How to print a multi-line match?

Question

I've a file where I would like to extract a multiline pattern in non-greedy way (similar to this scenario) by using ex editor.

This example works fine:

$ ex +'/aa/,/cc/p' -scq! <(echo -e "start\naa\nbb\ncc\nend")
aa
bb
cc

by extracting me pattern between aa and cc, but it's uses ranges.

And I would like to extend that example by introducing a multiline non-greedy pattern (\_.\{-}), but it doesn't print for me the whole multi-line match for some reason:

$ ex +'/aa\_.\{-}cc/p' -scq! <(echo -e "start\naa\nbb\ncc\nend")
aa

Is there any reason for that or I'm missing anything? How do I correct that?

Answer 1

There's something almost perverse in doing this with ex, akin to chopping a tree with a razor blade, or drinking a bucket of water through a straw. But if you stop and think for a few minutes about what you're doing, it's relatively straightforward:

ex +'/aa\_.\{-}cc/' +'normal gny' +new +'normal P' +'%p' -scqa! file

Translation, for the less masochistic among us:

• + introduce command line statements that apply to file
• /aa\_.\{-}cc/ searches for the pattern
• normal gn marks the text just found
• y yanks said text
• new opens a new buffer
• normal P pastes the text
• %p prints the buffer (i.e. :p applied to the entire buffer, a.k.a. %)
• -scqa! runs :qa!, i.e. bails out.

The same tricks, using normal <mumble> to get to normal mode commands from within ex, and pasting stuff to a scratch buffer, can be used to solve other similar quizzes, such as printing the contents of a register, and echo-ing things (hint: use redir for that one).

Edit: Alternative approach, by OP:

ex +'sil /aa\_.\{-}cc/norm gny' +'redi>>/dev/stdout|echon @"' -scq! file

Please note that /dev/stdout is not available on all systems.