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1 | @c -*-texinfo-*- |
2 | @c This is part of the GNU Emacs Lisp Reference Manual. | |
ba318903 | 3 | @c Copyright (C) 1990-1995, 1998-1999, 2001-2014 Free Software |
ab422c4d | 4 | @c Foundation, Inc. |
b8d4c8d0 | 5 | @c See the file elisp.texi for copying conditions. |
ecc6530d | 6 | @node Searching and Matching |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
7 | @chapter Searching and Matching |
8 | @cindex searching | |
9 | ||
10 | GNU Emacs provides two ways to search through a buffer for specified | |
11 | text: exact string searches and regular expression searches. After a | |
12 | regular expression search, you can examine the @dfn{match data} to | |
13 | determine which text matched the whole regular expression or various | |
14 | portions of it. | |
15 | ||
16 | @menu | |
17 | * String Search:: Search for an exact match. | |
18 | * Searching and Case:: Case-independent or case-significant searching. | |
19 | * Regular Expressions:: Describing classes of strings. | |
20 | * Regexp Search:: Searching for a match for a regexp. | |
21 | * POSIX Regexps:: Searching POSIX-style for the longest match. | |
22 | * Match Data:: Finding out which part of the text matched, | |
23 | after a string or regexp search. | |
d24880de | 24 | * Search and Replace:: Commands that loop, searching and replacing. |
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25 | * Standard Regexps:: Useful regexps for finding sentences, pages,... |
26 | @end menu | |
27 | ||
28 | The @samp{skip-chars@dots{}} functions also perform a kind of searching. | |
29 | @xref{Skipping Characters}. To search for changes in character | |
30 | properties, see @ref{Property Search}. | |
31 | ||
32 | @node String Search | |
33 | @section Searching for Strings | |
34 | @cindex string search | |
35 | ||
36 | These are the primitive functions for searching through the text in a | |
37 | buffer. They are meant for use in programs, but you may call them | |
38 | interactively. If you do so, they prompt for the search string; the | |
39 | arguments @var{limit} and @var{noerror} are @code{nil}, and @var{repeat} | |
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40 | is 1. For more details on interactive searching, @pxref{Search,, |
41 | Searching and Replacement, emacs, The GNU Emacs Manual}. | |
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42 | |
43 | These search functions convert the search string to multibyte if the | |
44 | buffer is multibyte; they convert the search string to unibyte if the | |
45 | buffer is unibyte. @xref{Text Representations}. | |
46 | ||
47 | @deffn Command search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
48 | This function searches forward from point for an exact match for | |
49 | @var{string}. If successful, it sets point to the end of the occurrence | |
50 | found, and returns the new value of point. If no match is found, the | |
51 | value and side effects depend on @var{noerror} (see below). | |
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52 | |
53 | In the following example, point is initially at the beginning of the | |
54 | line. Then @code{(search-forward "fox")} moves point after the last | |
55 | letter of @samp{fox}: | |
56 | ||
57 | @example | |
58 | @group | |
59 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
60 | @point{}The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dog. | |
61 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
62 | @end group | |
63 | ||
64 | @group | |
65 | (search-forward "fox") | |
66 | @result{} 20 | |
67 | ||
68 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
69 | The quick brown fox@point{} jumped over the lazy dog. | |
70 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
71 | @end group | |
72 | @end example | |
73 | ||
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74 | The argument @var{limit} specifies the bound to the search, and should |
75 | be a position in the current buffer. No match extending after | |
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76 | that position is accepted. If @var{limit} is omitted or @code{nil}, it |
77 | defaults to the end of the accessible portion of the buffer. | |
78 | ||
79 | @kindex search-failed | |
80 | What happens when the search fails depends on the value of | |
81 | @var{noerror}. If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, a @code{search-failed} | |
82 | error is signaled. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, @code{search-forward} | |
83 | returns @code{nil} and does nothing. If @var{noerror} is neither | |
84 | @code{nil} nor @code{t}, then @code{search-forward} moves point to the | |
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85 | upper bound and returns @code{nil}. |
86 | @c I see no prospect of this ever changing, and frankly the current | |
87 | @c behavior seems better, so there seems no need to mention this. | |
88 | @ignore | |
89 | (It would be more consistent now to return the new position of point | |
90 | in that case, but some existing programs may depend on a value of | |
91 | @code{nil}.) | |
92 | @end ignore | |
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93 | |
94 | The argument @var{noerror} only affects valid searches which fail to | |
95 | find a match. Invalid arguments cause errors regardless of | |
96 | @var{noerror}. | |
97 | ||
acc28cb9 CY |
98 | If @var{repeat} is a positive number @var{n}, it serves as a repeat |
99 | count: the search is repeated @var{n} times, each time starting at the | |
100 | end of the previous time's match. If these successive searches | |
101 | succeed, the function succeeds, moving point and returning its new | |
102 | value. Otherwise the search fails, with results depending on the | |
103 | value of @var{noerror}, as described above. If @var{repeat} is a | |
104 | negative number -@var{n}, it serves as a repeat count of @var{n} for a | |
105 | search in the opposite (backward) direction. | |
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106 | @end deffn |
107 | ||
108 | @deffn Command search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
109 | This function searches backward from point for @var{string}. It is | |
acc28cb9 CY |
110 | like @code{search-forward}, except that it searches backwards rather |
111 | than forwards. Backward searches leave point at the beginning of the | |
112 | match. | |
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113 | @end deffn |
114 | ||
115 | @deffn Command word-search-forward string &optional limit noerror repeat | |
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116 | This function searches forward from point for a ``word'' match for |
117 | @var{string}. If it finds a match, it sets point to the end of the | |
118 | match found, and returns the new value of point. | |
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119 | |
120 | Word matching regards @var{string} as a sequence of words, disregarding | |
121 | punctuation that separates them. It searches the buffer for the same | |
122 | sequence of words. Each word must be distinct in the buffer (searching | |
123 | for the word @samp{ball} does not match the word @samp{balls}), but the | |
124 | details of punctuation and spacing are ignored (searching for @samp{ball | |
125 | boy} does match @samp{ball. Boy!}). | |
126 | ||
127 | In this example, point is initially at the beginning of the buffer; the | |
128 | search leaves it between the @samp{y} and the @samp{!}. | |
129 | ||
130 | @example | |
131 | @group | |
132 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
133 | @point{}He said "Please! Find | |
134 | the ball boy!" | |
135 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
136 | @end group | |
137 | ||
138 | @group | |
139 | (word-search-forward "Please find the ball, boy.") | |
4fb9a543 | 140 | @result{} 36 |
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141 | |
142 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
143 | He said "Please! Find | |
144 | the ball boy@point{}!" | |
145 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
146 | @end group | |
147 | @end example | |
148 | ||
149 | If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil}, it must be a position in the current | |
150 | buffer; it specifies the upper bound to the search. The match found | |
151 | must not extend after that position. | |
152 | ||
153 | If @var{noerror} is @code{nil}, then @code{word-search-forward} signals | |
154 | an error if the search fails. If @var{noerror} is @code{t}, then it | |
155 | returns @code{nil} instead of signaling an error. If @var{noerror} is | |
156 | neither @code{nil} nor @code{t}, it moves point to @var{limit} (or the | |
157 | end of the accessible portion of the buffer) and returns @code{nil}. | |
158 | ||
159 | If @var{repeat} is non-@code{nil}, then the search is repeated that many | |
160 | times. Point is positioned at the end of the last match. | |
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161 | |
162 | @findex word-search-regexp | |
163 | Internal, @code{word-search-forward} and related functions use the | |
164 | function @code{word-search-regexp} to convert @var{string} to a | |
165 | regular expression that ignores punctuation. | |
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166 | @end deffn |
167 | ||
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168 | @deffn Command word-search-forward-lax string &optional limit noerror repeat |
169 | This command is identical to @code{word-search-forward}, except that | |
4fb9a543 | 170 | the end of @var{string} need not match a word boundary, unless @var{string} ends |
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171 | in whitespace. For instance, searching for @samp{ball boy} matches |
172 | @samp{ball boyee}, but does not match @samp{aball boy}. | |
173 | @end deffn | |
174 | ||
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175 | @deffn Command word-search-backward string &optional limit noerror repeat |
176 | This function searches backward from point for a word match to | |
177 | @var{string}. This function is just like @code{word-search-forward} | |
178 | except that it searches backward and normally leaves point at the | |
179 | beginning of the match. | |
180 | @end deffn | |
181 | ||
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182 | @deffn Command word-search-backward-lax string &optional limit noerror repeat |
183 | This command is identical to @code{word-search-backward}, except that | |
4fb9a543 | 184 | the end of @var{string} need not match a word boundary, unless @var{string} ends |
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185 | in whitespace. |
186 | @end deffn | |
187 | ||
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188 | @node Searching and Case |
189 | @section Searching and Case | |
190 | @cindex searching and case | |
191 | ||
192 | By default, searches in Emacs ignore the case of the text they are | |
193 | searching through; if you specify searching for @samp{FOO}, then | |
194 | @samp{Foo} or @samp{foo} is also considered a match. This applies to | |
195 | regular expressions, too; thus, @samp{[aB]} would match @samp{a} or | |
196 | @samp{A} or @samp{b} or @samp{B}. | |
197 | ||
198 | If you do not want this feature, set the variable | |
199 | @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}. Then all letters must match | |
200 | exactly, including case. This is a buffer-local variable; altering the | |
201 | variable affects only the current buffer. (@xref{Intro to | |
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202 | Buffer-Local}.) Alternatively, you may change the default value. |
203 | In Lisp code, you will more typically use @code{let} to bind | |
204 | @code{case-fold-search} to the desired value. | |
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205 | |
206 | Note that the user-level incremental search feature handles case | |
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207 | distinctions differently. When the search string contains only lower |
208 | case letters, the search ignores case, but when the search string | |
209 | contains one or more upper case letters, the search becomes | |
210 | case-sensitive. But this has nothing to do with the searching | |
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211 | functions used in Lisp code. @xref{Incremental Search,,, emacs, |
212 | The GNU Emacs Manual}. | |
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213 | |
214 | @defopt case-fold-search | |
215 | This buffer-local variable determines whether searches should ignore | |
216 | case. If the variable is @code{nil} they do not ignore case; otherwise | |
4fb9a543 | 217 | (and by default) they do ignore case. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
