MULTI_KBOARD support for ttys. Input-related bugfixes for X+tty sessions.
[bpt/emacs.git] / man / search.texi
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6bf7aab6 1@c This is part of the Emacs manual.
a63ebf98 2@c Copyright (C) 1985, 86, 87, 93, 94, 95, 97, 2000, 2001
6ca0edfe 3@c Free Software Foundation, Inc.
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4@c See file emacs.texi for copying conditions.
5@node Search, Fixit, Display, Top
6@chapter Searching and Replacement
7@cindex searching
8@cindex finding strings within text
9
10 Like other editors, Emacs has commands for searching for occurrences of
11a string. The principal search command is unusual in that it is
12@dfn{incremental}; it begins to search before you have finished typing the
13search string. There are also nonincremental search commands more like
14those of other editors.
15
16 Besides the usual @code{replace-string} command that finds all
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17occurrences of one string and replaces them with another, Emacs has a
18more flexible replacement command called @code{query-replace}, which
19asks interactively which occurrences to replace.
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20
21@menu
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22* Incremental Search:: Search happens as you type the string.
23* Nonincremental Search:: Specify entire string and then search.
24* Word Search:: Search for sequence of words.
25* Regexp Search:: Search for match for a regexp.
26* Regexps:: Syntax of regular expressions.
27* Search Case:: To ignore case while searching, or not.
28* Configuring Scrolling:: Scrolling within incremental search.
29* Replace:: Search, and replace some or all matches.
30* Other Repeating Search:: Operating on all matches for some regexp.
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31@end menu
32
33@node Incremental Search, Nonincremental Search, Search, Search
34@section Incremental Search
35
36@cindex incremental search
37 An incremental search begins searching as soon as you type the first
38character of the search string. As you type in the search string, Emacs
39shows you where the string (as you have typed it so far) would be
40found. When you have typed enough characters to identify the place you
41want, you can stop. Depending on what you plan to do next, you may or
42may not need to terminate the search explicitly with @key{RET}.
43
44@c WideCommands
45@table @kbd
46@item C-s
47Incremental search forward (@code{isearch-forward}).
48@item C-r
49Incremental search backward (@code{isearch-backward}).
50@end table
51
52@kindex C-s
53@findex isearch-forward
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54 @kbd{C-s} starts a forward incremental search. It reads characters
55from the keyboard, and moves point past the next occurrence of those
56characters. If you type @kbd{C-s} and then @kbd{F}, that puts the
e9c80604 57cursor after the first @samp{F} (the first following the starting point, since
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58this is a forward search). Then if you type an @kbd{O}, you will see
59the cursor move just after the first @samp{FO} (the @samp{F} in that
60@samp{FO} may or may not be the first @samp{F}). After another
61@kbd{O}, the cursor moves after the first @samp{FOO} after the place
62where you started the search. At each step, the buffer text that
63matches the search string is highlighted, if the terminal can do that;
64the current search string is always displayed in the echo area.
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65
66 If you make a mistake in typing the search string, you can cancel
67characters with @key{DEL}. Each @key{DEL} cancels the last character of
68search string. This does not happen until Emacs is ready to read another
69input character; first it must either find, or fail to find, the character
70you want to erase. If you do not want to wait for this to happen, use
71@kbd{C-g} as described below.
72
73 When you are satisfied with the place you have reached, you can type
74@key{RET}, which stops searching, leaving the cursor where the search
75brought it. Also, any command not specially meaningful in searches
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76stops the searching and is then executed. Thus, typing @kbd{C-a}
77would exit the search and then move to the beginning of the line.
78@key{RET} is necessary only if the next command you want to type is a
79printing character, @key{DEL}, @key{RET}, or another character that is
6bf7aab6 80special within searches (@kbd{C-q}, @kbd{C-w}, @kbd{C-r}, @kbd{C-s},
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81@kbd{C-y}, @kbd{M-y}, @kbd{M-r}, @kbd{M-s}, and some other
82meta-characters).
6bf7aab6 83
a76af65d 84 Sometimes you search for @samp{FOO} and find one, but not the one you
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85expected to find. There was a second @samp{FOO} that you forgot
86about, before the one you were aiming for. In this event, type
87another @kbd{C-s} to move to the next occurrence of the search string.
88You can repeat this any number of times. If you overshoot, you can
89cancel some @kbd{C-s} characters with @key{DEL}.
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90
91 After you exit a search, you can search for the same string again by
92typing just @kbd{C-s C-s}: the first @kbd{C-s} is the key that invokes
93incremental search, and the second @kbd{C-s} means ``search again.''
94
95 To reuse earlier search strings, use the @dfn{search ring}. The
96commands @kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n} move through the ring to pick a search
97string to reuse. These commands leave the selected search ring element
98in the minibuffer, where you can edit it. Type @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r}
99to terminate editing the string and search for it.
100
101 If your string is not found at all, the echo area says @samp{Failing
102I-Search}. The cursor is after the place where Emacs found as much of your
103string as it could. Thus, if you search for @samp{FOOT}, and there is no
104@samp{FOOT}, you might see the cursor after the @samp{FOO} in @samp{FOOL}.
105At this point there are several things you can do. If your string was
106mistyped, you can rub some of it out and correct it. If you like the place
107you have found, you can type @key{RET} or some other Emacs command to
a76af65d 108remain there. Or you can type @kbd{C-g}, which
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109removes from the search string the characters that could not be found (the
110@samp{T} in @samp{FOOT}), leaving those that were found (the @samp{FOO} in
111@samp{FOOT}). A second @kbd{C-g} at that point cancels the search
112entirely, returning point to where it was when the search started.
113
114 An upper-case letter in the search string makes the search
115case-sensitive. If you delete the upper-case character from the search
116string, it ceases to have this effect. @xref{Search Case}.
117
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118 To search for a newline, type @kbd{C-j}. To search for another
119control character, such as control-S or carriage return, you must quote
120it by typing @kbd{C-q} first. This function of @kbd{C-q} is analogous
121to its use for insertion (@pxref{Inserting Text}): it causes the
122following character to be treated the way any ``ordinary'' character is
123treated in the same context. You can also specify a character by its
124octal code: enter @kbd{C-q} followed by a sequence of octal digits.
