How to query-replace across all hits in a compilation-mode buffer

Question

How can I run a query-replace on the all the files pointed to by an arbitrary compilation-mode buffer?

I think to be usable this would need to be resumable from point in the compilation-mode buffer.

Something very nearly exactly functionally equivalent to query-replace would of course be fine, but for the purposes of this question, I'm not interested in alternative UIs such as globrep, multiple cursors etc.

Answer 1

Yes, what I'm looking for is (something close to) a command that iterates over matched files in the grep buffer and calls query-replace for each.

OK, I just added command diredp-compilation-files-other-window to Dired+, which can help with this.

You use it in a compilation buffer (any buffer, such as *grep*, that is in a mode derived from `compilation-mode').

It prompts you for the name of a new Dired buffer, and it opens Dired on all of the files corresponding to the compilation hits, regardless of what directories they are in. IOW, the files can be in different directories.

In that Dired buffer, you can then:

1. Use t to mark all of the files.
2. Use Q to query-replace across all of the files.

(Q is standard Dired command dired-do-query-replace-regexp).

As an alternative to using t to mark all of the files, with Dired+ you can just use C-u C-u Q to act on all files (without bothering to mark them). With Dired+, most commands that operate on the marked files let you use multiple C-u to act on all files, ignoring marks.

Instead of Q you can use A to search the files, D to delete them, P to print, Z to compress, ! to run a shell command, etc.

If you hit ? during query-replace you will see this information in buffer *Help*:

Query replacing regexp Sun with mooN.

Type Space or `y' to replace one match, Delete or `n' to skip to next,
RET or `q' to exit, Period to replace one match and exit,
Comma to replace but not move point immediately,
C-r to enter recursive edit (C-M-c to get out again),
C-w to delete match and recursive edit,
C-l to clear the screen, redisplay, and offer same replacement again,
! to replace all remaining matches in this buffer with no more questions,
^ to move point back to previous match,
E to edit the replacement string.
In multi-buffer replacements type `Y' to replace all remaining
matches in all remaining buffers with no more questions,
`N' to skip to the next buffer without replacing remaining matches
in the current buffer.

Answer 2

I understand that you are most interested in "something very nearly exactly functionally equivalent to query-replace". I don't have such an answer. I think I recall seeing something about that at some point in the last few years, so hopefully someone will give you an exact answer to your question.

Anyway, here is an answer that presents an alternative that might help.

Instead of query-replace, you can use Icicles search in a *grep* or compilation buffer. The key C-c ` in these buffers is bound to icicle-compilation-search, which is a specialized version of icicle-search.

Each grep/compilation buffer hit defines a search context in the buffer it points to. You then search for text within these contexts. For grep, for example, each context is a matching line of source code.

While you search, you can replace search hits on demand. This is unlike the case for query-replace, where you are queried for each search hit and you must answer for each one (or for all that remain, together).

This is quite different from the searching and replacing you are used to, so be aware that it takes a bit of learning.

You should first become somewhat familiar with using Icicles in general, in particular using C-down etc. to act on completion candidates (which for search means navigating to search hits). You should next experiment with Icicles search, including its different possibilities (see the user options that affect it). Only when you are comfortable with these things should you try on-demand replacement during search.

Read about the various user options that affect Icicles search and replace, in particular icicle-search-replace-whole-candidate-flag, icicle-expand-input-to-common-match, and icicle-search-replace-common-match-flag, and icicle-search-highlight-all-current-flag.