function and examples for matching entire file

[tdhock]

from https://tdhock.github.io/blog/2026/links-to-bibtex/

 link_pattern <- list(
  "\\[",
  title=".*?",
  "\\]\\(",
  url="http.*?",
  "\\)")
  before_pattern <- list(
    before="(?s).*?",
    nc::alternatives(
      link=link_pattern,
      "$"))

more generic

before <- function(...)list(
  before="(?s).*?",
  nc::alternatives(
    pattern=list(...),
    "$"))
nc::capture_all_str(
  "before [foo](http) between [bar text](http) after",
  before(
    "\\[",
    title=".*?",
    "\\]\\(",
    url="http.*?",
    "\\)"))

output

> nc::capture_all_str(
+ "before [foo](http) between [bar text](http) after",
+ before(
+ "\\[",
+ title=".*?",
+ "\\]\\(",
+ url="http.*?",
+ "\\)"))
      before          pattern    title    url
      <char>           <char>   <char> <char>
1:   before       [foo](http)      foo   http
2:  between  [bar text](http) bar text   http
3:     after                                 

[tdhock]

seems to work better with + not *

pattern <- before(
  "\\[",
  title=".*?",
  "\\]\\(",
  url="http.*?",
  "\\)")
nc::capture_all_str(
  "before [foo](http) between [bar text](http) after",
  pattern)
nc::capture_all_str(
  "before between after",
  pattern)

gives

> nc::capture_all_str(
+ "before [foo](http) between [bar text](http) after",
+ pattern)
      before          pattern    title    url
      <char>           <char>   <char> <char>
1:   before       [foo](http)      foo   http
2:  between  [bar text](http) bar text   http
3:     after                                 
> nc::capture_all_str(
+ "before between after",
+ pattern)
                 before pattern  title    url
                 <char>  <char> <char> <char>
1: before between after