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Grep query

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
February 26, 2019
5 replies
2606 views

I've set up the GREP rules in my document so that all the numerals in the body copy are OSF, I want to single out dimensions of things to have them ignore that GREP rule. All the dimensions look like this (3.5 × 7.5 in) or this (3.5 × 7.5 cm). At the moment I'm just using a simple \d+ to find the digits and change them. I've tried using negative lookbehinds/aheads but it either just takes one of the numbers or all of the numbers in the text. Anyone got a simple fix?

Thanks!

grep

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Correct answer Michael Bullo

I've built out an example of what I described in my last post. The logic is that I add a GREP Style "Oldstyle" to change all numbers to Proportional Oldstyle. I then apply a second GREP style "NOT Oldstyle" which applies a regular number style to anything it finds in brackets which includes a decimal number, followed by an "x", followed by another decimal number and lastly followed by "in" or "cm". I ran this on your text and it works if I correctly understand what you are trying to achieve

Character Style: Oldstyle

In the OpenType Features section sets the Figure Style to Proportional Oldstyle

Character Style: NOT Oldstyle

In the OpenType Features section sets the Figure Style to Tabular Lining

Paragraph Style: Body

GREP Style #1

Character Style: Oldstyle

\d+ - Any digit, one or more times

GREP Style #2

Character Style: NOT Oldstyle

\(\d+\.\d+x\d+\.\d+(in|cm)\)

\( - Opening bracket

\d+ - Any digit, one or more times

\. - Decimal point

\d+ - Any digit, one or more times

x - An actual letter "x"

\d+ - Any digit, one or more times

\. - Decimal point

\d+ - Any digit, one or more times

(in|cm) - The literal text "in" or "cm"

\) - Closing bracket

If your text contains spaces, just add these to the GREP Style definition...

To find: (3.5×7.5in)

\(\d+\.\d+x\d+\.\d+(in|cm)\)

To find: (3.5 × 7.5 in)

\(\d+\.\d+ x \d+\.\d+ (in|cm)\)

Michael Bullo

Correct answer

Community Expert

I've built out an example of what I described in my last post. The logic is that I add a GREP Style "Oldstyle" to change all numbers to Proportional Oldstyle. I then apply a second GREP style "NOT Oldstyle" which applies a regular number style to anything it finds in brackets which includes a decimal number, followed by an "x", followed by another decimal number and lastly followed by "in" or "cm". I ran this on your text and it works if I correctly understand what you are trying to achieve

Character Style: Oldstyle

In the OpenType Features section sets the Figure Style to Proportional Oldstyle

Character Style: NOT Oldstyle

In the OpenType Features section sets the Figure Style to Tabular Lining

Paragraph Style: Body

GREP Style #1

Character Style: Oldstyle

\d+ - Any digit, one or more times

GREP Style #2

Character Style: NOT Oldstyle

\(\d+\.\d+x\d+\.\d+(in|cm)\)

\( - Opening bracket

\d+ - Any digit, one or more times

\. - Decimal point

\d+ - Any digit, one or more times

x - An actual letter "x"

\d+ - Any digit, one or more times

\. - Decimal point

\d+ - Any digit, one or more times

(in|cm) - The literal text "in" or "cm"

\) - Closing bracket

If your text contains spaces, just add these to the GREP Style definition...

To find: (3.5×7.5in)

\(\d+\.\d+x\d+\.\d+(in|cm)\)

To find: (3.5 × 7.5 in)

\(\d+\.\d+ x \d+\.\d+ (in|cm)\)

D

DativeAuthor

Known Participant

I understand the logic Michael and thank you for taking the time to explain it to me, what you've written there is very similar to what I had written except I'd included 'zero or more times' around the decimal points and second digits and also \s instead of space just in case people had used varying spaces.

\(\d+\.?\d?\s×\s\d+\.?\d?\s(in|cm)\)

I didn't think you could cancel out one GREP with another but that wasn't the problem, the error I was making was to do with the multiple variations of typeface, the character style was set to the expert and so had no lining version. All fixed now! Thanks for your help

Michael Bullo

Community Expert

My pleasure Dative.

Michael Bullo

Community Expert

Hi Dative. If I understand correctly you can, using GREP Styles, alter all numbers as well those you don't want to alter. Have you tried applying a GREP style to all numbers and then applying a second GREP style that effectively un-alters those that you don't want to change?

What I'm suggesting is really an expansion of what John Mensinger was saying when he mentioned adding a second GREP style.

An example using fonts…

1. Default Paragraph Style applied to everything that applies the font Minion Pro.

2. Apply a GREP Style that changes all numbers to Arial.

3. Apply a second GREP Style that changes specific numbers back to Minion Pro.

D

DativeAuthor

Known Participant

I've tried this but, as I've tried numerous times before, the second GREP style doesn't cancel out the first. I need a specific GREP query that will find all digits excluding the bracketed dimensions.

A

a.yalda

Inspiring

I suggest changing the paragraph style, but if for some reason you are unable to do this you can try setting a nested style to go to the end of the paragraph with the OSF char style, and then a new char style applied with GREP style will trump the nested style.

A

a.yalda

Inspiring

Sounds like your constant in this situation is the multiplication symbol. Try something like this:

(\d+?\.\d+?(?= [x×]))|((?<=[×x] )\d+?\.\d+?)

This will look for either a multiplication symbol or a normal "x" character (just in case someone entered in the x incorrectly).

D

DativeAuthor

Known Participant

This would work if I just wanted to find them but what I actually need is to find all numbers EXCEPT them.

A

a.yalda

Inspiring

Oh, I see.

Then the best is to just set your paragraph style to use OSF under open type formats and then change the dimensions using the GREP above to not be OSF.

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

I think some screenshots with invisibles on, or some copy/paste of the text that you don’t want to change would be helpful. It is all about patterns and the patterns are going to be dependent on context.

D

DativeAuthor

Known Participant

I did copy and paste the text I didn't want to change above, it all appears as ((number possibly with a decimal point) × (number possibly with a decimal point) in) or ((number possibly with a decimal point) × (number possibly with a decimal point) cm). What would you like me to take a screenshot of?

Stephen Marsh

Community Expert

I thought that patterns such as (3.5 × 7.5 in) needed a different grep style applied than other digits?

What would be helpful is what I asked for, a screenshot with invisibles turned on showing both the text that should not change and the text that needs to change.

Or a copy and paste, such as:

Here are some numbers 1, 2 and a double digit 27 that should not change style, however I need patterns such as this (3.5 × 7.5 in) to change to a totally different grep style without affecting the previous numbers in red.

John Mensinger

Community Expert

I'm not necessarily a GREP hero, so someone may be able to improve upon this, but you can try Find: (\(.+?\)) Change to: (a Character style with Lining Figures set)

Or, since it's only a formatting change, a GREP Style is applicable.

D

DativeAuthor

Known Participant

Hi John, thanks for your answer, I've actually set it to find all digits as a GREP style within a paragraph style so short of changing the original GREP query I can't alter it using find and replace or even by changing it manually.

John Mensinger

Community Expert

Okay, so if you add a second GREP style (the one shown above) to that paragraph style it will run after the first and set your dimensions to lining figures.

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