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annotate lispref/searching.texi @ 61931:f3e1b2ceffd2
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(define-generic-mode): Improve docstring.
author | Lute Kamstra <lute@gnu.org> |
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date | Fri, 29 Apr 2005 13:12:26 +0000 |
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6552 | 1 @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. | |
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3 @c Copyright (C) 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2004 |
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4 @c Free Software Foundation, Inc. |
6552 | 5 @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. |
6 @setfilename ../info/searching | |
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7 @node Searching and Matching, Syntax Tables, Non-ASCII Characters, Top |
6552 | 8 @chapter Searching and Matching |
9 @cindex searching | |
10 | |
11 GNU Emacs provides two ways to search through a buffer for specified | |
12 text: exact string searches and regular expression searches. After a | |
13 regular expression search, you can examine the @dfn{match data} to | |
14 determine which text matched the whole regular expression or various | |
15 portions of it. | |
16 | |
17 @menu | |
18 * String Search:: Search for an exact match. | |
19 * Regular Expressions:: Describing classes of strings. | |
20 * Regexp Search:: Searching for a match for a regexp. | |
12067 | 21 * POSIX Regexps:: Searching POSIX-style for the longest match. |
6552 | 22 * Search and Replace:: Internals of @code{query-replace}. |
54041 | 23 * Match Data:: Finding out which part of the text matched, |
24 after a string or regexp search. | |
6552 | 25 * Searching and Case:: Case-independent or case-significant searching. |
26 * Standard Regexps:: Useful regexps for finding sentences, pages,... | |
27 @end menu | |
28 | |
29 The @samp{skip-chars@dots{}} functions also perform a kind of searching. | |
30 @xref{Skipping Characters}. | |
31 | |
32 @node String Search | |
33 @section Searching for Strings | |
34 @cindex string search | |
35 | |
36 These are the primitive functions for searching through the text in a | |
37 buffer. They are meant for use in programs, but you may call them | |
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38 interactively. If you do so, they prompt for the search string; the |
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39 arguments @var{limit} and @var{noerror} are @code{nil}, and @var{repeat} |
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40 is 1. |
6552 | 41 |
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42 These search functions convert the search string to multibyte if the |
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43 buffer is multibyte; they convert the search string to unibyte if the |
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44 buffer is unibyte. @xref{Text Representations}. |
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45 |
6552 | 46 @deffn Command search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat |
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47 This function searches forward from point for an exact match for |
6552 | 48 @var{string}. If successful, it sets point to the end of the occurrence |
49 found, and returns the new value of point. If no match is found, the | |
50 value and side effects depend on @var{noerror} (see below). | |
51 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
52 | |
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53 In the following example, point is initially at the beginning of the |
6552 | 54 line. Then @code{(search-forward "fox")} moves point after the last |
55 letter of @samp{fox}: | |
56 | |
57 @example | |
58 @group | |
59 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
60 @point{}The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. | |
61 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
62 @end group | |
63 | |
64 @group | |
65 (search-forward "fox") | |
66 @result{} 20 | |
67 | |
68 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
69 The quick brown fox@point{} jumped over the lazy dog. | |
70 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
71 @end group | |
72 @end example | |
73 | |
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74 The argument @var{limit} specifies the upper bound to the search. (It |
6552 | 75 must be a position in the current buffer.) No match extending after |
76 that position is accepted. If @var{limit} is omitted or @code{nil}, it | |
77 defaults to the end of the accessible portion of the buffer. | |
78 | |
79 @kindex search-failed | |
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80 What happens when the search fails depends on the value of |
6552 | 81 @var{noerror}. If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, a @code{search-failed} |
82 error is signaled. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, @code{search-forward} | |
83 returns @code{nil} and does nothing. If @var{noerror} is neither | |
84 @code{nil} nor @code{t}, then @code{search-forward} moves point to the | |
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85 upper bound and returns @code{nil}. (It would be more consistent now to |
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86 return the new position of point in that case, but some existing |
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87 programs may depend on a value of @code{nil}.) |
6552 | 88 |
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89 If @var{repeat} is supplied (it must be a positive number), then the |
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90 search is repeated that many times (each time starting at the end of the |
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91 previous time's match). If these successive searches succeed, the |
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92 function succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise |
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93 the search fails, with results depending on the value of |
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94 @var{noerror}, as described above. |
6552 | 95 @end deffn |
96 | |
97 @deffn Command search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
98 This function searches backward from point for @var{string}. It is | |
99 just like @code{search-forward} except that it searches backwards and | |
100 leaves point at the beginning of the match. | |
101 @end deffn | |
102 | |
103 @deffn Command word-search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
104 @cindex word search | |
105 This function searches forward from point for a ``word'' match for | |
106 @var{string}. If it finds a match, it sets point to the end of the | |
107 match found, and returns the new value of point. | |
108 @c Emacs 19 feature | |
109 | |
110 Word matching regards @var{string} as a sequence of words, disregarding | |
111 punctuation that separates them. It searches the buffer for the same | |
112 sequence of words. Each word must be distinct in the buffer (searching | |
113 for the word @samp{ball} does not match the word @samp{balls}), but the | |
114 details of punctuation and spacing are ignored (searching for @samp{ball | |
115 boy} does match @samp{ball. Boy!}). | |
116 | |
117 In this example, point is initially at the beginning of the buffer; the | |
118 search leaves it between the @samp{y} and the @samp{!}. | |
119 | |
120 @example | |
121 @group | |
122 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
123 @point{}He said "Please! Find | |
124 the ball boy!" | |
125 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
126 @end group | |
127 | |
128 @group | |
129 (word-search-forward "Please find the ball, boy.") | |
130 @result{} 35 | |
131 | |
132 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
133 He said "Please! Find | |
134 the ball boy@point{}!" | |
135 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
136 @end group | |
137 @end example | |
138 | |
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139 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil}, it must be a position in the current |
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140 buffer; it specifies the upper bound to the search. The match found |
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141 must not extend after that position. |
6552 | 142 |
143 If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, then @code{word-search-forward} signals | |
144 an error if the search fails. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, then it | |
145 returns @code{nil} instead of signaling an error. If @var{noerror} is | |
146 neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, it moves point to @var{limit} (or the | |
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147 end of the accessible portion of the buffer) and returns @code{nil}. |
6552 | 148 |
149 If @var{repeat} is non-@code{nil}, then the search is repeated that many | |
150 times. Point is positioned at the end of the last match. | |
151 @end deffn | |
152 | |
153 @deffn Command word-search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
154 This function searches backward from point for a word match to | |
155 @var{string}. This function is just like @code{word-search-forward} | |
156 except that it searches backward and normally leaves point at the | |
157 beginning of the match. | |
158 @end deffn | |
159 | |
160 @node Regular Expressions | |
161 @section Regular Expressions | |
162 @cindex regular expression | |
163 @cindex regexp | |
164 | |
165 A @dfn{regular expression} (@dfn{regexp}, for short) is a pattern that | |
166 denotes a (possibly infinite) set of strings. Searching for matches for | |
167 a regexp is a very powerful operation. This section explains how to write | |
168 regexps; the following section says how to search for them. | |
169 | |
170 @menu | |
171 * Syntax of Regexps:: Rules for writing regular expressions. | |
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172 * Regexp Example:: Illustrates regular expression syntax. |
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173 * Regexp Functions:: Functions for operating on regular expressions. |
6552 | 174 @end menu |
175 | |
176 @node Syntax of Regexps | |
177 @subsection Syntax of Regular Expressions | |
178 | |
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179 Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are |
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180 special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary |
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181 character is a simple regular expression that matches that character and |
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182 nothing else. The special characters are @samp{.}, @samp{*}, @samp{+}, |
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183 @samp{?}, @samp{[}, @samp{]}, @samp{^}, @samp{$}, and @samp{\}; no new |
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184 special characters will be defined in the future. Any other character |
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185 appearing in a regular expression is ordinary, unless a @samp{\} |
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186 precedes it. |
6552 | 187 |
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188 For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and |
6552 | 189 therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string |
190 @samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string | |
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191 @samp{fg}, but it does match a @emph{part} of that string.) Likewise, |
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192 @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches only @samp{o}.@refill |
6552 | 193 |
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194 Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The |
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195 result is a regular expression that matches a string if @var{a} matches |
6552 | 196 some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of |
197 the string.@refill | |
198 | |
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199 As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f} |
6552 | 200 and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only |
201 the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something more powerful, you | |
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202 need to use one of the special regular expression constructs. |
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203 |
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204 @menu |
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205 * Regexp Special:: Special characters in regular expressions. |
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206 * Char Classes:: Character classes used in regular expressions. |
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207 * Regexp Backslash:: Backslash-sequences in regular expressions. |
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208 @end menu |
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209 |
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210 @node Regexp Special |
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211 @subsubsection Special Characters in Regular Expressions |
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212 |
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213 Here is a list of the characters that are special in a regular |
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214 expression. |
6552 | 215 |
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216 @need 800 |
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217 @table @asis |
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218 @item @samp{.}@: @r{(Period)} |
6552 | 219 @cindex @samp{.} in regexp |
220 is a special character that matches any single character except a newline. | |
221 Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which | |
222 matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with | |
223 @samp{b}.@refill | |
224 | |
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225 @item @samp{*} |
6552 | 226 @cindex @samp{*} in regexp |
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227 is not a construct by itself; it is a postfix operator that means to |
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228 match the preceding regular expression repetitively as many times as |
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229 possible. Thus, @samp{o*} matches any number of @samp{o}s (including no |
