Thanks Jack,
preg_replace with an s modifier works a treat.
I'm still curious as to how to get ereg_replace to work as well. Everything
I read about regex/Posix Regular Expressions, seems to suggest that a ?
should also work with ereg_replace!
George
Jack Dempsey wrote:
>
> look into the s modifier...it makes a dot match a newline as well, where
> normally it wouldn't....
>
> jack
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: George Whiffen [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Friday, September 07, 2001 1:09 PM
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: [PHP] ereg_replace - How do I stop it being "greedy"?
>
> Hi,
>
> I've got a problem with regular expression syntax with ereg_replace:
>
> ereg_replace(':start:(.*):end:','this is \\1',':start: first :end: middle
> :start: last :end:');
>
> returns - this is first :end: middle :start: last
>
> but I want - this is first middle this is last
>
> The problem seems to be that ereg_replace is being greedy on the match and
> matching as much as it
> can
> instead of just finding the first match, handling that and then going on to
> the next match.
>
> I can get it to work with preg_replace i.e.
>
> preg_replace(':start:(.*?):end:','this \\1',':start first :end: middle
> :start: last :end:')
>
> returns - this is first middle this is last
>
> But my actual string is on multiple lines, and preg_replace doesn't seem to
> continue trying
> to match on the next line, whereas ereg_replace happily treats newlines just
> like any other
> character.
>
> So how do I stop ereg_replace being greedy or alternatively get preg_replace
> to treat multiple
> lines as a single source string?
>
> George
>
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