So, let me get this straight. You have a user-entered search phrase and you want to highlight HTML content where it matches those words.

First, let me recommend that when you change your node, you mark it as Update: and either use strike notation or simply post your updated material in a separate paragraph, leaving your original post content alone.

Second, you want to parse out a search phrase into words and put them in an array -- use split to accomplish this.

Third, you'll want to step through that array, using a construct like this (untested):

  for my $word (@search_words) {
    $html =~ s/($word)/<b><u>$1<\/u><\/b>/g;
  }

[download]

This acts on the HTML in $html that you are evaluating and replaces $word with a highlighted version of itself (that's what the $1 accomplishes). It acts on the entire contents of $html because of the /g modifier on the regex.

Fourth, if you want to parse out sections or tags of HTML, applying your substitution to some while ignoring others, you'll probably want to use a CPAN module to do that. I've used HTML::TreeBuilder for such things before, but you may want to search around a little for something that suits your needs.

Update: Ah, I see that Fletch already recommended this. Well, now you've heard it from two people! :)


No good deed goes unpunished. -- (attributed to) Oscar Wilde

In reply to Re: Perl regex by ptum
in thread Perl regex by axl163

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