Find and Replace in a Project

To search the open text, use Find (⌘F). To search every scene at once, choose Edit > Find in Project… (⇧⌘F). On iPad, choose Find in Text or Find in Project… from the ⋯ menu; on iPhone, the magnifying glass above the page finds in the text, and Find in Project… is in the + menu.

Finding in the open text

In Write, Find opens a bar over the top of the page. Type, and the first match after the caret is selected; every match is tinted, the selected one more strongly, and the bar shows which it is ("3 of 17").

  • Return or the down arrow (⌘G) selects the next match; Shift-Return or the up arrow (⇧⌘G) the previous one. From the last match it goes round to the first.
  • Use Selection for Find (⌘E) looks for the selected words.
  • The ⋯ menu has Match Case, Whole Words and Regular Expression, and Replace, which adds a second line: Replace changes the selected match and selects the next, All changes every match in the open text. Either can be undone with Edit > Undo; Replace All is one undo.
  • Esc or × closes the bar and puts the keyboard back in the text, with the last match still selected.

The bar finds words as you read them: the quick finds "the quick" even though asterisks mark the italic. Replacing a match keeps the italic or bold around it. Matches in a locked document are found but not replaced.

Finding in a project

Type what you're looking for. Matches are listed by scene, with the text around each. Choose Show to open the scene with the match selected.

  • Match Case finds only the same capitals.
  • Whole Words skips matches inside longer words, so cat doesn't find Cathy.
  • Regular Expression treats the search as a pattern. In the replacement, $1, $2 and so on stand for the pattern's groups.
  • Look in chooses the Manuscript, All Text (notes and research too), or the Open Text in the editor.

The search sees the text as the editor stores it, including the * and ** around italic and bold words.

Replacing in a project

Type a replacement to see what each match will become. Choose Replace to change one match, or Replace All… to change them all.

Before replacing, a checkpoint named "Before replacing …" is recorded, so you can undo the change from History. Only the matched words change, so comments on the rest of the passage stay attached. Locked documents are passed over.