|
|
259 @item C-s @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET}
|
|
260 Search for @var{string}.
|
|
261 @item C-r @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET}
|
|
262 Search backward for @var{string}.
|
|
263 @end table
|
|
264
|
|
265 To do a nonincremental search, first type @kbd{C-s @key{RET}}. This
|
|
266 enters the minibuffer to read the search string; terminate the string
|
|
267 with @key{RET}, and then the search takes place. If the string is not
|
38127
|
268 found, the search command signals an error.
|
25829
|
269
|
38127
|
270 When you type @kbd{C-s @key{RET}}, the @kbd{C-s} invokes incremental
|
|
271 search as usual. That command is specially programmed to invoke
|
|
272 nonincremental search, @code{search-forward}, if the string you
|
|
273 specify is empty. (Such an empty argument would otherwise be
|
|
274 useless.) But it does not call @code{search-forward} right away. First
|
|
275 it checks the next input character to see if is @kbd{C-w},
|
|
276 which specifies a word search.
|
25829
|
277 @ifinfo
|
|
278 @xref{Word Search}.
|
|
279 @end ifinfo
|
38127
|
280 @kbd{C-r @key{RET}} does likewise, for a reverse incremental search.
|
25829
|
281
|
|
282 @findex search-forward
|
|
283 @findex search-backward
|
|
284 Forward and backward nonincremental searches are implemented by the
|
|
285 commands @code{search-forward} and @code{search-backward}. These
|
|
286 commands may be bound to keys in the usual manner. The feature that you
|
|
287 can get to them via the incremental search commands exists for
|
38127
|
288 historical reasons, and to avoid the need to find key sequences
|
25829
|
289 for them.
|
|
290
|
|
291 @node Word Search, Regexp Search, Nonincremental Search, Search
|
|
292 @section Word Search
|
|
293 @cindex word search
|
|
294
|
|
295 Word search searches for a sequence of words without regard to how the
|
|
296 words are separated. More precisely, you type a string of many words,
|
38049
|
297 using single spaces to separate them, and the string can be found even
|
|
298 if there are multiple spaces, newlines, or other punctuation characters
|
|
299 between these words.
|
25829
|
300
|
|
301 Word search is useful for editing a printed document made with a text
|
|
302 formatter. If you edit while looking at the printed, formatted version,
|
|
303 you can't tell where the line breaks are in the source file. With word
|
|
304 search, you can search without having to know them.
|
|
305
|
|
306 @table @kbd
|
|
307 @item C-s @key{RET} C-w @var{words} @key{RET}
|
|
308 Search for @var{words}, ignoring details of punctuation.
|
|
309 @item C-r @key{RET} C-w @var{words} @key{RET}
|
|
310 Search backward for @var{words}, ignoring details of punctuation.
|
|
311 @end table
|
|
312
|
|
313 Word search is a special case of nonincremental search and is invoked
|
|
314 with @kbd{C-s @key{RET} C-w}. This is followed by the search string,
|
|
315 which must always be terminated with @key{RET}. Being nonincremental,
|
|
316 this search does not start until the argument is terminated. It works
|
|
317 by constructing a regular expression and searching for that; see
|
|
318 @ref{Regexp Search}.
|
|
319
|
|
320 Use @kbd{C-r @key{RET} C-w} to do backward word search.
|
|
321
|
|
322 @findex word-search-forward
|
|
323 @findex word-search-backward
|
|
324 Forward and backward word searches are implemented by the commands
|
|
325 @code{word-search-forward} and @code{word-search-backward}. These
|
38127
|
326 commands may be bound to keys in the usual manner. They are available
|
|
327 via the incremental search commands both for historical reasons and
|
|
328 to avoid the need to find suitable key sequences for them.
|
25829
|
329
|
|
330 @node Regexp Search, Regexps, Word Search, Search
|
|
331 @section Regular Expression Search
|
|
332 @cindex regular expression
|
|
333 @cindex regexp
|
|
334
|
38127
|
335 A @dfn{regular expression} (@dfn{regexp}, for short) is a pattern
|
|
336 that denotes a class of alternative strings to match, possibly
|
|
337 infinitely many. GNU Emacs provides both incremental and
|
|
338 nonincremental ways to search for a match for a regexp.
|
25829
|
339
|
|
340 @kindex C-M-s
|
|
341 @findex isearch-forward-regexp
|
|
342 @kindex C-M-r
|
|
343 @findex isearch-backward-regexp
|
|
344 Incremental search for a regexp is done by typing @kbd{C-M-s}
|
38127
|
345 (@code{isearch-forward-regexp}), or by invoking @kbd{C-s} with a
|
|
346 prefix argument (whose value does not matter). This command reads a
|
|
347 search string incrementally just like @kbd{C-s}, but it treats the
|
|
348 search string as a regexp rather than looking for an exact match
|
|
349 against the text in the buffer. Each time you add text to the search
|
|
350 string, you make the regexp longer, and the new regexp is searched
|
|
351 for. To search backward for a regexp, use @kbd{C-M-r}
|
|
352 (@code{isearch-backward-regexp}), or @kbd{C-r} with a prefix argument.
|
25829
|
353
|
|
354 All of the control characters that do special things within an
|
|
355 ordinary incremental search have the same function in incremental regexp
|
|
356 search. Typing @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r} immediately after starting the
|
|
357 search retrieves the last incremental search regexp used; that is to
|
|
358 say, incremental regexp and non-regexp searches have independent
|
|
359 defaults. They also have separate search rings that you can access with
|
|
360 @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n}.