218 | @end defopt |
219 | ||
fca4ec76 | 220 | @defopt case-replace |
4fb9a543 | 221 | This variable determines whether the higher-level replacement |
fca4ec76 CY |
222 | functions should preserve case. If the variable is @code{nil}, that |
223 | means to use the replacement text verbatim. A non-@code{nil} value | |
224 | means to convert the case of the replacement text according to the | |
225 | text being replaced. | |
226 | ||
227 | This variable is used by passing it as an argument to the function | |
228 | @code{replace-match}. @xref{Replacing Match}. | |
229 | @end defopt | |
230 | ||
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231 | @node Regular Expressions |
232 | @section Regular Expressions | |
233 | @cindex regular expression | |
234 | @cindex regexp | |
235 | ||
fca4ec76 | 236 | A @dfn{regular expression}, or @dfn{regexp} for short, is a pattern that |
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237 | denotes a (possibly infinite) set of strings. Searching for matches for |
238 | a regexp is a very powerful operation. This section explains how to write | |
239 | regexps; the following section says how to search for them. | |
240 | ||
241 | @findex re-builder | |
242 | @cindex regular expressions, developing | |
d14daa28 | 243 | For interactive development of regular expressions, you |
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244 | can use the @kbd{M-x re-builder} command. It provides a convenient |
245 | interface for creating regular expressions, by giving immediate visual | |
246 | feedback in a separate buffer. As you edit the regexp, all its | |
247 | matches in the target buffer are highlighted. Each parenthesized | |
248 | sub-expression of the regexp is shown in a distinct face, which makes | |
249 | it easier to verify even very complex regexps. | |
250 | ||
251 | @menu | |
252 | * Syntax of Regexps:: Rules for writing regular expressions. | |
253 | * Regexp Example:: Illustrates regular expression syntax. | |
254 | * Regexp Functions:: Functions for operating on regular expressions. | |
255 | @end menu | |
256 | ||
257 | @node Syntax of Regexps | |
258 | @subsection Syntax of Regular Expressions | |
259 | ||
260 | Regular expressions have a syntax in which a few characters are | |
261 | special constructs and the rest are @dfn{ordinary}. An ordinary | |
262 | character is a simple regular expression that matches that character | |
263 | and nothing else. The special characters are @samp{.}, @samp{*}, | |
264 | @samp{+}, @samp{?}, @samp{[}, @samp{^}, @samp{$}, and @samp{\}; no new | |
265 | special characters will be defined in the future. The character | |
266 | @samp{]} is special if it ends a character alternative (see later). | |
267 | The character @samp{-} is special inside a character alternative. A | |
268 | @samp{[:} and balancing @samp{:]} enclose a character class inside a | |
269 | character alternative. Any other character appearing in a regular | |
270 | expression is ordinary, unless a @samp{\} precedes it. | |
271 | ||
272 | For example, @samp{f} is not a special character, so it is ordinary, and | |
273 | therefore @samp{f} is a regular expression that matches the string | |
274 | @samp{f} and no other string. (It does @emph{not} match the string | |
275 | @samp{fg}, but it does match a @emph{part} of that string.) Likewise, | |
76f1a3c3 | 276 | @samp{o} is a regular expression that matches only @samp{o}. |
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277 | |
278 | Any two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} can be concatenated. The | |
279 | result is a regular expression that matches a string if @var{a} matches | |
280 | some amount of the beginning of that string and @var{b} matches the rest of | |
76f1a3c3 | 281 | the string. |
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282 | |
283 | As a simple example, we can concatenate the regular expressions @samp{f} | |
284 | and @samp{o} to get the regular expression @samp{fo}, which matches only | |
285 | the string @samp{fo}. Still trivial. To do something more powerful, you | |
286 | need to use one of the special regular expression constructs. | |
287 | ||
288 | @menu | |
289 | * Regexp Special:: Special characters in regular expressions. | |
290 | * Char Classes:: Character classes used in regular expressions. | |
291 | * Regexp Backslash:: Backslash-sequences in regular expressions. | |
292 | @end menu | |
293 | ||
294 | @node Regexp Special | |
295 | @subsubsection Special Characters in Regular Expressions | |
296 | ||
297 | Here is a list of the characters that are special in a regular | |
298 | expression. | |
299 | ||
300 | @need 800 | |
301 | @table @asis | |
302 | @item @samp{.}@: @r{(Period)} | |
303 | @cindex @samp{.} in regexp | |
304 | is a special character that matches any single character except a newline. | |
305 | Using concatenation, we can make regular expressions like @samp{a.b}, which | |
306 | matches any three-character string that begins with @samp{a} and ends with | |
76f1a3c3 | 307 | @samp{b}. |
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308 | |
309 | @item @samp{*} | |
310 | @cindex @samp{*} in regexp | |
311 | is not a construct by itself; it is a postfix operator that means to | |
312 | match the preceding regular expression repetitively as many times as | |
313 | possible. Thus, @samp{o*} matches any number of @samp{o}s (including no | |
314 | @samp{o}s). | |
315 | ||
316 | @samp{*} always applies to the @emph{smallest} possible preceding | |
317 | expression. Thus, @samp{fo*} has a repeating @samp{o}, not a repeating | |
318 | @samp{fo}. It matches @samp{f}, @samp{fo}, @samp{foo}, and so on. | |
319 | ||
d14daa28 | 320 | @cindex backtracking and regular expressions |
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321 | The matcher processes a @samp{*} construct by matching, immediately, as |
322 | many repetitions as can be found. Then it continues with the rest of | |
323 | the pattern. If that fails, backtracking occurs, discarding some of the | |
324 | matches of the @samp{*}-modified construct in the hope that that will | |
325 | make it possible to match the rest of the pattern. For example, in | |
326 | matching @samp{ca*ar} against the string @samp{caaar}, the @samp{a*} | |
327 | first tries to match all three @samp{a}s; but the rest of the pattern is | |
328 | @samp{ar} and there is only @samp{r} left to match, so this try fails. | |
329 | The next alternative is for @samp{a*} to match only two @samp{a}s. With | |
330 | this choice, the rest of the regexp matches successfully. | |
331 | ||
332 | @strong{Warning:} Nested repetition operators can run for an | |
333 | indefinitely long time, if they lead to ambiguous matching. For | |
334 | example, trying to match the regular expression @samp{\(x+y*\)*a} | |
335 | against the string @samp{xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxz} could | |
336 | take hours before it ultimately fails. Emacs must try each way of | |
337 | grouping the @samp{x}s before concluding that none of them can work. | |
338 | Even worse, @samp{\(x*\)*} can match the null string in infinitely | |
339 | many ways, so it causes an infinite loop. To avoid these problems, | |
340 | check nested repetitions carefully, to make sure that they do not | |
341 | cause combinatorial explosions in backtracking. | |
342 | ||
343 | @item @samp{+} | |
344 | @cindex @samp{+} in regexp | |
345 | is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match | |
346 | the preceding expression at least once. So, for example, @samp{ca+r} | |
347 | matches the strings @samp{car} and @samp{caaaar} but not the string | |
348 | @samp{cr}, whereas @samp{ca*r} matches all three strings. | |
349 | ||
350 | @item @samp{?} | |
351 | @cindex @samp{?} in regexp | |
352 | is a postfix operator, similar to @samp{*} except that it must match the | |
353 | preceding expression either once or not at all. For example, | |
354 | @samp{ca?r} matches @samp{car} or @samp{cr}; nothing else. | |
355 | ||
356 | @item @samp{*?}, @samp{+?}, @samp{??} | |
3645358a | 357 | @cindex non-greedy repetition characters in regexp |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
358 | These are ``non-greedy'' variants of the operators @samp{*}, @samp{+} |
359 | and @samp{?}. Where those operators match the largest possible | |
360 | substring (consistent with matching the entire containing expression), | |
361 | the non-greedy variants match the smallest possible substring | |
362 | (consistent with matching the entire containing expression). | |
363 | ||
364 | For example, the regular expression @samp{c[ad]*a} when applied to the | |
365 | string @samp{cdaaada} matches the whole string; but the regular | |
366 | expression @samp{c[ad]*?a}, applied to that same string, matches just | |
367 | @samp{cda}. (The smallest possible match here for @samp{[ad]*?} that | |
368 | permits the whole expression to match is @samp{d}.) | |
369 | ||
370 | @item @samp{[ @dots{} ]} | |
371 | @cindex character alternative (in regexp) | |
372 | @cindex @samp{[} in regexp | |
373 | @cindex @samp{]} in regexp | |
374 | is a @dfn{character alternative}, which begins with @samp{[} and is | |
375 | terminated by @samp{]}. In the simplest case, the characters between | |
376 | the two brackets are what this character alternative can match. | |
377 | ||
378 | Thus, @samp{[ad]} matches either one @samp{a} or one @samp{d}, and | |
379 | @samp{[ad]*} matches any string composed of just @samp{a}s and @samp{d}s | |
ba3bf1d9 | 380 | (including the empty string). It follows that @samp{c[ad]*r} |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
381 | matches @samp{cr}, @samp{car}, @samp{cdr}, @samp{caddaar}, etc. |
382 | ||
383 | You can also include character ranges in a character alternative, by | |
384 | writing the starting and ending characters with a @samp{-} between them. | |
385 | Thus, @samp{[a-z]} matches any lower-case @acronym{ASCII} letter. | |
386 | Ranges may be intermixed freely with individual characters, as in | |
387 | @samp{[a-z$%.]}, which matches any lower case @acronym{ASCII} letter | |
388 | or @samp{$}, @samp{%} or period. | |
389 | ||
d14daa28 GM |
390 | If @code{case-fold-search} is non-@code{nil}, @samp{[a-z]} also |
391 | matches upper-case letters. Note that a range like @samp{[a-z]} is | |
392 | not affected by the locale's collation sequence, it always represents | |
393 | a sequence in @acronym{ASCII} order. | |
1df7defd | 394 | @c This wasn't obvious to me, since, e.g., the grep manual "Character |
efdf29da GM |
395 | @c Classes and Bracket Expressions" specifically notes the opposite |
396 | @c behavior. But by experiment Emacs seems unaffected by LC_COLLATE | |
397 | @c in this regard. | |
d14daa28 GM |
398 | |
399 | Note also that the usual regexp special characters are not special inside a | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
400 | character alternative. A completely different set of characters is |
401 | special inside character alternatives: @samp{]}, @samp{-} and @samp{^}. | |
402 | ||
403 | To include a @samp{]} in a character alternative, you must make it the | |
404 | first character. For example, @samp{[]a]} matches @samp{]} or @samp{a}. | |
405 | To include a @samp{-}, write @samp{-} as the first or last character of | |
406 | the character alternative, or put it after a range. Thus, @samp{[]-]} | |
d14daa28 GM |
407 | matches both @samp{]} and @samp{-}. (As explained below, you cannot |
408 | use @samp{\]} to include a @samp{]} inside a character alternative, | |
409 | since @samp{\} is not special there.) | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
410 | |
411 | To include @samp{^} in a character alternative, put it anywhere but at | |
412 | the beginning. | |
413 | ||
d14daa28 GM |
414 | @c What if it starts with a multibyte and ends with a unibyte? |
415 | @c That doesn't seem to match anything...? | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
416 | If a range starts with a unibyte character @var{c} and ends with a |
417 | multibyte character @var{c2}, the range is divided into two parts: one | |
d14daa28 GM |
418 | spans the unibyte characters @samp{@var{c}..?\377}, the other the |
419 | multibyte characters @samp{@var{c1}..@var{c2}}, where @var{c1} is the | |
420 | first character of the charset to which @var{c2} belongs. | |
b8d4c8d0 | 421 | |
ba3bf1d9 | 422 | A character alternative can also specify named character classes |
d14daa28 GM |
423 | (@pxref{Char Classes}). This is a POSIX feature. For example, |
424 | @samp{[[:ascii:]]} matches any @acronym{ASCII} character. | |
425 | Using a character class is equivalent to mentioning each of the | |
426 | characters in that class; but the latter is not feasible in practice, | |
