Searching (and Replacing)

There are 2 distinct (but related) features in iThoughts.

• Search

• Search + Replace

Search

Search is activated by CMD+F (or CTRL+F on Windows.) It will search various text fields in the current map or all maps that iThoughts has previously opened.

Search + Replace

Search and Replace operates differently to simple search. It is much more flexible and requires more specific matching. It only applies to the current map (not all maps.)

There are various options open to you when searching:

• Pattern - this is the string you are searching for (it can be a regular expression)

• Match Case - this tells the system whether the case of letters is important.

• GREP - this indicates that the Pattern should be treated as a regular expression.

• Scope - this dictates which bits of the topic are searched.

  • Text - this is the topic text (i.e. the markdown formatted text - which may be different to the visible text)

  • Note - this is the topic note (as above - the markdown is searched)

  • Link - any link attached to the topic

  • Icon - any icon attached to the topic (hover your mouse over the icon in the picker to determine its name - or long press on iOS)

  • Resource - any associated resources (in the Task settings.)

• Replacement - this is the text to replace the above with (it can include any regular expression ‘captured' values)

There are the 2 options - Preview or Replace All. Preview will give you a report of all the changes that will be made if you then select Replace All. It is recommended all replacements are previewed first (to ensure that unintended replacements are avoided.)

Replace All will replace all the matching text in a single operation. You can close the Search & Replace window then choose UNDO if the replacements were not correct.