Deleting items from a list

[pigamus]

I've got a list of things stored as a text file. I want to delete some items, but it's quite a long list, and deleting them one by one is going to be tedious.

I'm wondering if there's some other way? That will let me select individual items like you'd select email for deletion?

[The Guppy]

Triple-click selects a whole paragraph, if that helps.

[pigamus]

Yeah, if they were all together in groups... less good if you want to delete items 4, 9 and 21, for example

It's one of those things that should be easy but I don't think actually is

Or else somebody's going to say "Why don't you just....?" and make me look fucking stupid

[The Guppy]

On a Mac I would hold Option, then triple click each item I want to delete, so I only have those items selected. Not sure what you'd hold on Windows. Maybe Alt?

edit: I'm assuming it's a list
formatted
like this

and not a list, of things, all on one line, which would be way harder.

[pigamus]

yes
it is like
this

Yes it's a Mac - which program are you talking about?

[The Guppy]

Tested it in Notes, just double checked in TextEdit. So I'd assume it works in all text editors and word processors.

But it doesn't work right here in this edit box.

Command is the universal "select a few things but not everything in between" modifier on a Mac.


edit: doesn't work in Pages, a more newfangled thing than TextEdit. Jobs is spinning in his grave.

[pigamus]

That's only going to select one item at a time though isn't it?

[pigamus]

Oh wait a minute! Couldn't get it to work in TextEdit but in Notes it works! Well that's bloody useful, thank you!

[The Guppy]

Glad it worked somewhere!

[Sebastian Cobb]

if you're on a mac another option is to open a terminal to the same location as the file and do

Code Select Expand

grep -v -e 'pattern1' -e 'pattern2' -e 'and so on' input_file.txt > output_file.txt

[touchingcloth]

That's overkill if you're using a Mac. You can just say

Hey, Siri, delete ^.*<pattern>.*$

[Sebastian Cobb]

I have no idea how to say '^' aloud.

[touchingcloth]

"Caret".

[olliebean]

On a Mac I would hold Option, then triple click each item I want to delete, so I only have those items selected. Not sure what you'd hold on Windows. Maybe Alt?

Ctrl.