find and replace

[Pootang90@hotmail.com]

TotalCommander needs a find and replace function for the filesystem.

[karlchen]

And what exactly should this function do?
What should it search for and what should be replaced?

Karl

[KevinMo]

I suppose he means replacing in text search

[karlchen]

Ok, I see. I was just a little bit confused by the word "filesystem".

Anyway. Just to show this is a very, very old request, please read this thread Feature Request: Search and replace in multiple files. It starts in 2003 and ends in 2005, and still no Search for text in text files and replace in TC!

The same request has been discussed several times. Use the search function of this forum to find similar threads:
e.g. How to change a string of text within multiple files? to point you to a very recent one.

Summary:
This feature has been requested for quite a long time.
As far as I remember Christian does not like to implement it, because there are lots of little helpers and text editors out there that can do the job.

My unimportant comment:
There is another argument against it: As long as TC is not fully Unicode compliant implementing a "global text search and replace" will not make too much sense.
Once TC is fully Unicode compliant in all its modules, the request for a "global text search and replace" should be reconsidered.

Karl

[ghisler(Author)]

No, I don't want to implement it because it's very risky! For example, if someone uses this e.g. with a Word or Excel file, the file will be unusable afterwards if search+replace text don't have the same length!

[karlchen]

Good evening, Christian.

now I am a bit confused again.

A "global search and replace" function as part of an editor or of a file manager - as I understand - will always just handle pure text files (including Unicode text files maybe), not binary files.

If someone expects a "global search and replace" function to handle any file type including Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc pp, i.e. any binary file, I would agree, it is more than risky, it is pretty sure to break to legacy file formats of the corresponding applications thus making the files unusable.

OK, from my point of view, we can close the topic here as a waste of time as the creator of this thread does not bother to explain what his interpretation of his own request is.

Karl

[majkinetor !]

so ?

who cares about him ?

Ghisler is again fundamentlay wrong. Question like he raised here is so wrong in nature that if I choose to follow in that direction I can post all kind of nonsense questions like: What if somebody use Task Manager to kill explorer.exe, should we forbid all kills ? What if somebody use TC to delete ntsorknl, should we forbid deletition, it can be harmfull operation?

So, Ghisler, plese be a little...... open-minded. I know that this will sound like another one of my jokes or insults or whatever but this property of yours is really slowing things down and killing motivation to post anything. What do you think, why some of your power users don't post anymore ? I am sure they still use TC and has many things to offer...

[Horst.Epp]

There are enough tools available which can be called from a selection made with TC.

Also most users are already using an editor with that feature.

So I see no need to have such functions in TC.

[icfu]

No , I don't want to implement it because it's very risky!

You have implemented Explorer delete function that will securely wipe out the target data of junctions if the recycle bin is full and you call search and replace "risky"?

For example, if someone uses this e.g. with a Word or Excel file, the file will be unusable afterwards if search+replace text don't have the same length!

Why don't you display a warning like "HEY STUPID USER, ARE YOU SURE YOU WANNA DESTROY YOUR DATA?"

Me, the stupid user, will gladly answer YES because I know what I am doing, that's why I start a search and replace function usually, because I WANT TO change my files, otherwise I would just not do it. When I use InfoRapid S&R I can nuke my data as well, that's why stupid me creates backups before, is this too much expected from users of TC?

Additionally you can limit replacements to the same amount of chars when binary files are targetted like even the most basic replace app of all, dsFSR from http://members.ozemail.com.au/~nulifetv/freezip/freeware/ does.

You are telling us that you don't want to have any DAUs as customers but you are rejecting progressive features as if every of your users can be considered a moron, that's just paradox.

To make that clear:
This is NOT the start of another useless discussion from my side because I can't wait to see progress in TC 7 development. But, again, PLEASE don't reject features with the argument "too risky" as it really sounds like a very bad excuse. There can't be anything too risky because there is always a way to protect noobs while still offering power for the rest, like hiding the activation of "risky features" in wincmd.ini.

Icfu