Replace Patterns
Find and replace multiple text patterns with a single value.
For any find and replace that looks for a single text or pattern, use Replace instead.
Input
| Field | Definition | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| look in | Text within which a search for a string is performed. | String | TRUE |
| replace with | String with which input text is replaced or removed (by using a null value). | String | FALSE |
| all instances | Indicates whether all strings matching the value in look for are replaced. Default is True. | Boolean | FALSE |
| case sensitive |
Indicates whether all strings matching the string value and case in look for are replaced. Default is True. For example, if case sensitive is set to False, then a value of |
Boolean | FALSE |
| patterns |
Unlike the Replace function card that searches for a single text or pattern, this input section allows you to add multiple texts or patterns for a search. All such patterns are replaced with the same value from the replace with field. Add a new input to the patterns section for each additional pattern. The name of each input is ignored. |
String | FALSE |
Output
| Field | Definition | Type |
|---|---|---|
| result text |
String value after matching string values are replaced. If no instances of look for are found, then result text is the same as the original input value for the look in field. |
String |
Regular Expressions
Each pattern can be simple text to search for or can be a more complex pattern that uses regular expressions.
| Regular Expression | Definition |
|---|---|
| \w |
Finds any alphanumeric character (for example, a letter or number). |
\s
|
Finds any whitespace character (for example, a blank or tab). |
\d
|
Finds any digit. |
[1-5]
|
Finds a number between 1 and 5. |
[aeiou]
|
Finds a, e, i, o, or u. |
hello|test
|
Finds hello or test. Either side of the | operator is a regular expression. |
colou?r
|
Finds color or colour. The ? signifies that there can be zero or one of the preceding element. |
\d{5}
|
Finds five consecutive digits. The {number} signifies a number of consecutive instances of the preceding element. |
[^\w]
|
Finds any character that is not an alphanumeric character. You can add the negative operator
|
Some characters have special meaning in regular expressions, such as ., +, *, and \. To search for any of those characters, place a \ before the character. For example, \. finds a period.
Combine any of the above patterns and static text. For example, test\.\d{3} finds the word test followed by a period followed by three consecutive digits.
Example
Use this function to strip out a set of characters from a longer string value in the look in field. To do so, add fields in the patterns section for each string that needs to be deleted and leave the replace with field blank.
Also use this function to obscure certain characters in text by replacing them with an asterisk.