Wildcard code to search for any number of characters

[jmt356]

What is the Wildcard code to find a bracket followed by the word "NOTE" followed by any number of characters until an end bracket? For example, I'd like to find these excerpts:

[NOTE: res ipsa loquitur res ipsa loquitur res ipsa loquitur res ipsa loquitur]

or

[NOTE: ipsa loquitur res ipsa loquitur res ipsa loquitur res ipsa loquitur res]

[HansV]

Make sure that you tick the check box 'Use wildcards'. Enter the following in the 'Find what' box:

Code: Select all

\[NOTE: *\]

The \ before [ and ] is required because [ and ] have special meanings in a wildcard search. Preceding them with \ tells Word that you're searching for the literal characters [ and ].

S0250.png

[jmt356]

It did not work for me. I think a single * tells Word I am looking for a single character only. However, I might need any number of characters before the ].

[HansV]

No. ? is the wildcard for a single character, and * for any number of characters. I tested the expression in the screenshot, and it worked. Are you sure that you have ticked the 'Use wildcards' check box?

[jmt356]

Now it is working. I don't know why it was not working before; I had the Use wildcards ticked both times.

Thank you.

[jmt356]

If * searches any number of characters, why doesn't it find the word "an" or "and" when I search "a an and"? It is only finding individual letters, even when I have Wildcards selected.

[macropod]

The wildcard expression posted by Hans (i.e. \[NOTE:*\]) is correct for the example you posted.

To find more than just the specified character(s) when using *, you have to give some indication of where to stop, otherwise a* erroneously might be expected to find all of "a an and" - and everything else in the document after the first 'a'. To find whole words "a" "an" & "and", you'd use: <a*>