preg_split - need help

[dis]

Hello there, I am using a preg_split to parse an XHTML document. I currently have:

 

$parts = preg_split("~(<[^>]*>)~", $buffer, -1, PREG_SPLIT_DELIM_CAPTURE);

 

This is working just fine, however... I don't want it to split elements inside a comment.

 

Example:

 

  <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css?assets/css/screen.css" media="screen" />
  <!--[if IE]><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css?assets/css/ie.css" media="screen" /><![endif]-->
  <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css?assets/css/print.css" media="print" />

 

Currently it is returning:

 

[0] => <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css?assets/css/screen.css" media="screen" />
[1] => <!--[if IE]>
[2] => <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css?assets/css/ie.css" media="screen" />
[3] => <![endif]-->
[4] => <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css?assets/css/print.css" media="print" />

 

I want it, so it doesn't split any elements found inside the comments tags <!-- -->, so in turn it would return:

 

[0] => <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css?assets/css/screen.css" media="screen" />
[1] => <!--[if IE]><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css?assets/css/ie.css" media="screen" /><![endif]-->
[2] => <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="css?assets/css/print.css" media="print" />

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

Cheers,

- dis.

[effigy]

Split on comments also: /(<!--.+?-->|<[^>]*>)/.