Replace text

The example shows you how to open an OpenDocument text document and replace text. Replace searches the whole document, including tables, lists, sections, headers, footers, notes, annotations, text boxes and shapes, and returns the number of replaced occurrences. The paragraph, its style and all other content of the paragraph remain unchanged, even when an occurrence is split over several spans.

C# example

using System;
using Independentsoft.Office.Odf;

namespace Sample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            TextDocument doc = new TextDocument("c:\\test\\input.odt");

            int count = doc.Replace("John Smith", "Mary Rose");

            Console.WriteLine(count + " occurrences replaced.");

            doc.Save("c:\\test\\output.odt", true);
        }
    }
}

C# example - Replace several strings in one pass

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using Independentsoft.Office.Odf;

namespace Sample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            TextDocument doc = new TextDocument("c:\\test\\template.odt");

            List<string> placeholders = new List<string>();
            placeholders.Add("{name}");
            placeholders.Add("{date}");
            placeholders.Add("{amount}");

            List<string> values = new List<string>();
            values.Add("John Smith");
            values.Add("2026-06-30");
            values.Add("1,250.00");

            doc.Replace(placeholders, values);

            doc.Save("c:\\test\\output.odt", true);
        }
    }
}

C# example - Replace in the body only

using System;
using Independentsoft.Office.Odf;

namespace Sample
{
    class Program
    {
        static void Main(string[] args)
        {
            Spreadsheet book = new Spreadsheet("c:\\test\\input.ods");

            //the headers and footers of the master pages are not searched
            FindOptions options = new FindOptions(SearchScope.Body);

            book.Replace("2025", "2026", options);

            book.Save("c:\\test\\output.ods", true);
        }
    }
}

VB example

Imports System
Imports Independentsoft.Office.Odf

Module Module1
    Sub Main(ByVal args As String())

        Dim doc As TextDocument = New TextDocument("c:\test\input.odt")

        Dim count As Integer = doc.Replace("John Smith", "Mary Rose")

        Console.WriteLine(count.ToString() + " occurrences replaced.")

        doc.Save("c:\test\output.odt", True)

    End Sub
End Module

ODF .NET > Tutorial > Replace text

Need help? Ask our developers: