comparison man/search.texi @ 60860:c218b809efea

Delete explicit node pointers. (Incremental Search): New menu. (Basic Isearch, Repeat Isearch, Error in Isearch) (Non-Ascii Isearch, Isearch Yank, Highlight Isearch, Isearch Scroll) (Slow Isearch): New subnodes. (Configuring Scrolling): Node deleted. (Search Case): Doc default-case-fold-search. (Regexp Replace): Move replace-regexp doc here.

60859:f3b502de01b6

* Nonincremental Search::	Specify entire string and then search.
* Word Search::			Search for sequence of words.
* Regexp Search::		Search for match for a regexp.
* Regexps::			Syntax of regular expressions.
* Search Case::			To ignore case while searching, or not.
* Configuring Scrolling::	Scrolling within incremental search.
* Replace::			Search, and replace some or all matches.
* Other Repeating Search::	Operating on all matches for some regexp.
@end menu

@node Incremental Search, Nonincremental Search, Search, Search
@section Incremental Search

@cindex incremental search
  An incremental search begins searching as soon as you type the first
character of the search string.  As you type in the search string, Emacs
shows you where the string (as you have typed it so far) would be
found.  When you have typed enough characters to identify the place you
want, you can stop.  Depending on what you plan to do next, you may or

@item C-s
Incremental search forward (@code{isearch-forward}).
@item C-r
Incremental search backward (@code{isearch-backward}).
@end table

@kindex C-s
@findex isearch-forward
  @kbd{C-s} starts a forward incremental search.  It reads characters
from the keyboard, and moves point past the next occurrence of those

printing character, @key{DEL}, @key{RET}, or another character that is
special within searches (@kbd{C-q}, @kbd{C-w}, @kbd{C-r}, @kbd{C-s},
@kbd{C-y}, @kbd{M-y}, @kbd{M-r}, @kbd{M-c}, @kbd{M-e}, and some other
meta-characters).

  Sometimes you search for @samp{FOO} and find one, but not the one you
expected to find.  There was a second @samp{FOO} that you forgot
about, before the one you were aiming for.  In this event, type
another @kbd{C-s} to move to the next occurrence of the search string.
You can repeat this any number of times.  If you overshoot, you can
cancel some @kbd{C-s} characters with @key{DEL}.

  After you exit a search, you can search for the same string again by
typing just @kbd{C-s C-s}: the first @kbd{C-s} is the key that invokes
incremental search, and the second @kbd{C-s} means ``search again.''

  To reuse earlier search strings, use the @dfn{search ring}.  The
commands @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n} move through the ring to pick a search
string to reuse.  These commands leave the selected search ring element
in the minibuffer, where you can edit it.  To edit the current search
string in the minibuffer without replacing it with items from the
search ring, type @kbd{M-e}.  Type @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r}
to terminate editing the string and search for it.

  If your string is not found at all, the echo area says @samp{Failing
I-Search}.  The cursor is after the place where Emacs found as much of your
string as it could.  Thus, if you search for @samp{FOOT}, and there is no
@samp{FOOT}, you might see the cursor after the @samp{FOO} in @samp{FOOL}.

removes from the search string the characters that could not be found (the
@samp{T} in @samp{FOOT}), leaving those that were found (the @samp{FOO} in
@samp{FOOT}).  A second @kbd{C-g} at that point cancels the search
entirely, returning point to where it was when the search started.

  An upper-case letter in the search string makes the search
case-sensitive.  If you delete the upper-case character from the search
string, it ceases to have this effect.  @xref{Search Case}.

  To search for a newline, type @kbd{C-j}.  To search for another
control character, such as control-S or carriage return, you must quote
it by typing @kbd{C-q} first.  This function of @kbd{C-q} is analogous
to its use for insertion (@pxref{Inserting Text}): it causes the
following character to be treated the way any ``ordinary'' character is
treated in the same context.  You can also specify a character by its
octal code: enter @kbd{C-q} followed by a sequence of octal digits.

