How to use JavaScript regex over multiple lines?

How to Use JavaScript Regex Over Multiple Lines? 💻🔍

Are you struggling to use JavaScript regex over multiple lines? 🤔 Don't worry, you're not alone! Many developers face this issue when trying to match patterns that span across newline characters. 📝

Let's dive into the problem, discover some common solutions, and find the best one for you! 🚀

The Problem: Matching Patterns Over Multiple Lines 🧩

Consider the following code snippet:

var ss = "<pre>aaaa\nbbb\nccc</pre>ddd";
var arr = ss.match(/<pre.*?<\/pre>/gm);
alert(arr); // null

In this example, we want to match the <pre> block, even though it spans over newline characters. 😟 However, using the m flag alone doesn't solve our problem.

Discovering Solutions: Unveiling the Best Strategy 🌟

Before we discuss the solution, let's explore a closely related article we found: this amazing post. 📚 It's always great to gather knowledge from different sources!

Now, here's the solution:

var ss = "<pre>aaaa\nbbb\nccc</pre>ddd";
var arr = ss.match(/<pre[\s\S]*?<\/pre>/gm);
alert(arr); // <pre>...<\/pre> 🙂

By using the [\s\S]*? construct, we match any character (including newline characters) between the <pre> and </pre> tags. This ensures that our regex works over multiple lines! 🎉

Seeking Simplicity: A Less Cryptic Approach? 🙋‍♀️🤷‍♂️

You might be wondering if there's a less cryptic way to achieve this. We understand your concern!

Although the [\s\S]*? solution is effective, there's an alternative we found in a duplicate question on Stack Overflow. It proposes using [^] as a "multiline dot." Interesting, right? 🤔

var ss = "<pre>aaaa\nbbb\nccc</pre>ddd";
var arr = ss.match(/<pre[^]*?<\/pre>/gm);
alert(arr); // <pre>...<\/pre> 🎉

Note that this alternative might not be as well-known or widely used as the [\s\S]*? approach. Choose the one that works best for you! 🤩

Call-To-Action: Share Your Thoughts and Insights! 💬✨

Now that you have an understanding of how to use JavaScript regex over multiple lines, it's time to share your thoughts and insights! 💭💡

Have you encountered any other challenges when working with regex in JavaScript? Do you prefer the [\s\S]*? or [^] approach? Let us know in the comments below! Let's learn and grow together as a community. 🌟👥

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