Search Parameter Sharing Protocol for the X Window System

Many programs allow the user to search through text, be it a text file, a collection of email messages, or a web page. Sometimes one has the text for which to search in one program (e.g. in a mail message) while the text in which to search is in a different program (e.g. a text editor or a web browser).

 

While one can usually copy the search string from the source program and paste it into the destination program, it is even more convenient if the programs can share this text directly.

 

The Search Parameter Sharing Protocol (XSearch) provides a simple way to share both the search string and the replace string

 

Mac OS X currently provides this feature for all native applications - though it obviously does not use XSearch.

 

This protocol was developed by John Lindal at New Planet Software.

 

Related protocols

• XDND

• XDS