I'm tired of typing: <alt cntrl s>\Wxy\W
to search for a variable with name xy, where xy is some input.
I'd like a macro set up so I could type <cntrl c><cntrl s>xy<enter>
to do this.  Better still if after doing this <cntrl>s would do the same
search.  A similar macro starting with <cntrl c><cntrl r>xy<enter> to do
the same search backward would also be nice, but instructions to do the
first should enable me to do that.
Thanks for any help.

You need to read the tutorial.  Type C-h t.
ie. it's not <cntrl h> t, it's C-h t.

This cannot be done with a macro.  (Neither with a keyboard macro or an
elisp macro).  You have to write a command instead.

Now that you know the correct term, you can read emacs manuals and
learn about it.

    An Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp
    http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/emacs-lisp-intro/  or  M-: (info "(eintr)Top") RET
    (for non-programmers)

    Emacs Lisp Manual
    http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/elisp.html  or  M-: (info "(elisp)Top") RET

    Emacs Manual
    http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/   or  M-: (info "(emacs)Top") RET

Something like:

(defun fred-search-variable (name)
  (interactive "sVariable name:")
  (search-forward-regexp (format "\\W%s\\W" name)))

(local-set-key (kbd "C-c C-s") ; notice how it's not "<cntrl c>"?
               'fred-search-variable)

--
__Pascal Bourguignon__                     http://www.informatimago.com/
A bad day in () is better than a good day in {}.

On 07/09/2012 07:33 AM, Pascal J. Bourguignon wrote:

Thanks, this was very helpful.  But then I discovered <alt s>w which
does most of what I want, since it lets me continue a search easily.