Within E-Studio, it is possible to search for specific properties that apply to multiple E-Objects or sub-objects. This functionality is useful, for example, if the user would like to identify all objects of a specific type, to change or replace all of the background settings across multiple objects, to change the font properties for all objects within an experiment, etc. Using Property Find and Replace, properties may be searched/replaced based on combinations of the following criteria:
Property Name
Property Value
E-Object Type
E-Object Name
Launch the Property Find and Replace dialog using the Find and Replace option from the Edit menu in E-Studio. Select Find or Replace to display a menu providing separate tabs in order to configure Find or Replace operations. Alternatively, corresponding keyboard shortcut options may be used to quickly access the Find (CTRL+F) or Replace (CTRL+H) tabs.
Selection of either the Find or Replace option will display the Property Find and Replace dialog with the corresponding tab highlighted. The Type, Property, Comparison, and Search fields are common between the two tabs, as is the Match Case checkbox. Selection of the Replace tab introduces the additional Replace and Replace Type fields.
| Field | Possible Values | Description |
| Type | FeedbackDisplay, ImageDisplay, List, MovieDisplay, PackageCall, Procedure, Slide, SlideButton, SlideChoice, SlideImage, SlideMovie, SlideSlider, SlideSoundIn, SlideSoundOut, SlideState, SlideText, SoundIn, SoundOut, TextDisplay, Wait | Defines the Type of E-Object to include in the search parameters. |
| Property | Object properties.The list of available properties is filtered according to the Type setting. | Dropdown list of properties available for the object type, as specified in the Type field. |
| Comparison | Text Based: | Defines the method of comparison for the search. |
| DoesNotContain, StartsWith, EndsWith, DoesNotStartWith, DoesNotEndWith, Is, Is Not | ||
| Numeric: | ||
| Equals, DoesNotEqual, LessThan, LessThanOrEqual, GreaterThan, GreaterThanOrEqual | ||
| Search | String values | Allows entry of a string for which to search. The dropdown list includes previously entered search values. |
| Replace | String values | Allows entry of a string used to replace the search value, if found. The dropdown list includes previously entered replace values. |
| Replace Type | Complete, partial | Replaces an entire property value or part of the property value when using the Contains, StartsWith and EndsWith types. |
For fields other than Search, if a value is not specified for a specific search criterion, that criterion will default to any or all. If a value is not specified in the Search field, the value will be evaluated as "(blank)" within the search operation.
NOTE: When searching or replacing properties, scripted properties are not included. The Match Case checkbox may be used to include a case-sensitive comparison during the search operation. The Options button provides additional filters which may be used to limit the results returned.
When performing a search operation, the results are displayed in the window below the search settings, and may be grouped or organized by Property or by Object through selection of the applicable radio button (default=Property). The results are displayed in alphabetical order.
In addition, any objects identified by the search appear highlighted or bolded in the Experiment Explorer window on the Structure tab, with the first item appearing in bold in the Structure, and other occurrences being highlighted.
The Find All and Find Next buttons are available to display every occurrence matching the search criteria (in the results window), and to navigate through the individual occurrences (in either the results window or within the experiment structure in the Experiment Explorer window).
The Property Find and Replace dialog appears as a modeless dialog. That is, the dialog will
stay on the screen and be available for use until it is dismissed, but will also permit other user activities while the Property Find and Replace dialog is open. If desired, an E-Object or sub-object appearing in the Results window may be opened in the Workspace by double-clicking the item in the Results window in order to allow modification of the item without dismissing the Property Find and Replace dialog.
The images below illustrate example search settings that would return (i.e., Find) all TextDisplay objects in an experiment file that are using the Courier New font (Fig 1), which could then be modified (i.e., Replace operation) to use the Arial font (i.e., Replace) (Fig 2). Additional Filter Options may be set to further limit the results presented for a search operation (Fig 3).
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Following a successful Replace operation, a summary is provided indicating the number of replacements made during the operation.
Replace operations may not be reversed (e.g., there is no Undo functionality). During a Replace All operation, a warning is displayed to indicate that the operation cannot be undone, and the user is prompted to save the experiment prior to the operation.
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