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    [New Plugin] MultiReplace

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    • Thomas KnoefelT
      Thomas Knoefel @Mark Olson
      last edited by

      @Mark-Olson said in [New Plugin] MultiReplace:

      But of course your plugin changes the text itself, and so you need some way to distinguish from your plugin’s changes… Hmm…

      Indeed, this can quickly turn into a complex issue. That’s why I’ve added a regular Find feature, which wasn’t originally planned but serves the same purpose I intended to implement. The advantage here is that it’s easier to maintain and isn’t solely limited to locating positions within Marked Strings. Sometimes, exploring alternative approaches proves to be simpler… thanks for your support; this will answer the questions I was looking for!

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
      • Vitalii DovganV
        Vitalii Dovgan
        last edited by

        A tiny thing that confuses me with each update of the plugin: it’s physical name is “NppMultiReplace.dll” and, correspondingly, its folder name is “NppMultiReplace”, and in the same time the plugin identifies itself as “MultiReplace” (without “Npp”) in the main menu.
        Maybe the same name in both places would be better?

        Michael VincentM Thomas KnoefelT 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • Michael VincentM
          Michael Vincent @Vitalii Dovgan
          last edited by

          @Vitalii-Dovgan said in [New Plugin] MultiReplace:

          Maybe the same name in both places would be better?

          Agree. Drop the “Npp” - it’s obvious the plugin is for Notepad++. You can name the repo “npp…” if you like, but the plugin DLL itself (and thus folder) should drop the “Npp” prefix.

          Cheers.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
          • Alan KilbornA
            Alan Kilborn
            last edited by

            Leading off a plugin name with Npp is a sure way to cause it to get visually lost to someone looking for it in the PluginsAdmin list: “Damn, I know it is called MultiReplace, how come I can’t find it? Oh, it’s because it is in the N’s because the dubious decision was made to put Npp on the front of its name…”

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
            • Thomas KnoefelT
              Thomas Knoefel @Vitalii Dovgan
              last edited by

              @Vitalii-Dovgan said in [New Plugin] MultiReplace:

              Maybe the same name in both places would be better?

              Good point, consistency matters. I’ve renamed project and files to ‘MultiReplace’ and dropped the ‘Npp’ prefix. Changes are in the new RC5 build.

              wonkawillyW Alan KilbornA 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 5
              • wonkawillyW
                wonkawilly @Thomas Knoefel
                last edited by wonkawilly

                @Thomas-Knoefel said in [New Plugin] MultiReplace:

                @Vitalii-Dovgan said in [New Plugin] MultiReplace:

                Maybe the same name in both places would be better?

                Good point, consistency matters. I’ve renamed project and files to ‘MultiReplace’ and dropped the ‘Npp’ prefix.

                Excellent, this should be the standard way of naming all plugins: so they can be found alphabetically ordered into the Plugin Menu too.
                Thank you.

                rdipardoR 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                • rdipardoR
                  rdipardo @wonkawilly
                  last edited by

                  Excellent, this should be the standard way of naming all plugins: so they can be found alphabetically ordered into the Plugin Menu too.

                  The plugin’s file name does not determine the display name in the install menu; that comes from the "display-name" property in the JSON manifest embedded in the Plugins Admin DLL.

                  For example, selecting “F# Interactive” installs a module named NPPFSIPlugin.dll — with a pointless “-Plugin” suffix as well as prefix!

                  pl-admin--showing-short-name.png
                  prefixed-plugin-module

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 5
                  • Alan KilbornA
                    Alan Kilborn @Thomas Knoefel
                    last edited by Alan Kilborn

                    @Thomas-Knoefel said in [New Plugin] MultiReplace:

                    Changes are in the new RC5 build.

                    I realize that this is ‘release candidate’ stuff but…

                    I would guess from the size of the DLL in the “assets” that this is a “debug” build; you probably want to change this to a “release” build (forever more in all your releases of this plugin).

                    Should also consider a 32-bit build for our N++ family friends that use that one.

                    Thomas KnoefelT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                    • Thomas KnoefelT
                      Thomas Knoefel @Alan Kilborn
                      last edited by

                      @Alan-Kilborn said in [New Plugin] MultiReplace:

                      Should also consider a 32-bit build for our N++ family friends that use that one.

                      All versions will ultimately be made available as “release” builds when plugin reaches 1.0.0.0 . I have updated RC5 now with all release builds. For all commits, I have an Action preparing the builds in the Git repository, which can be download here as well for the latest RC . (Kudos to @Michael-Vincent for his support with this.)

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
                      • Thomas KnoefelT
                        Thomas Knoefel
                        last edited by Thomas Knoefel

                        This post is deleted!
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                        • tomiskT
                          tomisk
                          last edited by

                          It seems that regex replace with capture group ($1) doesn’t work. Would love to have this feature.

