Emacs: Change Brackets/Quotes 🚀

Here's command to change brackets in text.

For example, here's what you have:

matrix =
 [
   [3, 99, 'a'],
   [2, 77, 'a']
 ];

You want:

matrix =
 {
   {3, 99, 'a'},
   {2, 77, 'a'}
 };

Bracket change is useful when converting data from different languages or formats.

More examples:

• markdown format: `function`
• emacs format: `function'
• org format: ~function~
• org format: =function=
• common template [[function]]
• curly quote: “function”
• python list: [1,2,3]
• Wolfram Language list: {1,2,3}
• lisp list: (list 1 2 3)

Here's the code.

Can also delete the brackets.

(defun xah-change-bracket-pairs (FromChars ToChars)
  "Change bracket pairs to another type or none.
For example, change all parenthesis () to square brackets [].
Works on current block or selection.

In lisp code, FromChars is a string with at least 2 spaces.
e.g.  \"( paren )\", \"[[ double bracket ]]\" etc.
where the chars before first space is the left bracket, and char after the last space is the right bracket.
(the middle is for convenience for user to type the char name in prompt.)
ToChars is similar, with a special value of \" none \", replace by empty string.

URL `http://xahlee.info/emacs/emacs/elisp_change_brackets.html'
Version: 2020-11-01 2022-04-07 2022-07-05 2023-03-31"
  (interactive
   (let ((xbrackets
          '(
            "\" double quote \""
            "' single quote '"
            "( paren )"
            "{ brace }"
            "[ square ]"
            "< greater >"
            "` emacs '"
            "` markdown GRAVE ACCENT `"
            "~ tilde ~"
            "= equal ="
            "[[ double square ]]"
            "“ curly double quote ”"
            "‘ curly single quote ’"
            "‹ french angle ›"
            "« french double angle »"
            "「 corner 」"
            "『 white corner 』"
            "【 lenticular 】"
            "〖 white lenticular 〗"
            "〈 angle 〉"
            "《 double angle 》"
            "〔 tortoise 〕"
            "〘 white tortoise 〙"
            "〚 white square 〛"
            "⦅ white paren ⦆"
            "⦃ WHITE CURLY BRACKET ⦄"
            "〈 pointing angle 〉"
            "⦑ ANGLE WITH DOT ⦒"
            "⧼ CURVED ANGLE ⧽"
            "⟦ math square ⟧"
            "⟨ math angle ⟩"
            "⟪ math DOUBLE ANGLE ⟫"
            "⟮ math FLATTENED PARENTHESIS ⟯"
            "⟬ math WHITE TORTOISE SHELL ⟭"
            "❛ HEAVY SINGLE QUOTATION MARK ORNAMENT ❜"
            "❝ HEAVY DOUBLE TURNED COMMA QUOTATION MARK ORNAMENT ❞"
            "❨ MEDIUM PARENTHESIS ORNAMENT ❩"
            "❪ MEDIUM FLATTENED PARENTHESIS ORNAMENT ❫"
            "❴ MEDIUM CURLY ORNAMENT ❵"
            "❬ MEDIUM POINTING ANGLE ORNAMENT ❭"
            "❮ HEAVY POINTING ANGLE QUOTATION MARK ORNAMENT ❯"
            "❰ HEAVY POINTING ANGLE ORNAMENT ❱"
            " none "
            )))
     (list
      (completing-read "Replace this:" xbrackets)
      (completing-read "To:" xbrackets))))
  (let (xp1 xp2 xleft xright xtoL xtoR
            (xss1 (split-string FromChars " "))
            (xss2 (split-string ToChars " ")))
    (let ((xbds (xah-get-bounds-of-block-or-region))) (setq xp1 (car xbds) xp2 (cdr xbds)))
    (setq xleft (car xss1) xright (car (last xss1)))
    (setq xtoL (car xss2) xtoR (car (last xss2)))
    (save-excursion
      (save-restriction
        (narrow-to-region xp1 xp2)
        (let ((case-fold-search nil))
          (if (string-equal xleft xright)
              (let ((xx (regexp-quote xleft)))
                (goto-char (point-min))
                (while
                    (re-search-forward
                     (format "%s\\([^%s]+?\\)%s" xx xx xx)
                     nil t)
                  (overlay-put (make-overlay (match-beginning 0) (match-end 0)) 'face 'highlight)
                  (replace-match (concat xtoL "\\1" xtoR) t)))
            (progn
              (progn
                (goto-char (point-min))
                (while (search-forward xleft nil t)
                  (overlay-put (make-overlay (match-beginning 0) (match-end 0)) 'face 'highlight)
                  (replace-match xtoL t t)))
              (progn
                (goto-char (point-min))
                (while (search-forward xright nil t)
                  (overlay-put (make-overlay (match-beginning 0) (match-end 0)) 'face 'highlight)
                  (replace-match xtoR t t))))))))))

require Emacs: xah-get-thing.el

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