Search facility - Revision history

Ekern at 22:49, 21 April 2023

2023-04-21T22:49:28Z

Ekern at 20:15, 6 January 2023

2023-01-06T20:15:51Z

Ekern: Created page with "TOC The search facility is available for the main pages as well as for the many Value and work windows. The handiest search controls are the
2022-11-08T03:25:39Z

Created page with "TOC The search facility is available for the main pages as well as for the many Value and work windows. The handiest search controls are the <v..."

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The search facility is available for the main pages as well as for the many Value and work windows. The handiest search controls are the <var>Search</var>, <var>Search Next</var>, and <var>Search Prev</var> buttons that operate on the currently active page. 

[[File:search2_zoom60.gif|299x134px|search2]] 
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Comparable controls are available, alternatively, from the [[Search menu options|Search menu]] and its analogous Client [[Introducing the configurable components#Commands|commands]], and from the multiple hot key and key combinations (described below) that also perform these search functions. 

These search functions are also provided from an on window search bar when you choose to view the main pages as [[Opening an external window|external windows]] or when you invoke a Client <var>Value</var> or other work window ([[Using the console and command line|Console]], [[Displaying a statement history|history]], etc.): 

 [[File:valuewindow4b_zoom50.gif|356x204px|valueWindow4b]] 

The search functions on these windows are subject to Client command control via an In window prefix for the individual search command ([[searchDown command|searchDown]], [[searchFromBottom command|searchFromBottom]], [[searchFromTop command|searchFromTop]], [[searchUp command|searchUp]], [[top command|top]], [[bottom command|bottom]]).

=== The Search button ===

Clicking the <var>Search</var> button on the main window searches the current tab from its top (first) line for the string you specify in the text box above (without regard for case). 

To repeat a search from the current line, you use the <var>Search Next</var> button. As an alternative, you can also click (give focus to) the Search text box below or use the CTRL-F key combination (which performs the same function, by [[Default settings of buttons and hot keys|default]]), then press the Enter key. 

To search from the last line of the tab toward its first, you press the Alt key while clicking the <var>Search</var> button (or use the CTRL-U key combination, which by default performs the same function). You can then use the <var>[[Search facility#The Search Prev button|Search Prev]]</var> button to search backwards for the next occurrence of the search string. 

To repeat a search for a previous search string, click the arrow button to the right of the search box for a history of as many as twenty previous search terms. 

To use regular expressions in the search string, begin the string with a tilde (~). For example, the following string matches variable declarations of format %name IS whatever: 

~%\w+\s+IS

'''Note:''' The rules for VB .net regular expressions are observed; these differ from the rules for User Language regular expressions. For background information about regular expressions, a good resource is Mastering Regular Expressions, by Jeffrey E. F. Friedl, published by O'Reilly Media, Inc..

To use the value of a macro variable or Client function, both of which begin with an ampersand (&), in the search string, simply specify the name as is. To search for a string that starts with an ampersand and is not a macro variable or function name, prefix the initial ampersand with a backslash character (\) to treat the string as a literal. Similarly, specify \\ to search for a single backslash character.

The <var>Search</var> button has the same effect as the <var>[[Search menu options|Search From Top]]</var> option in the <var>Search</var> menu and as the [[searchFromTop command|searchFromTop]] command. The <var>ALT-Search</var> button has the same effect as the <var>[[Search menu options|Search From Bottom]]</var> option in the <var>Search</var> menu and as the [[searchFromBottom command|searchFromBottom]] command. 

=== The Search Next button ===

Clicking the <var>Search Next</var> button starts from the current position and searches the current tab for the string you specify, or it repeats the previous forward search. The F9 key performs the same function (by [[Default settings of buttons and hot keys|default]]). And pressing the Enter key after clicking <var>Search Next</var> (or whenever the <var>Search Next</var> button is highlighted) repeats the <var>Search Next</var> action. 

If you press the Alt key while clicking the <var>Search Next</var> button (or press ALT-F9), you search again for the current search string, but the search is backwards, towards the top from the current position. This is the same as using the <var>Search Prev</var> button, as described below.

The <var>Search Next</var> button has the same effect as the <var>[[Search menu options|Search Down]]</var> option in the <var>Search</var> menu, as the <var>Search Down</var> button in Client external windows, and as the [[searchDown command|searchDown]] command.

=== The Search Prev button ===

Clicking the <var>Search Prev</var> button starts from the current position and searches backwards (towards the top) in the current tab for an occurrence of the currently specified search string. Pressing the Enter key after clicking <var>Search Prev</var> (or whenever the <var>Search Prev</var> button is highlighted) repeats the <var>Search Prev</var> action. 

Alternatives that have the same effect as the <var>Search Prev</var> button are:

* Pressing the Alt key while clicking the <var>Search Next</var> button 

* Pressing the ALT-F9 key combination, which (by [[Default settings of buttons and hot keys|default]]) performs the same function 

The <var>Search Prev</var> button has the same effect as the <var>[[Search menu options|Search Up]]</var> option in the <var>Search</var> menu, as the <var>Search Up</var> button in Client external windows, and as the [[searchUp command|searchUp]] command.

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