@cindex searching for non-@acronym{ASCII} characters
@cindex input method, during incremental search
  To search for non-@acronym{ASCII} characters, you must use an input method
(@pxref{Input Methods}).  If an input method is enabled in the
current buffer when you start the search, you can use it while you
type the search string also.  Emacs indicates that by including the
input method mnemonic in its prompt, like this:

@example
I-search [@var{im}]:
@end example

@noindent
@findex isearch-toggle-input-method
@findex isearch-toggle-specified-input-method
where @var{im} is the mnemonic of the active input method.  You can
toggle (enable or disable) the input method while you type the search
string with @kbd{C-\} (@code{isearch-toggle-input-method}).  You can
turn on a certain (non-default) input method with @kbd{C-^}
(@code{isearch-toggle-specified-input-method}), which prompts for the
name of the input method.  The input method you enable during
incremental search remains enabled in the current buffer afterwards.

  If a search is failing and you ask to repeat it by typing another
@kbd{C-s}, it starts again from the beginning of the buffer.
Repeating a failing reverse search with @kbd{C-r} starts again from
the end.  This is called @dfn{wrapping around}, and @samp{Wrapped}
appears in the search prompt once this has happened.  If you keep on
going past the original starting point of the search, it changes to
@samp{Overwrapped}, which means that you are revisiting matches that
you have already seen.

@cindex quitting (in search)
  The @kbd{C-g} ``quit'' character does special things during searches;
just what it does depends on the status of the search.  If the search has
found what you specified and is waiting for input, @kbd{C-g} cancels the
entire search.  The cursor moves back to where you started the search.  If

has failed to find them---then the search string characters which have not
been found are discarded from the search string.  With them gone, the
search is now successful and waiting for more input, so a second @kbd{C-g}
will cancel the entire search.

  You can change to searching backwards with @kbd{C-r}.  If a search fails
because the place you started was too late in the file, you should do this.
Repeated @kbd{C-r} keeps looking for more occurrences backwards.  A
@kbd{C-s} starts going forwards again.  @kbd{C-r} in a search can be canceled
with @key{DEL}.

@kindex C-r
@findex isearch-backward
  If you know initially that you want to search backwards, you can use
@kbd{C-r} instead of @kbd{C-s} to start the search, because @kbd{C-r} as
a key runs a command (@code{isearch-backward}) to search backward.  A
backward search finds matches that are entirely before the starting
point, just as a forward search finds matches that begin after it.

  The characters @kbd{C-w} and @kbd{C-y} can be used in incremental
search to grab text from the buffer into the search string.  This
makes it convenient to search for another occurrence of text at point.
@kbd{C-w} copies the character or word after point as part of the

  The character @kbd{M-y} copies text from the kill ring into the search
string.  It uses the same text that @kbd{C-y} as a command would yank.
@kbd{Mouse-2} in the echo area does the same.
@xref{Yanking}.

  When you exit the incremental search, it sets the mark to where point
@emph{was}, before the search.  That is convenient for moving back
there.  In Transient Mark mode, incremental search sets the mark without
activating it, and does so only if the mark is not already active.

  @kbd{M-%} typed in incremental search invokes @code{query-replace}
or @code{query-replace-regexp} (depending on search mode) with the
current search string used as the string to replace.  @xref{Query
Replace}.

@cindex lazy search highlighting
@vindex isearch-lazy-highlight
  When you pause for a little while during incremental search, it
highlights all other possible matches for the search string.  This
makes it easier to anticipate where you can get to by typing @kbd{C-s}
or @kbd{C-r} to repeat the search.  The short delay before highlighting
other matches helps indicate which match is the current one.

  You can control how this highlighting looks by customizing the faces
@code{isearch} (used for the current match) and @code{lazy-highlight}
(for all the other matches).  The latter is also used for other matches
inside @code{query-replace}.

@vindex isearch-mode-map
  To customize the special characters that incremental search understands,
alter their bindings in the keymap @code{isearch-mode-map}.  For a list
of bindings, look at the documentation of @code{isearch-mode} with
@kbd{C-h f isearch-mode @key{RET}}.

@subsection Scrolling During Incremental Search

  Vertical scrolling during incremental search can be enabled by
setting the customizable variable @code{isearch-allow-scroll} to a
non-@code{nil} value.

(@code{split-window-vertically}) and @kbd{C-x ^}
(@code{enlarge-window}) which don't scroll the window, are
nevertheless made available under this rubric, since they are likewise
handy during a search.

  For a list of commands which are configured as scrolling commands by
default and instructions on how thus to configure other commands, see
@ref{Configuring Scrolling}.

