regex & new line

Oli Vier

Hello

I looked around but cannot find what I was lloking for, so I explain my problem:

I get the BBCode of an image gallery hosted on ImageBam.com under this form:

[URL=<link to image number1>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number1>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number2>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number2>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number3>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number3>[/IMG][/URL]

(all on one line, evey link separated by a space)

I paste this in Notepad++ and use the regex FIND: "[/URL] ", REPLACE: “[/URL] \n”, so I get every link on a separate line (I need this for an easy classification).
Then I want to put back groups of several links on one line, and I try to use the regex FIND: “\n[URL=”, REPLACE: “[URL=”.
My problem is here: the replace window says that X occurrences have been replaced, but the display does not change. IF I do it a second time, it says that 0 occurrences have been replaced, so something must have been changed, but it is not possible to see it, and when I paste the result in the forum, I can see that the new lines have not ben removed.
Thus, I know that this regex works fine, because it works fine when I try to do it in the Wikipedia wikicode editor (with a special gadget that allows to do regex “find and replace” ).

Can someone please explain me what I could have done wrong, or a better way to do what I want with Notepad++?

TLDR: how can I remove some “new lines” with regexes?

Excuse me if my explanations can seem a little bit confuse, but English is not my mother language and it is difficult for me to explain technical things…

Andova Begarin

Try it without regular expression checked, and with Extended (\n …) checked.

guy038

Hello Oli Vier,

I quite understood your post, although it’s not your mother language ( nor mine ! ) I tested your regexes and the did work nicely ! So, I suppose it should be a silly problem of options, in the Replace dialog !

Of course, as I, generally, work with Windows files, I used the \r\n form, instead of the Unix End of Line \n

So let’s suppose that you have, for instance, the text, below, in an unique long line, in a new tab :

[URL=<link to image number1>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number1>[/IMG][/URL][URL=<link to image number2>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number2>[/IMG][/URL][URL=<link to image number3>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number3>[/IMG][/URL][URL=<link to image number4>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number4>[/IMG][/URL][URL=<link to image number5>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number5>[/IMG][/URL][URL=<link to image number6>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number6>[/IMG][/URL][URL=<link to image number7>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number7>[/IMG][/URL][URL=<link to image number8>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number8>[/IMG][/URL][URL=<link to image number9>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number9>[/IMG][/URL]

Open the Replace dialog ( CTRL + H )
Set the Extended (\n, \r, \t \0, \x...) search mode ( IMPORTANT )
Uncheck the Match whole word only option, if necessary
Check the Match case option, if necessary
Select the Down direction, if necessary
SEARCH [/URL]
REPLACE [/URL]\n
Click on the Replace All button

=> You obtain , now, the text below :

[URL=<link to image number1>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number1>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number2>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number2>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number3>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number3>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number4>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number4>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number5>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number5>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number6>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number6>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number7>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number7>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number8>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number8>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number9>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number9>[/IMG][/URL]

Place the cursor, for instance, at the beginning of the line, relative to number3
Hold down the Shift key and press, five times, on the Down arrow

=> The lines, relative to number3, number4, number5, number6 and number7, are selected

=> The cursor should be located at the beginning of the non-selected line, relative to number8

Now, open, again, the Replace dialog ( CTRL + H )
Select the same options, as in the previous S/R
Check the In selection option ( IMPORTANT )
SEARCH \n[URL=
REPLACE [URL=
Click on the Replace All button

=> You should get, this time, the text below :

[URL=<link to image number1>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number1>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number2>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number2>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number3>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number3>[/IMG][/URL][URL=<link to image number4>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number4>[/IMG][/URL][URL=<link to image number5>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number5>[/IMG][/URL][URL=<link to image number6>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number6>[/IMG][/URL][URL=<link to image number7>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number7>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number8>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number8>[/IMG][/URL]
[URL=<link to image number9>][IMG]<link to thumbnail number9>[/IMG][/URL]

And it’s easy to verify that :

The previous non-selected lines, relative to number1, number2, number8 and number9, did not change
The selected lines, relative to number3, number4, number5, number6 and number7, have been joined, together, in an unique line

Et voilà !

Best Regards,

guy038

Oli Vier

@Andova-Begarin said:

Try it without regular expression checked, and with Extended (\n …) checked.

@guy038 said:

Hello Oli Vier,

I quite understood your post, although it’s not your mother language ( nor mine ! ) I tested your regexes and the did work nicely ! So, I suppose it should be a silly problem of options, in the Replace dialog !

guy038

Спасибо Andova & merci Guy ;)
It actually works better if “Extended (\n, \r, \t \0, \x…)” is checked.
I didn’t try this option because I do not use Notepad++ very often and I didn’t knew the use of this “Extended” option.
I am not really a programmer and I learnt regexes to have a better use of AutoWikiBrowser, an automated wiki editor, so I have only a basic knowledge of it.

Regards