# System Utilities

Bulk Program Scan/Edit Utility |

The Bulk Program Scan/Edit Utility is used to perform one or more string searches and/or replacements against a series of programs. The search can be done by exact words, by regular expression, or without regard to case. See MSK function for a definition of the supported regular expression syntax.

This utility is invoked from the System Utilities window by clicking the Bulk Edit tool bar option or by selecting Utilities > Programs > Bulk-Edit from the menu bar after selecting the directory containing the program files to be searched.

An example of the Bulk Program Scan/Edit Utility with a completed search is displayed below:

This window consists of the following:

Search String | Enter the string to search for.
Replacement String | If the string you are searching for is to be replaced, enter the replacement text.
Search Only | When selected (Default), the utility will only search for, but not replace, the specified search string. When not selected, the utility will replace all instances of the Search String it finds with the Replacement String.
Type of Search | Select the type of search to be performed:
Exact Match | The string(s) must match exactly. (Default)
Ignore case | The string(s) can occur in either uppercase or lowercase.
Word only | The string(s) must occur as an independent word (variable name, command, etc.).
Mask | The string(s) being searched for is an MSK( ) expression. See MSK( ) function.
Starting directory | Directory from which to begin the search. (Default: Displays the directory specified on the main System Utilities window.)
Include sub-directories | When selected, the search will include any sub-directories within the specified Starting directory. When not selected (Default), only the Starting directory will be searched.
Selected Programs | Specify the list of program files to be searched. (Default: Displays an * (asterisk), which represents "all" program files within the specified Starting directory (and sub-directories if the Include sub-directories check box is selected). If you do not want to search all the program files, you can customize this list by selecting only the ones to search. To do this:
1. | Click the File List button (circular arrow).
2. | In the File List window, click the Expand List button to display a list of the program files in the specified directory (and sub-directories, if applicable)..
3. | To remove a file name from this list (file is not deleted from the directory), highlight the file name and press the Delete key (also delete the blank line left behind).
4. | When you are done, click the Close button to return to the main Bulk Program Scan/Edit window. Click the Selected Programs drop box to view the modified list of selected programs.
If a deleted file name needs to be re-inserted (i.e. deleted in error), you can manually add it to the bottom of the File List by typing it. You can also restore the entire list of original file names and customize the list again. To restore the list, first clear the current list by highlighting it and pressing the Delete key, then click the Expand List button to redisplay all the files. #### Note: Any changes made to the Selected Programs list will not be retained after exiting the Bulk Program Scan/Edit utility.
Send output to printer | Opens a Printer Selection window for specifying an additional output destination for the search results. When not selected (Default), search results will be displayed to the Programs list box only.
Programs | List box that displays search results when the Scan button is selected.
Show matches only in results window | When selected, the Programs list box will display only the programs in which a match was found. (added in PxPlus 2017) When not selected (Default), the Programs list box will display all the programs that were searched by the utility, regardless if a match was found.
Scan | Starts the search process based on the criteria specified. When performing a search and replace and a match is found, the result is outputted to the Programs list box, and a prompt is displayed with selections to Update, Skip or Update All:
Update | Change only this program and continue to search subsequent programs, if applicable. (Default)
Skip | Leave the current program unchanged and continue to search subsequent programs, if applicable.
Update All | Automatically update this and all subsequent programs that match without displaying a prompt each time.
Stop | (Available only during the Scanning Process) Button that displays when the Scan button is selected and is used to abort the search process. This button is hidden when the search is aborted or completed.
Close | Exits the utility and returns to the System Utilities window.