125
76dd3692 126@cindex searching for non-@acronym{ASCII} characters
4a1b539b 127@cindex input method, during incremental search
76dd3692 128 To search for non-@acronym{ASCII} characters, you must use an input method
e9c80604 129(@pxref{Input Methods}). If an input method is enabled in the
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130current buffer when you start the search, you can use it while you
131type the search string also. Emacs indicates that by including the
132input method mnemonic in its prompt, like this:
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133
134@example
91cf1909 135I-search [@var{im}]:
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136@end example
137
138@noindent
139@findex isearch-toggle-input-method
140@findex isearch-toggle-specified-input-method
141where @var{im} is the mnemonic of the active input method. You can
142toggle (enable or disable) the input method while you type the search
143string with @kbd{C-\} (@code{isearch-toggle-input-method}). You can
144turn on a certain (non-default) input method with @kbd{C-^}
145(@code{isearch-toggle-specified-input-method}), which prompts for the
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146name of the input method. The input method you enable during
147incremental search remains enabled in the current buffer afterwards.
4a1b539b 148
6bf7aab6 149 If a search is failing and you ask to repeat it by typing another
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150@kbd{C-s}, it starts again from the beginning of the buffer.
151Repeating a failing reverse search with @kbd{C-r} starts again from
152the end. This is called @dfn{wrapping around}, and @samp{Wrapped}
153appears in the search prompt once this has happened. If you keep on
154going past the original starting point of the search, it changes to
155@samp{Overwrapped}, which means that you are revisiting matches that
156you have already seen.
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157
158@cindex quitting (in search)
159 The @kbd{C-g} ``quit'' character does special things during searches;
160just what it does depends on the status of the search. If the search has
161found what you specified and is waiting for input, @kbd{C-g} cancels the
162entire search. The cursor moves back to where you started the search. If
163@kbd{C-g} is typed when there are characters in the search string that have
164not been found---because Emacs is still searching for them, or because it
165has failed to find them---then the search string characters which have not
166been found are discarded from the search string. With them gone, the
167search is now successful and waiting for more input, so a second @kbd{C-g}
168will cancel the entire search.
169
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170 You can change to searching backwards with @kbd{C-r}. If a search fails
171because the place you started was too late in the file, you should do this.
172Repeated @kbd{C-r} keeps looking for more occurrences backwards. A
173@kbd{C-s} starts going forwards again. @kbd{C-r} in a search can be canceled
174with @key{DEL}.
175
176@kindex C-r
177@findex isearch-backward
178 If you know initially that you want to search backwards, you can use
179@kbd{C-r} instead of @kbd{C-s} to start the search, because @kbd{C-r} as
180a key runs a command (@code{isearch-backward}) to search backward. A
181backward search finds matches that are entirely before the starting
182point, just as a forward search finds matches that begin after it.
183
184 The characters @kbd{C-y} and @kbd{C-w} can be used in incremental
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185search to grab text from the buffer into the search string. This
186makes it convenient to search for another occurrence of text at point.
187@kbd{C-w} copies the character or word after point as part of the
188search string, advancing point over it. (The decision, whether to
189copy a character or a word, is heuristic.) Another @kbd{C-s} to
190repeat the search will then search for a string including that
191character or word.
192
193 @kbd{C-y} is similar to @kbd{C-w} but copies all the rest of the
194current line into the search string. Both @kbd{C-y} and @kbd{C-w}
195convert the text they copy to lower case if the search is currently
196not case-sensitive; this is so the search remains case-insensitive.
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197
198 The character @kbd{M-y} copies text from the kill ring into the search
199string. It uses the same text that @kbd{C-y} as a command would yank.
91cf1909 200@kbd{Mouse-2} in the echo area does the same.
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201@xref{Yanking}.
202
203 When you exit the incremental search, it sets the mark to where point
204@emph{was}, before the search. That is convenient for moving back
205there. In Transient Mark mode, incremental search sets the mark without
206activating it, and does so only if the mark is not already active.
207
1de69f0c 208@cindex lazy search highlighting
1de69f0c 209@vindex isearch-lazy-highlight
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210 When you pause for a little while during incremental search, it
211highlights all other possible matches for the search string. This
212makes it easier to anticipate where you can get to by typing @kbd{C-s}
213or @kbd{C-r} to repeat the search. The short delay before highlighting
214other matches helps indicate which match is the current one.
215If you don't like this feature, you can turn it off by setting
216@code{isearch-lazy-highlight} to @code{nil}.
1de69f0c 217
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218@vindex isearch-lazy-highlight-face
219@cindex faces for highlighting search matches
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220 You can control how this highlighting looks by customizing the faces
221@code{isearch} (used for the current match) and
222@code{isearch-lazy-highlight-face} (for all the other matches).
24346b4e 223
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224@vindex isearch-mode-map
225 To customize the special characters that incremental search understands,
226alter their bindings in the keymap @code{isearch-mode-map}. For a list
227of bindings, look at the documentation of @code{isearch-mode} with
228@kbd{C-h f isearch-mode @key{RET}}.
229
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230@subsection Scrolling During Incremental Search
231
232 Vertical scrolling during incremental search can be enabled by
233setting the customizable variable @code{isearch-allow-scroll} to a
234non-nil value.
235
236 You can then use the vertical scroll-bar or certain keyboard
237commands such as @kbd{@key{PRIOR}} (@code{scroll-down}),
238@kbd{@key{NEXT}} (@code{scroll-up}) and @kbd{C-l} (@code{recenter})
239within the search, thus letting you see more of the text near the
240current match. You must run these commands via their key sequences to
241stay in the search - typing M-x @var{comand-name} will always
242terminate a search.
243
244 You can give prefix arguments to these commands in the usual way.
245The current match cannot be scrolled out of the window - this is
246intentional.
247
248 Several other commands, such as @kbd{C-x 2}
249(@code{split-window-vertically}) and @kbd{C-x ^}
250(@code{enlarge-window}) which don't scroll the window, are
251nevertheless made available under this rubric, since they are likewise
252handy during a search.
253
254 For a list of commands which are configured as scrolling commands by
255default and instructions on how thus to configure other commands, see
256@ref{Configuring Scrolling}.
257
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258@subsection Slow Terminal Incremental Search
259
260 Incremental search on a slow terminal uses a modified style of display
261that is designed to take less time. Instead of redisplaying the buffer at
262each place the search gets to, it creates a new single-line window and uses
263that to display the line that the search has found. The single-line window
6f515f89 264comes into play as soon as point moves outside of the text that is already
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265on the screen.
266
267 When you terminate the search, the single-line window is removed.
6f515f89 268Emacs then redisplays the window in which the search was done, to show
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269its new position of point.
