XML Regular express editor for notepad function list?

[swegmike]

It appears that that the function list for a given language uses XML regular expression notation. Since this appears hard, has anyone tried an xml editor for this purpose to speed up a developing a language function list routine for a language?
I.E.
https://www.oxygenxml.com/doc/versions/24.1/ug-editor/topics/XML-schema-regexp-builder.html

[PeterJones]

@swegmike ,

Honestly, I wasn’t convinced when you originally wrote this that it was an on-topic question for this forum, and thought it might even be a spam link, given how tenuous a connection there seemed between Function List definitions and “XML schema regexp builder”… but it didn’t pass my threshold of “spamminess”, so I didn’t report it. Now that you’ve linked from another discussion, and shown that you’re genuinely interested, I’ll reply … but to be clear, I still haven’t read whatever may be at the other end of the link.

But based on the way you’ve phrased things, I personally don’t see how such a tool would help. I don’t know how an “XML Editor”, even one that gives you regex to parse XML (which is what I assume that does), would help. The Function List syntax just uses XML to wrap meta-information around the regexes. But unless you are writing a Function List for an XML-based language (ie, a language that uses XML tags to do its coding), I don’t see any connection to the task of creating your function list definition.

But if it helps you, great. You don’t need our approval to use something external that helps you develop a regex, whether it’s for the developing regex for the Function List feature, or for your own search-and-replace needs, or for anything else.

I’ve personally successfully created and/or modified multiple Function List definitions. We have a Function List Basics FAQ here, written by someone who I consider THE NPP Function List expert. And I’ve done my best to make the User Manual Function List overview and Function List config file syntax as useful as possible.