Use registers in search and replace?

I would like to know if I can put the contents of a register on the
RHS of a search and replace in a mapping.

Or I would like to know if a visual mode used in a mapping can be
accomplished based on the conditions. Example:

<a href="filenames1.html">Filenames 1</a>

I need to be able to use visual mode to grab only the letters and not
the numbers. File names can be from four letters and one number to 13
letters and 3 numbers. That makes doing this

^f"lvt.h

impossible because it won't reach back far enough on a two or three
digit number and trying to go back far enough for a three digit number
will miss some letters on one less than three digit.

Or use s/<a href="\zsfilename\ze1">/dump the contents of a register here/

If there is a help file that can show how to do one of these please
point me to it.

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