270
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271@vindex search-slow-speed
272 The slow terminal style of display is used when the terminal baud rate is
273less than or equal to the value of the variable @code{search-slow-speed},
b20a1c88 274initially 1200. See @code{baud-rate} in @ref{Display Custom}.
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275
276@vindex search-slow-window-lines
277 The number of lines to use in slow terminal search display is controlled
278by the variable @code{search-slow-window-lines}. Its normal value is 1.
279
280@node Nonincremental Search, Word Search, Incremental Search, Search
281@section Nonincremental Search
282@cindex nonincremental search
283
284 Emacs also has conventional nonincremental search commands, which require
285you to type the entire search string before searching begins.
286
287@table @kbd
288@item C-s @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET}
289Search for @var{string}.
290@item C-r @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET}
291Search backward for @var{string}.
292@end table
293
294 To do a nonincremental search, first type @kbd{C-s @key{RET}}. This
295enters the minibuffer to read the search string; terminate the string
296with @key{RET}, and then the search takes place. If the string is not
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297found, the search command signals an error.
298
299 When you type @kbd{C-s @key{RET}}, the @kbd{C-s} invokes incremental
300search as usual. That command is specially programmed to invoke
301nonincremental search, @code{search-forward}, if the string you
302specify is empty. (Such an empty argument would otherwise be
303useless.) But it does not call @code{search-forward} right away. First
304it checks the next input character to see if is @kbd{C-w},
305which specifies a word search.
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306@ifinfo
307@xref{Word Search}.
308@end ifinfo
a76af65d 309@kbd{C-r @key{RET}} does likewise, for a reverse incremental search.
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310
311@findex search-forward
312@findex search-backward
313 Forward and backward nonincremental searches are implemented by the
314commands @code{search-forward} and @code{search-backward}. These
315commands may be bound to keys in the usual manner. The feature that you
316can get to them via the incremental search commands exists for
a76af65d 317historical reasons, and to avoid the need to find key sequences
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318for them.
319
320@node Word Search, Regexp Search, Nonincremental Search, Search
321@section Word Search
322@cindex word search
323
324 Word search searches for a sequence of words without regard to how the
325words are separated. More precisely, you type a string of many words,
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326using single spaces to separate them, and the string can be found even
327if there are multiple spaces, newlines, or other punctuation characters
328between these words.
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329
330 Word search is useful for editing a printed document made with a text
331formatter. If you edit while looking at the printed, formatted version,
332you can't tell where the line breaks are in the source file. With word
333search, you can search without having to know them.
334
335@table @kbd
336@item C-s @key{RET} C-w @var{words} @key{RET}
337Search for @var{words}, ignoring details of punctuation.
338@item C-r @key{RET} C-w @var{words} @key{RET}
339Search backward for @var{words}, ignoring details of punctuation.
340@end table
341
342 Word search is a special case of nonincremental search and is invoked
343with @kbd{C-s @key{RET} C-w}. This is followed by the search string,
344which must always be terminated with @key{RET}. Being nonincremental,
345this search does not start until the argument is terminated. It works
346by constructing a regular expression and searching for that; see
347@ref{Regexp Search}.
348
349 Use @kbd{C-r @key{RET} C-w} to do backward word search.
350
351@findex word-search-forward
352@findex word-search-backward
353 Forward and backward word searches are implemented by the commands
354@code{word-search-forward} and @code{word-search-backward}. These
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355commands may be bound to keys in the usual manner. They are available
356via the incremental search commands both for historical reasons and
357to avoid the need to find suitable key sequences for them.
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358
359@node Regexp Search, Regexps, Word Search, Search
360@section Regular Expression Search
361@cindex regular expression
362@cindex regexp
363
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364 A @dfn{regular expression} (@dfn{regexp}, for short) is a pattern
365that denotes a class of alternative strings to match, possibly
366infinitely many. GNU Emacs provides both incremental and
367nonincremental ways to search for a match for a regexp.
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368
369@kindex C-M-s
370@findex isearch-forward-regexp
371@kindex C-M-r
372@findex isearch-backward-regexp
373 Incremental search for a regexp is done by typing @kbd{C-M-s}
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374(@code{isearch-forward-regexp}), or by invoking @kbd{C-s} with a
375prefix argument (whose value does not matter). This command reads a
376search string incrementally just like @kbd{C-s}, but it treats the
377search string as a regexp rather than looking for an exact match
378against the text in the buffer. Each time you add text to the search
379string, you make the regexp longer, and the new regexp is searched
380for. To search backward for a regexp, use @kbd{C-M-r}
381(@code{isearch-backward-regexp}), or @kbd{C-r} with a prefix argument.
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382
383 All of the control characters that do special things within an
384ordinary incremental search have the same function in incremental regexp
385search. Typing @kbd{C-s} or @kbd{C-r} immediately after starting the
386search retrieves the last incremental search regexp used; that is to
387say, incremental regexp and non-regexp searches have independent
388defaults. They also have separate search rings that you can access with
389@kbd{M-p} and @kbd{M-n}.
390
391 If you type @key{SPC} in incremental regexp search, it matches any
392sequence of whitespace characters, including newlines. If you want
393to match just a space, type @kbd{C-q @key{SPC}}.
394
395 Note that adding characters to the regexp in an incremental regexp
396search can make the cursor move back and start again. For example, if
397you have searched for @samp{foo} and you add @samp{\|bar}, the cursor
398backs up in case the first @samp{bar} precedes the first @samp{foo}.
399
400@findex re-search-forward
401@findex re-search-backward
402 Nonincremental search for a regexp is done by the functions
403@code{re-search-forward} and @code{re-search-backward}. You can invoke
404these with @kbd{M-x}, or bind them to keys, or invoke them by way of
405incremental regexp search with @kbd{C-M-s @key{RET}} and @kbd{C-M-r
406@key{RET}}.
407
408 If you use the incremental regexp search commands with a prefix
409argument, they perform ordinary string search, like
410@code{isearch-forward} and @code{isearch-backward}. @xref{Incremental
411Search}.
412
413@node Regexps, Search Case, Regexp Search, Search
414@section Syntax of Regular Expressions
4946337d 415@cindex syntax of regexps
6bf7aab6 416
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417 This manual describes regular expression features that users
418typically want to use. There are additional features that are
419mainly used in Lisp programs; see @ref{Regular Expressions,,,
420elisp, the same manual}.
