<?php
$xmlstr = <<<XML
<sections>
<section>
<paragraph>
<literal class="html">
<img alt="" src="http://a...content-available-to-author-only...e.org/empty.png" /></span></span> Yes/no&nbsp;<br />
<img alt="" src="http://a...content-available-to-author-only...e.org/empty.png" /></span></span> Other text/no&nbsp;<br />
</literal>
</paragraph>
</section>
</sections>
XML;
$sections = new SimpleXMLElement($xmlstr);
foreach ($sections->section->paragraph as $paragraph) {
$re = "~<img.*?>(?=</span)~";
$subst = "<custom name=\"my_checkbox\"></custom>";
$paragraph->literal = preg_replace($re, $subst, $paragraph->literal); }
echo $sections->asXML();
?>
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