Find and Replace Window

You can use the Find and Replace window to search for text strings, expressions, or entity names within the code of your documents. To access this window, from the Edit menu, click Find and Replace, and then select one of the options listed.

The Find and Replace window contains a toolbar with two drop-downs, one for find operations and one for replace operations. When you select an operation, the corresponding options for the operation are displayed. You can search and replace in one or more files or an entire solution for text, code, or symbols.

In This Section

• Quick Find, Find and Replace Window
  Used to search the active file or current project for a string or expression. Jumps from match to match within each document.

• Quick Replace, Find and Replace Window
  Used to search the active file or current project for a string or expression, and change all or part of any matches found. Jumps from match to match within each document.

• Find in Files, Find and Replace Window
  Used to search for a string or expression in files stored within a set of search folders, or across the active solution. Displays matches in the Find Results windows.

• Replace in Files, Find and Replace Window
  Used to search for a string or expression in files stored within a set of search folders, or across the active solution, and change all or part of any matches found. Displays matches in the Find Results windows.

• Find Symbol, Find and Replace Window
  Used to search in currently active files, or also in broader sets of available components, for the names of entities defined, referenced, or called in code. Displays matches in the Find Symbol Results window.

• Find Results Windows
  Describes the windows where matches found by Find in Files and Replace in Files operations are listed.

• Find Symbol Results Window
  Describes the window where matches found by Find Symbol operations are listed.

• Choose Search Folders Dialog Box
  Used to assemble, save, and select named sets of directories to search, and to specify the order in which they are searched.

Related Sections

• Regular Expressions (Visual Studio)
  Lists regular expressions that can be included in search strings.

• Wildcards (Visual Studio)
  Lists wildcard characters that can be included in search strings.

• Find/Command Box
  Allows you to find and replace text or code in the active document, and to execute commands on your local system.

• Go To Line Dialog Box
  Allows you to move to a specific line number in a document.

• How to: Search Interactively
  Using Quick Find and Quick Replace to match or replace search strings or expressions in documents open for editing or contained in the current project. Selection jumps from match to match within each document.

• How to: Search Using Results Lists
  Using Find in Files and Replace in Files to match or replace search strings or expressions in any accessible files, or in the entire solution. Matches are displayed in the Find Results windows.

• How to: Search for Objects, Definitions, and References (Symbols)
  Using Find Symbol to search in currently active files, or also in broader sets of available components, for the names of entities defined, referenced, or called in code. Matches are displayed in the Find Symbol Results window.

• How to: Search a Document Incrementally
  Provides procedures for matching a search string in the active document character by character.