427 | since some classes include thousands of different characters. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
428 | |
429 | @item @samp{[^ @dots{} ]} | |
430 | @cindex @samp{^} in regexp | |
431 | @samp{[^} begins a @dfn{complemented character alternative}. This | |
432 | matches any character except the ones specified. Thus, | |
433 | @samp{[^a-z0-9A-Z]} matches all characters @emph{except} letters and | |
434 | digits. | |
435 | ||
436 | @samp{^} is not special in a character alternative unless it is the first | |
437 | character. The character following the @samp{^} is treated as if it | |
438 | were first (in other words, @samp{-} and @samp{]} are not special there). | |
439 | ||
440 | A complemented character alternative can match a newline, unless newline is | |
441 | mentioned as one of the characters not to match. This is in contrast to | |
442 | the handling of regexps in programs such as @code{grep}. | |
443 | ||
ba3bf1d9 CY |
444 | You can specify named character classes, just like in character |
445 | alternatives. For instance, @samp{[^[:ascii:]]} matches any | |
446 | non-@acronym{ASCII} character. @xref{Char Classes}. | |
447 | ||
b8d4c8d0 GM |
448 | @item @samp{^} |
449 | @cindex beginning of line in regexp | |
450 | When matching a buffer, @samp{^} matches the empty string, but only at the | |
451 | beginning of a line in the text being matched (or the beginning of the | |
452 | accessible portion of the buffer). Otherwise it fails to match | |
453 | anything. Thus, @samp{^foo} matches a @samp{foo} that occurs at the | |
454 | beginning of a line. | |
455 | ||
456 | When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{^} matches at the | |
457 | beginning of the string or after a newline character. | |
458 | ||
459 | For historical compatibility reasons, @samp{^} can be used only at the | |
460 | beginning of the regular expression, or after @samp{\(}, @samp{\(?:} | |
461 | or @samp{\|}. | |
462 | ||
463 | @item @samp{$} | |
464 | @cindex @samp{$} in regexp | |
465 | @cindex end of line in regexp | |
466 | is similar to @samp{^} but matches only at the end of a line (or the | |
467 | end of the accessible portion of the buffer). Thus, @samp{x+$} | |
468 | matches a string of one @samp{x} or more at the end of a line. | |
469 | ||
470 | When matching a string instead of a buffer, @samp{$} matches at the end | |
471 | of the string or before a newline character. | |
472 | ||
473 | For historical compatibility reasons, @samp{$} can be used only at the | |
474 | end of the regular expression, or before @samp{\)} or @samp{\|}. | |
475 | ||
476 | @item @samp{\} | |
477 | @cindex @samp{\} in regexp | |
478 | has two functions: it quotes the special characters (including | |
479 | @samp{\}), and it introduces additional special constructs. | |
480 | ||
481 | Because @samp{\} quotes special characters, @samp{\$} is a regular | |
482 | expression that matches only @samp{$}, and @samp{\[} is a regular | |
483 | expression that matches only @samp{[}, and so on. | |
484 | ||
485 | Note that @samp{\} also has special meaning in the read syntax of Lisp | |
486 | strings (@pxref{String Type}), and must be quoted with @samp{\}. For | |
487 | example, the regular expression that matches the @samp{\} character is | |
488 | @samp{\\}. To write a Lisp string that contains the characters | |
489 | @samp{\\}, Lisp syntax requires you to quote each @samp{\} with another | |
490 | @samp{\}. Therefore, the read syntax for a regular expression matching | |
76f1a3c3 | 491 | @samp{\} is @code{"\\\\"}. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
492 | @end table |
493 | ||
494 | @strong{Please note:} For historical compatibility, special characters | |
495 | are treated as ordinary ones if they are in contexts where their special | |
496 | meanings make no sense. For example, @samp{*foo} treats @samp{*} as | |
497 | ordinary since there is no preceding expression on which the @samp{*} | |
498 | can act. It is poor practice to depend on this behavior; quote the | |
76f1a3c3 | 499 | special character anyway, regardless of where it appears. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
500 | |
501 | As a @samp{\} is not special inside a character alternative, it can | |
502 | never remove the special meaning of @samp{-} or @samp{]}. So you | |
503 | should not quote these characters when they have no special meaning | |
504 | either. This would not clarify anything, since backslashes can | |
505 | legitimately precede these characters where they @emph{have} special | |
506 | meaning, as in @samp{[^\]} (@code{"[^\\]"} for Lisp string syntax), | |
507 | which matches any single character except a backslash. | |
508 | ||
509 | In practice, most @samp{]} that occur in regular expressions close a | |
510 | character alternative and hence are special. However, occasionally a | |
511 | regular expression may try to match a complex pattern of literal | |
512 | @samp{[} and @samp{]}. In such situations, it sometimes may be | |
513 | necessary to carefully parse the regexp from the start to determine | |
514 | which square brackets enclose a character alternative. For example, | |
515 | @samp{[^][]]} consists of the complemented character alternative | |
516 | @samp{[^][]} (which matches any single character that is not a square | |
517 | bracket), followed by a literal @samp{]}. | |
518 | ||
519 | The exact rules are that at the beginning of a regexp, @samp{[} is | |
520 | special and @samp{]} not. This lasts until the first unquoted | |
521 | @samp{[}, after which we are in a character alternative; @samp{[} is | |
522 | no longer special (except when it starts a character class) but @samp{]} | |
523 | is special, unless it immediately follows the special @samp{[} or that | |
524 | @samp{[} followed by a @samp{^}. This lasts until the next special | |
525 | @samp{]} that does not end a character class. This ends the character | |
526 | alternative and restores the ordinary syntax of regular expressions; | |
527 | an unquoted @samp{[} is special again and a @samp{]} not. | |
528 | ||
529 | @node Char Classes | |
530 | @subsubsection Character Classes | |
531 | @cindex character classes in regexp | |
532 | ||
533 | Here is a table of the classes you can use in a character alternative, | |
534 | and what they mean: | |
535 | ||
536 | @table @samp | |
537 | @item [:ascii:] | |
538 | This matches any @acronym{ASCII} character (codes 0--127). | |
539 | @item [:alnum:] | |
540 | This matches any letter or digit. (At present, for multibyte | |
541 | characters, it matches anything that has word syntax.) | |
542 | @item [:alpha:] | |
543 | This matches any letter. (At present, for multibyte characters, it | |
544 | matches anything that has word syntax.) | |
545 | @item [:blank:] | |
546 | This matches space and tab only. | |
547 | @item [:cntrl:] | |
548 | This matches any @acronym{ASCII} control character. | |
549 | @item [:digit:] | |
550 | This matches @samp{0} through @samp{9}. Thus, @samp{[-+[:digit:]]} | |
551 | matches any digit, as well as @samp{+} and @samp{-}. | |
552 | @item [:graph:] | |
553 | This matches graphic characters---everything except @acronym{ASCII} control | |
554 | characters, space, and the delete character. | |
555 | @item [:lower:] | |
4359a806 CY |
556 | This matches any lower-case letter, as determined by the current case |
557 | table (@pxref{Case Tables}). If @code{case-fold-search} is | |
558 | non-@code{nil}, this also matches any upper-case letter. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
559 | @item [:multibyte:] |
560 | This matches any multibyte character (@pxref{Text Representations}). | |
561 | @item [:nonascii:] | |
562 | This matches any non-@acronym{ASCII} character. | |
563 | @item [:print:] | |
564 | This matches printing characters---everything except @acronym{ASCII} control | |
565 | characters and the delete character. | |
566 | @item [:punct:] | |
567 | This matches any punctuation character. (At present, for multibyte | |
568 | characters, it matches anything that has non-word syntax.) | |
569 | @item [:space:] | |
570 | This matches any character that has whitespace syntax | |
571 | (@pxref{Syntax Class Table}). | |
572 | @item [:unibyte:] | |
573 | This matches any unibyte character (@pxref{Text Representations}). | |
574 | @item [:upper:] | |
4359a806 CY |
575 | This matches any upper-case letter, as determined by the current case |
576 | table (@pxref{Case Tables}). If @code{case-fold-search} is | |
577 | non-@code{nil}, this also matches any lower-case letter. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
578 | @item [:word:] |
579 | This matches any character that has word syntax (@pxref{Syntax Class | |
580 | Table}). | |
581 | @item [:xdigit:] | |
582 | This matches the hexadecimal digits: @samp{0} through @samp{9}, @samp{a} | |
583 | through @samp{f} and @samp{A} through @samp{F}. | |
584 | @end table | |
585 | ||
586 | @node Regexp Backslash | |
587 | @subsubsection Backslash Constructs in Regular Expressions | |
4963495d | 588 | @cindex backslash in regular expressions |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
589 | |
590 | For the most part, @samp{\} followed by any character matches only | |
591 | that character. However, there are several exceptions: certain | |
f8152bcb XF |
592 | sequences starting with @samp{\} that have special meanings. Here is |
593 | a table of the special @samp{\} constructs. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
594 | |
595 | @table @samp | |
596 | @item \| | |
597 | @cindex @samp{|} in regexp | |
598 | @cindex regexp alternative | |
599 | specifies an alternative. | |
600 | Two regular expressions @var{a} and @var{b} with @samp{\|} in | |
601 | between form an expression that matches anything that either @var{a} or | |
76f1a3c3 | 602 | @var{b} matches. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
603 | |
604 | Thus, @samp{foo\|bar} matches either @samp{foo} or @samp{bar} | |
76f1a3c3 | 605 | but no other string. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
606 | |
607 | @samp{\|} applies to the largest possible surrounding expressions. Only a | |
608 | surrounding @samp{\( @dots{} \)} grouping can limit the grouping power of | |
76f1a3c3 | 609 | @samp{\|}. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
610 | |
611 | If you need full backtracking capability to handle multiple uses of | |
612 | @samp{\|}, use the POSIX regular expression functions (@pxref{POSIX | |
613 | Regexps}). | |
614 | ||
615 | @item \@{@var{m}\@} | |
616 | is a postfix operator that repeats the previous pattern exactly @var{m} | |
617 | times. Thus, @samp{x\@{5\@}} matches the string @samp{xxxxx} | |
618 | and nothing else. @samp{c[ad]\@{3\@}r} matches string such as | |
619 | @samp{caaar}, @samp{cdddr}, @samp{cadar}, and so on. | |
620 | ||
621 | @item \@{@var{m},@var{n}\@} | |
622 | is a more general postfix operator that specifies repetition with a | |
623 | minimum of @var{m} repeats and a maximum of @var{n} repeats. If @var{m} | |
624 | is omitted, the minimum is 0; if @var{n} is omitted, there is no | |
625 | maximum. | |
626 | ||
627 | For example, @samp{c[ad]\@{1,2\@}r} matches the strings @samp{car}, | |
628 | @samp{cdr}, @samp{caar}, @samp{cadr}, @samp{cdar}, and @samp{cddr}, and | |
629 | nothing else.@* | |
d24880de GM |
630 | @samp{\@{0,1\@}} or @samp{\@{,1\@}} is equivalent to @samp{?}.@* |
631 | @samp{\@{0,\@}} or @samp{\@{,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{*}.@* | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
632 | @samp{\@{1,\@}} is equivalent to @samp{+}. |
633 | ||
634 | @item \( @dots{} \) | |
635 | @cindex @samp{(} in regexp | |
636 | @cindex @samp{)} in regexp | |
637 | @cindex regexp grouping | |
638 | is a grouping construct that serves three purposes: | |
639 | ||
640 | @enumerate | |
641 | @item | |
642 | To enclose a set of @samp{\|} alternatives for other operations. Thus, | |
643 | the regular expression @samp{\(foo\|bar\)x} matches either @samp{foox} | |
644 | or @samp{barx}. | |
645 | ||
646 | @item | |
647 | To enclose a complicated expression for the postfix operators @samp{*}, | |
648 | @samp{+} and @samp{?} to operate on. Thus, @samp{ba\(na\)*} matches | |
649 | @samp{ba}, @samp{bana}, @samp{banana}, @samp{bananana}, etc., with any | |
650 | number (zero or more) of @samp{na} strings. | |
651 | ||
652 | @item | |
653 | To record a matched substring for future reference with | |
654 | @samp{\@var{digit}} (see below). | |
655 | @end enumerate | |
656 | ||
657 | This last application is not a consequence of the idea of a | |
658 | parenthetical grouping; it is a separate feature that was assigned as a | |
659 | second meaning to the same @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct because, in | |
