@swen-reindl, @terry-r, @perterjones and All,

The drawback of my first method is that you needed very similar structure of the two files, in order to keep a constant gap between the line to replace and the line which must replace it :-(

So, here is my second attempt, which needs two regex S/R but which can be used in all cases, whatever the file’s structure ! Indeed, it simply :

Searches for the first line, beginning with the vertex string, after a line outer loop, in File 1

Replace that line with the first line, beginning with the vertex string, after a line outer loop, in File 2

Copy the File 1 contents in a new N++ tab

Add a simple line of, at least, 3 tildes, right after the contents

Now, append the File 2 contents, right after the line of tildes

So, let’s suppose that we get this sample text, where I added some bla bla bla lines, at random locations

# File 1 facet normal 0 0 -1 bla bla bla bla blah outer loop bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 -4.7850790023803711 3.5992410182952881 bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex -8.2880001068115234 -9.5701580047607422 3.5992410182952881 vertex -8.2880001068115234 9.5701580047607422 3.5992410182952881 endloop bla bla bla bla blah endfacet facet normal 0 0 -1 outer loop bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 4.7850785255432129 3.5992410182952881 vertex 8.2880001068115234 -2.384185791015625e-07 3.5992410182952881 bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 -4.7850790023803711 3.5992410182952881 endloop endfacet bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah facet normal 0 0 -1 outer loop vertex -8.2880001068115234 9.5701580047607422 3.5992410182952881 bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 4.7850785255432129 3.5992410182952881 vertex 0 -4.7850790023803711 3.5992410182952881 endloop bla bla bla bla blah endfacet ~~~~~~~~~~ # File 2 facet normal -0 -0 -1 outer loop bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 4.7850790023803711 0 bla bla bla bla blah vertex 8.2880001068115234 9.5701580047607422 0 vertex 8.2880001068115234 -9.5701580047607422 0 endloop endfacet facet normal -0 -0 -1 outer loop vertex 0 -4.7850785255432129 0 bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex -8.2880001068115234 2.384185791015625e-07 0 vertex 0 4.7850790023803711 0 endloop endfacet facet normal -0 -0 -1 bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah outer loop bla bla bla bla blah vertex 8.2880001068115234 -9.5701580047607422 0 vertex 0 -4.7850785255432129 0 vertex 0 4.7850790023803711 0 endloop bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah endfacet

Now , open the Replace dialog ( Ctrl + H )

Type in the regex (?s).+?(?|(\R~~~+)|outer loop.*?(?-s)(\Rvertex .+))|(?s).+ , in the Find what: zone

Type in the regex \1 , in the Replace with: zone

Check the Wrap around option

Select the Regular expression search mode

Click, once, on the Replace All button

You should obtain this shorter text, with only the lines which need to be replaced and their counterparts which must replace them ;-))

vertex 0 -4.7850790023803711 3.5992410182952881 vertex 0 4.7850785255432129 3.5992410182952881 vertex -8.2880001068115234 9.5701580047607422 3.5992410182952881 ~~~~~~~~~~ vertex 0 4.7850790023803711 0 vertex 0 -4.7850785255432129 0 vertex 8.2880001068115234 -9.5701580047607422 0

Then , it’s fairly obvious :

Insert the File 1 contents at the very beginning of that new tab

Add, again, a simple line of, at least, 3 tildes, right after the contents

Hence, the new tab contents becomes :

# File 1 facet normal 0 0 -1 bla bla bla bla blah outer loop bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 -4.7850790023803711 3.5992410182952881 bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex -8.2880001068115234 -9.5701580047607422 3.5992410182952881 vertex -8.2880001068115234 9.5701580047607422 3.5992410182952881 endloop bla bla bla bla blah endfacet facet normal 0 0 -1 outer loop bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 4.7850785255432129 3.5992410182952881 vertex 8.2880001068115234 -2.384185791015625e-07 3.5992410182952881 bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 -4.7850790023803711 3.5992410182952881 endloop endfacet bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah facet normal 0 0 -1 outer loop vertex -8.2880001068115234 9.5701580047607422 3.5992410182952881 bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 4.7850785255432129 3.5992410182952881 vertex 0 -4.7850790023803711 3.5992410182952881 endloop bla bla bla bla blah endfacet ~~~~~~~~~~ vertex 0 -4.7850790023803711 3.5992410182952881 vertex 0 4.7850785255432129 3.5992410182952881 vertex -8.2880001068115234 9.5701580047607422 3.5992410182952881 ~~~~~~~~~~ vertex 0 4.7850790023803711 0 vertex 0 -4.7850785255432129 0 vertex 8.2880001068115234 -9.5701580047607422 0