@subsection Slow Terminal Incremental Search

  Incremental search on a slow terminal uses a modified style of display
that is designed to take less time.  Instead of redisplaying the buffer at
each place the search gets to, it creates a new single-line window and uses

@vindex search-slow-window-lines
  The number of lines to use in slow terminal search display is controlled
by the variable @code{search-slow-window-lines}.  Its normal value is 1.

@node Nonincremental Search, Word Search, Incremental Search, Search
@section Nonincremental Search
@cindex nonincremental search

  Emacs also has conventional nonincremental search commands, which require
you to type the entire search string before searching begins.

commands may be bound to keys in the usual manner.  The feature that you
can get to them via the incremental search commands exists for
historical reasons, and to avoid the need to find key sequences
for them.

@node Word Search, Regexp Search, Nonincremental Search, Search
@section Word Search
@cindex word search

  Word search searches for a sequence of words without regard to how the
words are separated.  More precisely, you type a string of many words,

@code{word-search-forward} and @code{word-search-backward}.  These
commands may be bound to keys in the usual manner.  They are available
via the incremental search commands both for historical reasons and
to avoid the need to find suitable key sequences for them.

@node Regexp Search, Regexps, Word Search, Search
@section Regular Expression Search
@cindex regular expression
@cindex regexp

  A @dfn{regular expression} (@dfn{regexp}, for short) is a pattern
that denotes a class of alternative strings to match, possibly
infinitely many.  GNU Emacs provides both incremental and
nonincremental ways to search for a match for a regexp.

@kindex C-M-s
@findex isearch-forward-regexp
@kindex C-M-r
@findex isearch-backward-regexp

  If you use the incremental regexp search commands with a prefix
argument, they perform ordinary string search, like
@code{isearch-forward} and @code{isearch-backward}.  @xref{Incremental
Search}.

@node Regexps, Search Case, Regexp Search, Search
@section Syntax of Regular Expressions
@cindex syntax of regexps

  This manual describes regular expression features that users
typically want to use.  There are additional features that are

verify even very complex regexps.  (On displays that don't support
colors, Emacs blinks the cursor around the matched text, as it does
for matching parens.)
@end ignore

@node Search Case, Configuring Scrolling, Regexps, Search
@section Searching and Case

  Incremental searches in Emacs normally ignore the case of the text
they are searching through, if you specify the text in lower case.
Thus, if you specify searching for @samp{foo}, then @samp{Foo} and

sensitivity of that search.  The effect does not extend beyond the
current incremental search to the next one, but it does override the
effect of including an upper-case letter in the current search.

@vindex case-fold-search
  If you set the variable @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}, then
all letters must match exactly, including case.  This is a per-buffer
variable; altering the variable affects only the current buffer, but
there is a default value which you can change as well.  @xref{Locals}.
This variable applies to nonincremental searches also, including those
performed by the replace commands (@pxref{Replace}) and the minibuffer
history matching commands (@pxref{Minibuffer History}).

@node Configuring Scrolling, Replace, Search Case, Search
@section Configuring Scrolling
@cindex scrolling in incremental search
@vindex isearch-allow-scroll

Scrolling, etc., during incremental search is enabled by setting the
customizable variable @code{isearch-allow-scroll} to a non-@code{nil} value.

@c See Subject: Info file:  How do I get an itemized list without blank lines?
@c Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 09:45:31 +0000  in gnu.emacs.help
@subsection Standard scrolling commands
Here is the list of commands which are configured by default to be
``scrolling'' commands in an incremental search, together with their
usual bindings:
@subsubsection Commands which scroll the window:
@table @asis
@item @code{scroll-bar-toolkit-scroll} (@kbd{@key{vertical-scroll-bar}@key{mouse-1}} in X-Windows)
@itemx @code{mac-handle-scroll-bar-event} (@kbd{@key{vertical-scroll-bar}@key{mouse-1}} on a Mac)
@itemx @code{w32-handle-scroll-bar-event} (@kbd{@key{vertical-scroll-bar}@key{mouse-1}} in MS-Windows)
@item @code{recenter} (@kbd{C-l}) @xref{Scrolling}.
@itemx @code{reposition-window} (@kbd{C-M-l}) @xref{Scrolling}.
@itemx @code{scroll-up} (@kbd{@key{NEXT}}) @xref{Scrolling}.
@itemx @code{scroll-down} (@kbd{@key{PRIOR}}) @xref{Scrolling}.
@end table

