CODEWITHSUNDEEP
javaregexeclipsereplace
PixelMaster
PixelMaster

Reputation: 954

Eclipse: Replace multiple, different regexes simultaneously

I'm currently trying to replace an old (java) testing framework with a different, although similar, one. Therefore, as most occurences of old framework code are the same 90% of the time (in the sense of identic variable names, parameter types etc.), replacing them is pretty straightforward and rather repetitive.

Therefore, I wrote myself a few regex matches (which work just fine, they are not the focus of this question).

However, I have a rather large number of different test files, and I already at this point - just having started - have 6 different match/replacement-pairs that I would like to apply.
Now obviously, being a computer scientist, I would love to automate this, instead of going through every file, pressing Ctrl+F, pasting the matching regex, pasting the replacement regex, pressing the replace button, repeating this cycle 5 more time, and then moving to the next file.

So, let's say for the sake of simplicity, that these are my regexes:

//matches the existing framework
OldClass (.*?) = new OldClass("string");
//replacement regex:
NewClass $1 = new NewClass("string");

//example replacement:
OldClass foo = new OldClass("string");
//becomes:
NewClass foo = new NewClass("string");

So, If I want to replace several of these match/replace-pairs in lots of different files - can I use any built-in eclipse function, or is there an extension that provides this functionality?

Note that I'm aware that I could write a simply java program that just skims through all my source code and applies the regexes as desired.
I'd much rather avoid spending that time, though, and especially would also like to get a chance to apply them individually to each file, so I can re-run the tests afterwards and make sure nothing is broken - which will happen, as not all of the old framework code can be replaced automatically, due to too complex & specific cases. Since I'm also removing the old imports, though, this will break any still existing non-replaced code relying on now-no-longer-existing imports.

Upvotes: 0

Views: 171

Answers (1)

Neil
Neil

Reputation: 5780

Eclipse should have a simple file search option with a "Replace.." button at the bottom. You can search as you would normally specifying the file endings that you'd like to search (probably in this case you'd want *.java). The replace button lets you replace each search result with a replacement using regular expressions.

Granted, this will change your source one replace at a time and that is awkward I know, but my recommendation is to perform small steps, minimizing time in which your code is broken. For instance if you move your class to a new location with a new name, just focus on renaming the class first (verifying that the code then works afterwards), and only then focus on changing its package.

Word to the wise, click Preview first!

Alternatively, consider using ctrl+shift+R to rename methods/variables/classes. Assuming the code is under a source folder, it will automatically rename everywhere it is used. Generally it is preferable to using regular expressions. But again, you can't perform multiple changes at the same time. Though this is probably for the best. Just make a backup of the project and organize the changes that need to be made before starting.

Good luck!

Upvotes: 1

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