Deleting multiple lines of text from a file

[barman]

I have a huge load of text files from which I need to strip out text.

I have good "rules" for the program to follow, but I don't know how to execute them.

For example: Everything between "***TempStart" and "TempEnd***" should be deleted. And, everything after "***EndingStart" (right up until the end of the file) should be deleted also.

How do I do it!?

This: [SOLVED] Delete Current line from file looks like it might help me, but that's only for deleting one line.

I'd appreciate any and all help I can get.

Thanks!
Barman

[Norm]

The basic logic is to read the input file and copy to output file up to where the delete point starts. Then continue reading but not copying up to the end of the delete point and copy the rest of the file to the output.

[Zack]

Alternatively to what Norm suggested, you could also find the first line after "***TempStart", then delete that line repeatedly until it equals "TempEnd***". Then, continue iterating until you're after "***EndingStart" and delete that line until you reach the EOF.

[Norm]

delete that line repeatedly

What does it mean to "delete" a line in a file?

[JosAH]

There's a pattern for this: the Chain Of Responsibility; imagine a file reader, it reads line by line; before writing each line it consults a bunch of, say, Filers; if at least one of the Filters forbids writing the line, the line isn't written. If all Filters allow the line to be written it is written.

Given a line and a bunch of Filters, they can be checked as follows:

boolean isWritable(String line) {

   for (Filter filter: filters)
      if (!filter.isAllowed(line))
         return false;
   return true;
}

The Filters object is simply a list of Filters:

List<Filter> filters= new ArrayList<Filter>();

And the Filter interface is:

public interface Filter {
   public boolean isAllowed(String line);
}

One of the possible Filter implementations is:

public class EndStartFilter implements Filter {

   private boolean noEndStartSeen= true;

   public boolean isAllowed(String line) {
      if (noEndStartSeen)
         noEndStartSeen= line.equals("***EndingStart");
      return noEndStart;
   }
}

I'm sure you can implement the other Filters yourself. All you have to do is populate the filters List and give it a go.

kind regards,

Jos