http://www.perlmonks.org?node_id=715130

hacker has asked for the wisdom of the Perl Monks concerning the following question:

I have a need to read "slices" out of a text file (a Makefile), based on known values that appear within the file. For example:

YACCCOMPILE = $(YACC) $(YFLAGS) $(AM_YFLAGS) LTYACCCOMPILE = $(LIBTOOL) $(AM_LIBTOOLFLAGS) $(LIBTOOLFLAGS) + \ --mode=compile $(YACC) $(YFLAGS) $(AM_YFLAGS) YLWRAP = $(top_srcdir)/ylwrap SOURCES = $(libpiuserland_la_SOURCES) $(pilot_addresses_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_clip_SOURCES) $(pilot_csd_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_debugsh_SOURCES) $(pilot_dedupe_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_dlpsh_SOURCES) $(pilot_file_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_foto_SOURCES) $(pilot_foto_treo600_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_foto_treo650_SOURCES) $(pilot_getram_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_getrom_SOURCES) $(pilot_getromtoken_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_hinotes_SOURCES) $(pilot_install_datebook_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_install_expenses_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_install_hinote_SOURCES) $(pilot_install_memo_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_install_netsync_SOURCES) $(pilot_install_todo_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_install_todos_SOURCES) $(pilot_install_user_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_memos_SOURCES) $(pilot_nredir_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_read_expenses_SOURCES) $(pilot_read_ical_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_read_notepad_SOURCES) $(pilot_read_palmpix_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_read_screenshot_SOURCES) $(pilot_read_todos_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_read_veo_SOURCES) $(pilot_reminders_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_schlep_SOURCES) $(pilot_wav_SOURCES) + \ $(pilot_xfer_SOURCES) RECURSIVE_TARGETS = all-recursive check-recursive dvi-recursive + \ html-recursive info-recursive install-data-recursive + \ install-dvi-recursive install-exec-recursive + \ install-html-recursive install-info-recursive + \ install-pdf-recursive install-ps-recursive install-recursive + \ installcheck-recursive installdirs-recursive pdf-recursive + \ ps-recursive uninstall-recursive
In this example, I want everything from ^SOURCES until the beginning of the next "block" that starts with ^RECURSIVE_TARGETS.

I know what my ^MARKERS will be in-advance, but I don't know how many lines will follow them until the next section that begins with another marker I may or may not need.

One of the problems is that there can be any number of spaces/tabs in the middle of, or at the end of each "continuation" line (or no continuation delimiters at all), and the "block" can be continued for anywhere from 1 line to dozens of lines.

Any idea how I would approach this problem in a clean, simplistic way? Is there enough detail provided here to understand my problem?