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230 @samp{o}s). |
6552 | 231 |
232 @samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding | |
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233 expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a repeating |
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234 @samp{fo}. It matches @samp{f}, @samp{fo}, @samp{foo}, and so on. |
6552 | 235 |
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236 The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately, as |
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237 many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest of |
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238 the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some of the |
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239 matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in the hope that that will |
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240 make it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in |
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241 matching @samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} |
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242 first tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is |
6552 | 243 @samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails. |
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244 The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s. With |
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245 this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully.@refill |
6552 | 246 |
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247 Nested repetition operators can be extremely slow or loop infinitely |
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248 if they use repetition operators inside repetition operators. For |
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249 example, it could take hours for the regular expression |
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250 @samp{\(x+y*\)*a} to try to match the sequence |
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251 @samp{xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxz}, before it ultimately |
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252 fails. Emacs must try each way of grouping the 35 @samp{x}s before |
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253 concluding that none of them can work. Even worse, @samp{\(x*\)*} can |
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254 match the null string in infinitely many ways, so it causes an |
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255 infinite loop. To avoid these problems, check nested repetitions |
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256 carefully. |
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257 |
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258 @item @samp{+} |
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260 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match |
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261 the preceding expression at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r} |
6552 | 262 matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string |
263 @samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings. | |
264 | |
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265 @item @samp{?} |
6552 | 266 @cindex @samp{?} in regexp |
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267 is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match the |
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268 preceding expression either once or not at all. For example, |
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269 @samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}; nothing else. |
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271 @item @samp{*?}, @samp{+?}, @samp{??} |
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272 These are ``non-greedy'' variants of the operators @samp{*}, @samp{+} |
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273 and @samp{?}. Where those operators match the largest possible |
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274 substring (consistent with matching the entire containing expression), |
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275 the non-greedy variants match the smallest possible substring |
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276 (consistent with matching the entire containing expression). |
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277 |
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278 For example, the regular expression @samp{c[ad]*a} when applied to the |
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279 string @samp{cdaaada} matches the whole string; but the regular |
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280 expression @samp{c[ad]*?a}, applied to that same string, matches just |
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281 @samp{cda}. (The smallest possible match here for @samp{[ad]*?} that |
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282 permits the whole expression to match is @samp{d}.) |
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283 |
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284 @item @samp{[ @dots{} ]} |
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285 @cindex character alternative (in regexp) |
6552 | 286 @cindex @samp{[} in regexp |
287 @cindex @samp{]} in regexp | |
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288 is a @dfn{character alternative}, which begins with @samp{[} and is |
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289 terminated by @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between |
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290 the two brackets are what this character alternative can match. |
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292 Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one @samp{d}, and |
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293 @samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s and @samp{d}s |
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294 (including the empty string), from which it follows that @samp{c[ad]*r} |
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295 matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, @samp{caddaar}, etc. |
6552 | 296 |
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297 You can also include character ranges in a character alternative, by |
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298 writing the starting and ending characters with a @samp{-} between them. |
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299 Thus, @samp{[a-z]} matches any lower-case @acronym{ASCII} letter. |
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300 Ranges may be intermixed freely with individual characters, as in |
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301 @samp{[a-z$%.]}, which matches any lower case @acronym{ASCII} letter |
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302 or @samp{$}, @samp{%} or period. |
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304 Note that the usual regexp special characters are not special inside a |
24934 | 305 character alternative. A completely different set of characters is |
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306 special inside character alternatives: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}. |
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307 |
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308 To include a @samp{]} in a character alternative, you must make it the |
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309 first character. For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. |
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310 To include a @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first or last character of |
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311 the character alternative, or put it after a range. Thus, @samp{[]-]} |
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312 matches both @samp{]} and @samp{-}. |
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314 To include @samp{^} in a character alternative, put it anywhere but at |
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315 the beginning. |
6552 | 316 |
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317 The beginning and end of a range of multibyte characters must be in |
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318 the same character set (@pxref{Character Sets}). Thus, |
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319 @code{"[\x8e0-\x97c]"} is invalid because character 0x8e0 (@samp{a} |
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320 with grave accent) is in the Emacs character set for Latin-1 but the |
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321 character 0x97c (@samp{u} with diaeresis) is in the Emacs character |
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322 set for Latin-2. (We use Lisp string syntax to write that example, |
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323 and a few others in the next few paragraphs, in order to include hex |
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324 escape sequences in them.) |
32464 | 325 |
326 If a range starts with a unibyte character @var{c} and ends with a | |
327 multibyte character @var{c2}, the range is divided into two parts: one | |
328 is @samp{@var{c}..?\377}, the other is @samp{@var{c1}..@var{c2}}, where | |
329 @var{c1} is the first character of the charset to which @var{c2} | |
330 belongs. | |
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331 |
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332 You cannot always match all non-@acronym{ASCII} characters with the regular |
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333 expression @code{"[\200-\377]"}. This works when searching a unibyte |
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334 buffer or string (@pxref{Text Representations}), but not in a multibyte |
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335 buffer or string, because many non-@acronym{ASCII} characters have codes |
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336 above octal 0377. However, the regular expression @code{"[^\000-\177]"} |
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337 does match all non-@acronym{ASCII} characters (see below regarding @samp{^}), |
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338 in both multibyte and unibyte representations, because only the |
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339 @acronym{ASCII} characters are excluded. |
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340 |
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341 A character alternative can also specify named |
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342 character classes (@pxref{Char Classes}). This is a POSIX feature whose |
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343 syntax is @samp{[:@var{class}:]}. Using a character class is equivalent |
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344 to mentioning each of the characters in that class; but the latter is |
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345 not feasible in practice, since some classes include thousands of |
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346 different characters. |
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347 |
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348 @item @samp{[^ @dots{} ]} |
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350 @samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complemented character alternative}, which matches any |
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351 character except the ones specified. Thus, @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} matches |
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352 all characters @emph{except} letters and digits. |
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354 @samp{^} is not special in a character alternative unless it is the first |
6552 | 355 character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it |
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356 were first (in other words, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there). |
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358 A complemented character alternative can match a newline, unless newline is |
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359 mentioned as one of the characters not to match. This is in contrast to |
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360 the handling of regexps in programs such as @code{grep}. |
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362 @item @samp{^} |
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364 When matching a buffer, @samp{^} matches the empty string, but only at the |
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365 beginning of a line in the text being matched (or the beginning of the |
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366 accessible portion of the buffer). Otherwise it fails to match |
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367 anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at the |
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368 beginning of a line. |
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370 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{^} matches at the |
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371 beginning of the string or after a newline character. |
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373 For historical compatibility reasons, @samp{^} can be used only at the |
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374 beginning of the regular expression, or after @samp{\(} or @samp{\|}. |
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375 |
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376 @item @samp{$} |
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378 @cindex end of line in regexp |
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379 is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line (or the |
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380 end of the accessible portion of the buffer). Thus, @samp{x+$} |
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381 matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line. |
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383 When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{$} matches at the end |
