Lister: Search for "\t" always operates in RegEx-M

[sem]

In Lister, a search for the string "\t" in normal mode (e.g. "Reg. Expr." not checked) matches tabs (as it would in RegEx-Mode), not the real string "\t". (XP-SP2, TC 7.01)

Besides that (has to be said, because it's my first posting here): Many thanks for this very, very, very great tool!!

[karlchen]

Enter "\\t" as your search string. This will search for the string "\t" literally and find it.
The same is true e.g. for the string "\n". Enter "\\n" as your search string.
In order to search for a "\", you enter "\\" as your search string.

Doubling the "\" will mask its special meaning: \t means tab character, \n means newline, \\ denotes the backslash character itself.

Karl

[petermad]

From the Help file:

Find text If this option is checked, you can enter text to be searched. With \t you find tabstops, and with \n line breaks (ENTER) in texts. To find a backslash \, you need to give it twice: \\ .

This is because TC supported finding tabstobs and line breaks way before support for RegEx was introduced.

[Hacker]

Moderator message

Moved to the English forum.

Hacker (Moderator)

[sem]

Thanks for your replies and sorry: It's explained very clear in the help file indeed.
I had the fixed idea that it has to be a bug, because there is the (great) alternative of using RegEx for matching special characters and I just wanted to find my "\t"s among other paths ;-)
Finally, in literal search mode it's a bit confusing that backslashes have to be (and may be) quoted only, when combined with "t" or "n".

[Tahattmeruh]

I open a textfile and search for the string "\n" without the quotes.
But what I get is that every line ending is found. That's not what
I wanted. I have no RegEx search selected.

[fenix_productions]

Issue confirmed BUT...

Try to search:
\\n

I think it goes for other special strings too (\t, ...).

[Tahattmeruh]

\\n is working.
But I think most user won't know this and won't remember this.
I think the search should search for the string and only search
for \n as new line in regex mode.

[sqa_wizard]

2Tahattmeruh: You may read the help (press "Help" button at search dialog) to read the details.

Note: \n as new line is not valid in regex mode !

[Tahattmeruh]

Note: \n as new line is not valid in regex mode !

You are right. At least in TotalCommander.
I'm used to use MS .Net RegEx

[Hacker]

Moderator message

Moved to the English forum.

Hacker (Moderator)

[d]

"But I think most user won't know this and won't remember this.
I think the search should search for the string and only search
for \n as new line in .."
i agree.

"Note: \n as new line is not valid in regex mode !"
what to use instead of \n in regex mode?
..
i have seen the help, so \x0a?

[StatusQuo]

what to use instead of \n in regex mode?

RegEx searching for RETURN

Sorry, this cannot work, because RegEx in Total Commander is limited to single lines - it cannot find multiple lines. Therefore a regex search string will never contain any line breaks. However, the beginning and end of a line can be found via ^ and $.

[wanderer]

Open a text file in lister, press CTRL+F and without having any checkboxes checked, enter \\ in the search text. Lister will select the first \ character (not \\) it meets in the file. Is this a normal behavior? Shouldn't RegEx be checked for it to work like this?

[Horst.Epp]

Open a text file in lister, press CTRL+F and without having any checkboxes checked, enter \\ in the search text. Lister will select the first \ character (not \\) it meets in the file. Is this a normal behavior? Shouldn't RegEx be checked for it to work like this?

Yes, its normal and documented in the help.
Its needed to support \n and \t in normal searches.