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author | Adrian Robert <Adrian.B.Robert@gmail.com> |
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date | Wed, 09 Sep 2009 15:05:47 +0000 |
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@c This is part of the Emacs manual. @c Copyright (C) 1985, 1986, 1987, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, @c 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc. @c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions. @node Search, Fixit, Display, Top @chapter Searching and Replacement @cindex searching @cindex finding strings within text Like other editors, Emacs has commands to search for occurrences of a string. Emacs also has commands to replace occurrences of a string with a different string. There are also commands that do the same thing, but search for patterns instead of fixed strings. You can also search multiple files under the control of a tags table (@pxref{Tags Search}) or through the Dired @kbd{A} command (@pxref{Operating on Files}), or ask the @code{grep} program to do it (@pxref{Grep Searching}). @menu * Incremental Search:: Search happens as you type the string. * 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. * Regexp Backslash:: Regular expression constructs starting with `\'. * Regexp Example:: A complex regular expression explained. * 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 @cindex incremental search @cindex isearch The principal search command in Emacs is @dfn{incremental}: it 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 may not need to terminate the search explicitly with @key{RET}. @table @kbd @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. * Isearch Yank:: Commands that grab text into the search string or else edit the search string. * Isearch Scroll:: Scrolling during an incremental search. * Isearch Minibuffer:: Incremental search of the minibuffer history. * Slow Isearch:: Incremental search features for slow terminals. @end menu @node Basic Isearch @subsection Basics of Incremental Search @table @kbd @item C-s Begin incremental search (@code{isearch-forward}). @item C-r Begin reverse incremental search (@code{isearch-backward}). @end table @kindex C-s @findex isearch-forward @kbd{C-s} (@code{isearch-forward}) starts a forward incremental search. It reads characters from the keyboard, and moves point just past the end of the next occurrence of those characters in the buffer. For instance, if you type @kbd{C-s} and then @kbd{F}, that puts the cursor after the first @samp{F} that occurs in the buffer after the starting point. Then if you then type @kbd{O}, the cursor moves to just after the first @samp{FO}; the @samp{F} in that @samp{FO} might not be the first @samp{F} previously found. After another @kbd{O}, the cursor moves to just after the first @samp{FOO}. @cindex faces for highlighting search matches At each step, Emacs highlights the @dfn{current match}---the buffer text that matches the search string---using the @code{isearch} face (@pxref{Faces}). The current search string is also displayed in the echo area. If you make a mistake typing the search string, type @key{DEL}. Each @key{DEL} cancels the last character of the search string. When you are satisfied with the place you have reached, type @key{RET}. This stops searching, leaving the cursor where the search brought it. Also, any command not specially meaningful in searches stops the searching and is then executed. Thus, typing @kbd{C-a} exits the search and then moves to the beginning of the line. @key{RET} is necessary only if the next command you want to type is a 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 others described below). As a special exception, entering @key{RET} when the search string is empty launches nonincremental search (@pxref{Nonincremental Search}). When you exit the incremental search, it adds the original value of point to the mark ring, without activating the mark; you can thus use @kbd{C-u C-@key{SPC}} to return to where you were before beginning the search. @xref{Mark Ring}. It only does this if the mark was not already active. @kindex C-r @findex isearch-backward To search backwards, use @kbd{C-r} (@code{isearch-backward}) instead of @kbd{C-s} to start the search. A backward search finds matches that end before the starting point, just as a forward search finds matches that begin after it. @node Repeat Isearch @subsection Repeating Incremental Search Suppose you search forward for @samp{FOO} and find a match, but not the one you expected to find: the @samp{FOO} you were aiming for occurs later in the buffer. 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}. Similarly, each @kbd{C-r} in a backward incremental search repeats the backward search. @cindex lazy search highlighting @vindex isearch-lazy-highlight If you pause for a little while during incremental search, Emacs highlights all the other possible matches for the search string that are present on the screen. This helps you anticipate where you can get to by typing @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r} to repeat the search. The other matches are highlighted differently from the current match, using the customizable face @code{lazy-highlight} (@pxref{Faces}). If you don't like this feature, you can disable it by setting @code{isearch-lazy-highlight} to @code{nil}. After exiting 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.'' Similarly, @kbd{C-r C-r} searches backward for the last search string. In determining the last search string, it doesn't matter whether the string was searched for with @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r}. If you are searching forward but you realize you were looking for something before the starting point, type @kbd{C-r} to switch to a backward search, leaving the search string unchanged. Similarly, @kbd{C-s} in a backward search switches to a forward search. 