@subsubsection Commands which act on the other window:
@table @asis
@item @code{list-buffers} (@kbd{C-x C-b}) @xref{List Buffers}.
@itemx @code{scroll-other-window} (@kbd{C-M-v}) @xref{Other Window}.
@itemx @code{scroll-other-window-down} (@kbd{C-M-S-v}) @xref{Other Window}.
@itemx @code{beginning-of-buffer-other-window} (@kbd{M-@key{home}})
@itemx @code{end-of-buffer-other-window} (@kbd{M-@key{end}})
@end table

@subsubsection Commands which change the window layout:
@table @asis
@item @code{delete-other-windows} (@kbd{C-x 1}) @xref{Change Window}.
@itemx @code{balance-windows} (@kbd{C-x +}) @xref{Change Window}.
@itemx @code{split-window-vertically} (@kbd{C-x 2}) @xref{Split Window}.
@itemx @code{enlarge-window} (@kbd{C-x ^}) @xref{Change Window}.
@end table

@subsection Configuring other commands as scrolling commands
To do this, set a command's isearch-scroll property to the value t.
For example:

@example
@code{(put 'my-command 'isearch-scroll t)}
@end example

You should only thus configure commands which are ``safe'': i.e., they
won't leave emacs in an inconsistent state when executed within a
search---that is to say, the following things may be changed by a
command only temporarily, and must be restored before the command
finishes:

@enumerate
@item
Point.
@item
The buffer contents.
@item
The selected window and selected frame.
@item
The current match-data.  @xref{Match Data,,, elisp, The Emacs Lisp
Reference Manual}.
@end enumerate

Additionally, the command must not delete the current window and must
not itself attempt an incremental search.  It may, however, change the
window's size, or create or delete other windows and frames.

Note that an attempt by a command to scroll the text
@emph{horizontally} won't work, although it will do no harm---any such
scrolling will be overridden and nullified by the display code.

@node Replace, Other Repeating Search, Configuring Scrolling, Search
@section Replacement Commands
@cindex replacement
@cindex search-and-replace commands
@cindex string substitution
@cindex global substitution

@end menu

@node Unconditional Replace, Regexp Replace, Replace, Replace
@subsection Unconditional Replacement
@findex replace-string
@findex replace-regexp

@table @kbd
@item M-x replace-string @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
Replace every occurrence of @var{string} with @var{newstring}.
@item M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
Replace every match for @var{regexp} with @var{newstring}.
@end table

  To replace every instance of @samp{foo} after point with @samp{bar},
use the command @kbd{M-x replace-string} with the two arguments
@samp{foo} and @samp{bar}.  Replacement happens only in the text after

This works provided the string @samp{@@TEMP@@} does not appear
in your text.

@node Regexp Replace, Replacement and Case, Unconditional Replace, Replace
@subsection Regexp Replacement

  The @kbd{M-x replace-string} command replaces exact matches for a
single string.  The similar command @kbd{M-x replace-regexp} replaces
any match for a specified pattern.

  In @code{replace-regexp}, the @var{newstring} need not be constant:
it can refer to all or part of what is matched by the @var{regexp}.
@samp{\&} in @var{newstring} stands for the entire match being
replaced.  @samp{\@var{d}} in @var{newstring}, where @var{d} is a

ESC}.

  See also @ref{Transforming File Names}, for Dired commands to rename,
copy, or link files by replacing regexp matches in file names.

@node Other Repeating Search,, Replace, Search
@section Other Search-and-Loop Commands

  Here are some other commands that find matches for a regular
expression.  They all ignore case in matching, if the pattern contains
no upper-case letters and @code{case-fold-search} is non-@code{nil}.

60860:c218b809efea

* Nonincremental Search::	Specify entire string and then search.
* Word Search::			Search for sequence of words.
* Regexp Search::		Search for match for a regexp.
* Regexps::			Syntax of regular expressions.
* Search Case::			To ignore case while searching, or not.
* Replace::			Search, and replace some or all matches.
* Other Repeating Search::	Operating on all matches for some regexp.
@end menu

@node Incremental Search
@section Incremental Search

  An incremental search begins searching as soon as you type the first
character of the search string.  As you type in the search string, Emacs
shows you where the string (as you have typed it so far) would be
found.  When you have typed enough characters to identify the place you
want, you can stop.  Depending on what you plan to do next, you may or

@item C-s
Incremental search forward (@code{isearch-forward}).
@item C-r
Incremental search backward (@code{isearch-backward}).
@end table

