Is the "classic" rewriting syntax documented anywhere?

On Mon, 2 Feb 2026 at 22:52, Denis Kudriashov via Pharo-users <pharo-users@lists.pharo.org> wrote:

Hi all.

This is the release of��BPatterns��project, one of my old ideas on how to make the rewrite engine usable for scripting.

As a quick reminder, here is an example of the classic rewrite-engine matching syntax:

``@receiver isNil ifTrue: ``@nilBlock

In practice, patterns like this usually live inside string literals���hidden away in lint rules, deprecations, or refactorings.

To use them for manual code search or rewriting, you typically need a dedicated tool.

Now compare that with the same pattern expressed as a BPattern:

[ any isNil ifTrue: anyBlock ] bpattern

No special syntax.
No magical tools.
Just pure Smalltalk.

You write a block.
You send #bpattern.
You���re done.

Every editor understands it.
Every tool respects it.

Want to see where this pattern appears?��

��[ any isNil ifTrue: anyBlock ] bpattern browseUsers

Want to rewrite all of them?

[[ any isNil ifTrue: anyBlock ] -> [ any ifNil: anyBlock ]] brewrite preview

Because BPatterns are real Smalltalk code, all development tools work out of the box:
syntax highlighting, completion, navigation, refactorings.

This is the rewrite engine treated as a first-class citizen.

Not strings.
Not tooling sidecars.
Not just for advanced users.

A rewrite engine you can actually use.
A rewrite engine at your fingertips.

More details are in the blog post:

• https://dionisiydk.blogspot.com/2026/02/bpatterns-rewrite-engine-with-smalltalk.html

And follow the project on GitHub:

• https://github.com/dionisiydk/BPatterns

•