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 search ring 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. @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}. In the echo area, the part of the search string that failed to match is highlighted using the customizable face @code{isearch-fail}. At this point, there are several things you can do. If your string was mistyped, you can use @key{DEL} to erase some of it and correct it. If you like the place you have found, you can type @key{RET} to remain there. Or you can type @kbd{C-g}, which 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 quit command, @kbd{C-g}, 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, moving the cursor back to where you started the search. If @kbd{C-g} is typed when there are characters in the search string that have not been found---because Emacs is still searching for them, or because it 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 Some of the characters you type during incremental search have special effects. If the search string you entered contains only lower-case letters, the search is case-insensitive; as long as an upper-case letter exists in the search string, the search becomes 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 character, type @kbd{C-j}. To search for other control characters, such as @key{control-S}, quote it by typing @kbd{C-q} first (@pxref{Inserting Text}). To search for non-@acronym{ASCII} characters, you can either use @kbd{C-q} and enter its octal code, or 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 in the search string also. While typing the search string, you can toggle the input method with the command @kbd{C-\} (@code{isearch-toggle-input-method}). You can also turn on a non-default input method with @kbd{C-^} (@code{isearch-toggle-specified-input-method}), which prompts for the name of the input method. When an input method is active during incremental search, the search prompt includes the input method mnemonic, 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. Any input method you enable during incremental search remains enabled in the current buffer afterwards. @kindex M-% @r{(Incremental search)} Typing @kbd{M-%} 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}. @kindex M-TAB @r{(Incremental search)} Typing @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} in incremental search invokes @code{isearch-complete}, which attempts to complete the search string using the search ring as a list of completion alternatives. @xref{Completion}. In many operating systems, the @kbd{M-@key{TAB}} key sequence is captured by the window manager; you then need to rebind @code{isearch-complete} to another key sequence if you want to use it (@pxref{Rebinding}). @vindex isearch-mode-map When incremental search is active, you can type @kbd{C-h C-h} to access interactive help options, including a list of special keybindings. These keybindings are part of the keymap @code{isearch-mode-map} (@pxref{Keymaps}). @node Isearch Yank @subsection Isearch Yanking Within incremental search, you can use @kbd{C-w} and @kbd{C-y} 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 and adds it to the search string, advancing point over it. (The decision, whether to copy a character or a word, is heuristic.) @kbd{C-y} is similar to @kbd{C-w} but copies all the rest of the current line into the search string. If point is already at the end of a line, it grabs the entire next line. If the search is currently case-insensitive, both @kbd{C-y} and @kbd{C-w} convert the text they copy to lower case, so that the search remains case-insensitive. @kbd{C-M-w} and @kbd{C-M-y} modify the search string by only one character at a time: @kbd{C-M-w} deletes the last character from the search string and @kbd{C-M-y} copies the character after point to the end of the search string. An alternative method to add the character after point into the search string is to enter the minibuffer by @kbd{M-e} and to type @kbd{C-f} at the end of the search string in the minibuffer. The character @kbd{M-y} copies text from the kill ring into the search string. It uses the same text that @kbd{C-y} would yank. @kbd{Mouse-2} in the echo area does the same. @xref{Yanking}. @node Isearch Scroll @subsection Scrolling During Incremental Search @vindex isearch-allow-scroll You can enable the use of vertical scrolling during incremental search (without exiting the search) by setting the customizable variable @code{isearch-allow-scroll} to a non-@code{nil} value. This applies to using the vertical scroll-bar and to certain keyboard commands such as @key{prior} (@code{scroll-down}), @key{next} (@code{scroll-up}) and @kbd{C-l} (@code{recenter}). You must run these commands via their key sequences to stay in the search---typing @kbd{M-x} will terminate the search. You can give prefix arguments to these commands in the usual way. This feature won't let you scroll the current match out of visibility, however. The feature also affects some other commands, such as @kbd{C-x 2} (@code{split-window-vertically}) and @kbd{C-x ^} (@code{enlarge-window}) which don't exactly scroll but do affect where the text appears on the screen. In general, it applies to any command whose name has a non-@code{nil} @code{isearch-scroll} property. So you can control which commands are affected by changing these properties. For example, to make @kbd{C-h l} usable within an incremental search in all future Emacs sessions, use @kbd{C-h c} to find what command it runs. (You type @kbd{C-h c C-h l}; it says @code{view-lossage}.) Then you can put the following line in your @file{.emacs} file (@pxref{Init File}): @example (put 'view-lossage 'isearch-scroll t) @end example @noindent This feature can be applied to any command that doesn't permanently change point, the buffer contents, the match data, the current buffer, or the selected window and frame. The command must not itself attempt an incremental search. @node Isearch Minibuffer @subsection Searching the Minibuffer @cindex minibuffer history, searching If you start an incremental search while the minibuffer is active, Emacs searches the contents of the minibuffer. Unlike searching an ordinary buffer, the search string is not shown in the echo area, because that is used to display the minibuffer. If an incremental search fails in the minibuffer, it tries searching the minibuffer history. @xref{Minibuffer History}. You can visualize the minibuffer and its history as a series of ``pages'', with the earliest history element on the first page and the current minibuffer on the last page. A forward search, @kbd{C-s}, searches forward to later pages; a reverse search, @kbd{C-r}, searches backwards to earlier pages. Like in ordinary buffer search, a failing search can wrap around, going from the last page to the first page or vice versa. When the current match is on a history element, that history element is pulled into the minibuffer. If you exit the incremental search normally (e.g. by typing @key{RET}), it remains in the minibuffer afterwards. Cancelling the search, with @kbd{C-g}, restores the contents of the minibuffer when you began the 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 that to display the line