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From: james@dlss2.UUCP (James Cummings)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.misc,comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: A question on .exrc while using vi
Keywords: exrc vi
Message-ID: <125@dlss2.UUCP>
Date: 5 Dec 90 18:54:20 GMT
References: <5315@graphite20.UUCP> <q5LoT4w163w@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us>
Reply-To: james@dlss2.UUCP (James Cummings)
Followup-To: comp.unix.misc
Distribution: usa
Organization: RedRock Development
Lines: 35

In article <q5LoT4w163w@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us> mju@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us (Marc Unangst) writes:
>joshi@motcid.UUCP (Abhay B. Joshi) writes:
>> I have a simple text-file containing the following text (3 lines): 
>> 
>> 	The goal:
>> 	All I am trying to do is replace the 'the's by 'an's.
>> 	That's all.
>
>Son, vi is the wrong tool for the job.
>
>ed file <<Frobozz
>1,$g/the/s//an/g
>w
>q
>Frobozz
>
	Well, I wouldn't say vi is the "wrong tool for the job"!  Simply
do the following:

	:%s/the/an/g

	This is the equivalent of the above ed command...which boils down
to a matter of personal taste.
	The only problem I see with either of these solutions, is that the 
word "theatre" becomes the word "anatre"....boo-hisss!  A more practical 
solution would be in three steps, like so:

	:%s/ the / an /g
	:%s/^the /an /g
	:%s/ the$/ an/g

	There is probably a fancier way to do all of this in one swift move
but it escapes me for now.  Do note the use of spaces and the fact that we
are also looking for the 'the's that are at the begining and ending of lines
while preserving the integerity of words like "either", "theatre", etc.