comment on

This might get closer to the requirement assuming that any embedded angle brackets are escaped.

Updated: Added a case to deal with long block of unbroken word chars.

Updated again.

#! perl -slw
use strict;
use Inline::Files;

select OUTPUT;

while( <DATA> ) {
    s[
        ( 
            (?:<[^>]+>)
        |
            (?:[^<]{9,18}(?=\b\W))
        |
            [^<]{18}
        )
    ][$1 \n]xg;
    print;
}



__DATA__
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/business_detroit_moto
+r_show/html/1.stm/1.stm
this is the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/
+business_detroit_motor_show/html/1.stm/1.stm">link</a> I was referrin
+g to
for( 1 .. 20 ){ $bar = $bop[ 1 ]; print "$bar/$baz,$foo[$baz]" }
for(1..20){$bar=$bop[1];print"$bar/$baz,$foo[$baz]"}
for(1..20)%7B%24bar%3D%24bop%5B1%5D%3Bprint%22%24bar%2F%20%24baz%2C%24
+foo%5B%24baz%5D%22%7D
__OUTPUT__
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
xxx
http://news.bbc.co 
.uk/1/shared/spl 
/hi/pop_ups/05 
/business_detroit_ 
motor_show/html/1 
.stm/1.stm 

this is the 
 <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/business_de
+troit_motor_show/html/1.stm/1.stm"> 
link</a> 
 I was referring 
 to
for( 1 .. 20 
 ){ $bar = $bop[ 1 
 ]; print "$bar 
/$baz,$foo[$baz 
]" }
for(1..20){$bar 
=$bop[1];print 
"$bar/$baz,$foo 
[$baz]"}
for(1..20)%7B 
%24bar%3D%24bop 
%5B1%5D%3Bprint%22 
%24bar%2F%20%24baz 
%2C%24foo%5B%24baz 
%5D%22%7D
[download]

This version

avoids inserting an extra space where the text breaks at a space.

tries to keep short quoted strings unbroken

#! perl -slw
use strict;
use Inline::Files;

select OUTPUT;

while( <DATA> ) {
    s[
        ( 
            (?: < [^>]+ > )
        |
            (?: ( ["'] ) (?: (?!\2). ){1,18} \2 ) #"'
        |
            (?: [^<"'6]{9,18} (?=\b\W) ) #"'
        |
            [^<'"]{18} #"'
        )  \s?
    ][$1 \n]xg;
    print;
}



__DATA__
a line with "some quoted text" less than 18 chars in length and "some 
+quoted text more that 18 chars"
a line with 'some quoted text' less than 18 chars in length and 'some 
+quoted text more that 18 chars'
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
+xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/business_detroit_moto
+r_show/html/1.stm/1.stm
this is the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/
+business_detroit_motor_show/html/1.stm/1.stm">link</a> I was referrin
+g to
for( 1 .. 20 ){ $bar = $bop[ 1 ]; print "$bar/$baz,$foo[$baz]" }
for(1..20){$bar=$bop[1];print"$bar/$baz,$foo[$baz]"}
for(1..20)%7B%24bar%3D%24bop%5B1%5D%3Bprint%22%24bar%2F%20%24baz%2C%24
+foo%5B%24baz%5D%22%7D
__OUTPUT__
a line with 
"some quoted text" 
less than 18 chars 
in length and 
"some quoted text 
more that 18 chars 
"
a line with 
'some quoted text' 
less than 18 chars 
in length and 
'some quoted text 
more that 18 chars 
'
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
xxx
http://news.bbc.co 
.uk/1/shared/spl 
/hi/pop_ups/05 
/business_detroit_ 
motor_show/html/1 
.stm/1.stm 
this is the 
<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/business_det
+roit_motor_show/html/1.stm/1.stm"> 
link</a> 
I was referring to 
for( 1 .. 20 
){ $bar = $bop[ 1 
]; print "$bar/$baz,$foo 
[$baz]" }
for(1..20){$bar 
=$bop[1];print 
"$bar/$baz,$foo 
[$baz]"}
for(1..20)%7B 
%24bar%3D%24bop 
%5B1%5D%3Bprint%22 
%24bar%2F%20%24baz 
%2C%24foo%5B%24baz 
%5D%22%7D
[download]

Examine what is said, not who speaks.

Silence betokens consent.

Love the truth but pardon error.

In reply to Re: A call to keyboards: Better chatterbox wrapping by BrowserUk
in thread A call to keyboards: Better chatterbox wrapping by demerphq

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