660 | practice, there was usually no conflict between the two meanings. But | |
661 | occasionally there is a conflict, and that led to the introduction of | |
662 | shy groups. | |
663 | ||
664 | @item \(?: @dots{} \) | |
80d7cdca CY |
665 | @cindex shy groups |
666 | @cindex non-capturing group | |
667 | @cindex unnumbered group | |
47f24290 | 668 | @cindex @samp{(?:} in regexp |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
669 | is the @dfn{shy group} construct. A shy group serves the first two |
670 | purposes of an ordinary group (controlling the nesting of other | |
671 | operators), but it does not get a number, so you cannot refer back to | |
80d7cdca CY |
672 | its value with @samp{\@var{digit}}. Shy groups are particularly |
673 | useful for mechanically-constructed regular expressions, because they | |
674 | can be added automatically without altering the numbering of ordinary, | |
675 | non-shy groups. | |
b8d4c8d0 | 676 | |
80d7cdca CY |
677 | Shy groups are also called @dfn{non-capturing} or @dfn{unnumbered |
678 | groups}. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
679 | |
680 | @item \(?@var{num}: @dots{} \) | |
681 | is the @dfn{explicitly numbered group} construct. Normal groups get | |
682 | their number implicitly, based on their position, which can be | |
683 | inconvenient. This construct allows you to force a particular group | |
684 | number. There is no particular restriction on the numbering, | |
1df7defd PE |
685 | e.g., you can have several groups with the same number in which case |
686 | the last one to match (i.e., the rightmost match) will win. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
687 | Implicitly numbered groups always get the smallest integer larger than |
688 | the one of any previous group. | |
689 | ||
690 | @item \@var{digit} | |
691 | matches the same text that matched the @var{digit}th occurrence of a | |
692 | grouping (@samp{\( @dots{} \)}) construct. | |
693 | ||
694 | In other words, after the end of a group, the matcher remembers the | |
695 | beginning and end of the text matched by that group. Later on in the | |
696 | regular expression you can use @samp{\} followed by @var{digit} to | |
697 | match that same text, whatever it may have been. | |
698 | ||
699 | The strings matching the first nine grouping constructs appearing in | |
700 | the entire regular expression passed to a search or matching function | |
701 | are assigned numbers 1 through 9 in the order that the open | |
702 | parentheses appear in the regular expression. So you can use | |
703 | @samp{\1} through @samp{\9} to refer to the text matched by the | |
704 | corresponding grouping constructs. | |
705 | ||
706 | For example, @samp{\(.*\)\1} matches any newline-free string that is | |
707 | composed of two identical halves. The @samp{\(.*\)} matches the first | |
708 | half, which may be anything, but the @samp{\1} that follows must match | |
709 | the same exact text. | |
710 | ||
711 | If a @samp{\( @dots{} \)} construct matches more than once (which can | |
712 | happen, for instance, if it is followed by @samp{*}), only the last | |
713 | match is recorded. | |
714 | ||
715 | If a particular grouping construct in the regular expression was never | |
716 | matched---for instance, if it appears inside of an alternative that | |
717 | wasn't used, or inside of a repetition that repeated zero times---then | |
718 | the corresponding @samp{\@var{digit}} construct never matches | |
748c30f4 | 719 | anything. To use an artificial example, @samp{\(foo\(b*\)\|lose\)\2} |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
720 | cannot match @samp{lose}: the second alternative inside the larger |
721 | group matches it, but then @samp{\2} is undefined and can't match | |
722 | anything. But it can match @samp{foobb}, because the first | |
723 | alternative matches @samp{foob} and @samp{\2} matches @samp{b}. | |
724 | ||
725 | @item \w | |
726 | @cindex @samp{\w} in regexp | |
727 | matches any word-constituent character. The editor syntax table | |
728 | determines which characters these are. @xref{Syntax Tables}. | |
729 | ||
730 | @item \W | |
731 | @cindex @samp{\W} in regexp | |
732 | matches any character that is not a word constituent. | |
733 | ||
734 | @item \s@var{code} | |
735 | @cindex @samp{\s} in regexp | |
736 | matches any character whose syntax is @var{code}. Here @var{code} is a | |
737 | character that represents a syntax code: thus, @samp{w} for word | |
738 | constituent, @samp{-} for whitespace, @samp{(} for open parenthesis, | |
739 | etc. To represent whitespace syntax, use either @samp{-} or a space | |
740 | character. @xref{Syntax Class Table}, for a list of syntax codes and | |
741 | the characters that stand for them. | |
742 | ||
743 | @item \S@var{code} | |
744 | @cindex @samp{\S} in regexp | |
745 | matches any character whose syntax is not @var{code}. | |
746 | ||
1ea897d5 | 747 | @cindex category, regexp search for |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
748 | @item \c@var{c} |
749 | matches any character whose category is @var{c}. Here @var{c} is a | |
750 | character that represents a category: thus, @samp{c} for Chinese | |
751 | characters or @samp{g} for Greek characters in the standard category | |
1ea897d5 EZ |
752 | table. You can see the list of all the currently defined categories |
753 | with @kbd{M-x describe-categories @key{RET}}. You can also define | |
754 | your own categories in addition to the standard ones using the | |
755 | @code{define-category} function (@pxref{Categories}). | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
756 | |
757 | @item \C@var{c} | |
758 | matches any character whose category is not @var{c}. | |
759 | @end table | |
760 | ||
761 | The following regular expression constructs match the empty string---that is, | |
762 | they don't use up any characters---but whether they match depends on the | |
763 | context. For all, the beginning and end of the accessible portion of | |
764 | the buffer are treated as if they were the actual beginning and end of | |
765 | the buffer. | |
766 | ||
767 | @table @samp | |
768 | @item \` | |
769 | @cindex @samp{\`} in regexp | |
770 | matches the empty string, but only at the beginning | |
771 | of the buffer or string being matched against. | |
772 | ||
773 | @item \' | |
774 | @cindex @samp{\'} in regexp | |
775 | matches the empty string, but only at the end of | |
776 | the buffer or string being matched against. | |
777 | ||
778 | @item \= | |
779 | @cindex @samp{\=} in regexp | |
780 | matches the empty string, but only at point. | |
781 | (This construct is not defined when matching against a string.) | |
782 | ||
783 | @item \b | |
784 | @cindex @samp{\b} in regexp | |
785 | matches the empty string, but only at the beginning or | |
786 | end of a word. Thus, @samp{\bfoo\b} matches any occurrence of | |
787 | @samp{foo} as a separate word. @samp{\bballs?\b} matches | |
76f1a3c3 | 788 | @samp{ball} or @samp{balls} as a separate word. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
789 | |
790 | @samp{\b} matches at the beginning or end of the buffer (or string) | |
791 | regardless of what text appears next to it. | |
792 | ||
793 | @item \B | |
794 | @cindex @samp{\B} in regexp | |
795 | matches the empty string, but @emph{not} at the beginning or | |
796 | end of a word, nor at the beginning or end of the buffer (or string). | |
797 | ||
798 | @item \< | |
799 | @cindex @samp{\<} in regexp | |
800 | matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a word. | |
801 | @samp{\<} matches at the beginning of the buffer (or string) only if a | |
802 | word-constituent character follows. | |
803 | ||
804 | @item \> | |
805 | @cindex @samp{\>} in regexp | |
806 | matches the empty string, but only at the end of a word. @samp{\>} | |
807 | matches at the end of the buffer (or string) only if the contents end | |
808 | with a word-constituent character. | |
809 | ||
810 | @item \_< | |
811 | @cindex @samp{\_<} in regexp | |
812 | matches the empty string, but only at the beginning of a symbol. A | |
813 | symbol is a sequence of one or more word or symbol constituent | |
814 | characters. @samp{\_<} matches at the beginning of the buffer (or | |
815 | string) only if a symbol-constituent character follows. | |
816 | ||
817 | @item \_> | |
818 | @cindex @samp{\_>} in regexp | |
819 | matches the empty string, but only at the end of a symbol. @samp{\_>} | |
820 | matches at the end of the buffer (or string) only if the contents end | |
821 | with a symbol-constituent character. | |
822 | @end table | |
823 | ||
824 | @kindex invalid-regexp | |
825 | Not every string is a valid regular expression. For example, a string | |
d14daa28 | 826 | that ends inside a character alternative without a terminating @samp{]} |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
827 | is invalid, and so is a string that ends with a single @samp{\}. If |
828 | an invalid regular expression is passed to any of the search functions, | |
829 | an @code{invalid-regexp} error is signaled. | |
830 | ||
831 | @node Regexp Example | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
832 | @subsection Complex Regexp Example |
833 | ||
834 | Here is a complicated regexp which was formerly used by Emacs to | |
835 | recognize the end of a sentence together with any whitespace that | |
836 | follows. (Nowadays Emacs uses a similar but more complex default | |
837 | regexp constructed by the function @code{sentence-end}. | |
838 | @xref{Standard Regexps}.) | |
839 | ||
d14daa28 GM |
840 | Below, we show first the regexp as a string in Lisp syntax (to |
841 | distinguish spaces from tab characters), and then the result of | |
842 | evaluating it. The string constant begins and ends with a | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
843 | double-quote. @samp{\"} stands for a double-quote as part of the |
844 | string, @samp{\\} for a backslash as part of the string, @samp{\t} for a | |
845 | tab and @samp{\n} for a newline. | |
846 | ||
b8d4c8d0 GM |
847 | @example |
848 | @group | |
849 | "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\)[ \t\n]*" | |
850 | @result{} "[.?!][]\"')@}]*\\($\\| $\\| \\|@ @ \\)[ | |
851 | ]*" | |
852 | @end group | |
853 | @end example | |
854 | ||
855 | @noindent | |
d14daa28 | 856 | In the output, tab and newline appear as themselves. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
857 | |
858 | This regular expression contains four parts in succession and can be | |
859 | deciphered as follows: | |
860 | ||
861 | @table @code | |
862 | @item [.?!] | |
863 | The first part of the pattern is a character alternative that matches | |
864 | any one of three characters: period, question mark, and exclamation | |
865 | mark. The match must begin with one of these three characters. (This | |
866 | is one point where the new default regexp used by Emacs differs from | |
867 | the old. The new value also allows some non-@acronym{ASCII} | |
868 | characters that end a sentence without any following whitespace.) | |
869 | ||
870 | @item []\"')@}]* | |
871 | The second part of the pattern matches any closing braces and quotation | |
872 | marks, zero or more of them, that may follow the period, question mark | |
873 | or exclamation mark. The @code{\"} is Lisp syntax for a double-quote in | |
874 | a string. The @samp{*} at the end indicates that the immediately | |
875 | preceding regular expression (a character alternative, in this case) may be | |
876 | repeated zero or more times. | |
877 | ||
878 | @item \\($\\|@ $\\|\t\\|@ @ \\) | |
879 | The third part of the pattern matches the whitespace that follows the | |
880 | end of a sentence: the end of a line (optionally with a space), or a | |
881 | tab, or two spaces. The double backslashes mark the parentheses and | |
882 | vertical bars as regular expression syntax; the parentheses delimit a | |
883 | group and the vertical bars separate alternatives. The dollar sign is | |
884 | used to match the end of a line. | |
885 | ||
886 | @item [ \t\n]* | |
887 | Finally, the last part of the pattern matches any additional whitespace | |
888 | beyond the minimum needed to end a sentence. | |
889 | @end table | |
890 | ||
891 | @node Regexp Functions | |
892 | @subsection Regular Expression Functions | |
893 | ||
894 | These functions operate on regular expressions. | |
895 | ||
896 | @defun regexp-quote string | |
897 | This function returns a regular expression whose only exact match is | |
898 | @var{string}. Using this regular expression in @code{looking-at} will | |
899 | succeed only if the next characters in the buffer are @var{string}; | |
900 | using it in a search function will succeed if the text being searched | |
fee88ca0 | 901 | contains @var{string}. @xref{Regexp Search}. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
