GNU bug report logs - #267
dired-do-query-replace-regex replace ALL

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Package: emacs; Severity: wishlist; Reported by: xah lee <xah <at> xahlee.org>; dated Sat, 17 May 2008 10:35:03 UTC; Maintainer for emacs is bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org.

Severity set to `wishlist' from `normal' Request was from Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org> to control <at> emacsbugs.donarmstrong.com. Full text available.

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To: emacs-pretest-bug <at> gnu.org
From: xah lee <xah <at> xahlee.org>
Date: Sat, 17 May 2008 03:26:26 -0700
Cc: 
Subject: dired-do-query-replace-regex replace ALL
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Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+monnier=iro.umontreal.ca <at> gnu.org
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Emacs suggestion:

when in dired mode in the processing of doing dired-do-query-replace-=20
regexp (shortcut Q), it offers the ability to do replacement without =20
asking on the current file, by pressing the ! key, but it would be =20
nice to have:

(1) the ability to do ALL replacements on ALL files without further =20
asking.
(2) the ability to not do any replacement on the current file.

I use dired-do-query-replace-regexp few times a week, typically on =20
tens of files, but maybe once in a month i do it over hundreds or =20
thuosands of files on a website.

Often, after some replacement, it becomes obvious that it is safe to =20
do ALL replacement for ALL files. When this is needed, typically i =20
can just hold down the ! key. But when the number of files is =20
hundreds or more, typically there will be seveal 5 second delays =20
where i assume emacs is doing garbage collection. The bottom line is =20
that, holding down ! is not a good solution because i end up having =20
to wait a total of maybe 20 or 30 seconds during the whole operation.

For this reason, i often abort the operation, then switch to a perl =20
or python script i've written that does blind find/replace on all =20
files. This will finish the job on thousands of files within 5 =20
seconds. But I couldn't reply on this since often i need =20
interactively see and confirm the replacements, which emacs provides. =20=

(emacs also lets me view the change file afterwards or decide to save =20=

them...etc, which i won't be able to do with perl...)

So, it would be nice, if emacs's dired-do-query-replace-regexp offer =20
the option to do all replacement on all files.

Perhaps this can be introduced as pressing the @ key.

For suggestion item (2), the scenario is that sometimes i have a big =20
file and it is apparent that i don't want any replacement to happen =20
on that file. As things are, i have to repeatedly pressing n while =20
paying attention not to go over to the next file. This is a tiring =20
process.

dired-do-query-replace-regexp is very nice and i've been using it for =20=

2 years. For just tens of files the above isn't a problem. But when =20
doing few hundred files, and on tens of replacement pairs (i.e. using =20=

dired-do-query-replace-regexp tens of times, each time on hundreds of =20=

files), the above features seems a very good one to have. It seems =20
also a logical feature complementating the various recursive edit and =20=

edit-replacement-text currently provided by emacs.

PS some background... I'm doing on static websites, which has few =20
hundred or thousand files, such as systimatically changing a style =20
markup, etc. In the past 2 days, i spent entire 2 days using dired-do-=20=

query-replace-regexp (in combination with perl and python script).

Thanks.

   Xah
   xah <at> xahlee.org
=E2=88=91 http://xahlee.org/

=E2=98=84

Acknowledgement sent to xah lee <xah <at> xahlee.org>:
New bug report received and forwarded. Copy sent to Emacs Bugs <bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org>. Full text available.

Report forwarded to bug-submit-list <at> lists.donarmstrong.com, Emacs Bugs <bug-gnu-emacs <at> gnu.org>:
bug#267; Package emacs. Full text available.

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Last modified: Tue, 20 Sep 2011 19:45:02 UTC

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GNU bug report logs - #267 dired-do-query-replace-regex replace ALL

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GNU bug report logs - #267
dired-do-query-replace-regex replace ALL