RegEx command to delete string with variable numbers

[Paul smithers]

Hello everyone,

i am looking for the proper RegEx command in order to delete a recurrent string with variable numbers.

I want to delete the timestamps on a Summary Comment page from a PDF. For now i can do it manually one by one: exporting the FDF data, rename as XML, open it with Notepad++ and search for those strings:

code_text
/CreationDate(D:20200605015359+02'00') 
/M(D:20200605015359+02'00')
code_text

numbers are the timestamp variable.

and finally rename it as FDF.

In fact since dont know how to code stuff, if someone is kinda enough im looking for a script that do the same thing without open notepad++.

Thanks in advance

[Alan Kilborn]

@Paul-smithers

You’re probably going to want to show some “after” text sample as well.
The way I read what you want is that you’d end up with:

code_text
code_text

which I’m 99% certain isn’t what you want.

[Paul smithers]

Thanks for your quick response.

Let me clarify what i need.

In Adobe DC it is possible to create a file with all comments written on the pdf documents, it’s called Comment summary:
https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/kb/print-comments-acrobat-reader.html

What i want is delete the comment timestamps on that file. It is possible exporting the comments metadata as .fdf file.

Change extension to .xml and it looks something like this:

Now for every comment delete the two strings:

/CreationDate(D:20200605015359+02’00’)
/M(D:20200605015359+02’00’)

The numbers are the timestamp that change everytime.

The result should be like this:

For now i do it manually, and i would ask the proper RegEx search line for searching all those two string and replace them with nothing, ie delete them.

Since i have many pdf with hundreds comments, it would be nice if someone helps me writing a script that do the same job without replace them in notepad++.

Thanks again

[Alan Kilborn]

@Paul-smithers

I’d say this regex could match your situation:

(?:/CreationDate|/M)\(D:\d{14}\+02'00'\)

It seems like the +02'00' is constant, but if it is variable, we can deal with that as well.

[guy038]

Hello, @paul-smithers and All,

A regex search/replacement could be :

SEARCH (?-i)(?:(/CreationDate)|M)\(D:\d{14}\+02'00'\)/

REPLACE \x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20(?1\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20\x20/)

And here are the changes :

BEFORE : <</C[1.0 0.819611 0.0]/CreationDate(D:20200606114426+02'00')/F 28/M(D:20200606114426+02'00')/NM...
AFTER  : <</C[1.0 0.819611 0.0]                                      /F 28/                           NM...

As @alan-kilborn said, if the string +02'00' is not constant, change the search regex as below :

SEARCH (?-i)(?:(/CreationDate)|M)\(D:\d{14}.{7}\)/

Best Regards,

guy038

[Alan Kilborn]

@guy038

Hi Guy,
Is there a way to get the number of spaces to use for the replacement, from the length of the original match?

[guy038]

Hi, @paul-smithers, @Alan-kilborn and All,

Yeaaaah ! Indeed, there is a method ;-))

I thought about the very basic replacement of each single standard char( . ) with a space char ( \x20 )

But we need to replace text with spaces, in some zones only, not everywhere ! To achieve such a task, we’ll use a new feature of our regex engine, since Notepad++ v7.7 : the backtracking control verbs ! Why this idea came to my mind ? Well, just because I’m preparing a documentation on these zero-width assertions !

Fundamentally, the goal is to use this generic regex, below :

^What we do NOT want to match(*SKIP)((*F)|what we WANT to match, delimited with a LOOK-AHEAD|Again, what we do NOT want to match(*SKIP)(*F)|Again,what we WANT to match, delimited by an other LOOK-AHEAD|.... and so on

Alan, could you be patient till I build up and post this documentation about these backtracking control verbs ?

Meanwhile, you’ll find some hints, here :

https://www.rexegg.com/backtracking-control-verbs.html#skipfail

---

A little practice :

Assuming the initial and final text, desired by @paul-smithers

BEFORE : <</C[1.0 0.819611 0.0]/CreationDate(D:20200606114426+02'00')/F 28/M(D:20200606114426+02'00')/NM...
AFTER  : <</C[1.0 0.819611 0.0]                                      /F 28/                           NM...

We can tell that :

• First, text, from beginning of line till a ] is unwanted

• Then, text, till the string /F, is wanted and, for each single char in this zone, we want to replace it with a space char

• Now, the text /F 28/ is unwanted

• Finally, text till the string NM is also wanted and again, for each single char in this zone, we want to replace it with a space char

---

So, look how easy it is to build up the search regex, from the points above ! In addition, I’ll use the free spacing mode for a better readability

SEARCH (?x-s) ^.+\] (*SKIP)(*F) | (?=.+/F) . | /F\x2028/ (*SKIP)(*F) | (?=.+NM) .

REPLACE \x20

We get :

Text of @paul-smithers :

BEFORE : <</C[1.0 0.819611 0.0]/CreationDate(D:20200606114426+02'00')/F 28/M(D:20200606114426+02'00')/NM...
AFTER  : <</C[1.0 0.819611 0.0]                                      /F 28/                           NM...

Other TESTS :

BEFORE : [1.0 0.819611 0.0]/CreationDate(D:20200606114426)/F 28/M(D:20200606+02'00')/NM...
AFTER  : [1.0 0.819611 0.0]                               /F 28/                     NM...


BEFORE : [1.0 0.819611]/CreationDate(+02'00')/F 28/M(D:114426+02)/NM...
AFTER  : [1.0 0.819611]                      /F 28/               NM...

Magic, isn’t it ;-))

---

Notes :

• Beware of the final dot, after the two positive look-aheads !

• Of course, in case of an huge file, problem of performance may occurs, as each single character is replaced with a space !

• Note, also, that the use of the \K feature would not give the same behavior. Indeed, in that case, the part after \K ( the . ) must come, necessarily, right after \K, because this regex contains 2 alternatives only, unlike the 4 alternatives of the former regex ! Just try it :

SEARCH (?-s)^.+\]\K(?=.+/F).|/F 28/\K(?=.+NM).

Cheers,

guy038

[guy038]

@paul-smithers, @Alan-kilborn and All,

I guess I must have been influenced by my upcoming documentation on Backtracking control verbs !

In fact, be reassured, there is still a classical solution, which does not use this new feature. Here it is this second solution, written with the free-spacing mode (?x) :

SEARCH (?x-s) (^.+\]) | (?=.+/F) (.) | (/F\x2028/) | (?=.+NM) (.)

REPLACE (?1$0)(?2\x20)(?3$0)(?4\x20)

As you can see :

• Any part, that we do not want to match, is simply rewritten ( $0 )

• In zones, that we do care of, each single standard character ( . ) is replaced with a space char ( \x20 )

BR

guy038

[Paul smithers]

Hello, first of all thanks everyone for the help.

I have tried the first proposal (?:/CreationDate|/M)(D:\d{14}+02’00’) from @Alan-kilborn and it works perfectly since i dont need the \x20 space char.

For some reason if i use the other proposals, Acrobat refuse to import the modified fdf file because an unspecified error.

Anyway, i resolved my problem now. I use this script to remove the autor name https://adobe.ly/3emVRkC and the search RegEx for the timestamp.

Thanks again.