How do I add open and close brackets for every line using Notepad++
I've tried to find the lines with this expression: (.+).
and then I replaced with (\1). It works for single quotes when I try to replace it as '\1'
But for () it is not working.
Thanks
You have to escape the parentheses in the replacement string too:
So replace ^(.+)$ with \(\1\).
Parentheses are special for Notepad++, and AdrianHHH has found the explanation:
It uses the boost regex flavor, which uses the following syntax for replacement strings: Boost-Extended Format String Syntax
The + within the regular expression means one or more of the previous item which is a . meaning any character. You should use the expression ^(.*)$ where the * means zero or more of the previous item. I like to add the ^ and $ to expressions to make it clear that I want the beginning and the end of the line, although in this case they are unnecessary.
The replacement text should have (as other answers indicate but do not explain) the round braces escaped. The replacement should be \(\1\). (Just checked in Notepad++ 6.6.7 and the doubled round braces ((\1)) previously stated in this answer does not work. Braces in the replacement string must be \( and \).)
Notepad++ replacement expressions can be complex, round braces introduce the variations. See Multiple word search and replace in notepad++ for one example and links to more documentation.