that the search has found. The single-line window comes into play as soon as point moves outside of the text that is already on the screen. When you terminate the search, the single-line window is removed. Emacs then redisplays the window in which the search was done, to show its new position of point. @vindex search-slow-speed The slow terminal style of display is used when the terminal baud rate is less than or equal to the value of the variable @code{search-slow-speed}, initially 1200. See also the discussion of the variable @code{baud-rate} (@pxref{baud-rate,, Customization of Display}). @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. @table @kbd @item C-s @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} Search for @var{string}. @item C-r @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} Search backward for @var{string}. @end table To start a nonincremental search, first type @kbd{C-s @key{RET}}. This enters the minibuffer to read the search string; terminate the string with @key{RET}, and then the search takes place. If the string is not found, the search command signals an error. When you type @kbd{C-s @key{RET}}, the @kbd{C-s} invokes incremental search as usual. That command is specially programmed to invoke nonincremental search, @code{search-forward}, if the string you specify is empty. (Such an empty argument would otherwise be useless.) @kbd{C-r @key{RET}} does likewise, for a reverse incremental search. @findex search-forward @findex search-backward Forward and backward nonincremental searches are implemented by the commands @code{search-forward} and @code{search-backward}. These commands may be bound to other keys in the usual manner. @node Word Search @section Word Search @cindex word search A @dfn{word search} finds a sequence of words without regard to the type of punctuation between them. For instance, if you enter a search string that consists of two words separated by a single space, the search matches any sequence of those two words separated by one or more spaces, newlines, or other punctuation characters. This is particularly useful for searching text documents, because you don't have to worry whether the words you are looking for are separated by newlines or spaces. @table @kbd @item M-s w If incremental search is active, toggle word search mode (@code{isearch-toggle-word}); otherwise, begin an incremental forward word search (@code{isearch-forward-word}). @item M-s w @key{RET} @var{words} @key{RET} Search for @var{words}, using a forward nonincremental word search. @item M-s w C-r @key{RET} @var{words} @key{RET} Search backward for @var{words}, using a nonincremental word search. @end table @kindex M-s w @findex isearch-forward-word To begin a forward incremental word search, type @kbd{M-s w}. If incremental search is not already active, this runs the command @code{isearch-forward-word}. If incremental search is already active (whether a forward or backward search), @kbd{M-s w} switches to a word search while keeping the direction of the search and the current search string unchanged. You can toggle word search back off by typing @kbd{M-s w} again. @findex word-search-forward @findex word-search-backward To begin a nonincremental word search, type @kbd{M-s w @key{RET}} for a forward search, or @kbd{M-s w C-r @key{RET}} for a backward search. These run the commands @code{word-search-forward} and @code{word-search-backward} respectively. A nonincremental word search differs slightly from the incremental version in the way it finds a match: the last word in the search string must be an exact match for a whole word. In an incremental word search, the last word in the search string can match part of a word; this allows the matching to proceed incrementally as you type. @node Regexp Search @section Regular Expression Search @cindex regular expression @cindex regexp A @dfn{regular expression} (or @dfn{regexp} for short) is a pattern that denotes a class of alternative strings to match. 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. @table @kbd @item C-M-s Begin incremental regexp search (@code{isearch-forward-regexp}). @item C-M-r Begin reverse incremental regexp search (@code{isearch-backward-regexp}). @end table @kindex C-M-s @findex isearch-forward-regexp @kindex C-M-r @findex isearch-backward-regexp Incremental search for a regexp is done by typing @kbd{C-M-s} (@code{isearch-forward-regexp}), by invoking @kbd{C-s} with a prefix argument (whose value does not matter), or by typing @kbd{M-r} within a forward incremental search. This command reads a search string incrementally just like @kbd{C-s}, but it treats the search string as a regexp rather than looking for an exact match against the text in the buffer. Each time you add text to the search string, you make the regexp longer, and the new regexp is searched for. To search backward for a regexp, use @kbd{C-M-r} (@code{isearch-backward-regexp}), @kbd{C-r} with a prefix argument, or @kbd{M-r} within a backward incremental search. All of the special key sequences in an ordinary incremental search do similar things in an incremental regexp search. For instance, typing @kbd{C-s} immediately after starting the search retrieves the last incremental search regexp used and searches forward for it. Incremental regexp and non-regexp searches have independent defaults. They also have separate search rings, which you can access with @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n}. @vindex search-whitespace-regexp If you type @key{SPC} in incremental regexp search, it matches any sequence of whitespace characters, including newlines. If you want to match just a space, type @kbd{C-q @key{SPC}}. You can control what a bare space matches by setting the variable @code{search-whitespace-regexp} to the desired regexp. In some cases, adding characters to the regexp in an incremental regexp search can make the cursor move back and start again. For example, if you have searched for @samp{foo} and you add @samp{\|bar}, the cursor backs up in case the first @samp{bar} precedes the first @samp{foo}. @xref{Regexps}. Forward and backward regexp search are not symmetrical, because regexp matching in Emacs always operates forward, starting with the beginning of the regexp. Thus, forward regexp search scans forward, trying a forward match at each possible starting position. Backward regexp search scans backward, trying a forward match at each possible starting position. These search methods are not mirror images. @findex re-search-forward @findex re-search-backward Nonincremental search for a regexp is done by the functions @code{re-search-forward} and @code{re-search-backward}. You can invoke these with @kbd{M-x}, or by way of incremental regexp search with @kbd{C-M-s @key{RET}} and @kbd{C-M-r @key{RET}}. 