Function: search-backward

search-backward is an interactive function defined in search.c.

Signature

(search-backward STRING &optional BOUND NOERROR COUNT)

Documentation

Search backward from point for STRING.

Set point to the beginning of the occurrence found, and return point. An optional second argument bounds the search; it is a buffer position.
  The match found must not begin before that position. A value of nil
  means search to the beginning of the accessible portion of the buffer.
Optional third argument, if t, means if fail just return nil (no error).
  If not nil and not t, position at limit of search and return nil.
Optional fourth argument COUNT, if a positive number, means to search
  for COUNT successive occurrences. If COUNT is negative, search
  forward, instead of backward, for -COUNT occurrences. A value of
  nil means the same as 1.
With COUNT positive, the match found is the COUNTth to last one (or
  last, if COUNT is 1 or nil) in the buffer located entirely before
  the origin of the search; correspondingly with COUNT negative.

Search case-sensitivity is determined by the value of the variable case-fold-search, which see.

See also the functions match-beginning, match-end and replace-match.

Probably introduced at or before Emacs version 18.

Key Bindings

Source Code

// Defined in /usr/src/emacs/src/search.c
{
  return search_command (string, bound, noerror, count, -1, 0, 0);
}