# Watch Words Replace - Link
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193
**Category:** Bug
**Tags:** watched-words
**Created:** [October 27, 2021, 12:40am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193 "2021-10-27T00:40:55Z")
**Posts on this page:** 16
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2021, 12:40am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/1 "2021-10-27T00:40:55Z")
Hi I have recently used Watch Words Replace function as the old theme component Linkify words
This works great. However I have been notified by a user he receives a warning nag pop up that the link has already been used in a topic. As the member is not posting.a link. It is a system function. The user should not have this inconvenience.
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2021, 6:30am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/2 "2021-10-27T06:30:21Z")
Oh, this is a very interesting edge case. I support improving this.
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### Author:  [@nbianca](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nbianca)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2021, 2:02pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/5 "2021-10-27T14:02:31Z")
Thank you for the bug report. A fix for this edge case was implemented in this PR:
[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/14742](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/14742)
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### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [October 27, 2021, 2:28pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/6 "2021-10-27T14:28:54Z")
Your welcome and thanks for the speedy fix.
đ»đđâš
Only other minor issue I had found is that if a word link replacement is part of a username the @mention part of there name is replaced with link.
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### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2021, 7:42am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/7 "2021-10-28T07:42:32Z")
> [@Heliosurge](#):
>
> Only other minor issue I had found is that if a word link replacement is part of a username the @mention part of there name is replaced with link.
I think that has been fixed recently?
>
>
> Watched words of type 'replace' or 'link' replaced the text inside
> mentions or âŠhashtags too, which broke these. These types of watched
> words must skip any match that has an @ or # before it.
**Update**
Iâve just checked on my test site, and while it shows a match&replace in the test box, in a ârealâ post it does not make the replacement. (watched word to replace = \*one)
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### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2021, 1:24pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/8 "2021-10-28T13:24:18Z")
It mist be very recent as I had to disable 1 link.
Will test and let you know. Thanks.
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### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2021, 1:36pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/9 "2021-10-28T13:36:24Z")
Okay here is my test after implementing lnk for pimax. User pimaxquorra part of his name is replaced with lnk
Running Stable
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### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2021, 3:15pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/10 "2021-10-28T15:15:53Z")
> [@Heliosurge](#):
>
> Running Stable
Ah, that may be why. Iâm on tests-passed, and that one gets more frequent updates.
> [@2.7.7: Security Release](https://meta.discourse.org/t/2-7-7-security-release/197959/1):
>
> The âstableâ branch is more focused on _lack of change_ than _lack of bugs_ - all releases, including those on tests-passed and beta are production ready.
Though I notice that your link only targets a portion of the username/word rather than the whole lot as mine did. I wonder if youâve also got âwatched words are regular expressionsâ set as well? That may have an effect.
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### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2021, 3:26pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/11 "2021-10-28T15:26:04Z")
In setting i have it as follows
Watched Word: pimax
Replace is the Link.
Is there a way to have the argument only Target the word alone?
Ie âpimaxâ = lnk replacement
âpimaxesâ = no replace as it has extra
Same with usernanes ir other compound or hyvenated words.
I have Steam setup as a link and with SteamVR it replaces the Steam part of SteamVR as a link.
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### Author:  [@nbianca](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nbianca)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2021, 3:35pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/12 "2021-10-28T15:35:55Z")
I realized that the problem was when watched\_words\_regular\_expression was enabled. I think I have a better fix for this problem in place and it will be available in tests-passed once the PR is merged:
[https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/14760](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/pull/14760)
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### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2021, 3:44pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/13 "2021-10-28T15:44:05Z")
Awesome. Though will need to wait for these to roll out to stable.
Thanks very responsive and speedy with fixes.
đ»đđâš
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### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2021, 4:14pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/14 "2021-10-28T16:14:22Z")
> [@Heliosurge](#):
>
> Is there a way to have the argument only Target the word alone?
Without `watched words regular expressions` set it actually does that automatically. I had to add wildcards \* to catch a word that was part of a username/longer word.
With the regular expressions you can do it with boundaries (\b). So \bsteam\b would only catch âsteamâ and not âsteamVRâ or âsomethingsteamâ.
I can replicate the partial substitution if I have `watched words regular expressions` set in the admin settings, so it may be worth a check?
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### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2021, 5:17pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/15 "2021-10-28T17:17:59Z")
Okay checked in both Stable and Tests passed.
Stable only has Replace no separate link setting in Watched Words.
With or without regular expression turned on the replace watched words doesnât work with the /bword/b. In fact you need to add the /bword/b for word to be recognized instead of just word
Test Passed works without needing the /bword/b in Link watched words.
So looks like just need to wait for Tests Passed to roll out to Stable.
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### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2021, 5:52pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/16 "2021-10-28T17:52:15Z")
Ah, I thought it was only the @mentions fix you were missing. Oh well, the Watched Words revamp sounds like itâs got a few useful tweaks for you when you get it. đ Hopefully it wonât be long. đ€
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### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [October 28, 2021, 6:42pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/17 "2021-10-28T18:42:49Z")
Indeed can play with some of the new stuff on our test passed testing server. Unfortunately our main is using stable. There are a number of improvements that I canât wait to be available on stable branch. đ€©
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### Author:  [@nbianca](https://meta.discourse.org/u/nbianca)
#### Post date: [November 13, 2021, 8:00am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/watch-words-replace-link/207193/18 "2021-11-13T08:00:41Z")
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