                          PeterJonesP Thomas KnoefelT 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • PeterJonesP
                            PeterJones @tomisk
                            last edited by

                            This post is deleted!
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                            • Thomas KnoefelT
                              Thomas Knoefel @tomisk
                              last edited by Thomas Knoefel

                              This post is deleted!
                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • Thomas KnoefelT
                                Thomas Knoefel
                                last edited by Thomas Knoefel

                                I’ve recently completed the Scope Function for the MultiReplace plugin. It lets you set the area (or scope) for Find, Replace, and Marking. Here’s what’s new:

                                Download Pre-Release here:

                                @tomisk: Fix for capturing groups is include in this Pre-Release. Thanks for pointing it out,

                                Selection Scope:

                                • Supports single, multi, and rectangular selections.

                                Column Scope:

                                • Use the Replace, Find, and Mark functions within distcinct columns of delimited files. Plus, there’s an added highlight feature for these columns.
                                • Just a note: The file remains editable, even when the plugin is importing a CSV structure.

                                Marking Performance:

                                From my observations, highlighting seems a bit slow in N++, especially when marking a large number of unique terms. Thus, I’ve modified the plugin to allow users to cancel the marking process if required.If you cancel and then make edits to unmarked columns, they’ll automatically get highlighted inplace, regardless of their position in the file.
                                However, highlighting columns isn’t necessary for any operations. It primarily aids in visualization.

                                DemoCSVMultiReplace.gif

                                Thomas KnoefelT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 5
                                • Thomas KnoefelT
                                  Thomas Knoefel @Thomas Knoefel
                                  last edited by Thomas Knoefel

                                  CSV Support has reached its final goal and will be released soon.

                                  Planned Features

                                  m looking at introducing more flexibility in replacements. To achieve this, I am considering introducing a checkbox feature named “Contextual Mode” which, when activated, will employ a set of external parameters for more sophisticated and context-aware replacements. Here’s what I have in mind:

                                  External Parameters:

                                  When “Contextual Mode” is enabled, the following set of external parameters can be utilized in conjunction with replacement strings to provide more context and flexibility:

                                  Parameter Description
                                  $CNT Number of the string to be replaced.
                                  $LINE Line position of the string to be replaced.
                                  $APOS Absolute position.
                                  $LPOS Position in line.
                                  $COL Column position of the string to be replaced. (works only if CSV Scope is enabled)
                                  Examples:

                                  Use Case 1: Simple Replacement with Numbering:

                                  Find String Replace String Before After
                                  key $CNT key key key 1 2 3

                                  Use Case 2: Regex Combination with External Parameters:

                                  Find String Replace String Before After
                                  \d+(key) $CNT$1 1key key 4key 1key key 2key

                                  Use Case 3: Conditional Replacements:

                                  Find String Replace String Before After
                                  key $if(CNT = 1, "newString", "key") key key key newString key key

                                  The conditions should be < > =, later I’m aiming to expand the condition features with AND and OR , allowing users to target sections in their code with more precision.

                                  Simplicity is my focus because complex syntax can make things more challenging.

                                  I’d love to hear your insights on this approach. Do you find it beneficial? Additionally, are there any elements or strategies I should consider adding?

                                  CoisesC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                  • guy038G
                                    guy038
                                    last edited by guy038

                                    Hello, @thomas-knoefel and All,

                                    I do support your future Contextual Mode feature ! This would greatly enhance the N++ Replace function ;-))


                                    Now, I’m thinking about about a replacement feature, which had been requested many times : the possibility to add counters in replacement )

                                    For instance the simple regex S/R :

                                    FIND [\d.]+

                                    REPLACE $0\t(Test $NUM)

                                    would change this list :

                                    12
                                    5.3
                                    0
                                    7.8
                                    

                                    into :

                                    12	(Test 1)
                                    5.3	(Test 2)
                                    0	(Test 3)
                                    7.8	(Test 4)
                                    

                                    Of course, this new meta-data $NUM should probably support parameters to take the start number and the increment in account !

                                    Refer to the part Counters and Cycles of the following FAQ :

                                    https://community.notepad-plus-plus.org/topic/23170/faq-desk-can-i-do-a-mathematical-replacement

                                    To find out useful ideas about this problem. But, as you said : simplicity is my focus !


                                    Note that the $NUM is slightly different from your external parameter $CNT. Of course, @thomas-knoefel, my request is just a suggestion. Do as you like !

                                    Best Regards,

                                    guy038

                                    As a remainder, the following syntaxes are reserved, in the replacement zones, by the Notepad++'s Boost regular expression engine :

                                    • $0, ${0}, $&, $MATCH, ${^MATCH}
                                    • $ followed with a backtick , $PREMATCH, ${^PREMATCH}
                                    • $', $POSTMATCH, ${^POSTMATCH}
                                    • $^N, $LAST_SUBMATCH_RESULT, ${^LAST_SUBMATCH_RESULT}
                                    • $+, $LAST_PAREN_MATCH, ${^LAST_PAREN_MATCH}
                                    • $$
                                    • \l, \u, \L, \U, \E
                                    • \n ( with 1 <= n <= 9 ) and $N or ${N} ( with N > 0 )
                                    • $+{Name}, where Name is a named group
                                    • (?N......) and (?N......:......), where N represents the numbered group N
                                    • (?{N}......) and (?{N}......:......), where N represents the numbered group N
                                    • (?{Name}......) and (?{Name}......:......), where Name represents the named group N

                                    See : https://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_80_0/libs/regex/doc/html/boost_regex/format/boost_format_syntax.html

                                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                    • CoisesC
                                      Coises @Thomas Knoefel
                                      last edited by

                                      @guy038,
                                      @Thomas-Knoefel said in [New Plugin] MultiReplace:

                                      I’d love to hear your insights on this approach. Do you find it beneficial? Additionally, are there any elements or strategies I should consider adding?