902 | |
903 | This allows you to request an exact string match or search when calling | |
904 | a function that wants a regular expression. | |
905 | ||
906 | @example | |
907 | @group | |
908 | (regexp-quote "^The cat$") | |
909 | @result{} "\\^The cat\\$" | |
910 | @end group | |
911 | @end example | |
912 | ||
913 | One use of @code{regexp-quote} is to combine an exact string match with | |
914 | context described as a regular expression. For example, this searches | |
915 | for the string that is the value of @var{string}, surrounded by | |
916 | whitespace: | |
917 | ||
918 | @example | |
919 | @group | |
920 | (re-search-forward | |
921 | (concat "\\s-" (regexp-quote string) "\\s-")) | |
922 | @end group | |
923 | @end example | |
924 | @end defun | |
925 | ||
926 | @defun regexp-opt strings &optional paren | |
927 | This function returns an efficient regular expression that will match | |
928 | any of the strings in the list @var{strings}. This is useful when you | |
929 | need to make matching or searching as fast as possible---for example, | |
fee88ca0 GM |
930 | for Font Lock mode@footnote{Note that @code{regexp-opt} does not |
931 | guarantee that its result is absolutely the most efficient form | |
932 | possible. A hand-tuned regular expression can sometimes be slightly | |
933 | more efficient, but is almost never worth the effort.}. | |
1df7defd | 934 | @c E.g., see http://debbugs.gnu.org/2816 |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
935 | |
936 | If the optional argument @var{paren} is non-@code{nil}, then the | |
937 | returned regular expression is always enclosed by at least one | |
938 | parentheses-grouping construct. If @var{paren} is @code{words}, then | |
07ff7702 MB |
939 | that construct is additionally surrounded by @samp{\<} and @samp{\>}; |
940 | alternatively, if @var{paren} is @code{symbols}, then that construct | |
941 | is additionally surrounded by @samp{\_<} and @samp{\_>} | |
942 | (@code{symbols} is often appropriate when matching | |
943 | programming-language keywords and the like). | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
944 | |
945 | This simplified definition of @code{regexp-opt} produces a | |
946 | regular expression which is equivalent to the actual value | |
947 | (but not as efficient): | |
948 | ||
949 | @example | |
fee88ca0 | 950 | (defun regexp-opt (strings &optional paren) |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
951 | (let ((open-paren (if paren "\\(" "")) |
952 | (close-paren (if paren "\\)" ""))) | |
953 | (concat open-paren | |
954 | (mapconcat 'regexp-quote strings "\\|") | |
955 | close-paren))) | |
956 | @end example | |
957 | @end defun | |
958 | ||
959 | @defun regexp-opt-depth regexp | |
960 | This function returns the total number of grouping constructs | |
80d7cdca CY |
961 | (parenthesized expressions) in @var{regexp}. This does not include |
962 | shy groups (@pxref{Regexp Backslash}). | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
963 | @end defun |
964 | ||
fee88ca0 GM |
965 | @c Supposedly an internal regexp-opt function, but table.el uses it at least. |
966 | @defun regexp-opt-charset chars | |
967 | This function returns a regular expression matching a character in the | |
968 | list of characters @var{chars}. | |
969 | ||
970 | @example | |
971 | (regexp-opt-charset '(?a ?b ?c ?d ?e)) | |
972 | @result{} "[a-e]" | |
973 | @end example | |
974 | @end defun | |
975 | ||
976 | @c Internal functions: regexp-opt-group | |
977 | ||
b8d4c8d0 GM |
978 | @node Regexp Search |
979 | @section Regular Expression Searching | |
980 | @cindex regular expression searching | |
981 | @cindex regexp searching | |
982 | @cindex searching for regexp | |
983 | ||
984 | In GNU Emacs, you can search for the next match for a regular | |
985 | expression either incrementally or not. For incremental search | |
986 | commands, see @ref{Regexp Search, , Regular Expression Search, emacs, | |
987 | The GNU Emacs Manual}. Here we describe only the search functions | |
988 | useful in programs. The principal one is @code{re-search-forward}. | |
989 | ||
990 | These search functions convert the regular expression to multibyte if | |
991 | the buffer is multibyte; they convert the regular expression to unibyte | |
992 | if the buffer is unibyte. @xref{Text Representations}. | |
993 | ||
994 | @deffn Command re-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
995 | This function searches forward in the current buffer for a string of | |
996 | text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}. The | |
997 | function skips over any amount of text that is not matched by | |
998 | @var{regexp}, and leaves point at the end of the first match found. | |
999 | It returns the new value of point. | |
1000 | ||
1001 | If @var{limit} is non-@code{nil}, it must be a position in the current | |
1002 | buffer. It specifies the upper bound to the search. No match | |
1003 | extending after that position is accepted. | |
1004 | ||
1005 | If @var{repeat} is supplied, it must be a positive number; the search | |
1006 | is repeated that many times; each repetition starts at the end of the | |
1007 | previous match. If all these successive searches succeed, the search | |
1008 | succeeds, moving point and returning its new value. Otherwise the | |
1009 | search fails. What @code{re-search-forward} does when the search | |
1010 | fails depends on the value of @var{noerror}: | |
1011 | ||
1012 | @table @asis | |
1013 | @item @code{nil} | |
1014 | Signal a @code{search-failed} error. | |
1015 | @item @code{t} | |
1016 | Do nothing and return @code{nil}. | |
1017 | @item anything else | |
1018 | Move point to @var{limit} (or the end of the accessible portion of the | |
1019 | buffer) and return @code{nil}. | |
1020 | @end table | |
1021 | ||
1022 | In the following example, point is initially before the @samp{T}. | |
1023 | Evaluating the search call moves point to the end of that line (between | |
1024 | the @samp{t} of @samp{hat} and the newline). | |
1025 | ||
1026 | @example | |
1027 | @group | |
1028 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1029 | I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
1030 | comes back" twice. | |
1031 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1032 | @end group | |
1033 | ||
1034 | @group | |
1035 | (re-search-forward "[a-z]+" nil t 5) | |
1036 | @result{} 27 | |
1037 | ||
1038 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1039 | I read "The cat in the hat@point{} | |
1040 | comes back" twice. | |
1041 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1042 | @end group | |
1043 | @end example | |
1044 | @end deffn | |
1045 | ||
1046 | @deffn Command re-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat | |
1047 | This function searches backward in the current buffer for a string of | |
1048 | text that is matched by the regular expression @var{regexp}, leaving | |
1049 | point at the beginning of the first text found. | |
1050 | ||
1051 | This function is analogous to @code{re-search-forward}, but they are not | |
1052 | simple mirror images. @code{re-search-forward} finds the match whose | |
1053 | beginning is as close as possible to the starting point. If | |
1054 | @code{re-search-backward} were a perfect mirror image, it would find the | |
1055 | match whose end is as close as possible. However, in fact it finds the | |
1056 | match whose beginning is as close as possible (and yet ends before the | |
1057 | starting point). The reason for this is that matching a regular | |
1058 | expression at a given spot always works from beginning to end, and | |
1059 | starts at a specified beginning position. | |
1060 | ||
1061 | A true mirror-image of @code{re-search-forward} would require a special | |
1062 | feature for matching regular expressions from end to beginning. It's | |
1063 | not worth the trouble of implementing that. | |
1064 | @end deffn | |
1065 | ||
1066 | @defun string-match regexp string &optional start | |
1067 | This function returns the index of the start of the first match for | |
1068 | the regular expression @var{regexp} in @var{string}, or @code{nil} if | |
1069 | there is no match. If @var{start} is non-@code{nil}, the search starts | |
1070 | at that index in @var{string}. | |
1071 | ||
1072 | For example, | |
1073 | ||
1074 | @example | |
1075 | @group | |
1076 | (string-match | |
1077 | "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly.") | |
1078 | @result{} 4 | |
1079 | @end group | |
1080 | @group | |
1081 | (string-match | |
1082 | "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
1083 | @result{} 27 | |
1084 | @end group | |
1085 | @end example | |
1086 | ||
1087 | @noindent | |
1088 | The index of the first character of the | |
1089 | string is 0, the index of the second character is 1, and so on. | |
1090 | ||
1091 | After this function returns, the index of the first character beyond | |
1092 | the match is available as @code{(match-end 0)}. @xref{Match Data}. | |
1093 | ||
1094 | @example | |
1095 | @group | |
1096 | (string-match | |
1097 | "quick" "The quick brown fox jumped quickly." 8) | |
1098 | @result{} 27 | |
1099 | @end group | |
1100 | ||
1101 | @group | |
1102 | (match-end 0) | |
1103 | @result{} 32 | |
1104 | @end group | |
1105 | @end example | |
1106 | @end defun | |
1107 | ||
3645358a | 1108 | @defun string-match-p regexp string &optional start |
4433fa91 EZ |
1109 | This predicate function does what @code{string-match} does, but it |
1110 | avoids modifying the match data. | |
3645358a EZ |
1111 | @end defun |
1112 | ||
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1113 | @defun looking-at regexp |
1114 | This function determines whether the text in the current buffer directly | |
1115 | following point matches the regular expression @var{regexp}. ``Directly | |
1116 | following'' means precisely that: the search is ``anchored'' and it can | |
1117 | succeed only starting with the first character following point. The | |
1118 | result is @code{t} if so, @code{nil} otherwise. | |
1119 | ||
fee88ca0 | 1120 | This function does not move point, but it does update the match data. |
3645358a EZ |
1121 | @xref{Match Data}. If you need to test for a match without modifying |
1122 | the match data, use @code{looking-at-p}, described below. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1123 | |
1124 | In this example, point is located directly before the @samp{T}. If it | |
1125 | were anywhere else, the result would be @code{nil}. | |
1126 | ||
1127 | @example | |
1128 | @group | |
1129 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1130 | I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
1131 | comes back" twice. | |
1132 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1133 | ||
1134 | (looking-at "The cat in the hat$") | |
1135 | @result{} t | |
1136 | @end group | |
1137 | @end example | |
1138 | @end defun | |
1139 | ||
1899a5d0 | 1140 | @defun looking-back regexp &optional limit greedy |
fee88ca0 GM |
1141 | This function returns @code{t} if @var{regexp} matches the text |
1142 | immediately before point (i.e., ending at point), and @code{nil} otherwise. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1143 | |
1144 | Because regular expression matching works only going forward, this is | |
1145 | implemented by searching backwards from point for a match that ends at | |
1146 | point. That can be quite slow if it has to search a long distance. | |
1147 | You can bound the time required by specifying @var{limit}, which says | |
1148 | not to search before @var{limit}. In this case, the match that is | |
6cfe977d | 1149 | found must begin at or after @var{limit}. Here's an example: |
1899a5d0 | 1150 | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1151 | @example |
1152 | @group | |
1153 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1154 | I read "@point{}The cat in the hat | |
1155 | comes back" twice. | |
1156 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1157 | ||
1158 | (looking-back "read \"" 3) | |
1159 | @result{} t | |
1160 | (looking-back "read \"" 4) | |
1161 | @result{} nil | |
1162 | @end group | |
1163 | @end example | |
fee88ca0 | 1164 | |
6cfe977d XF |
1165 | If @var{greedy} is non-@code{nil}, this function extends the match |
1166 | backwards as far as possible, stopping when a single additional | |
1167 | previous character cannot be part of a match for regexp. When the | |
1168 | match is extended, its starting position is allowed to occur before | |
1169 | @var{limit}. | |
1170 | ||
fee88ca0 GM |
1171 | @c http://debbugs.gnu.org/5689 |
1172 | As a general recommendation, try to avoid using @code{looking-back} | |
1173 | wherever possible, since it is slow. For this reason, there are no | |
