Substitute strings

You can search and replace strings of any element that have the Text property on your canvas. You can use the basic mode to replace strings in a list.

You can also use advanced functions, such as find and replace, ignore, case-sensitivity, and wildcards.

You cannot substitute static strings that are used in a Radio Button Group, List Box or Combo Box.

If you substitute strings for a text element in an embedded graphic, that text element is not updated if you change the source graphic's text. For example, an embedded graphic contains a text graphic with the string "SomeTextHere". You substitute "SomeTextHere" with "MyText", and then change the source graphic text from "SomeTextHere" to "NewText". The text in the embedded graphic will still show "MyText".

To substitute strings in a graphic by using the list

1. Select one or more elements.

2. Do one of the following:

   • Press Ctrl + L.

   • On the Special menu, click Substitute Strings.

     The Substitute Strings dialog box appears.

3. In the New column, type the text to be replaced.

4. Click OK.

To substitute strings in a graphic by using advanced functions

5. Select one or more elements.

6. Do one of the following:

   • Press Ctrl + E.

   • On the Special menu, click Substitute Strings.

   The Substitute Strings dialog box appears.

7. Click Find & Replace. The dialog box expands and shows advanced options.

8. Configure the search strings. Do any of the following:

   • To find specific strings in the list, type a string in the Find What box and click Find Next to find the next string.

   • To replace a selected found string with another string, type a string in the Replace with box and click Replace.

   • To replace multiple strings, type values in the Find What and Replace with boxes and click Replace all.

9. Configure the search options. Do any of the following:

   • If you want the search to be case-sensitive, click Match Case.

   • To find only entire words that match your search string, click Match Whole Word Only.

   • To use wildcards, click Use Wildcards. Use an asterisk (*) to search for any sequence of characters. Use a question mark (?) to search for strings with one variable character.

10. Click OK.