diff --git a/src/ace/Editor.js b/src/ace/Editor.js
index 84a98148..1c0b4534 100644
--- a/src/ace/Editor.js
+++ b/src/ace/Editor.js
@@ -693,9 +693,9 @@ ace.Editor = function(renderer, doc) {
     };
 
     this.replace = function(replacement) {
-      var range = this.getSelectionRange();
-      range.end = this.doc.replace(range, replacement);
-      this.selection.setSelectionRange(range);
+      var range = this.$tryReplace(this.getSelectionRange(), replacement);
+      if (range !== null)
+          this.selection.setSelectionRange(range);
     },
 
     this.replaceAll = function(replacement) {
@@ -708,11 +708,22 @@ ace.Editor = function(renderer, doc) {
 
         for (var i=0; i<ranges.length; i++) {
             var range = ranges[i];
-            range.end = this.doc.replace(range, replacement);
+            this.$tryReplace(range, replacement);
         }
         this.selection.setSelectionRange(range);
     },
 
+    this.$tryReplace = function(range, replacement) {
+        var input = this.doc.getTextRange(range);
+        var replacement = this.$search.replace(input, replacement);
+        if (replacement !== null) {
+            range.end = this.doc.replace(range, replacement);
+            return range;
+        } else {
+            return null;
+        }
+    };
+
     this.find = function(needle) {
         this.clearSelection();
         this.$search.set({needle: needle});
diff --git a/src/ace/Search.js b/src/ace/Search.js
index 80c2e3db..5c4c97dc 100644
--- a/src/ace/Search.js
+++ b/src/ace/Search.js
@@ -7,7 +7,8 @@ ace.Search = function() {
         wrap: false,
         caseSensitive: false,
         wholeWord: false,
-        scope: ace.Search.ALL
+        scope: ace.Search.ALL,
+        regExp: false
     };
 };
 
@@ -58,6 +59,20 @@ ace.Search.SELECTION = 2;
         return ranges;
     };
 
+    this.replace = function(input, replacement) {
+        var re = this.$assembleRegExp();
+        var match = re.exec(input);
+        if (match && match[0].length == input.length) {
+            if (this.$options.regExp) {
+                return input.replace(re, replacement);
+            } else {
+                return replacement;
+            }
+        } else {
+            return null;
+        }
+    };
+
     this.$forwardMatchIterator = function(doc) {
         var re = this.$assembleRegExp();
         var self = this;
@@ -71,7 +86,8 @@ ace.Search.SELECTION = 2;
 
                     var matches = [];
 
-                    line.replace(re, function(str, offset) {
+                    line.replace(re, function(str) {
+                        var offset = arguments[arguments.length-2];
                         matches.push({
                             str: str,
                             offset: startIndex + offset
diff --git a/src/test/SearchTest.js b/src/test/SearchTest.js
index e0e34363..8a97baf2 100644
--- a/src/test/SearchTest.js
+++ b/src/test/SearchTest.js
@@ -232,6 +232,19 @@ var SearchTest = new TestCase("SearchTest", {
         assertPosition(0, 10, range.end);
     },
 
+    "test: use regular expressions with capture groups": function() {
+        var doc = new ace.Document(["  ab: 12px", "  <h1 abc"]);
+
+        var search = new ace.Search().set({
+            needle: "(\\d+)",
+            regExp: true
+        });
+
+        var range = search.find(doc);
+        assertPosition(0, 6, range.start);
+        assertPosition(0, 8, range.end);
+    },
+
     "test: find all matches in selection" : function() {
         var doc = new ace.Document(["juhu", "juhu", "juhu", "juhu"]);
 
@@ -251,5 +264,41 @@ var SearchTest = new TestCase("SearchTest", {
         assertPosition(1, 3, ranges[0].end);
         assertPosition(2, 1, ranges[1].start);
         assertPosition(2, 3, ranges[1].end);
+    },
+
+    "test: replace() should return the replacement if the input matches the needle" : function() {
+        var search = new ace.Search().set({
+            needle: "juhu"
+        });
+
+        assertEquals("kinners", search.replace("juhu", "kinners"));
+        assertEquals(null, search.replace("", "kinners"));
+        assertEquals(null, search.replace(" juhu", "kinners"));
+
+        // regexp replacement
+    },
+
+    "test: replace with a RegExp search" : function() {
+        var search = new ace.Search().set({
+            needle: "\\d+",
+            regExp: true
+        });
+
+        assertEquals("kinners", search.replace("123", "kinners"));
+        assertEquals("kinners", search.replace("01234", "kinners"));
+        assertEquals(null, search.replace("", "kinners"));
+        assertEquals(null, search.replace("a12", "kinners"));
+        assertEquals(null, search.replace("12a", "kinners"));
+    },
+
+    "test: replace with RegExp match and capture groups" : function() {
+        var search = new ace.Search().set({
+            needle: "ab(\\d\\d)",
+            regExp: true
+        });
+
+        assertEquals("cd12", search.replace("ab12", "cd$1"));
+        assertEquals("-ab12-", search.replace("ab12", "-$&-"));
+        assertEquals("$", search.replace("ab12", "$$"));
     }
 });
\ No newline at end of file