Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!decwrl!sdd.hp.com!hplabs!hpda!hpcupt1!hprnd!brent
From: brent@hprnd.HP.COM (Brent McInnis)
Newsgroups: comp.editors
Subject: ex search & substitution question
Message-ID: <3440001@hprnd.HP.COM>
Date: 6 Aug 90 22:22:10 GMT
Organization: HP Roseville Networks Division
Lines: 53

I want to search a range of lines for the patterns such as

#i55
#u55
#t55

at the beginning of a line, and change them to 

#i71
#u71
#t71

I understand that I can use

:/^#[iut]55/s/55/71/

To perform this operation on the *next* line,

and I understand that I can use

:g/^#[iut]55/s/55/71/

to perform this operation on *all* lines in the file.

But to perform it on a *range* of lines (say, lines 10 thru 20), I
*want* to say

:10,20/^#[iut]55/s/55/71/

But ex responds with a "Badly formed address" error.

Note that I don't want to do something as simple as

:10,20s/55/71

because of the risk of this changing *other* lines within the specified range
with 55's in them to 71's.

I want to search a specific range for the specific pattern consisting of
the beginning of a line, followed by the hash, followed by one of the
specfic letters I mentioned, followed by 55, and change *only those*
55's to 71's.

Is it impossible to do what I am trying to do in ex?

Thanks,

============================================================================

                               Brent McInnis  
Roseville Networks Division                     Mailstop R3NF2
System Interface Lab                            HP Telnet 785-4536
brent@hprnd.hp.com                              Long Distance (916) 785-4536