Text Search

Overview

ReoGrid provides a built-in text search API that allows you to search for text across cells in one or more worksheets. You can navigate through results one by one, highlight matching cells, or retrieve all matches at once.

The text search classes are located in the unvell.ReoGrid.TextSearch namespace.

using unvell.ReoGrid.TextSearch;

Basic Usage

Search a Single Worksheet

Use TextSearchSession with a single Worksheet to search within it.

var session = new TextSearchSession(grid.CurrentWorksheet, "hello");
session.Search();

// Navigate to the next match
var match = session.NextMatch();
if (match != null)
{
    grid.CurrentWorksheet.SelectionRange = match.Cell.PositionAsRange;
}

Search the Entire Workbook

Pass an IWorkbook instance (the grid control) to search across all worksheets.

var session = new TextSearchSession(grid, "hello");
session.Search();

var match = session.NextMatch();
if (match != null)
{
    match.Cell.Worksheet.SelectionRange = match.Cell.PositionAsRange;
}

Search Specific Worksheets

Pass a list of worksheets to limit the search scope.

var sheets = new List<Worksheet> { grid.Worksheets[0], grid.Worksheets[1] };
var session = new TextSearchSession(sheets, "hello");
session.Search();

Navigating Results

After calling Search(), use NextMatch() and PreviousMatch() to navigate through results. Both methods return null when there are no matches.

// Move forward
var match = session.NextMatch();

// Move backward
var match = session.PreviousMatch();

Loop Search

By default, LoopSearch is true, which means navigation wraps around from the last match back to the first (and vice versa). Set it to false to stop at the ends.

session.LoopSearch = false;

var match = session.NextMatch();
if (match == null)
{
    MessageBox.Show("No more results.");
}

Retrieving All Matches

Use the Matches property to access the complete list of results at once.

var session = new TextSearchSession(grid, "hello");
session.Search();

foreach (var match in session.Matches)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Found at: {match.Cell.Position}, offset: {match.TextIndex}");
}

The ITextSearchMatch interface exposes:

Property	Type	Description
`Cell`	`Cell`	The cell containing the matched text
`TextIndex`	`int`	The character position of the match within the cell's display text

Highlighting Matches

Use HighlightTextSearchSession to visually highlight all matching cells.

var session = new HighlightTextSearchSession(grid, "hello", grid.CurrentWorksheet);
session.Search();

// Highlight all matches in gold
session.MarkAllResultHighlight(SolidColor.Goldenrod);

// Navigate
var match = session.NextMatch();
if (match != null)
{
    match.Cell.Worksheet.SelectionRange = match.Cell.PositionAsRange;
}

To remove all highlights (for example, when the search keyword changes):

session.UnmarkAllResultHighlight();

Full Example: Find Dialog

The following example shows how to build a simple find dialog with Next / Previous / Find All functionality.

HighlightTextSearchSession searchSession = null;

HighlightTextSearchSession GetOrCreateSession(string keyword)
{
    if (searchSession == null)
    {
        searchSession = new HighlightTextSearchSession(grid, keyword, grid.CurrentWorksheet);
        searchSession.Search();
        searchSession.MarkAllResultHighlight(SolidColor.Goldenrod);
        searchSession.LoopSearch = true;
    }
    return searchSession;
}

void OnKeywordChanged(string newKeyword)
{
    // Clear highlights from previous session
    searchSession?.UnmarkAllResultHighlight();
    searchSession = null;
}

void FindNext(string keyword)
{
    var match = GetOrCreateSession(keyword).NextMatch();
    if (match != null)
        match.Cell.Worksheet.SelectionRange = match.Cell.PositionAsRange;
}

void FindPrevious(string keyword)
{
    var match = GetOrCreateSession(keyword).PreviousMatch();
    if (match != null)
        match.Cell.Worksheet.SelectionRange = match.Cell.PositionAsRange;
}

IEnumerable<ITextSearchMatch> FindAll(string keyword)
{
    return GetOrCreateSession(keyword).Matches;
}

API Reference

TextSearchSession

Member	Description
`TextSearchSession(IWorkbook, string, Worksheet?)`	Search all worksheets in a workbook
`TextSearchSession(IEnumerable<Worksheet>, string, Worksheet?)`	Search the specified worksheets
`TextSearchSession(Worksheet, string)`	Search a single worksheet
`void Search()`	Execute the search. Must be called before navigating results
`ITextSearchMatch NextMatch()`	Returns the next match, or `null` if none
`ITextSearchMatch PreviousMatch()`	Returns the previous match, or `null` if none
`IEnumerable<ITextSearchMatch> Matches`	All matched results
`ITextSearchMatch CurrentMatch`	Gets or sets the current match position
`bool LoopSearch`	Whether to wrap around when reaching the end (default: `true`)
`string Text`	The search keyword
`List<Worksheet> Worksheets`	The worksheets being searched

HighlightTextSearchSession

Extends TextSearchSession with cell highlighting.

Member	Description
`void MarkAllResultHighlight(SolidColor color)`	Highlights all matching cells with the specified color
`void UnmarkAllResultHighlight()`	Removes all highlights