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GNU Info (emacs-lisp-intro.info)Regexp SearchRegular Expression Searches *************************** Regular expression searches are used extensively in GNU Emacs. The two functions, `forward-sentence' and `forward-paragraph', illustrate these searches well. They use regular expressions to find where to move point. The phrase `regular expression' is often written as `regexp'. Regular expression searches are described in Note: Regular Expression Search, as well as in Note: Regular Expressions. In writing this chapter, I am presuming that you have at least a mild acquaintance with them. The major point to remember is that regular expressions permit you to search for patterns as well as for literal strings of characters. For example, the code in `forward-sentence' searches for the pattern of possible characters that could mark the end of a sentence, and moves point to that spot. Before looking at the code for the `forward-sentence' function, it is worth considering what the pattern that marks the end of a sentence must be. The pattern is discussed in the next section; following that is a description of the regular expression search function, `re-search-forward'. The `forward-sentence' function is described in the section following. Finally, the `forward-paragraph' function is described in the last section of this chapter. `forward-paragraph' is a complex function that introduces several new features.
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