jonnnathan noted:

>a search and replace routine based on mid$[$] would probably function
>but be a bit of a workhouse. even a simply optimized routine could
>probably thrash it.

Agreed.

That's why in the first example I used an optimized FN REPLACE (for 
containers) that Alain contributed to the FB^3 Rosetta Stone Library.

However, in real life, the time difference in searching an Edit 
Field's worth of text (32K or about six typewritten pages), with 
MID$[$] versus a more highly optimized function is probably limited 
by human reaction time and hence is negligible.

Ken