Find and Replace

Use the Find and Replace control to search for data in an attribute table.

By default, the search is performed on the selected field or fields. You can make specific updates to individual values in an iterative process or update multiple values at once. A list of the most recent entries is retained in both the Find and Replace input boxes until the project is closed. You can also specify the search method to match any, all, or only the start of the field as well as match the case. Date, GUID, and numeric values are always returned using a full match. For example, searching for 10 does not return 100.

Find records in a table

The Find portion of the Find and Replace control scans the table for matching results. This is more efficient than manually scrolling the table and facilitates data maintenance. To find records in a table, complete the following steps:

1. Click the Table menu and click Find and Replace to open the control in the table view.

   Alternatively, press Ctrl+F to open the input box.

2. Type the value to find in the Find input box and press Enter or click the Find button .

   To search for null values, enter the case sensitive string <Null>.

   The total number of matches is displayed near the Clear button .

3. To browse the search results, click Find Next or press Shift+F3, or click Find Previous or press F3.

   The find buttons work in a continuous loop. For example, when you click Find Previous from the result at the top of the table, the search starts again from the bottom toward the top to find the next match.

4. To select all of the matches, click Select Matches .
5. Perform any edits or click Close when you are finished to close the control without closing the table view.

Replace values in a table cell

Replacing all or part of a cell value allows you to perform repetitive updates without manual editing and improves data maintenance.

Note:

The Replace portion of the Find and Replace control is intended for small, direct changing of values such as changing Street to Road. Use the Field Calculator to perform an update that uses complex equations or references other fields.

To replace all or part of a cell value, complete the following steps:

1. Click the Table menu and click Find and Replace to open the control in the table view.

   Alternatively, press Ctrl+F.

2. Type the value to find in the Find input box.
3. In the Replace input box, type the new value.
4. Press Enter or click Replace to locate the first encountered instance.

   If the active cell contains the value from step 2, it is replaced automatically.

5. Click Replace again to update the first encountered instance and locate the next one.

   Optionally, click Replace All to update all encountered instances.

6. Click Close when you are finished to close the control without closing the table view.

Note:

Your edits must be saved in the Manage Edits group on the Edit tab.

Options to refine results

Depending on the value you are trying to find, you may need to include additional criteria to improve the search results. The following options are available in the Find drop-down menu:

• Match any part—Any part of the cell can match; for example, the text San returns both Pleasant and San Gabriel. This is the default behavior.
• Match whole field—The entire cell contents must match the search value exactly.
• Match start of field—Only the start of the cell must match; for example, the text San returns both San Gabriel and san diego.
• Match case—Both the phrase and capitalization must match; for example, the text San would match San, but not san.
• Search only selected fields—Only the currently selected field or fields are searched. This is selected by default.
• Filter results—Only the records that return a match are visible; all others are temporarily hidden. Clear the results to view all records again.

Match any part, Match whole field, and Match start of field are maintained in the current project, while the other options must be set for each table.