Question

A program creates HTML files from a database. There are headings and stuff in between the headings.

There are not a set amount of headings.
After each heading the program places the text:

$WHITE*("5")$ 

$WHITE*("20")$ 
$HRULE$ 

I need every occurrence of these 4 lines to be replaced with:

$WHITE*("20")$ 
$HRULE$ 
$WHITE*("10")$ 

I am not fussed what program is used 🙂

I have tried:

sed 's:\$WHITE\*(\"5\")\$\n\n\$WHITE\*(\"20\")\$\n\$HRULE\$:\$WHITE\*(\"20\")\$\
\$HRULE$\
\$WHITE*("10")$:g'

and various other permutations

Answer 1

UPDATE #2

From the sed faq, section 4.23.3

If you need to match a static block of text (which may occur any number of times throughout a file), where the contents of the block are known in advance, then this script is easy to use

UPDATE #1

Python?

$ cat input
first line
second line
3rd line
$WHITE*("5")$

$WHITE*("20")$
$HRULE$
some more lines
yet another
$WHITE*("5")$

$WHITE*("20")$
$HRULE$
THE END

the script:

#!/usr/bin/env python

## Use these 3 lines for python version < 2.5
#fd=open('input')
#text=fd.read()
#fd.close()

## Use these 2 lines for python version >= 2.5
with open('input') as fd:
    text=fd.read()

old="""$WHITE*("5")$

$WHITE*("20")$
$HRULE$
"""

new="""$WHITE*("20")$
$HRULE$
$WHITE*("10")$
"""

print text.replace(old,new)

output:

first line
second line
3rd line
$WHITE*("20")$
$HRULE$
$WHITE*("10")$
some more lines
yet another
$WHITE*("20")$
$HRULE$
$WHITE*("10")$
THE END