find-replace · diff
git:20251220.6c081e5 to git:20251221.9f26d95
31 added, 165 removed. Audit A to A.
---
name: find-replace
description: "Modern find-and-replace using sd (simpler than sed) and batch replacement patterns. Triggers on: sd, find replace, batch replace, sed replacement, string replacement, rename."
compatibility: "Requires sd CLI tool. Install: brew install sd (macOS) or cargo install sd (cross-platform)."
allowed-tools: "Bash"
---
# Find Replace
- Modern find-and-replace using sd (simpler than sed) and batch replacement patterns.
+ Modern find-and-replace using sd.
## sd Basics
- ### Simple Replacement
```bash
# Replace in file (in-place)
sd 'oldText' 'newText' file.txt
# Replace in multiple files
sd 'oldText' 'newText' *.js
- # Preview without changing (pipe instead of file)
+ # Preview without changing (pipe)
cat file.txt | sd 'old' 'new'
```
- ### sd vs sed Comparison
-
- | sed | sd | Notes |
- |-----|-----|-------|
- | `sed 's/old/new/g'` | `sd 'old' 'new'` | Global by default |
- | `sed -i 's/old/new/g'` | `sd 'old' 'new' file` | In-place by default |
- | `sed 's/\./dot/g'` | `sd '\.' 'dot'` | Same escaping |
- | `sed 's#path/to#new/path#g'` | `sd 'path/to' 'new/path'` | No delimiter issues |
+ ## sd vs sed
- ## Common Patterns
+ | sed | sd |
+ |-----|-----|
+ | `sed 's/old/new/g'` | `sd 'old' 'new'` |
+ | `sed -i 's/old/new/g'` | `sd 'old' 'new' file` |
+ | `sed 's#path/to#new/path#g'` | `sd 'path/to' 'new/path'` |
- ### Variable Rename
- ```bash
- # Rename variable across files
- sd 'oldVarName' 'newVarName' src/**/*.ts
+ **Key difference:** sd is global by default, no delimiter issues.
- # Preview first with rg
- rg 'oldVarName' src/
- # Then apply
- sd 'oldVarName' 'newVarName' $(rg -l 'oldVarName' src/)
- ```
+ ## Common Patterns
- ### Function Rename
```bash
- # Rename function (all usages)
- sd 'getUserData' 'fetchUserProfile' src/**/*.ts
+ # Variable/function rename
+ sd 'oldName' 'newName' src/**/*.ts
- # More precise with word boundaries
- sd '\bgetUserData\b' 'fetchUserProfile' src/**/*.ts
- ```
+ # Word boundaries (avoid partial matches)
+ sd '\boldName\b' 'newName' src/**/*.ts
- ### Import Path Update
- ```bash
- # Update import paths
+ # Import path update
sd "from '../utils'" "from '@/utils'" src/**/*.ts
- sd "require\('./config'\)" "require('@/config')" src/**/*.js
- ```
- ### String Quotes
- ```bash
- # Single to double quotes
- sd "'" '"' file.json
-
- # Template literals
- sd '"\$\{(\w+)\}"' '`${$1}`' src/**/*.ts
- ```
-
- ## Regex Patterns
-
- ### Capture Groups
- ```bash
- # Reorder parts
- sd '(\w+)@(\w+)\.com' '$2/$1' emails.txt
- # john@example.com → example/john
-
- # Wrap in function
+ # Capture groups
sd 'console\.log\((.*)\)' 'logger.info($1)' src/**/*.js
```
- ### Optional Matching
- ```bash
- # Handle optional whitespace
- sd 'function\s*\(' 'const fn = (' src/**/*.js
- ```
-
- ### Multiline (with -s flag)
- ```bash
- # Replace across lines
- sd -s 'start\n.*\nend' 'replacement' file.txt
- ```
-
- ## Batch Workflows
+ ## Safe Batch Workflow
- ### Find Then Replace
```bash
