Find and replace leaves semi colon

When I use find and replace text in Autocad 2008lt the text that has been updated is now prefixed with a semicolon why ????

Can you post what you have used as "Find what", respectively "Replace with"? It is possibe that you have Use wildcards option checked?

It was a simple number replacement, ie replace all the number 2s for 1s, so 254 becomes 154, but it displays with a semicolon like this ;154 In the find and replace options dialogue box, I have match case ticked and the option Text(Mtext,DText, Text) ticked.

It was a simple number replacement, ie replace all the number 2s for 1s, so 254 becomes 154, but it displays with a semicolon like this ;154 In the find and replace options dialogue box, I have match case ticked and the option Text(Mtext,DText, Text) ticked.

Have you tired ones again, for example now replace ';1' with '1' and ';2' with '2'? You could press a semicolon by accident...

No typing mistakes I have repeated it 3 times with text and numbers I always get a semicolon prefix in the updated text.

No typing mistakes I have repeated it 3 times with text and numbers I always get a semicolon prefix in the updated text.

And my first suggestion... to try replace a wrong replacement with a new final one i.e. ';1' with '1'?

is this in DTEXT, MTEXT or both?

The text that I'm updating is MTEXT the problem does not occur with single line text

The text that I'm updating is MTEXT the problem does not occur with single line text

I suspect there is a formating string within the MTEXT that gets revealed when you do your changes. That may be why you are having problems but I'm afraid I don't know a way around it.

Yes I suspected it was an Mtext issue when the single lint text didn't throw up the same issue, arrrr the woes of Mtext still plague us.

is it simple enough to EXPLODE it before the replace?

It seems that's formatting, however when you use 'find/replace' in AutoCAD formatting in mtext is untouched and all should work... I've already tried with some extra colors, sizes etc. and all went OK. Maybe something specific...

Can you check in Properties Dialog Box what has been changed in this mtext or copy and past your mtext 'before' and 'after' and post to forum, or even if you can post your drawing?

A line of text that displays on the screen as 001 in the properties box it shows content as \pxqc;001

That's a beginning of paragraph (\px), which is centered (qc), but how did you manage to change it to ';1' on screen. Is that what did you say? What exactly you replace with what? And if \pxqc;001 was before what is now?

I clicked on the edit drop down menu, use find and replace, any Mtext regardless of what it is results in a semicolon prefix

problem solved it was a font issue, standard font does not produce the problem

Can you post a part of your drawing, just past the mentioned mtext to new file?

Have you tried replace ';1' with '1' after that and what has happen?

PS. I did several tries and nothing similar to your case appeared on my machine...

problem solved it was a font issue, standard font does not produce the problem

Well done

Although, what do you mean by 'standard font'? Which one is standard? And what kind of font causes the problem?

Try it with the Arial font in Mtext, select the text on the screen go to Edit on the drop down menus at the top of the screen then find.

Try it with the Arial font in Mtext, select the text on the screen go to Edit on the drop down menus at the top of the screen then find.

That's what I did. I usually use Arial and I have never came across that replacing text changes the formatting, because with find/replace formatting is just ignored by AutoCAD...