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Finding Text Using Regular Expressions

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A regular expression is a search string that uses special characters to match a text pattern in a file. You can use regular expressions with both the Find and Replace commands.

To find text using regular expressions

  1. From the Edit menu, choose either Find or Replace.

  2. In the Find what text box, type a regular expression.

    Tip   Click the button to the right of the box to display a list of regular search expressions. When you select an expression from this list, the expression is substituted as the search text in the Find what text box. If you use regular expressions, be sure the Regular expression check box is selected. You can also use the drop-down list to select from up to 16 previous search strings.

  3. In the Replace with text box, type a regular expression if required.

  4. Start the search by clicking the Find Next, Mark All, Replace, or Replace All buttons.