comby is a powerful and versatile tool designed for structural code search and replace. It supports a wide range of programming languages and enables developers to perform automated code transformations efficiently.
With comby, you can search for specific patterns or structures within code files across multiple programming languages. This goes beyond simple text search and allows you to target specific code constructs, such as function calls, variable declarations, loops, or conditionals. By specifying structural patterns, you can precisely identify the code fragments you want to modify.
The tool provides a flexible and expressive language for defining search patterns using a syntax known as “comby DSL” (Domain-Specific Language). The comby DSL allows you to specify complex structural patterns using a combination of literals, wildcards, and placeholders, enabling sophisticated code search capabilities.
In addition to code search, comby supports code replacement or transformation based on the identified patterns. Once you have identified the code fragments to modify, you can specify the desired replacement code or transformations. comby then applies these changes across multiple files, automatically updating the targeted code sections.
comby supports numerous programming languages, including popular ones like C, C++, Java, Python, JavaScript, Ruby, Go, and many more. It understands the syntax and structure of each supported language, which enables accurate pattern matching and transformation across different codebases.
By using comby, developers can automate repetitive code modifications, refactorings, or codebase-wide updates. It saves time and effort by eliminating the need for manual search and replace operations, especially when working with large codebases or when making widespread changes.
comby can be integrated into the development workflow through its command-line interface or as part of build scripts or automated tasks. It allows for efficient and reliable code modifications while maintaining the structural integrity of the code.
comby Command Examples
1. Match and rewrite templates, and print changes:
# comby 'assert_eq!(:[a], :[b])' 'assert_eq!(:[b], :[a])' .rs
2. Match and rewrite with rewrite properties:
# comby 'assert_eq!(:[a], :[b])' 'assert_eq!(:[b].Capitalize, :[a])' .rs
3. Match and rewrite in-place:
# comby -in-place 'match_pattern' 'rewrite_pattern'
4. Only perform matching and print matches:
# comby -match-only 'match_pattern' ""
Summary
In summary, comby is a versatile tool for structural code search and replace. It supports multiple programming languages and enables developers to define complex search patterns to identify specific code constructs. With comby, you can automate code transformations and replacements across files and codebases, saving time and effort in repetitive tasks. By incorporating comby into the development workflow, developers can streamline code modifications and improve codebase maintenance.