|
|
361
|
|
362 If you type @key{SPC} in incremental regexp search, it matches any
|
|
363 sequence of whitespace characters, including newlines. If you want
|
|
364 to match just a space, type @kbd{C-q @key{SPC}}.
|
|
365
|
|
366 Note that adding characters to the regexp in an incremental regexp
|
|
367 search can make the cursor move back and start again. For example, if
|
|
368 you have searched for @samp{foo} and you add @samp{\|bar}, the cursor
|
|
369 backs up in case the first @samp{bar} precedes the first @samp{foo}.
|
|
370
|
|
371 @findex re-search-forward
|
|
372 @findex re-search-backward
|
|
373 Nonincremental search for a regexp is done by the functions
|
|
374 @code{re-search-forward} and @code{re-search-backward}. You can invoke
|
|
375 these with @kbd{M-x}, or bind them to keys, or invoke them by way of
|
|
376 incremental regexp search with @kbd{C-M-s @key{RET}} and @kbd{C-M-r
|
|
377 @key{RET}}.
|
|
378
|
|
379 If you use the incremental regexp search commands with a prefix
|
|
380 argument, they perform ordinary string search, like
|
|
381 @code{isearch-forward} and @code{isearch-backward}. @xref{Incremental
|
|
382 Search}.
|
|
383
|
|
384 @node Regexps, Search Case, Regexp Search, Search
|
|
385 @section Syntax of Regular Expressions
|
36263
|
386 @cindex syntax of regexps
|
25829
|
387
|
|
388 Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are
|
|
389 special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary
|
|
390 character is a simple regular expression which matches that same
|
|
391 character and nothing else. The special characters are @samp{$},
|
|
392 @samp{^}, @samp{.}, @samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?}, @samp{[}, @samp{]} and
|
|
393 @samp{\}. Any other character appearing in a regular expression is
|
37069
6dee6cc113a5
(Regexps): Say up front that backslashes must be doubled in a Lisp program.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
394 ordinary, unless a @samp{\} precedes it. (When you use regular
|
6dee6cc113a5
(Regexps): Say up front that backslashes must be doubled in a Lisp program.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
395 expressions in a Lisp program, each @samp{\} must be doubled, see the
|
6dee6cc113a5
(Regexps): Say up front that backslashes must be doubled in a Lisp program.
Eli Zaretskii <eliz@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
396 example near the end of this section.)
|
25829
|
397
|
|
398 For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and
|
|
399 therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string
|
|
400 @samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string
|
|
401 @samp{ff}.) Likewise, @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches
|
|
402 only @samp{o}. (When case distinctions are being ignored, these regexps
|
|
403 also match @samp{F} and @samp{O}, but we consider this a generalization
|
|
404 of ``the same string,'' rather than an exception.)
|
|
405
|
|
406 Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The
|
|
407 result is a regular expression which matches a string if @var{a} matches
|
|
408 some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of
|
|
409 the string.@refill
|
|
410
|
|
411 As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f}
|
|
412 and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only
|
|
413 the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something nontrivial, you
|
|
414 need to use one of the special characters. Here is a list of them.
|
|
415
|
|
416 @table @kbd
|
|
417 @item .@: @r{(Period)}
|
|
418 is a special character that matches any single character except a newline.
|
|
419 Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which
|
|
420 matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with
|
|
421 @samp{b}.@refill
|
|
422
|
|
423 @item *
|
|
424 is not a construct by itself; it is a postfix operator that means to
|
|
425 match the preceding regular expression repetitively as many times as
|
|
426 possible. Thus, @samp{o*} matches any number of @samp{o}s (including no
|
|
427 @samp{o}s).
|
|
428
|
|
429 @samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding
|
|
430 expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a repeating
|
|
431 @samp{fo}. It matches @samp{f}, @samp{fo}, @samp{foo}, and so on.
|
|
432
|
|
433 The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately,
|
|
434 as many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest
|
|
435 of the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some
|
|
436 of the matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in case that makes
|
|
437 it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in matching
|
|
438 @samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} first
|
|
439 tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is
|
|
440 @samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails.
|
|
441 The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s.
|
|
442 With this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully.@refill
|
|
443
|
|
444 @item +
|
|
445 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match
|
|
446 the preceding expression at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r}
|
|
447 matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string
|
|
448 @samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings.
|
|
449
|
|
450 @item ?
|
|
451 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it can match the
|
|
452 preceding expression either once or not at all. For example,
|
|
453 @samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}; nothing else.
|
|
454
|
27094
|
455 @item *?, +?, ??
|
27139
|
456 @cindex non-greedy regexp matching
|
27094
|
457 are non-greedy variants of the operators above. The normal operators
|
36177
|
458 @samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?} are @dfn{greedy} in that they match as
|
|
459 much as they can, as long as the overall regexp can still match. With
|
|
460 a following @samp{?}, they are non-greedy: they will match as little
|
|
461 as possible.
|
|
462
|
|
463 Thus, both @samp{ab*} and @samp{ab*?} can match the string @samp{a}
|
|
464 and the string @samp{abbbb}; but if you try to match them both against
|
|
465 the text @samp{abbb}, @samp{ab*} will match it all (the longest valid
|
|
466 match), while @samp{ab*?} will match just @samp{a} (the shortest
|
|
467 valid match).
