Learning GREP with InDesign

On July 20, 2018

In InDesign , Lynda

Release date:2009, November 18

Duration:03 h 45 m

Author:Michael Murphy

Skill level:Intermediate

Language:English

Exercise files:Yes

Learning GREP with InDesign decodes the language of GREP for InDesign users. It shows how this versatile tool can be used for describing text, which can speed up or automate everyday formatting tasks. InDesign expert and graphic designer Michael Murphy introduces the basic concepts of GREP, and shows how to build powerful expressions using metacharacters. Michael also explores many of the little-known features of GREP, explaining how GREP styles and Find/Change can be used to rearrange data and dynamically format text. Exercise files accompany this course.

Topics include:

Using metacharacters, the building blocks of GREP
Describing text that may not exist with zero operators
Applying multiple character styles to the same text with GREP styles
Eliminating orphaned words at the ends of paragraphs
Preserving and recalling subexpressions
Customizing a GREP-based text cleanup script for long documents

Table of Contents

0. Introduction
Welcome 1m 4s
Using the exercise files 29s
1. GREP Basics
What is GREP? 1m 53s
Text searching vs. GREP searching 2m 34s
Working with GREP and InDesign 3m 28s
2. Basic Metacharacters
Using metacharacters, the building blocks of GREP 6m 37s
Escaping out metacharacters 2m 49s
Building with wild cards 9m 9s
Understanding undocumented wild card “opposites” 3m 11s
Specifying locations 7m 4s
Learning the undocumented location metacharacters 4m 45s
Using repeat metacharacters and defining the shortest match 5m 45s
Specifying exact matches and ranges 2m 52s
Finding content that doesn’t exist with zero functions 3m 52s
3. Advanced Metacharacters
Creating “or” conditions 5m 24s
Building subexpressions 5m 52s
Using character sets to create custom wild cards 7m 3s
Using negative character sets 3m 2s
Finding around text with lookbehind and lookahead 8m 1s
Building with modifiers: Case sensitivity 4m
Building with modifiers: Single-line and multi-line 3m 10s
Using InDesign-compatible Posix expressions 6m 54s
4. GREP Styles
GREP styles vs. nested styles 6m 10s
Styling specific words or phrases 3m 18s
Describing inconsistent Text 6m 59s
Describing and styling prices 6m 55s
Applying multiple character styles to the same Text 6m 8s
Describing and styling email addresses 10m 48s
Dynamically fixing orphaned words with GREP 9m
5. GREP Find/Change
Adding more to the mix: GREP Find/Change 1m 41s
Understanding queries 8m 19s
Using formatting and styles as Find/Change criteria 5m 20s
Preserving and recalling using subexpressions 7m 49s
Backreferences in search queries 3m 8s
Cleaning up text with GREP 2m 45s
Creating a GREP-based text cleanup script 4m 27s
6. A Practical Project with Advanced Find/Change and GREP
Describing imported spreadsheet data 6m 56s
Rearranging imported spreadsheet data 7m 17s
Applying styles and formatting with GREP 11m 14s
Describing and standardizing phone numbers 9m 20s
Inserting anchored objects with GREP 8m 58s
Conclusion
Goodbye 27s