diff --git a/components/richmemo/richmemo.pas b/components/richmemo/richmemo.pas
index b2932873b..dccfabbf1 100644
--- a/components/richmemo/richmemo.pas
+++ b/components/richmemo/richmemo.pas
@@ -250,7 +250,8 @@ type
 
     procedure SetSelLengthFor(const aselstr: string);
 
-    function Search(const ANiddle: string; Start, Len: Integer; const SearchOpt: TSearchOptions): Integer;
+    function Search(const ANiddle: string; Start, Len: Integer; const SearchOpt: TSearchOptions): Integer; overload;
+    function Search(const ANiddle: string; Start, Len: Integer; const SearchOpt: TSearchOptions; var ATextStart, ATextLength: Integer): Boolean; overload;
 
     function Print(const params: TPrintParams): Integer;
 
@@ -1050,6 +1051,15 @@ end;
 
 function TCustomRichMemo.Search(const ANiddle: string; Start, Len: Integer;
   const SearchOpt: TSearchOptions): Integer;
+var
+  ln : Integer;
+begin
+  ln := 0;
+  if not Search(ANiddle, Start, Len, SearchOpt, Result, ln) then Result:=-1;
+end;
+
+function TCustomRichMemo.Search(const ANiddle: string; Start, Len: Integer; const SearchOpt: TSearchOptions;
+  var ATextStart, ATextLength: Integer): Boolean; overload;
 var
   so : TIntSearchOpt;
 begin
@@ -1058,9 +1068,17 @@ begin
     so.len:=Len;
     so.start:=Start;
     so.options:=SearchOpt;
-    Result:=TWSCustomRichMemoClass(WidgetSetClass).Search(Self, ANiddle, so);
+    if not TWSCustomRichMemoClass(WidgetSetClass).isSearchEx then begin
+      ATextStart:=TWSCustomRichMemoClass(WidgetSetClass).Search(Self, ANiddle, so);
+      // not recommended. The text found coulbe longer than Niddle
+      // depending on the language and search options (to be done)
+      // mostly for Arabi and Hebrew languages
+      ATextLength:=UTF8Length(ANiddle);
+    end else begin
+      Result:=TWSCustomRichMemoClass(WidgetSetClass).SearchEx(Self, ANiddle, so, ATextStart, ATextLength);
+    end;
   end else
-    Result:=-1;
+    Result:=false;
 end;
 
 function TCustomRichMemo.Print(const params: TPrintParams): Integer;
diff --git a/components/richmemo/win32/win32richmemo.pas b/components/richmemo/win32/win32richmemo.pas
index 94e90b3e7..cf9dab4a1 100644
--- a/components/richmemo/win32/win32richmemo.pas
+++ b/components/richmemo/win32/win32richmemo.pas
@@ -122,6 +122,9 @@ type
 
     class function Search(const AWinControl: TWinControl; const ANiddle: string;
       const SearchOpts: TIntSearchOpt): Integer; override;
+    class function isSearchEx: Boolean; override;
+    class function SearchEx(const AWinControl: TWinControl; const ANiddle: string;
+      const SearchOpts: TIntSearchOpt; var ATextStart, ATextLength: Integer ): Boolean; override;
 
     class procedure SetZoomFactor(const AWinControl: TWinControl; AZoomFactor: Double); override;
 
@@ -166,7 +169,7 @@ var
   NCPaint : TNCPaintProc = nil;
 
 function GetSelRTF(amemo: TCustomRichMemo): string;
-  
+
 implementation
 
 type
@@ -1113,6 +1116,19 @@ begin
   Result:=RichEditManager.Find(AWinControl.Handle, UTF8Decode(ANiddle), SearchOpts);
 end;
 
+class function TWin32WSCustomRichMemo.isSearchEx: Boolean;
+begin
+  Result:=true;
+end;
+
+class function TWin32WSCustomRichMemo.SearchEx(const AWinControl: TWinControl;
+  const ANiddle: string; const SearchOpts: TIntSearchOpt; var ATextStart,
+  ATextLength: Integer): Boolean;
+begin
+  ATextStart:=RichEditManager.Find(AWinControl.Handle, UTF8Decode(ANiddle), SearchOpts, ATextLength);
+  Result:=ATextStart>=0;
+end;
+
 class procedure TWin32WSCustomRichMemo.SetZoomFactor(
   const AWinControl: TWinControl; AZoomFactor: Double);
 var
diff --git a/components/richmemo/win32/win32richmemoproc.pas b/components/richmemo/win32/win32richmemoproc.pas
index 72e14d838..cf5663c4e 100644
--- a/components/richmemo/win32/win32richmemoproc.pas
+++ b/components/richmemo/win32/win32richmemoproc.pas
@@ -184,7 +184,9 @@ type
 
