re-builder vs replace-regexp

re-builder vs replace-regexp

[Андрей Парамонов]

Re-Builder is a great tool. It allows interactive search with
incredibly handy highlight, subexpression mode, etc. However, one
often needs not just search by regexp, but also perform regexp
replace. I thought reb-copy command would help me to pass my regexp to
replace-regexp. But replace-regexp doesn't understand the result of
reb-copy, i.e. for default *scratch* buffer the following regexp works
in Re-Builder:

"\\(file\\)"

but to make it suitable for search-forward-regexp/replace-regexp I
need to manually adjust it to

\(file\)

I find it really inconvenient (the larger regexp the more
inconvenient). Should I report a bug, or I'm missing something basic?
I'm running GNU Emacs 23.3.1.

Best wishes,
Andrey Paramonov

Re: re-builder vs replace-regexp

[Andreas Röhler]

Am 24.11.2011 20:24, schrieb Андрей Парамонов:
> Re-Builder is a great tool. It allows interactive search with
> incredibly handy highlight, subexpression mode, etc. However, one
> often needs not just search by regexp, but also perform regexp
> replace. I thought reb-copy command would help me to pass my regexp to
> replace-regexp. But replace-regexp doesn't understand the result of
> reb-copy, i.e. for default *scratch* buffer the following regexp works
> in Re-Builder:
>
> "\\(file\\)"
>
> but to make it suitable for search-forward-regexp/replace-regexp I
> need to manually adjust it to
>
> \(file\)
>
> I find it really inconvenient (the larger regexp the more
> inconvenient). Should I report a bug, or I'm missing something basic?
> I'm running GNU Emacs 23.3.1.
>
> Best wishes,
> Andrey Paramonov
>
>

Hi Andrey,

think these are valid considerations on the road.
A lot of questions are around.

For example using Regexps are one way. Exist other procedures.
Also writing a function to perform replacements is faster in some cases 
then doing it with just one regexp.

In all cases being tempted to use such a tool, rather split the issue.

Writing a function which changes

 > "\\(file\\)"
 >
 > \(file\)

should be a way to proceed.

HTH,

Andreas

Re: re-builder vs replace-regexp

[Eric Abrahamsen]

On Fri, Nov 25 2011, Андрей Парамонов wrote:

> Re-Builder is a great tool. It allows interactive search with
> incredibly handy highlight, subexpression mode, etc. However, one
> often needs not just search by regexp, but also perform regexp
> replace. I thought reb-copy command would help me to pass my regexp to
> replace-regexp. But replace-regexp doesn't understand the result of
> reb-copy, i.e. for default *scratch* buffer the following regexp works
> in Re-Builder:
>
> "\\(file\\)"
>
> but to make it suitable for search-forward-regexp/replace-regexp I
> need to manually adjust it to
>
> \(file\)
>
> I find it really inconvenient (the larger regexp the more
> inconvenient). Should I report a bug, or I'm missing something basic?
> I'm running GNU Emacs 23.3.1.

Try the library re-builder+, at
http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/re-builder+.el

It provides `reb+-replace-regexp' which is something like what you want.
Personally, I think a nice solution would be a function bound to a key
in re-builder mode that takes the present regexp, modifies it to work
with replace-regexp and family, and then places it on the re search
history. You hit the key, go to do your search or replace or whatever,
and then hit M-p to call up that regexp. That sort of thing wouldn't be
too hard to cobble together if you look at the code in re-builder+
(this is basically a note to self).

Eric

-- 
GNU Emacs 24.0.91.1 (i686-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 2.24.6)
 of 2011-11-07 on pellet