I want to remove the empty paragraph mark using GREP search?

[AyshaIsmail]

I am using the following code to find the empty paragraph mark the code finds the search but replace is not done perfectly.

Dim Occurances

indesignApplication.FindGrepPreferences = InDesign.idNothingEnum.idNothing
indesignApplication.ChangeGrepPreferences = InDesign.idNothingEnum.idNothing
indesignApplication.FindChangeGrepOptions.includeFootnotes = False
indesignApplication.FindChangeGrepOptions.includeHiddenLayers = False
indesignApplication.FindChangeGrepOptions.includeLockedLayersForFind = False
indesignApplication.FindChangeGrepOptions.includeLockedStoriesForFind = False
indesignApplication.FindChangeGrepOptions.includeMasterPages = False

indesignApplication.FindGrepPreferences.findwhat = "\r(?=\r)"

Occurances = indesignApplication.ActiveDocument.FindGrep()
indesignApplication.ChangeGrepPreferences.changeto = ""
If Occurances.Count <> 0 Then
For foundindex As Integer = 1 To Occurances.Count
Dim foundItem = Occurances.Item(foundindex)
Dim insertionPoint As InsertionPoint = foundItem.InsertionPoints.FirstItem
foundItem.Select()
foundItem.showtext

indesignApplication.Selection(1).ChangeGrep()
Next

End If

indesignApplication.FindGrepPreferences = InDesign.idNothingEnum.idNothing
indesignApplication.ChangeGrepPreferences = InDesign.idNothingEnum.idNothing

[rob day · Accepted solution]

Hi @AyshaIsmail , I use this function for find and change—it‘s ExtendScript (not sure what your code is?)

//replaces multiple returns with single return
grepSearch("\\r+", "\\r");
//replaces multiple tabs with single tab
grepSearch("\\t+", "\\t");


/**
* Document Grep find and change 
* @ param f the find grep string 
* @ param c the change grep string
* @ return void 
*/
function grepSearch(f,c){
    app.findGrepPreferences = app.changeGrepPreferences = app.findChangeGrepOptions = null;
    app.findChangeGrepOptions.properties = {includeFootnotes:false, includeHiddenLayers:false, 
        includeMasterPages:false, includeLockedStoriesForFind:false, includeLockedLayersForFind:false} 
    app.findGrepPreferences.findWhat = f;
    app.changeGrepPreferences.changeTo = c;
    app.activeDocument.changeGrep( true )
}

Before and after:

[Bevi Chagnon - PubCom.com]

You can also remove empty (blank) paragraphs with a common search and replace.

• Edit / Find Change
• Find what: ^p^p

— (note that ^p is the standard computer metacharacter for paragraph marks)

— Search for 2 in a row and replace with 1.

• Change to: ^p

[AyshaIsmail]

Before I used indesignApplication.Selection(1).ChangeGrep(). Now from ur code I change it to  indesignApplication.ActiveDocument.ChangeGrep(True) .

The code is working fine. Thank you @rob day 

[Peter Kahrel]

@rob day : A small detail: your

grepSearch("\\r+", "\\r");

works, but it replaces single returns as well, so it does too much. This is more efficient:

grepSearch("\\r\\K\\r+", "");

A small detail, true.

P.

[rob day]

Thanks!