diff --git a/lib/search.h b/lib/search.h
index 52a6a30a5..f0fe751ca 100644
--- a/lib/search.h
+++ b/lib/search.h
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ typedef mc_search_cbret_t (*mc_update_fn) (const void *user_data, gsize char_off
 
 typedef enum
 {
-    MC_SEARCH_E_OK,
+    MC_SEARCH_E_OK = 0,
     MC_SEARCH_E_INPUT,
     MC_SEARCH_E_REGEX_COMPILE,
     MC_SEARCH_E_REGEX,
@@ -165,4 +165,9 @@ gboolean mc_search (const gchar * pattern, const gchar * pattern_charset, const
 int mc_search_getstart_result_by_num (mc_search_t *, int);
 int mc_search_getend_result_by_num (mc_search_t *, int);
 
+/* *INDENT-OFF* */
+void mc_search_set_error (mc_search_t * mc_search, mc_search_error_t code, const gchar * format, ...)
+     G_GNUC_PRINTF (3, 4);
+/* *INDENT-ON* */
+
 #endif
diff --git a/lib/search/regex.c b/lib/search/regex.c
index a172640ec..821452dba 100644
--- a/lib/search/regex.c
+++ b/lib/search/regex.c
@@ -322,6 +322,7 @@ mc_search__regex_found_cond_one (mc_search_t * lc_mc_search, mc_search_regex_t *
         if (mcerror != NULL)
         {
             lc_mc_search->error = MC_SEARCH_E_REGEX;
+            g_free (lc_mc_search->error_str);
             lc_mc_search->error_str =
                 str_conv_gerror_message (mcerror, _("Regular expression error"));
             g_error_free (mcerror);
@@ -816,6 +817,7 @@ mc_search__cond_struct_new_init_regex (const char *charset, mc_search_t * lc_mc_
         if (mcerror != NULL)
         {
             lc_mc_search->error = MC_SEARCH_E_REGEX_COMPILE;
+            g_free (lc_mc_search->error_str);
             lc_mc_search->error_str =
                 str_conv_gerror_message (mcerror, _("Regular expression error"));
             g_error_free (mcerror);
@@ -848,21 +850,15 @@ mc_search__cond_struct_new_init_regex (const char *charset, mc_search_t * lc_mc_
             pcre_compile (mc_search_cond->str->str, pcre_options, &error, &erroffset, NULL);
         if (mc_search_cond->regex_handle == NULL)
         {
-            lc_mc_search->error = MC_SEARCH_E_REGEX_COMPILE;
-            lc_mc_search->error_str = g_strdup (error);
+            mc_search_set_error (lc_mc_search, MC_SEARCH_E_REGEX_COMPILE, "%s", error);
             return;
         }
         lc_mc_search->regex_match_info = pcre_study (mc_search_cond->regex_handle, 0, &error);
-        if (lc_mc_search->regex_match_info == NULL)
+        if (lc_mc_search->regex_match_info == NULL && error != NULL)
         {
-            if (error != NULL)
-            {
-                lc_mc_search->error = MC_SEARCH_E_REGEX_COMPILE;
-                lc_mc_search->error_str = g_strdup (error);
-                g_free (mc_search_cond->regex_handle);
-                mc_search_cond->regex_handle = NULL;
-                return;
-            }
+            mc_search_set_error (lc_mc_search, MC_SEARCH_E_REGEX_COMPILE, "%s", error);
+            MC_PTR_FREE (mc_search_cond->regex_handle);
+            return;
         }
 #endif /* SEARCH_TYPE_GLIB */
     }
@@ -975,12 +971,11 @@ mc_search__run_regex (mc_search_t * lc_mc_search, const void *user_data,
 
     g_string_free (lc_mc_search->regex_buffer, TRUE);
     lc_mc_search->regex_buffer = NULL;
-    lc_mc_search->error = MC_SEARCH_E_NOTFOUND;
 
-    if (ret != MC_SEARCH_CB_ABORT)
-        lc_mc_search->error_str = g_strdup (_(STR_E_NOTFOUND));
+    if (ret == MC_SEARCH_CB_ABORT)
+        mc_search_set_error (lc_mc_search, MC_SEARCH_E_NOTFOUND, NULL);
     else
-        lc_mc_search->error_str = NULL;
+        mc_search_set_error (lc_mc_search, MC_SEARCH_E_NOTFOUND, "%s", _(STR_E_NOTFOUND));
 
     return FALSE;
 }
@@ -1006,8 +1001,8 @@ mc_search_regex_prepare_replace_str (mc_search_t * lc_mc_search, GString * repla
     if (num_replace_tokens > lc_mc_search->num_results - 1
         || num_replace_tokens > MC_SEARCH__NUM_REPLACE_ARGS)
     {
-        lc_mc_search->error = MC_SEARCH_E_REGEX_REPLACE;
-        lc_mc_search->error_str = g_strdup (_(STR_E_RPL_NOT_EQ_TO_FOUND));
+        mc_search_set_error (lc_mc_search, MC_SEARCH_E_REGEX_REPLACE, "%s",
+                             _(STR_E_RPL_NOT_EQ_TO_FOUND));
         return NULL;
     }
 
