Need help with GREP expression please

[chloem56448998]

Hi everyone. Happy New Year to you all!

I would greatly appreciate a little help in formulating a GREP expression. First, let me say that I know as much about GREP and scripting as I do about neuro-surgery and there is about the same chance of me learning anything about either of these too! I just write books.

I have 1000+ pages of book content that I have been trying to split into three or four different books. All these pages are, currently, in a single document. Somehow during my editing process, I have managed to lose the formatting of all quotes in the document. These are meant to be italic but are now showing as standard font.

The quotes are each, however, showing between straight quotation marks. Using my negligible, bordering on non-existant, understanding of GREP it would appear that I should be able to search and find all instances of straight quotation marks.

What I would really like to know is whether I (i.e. anyone other than me) can put together an expression that not only finds the quotation marks but, also, changes the font contained therein to italic. 

I have the expression (?<=").+?(?=") which seems to be able to find all instances of quotation marks. Can this be amended to include the automatic reformatting of the font to italic? Please say "yes". Please!!

I did notice, when trying the above expression, that it not only found text between the quotation marks but, ocassionally, also found the text between the second quotation mark and the first quotation mark of the next quote. Obviously, any automation of the 'replace font style' will affect these too, but I should be able to go through and revert these back to standard format.

I apologise for my lack of any understanding of GREP. I have no doubt that, given a decade or two of extensive study, I might be able to learn the basics of GREP, but I'm afraid I just don't the time this will take.

Can anyone help me out please?

Kind regards....Chloe

[chloem56448998 · Accepted solution]

I never imagined I would say this, but I've just solved my own problem!! News of this will, no doubt, be front page news in every major newspaper around the world. The media have been alerted!

Turns out the solution was quite simple (as it would have to be!).

I simply entered the GREP expression above then added styles to the Find Format (found standard format) and Change Format (change to Italic font) blocks. It worked and, believe me, no-one is more surprised than me. 

So, problem solved. Tomorrow, I start on neuro-surgery! The sky's the limit!

Sorry for troubling you all!

Regards....Chloe

[Peter Kahrel]

Well done! Forget about neuro-surgery. learn some GREP. With 1000+ pages of text to deal with you can do yourself no bigger favour. Really.

P.

[chloem56448998]

Peter,

I appreciate your optimism but you are clearly delusional. I in awe of your knowledge of all things GREP but, the chances of me joining you in that mystical universe are the stuff of pure fantasy. I imagine it as some form of black hole which, if I entered, I would never be seen or heard of again.

Thanks so much for all you do, and have done for several years, in assisting people on these Adobe forums. It is people like you who truly enable us significantly less-skilled users to maximise the benefits of inDesign, Photoshop et al.

Kind regards....Chloe