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 mainly used in Lisp programs; see @ref{Regular Expressions,,, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}. Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary character is a simple regular expression which matches that same character and nothing else. The special characters are @samp{$}, @samp{^}, @samp{.}, @samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?}, @samp{[}, and @samp{\}. The character @samp{]} is special if it ends a character alternative (see later). The character @samp{-} is special inside a character alternative. Any other character appearing in a regular expression is ordinary, unless a @samp{\} precedes it. (When you use regular expressions in a Lisp program, each @samp{\} must be doubled, see the example near the end of this section.) For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string @samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string @samp{ff}.) Likewise, @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches only @samp{o}. (When case distinctions are being ignored, these regexps also match @samp{F} and @samp{O}, but we consider this a generalization of ``the same string,'' rather than an exception.) Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The result is a regular expression which matches a string if @var{a} matches some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of the string.@refill As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f} and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something nontrivial, you need to use one of the special characters. Here is a list of them. @table @asis @item @kbd{.}@: @r{(Period)} is a special character that matches any single character except a newline. Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with @samp{b}.@refill @item @kbd{*} is not a construct by itself; it is a postfix operator that means to match the preceding regular expression repetitively as many times as possible. Thus, @samp{o*} matches any number of @samp{o}s (including no @samp{o}s). @samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a repeating @samp{fo}. It matches @samp{f}, @samp{fo}, @samp{foo}, and so on. The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately, as many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest of the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some of the matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in case that makes it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in matching @samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} first tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is @samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails. The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s. With this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully.@refill @item @kbd{+} is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match the preceding expression at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r} matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string @samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings. @item @kbd{?} is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it can match the preceding expression either once or not at all. For example, @samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}; nothing else. @item @kbd{*?}, @kbd{+?}, @kbd{??} @cindex non-greedy regexp matching are non-greedy variants of the operators above. The normal operators @samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?} are @dfn{greedy} in that they match as much as they can, as long as the overall regexp can still match. With a following @samp{?}, they are non-greedy: they will match as little as possible. Thus, both @samp{ab*} and @samp{ab*?} can match the string @samp{a} and the string @samp{abbbb}; but if you try to match them both against the text @samp{abbb}, @samp{ab*} will match it all (the longest valid match), while @samp{ab*?} will match just @samp{a} (the shortest valid match). Non-greedy operators match the shortest possible string starting at a given starting point; in a forward search, though, the earliest possible starting point for match is always the one chosen. Thus, if you search for @samp{a.*?$} against the text @samp{abbab} followed by a newline, it matches the whole string. Since it @emph{can} match starting at the first @samp{a}, it does. @item @kbd{\@{@var{n}\@}} is a postfix operator that specifies repetition @var{n} times---that is, the preceding regular expression must match exactly @var{n} times in a row. For example, @samp{x\@{4\@}} matches the string @samp{xxxx} and nothing else. @item @kbd{\@{@var{n},@var{m}\@}} is a postfix operator that specifies repetition between @var{n} and @var{m} times---that is, the preceding regular expression must match at least @var{n} times, but no more than @var{m} times. If @var{m} is omitted, then there is no upper limit, but the preceding regular expression must match at least @var{n} times.@* @samp{\@{0,1\@}} is equivalent to @samp{?}. @* @samp{\@{0,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{*}. @* @samp{\@{1,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{+}. @item @kbd{[ @dots{} ]} is a @dfn{character set}, which begins with @samp{[} and is terminated by @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between the two brackets are what this set can match. Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one @samp{d}, and @samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s and @samp{d}s (including the empty string), from which it follows that @samp{c[ad]*r} matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, @samp{caddaar}, etc. You can also include character ranges in a character set, by writing the starting and ending characters with a @samp{-} between them. Thus, @samp{[a-z]} matches any lower-case @acronym{ASCII} letter. Ranges may be intermixed freely with individual characters, as in @samp{[a-z$%.]