The risks of global search and replace...

Barb D · May 3, 2009

Thank goodness I decided to proofread my just-finished WIP before sending it off to be edited!

I came across this puzzler of a sentence:

"As they got closer, Polly could see that they were men, dressed in some kind of AnneLisean costume or something."

AnneLisean? I know I didn't write that, and I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was supposed to be. Thank goodness for frequent backups!

Apparently when I changed a minor character's name from Elizabeth to AnneLise I did a global search and replace...

Please tell me I'm not the only one to have done this!

swvaughn · May 3, 2009

You are not alone!

It's important to make sure what you're replacing isn't a common part of a word - such as swapping out the name Nate for Jeff. You get stuff like this:

"How fortuJeff, then, that our destination has beer."

Yeah. I've done that.

If you're doing a global replace for a common combination of words, it's a good idea to put a space before them in the little box. Even better, click the little down arrow that says "More" at the bottom of the Replace dialogue box and check the "Find whole words only" box.

How fortuJeff that I learned my lesson ...

Wayne K · May 3, 2009

I wrote a chapter ending about a school I went to as a kid--it was a five word paragraph. "It was deceptive as hell."

My wife was in a poetic mood and changed it to "It was deceptive as Satan." without telling me.

I sent it to an agent without knowing it was there.

Proofreading is good.

Hindsight is perfect.

scarletpeaches · May 3, 2009

Me and a friend once broke into a college buddy's computer and did a global search/replace on one of his assignments.

We changed every single letter E to the word 'c*nt'.

Oh, how we laughed!

Cassidy · May 3, 2009

Oh yeah, I did this too. Decided to change Ms. to Mrs. and ended up with things like arMrs instead of arms all through my manuscript. Ugh. And I'd already made a bunch of other changes before I realized it, so I couldn't just undo it... Glad I'm not the only one.

Wayne K · May 3, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
Me and a friend once broke into a college buddy's computer and did a global search/replace on one of his assignments.

We changed every single letter E to the word 'c*nt'.

Oh, how we laughed!

Will it be out anytime soon?

Williebee · May 3, 2009

Yup, been there, done that. Lost hours to correcting. wheee.

CaroGirl · May 4, 2009

To make sure you're replacing a stand-alone word instead of part of a word, you can find Elizabeth*space* and replace it with AnneLise*space*, for example. That way, parts of words aren't replaced, only whole words. FortuJeffly, that works just about every time.

swvaughn already gave that advice. I can only assume I deemed it important enough to say it again.

DeadlyAccurate · May 4, 2009

Did that. Changed a character name from Eric to Bansi (an Indian name). And then realized my error when I came across, "...when we returned to AmBansia..."

FennelGiraffe · May 4, 2009

In addition to Find Whole Words, you can also set it to Match Case. That helps with names that can also be common words, such as Brink or Chase.

CaroGirl said:
To make sure you're replacing a stand-alone word instead of part of a word, you can find Elizabeth*space* and replace it with AnneLise*space*, for example.

But then you have to repeat with Name*comma*, Name*period*, Name*question mark*, Name*exclamation mark*, and any other punctuation you might have used. Besides, a following space doesn't prevent fortuJeff.

Putting the space in front, *space*Name, gives you fewer punctuation marks to worry about. Most likely, *opening quote*Name will be the only one. But it doesn't prevent AnneLisean. Using spaces before and after, *space*Name*space*, prevents both Annelisean and fortuJeff, but then you have to deal with all the punctuation possibilities.

Priene · May 4, 2009

I remember the Guardian once published Parliamentary results with a candidate called Electionack.

Exir · May 4, 2009

I remember the Guardian once published Parliamentary results with a candidate called Electionack.

LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

Electionack

LOL

The risks of global search and replace...

Barb D

swvaughn

adrift

Wayne K

scarletpeaches

Cassidy

writing for kids and teens

Wayne K

Williebee

Capeless, wingless, & yet I fly.

CaroGirl

Living the dream

DeadlyAccurate

Absolutely Fazed

FennelGiraffe

It's green they say

Priene

Out to lunch

Exir

Out of the cradle endlessly rocking