@menu
* Basic Isearch::       Basic incremental search commands.
* Repeat Isearch::      Searching for the same string again.
* Error in Isearch::    When your string is not found.
* Special Isearch::     Special input in incremental search.
* Non-ASCII Isearch::   How to search for non-ASCII characters.
* Isearch Yank::        Commands that grab text into the search string
                          or else edit the search string.
* Highlight Isearch::   Isearch highlights the other possible matches.
* Isearch Scroll::      Scrolling during an incremental search.
* Slow Isearch::        Incremental search features for slow terminals.
@end menu

@node Basic Isearch
@subsection Basics of Incremental Search
@cindex incremental search

@kindex C-s
@findex isearch-forward
  @kbd{C-s} starts a forward incremental search.  It reads characters
from the keyboard, and moves point past the next occurrence of those

printing character, @key{DEL}, @key{RET}, or another character that is
special within searches (@kbd{C-q}, @kbd{C-w}, @kbd{C-r}, @kbd{C-s},
@kbd{C-y}, @kbd{M-y}, @kbd{M-r}, @kbd{M-c}, @kbd{M-e}, and some other
meta-characters).

  When you exit the incremental search, it sets the mark where point
@emph{was} before the search.  That is convenient for moving back
there.  In Transient Mark mode, incremental search sets the mark
without activating it, and does so only if the mark is not already
active.

@node Repeat Isearch
@subsection Repeating Incremental Search

  Sometimes you search for @samp{FOO} and find one, but not the one you
expected to find.  There was a second @samp{FOO} that you forgot
about, before the one you were aiming for.  In this event, type
another @kbd{C-s} to move to the next occurrence of the search string.
You can repeat this any number of times.  If you overshoot, you can
cancel some @kbd{C-s} characters with @key{DEL}.

  After you exit a search, you can search for the same string again by
typing just @kbd{C-s C-s}: the first @kbd{C-s} is the key that invokes
incremental search, and the second @kbd{C-s} means ``search again.''

  If a search is failing and you ask to repeat it by typing another
@kbd{C-s}, it starts again from the beginning of the buffer.
Repeating a failing reverse search with @kbd{C-r} starts again from
the end.  This is called @dfn{wrapping around}, and @samp{Wrapped}
appears in the search prompt once this has happened.  If you keep on
going past the original starting point of the search, it changes to
@samp{Overwrapped}, which means that you are revisiting matches that
you have already seen.

  To reuse earlier search strings, use the @dfn{search ring}.  The
commands @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n} move through the ring to pick a search
string to reuse.  These commands leave the selected search ring element
in the minibuffer, where you can edit it.  To edit the current search
string in the minibuffer without replacing it with items from the
search ring, type @kbd{M-e}.  Type @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r}
to terminate editing the string and search for it.

  You can change to searching backwards with @kbd{C-r}.  If a search fails
because the place you started was too late in the file, you should do this.
Repeated @kbd{C-r} keeps looking for more occurrences backwards.  A
@kbd{C-s} starts going forwards again.  @kbd{C-r} in a search can be canceled
with @key{DEL}.

@kindex C-r
@findex isearch-backward
  If you know initially that you want to search backwards, you can use
@kbd{C-r} instead of @kbd{C-s} to start the search, because @kbd{C-r} as
a key runs a command (@code{isearch-backward}) to search backward.  A
backward search finds matches that are entirely before the starting
point, just as a forward search finds matches that begin after it.

@node Error in Isearch
@subsection Errors in Incremental Search

  If your string is not found at all, the echo area says @samp{Failing
I-Search}.  The cursor is after the place where Emacs found as much of your
string as it could.  Thus, if you search for @samp{FOOT}, and there is no
@samp{FOOT}, you might see the cursor after the @samp{FOO} in @samp{FOOL}.

removes from the search string the characters that could not be found (the
@samp{T} in @samp{FOOT}), leaving those that were found (the @samp{FOO} in
@samp{FOOT}).  A second @kbd{C-g} at that point cancels the search
entirely, returning point to where it was when the search started.

@cindex quitting (in search)
  The @kbd{C-g} ``quit'' character does special things during searches;
just what it does depends on the status of the search.  If the search has
found what you specified and is waiting for input, @kbd{C-g} cancels the
entire search.  The cursor moves back to where you started the search.  If

has failed to find them---then the search string characters which have not
been found are discarded from the search string.  With them gone, the
search is now successful and waiting for more input, so a second @kbd{C-g}
will cancel the entire search.

