New proposed function doesn't do what I want

[Tom Capey]

* Rodney Sparapani <rsparapa at post.its.mcw.edu> writes:

> Does anyone know why this function doesn't quite work?  I want to change all 
> multiple blank lines into one blank line.

> (defun ess-delete-blank-lines ()
> "Convert 2 or more lines of white space into one.  This function
> works as you might expect, except that it must be terminated by C-g
> for some reason and it also removes single blank lines?!?"
>     (interactive)

>     (save-excursion
> 	(goto-char (point-min))

> 	(save-match-data
> 	    (while (search-forward-regexp "^[ \t]*$" nil 'eof 2)
> 		    (delete-blank-lines)))))
		    
  the found search-string is an empty string (= (match-beginning)
  (match-end)), so the COUNT argument will automatically be
  satisfied, cf.,

(re-search-forward "" nil t 30)

  which will return the current point.

  the function removes the single blank lines because a single
  blank line satisfies the search conditions.  I'd go for two
  explicit lines, and go to the beginning of the found regular
  expression in case I'm at the beginning of a non-blank line
  (`delete-blank-lines' will do nothing in that case):


(defun ess-delete-blank-lines ()
  "Convert 2 or more lines of white space into one."
    (interactive)
    (save-excursion
	(goto-char (point-min))
	(save-match-data
	    (while (search-forward-regexp "^[ \t]*\n[ \t]*\n" nil t)
              (goto-char (match-beginning 0))
		    (delete-blank-lines)))))



/Tom
-- 
I for one welcome our new key-chord-requiring self-documenting
extensible OS-in-an-editor Emacs overlord. -- Jock Cooper



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