- # 1. Find files with pattern
+ # 1. List affected files
rg -l 'oldPattern' src/
# 2. Preview replacements
rg 'oldPattern' -r 'newPattern' src/
- # 3. Apply to found files
+ # 3. Apply
sd 'oldPattern' 'newPattern' $(rg -l 'oldPattern' src/)
- ```
- ### With fd
- ```bash
- # Replace in specific file types
- fd -e ts -x sd 'old' 'new' {}
-
- # Replace in files matching name pattern
- fd 'config' -e json -x sd '"dev"' '"prod"' {}
- ```
-
- ### Dry Run Pattern
- ```bash
- # Safe workflow: preview → verify → apply
-
- # Step 1: List affected files
- rg -l 'oldText' src/
-
- # Step 2: Show what will change
- rg 'oldText' -r 'newText' src/
-
- # Step 3: Apply (only after verification)
- sd 'oldText' 'newText' $(rg -l 'oldText' src/)
-
- # Step 4: Verify
- rg 'oldText' src/ # Should return nothing
- git diff # Review changes
+ # 4. Verify
+ rg 'oldPattern' src/ # Should return nothing
+ git diff # Review changes
```
## Special Characters
- ### Escaping
- ```bash
- # Literal dot
- sd '\.' ',' file.txt
-
- # Literal brackets
- sd '\[' '(' file.txt
-
- # Literal dollar sign
- sd '\$' '€' file.txt
-
- # Literal backslash
- sd '\\' '/' paths.txt
- ```
-
- ### Common Escapes
| Character | Escape |
|-----------|--------|
| `.` | `\.` |
| `*` | `\*` |
- | `?` | `\?` |
| `[` `]` | `\[` `\]` |
- | `(` `)` | `\(` `\)` |
- | `{` `}` | `\{` `\}` |
| `$` | `\$` |
- | `^` | `\^` |
| `\` | `\\` |
- ## Real-World Examples
-
- ### Update Package Version
- ```bash
- sd '"version": "\d+\.\d+\.\d+"' '"version": "2.0.0"' package.json
- ```
-
- ### Fix File Extensions in Imports
- ```bash
- sd "from '(\./[^']+)'" "from '\$1.js'" src/**/*.ts
- ```
-
- ### Convert CSS Class Names
- ```bash
- # kebab-case to camelCase (simple cases)
- sd 'class="(\w+)-(\w+)"' 'className="$1$2"' src/**/*.jsx
- ```
-
- ### Update API Endpoints
- ```bash
- sd '/api/v1/' '/api/v2/' src/**/*.ts
- sd 'api\.example\.com' 'api.newdomain.com' src/**/*.ts
- ```
-
- ### Remove Console Logs
- ```bash
- # Remove entire console.log statements
- sd 'console\.log\([^)]*\);?\n?' '' src/**/*.ts
- ```
-
- ### Add Prefix to IDs
- ```bash
- sd 'id="(\w+)"' 'id="prefix-$1"' src/**/*.html
- ```
-
## Tips
- | Tip | Why |
- |-----|-----|
- | Always preview with `rg -r` first | Avoid accidental mass changes |
- | Use `git diff` after | Verify changes before commit |
- | Prefer specific patterns | `\bword\b` over `word` to avoid partial matches |
- | Quote patterns | Avoid shell interpretation |
- | Use fd to target files | More precise than `**/*.ext` |
-
- ## Installation
-
- ```bash
- # Cargo (Rust)
- cargo install sd
+ | Tip | Reason |
+ |-----|--------|
+ | Always preview with `rg -r` first | Avoid mistakes |
+ | Use git before bulk changes | Easy rollback |
+ | Use `\b` for word boundaries | Avoid partial matches |
+ | Quote patterns | Prevent shell interpretation |
- # Homebrew (macOS)
- brew install sd
+ ## Additional Resources
- # Windows (scoop)
- scoop install sd
- ```
+ For detailed patterns, load:
+ - `./references/advanced-patterns.md` - Regex, batch workflows, real-world examples