diff --git a/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchProfile.java b/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchProfile.java
index f751d55dbccf..a82d53d8187d 100644
--- a/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchProfile.java
+++ b/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchProfile.java
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import com.intellij.structuralsearch.plugin.ui.SearchContext;
 import com.intellij.structuralsearch.plugin.ui.UIUtil;
 import com.intellij.util.LocalTimeCounter;
 import com.intellij.util.containers.ContainerUtil;
+import org.jetbrains.annotations.Contract;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
 import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;
 
@@ -259,6 +260,7 @@ public abstract class StructuralSearchProfile {
     return offset;
   }
 
+  @Contract("null -> false")
   public boolean isIdentifier(PsiElement element) {
     return false;
   }
@@ -272,7 +274,7 @@ public abstract class StructuralSearchProfile {
     return false;
   }
 
-  @NotNull
+  @Contract("!null -> !null")
   public PsiElement getPresentableElement(PsiElement element) {
     return isIdentifier(element) ? element.getParent() : element;
   }
diff --git a/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchUtil.java b/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchUtil.java
index 22eedd9d3fb6..ae420eb36545 100644
--- a/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchUtil.java
+++ b/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchUtil.java
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Copyright 2000-2017 JetBrains s.r.o. Use of this source code is governed by the Apache 2.0 license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+// Copyright 2000-2018 JetBrains s.r.o. Use of this source code is governed by the Apache 2.0 license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
 package com.intellij.structuralsearch;
 
 import com.intellij.lang.Language;
@@ -46,13 +46,11 @@ public class StructuralSearchUtil {
     return !isIdentifier(element) ? element : element.getParent();
   }
 
-  @NotNull
-  public static PsiElement getPresentableElement(@NotNull PsiElement element) {
+  @Contract("!null -> !null")
+  public static PsiElement getPresentableElement(PsiElement element) {
+    if (element == null) return null;
     final StructuralSearchProfile profile = getProfileByPsiElement(element);
-    if (profile == null) {
-      return element;
-    }
-    return profile.getPresentableElement(element);
+    return profile == null ? element : profile.getPresentableElement(element);
   }
 
   private static StructuralSearchProfile[] getNewStyleProfiles() {
diff --git a/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/XmlStructuralSearchProfile.java b/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/XmlStructuralSearchProfile.java
index 86e136898a3f..38d4b6666dfe 100644
--- a/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/XmlStructuralSearchProfile.java
+++ b/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/XmlStructuralSearchProfile.java
@@ -153,83 +153,69 @@ public class XmlStructuralSearchProfile extends StructuralSearchProfile {
   private static class MyReplaceHandler extends StructuralReplaceHandler {
     private final ReplacementContext myContext;
 
-    private MyReplaceHandler(ReplacementContext context) {
+    MyReplaceHandler(ReplacementContext context) {
       myContext = context;
     }
 
     public void replace(ReplacementInfo info, ReplaceOptions options) {
-      PsiElement elementToReplace = info.getMatch(0);
+      final PsiElement elementToReplace = StructuralSearchUtil.getPresentableElement(info.getMatch(0));
       assert elementToReplace != null;
-      PsiElement elementParent = elementToReplace.getParent();
-      String replacementToMake = info.getReplacement();
-      boolean listContext = elementToReplace.getParent() instanceof XmlTag;
+      final String replacementToMake = info.getReplacement();
+      final PsiElement elementParent = elementToReplace.getParent();
+      final boolean listContext = elementParent instanceof XmlTag;
 
       if (listContext) {
         doReplaceInContext(info, elementToReplace, replacementToMake, elementParent, myContext);
       }
-
-      PsiElement[] statements = ReplacerUtil.createTreeForReplacement(replacementToMake, PatternTreeContext.Block, myContext);
-
-      if (statements.length > 0) {
-        PsiElement replacement = ReplacerUtil.copySpacesAndCommentsBefore(elementToReplace, statements, replacementToMake, elementParent);
-
-        // preserve comments
-        Replacer.handleComments(elementToReplace, replacement, info);
-        elementToReplace.replace(replacement);
-      }
       else {
-        elementToReplace.delete();
-      }
-    }
-  }
+        final PsiElement[] statements = ReplacerUtil.createTreeForReplacement(replacementToMake, PatternTreeContext.Block, myContext);
+        if (statements.length > 0) {
+          PsiElement replacement = ReplacerUtil.copySpacesAndCommentsBefore(elementToReplace, statements, replacementToMake, elementParent);
 
