Frequently Asked Questions

If you cannot find a suitable answer here, please do not hesitate to contact the developer.

Can Search&Replace just delete some text, instead of replacing it with something else?

Sure. All you need to do is enter the text to look for, and leave the replacement text field blank. You cannot however do it the other way around: the "Text to Find" box has to contain some text.

I can edit the content of my files, but can I rename them with Search&Replace ?

Yes. You can use the other toolbar items for that. If you need help to understand how it works, click here and have a look at the featured content.

Is Search&Replace case-sensitive ?

Yes, in the replacement text field, always. Search&Replace now allows you to make case sensitive searches for file content, for file names and when you trim your file names (optionally). All you need to do is tick the "Case Sensitive" box underneath the text fields.

Does Search&Replace automatically process sub-folders and the files inside them ?

Yes, when you tick the "Include Subfolders" checkbox in the "Content" toolbar item. However, if you choose another toolbar item, you will have to search for all sub-folders to process manually.

Search&Replace seems to be taking an awful long time. Is this normal ?

Yes, it is generally a bit slower when the number of files to process is above 500-600, and depending on the length of your text to find / replace. So depending on the number of files and subfolders to process, it may take quite a few minutes.

What kind of text extension's content can I process with Search&Replace ?

Pretty much any text-related filetype's content.

NON-EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF SUPPORTED FILE EXTENSIONS:

 mht, mhtm, mhtml, jnlp, ashx, ttml, php3, php4, php5, phps, rhtml, phtm, pht, phtml, zhtml, zhtm,

 psp, rss, stm, xht, xpd, xul, tpl, chm, dhtml, dhtm, dht, htaccess, htx, htmls,
 
 jhtml, xht, xhtm, xhtml, hta, htc, htd, ihtml, inc, jspx, jspa, jspx, jws, html, shtml, xhtml,

 htm, php, applescript, ans, asc, ascii, charset, dbt, faq, lst, msg, nfo, odt, ott, saf, safetext, 

 ssa, unx, xps, xwp, xlf, xdl, utxt, rpt, readme, opml, ltr, hs, axl, css1, txt, text, rtf, rtfd,

  rtd, rt, rtx, rst, rpt, strings, css, xml, xls, xslt, js, jsp, pot, mo, po, scpt,

  asc, asr, cs, vb, vbs, tld, wml, sub, srt, edml, java, m, h, c, pl, perl, asp,

  junk, sql, dat, emlx, hs, klg, log, lst, ini, man

Not all text file extensions are supported, but generally, if you can open the file to modify with a text editor, Search&Replace can process it. If you happen to notice that Search&Replace does not work with a specific filetype, please feel free to contact me to make a suggestion. For more information, see Changing File Content.

NB: the ".pages" format might cause some bugs. Once again, make sure you backup your files before you try S&R on them!

* Processing Microsoft Word files, being very specific formats (.doc, .docx), was causing too many problems. From now on, you will not be able to process those with Search&Replace anymore.

Regarding file names, any type of file can be processed (movies and videos, PDF documents, music files, text documents etc.

I don't want to process the entire content of a folder. Is there a workaround ?

Yes, Search&Replace now allows drag and drop of items. Select the items you want to process from the Finder, drag them to the application and drop them on the green arrow. Only the items you selected will be processed. For more information, see About Dropping Items.

Can I number my items sequentially with Search&Replace ?

Yes, Go to the 6th toolbar item of the application called "Number". For more info on how to properly rename your files sequentially, see Renaming Sequentially.

I have paid for a license but still don't have it, or I don't know what to do with the file received by email. What should I do?

If you do not have your license within 24 to 48 hours, please send an email to support@searchreplaceapp.com and indicate your name, time of payment and transation number. Your license will be sent to you as fast as possible from then on. For more information on how to register the app, please look at the Registration page.