jed currently has two kinds of searches: ordinary searches and incremental searches. Both types of searches have forward and backward versions. The actual functions for binding purposes are:
search_forward
search_backward
isearch_forward
isearch_backward
There is also the occur function which finds all occurrences of a
single word (string). This function has no backwards version. By default
it is not bound to any keys, so to use it, occur must be entered at
the M-x prompt (ESC X) or one is always free to bind it
to a key.
In the following only the incremental search is discussed.
The default type of search in Emacs in the incremental search. However, since this type of search is confusing to the uninitiated, the ordinary type of search has been made the default in jed's Emacs emulation. For the traditional emacs keybinding, it is up to the user to provide the keybinding.
As the name suggests, an incremental search performs a search incrementally. That is, as you enter the search string, the editor begins searching right away. For example, suppose you wish to search for the string apple. As soon as the letter A is entered into the incremental search prompt, jed will search for the first occurrence of a. Then as soon as the P is entered, jed will search from the current point for the string ap, etc. This way, one is able to quickly locate the desired string with only a minimal amount of information.
Unlike the ``ordinary'' search, the incremental search is not terminated with the ENTER key. Hitting the ENTER key causes jed to search for the next occurrence of the string based on the data currently entered at the prompt. The search is terminated with the ESC key.
Finally, the DEL key (CTRL-?) is used to erase the last character entered at the search prompt. In addition to erasing the last character of the search string, jed will return back to the location of the previous match. Erasing all characters will cause the editor to return to the place where the search began. Like many things, this is one of those that is easier to do than explain. Feel free to play around with it.