}, which matches any lower-case @acronym{ASCII} letter or @samp{$}, @samp{%} or period. Note that the usual regexp special characters are not special inside a character set. A completely different set of special characters exists inside character sets: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}. To include a @samp{]} in a character set, you must make it the first character. For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. To include a @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first or last character of the set, or put it after a range. Thus, @samp{[]-]} matches both @samp{]} and @samp{-}. To include @samp{^} in a set, put it anywhere but at the beginning of the set. (At the beginning, it complements the set---see below.) When you use a range in case-insensitive search, you should write both ends of the range in upper case, or both in lower case, or both should be non-letters. The behavior of a mixed-case range such as @samp{A-z} is somewhat ill-defined, and it may change in future Emacs versions. @item @kbd{[^ @dots{} ]} @samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complemented character set}, which matches any character except the ones specified. Thus, @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} matches all characters @emph{except} @acronym{ASCII} letters and digits. @samp{^} is not special in a character set unless it is the first character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it were first (in other words, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there). A complemented character set can match a newline, unless newline is mentioned as one of the characters not to match. This is in contrast to the handling of regexps in programs such as @code{grep}. @item @kbd{^} is a special character that matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a line in the text being matched. Otherwise it fails to match anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at the beginning of a line. For historical compatibility reasons, @samp{^} can be used with this meaning only at the beginning of the regular expression, or after @samp{\(} or @samp{\|}. @item @kbd{$} is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line. Thus, @samp{x+$} matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line. For historical compatibility reasons, @samp{$} can be used with this meaning only at the end of the regular expression, or before @samp{\)} or @samp{\|}. @item @kbd{\} has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including @samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs. Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on. See the following section for the special constructs that begin with @samp{\}. @end table Note: for historical compatibility, special characters are treated as ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special meanings make no sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as ordinary since there is no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} can act. It is poor practice to depend on this behavior; it is better to quote the special character anyway, regardless of where it appears. As a @samp{\} is not special inside a character alternative, it can never remove the special meaning of @samp{-} or @samp{]}. So you should not quote these characters when they have no special meaning either. This would not clarify anything, since backslashes can legitimately precede these characters where they @emph{have} special meaning, as in @samp{[^\]} (@code{"[^\\]"} for Lisp string syntax), which matches any single character except a backslash. @node Regexp Backslash @section Backslash in Regular Expressions For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only that character. However, there are several exceptions: two-character sequences starting with @samp{\} that have special meanings. The second character in the sequence is always an ordinary character when used on its own. Here is a table of @samp{\} constructs. @table @kbd @item \| specifies an alternative. Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} with @samp{\|} in between form an expression that matches some text if either @var{a} matches it or @var{b} matches it. It works by trying to match @var{a}, and if that fails, by trying to match @var{b}. Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar} but no other string.@refill @samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of @samp{\|}.@refill Full backtracking capability exists to handle multiple uses of @samp{\|}. @item \( @dots{} \) is a grouping construct that serves three purposes: @enumerate @item To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations. Thus, @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} or @samp{barx}. @item To enclose a complicated expression for the postfix operators @samp{*}, @samp{+} and @samp{?} to operate on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches @samp{bananana}, etc., with any (zero or more) number of @samp{na} strings.@refill @item To record a matched substring for future reference. @end enumerate This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that is assigned as a second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. In practice there is usually no conflict between the two meanings; when there is a conflict, you can use a ``shy'' group. @item \(?: @dots{} \) @cindex shy group, in regexp specifies a ``shy'' group that does not record the matched substring; you can't refer back to it with @samp{\@var{d}}. This is useful in mechanically combining regular expressions, so that you can add groups for syntactic purposes without interfering with the numbering of the groups that are meant to be referred to. @item \@var{d} @cindex back reference, in regexp matches the same text that matched the @var{d}th occurrence of a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. This is called a @dfn{back reference}. After the end of a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct, the matcher remembers the beginning and end of the text matched by that construct. Then, later on in the regular expression, you can use @samp{\} followed by the digit @var{d} to mean ``match the same text matched the @var{d}th time by the @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct.'' The strings matching the first nine @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs appearing in a regular expression are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in the order that the open-parentheses appear in the regular expression. So you can use @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched by the corresponding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs. For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match the same exact text. If a particular @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct matches more than once (which can easily happen if it is followed by @samp{*}), only the last match is recorded. @item \` matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of the string or buffer (or its accessible portion) being matched against. @item \' matches the empty string, but only at the end of the string or buffer (or its accessible portion) being matched against. @item \= matches the empty string, but only at point. @item \b matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of @samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches @samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word.