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384 of the string or before a newline character. |
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386 For historical compatibility reasons, @samp{$} can be used only at the |
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387 end of the regular expression, or before @samp{\)} or @samp{\|}. |
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388 |
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389 @item @samp{\} |
6552 | 390 @cindex @samp{\} in regexp |
391 has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including | |
392 @samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs. | |
393 | |
394 Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular | |
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395 expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular |
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396 expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on. |
6552 | 397 |
398 Note that @samp{\} also has special meaning in the read syntax of Lisp | |
399 strings (@pxref{String Type}), and must be quoted with @samp{\}. For | |
400 example, the regular expression that matches the @samp{\} character is | |
401 @samp{\\}. To write a Lisp string that contains the characters | |
402 @samp{\\}, Lisp syntax requires you to quote each @samp{\} with another | |
403 @samp{\}. Therefore, the read syntax for a regular expression matching | |
404 @samp{\} is @code{"\\\\"}.@refill | |
405 @end table | |
406 | |
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407 @strong{Please note:} For historical compatibility, special characters |
6552 | 408 are treated as ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special |
409 meanings make no sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as | |
410 ordinary since there is no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} | |
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411 can act. It is poor practice to depend on this behavior; quote the |
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412 special character anyway, regardless of where it appears.@refill |
6552 | 413 |
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414 @node Char Classes |
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415 @subsubsection Character Classes |
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416 @cindex character classes in regexp |
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417 |
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418 Here is a table of the classes you can use in a character alternative, |
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419 and what they mean: |
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420 |
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421 @table @samp |
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422 @item [:ascii:] |
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423 This matches any @acronym{ASCII} (unibyte) character. |
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424 @item [:alnum:] |
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425 This matches any letter or digit. (At present, for multibyte |
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426 characters, it matches anything that has word syntax.) |
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427 @item [:alpha:] |
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428 This matches any letter. (At present, for multibyte characters, it |
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429 matches anything that has word syntax.) |
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430 @item [:blank:] |
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431 This matches space and tab only. |
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432 @item [:cntrl:] |
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433 This matches any @acronym{ASCII} control character. |
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434 @item [:digit:] |
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435 This matches @samp{0} through @samp{9}. Thus, @samp{[-+[:digit:]]} |
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436 matches any digit, as well as @samp{+} and @samp{-}. |
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437 @item [:graph:] |
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438 This matches graphic characters---everything except @acronym{ASCII} control |
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439 characters, space, and the delete character. |
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440 @item [:lower:] |
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441 This matches any lower-case letter, as determined by |
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442 the current case table (@pxref{Case Tables}). |
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443 @item [:nonascii:] |
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444 This matches any non-@acronym{ASCII} (multibyte) character. |
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445 @item [:print:] |
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446 This matches printing characters---everything except @acronym{ASCII} control |
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447 characters and the delete character. |
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448 @item [:punct:] |
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449 This matches any punctuation character. (At present, for multibyte |
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450 characters, it matches anything that has non-word syntax.) |
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451 @item [:space:] |
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452 This matches any character that has whitespace syntax |
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453 (@pxref{Syntax Class Table}). |
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454 @item [:upper:] |
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455 This matches any upper-case letter, as determined by |
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456 the current case table (@pxref{Case Tables}). |
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457 @item [:word:] |
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458 This matches any character that has word syntax (@pxref{Syntax Class |
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459 Table}). |
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460 @item [:xdigit:] |
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461 This matches the hexadecimal digits: @samp{0} through @samp{9}, @samp{a} |
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462 through @samp{f} and @samp{A} through @samp{F}. |
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463 @end table |
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464 |
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465 @node Regexp Backslash |
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466 @subsubsection Backslash Constructs in Regular Expressions |
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467 |
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468 For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only |
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469 that character. However, there are several exceptions: certain |
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470 two-character sequences starting with @samp{\} that have special |
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471 meanings. (The character after the @samp{\} in such a sequence is |
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472 always ordinary when used on its own.) Here is a table of the special |
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473 @samp{\} constructs. |
6552 | 474 |
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475 @table @samp |
6552 | 476 @item \| |
477 @cindex @samp{|} in regexp | |
478 @cindex regexp alternative | |
479 specifies an alternative. | |
480 Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} with @samp{\|} in | |
481 between form an expression that matches anything that either @var{a} or | |
482 @var{b} matches.@refill | |
483 | |
484 Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar} | |
485 but no other string.@refill | |
486 | |
487 @samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a | |
488 surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of | |
489 @samp{\|}.@refill | |
490 | |
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491 If you need full backtracking capability to handle multiple uses of |
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492 @samp{\|}, use the POSIX regular expression functions (@pxref{POSIX |
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493 Regexps}). |
6552 | 494 |
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495 @item \@{@var{m}\@} |
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496 is a postfix operator that repeats the previous pattern exactly @var{m} |
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497 times. Thus, @samp{x\@{5\@}} matches the string @samp{xxxxx} |
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498 and nothing else. @samp{c[ad]\@{3\@}r} matches string such as |
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499 @samp{caaar}, @samp{cdddr}, @samp{cadar}, and so on. |
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500 |
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501 @item \@{@var{m},@var{n}\@} |
54041 | 502 is a more general postfix operator that specifies repetition with a |
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503 minimum of @var{m} repeats and a maximum of @var{n} repeats. If @var{m} |
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504 is omitted, the minimum is 0; if @var{n} is omitted, there is no |
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505 maximum. |
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506 |
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507 For example, @samp{c[ad]\@{1,2\@}r} matches the strings @samp{car}, |
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508 @samp{cdr}, @samp{caar}, @samp{cadr}, @samp{cdar}, and @samp{cddr}, and |
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509 nothing else.@* |
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510 @samp{\@{0,1\@}} or @samp{\@{,1\@}} is equivalent to @samp{?}. @* |
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511 @samp{\@{0,\@}} or @samp{\@{,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{*}. @* |
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512 @samp{\@{1,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{+}. |
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513 |
6552 | 514 @item \( @dots{} \) |
515 @cindex @samp{(} in regexp | |
516 @cindex @samp{)} in regexp | |
517 @cindex regexp grouping | |
518 is a grouping construct that serves three purposes: | |
519 | |
520 @enumerate | |
521 @item | |
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522 To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations. Thus, |
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523 the regular expression @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} |
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524 or @samp{barx}. |
6552 | 525 |
526 @item | |
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527 To enclose a complicated expression for the postfix operators @samp{*}, |
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528 @samp{+} and @samp{?} to operate on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches |
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529 @samp{ba}, @samp{bana}, @samp{banana}, @samp{bananana}, etc., with any |
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530 number (zero or more) of @samp{na} strings. |
6552 | 531 |
532 @item | |
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533 To record a matched substring for future reference with |
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534 @samp{\@var{digit}} (see below). |
6552 | 535 @end enumerate |
536 | |
537 This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a | |
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538 parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that was assigned as a |
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539 second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct because, in |
48701 | 540 practice, there was usually no conflict between the two meanings. But |
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541 occasionally there is a conflict, and that led to the introduction of |
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542 shy groups. |
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543 |
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544 @item \(?: @dots{} \) |
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545 is the @dfn{shy group} construct. A shy group serves the first two |
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546 purposes of an ordinary group (controlling the nesting of other |
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547 operators), but it does not get a number, so you cannot refer back to |
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548 its value with @samp{\@var{digit}}. |
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550 Shy groups are particularly useful for mechanically-constructed regular |
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551 expressions because they can be added automatically without altering the |
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552 numbering of any ordinary, non-shy groups. |
6552 | 553 |
554 @item \@var{digit} | |
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555 matches the same text that matched the @var{digit}th occurrence of a |
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556 grouping (@samp{\( @dots{} \)}) construct. |
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557 |
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558 In other words, after the end of a group, the matcher remembers the |
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559 beginning and end of the text matched by that group. Later on in the |
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560 regular expression you can use @samp{\} followed by @var{digit} to |
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561 match that same text, whatever it may have been. |
6552 | 562 |
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563 The strings matching the first nine grouping constructs appearing in |