1174 | plans to add a @code{looking-back-p} function. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1175 | @end defun |
1176 | ||
3645358a EZ |
1177 | @defun looking-at-p regexp |
1178 | This predicate function works like @code{looking-at}, but without | |
1179 | updating the match data. | |
1180 | @end defun | |
1181 | ||
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1182 | @defvar search-spaces-regexp |
1183 | If this variable is non-@code{nil}, it should be a regular expression | |
1184 | that says how to search for whitespace. In that case, any group of | |
1185 | spaces in a regular expression being searched for stands for use of | |
1186 | this regular expression. However, spaces inside of constructs such as | |
1187 | @samp{[@dots{}]} and @samp{*}, @samp{+}, @samp{?} are not affected by | |
1188 | @code{search-spaces-regexp}. | |
1189 | ||
1190 | Since this variable affects all regular expression search and match | |
1191 | constructs, you should bind it temporarily for as small as possible | |
1192 | a part of the code. | |
1193 | @end defvar | |
1194 | ||
1195 | @node POSIX Regexps | |
1196 | @section POSIX Regular Expression Searching | |
1197 | ||
fee88ca0 | 1198 | @cindex backtracking and POSIX regular expressions |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1199 | The usual regular expression functions do backtracking when necessary |
1200 | to handle the @samp{\|} and repetition constructs, but they continue | |
1201 | this only until they find @emph{some} match. Then they succeed and | |
1202 | report the first match found. | |
1203 | ||
1204 | This section describes alternative search functions which perform the | |
1205 | full backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1206 | matching. They continue backtracking until they have tried all | |
1207 | possibilities and found all matches, so they can report the longest | |
1df7defd | 1208 | match, as required by POSIX@. This is much slower, so use these |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1209 | functions only when you really need the longest match. |
1210 | ||
1211 | The POSIX search and match functions do not properly support the | |
3645358a EZ |
1212 | non-greedy repetition operators (@pxref{Regexp Special, non-greedy}). |
1213 | This is because POSIX backtracking conflicts with the semantics of | |
1214 | non-greedy repetition. | |
b8d4c8d0 | 1215 | |
106e6894 | 1216 | @deffn Command posix-search-forward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1217 | This is like @code{re-search-forward} except that it performs the full |
1218 | backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1219 | matching. | |
106e6894 | 1220 | @end deffn |
b8d4c8d0 | 1221 | |
106e6894 | 1222 | @deffn Command posix-search-backward regexp &optional limit noerror repeat |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1223 | This is like @code{re-search-backward} except that it performs the full |
1224 | backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1225 | matching. | |
106e6894 | 1226 | @end deffn |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1227 | |
1228 | @defun posix-looking-at regexp | |
1229 | This is like @code{looking-at} except that it performs the full | |
1230 | backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1231 | matching. | |
1232 | @end defun | |
1233 | ||
1234 | @defun posix-string-match regexp string &optional start | |
1235 | This is like @code{string-match} except that it performs the full | |
1236 | backtracking specified by the POSIX standard for regular expression | |
1237 | matching. | |
1238 | @end defun | |
1239 | ||
1240 | @node Match Data | |
1241 | @section The Match Data | |
1242 | @cindex match data | |
1243 | ||
1244 | Emacs keeps track of the start and end positions of the segments of | |
1245 | text found during a search; this is called the @dfn{match data}. | |
1246 | Thanks to the match data, you can search for a complex pattern, such | |
1247 | as a date in a mail message, and then extract parts of the match under | |
1248 | control of the pattern. | |
1249 | ||
1250 | Because the match data normally describe the most recent search only, | |
1251 | you must be careful not to do another search inadvertently between the | |
1252 | search you wish to refer back to and the use of the match data. If you | |
1253 | can't avoid another intervening search, you must save and restore the | |
1254 | match data around it, to prevent it from being overwritten. | |
1255 | ||
d2a6c43b TR |
1256 | Notice that all functions are allowed to overwrite the match data |
1257 | unless they're explicitly documented not to do so. A consequence is | |
53964682 | 1258 | that functions that are run implicitly in the background |
d2a6c43b TR |
1259 | (@pxref{Timers}, and @ref{Idle Timers}) should likely save and restore |
1260 | the match data explicitly. | |
1261 | ||
b8d4c8d0 | 1262 | @menu |
d24880de | 1263 | * Replacing Match:: Replacing a substring that was matched. |
b8d4c8d0 | 1264 | * Simple Match Data:: Accessing single items of match data, |
d24880de | 1265 | such as where a particular subexpression started. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1266 | * Entire Match Data:: Accessing the entire match data at once, as a list. |
1267 | * Saving Match Data:: Saving and restoring the match data. | |
1268 | @end menu | |
1269 | ||
1270 | @node Replacing Match | |
1271 | @subsection Replacing the Text that Matched | |
1272 | @cindex replace matched text | |
1273 | ||
1274 | This function replaces all or part of the text matched by the last | |
1275 | search. It works by means of the match data. | |
1276 | ||
1277 | @cindex case in replacements | |
1278 | @defun replace-match replacement &optional fixedcase literal string subexp | |
c88b867f CY |
1279 | This function performs a replacement operation on a buffer or string. |
1280 | ||
1281 | If you did the last search in a buffer, you should omit the | |
1282 | @var{string} argument or specify @code{nil} for it, and make sure that | |
1283 | the current buffer is the one in which you performed the last search. | |
1284 | Then this function edits the buffer, replacing the matched text with | |
1285 | @var{replacement}. It leaves point at the end of the replacement | |
1286 | text, and returns @code{t}. | |
1287 | ||
1288 | If you performed the last search on a string, pass the same string as | |
1289 | @var{string}. Then this function returns a new string, in which the | |
1290 | matched text is replaced by @var{replacement}. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1291 | |
1292 | If @var{fixedcase} is non-@code{nil}, then @code{replace-match} uses | |
1293 | the replacement text without case conversion; otherwise, it converts | |
1294 | the replacement text depending upon the capitalization of the text to | |
1295 | be replaced. If the original text is all upper case, this converts | |
1296 | the replacement text to upper case. If all words of the original text | |
1297 | are capitalized, this capitalizes all the words of the replacement | |
1298 | text. If all the words are one-letter and they are all upper case, | |
1299 | they are treated as capitalized words rather than all-upper-case | |
1300 | words. | |
1301 | ||
1302 | If @var{literal} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{replacement} is inserted | |
1303 | exactly as it is, the only alterations being case changes as needed. | |
1304 | If it is @code{nil} (the default), then the character @samp{\} is treated | |
1305 | specially. If a @samp{\} appears in @var{replacement}, then it must be | |
1306 | part of one of the following sequences: | |
1307 | ||
1308 | @table @asis | |
1309 | @item @samp{\&} | |
1310 | @cindex @samp{&} in replacement | |
8a3afaf9 | 1311 | This stands for the entire text being replaced. |
b8d4c8d0 | 1312 | |
8a3afaf9 | 1313 | @item @samp{\@var{n}}, where @var{n} is a digit |
b8d4c8d0 | 1314 | @cindex @samp{\@var{n}} in replacement |
8a3afaf9 CY |
1315 | This stands for the text that matched the @var{n}th subexpression in |
1316 | the original regexp. Subexpressions are those expressions grouped | |
1317 | inside @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. If the @var{n}th subexpression never | |
1318 | matched, an empty string is substituted. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1319 | |
1320 | @item @samp{\\} | |
1321 | @cindex @samp{\} in replacement | |
8a3afaf9 CY |
1322 | This stands for a single @samp{\} in the replacement text. |
1323 | ||
1324 | @item @samp{\?} | |
1325 | This stands for itself (for compatibility with @code{replace-regexp} | |
5f1a9647 | 1326 | and related commands; @pxref{Regexp Replace,,, emacs, The GNU |
8a3afaf9 | 1327 | Emacs Manual}). |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1328 | @end table |
1329 | ||
8a3afaf9 CY |
1330 | @noindent |
1331 | Any other character following @samp{\} signals an error. | |
1332 | ||
1333 | The substitutions performed by @samp{\&} and @samp{\@var{n}} occur | |
1334 | after case conversion, if any. Therefore, the strings they substitute | |
1335 | are never case-converted. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1336 | |
1337 | If @var{subexp} is non-@code{nil}, that says to replace just | |
1338 | subexpression number @var{subexp} of the regexp that was matched, not | |
1339 | the entire match. For example, after matching @samp{foo \(ba*r\)}, | |
1340 | calling @code{replace-match} with 1 as @var{subexp} means to replace | |
1341 | just the text that matched @samp{\(ba*r\)}. | |
1342 | @end defun | |
1343 | ||
fe284805 JL |
1344 | @defun match-substitute-replacement replacement &optional fixedcase literal string subexp |
1345 | This function returns the text that would be inserted into the buffer | |
1346 | by @code{replace-match}, but without modifying the buffer. It is | |
1347 | useful if you want to present the user with actual replacement result, | |
1348 | with constructs like @samp{\@var{n}} or @samp{\&} substituted with | |
1349 | matched groups. Arguments @var{replacement} and optional | |
1350 | @var{fixedcase}, @var{literal}, @var{string} and @var{subexp} have the | |
1351 | same meaning as for @code{replace-match}. | |
1352 | @end defun | |
1353 | ||
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1354 | @node Simple Match Data |
1355 | @subsection Simple Match Data Access | |
1356 | ||
1357 | This section explains how to use the match data to find out what was | |
1358 | matched by the last search or match operation, if it succeeded. | |
1359 | ||
1360 | You can ask about the entire matching text, or about a particular | |
1361 | parenthetical subexpression of a regular expression. The @var{count} | |
1362 | argument in the functions below specifies which. If @var{count} is | |
1363 | zero, you are asking about the entire match. If @var{count} is | |
1364 | positive, it specifies which subexpression you want. | |
1365 | ||
1366 | Recall that the subexpressions of a regular expression are those | |
1367 | expressions grouped with escaped parentheses, @samp{\(@dots{}\)}. The | |
1368 | @var{count}th subexpression is found by counting occurrences of | |
1369 | @samp{\(} from the beginning of the whole regular expression. The first | |
1370 | subexpression is numbered 1, the second 2, and so on. Only regular | |
1371 | expressions can have subexpressions---after a simple string search, the | |
1372 | only information available is about the entire match. | |
1373 | ||
1374 | Every successful search sets the match data. Therefore, you should | |
1375 | query the match data immediately after searching, before calling any | |
1376 | other function that might perform another search. Alternatively, you | |
1377 | may save and restore the match data (@pxref{Saving Match Data}) around | |
fee88ca0 GM |
1378 | the call to functions that could perform another search. Or use the |
1379 | functions that explicitly do not modify the match data; | |
1df7defd | 1380 | e.g., @code{string-match-p}. |
b8d4c8d0 | 1381 | |
fee88ca0 GM |
1382 | @c This is an old comment and presumably there is no prospect of this |
1383 | @c changing now. But still the advice stands. | |
b8d4c8d0 | 1384 | A search which fails may or may not alter the match data. In the |
fee88ca0 GM |
1385 | current implementation, it does not, but we may change it in the |
1386 | future. Don't try to rely on the value of the match data after a | |
1387 | failing search. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1388 | |
1389 | @defun match-string count &optional in-string | |
1390 | This function returns, as a string, the text matched in the last search | |
1391 | or match operation. It returns the entire text if @var{count} is zero, | |
1392 | or just the portion corresponding to the @var{count}th parenthetical | |
