Mastering Find and Replace in IntelliJ: The CTRL+ SHIFT+ R Shortcut Explained

Описание: Discover how to efficiently find and replace text in all files within a specific folder in IntelliJ using the `CTRL+ SHIFT+ R` shortcut.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/67289338/ asked by the user 'Gaj Julije' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/11270766/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/67289364/ provided by the user 'Gaj Julije' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/11270766/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Find replace in directory IntelliJ

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Mastering Find and Replace in IntelliJ

IntelliJ IDEA is a powerful integrated development environment (IDE) widely used by developers for writing code. One common task that comes up frequently is the need to find and replace text across multiple files in a specific directory.

The Problem: Finding and Replacing Text

Often, when working on larger projects, you might need to update variable names, change method signatures, or even replace text in comments across multiple files. If you're familiar with other text editors, you might expect that the shortcut for this action could be as simple as CTRL+ R. However, in IntelliJ, CTRL+ R is designed for finding and replacing text within a single file only.

The Solution: Using CTRL+ SHIFT+ R

To perform a find and replace operation across an entire directory (or multiple files), you will need to use a different shortcut:

CTRL+ SHIFT+ R

This keyboard combination opens a dialog that allows you to search and replace text in all files within a selected folder. Here’s how to do it:

Step-by-Step Instructions

Open IntelliJ IDEA: Launch your project in IntelliJ.

Navigate to the Folder: In the project view or through the file explorer, locate the folder where you want to perform the find and replace operation.

Use the Keyboard Shortcut: Press CTRL+ SHIFT+ R. This will bring up the replace dialog.

Enter Search and Replace Values:

Find: Input the text you wish to find.

Replace with: Enter the text that will replace the found text.

Configure Options:

You can choose to match case, use regular expressions, or enable/disable certain options based on your need.

Review Search Results: Once you click the "Replace" button, IntelliJ will list down all occurrences found in the selected folder.

Execute Replacement: You can either replace them one by one or choose to replace all occurrences at once.

Additional Tips

Perform a Dry Run: It’s always wise to preview changes before performing bulk replacements, especially in large projects.

Regular Expressions: If you're comfortable with regular expressions, you can use them in your search queries for more complex patterns.

Version Control: Ensure your changes are tracked by a version control system. This way, you can revert any unintended changes easily.

Conclusion

The CTRL+ SHIFT+ R shortcut is an indispensable tool for developers using IntelliJ IDEA, streamlining the process of find and replace over multiple files within a directory. By familiarizing yourself with this functionality, you can significantly improve your coding efficiency and productivity.

Whether you are renaming variables, fixing typos, or refactoring your code, this feature will save you time and ensure consistency across your project.

So next time you need to make bulk changes in your code, remember the power of CTRL+ SHIFT+ R.