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564 the entire regular expression passed to a search or matching function |
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565 are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in the order that the open |
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566 parentheses appear in the regular expression. So you can use |
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567 @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched by the |
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568 corresponding grouping constructs. |
6552 | 569 |
570 For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is | |
571 composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first | |
572 half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match | |
573 the same exact text. | |
574 | |
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575 If a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct matches more than once (which can |
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576 happen, for instance, if it is followed by @samp{*}), only the last |
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577 match is recorded. |
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578 |
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579 If a particular grouping construct in the regular expression was never |
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580 matched---for instance, if it appears inside of an alternative that |
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581 wasn't used, or inside of a repetition that repeated zero times---then |
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582 the corresponding @samp{\@var{digit}} construct never matches |
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583 anything. To use an artificial example,, @samp{\(foo\(b*\)\|lose\)\2} |
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584 cannot match @samp{lose}: the second alternative inside the larger |
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585 group matches it, but then @samp{\2} is undefined and can't match |
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586 anything. But it can match @samp{foobb}, because the first |
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587 alternative matches @samp{foob} and @samp{\2} matches @samp{b}. |
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588 |
6552 | 589 @item \w |
590 @cindex @samp{\w} in regexp | |
591 matches any word-constituent character. The editor syntax table | |
592 determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax Tables}. | |
593 | |
594 @item \W | |
595 @cindex @samp{\W} in regexp | |
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596 matches any character that is not a word constituent. |
6552 | 597 |
598 @item \s@var{code} | |
599 @cindex @samp{\s} in regexp | |
600 matches any character whose syntax is @var{code}. Here @var{code} is a | |
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601 character that represents a syntax code: thus, @samp{w} for word |
6552 | 602 constituent, @samp{-} for whitespace, @samp{(} for open parenthesis, |
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603 etc. To represent whitespace syntax, use either @samp{-} or a space |
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604 character. @xref{Syntax Class Table}, for a list of syntax codes and |
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605 the characters that stand for them. |
6552 | 606 |
607 @item \S@var{code} | |
608 @cindex @samp{\S} in regexp | |
609 matches any character whose syntax is not @var{code}. | |
35796 | 610 |
611 @item \c@var{c} | |
612 matches any character whose category is @var{c}. Here @var{c} is a | |
613 character that represents a category: thus, @samp{c} for Chinese | |
614 characters or @samp{g} for Greek characters in the standard category | |
615 table. | |
616 | |
617 @item \C@var{c} | |
618 matches any character whose category is not @var{c}. | |
6552 | 619 @end table |
620 | |
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621 The following regular expression constructs match the empty string---that is, |
6552 | 622 they don't use up any characters---but whether they match depends on the |
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623 context. For all, the beginning and end of the accessible portion of |
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624 the buffer are treated as if they were the actual beginning and end of |
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625 the buffer. |
6552 | 626 |
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627 @table @samp |
6552 | 628 @item \` |
629 @cindex @samp{\`} in regexp | |
630 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning | |
631 of the buffer or string being matched against. | |
632 | |
633 @item \' | |
634 @cindex @samp{\'} in regexp | |
635 matches the empty string, but only at the end of | |
636 the buffer or string being matched against. | |
637 | |
638 @item \= | |
639 @cindex @samp{\=} in regexp | |
640 matches the empty string, but only at point. | |
641 (This construct is not defined when matching against a string.) | |
642 | |
643 @item \b | |
644 @cindex @samp{\b} in regexp | |
645 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or | |
646 end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of | |
647 @samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches | |
648 @samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word.@refill | |
649 | |
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650 @samp{\b} matches at the beginning or end of the buffer (or string) |
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651 regardless of what text appears next to it. |
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652 |
6552 | 653 @item \B |
654 @cindex @samp{\B} in regexp | |
655 matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or | |
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656 end of a word, nor at the beginning or end of the buffer (or string). |
6552 | 657 |
658 @item \< | |
659 @cindex @samp{\<} in regexp | |
660 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word. | |
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661 @samp{\<} matches at the beginning of the buffer (or string) only if a |
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662 word-constituent character follows. |
6552 | 663 |
664 @item \> | |
665 @cindex @samp{\>} in regexp | |
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666 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. @samp{\>} |
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667 matches at the end of the buffer (or string) only if the contents end |
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668 with a word-constituent character. |
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669 |
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670 @item \_< |
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671 @cindex @samp{\_<} in regexp |
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672 matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a symbol. A |
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673 symbol is a sequence of one or more word or symbol constituent |
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674 characters. @samp{\_<} matches at the beginning of the buffer (or |
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675 string) only if a symbol-constituent character follows. |
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676 |
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677 @item \_> |
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678 @cindex @samp{\_>} in regexp |
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679 matches the empty string, but only at the end of a symbol. @samp{\_>} |
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680 matches at the end of the buffer (or string) only if the contents end |
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681 with a symbol-constituent character. |
6552 | 682 @end table |
683 | |
684 @kindex invalid-regexp | |
685 Not every string is a valid regular expression. For example, a string | |
686 with unbalanced square brackets is invalid (with a few exceptions, such | |
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687 as @samp{[]]}), and so is a string that ends with a single @samp{\}. If |
6552 | 688 an invalid regular expression is passed to any of the search functions, |
689 an @code{invalid-regexp} error is signaled. | |
690 | |
691 @node Regexp Example | |
692 @comment node-name, next, previous, up | |
693 @subsection Complex Regexp Example | |
694 | |
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695 Here is a complicated regexp which was formerly used by Emacs to |
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696 recognize the end of a sentence together with any whitespace that |
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697 follows. (Nowadays Emacs uses a similar but more complex default |
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698 regexp constructed by the function @code{sentence-end}. |
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699 @xref{Standard Regexps}.) |
6552 | 700 |
701 First, we show the regexp as a string in Lisp syntax to distinguish | |
702 spaces from tab characters. The string constant begins and ends with a | |
703 double-quote. @samp{\"} stands for a double-quote as part of the | |
704 string, @samp{\\} for a backslash as part of the string, @samp{\t} for a | |
705 tab and @samp{\n} for a newline. | |
706 | |
707 @example | |
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708 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\)[ \t\n]*" |
6552 | 709 @end example |
710 | |
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711 @noindent |
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712 In contrast, if you evaluate this string, you will see the following: |
6552 | 713 |
714 @example | |
715 @group | |
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716 "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\)[ \t\n]*" |
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717 @result{} "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\| \\|@ @ \\)[ |
6552 | 718 ]*" |
719 @end group | |
720 @end example | |
721 | |
722 @noindent | |
723 In this output, tab and newline appear as themselves. | |
724 | |
725 This regular expression contains four parts in succession and can be | |
726 deciphered as follows: | |
727 | |
728 @table @code | |
729 @item [.?!] | |
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730 The first part of the pattern is a character alternative that matches |
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731 any one of three characters: period, question mark, and exclamation |
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732 mark. The match must begin with one of these three characters. (This |
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733 is one point where the new default regexp used by Emacs differs from |
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734 the old. The new value also allows some non-@acronym{ASCII} |
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735 characters that end a sentence without any following whitespace.) |
6552 | 736 |
737 @item []\"')@}]* | |
738 The second part of the pattern matches any closing braces and quotation | |
739 marks, zero or more of them, that may follow the period, question mark | |
740 or exclamation mark. The @code{\"} is Lisp syntax for a double-quote in | |
741 a string. The @samp{*} at the end indicates that the immediately | |
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742 preceding regular expression (a character alternative, in this case) may be |
6552 | 743 repeated zero or more times. |
744 | |
8469 | 745 @item \\($\\|@ $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\) |
6552 | 746 The third part of the pattern matches the whitespace that follows the |
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747 end of a sentence: the end of a line (optionally with a space), or a |
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748 tab, or two spaces. The double backslashes mark the parentheses and |
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749 vertical bars as regular expression syntax; the parentheses delimit a |
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750 group and the vertical bars separate alternatives. The dollar sign is |
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751 used to match the end of a line. |
6552 | 752 |
753 @item [ \t\n]* | |
754 Finally, the last part of the pattern matches any additional whitespace | |
755 beyond the minimum needed to end a sentence. | |
756 @end table | |
757 | |
25751
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758 @node Regexp Functions |
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759 @subsection Regular Expression Functions |
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760 |
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761 These functions operate on regular expressions. |
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762 |
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763 @defun regexp-quote string |
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764 This function returns a regular expression whose only exact match is |
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765 @var{string}. Using this regular expression in @code{looking-at} will |
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766 succeed only if the next characters in the buffer are @var{string}; |
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767 using it in a search function will succeed if the text being searched |
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768 contains @var{string}. |
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769 |
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770 This allows you to request an exact string match or search when calling |
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771 a function that wants a regular expression. |
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772 |
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773 @example |
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774 @group |
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775 (regexp-quote "^The cat$") |
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776 @result{} "\\^The cat\\$" |
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777 @end group |
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778 @end example |
