how to use wildcard in replace string?

Question

I need to change all:

<label for="*">

into

<label for="*" class="inline checkbox">

But it turns out all my <label for="XXXXXX"> were turned into <label for="*" class="inline checkbox">. Yes, the * is literally kept as a string not as a wildcard.

How come the wildcard is only effective in Find not in Replace? What should I input in the Replace string?

Answer 1

I'm not sure if there is a way to do this with wildcards, but you can get it done using regular expressions:

1. In the Find and Replace dialog box, below Find Options, check Use: and from the dropdown select Regular expressions.
2. In the text box for Find What, type: \<label for="{.*}"\>
3. In the text box for Replace with, type: <label for="\1" class="inline checkbox">

Notes:

• I escaped < and > with \ because they are special characters.
• .* will match any string.
• In the replace text, \1 will replace with the string found between the {} in the find expression.

Also, if you click the arrows next to the find and replace text boxes, you will find more info about the special characters.