Search function that ignores some characters

Search function that ignores some characters

[tony-au]

Hello,
I would like to implement a search function that ignores some characters
(like these
characters { '.', ',' , 'X'}). So if I search "word", the function should
not
only find "word" but also "wor.d", "wo,rd.", "w,,o..X,r..d", and so
on. That means I want to search w[.,X]*o[.,X]*r[.,X]d as a regexp.

The function my-regexp produces the regexp and insert it into the buffer 
(defun my-regexp (&optional regexp-p no-recursive-edit)
  (interactive "P\n")
  (setq str (read-from-minibuffer
	     "the word: "))
  (insert-before-markers
   (mapconcat (lambda (c) (regexp-quote (string c))) str "[.,X]*"))
  )

But then I have to kill the produced regexp from the buffer and insert it
into the minibuffer of "C-M-s" (Regexp I-search). 
This is not really comfortable. How can directly insert the regexp (in the
example: w[.,X]*o[.,X]*r[.,X]d) into the minibuffer of (Regexp I-search)?

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RE: Search function that ignores some characters

[Drew Adams]

> I want to search w[.,X]*o[.,X]*r[.,X]d as a regexp.

If you use that particular regexp a lot, you can save it as the value of a
register, and use `M-e' followed by `C-x r i' in regexp isearch to use it as the
search pattern.


(If you use Icicles, you can also assign the pattern to a variable and then use
`C-=' to insert it after hitting `M-e' in isearch.
http://www.emacswiki.org/emacs/Icicles_-_Inserting_a_Regexp_from_a_Variable_or_R
egister)