421
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422 Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are
423special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary
424character is a simple regular expression which matches that same
425character and nothing else. The special characters are @samp{$},
426@samp{^}, @samp{.}, @samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?}, @samp{[}, @samp{]} and
427@samp{\}. Any other character appearing in a regular expression is
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428ordinary, unless a @samp{\} precedes it. (When you use regular
429expressions in a Lisp program, each @samp{\} must be doubled, see the
430example near the end of this section.)
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431
432 For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and
433therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string
434@samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string
435@samp{ff}.) Likewise, @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches
436only @samp{o}. (When case distinctions are being ignored, these regexps
437also match @samp{F} and @samp{O}, but we consider this a generalization
438of ``the same string,'' rather than an exception.)
439
440 Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The
441result is a regular expression which matches a string if @var{a} matches
442some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of
443the string.@refill
444
445 As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f}
446and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only
447the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something nontrivial, you
448need to use one of the special characters. Here is a list of them.
449
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450@table @asis
451@item @kbd{.}@: @r{(Period)}
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452is a special character that matches any single character except a newline.
453Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which
454matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with
455@samp{b}.@refill
456
f3143102 457@item @kbd{*}
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458is not a construct by itself; it is a postfix operator that means to
459match the preceding regular expression repetitively as many times as
460possible. Thus, @samp{o*} matches any number of @samp{o}s (including no
461@samp{o}s).
462
463@samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding
464expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a repeating
465@samp{fo}. It matches @samp{f}, @samp{fo}, @samp{foo}, and so on.
466
467The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately,
468as many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest
469of the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some
470of the matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in case that makes
471it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in matching
472@samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} first
473tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is
474@samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails.
475The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s.
476With this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully.@refill
477
f3143102 478@item @kbd{+}
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479is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match
480the preceding expression at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r}
481matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string
482@samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings.
483
f3143102 484@item @kbd{?}
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485is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it can match the
486preceding expression either once or not at all. For example,
487@samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}; nothing else.
488
f3143102 489@item @kbd{*?}, @kbd{+?}, @kbd{??}
f1a88ed9 490@cindex non-greedy regexp matching
8964fec7 491are non-greedy variants of the operators above. The normal operators
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492@samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?} are @dfn{greedy} in that they match as
493much as they can, as long as the overall regexp can still match. With
494a following @samp{?}, they are non-greedy: they will match as little
495as possible.
496
497Thus, both @samp{ab*} and @samp{ab*?} can match the string @samp{a}
498and the string @samp{abbbb}; but if you try to match them both against
499the text @samp{abbb}, @samp{ab*} will match it all (the longest valid
500match), while @samp{ab*?} will match just @samp{a} (the shortest
501valid match).
502
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503Non-greedy operators match the shortest possible string starting at a
504given starting point; in a forward search, though, the earliest
505possible starting point for match is always the one chosen. Thus, if
506you search for @samp{a.*?$} against the text @samp{abbab} followed by
507a newline, it matches the whole string. Since it @emph{can} match
508starting at the first @samp{a}, it does.
509
f3143102 510@item @kbd{\@{@var{n}\@}}
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511is a postfix operator that specifies repetition @var{n} times---that
512is, the preceding regular expression must match exactly @var{n} times
513in a row. For example, @samp{x\@{4\@}} matches the string @samp{xxxx}
514and nothing else.
8964fec7 515
f3143102 516@item @kbd{\@{@var{n},@var{m}\@}}
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517is a postfix operator that specifies repetition between @var{n} and
518@var{m} times---that is, the preceding regular expression must match
519at least @var{n} times, but no more than @var{m} times. If @var{m} is
520omitted, then there is no upper limit, but the preceding regular
521expression must match at least @var{n} times.@* @samp{\@{0,1\@}} is
522equivalent to @samp{?}. @* @samp{\@{0,\@}} is equivalent to
523@samp{*}. @* @samp{\@{1,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{+}.
8a44227a 524
f3143102 525@item @kbd{[ @dots{} ]}
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526is a @dfn{character set}, which begins with @samp{[} and is terminated
527by @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between the two
528brackets are what this set can match.
529
530Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one @samp{d}, and
531@samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s and @samp{d}s
532(including the empty string), from which it follows that @samp{c[ad]*r}
533matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, @samp{caddaar}, etc.
534
535You can also include character ranges in a character set, by writing the
536starting and ending characters with a @samp{-} between them. Thus,
76dd3692 537@samp{[a-z]} matches any lower-case @acronym{ASCII} letter. Ranges may be
6bf7aab6 538intermixed freely with individual characters, as in @samp{[a-z$%.]},
76dd3692 539which matches any lower-case @acronym{ASCII} letter or @samp{$}, @samp{%} or
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540period.
541
542Note that the usual regexp special characters are not special inside a
543character set. A completely different set of special characters exists
544inside character sets: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}.
545
546To include a @samp{]} in a character set, you must make it the first
547character. For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. To
548include a @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first or last character of the
549set, or put it after a range. Thus, @samp{[]-]} matches both @samp{]}
550and @samp{-}.
551
552To include @samp{^} in a set, put it anywhere but at the beginning of
b20a1c88 553the set. (At the beginning, it complements the set---see below.)
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554
555When you use a range in case-insensitive search, you should write both
556ends of the range in upper case, or both in lower case, or both should
557be non-letters. The behavior of a mixed-case range such as @samp{A-z}
558is somewhat ill-defined, and it may change in future Emacs versions.
559
f3143102 560@item @kbd{[^ @dots{} ]}
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561@samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complemented character set}, which matches any
562character except the ones specified. Thus, @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} matches
76dd3692 563all characters @emph{except} @acronym{ASCII} letters and digits.
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564
565@samp{^} is not special in a character set unless it is the first
566character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it
567were first (in other words, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there).
568
569A complemented character set can match a newline, unless newline is
570mentioned as one of the characters not to match. This is in contrast to
571the handling of regexps in programs such as @code{grep}.
572
f3143102 573@item @kbd{^}
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574is a special character that matches the empty string, but only at the
575beginning of a line in the text being matched. Otherwise it fails to
576match anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at
577the beginning of a line.
578
f3143102 579@item @kbd{$}
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580is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line. Thus,
581@samp{x+$} matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line.
582
f3143102 583@item @kbd{\}
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584has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including
585@samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs.
586
587Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular
588expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular
589expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on.