@node Special Isearch
@subsection Special Input for Incremental Search

  An upper-case letter in the search string makes the search
case-sensitive.  If you delete the upper-case character from the search
string, it ceases to have this effect.  @xref{Search Case}.

  To search for a newline, type @kbd{C-j}.  To search for another
control character, such as control-S or carriage return, you must quote
it by typing @kbd{C-q} first.  This function of @kbd{C-q} is analogous
to its use for insertion (@pxref{Inserting Text}): it causes the
following character to be treated the way any ``ordinary'' character is
treated in the same context.  You can also specify a character by its
octal code: enter @kbd{C-q} followed by a sequence of octal digits.

  @kbd{M-%} typed in incremental search invokes @code{query-replace}
or @code{query-replace-regexp} (depending on search mode) with the
current search string used as the string to replace.  @xref{Query
Replace}.

  Entering @key{RET} when the search string is empty launches
nonincremental search (@pxref{Nonincremental Search}).

@vindex isearch-mode-map
  To customize the special characters that incremental search understands,
alter their bindings in the keymap @code{isearch-mode-map}.  For a list
of bindings, look at the documentation of @code{isearch-mode} with
@kbd{C-h f isearch-mode @key{RET}}.

@node Non-Ascii Isearch
@subsection Isearch for Non-@acronym{ASCII} Characters

@cindex searching for non-@acronym{ASCII} characters
@cindex input method, during incremental search

  To enter non-@acronym{ASCII} characters in an incrementral search,
you must use an input method (@pxref{Input Methods}).  If an input
method is enabled in the current buffer when you start the search, you
can use it while you type the search string also.  Emacs indicates
that by including the input method mnemonic in its prompt, like this:

@example
I-search [@var{im}]:
@end example

@noindent
@findex isearch-toggle-input-method
@findex isearch-toggle-specified-input-method
where @var{im} is the mnemonic of the active input method.  You can
toggle (enable or disable) the input method while you type the search
string with @kbd{C-\} (@code{isearch-toggle-input-method}).  You can
turn on a certain (non-default) input method with @kbd{C-^}
(@code{isearch-toggle-specified-input-method}), which prompts for the
name of the input method.  The input method you enable during
incremental search remains enabled in the current buffer afterwards.

@node Isearch Yank
@subsection Isearch Yanking

  The characters @kbd{C-w} and @kbd{C-y} can be used in incremental
search to grab text from the buffer into the search string.  This
makes it convenient to search for another occurrence of text at point.
@kbd{C-w} copies the character or word after point as part of the

  The character @kbd{M-y} copies text from the kill ring into the search
string.  It uses the same text that @kbd{C-y} as a command would yank.
@kbd{Mouse-2} in the echo area does the same.
@xref{Yanking}.

@node Highlight Isearch
@subsection Lazy Search Highlighting
@cindex lazy search highlighting
@vindex isearch-lazy-highlight

  When you pause for a little while during incremental search, it
highlights all other possible matches for the search string.  This
makes it easier to anticipate where you can get to by typing @kbd{C-s}
or @kbd{C-r} to repeat the search.  The short delay before highlighting
other matches helps indicate which match is the current one.

  You can control how this highlighting looks by customizing the faces
@code{isearch} (used for the current match) and @code{lazy-highlight}
(for all the other matches).  The latter is also used for other matches
inside @code{query-replace}.

@node Isearch Scroll
@subsection Scrolling During Incremental Search

  Vertical scrolling during incremental search can be enabled by
setting the customizable variable @code{isearch-allow-scroll} to a
non-@code{nil} value.

(@code{split-window-vertically}) and @kbd{C-x ^}
(@code{enlarge-window}) which don't scroll the window, are
nevertheless made available under this rubric, since they are likewise
handy during a search.

  You can make other commands usable within an incremental search by
giving the command a non-@code{nil} @code{isearch-scroll} property.
This works for commands that don't permanently change point, the
buffer contents, the match data, the current buffer, or the selected
window and frame.  The command must not delete the current window and
must not itself attempt an incremental search.

@node Slow Isearch
@subsection Slow Terminal Incremental Search

  Incremental search on a slow terminal uses a modified style of display
that is designed to take less time.  Instead of redisplaying the buffer at
each place the search gets to, it creates a new single-line window and uses

@vindex search-slow-window-lines
  The number of lines to use in slow terminal search display is controlled
by the variable @code{search-slow-window-lines}.  Its normal value is 1.

