Grep for finding and changing chapter titles.

Question

I'm trying to change the chapter titles to have numbers instead of text designating which chapter number it is in the book (ex. Chapter Fourth to Chapter 4). What would be the Grep query for this? Everything I've tried just generates cannot find match.

Barb Binder · Accepted Answer

Here is an ever-so-slightly simpler variation on Eugene's answer (just one find/change) with a quick demo:

1. Edit your Chapter Number style to add the auto-numbers. If the entire document is in one file, use:

Chapter ^#.

but if you are pulling multiple InDesign files into a book use

Chapter ^H.

2. Find/Change > GREP

Find: .+ (to match everything on that line) and Paragraph style: Chapter Number (or whatever you named the style)

Change: \s (because autonumbers need at least one character on a line or they don't work)

Change All

Eugene Tyson · Answer

You can find a pattern - but you can't replace a pattern

That is the GREP would be

But you can't replace it with

1 2 3 etc

Your best bet is to have a Paragraph Style and set the Automatic Numbering

And in the Automatic Numbering type in

Chapter^#

(I think it's that experiment with first)

Then search for

^Chapter\h.+?$

Then replace the whole line for the numbered paragraph which will always be

Chapter followed by the number

This describes my method

https://www.pubcom.com/blog/tutorials/indesign/toc-3/index.shtml

Then it's just find and replace to remove the text completely

And leave a blank character return - which inserts the autonumber - which will be Chapter 1/2/3/4 etc.

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