|
|
468
|
44062
|
469 Non-greedy operators match the shortest possible string starting at a
|
|
470 given starting point; in a forward search, though, the earliest
|
|
471 possible starting point for match is always the one chosen. Thus, if
|
|
472 you search for @samp{a.*?$} against the text @samp{abbab} followed by
|
|
473 a newline, it matches the whole string. Since it @emph{can} match
|
|
474 starting at the first @samp{a}, it does.
|
|
475
|
36177
|
476 @item \@{@var{n}\@}
|
|
477 is a postfix operator that specifies repetition @var{n} times---that
|
|
478 is, the preceding regular expression must match exactly @var{n} times
|
|
479 in a row. For example, @samp{x\@{4\@}} matches the string @samp{xxxx}
|
|
480 and nothing else.
|
27094
|
481
|
28063
|
482 @item \@{@var{n},@var{m}\@}
|
36177
|
483 is a postfix operator that specifies repetition between @var{n} and
|
|
484 @var{m} times---that is, the preceding regular expression must match
|
|
485 at least @var{n} times, but no more than @var{m} times. If @var{m} is
|
|
486 omitted, then there is no upper limit, but the preceding regular
|
|
487 expression must match at least @var{n} times.@* @samp{\@{0,1\@}} is
|
|
488 equivalent to @samp{?}. @* @samp{\@{0,\@}} is equivalent to
|
|
489 @samp{*}. @* @samp{\@{1,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{+}.
|
27694
|
490
|
25829
|
491 @item [ @dots{} ]
|
|
492 is a @dfn{character set}, which begins with @samp{[} and is terminated
|
|
493 by @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between the two
|
|
494 brackets are what this set can match.
|
|
495
|
|
496 Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one @samp{d}, and
|
|
497 @samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s and @samp{d}s
|
|
498 (including the empty string), from which it follows that @samp{c[ad]*r}
|
|
499 matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, @samp{caddaar}, etc.
|
|
500
|
|
501 You can also include character ranges in a character set, by writing the
|
|
502 starting and ending characters with a @samp{-} between them. Thus,
|
|
503 @samp{[a-z]} matches any lower-case ASCII letter. Ranges may be
|
|
504 intermixed freely with individual characters, as in @samp{[a-z$%.]},
|
|
505 which matches any lower-case ASCII letter or @samp{$}, @samp{%} or
|
|
506 period.
|
|
507
|
|
508 Note that the usual regexp special characters are not special inside a
|
|
509 character set. A completely different set of special characters exists
|
|
510 inside character sets: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}.
|
|
511
|
|
512 To include a @samp{]} in a character set, you must make it the first
|
|
513 character. For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. To
|
|
514 include a @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first or last character of the
|
|
515 set, or put it after a range. Thus, @samp{[]-]} matches both @samp{]}
|
|
516 and @samp{-}.
|
|
517
|
|
518 To include @samp{^} in a set, put it anywhere but at the beginning of
|
37235
|
519 the set. (At the beginning, it complements the set---see below.)
|
25829
|
520
|
|
521 When you use a range in case-insensitive search, you should write both
|
|
522 ends of the range in upper case, or both in lower case, or both should
|
|
523 be non-letters. The behavior of a mixed-case range such as @samp{A-z}
|
|
524 is somewhat ill-defined, and it may change in future Emacs versions.
|
|
525
|
|
526 @item [^ @dots{} ]
|
|
527 @samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complemented character set}, which matches any
|
|
528 character except the ones specified. Thus, @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} matches
|
37235
|
529 all characters @emph{except} ASCII letters and digits.
|
25829
|
530
|
|
531 @samp{^} is not special in a character set unless it is the first
|
|
532 character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it
|
|
533 were first (in other words, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there).
|
|
534
|
|
535 A complemented character set can match a newline, unless newline is
|
|
536 mentioned as one of the characters not to match. This is in contrast to
|
|
537 the handling of regexps in programs such as @code{grep}.
|
|
538
|
|
539 @item ^
|
|
540 is a special character that matches the empty string, but only at the
|
|
541 beginning of a line in the text being matched. Otherwise it fails to
|
|
542 match anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at
|
|
543 the beginning of a line.
|
|
544
|
|
545 @item $
|
|
546 is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line. Thus,
|
|
547 @samp{x+$} matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line.
|
|
548
|
|
549 @item \
|
|
550 has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including
|
|
551 @samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs.
|
|
552
|
|
553 Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular
|
|
554 expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular
|
|
555 expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on.
|
|
556 @end table
|
|
557
|
|
558 Note: for historical compatibility, special characters are treated as
|
|
559 ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special meanings make no
|
|
560 sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as ordinary since there is
|
|
561 no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} can act. It is poor practice
|
|
562 to depend on this behavior; it is better to quote the special character anyway,
|
|
563 regardless of where it appears.@refill
|
|
564
|
|
565 For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only that
|
|
566 character. However, there are several exceptions: two-character
|
|
567 sequences starting with @samp{\} that have special meanings. The second
|
|
568 character in the sequence is always an ordinary character when used on
|
|
569 its own. Here is a table of @samp{\} constructs.
|
|
570
|
|
571 @table @kbd
|
|
572 @item \|
|
|
573 specifies an alternative. Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b}
|
|
574 with @samp{\|} in between form an expression that matches some text if
|
|
575 either @var{a} matches it or @var{b} matches it. It works by trying to
|
|
576 match @var{a}, and if that fails, by trying to match @var{b}.
