Re: heavy-duty search & replaces

[Robert Holmgren holmgren@xxxxxxxx]

** Reply to note from xywrite@xxxxxxxx Wed, 25 Mar 1998 15:15:12 +0900 (JST)

> >Alas, I don't see a way of getting wildcards on both sides of the
> >equation that wouldn't be very laborious, and slow.
 
> Why not using XY4, where wildcards on both sides are required. Am
> I missing something?

They're only "required on both sides" if you use them on the replace side.
You can use them only on the search side, or not at all. In any case, Carl is
talking about doing jumbo S&R, which doesn't employ any of the standard Xy4
S&R capabilities. BIGCHG invents its own S&R technology. Further, having
tried to do something similar under Xy3 (WILDCIA.PM, from 1988-90), putting
wildcards on the replace side is very laborious (although not necessarily slow).
Since the main purpose of WILDCIA was precisely to put wildcards on the replace
side (which Xy4 does natively), it may have been justified labor (I had my
doubts at the time); but since the main purpose of BIGCHG is jumbo S&R, best to
keep the purpose narrow and focus on the task, which isn't at all easy.

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Robert Holmgren
holmgren@xxxxxxxx
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