@refill @samp{\b} matches at the beginning or end of the buffer regardless of what text appears next to it. @item \B matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or end of a word. @item \< matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word. @samp{\<} matches at the beginning of the buffer only if a word-constituent character follows. @item \> matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. @samp{\>} matches at the end of the buffer only if the contents end with a word-constituent character. @item \w matches any word-constituent character. The syntax table determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax}. @item \W matches any character that is not a word-constituent. @item \_< matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a symbol. A symbol is a sequence of one or more symbol-constituent characters. A symbol-constituent character is a character whose syntax is either @samp{w} or @samp{_}. @samp{\_<} matches at the beginning of the buffer only if a symbol-constituent character follows. @item \_> matches the empty string, but only at the end of a symbol. @samp{\_>} matches at the end of the buffer only if the contents end with a symbol-constituent character. @item \s@var{c} matches any character whose syntax is @var{c}. Here @var{c} is a character that designates a particular syntax class: thus, @samp{w} for word constituent, @samp{-} or @samp{ } for whitespace, @samp{.} for ordinary punctuation, etc. @xref{Syntax}. @item \S@var{c} matches any character whose syntax is not @var{c}. @cindex categories of characters @cindex characters which belong to a specific language @findex describe-categories @item \c@var{c} matches any character that belongs to the category @var{c}. For example, @samp{\cc} matches Chinese characters, @samp{\cg} matches Greek characters, etc. For the description of the known categories, type @kbd{M-x describe-categories @key{RET}}. @item \C@var{c} matches any character that does @emph{not} belong to category @var{c}. @end table The constructs that pertain to words and syntax are controlled by the setting of the syntax table (@pxref{Syntax}). @node Regexp Example @section Regular Expression Example Here is an example of a regexp---the regexp that Emacs uses, by default, to recognize the end of a sentence, not including the following space (i.e., the variable @code{sentence-end-base}): @example @verbatim [.?!][]\"'””)}]* @end verbatim @end example @noindent This contains two parts in succession: a character set matching period, @samp{?}, or @samp{!}, and a character set matching close-brackets, quotes, or parentheses, repeated zero or more times. @node Search Case @section Searching and Case 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 @samp{foo} are also considered a match. Regexps, and in particular character sets, are included: @samp{[ab]} would match @samp{a} or @samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}.@refill An upper-case letter anywhere in the incremental search string makes the search case-sensitive. Thus, searching for @samp{Foo} does not find @samp{foo} or @samp{FOO}. This applies to regular expression search as well as to string search. The effect ceases if you delete the upper-case letter from the search string. Typing @kbd{M-c} within an incremental search toggles the case 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 adding or removing 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 normally affects only the current buffer, unless you change its default value. @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}). Several related variables control case-sensitivity of searching and matching for specific commands or activities. For instance, @code{tags-case-fold-search} controls case sensitivity for @code{find-tag}. To find these variables, do @kbd{M-x apropos-variable @key{RET} case-fold-search @key{RET}}. @node Replace @section Replacement Commands @cindex replacement @cindex search-and-replace commands @cindex string substitution @cindex global substitution Emacs provides several commands for performing search-and-replace operations. In addition to the simple @kbd{M-x replace-string} command, there is @kbd{M-%} (@code{query-replace}), which presents each occurrence of the pattern and asks you whether to replace it. The replace commands normally operate on the text from point to the end of the buffer. When the mark is active, they operate on the region instead (@pxref{Mark}). The basic replace commands replace one @dfn{search string} (or regexp) with one @dfn{replacement string}. It is possible to perform several replacements in parallel, using the command @code{expand-region-abbrevs} (@pxref{Expanding Abbrevs}). @menu * Unconditional Replace:: Replacing all matches for a string. * Regexp Replace:: Replacing all matches for a regexp. * Replacement and Case:: How replacements preserve case of letters. * Query Replace:: How to use querying. @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 point, so if you want to cover the whole buffer you must go to the beginning first. All occurrences up to the end of the buffer are replaced; to limit replacement to part of the buffer, activate the region around that part. When the region is active, replacement is limited to the region (@pxref{Mark}). When @code{replace-string} exits, it leaves point at the last occurrence replaced. It adds the prior position of point (where the @code{replace-string} command was issued) to the mark ring, without activating the mark; use @kbd{C-u C-@key{SPC}} to move back there. @xref{Mark Ring}. A prefix argument restricts replacement to matches that are surrounded by word boundaries. The argument's value doesn't matter. @xref{Replacement and Case}, for details about case-sensitivity in replace commands. @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 @cindex back reference, in regexp replacement 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 digit, stands for whatever matched the @var{d}th parenthesized grouping in @var{regexp}. (This is called a ``back reference.'') @samp{\#} refers to the count of replacements already made in this command, as a decimal number. In the first replacement, @samp{\#} stands for @samp{0}; in the second, for @samp{1}; and so on. For example, @example M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} c[ad]+r @key{RET} \&-safe @key{RET} @end example @noindent replaces (for example) @samp{cadr} with @samp{cadr-safe} and @samp{cddr} with @samp{cddr-safe}. @example M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} \(c[ad]+r\)-safe @key{RET} \1 @key{RET} @end example @noindent performs the inverse transformation. To include a @samp{\} in the text to replace with, you must enter @samp{\\}. If you want to enter part of the replacement string by hand each time, use @samp{\?