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779 |
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780 One use of @code{regexp-quote} is to combine an exact string match with |
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781 context described as a regular expression. For example, this searches |
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782 for the string that is the value of @var{string}, surrounded by |
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783 whitespace: |
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784 |
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785 @example |
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786 @group |
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787 (re-search-forward |
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788 (concat "\\s-" (regexp-quote string) "\\s-")) |
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789 @end group |
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790 @end example |
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791 @end defun |
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792 |
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793 @defun regexp-opt strings &optional paren |
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794 This function returns an efficient regular expression that will match |
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795 any of the strings in the list @var{strings}. This is useful when you |
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796 need to make matching or searching as fast as possible---for example, |
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797 for Font Lock mode. |
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798 |
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799 If the optional argument @var{paren} is non-@code{nil}, then the |
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800 returned regular expression is always enclosed by at least one |
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801 parentheses-grouping construct. If @var{paren} is @code{words}, then |
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802 that construct is additionally surrounded by @samp{\<} and @samp{\>}. |
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803 |
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804 This simplified definition of @code{regexp-opt} produces a |
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805 regular expression which is equivalent to the actual value |
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806 (but not as efficient): |
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807 |
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808 @example |
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809 (defun regexp-opt (strings paren) |
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810 (let ((open-paren (if paren "\\(" "")) |
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811 (close-paren (if paren "\\)" ""))) |
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812 (concat open-paren |
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813 (mapconcat 'regexp-quote strings "\\|") |
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814 close-paren))) |
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815 @end example |
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816 @end defun |
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817 |
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818 @defun regexp-opt-depth regexp |
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819 This function returns the total number of grouping constructs |
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820 (parenthesized expressions) in @var{regexp}. (This does not include |
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821 shy groups.) |
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822 @end defun |
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823 |
6552 | 824 @node Regexp Search |
825 @section Regular Expression Searching | |
826 @cindex regular expression searching | |
827 @cindex regexp searching | |
828 @cindex searching for regexp | |
829 | |
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830 In GNU Emacs, you can search for the next match for a regular |
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831 expression either incrementally or not. For incremental search |
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832 commands, see @ref{Regexp Search, , Regular Expression Search, emacs, |
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833 The GNU Emacs Manual}. Here we describe only the search functions |
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834 useful in programs. The principal one is @code{re-search-forward}. |
6552 | 835 |
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836 These search functions convert the regular expression to multibyte if |
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837 the buffer is multibyte; they convert the regular expression to unibyte |
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838 if the buffer is unibyte. @xref{Text Representations}. |
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839 |
6552 | 840 @deffn Command re-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat |
841 This function searches forward in the current buffer for a string of | |
842 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}. The | |
843 function skips over any amount of text that is not matched by | |
844 @var{regexp}, and leaves point at the end of the first match found. | |
845 It returns the new value of point. | |
846 | |
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847 If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil}, it must be a position in the current |
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848 buffer. It specifies the upper bound to the search. No match |
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849 extending after that position is accepted. |
6552 | 850 |
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851 If @var{repeat} is supplied, it must be a positive number; the search |
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852 is repeated that many times; each repetition starts at the end of the |
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853 previous match. If all these successive searches succeed, the |
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854 function succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. |
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855 Otherwise the function fails. |
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856 |
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857 What happens when the function fails depends on the value of |
6552 | 858 @var{noerror}. If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, a @code{search-failed} |
859 error is signaled. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, | |
860 @code{re-search-forward} does nothing and returns @code{nil}. If | |
861 @var{noerror} is neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, then | |
862 @code{re-search-forward} moves point to @var{limit} (or the end of the | |
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863 accessible portion of the buffer) and returns @code{nil}. |
6552 | 864 |
865 In the following example, point is initially before the @samp{T}. | |
866 Evaluating the search call moves point to the end of that line (between | |
867 the @samp{t} of @samp{hat} and the newline). | |
868 | |
869 @example | |
870 @group | |
871 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
872 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
873 comes back" twice. | |
874 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
875 @end group | |
876 | |
877 @group | |
878 (re-search-forward "[a-z]+" nil t 5) | |
879 @result{} 27 | |
880 | |
881 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
882 I read "The cat in the hat@point{} | |
883 comes back" twice. | |
884 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
885 @end group | |
886 @end example | |
887 @end deffn | |
888 | |
889 @deffn Command re-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
890 This function searches backward in the current buffer for a string of | |
891 text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}, leaving | |
892 point at the beginning of the first text found. | |
893 | |
8469 | 894 This function is analogous to @code{re-search-forward}, but they are not |
895 simple mirror images. @code{re-search-forward} finds the match whose | |
896 beginning is as close as possible to the starting point. If | |
897 @code{re-search-backward} were a perfect mirror image, it would find the | |
898 match whose end is as close as possible. However, in fact it finds the | |
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899 match whose beginning is as close as possible (and yet ends before the |
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900 starting point). The reason for this is that matching a regular |
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901 expression at a given spot always works from beginning to end, and |
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902 starts at a specified beginning position. |
6552 | 903 |
904 A true mirror-image of @code{re-search-forward} would require a special | |
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905 feature for matching regular expressions from end to beginning. It's |
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906 not worth the trouble of implementing that. |
6552 | 907 @end deffn |
908 | |
909 @defun string-match regexp string &optional start | |
910 This function returns the index of the start of the first match for | |
911 the regular expression @var{regexp} in @var{string}, or @code{nil} if | |
912 there is no match. If @var{start} is non-@code{nil}, the search starts | |
913 at that index in @var{string}. | |
914 | |
915 For example, | |
916 | |
917 @example | |
918 @group | |
919 (string-match | |
920 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly.") | |
921 @result{} 4 | |
922 @end group | |
923 @group | |
924 (string-match | |
925 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
926 @result{} 27 | |
927 @end group | |
928 @end example | |
929 | |
930 @noindent | |
931 The index of the first character of the | |
932 string is 0, the index of the second character is 1, and so on. | |
933 | |
934 After this function returns, the index of the first character beyond | |
935 the match is available as @code{(match-end 0)}. @xref{Match Data}. | |
936 | |
937 @example | |
938 @group | |
939 (string-match | |
940 "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
941 @result{} 27 | |
942 @end group | |
943 | |
944 @group | |
945 (match-end 0) | |
946 @result{} 32 | |
947 @end group | |
948 @end example | |
949 @end defun | |
950 | |
951 @defun looking-at regexp | |
952 This function determines whether the text in the current buffer directly | |
953 following point matches the regular expression @var{regexp}. ``Directly | |
954 following'' means precisely that: the search is ``anchored'' and it can | |
955 succeed only starting with the first character following point. The | |
956 result is @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise. | |
957 | |
958 This function does not move point, but it updates the match data, which | |
959 you can access using @code{match-beginning} and @code{match-end}. | |
960 @xref{Match Data}. | |
961 | |
962 In this example, point is located directly before the @samp{T}. If it | |
963 were anywhere else, the result would be @code{nil}. | |
964 | |
965 @example | |
966 @group | |
967 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
968 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
969 comes back" twice. | |
970 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
971 | |
972 (looking-at "The cat in the hat$") | |
973 @result{} t | |
974 @end group | |
975 @end example | |
976 @end defun | |
977 | |
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978 @defun looking-back regexp &optional limit |
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979 This function returns @code{t} if @var{regexp} matches text before |
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980 point, ending at point, and @code{nil} otherwise. |
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981 |
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982 Because regular expression matching works only going forward, this is |
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983 implemented by searching backwards from point for a match that ends at |
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984 point. That can be quite slow if it has to search a long distance. |
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985 You can bound the time required by specifying @var{limit}, which says |
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986 not to search before @var{limit}. In this case, the match that is |
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987 found must begin at or after @var{limit}. |
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988 |
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989 @example |
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990 @group |
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991 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- |
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992 I read "@point{}The cat in the hat |
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993 comes back" twice. |
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994 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- |
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995 |
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996 (looking-back "read \"" 3) |
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997 @result{} t |
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998 (looking-back "read \"" 4) |
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999 @result{} nil |
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1000 @end group |
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1001 @end example |
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1002 @end defun |
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1003 |
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1004 @defvar search-spaces-regexp |
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1005 If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression |
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1006 that says how to search for whitespace. In that case, any group of |