                                      It looks like you and I are approaching related targets from different directions. I’m working on a plugin, Columns++, with the primary focus being documents with data arranged visually in columns. I introduced the notion of formulas for creating new columns based on calculations from existing columns. There is also a search-and-replace feature that works with rectangular selections.

                                      In my last update, I extended the replace capability when using regular expressions to include formula substitutions of the form (?=formula) or (?=format:formula). Details are in the Formulas section of the documentation.

                                      A simple example would be:
                                      Find what: (?<=\bID)\d+\b
                                      Replace with: (?=this+120)
                                      to find all cases of “ID” followed by one or more digits, delimited by word boundaries, and add 120 to the number.

                                      I didn’t aim for simplicity, though. I gave up on that early (while I was still implementing column calculations) and decided instead to find a free and open source library of some sort that would avoid having to write my own expression parser. I chose ExprTk; so far, it is working well.

                                      Thomas KnoefelT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • Thomas KnoefelT
                                        Thomas Knoefel @Coises
                                        last edited by

                                        @Coises said in [New Plugin] MultiReplace:

                                        I didn’t aim for simplicity, though. I gave up on that early (while I was still implementing column calculations) and decided instead to find a free and open source library of some sort that would avoid having to write my own expression parser. I chose ExprTk ; so far, it is working well.

                                        I’m aiming for something more basic as it is mainly a Replacement Tool which is not deeply rooted in complex calculations but can handle basic counting operations. I’m trying to avoid using external Libraries right now (as long as possible)

                                        This is my proposed structure:

                                        1. Calculation Block
                                        $calc(VARIABLE_NAME = EXPRESSION)
                                        

                                        Manages mathematical operations with a focus on simplicity.
                                        $calc(NUM = $CNT + 5)
                                        2. Conditional Block

                                        $if(CONDITION, THEN_OUTPUT, ELSE_OUTPUT)
                                        

                                        Allows for the inclusion of calculated variables within conditions or outputs.
                                        $if($NUM > 10, “Value $NUM is greater”, “Value $NUM is smaller”)
                                        3. String Block

                                        $str(STRING_EXPRESSION)
                                        

                                        Efficiently merges calculated values with strings for the final replacement string. Can be used instead of an if Conditional Block. So either if or str to pass a replacement string.
                                        $str(“Total: $NUM key”)

                                        One potential challenge might be the extraction of regex groups by numbers, like $1, $2, etc., before sending them to the replacement string. Scintilla doesn’t support this with its Regex searches. But actually, this isn’t my primary concern.

                                        @guy038, thank you for highlighting these facts. They’ve provided valuable insights. The NUM example, in particular, inspired the concept of new Command Blocks.

                                        I hope that Command Blocks give the syntax more transparency in reading and even more robustness for parsing.

                                        CoisesC 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • guy038G
                                          guy038
                                          last edited by guy038

                                          Hello, @coises, @thomas-knoefel,

                                          Oh…, I’m terribly sorry, @coises : I forgot your valuable Columns++ plugin which already provides such a solution to my request. A special mention, too, for your excellent documentation support ;-))


                                          To be honest with you both, I’ve been following, for a while, the Notepad++'s development and its plug-ins, in a rather theorical way, on two machines :

                                          • An old Win XP machine, with Notepad++ v7.9.2 32-bit x86

                                          • A recent Win 10 laptop, with Notepad++ v8.5.4 64-bit x64, located on an USB drive

                                          On these two versions, I just add the BetterSelection, ComparePlus and Elastic Tabstops plugins and the main script plugins : LuaScript, NppExec and Python Script

                                          I’m still in the process of cleaning up my old computer, before transferring “clean” data on my new laptop. ( Don’t worry, @alan-kilborn, I’m nearing the end : the 785 and 792 still need to be reviewed in depth, as well as the deletion of multiple copy files… before the definitive migration ! )

                                          In addition, I’m presently involved in managing all my holiday photos, since June. In short, for all these reasons, I have not installed the last N++ version yet, as well as your two plugins Columns+++ and MultiReplace :-((


                                          So, the best thing I can do is to move on, once and for all, to the 21st century, which will allow me to make more accurate suggestions regarding your two excellent plugins !!

                                          Best Regards,

                                          guy038

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                          • CoisesC
                                            Coises @Thomas Knoefel
                                            last edited by

                                            @Thomas-Knoefel said in [New Plugin] MultiReplace:

                                            One potential challenge might be the extraction of regex groups by numbers, like $1, $2, etc., before sending them to the replacement string. Scintilla doesn’t support this with its Regex searches. But actually, this isn’t my primary concern.

                                            Unless I misunderstand what you mean, SCI_GETTAG does this.

                                            Thomas KnoefelT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
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