[SOLVED] Preg_match difficulties.

[Joesavage]

To start: im not good with regex.

All i want to do is capture all of the information inbetween <!-- Begin Description --> and <!-- End Description -->. In the example i have below i only have 'k' and i cant even get that to work. In real life i want to be able to capture text with new lines and white text and other weird characters.

 

$data = "<!-- Begin Description -->k<!-- End Description -->";
$regex = '/"<!-- Begin Description -->(.+?)<!-- End Description -->/';
preg_match_all($regex,$data,$description,PREG_SET_ORDER);
print_r ($description);

 

The description array gets printed out empty. Any ideas why? I have tried using (.+?), (.*), and (.*?). These are all snippets that i have seen used other places.

[effigy]

You have a stray double quote in your pattern. To match new lines you need the /s modifier: /<!-- Begin Description -->(.+?)<!-- End Description -->/s

[DarkWater]

Code:

<?php
$data = "<!-- Begin Description -->k<!-- End Description -->";
$regex = '/\Q<!-- Begin Description -->\E(.+?)\Q<!-- End Description -->\E/s';
preg_match_all($regex,$data,$description);
print_r ($description);

 

Output:

Array
(
   [0] => Array
       (
           [0] => <!-- Begin Description -->k<!-- End Description -->
       )

   [1] => Array
       (
           [0] => k
       )

)

 

$description[1] will be a multi-dim array of the matches in between the tags.

 

EDIT:  I don't know why I just used \Q...\E, but whatever.  Doesn't matter.  Makes it easier to change it in the future maybe? *shifty eyes*

[effigy]

EDIT:  I don't know why I just used \Q...\E, but whatever.  Doesn't matter.  Makes it easier to change it in the future maybe? *shifty eyes*

 

It does matter. If it's not required, don't do it. Otherwise, you'll have the next coder wondering what the intention was.

[Joesavage]

damn... /s makes it work perfectly. Thank you very much.

[DarkWater]

damn... /s makes it work perfectly. Thank you very much.

 

Actually, the real reason it was failing was because of the " in front of the expression.  The s modifier is to make . match \n as well as every character.

 

@effigy: That's what comments are for.   That's beside the point.  I didn't feel like going and taking it out, so I just added that comment at the bottom.  =P

[effigy]

@effigy: That's what comments are for.   That's beside the point.  I didn't feel like going and taking it out, so I just added that comment at the bottom.  =P

 

No. Comments are not for worthless code additions, but for seemingly confusing and/or complex ones. You decided to add 140 characters to your post rather than remove 8? Interesting.

[DarkWater]

Wow, that was 140 characters?  Never mind then, lol.  I type faster than I delete, so I just typed.  Whatever. xD