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1007 spaces in a regular expression being searched for stands for use of |
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1008 this regular expression. However, spaces inside of constructs such as |
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1009 @samp{[@dots{}]} and @samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?} are not affected by |
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1010 @code{search-spaces-regexp}. |
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1011 |
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1012 Since this variable affects all regular expression search and match |
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1013 constructs, you should bind it temporarily for as small as possible |
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1014 a part of the code. |
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1015 @end defvar |
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1016 |
12067 | 1017 @node POSIX Regexps |
1018 @section POSIX Regular Expression Searching | |
1019 | |
1020 The usual regular expression functions do backtracking when necessary | |
1021 to handle the @samp{\|} and repetition constructs, but they continue | |
1022 this only until they find @emph{some} match. Then they succeed and | |
1023 report the first match found. | |
1024 | |
1025 This section describes alternative search functions which perform the | |
1026 full backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1027 matching. They continue backtracking until they have tried all | |
1028 possibilities and found all matches, so they can report the longest | |
1029 match, as required by POSIX. This is much slower, so use these | |
1030 functions only when you really need the longest match. | |
1031 | |
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1032 The POSIX search and match functions do not properly support the |
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1033 non-greedy repetition operators. This is because POSIX backtracking |
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1034 conflicts with the semantics of non-greedy repetition. |
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1035 |
12067 | 1036 @defun posix-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat |
1037 This is like @code{re-search-forward} except that it performs the full | |
1038 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1039 matching. | |
1040 @end defun | |
1041 | |
1042 @defun posix-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
1043 This is like @code{re-search-backward} except that it performs the full | |
1044 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1045 matching. | |
1046 @end defun | |
1047 | |
1048 @defun posix-looking-at regexp | |
1049 This is like @code{looking-at} except that it performs the full | |
1050 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1051 matching. | |
1052 @end defun | |
1053 | |
1054 @defun posix-string-match regexp string &optional start | |
1055 This is like @code{string-match} except that it performs the full | |
1056 backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1057 matching. | |
1058 @end defun | |
1059 | |
6552 | 1060 @ignore |
1061 @deffn Command delete-matching-lines regexp | |
1062 This function is identical to @code{delete-non-matching-lines}, save | |
1063 that it deletes what @code{delete-non-matching-lines} keeps. | |
1064 | |
1065 In the example below, point is located on the first line of text. | |
1066 | |
1067 @example | |
1068 @group | |
1069 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1070 We hold these truths | |
1071 to be self-evident, | |
1072 that all men are created | |
1073 equal, and that they are | |
1074 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1075 @end group | |
1076 | |
1077 @group | |
1078 (delete-matching-lines "the") | |
1079 @result{} nil | |
1080 | |
1081 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1082 to be self-evident, | |
1083 that all men are created | |
1084 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1085 @end group | |
1086 @end example | |
1087 @end deffn | |
1088 | |
1089 @deffn Command flush-lines regexp | |
1090 This function is the same as @code{delete-matching-lines}. | |
1091 @end deffn | |
1092 | |
1093 @defun delete-non-matching-lines regexp | |
1094 This function deletes all lines following point which don't | |
1095 contain a match for the regular expression @var{regexp}. | |
1096 @end defun | |
1097 | |
1098 @deffn Command keep-lines regexp | |
1099 This function is the same as @code{delete-non-matching-lines}. | |
1100 @end deffn | |
1101 | |
1102 @deffn Command how-many regexp | |
1103 This function counts the number of matches for @var{regexp} there are in | |
1104 the current buffer following point. It prints this number in | |
1105 the echo area, returning the string printed. | |
1106 @end deffn | |
1107 | |
1108 @deffn Command count-matches regexp | |
1109 This function is a synonym of @code{how-many}. | |
1110 @end deffn | |
1111 | |
26288 | 1112 @deffn Command list-matching-lines regexp &optional nlines |
6552 | 1113 This function is a synonym of @code{occur}. |
1114 Show all lines following point containing a match for @var{regexp}. | |
1115 Display each line with @var{nlines} lines before and after, | |
1116 or @code{-}@var{nlines} before if @var{nlines} is negative. | |
1117 @var{nlines} defaults to @code{list-matching-lines-default-context-lines}. | |
1118 Interactively it is the prefix arg. | |
1119 | |
1120 The lines are shown in a buffer named @samp{*Occur*}. | |
1121 It serves as a menu to find any of the occurrences in this buffer. | |
24934 | 1122 @kbd{C-h m} (@code{describe-mode}) in that buffer gives help. |
6552 | 1123 @end deffn |
1124 | |
1125 @defopt list-matching-lines-default-context-lines | |
1126 Default value is 0. | |
1127 Default number of context lines to include around a @code{list-matching-lines} | |
1128 match. A negative number means to include that many lines before the match. | |
1129 A positive number means to include that many lines both before and after. | |
1130 @end defopt | |
1131 @end ignore | |
1132 | |
1133 @node Search and Replace | |
1134 @section Search and Replace | |
1135 @cindex replacement | |
1136 | |
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1137 @defun perform-replace from-string replacements query-flag regexp-flag delimited-flag &optional repeat-count map start end |
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1138 This function is the guts of @code{query-replace} and related |
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1139 commands. It searches for occurrences of @var{from-string} in the |
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1140 text between positions @var{start} and @var{end} and replaces some or |
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1141 all of them. If @var{start} is @code{nil} (or omitted), point is used |
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1142 instead, and the end of the buffer's accessible portion is used for |
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1143 @var{end}. |
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1144 |
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1145 If @var{query-flag} is @code{nil}, it replaces all |
6552 | 1146 occurrences; otherwise, it asks the user what to do about each one. |
1147 | |
1148 If @var{regexp-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{from-string} is | |
1149 considered a regular expression; otherwise, it must match literally. If | |
1150 @var{delimited-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then only replacements | |
1151 surrounded by word boundaries are considered. | |
1152 | |
1153 The argument @var{replacements} specifies what to replace occurrences | |
1154 with. If it is a string, that string is used. It can also be a list of | |
1155 strings, to be used in cyclic order. | |
1156 | |
26783 | 1157 If @var{replacements} is a cons cell, @code{(@var{function} |
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1158 . @var{data})}, this means to call @var{function} after each match to |
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1159 get the replacement text. This function is called with two arguments: |
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1160 @var{data}, and the number of replacements already made. |
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1161 |
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1162 If @var{repeat-count} is non-@code{nil}, it should be an integer. Then |
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1163 it specifies how many times to use each of the strings in the |
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1164 @var{replacements} list before advancing cyclically to the next one. |
6552 | 1165 |
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1166 If @var{from-string} contains upper-case letters, then |
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1167 @code{perform-replace} binds @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}, and |
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1168 it uses the @code{replacements} without altering the case of them. |
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1169 |
6552 | 1170 Normally, the keymap @code{query-replace-map} defines the possible user |
8469 | 1171 responses for queries. The argument @var{map}, if non-@code{nil}, is a |
1172 keymap to use instead of @code{query-replace-map}. | |
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1173 |
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1174 @strong{Usage note:} Do not use this function in your own programs |
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1175 unless you want to do something very similar to what |
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1176 @code{query-replace} does, including setting the mark and possibly |
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1177 querying the user. For most purposes a simple loop like, for |
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1178 instance: |
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1179 |
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1180 @example |
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1181 (while (re-search-forward "foo[ \t]+bar" nil t) |
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1182 (replace-match "foobar")) |
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1183 @end example |
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1184 |
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1185 @noindent |
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1186 is preferable. It runs faster and avoids side effects, such as |
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1187 setting the mark. @xref{Replacing Match,, Replacing the Text that |
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1188 Matched}, for a description of @code{replace-match}. |
6552 | 1189 @end defun |
1190 | |
1191 @defvar query-replace-map | |
1192 This variable holds a special keymap that defines the valid user | |
1193 responses for @code{query-replace} and related functions, as well as | |
1194 @code{y-or-n-p} and @code{map-y-or-n-p}. It is unusual in two ways: | |
1195 | |
1196 @itemize @bullet | |
1197 @item | |
1198 The ``key bindings'' are not commands, just symbols that are meaningful | |
1199 to the functions that use this map. | |
1200 | |
1201 @item | |
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1202 Prefix keys are not supported; each key binding must be for a |
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1203 single-event key sequence. This is because the functions don't use |
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1204 @code{read-key-sequence} to get the input; instead, they read a single |
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1205 event and look it up ``by hand.'' |
6552 | 1206 @end itemize |
1207 @end defvar | |
1208 | |
1209 Here are the meaningful ``bindings'' for @code{query-replace-map}. | |
1210 Several of them are meaningful only for @code{query-replace} and | |
1211 friends. | |
1212 | |
1213 @table @code | |
1214 @item act | |
1215 Do take the action being considered---in other words, ``yes.'' | |
1216 | |
1217 @item skip | |
1218 Do not take action for this question---in other words, ``no.'' | |
1219 | |
1220 @item exit | |
8469 | 1221 Answer this question ``no,'' and give up on the entire series of |
1222 questions, assuming that the answers will be ``no.'' | |
6552 | 1223 |
1224 @item act-and-exit | |
8469 | 1225 Answer this question ``yes,'' and give up on the entire series of |
1226 questions, assuming that subsequent answers will be ``no.'' | |
6552 | 1227 |
1228 @item act-and-show | |
1229 Answer this question ``yes,'' but show the results---don't advance yet | |
1230 to the next question. | |
1231 | |
1232 @item automatic | |
1233 Answer this question and all subsequent questions in the series with | |
1234 ``yes,'' without further user interaction. | |
1235 | |
1236 @item backup | |
1237 Move back to the previous place that a question was asked about. | |
1238 | |
1239 @item edit | |
1240 Enter a recursive edit to deal with this question---instead of any | |
1241 other action that would normally be taken. | |
1242 | |
1243 @item delete-and-edit | |
1244 Delete the text being considered, then enter a recursive edit to replace | |
1245 it. | |
1246 | |
1247 @item recenter | |
1248 Redisplay and center the window, then ask the same question again. | |
1249 | |
1250 @item quit | |
1251 Perform a quit right away. Only @code{y-or-n-p} and related functions | |
1252 use this answer. | |
1253 | |
1254 @item help | |
1255 Display some help, then ask again. | |
1256 @end table | |
1257 | |
1258 @node Match Data | |
1259 @section The Match Data | |
1260 @cindex match data | |
1261 | |
25089 | 1262 Emacs keeps track of the start and end positions of the segments of |
54041 | 1263 text found during a search. This means, for example, that you can |
1264 search for a complex pattern, such as a date in an Rmail message, and | |
1265 then extract parts of the match under control of the pattern. | |
6552 | 1266 |
1267 Because the match data normally describe the most recent search only, | |
1268 you must be careful not to do another search inadvertently between the | |
1269 search you wish to refer back to and the use of the match data. If you | |
1270 can't avoid another intervening search, you must save and restore the | |
1271 match data around it, to prevent it from being overwritten. | |
1272 | |
1273 @menu | |