Open, again, the Replace dialog ( Ctrl + H )

Type in the regex ^outer loop(?s).*?\K(?-s)(^vertex.+)(?=(?s:\R.+?\R~~~.+?)\1\R(?:.+\R){3}(.+))|(?s)^~~~.+ , in the Find what: zone

Type in the regex \2 , in the Replace with: zone

Check the Wrap around option

Select the Regular expression search mode

Click, once, on the Replace All button ( Do NOT use the Replace button, because of the \K feature in the search regex )

Here we are ! We get, in our new tab, just the new File 1 contents, after all the replacements ;-))

# File 1 facet normal 0 0 -1 bla bla bla bla blah outer loop bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 4.7850790023803711 0 bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex -8.2880001068115234 -9.5701580047607422 3.5992410182952881 vertex -8.2880001068115234 9.5701580047607422 3.5992410182952881 endloop bla bla bla bla blah endfacet facet normal 0 0 -1 outer loop bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 -4.7850785255432129 0 vertex 8.2880001068115234 -2.384185791015625e-07 3.5992410182952881 bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 -4.7850790023803711 3.5992410182952881 endloop endfacet bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah facet normal 0 0 -1 outer loop vertex 8.2880001068115234 -9.5701580047607422 0 bla bla bla bla blah bla bla bla bla blah vertex 0 4.7850785255432129 3.5992410182952881 vertex 0 -4.7850790023803711 3.5992410182952881 endloop bla bla bla bla blah endfacet

Note that the {3} quantifier, in the search regex, is, exactly, the number of vertex......... lines which must be modified. So, the number 3 in that present example

Cheers,

guy038

You’re welcome, @Inshita-Rawat. If you follow the links in the FAQ, especially to one of the try-it-live websites, like regexr.com (*), they will explain the individual elements of the regular expression in great detail.

*: I usually use regexr, and switch it from “JAVASCRIPT” to “PCRE” in the upper right. PCRE comes come close to Notepad++'s Boost-based regular expressions — since both Boost↗ and PCRE↗ are based on Perl regular expressions, though there are differences (both from each other, and from Perl).

If you paste my ^(.*?) (\d.*) regular expression into regexr.com with PCRE, and FLAGS=global,multiline (/gm), along with example data – see https://regexr.com/466oe – you can see the explanation, or by clicking on REPLACE, you can input my replace string, and see what it will become.

hi how are you

Hey @Meta-Chuh and @guy038,
that’s some great news you sharing. I certainly will look into this.
Thanks for the quick help.

Best regards.

@Alan-Kilborn said:

editor.styleSetBack(STYLESCOMMON.LINENUMBER, (255, 0, 0))

will turn the background of the line-number margin a rather glaring red, for example.

Yes, changing the line number color is actually better solution in general and it can be better visible.
I’ve used folder margin from the beginning and just was too lazy to experiment further :)
BTW, if you want to make permanently visible folder margin in any file, it can be done with Pythonscript plugin via “startup.py” script.

Disable folder margin:
Settings - > Preference -> Editing : set “Folder margin style” to “None” Add e.g. this to startup.py: editor.setMarginWidthN (2, 16) # set folder margin to 16 pixel editor.markerDefine (MARKEROUTLINE.FOLDEROPEN, MARKERSYMBOL.ARROWDOWN) editor.markerDefine (MARKEROUTLINE.FOLDERSUB, MARKERSYMBOL.EMPTY) editor.markerDefine (MARKEROUTLINE.FOLDERTAIL, MARKERSYMBOL.EMPTY) ...

then Restart Npp. So can even define custom marker symbols or just set them all to EMPTY.
see:
https://www.scintilla.org/ScintillaDoc.html#Markers
http://npppythonscript.sourceforge.net/docs/latest/enums.html#markeroutline

@SinghRajenM said:
I do not have such an error

@KOMN-W said:

I am having trouble with notepad++

But you didn’t say anything about the trouble you’re having with Notepad++!

@PeterJones

since two of the forum’s python experts are not actively helping here anymore, I need to up my PythonScript output …

i really wished there was an easy way to lure both back somehow … for example with a complementary free cake for all returning members 🥧🍰🎂 :D

i’ve still got the hope that someday maybe one or both will return for either historic, good times reasons, or 'cause you lured them back with future’s most ultimate py guru knowledge 👍
(ps: no pressure, i think your py is already pretty good and way better than eg. mine)

reader’s note:
this was slightly off topic, so i give my sincere apologies to everyone in advance.

@guy038 said:

Thanks @guy038 you are a star. I misread and thought everything needed to be on a single line. You new regex works perfectly.

Sometimes instead of UTF-8 it defines windows-1258

Alan, Thank You for your answer!