Regex search - match multiple strings anywhere within multiple files

wkwied

Howdy. I’ve tried to search both here and elsewhere, but I haven’t found anything that seems to match what I’m looking for.
I am using find in files and regex to try to locate files that contain anything that matches two strings.

I know this will find any files that contain foo/Foo AND Bar/bar, and this works, but only if they are on the same line.

[fF]oo.*[bB]ar

I know that this will find any files that contain foo OR bar

foo|bar

But I need to know (if it is even possible?) how I can search for any file, not just any line, that contains foo and bar.
Does anyone have any ideas? Regex gives me a headache =(

PeterJones

@wkwied ,

you need to have . matches newline checkmarked, or use the equivalent regex syntax (?s) at the start of the regex.

And if it might be foo ... bar and might be bar ... foo, then you will need to allow for that: (?s)([fF]oo.*[bB]ar|[bB]ar/*[fF]oo)

BTW: using either not-match-case, or the (?i) flag, will be easier than doing [fF] every time you search… unless you need some to be always lower case and some where you don’t care, in which case, you’ve probably got the best syntax already. ((?is) will combine those two flags)

wkwied

@wkwied I tip my hat to you sir. Thank you kindly! that works.

wkwied

@PeterJones Peter, would you be able to assist me with adding a third criteria to this search?
I’m not sure if the /* is a NP++ only thing, but I can’t seem to craft a regex that would be able to search for three strings, regardless of the order any of the strings may be in.

Thanks

PeterJones

@wkwied said in Regex search - match multiple strings anywhere within multiple files:

I’m not sure if the /* is a NP++ only thing,

It was a typo-thing. I meant .* in that.

but I can’t seem to craft a regex that would be able to search for three strings, regardless of the order any of the strings may be in.

If you look at the Generic Regex Formula FAQ, and go to the regex logic gates, it explains how to build up an n-term expression for OR-logic, and explains how to make those work for “whole file” as compared to restricted to one line.

update: after studying the FAQ, try to come up with the expression you need on your own. If it doesn’t work for you, show us what you tried, and explain why you thought it would work based on what was in that FAQ, and then we can maybe help improve your understanding to see why it failed.

wkwied

@PeterJones Roger that. I’ll report back if there are problems. Thanks

guy038

Hello, @wkwied, @peterjones and All,

@wkwied, all the regexes, below, ONLY matches if the 3 expressions price, assert and allow are all present, with this exact case, at least one time, in the current file !

Regex A : (?s-i)\A(?=.*assert)(?=.*price)(?=.*allow)([^|\r\n]|\R)
Regex B : (?s-i)\A(?=.*assert)(?=.*price)(?=.*allow)(?-s).*\R
Regex C : (?s-i)\A(?=.*assert)(?=.*price)(?=.*allow).*?\K(?:assert|price|allow)
Regex D : (?s-i)\A(?=.*assert)(?=.*price)(?=.*allow).*?\K(?:assert|price|allow).+(?:assert|price|allow)

More precisely, IF the 3 expressions price, assert and allow all exist, at least one time, with this exact case, in current file :

The regex A matches the first standard or EOL character(s)
The regex B matches the first line, empty or not, with its line-break char(s)
The regex C matches the first searched expression found
The regex D matches from the first to the last searched expression found

For instance :

Regex A could be used with the Find in Files dialog to find out all the files containing these 3 expressions
Regex D could be used, in a second time, with the Mark dialog to get the commplete range of the searched expressions, for specific files

To be convinced, simply paste the text below ( part of the license.txt file of N++ v8.6.5 ) in a new tab :

Preamble
The GNU General Public License is a free, copyleft license for software and other kinds of works.

The licenses for most software and other practical works are designed to take away your freedom to share and change the works. By contrast, the GNU General Public License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change all versions of a program--to make sure it remains free software for all its users. We, the Free Software Foundation, use the GNU General Public License for most of our software; it applies also to any other work released this way by its authors. You can apply it to your programs, too.

When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for them if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it in new free programs, and that you know you can do these things.

To protect your rights, we need to prevent others from denying you these rights or asking you to surrender the rights. Therefore, you have certain responsibilities if you distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it: responsibilities to respect the freedom of others.

For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether gratis or for a fee, you must pass on to the recipients the same freedoms that you received. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their rights.

Developers that use the GNU GPL protect your rights with two steps: (1) assert copyright on the software, and (2) offer you this License giving you legal permission to copy, distribute and/or modify it.

For the developers' and authors' protection, the GPL clearly explains that there is no warranty for this free software. For both users' and authors' sake, the GPL requires that modified versions be marked as changed, so that their problems will not be attributed erroneously to authors of previous versions.

Some devices are designed to deny users access to install or run modified versions of the software inside them, although the manufacturer can do so. This is fundamentally incompatible with the aim of protecting users' freedom to change the software. The systematic pattern of such abuse occurs in the area of products for individuals to use, which is precisely where it is most unacceptable. Therefore, we have designed this version of the GPL to prohibit the practice for those products. If such problems arise substantially in other domains, we stand ready to extend this provision to those domains in future versions of the GPL, as needed to protect the freedom of users.

Finally, every program is threatened constantly by software patents. States should not allow patents to restrict development and use of software on general-purpose computers, but in those that do, we wish to avoid the special danger that patents applied to a free program could make it effectively proprietary. To prevent this, the GPL assures that patents cannot be used to render the program non-free.

The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and modification follow.

and… experiment !

Notes :

You must tick the Regular expression search mode and the Wrap around box option
As soon as you insert or delete a character, within one of these 3 words, the regex will fail systematically !

Best Regards

guy038