# Find and Replace (FindAndReplaceGenerator)

The [Find and Replace](https://docs.tonic.ai/app/generation/generators/generator-reference/find-and-replace) generator replaces all instances of a specified find string with a specified replace string.

## Link object structure <a href="#generator-api-find-and-replace-link-object" id="generator-api-find-and-replace-link-object"></a>

The Find and Replace generator does not support linking or consistency. You cannot configure differential privacy.

The `metadata` object is populated from the [`FindAndReplaceMetadata`](https://app.tonic.ai/apidocs/index.html#/models/FindAndReplaceMetadata) object. The generator-specific configuration includes:

* The find string.
* Whether the find string is a regular expression.
* The replace string.

```json
{
  "schema": "string",
  "table": "string",
  "column": "string",
  "path": "string",  //JSON fields only
  "dataType": "string",  //MongoDB, Amazon DynamoDB, and JSON fields only
  "metadata": {
    "presetId": "string",
    "generatorId": "FindAndReplaceGenerator",
    "find": "string",
    "useRegex": boolean
    "replace": "string",
    "encryptionProcessor": "x-on", //To use configured Structural data encryption
    "customValueProcessor": "string"  //If custom value processor applied
  }
}
```

## Example replacement <a href="#generator-api-find-and-replace-replacement" id="generator-api-find-and-replace-replacement"></a>

In this example replacement for the Find and Replace generator, the value `yes` is replaced by the value `no`. The find string is not a regular expression.

```json
{
  "name": "workclass",
  "schema": "public",
  "table": "training_classes",
  "links": [
    {
      "schema": "public",
      "table": "training_classes",
      "column": "workclass",
      "metadata": {
        "presetId": "FindAndReplaceGenerator",
        "generatorId": "FindAndReplaceGenerator",
        "find": "yes",
        "useRegex": false
        "replace": "no",
      }
    }
  ]
}
```