Why not a grep-find-simple?

Why not a grep-find-simple?

[Lennart Borgman]

I think it would be good to have a more easy to use version of 
`grep-find' that asks for the most common parameters. I would suggest:

- Directory
- File name pattern
- Grep pattern

Re: Why not a grep-find-simple?

[Lennart Borgman]

Lennart Borgman wrote:
> I think it would be good to have a more easy to use version of 
> `grep-find' that asks for the most common parameters. I would suggest:
>
> - Directory
> - File name pattern
> - Grep pattern

No answers yet so I supply a simple version for this:


(defvar grep-find-simple-filepatt-history nil)
(defvar grep-find-simple-grepregexp-history nil)

(defun grep-find-simple(top-dir file-pattern grep-regexp)
  "Run grep via find, prompt for commonly used parameters.
This is a simplified interface to `grep-find'.  It prompts for
some of the probably most commonly used parameters to that
command:

TOP-DIR is root directory for search.
FILE-PATTERN tells that only file with matching names should be
searched.
GREP-REGEXP is a grep style regular expression that grep should
search for.

FILE-PATTERN and GREP-REGEXP has their own history lists."
  (interactive
   (list
    (read-directory-name "Root directory for search: " nil nil t)
    (read-from-minibuffer "File name pattern: "
                          nil nil nil
                          'grep-find-simple-filepatt-history)
    (read-from-minibuffer "Grep regexp: "
                          nil nil nil
                          'grep-find-simple-grepregexp-history)))
  (grep-compute-defaults)
  (if (not (string-match "-type f " grep-find-command))
      (error "Can't find '-type f' in grep-find-command")
    (let* ((begin (match-beginning 0))
           (end   (match-end 0))
           (default-directory (file-name-as-directory top-dir))
           (grep-find-command
            (if (string= "" file-pattern)
                (concat grep-find-command grep-regexp)
              (concat (substring grep-find-command 0 begin)
                      "-type f -name '" file-pattern "' "
                      (substring grep-find-command end)
                      grep-regexp))))
      (if (string= "" grep-regexp)
          (message "No grep regexp to search for")
        (call-interactively 'grep-find)))))

Re: Why not a grep-find-simple?

[Kim F. Storm]

Lennart Borgman <lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se> writes:

> I think it would be good to have a more easy to use version of
> grep-find' that asks for the most common parameters. I would suggest:
>
> - Directory
> - File name pattern
> - Grep pattern

Like M-x rgrep ?

(and look at M-x lgrep too)

-- 
Kim F. Storm <storm@cua.dk> http://www.cua.dk

Re: Why not a grep-find-simple?

[Lennart Borgman]

Kim F. Storm wrote:
> Lennart Borgman <lennart.borgman.073@student.lu.se> writes:
>
>   
>> I think it would be good to have a more easy to use version of
>> grep-find' that asks for the most common parameters. I would suggest:
>>
>> - Directory
>> - File name pattern
>> - Grep pattern
>>     
>
> Like M-x rgrep ?
>
> (and look at M-x lgrep too)
>   
Ah! Very nice! I looked for them but did not remember the discussion 
exactly and could not find them. I thought I had misunderstood.

I think "(info) Searching with Grep under Emacs" could be enhanced a bit 
to point out that rgrep and lgrep are simplified UI:s. The reference to 
find-grep should be removed I think. Maybe just add something like

    `rgrep' is a simplified UI to `grep-find'.

in the listing in the beginning of the node?