EREG : Highlighting NOT in tags

[tarwin]

I've been trying to, after a search, place "<span class=classname>$string</span>"

I can do that easily enough but the problem is it replaces that $string is also replaced inside other markers.

eg : if $string = "image"; then it also makes <IMG SRC=images/name.gif> into <IMG SRC=<span>image</span>s/name.gif>

I tried playing around with ereg_replace but could only come up with the following

$rep = "a|e|!";
$newstring = eregi_replace(">([^{<>])($rep)([<>])<",} ">\1<b>\2</b>\3<", "<>a asdf asdf a a<asdf asdf asdf>h>el<l>o!!!<asdf asd f>");
print $newstring;

This puts bold anything in $rep but only seems to do it to the last instance. For example it will only make bold the 3rd 'a' in the string as well as the 'e' and the third '!'.

Can anyone help me?!

[[deleted]]

What exactly do you want to get?

[tarwin]

To explain the question more clearly ..

I need a function that:

• Takes a string, lets call it it $string, that contains plain text and HTML.

• Takes another string, lets call it $hl_string, which is highlighted in $string

I did this using the following function:

=======================
$string = "<p><b>heading</b><br>This is some other text!!!!<img src=../isthere.gif</p>";
$hl_string = "is";
$replacement = "<span class=\"phighlight1\">$hl_string</span>";

$string = eregi_replace($hl_string, $replacement, $string);

This seems to work fine but because $hl_string also exists inside an HTML tag it destroys the tag and you end up with:

$string = "<p><b>heading</b><br>This <span class=\"phighlight1\">is</span> some other text!!!!<img src=../<span class=\"phighlight1\">is</span>there.gif</p>";

As you can see this stuffs things up. I was trying to another regular expression that:

• Only replaces the $hl_string between a ">" and a "<" but where there is no other "< ... >" between them.

The reg exp :

">([^{<>])($rep)([<>])<",} ">\1\2\3<"

: does seem to work but for some reason it only replaces the last instance of the $hl_string ...

one strange thing is that if $hl_string = "[abc]" for example it will highlight the last a and the last b and the last c ... which kinda makes sense but just makes it more confusing.

Summary : A reg exp that only replaces text where it will show as text, not in HTML tags!

Thanks!!!!!