} in the replacement string. Each replacement will ask you to edit the replacement string in the minibuffer, putting point where the @samp{\?} was. The remainder of this subsection is intended for specialized tasks and requires knowledge of Lisp. Most readers can skip it. You can use Lisp expressions to calculate parts of the replacement string. To do this, write @samp{\,} followed by the expression in the replacement string. Each replacement calculates the value of the expression and converts it to text without quoting (if it's a string, this means using the string's contents), and uses it in the replacement string in place of the expression itself. If the expression is a symbol, one space in the replacement string after the symbol name goes with the symbol name, so the value replaces them both. Inside such an expression, you can use some special sequences. @samp{\&} and @samp{\@var{n}} refer here, as usual, to the entire match as a string, and to a submatch as a string. @var{n} may be multiple digits, and the value of @samp{\@var{n}} is @code{nil} if subexpression @var{n} did not match. You can also use @samp{\#&} and @samp{\#@var{n}} to refer to those matches as numbers (this is valid when the match or submatch has the form of a numeral). @samp{\#} here too stands for the number of already-completed replacements. Repeating our example to exchange @samp{x} and @samp{y}, we can thus do it also this way: @example M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} \(x\)\|y @key{RET} \,(if \1 "y" "x") @key{RET} @end example For computing replacement strings for @samp{\,}, the @code{format} function is often useful (@pxref{Formatting Strings,,, elisp, The Emacs Lisp Reference Manual}). For example, to add consecutively numbered strings like @samp{ABC00042} to columns 73 @w{to 80} (unless they are already occupied), you can use @example M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} ^.\@{0,72\@}$ @key{RET} \,(format "%-72sABC%05d" \& \#) @key{RET} @end example @node Replacement and Case, Query Replace, Regexp Replace, Replace @subsection Replace Commands and Case If the first argument of a replace command is all lower case, the command ignores case while searching for occurrences to replace---provided @code{case-fold-search} is non-@code{nil}. If @code{case-fold-search} is set to @code{nil}, case is always significant in all searches. @vindex case-replace In addition, when the @var{newstring} argument is all or partly lower case, replacement commands try to preserve the case pattern of each occurrence. Thus, the command @example M-x replace-string @key{RET} foo @key{RET} bar @key{RET} @end example @noindent replaces a lower case @samp{foo} with a lower case @samp{bar}, an all-caps @samp{FOO} with @samp{BAR}, and a capitalized @samp{Foo} with @samp{Bar}. (These three alternatives---lower case, all caps, and capitalized, are the only ones that @code{replace-string} can distinguish.) If upper-case letters are used in the replacement string, they remain upper case every time that text is inserted. If upper-case letters are used in the first argument, the second argument is always substituted exactly as given, with no case conversion. Likewise, if either @code{case-replace} or @code{case-fold-search} is set to @code{nil}, replacement is done without case conversion. @node Query Replace,, Replacement and Case, Replace @subsection Query Replace @cindex query replace @table @kbd @item M-% @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET} @itemx M-x query-replace @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET} Replace some occurrences of @var{string} with @var{newstring}. @item C-M-% @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET} @itemx M-x query-replace-regexp @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET} Replace some matches for @var{regexp} with @var{newstring}. @end table @kindex M-% @findex query-replace If you want to change only some of the occurrences of @samp{foo} to @samp{bar}, not all of them, use @kbd{M-%} (@code{query-replace}). This command finds occurrences of @samp{foo} one by one, displays each occurrence and asks you whether to replace it. Aside from querying, @code{query-replace} works just like @code{replace-string} (@pxref{Unconditional Replace}). In particular, it preserves case provided @code{case-replace} is non-@code{nil}, as it normally is (@pxref{Replacement and Case}). A numeric argument means consider only occurrences that are bounded by word-delimiter characters. @kindex C-M-% @findex query-replace-regexp @kbd{C-M-%} performs regexp search and replace (@code{query-replace-regexp}). It works like @code{replace-regexp} except that it queries like @code{query-replace}. @cindex faces for highlighting query replace These commands highlight the current match using the face @code{query-replace}. They highlight other matches using @code{lazy-highlight} just like incremental search (@pxref{Incremental Search}). By default, @code{query-replace-regexp} will show substituted replacement string for the current match in the minibuffer. If you want to keep special sequences @samp{\&} and @samp{\@var{n}} unexpanded, customize @code{query-replace-show-replacement} variable. The characters you can type when you are shown a match for the string or regexp are: @ignore @c Not worth it. @kindex SPC @r{(query-replace)} @kindex DEL @r{(query-replace)} @kindex , @r{(query-replace)} @kindex RET @r{(query-replace)} @kindex . @r{(query-replace)} @kindex ! @r{(query-replace)} @kindex ^ @r{(query-replace)} @kindex C-r @r{(query-replace)} @kindex C-w @r{(query-replace)} @kindex C-l @r{(query-replace)} @end ignore @c WideCommands @table @kbd @item @key{SPC} to replace the occurrence with @var{newstring}. @item @key{DEL} to skip to the next occurrence without replacing this one. @item , @r{(Comma)} to replace this occurrence and display the result. You are then asked for another input character to say what to do next. Since the replacement has already been made, @key{DEL} and @key{SPC} are equivalent in this situation; both move to the next occurrence. You can type @kbd{C-r} at this point (see below) to alter the replaced text. You can also type @kbd{C-x u} to undo the replacement; this exits the @code{query-replace}, so if you want to do further replacement you must use @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC} @key{RET}} to restart (@pxref{Repetition}). @item @key{RET} to exit without doing any more replacements. @item .