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1274 * Replacing Match:: Replacing a substring that was matched. |
6552 | 1275 * Simple Match Data:: Accessing single items of match data, |
1276 such as where a particular subexpression started. | |
1277 * Entire Match Data:: Accessing the entire match data at once, as a list. | |
1278 * Saving Match Data:: Saving and restoring the match data. | |
1279 @end menu | |
1280 | |
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1281 @node Replacing Match |
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1282 @subsection Replacing the Text that Matched |
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1283 |
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1284 This function replaces the text matched by the last search with |
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1285 @var{replacement}. |
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1286 |
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1287 @cindex case in replacements |
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1288 @defun replace-match replacement &optional fixedcase literal string subexp |
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1289 This function replaces the text in the buffer (or in @var{string}) that |
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1290 was matched by the last search. It replaces that text with |
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1291 @var{replacement}. |
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1292 |
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1293 If you did the last search in a buffer, you should specify @code{nil} |
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1294 for @var{string} and make sure that the current buffer when you call |
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1295 @code{replace-match} is the one in which you did the searching or |
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1296 matching. Then @code{replace-match} does the replacement by editing |
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1297 the buffer; it leaves point at the end of the replacement text, and |
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1298 returns @code{t}. |
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1299 |
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1300 If you did the search in a string, pass the same string as @var{string}. |
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1301 Then @code{replace-match} does the replacement by constructing and |
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1302 returning a new string. |
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1303 |
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1304 If @var{fixedcase} is non-@code{nil}, then @code{replace-match} uses |
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1305 the replacement text without case conversion; otherwise, it converts |
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1306 the replacement text depending upon the capitalization of the text to |
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1307 be replaced. If the original text is all upper case, this converts |
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1308 the replacement text to upper case. If all words of the original text |
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1309 are capitalized, this capitalizes all the words of the replacement |
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1310 text. If all the words are one-letter and they are all upper case, |
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1311 they are treated as capitalized words rather than all-upper-case |
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1312 words. |
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1313 |
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1314 If @var{literal} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{replacement} is inserted |
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1315 exactly as it is, the only alterations being case changes as needed. |
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1316 If it is @code{nil} (the default), then the character @samp{\} is treated |
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1317 specially. If a @samp{\} appears in @var{replacement}, then it must be |
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1318 part of one of the following sequences: |
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1319 |
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1320 @table @asis |
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1321 @item @samp{\&} |
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1322 @cindex @samp{&} in replacement |
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1323 @samp{\&} stands for the entire text being replaced. |
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1324 |
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1325 @item @samp{\@var{n}} |
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1326 @cindex @samp{\@var{n}} in replacement |
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1327 @samp{\@var{n}}, where @var{n} is a digit, stands for the text that |
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1328 matched the @var{n}th subexpression in the original regexp. |
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1329 Subexpressions are those expressions grouped inside @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. |
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1330 If the @var{n}th subexpression never matched, an empty string is substituted. |
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1331 |
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1332 @item @samp{\\} |
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1333 @cindex @samp{\} in replacement |
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1334 @samp{\\} stands for a single @samp{\} in the replacement text. |
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1335 @end table |
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1336 |
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1337 These substitutions occur after case conversion, if any, |
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1338 so the strings they substitute are never case-converted. |
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1339 |
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1340 If @var{subexp} is non-@code{nil}, that says to replace just |
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1341 subexpression number @var{subexp} of the regexp that was matched, not |
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1342 the entire match. For example, after matching @samp{foo \(ba*r\)}, |
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1343 calling @code{replace-match} with 1 as @var{subexp} means to replace |
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1344 just the text that matched @samp{\(ba*r\)}. |
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1345 @end defun |
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1346 |
6552 | 1347 @node Simple Match Data |
1348 @subsection Simple Match Data Access | |
1349 | |
12067 | 1350 This section explains how to use the match data to find out what was |
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1351 matched by the last search or match operation, if it succeeded. |
12067 | 1352 |
1353 You can ask about the entire matching text, or about a particular | |
1354 parenthetical subexpression of a regular expression. The @var{count} | |
1355 argument in the functions below specifies which. If @var{count} is | |
1356 zero, you are asking about the entire match. If @var{count} is | |
1357 positive, it specifies which subexpression you want. | |
1358 | |
1359 Recall that the subexpressions of a regular expression are those | |
1360 expressions grouped with escaped parentheses, @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. The | |
1361 @var{count}th subexpression is found by counting occurrences of | |
1362 @samp{\(} from the beginning of the whole regular expression. The first | |
1363 subexpression is numbered 1, the second 2, and so on. Only regular | |
1364 expressions can have subexpressions---after a simple string search, the | |
1365 only information available is about the entire match. | |
1366 | |
22138
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1367 A search which fails may or may not alter the match data. In the |
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1368 past, a failing search did not do this, but we may change it in the |
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1369 future. So don't try to rely on the value of the match data after |
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1370 a failing search. |
22138
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1371 |
12067 | 1372 @defun match-string count &optional in-string |
1373 This function returns, as a string, the text matched in the last search | |
1374 or match operation. It returns the entire text if @var{count} is zero, | |
1375 or just the portion corresponding to the @var{count}th parenthetical | |
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1376 subexpression, if @var{count} is positive. |
12067 | 1377 |
1378 If the last such operation was done against a string with | |
1379 @code{string-match}, then you should pass the same string as the | |
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1380 argument @var{in-string}. After a buffer search or match, |
12067 | 1381 you should omit @var{in-string} or pass @code{nil} for it; but you |
1382 should make sure that the current buffer when you call | |
1383 @code{match-string} is the one in which you did the searching or | |
1384 matching. | |
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1385 |
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1386 The value is @code{nil} if @var{count} is out of range, or for a |
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1387 subexpression inside a @samp{\|} alternative that wasn't used or a |
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1388 repetition that repeated zero times. |
12067 | 1389 @end defun |
6552 | 1390 |
26288 | 1391 @defun match-string-no-properties count &optional in-string |
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1392 This function is like @code{match-string} except that the result |
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1393 has no text properties. |
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1394 @end defun |
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1395 |
6552 | 1396 @defun match-beginning count |
1397 This function returns the position of the start of text matched by the | |
1398 last regular expression searched for, or a subexpression of it. | |
1399 | |
8469 | 1400 If @var{count} is zero, then the value is the position of the start of |
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1401 the entire match. Otherwise, @var{count} specifies a subexpression in |
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1402 the regular expression, and the value of the function is the starting |
12067 | 1403 position of the match for that subexpression. |
6552 | 1404 |
12067 | 1405 The value is @code{nil} for a subexpression inside a @samp{\|} |
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1406 alternative that wasn't used or a repetition that repeated zero times. |
6552 | 1407 @end defun |
1408 | |
1409 @defun match-end count | |
12067 | 1410 This function is like @code{match-beginning} except that it returns the |
1411 position of the end of the match, rather than the position of the | |
1412 beginning. | |
6552 | 1413 @end defun |
1414 | |
1415 Here is an example of using the match data, with a comment showing the | |
1416 positions within the text: | |
1417 | |
1418 @example | |
1419 @group | |
1420 (string-match "\\(qu\\)\\(ick\\)" | |
1421 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
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1422 ;0123456789 |
6552 | 1423 @result{} 4 |
1424 @end group | |
1425 | |
1426 @group | |
12067 | 1427 (match-string 0 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") |
1428 @result{} "quick" | |
1429 (match-string 1 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1430 @result{} "qu" | |
1431 (match-string 2 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1432 @result{} "ick" | |
1433 @end group | |
1434 | |
1435 @group | |
6552 | 1436 (match-beginning 1) ; @r{The beginning of the match} |
1437 @result{} 4 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 4.} | |
1438 @end group | |
1439 | |
1440 @group | |
1441 (match-beginning 2) ; @r{The beginning of the match} | |
1442 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 6.} | |
1443 @end group | |
1444 | |
1445 @group | |
1446 (match-end 1) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1447 @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 6.} | |
1448 | |
1449 (match-end 2) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1450 @result{} 9 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 9.} | |
1451 @end group | |
1452 @end example | |
1453 | |
1454 Here is another example. Point is initially located at the beginning | |
1455 of the line. Searching moves point to between the space and the word | |
1456 @samp{in}. The beginning of the entire match is at the 9th character of | |
1457 the buffer (@samp{T}), and the beginning of the match for the first | |
1458 subexpression is at the 13th character (@samp{c}). | |
1459 | |
1460 @example | |
1461 @group | |
1462 (list | |
1463 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1464 (match-beginning 0) | |
1465 (match-beginning 1)) | |
8469 | 1466 @result{} (9 9 13) |
6552 | 1467 @end group |
1468 | |
1469 @group | |
1470 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1471 I read "The cat @point{}in the hat comes back" twice. | |
1472 ^ ^ | |
1473 9 13 | |
1474 ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1475 @end group | |
1476 @end example | |
1477 | |
1478 @noindent | |
1479 (In this case, the index returned is a buffer position; the first | |
1480 character of the buffer counts as 1.) | |
1481 | |
1482 @node Entire Match Data | |
1483 @subsection Accessing the Entire Match Data | |
1484 | |
1485 The functions @code{match-data} and @code{set-match-data} read or | |
1486 write the entire match data, all at once. | |
1487 | |
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1488 @defun match-data &optional integers reuse |
6552 | 1489 This function returns a newly constructed list containing all the |
1490 information on what text the last search matched. Element zero is the | |