1393 | subexpression, if @var{count} is positive. | |
1394 | ||
1395 | If the last such operation was done against a string with | |
1396 | @code{string-match}, then you should pass the same string as the | |
1397 | argument @var{in-string}. After a buffer search or match, | |
1398 | you should omit @var{in-string} or pass @code{nil} for it; but you | |
1399 | should make sure that the current buffer when you call | |
1400 | @code{match-string} is the one in which you did the searching or | |
fee88ca0 | 1401 | matching. Failure to follow this advice will lead to incorrect results. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1402 | |
1403 | The value is @code{nil} if @var{count} is out of range, or for a | |
1404 | subexpression inside a @samp{\|} alternative that wasn't used or a | |
1405 | repetition that repeated zero times. | |
1406 | @end defun | |
1407 | ||
1408 | @defun match-string-no-properties count &optional in-string | |
1409 | This function is like @code{match-string} except that the result | |
1410 | has no text properties. | |
1411 | @end defun | |
1412 | ||
1413 | @defun match-beginning count | |
fee88ca0 | 1414 | This function returns the position of the start of the text matched by the |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1415 | last regular expression searched for, or a subexpression of it. |
1416 | ||
1417 | If @var{count} is zero, then the value is the position of the start of | |
1418 | the entire match. Otherwise, @var{count} specifies a subexpression in | |
1419 | the regular expression, and the value of the function is the starting | |
1420 | position of the match for that subexpression. | |
1421 | ||
1422 | The value is @code{nil} for a subexpression inside a @samp{\|} | |
1423 | alternative that wasn't used or a repetition that repeated zero times. | |
1424 | @end defun | |
1425 | ||
1426 | @defun match-end count | |
1427 | This function is like @code{match-beginning} except that it returns the | |
1428 | position of the end of the match, rather than the position of the | |
1429 | beginning. | |
1430 | @end defun | |
1431 | ||
1432 | Here is an example of using the match data, with a comment showing the | |
1433 | positions within the text: | |
1434 | ||
1435 | @example | |
1436 | @group | |
1437 | (string-match "\\(qu\\)\\(ick\\)" | |
1438 | "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1439 | ;0123456789 | |
1440 | @result{} 4 | |
1441 | @end group | |
1442 | ||
1443 | @group | |
1444 | (match-string 0 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1445 | @result{} "quick" | |
1446 | (match-string 1 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1447 | @result{} "qu" | |
1448 | (match-string 2 "The quick fox jumped quickly.") | |
1449 | @result{} "ick" | |
1450 | @end group | |
1451 | ||
1452 | @group | |
1453 | (match-beginning 1) ; @r{The beginning of the match} | |
1454 | @result{} 4 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 4.} | |
1455 | @end group | |
1456 | ||
1457 | @group | |
1458 | (match-beginning 2) ; @r{The beginning of the match} | |
1459 | @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 6.} | |
1460 | @end group | |
1461 | ||
1462 | @group | |
1463 | (match-end 1) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1464 | @result{} 6 ; @r{with @samp{qu} is at index 6.} | |
1465 | ||
1466 | (match-end 2) ; @r{The end of the match} | |
1467 | @result{} 9 ; @r{with @samp{ick} is at index 9.} | |
1468 | @end group | |
1469 | @end example | |
1470 | ||
1471 | Here is another example. Point is initially located at the beginning | |
1472 | of the line. Searching moves point to between the space and the word | |
1473 | @samp{in}. The beginning of the entire match is at the 9th character of | |
1474 | the buffer (@samp{T}), and the beginning of the match for the first | |
1475 | subexpression is at the 13th character (@samp{c}). | |
1476 | ||
1477 | @example | |
1478 | @group | |
1479 | (list | |
1480 | (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1481 | (match-beginning 0) | |
1482 | (match-beginning 1)) | |
1899a5d0 | 1483 | @result{} (17 9 13) |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1484 | @end group |
1485 | ||
1486 | @group | |
1487 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1488 | I read "The cat @point{}in the hat comes back" twice. | |
1489 | ^ ^ | |
1490 | 9 13 | |
1491 | ---------- Buffer: foo ---------- | |
1492 | @end group | |
1493 | @end example | |
1494 | ||
1495 | @noindent | |
1496 | (In this case, the index returned is a buffer position; the first | |
1497 | character of the buffer counts as 1.) | |
1498 | ||
1499 | @node Entire Match Data | |
1500 | @subsection Accessing the Entire Match Data | |
1501 | ||
1502 | The functions @code{match-data} and @code{set-match-data} read or | |
1503 | write the entire match data, all at once. | |
1504 | ||
1505 | @defun match-data &optional integers reuse reseat | |
1506 | This function returns a list of positions (markers or integers) that | |
fee88ca0 | 1507 | record all the information on the text that the last search matched. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1508 | Element zero is the position of the beginning of the match for the |
1509 | whole expression; element one is the position of the end of the match | |
1510 | for the expression. The next two elements are the positions of the | |
1511 | beginning and end of the match for the first subexpression, and so on. | |
1512 | In general, element | |
1513 | @ifnottex | |
1514 | number 2@var{n} | |
1515 | @end ifnottex | |
1516 | @tex | |
1517 | number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n$} | |
1518 | @end tex | |
1519 | corresponds to @code{(match-beginning @var{n})}; and | |
1520 | element | |
1521 | @ifnottex | |
1522 | number 2@var{n} + 1 | |
1523 | @end ifnottex | |
1524 | @tex | |
1525 | number {\mathsurround=0pt $2n+1$} | |
1526 | @end tex | |
1527 | corresponds to @code{(match-end @var{n})}. | |
1528 | ||
1529 | Normally all the elements are markers or @code{nil}, but if | |
1530 | @var{integers} is non-@code{nil}, that means to use integers instead | |
1531 | of markers. (In that case, the buffer itself is appended as an | |
1532 | additional element at the end of the list, to facilitate complete | |
1533 | restoration of the match data.) If the last match was done on a | |
1534 | string with @code{string-match}, then integers are always used, | |
1535 | since markers can't point into a string. | |
1536 | ||
1537 | If @var{reuse} is non-@code{nil}, it should be a list. In that case, | |
1538 | @code{match-data} stores the match data in @var{reuse}. That is, | |
1539 | @var{reuse} is destructively modified. @var{reuse} does not need to | |
1540 | have the right length. If it is not long enough to contain the match | |
1541 | data, it is extended. If it is too long, the length of @var{reuse} | |
1542 | stays the same, but the elements that were not used are set to | |
1543 | @code{nil}. The purpose of this feature is to reduce the need for | |
1544 | garbage collection. | |
1545 | ||
1546 | If @var{reseat} is non-@code{nil}, all markers on the @var{reuse} list | |
1547 | are reseated to point to nowhere. | |
1548 | ||
1549 | As always, there must be no possibility of intervening searches between | |
1550 | the call to a search function and the call to @code{match-data} that is | |
1551 | intended to access the match data for that search. | |
1552 | ||
1553 | @example | |
1554 | @group | |
1555 | (match-data) | |
1556 | @result{} (#<marker at 9 in foo> | |
1557 | #<marker at 17 in foo> | |
1558 | #<marker at 13 in foo> | |
1559 | #<marker at 17 in foo>) | |
1560 | @end group | |
1561 | @end example | |
1562 | @end defun | |
1563 | ||
1564 | @defun set-match-data match-list &optional reseat | |
1565 | This function sets the match data from the elements of @var{match-list}, | |
1566 | which should be a list that was the value of a previous call to | |
1567 | @code{match-data}. (More precisely, anything that has the same format | |
1568 | will work.) | |
1569 | ||
1570 | If @var{match-list} refers to a buffer that doesn't exist, you don't get | |
1571 | an error; that sets the match data in a meaningless but harmless way. | |
1572 | ||
1573 | If @var{reseat} is non-@code{nil}, all markers on the @var{match-list} list | |
1574 | are reseated to point to nowhere. | |
1575 | ||
fee88ca0 | 1576 | @c TODO Make it properly obsolete. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1577 | @findex store-match-data |
1578 | @code{store-match-data} is a semi-obsolete alias for @code{set-match-data}. | |
1579 | @end defun | |
1580 | ||
1581 | @node Saving Match Data | |
1582 | @subsection Saving and Restoring the Match Data | |
1583 | ||
fee88ca0 | 1584 | When you call a function that may search, you may need to save |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1585 | and restore the match data around that call, if you want to preserve the |
1586 | match data from an earlier search for later use. Here is an example | |
1587 | that shows the problem that arises if you fail to save the match data: | |
1588 | ||
1589 | @example | |
1590 | @group | |
1591 | (re-search-forward "The \\(cat \\)") | |
1592 | @result{} 48 | |
fee88ca0 | 1593 | (foo) ; @r{@code{foo} does more searching.} |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1594 | (match-end 0) |
1595 | @result{} 61 ; @r{Unexpected result---not 48!} | |
1596 | @end group | |
1597 | @end example | |
1598 | ||
1599 | You can save and restore the match data with @code{save-match-data}: | |
1600 | ||
1601 | @defmac save-match-data body@dots{} | |
1602 | This macro executes @var{body}, saving and restoring the match | |
1603 | data around it. The return value is the value of the last form in | |
1604 | @var{body}. | |
1605 | @end defmac | |
1606 | ||
1607 | You could use @code{set-match-data} together with @code{match-data} to | |
1608 | imitate the effect of the special form @code{save-match-data}. Here is | |
1609 | how: | |
1610 | ||
1611 | @example | |
1612 | @group | |
1613 | (let ((data (match-data))) | |
1614 | (unwind-protect | |
1615 | @dots{} ; @r{Ok to change the original match data.} | |
1616 | (set-match-data data))) | |
1617 | @end group | |
1618 | @end example | |
1619 | ||
1620 | Emacs automatically saves and restores the match data when it runs | |
1621 | process filter functions (@pxref{Filter Functions}) and process | |
1622 | sentinels (@pxref{Sentinels}). | |
1623 | ||
1624 | @ignore | |
1625 | Here is a function which restores the match data provided the buffer | |
1626 | associated with it still exists. | |
1627 | ||
1628 | @smallexample | |
1629 | @group | |
1630 | (defun restore-match-data (data) | |
1631 | @c It is incorrect to split the first line of a doc string. | |
1632 | @c If there's a problem here, it should be solved in some other way. | |
1633 | "Restore the match data DATA unless the buffer is missing." | |
1634 | (catch 'foo | |
1635 | (let ((d data)) | |
1636 | @end group | |
1637 | (while d | |
1638 | (and (car d) | |
1639 | (null (marker-buffer (car d))) | |
1640 | @group | |
1641 | ;; @file{match-data} @r{buffer is deleted.} | |
1642 | (throw 'foo nil)) | |
1643 | (setq d (cdr d))) | |
1644 | (set-match-data data)))) | |
1645 | @end group | |
1646 | @end smallexample | |
1647 | @end ignore | |
1648 | ||
1649 | @node Search and Replace | |
1650 | @section Search and Replace | |
1651 | @cindex replacement after search | |
1652 | @cindex searching and replacing | |
1653 | ||
1654 | If you want to find all matches for a regexp in part of the buffer, | |
1655 | and replace them, the best way is to write an explicit loop using | |
1656 | @code{re-search-forward} and @code{replace-match}, like this: | |
1657 | ||
1658 | @example | |
1659 | (while (re-search-forward "foo[ \t]+bar" nil t) | |
1660 | (replace-match "foobar")) | |
1661 | @end example | |
1662 | ||
1663 | @noindent | |
1664 | @xref{Replacing Match,, Replacing the Text that Matched}, for a | |
1665 | description of @code{replace-match}. | |
1666 | ||
1667 | However, replacing matches in a string is more complex, especially | |
1668 | if you want to do it efficiently. So Emacs provides a function to do | |
1669 | this. | |
1670 | ||
1671 | @defun replace-regexp-in-string regexp rep string &optional fixedcase literal subexp start | |
1672 | This function copies @var{string} and searches it for matches for | |
1673 | @var{regexp}, and replaces them with @var{rep}. It returns the | |
1674 | modified copy. If @var{start} is non-@code{nil}, the search for | |
1675 | matches starts at that index in @var{string}, so matches starting | |
1676 | before that index are not changed. | |
1677 | ||
1678 | This function uses @code{replace-match} to do the replacement, and it | |