@: @r{(Period)} to replace this occurrence and then exit without searching for more occurrences. @item ! to replace all remaining occurrences without asking again. @item ^ to go back to the position of the previous occurrence (or what used to be an occurrence), in case you changed it by mistake or want to reexamine it. @item C-r to enter a recursive editing level, in case the occurrence needs to be edited rather than just replaced with @var{newstring}. When you are done, exit the recursive editing level with @kbd{C-M-c} to proceed to the next occurrence. @xref{Recursive Edit}. @item C-w to delete the occurrence, and then enter a recursive editing level as in @kbd{C-r}. Use the recursive edit to insert text to replace the deleted occurrence of @var{string}. When done, exit the recursive editing level with @kbd{C-M-c} to proceed to the next occurrence. @item e to edit the replacement string in the minibuffer. When you exit the minibuffer by typing @key{RET}, the minibuffer contents replace the current occurrence of the pattern. They also become the new replacement string for any further occurrences. @item C-l to redisplay the screen. Then you must type another character to specify what to do with this occurrence. @item C-h to display a message summarizing these options. Then you must type another character to specify what to do with this occurrence. @end table Some other characters are aliases for the ones listed above: @kbd{y}, @kbd{n} and @kbd{q} are equivalent to @key{SPC}, @key{DEL} and @key{RET}. Aside from this, any other character exits the @code{query-replace}, and is then reread as part of a key sequence. Thus, if you type @kbd{C-k}, it exits the @code{query-replace} and then kills to end of line. To restart a @code{query-replace} once it is exited, use @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC}}, which repeats the @code{query-replace} because it used the minibuffer to read its arguments. @xref{Repetition, C-x ESC ESC}. @xref{Operating on Files}, for the Dired @kbd{Q} command which performs query replace on selected files. 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}. Aside from @code{occur} and its variants, all operate on the text from point to the end of the buffer, or on the region if it is active. @findex list-matching-lines @findex occur @findex multi-occur @findex multi-occur-in-matching-buffers @findex how-many @findex flush-lines @findex keep-lines @table @kbd @item M-x occur @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} Display a list showing each line in the buffer that contains a match for @var{regexp}. To limit the search to part of the buffer, narrow to that part (@pxref{Narrowing}). A numeric argument @var{n} specifies that @var{n} lines of context are to be displayed before and after each matching line. Currently, @code{occur} can not correctly handle multiline matches. @kindex RET @r{(Occur mode)} @kindex o @r{(Occur mode)} @kindex C-o @r{(Occur mode)} The buffer @samp{*Occur*} containing the output serves as a menu for finding the occurrences in their original context. Click @kbd{Mouse-2} on an occurrence listed in @samp{*Occur*}, or position point there and type @key{RET}; this switches to the buffer that was searched and moves point to the original of the chosen occurrence. @kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o} display the match in another window; @kbd{C-o} does not select it. After using @kbd{M-x occur}, you can use @code{next-error} to visit the occurrences found, one by one. @ref{Compilation Mode}. @kindex M-s o @item M-s o Run @code{occur} using the search string of the last incremental string search. You can also run @kbd{M-s o} when an incremental search is active; this uses the current search string. @item M-x list-matching-lines Synonym for @kbd{M-x occur}. @item M-x multi-occur @key{RET} @var{buffers} @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} This function is just like @code{occur}, except it is able to search through multiple buffers. It asks you to specify the buffer names one by one. @item M-x multi-occur-in-matching-buffers @key{RET} @var{bufregexp} @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} This function is similar to @code{multi-occur}, except the buffers to search are specified by a regular expression that matches visited file names. With a prefix argument, it uses the regular expression to match buffer names instead. @item M-x how-many @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} Print the number of matches for @var{regexp} that exist in the buffer after point. If the region is active, this operates on the region instead. @item M-x flush-lines @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} This command deletes each line that contains a match for @var{regexp}, operating on the text after point; it deletes the current line if it contains a match starting after point. If the region is active, it operates on the region instead; if a line partially contained in the region contains a match entirely contained in the region, it is deleted. If a match is split across lines, @code{flush-lines} deletes all those lines. It deletes the lines before starting to look for the next match; hence, it ignores a match starting on the same line at which another match ended. @item M-x keep-lines @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} This command deletes each line that @emph{does not} contain a match for @var{regexp}, operating on the text after point; if point is not at the beginning of a line, it always keeps the current line. If the region is active, the command operates on the region instead; it never deletes lines that are only partially contained in the region (a newline that ends a line counts as part of that line). If a match is split across lines, this command keeps all those lines. @end table @ignore arch-tag: fd9d8e77-66af-491c-b212-d80999613e3e @end ignore