From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: main.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Joel Graber Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.help Subject: looking for something like isearch-forward-column Date: 29 Sep 2003 17:06:33 -0500 Organization: Texas Instruments Sender: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: deer.gmane.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Trace: sea.gmane.org 1064873850 26348 80.91.224.253 (29 Sep 2003 22:17:30 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@sea.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2003 22:17:30 +0000 (UTC) Original-X-From: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Tue Sep 30 00:17:28 2003 Return-path: Original-Received: from monty-python.gnu.org ([199.232.76.173]) by deer.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 1A46Ke-0006zk-00 for ; Tue, 30 Sep 2003 00:17:28 +0200 Original-Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=monty-python.gnu.org) by monty-python.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.22) id 1A46J7-0007bl-5n for geh-help-gnu-emacs@m.gmane.org; Mon, 29 Sep 2003 18:15:53 -0400 Original-Path: shelby.stanford.edu!newsfeed.stanford.edu!headwall.stanford.edu!newshub.sdsu.edu!elnk-nf2-pas!elnk-pas-nf1!newsfeed.earthlink.net!west.cox.net!east.cox.net!peer02.cox.net!cox.net!newsfeed.hal-mli.net!feeder1.hal-mli.net!attdl1!ip.att.net!news.ti.com!not-for-mail Original-Newsgroups: gnu.emacs.help Original-Lines: 36 Original-NNTP-Posting-Host: famous02.dal.design.ti.com Original-X-Trace: home.itg.ti.com 1064873193 24929 128.247.110.160 (29 Sep 2003 22:06:33 GMT) Original-X-Complaints-To: usenet@news.ti.com Original-NNTP-Posting-Date: 29 Sep 2003 22:06:33 GMT User-Agent: Gnus/5.09 (Gnus v5.9.0) Emacs/21.2 Original-Xref: shelby.stanford.edu gnu.emacs.help:116948 Original-To: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-BeenThere: help-gnu-emacs@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.2 Precedence: list List-Id: Users list for the GNU Emacs text editor List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: help-gnu-emacs-bounces+geh-help-gnu-emacs=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: main.gmane.org gmane.emacs.help:12874 X-Report-Spam: http://spam.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.help:12874 I use gnu emacs version 21.2.1 usually on linux redhat system. to view very wide column oriented datafiles I'd like to be able to isearch forward and backward for a character in the same column as the cursor. I've googled and found several similar questions in *emacs* groups but no satisfactory answers. My latest direction is to start by making it a macro to call isearch-forward-regexp ^... Example text file: 0123 LLLxLLLLL line 1 LHLLLLLLL line 2 LLLLLHLLL line 3 LHLLLLLLL line 4 LLLHLLLLL line 5 If my cursor is on the x in line 1 column 3. and I want to find where is the next H in this column (which is in line 5) and I press a key bound to a macro, I need it to query me what character to search for, then convert it a call to isearch-forward-regexp for string ^...H How do I insert -1 number of . into the regexp in the macro? Or is there lisp code to support this already maybe? thanks, -- Joel Graber