Using FIND and CHANGE

FIND and CHANGE are powerful commands for locating and replacing text in the ISPF editor. FIND locates text without modifying it, while CHANGE locates and replaces text. Both commands support single operations (one occurrence at a time) and global operations (all occurrences at once), along with various qualifiers that control search direction and matching behavior. This tutorial covers single and global operations, qualifiers, and best practices for using FIND and CHANGE effectively.

Mastering FIND and CHANGE is essential for efficient editing, especially when working with large files or making systematic changes. Understanding when to use single vs. global operations and which qualifiers to apply helps you work more efficiently and avoid errors.

Understanding FIND and CHANGE

FIND and CHANGE are primary commands entered on the command line.

FIND Command

FIND:

• Locates text in the file
• Positions your cursor at the match
• Does not modify the file
• Useful for locating text before changing it

CHANGE Command

CHANGE:

• Locates text in the file
• Replaces it with new text
• Modifies the file
• Can operate on single or multiple occurrences

Basic Syntax

Basic syntax:

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FIND searchtext
CHANGE oldtext newtext

Single Operations

Single operations work on one occurrence at a time, giving you control over each match.

Single FIND

To find a single occurrence:

• Type "FIND" followed by the text to search for
• Press Enter
• The cursor moves to the next occurrence
• Repeat to find subsequent occurrences

Single FIND Example

Finding "PROCEDURE":

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Command ===> FIND PROCEDURE

This finds the next occurrence of "PROCEDURE" and positions the cursor there.

Single CHANGE

To change a single occurrence:

• Type "CHANGE" followed by old text and new text
• Press Enter
• The first occurrence is replaced
• Repeat to replace subsequent occurrences

Single CHANGE Example

Replacing "OLD" with "NEW":

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Command ===> CHANGE OLD NEW

This finds the next occurrence of "OLD" and replaces it with "NEW".

Advantages of Single Operations

Single operations provide:

• Control: You decide which occurrences to replace
• Review: You can review each match before replacing
• Safety: Less risk of unintended replacements
• Flexibility: You can skip some occurrences

Global Operations

Global operations work on all occurrences at once, making bulk changes efficient.

Global FIND

Some ISPF versions support global FIND:

• FIND with ALL may highlight all occurrences
• Useful for seeing all matches at once
• Helps verify what will be affected

Global CHANGE

To change all occurrences:

• Type "CHANGE" followed by old text, new text, and "ALL"
• Press Enter
• All occurrences are replaced in one operation
• A message shows how many replacements were made

Global CHANGE Example

Replacing all occurrences:

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Command ===> CHANGE OLD NEW ALL

This replaces every occurrence of "OLD" with "NEW" throughout the entire file.

Advantages of Global Operations

Global operations provide:

• Speed: Faster for bulk changes
• Consistency: Ensures all occurrences are changed
• Efficiency: One command instead of many
• Completeness: No risk of missing occurrences

When to Use Global Operations

Use global operations when:

• You're certain all occurrences should be replaced
• The search text is specific and unambiguous
• You've verified the search text is correct
• You need to make systematic changes throughout the file

Qualifiers

Qualifiers modify how FIND and CHANGE operate, controlling search direction and matching behavior.

Direction Qualifiers

Direction qualifiers control search direction:

• NEXT: Find/change the next occurrence (default, forward direction)
• PREV: Find/change the previous occurrence (backward direction)
• FIRST: Find/change the first occurrence in the file
• LAST: Find/change the last occurrence in the file

Direction Qualifier Examples

Finding the previous occurrence:

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Command ===> FIND PROCEDURE PREV

Finding the first occurrence:

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Command ===> FIND PROCEDURE FIRST

Changing the last occurrence:

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Command ===> CHANGE OLD NEW LAST

Scope Qualifiers

Scope qualifiers control how many occurrences are affected:

• ALL: Operate on all occurrences (global operation)
• NX: Operate on the next occurrence (abbreviation for NEXT)
• No qualifier: Operate on the next occurrence (single operation)

Scope Qualifier Examples

Changing all occurrences:

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Command ===> CHANGE OLD NEW ALL

Changing the next occurrence (explicit):

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Command ===> CHANGE OLD NEW NX

Matching Qualifiers

Matching qualifiers control how text is matched:

• WORD: Match whole words only (not part of a larger word)
• PREFIX: Match at the start of a word
• SUFFIX: Match at the end of a word
• No qualifier: Match anywhere in the text (default)

Matching Qualifier Examples

Finding whole words only:

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Command ===> FIND OLD WORD

This finds "OLD" only when it appears as a complete word, not as part of "BOLD" or "FOLD".

Changing with word matching:

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Command ===> CHANGE OLD NEW WORD ALL

This replaces "OLD" with "NEW" only when "OLD" appears as a whole word.

Combining Qualifiers

You can combine multiple qualifiers:

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Command ===> CHANGE OLD NEW WORD ALL

This combines WORD (whole word matching) with ALL (global operation).

Using Delimiters

Delimiters are used when search or replacement text contains spaces.

Why Use Delimiters?

When text contains spaces:

• ISPF needs to know where the search text ends
• Delimiters mark the boundaries of the text
• Common delimiters: /, ', ", or other special characters

Delimiter Examples

Using forward slash delimiter:

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Command ===> CHANGE /old text/new text/

Using single quote delimiter:

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Command ===> CHANGE 'old text' 'new text'

Using double quote delimiter:

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Command ===> CHANGE "old text" "new text"

Delimiter Rules

When using delimiters:

• Use the same delimiter for both old and new text
• Choose a delimiter that doesn't appear in your text
• Delimiters are not part of the search or replacement text
• Some ISPF versions have specific delimiter requirements

FIND Before CHANGE Workflow

Using FIND before CHANGE helps you verify what will be changed.