-  private static void doReplaceInContext(ReplacementInfo info,
-                                         PsiElement elementToReplace,
-                                         String replacementToMake,
-                                         PsiElement elementParent,
-                                         ReplacementContext context) {
-    PsiElement[] statements = ReplacerUtil.createTreeForReplacement(replacementToMake, PatternTreeContext.Block, context);
-
-    if (statements.length > 1) {
-      elementParent.addRangeBefore(statements[0], statements[statements.length - 1], elementToReplace);
-    }
-    else if (statements.length == 1) {
-      PsiElement replacement = statements[0];
-
-      Replacer.handleComments(elementToReplace, replacement, info);
-
-      try {
-        elementParent.addBefore(replacement, elementToReplace);
-      }
-      catch (IncorrectOperationException e) {
-        elementToReplace.replace(replacement);
-      }
-    }
-
-    final int matchSize = info.getMatchesCount();
-
-    for (int i = 0; i < matchSize; ++i) {
-      PsiElement element = info.getMatch(i);
-
-      if (element == null) continue;
-      PsiElement firstToDelete = element;
-      PsiElement lastToDelete = element;
-      PsiElement prevSibling = element.getPrevSibling();
-      PsiElement nextSibling = element.getNextSibling();
-
-      if (prevSibling instanceof PsiWhiteSpace) {
-        firstToDelete = prevSibling;
-      }
-      else if (prevSibling == null && nextSibling instanceof PsiWhiteSpace) {
-        lastToDelete = nextSibling;
-      }
-      if (nextSibling instanceof XmlText && i + 1 < matchSize) {
-        final PsiElement next = info.getMatch(i + 1);
-        if (next != null && next == nextSibling.getNextSibling()) {
-          lastToDelete = nextSibling;
+          // preserve comments
+          Replacer.handleComments(elementToReplace, replacement, info);
+          elementToReplace.replace(replacement);
+        }
+        else {
+          elementToReplace.delete();
         }
       }
-      element.getParent().deleteChildRange(firstToDelete, lastToDelete);
+    }
+
+    private static void doReplaceInContext(ReplacementInfo info,
+                                           PsiElement elementToReplace,
+                                           String replacementToMake,
+                                           PsiElement elementParent,
+                                           ReplacementContext context) {
+      final PsiElement[] statements = ReplacerUtil.createTreeForReplacement(replacementToMake, PatternTreeContext.Block, context);
+
+      if (statements.length > 1) {
+        elementParent.addRangeBefore(statements[0], statements[statements.length - 1], elementToReplace);
+      }
+      else if (statements.length == 1) {
+        Replacer.handleComments(elementToReplace, statements[0], info);
+        try {
+          elementParent.addBefore(statements[0], elementToReplace);
+        }
+        catch (IncorrectOperationException e) {
+          elementToReplace.replace(statements[0]);
+        }
+      }
+
+      final int matchSize = info.getMatchesCount();
+      for (int i = 0; i < matchSize; ++i) {
+        final PsiElement element = StructuralSearchUtil.getPresentableElement(info.getMatch(i));
+        final PsiElement prevSibling = element.getPrevSibling();
+        element.getParent().deleteChildRange(isWhitespace(prevSibling) ? prevSibling : element, element);
+      }
+    }
+
+    private static boolean isWhitespace(PsiElement element) {
+      if (element instanceof PsiWhiteSpace) return true;
+      if (!(element instanceof XmlText)) return false;
+      final PsiElement firstChild = element.getFirstChild();
+      final PsiElement lastChild = element.getLastChild();
+      return firstChild == lastChild && firstChild instanceof PsiWhiteSpace;
     }
   }
 
@@ -241,7 +227,7 @@ public class XmlStructuralSearchProfile extends StructuralSearchProfile {
   private static class XmlPredefinedConfigurations {
     private static final String HTML_XML = SSRBundle.message("xml_html.category");
 
-    private static Configuration[] createPredefinedTemplates() {
+    static Configuration[] createPredefinedTemplates() {
       return new Configuration[]{
         createSearchTemplateInfo("xml tag", "<'a/>", HTML_XML, StdFileTypes.XML),
         createSearchTemplateInfo("xml attribute", "<'_tag 'attribute=\"'_value\"/>", HTML_XML, StdFileTypes.XML),
diff --git a/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/XmlStructuralReplaceTest.java b/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/XmlStructuralReplaceTest.java
index 4a052cfed6c0..7fea74aaad08 100644
--- a/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/XmlStructuralReplaceTest.java
+++ b/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/XmlStructuralReplaceTest.java
@@ -94,6 +94,38 @@ public class XmlStructuralReplaceTest extends StructuralReplaceTestCase {
     assertEquals(expected, actual);
   }
 
+  public void testRemoveAttribute() {
+    String in = "<input class=\"other\" placeholder=\"Some placeholder\">";
+    String what = "<input 'a:[regex( placeholder )]>";
+    String by = "";
+    String expected = "<input class=\"other\">";
+
+    assertEquals(expected, Replacer.testReplace(in, what, by, options, getProject()));
+  }
+
+  public void testRemoveTag() {
+    String in = "<a>\n" +
+                "  <b>liberation</b>\n" +
+                "  <c>remuneration</c>\n" +
+                "</a>";
+    String what = "<'tag:[regex( c )]>'_text</'tag>";
+    String by = "";
+    String expected = "<a>\n" +
+                      "  <b>liberation</b>\n" +
+                      "</a>";
+
+    assertEquals(expected, Replacer.testReplace(in, what, by, options, getProject()));
+  }
+
+  public void testReplaceAttributeValue() {
+    String in = "<input id=\"one\" class=\"no\">";
+    String what = "<'_tag '_attr:[regex( id )]=\\''value\\'>";
+    String by = "\"two\"";
+    String expected = "<input id=\"two\" class=\"no\">";
+
+    assertEquals(expected, Replacer.testReplace(in, what, by, options, getProject()));
+  }
+
   @NotNull
   @Override
   protected String getTestDataPath() {