Re: regexp with match over multiple lines

[Andreas Röhler]

Am 05.05.2011 11:05, schrieb AngusC:
> I want to remove all instances of<![CDATA[ ... ]]>  data in a file.  My
> regexp works if the start and end tag is on the same line.  But not if the
> end tag is not on this same line.  Is it possible to apply regex across
> multiple lines.
>
> My regex is:<\!\[CDATA\[.*\]\]>  and that works if all on one line.
>
> What can I do?  Is this where lisp required?
>
> Angus

Hi,

when dealing with expressions characterized by a start- and end
string, quite often a little function is convenient:

Below a simplified example:

(setq startstring "abc")
(setq endstring "def")

(defun my-start-end-delete ()
  " "
  (interactive "*")
  (let (beg)
    (while (search-forward startstring nil (quote move) 1)
      (setq beg (match-beginning 0))
      (when (search-forward endstring nil (quote move) 1)
        (delete-region beg (match-end 0))))))

abcABCDEFdefAAAAAAAAAA -> AAAAAAAAAA