|
|
577
|
|
578 Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar}
|
|
579 but no other string.@refill
|
|
580
|
|
581 @samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a
|
|
582 surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of
|
|
583 @samp{\|}.@refill
|
|
584
|
|
585 Full backtracking capability exists to handle multiple uses of @samp{\|}.
|
|
586
|
|
587 @item \( @dots{} \)
|
|
588 is a grouping construct that serves three purposes:
|
|
589
|
|
590 @enumerate
|
|
591 @item
|
|
592 To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations.
|
|
593 Thus, @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} or @samp{barx}.
|
|
594
|
|
595 @item
|
|
596 To enclose a complicated expression for the postfix operators @samp{*},
|
|
597 @samp{+} and @samp{?} to operate on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches
|
|
598 @samp{bananana}, etc., with any (zero or more) number of @samp{na}
|
|
599 strings.@refill
|
|
600
|
|
601 @item
|
|
602 To record a matched substring for future reference.
|
|
603 @end enumerate
|
|
604
|
|
605 This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a
|
|
606 parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that is assigned as a
|
|
607 second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. In practice
|
36177
|
608 there is usually no conflict between the two meanings; when there is
|
|
609 a conflict, you can use a ``shy'' group.
|
28063
|
610
|
|
611 @item \(?: @dots{} \)
|
36177
|
612 @cindex shy group, in regexp
|
|
613 specifies a ``shy'' group that does not record the matched substring;
|
|
614 you can't refer back to it with @samp{\@var{d}}. This is useful
|
|
615 in mechanically combining regular expressions, so that you
|
|
616 can add groups for syntactic purposes without interfering with
|
|
617 the numbering of the groups that were written by the user.
|
25829
|
618
|
|
619 @item \@var{d}
|
|
620 matches the same text that matched the @var{d}th occurrence of a
|
|
621 @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct.
|
|
622
|
|
623 After the end of a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct, the matcher remembers
|
|
624 the beginning and end of the text matched by that construct. Then,
|
|
625 later on in the regular expression, you can use @samp{\} followed by the
|
|
626 digit @var{d} to mean ``match the same text matched the @var{d}th time
|
|
627 by the @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct.''
|
|
628
|
|
629 The strings matching the first nine @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs
|
|
630 appearing in a regular expression are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in
|
|
631 the order that the open-parentheses appear in the regular expression.
|
|
632 So you can use @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched
|
|
633 by the corresponding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs.
|
|
634
|
|
635 For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is
|
|
636 composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first
|
|
637 half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match
|
|
638 the same exact text.
|
|
639
|
|
640 If a particular @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct matches more than once
|
|
641 (which can easily happen if it is followed by @samp{*}), only the last
|
|
642 match is recorded.
|
|
643
|
|
644 @item \`
|
40929
|
645 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of the string or
|
|
646 buffer (or its accessible portion) being matched against.
|
25829
|
647
|
|
648 @item \'
|
40929
|
649 matches the empty string, but only at the end of the string or buffer
|
|
650 (or its accessible portion) being matched against.
|
25829
|
651
|
|
652 @item \=
|
|
653 matches the empty string, but only at point.
|
|
654
|
|
655 @item \b
|
|
656 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or
|
|
657 end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of
|
|
658 @samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches
|
|
659 @samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word.@refill
|
|
660
|
|
661 @samp{\b} matches at the beginning or end of the buffer
|
|
662 regardless of what text appears next to it.
|
|
663
|
|
664 @item \B
|
|
665 matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or
|
|
666 end of a word.
|
|
667
|
|
668 @item \<
|
|
669 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word.
|
|
670 @samp{\<} matches at the beginning of the buffer only if a
|
|
671 word-constituent character follows.
|
|
672
|
|
673 @item \>
|
|
674 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. @samp{\>}
|
|
675 matches at the end of the buffer only if the contents end with a
|
|
676 word-constituent character.
|
|
677
|
|
678 @item \w
|
|
679 matches any word-constituent character. The syntax table
|
|
680 determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax}.
|
|
681
|
|
682 @item \W
|
|
683 matches any character that is not a word-constituent.
|
|
684
|
|
685 @item \s@var{c}
|
|
686 matches any character whose syntax is @var{c}. Here @var{c} is a
|
37235
|
687 character that designates a particular syntax class: thus, @samp{w}
|
|
688 for word constituent, @samp{-} or @samp{ } for whitespace, @samp{.}
|
|
689 for ordinary punctuation, etc. @xref{Syntax}.
|
25829
|
690
|
|
691 @item \S@var{c}
|
|
692 matches any character whose syntax is not @var{c}.
|
35904
|
693
|
|
694 @cindex categories of characters
|
|
695 @cindex characters which belong to a specific language
|
|
696 @findex describe-categories
|
|
697 @item \c@var{c}
|
|
698 matches any character that belongs to the category @var{c}. For
|
|
699 example, @samp{\cc} matches Chinese characters, @samp{\cg} matches
|
|
700 Greek characters, etc. For the description of the known categories,
|
|
701 type @kbd{M-x describe-categories @key{RET}}.
|
|
702
|
|
703 @item \C@var{c}
|
|
704 matches any character that does @emph{not} belong to category
|
|
705 @var{c}.
|
25829
|
706 @end table
|
|
707
|
|
708 The constructs that pertain to words and syntax are controlled by the
|
|
709 setting of the syntax table (@pxref{Syntax}).