590@end table
591
592Note: for historical compatibility, special characters are treated as
593ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special meanings make no
594sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as ordinary since there is
595no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} can act. It is poor practice
596to depend on this behavior; it is better to quote the special character anyway,
597regardless of where it appears.@refill
598
599For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only that
600character. However, there are several exceptions: two-character
601sequences starting with @samp{\} that have special meanings. The second
602character in the sequence is always an ordinary character when used on
603its own. Here is a table of @samp{\} constructs.
604
605@table @kbd
606@item \|
607specifies an alternative. Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b}
608with @samp{\|} in between form an expression that matches some text if
609either @var{a} matches it or @var{b} matches it. It works by trying to
610match @var{a}, and if that fails, by trying to match @var{b}.
611
612Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar}
613but no other string.@refill
614
615@samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a
616surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of
617@samp{\|}.@refill
618
619Full backtracking capability exists to handle multiple uses of @samp{\|}.
620
621@item \( @dots{} \)
622is a grouping construct that serves three purposes:
623
624@enumerate
625@item
626To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations.
627Thus, @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} or @samp{barx}.
628
629@item
630To enclose a complicated expression for the postfix operators @samp{*},
631@samp{+} and @samp{?} to operate on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches
632@samp{bananana}, etc., with any (zero or more) number of @samp{na}
633strings.@refill
634
635@item
636To record a matched substring for future reference.
637@end enumerate
638
639This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a
640parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that is assigned as a
641second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct. In practice
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642there is usually no conflict between the two meanings; when there is
643a conflict, you can use a ``shy'' group.
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644
645@item \(?: @dots{} \)
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646@cindex shy group, in regexp
647specifies a ``shy'' group that does not record the matched substring;
648you can't refer back to it with @samp{\@var{d}}. This is useful
649in mechanically combining regular expressions, so that you
650can add groups for syntactic purposes without interfering with
651the numbering of the groups that were written by the user.
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652
653@item \@var{d}
654matches the same text that matched the @var{d}th occurrence of a
655@samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct.
656
657After the end of a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct, the matcher remembers
658the beginning and end of the text matched by that construct. Then,
659later on in the regular expression, you can use @samp{\} followed by the
660digit @var{d} to mean ``match the same text matched the @var{d}th time
661by the @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct.''
662
663The strings matching the first nine @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs
664appearing in a regular expression are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in
665the order that the open-parentheses appear in the regular expression.
666So you can use @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched
667by the corresponding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} constructs.
668
669For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is
670composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first
671half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match
672the same exact text.
673
674If a particular @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct matches more than once
675(which can easily happen if it is followed by @samp{*}), only the last
676match is recorded.
677
678@item \`
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679matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of the string or
680buffer (or its accessible portion) being matched against.
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681
682@item \'
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683matches the empty string, but only at the end of the string or buffer
684(or its accessible portion) being matched against.
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685
686@item \=
687matches the empty string, but only at point.
688
689@item \b
690matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or
691end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of
692@samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches
693@samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word.@refill
694
695@samp{\b} matches at the beginning or end of the buffer
696regardless of what text appears next to it.
697
698@item \B
699matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or
700end of a word.
701
702@item \<
703matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word.
704@samp{\<} matches at the beginning of the buffer only if a
705word-constituent character follows.
706
707@item \>
708matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. @samp{\>}
709matches at the end of the buffer only if the contents end with a
710word-constituent character.
711
712@item \w
713matches any word-constituent character. The syntax table
714determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax}.
715
716@item \W
717matches any character that is not a word-constituent.
718
719@item \s@var{c}
720matches any character whose syntax is @var{c}. Here @var{c} is a
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721character that designates a particular syntax class: thus, @samp{w}
722for word constituent, @samp{-} or @samp{ } for whitespace, @samp{.}
723for ordinary punctuation, etc. @xref{Syntax}.
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724
725@item \S@var{c}
726matches any character whose syntax is not @var{c}.
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727
728@cindex categories of characters
729@cindex characters which belong to a specific language
730@findex describe-categories
731@item \c@var{c}
732matches any character that belongs to the category @var{c}. For
733example, @samp{\cc} matches Chinese characters, @samp{\cg} matches
734Greek characters, etc. For the description of the known categories,
735type @kbd{M-x describe-categories @key{RET}}.
736
737@item \C@var{c}
738matches any character that does @emph{not} belong to category
739@var{c}.
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740@end table
741
742 The constructs that pertain to words and syntax are controlled by the
743setting of the syntax table (@pxref{Syntax}).
744
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745 Here is a complicated regexp, stored in @code{sentence-end} and used
746by Emacs to recognize the end of a sentence together with any
c00394a3 747whitespace that follows. We show its Lisp syntax to distinguish the
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748spaces from the tab characters. In Lisp syntax, the string constant
749begins and ends with a double-quote. @samp{\"} stands for a
750double-quote as part of the regexp, @samp{\\} for a backslash as part
751of the regexp, @samp{\t} for a tab, and @samp{\n} for a newline.
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752
753@example
b20a1c88 754"[.?!][]\"')]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\| \\)[ \t\n]*"
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755@end example
756
757@noindent
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758This contains four parts in succession: a character set matching
759period, @samp{?}, or @samp{!}; a character set matching
760close-brackets, quotes, or parentheses, repeated zero or more times; a
761set of alternatives within backslash-parentheses that matches either
762end-of-line, a space at the end of a line, a tab, or two spaces; and a
763character set matching whitespace characters, repeated any number of
764times.
6bf7aab6 765
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766 To enter the same regexp in incremental search, you would type
767@key{TAB} to enter a tab, and @kbd{C-j} to enter a newline. You would
768also type single backslashes as themselves, instead of doubling them
769for Lisp syntax. In commands that use ordinary minibuffer input to
770read a regexp, you would quote the @kbd{C-j} by preceding it with a
771@kbd{C-q} to prevent @kbd{C-j} from exiting the minibuffer.
6bf7aab6 772
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773@ignore
774@c I commented this out because it is missing vital information
775@c and therefore useless. For instance, what do you do to *use* the
776@c regular expression when it is finished? What jobs is this good for?
777@c -- rms
778
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779@findex re-builder
780@cindex authoring regular expressions
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781 For convenient interactive development of regular expressions, you
782can use the @kbd{M-x re-builder} command. It provides a convenient
783interface for creating regular expressions, by giving immediate visual
784feedback. The buffer from which @code{re-builder} was invoked becomes
785the target for the regexp editor, which pops in a separate window. At
786all times, all the matches in the target buffer for the current
787regular expression are highlighted. Each parenthesized sub-expression
788of the regexp is shown in a distinct face, which makes it easier to
789verify even very complex regexps. (On displays that don't support
790colors, Emacs blinks the cursor around the matched text, as it does
791for matching parens.)