@node Nonincremental Search
@section Nonincremental Search
@cindex nonincremental search

  Emacs also has conventional nonincremental search commands, which require
you to type the entire search string before searching begins.

commands may be bound to keys in the usual manner.  The feature that you
can get to them via the incremental search commands exists for
historical reasons, and to avoid the need to find key sequences
for them.

@node Word Search
@section Word Search
@cindex word search

  Word search searches for a sequence of words without regard to how the
words are separated.  More precisely, you type a string of many words,

@code{word-search-forward} and @code{word-search-backward}.  These
commands may be bound to keys in the usual manner.  They are available
via the incremental search commands both for historical reasons and
to avoid the need to find suitable key sequences for them.

@node Regexp Search
@section Regular Expression Search
@cindex regular expression
@cindex regexp

  A @dfn{regular expression} (@dfn{regexp}, for short) is a pattern
that denotes a class of alternative strings to match, possibly
infinitely many.  GNU Emacs provides both incremental and
nonincremental ways to search for a match for a regexp.  The syntax of
regular expressions is explained in the following section.

@kindex C-M-s
@findex isearch-forward-regexp
@kindex C-M-r
@findex isearch-backward-regexp

  If you use the incremental regexp search commands with a prefix
argument, they perform ordinary string search, like
@code{isearch-forward} and @code{isearch-backward}.  @xref{Incremental
Search}.

@node Regexps
@section Syntax of Regular Expressions
@cindex syntax of regexps

  This manual describes regular expression features that users
typically want to use.  There are additional features that are

verify even very complex regexps.  (On displays that don't support
colors, Emacs blinks the cursor around the matched text, as it does
for matching parens.)
@end ignore

@node Search Case
@section Searching and Case

  Incremental searches in Emacs normally ignore the case of the text
they are searching through, if you specify the text in lower case.
Thus, if you specify searching for @samp{foo}, then @samp{Foo} and

sensitivity of that search.  The effect does not extend beyond the
current incremental search to the next one, but it does override the
effect of including an upper-case letter in the current search.

@vindex case-fold-search
@vindex default-case-fold-search
  If you set the variable @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}, then
all letters must match exactly, including case.  This is a per-buffer
variable; altering the variable affects only the current buffer, but
there is a default value in @code{default-case-fold-search} that you
can also set.  @xref{Locals}.  This variable applies to nonincremental
searches also, including those performed by the replace commands
(@pxref{Replace}) and the minibuffer history matching commands
(@pxref{Minibuffer History}).

@node Replace
@section Replacement Commands
@cindex replacement
@cindex search-and-replace commands
@cindex string substitution
@cindex global substitution

@end menu

@node Unconditional Replace, Regexp Replace, Replace, Replace
@subsection Unconditional Replacement
@findex replace-string

@table @kbd
@item M-x replace-string @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
Replace every occurrence of @var{string} with @var{newstring}.
@end table

  To replace every instance of @samp{foo} after point with @samp{bar},
use the command @kbd{M-x replace-string} with the two arguments
@samp{foo} and @samp{bar}.  Replacement happens only in the text after

This works provided the string @samp{@@TEMP@@} does not appear
in your text.

@node Regexp Replace, Replacement and Case, Unconditional Replace, Replace
@subsection Regexp Replacement
@findex replace-regexp

  The @kbd{M-x replace-string} command replaces exact matches for a
single string.  The similar command @kbd{M-x replace-regexp} replaces
any match for a specified pattern.

@table @kbd
@item M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
Replace every match for @var{regexp} with @var{newstring}.
@end table

  In @code{replace-regexp}, the @var{newstring} need not be constant:
it can refer to all or part of what is matched by the @var{regexp}.
@samp{\&} in @var{newstring} stands for the entire match being
replaced.  @samp{\@var{d}} in @var{newstring}, where @var{d} is a

ESC}.

  See also @ref{Transforming File Names}, for Dired commands to rename,
copy, or link files by replacing regexp matches in file names.

@node Other Repeating Search
@section Other Search-and-Loop Commands

  Here are some other commands that find matches for a regular
expression.  They all ignore case in matching, if the pattern contains
no upper-case letters and @code{case-fold-search} is non-@code{nil}.