|
|
710
|
37235
|
711 Here is a complicated regexp, stored in @code{sentence-end} and used
|
|
712 by Emacs to recognize the end of a sentence together with any
|
37607
|
713 whitespace that follows. We show its Lisp syntax to distinguish the
|
37235
|
714 spaces from the tab characters. In Lisp syntax, the string constant
|
|
715 begins and ends with a double-quote. @samp{\"} stands for a
|
|
716 double-quote as part of the regexp, @samp{\\} for a backslash as part
|
|
717 of the regexp, @samp{\t} for a tab, and @samp{\n} for a newline.
|
25829
|
718
|
|
719 @example
|
37235
|
720 "[.?!][]\"')]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*"
|
25829
|
721 @end example
|
|
722
|
|
723 @noindent
|
37235
|
724 This contains four parts in succession: a character set matching
|
|
725 period, @samp{?}, or @samp{!}; a character set matching
|
|
726 close-brackets, quotes, or parentheses, repeated zero or more times; a
|
|
727 set of alternatives within backslash-parentheses that matches either
|
|
728 end-of-line, a space at the end of a line, a tab, or two spaces; and a
|
|
729 character set matching whitespace characters, repeated any number of
|
|
730 times.
|
25829
|
731
|
40521
549e09fb7907
Clarify how to enter regexps in isearch and in the miniubuffer.
Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
732 To enter the same regexp in incremental search, you would type
|
549e09fb7907
Clarify how to enter regexps in isearch and in the miniubuffer.
Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
733 @key{TAB} to enter a tab, and @kbd{C-j} to enter a newline. You would
|
549e09fb7907
Clarify how to enter regexps in isearch and in the miniubuffer.
Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
734 also type single backslashes as themselves, instead of doubling them
|
549e09fb7907
Clarify how to enter regexps in isearch and in the miniubuffer.
Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
735 for Lisp syntax. In commands that use ordinary minibuffer input to
|
549e09fb7907
Clarify how to enter regexps in isearch and in the miniubuffer.
Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
736 read a regexp, you would quote the @kbd{C-j} by preceding it with a
|
549e09fb7907
Clarify how to enter regexps in isearch and in the miniubuffer.
Richard M. Stallman <rms@gnu.org>
diff
changeset
|
737 @kbd{C-q} to prevent @kbd{C-j} from exiting the minibuffer.
|
25829
|
738
|
36177
|
739 @ignore
|
|
740 @c I commented this out because it is missing vital information
|
|
741 @c and therefore useless. For instance, what do you do to *use* the
|
|
742 @c regular expression when it is finished? What jobs is this good for?
|
|
743 @c -- rms
|
|
744
|
31072
|
745 @findex re-builder
|
|
746 @cindex authoring regular expressions
|
36177
|
747 For convenient interactive development of regular expressions, you
|
|
748 can use the @kbd{M-x re-builder} command. It provides a convenient
|
|
749 interface for creating regular expressions, by giving immediate visual
|
|
750 feedback. The buffer from which @code{re-builder} was invoked becomes
|
|
751 the target for the regexp editor, which pops in a separate window. At
|
|
752 all times, all the matches in the target buffer for the current
|
|
753 regular expression are highlighted. Each parenthesized sub-expression
|
|
754 of the regexp is shown in a distinct face, which makes it easier to
|
|
755 verify even very complex regexps. (On displays that don't support
|
|
756 colors, Emacs blinks the cursor around the matched text, as it does
|
|
757 for matching parens.)
|
|
758 @end ignore
|
31072
|
759
|
25829
|
760 @node Search Case, Replace, Regexps, Search
|
|
761 @section Searching and Case
|
|
762
|
|
763 Incremental searches in Emacs normally ignore the case of the text
|
|
764 they are searching through, if you specify the text in lower case.
|
|
765 Thus, if you specify searching for @samp{foo}, then @samp{Foo} and
|
|
766 @samp{foo} are also considered a match. Regexps, and in particular
|
|
767 character sets, are included: @samp{[ab]} would match @samp{a} or
|
|
768 @samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}.@refill
|
|
769
|
|
770 An upper-case letter anywhere in the incremental search string makes
|
|
771 the search case-sensitive. Thus, searching for @samp{Foo} does not find
|
|
772 @samp{foo} or @samp{FOO}. This applies to regular expression search as
|
|
773 well as to string search. The effect ceases if you delete the
|
|
774 upper-case letter from the search string.
|
|
775
|
37235
|
776 Typing @kbd{M-c} within an incremental search toggles the case
|
|
777 sensitivity of that search. The effect does not extend beyond the
|
|
778 current incremental search to the next one, but it does override the
|
|
779 effect of including an upper-case letter in the current search.
|
|
780
|
|
781 @vindex case-fold-search
|
25829
|
782 If you set the variable @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}, then
|
|
783 all letters must match exactly, including case. This is a per-buffer
|
|
784 variable; altering the variable affects only the current buffer, but
|
|
785 there is a default value which you can change as well. @xref{Locals}.
|
|
786 This variable applies to nonincremental searches also, including those
|
|
787 performed by the replace commands (@pxref{Replace}) and the minibuffer
|
|
788 history matching commands (@pxref{Minibuffer History}).