792@end ignore
3adfa3db 793
a57bfc9f 794@node Search Case, Configuring Scrolling, Regexps, Search
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795@section Searching and Case
796
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797 Incremental searches in Emacs normally ignore the case of the text
798they are searching through, if you specify the text in lower case.
799Thus, if you specify searching for @samp{foo}, then @samp{Foo} and
800@samp{foo} are also considered a match. Regexps, and in particular
801character sets, are included: @samp{[ab]} would match @samp{a} or
802@samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}.@refill
803
804 An upper-case letter anywhere in the incremental search string makes
805the search case-sensitive. Thus, searching for @samp{Foo} does not find
806@samp{foo} or @samp{FOO}. This applies to regular expression search as
807well as to string search. The effect ceases if you delete the
808upper-case letter from the search string.
809
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810 Typing @kbd{M-c} within an incremental search toggles the case
811sensitivity of that search. The effect does not extend beyond the
812current incremental search to the next one, but it does override the
813effect of including an upper-case letter in the current search.
814
815@vindex case-fold-search
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816 If you set the variable @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}, then
817all letters must match exactly, including case. This is a per-buffer
818variable; altering the variable affects only the current buffer, but
819there is a default value which you can change as well. @xref{Locals}.
820This variable applies to nonincremental searches also, including those
821performed by the replace commands (@pxref{Replace}) and the minibuffer
822history matching commands (@pxref{Minibuffer History}).
823
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824@node Configuring Scrolling, Replace, Search Case, Search
825@section Configuring Scrolling
826@cindex scrolling in incremental search
827@vindex isearch-allow-scroll
828
829Scrolling, etc., during incremental search is enabled by setting the
830customizable variable @code{isearch-allow-scroll} to a non-nil value.
831
832@c See Subject: Info file: How do I get an itemized list without blank lines?
833@c Date: Sat, 12 Apr 2003 09:45:31 +0000 in gnu.emacs.help
834@subsection Standard scrolling commands
835Here is the list of commands which are configured by default to be
836``scrolling'' commands in an incremental search, together with their
837usual bindings:
838@subsubsection Commands which scroll the window:
839@table @asis
840@item @code{scroll-bar-toolkit-scroll} (@kbd{@key{vertical-scroll-bar}@key{mouse-1}} in X-Windows)
841@itemx @code{mac-handle-scroll-bar-event} (@kbd{@key{vertical-scroll-bar}@key{mouse-1}} on a Mac)
842@itemx @code{w32-handle-scroll-bar-event} (@kbd{@key{vertical-scroll-bar}@key{mouse-1}} in MS-Windows)
843@item @code{recenter} (@kbd{C-l}) @xref{Scrolling}.
844@itemx @code{reposition-window} (@kbd{C-M-l}) @xref{Scrolling}.
845@itemx @code{scroll-up} (@kbd{@key{NEXT}}) @xref{Scrolling}.
846@itemx @code{scroll-down} (@kbd{@key{PRIOR}}) @xref{Scrolling}.
847@end table
848
849@subsubsection Commands which act on the other window:
850@table @asis
851@item @code{list-buffers} (@kbd{C-x C-b}) @xref{List Buffers}.
852@itemx @code{scroll-other-window} (@kbd{C-M-v}) @xref{Other Window}.
853@itemx @code{scroll-other-window-down} (@kbd{C-M-S-v}) @xref{Other Window}.
854@itemx @code{beginning-of-buffer-other-window} (@kbd{M-@key{home}})
855@itemx @code{end-of-buffer-other-window} (@kbd{M-@key{end}})
856@end table
857
858@subsubsection Commands which change the window layout:
859@table @asis
860@item @code{delete-other-windows} (@kbd{C-x 1}) @xref{Change Window}.
861@itemx @code{balance-windows} (@kbd{C-x +}) @xref{Change Window}.
862@itemx @code{split-window-vertically} (@kbd{C-x 2}) @xref{Split Window}.
863@itemx @code{enlarge-window} (@kbd{C-x ^}) @xref{Change Window}.
864@end table
865
866@subsection Configuring other commands as scrolling commands
867To do this, set a command's isearch-scroll property to the value t.
868For example:
869
870@example
871@code{(put 'my-command 'isearch-scroll t)}
872@end example
873
874You should only thus configure commands which are ``safe'': i.e., they
875won't leave emacs in an inconsistent state when executed within a
876search - that is to say, the following things may be changed by a
877command only temporarily, and must be restored before the command
878finishes:
879
880@enumerate
881@item
882Point.
883@item
884The buffer contents.
885@item
886The selected window and selected frame.
887@item
888The current match-data @xref{Match Data,,,elisp}.
889@end enumerate
890
891Additionally, the command must not delete the current window and must
892not itself attempt an incremental search. It may, however, change the
893window's size, or create or delete other windows and frames.
894
895Note that an attempt by a command to scroll the text
896@emph{horizontally} won't work, although it will do no harm - any such
897scrolling will be overriden and nullified by the display code.
898
899@node Replace, Other Repeating Search, Configuring Scrolling, Search
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900@section Replacement Commands
901@cindex replacement
902@cindex search-and-replace commands
903@cindex string substitution
904@cindex global substitution
905
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906 Global search-and-replace operations are not needed often in Emacs,
907but they are available. In addition to the simple @kbd{M-x
908replace-string} command which is like that found in most editors,
909there is a @kbd{M-x query-replace} command which finds each occurrence
910of the pattern and asks you whether to replace it.
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911
912 The replace commands normally operate on the text from point to the
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913end of the buffer; however, in Transient Mark mode (@pxref{Transient
914Mark}), when the mark is active, they operate on the region. The
915replace commands all replace one string (or regexp) with one
916replacement string. It is possible to perform several replacements in
917parallel using the command @code{expand-region-abbrevs}
918(@pxref{Expanding Abbrevs}).
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919
920@menu
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921* Unconditional Replace:: Replacing all matches for a string.
922* Regexp Replace:: Replacing all matches for a regexp.
923* Replacement and Case:: How replacements preserve case of letters.
924* Query Replace:: How to use querying.