1679 | passes the optional arguments @var{fixedcase}, @var{literal} and | |
1680 | @var{subexp} along to @code{replace-match}. | |
1681 | ||
1682 | Instead of a string, @var{rep} can be a function. In that case, | |
1683 | @code{replace-regexp-in-string} calls @var{rep} for each match, | |
1684 | passing the text of the match as its sole argument. It collects the | |
1685 | value @var{rep} returns and passes that to @code{replace-match} as the | |
fee88ca0 | 1686 | replacement string. The match data at this point are the result |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1687 | of matching @var{regexp} against a substring of @var{string}. |
1688 | @end defun | |
1689 | ||
1690 | If you want to write a command along the lines of @code{query-replace}, | |
1691 | you can use @code{perform-replace} to do the work. | |
1692 | ||
1693 | @defun perform-replace from-string replacements query-flag regexp-flag delimited-flag &optional repeat-count map start end | |
1694 | This function is the guts of @code{query-replace} and related | |
1695 | commands. It searches for occurrences of @var{from-string} in the | |
1696 | text between positions @var{start} and @var{end} and replaces some or | |
1697 | all of them. If @var{start} is @code{nil} (or omitted), point is used | |
1698 | instead, and the end of the buffer's accessible portion is used for | |
1699 | @var{end}. | |
1700 | ||
1701 | If @var{query-flag} is @code{nil}, it replaces all | |
1702 | occurrences; otherwise, it asks the user what to do about each one. | |
1703 | ||
1704 | If @var{regexp-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then @var{from-string} is | |
1705 | considered a regular expression; otherwise, it must match literally. If | |
1706 | @var{delimited-flag} is non-@code{nil}, then only replacements | |
1707 | surrounded by word boundaries are considered. | |
1708 | ||
1709 | The argument @var{replacements} specifies what to replace occurrences | |
1710 | with. If it is a string, that string is used. It can also be a list of | |
1711 | strings, to be used in cyclic order. | |
1712 | ||
80120f13 EZ |
1713 | If @var{replacements} is a cons cell, @w{@code{(@var{function} |
1714 | . @var{data})}}, this means to call @var{function} after each match to | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1715 | get the replacement text. This function is called with two arguments: |
1716 | @var{data}, and the number of replacements already made. | |
1717 | ||
1718 | If @var{repeat-count} is non-@code{nil}, it should be an integer. Then | |
1719 | it specifies how many times to use each of the strings in the | |
1720 | @var{replacements} list before advancing cyclically to the next one. | |
1721 | ||
1722 | If @var{from-string} contains upper-case letters, then | |
1723 | @code{perform-replace} binds @code{case-fold-search} to @code{nil}, and | |
fee88ca0 | 1724 | it uses the @var{replacements} without altering their case. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1725 | |
1726 | Normally, the keymap @code{query-replace-map} defines the possible | |
1727 | user responses for queries. The argument @var{map}, if | |
1728 | non-@code{nil}, specifies a keymap to use instead of | |
1729 | @code{query-replace-map}. | |
80120f13 EZ |
1730 | |
1731 | This function uses one of two functions to search for the next | |
1732 | occurrence of @var{from-string}. These functions are specified by the | |
1733 | values of two variables: @code{replace-re-search-function} and | |
1734 | @code{replace-search-function}. The former is called when the | |
1735 | argument @var{regexp-flag} is non-@code{nil}, the latter when it is | |
1736 | @code{nil}. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1737 | @end defun |
1738 | ||
1739 | @defvar query-replace-map | |
1740 | This variable holds a special keymap that defines the valid user | |
1741 | responses for @code{perform-replace} and the commands that use it, as | |
1742 | well as @code{y-or-n-p} and @code{map-y-or-n-p}. This map is unusual | |
1743 | in two ways: | |
1744 | ||
1745 | @itemize @bullet | |
1746 | @item | |
1747 | The ``key bindings'' are not commands, just symbols that are meaningful | |
1748 | to the functions that use this map. | |
1749 | ||
1750 | @item | |
1751 | Prefix keys are not supported; each key binding must be for a | |
1752 | single-event key sequence. This is because the functions don't use | |
1753 | @code{read-key-sequence} to get the input; instead, they read a single | |
fee88ca0 | 1754 | event and look it up ``by hand''. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1755 | @end itemize |
1756 | @end defvar | |
1757 | ||
1758 | Here are the meaningful ``bindings'' for @code{query-replace-map}. | |
1759 | Several of them are meaningful only for @code{query-replace} and | |
1760 | friends. | |
1761 | ||
1762 | @table @code | |
1763 | @item act | |
fee88ca0 | 1764 | Do take the action being considered---in other words, ``yes''. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1765 | |
1766 | @item skip | |
fee88ca0 | 1767 | Do not take action for this question---in other words, ``no''. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1768 | |
1769 | @item exit | |
fee88ca0 GM |
1770 | Answer this question ``no'', and give up on the entire series of |
1771 | questions, assuming that the answers will be ``no''. | |
1772 | ||
1773 | @item exit-prefix | |
1774 | Like @code{exit}, but add the key that was pressed to | |
c085e5b9 | 1775 | @code{unread-command-events} (@pxref{Event Input Misc}). |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1776 | |
1777 | @item act-and-exit | |
fee88ca0 GM |
1778 | Answer this question ``yes'', and give up on the entire series of |
1779 | questions, assuming that subsequent answers will be ``no''. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1780 | |
1781 | @item act-and-show | |
fee88ca0 | 1782 | Answer this question ``yes'', but show the results---don't advance yet |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1783 | to the next question. |
1784 | ||
1785 | @item automatic | |
1786 | Answer this question and all subsequent questions in the series with | |
fee88ca0 | 1787 | ``yes'', without further user interaction. |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1788 | |
1789 | @item backup | |
1790 | Move back to the previous place that a question was asked about. | |
1791 | ||
1792 | @item edit | |
1793 | Enter a recursive edit to deal with this question---instead of any | |
1794 | other action that would normally be taken. | |
1795 | ||
fee88ca0 GM |
1796 | @item edit-replacement |
1797 | Edit the replacement for this question in the minibuffer. | |
1798 | ||
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1799 | @item delete-and-edit |
1800 | Delete the text being considered, then enter a recursive edit to replace | |
1801 | it. | |
1802 | ||
1803 | @item recenter | |
011474aa CY |
1804 | @itemx scroll-up |
1805 | @itemx scroll-down | |
1806 | @itemx scroll-other-window | |
1807 | @itemx scroll-other-window-down | |
1808 | Perform the specified window scroll operation, then ask the same | |
1809 | question again. Only @code{y-or-n-p} and related functions use this | |
1810 | answer. | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1811 | |
1812 | @item quit | |
1813 | Perform a quit right away. Only @code{y-or-n-p} and related functions | |
1814 | use this answer. | |
1815 | ||
1816 | @item help | |
1817 | Display some help, then ask again. | |
1818 | @end table | |
1819 | ||
2c0b8144 EZ |
1820 | @defvar multi-query-replace-map |
1821 | This variable holds a keymap that extends @code{query-replace-map} by | |
1822 | providing additional keybindings that are useful in multi-buffer | |
fee88ca0 GM |
1823 | replacements. The additional ``bindings'' are: |
1824 | ||
1825 | @table @code | |
1826 | @item automatic-all | |
1827 | Answer this question and all subsequent questions in the series with | |
1828 | ``yes'', without further user interaction, for all remaining buffers. | |
1829 | ||
1830 | @item exit-current | |
1831 | Answer this question ``no'', and give up on the entire series of | |
1832 | questions for the current buffer. Continue to the next buffer in the | |
1833 | sequence. | |
1834 | @end table | |
2c0b8144 EZ |
1835 | @end defvar |
1836 | ||
80120f13 EZ |
1837 | @defvar replace-search-function |
1838 | This variable specifies a function that @code{perform-replace} calls | |
1839 | to search for the next string to replace. Its default value is | |
1840 | @code{search-forward}. Any other value should name a function of 3 | |
1841 | arguments: the first 3 arguments of @code{search-forward} | |
1842 | (@pxref{String Search}). | |
1843 | @end defvar | |
1844 | ||
1845 | @defvar replace-re-search-function | |
1846 | This variable specifies a function that @code{perform-replace} calls | |
1847 | to search for the next regexp to replace. Its default value is | |
1848 | @code{re-search-forward}. Any other value should name a function of 3 | |
1849 | arguments: the first 3 arguments of @code{re-search-forward} | |
1850 | (@pxref{Regexp Search}). | |
1851 | @end defvar | |
1852 | ||
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1853 | @node Standard Regexps |
1854 | @section Standard Regular Expressions Used in Editing | |
1855 | @cindex regexps used standardly in editing | |
1856 | @cindex standard regexps used in editing | |
1857 | ||
1858 | This section describes some variables that hold regular expressions | |
1859 | used for certain purposes in editing: | |
1860 | ||
01f17ae2 | 1861 | @defopt page-delimiter |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1862 | This is the regular expression describing line-beginnings that separate |
1863 | pages. The default value is @code{"^\014"} (i.e., @code{"^^L"} or | |
1864 | @code{"^\C-l"}); this matches a line that starts with a formfeed | |
1865 | character. | |
01f17ae2 | 1866 | @end defopt |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1867 | |
1868 | The following two regular expressions should @emph{not} assume the | |
1869 | match always starts at the beginning of a line; they should not use | |
1870 | @samp{^} to anchor the match. Most often, the paragraph commands do | |
1871 | check for a match only at the beginning of a line, which means that | |
1872 | @samp{^} would be superfluous. When there is a nonzero left margin, | |
1873 | they accept matches that start after the left margin. In that case, a | |
1874 | @samp{^} would be incorrect. However, a @samp{^} is harmless in modes | |
1875 | where a left margin is never used. | |
1876 | ||
01f17ae2 | 1877 | @defopt paragraph-separate |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1878 | This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line |
1879 | that separates paragraphs. (If you change this, you may have to | |
1880 | change @code{paragraph-start} also.) The default value is | |
1881 | @w{@code{"[@ \t\f]*$"}}, which matches a line that consists entirely of | |
1882 | spaces, tabs, and form feeds (after its left margin). | |
01f17ae2 | 1883 | @end defopt |
b8d4c8d0 | 1884 | |
01f17ae2 | 1885 | @defopt paragraph-start |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1886 | This is the regular expression for recognizing the beginning of a line |
1887 | that starts @emph{or} separates paragraphs. The default value is | |
1888 | @w{@code{"\f\\|[ \t]*$"}}, which matches a line containing only | |
1889 | whitespace or starting with a form feed (after its left margin). | |
01f17ae2 | 1890 | @end defopt |
b8d4c8d0 | 1891 | |
01f17ae2 | 1892 | @defopt sentence-end |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1893 | If non-@code{nil}, the value should be a regular expression describing |
1894 | the end of a sentence, including the whitespace following the | |
1895 | sentence. (All paragraph boundaries also end sentences, regardless.) | |
1896 | ||
fee88ca0 GM |
1897 | If the value is @code{nil}, as it is by default, then the function |
1898 | @code{sentence-end} constructs the regexp. That is why you | |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1899 | should always call the function @code{sentence-end} to obtain the |
1900 | regexp to be used to recognize the end of a sentence. | |
01f17ae2 | 1901 | @end defopt |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1902 | |
1903 | @defun sentence-end | |
1904 | This function returns the value of the variable @code{sentence-end}, | |
1905 | if non-@code{nil}. Otherwise it returns a default value based on the | |
1906 | values of the variables @code{sentence-end-double-space} | |
1907 | (@pxref{Definition of sentence-end-double-space}), | |
fee88ca0 | 1908 | @code{sentence-end-without-period}, and |
b8d4c8d0 GM |
1909 | @code{sentence-end-without-space}. |
1910 | @end defun |