|
|
789
|
|
790 @node Replace, Other Repeating Search, Search Case, Search
|
|
791 @section Replacement Commands
|
|
792 @cindex replacement
|
|
793 @cindex search-and-replace commands
|
|
794 @cindex string substitution
|
|
795 @cindex global substitution
|
|
796
|
38127
|
797 Global search-and-replace operations are not needed often in Emacs,
|
|
798 but they are available. In addition to the simple @kbd{M-x
|
|
799 replace-string} command which is like that found in most editors,
|
|
800 there is a @kbd{M-x query-replace} command which finds each occurrence
|
|
801 of the pattern and asks you whether to replace it.
|
25829
|
802
|
|
803 The replace commands normally operate on the text from point to the
|
46193
|
804 end of the buffer; however, in Transient Mark mode (@pxref{Transient
|
|
805 Mark}), when the mark is active, they operate on the region. The
|
|
806 replace commands all replace one string (or regexp) with one
|
|
807 replacement string. It is possible to perform several replacements in
|
|
808 parallel using the command @code{expand-region-abbrevs}
|
|
809 (@pxref{Expanding Abbrevs}).
|
25829
|
810
|
|
811 @menu
|
|
812 * Unconditional Replace:: Replacing all matches for a string.
|
|
813 * Regexp Replace:: Replacing all matches for a regexp.
|
|
814 * Replacement and Case:: How replacements preserve case of letters.
|
|
815 * Query Replace:: How to use querying.
|
|
816 @end menu
|
|
817
|
|
818 @node Unconditional Replace, Regexp Replace, Replace, Replace
|
|
819 @subsection Unconditional Replacement
|
|
820 @findex replace-string
|
|
821 @findex replace-regexp
|
|
822
|
|
823 @table @kbd
|
|
824 @item M-x replace-string @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
|
|
825 Replace every occurrence of @var{string} with @var{newstring}.
|
|
826 @item M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
|
|
827 Replace every match for @var{regexp} with @var{newstring}.
|
|
828 @end table
|
|
829
|
|
830 To replace every instance of @samp{foo} after point with @samp{bar},
|
|
831 use the command @kbd{M-x replace-string} with the two arguments
|
|
832 @samp{foo} and @samp{bar}. Replacement happens only in the text after
|
|
833 point, so if you want to cover the whole buffer you must go to the
|
|
834 beginning first. All occurrences up to the end of the buffer are
|
|
835 replaced; to limit replacement to part of the buffer, narrow to that
|
|
836 part of the buffer before doing the replacement (@pxref{Narrowing}).
|
|
837 In Transient Mark mode, when the region is active, replacement is
|
|
838 limited to the region (@pxref{Transient Mark}).
|
|
839
|
|
840 When @code{replace-string} exits, it leaves point at the last
|
|
841 occurrence replaced. It sets the mark to the prior position of point
|
|
842 (where the @code{replace-string} command was issued); use @kbd{C-u
|
|
843 C-@key{SPC}} to move back there.
|
|
844
|
|
845 A numeric argument restricts replacement to matches that are surrounded
|
|
846 by word boundaries. The argument's value doesn't matter.
|
|
847
|
|
848 @node Regexp Replace, Replacement and Case, Unconditional Replace, Replace
|
|
849 @subsection Regexp Replacement
|
|
850
|
|
851 The @kbd{M-x replace-string} command replaces exact matches for a
|
|
852 single string. The similar command @kbd{M-x replace-regexp} replaces
|
|
853 any match for a specified pattern.
|
|
854
|
|
855 In @code{replace-regexp}, the @var{newstring} need not be constant: it
|
|
856 can refer to all or part of what is matched by the @var{regexp}.
|
|
857 @samp{\&} in @var{newstring} stands for the entire match being replaced.
|
|
858 @samp{\@var{d}} in @var{newstring}, where @var{d} is a digit, stands for
|
|
859 whatever matched the @var{d}th parenthesized grouping in @var{regexp}.
|
|
860 To include a @samp{\} in the text to replace with, you must enter
|
|
861 @samp{\\}. For example,
|
|
862
|
|
863 @example
|
|
864 M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} c[ad]+r @key{RET} \&-safe @key{RET}
|
|
865 @end example
|
|
866
|
|
867 @noindent
|
|
868 replaces (for example) @samp{cadr} with @samp{cadr-safe} and @samp{cddr}
|
|
869 with @samp{cddr-safe}.
|
|
870
|
|
871 @example
|
|
872 M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} \(c[ad]+r\)-safe @key{RET} \1 @key{RET}
|
|
873 @end example
|
|
874
|
|
875 @noindent
|
|
876 performs the inverse transformation.
|
|
877
|
|
878 @node Replacement and Case, Query Replace, Regexp Replace, Replace
|
|
879 @subsection Replace Commands and Case
|
|
880
|
|
881 If the first argument of a replace command is all lower case, the
|
38016
|
882 command ignores case while searching for occurrences to
|
25829
|
883 replace---provided @code{case-fold-search} is non-@code{nil}. If
|
|
884 @code{case-fold-search} is set to @code{nil}, case is always significant
|
|
885 in all searches.
|
|
886
|
|
887 @vindex case-replace
|
|
888 In addition, when the @var{newstring} argument is all or partly lower
|
|
889 case, replacement commands try to preserve the case pattern of each
|
|
890 occurrence. Thus, the command
|
|
891
|
|
892 @example
|
|
893 M-x replace-string @key{RET} foo @key{RET} bar @key{RET}
|
|
894 @end example
|
|
895
|
|
896 @noindent
|
|
897 replaces a lower case @samp{foo} with a lower case @samp{bar}, an
|
|
898 all-caps @samp{FOO} with @samp{BAR}, and a capitalized @samp{Foo} with
|
|
899 @samp{Bar}. (These three alternatives---lower case, all caps, and
|
|
900 capitalized, are the only ones that @code{replace-string} can
|
|
901 distinguish.)
