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PDGREPPE 3.13 Introduction

PDGREPPE

or

Pattern Definition GREP with Pattern Editing

can search or replace data in files.

PDGREPPE can:

1)  Use symbols to represent pattern components.  (Magic)

These symbols can help You find almost any kind of TEXT or
binary data in computer files or program output.

2)  Use dictionaries of Pattern Definitions.

This allows You to develop and store patterns for matching and
changing data that can later be used again or improved.

3)  Search and Replace by Extended Regular Expressions.

Expressions can help a computer user to find or change data with
extra flexibility and efficiency.

The major star of PentaTextTools is PDGREPPE, a data search
and modification tool that uses MAGIC.

Magic or wildcard characters are similar to wildcard characters
like '*' and '?' on UNIX and PC standard operating systems for
specifying non-exact or multiple file names.

PDGREPPE uses MAGIC like this to search or replace data.

PDGREPPE is primarily intended to help computer programmers
manage large amounts of pure ASCII text source code in multiple
files in multiple directories.

Standard UNIX-style search characters are a subset of the MAGIC
in PDGREPPE.

So if You use PDGREPPE MAGIC You gain practice at using
something VERY SIMILAR to what standard UNIX systems and others
have for powerful Search and Replace mechanisms.

IMPORTANT:

Other documentation for PDGREPPE is in the Greppes Info and
OPTIONS sections.

You can run PDGREPPE with option -I for basic pattern
information ON-LINE.

Some of the information that follows will introduce features and
symbols that are discussed in later parts of this document.

Notes to Using Examples Online:

Some files in the PentaTextTools distribution must be in a current
directory for some command demonstration lines to run properly.

Also, get a print-out or window copy of the original FILE_ID.DIZ
to look at while running examples.  Some examples are subtle and
need to be studied to understand their effects.

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