Replace text using multiple rules in CotEditor on Mac

The Multiple Replace feature applies multiple text replacements sequentially. You can save each set of replacement rules as a named definition and reuse it whenever needed.

Manage replace definitions

Stored replace definitions appear in the list in the sidebar.

In the sidebar, do any of the following:

Create a definition: Click the Add + button at the bottom of the list.
Delete a definition: Select a definition, then click the Delete - button at the bottom of the list.
Rename a definition: Select a definition, then click it again.
More actions: Click at the bottom of the list.

Export and import replace definitions

You can export replace definitions to transfer them to another computer. Each definition is saved as a CotEditor replace definition file with the .cotrpl extension. The file content is written in JSON format.

Export: Select a definition, then choose Export or Share from the Action menu.
Import: Drag replace definition files into the list, or choose Import from the Action menu and select the files to import.

Import TSV data as replace definitions

You can also create a replace definition from a UTF-8–encoded TSV file. Each line must contain a pair of search and replacement text separated by a tab. To import this format, choose a file with the .tsv extension using the Import command. This format doesn’t support options such as case sensitivity or regular expressions. After importing a TSV file, configure any required options manually.

Edit a replace definition

To edit a replace definition in the right pane of the Multiple Replace window, do any of the following:

Add a replacement rule: Click the Add + button, then enter the replacement rule in the new row.
Delete replacement rules: Select the rules to remove, then click the Delete - button.
Change advanced find options: Click , then select the options you want. These settings apply to all replacement rules in the definition. For details about each option, see Find and replace text.

Changes save automatically as you work.

For each replacement rule, you can configure the following options:

Option	Description
(checkbox)	If the checkbox is deselected, the rule is skipped. Use this option to temporarily disable a rule without removing it from the definition.
Find	The text to search for. This field can’t be left empty. Empty rules are considered invalid and skipped.
Replace With	The replacement text. If left empty, the matched text is removed.
RE	Search using regular expressions (abbreviation of Regular Expression).
IC	Search ignoring case (abbreviation of Ignore Case).
Description	Add a note for your reference. The description doesn’t affect replacement and can be left blank.

Replacement rules are applied sequentially from top to bottom.

Note: If a rule is invalid, it is skipped when replacements are performed.

Perform multiple replacements

To perform multiple replacements using a replace definition, do the following:

In the CotEditor app on your Mac, open a document.
Choose Find > Multiple Replace.
Do one of the following:
- Choose the replace definition in the Multiple Replace submenu.
- Choose Manage Multiple Replace, select the replace definition to use in the sidebar, then click Replace All.

Highlight matches using a multiple replace definition

You can also highlight all matches in the current document using a multiple replace definition.

In the CotEditor app on your Mac, open a document.
Choose Find > Multiple Replace > Manage Multiple Replace.
Select the replace definition to use in the sidebar.
Click Highlight.

Note: Highlighted matches may differ from the actual replacement results. This is because Replace All applies rules sequentially, and each rule is applied after the previous rules have already taken effect.