|
|
902
|
|
903 If upper-case letters are used in the replacement string, they remain
|
|
904 upper case every time that text is inserted. If upper-case letters are
|
|
905 used in the first argument, the second argument is always substituted
|
|
906 exactly as given, with no case conversion. Likewise, if either
|
|
907 @code{case-replace} or @code{case-fold-search} is set to @code{nil},
|
|
908 replacement is done without case conversion.
|
|
909
|
|
910 @node Query Replace,, Replacement and Case, Replace
|
|
911 @subsection Query Replace
|
|
912 @cindex query replace
|
|
913
|
|
914 @table @kbd
|
|
915 @item M-% @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
|
|
916 @itemx M-x query-replace @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
|
|
917 Replace some occurrences of @var{string} with @var{newstring}.
|
|
918 @item C-M-% @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
|
|
919 @itemx M-x query-replace-regexp @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
|
|
920 Replace some matches for @var{regexp} with @var{newstring}.
|
|
921 @end table
|
|
922
|
|
923 @kindex M-%
|
|
924 @findex query-replace
|
|
925 If you want to change only some of the occurrences of @samp{foo} to
|
|
926 @samp{bar}, not all of them, then you cannot use an ordinary
|
|
927 @code{replace-string}. Instead, use @kbd{M-%} (@code{query-replace}).
|
|
928 This command finds occurrences of @samp{foo} one by one, displays each
|
37235
|
929 occurrence and asks you whether to replace it. Aside from querying,
|
|
930 @code{query-replace} works just like @code{replace-string}. It
|
|
931 preserves case, like @code{replace-string}, provided
|
|
932 @code{case-replace} is non-@code{nil}, as it normally is. A numeric
|
|
933 argument means consider only occurrences that are bounded by
|
|
934 word-delimiter characters.
|
25829
|
935
|
|
936 @kindex C-M-%
|
|
937 @findex query-replace-regexp
|
37235
|
938 @kbd{C-M-%} performs regexp search and replace (@code{query-replace-regexp}).
|
25829
|
939
|
37235
|
940 The characters you can type when you are shown a match for the string
|
|
941 or regexp are:
|
25829
|
942
|
|
943 @ignore @c Not worth it.
|
|
944 @kindex SPC @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
945 @kindex DEL @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
946 @kindex , @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
947 @kindex RET @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
948 @kindex . @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
949 @kindex ! @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
950 @kindex ^ @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
951 @kindex C-r @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
952 @kindex C-w @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
953 @kindex C-l @r{(query-replace)}
|
|
954 @end ignore
|
|
955
|
|
956 @c WideCommands
|
|
957 @table @kbd
|
|
958 @item @key{SPC}
|
|
959 to replace the occurrence with @var{newstring}.
|
|
960
|
|
961 @item @key{DEL}
|
|
962 to skip to the next occurrence without replacing this one.
|
|
963
|
|
964 @item , @r{(Comma)}
|
|
965 to replace this occurrence and display the result. You are then asked
|
|
966 for another input character to say what to do next. Since the
|
|
967 replacement has already been made, @key{DEL} and @key{SPC} are
|
|
968 equivalent in this situation; both move to the next occurrence.
|
|
969
|
|
970 You can type @kbd{C-r} at this point (see below) to alter the replaced
|
|
971 text. You can also type @kbd{C-x u} to undo the replacement; this exits
|
|
972 the @code{query-replace}, so if you want to do further replacement you
|
|
973 must use @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC} @key{RET}} to restart
|
|
974 (@pxref{Repetition}).
|
|
975
|
|
976 @item @key{RET}
|
|
977 to exit without doing any more replacements.
|
|
978
|
|
979 @item .@: @r{(Period)}
|
|
980 to replace this occurrence and then exit without searching for more
|
|
981 occurrences.
|
|
982
|
|
983 @item !
|
|
984 to replace all remaining occurrences without asking again.
|
|
985
|
|
986 @item ^
|
|
987 to go back to the position of the previous occurrence (or what used to
|
|
988 be an occurrence), in case you changed it by mistake. This works by
|
|
989 popping the mark ring. Only one @kbd{^} in a row is meaningful, because
|
|
990 only one previous replacement position is kept during @code{query-replace}.
|
|
991
|
|
992 @item C-r
|
|
993 to enter a recursive editing level, in case the occurrence needs to be
|
|
994 edited rather than just replaced with @var{newstring}. When you are
|
|
995 done, exit the recursive editing level with @kbd{C-M-c} to proceed to
|
|
996 the next occurrence. @xref{Recursive Edit}.
|
|
997
|
|
998 @item C-w
|
|
999 to delete the occurrence, and then enter a recursive editing level as in
|
|
1000 @kbd{C-r}. Use the recursive edit to insert text to replace the deleted
|
|
1001 occurrence of @var{string}. When done, exit the recursive editing level
|
|
1002 with @kbd{C-M-c} to proceed to the next occurrence.
|
|
1003
|
36177
|
1004 @item e
|
|
1005 to edit the replacement string in the minibuffer. When you exit the
|
|
1006 minibuffer by typing @key{RET}, the minibuffer contents replace the
|
|
1007 current occurrence of the pattern. They also become the new
|
|
1008 replacement string for any further occurrences.
