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From: montnaro@sprite.crd.ge.com (Skip Montanaro)
Newsgroups: comp.emacs
Subject: Re: This is Bad (isearch-forward & query-replace)
Message-ID: 
Date: 13 Aug 89 19:57:10 GMT
References: <1042@bimacs.BITNET>
Sender: news@crdgw1.crd.ge.com
Reply-To:  (Skip Montanaro)
Organization: GE Corporate Research & Development, Schenectady, NY
Lines: 30
In-reply-to: sprecher@bimacs.BITNET's message of 13 Aug 89 13:17:51 GMT

Before you dump on Emacs, try M-x apropos search. Among other things you'll
find:

    re-search-backward	      
      Function: Search backward from point for match for regular expression REGEXP.
    re-search-forward	      
      Function: Search forward from point for regular expression REGEXP.
    search-backward		      
      Function: Search backward from point for STRING.
    search-forward		      
      Function: Search forward from point for STRING.

Just bind your favorites to C-s and C-r instead of their isearch
equivalents.

Alternatively, some other key besides escape can be the key that exits
incremental search mode. Again, from the apropos output:

    search-exit-char	      
      Variable: *Character to exit incremental search.

Just use setq to reset it.

Emacs (not GNU, but several of its direct predecessors) was around before
terminals with arrow keys that generated escape sequences.  Other dialects
of Emacs use the escape key to terminate entry of non-incremental search
strings (MicroEmacs at least, perhaps others).

--
Skip Montanaro (montanaro@sprite.crd.ge.com)