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Miscellaneous Software

Search and Replace Text in Multiple Files with Regular Expressions Support

SUMMARY: The Windows freeware TextCrawler lets you modify text inside a group of files, supporting regular expressions with back references.

Let's say you need to replace the same words inside several text files, for example a copyright date. Opening each file in a text editor such as Notepad and making the change is a waste of time, and perhaps you don't want to fool with command line tools.

One option is TextCrawler by DigitialVolcano. This freeware application for Windows lets you visually scan for and replace text among several files simultaneously. Type in the original and replacement text, or use regular expressions with support for back references for more complicated searches and replacements. TextCrawler also comes with a regular expressions tester, allowing you to see results of complicated regular expressions before trying them on important files. Plus, for safety you can optionally create backup files before replacing text.

Replacing copyright dates inside multiple text files with TextCrawler

The software can be downloaded at the following address:

TextCrawler: http://www.digitalvolcano.co.uk/content/textcrawler

This tip was written regarding TextCrawler v1.1-2 running on a Windows XP machine. Features, information, and screenshots for other versions / operating systems may vary.