Find and replace
Find and replace is a function in most word processing software programs which is used to locate specific text and replace it with different text. It may be used to replace anything from specific characters to entire words, or, conduct an operation restricted to entire words by using the Find whole words only, or similar checkbox. It is usually found in the "Edit" menu. Many software programs will allow the use of regular expressions.[1] It allows users to choose which direction to search, whether up or down in the document. It uses both the FindText and ReplaceText functions.[2] Users may select all instances of a string by selecting Highlight all. The standard procedure for operation is:
- Select the Edit menu
- Select Find and replace
- In the Find box, the user may enter the desired text to be found
- In the Replace with box, the user may enter the desired text to replace all instances of the desired string with
- The user may select Replace to replace the first instance of the desired string, and may continue to click Replace to replace the desired string one string at a time. The user may select Find to only find text, or, select Replace all to automatically replace all instances of the string without confirmation, however, still leaving the ability for the user to undo if the result is undesirable.
More advanced software programs will allow users to find an replace "special" elements, meaning with specific formatting. This includes bold text, italic text, and underlined text.[1]
References
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