Difference between revisions of "Special Matching Characters"

Latest revision as of 22:52, 6 February 2017

The following special matching characters are defined. They can be used in both the search string and replacement string of a regular expression.

\b: Matches the ASCII backspace character (hex 08).
\dDDD: Matches the character with decimal value ‘DDD’. All three digits MUST be present. “\d010” does not work in the search string; use “\N” instead.
\e: Matches the ASCII <Esc> character (hex 1B).
\f: Matches the ASCII Form-feed character (hex 0C).
\hHH: Matches the character with hexadecimal value ‘HH’. Both digits MUST be present. “\h0A” does not work in the search string; use “\N” instead.
\n: Matches the Line-Feed character (hex 0A). This is the “newline” character for UNIX type text files. To search for multiple-line patterns, use “\N” instead.
\N: Matches the “newline” character(s) and allows searching for multiple line patterns. The “newline” depends upon the current file type and can be <CR><LF>, <LF> or <CR>. (Currently, “\N+” and “\N*” are not supported.)
\oOOO: Matches the character with octal value ‘OOO’. All three digits MUST be present. “\o012” does not work in the search string; use “\N” instead.
\r: Matches the ASCII Carriage-Return character (hex 0D).
\s: Matches the ASCII space character (hex 20).
\t: Matches the ASCII Tab character (hex 09)
\0: Matches the ASCII Null character (hex 00)
\@(r): Use the contents of text register ‘r’ in this position in the search (or replace) string.

The OR Operator

The special character “|” is the “OR” operator which may occur between two sub-expressions. The entire expression then matches any text that is matched by the preceding sub-expression OR the following sub-expression. Note: “|”cannot occur within “{ }”; each sub-expression must by itself be a valid expression.

“|” is the “pipe” character, which is Shift-\ on the keyboard.

man|woman: Matches the word "man" OR the word "woman"
a+|b+: Matches one or more occurrences of "a" OR of "b"

@@ Line 30: / Line 30: @@
 ;\@(r)
 :Use the contents of text register ‘r’ in this position in the search (or replace) string.
+==The OR Operator==
+The special character “|” is the “OR” operator which may occur between two sub-expressions. The entire expression then matches any text that is matched by the preceding sub-expression OR the following sub-expression. Note: “|”cannot occur within “'''{  }'''”; each sub-expression must by itself be a valid expression.
+<div class="callout note">
+“'''|'''” is the “pipe” character, which is <kbd>Shift-\</kbd> on the keyboard.
+;man|woman
+:Matches the word "man" '''OR''' the word "woman"
+;a+|b+
+:Matches one or more occurrences of "a" '''OR''' of "b"
+</div>
 ==Related Resources==
+*[[Regular_Expressions|Regular Expressions Overview]]
+*[[Regular_Expressions_Basics|Regular Expressions Basics]]
+*[[Special_Matching_Characters#The_OR_Operator|The “OR” Operator]]
+*[[Groups_Replacement_Strings|Groups and Replacement Strings]]
+*[[Groups_Replacement_Strings#Groups_and_Replacement_Examples|Groups and Replacement Examples]]
+*[[Regular_Expressions_Newline|Matching the “Newline”]]
+*[[Maximize_Regular_Expression|Maximize Regular Expression Matching]]