Recommended Workflow

The workflow:

• Step 1: Use FIND to locate occurrences
• Step 2: Review each match to verify it should be changed
• Step 3: Use CHANGE to replace occurrences one at a time
• Step 4: Or use CHANGE ALL if all occurrences should be changed

FIND Before CHANGE Example

Example workflow:

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Command ===> FIND OLD
(Review the match)
Command ===> CHANGE OLD NEW
(Review the replacement)
Command ===> FIND OLD
(Continue to next occurrence)

Benefits of FIND Before CHANGE

This workflow provides:

• Verification: See what will be changed before changing it
• Control: Decide which occurrences to replace
• Safety: Avoid unintended replacements
• Confidence: Know your changes are correct

Best Practices

Following best practices helps you use FIND and CHANGE effectively and safely.

• Verify Before ALL: Always verify your search text before using CHANGE ALL
• Use FIND First: Use FIND to locate occurrences before using CHANGE
• Save Before Global: Save your work before performing global operations
• Use WORD When Appropriate: Use WORD qualifier to avoid partial matches
• Test on Small Files: Test your search text on small files or sections first
• Review Results: Review the results of global operations
• Use CANCEL If Needed: Use CANCEL to undo if you make mistakes (before saving)
• Combine Qualifiers Carefully: Understand how qualifiers interact when combined

Common Scenarios

Here are common scenarios for using FIND and CHANGE.

Renaming Variables

When renaming variables:

• Use FIND to locate all occurrences
• Use CHANGE with WORD qualifier to match whole words only
• Use ALL to replace all occurrences at once
• Verify the replacements are correct

Updating Text Strings

When updating text strings:

• Use FIND to locate occurrences
• Use CHANGE with delimiters if text contains spaces
• Use single operations if some occurrences shouldn't be changed
• Use global operations if all occurrences should be changed

Fixing Typos

When fixing typos:

• Use FIND to locate the typo
• Use CHANGE to fix it
• Use ALL if the typo appears multiple times
• Use WORD if the typo might be part of other words

Error Prevention

Preventing errors when using FIND and CHANGE.

Common Mistakes

Avoid these common mistakes:

• Using ALL Without Verification: Always verify search text before using ALL
• Missing WORD Qualifier: Use WORD when you only want whole word matches
• Incorrect Delimiters: Use proper delimiters for text with spaces
• Not Saving Before Global: Save before global operations so you can CANCEL if needed
• Case Sensitivity: Be aware of case sensitivity in your ISPF version

Recovery Strategies

If you make mistakes:

• Before Saving: Use CANCEL to discard all changes
• After Saving: You may need to manually undo or restore from backup
• Partial Mistakes: Use FIND and CHANGE to fix specific occurrences
• Prevention: Always verify before executing global operations

Explain Like I'm 5: FIND and CHANGE

Think of FIND and CHANGE like a search and replace tool for your story:

• FIND is like a magnifying glass. You tell it "find the word 'cat'!" and it shows you where all the "cat" words are in your story. It doesn't change anything, just shows you where things are, like using a magnifying glass to find hidden objects in a picture!
• CHANGE is like a magic eraser and pen. You tell it "find the word 'cat' and change it to 'dog'!" and it finds "cat" and replaces it with "dog". It's like having a magic tool that finds words and changes them automatically!
• Single means doing it one at a time. Like finding one "cat" and changing it to "dog", then finding the next "cat" and changing it. You do it step by step, like changing one thing at a time!
• Global (ALL) means doing it all at once. Like telling the magic tool "find ALL the 'cat' words and change them ALL to 'dog' at the same time!" It changes everything in one go, like having a super-fast helper that does everything at once!
• Qualifiers are like special instructions. You can say "find 'cat' but only if it's a whole word" (WORD), or "find the first 'cat'" (FIRST), or "find the last 'cat'" (LAST). They're like giving special directions to make the search smarter!

So FIND and CHANGE are like special tools that help you find words in your file and change them, either one at a time (single) or all at once (global), with special instructions (qualifiers) to make them work exactly how you want!

Practice Exercises

Complete these exercises to reinforce your understanding of FIND and CHANGE:

Exercise 1: Single FIND Operations

Practice single FIND operations: use FIND to locate different words in a test file, try FIND with PREV and FIRST qualifiers, and practice navigating through search results. Build familiarity with single search operations.

Exercise 2: Single CHANGE Operations

Practice single CHANGE operations: use CHANGE to replace occurrences one at a time, try different qualifiers, and practice using delimiters for text with spaces. Learn to control single replacements.

Exercise 3: Global CHANGE Operations

Practice global CHANGE operations: use CHANGE with ALL to replace all occurrences, verify your search text first, and observe how many replacements are made. Practice safe global operations.

Exercise 4: Qualifiers

Practice using qualifiers: try WORD, PREV, FIRST, LAST, and ALL qualifiers, combine qualifiers, and observe how they affect FIND and CHANGE behavior. Master qualifier usage.

Exercise 5: FIND Before CHANGE Workflow

Practice the FIND before CHANGE workflow: use FIND to locate occurrences, review them, then use CHANGE to replace them. Practice this workflow until it becomes natural.

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