notepad++ search wildcard

2 min read 03-10-2024

Mastering Wildcards in Notepad++: Search and Replace Like a Pro

Notepad++ is a powerful text editor loved by developers and casual users alike. One of its most useful features is its robust search and replace functionality. But did you know you can take your search game to the next level using wildcards?

Imagine you have a large file with numerous lines like this:

<img src="image1.jpg" alt="Picture of a cat">
<img src="image2.png" alt="A dog photo">
<img src="image3.gif" alt="Sunset view">

You want to change all the file extensions from .jpg, .png, and .gif to .webp. Instead of manually editing each line, you can use wildcards to achieve this in seconds!

Here's how:

Open the "Find and Replace" dialog box: Press Ctrl + H (or Cmd + H on Mac).
Enter the wildcard search string: In the "Find what" field, type *.???
- * is the wildcard for any number of characters.
- ? is the wildcard for a single character.
- In this case, *.??? will match any file name followed by a period and any three-letter extension.
Enter the replacement string: In the "Replace with" field, type *.webp
Click "Replace All": This will replace all occurrences in your document.

Understanding Wildcards

Here's a breakdown of the common wildcards used in Notepad++:

* (asterisk): Matches any number of characters (including zero).
- Example: *dog* will match "dog", "my dog", "big dog", "doggy" etc.
? (question mark): Matches any single character.
- Example: a?c will match "abc", "aac", "afc", etc.
[] (square brackets): Matches any single character within the brackets.
- Example: [aeiou]nt will match "ant", "ent", "unt", etc.
[^] (caret within square brackets): Matches any single character NOT within the brackets.
- Example: [^aeiou]nt will match "bnt", "cnt", "dnt", etc., but not "ant", "ent", "unt".

Beyond Simple Replacements

Wildcards can be used for much more than just replacing file extensions. Here are some other use cases:

Extracting data: Let's say you have a list of emails in a document:
- [a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,} This regular expression will extract all email addresses from your text.
Cleaning up text: Remove unnecessary spaces or special characters from your text using wildcards and regular expressions.
Code manipulation: Find and replace specific code elements or comments based on their structure.

Tips and Tricks

Use the Regular Expression Mode: Enable the "Regular expression" option in the "Find what" dialog box for more advanced searching.
Test your expressions: It's always a good idea to test your wildcard expressions before applying them to your entire document.
Learn Regular Expressions: Mastering regular expressions will greatly enhance your wildcard search capabilities. There are numerous online resources available for learning.

Resources

By understanding and using wildcards effectively, you can greatly simplify complex search and replace tasks, saving you time and effort. So go ahead, explore the power of wildcards in Notepad++ and unleash your text editing potential!