[[!template id=plugin name=sar author="[[VictorMoral]]"]]
[[!tag type/chrome type/slow ]]

The `sar` plugin is useful to make global or local search and replace operations
using common or specific terms.

The characteristics are:

- Support for a global dictionary page (optional but recommended).
- Is possible to replace the first appearance with a text and the rest with
other.

The global dictionary page is like this:

    ## Sites and projects

    - [[!sar search="ikiwiki" first="[IkiWiki](http://ikiwiki.info)" next="_IkiWiki_"]]
    - [[!sar search="debian" first="[Debian](http://debian.org)" next="_Debian_"]]
    - [[!sar search="perl" first="[Perl](http://perl.org)" next="_Perl_"]]
    - [[!sar search="linux" replace="GNU/Linux"]]
   
    ## Persons
    - [[!sar search="joey" first="[Joey Hess](http://ikiwiki.info/users/joey]]" next="_Joey_" ]]
    - [[!sar search="angel" first="[Angel](http://triptico.com)" next="Angel"]]

    ## Technical terms

    - [[!sar search="smtp" first="\[[!wp SMTP]]" next="‘SMTP‘"]]
    - [[!sar search="pop3" first="\[[!wp POP3]]" next="’POP3’"]]

The search expressions must be surrounded by double dashes in a source ikiwiki
page, like this:

    Mis programas están escritos en lenguaje --perl--, funcionando con el 
    sistema --debian--, y mis páginas web funcionan con --ikiwiki-- cuyo autor
    es --joey--.

    --ikiwiki-- es un buen software.

After a filter operation the content is:

    Mis programas están escritos en lenguaje [Perl](http://perl.org),
    funcionando con el sistema [Debian](http://debian.org), y mis páginas web
    funcionan con [IkiWiki](http://ikiwiki.info) cuyo autor es [Joey
    Hess](http://ikiwiki.info/users/joey).

    _IkiWiki_ es un buen software.

_Note_: I chose this syntax because don't clashes with markdown and it is easy to write. 

A _search and replace_ directive has the following parameters:

- `search`: define the text to search.
- `first`: define the replace text in the first match.
- `next`: define the replace text in all matches except the first.
- `replace`: define the replace text in all matches.

Now the code is used at my site without problems, and the author will
appreciate any help with his development or his english. 

## Configuration

The plugin need the following global values:

- `sar_mainpage`: define the global dictionary page. The default value is `sar`.
- `sar_pagespec`: enable the plugin with a selection of pages. The default
value is `*`, but a recommended value is `link(tag/sar)`.

## Synopsis

In a ikiwiki source page we can write this

    \[[!sar search=debian replace="__Debian__"]]

for define a global replace for the term `--debian--` or

    \[[!sar search=ibm first=’[IBM](http://www.ibm.com)’
            next="_IBM_"]]

to define a replace for the first match of the string `--ibm--` and a different
replace for the rest.

## Changelog

### version 0.8

- First functional version with the new sar expressions.

### version 0.7 

- New design for the search expressions.

### version 0.6

- Minor bugfixes in the pages selection.
- Call to add_depends() for every page filtered

### version 0.5

- This is the first functional version.

## Download 

The module can be downloaded from:

- [My personal site](http://taquiones.net/files/misc)
- [My personal Debian repository](http://taquiones.net/files/debian)


