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# replace
`replace` is a command line utility for performing search-and-replace on files. It's similar to sed but there are a few differences:
* Modifies files when matches are found
* Recursive search on directories with -r
* Uses [JavaScript syntax](https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript/Guide/Regular_Expressions#Using_Simple_Patterns) for regular expressions and [replacement strings](https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/String/replace#Specifying_a_string_as_a_parameter).
# Install
With [node.js](http://nodejs.org/) and [npm](http://github.com/isaacs/npm):
npm install replace -g
You can now use `replace` and `search` from the command line.
## Examples
Replace all occurrences of "foo" with "bar" in files in the current directory:
```
replace 'foo' 'bar' *
```
Replace in all files in a recursive search of the current directory:
```
replace 'foo' 'bar' . -r
```
Replace only in test/file1.js and test/file2.js:
```
replace 'foo' 'bar' test/file1.js test/file2.js
```
Replace all word pairs with "_" in middle with a "-":
```
replace '(\w+)_(\w+)' '$1-$2' *
```
Replace only in files with names matching *.js:
```
replace 'foo' 'bar' . -r --include="*.js"
```
Don't replace in files with names matching *.min.js and *.py:
```
replace 'foo' 'bar' . -r --exclude="*.min.js,*.py"
```
Preview the replacements without modifying any files:
```
replace 'foo' 'bar' . -r --preview
```
See all the options:
```
replace -h
```
## Search
There's also a `search` command. It's like `grep`, but with `replace`'s syntax.
```
search "setTimeout" . -r
```
## Programmatic Usage
You can use replace from your JS program:
```javascript
var replace = require("replace");
replace({
regex: "foo",
replacement: "bar",
paths: ['.'],
recursive: true,
silent: true,
});
```
## More Details
### Excludes
By default, `replace` and `search` will exclude files (binaries, images, etc) that match patterns in the `"defaultignore"` located in this directory.
### On huge directories
If `replace` is taking too long on a large directory, try turning on the quiet flag with `-q`, only including the necessary file types with `--include` or limiting the lines shown in a preview with `-n`.
## What it looks like