@@ -1063,8 +1058,8 @@ mc_search_regex_prepare_replace_str (mc_search_t * lc_mc_search, GString * repla
         if (lc_index > lc_mc_search->num_results)
         {
             g_string_free (ret, TRUE);
-            lc_mc_search->error = MC_SEARCH_E_REGEX_REPLACE;
-            lc_mc_search->error_str = g_strdup_printf (_(STR_E_RPL_INVALID_TOKEN), lc_index);
+            mc_search_set_error (lc_mc_search, MC_SEARCH_E_REGEX_REPLACE,
+                                 _(STR_E_RPL_INVALID_TOKEN), lc_index);
             return NULL;
         }
 
diff --git a/lib/search/search.c b/lib/search/search.c
index 0c7d06a91..af33b7392 100644
--- a/lib/search/search.c
+++ b/lib/search/search.c
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 
 #include <config.h>
 
+#include <stdarg.h>
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <sys/types.h>
 
@@ -272,8 +273,7 @@ mc_search_run (mc_search_t * lc_mc_search, const void *user_data,
         return FALSE;
     if (!mc_search_is_type_avail (lc_mc_search->search_type))
     {
-        lc_mc_search->error = MC_SEARCH_E_INPUT;
-        lc_mc_search->error_str = g_strdup (_(STR_E_UNKNOWN_TYPE));
+        mc_search_set_error (lc_mc_search, MC_SEARCH_E_INPUT, "%s", _(STR_E_UNKNOWN_TYPE));
         return FALSE;
     }
 #ifdef SEARCH_TYPE_GLIB
@@ -284,8 +284,7 @@ mc_search_run (mc_search_t * lc_mc_search, const void *user_data,
     }
 #endif /* SEARCH_TYPE_GLIB */
 
-    lc_mc_search->error = MC_SEARCH_E_OK;
-    MC_PTR_FREE (lc_mc_search->error_str);
+    mc_search_set_error (lc_mc_search, MC_SEARCH_E_OK, NULL);
 
     if ((lc_mc_search->conditions == NULL) && !mc_search_prepare (lc_mc_search))
         return FALSE;
@@ -486,3 +485,29 @@ mc_search_getend_result_by_num (mc_search_t * lc_mc_search, int lc_index)
 }
 
 /* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
+/**
+ * Replace an old error code and message of an mc_search_t object.
+ *
+ * @param mc_search mc_search_t object
+ * @param code error code, one of mc_search_error_t values
+ * @param format format of error message. If NULL, the old error string is free'd and become NULL
+ */
+
+void
+mc_search_set_error (mc_search_t * mc_search, mc_search_error_t code, const gchar * format, ...)
+{
+    mc_search->error = code;
+
+    MC_PTR_FREE (mc_search->error_str);
+
+    if (format != NULL)
+    {
+        va_list args;
+
+        va_start (args, format);
+        mc_search->error_str = g_strdup_vprintf (format, args);
+        va_end (args);
+    }
+}
+
+/* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- */
diff --git a/src/editor/editcmd.c b/src/editor/editcmd.c
index d1aa93d01..bd516f489 100644
--- a/src/editor/editcmd.c
+++ b/src/editor/editcmd.c
@@ -829,8 +829,7 @@ editcmd_find (edit_search_status_msg_t * esm, gsize * len)
     {
         if (!eval_marks (edit, &start_mark, &end_mark))
         {
-            edit->search->error = MC_SEARCH_E_NOTFOUND;
-            edit->search->error_str = g_strdup (_(STR_E_NOTFOUND));
+            mc_search_set_error (edit->search, MC_SEARCH_E_NOTFOUND, "%s", _(STR_E_NOTFOUND));
             return FALSE;
         }
 
@@ -850,8 +849,7 @@ editcmd_find (edit_search_status_msg_t * esm, gsize * len)
                 edit_calculate_end_of_previous_line (&edit->buffer, end_mark, end_string_symbol);
         if (start_mark >= end_mark)
         {
-            edit->search->error = MC_SEARCH_E_NOTFOUND;
-            edit->search->error_str = g_strdup (_(STR_E_NOTFOUND));
+            mc_search_set_error (edit->search, MC_SEARCH_E_NOTFOUND, "%s", _(STR_E_NOTFOUND));
             return FALSE;
         }
     }
@@ -893,7 +891,8 @@ editcmd_find (edit_search_status_msg_t * esm, gsize * len)
             else
                 search_start--;
         }
-        edit->search->error_str = g_strdup (_(STR_E_NOTFOUND));
+
+        mc_search_set_error (edit->search, MC_SEARCH_E_NOTFOUND, "%s", _(STR_E_NOTFOUND));
     }
     else
     {
diff --git a/src/viewer/search.c b/src/viewer/search.c
index 34ecfba3f..88f1232eb 100644
--- a/src/viewer/search.c
+++ b/src/viewer/search.c
@@ -146,7 +146,8 @@ mcview_find (mcview_search_status_msg_t * ssm, off_t search_start, off_t search_
 
             search_start--;
         }
-        view->search->error_str = g_strdup (_(STR_E_NOTFOUND));
+
+        mc_search_set_error (view->search, MC_SEARCH_E_NOTFOUND, "%s", _(STR_E_NOTFOUND));
         return FALSE;
     }
     view->search_nroff_seq->index = search_start;