How to search for and replace one particular word with different font

[lekkerder]

We are reformatting a medical dictionary that has over 1,000 instances of the word "prefix" italicized in parens that is in a font we no longer have in CS6. Here's what I mean:  (prefix)

We started to do this manually, but as there are so many, we wonder if there's a way to globally replace (prefix)  with (prefix) in a different font.

Hope that makes sense.

[BobLevine · Accepted solution]

If you used a character style you'd be able to do this in less than a minute; if not, search for (prefix) and add the format information you want to find and change.

[lekkerder]

Thank you!

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

That's it. And the search need not be style-driven; a search for (prefix) could either be run automatically to change the applied character style, or if that breaks something, an eyeball-driven search and replace should take no more than an hour.

But definitely replace with a specific, unique character style so that complete control is established/retained for future adjustments!

[lekkerder]

Thank you!

[lekkerder]

Hello again.  In a second book we are starting to update in CS6, we'd like to use "search and replace" throughout the book to replace a series of dot leaders with a diamond-shaped character from Arial wingdings. I pasted a few of the diamond shapes below. We're interested in using the smaller, thinner one in the screenshot.

If it's possible to replace a string of stops/periods with the diamond shape, how and where should we identify the diamond shape? I assume we might have to type in the identifier for the diamond but don't know what it is or where to do that.

If I need to start a new thread for this, let me know.

Thanks.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

@lekkerder 

How have you found those?

Each character/glyph have it's own UNICODE value.

[lekkerder]

That's what we need help with. We're trying to find out how to use (select and/or fill in) the info needed for getting the wingding diamond to replace regular text (dot leaders).

In the the "Find/Change" box posted by Bob Levine, we assume we should copy/paste the text to be replaced (dot leaders) into the "Find what" box and enter the unicode into the "Replace with" box. But what about the other options/filters such as the very first one "Query," should we select "Text" there since we want to replace text?

Do we leave leave everything else "as is" (such as the "Find Format" and "Change Format" boxes)?

Thanks.

[Robert at ID-Tasker]

[...]But what about the other options/filters such as the very first one "Query," should we select "Text" there since we want to replace text?

Do we leave leave everything else "as is" (such as the "Find Format" and "Change Format" boxes)?

By @lekkerder

You should use Find Format section if you want to replace only specific instances - like only when specific CharStyle is applied or color used or Sub/Super-scripted, etc.

If you won't change anything there - ALL instances will be replaced.

Change Format section - let you apply some additional formatting at the same time.