# Regex not gsubbing for me **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [August 20, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regex-not-gsubbing-for-me/112515 "2007-08-20T15:16:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bodikp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:16pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regex-not-gsubbing-for-me/112515/1 "2007-08-20T15:16:13Z")
Hi, Can someone please explain to me why this simple regex substitution won’t work? Source data file: Reauthorization of collaborative weather modification research program within Department of Commerce/NOAA Weather modification research appropriations My script line: xmlfile.gsub!(/(.\*)\/mi, ‘Purpose: \1’) The data stays the same. The line isn’t converted. Thanks a lot, Peter ---
**Author:** ![bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bodikp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regex-not-gsubbing-for-me/112515/2 "2007-08-20T15:22:11Z")
Peter B. wrote: > xmlfile.gsub!(/(.\*)\/mi, ‘Purpose: \1’) > > The data stays the same. The line isn’t converted. > It works for me… irb(main):001:0\> a = “Reauthorization of collaborative weather modification irb(main):002:0” research program within Department of Commerce/NOAA Weather modification irb(main):003:0" research appropriations irb(main):004:0" " =\> “Reauthorization of collaborative weather modification\nresearch program within Department of Commerce/NOAA Weather modification\nresearch appropriations\n” irb(main):005:0\> a.gsub!(/(.\*)\/mi, ‘\Purpose: \1’) =\> “\Purpose: Reauthorization of collaborative weather modification\nresearch program within Department of Commerce/NOAA Weather modification\nresearch appropriations\n” irb(main):007:0\> a =\> “\Purpose: Reauthorization of collaborative weather modification\nresearch program within Department of Commerce/NOAA Weather modification\nresearch appropriations\n” ---
**Author:** ![bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bodikp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:42pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regex-not-gsubbing-for-me/112515/3 "2007-08-20T15:42:42Z")
Stefan R. wrote: > Peter B. wrote: > > > Hi, > > Can someone please explain to me why this simple regex substitution > > won’t work? > > > > Source data file: > > Reauthorization of collaborative weather modification > > research program within Department of Commerce/NOAA Weather modification > > research appropriations > > > > My script line: > > xmlfile.gsub!(/(.\*)\/mi, ‘Purpose: \1’) > > > > The data stays the same. The line isn’t converted. > > > > Thanks a lot, > > Peter > > Your operation changes the string object in memory. Not the file. You > have to write the string back to the file to have it changed there. > > Regards > Stefan Thanks. Yeh, I’m doing that actually. Obviously, this is just a snipped of my code. I do this at the end of the script: File.open(“F:/workflows/text/in/lobbying/temp/newfile.sgm”, “w”) { |f| f.print xmlfile } But, this little code line above is just one of many code lines just like it. It’s just converting one thing and the others are converting other things. And, . . ., they’re all working! ---
**Author:** ![bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bodikp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regex-not-gsubbing-for-me/112515/4 "2007-08-20T15:57:15Z")
2007/8/20, Peter B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > xmlfile.gsub!(/(.\*)\/mi, ‘Purpose: \1’) > > The data stays the same. The line isn’t converted. Not sure whether that may be related but I’d use (._?) instead of (._). Otherwise you will get just one replacement starting at the first in your file and ending at the last . Btw, are you doing some kind of XML to HTML translation? Then maybe XSLT is for you. Kind regards robert ---
**Author:** ![bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bodikp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regex-not-gsubbing-for-me/112515/5 "2007-08-20T15:37:22Z")
Peter B. wrote: > Hi, > Can someone please explain to me why this simple regex substitution > won’t work? > > Source data file: > Reauthorization of collaborative weather modification > research program within Department of Commerce/NOAA Weather modification > research appropriations > > My script line: > xmlfile.gsub!(/(.\*)\/mi, ‘Purpose: \1’) > > The data stays the same. The line isn’t converted. > > Thanks a lot, > Peter Your operation changes the string object in memory. Not the file. You have to write the string back to the file to have it changed there. Regards Stefan ---
**Author:** ![bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bodikp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 4:18pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regex-not-gsubbing-for-me/112515/6 "2007-08-20T16:18:26Z")
Robert K. wrote: > 2007/8/20, Peter B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid): > > > xmlfile.gsub!(/(.\*)\/mi, ‘Purpose: \1’) > > > > The data stays the same. The line isn’t converted. > > Not sure whether that may be related but I’d use (._?) instead of > (._). Otherwise you will get just one replacement starting at the > first in your file and ending at the last . > > Btw, are you doing some kind of XML to HTML translation? Then maybe > XSLT is for you. > > Kind regards > > robert Robert- Yes, this worked, using (._?) instead of (._). I’ve always been putting that “?” at the end, before the closing “/.” And, it never seemed to work properly. This is great. Thank you very much! Yes, I am converting XML to SGML and, yes, I have had that suggestion before, of using XSLT. I’m just learning Ruby now, though, so, I’m somewhat hesitant to learn yet another scripting language. Although, I’ve heard that it isn’t hard to learn. I’ll take a look when I have time. (-: -Peter ---
**Author:** ![bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bodikp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 9:26pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regex-not-gsubbing-for-me/112515/7 "2007-08-20T21:26:09Z")
Simon K. wrote: > - Peter B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) (16:18) schrieb: > > > Yes, I am converting XML to SGML and, yes, I have had that suggestion > > before, of using XSLT. I’m just learning Ruby now, though, so, I’m > > somewhat hesitant to learn yet another scripting language. Although, > > I’ve heard that it isn’t hard to learn. I’ll take a look when I have > > time. (-: > > Take a look at REXML, it parses XML way better than regular expressions. > > mfg, simon … l Thanks, Simon. Yes, I see that it’s actually part of Ruby out of the box. That’s great. I’ll look into it. ---
**Author:** ![bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@bodikp](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bodikp)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2007, 9:06pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/regex-not-gsubbing-for-me/112515/8 "2007-08-20T21:06:09Z")
- Peter B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) (16:18) schrieb: > Yes, I am converting XML to SGML and, yes, I have had that suggestion > before, of using XSLT. I’m just learning Ruby now, though, so, I’m > somewhat hesitant to learn yet another scripting language. Although, > I’ve heard that it isn’t hard to learn. I’ll take a look when I have > time. (-: Take a look at REXML, it parses XML way better than regular expressions. mfg, simon … l