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925@end menu
926
927@node Unconditional Replace, Regexp Replace, Replace, Replace
928@subsection Unconditional Replacement
929@findex replace-string
930@findex replace-regexp
931
932@table @kbd
933@item M-x replace-string @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
934Replace every occurrence of @var{string} with @var{newstring}.
935@item M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
936Replace every match for @var{regexp} with @var{newstring}.
937@end table
938
939 To replace every instance of @samp{foo} after point with @samp{bar},
940use the command @kbd{M-x replace-string} with the two arguments
941@samp{foo} and @samp{bar}. Replacement happens only in the text after
942point, so if you want to cover the whole buffer you must go to the
943beginning first. All occurrences up to the end of the buffer are
944replaced; to limit replacement to part of the buffer, narrow to that
945part of the buffer before doing the replacement (@pxref{Narrowing}).
946In Transient Mark mode, when the region is active, replacement is
947limited to the region (@pxref{Transient Mark}).
948
949 When @code{replace-string} exits, it leaves point at the last
950occurrence replaced. It sets the mark to the prior position of point
951(where the @code{replace-string} command was issued); use @kbd{C-u
952C-@key{SPC}} to move back there.
953
954 A numeric argument restricts replacement to matches that are surrounded
955by word boundaries. The argument's value doesn't matter.
956
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957 What if you want to exchange @samp{x} and @samp{y}: replace every @samp{x} with a @samp{y} and vice versa? You can do it this way:
958
959@example
960M-x query-replace @key{RET} x @key{RET} @@TEMP@@ @key{RET}
961M-x query-replace @key{RET} y @key{RET} x @key{RET}
962M-x query-replace @key{RET} @@TEMP@@ @key{RET} y @key{RET}
963@end example
964
965@noindent
966This works provided the string @samp{@@TEMP@@} does not appear
967in your text.
968
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969@node Regexp Replace, Replacement and Case, Unconditional Replace, Replace
970@subsection Regexp Replacement
971
972 The @kbd{M-x replace-string} command replaces exact matches for a
973single string. The similar command @kbd{M-x replace-regexp} replaces
974any match for a specified pattern.
975
976 In @code{replace-regexp}, the @var{newstring} need not be constant: it
977can refer to all or part of what is matched by the @var{regexp}.
978@samp{\&} in @var{newstring} stands for the entire match being replaced.
979@samp{\@var{d}} in @var{newstring}, where @var{d} is a digit, stands for
980whatever matched the @var{d}th parenthesized grouping in @var{regexp}.
981To include a @samp{\} in the text to replace with, you must enter
982@samp{\\}. For example,
983
984@example
985M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} c[ad]+r @key{RET} \&-safe @key{RET}
986@end example
987
988@noindent
989replaces (for example) @samp{cadr} with @samp{cadr-safe} and @samp{cddr}
990with @samp{cddr-safe}.
991
992@example
993M-x replace-regexp @key{RET} \(c[ad]+r\)-safe @key{RET} \1 @key{RET}
994@end example
995
996@noindent
997performs the inverse transformation.
998
999@node Replacement and Case, Query Replace, Regexp Replace, Replace
1000@subsection Replace Commands and Case
1001
1002 If the first argument of a replace command is all lower case, the
e7ad2d23 1003command ignores case while searching for occurrences to
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1004replace---provided @code{case-fold-search} is non-@code{nil}. If
1005@code{case-fold-search} is set to @code{nil}, case is always significant
1006in all searches.
1007
1008@vindex case-replace
1009 In addition, when the @var{newstring} argument is all or partly lower
1010case, replacement commands try to preserve the case pattern of each
1011occurrence. Thus, the command
1012
1013@example
1014M-x replace-string @key{RET} foo @key{RET} bar @key{RET}
1015@end example
1016
1017@noindent
1018replaces a lower case @samp{foo} with a lower case @samp{bar}, an
1019all-caps @samp{FOO} with @samp{BAR}, and a capitalized @samp{Foo} with
1020@samp{Bar}. (These three alternatives---lower case, all caps, and
1021capitalized, are the only ones that @code{replace-string} can
1022distinguish.)
1023
1024 If upper-case letters are used in the replacement string, they remain
1025upper case every time that text is inserted. If upper-case letters are
1026used in the first argument, the second argument is always substituted
1027exactly as given, with no case conversion. Likewise, if either
1028@code{case-replace} or @code{case-fold-search} is set to @code{nil},
1029replacement is done without case conversion.
1030
1031@node Query Replace,, Replacement and Case, Replace
1032@subsection Query Replace
1033@cindex query replace
1034
1035@table @kbd
1036@item M-% @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
1037@itemx M-x query-replace @key{RET} @var{string} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
1038Replace some occurrences of @var{string} with @var{newstring}.
1039@item C-M-% @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
1040@itemx M-x query-replace-regexp @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET} @var{newstring} @key{RET}
1041Replace some matches for @var{regexp} with @var{newstring}.
1042@end table
1043
1044@kindex M-%
1045@findex query-replace
1046 If you want to change only some of the occurrences of @samp{foo} to
1047@samp{bar}, not all of them, then you cannot use an ordinary
1048@code{replace-string}. Instead, use @kbd{M-%} (@code{query-replace}).
1049This command finds occurrences of @samp{foo} one by one, displays each
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1050occurrence and asks you whether to replace it. Aside from querying,
1051@code{query-replace} works just like @code{replace-string}. It
1052preserves case, like @code{replace-string}, provided
1053@code{case-replace} is non-@code{nil}, as it normally is. A numeric
1054argument means consider only occurrences that are bounded by
1055word-delimiter characters.
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1056
1057@kindex C-M-%
1058@findex query-replace-regexp
b20a1c88 1059 @kbd{C-M-%} performs regexp search and replace (@code{query-replace-regexp}).
6bf7aab6 1060
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1061 The characters you can type when you are shown a match for the string
1062or regexp are:
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1063
1064@ignore @c Not worth it.
1065@kindex SPC @r{(query-replace)}
1066@kindex DEL @r{(query-replace)}
1067@kindex , @r{(query-replace)}
1068@kindex RET @r{(query-replace)}
1069@kindex . @r{(query-replace)}
1070@kindex ! @r{(query-replace)}
1071@kindex ^ @r{(query-replace)}
1072@kindex C-r @r{(query-replace)}
1073@kindex C-w @r{(query-replace)}
1074@kindex C-l @r{(query-replace)}
1075@end ignore
1076
1077@c WideCommands
1078@table @kbd
1079@item @key{SPC}
1080to replace the occurrence with @var{newstring}.
