# GREP Assistant

https://minguhongmfg.com/en/products/grep-assistant

Date: 2025-05-28

GREP Assistant is a web tool that converts ordinary search terms and search conditions into GREP.

If you use Adobe InDesign, you have probably heard of a feature called GREP. GREP was originally the name of a command-line utility used in Unix in the early 1970s. Short for “Global Regular Expression Print,” it was a tool for finding particular patterns in text files. Today, GREP is hidden wherever there is text: VS Code, Sublime Text, Google Sheets, and Adobe InDesign.

In InDesign in particular, GREP plays a major role in systematically finding text in a document and replacing it in batches. Of course, GREP is also widely used beyond text editing, in programming, data cleaning, search algorithms, and more. It looks complicated at first, but once learned, it is an almost magical tool that can finish repetitive work in seconds.

For example, you can change telephone-number formats in bulk, reduce double spaces to single spaces, or automatically apply a style after a particular word… Powerful indeed. But also rather tricky. It offers very precise control over searching and replacing, yet many people sigh at the unfamiliar syntax of “regular expressions.” (There is even an urban legend that GREP experts in Japan’s publishing industry are called “GREP artisans.” That must say something about how difficult it is to master.)

I have friends like that, too: editors, designers, and publishing professionals. Their remarks accumulated and led me to make this tool. [GREP Assistant](https://aglab.neocities.org/grep-assistant) is a small gift to them, and a converter that helps anyone work comfortably with GREP.

It is simple to use. Enter ordinary search terms and the conditions you want in the field on the left, and they are automatically converted into GREP on the right. Set the search-and-replace rules you need without memorizing complicated syntax. It can serve as an introductory tool for learning regular expressions, or a quick converter and testing ground for experienced users. That is all.

GREP Assistant is still a tool under development. I plan to refine its features little by little and add more examples and supported options. If you encounter a bug or need a feature, please feel free to write to [lab@ag.co.kr](mailto:lab@ag.co.kr). Your feedback makes GREP Assistant more practical and more lovable.

- [https://aglab.neocities.org/grep-assistant](https://aglab.neocities.org/grep-assistant)
- [safari-screenshot-2025-05-28-09.30.17.png](https://minguhongmfg.com/media/pages/products/grep-assistant/36fadb65b6-1791639069/safari-screenshot-2025-05-28-09.30.17.png)
- [safari-screenshot-2025-05-28-09.31.57.png](https://minguhongmfg.com/media/pages/products/grep-assistant/1dc1a295d7-1791639070/safari-screenshot-2025-05-28-09.31.57.png)
- [safari-screenshot-2025-05-28-09.32.14.png](https://minguhongmfg.com/media/pages/products/grep-assistant/107a363a0c-1791639070/safari-screenshot-2025-05-28-09.32.14.png)
- [safari-screenshot-2025-05-28-09.32.22.png](https://minguhongmfg.com/media/pages/products/grep-assistant/500fa547f0-1791639071/safari-screenshot-2025-05-28-09.32.22.png)

Tags: AG Lab