|
|
1009
|
25829
|
1010 @item C-l
|
|
1011 to redisplay the screen. Then you must type another character to
|
|
1012 specify what to do with this occurrence.
|
|
1013
|
|
1014 @item C-h
|
|
1015 to display a message summarizing these options. Then you must type
|
|
1016 another character to specify what to do with this occurrence.
|
|
1017 @end table
|
|
1018
|
|
1019 Some other characters are aliases for the ones listed above: @kbd{y},
|
|
1020 @kbd{n} and @kbd{q} are equivalent to @key{SPC}, @key{DEL} and
|
|
1021 @key{RET}.
|
|
1022
|
|
1023 Aside from this, any other character exits the @code{query-replace},
|
|
1024 and is then reread as part of a key sequence. Thus, if you type
|
|
1025 @kbd{C-k}, it exits the @code{query-replace} and then kills to end of
|
|
1026 line.
|
|
1027
|
|
1028 To restart a @code{query-replace} once it is exited, use @kbd{C-x
|
|
1029 @key{ESC} @key{ESC}}, which repeats the @code{query-replace} because it
|
|
1030 used the minibuffer to read its arguments. @xref{Repetition, C-x ESC
|
|
1031 ESC}.
|
|
1032
|
|
1033 See also @ref{Transforming File Names}, for Dired commands to rename,
|
|
1034 copy, or link files by replacing regexp matches in file names.
|
|
1035
|
|
1036 @node Other Repeating Search,, Replace, Search
|
|
1037 @section Other Search-and-Loop Commands
|
|
1038
|
|
1039 Here are some other commands that find matches for a regular
|
36177
|
1040 expression. They all ignore case in matching, if the pattern contains
|
|
1041 no upper-case letters and @code{case-fold-search} is non-@code{nil}.
|
44823
|
1042 Aside from @code{occur} and its variants, all operate on the text from
|
|
1043 point to the end of the buffer, or on the active region in Transient
|
|
1044 Mark mode.
|
25829
|
1045
|
|
1046 @findex list-matching-lines
|
|
1047 @findex occur
|
44823
|
1048 @findex multi-occur
|
|
1049 @findex multi-occur-by-filename-regexp
|
32035
|
1050 @findex how-many
|
25829
|
1051 @findex delete-non-matching-lines
|
|
1052 @findex delete-matching-lines
|
|
1053 @findex flush-lines
|
|
1054 @findex keep-lines
|
|
1055
|
|
1056 @table @kbd
|
|
1057 @item M-x occur @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
|
36177
|
1058 Display a list showing each line in the buffer that contains a match
|
|
1059 for @var{regexp}. To limit the search to part of the buffer, narrow
|
|
1060 to that part (@pxref{Narrowing}). A numeric argument @var{n}
|
36383
|
1061 specifies that @var{n} lines of context are to be displayed before and
|
|
1062 after each matching line.
|
25829
|
1063
|
|
1064 @kindex RET @r{(Occur mode)}
|
46213
|
1065 @kindex o @r{(Occur mode)}
|
|
1066 @kindex C-o @r{(Occur mode)}
|
25829
|
1067 The buffer @samp{*Occur*} containing the output serves as a menu for
|
46213
|
1068 finding the occurrences in their original context. Click
|
|
1069 @kbd{Mouse-2} on an occurrence listed in @samp{*Occur*}, or position
|
|
1070 point there and type @key{RET}; this switches to the buffer that was
|
|
1071 searched and moves point to the original of the chosen occurrence.
|
|
1072 @kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o} display the match in another window; @kbd{C-o}
|
|
1073 does not select it.
|
25829
|
1074
|
|
1075 @item M-x list-matching-lines
|
|
1076 Synonym for @kbd{M-x occur}.
|
|
1077
|
44823
|
1078 @item M-x multi-occur @key{RET} @var{buffers} @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
|
44858
|
1079 This function is just like @code{occur}, except it is able to search
|
44823
|
1080 through multiple buffers.
|
|
1081
|
|
1082 @item M-x multi-occur-by-filename-regexp @key{RET} @var{bufregexp} @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
|
44858
|
1083 This function is similar to @code{multi-occur}, except the buffers to
|
44823
|
1084 search are specified by a regexp on their filename.
|
|
1085
|
32035
|
1086 @item M-x how-many @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
|
36177
|
1087 Print the number of matches for @var{regexp} that exist in the buffer
|
|
1088 after point. In Transient Mark mode, if the region is active, the
|
|
1089 command operates on the region instead.
|
25829
|
1090
|
|
1091 @item M-x flush-lines @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
|
36177
|
1092 Delete each line that contains a match for @var{regexp}, operating on
|
|
1093 the text after point. In Transient Mark mode, if the region is
|
|
1094 active, the command operates on the region instead.
|
25829
|
1095
|
|
1096 @item M-x keep-lines @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
|
36177
|
1097 Delete each line that @emph{does not} contain a match for
|
|
1098 @var{regexp}, operating on the text after point. In Transient Mark
|
|
1099 mode, if the region is active, the command operates on the region
|
|
1100 instead.
|
25829
|
1101 @end table
|
|
1102
|
36177
|
1103 You can also search multiple files under control of a tags table
|
|
1104 (@pxref{Tags Search}) or through Dired @kbd{A} command
|
|
1105 (@pxref{Operating on Files}), or ask the @code{grep} program to do it
|
|
1106 (@pxref{Grep Searching}).
|