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Finding and replacing data

As in a word processing application, you can find and replace data across multiple fields (including related fields) in a record or in a find request, across a found set of records or find requests, or across text objects in a layout.

To find and replace data:

1.	In Browse, Find, or Layout mode, choose Edit menu > Find/Replace > Find/Replace.

2.	In the Find what box, type the data you want to search for. In the Replace with box, type the replacement data.

Tip  To find or replace invisible characters, such as tabs or carriage returns, manually copy and paste these characters from a field into the Find what or Replace with box.

3.	Set the search options you want to use.

 

Select	To
An option from the Direction list	Choose the search direction: Forward, Backward, or All.
Match case	Search for only those occurrences in which the capitalization matches the data you specified in the Find what box. Note  In files that contain Japanese data, a find with the Match case option cleared does not simultaneously find both the half-width and full-width version of the same character. To comprehensively find and replace both characters, make sure you perform separate finds for both the half-width and full-width character.
Match whole words only	Search for only those occurrences that are whole words or are bounded by spaces and/or punctuation characters. Examples good finds good and good within good-bye travel finds travel and travel within travel.com but .com does not find travel.com stone house[space] finds stone house in the sentence “The old stone house[space][space]has a large garden,” but does not find stone house in the sentence “The old stone house[space]has a large garden.”
An option in Search across	In Browse mode, search across all records in the current layout or just in the current record. In Find mode, search across all find requests in the current layout or just in the current find request. Note  In Layout mode, FileMaker Pro searches only in the current layout.
An option in Search within	In Browse and Find modes, search within all fields in the current layout or just in the current field.

4.	Click one of the buttons to perform the type of find/replace operation you want.

 

Click	To
Find Next	Search for and select the next occurrence of the Find what data.
Replace & Find	If there is selected data that matches the Find what data, replace the Find what data with the Replace with data, search for and select the next occurrence. If there is no selected data that matches the Find what data, search for and select the first occurrence of the Find what data.
Replace	Replace the selected Find what data with the Replace with data.
Replace All	Replace all occurrences of the Find what data with the Replace with data. At the end of the Replace All operation, you see a summary of the number of occurrences found, replaced, and skipped.

Note  Some data cannot be found or replaced:

•	You cannot find data in container fields. You can find but not replace data in calculation fields.

•	You cannot search for information in web viewers.

•	You cannot find data in fields that you are not permitted to view, or replace data in fields that you are not permitted to modify.

•	You cannot find and replace data in fields that are formatted as pop-up menus, radio buttons, or checkboxes. (To work around this limitation, find and replace data on a layout that includes these fields formatted as edit boxes or drop-down lists.)

•	If the current layout contains tabs, note that in Browse and Find modes, the find and replace only affects data in fields on the front tab panel. In Layout mode, the find and replace affects text on all tab panels.

For more information, see Find/replace troubleshooting.