How to paste a multiline regex from re-builder into `replace-regexp`

Question

I built with M-x re-builder a regex to match empty quoted lines in emails. In read syntax it is:

"^>\\s-*\n>"

How can I copy this regex in re-builder, so that I can paste it in the first prompt of M-x replace-regexp?

I tried the following:

After writing the regex in re-builder's read mode I switched with Ctrl-C TAB to string syntax and copied the regex via Ctrl-C Ctrl-w. Then I issued M-x replace-regexp and pasted the regex but found "0 occurrences". Additionally I deleted the " quotes characters from the pasted text and try again, but still got no matches. I guess, something goes wrong with the newline character...

Answer 1

You're almost doing the right thing -- switch to string syntax, and copy the pattern, sans the double-quotes.

You need to copy it directly from the re-builder buffer using the normal copy/kill commands though, as C-c C-w always gives you the regexp in read syntax.

Regarding the newline, that should be a literal newline character at this point, and not the escape sequence \n (which won't match a newline in this syntax).