1081
1082@item @key{DEL}
1083to skip to the next occurrence without replacing this one.
1084
1085@item , @r{(Comma)}
1086to replace this occurrence and display the result. You are then asked
1087for another input character to say what to do next. Since the
1088replacement has already been made, @key{DEL} and @key{SPC} are
1089equivalent in this situation; both move to the next occurrence.
1090
1091You can type @kbd{C-r} at this point (see below) to alter the replaced
1092text. You can also type @kbd{C-x u} to undo the replacement; this exits
1093the @code{query-replace}, so if you want to do further replacement you
1094must use @kbd{C-x @key{ESC} @key{ESC} @key{RET}} to restart
1095(@pxref{Repetition}).
1096
1097@item @key{RET}
1098to exit without doing any more replacements.
1099
1100@item .@: @r{(Period)}
1101to replace this occurrence and then exit without searching for more
1102occurrences.
1103
1104@item !
1105to replace all remaining occurrences without asking again.
1106
1107@item ^
1108to go back to the position of the previous occurrence (or what used to
1109be an occurrence), in case you changed it by mistake. This works by
1110popping the mark ring. Only one @kbd{^} in a row is meaningful, because
1111only one previous replacement position is kept during @code{query-replace}.
1112
1113@item C-r
1114to enter a recursive editing level, in case the occurrence needs to be
1115edited rather than just replaced with @var{newstring}. When you are
1116done, exit the recursive editing level with @kbd{C-M-c} to proceed to
1117the next occurrence. @xref{Recursive Edit}.
1118
1119@item C-w
1120to delete the occurrence, and then enter a recursive editing level as in
1121@kbd{C-r}. Use the recursive edit to insert text to replace the deleted
1122occurrence of @var{string}. When done, exit the recursive editing level
1123with @kbd{C-M-c} to proceed to the next occurrence.
1124
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1125@item e
1126to edit the replacement string in the minibuffer. When you exit the
1127minibuffer by typing @key{RET}, the minibuffer contents replace the
1128current occurrence of the pattern. They also become the new
1129replacement string for any further occurrences.
1130
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1131@item C-l
1132to redisplay the screen. Then you must type another character to
1133specify what to do with this occurrence.
1134
1135@item C-h
1136to display a message summarizing these options. Then you must type
1137another character to specify what to do with this occurrence.
1138@end table
1139
1140 Some other characters are aliases for the ones listed above: @kbd{y},
1141@kbd{n} and @kbd{q} are equivalent to @key{SPC}, @key{DEL} and
1142@key{RET}.
1143
1144 Aside from this, any other character exits the @code{query-replace},
1145and is then reread as part of a key sequence. Thus, if you type
1146@kbd{C-k}, it exits the @code{query-replace} and then kills to end of
1147line.
1148
1149 To restart a @code{query-replace} once it is exited, use @kbd{C-x
1150@key{ESC} @key{ESC}}, which repeats the @code{query-replace} because it
1151used the minibuffer to read its arguments. @xref{Repetition, C-x ESC
1152ESC}.
1153
1154 See also @ref{Transforming File Names}, for Dired commands to rename,
1155copy, or link files by replacing regexp matches in file names.
1156
1157@node Other Repeating Search,, Replace, Search
1158@section Other Search-and-Loop Commands
1159
1160 Here are some other commands that find matches for a regular
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1161expression. They all ignore case in matching, if the pattern contains
1162no upper-case letters and @code{case-fold-search} is non-@code{nil}.
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1163Aside from @code{occur} and its variants, all operate on the text from
1164point to the end of the buffer, or on the active region in Transient
1165Mark mode.
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1166
1167@findex list-matching-lines
1168@findex occur
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1169@findex multi-occur
1170@findex multi-occur-by-filename-regexp
9c99d206 1171@findex how-many
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1172@findex delete-non-matching-lines
1173@findex delete-matching-lines
1174@findex flush-lines
1175@findex keep-lines
1176
1177@table @kbd
1178@item M-x occur @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
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1179Display a list showing each line in the buffer that contains a match
1180for @var{regexp}. To limit the search to part of the buffer, narrow
1181to that part (@pxref{Narrowing}). A numeric argument @var{n}
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1182specifies that @var{n} lines of context are to be displayed before and
1183after each matching line.
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1184
1185@kindex RET @r{(Occur mode)}
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1186@kindex o @r{(Occur mode)}
1187@kindex C-o @r{(Occur mode)}
6bf7aab6 1188The buffer @samp{*Occur*} containing the output serves as a menu for
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1189finding the occurrences in their original context. Click
1190@kbd{Mouse-2} on an occurrence listed in @samp{*Occur*}, or position
1191point there and type @key{RET}; this switches to the buffer that was
1192searched and moves point to the original of the chosen occurrence.
1193@kbd{o} and @kbd{C-o} display the match in another window; @kbd{C-o}
1194does not select it.
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1195
1196@item M-x list-matching-lines
1197Synonym for @kbd{M-x occur}.
1198
8cab3b9a 1199@item M-x multi-occur @key{RET} @var{buffers} @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
db639d24 1200This function is just like @code{occur}, except it is able to search
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1201through multiple buffers.
1202
1203@item M-x multi-occur-by-filename-regexp @key{RET} @var{bufregexp} @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
db639d24 1204This function is similar to @code{multi-occur}, except the buffers to
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1205search are specified by a regexp on their filename.
1206
9c99d206 1207@item M-x how-many @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
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1208Print the number of matches for @var{regexp} that exist in the buffer
1209after point. In Transient Mark mode, if the region is active, the
1210command operates on the region instead.
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1211
1212@item M-x flush-lines @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
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1213Delete each line that contains a match for @var{regexp}, operating on
1214the text after point. In Transient Mark mode, if the region is
1215active, the command operates on the region instead.
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1216
1217@item M-x keep-lines @key{RET} @var{regexp} @key{RET}
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1218Delete each line that @emph{does not} contain a match for
1219@var{regexp}, operating on the text after point. In Transient Mark
1220mode, if the region is active, the command operates on the region
1221instead.
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1222@end table
1223
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1224 You can also search multiple files under control of a tags table
1225(@pxref{Tags Search}) or through Dired @kbd{A} command
1226(@pxref{Operating on Files}), or ask the @code{grep} program to do it
1227(@pxref{Grep Searching}).
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1228
1229@ignore
1230 arch-tag: fd9d8e77-66af-491c-b212-d80999613e3e
1231@end ignore