Search area limitation when searching and replacing?

[PaRunk]

Hi,
I would have a question about searching and replacing: Where can I set that the search does not search the entire document, but only the area that I have selected and makes the changes.

I haven't found this setting yet. Require this function so that the entire document is not searched continuously in order to be able to make the changes only in this area.

With a brochure with over 100 pages, it is very tedious to constantly click through the results found in order to then be able to correct the correct points individually.

It would be better to select the text area, carry out searches and to be able to correct all found results at the same time with one command.

If this function is not available, I would be glad if you could add this function with the search area limitation.

[walt.farrell]

It can be done, but only using Regular Expressions, and, I think, only within a particular set of linked text frames (aka, a "story"). It would be better if there were a simpler way of doing it.

 

Assume that you have a set of linked text frames, and within that set you want to change ABC to DEFG. You can do the following:

1. Insert a unique text string that doesn't appear elsewhere in the document at the beginning of the first text frame in the set. Perhaps something like AAAStart.
2. Insert another one at the end of the last text frame in the set, say AAAEnd.
3. In the Find and Replace panel, click the gear cog for the Find field and make sure that the Regular Expression option is selected.
4. In the Find field, put:

   (AAAStart.*)(ABC)(.*AAAEnd)

5. In the Replace field, put:

   \1DEFG\3

6. Click Find, then Replace to work through the list.
7. When done, you might do a Find again to make sure none were missed. And finally remove the AAAStart and AAAEnd tags.

Note that the AAAStart and AAAEnd strings should not contain any characters that are significant to Regular Expression parsing. if the "ABC" string contains any characters that are significant to Regular Expression parsing you will need to escape them with a \ or some other method.