Regexp match strickly html comment string

Question

I'am trying to use regexp to strip all html comments from .html file. As we know html comments format are  I've create such regexp

//gs

It works, but if there is more than one comment block in file, it strips no one to another block, but all from first  F.e.

some html tags
<!-- some comments 1 -->
some html tags 2
<!-- some comments 2-->

It strips entire

<!-- some comments 1 -->
some html tags 2
<!-- some comments 2-->

I'am code with ActionScript language. Any advice would be helpful. Thanks!

you need `.+?` for this, not `.*` – gaussblurinc Jul 04 '12 at 13:08 — gaussblurinc, Jul 04 '12 at 13:08

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered Jul 04 '12 at 13:08

6

use this regex //gs

answered Jul 04 '12 at 13:08

burning_LEGION

13,246
8
40
52

This won't match multi-lines comments. – yPhil Sep 18 '18 at 11:50

score 5 · Accepted Answer · answered Jul 04 '12 at 13:22

5

Use the question mark to make the asterisk lazy:

/<!--.*?-->/gs

answered Jul 04 '12 at 13:22

aspidistra

66
4

Thanks! It works right now! Can you explain please what this question mark do for this regexp? – igorGIS Jul 04 '12 at 14:03
The question mark makes the asterisk character [lazy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regular_expression#Lazy_quantification). As in "do as little work as possible before stopping". – aspidistra Jul 04 '12 at 14:22

Regexp match strickly html comment string

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