1491 position of the beginning of the match for the whole expression; element | |
1492 one is the position of the end of the match for the expression. The | |
1493 next two elements are the positions of the beginning and end of the | |
1494 match for the first subexpression, and so on. In general, element | |
27193 | 1495 @ifnottex |
6552 | 1496 number 2@var{n} |
27193 | 1497 @end ifnottex |
6552 | 1498 @tex |
1499 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n$} | |
1500 @end tex | |
1501 corresponds to @code{(match-beginning @var{n})}; and | |
1502 element | |
27193 | 1503 @ifnottex |
6552 | 1504 number 2@var{n} + 1 |
27193 | 1505 @end ifnottex |
6552 | 1506 @tex |
1507 number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n+1$} | |
1508 @end tex | |
1509 corresponds to @code{(match-end @var{n})}. | |
1510 | |
1511 All the elements are markers or @code{nil} if matching was done on a | |
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1512 buffer and all are integers or @code{nil} if matching was done on a |
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1513 string with @code{string-match}. If @var{integers} is |
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1514 non-@code{nil}, then the elements are integers or @code{nil}, even if |
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1515 matching was done on a buffer. In that case, the buffer itself is |
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1516 appended as an additional element at the end of the list |
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1517 to facilitate complete restoration of the match data. Also, |
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1518 @code{match-beginning} and |
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1519 @code{match-end} always return integers or @code{nil}. |
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1520 |
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1521 If @var{reuse} is non-@code{nil}, it should be a list. In that case, |
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1522 @code{match-data} stores the match data in @var{reuse}. That is, |
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1523 @var{reuse} is destructively modified. @var{reuse} does not need to |
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1524 have the right length. If it is not long enough to contain the match |
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1525 data, it is extended. If it is too long, the length of @var{reuse} |
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1526 stays the same, but the elements that were not used are set to |
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1527 @code{nil}. The purpose of this feature is to avoid producing too |
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1528 much garbage, that would later have to be collected. |
6552 | 1529 |
1530 As always, there must be no possibility of intervening searches between | |
1531 the call to a search function and the call to @code{match-data} that is | |
1532 intended to access the match data for that search. | |
1533 | |
1534 @example | |
1535 @group | |
1536 (match-data) | |
1537 @result{} (#<marker at 9 in foo> | |
1538 #<marker at 17 in foo> | |
1539 #<marker at 13 in foo> | |
1540 #<marker at 17 in foo>) | |
1541 @end group | |
1542 @end example | |
1543 @end defun | |
1544 | |
1545 @defun set-match-data match-list | |
1546 This function sets the match data from the elements of @var{match-list}, | |
1547 which should be a list that was the value of a previous call to | |
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1548 @code{match-data}. (More precisely, anything that has the same format |
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1549 will work.) |
6552 | 1550 |
1551 If @var{match-list} refers to a buffer that doesn't exist, you don't get | |
1552 an error; that sets the match data in a meaningless but harmless way. | |
1553 | |
1554 @findex store-match-data | |
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1555 @code{store-match-data} is a semi-obsolete alias for @code{set-match-data}. |
6552 | 1556 @end defun |
1557 | |
1558 @node Saving Match Data | |
1559 @subsection Saving and Restoring the Match Data | |
1560 | |
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1561 When you call a function that may do a search, you may need to save |
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1562 and restore the match data around that call, if you want to preserve the |
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1563 match data from an earlier search for later use. Here is an example |
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1564 that shows the problem that arises if you fail to save the match data: |
6552 | 1565 |
1566 @example | |
1567 @group | |
1568 (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1569 @result{} 48 | |
1570 (foo) ; @r{Perhaps @code{foo} does} | |
1571 ; @r{more searching.} | |
1572 (match-end 0) | |
1573 @result{} 61 ; @r{Unexpected result---not 48!} | |
1574 @end group | |
1575 @end example | |
1576 | |
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1577 You can save and restore the match data with @code{save-match-data}: |
6552 | 1578 |
12098 | 1579 @defmac save-match-data body@dots{} |
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1580 This macro executes @var{body}, saving and restoring the match |
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1581 data around it. The return value is the value of the last form in |
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1582 @var{body}. |
12098 | 1583 @end defmac |
6552 | 1584 |
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1585 You could use @code{set-match-data} together with @code{match-data} to |
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1586 imitate the effect of the special form @code{save-match-data}. Here is |
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1587 how: |
6552 | 1588 |
1589 @example | |
1590 @group | |
1591 (let ((data (match-data))) | |
1592 (unwind-protect | |
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1593 @dots{} ; @r{Ok to change the original match data.} |
6552 | 1594 (set-match-data data))) |
1595 @end group | |
1596 @end example | |
1597 | |
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1598 Emacs automatically saves and restores the match data when it runs |
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1599 process filter functions (@pxref{Filter Functions}) and process |
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1600 sentinels (@pxref{Sentinels}). |
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1601 |
6552 | 1602 @ignore |
1603 Here is a function which restores the match data provided the buffer | |
1604 associated with it still exists. | |
1605 | |
1606 @smallexample | |
1607 @group | |
1608 (defun restore-match-data (data) | |
1609 @c It is incorrect to split the first line of a doc string. | |
1610 @c If there's a problem here, it should be solved in some other way. | |
1611 "Restore the match data DATA unless the buffer is missing." | |
1612 (catch 'foo | |
1613 (let ((d data)) | |
1614 @end group | |
1615 (while d | |
1616 (and (car d) | |
1617 (null (marker-buffer (car d))) | |
1618 @group | |
1619 ;; @file{match-data} @r{buffer is deleted.} | |
1620 (throw 'foo nil)) | |
1621 (setq d (cdr d))) | |
1622 (set-match-data data)))) | |
1623 @end group | |
1624 @end smallexample | |
1625 @end ignore | |
1626 | |
1627 @node Searching and Case | |
1628 @section Searching and Case | |
1629 @cindex searching and case | |
1630 | |
1631 By default, searches in Emacs ignore the case of the text they are | |
1632 searching through; if you specify searching for @samp{FOO}, then | |
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1633 @samp{Foo} or @samp{foo} is also considered a match. This applies to |
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1634 regular expressions, too; thus, @samp{[aB]} would match @samp{a} or |
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1635 @samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}. |
6552 | 1636 |
1637 If you do not want this feature, set the variable | |
1638 @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}. Then all letters must match | |
8469 | 1639 exactly, including case. This is a buffer-local variable; altering the |
1640 variable affects only the current buffer. (@xref{Intro to | |
6552 | 1641 Buffer-Local}.) Alternatively, you may change the value of |
1642 @code{default-case-fold-search}, which is the default value of | |
1643 @code{case-fold-search} for buffers that do not override it. | |
1644 | |
1645 Note that the user-level incremental search feature handles case | |
1646 distinctions differently. When given a lower case letter, it looks for | |
1647 a match of either case, but when given an upper case letter, it looks | |
1648 for an upper case letter only. But this has nothing to do with the | |
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1649 searching functions used in Lisp code. |
6552 | 1650 |
1651 @defopt case-replace | |
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1652 This variable determines whether the higher level replacement |
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1653 functions should preserve case. If the variable is @code{nil}, that |
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1654 means to use the replacement text verbatim. A non-@code{nil} value |
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1655 means to convert the case of the replacement text according to the |
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1656 text being replaced. |
8469 | 1657 |
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1658 This variable is used by passing it as an argument to the function |
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1659 @code{replace-match}. @xref{Replacing Match}. |
6552 | 1660 @end defopt |
1661 | |
1662 @defopt case-fold-search | |
1663 This buffer-local variable determines whether searches should ignore | |
1664 case. If the variable is @code{nil} they do not ignore case; otherwise | |
1665 they do ignore case. | |
1666 @end defopt | |
1667 | |
1668 @defvar default-case-fold-search | |
1669 The value of this variable is the default value for | |
1670 @code{case-fold-search} in buffers that do not override it. This is the | |
1671 same as @code{(default-value 'case-fold-search)}. | |
1672 @end defvar | |
1673 | |
1674 @node Standard Regexps | |
1675 @section Standard Regular Expressions Used in Editing | |
1676 @cindex regexps used standardly in editing | |
1677 @cindex standard regexps used in editing | |
1678 | |
1679 This section describes some variables that hold regular expressions | |
1680 used for certain purposes in editing: | |
1681 | |
1682 @defvar page-delimiter | |
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1683 This is the regular expression describing line-beginnings that separate |
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1684 pages. The default value is @code{"^\014"} (i.e., @code{"^^L"} or |
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1685 @code{"^\C-l"}); this matches a line that starts with a formfeed |
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1686 character. |
6552 | 1687 @end defvar |
1688 | |
12067 | 1689 The following two regular expressions should @emph{not} assume the |
1690 match always starts at the beginning of a line; they should not use | |
1691 @samp{^} to anchor the match. Most often, the paragraph commands do | |
1692 check for a match only at the beginning of a line, which means that | |
12098 | 1693 @samp{^} would be superfluous. When there is a nonzero left margin, |
1694 they accept matches that start after the left margin. In that case, a | |
1695 @samp{^} would be incorrect. However, a @samp{^} is harmless in modes | |
1696 where a left margin is never used. | |
12067 | 1697 |
6552 | 1698 @defvar paragraph-separate |
1699 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line | |
1700 that separates paragraphs. (If you change this, you may have to | |
8469 | 1701 change @code{paragraph-start} also.) The default value is |
12067 | 1702 @w{@code{"[@ \t\f]*$"}}, which matches a line that consists entirely of |
1703 spaces, tabs, and form feeds (after its left margin). | |
6552 | 1704 @end defvar |
1705 | |
1706 @defvar paragraph-start | |
1707 This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line | |
1708 that starts @emph{or} separates paragraphs. The default value is | |
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1709 @w{@code{"\f\\|[ \t]*$"}}, which matches a line containing only |
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1710 whitespace or starting with a form feed (after its left margin). |
6552 | 1711 @end defvar |
1712 | |
1713 @defvar sentence-end | |
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1714 If non-@code{nil}, the value should be a regular expression describing |
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1715 the end of a sentence, including the whitespace following the |
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1716 sentence. (All paragraph boundaries also end sentences, regardless.) |
6552 | 1717 |
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1718 If the value is @code{nil}, the default, then the function |
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1719 @code{sentence-end} has to construct the regexp. That is why you |
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1720 should always call the function @code{sentence-end} to obtain the |
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1721 regexp to be used to recognize the end of a sentence. |
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1722 @end defvar |
6552 | 1723 |
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1724 @defun sentence-end |
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1725 This function returns the value of the variable @code{sentence-end}, |
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1726 if non-@code{nil}. Otherwise it returns a default value based on the |
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1727 values of the variables @code{sentence-end-double-space} |
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1728 (@pxref{Definition of sentence-end-double-space}), |
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1729 @code{sentence-end-without-period} and |
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1730 @code{sentence-end-without-space}. |
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1731 @end defun |
52401 | 1732 |
1733 @ignore | |
1734 arch-tag: c2573ca2-18aa-4839-93b8-924043ef831f | |
1735 @end ignore |