What Is This

This is a search and replace tool that supports searching files with an ECMAScript regex pattern, replacing that pattern with a string, and after printing to ensure everything is correct, modifying the input files with replacements.

rp does as little in the way of custom logic as possible. The entire modification behavior of this program boils down to the following code:

const data = readFileSync(filename).toString!
let new_data = data.replace(pattern) do
	replacement.replaceAll(/(?<!\\)&/g,$1).replaceAll('\\&','&')
writeFileSync(filename, new_data)

The previewing behavior is done with npm diff, and the git status failsafe is done with execSync.

Installation

npm i -g replacing

Usage

cmd | rp [PATTERN [REPLACEMENT [MODIFY [FORCE]]]]

The argument parsing for rp is positional and depends on the number of arguments provided:

0. Simply print the sorted file paths passed through stdin.

1. Print lines with text matching the specified regex pattern. Default flags are gi. To specify custom flags, end your pattern with /flags. Ending your pattern with / indicates no flags.

2. Print with replacements. Ampersands (&) in the replacement string will be substituted with the corresponding match. Literal ampersands can be specified with \&.

3. Modify the input files accordingly. This argument must be -M and you must be in a clean working git directory.

4. Forcibly modify the input files regardless of git status. This argument must be -F.

Examples

Print file contents of piped paths:

fd | rp

Print lines matching pattern config:

fd | rp 'config'

Print lines replacing matched pattern config with text store.config:

fd | rp 'config' 'store.config'

Same as above:

fd | rp 'config' 'store.&'

Modify files, replacing matched pattern config with text store.config:

fd | rp 'config' 'store.&' -M

Forcibly modify regardless of git status:

fd | rp 'config' 'store.&' -M -F

Lookarounds and word boundaries work. Print lines matching the word config not after store., replacing with store.config:

fd | rp '(?<!store\.)\bconfig\b' 'store.&'

Tips

Excluding Files

You can use all of the features of the piping program to narrow down your search. For example, to exclude any file beginning with store:

fd -E store\*

Clearing Scrollback

Part of the usefulness of this program is the ability to revise and view new changes. Without clearing the terminal's scrollback buffer, that can get a little messy. You might consider aliasing fd or whatever program you're using to clear the scrollback first:

alias fd='clear && fd'

If running clear doesn't clear your terminal's entire scrollback buffer, you can try:

alias fd='printf "\033c" && fd'

Linewise Search And Replace

rp does not do linewise search and replace, it tests your regex on the entire file.