From: Logan Capaldo <logancapaldo@...>
Date: 2006-05-31T14:23:44+09:00
Subject: Re: YAML - how to encode an empty string


On May 30, 2006, at 11:23 PM, cremes.devlist@mac.com wrote:

> Learned something interesting (to me) today.
>
> In a fixture file I'm using to test some db code, I need a field to  
> contain an empty string. I had no idea how to encode that in YAML.  
> I checked the faq but it consists of one entry about tabs. :-)
>
> I also searched this list and the Rails list going back to Jan 2005  
> and came up dry.
>
> irb to the rescue:
>
> cremes$ irb
> irb(main):001:0> require 'yaml'
> => true
> irb(main):002:0> empty = ""
> => ""
> irb(main):003:0> empty.to_yaml
> => "--- \"\"\n"
>
> I put that into my fixture file (just the \"\") and everything is  
> peachy. Next time I'll experiment with irb *first*.
>
> cr
>

and for even quicker checking of stuff like this:
% ruby -ryaml -e 'y ""'
--- ""