     class procedure GetPara2(RichEditWnd: Handle; TextStart: Integer; var para: PARAFORMAT2); virtual;
     class procedure SetPara2(RichEditWnd: Handle; TextStart, TextLen: Integer; const para: PARAFORMAT2); virtual;
-    class function Find(RichEditWnd: THandle; const ANiddle: WideString; const ASearch: TIntSearchOpt): Integer; virtual;
+    // the ugly Find() overload, might go away eventually
+    class function Find(RichEditWnd: THandle; const ANiddle: WideString; const ASearch: TIntSearchOpt; var TextLen: Integer): Integer; virtual; overload;
+    class function Find(RichEditWnd: THandle; const ANiddle: WideString; const ASearch: TIntSearchOpt): Integer; overload;
     class procedure GetParaRange(RichEditWnd: Handle; TextStart: integer; var para: TParaRange); virtual;
   end;
   TRichManagerClass = class of TRichEditManager;
@@ -823,11 +825,18 @@ begin
   SetSelection(RichEditWnd, s, l);
 end;
 
-class function TRichEditManager.Find(RichEditWnd: THandle;
-  const ANiddle: WideString; const ASearch: TIntSearchOpt): Integer;
+class function TRichEditManager.Find(RichEditWnd: THandle; const ANiddle: WideString; const ASearch: TIntSearchOpt): Integer; overload;
 var
-  fw: TFINDTEXTW;
-  fa: TFINDTEXTA;
+  l : integer;
+begin
+  Result:=Find(RichEDitWnd, ANiddle, ASearch, l);
+end;
+
+class function TRichEditManager.Find(RichEditWnd: THandle;
+  const ANiddle: WideString; const ASearch: TIntSearchOpt; var TextLen: Integer): Integer;
+var
+  fw: TFINDTEXTEXW;
+  fa: TFINDTEXTEXA;
   opt: WParam;
   txt: string;
   mn, mx : Integer;
@@ -859,13 +868,15 @@ begin
     fw.chrg.cpMin := mn;
     fw.chrg.cpMax := mx;
     fw.lpstrText := PWideChar(@ANiddle[1]);
-    Result := SendMessage(RichEditWnd, EM_FINDTEXTW, opt, LParam(@fw));
+    Result := SendMessage(RichEditWnd, EM_FINDTEXTEXW, opt, LParam(@fw));
+    if Result>=0 then TextLen:=fw.chrgText.cpMax-fw.chrgText.cpMin;
   end else begin
     fa.chrg.cpMin := mn;
     fa.chrg.cpMax := mx;
     txt:=ANiddle;
     fa.lpstrText := PAnsiChar(@txt[1]);
-    Result := SendMessage(RichEditWnd, EM_FINDTEXT, opt, LParam(@fa));
+    Result := SendMessage(RichEditWnd, EM_FINDTEXTEX, opt, LParam(@fa));
+    if Result>=0 then TextLen:=fa.chrgText.cpMax-fa.chrgText.cpMin;
   end;
 end;
 
diff --git a/components/richmemo/wsrichmemo.pas b/components/richmemo/wsrichmemo.pas
index 59003f4e7..10b8150b9 100644
--- a/components/richmemo/wsrichmemo.pas
+++ b/components/richmemo/wsrichmemo.pas
@@ -101,6 +101,9 @@ type
     class function SaveRichText(const AWinControl: TWinControl; Dest: TStream): Boolean; virtual;
 
     class function Search(const AWinControl: TWinControl; const ANiddle: string; const SearchOpts: TIntSearchOpt): Integer; virtual;
+    // this is a temproray solution and will be removed eventually leaving a variant of SearchEx only
+    class function isSearchEx: Boolean; virtual;
+    class function SearchEx(const AWinControl: TWinControl; const ANiddle: string; const SearchOpts: TIntSearchOpt; var TextStart, TextLength: Integer): Boolean; virtual;
 
     class procedure SetZoomFactor(const AWinControl: TWinControl; AZoomFactor: Double); virtual;
 
@@ -358,6 +361,18 @@ begin
   Result:=-1;
 end;
 
+class function TWSCustomRichMemo.isSearchEx: Boolean;
+begin
+  Result:=false;
+end;
+
+class function TWSCustomRichMemo.SearchEx(const AWinControl: TWinControl;
+  const ANiddle: string; const SearchOpts: TIntSearchOpt; var TextStart,
+  TextLength: Integer): Boolean;
+begin
+  Result:=false;
+end;
+
 class procedure TWSCustomRichMemo.SetZoomFactor(const AWinControl: TWinControl;
   AZoomFactor: Double);
 begin