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Find and replace in matching column

How to Use Find and Replace in Matching Column (Step 2)


The Find and Replace feature allows values in a mapped column to be changed, converted, or rephrased before they are matched or updated in your store. This setting helps clean up supplier data, standardize product naming conventions, and strip unwanted characters or code directly during the sync.


Available on: ✔️ Add | ✔️ Update | ✔️ Export



How to Set Up Find and Replace


Go to App → Feed Settings → Step 2: Matching Column


  1. Open Field Settings: Locate the mapped store field you want to modify and click the gear icon to open Smart Settings.
  2. Define Search Query: In the Find field, enter the word, phrase, wildcard pattern, or regular expression you want to detect.
  3. Specify Replacement: In the Replace with field, enter the new value, leave it empty to delete the matched term, or reference another column using double curly brackets (e.g., {{Column_Name}}).
  4. Save Mapping: Click Update or save your feed settings to apply the rules.


Multiple search and replacement terms can be added simultaneously by separating each entry with a comma.



Find and Replace Field Settings


1. Find Field Configuration

The Find field identifies specific text strings, words, or character sequences from your feed file before values are sent to your store.


  • Multiple Searches: Add multiple words or phrases separated by commas.
  • Partial Matching: The search matches any part of the word (substring matching), not just exact whole-word matches.
  • Pattern Support: Supports both wildcards (*) and standard regular expressions (regex).


You can test and validate regular expressions prior to saving using regex101.com.


Find field configuration


2. Replace with Field Configuration

The Replace with field determines what text substitutes the values detected by the Find field.


  • Positional Order: Replacement values must follow the exact sequential order of the terms listed in the Find field.
  • Multiple Replacements: Separate multiple replacement values with commas to pair each one with its corresponding search term.
  • Text Removal: To delete the found text entirely without replacing it, leave the corresponding replacement entry blank or set no value.


Replace with field configuration



Common Use Cases & Examples


1. Match Variations Using Wildcards (*)

Use the wildcard asterisk * to match prefixes, suffixes, or variations of words across your feed.


For example, entering *man captures word patterns associated with or containing "man" (such as woman or manicure).


Wildcard search example


2. Apply Multiple Search and Replacement Conditions

You can chain multiple text substitutions in a single column by separating each condition with a comma.


Values in Find map one-to-one with values in Replace with based on their comma sequence.


Multiple conditions example


3. Escape Commas Inside Values Using [,]

Because commas serve as list delimiters in this feature, any search term or replacement text that includes a literal comma must be wrapped in double quotes "" with the comma written as [,].


  • Example 1: "Clothes[,]"
  • Example 2: "mm[,]"


Comma escaping example


To strip unwanted HTML anchor links from product descriptions while leaving the surrounding text intact, add the following pattern to the Find field and leave the Replace with field empty:


*<a href=.?>,<a id=.?>,</a>*


This pattern removes opening tags (<a href...>, <a id...>) and closing tags (</a>) across the field.


5. Replace Text Dynamically Using Another Column

You can substitute text dynamically using incoming values from another column in your feed file by enclosing that column header name in double curly brackets.


  • Syntax: {{Column_Name}}
  • Example: {{Description}}


Dynamic column value replacement



Key Rules & Technical Details


  • Strict Positional Pairing: If you enter 3 values in Find (e.g., Small, Medium, Large), you must provide 3 corresponding values in Replace with (e.g., S, M, L). Mismatched counts can result in unexpected blank updates.
  • Substring Sensitivity: The Find tool searches for substring matches. For example, replacing cat with dog will also convert words like catalog into dogalog. Use regex word boundaries \bcat\b if whole-word matching is required.
  • Escape Syntax for Commas: Standard backslash escaping (\,) is not recognized. Literal commas must always be written as [,] inside double quotes "".
  • Dynamic Syntax Support: Dynamic values in Replace with must use the exact feed column header name enclosed in {{...}}.


If your pattern triggers a syntax error, the feed run will pause the affected field. Ensure your expressions follow standard regular expression structure.



Troubleshooting Steps


  • Issue: The error message "Find words fail regular expression check" appears → Solution: A special character (such as (, ), [, ], ?, +, or \) was used in the Find field without proper regex escaping. Review your search string on regex101.com or refer to the troubleshooting article below.
  • Issue: Commas in text are causing unintended text splits → Solution: Wrap the phrase in double quotes and replace the literal comma with [,] (e.g., "Size, Color" becomes "Size[,] Color").
  • Issue: Substring matching modifies unintended parts of words → Solution: Use regex boundary tags \bword\b in the Find field to restrict matches to whole words only.
  • Issue: Dynamic column tag {{Column_Name}} outputs raw text instead of data → Solution: Verify that the text inside the double curly brackets matches your feed column header exactly, including case and spacing.



Good Articles to Continue


Updated on: 16/10/2026

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